Fic: Unnecessary

[avirjin]

Title: Unnecessary
Fandom: Exo
Focus: Jongin-centric, Kai/Suho
Genre: General
Rating: G
Length: Drabble, 456 words
Summary: In Jongin's opinion, Junmyeon does too much for him. To him.

"Take some more," Junmyeon says, using his pair of metal chopsticks to snatch a slice of sizzling pork belly from underneath Chanyeol's nose and set it down on Jongin's plate. The only thing that keeps Jongin from thanking him -- ready to shove aside that childish resistance, the urge to say "I could've gotten it myself" without meaning it -- is that Junmyeon immediately sets his sights on Moonkyu's plate, and then Sehun's. 

 

Jongin lowers his gaze and plucks the piece of meat up, only to drop it back on his plate. 

 

"Don't play with your food," Minseok says from the other end of the booth, and Jongin hates how that immediately makes Junmyeon turn back to him with a small frown. 

 

He looks like he's about to say something -- only three years older, only a year more of experience in the company and Junmyeon thinks he's some sort of super sunbae -- but instead, he turns back to Minseok and says cheekily, "not all of us are old in both age and at heart, Minseok-ah." 

 

The rest of the trainees laugh in-between bites of food, gulps of cider. Jongin tries to too, as Minseok playfully grumbles about Junmyeon having no place to speak, about the hypocrisy of calling him old, but not hyung, but it's not the full-bellied, back-slapping laughter he's prone to. 

 

Jongin pretends he doesn't notice Junmyeon slipping him another slice of meat again, ignoring it once again for the kimchi on the other side of the plate. It's sour and tangy in his mouth, and his throat thirsts for grease and fat and comfort even as the smoke from the table's grill chokes him. 

 

"I'm going to get some air," someone else says before Jongin gets to, forcing everyone to move out of the narrow booth. There's enough of them that there's tripping over feet, the shameless theft of food from each other's plates; in the chaos, Jongin feels frail fingers wrap around his wrist and tug him towards the doors of the restaurant. 

 

Junmyeon's hair is gross from sweat, from both practice and being in a crowded space with half a dozen other guys. It reflects the orange of the street lights, moreso than the build-up of oil on his face. It's a familiar sight. 

 

"You didn't have to do that," Jongin says belatedly. Didn't have to give him the meat, didn't have to divert Minseok's attention, didn't have to give Jongin an out just because they both knew he'd rather be home in bed with an hot pad or a cold compress or something against his back, not like his ratty sweatshirt that's slowly growing tighter with every move Junmyeon makes.

 

Junmyeon lets go of his wrist, still smiling.

Original Post: Here. 
Prompt: "Do you think it's possible to love someone your whole life and never really realize it until something happens that makes you see?" - Rosalee Futch, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!
Author's Note: Originally I was planning to compile my free kicks, but I decided to just post them separately instead. Why not. This was the first ever free kick I did, though it basically was the same as the old, prompted 30-minute challenges the writing memes used to do. Anyway, this is set pre-debut. I love the idea of Suho taking care of Kai since the time they were trainees up until now lol. I don't know if either of them are truly in love at this point, but at least Kai should be feeling that tenderness that is born when someone seems extra considerate of you lol The title comes from Suho's unnecessary actions and Kai's unnecessary reaction to them.