[M] Felicity (1/1)

Chapter twenty: FelicitySnow. On the windowsills, in the streets and on top of every single car, just... Everywhere. December had come around a few days ago, bringing along cold winds and snowflakes that made all the children of the neighbourhood explore the world with renewed curiosity and wide eyes. Jonghyun himself felt giddy whenever he went out, either to go to the café and work or to take a simple walk, amazed at how much the scenery could change once snow had covered everything with a thick layer of white.The young man only regretted one thing: the overall absence of Christmas ornaments at the windows of the shops, restaurants and houses. He still remembered his awakening, many years ago on a Christmas Eve, under the tree and surrounded by the warmth colours of the holiday. Even back then, Christmas had been an old and almost forgotten concept, so the bite of time had done nothing to soothe the loss of the festive spirit. Although it made him feel a little nostalgic, Jonghyun rejoiced at the fact that the Kim's would celebrate anyway, like they had always done. Maybe the first meaning of this holiday was long lost on them as well but at least they still made a great party out of it, focusing on family and love. To Jonghyun, it meant the whole world.Kibum and his parents had invited him over, of course, since Christmas without Jonghyun wouldn't seem like Christmas at all, or so Na Yung had said. She had cried when Kibum had told her and his dad that Jonghyun and he were dating (and taking their time with that) and Christmas would be the first opportunity Jonghyun would actually take to see them again - he couldn't wait to be home.Pushing the door of the coffee shop open, the young man greeted Donghae with such cheerfulness that his friend could only groan, muttering under his breath that it was too damn early for being so happy. Jonghyun laughed at him and went around the counter and into the kitchen, where he found Amber taking a first batch of muffins out of the oven."Hey," he smiled at her."Hey yourself! What's up with the grin? How can you be so smiley in the morning?""Well, Kibum is coming here later today, I'm just happy to see him," he answered, beaming at the mere mention of his boyfriend."You guys are so sweet you disgust me," Amber complained, which Jonghyun took no offense of since he knew she was just kidding. "I want a boyfriend too. Find me another you.""Please, I'm limited edition," Jonghyun joked, before he froze and felt a little sick at how accurate it actually was.Not willing to show his sudden trouble, the young man walked out of the kitchen and back into the main room, where he started checking the contents of the small fridges under the counters, gently shaking milk bottles to make sure they hadn't been all emptied yet. Absorbed in his task, he allowed himself to probe carefully at his last words. Limited edition. He had meant it as a joke, nothing more, but it stung painfully inside him, somewhere around his ribs. He was not... a thing. Not a robot. Not even an humanoid, not anymore. He was Jonghyun, he was human, and he was happy. Fuck everything else, as Donghae would say.With this new motto in mind, the young man felt his unease slip away - it became easier and easier, to reject the thoughts that would have once made him feel miserable, inadequate and uncomfortable around other people, those that had often made him feel like he didn't belong because he wasn't a real human.On this regard, Kibum had helped a lot - he had, for years. But after the whole fiasco on his birthday and the words that had created a deep wound inside Jonghyun, one that would never fully heal, the blond boy - his boyfriend, he thought in delight - had apologised, of course, several times in fact, and now he seemed even more eager to make him understand just how much of a human he was. Cue to endless little things that Kibum did to earn himself instinctive and definitely human reactions - his favourite was Jonghyun squeaking in surprise whenever he sneaked up on him to steal a kiss. Jonghyun never complained once: how could he, when he relished into the soft kisses they shared? Or less soft and more intense, he didn't mind either.Slowly but steadily, Kibum and he were making progress and they were learning about one another, discovering intimacy and what they liked or felt comfortable with. Of course they were nowhere close to... do it (and Jonghyun was blushing just by thinking about what this "it" stood for) but they had both started to grow bolder whenever they made out and each one of them carefully set in a corner of their mind what the other liked. For example, Jonghyun knew that Kibum enjoyed the way he would run his hands through the silky blond hair and tuck a few wayward strands behind a pierced ear. The young man also knew that his boyfriend started squirming whenever Jonghyun roamed his hands up and down his body and tickled his ribs, even without meaning to.They learned about each other, sure, but Jonghyun was also making some discoveries about himself. He really, really loved to be kissed and devoured, to have his Adam's apple or his collarbones nibbled on - which Kibum knew and took full advantage of, not that he was complaining. On the other hand, Jonghyun also found out that some parts of his body were better left untouched, as was the patch on the upper part of his back, where his number was visible. Seventy-two.He was the seventy-second humanoid to have been made. The seventy-second human to have been turned in the name of the science.Don't think about it.Jonghyun tried to push the thought to the back of his mind, in that special corner where lurked all the unpleasant elements from his past: his creation, the alterations made to his body, his heart. A heart that was now beating and pumping blood, undeniable proof of his humanity; a heart that threatened to burst with happiness every time his boyfriend so much as glanced his way... Perfectly human, thus.Shaking his head, Jonghyun pushed himself back into his work to make sure that everything would be ready for the first customers who would come in as soon as the coffee shop would open its doors, in less than fifteen minutes. That part of the day was easy, a routine that often helped Jonghyun to relax as he lost himself into the familiar process. Check the fridges, bring back milk, juices and cream if necessary, make sure that the countertop was clean even after Amber was done refilling the pastry display cases, all that while Donghae set the tables and chairs right and their boss took care of the baking.Simple things, for a man who could really do simple once in a while. If only life could always be as easy as these tasks! Although, in a way, Jonghyun couldn't bring himself to fully regret the hardships he and his family had gone through: as trying as those times had been on them all, their current situation was a reward, a well-deserved one. Maybe he was only saying this because he felt perfectly happy right now but it still rang true to his ears: the hardest was behind them.Of course, if given a choice, he would have preferred that some things happened differently... Like Kibum's birthday, for example. But in that case, maybe the result would have been different as well, and perhaps not in a good way. All things considered, this whole mess had turned out pretty alright at last and Jonghyun didn't want to know what could have been and would never be.A silly smile appeared on his face as he remembered the impatience in Kibum's voice the previous day, when the boy had promised him on the phone to come to the café after school. This was the perfect result, the happiness Jonghyun never knew he could have for himself, so he wasn't about to wish that things were different, not now."Please tell me that smile doesn't mean you're thinking of sex stuff with your boyfriend," Donghae said as he slipped behind the counter, ruining Jonghyun's trail of happy thoughts in the process."I... What? No!" Jonghyun exclaimed, feeling a traitorous blush creep on his face, just like every time the word sex made its way into a sentence. "I wasn't!""You look guilty, though," his friend pointed out, waggling his brows."Shut up," the other groaned, although it sounded more like a weak whine."Donghae," Amber interfered (bless her), "leave the poor boy alone.""Fine. You two are no fun."They stared as Donghae walked out of the shop to put their sign open on the sidewalk and crouched down to doodle a coffee mug and a pastry on it; while he was gone, Jonghyun turned to Amber with grateful puppy eyes."Thanks for that," he said with a smile."You're welcome, sugar."She grew quiet but Jonghyun could see the smirk on her face and gathered that she wasn't entirely done speaking, so he waited a little and..."So..." Amber started, rocking on the balls of her feet and making Jonghyun smile a little wider (he knew it!), "Were you really thinking about sex?""Amber!"His friends were the absolute worst. *** Jonghyun felt like he was back to the day of his first friendly date with Kibum as he kept glancing at the clock. Just like the last time, he wanted the seconds to tick away faster so that he would not have to wait for too long before they were reunited... He probably was a bit ridiculous as they had seen each other two days ago but still, Jonghyun was restless, waiting and waiting for his Kibumie to finally brighten his day.Not that his day had been bad, not at all, but you got the meaning.Kibum's presence at the café would make it a special day, for several reasons. First of all, this was the first time that the young man would come in as his boyfriend and Jonghyun was looking forward to engulf him in his arms and kiss him in front of everybody. Also, Kibum would get to meet Amber and Donghae...Which, as he thought about it, was perhaps not a good idea, considering the dirty comments Donghae would doubtlessly drop and the funny faces Amber would make at him behind Kibum's back to silently tell Jonghyun what she thought about him. Not that he needed to hear her opinion: now that the both of them were finally dating, he wasn't going to dump him just because Amber didn't like him. Actually, he was sure that his friends would love Kibum. Jonghyun was more worried about the fact that they might say ridiculous (but also mostly true) things in front of him.He was mentally bracing himself for that inevitable part while he was gathering two teacups left on a table, which he wiped clean afterwards, and suddenly, at the sound of jingling bells that meant the front door had just opened, Jonghyun whipped around, keeping his fingers crossed...Yes. Yes!Kibum's handsome face appeared in front of his eyes, bright pink from the cold air outside. The young man only had the time to remove his beanie and shake his head to free his blond hair, before Jonghyun was breaking into a quick run and swept him off his feet, literally, to kiss him. He heard Kibum's muffled sound of surprise and then, his lips parted onto a smile that only broke so that he was able to return Jonghyun's kiss with enthusiasm.When they released each other's mouth, slightly swollen and red, Jonghyun took a few more seconds to gaze into his boyfriend's eyes, until they were disturbed."Ahem."Donghae. Of course."Don't," Jonghyun groaned. "Don't ruin my moment, please.""I wouldn't dare," his friend replied, his voice so serious that one naive person would have believed him. "Just thought I would mention that there are children here, so try to keep it pg-13, alright?"Kibum laughed at that, quickly glancing around to realise that the coffee shop was actually half-empty and that most people were not particularly looking at them. He hadn't expected such a warm welcome but he wasn't complaining either: seeing Jonghyun act so freely on his desires was a good thing."You must be Donghae," he said as he reached out to shake the young man's hand. "I'm Kibum.""Oh, I know that," he answered with a wink. "Jonghyun never shuts up about you, you should hear him! Kibum this, Kibumie that, my boyfriend blah blah blah, deep sighs and daydreaming, he never stops.""Uh, thank you, Donghae.""What?" he feigned surprise at Jonghyun's annoyed tone. "Did I embarrass you? I'm so not sorry.""I know that," the other waiter grunted, although there was no animosity behind the words. "I had a feeling you would try to embarrass me...""Boohoo, sorry, princess. But wait until Amber gets her ass here!"Jonghyun shook his head and quickly lead Kibum to a table in the farthest corner from the counter, in hopes that it would prove enough to hide them from Amber. Last time he'd seen his boss, she was in the middle of a flour crisis (meaning, a bag had exploded all over the floor in the kitchen) so she probably wouldn't make fun of Jonghyun so soon...In the end, everything went quite smoothly. Amber did make a joke or two as she saw them cuddle and join their hands on the table, next to their cups of coffee and tea, then she made a disgusted frown when she caught Kibum feeding his boyfriend velvet cake with his own fork. Such a weird human concept, that strange and feigned disgust over other people's happiness... But that didn't matter; in fact, the only element of importance was that Jonghyun's friends and boyfriend got along pretty well with one another and the young man already pictured them going out all together, maybe even with Taemin and Minho, as a huge group of friends - that meant normality. He liked the prospect.When the coffee shop closed, Amber shooed them away and threatened to fire Jonghyun if he tried to help her and Donghae instead of going home with his boy for their movie date. Needless to say that the waiter hurried out, dragging a laughing Kibum behind him. However, what was supposed to be a movie date turned out quite differently... Although not in a bad way, not at all.They did start a movie but soon, Kibum grew more interested in kissing Jonghyun's throat than in the events unfolding on the big screen in the living room and... Well, his boyfriend couldn't deny the blond boy some love."I love you," Jonghyun whispered against Kibum's lips between soft but lingering kisses.He would never tire of repeating these three little words, not when he knew they were welcome and more than appreciated, and that the other boy shared his feelings. He didn't get a vocal answer though, but the way Kibum licked into his mouth meant enough.Lost in their kisses as they were, Jonghyun barely noticed that the blond was leaning backwards, until he was completely lying down on the couch, on his back, legs spread to allow his boyfriend in between. Jonghyun startled when two hands slipped into the back pockets of his pants, resting on his ass as if they belonged there, and he broke their kiss to observe Kibum.He was smiling - and he looked handsome. Swollen lips, bright eyes, cocky smirk and messy hair... A tight knot of warmth settled at the bottom of Jonghyun's belly, a strange feeling that he had never felt so strongly before, not even that day at the swimming pool as he watched Kibum in the water... Desire. Strong enough to make him want to do something about it and judging on the spark in his boyfriend's eyes, he felt the same way. But if Jonghyun had learned something from the past few months (years?), it was the importance of communication."You..." he started with slight hesitation. "You don't want to... just make out, do you?""Actually, no," Kibum replied, shaking his head. "I also don't want to do anything that you aren't comfortable with... And vice versa.""Yeah, I... I get it," Jonghyun stammered, feeling slightly (just slightly) awkward.How the hell did you... do that? That being quite vague, to be honest. Should they just keep kissing and see where that would lead them? Should they talk about it a bit more? Would it be weird if he asked more questions?He was blushing. A deep, deep red, and he knew it. Kibum chuckled and laid a hand on his left cheek, stroking it gently."Don't be shy," he whispered, before he placed a gentle kiss on Jonghyun's parted lips."I'm not," the other lied. "I'm just... wondering how to proceed.""Well, stop thinking," Kibum suggested. "Just kiss me and we'll figure it out. Anything you don't want to do, you tell me to stop. Anything I don't want to do, I tell you. Got it?""Got it," he confirmed with a firm nod.Simple rules, easy to follow. He could follow rules, he'd done so almost his whole life. Although, to be fair, he had never tried to follow rules while feeling all hot and bothered - just because Kibum was sprawled on the couch underneath his own body, looking so pretty and inviting. Okay. He could do this."I want to see you naked," Kibum softly added, never breaking the eye contact with his boyfriend. "Can I undress you?""I... Yes," Jonghyun squeaked, before he coughed and repeated more confidently, "Yeah. Can I... do the same?""Go on, Jjong."Taking a deep breath, the young man reached out to touch the collar of Kibum's woollen sweater with shaky fingers, and merely caressed the tender skin of his throat right above the edge of the fabric. Kibum, however, had already started to unbutton his boyfriend's shirt, slowly but steadily, and with each button undone, his fingertips touched the bare skin of Jonghyun's chest, alighting a fire in his veins. When Kibum palmed both of his shoulders while he removed the shirt, an odd sound escaped Jonghyun's throat, halfway between a moan and a sob.Kibum's hands stilled."Jjong? Are you okay?" he asked, ready to take his fingers off Jonghyun's body."Yes," the other answered immediately, "But I... Kibum, I... This is so new, I have never been touched like that, it's... I feel your skin, its warmth, and I...""Is it too much already? You can tell me, we'll do this slow..."Jonghyun shook his head, hundreds of words stuck in his throat. He wanted to say that he liked that, the trail on these gentle fingers across his skin, the light slide of the fabric against his heated skin, his heart beating fast, the warmth pooling down, down, down... It was overwhelming and yet, he wanted to keep going, to discover more - and taking off Kibum's sweater would be a good start.It seemed impossible to do, though. His fingers shook too much, so much in fact, that the blond boy covered his hands with his own and helped Jonghyun until he saw the smooth expanse of Kibum's chest.He stared, unmoving, for a few seconds before his brain told him to touch. So he did. Hesitant fingers trailed across the pale skin, brushing against a nipple, eliciting a soft gasp from the boy underneath him. Curious, he did it again, rewarded by another sigh of contentment, but then Kibum touched him.His whole body jolted in overstimulation as Kibum pinched his right nipple ever so slightly, licking and sucking on his throat at the same time, and Jonghyun let out a loud moan as he felt all his blood run south to fill his cock."Kibum!" he gasped, "I... I'm so hot...""Yes," the blond agreed with a laugh, "that you are. You look super sexy.""N... No," Jonghyun corrected, although he was smiling too, "I mean... I feel hot... inside.""That's normal... It's a good thing, actually. I take it you like this?""Y... yeah. O... Oh!"A fresh moan was ripped off his throat when Kibum wrapped his lips around one of his nipples, stroking the other with his hand and kneading the flesh with a little more pressure."That too?" he asked, immediately getting a frantic nod as reply. "Good.""I... I need," the other man panted, "I want... more. I don't know what, Kibum, but I know that I need more, please, please...""Yes... Come here."With these words, Kibum flipped them over (and nearly sent them tumbling off the couch in his hurry) and he hovered over his boyfriend with a reassuring smile, lying on top of Jonghyun so that they could both feel each other's hard-on's. Jonghyun's body was trembling with desire, so close already to release, this experience too intense for him since he had been touch-deprived and unable to feel physical sensations for years. Kibum pressed down, tentatively rubbing his crotch against the seam of Jonghyun's pants."Ooooh... Kibum...""Is this okay?" he enquired."More than okay, it's... It's great, awesome!"Good, Kibum thought, as he wanted to make this first experience enjoyable for Jonghyun. He could feel the outline of his boyfriend's cock pressed against his own, both hard and trembling with need, so he rubbed them together again, and again, and again, faster and harder. He kissed Jonghyun's open mouth, licking his lips, teasing and sensual as he nipped at his throat, keeping a steady rhythm to his hips as he thrust against his boyfriend.It didn't take long before Jonghyun was coming in his pants with a long, broken moan, and Kibum only had to palm himself and picture Jonghyun's full lips around him to reach his peak as well, making a mess inside his briefs. He did his best not to crush Jonghyun under his weight as he collapsed on the couch, his legs tangled with his boyfriend's, and he smiled as he saw the dreamy expression in the other man's eyes."Was that an orgasm?" he asked, amazed."Well, I sure hope so," Kibum answered, kissing Jonghyun on the tip of his nose."I think it was," the other whispered. "Oh, it was so... so good, Kibum! Hey, did you... You know, you too?""Yes," Kibum told his boyfriend, trying not to laugh aloud at Jonghyun's obvious shyness on the topic. "I liked it too, don't worry. It was really good."His boyfriend nodded, apparently pleased that he had not been the only one to enjoy this, and Kibum felt his heart fill with pure love for this amazing being who had once thrown his whole world upside down only to put it back on a better axis. With every day that passed, he considered himself more and more stupid to have made this relationship look so complicated at first."Kibum?" Jonghyun called on a low tone."Mmmh?""You... You have done this before, right? Love, I mean."He had to, Jonghyun thought. While his body had been shaking with desire, hesitation and nerves, Kibum had been confident, trembling with more excitation than nervousness."I have," the blond man told him, running his fingers through Jonghyun's sweaty hair, and for a short second, Mir's shadow floated between them. "Does it matter? You... wanted us both to be virgins?""Technically," Jonghyun pointed out, "I don't even know if I'm a virgin. But no, I don't think it matters. To be honest, it's a relief to know that at least one of us knows what they're doing... I just hope I wasn't... won't be... too bad at this."Kibum took both of Jonghyun's hands in his and squeezed his fingers in reassurance."This isn't a competition, you know? It only matters that we enjoy whatever we are doing together. And if we really have a problem about that, we'll talk about it. Right?""Communication is the key," Jonghyun agreed with a nod even as he pushed further into Kibum's space to cuddle.The blond kissed his forehead, relishing this moment of pure intimacy only disturbed by the cooling sensation in his pants - not pleasant at all. He was about to ask Jonghyun if they could move to the bathroom and change when his boyfriend spoke up:"Kibumie..." he murmured, eyes drooping slightly, "is it normal... that I feel sleepy?""Yes. You use energy when you do this kind of sport... But please, don't fall asleep now, we have to clean..."A loud snore cut him mid-sentence. Crap. Hi everyone ! Look who's alive and came to wish you all a merry Christmas? Little old me, that's right! I don't even know where to begin to apologise for this one year gap, I haven't been in a good place for a while and drama in the Kpop fandom pushed me away and didn't exactly help me to write in this fandom... I had to take my mind off of these things, I guess. So, I really, really hope that you enjoyed this new Humanoid chapter (a story that, by the way, will be finished no matter what) even though it came so late that you probably didn't think I would update ever again. Also, thank you to every single one of you who didn't stop believing in this story and in me, I've received so many supportive comments and messages that I couldn't even count them and I'm thankful to all of you for the mental support you offered me, maybe even without knowing so. Thank you <3