Grey; that’s all that greeted his eyes. Grey trees, grey grass, grey skies, and his own grey skin. It’s all his eyes have ever seen. Grey was his life. Walls were grey, dogs were grey, flowers were grey, emotions were grey. People said that the world was actually more than just grey though. They said that there were other colors. Colors called red and blue and green and yellow and so on. They said that these colors made everything so beautiful, that they stole your breath and made you stop and stare.

  This would upset Taemin though. He didn’t understand. He’d ask them to describe these colors, to help him try to picture the world as anything other than what he had grown up knowing. They always said they couldn’t though, always said it was impossible until you see them for yourself. That always made Taemin even more frustrated.

  In this life, he’d been told, you only get to see these other colors when your timer read nothing but zeros and your eyes met those of the person who would make you “whole”, your one and only, your “soulmate.”

  He hated the whole idea. This whole predestined, out of his control, without his say, companion who would supposedly make him fall in love? Steal his heart? Help him see the world for what it truly is? that, he wasn’t going to have any part in that.

  Ever since he was little he’d always cover his timer with a bandanna or wristband. That stupid ugly timer that sat right on the inside of his wrist that read the months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the moment he’d meet his stupid partner.

  He fiddled with the bandanna now as he walked in the soft light of the early morning to one of his favorite places in this dismal world; School. Of course he didn't like the majority of the mandatory classes they were forced to take but school was more than just those classes. There were the electives he could pick and the clubs and his friends and the cute girls who wanted to have some experience before they met their soulmates.

  Suddenly a heavy arm was slung around his shoulders, tugging slightly down and backwards.

  "'Morning, Ugly!" the owner of the heavy arm said. Taemin had no trouble knowing who it was. He'd known Jongin since he was 5 and could recognize his voice anywhere.

  "You know you're also insulting yourself when you say that since people often mistake us as twins."

   "I'm ugly and I'm proud, just like SpongeBob." Jongin said in response before letting his arm fall off Taemin's shoulders and back to his side.

  Taemin laughed and shook his head "You're ridiculous."

  "Yeah yeah, so you tell me. Honestly, I disagree though. I bring laughter and joy into your sad little life and you know it. How could something so amusing as me be, even for a second, considered ridiculous?" Jongin ranted quickly nearly forgetting to pause between sentences "Oh yeah, that reminds me. Jessica said that she heard from Luna, whose aunt is our principle, remember? That we're getting some transfers today."

  "Transfers? As in more than one? Did a school close down or something?" Taemin worried he'd have to deal with a bunch of upset rejects that would ruin his happy place.

  "Nah man, some family that moved so their kids are coming here. Only 2 think."

  "Ah okay."

  Jongin stopped in is tracks and stared after Taemin who continued walking until he realized his friend had frozen and turned to face Jongin's perplexed expression.

  "What?" Taemin's voice drifted into the crisp air

  "Just 'ah okay'? That's it? I thought you'd be more interested."

  "Why would you think that?"

  Jongin scoffed, "Cause you usually are. Cause you're always looking for someone new to hook-up with. Chances are one of them's a girl. Are you not planning something elaborate to charm her into bed?"

  "I don't know man, I just don't feel like it right now," Taemin replied as he shifted uncomfortably. A sour mood had suddenly taken over. The world seemed a darker grey that it had been before and he scratched around the timer that was now really bugging him. "Why don't you try this time?" He asked trying to shift the conversations focus

  "Look even though we look alike, we aren't," Jongin laughed, "Unlike you, boy, I plan to save myself for my soulmate."

 "Oh please, don't make me barf." Taemin said in disgust, beginning to walk from Jongin and his sappiness.

 "No need to be an man." Jongin jogged to catch up, "I'm just not interested in doing it with anyone else but the one I'm supposed to be with."

  "Are you seriously trying to tell me that you've never wanted to? That you've never been tempted? Never even thought of it? 'Cause if so I'm calling bull."

 "Well of course I've thought of it before, that's not at all what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that once I think about it, I'm put off. It holds no appeal to me. I want to experience that first time, and all the times to follow, with my soulmate."

  Taemin groaned with a scowl on his face that made Jongin laugh.

  "Hey, you've always known I've been dying to meet them," Jongin’s smile retorted back in that faraway look he always got when he talked about this nonsense, "I wonder who it'll be. Whether it'll be a girl or guy even."

   It was Taemin’s turn to freeze, nearly choking on his own saliva, "What!? A guy!? Why the would it be a guy? You're soulmate can't be a guy."

  Jongin's face contorted into confusion. "And why not?"

  Taemin's eyes grew to the size of saucers, "What do you mean why? Because you're a guy!"

  "So what? Do you have a problem with homoual couples?"  Jongin's voice was raising, now tinged with anger.

  "I... No, I just-"

  "Look Taemin, it’s called a ing soulmate. I'll love whoever it turns out to be because that's the way it’s supposed to be, idiot."

  "I know, I know. I'm sorry man. I didn't mean to start anything. I was just ... shocked I guess. I don't think about this stuff often, you know, so I've never even entertained the idea that your soulmate could be anything other than a girl."

  Jongin looked it him for a while with his brow furrowed before shaking his head with a sigh and continuing to walk. Taemin slowly walked until he was once again beside his best friend.

  "It’s alright," Jongin finally said, "There aren't many gay couples in our town and yeah, you've probably never thought about mine or yours, so it’s understandable why you'd be so surprised. But like I said, I don't care what gender my soulmate is, we'll make it work. I'll be the same me no matter what, you know that right."

  "Yeah, of course I know that." Taemin vowed even though no, he didn't know that. He felt uneasy even thinking about it.

  "And besides, who knows? Yours might end being a guy," Jongin started with a laugh, "Hell, maybe the transfer is a guy and he turns out to be the one."

  Jongin was laughing now, hugging his sides, apparently thinking about it but Taemin felt queasy.

  His soulmate? A guy? No no no no no. No way whatever god above would be so cruel to him. His soulmate couldn't be a guy. Jongin's? Fine, sure, let him be gay but no, not him. He'd jump off a bridge before ever being okay with that.

  They were both quiet the rest of the way to school, Jongin dreaming about his soulmate and Taemin dreading it.