OH SEHUN

My eyes fluttered open slowly, taking in the warm sunlight shining in through our window. Jongin was asleep next to me with his back facing me. I smiled. He was always out and about early in the morning before I even got to see him, so the thought of spending a lazy afternoon in bed with him sounded really nice.

I placed my hand on his waist, marveling at the feel of his smooth tan skin. I felt him subconsciously relax into my touch with a soft sigh, but he didn't wake up. I gently caressed his skin, absentmindedly placing a soft kiss on his shoulder.

He looks so real... Feels so real...

But why do I keep thinking he could disappear from my sight at any given moment?

I tightened my hold on him. Even though I had just spent an amazing day with him, and although he reassured and promised me yesterday, I still had an uneasy feeling that I couldn't quite shake off.

At first I was scared of being with Jongin. Now I was just scared of losing him.

I felt him hold my hand and pull it up to his lips, placing a soft kiss in it. I smiled as he turned around to face me, bleary-eyed, hair messy, the cutest grin playing on his lips.

"Good morning," he said, voice deep and thick with sleep.

"Morning..." I mumbled, cupping his cheek. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"What?" He frowned.

"You just look so cute in the morning,"

He quirked a brow, "And why is that funny?"

"You just reminded me of a cute little puppy... With your hair all messy like that," I cooed, lightly ruffling his brown locks.

"You are crazy," he shook his head but was smiling nonetheless.

"Crazy about you..." I whispered, leaning in to peck him softly on the lips. A soft blush coloured his cheeks as he gazed at me. A light bruise on the side of his neck caught my attention and I reached out, lightly tracing my finger across it. He shivered slightly at my touch.

Yeah... That's not a bruise.

"What?" Jongin asked with a frown.

I grinned, "I may or may not have left you a hickey from last night. Oh wait there's another on your shoulder."

"Well of course you did... You thought you could do all that without leaving a mark?"

I blushed sightly, remembering the events of the previous night. But seeing that mark on his skin made me feel all warm inside. It made me feel like he belonged to me, which sounded sort of possessive and creepy but I didn't mind.

I sure wished he could be mine, anyway.

"Uh... Sorry?"

Jongin chuckled softly, "For what? I liked it."

"Really?"

"Really really liked it..." He leaned in and dug his face into my neck, "But I do think I need to return the favour..."

"Hey!" I gasped in surprise as he on my neck, hard enough to leave a mark. He retracted back, satisfied at his handiwork.

"I won't be the only one wearing a turtleneck today..." He smirked as he pressed his lips against mine.

"Alright, fair enough," I laughed, cupping his cheek as he pulled away. I gazed at him softly. "I wish I could wake up to you every single day."

Jongin's face softened, but there was a certain somber look in his eyes. "Me too... Let's make it happen, yeah?"

"Yeah... Let's."

I held his hand between us, intertwining our fingers as we gazed at each other. It felt like my heart was literally swelling with the amount of affection I had for him. Maybe even love.

If only this moment could last forever.

As if remembering something, he suddenly reached for his phone on the bedside table and looked at the time.

"Wow it's one already..."

"You got somewhere to be?"

He pressed his lips together, seeming somewhat torn.

"Yeah... I have that doctor's appointment."

I sighed in disappointment, pouting slightly. "Can't you just skip and spend the day with me?"

"I won't be long, okay? Like two hours, tops. Then we can spend the rest of the day together.

I huffed. I knew I was being a bit clingy, but I couldn't help it. I just didn't want to let Jongin go for even a second.

That's the literal definition of clingy.

"You better not be late."

"I won't," he said as he kissed my cheek before sitting up to stretch. I watched his muscles flex and couldn't help but ogle, my lips.

It has got to be illegal to have a body like that. 


 

"So tell me something. Honestly."

"What?"

Luna's eyes twinkled as she leaned forward eagerly. I cocked a skeptical brow at her, sipping on my bubble tea.

"How big is he?"

I almost spit out my drink, eyes widening at the question. "What the-"

"Come on. Honestly. I'm sure he's like, super huge."

"How the hell would I know?"

She stared at me blankly, "Come on... the Sehun I know never wears this many turtlenecks in a row. I'm no fool."

"You're an idiot. I just like how they look. It's my new style."

She narrowed her eyes at me before quickly jerking forward and pulling my turtleneck down, revealing a fresh hickey on my neck.

"!" I blushed and swatted her hand away as she sat back in her chair, smirking.

"I knew it! Now spill."

"I don't know yet!"

She raised her brows in interest, "So you're telling me that you guys are roommates and are busy giving each other hickeys all week, but you can't tell me how big his is?"

"Well I haven't seen it yet," I shrugged, "We just make out... We're been keeping things strictly above the waist."

Her face contorted in confusion as if that was the strangest thing she'd ever heard. "Why?"

I shrugged, "We're still adjusting to this."

"But he's your boyfriend!"

"Not yet... We haven't made it official yet."

"Huh... You guys are even more than actual . But I guess it's cute."

"You are lewd," I rolled my eyes, "We just don't wanna rush into things, okay?"

"I get it," she smiled genuinely, "Ah you guys are so cute! I can't believe you're finally getting it on with a dude!"

I chuckled to myself, shaking my head in amusement. Sometimes I had a hard time believing it too. It all felt so surreal. Looking down at my watch, I stood up.

"Come on, I don't want to be late."

"For what?"

"I have a dance session with Jongin."

"Oh okay... I suppose I shouldn't ask because you'll never let me come watch."

I shrugged, "You know better by now."

"Can I come? Please? I promise I'll be good."

I rolled my eyes at her. She had asked so many times and I honestly just felt bad about saying no just this once.

"Fifteen minutes, and then you gtfo."

"Yay," she jumped up excitedly, clapping her hands in anticipation.

When we made it to the studio, there was already some soft piano music playing inside. I opened the door slowly and found Jongin dancing in front of the mirror. He always was, a lot more than he usually did.

Most of the time he would go to the studio super early and start rehearsing on his own. It was a routine he was working on for his mid term exam, and I found myself silently watching him before I made my presence known.

He was different from the first time I saw him.

When he danced, he was dancing with passion and emotion, complementing every single move with the perfect facial expression. I knew he was working hard and it was showing. He was absolutely breathtaking to look at.

"Whoa, would you look at that?" Luna whispered, in awe. "Would you mind if I fell in love with him too?"

"Be my guest," I said sarcastically. Obviously Jongin doesn't want anyone but me, anyway.

When he eventually noticed us at the door, he immediately halted and smiled at us, face flushed. He always got all shy when he caught me staring at him dancing.

"Nice moves," Luna complimented as she walked in.

"It still needs a lot of work..." He said, scratching the back of his neck. His eyes met mine and his lips curled up into a sort of dorky smile. I was sure I mirrored that too.

"It's perfect. Don't be so hard on yourself," I said sincerely, watching his face grow even redder at my compliment.

"I mean, we're sophomores right now and I don't recall any of us working nearly as hard as you at any point in time. Relax dude," Luna said, taking a seat down on the floor.

"I guess you're right," he laughed. I pulled my jacket off and tossed it at Luna's face, ignoring the way she glared at me.

"Luna came to watch us for a while, if you don't mind."

"Of course not," he said, smiling shyly at me as he held his hand out to me courteously. "Shall we?"

As I put my hand in his and he pulled me up him, Luna squealed excitedly.

"Aww I wanna be a gay guy too!"

 

"Sehun..." Jongin groaned as I fervently slid my lips against his, pinning him up against the wall. My hands held him firmly at the waist, bodies pressed against each other. It was a bit of a routine now over the past week... Whenever we were together and alone, we were faces. Not that I minded it. Neither did he.

"I have to go," he mumbled against my lips, but made no move to do so. He had his arms wrapped around my neck, rolling his tongue into my mouth and sliding it against my own. I could feel those familiar coils forming in my stomach. His kisses drove me absolutely crazy, and many a times I found myself on verge of just stripping him of all his clothes and making love to him. I know... "Making love." How cheesy is that? But I couldn't think of any other way to say it, honestly. And I really was falling in love with him, headfirst.

Either way, we controlled those temptations to some extent. I knew we needed a little more time, and he knew that too.

Yeah, obviously that's not gonna last very long.

"Mm..." I moaned as he bit my bottom lip and tugged at it. He rested his forehead against mine as he paused to catch his breath.

"You taste so good..."

I smiled, my lips, "Must be the bubble tea I had earlier."

"Must be you," he said as he softly pressed his lips against mine.

"Do you really have to go?" I asked, teasingly running my hand down his chest.

He paused, "I have to."

"You sure you don't wanna just stay here with me?" I asked seductively, biting my lip. "We could do the tango..."

He laughed softly, "Are we even talking about the dance?"

"Yeah, of course. The horizontal kind," I winked.

His eyes clouded over as he stared at my lips, looking torn.

"You are driving me crazy."

"Good... So I'm not the only one."

He studied me for a long minute before sighing exasperatedly. "I really do have to go, though."

I sighed, but nodded in understanding. He did seem to be getting much better and more vibrant than before. His health was the most important thing to me.

"Can I come with you? I'm free."

"No it's okay... I won't be too long, babe," he said as he pecked me sweetly. It always made my heart skip a beat when he called me that. I couldn't help but melt a little.

I knew he only did it to distract me though.

"No really. Let me accompany you. I'm bored anyway."

"And you'll be even more bored if you come. Trust me."

"But I want to come with you," I insisted.

"Sehun... Honestly, it's fine. Just wait for me. I'll be back soon."

I frowned. He never did let me accompany him to the clinic, no matter how hard I tried. It was starting to get on my nerves.

"Why don't you want me to come with you? Are you hiding something? A secret lover maybe?" I probed. I didn't want to sound doubtful though so I played it off as if I was just joking around with him.

"I thought you are the secret lover," he said with a smirk.

"Oh yeah... I guess you're right about that."

"Babe..." He sighed, cupping my cheek. "You trust me, right?"

"I do... It's just, I don't understand why you never let me go with you."

"Because... I have a surprise for you later."

I quirked a brow, "You literally just pulled that one out of your ."

"I didn't! Honestly. And you'll see," he winked, "I should get going now."

"Alright," I begrudgingly stepped back, running a through his unkempt hair to tidy it up.

"Thanks," he said gratefully.

"Take care of yourself out there, yeah?"

"Yes, sir."

"What's with the gloves though?" I asked, looking down at his hands. "Never saw you wearing them before."

He stiffened for a moment, "It's uh... You know. For frostbite."

"I mean it's not that cold outside..."

"My hands are extremely sensitive," be blurted out, which made me a brow suspiciously.

"Okay... If you say so. Go on. Don't be late."

With one last longing look at me, he smiled and walked out, closing the door behind him. 

I bit my lip, contemplating for a long moment. I still had my doubts. I knew that Jongin wouldn't betray me, but I did feel like he was lying and it put me off a little. Like there was always something separating us.

I felt like at that point I had the right to know. Or even if I didn't, I just had to.

Resolutely, I stepped out the door and looked for Jongin. I could still see his retreating back at the other end of the corridor through the crowd. I quickly began to follow him, not wanting to lose his trail. Whether or not he was hiding something from me, I was about to find out for myself.

Keeping myself hidden, I followed him down the stairs. Strangely enough, when he reached the ground level, he began heading towards the pool area.

Well that's suspicious.

From there, he made his way into the pool's shower room. I stopped outside the door, frowning to myself. Why here?

Letting out a deep breath, I opened the door to the showers and walked in. I couldn't hear anything on the inside, almost like there was no one even there. I walked in, looking around curiously.

There was not a soul in sight. I began to look through all the stalls, opening them one by one.

"Jongin?" I called out, feeling my heart pick up speed in my chest as I approached the very last stall. Slowly, I lifted my hand up and opened it.

Empty.

The showers were totally empty, almost eerily so. I was so sure I saw Jongin walk in. He was in his same outfit, same hair, and had the same walk I was so familiar with. There was no way I could have mistaken it. And yet he was nowhere to be seen. No open window, no hole in the ceiling, no cracks in the wall, nothing. Just... Gone.

Like he had simply vanished.

No way... I'm just tripping balls, right?

I went back up to our room in a daze, completely distraught and confused. I looked around every corner, hoping to see him somewhere, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Was I just imagining? No... I know what I saw. He was there. Right there... And then he wasn't...

I walked into the room, shutting it behind me. I stared at Jongin's side of the room, and everything was there just the way he'd left it. Yet I knew something was very wrong. I was sure if it.

"I'm sorry, Jongin." I said to myself as I made my way over to his bed. There must be something I can find here... Anything. I looked into his closet, trying not to make a mess as I searched every corner of it. There was nothing interesting there, just his clothes. I searched his backpack, his drawers, his bed, everything. But there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Sighing, I slumped down on his bed.

What am I doing? What am I even looking for?

I pulled my phone out, searching for his number and dialing it in.

After a few rings, he picked up.

"Hello?"

I let out a sigh of relief, "H-Hey...."

"What's up, babe?"

I couldn't help but feel comforted on just hearing his voice. "Nothing. I just... missed you."

"I literally just left you," he chuckled into the phone.

"I know... Where are you now?"

"Uh, on my way to the clinic. Did you need something?"

"No uh... Just wanted to hear your voice."

"Wow. I feel like we're married already."

I forced a laugh, "Shut up... Take care of yourself."

"Of course honey. I'll be home soon." He cooed teasingly.

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up with a sigh, putting my phone down. It's nothing. Maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me...

Looking down at his bed, I felt around the bedsheet. God, forgive me for snooping. I stood up, kneeling down in front of his bed and slowly lifting up the mattress.

Slipping my hand in between, I pulled something out. It was a small bottle. I frowned as I looked at it. There were no labels on it or anything. Just a bottle with a strange blue fluid inside it. The fluid was glowing eerily. I uncovered it and smelled it, my face immediately contorting at the bitter scent that wafted out. It was almost unbearable.

Quickly covering it up again, I frowned.

What the hell is this? I've never seen anything like it. And why would he hide it under his mattress if it wasn't important?

Something was just very off. About everything. On their own, all those weird occurrences didn't mean much. But when I put them all together, nothing made any sense. Then there was just this constant foreboding feeling... Like something horrible was about to happen.

At that point I was pretty sure Jongin wasn't going to any doctor's appointments. He was hiding something big.
 

KIM JONGIN

"Ugh," I groaned as the thick fluid forced its way into my veins. My fists clenched and unclenched and my teeth gritted in pain.

D.O looked concerned. He'd been like that all week, and he was becoming increasingly anxious and distraught.

"It's not helping..." He shook his head, closing off the IV drip. "It won't stop. Your code is disintegrating very fast, Kai."

I panted, pulling the cannula out with a grunt. Staring up at the ceiling for a while, I found myself smiling, "You know... I've just had the most amazing couple of days. Love... Love is such a wonderful thing, D.O. Have you ever tried it?"

D.O slumped down on his chair, defeated. "No. I never went through the machine. I dedicated my life to my research. To science."

"Why?"

"This is precisely why... If love is so important, then why does it kill us? All those stories I heard; our species dying out one by one... Why can't we change things? I told myself I would never fall in love. I wanted to change the rules. I wanted to find a way around this whole one shot at love thing. I can't let you die, I just can't. I can't fail..."

"Hey, calm down. I'm not gonna die." I looked down at my hands. Or more like through them. They were becoming increasingly transparent. I found them like that when I woke up that day.

At that point I didn't even believe what I was saying. It was all happening right before my eyes, and it was frightening.

Not gonna die... Just gonna disappear, very slowly.

"I don't regret anything. Sehun... He's my angel. I wouldn't give him up for the world," I said, "You gave me that antidote... You knew I was going to use it... A lot. And that it would make things worse. So why did you?"

He looked at me and I could see the guilt in his eyes. I knew he was blaming himself for all this. "I... I wanted to give you the choice. Of what you valued more. Your own life... Or the man you love."

"I'm glad you did. And I don't blame you." I smiled as I sat up and put my feet down on the ground. After a long minute of silence, I finally spoke up.

"I'm going to stop coming here. I'll spend whatever time I have left with Sehun."

D.O clenched his fists, "I'm sorry. I failed you."

"It's okay. At least I won't have you injecting me with those horrible fluids anymore," I laughed, uncomfortably rubbing my sore arm.

He remained quiet, staring down at the floor. "There has to be a way. I know it. I'm missing something."

"You have all my data on file. My code, DNA, blood samples, CSF... Use it. It might come in handy sometime in the future. If not for me then... maybe for someone else."

He nodded thoughtfully as he watched me stand up, putting on my gloves to cover up my hands. Not seeing it made it a lot easier to forget about.

I had no idea what was going to happen from here on out, but I frankly didn't care anymore. I wasn't going to hold back, I was going to tell Sehun I loved him and show him just how much.

"Goodbye, Jongin." D.O said. That was the first time he'd ever called me by that name. It felt more like my real name at that point than Kai. It made me remember something though.

"You know, you never told me your human name."

"Kyungsoo," he said softly. I smiled at him. It suits you.

"Goodbye, Kyungsoo."
 

OH SEHUN

I walked into the campus garden just as the sun was setting. Although this place was usually bustling with students and activity during the weekdays, now it was just empty and peaceful. Beautiful green grass, bushes and trees surrounded one water fountain in the middle, with stone walkways connecting them.

He was stood right in front of the fountain, his back to me as I approached him. He looked almost surreal just standing there amidst the scenery.

I stopped right next to him, watching the water fall.

"Hey... Why'd you ask to meet here?" I asked as I looked at him. He kept staring ahead, as if lost in thought. Eventually he turned to me and smiled, although I couldn't help but notice the somber look in his eyes.

"I just think it's pretty here around this time... Don't you?"

"Yeah... I guess," I said.

"I uh... I have something for you," he said softly as he pulled something out of his coat pocket. I watched him pull out a blue velvet box, slowly raising a brow.

He opened the box, handing it over to me so I could look at it. I pulled out the necklace from inside, gaping in awe. On a shiny silver chain hung a triangle pendant that seemed to change colour whenever it moved. On the underside was a small carving, clearly spelling out Jongin's name. I continued to stare at it in awe. Not only was it gorgeous, it also looked very expensive.

"Jongin... You-"

"Need my help putting it on? Sure." He smiled, taking the box and pocketing it before turning me around so he could put it on me.

"You really didn't have to..."

"Shh..." He turned me around when he was done, smiling as he took in the view. "It looks beautiful on you."

"Where's yours?" I asked, looking at him. He pulled his own pendant out from the inside of his shirt, showing it to me.

"Right here. So you'll always be close to me."

I sighed, unable to smile at the sweet gesture. I just had too much on my mind, and what he was doing was only making me feel guilty.

"Jongin, there's something I have to ask you."

"So do I," He held both my hands in his gloved ones, gazing at me sincerely. "To be honest with you, I don't know how this whole dating thing works. I don't even know if this is going too fast. All I know is that I want to be with you. You mean the world to me."

"Jongin, I-"

"Please, let me finish. Sehun, you're really sweet and caring, sensitive and funny... You're beautiful on the inside and out. Your passion and the way you dance inspires me so much to be more like you. Your lips, I could just kiss them all day and night and never get tired. You're wonderful, and I just... I really want to be yours.  It didn't take me that long to realize that I love you, Sehun."

My breath hitched in my throat at his sincere confession. The way his eyes were boring into mine, glistening almost as if they were about to shed tears. It knocked the wind out of me, along with all the words I was preparing so hard to say.

"Be my boyfriend... Please."

"Jongin... I-I," I was at a complete loss for words. While I wanted so much to just say yes, throw myself on him and kiss him, there was something holding me back. "I can't..."

He looked genuinely shocked at that, "What? Why?"

"Because you're still lying to me! You always were. I watched you walk into the shower room today and disappear into thin air, Jongin! Don't lie to me and say it wasn't you..."

Eyes widening in realization, he stepped back in shock, letting go of my hands.

"There were so many signs... But I chose to ignore them... I chose to ignore them because I was falling in love with you," I shook my head, "but I can't anymore. I need to know, Jongin. I have to... Whatever the truth is, I'm ready for it."

He stared down at the ground, seemingly completely unable to form words.

"If you don't want to lose me... If you really love me... This is your last chance. Tell me everything."

"You... You really want to know?" He muttered, voice barely audible.

I nodded resolutely, staring at him. He didn't move, just stayed rooted in his spot, staring down at the ground.

He then lifted his hand up in front of him. I blinked at him in confusion before I reached my own hand out. Gulping, I pulled the glove off in one swift motion.

I almost fell back at that I saw.

"W...what is..." I stuttered. "Your hand... I-it's see-through!"

"Yeah..." He chuckled humorlessly. "Are you scared yet?"

I shook my head in disbelief. "This can't be happening. Jongin, what's going on?"

"You know, there's this story we kept hearing ever since we were children. About an alien. A Travelor. His name was Sable... He looked like the humans, talked like the humans, walked like the humans. And then he fell in love with a human. And she fell in love with him."

"I don't..." I trailed off. What is he even talking about? Is this even the time for a story?!

He continued nonetheless. "They got married, and they lived happily together for a few years. But one day she got really sick. They took her to the hospital and she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. They tried and tried to treat her, and Sable didn't give up on saving her for even a single second. But she was dying, and little did she know that he was dying with her every single day. You see, because Travelers are not like humans... They can't love without limit. They can only fall in love one time, and one time only."

He took my quivering hand in his own. I could still feel his touch, just like every other time, although I could barely see his hand.

But I wasn't scared of him. I was scared for him.

"She died after a few months with him by her side. Once he realized she was gone, he weeped, and cried and screamed. And then, he began to fade away and eventually, disappear. Never to be seen again."

"This... This is not just a story, is it?" I asked, staring at his transparent hand that held my own. He shook his head.

"It's real... His love was real, and so is mine. It's realer than anything I've ever had. Even though I lied to you, time and time again." He tightened his hold on me, as if scared to let me go, "Sehun... I am a Traveler."

Geez I think the pacing in this chapter is just horrible. I'm too tired to go back and fix it though, so I hope it's just okay.

And the truth is finally out! How do you guys think Sehun is going to react? What do you think is gonna happen? Is our Jonginnie going to die or are they gonna find a way around it? Let me know what you guys think!

The end is coming up soon, I assume at around 20 something chapters. So y'all better strap in for the ride because it's gonna be an emotional roller coaster.

As always, don't forget to leave your comments, and I'll see you guys next time!

Song of the day: "Side Effects" by Stray Kids. I loved this song from the moment I heard it. It's such a trip!