Mismatched love

 

 

Taemin is often considered as a weird nerd. Having fun with science since he was a child and then later taking it up as his major at university doesn't make him the centre of attention. It doesn't help that he prefers a company of a good book to a living and breathing human anytime. He just can't imagine himself going to a party and talk to strangers. It just looks frightening. Meeting and communicate with other people just makes him anxious and afraid.

 

He at interaction with people like he's not sure if his brain and mouth are connected with each other since he can't believe how much stupidity flows out of his mouth regularly. Many people tried to talk to him since they find him visually appealing but they soon changed their minds as Taemin's only response to their hitting on was pouring stuttering sentences about science at them. Also, this is how the whole university know him- The Weird Nerd. Everyone at university refers at him like this and he's not sure how he became such an attraction.

 

He does have fun with his books. He enjoys himself the best when he can lie in his bed and read- he can't imagine how a loud and crowded place with full of sweating bodies and alcohol can be considered as fun to anyone. It's just not how he works. He likes himself to be collected and spotless. He neatly folds his clothes and his working table has no unnecessary papers on it. He likes the calmness surrounding him and the only place people aren't whispering behind his back is his home.

 

See, he's kind of lonely. Not like he would like to admit it but he is. He has no one to talk to- and his annoying roommate doesn't count because Kibum does all the talking- and he finds himself wondering more and more these times if he has someone meant to him. Like how could he figure out who they are when he doesn't talk to anyone? His future lover won't just appear in front of him and say, "Hi, I'm the one for you!" After all, he thinks that and he's known for being two feet on the ground. He might be building up fantasies as he reads but he likes to think he's realistic.

 

All these years of being outcasted from everywhere made Taemin reach a point where he thinks he needs someone in his life. At least a friend or anyone.

 

There's only one problem.

 

Besides being a socially awkward penguin, he doesn't know if there's someone who would gladly listen about his rants of the laws of Newton and the way he could do a impossible thought Math question because he thought it was his homework. Even his course mates don't like to talk with him because time to time he unintentionally outsmarts them.

 

Some would call him a genius but he doesn't like this title since he can't do everything.

 

Like socializing.

 

Well, no one is perfect but he would give his brilliance to having a small group of friends. But it's not matter of choose.

 

So when Kibum started to talk a new program which hasn't been promoted yet because it's still on try on stadium, he decided to join it. Theoretically, this program searches for one's soul mate. As easy as it sounds. You don't have to give anything other than your profile and they'll hand out the name and the address of your partner. You will show up before them and you two will live happily ever after. The end.

 

Not the end.

 

Taemin has been waiting for that damned letter for three months, two weeks and one day, not like he's counting it but he hasn't got any. Whenever he's at home, he checks his mailbox at least twice a hour which annoys the hell out of Kibum but when he's about to throw a tantrum, the boy starts to speak about some science stuff and the other falls asleep quickly.

 

Being at art major, Kibum isn't a fan of all those alien stuff Taemin pouring out of his mouth, like he's sure the sentences have no meaning, just strange words beside each other because Taemin knows this is the way to lull him. Just plain boring. Otherwise, he finds Taemin pretty entertaining and cute with all his attributes which the boy would name 'all the things that make him a walking disaster'.

 

 

 

 

Today, Taemin opens his eyes with the thought of dying alone because he has no soul mate. He has no other half, no nemesis. He has no one. Maybe he can talk Kibum into staying with him for the rest of his life but he's pretty sure he doesn't want to live with the blond kid and his overly boyfriend until he dies. Having animals around him would be another solution if he wasn't allergic to fur and afraid of anything else without fur. What a fun life.

 

Between giving out dying sounds and bath in self pity, there's knocking on his door but he can't hear it. If he heard it, he would try and collect himself a bit, not to make himself more the object of Kibum's jokes but here they are, Taemin is having a mental breakdown while the other just stares at him with bored eyes.

 

"I thought I should tell you but you're clearly busy." He deadpans and pushes down a yawn, he's still tired from the party yesterday but he has a message to give, otherwise he will be a dead man. Kibum sighs, watching the boy go from an idiot to a tomato red kid. "You've got a letter."

 

"Letter?" Taemin's ears perk up and eyes shine in excitement. He tries not to fool himself because it can be some bill or postcards from his aunt. But hope dies the last.

 

"Yes. There." Kibum throws the paper on his bed and Taemin thinks he's got a heart attack as he reads the sender of the letter off. The soul mate searcher program. In a few second prior, he'll have the name of his future lover, his soul mate, his nemesis. Of course, he has second thought about what if there's no name in the letter just an apologizing one for not being able to find anyone to Taemin. But he tries to push them away and concentrate on his task. Opening the letter. "Do you need help?"

 

"No, thanks." Taemin murmurs and slowly rips the top of the envelop. He can feel himself grow impatient so he quickened his movements. He wets his dry lips before folding out the letter and exhales loudly.

 

(On the side note, Kibum wonders why this kid is so weird about a letter.)

 

Taemin stares down at the paper and reads the name off.

 

Choi Minho

 

"What does it say?" Kibum asks, seeing the surprised face Taemin makes.

 

"Choi Minho." Taemin tastes the name on his lips and he can feel himself fall in love immediately. It's so stupid thing to do since he hasn't exchanged a word with him, yet here he is, heart fluttering with enthusiasm. It rings a bell. It does feel familiar to him but he can't seem to remember. "Isn't he one of your friends?"

 

"He is." The elder nods hesitantly, then whispers to himself. "Weird."

 

"What is it?"

 

"Don't you remember?" Kibum leans to the frame of the door with an interested face. A smile spreads on his lips.

 

"About what?" Taemin arches his eyebrows as he watches the other with confusion. What should he remember at all? His memory is better than normal so he remembers to most of the happenings.

 

"Do you remember that time when I took you to a party because I thought you need to socialize? How wrong I was." He says the last sentence under his breath and he earns a faint nod from the boy. He remembers, oh how he wish he wouldn't. That night was a catastrophe, he had to wake up finding himself hugging the toilet bowl. "You drank the spiked punch like water and when Choi Minho tried to stop you, you told him he was a good for nothing lowlife who needs to disappear from your life. You met him that night for the first time. Good first impression."

 

"No..." Only this word can leave Taemin's mouth as he stares at Kibum with wide eyes. He can't believe he did that. It's so unlike of him to be that careless. He can't even talk to strangers! He's the calm and collected weird kid of the university who's done nothing wrong in his whole life until now, when he has to face with this problem. A serious problem.

 

"I thought you would remember something like that." Kibum shudders his shoulders in a careless way since he's the one who knows everything that happens at university. Especially when his friend kept telling him this story over and over until he came up with a solution. He hopes it will work and he can get peace.

 

"Oh my goodness." The blond boy murmurs in disbelief. He puts his hands on his cheeks and push it together. He looks up at the elder with a pleading gaze. He can feel himself start to hyperventilating and he's close to die right here, right now. He wishes the ground would take him. "What should I do now, Kibum?"

 

"First of all, calm down." Kibum tells him firmly and the boy really tries but he can't calm down, his tensed shoulders are still shaking by his uneven breathing. "Then try to talk to him. He may not remember you."

 

Kibum is lying but he has no intention making Taemin's reaction worse by telling him that Choi Minho remembers pretty well at the accident and he pretty much can't shut his mouth and whine about it, like how that beautiful boy told him down.

 

"I don't know Kibum, I would remember someone who's done that to me."

 

"I don't see your point. You mostly remember everything." The elder quirks an eyebrows and says it like a matter of fact. "He doesn't remember you."

 

 "But what if he does?"

 

"Make it up for him."

 

 

 

 

Following the steps of Kibum's great idea about making up that night for Minho, Taemin feels like he's out of order. He feels like he's just a doll the elder uses to please his weird fantasies about making him look cool.

 

Step one, throwing away the glasses.

 

 

("But Kibum, I can't see without them!" Taemin tries to reason but it has no effect on the other.

 

"Have you heard about contact lenses, genius?")

 

 

Step two, stop talking about science stuff.

 

 

("I tell you, Kibum, it's impossible.")

 

 

Step three, skinny jeans.

 

 

("I don't think it should be this thigh. It hurts to move." The boy whines.

 

"You have to suffer for beauty.")

 

That followed, step four, five, six to infinite until Kibum thinks Taemin fits in well. The only problem the boy has that even if he consider himself cool now, he can't get down the name Weird Kid off of him. It just stuck on him and he's sure Minho knows it too. And who would like to go out someone named like this by the whole school? One has to care about their reputation.

 

But he has no time thinking about it, because here he is, all dolled up, memorized all the steps of the plan by heart and he's shoved into Minho in the middle of the cafeteria by Kibum who leaves with a sly smile and Taemin is in panic. He forgets everything he practiced with his roommate from talking without stuttering to smiling seductively and he's just standing and staring at his nemesis with awe in his eyes because wow, he's handsome. The other boy doesn't seem to be effected by his inability of socializing normally rather just gawk at him openly.

 

Taemin starts to think he has no solution for his problem and wants to turn around and run away before his mouth pours out something gibberish and the whole university will laugh at him that 'the Weird Kid wanted to date with this hot guy' and he's not mentally prepared for this to happen. But his all of his intention dies when Choi Minho smiles at him happily and greets him.

 

"Hey!"

 

He's shaking and blushing and breaking out in sweat because he's charmed in the very first second of their meeting. He doesn't know what happened with him and the spiked punch to tell Minho so down when he's so attractive and shines so bright, it hurts Taemin's eyes.

 

"H-hi." Taemin manages to say.

 

"Taemin, right? Kibum told me you want to tell me something." Minho continues without missing a beat like he hasn't noticed how nervous and shy the boy is. Of course, Taemin is fully sure that the other remembers him and that Minho just plays nice then he will laugh on him behind his back. He may being a pessimist but no one proved him wrong until now.

 

"Yes, I'm Taemin." Those who think of him as a genius are would be surprised how the boy cherishes this full sentence without stuttering more than any of his awards. As he gets into talking about the program, his stuttering dies down because he's concentrating on the object of his talking than the person he's talking to. "So I'm being part of a program that searches for people who are meant to each other and it came up with your name."

 

"So what you are trying to say, you want to go out with me?" Minho says in a light tone but Taemin doesn't have to courage to look up at his face. He's afraid of a mocking expression even though he doesn't feel any in his tone.

 

"Y-you can s-say that."

 

"Oh? You're pretty." Taemin eyes falls on him and he swears he's seen his eyes sparkling in a playful way. He has a tender smile on his lips and the blond boy should be anything but nervous now, but he can't help but it just doubled.  "I have nothing against it."

 

"A-Attractiveness o-o-of a p-person depends o-on golden r-r-ratio and-" Taemin wants to scold himself for being the same like before like he hadn't practiced hours for this. He wants to turn around and leave to sob the darkness of his room. He has to use to it since he just ruined everything, even though Minho already agreed but he may have second thoughts about it.

 

"Really?" Minho asks back and the blond's eyes shoot up at him, widely staring at him. The elder actually has interest n his eyes and Taemin doesn't want to believe it's really happening. He hopes it's not just a dream. No one- other than his course mates- listened to him with interest.

 

It's a first.

 

"R-really."

 

 

 

 

It takes a week until they manage to go on a date- in fact, Taemin was the one who tried to call it off because he's sure he'll explode if he has to spend time with Minho because even, he wants to be with him, he can't because of his anxiety. But then Kibum told him that Minho asks about him every two seconds so if Taemin doesn't want him to kill Minho then stop him right now.

 

Taemin stated that it's unbelievable that Minho is that interested since they just chatted for like half an hour and nothing more. Yet, Kibum swears this is the situation and that he has to do something.

 

So Taemin sent a text that they should meet in the café close to the campus. He right away got a text back from Minho that said he will be there for sure. He doesn't know why he was so shooed away from a simple message but he was and he is.

 

He keeps looking at the text as he sits on a table in the said café and waiting for Minho to appear. He came a bit early but he doesn't mind it since he has time to prepare for the date. His first date ever, it makes his heart hit his ribcage countless times as the hand of the clock nears the time of their meeting. He orders a caramel latte and watches the clock, the big hand leaves the said time and Taemin sips disappointedly from his drink. He needs to remember himself that Minho may just run late and not tricked on him.

 

Taemin is about to call Kibum to pick him up, when the bell rings and Minho steps in, cheeks kissed by the wind, his nose red from the cold outside and he breathes heavily. His eyes darts from side to side, scanning for the blond boy and when he finally finds him, he lets out a relieved smile. He skipping towards Taemin and halts before him.

 

"Hi, sorry for being late!" Minho breathes out, his heavy breathing hasn't stopped, yet he's still shining like the freaking sun and Taemin has to look away for not getting blinded by it. "I hope you hadn't been waiting for long."

 

"No, I hadn't, I- " Taemin tries to explain so Minho wouldn't feel bad about himself, but in his endeavor to make it happen, he accidentally shoves the caramel latte and it spills all over the table. The boy turn a deep shade of red while trying to clean it up. "Sorry, I'm clumsy."

 

"And I'm Minho." The elder says immediately and Taemin stops on his track, staring at the other, debating if he heard it well. Minho looks away, takes a tissue and helps cleaning the table while murmuring embarrassedly. "Sorry for the bad pun. I thought it would be a good ice breaker."

 

This is the moment is when Taemin bursts into laughter because this joke crowned the awkward atmosphere embracing them and his highly peaking nervousness level. He wouldn't laugh a lame joke like this any other time but his brain doesn't work normally anymore and it just happened.

 

"You've got a weird humor, right?" Minho laughs along, both of their nervousness melts down and even though Taemin swears he still doesn't know how to talk to people, he finds it easier to do it with Minho. It might be the soul mate thing.

 

"It was so bad I can't help but laugh!"

 

"I know," Minho's smile stays on his lips as he continues. "We should introduce ourselves, aren't we?"

 

Taemin nods then waits Minho to continue, not being sure what to say.

 

"So as you know, I'm Choi Minho, Theatre department." The playfulness in his eyes are still twinkling as he speaks, waiting for Taemin to return the smile and he does shyly while all he wants to cringle because of the awkwardness still lingering around them. "Nice to meet you!"

 

"Lee Taemin, Science department. Nice to meet you too!"

 

"I've heard a lot about you from Kibum." Changing the mood immediately into a lighter one by bending forward and leaning his chin on the back of his hand, Minho plays with a tiny package of sugar.

 

"Don't believe any word of his. He's lying nonstop." Taemin is afraid what Kibum could say about him. He trust in his roommate more than anyone, yet he can tell by the tone Minho uses, Kibum told a little too much for his liking.

 

"He told me that you're the little outcasted and misunderstood genius. You like to dance, cross dress and play video games."

 

"I don't consider myself a genius." Taemin shudders his shoulders, thinking how he will murder Kibum later. Yet, he kind of proud of Minho memorizing stuff about him.

 

"For other people, you are."

 

"For other people I'm just plain weird."

 

"Weird?" Minho furrows his eyebrows and has a concerned gaze. Taemin finds it odd how he hasn't heard about him yet, after all everyone knows him somehow.

 

"I don't like socializing, I'm just a disaster in it."

 

"You are talking to me." The elder tries to encourage the other. He quirks an eyebrow. "I wonder why. Is it because we are soul mates, huh?"

 

 

 

 

Taemin thinks the date goes well. He doesn't break down yet and they have a less awkward little chatting. The boy finds himself enjoying it and it's just a miracle how he can do it. He's never imagined how easily he can speak with Minho. The elder listens to his rants of science when he explains the way caramel is made in a chemical way when they order their lattes again. It's weird how they are the opposites of each other, the shy and the loud, yet they gets along well. He doesn't even realize that he has class in half an hour.

 

"Oh, I have to go now." Taemin stands up from his seat and puts on his coat, trying not to notice the stare he gets from the other. Minho monitors Taemin's moves, saying he has things to do, too.

 

"I-I had a great time." The boy says and he smiles up at the elder. He adjust the scarf around his neck.

 

"Me too." Minho nods eagerly. "Hey, what about spending the next date here again? I like this place, it quite cozy."

 

Taemin can't do anything but nod because his heart is about to burst, because one more date with this boy, his soul mate. He hasn't ruined anything yet!

 

Minho steps closer and the boy doesn't know what he wants. When he leans closer to him, he still has no clue. Then their faces are just inches apart and he breaks into a hot mess.

 

"No, no, no, no!" He steps away and falls on his , making the elder laugh at him while he's blushing madly. Minho just wanted to kiss him! Oh goodness, his poor heart won't manage to take all of it.

 

"Why?" Minho shamelessly asks helping up the boy.

 

"I have a three week rule. At least, Kibum told me to have one."

 

"Break Kibum's rule for once." The boy's hand in his, Minho pulls him closer so the gap between their bodies closes but he actually waits for an agreement. But as dazed as Taemin is, it's easily predictable what his answer will be.

 

"Okay."

 

Minho kisses him.

 

 

 

 

One date later, they lace their fingers and walk hand in hands.

 

( "You fingers look cold." Minho murmurs as they head out of their second date, stupid smiles on their faces as one of the waitresses told them they are a cute couple. The elder thanked while Taemin furiously blushed because he's not used to it.

 

Minho tells him this lame statement because he yearns for touching the younger boy. Both of them know it. So the boy just nods and let Minho take his hand, warming it up with his warm palm.

  

"It's embarrassing. Other people are looking."

 

"Let them look." )

 

 

 

 

Plus two dates later, the whole university knows that the Weird Kid is dating with a hot guy.

 

( "Are they together?" Both of them hear a circle of friends talking about them behind their back. Taemin and Minho are seen together quite a lot since Minho memorized all of Taemin's lectures and when he has free time, he drops by to entertain the lonely boy.

 

"Should we prove them?" Minho leans closer, a playful smile playing on his lips and Taemin narrows his eyes.

 

"Don't you dare."

 

"Oh darling, I do dare." He leans down and breathes a kiss on the other's lips.

 

From now on, everyone knows they are together. )

 

 

 

 

In their eight date, the little genius realizes something.

 

( "I have to tell you something." Minho starts in a deep tone and Taemin is afraid what it will be. The elder is hardly anything but cheery and now the darkness vowing inside it scares him. He's afraid of Minho breaking up with him or he has enough of him. He hates this feeling in his guts, when he finally found happiness, he doesn't want to lose it.

 

"Yes?"

 

"There's no soul mate searcher program. I planned it out because I like you since you told me down in that party and find you quite interesting. I told Kibum to help me and he did eventually, I hope you aren't angry at me for this." Minho says with a breath, panicked. He knew he has to tell sometimes, but it's scarier than he thought it would be.

 

"But why?"

 

"I thought if I tell you, we are soul mates, you would be less nervous to talk to me and you would notice me."

 

"So there's no soul mate searching program?" Taemin asks in a firm tone.

 

"No."

 

"You're not my other half?"

 

"I might be, no one knows." Minho tries to brighten the situation.

 

"Do you love me?" The boy asks lastly, looking up at the elder with an expectant gaze. Minho straightens his spine and confidently nods.

 

"Yes."

 

Taemin's lips turn into a wide smile and he think even if there's no soul mate searcher program and Minho is not his nemesis, he thinks he might found something more important.

 

Love.

 

"Okay. That's enough for me." )

 

 

 

an/ I hope you like it! Please upvote and comment if you liked it! :-)