Note: gray slanted words are always the past

He watched as vehicles drove by with his sanity long gone. He fell limbless on the ground and fisted the grass between his fingers now void of the silver metal ring. Nobody paid attention to the poor soul but neither did he. He never cared about how people saw him,  excluding just one person alone to be exact. 

After a good 5 minutes of silently sobbing he walked back to his empty house with heavy steps. The owner of the other ring may not even remember having such a ring but for him. That day he got the sealed love was the happiest day of his life.

Now Johnny is out there,  somewhere on the streets happy unlike him who is still holding onto their memories.

“Raise your hand”

The taller rests his chin on the curve of his boyfriend’s neck, sighing contently. They’ve been dating for four months and today they decided to watch the sunset. The taller of the two stood at the back giving the other a warm hug from behind. The setting rays of the sun illuminates and basks them in an orange glow.

Johnny laughs when his boyfriend raises both his hands high up in the air. He lifts one hand from the other’s waist and reaches for his left hand. He entwines their fingers before slipping a silver metal ring on his boyfriend’s index finger.

Ten’s eyes widens in surprise as he stares at their entangled hands. The taller already had one on his pinky. The one embraced blushes, eyes turning into crescents as his face grew more radiant with his blinding smile. Their couple rings shimmering lightly under the soft glow of the setting sun.

Ten walked to his room and flopped onto the bed which also felt too huge to sleep alone. That was when he started to sob again.

Johnny smiled at the cashier. He was in a good mood. The cashier giggled and blushed at the handsome man standing just a desk away. But then that exact moment she saw it.  he’s married.

Her smile quickly dissolved and turned into a frown and she released a distaste sound subconsciously. Johnny narrowed his eyebrows at the sudden change of mood.

“You okay?”

The cashier looked taken aback at that. She smiled and nervously chuckled for being caught.

“Ah.. yes and that’s-“ Johnny’s phone made a beeping sound so he handed the girl his card. She took the card and watched as the handsome face turns from that of concerned to the stupid grin he had before. She averted her eyes from him and tried her best to hide the disappointment under her breath.

Johnny rubs the towel ever so gently as he could. His fiancé is sitting in front of him smiling at him with closed eyes as he dries his lover's hair.

A knock came to their door and Johnny drags his long limbs towards the direction of the sound. The fiancé pouted at the other’s back for leaving the towel hanging just like that but still did not bother to remove it.

Johnny opened the door and there stood Doyoung, their neighbour or who looks like a bunny reincarnate with a permanent ‘deer in the headlights’ expression.

“Oh Hello” Johnny says cheerfully. Doyoung grins.

“um, I came to ask a favor” the bunny looks hesitant “could you please buy these meds for me, wife’s sick and I know we’ve never really talked properly before but I-” Johnny forms an ‘O’ with his mouth.

"No problem” he assures the other quickly since the other looks like he was about to say a whole chapter of them being neighbors for a week but not the best of friends already.

“I’m going grocery shopping anyway”

A cough was heard from the back and the one occupying the couch curiously peers at the two boys standing by the door with the towel still hanging. Johnny smiles at the other.

“Oh” the bunny points out “Is that your wife? HELLO!” he exclaims loudly “I’ll be going then” he says leaving Johnny and his fiancé dumbfounded by his weird attitude.

Johnny smiles seconds later. They were going to get married sooner or later anyway, so what was the point in denying? . But he did laugh at the mistake.

“Ahh WAIT!” he halted the cashier while still looking at his phone making her almost drop the bag. ‘That’s strange’ he mumbled to himself but she heard him.

“Yes?” she asked politely with curious eyes.

“umm.. Where’s the fruit section?”

“So you’re volunteering?” his fiancé beams up at him.

“You're not really in the state to go out” he ruffles his fiancé’s hair and makes a grab for his car keys “take care while I’m gone” he says placing a quick peck on his lover's lip and heads out before the other had the chance to argue of being treated like a four years old.

“Beverage?”

“Bread?”

“Chips?”

“coffee?” In this weather?

The cashier sighed. Johnny has been asking random section lane for the past 30mins and she wouldn’t be surprised if ice cream comes next.

“Pregnant?” she asked and the handsome man stopped in his track.

“Huh?” he managed to squeak and immediately cleared his throat.

“Is your wife pregnant?” she repeated. No one in their right mind would order such unlikely combination if they weren’t pregnant or either not in their right mind. Johnny chuckled as the girl pointed at his ring finger. He laughed nervously though he liked how people tend to think they were already married. ‘Pregnant? Who knows?’

“My fiancé actually” he corrected “but maybe we should change it to a wedding ring soon” he smiled.‘They are not even married yet and she’s already pregnant’ the cashier thought to herself.

Ten huffed and stared at his phone screen brightly displaying Johnny’s contact address as he hesitated to press the call button. He did not want to trouble Johnny any further anymore. ‘It’s now or never’.

He took a deep breath and pressed the call button. One . . . Two . . . he counted silently in his head . Three . . .

“Hello?”

Ten’s heart stopped beating.

Johnny took the paper bags full of veggies and other food and not really food products credited to his so called ‘wife’. He laughed anyhow. Why do people always address his fiancé as his wife? The ball of sore cotton ball must be eagerly waiting at home. Weird combination crossed his mind too but he'd do anything for his beloved. He loaded the bags in the back seat of his car and started the engine. Now it’s time to go back home.

He’s just a block away from their apartment when his phone rang. ‘Not again please’ he begged to thin air which probably wasn't listening.

“Hello?” he answered not bothering to look at the caller ID.

Ten heard shuffling sounds and so he sat upright. He knows the sound of those footsteps, knows who it belongs to. After a minute or two the bedroom door creaked open and in came the love of his life. Johnny.

Johnny knocked at the door and within seconds it opened. Doyoung must’ve been waiting for him. His neighbor literally beamed and immediately took the meds and bowed 90 degrees. However he heard a chuckle and stronger arms wrapped their way around the bunny’s waist and the victim jumped in surprise. Johnny looked taken aback at the sudden appearance too.

“So this is the sick.. wife?” Johnny asked, unsure. The bunny clearly said ‘wife’ so he didn’t expect a pale, tall and handsome.. .well, wife. Doyoung blushed and blabbered incoherent words under his breath as the ‘wife’ looked at him confusedly before finally progressing the situation.

“It’s Jaehyun” the ‘wife’ extended his hand “but I’m the husband since he bot-“ the bunny forced out a loud laugh. His boyfriend got no shame.

“ahahahaaahahahahaaa yeahsurethankyouverymuchandlet’stalkagainlater” he said in one go and pulled the tall wife inside the apartment and slammed the door at Johnny’s face.

“You’re welcome” the flabbergasted guy said to the wood of their weird neighbors’ door. He blinked twice. He didn’t even get to shake the ‘wife’s’ hand and didn’t get to introduce himself either.

He and Doyoung met outside beside their trashcans when they both were taking out their garbage. At that time too the bunny mentioned ‘wife’ but it was still too early and Johnny was half asleep.

At the mention of wife though Johnny chuckled. That bunny also called his fiancée a ‘wife’. He shook his head. That guy is whipped in the head or something.

The tall engaged man put the groceries in the fridge and placed the contents of the bag away. After he was done he strolled to their bedroom to find his fiancé looking at him with the utmost pouty face. The other had cried on the phone about how a garbage truck just drove away before his eyes. It was silly but the tall supposedly husband did not have the heart to tell the other. It was cute in fact.

Johnny raised his eyebrows and pressed his lips together when the one occupying the bed extended his arms out, clearly signalling the taller to give him a hug. Sometimes he wonders if Ten is really a 21 years old.

“Honey, what happened?” he took the smaller in his arms as the other started to sob again.

“That cruel truck drove away” Ten sniffed and hid his face onto Johnny’s shirt and clutching at it for dear life.

“And?”

“I dropped my ring and didn’t notice it until I washed the dishes, I knew I dropped something but I didn’t know it was the ring” he cried. Johnny held the other back and found the engagement ring dangling against the other’s chest. So it’s the couple ring he loves so much. Ten is an emotional wreck when it comes to the silver metal ring. The younger opted to wear the couple ring even though the taller gave him an engagement ring. He said he liked the couple ring better since it symbolizes ownership and has been wearing it since forever. Forever as in 2 and a half years.

“It’s okay baby” the taller assured his lover “We’ll always have each other. I’m still yours and always yours”

The sun had already set but the lovers make no move to let go. It wasn’t totally dark yet.

“We’re actually exchanging rings” Johnny says out of nowhere.

“Hmm?” Ten holds his hand up with the adorned ring. He smiles brightly because he loves the simplicity of it. It’s just a thin piece of metal.

“I’m keeping the smaller one with me so it will feel like I’m always keeping you with me” the smaller one makes a sound of acknowledgement.

“It’s simple and cheap but still, I want to let you know that I’m yours” the taller embraces the other in a tight hug once more. Ten’s heart flutters at the confession and reaches for the other's arm.

“It’s perfect” he says. I’ll always keep you with me.

“But what was with all the weird orders?” the taller couldn’t help but ask. Ten shied away and fiddled with his fingers, blushing and not daring to look at Johnny.

“I-I I don’t know. I didn’t want you to come home a-a at the mo-moment” Ten stuttered. ‘cute’ Johnny thought.

“But you called me” the taller argued, having a little bit of fun wasn't sin. He already knew the other had no definite reason and it’s not even the first time they've been in a situation like this. Ten wanting the other far away but near at the same time.

“I remembered I had no-no one else to go to e-except you” Johnny knew. He only grinned when the other turned redder and pulled him into his arms once more.

“aish.. .what am I gonna do with you”

The next morning Jaehyun found himself holding a cheap looking silver metal ring between his index finger and thumb. He stood by the trashcan and contemplates on whether he should throw it away or ask their only neighbor for reassurance. He’s been sick for the past week and had not been able to properly introduce himself to their new neighbors. He felt kind of sorry for that but moreover for having Doyoung to do all the hard work though he still do the cooking.

“Good morning” Jaehyun greeted their sleepy neighbor and held back the comment that was at the tip of his tongue. Your hair is a disaster. The small neighbor yawned and thankfully had enough manners to cover his mouth.

“Oh what do you want?” ‘So straightforward’

“I found this near our trash-“

He never had the chance to finish his sentence because the moment he held the ring in front of their messy bed haired neighbor it was snatched from his hands in mere seconds.

“YOU FOUND IT!!” the messy haired boy exclaimed.

“Ah. Yes” Jaehyun only managed to say before the other bowed and thanked him continuously. A total of ‘Thank you Thank you Thank you’ was the only thing he could catch as the door slammed shut in his face. Jaehyun blinked but the white doorframe only stared back at him unmoving. The disappointed neighbor turned around and tilted his head. Weird.

He trudged back to their apartment with one hand in his pocket and the other lifted in mid air. He stared at his empty fingers for awhile and something clicked in his head.

If it wasn’t so early in the morning passerby would’ve possibly been freaked out by the messy haired, pale and tall young man grinning ever so idiotically by the pavement.

That night a bunny snuggled closer to warm chest with a lingering blush on his cheek. He couldn’t stop smiling as the owner of the said chest entwined their fingers which were now adorned with silver metal rings shimmering under the soft cast of the moonlight. It was cheap but that was more than the bunny could ask for at that moment. Jaehyun promised him for a better one in the future but the bunny thought it was perfect.

A/N: aigoo aigoo aigOO!! keutt!! Thank you for stopping by...and please subscribe and leave comments^^ if you like this story. And please warn me if I should mark this story rated M or not for the indirect mention of *lol*

If you could check out my other NCT stories here are the link

Stolen Moments on going (JohnTen/Tenny)

Our endless differences completed oneshot (main!JohnTen/TenNy and slight mention of DoJae/JaeYoung)