^{"Time is not a barrier, but a slipstream. It will carry you along if you keep up, or leave you behind."}

"Jiyoung,"
I felt his voice rumble through my bones.
"Jiyong, why aren't you up yet? I'm hungry,"
I felt a gentle kick to my thigh.
Seunghyun?
I opened my eyes.
Everything seemed too bright.
Foggy.
I in a breath.
"Start some eggs, Ji," he continued pestering.
I sat up, my hands wouldn't move.
They looked white, almost grey. Ashy.
"Jiyong!" Seunghyun shouted, his voice distorted. I turned to him, wide-eyed, and the light dimmed completely.
His face was now engulfed in the shadows of the room.
Only the dark edge of his eyes and his sharp facial features were apparent.
He spoke again, it was incomprehensible. Garbled. Distorted. Rising and lowering in pitch at random intervals.
He was shouting, his eyes grew brighter, illuminating the bulging vein in his neck.
The window flung open, raging winds sending waves of flickering fireflies into the room.
Blinking in panicked, unorganized furies.
I let out my breath.

They suddenly brightened, flashing the room with yellow-green lights.
With one particularly bright wash over the room, I found myself sitting by the table again.
Replaying the morning before.
Except it was different.
Seunghyun was smiling.
"Yah, Jiyong-ah, did you read about the genius girl that got a full ACT score?"
I couldn't speak.
I couldn't move.
What kind of dream was this...?
"I wish I could've gotten that, I wasn't very bright in my highschool years.
Ji, do you think we can adopt a kid like that?"
Seunghyun stood suddenly, slinging his cup to the wall.
I in a breath.
"I'm bored of you, Kwon Jiyong," he repeated the words from the morning before.




Jiyong jerked awake with a start, palming the bed blindly for Seunghyun.
To no avail.
A nightmare?
He pulled back, resting his head on the pillows under him.
He lolled his head to the side, staring at the blinking green-blue numbers on Seunghyun's clock.
It was always 2 minutes ahead.
8:28PM.
The numbers danced in front of his eyes.
He counted each flash before it changed the minutes.
One, two..
Four, five...
Eight.. Nine...
Nine blinks before it changed.
8:29PM.
Jiyong reached for his phone, stretching across Seunghyun's pillows for it.
The pillows seemed to irritate his flesh, pricking for the blood under his delicate skin.
Jiyong sat there for a moment before finally pulling the phone to him.
The lockscreen, him and Seunghyun. It was last summer.
This time, last year. He and Seunghyun had been so happy.
Jiyong could almost feel Seunghyun's boxy, calloused hand in his.
He opened his photos and stared longingly at the photos of the two of them together.
Would it be rude to text him these?
"Don't forget me, Seunghyun," he would say.
"Don't forget us."

Jiyong decided against it quickly, setting his phone on the desk behind him.

Maybe he'd go through the photo albums.
The more Jiyong thought about it, the more he realized what a bad idea it was.
Yet he caught himself dragging out the large, leather photo book from under the bed, anyway.

The smell of the flowers Seunghyun and he had smooshed in the covers lifted into his nose.
Seunghyun had chosen a Tiger Lily for Jiyong, and Jiyong, for him, a yellow Plumeria.
Jiyong found himself drifting back to that spring, Seunghyun had invited him and Seungri along. It was a hike.
Seungri had insisted that his addition to the book would be a clump of dirt.
Jiyong protested, punching his shoulder lightly.
"Seungri, we're not adding dirt into the album,"
"Oh yeah? I've got the perfect clump, anyway." He'd reply in a teasing manner.

"And why would you want to add dirt, Seungri?" Seunghyun piped up, side-eyeing the younger boy.

"Why not? I have to stand out from your frilly choices.
Dirt is manly, with a rough odor. Like me," he had replied, jutting his chin to the air. It was a good day out, slightly windy, but just fine. When the wind would pick up, warm rays would bring warmth afterward.
It felt good on the skin.

Jiyong scoffed behind them.
"You're keeping it in plastic wrap, we're not going to get our album dirty," his voice complied as he caught up with the two Seunghyuns.

Seungri gave Seunghyun a prize-winning smile.

Seunghyun only rolled his eyes.

Seungri didn't know they were together, that time.

A chime from his phone filled the heavy air, snapping Jiyong out of his trance. Jiyong plunked back on the bed,
seeing who had messaged him.

"Seungri: jijiiiii^^; i want to hang outtttt - -; where have u been????"

Jiyong smiled faintly, messaging back with gentle clicks of the touchscreen.

"i've been home, do you want to come over?"
He caught himself sending it before he could change his mind, a tight coil of regret setting in his stomach.

"yes!! ^^;;;, i'll b there soon!!! i'll bring donuts!!:D"
Seungri really was childish like this.

Jiyong let out a heavy sigh, the coil only setting itself tighter.
He'd tell Seungri another time.
Not today.