III.

Youngjae listened to the sound of the rain pattering on the roof and window of his dorm. It was the fifth week of college and he already felt homesick. At first, it was nice how everything was done on his own and how he had his own choices and control over everything. But, it became a harder task when the homework started rolling in and instead of eating out, he would just microwave a hot pocket. He really began to appreciate the advantages his house and family gave him when he was living with them. Youngjae stared out the window watching the rain shower over the city as cars honked in the streets below him. He lived in a tower of dorms right in the middle of the city of Seoul. He preferred an urban lifestyle and education and that’s what he chose. But that was not what his highschool sweetheart, Daehyun chose. He understood that they weren’t the type of couple who did everything together and had the same exact interests and dreams. They were very different people that argued at times, and disagreed on almost everything. Some people wondered how they became a couple and why they remained as one all throughout high school, and Youngjae wondered that too. It was just the way things clicked for the two. They needed each other to complete each other as a whole. Being with each other allowed them to see different point of views in life and that was what really brought them close. It was the differences, disagreeing, and arguments that bound them up together. This was how they worked and the two boys liked it that way, it made them a more unique couple from the others. You could say if Youngjae never met Daehyun, he would be a completely different person, a person who was an extreme version of what he is today.

But college showed a completely different side of their relationship. It all started out during graduation. Everyone was thrilled and satisfied, too drunk or too excited to realize that they were all going to leave each other and go their separate ways for their dreams. And eventually, high school would not be a big deal anymore and the group of friends you had in high school? That would be like talking about the group of friends you had in elementary school. No one thought about these things, not even Youngjae who was quite a thinker. During the last summer Daehyun and Youngjae had together, they were both very unavailable and busy. All they could think about was the education in front of them and all they could do was packing. By the time summer ended, Youngjae and Daehyun only talked once and it was at their “last dinner” which took place a week before they left for college.

“Are you excited for college Dae?” Youngjae looked over at the boy who was too busy eating his food. “What do you mean ‘are you excited?’ that’s not even a question! Of course, everyone is excited!” Daehyun grins as he speaks and forks down on a piece of steak. Youngjae smiled at Daehyun for a moment and Daehyun smiled back. The two were too excited to speak. “I know we talked about this before but are you sure you can skype everyday, you do know college classes will give homework?” Youngjae put on a serious face as Daehyun ate his food not looking up at Youngjae. Daehyun looked up and took a moment to swallow his food. “You think I’ll forget?” He laughs like it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s only an airplane ticket away!” Youngjae frowned at his lack of concern he showed for the distance in between them. “It’s 1,000 kilometers you know… We might both be in the pacific ocean but it’s still 1,000 kilometers.”

Youngjae flipped his pencil across the room as the sound of the rain came back to his ears again. He hated thinking about the old times. At first Daehyun did skype everyday, sometimes even twice a day. It was great having his company since Youngjae still didn’t know his roommate well. But then school started to get harder and and by the middle of the second week of college, Daehyun started to make excuses and sometimes Youngjae really believed that they were legitimate. And he knew they were very legitimate once his homework and projects started to roll in as well. By the third week of school, no contact was made at all for intervals of four to six days. They wouldn’t even text. School was just too much for the two young boys. Youngjae was unaware of the little communication at first, but soon he began to notice the ‘lack of Daehyun’ in his life. He was almost certain that Daehyun had forgotten about his existence as two weeks passed with no talking. Youngjae also began to forget little by little  as he made more friends and met more people at his school. But he could not completely take Daehyun from his thoughts because of the four years they shared together. And sometimes he really did wish that they were the type of couple who had everything in common.

It became tougher every hour and day that passed without talking now that Youngjae was aware of it. He occasionally picked up his phone and looked at their old text messages wondering if he should text him something right now. It shouldn’t be this way. It shouldn’t be hard or awkward to just text someone you’ve dated for four years, that’s like talking to a crush in middle school. Youngjae set his phone back onto the table, turning it off and focused on starting his homework, writing the date down.

It was October 1. Youngjae frowned. Tomorrow would be the fifth year anniversary for the day Daehyun confessed to him in freshman year. Every single year on October 2nd, they would text each other at 12am and the person who sends the text last would have to buy the cake and they would eat it together at the same spot where Daehyun confessed to Youngjae, the school cafeteria. Every single night of October 1st, they would sit anxiously in their room already typing the text message “Happy Anniversary!” on their phone prepared to push send at the exact moment the digital clock changed to 12am. Sometimes Daehyun liked buying the cake, so he let Youngjae win, waiting 10 seconds after it was 12am to send it. This year it would be the first time that there would be no school cafeteria and no cake, possibly no Daehyun as well.

It was already 11:50 and his heart beat increased with each passing minute and second. If Daehyun didn’t text him tonight, what would this mean for them? What their relationship become of or would there even be a relationship? Youngjae knew Daehyun well enough to know he was not a person to just “forget” things. He might act blunt or inconsiderate at times but that wasn’t what he really was. Daehyun was a person who had lots of emotions and thoughts inside of him, but he wasn’t good with words or expressing himself. Youngjae has constantly encouraged and told him that it was okay to express his true feelings to him and to not hide anything, and he has improved but he is afraid Daehyun felt like Youngjae would judge him if he texted first. Daehyun was secretly a shy and constantly worried boy. He just didn’t want anyone to dislike him or think less of him even if it was his own boyfriend of five years.

Knowing Daehyun, he was probably not going to text first at 12am. Youngjae picks up the phone off the table turning it on into the messages app. He types out “Happy Anniversary” waiting for 12. He taps his pencil on his desk as he counts the 60 seconds left. The rain seemed to fall to the beat of his pencil as he counted. Anxiety pushed up through him as each second passed. It was 12am. Youngjae pushes send with hesitation. Immediately, he tosses his phone aside scared for what Daehyun might say. Youngjae starts to work on his homework, distracting himself from what was to come, eventually falling asleep from tiredness.

Youngjae awakens to his ringtone and he rushes over to his tossed aside phone and picks up not even looking at the caller’s name. “Hello?” Youngjae answers and Daehyun is on the other line smiling. “Happy Anniversary!” Youngjae knits his eyebrows. “Isn’t that a bit late?” Youngjae could not help but blurt out his true feelings to Daehyun. “I-” Youngjae interrupts Daehyun as his bottled up emotions for so long rise. “You’re only calling because today is a special day, which I don’t think is that special anymore since you didn’t even text at 12am like we’ve always done. What if today wasn’t a special day? I BET YOU WOULDN’T EVEN TEXT ME!” Youngjae feels a teardrop roll down his face as he finishes ranting and a moment of silence floated in the air. Daehyun clears his throat on the other line. “Youngjae…. calm down.” Youngjae was on the edge of hanging up on him. “Calm down? You always act so chill with everything, especially the big problems concerning us! I’m going to hang up Daehyun…” Youngjae presses down on the red button before Daehyun has a chance to speak.

He takes out a packet of tissues and wipes his wet cheeks, patting cold water on his eyes to stop the redness before he goes to class. His textone blares out and Youngjae puts down the tissues and looks at his phone, it was from Daehyun. “>come outside of your dorm building.”

Youngjae put on a confused expression.

“>Why do I need to go outside?”

In less than a second Daehyun replies.

“>just do it.”

Youngjae walks out of his dorm and takes the elevator down to the lobby of the dorm building. He opens the glass door and walks out. Daehyun jumps up from behind a trashcan put right next to the door. Youngjae puts on a scowl, attempting to hide the shock inside of him. Daehyun grins trying to get Youngjae’s reaction but he continued to frown at the boy. “Don’t be mad, I told you it was only an airplane ticket away.” Daehyun grabs ahold of his hand, a picnic basket in his other hand. “You avoid texting me for like two weeks, get in a fight with me over the phone on our anniversary, and at the same time you flew all the way over here and didn’t even tell me?” Youngjae tone of voice gradually changed as he spoke the last part of his sentence, realizing how sweet Daehyun was for flying all the way over here to see him. He couldn’t pretend to be mad anymore, Youngjae smiled at Daehyun as they walked over to a grassy area. “You’ve got some explaining to do, you know.” He swung their connected hands back and forth as they walked. “You’ve got some explaining to do too, Jae.”   

They set the basket down and rolled open the picnic blanket, Youngjae began to take out the food from the basket and lining it up in front of them. Daehyun holds Youngjae into an embrace and allows Youngjae to lay his head on his chest as he opens the saran wrapped sandwiches. Youngjae smiles, ripping a piece of the sandwich and holding it up in front of Daehyun’s plump lips.  Daehyun opens his mouth happily almost taking a bite until Youngjae swiftly takes it out of the way. “You have explaining to do first.” the younger boy put on a serious face and eats the part of the sandwich that was meant for Daehyun. Daehyun pouts and flicks Youngjae’s forehead lightly. “Alright alright, at first it was the homework and I seriously have no excuse for that. It was purely because of my lack of focus on the importance of our relationship and I’m sincerely sorry. As for yesterday night, I was on the flight over here.” Daehyun snatches the sandwich out of Youngjae’s hands as he finishes talking. “Flight at midnight? Where did you sleep then?”

Daehyun’s cheeks flush into a pastel pink and looks away from Youngjae’s eyes, scratching his head in embarrassment. “Uh… You didn’t notice the warm lump next to you the whole entire night yesterday?”

Youngjae blinks with a puzzled glance on his face. “How did you get into my dorm and how did I not notice? You have got to be kidding… Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You were very tired looking Jae… and also I wanted to surprise you when you didn’t look like a panda!” Daehyun sticks his tongue at mischievously and Youngjae closes the gap between them with a seal of their lips. Daehyun chuckles through the kiss and giggles at Youngjae’s silly surprising act of affection.

Youngjae smiles at him and they stare into each others eyes realizing how far they’ve gone together. Even if they weren’t together in the exact same school at this moment, they came from being the clueless freshmen in a new high school, to still a clueless pair of freshmen in a new place, except this time they had each other. The flaws in their relationship was what made them love each other more and they both knew at that moment, it was really them that could complete each other regardless of how they were a reflection showcasing their opposites of each other.

Daehyun pucks up his lips asking for Youngjae to surprise him with affection again, remembering how much he missed him.

“You’re too cute, Daehyun.”

guys omg I disappeared for a month I know. I know. And this one shot is definitley not the fluffiest or the best but tbh I have to admit, I started writing this one shot over 20 days ago and I kind of got lost of where to end it and forgot all my ideas of the ending. That is why it lacked some cutesy in it and I'm really sorry. The next one is already in the proccess of writing so I promise there will be much improvement coming up!