“Wow,” Vernon said. “Chan’s a real badass now, isn’t he?”

Joshua nodded as he finally poured himself a glass of orange juice. He’d been holding the carton for a while, but was too distracted as he caught his cousin up.

“Are you sure he’s younger than me?”

Joshua chuckled, standing across the counter. “I’m sure.”

Vernon let his shoulders slump. “A man beyond his years.” He took a second to think over what Joshua had just told him.

It was the morning after Joshua had jumped to Seoul. L.A. wasn’t quite awake yet at 6am, but these two were. Joshua was still spinning from everything, but most of all he was still thinking about Chan’s words.

“The universe breaks its own rules..So if it can break the rules, you most certainly can too.”

Vernon couldn’t help but be incredibly impressed by the young Jumper’s insight. It was true. Why shouldn’t they be able to break the rules too? He’d never had to struggle with what his cousin dealt with every single day, but he thought about it more often than he probably should’ve. But he’d never thought of what Chan suggested. It was profound. Refreshing. And it made sense. But there was one thing Vernon couldn’t piece together.

He looked up at his cousin. “But you still didn’t go see Jeonghan?”

Mid-sip, Joshua lowered his glass. Staring down at his juice, he swirled the drink in his hand as he smacked his lips. “No.”

“Why not?”

“It was just...too much in the moment,” Joshua explained.

Vernon wanted to push it. He knew his cousin’s feelings. There had to be more. “But you miss him like crazy.”

With a sigh, Joshua walked around the counter to sit next to Vernon. “Yeah, but I guess…” He took a second. “I’ve got time to tell him.”

Then he understood. If Joshua went to see Jeonghan, it meant explaining everything: everything about jumping, everything about his dad and where he really was, everything that had ever brought him pain before he met Jeonghan. It would’ve been too much in that small window, especially when Joshua wasn’t ready. There would be time to tell him.

“So next time you’re in Korea?” Vernon asked.

A small smile came to his face. “Yeah,” Joshua replied. “I think I’ll have missed him enough by then.”

Vernon smiled back, but he couldn’t let him get away with being that cheesey. Eating his cereal, he shook his head. “You love birds are weird.”

“Hey!” Joshua shouted, shoving his shoulder. “You wait ‘til you’re in love!”

Laughing with his mouth full, Vernon replied, “I’ll try my best not to fall for someone on the other side of the planet.”

Joshua rolled his eyes. “Lucky you!”

— — —

“OW!”

From several yards away, Soonyoung scratched his head as he watched the frisbee he just threw ricochet right off Seungkwan’s hand. “Sorry, Seungkwan!”

From several yards away in a different direction, Seokmin shouted, “You don’t need to apologize baby! That was a good throw! It’s Seungkwan’s fault for not catching it!”

Always quick to fire back at any sort of teasing, Seungkwan called out, “It was NOT a good throw!”

He was still rubbing his hand as Chan jogged over and picked up the frisbee on his way. Handing it to his “injured” friend, he added, “It was a pretty good throw.”

Snatching it, Seungkwan sneered. “I never asked you!”

“You asked me to come to the park with you guys,” Chan replied.

“You know that’s not what I meant!”

Soonyoung laughed as he saw his boyfriend walking towards him. Holding out his hand, he said, “Ya know, for all the years I noticed Chan, I never noticed how funny he was.”

Close enough to reach, Seokmin took his hand. “That’s creepy, babe.”

Pulling the boy in closer, Soonyoung wrapped his arms around Seokmin. He smiled at his cute face just a few inches from his. “It’s also funny that I never noticed Seungkwan.”

Trying very hard not to get lost in Soonyoung’s eyes, Seokmin pointed right at his nose. “Okay, that is weird. How on Earth could you miss Seungkwan? He’s the loudest person I’ve ever met.”

Soonyoung shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I was too busy stalking Wonwoo and trying to find the one piece of information that would cause his entire life to crumble as an expense to my potential career as a supposed journalist,” he said sarcastically.

Seokmin couldn’t help but laugh. “And now we’re back to creepy.”

With a huge smile, Soonyoung leaned in and planted a kiss on Seokmin’s lips. Quickly pulling away, he chuckled, “You make me so happy, Seokmin.”

Unable to contain his blush this time, Seokmin smiled back. “You’re cute.”

“I really mean it,” Soonyoung said, playfully shaking Seokmin in his arms. “You make me the happiest I’ve ever been.”

His words were so simple, so easy, but they carried the weight of the world to Seokmin. His heart soared at his boyfriend’s delight. They’d been through a lot. But maybe that’s what made it better. Seokmin was never one to trust anybody, but now he knew for sure he could trust Soonyoung. He’d proven it. And Seokmin was so happy to be where they were now.

Reaching his hands up, Seokmin gently pinched Soonyoung’s cheeks. “You make me happy, too.”

From a distance, Seungkwan turned his attention back to their friends, prepared to chuck the frisbee back, but he stopped mid-throw. Seeing the happy couple, he scoffed. “They’re a bit nauseating,” he teased.

But Chan just smiled. Months ago, he never could’ve pictured such a scene. For years, he’d only known Soonyoung as the lesser of two evils. Not so long ago, he and Joshua were hiding from him and Jihoon in Minghao’s apartment. Soonyoung was a part of Wonwoo’s living nightmare, but now everything was different. Everything had changed. Everything was better. He wasn’t sure exactly who to thank for all of it, but he was glad.

“They’re pretty cute,” Chan said.

Seungkwan turned back around to stare Chan square in the face. He pointed at the other two still stuck in their embrace. “Why aren’t you like that with me?” he whined.

Unamused, Chan replied, “I will punch you in the throat.”

With a giggle, Seungkwan flipped his nonexistent long hair. “Chan, I was just joking,” he teased, “no need to start hitting on me.”

So done with his friend, Chan immediately snatched the frisbee from Seungkwan’s grasp. “I’ll show you hitting!”

Laughing his head off, Seungkwan had already bolted off before Chan could even finish his sentence. “Okay, I take it back! Just don’t hurt me!”

“No, say it again!” Chan shouted after him. “I dare you!”

“Run faster, Seungkwan!” Seokmin yelled.

“No, don’t say that,” Soonyoung joked. “I’ve only ever cheered for the one doing the chasing.”

Seokmin took a second to just stare at his boyfriend in disbelief before laughing. “Okay, babe, we really have to work on these creepy jokes of yours.”

Soonyoung laughed with him. “You know I’m just kidding!”

Seokmin lightly shoved him away. “It’s still creepy!”

— — —

“Ahhhhh.”

Eyes closed, Wonwoo spread out his arms and let his head fall back. He let the sun kiss his face as he soaked in the fresh ocean air. Letting his entire body relax, he turned to his boyfriend. Even behind his own sunglasses, Wonwoo could see how the boy glowed. “I cannot believe you’ve lived in Seoul for this long and have never been to the beach.”

Mingyu took a second to just stare out at the open water. It was gorgeous. Using his hand to shield his eyes, he replied, “I don’t get out much.” Suddenly, he stretched out into a yawn. Checking his watch, he saw it was 8:23am.

Wonwoo smiled and turned back to share the view. “Man, I wish I had that problem.”

Mingyu chuckled. With his free hand, he naturally reached over to hold Wonwoo’s. Nothing had ever felt so simple. “It’s nice being out with you though.”

“Cut the crap, Mingyu, I know you want to be playing video games,” Wonwoo unexpectedly answered.

Shocked, Mingyu snapped to see Wonwoo’s mischievous grin. Defensively, he argued, “Hey! That’s—”

“It’s true.”

Mingyu rolled his eyes. “Wah!” he exaggerated. He looked at his boyfriend before grinning. “Fine, that might be true, but I like being anywhere with you, okay?”

Pleased, Wonwoo clutched his hand tighter and swung them back and forth as he looked out at the water. “I’d take you anywhere, Mingyu.”

“I’m glad.”

Wonwoo led the way as the two of them approached the water, getting close enough where the tide could reach them. Wonwoo was about to take another step, but he looked down at Mingyu’s feet and burst out laughing. “Why are you wearing shoes?!”

Mingyu looked down with him. “What?!” he hollered back, shaking his foot. “I only have sneakers!”

Thoroughly amused, Wonwoo spent that morning teasing Mingyu and leading him all over the beach. He managed to convince the boy to take off his shoes and socks and get in the water, but only to wear his jeans would roll up. Mingyu complained about how cold it was, which led Wonwoo to relentlessly, which led to the two of them just laughing at each other. They carved their names into the sand and walked along the shore, talking like they normally did. Wonwoo loved every second of it, and so did Mingyu.

Finding a comfortable spot, Mingyu and Wonwoo sat down facing out to the water. Their shoes at their sides, the sand clung to their legs and feet. The day was getting later and a warm haze was starting to encapsulate the beach. But the sun was still high in the sky.

“Ya know, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to actually get to enjoy a sunset here,” Wonwoo said.

Mingyu felt his boyfriend sitting right up against his arm. He turned to see Wonwoo staring gently out at the ocean. This was just another one of those things he realized Wonwoo missed out on.

Throwing his arm around him, Mingyu squeezed firmly. “To be fair, I’ve never seen a sunset right here either.”

“That’s cause you don’t do anything ever,” Wonwoo chuckled.

Mingyu smiled, always loving when Wonwoo . “How are the sunsets in other parts of the world?” he asked.

With a relaxed sigh, Wonwoo replied, “They’re pretty stunning. Sometimes I’ll catch one right when I get there. Sometimes I gotta wait a few hours. But they’re all so beautiful, and somehow in their own ways.” He leaned his head on Mingyu. “I wonder how the one’s here are.”

Mingyu couldn’t stop himself from kissing the top of Wonwoo’s head. “Probably nothing compared.”

Wonwoo smiled, always loving when Mingyu reassured him. He wiggled enough to turn and see his boyfriend’s cute face. “You’re probably right.”

This time, Mingyu couldn’t stop himself from easily leaning in and pecking Wonwoo on the lips. The two stayed there for a moment in their own warm haze. It was a feeling Mingyu never could have possibly imagined, but it was more magical than anything he could have.

“You should try and come out here more often, Mingyu,” Wonwoo said. “You really don’t live too far from here.”

“It’s like a forty-five minute walk,” he scoffed.

“Or a ten minute drive,” Wonwoo scoffed back.

Mingyu chuckled, moving his arm off of his boyfriend so he could rest on them. “Yeah, the beach is really something, but I don’t think I’ll be going all the time with myself.” He scanned his surroundings, seeing kids and families and people and birds. “My crowd isn’t really here.”

Wonwoo laughed. “Just because we didn’t see a cat, you don’t like it?”

“Of course I like it,” Mingyu said, “but I don’t want to go alone. I’d only go if you came with me.”

Kicking the sand, Wonwoo teased, “I’d want to, but we don’t have to go everywhere together, you know.”

“Are you kidding me?” Mingyu laughed, now sitting back up straight. For some reason, he found his boyfriend incredibly cute at that moment. “We spend almost every second we can together!” he said. “You sleep over at my place. We go to classes together we don’t even share. I can’t remember a meal I’ve had before 6 where you weren’t there.”

A little embarrassed at how clingy he sounded, Wonwoo couldn’t hold back his laughter. “What are you trying to say?!”

Mingyu laughed as he said, “I’m saying that we kind of do everything together! You’re always with me and I’m always with you! I’m saying we always want to be around each other and I always want you when you’re not here!”

Wonwoo’s heart was soaring listening to Mingyu just spew out what they both knew to be true. Even when this first began, he never knew he could love someone like he loved Mingyu. He just adored him beyond belief.

His smile beamed as he stared into Wonwoo’s shining eyes. It was so much. Seeing Wonwoo and being with him was always so much. He had no words for what this boy did to his heart. All he knew was he always wanted it with him. “What I’m saying is…” Mingyu always wanted Wonwoo with him. “...let’s move in together.”

“What?!” Wonwoo immediately laughed, totally caught off-guard. That was not where he was expecting that to go, but the sudden idea was sweet. “You’re so funny, Mingyu!”

“I’m serious!” Mingyu said back. “I really, really, really mean it!”

Wonwoo stared at his boyfriend, seeing his face just lit with excitement. But he still couldn’t buy it. “Mingyu, you’re crazy,” he laughed.

“No!” Mingyu took Wonwoo by the hands and stared right into his eyes. Filled with so much anticipation and so much love, he can’t hold himself back. “Let’s move in together. Let’s...get our own place. It’ll be a safe place for the both of us.”

Wonwoo was in a state of disbelief, but looking into Mingyu’s eyes, he could now see how genuine the request was.

With a huge smile, Wonwoo had to look away. He couldn’t possibly hold that gaze with everything he was feeling. Mingyu was unreal. He never would have imagined his life to get to this point with this boy. But here they were. How could he possibly say no?

Letting out a deep breath, he nodded. “Okay,” he said.

Still bright as the sun, Mingyu tried to meet Wonwoo’s gaze again. “Okay?” he repeated, completely giddy.

Wonwoo turned to smile right at him. He nodded quicker. “Okay!” He couldn’t contain the love he had for this very special boy. He never thought he’d meet someone who accepted him with such sincerity, with such warmth and happiness. As a Jumper, he truly never thought someone would offer him a home.

“I want to live with you, Mingyu,” Wonwoo said. “You...and however many cats you want.”

Mingyu couldn’t take it. He dove in and kissed Wonwoo. Love wasn’t enough to describe what he felt for him. It was so much more. For the boy who could never stay, Mingyu was so happy he could give him a home.

— — —

“Thank you, Ms. Joon,” Jihoon said with a bow. He smiled and waved as he stepped out of the classroom. “I’ll be sure to email you before the story goes live tonight.”

Jihoon stuffed his phone firmly in his back pocket as a few kids rushed by him. He had come to the elementary school to interview one of the teachers. She had won a small lottery prize that was drawn the night before, and Jihoon was the lucky intern to get the story. Thankfully, she was an incredibly sweet lady and the school wasn’t too far from work.

Another fluff piece for the books, Jihoon couldn’t help but think. He sighed, but still smiled. Work had been slow, but he was learning to accept every story for what it was and always anticipate the next one.

Walking towards the school’s entrance gate, Jihoon was in a wave of little kids. He was really grateful that none of them were his height, godforbid even taller. But as he was thinking about writing up the story and sending it to his manager to review for that night’s report, something weird started coming into view.

Jihoon squinted as he looked ahead. What the…

Out next to the school’s gate was Seungcheol, but not just Seungcheol. It was Seungcheol holding a hundred white balloons, but not just Seungcheol holding a hundred white balloons. It was Seungcheol holding a hundred white balloons while being mobbed by a bunch of kindergarteners.

“Sorry guys, but I really need all these balloons!” Seungcheol said, smiling down at all the little kids.

“Can’t you share?!” a boy whined.

“You need every single one?!” a girl asked.

He laughed. “Yes! Now, go! Don’t you know not to talk to strangers?”

But clearly, none of them were listening. Another little boy asked, “Why do you have all of those?!”

Seungcheol grinned. “They’re for someone special.”

“Ewww!” a few of them yelled.

“Awww!” yelled the others.

“Who?! Who?!”

But before Seungcheol could answer…

“Seungcheol?”

Seungcheol looked up and immediately smiled. Here was the person he’d been waiting for. “Jihoon, hey!”

Seeing his expression, the kids giggled. They dispersed to give the two space.

Surprised, Jihoon walked a bit closer before stopping by the small crowd of small people. He looked up at the balloons before back down at Seungcheol. “What are you doing here?”

Seungcheol opened his mouth to answer, but Jihoon quickly put his hand up and added, “And don’t tell me you’re stalking me. I already know that.”

Seungcheol was so happy, he couldn’t hide it. “I came to see you.”

Jihoon furrowed his eyebrows. “With a million balloons?”

“What?” Seungcheol acted surprised. “Oh, these?”

“Yes, those,” Jihoon smiled. He glanced up at them again. “Are you trying to make me fly away?”

“Only if I get to fly away with you,” Seungcheol slyly remarked.

Immediately, Jihoon blushed, his cheeks matching his hair almost exactly. He had to turn away. “I hate you.”

Seungcheol smiled even bigger. He stepped towards Jihoon so they were face to face. “Not as much as I hate you.”

Still refusing to look at him, Jihoon said, “Oh, you have no idea how much I hate you.”

“I think I have a really strong idea.”

Seungcheol waited until Jihoon turned back to him. Gently, the two met each other’s gaze. His heart pounding in his ears, Seungcheol felt butterflies in his stomach. Jihoon never failed to do this to him, and he knew he was ready to do what he came to do.

“You’re...really something, Jihoon.”

Jihoon scoffed. “You’re one to talk.”

“I really mean it,” he said. Seungcheol had rehearsed over and over what he wanted to say, but with Jihoon in front of him, he could just say what was on his heart. No rehearsal necessary. “I’ve never met someone who’s done what you’ve done to me.”

Jihoon’s heart was racing. Ever since the two had gotten close, Jihoon knew Seungcheol to make him feel this way: like he wanted to die, but also like he’d never felt more alive. He couldn’t handle it sometimes, but it was also nice. He couldn’t explain it, but he liked it.

Seungcheol took a deep breath. With his free hand, he reached out to hold Jihoon’s. Jihoon immediately jolted, so unprepared for that touch. Seungcheol grinned at him. “I don’t think I could ever put into words...how...weird this whole experience has been with you. How...completely unexpected it all was. But, I can say that I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Jihoon listened, prepared to pass out. “You...are so special in my eyes. I really don’t even know what it is. You were someone...I despised and couldn’t stand and just really hated—”

“Okay, I don’t know if I like where this is going,” Jihoon jokingly interrupted.

Seungcheol laughed and shook his head before staring lovingly into the boy’s eyes again. “You’ve surprised me over and over again, and the time I’ve spent getting to know you...I never want that to end.”

Jihoon’s heart was beating out of his chest. He could feel his cheeks warming up even more. “You are my favorite person to stalk, and if you’ll let me, I want to do more than just stalk you.”

“You mean…”

Seungcheol grinned. “Will you be my boyfriend, Jihoon?”

Jihoon’s heart stopped. His breath was caught in his throat. As a journalist, Jihoon was an expert at following a lead, but for some reason he had no idea that was going to be the question Seungcheol asked.

“What?”

With a laugh, Seungcheol knew exactly what had happened. “Do I have to write an article for you to get it?”

Hearing Seungcheol’s usual tease brought him out of his trance. Jihoon shook himself and smiled. The words were still processing in his head. Will you be my boyfriend?

“You’re...asking me out?”

“God, I do have to spell it out for you,” Seungcheol teased. He stepped even closer to Jihoon, the balloons casting a giant shadow over just the two of them. “I, Choi Seungcheol, am asking you, Reporter Lee Jihoon, if you will be my boyfriend...because I really like you. Even as much as I didn’t like you, I really, really like you. And I want to go out with you.”

Insides completely exploding, Jihoon still couldn’t believe it. “I—”

“You don’t have to say too much,” Seungcheol said. “I know this is...a lot. But I just think you’re so great and I love spending time with you. We’ve been through a lot and I just wanted to ask if you’d start this new story with me, one where we’re not chasing other people or protecting anyone else.” He smiled. “This would be about you and me and...whatever else we want to make it about.”

Jihoon couldn’t take it. This boy was far too cute. With his heart racing, Jihoon’s mind went blank. Nothing was there except the image that Seungcheol had painted. He couldn’t even keep it in. He smiled. “I like that.”

Seungcheol leaned in a little closer. “So is that…?”

With a nod, Jihoon held the boy’s hand a little tighter. “I want you to be my boyfriend.”

And with that, Seungcheol was truly over the moon. He smiled a giant smile as he stared at Jihoon’s beaming face. Swinging their arms lightly, he said, “I really like you, Jihoon.”

Blushing, Jihoon turned to look up at the balloons. “I’m only saying yes cause I want those balloons.”

“Oh, but of course!” Seungcheol lowered his other arm, handing the wad of balloon strings to his new boyfriend. “They’re all yours.”

Looking up, Jihoon’s heart swelled. Who knew they would have gotten here. Just a few weeks ago, he’d never felt more defeated. But after seeing Seungcheol again, he almost forgot how recent everything really was. Seungcheol did that for him. He made him forget what he didn’t need to remember, what only hurt him to think about. It wasn’t like denial; it was relief. No one had ever done that for him. Years and years of ambition and exhaustion fueled by nothing more than success really damaged the way Jihoon viewed himself when he no longer had the same drives. But Seungcheol made him feel free. He made him so happy. In that moment, he was so in awe that the person who did that for him liked him back...left him speechless.

But holding the balloons, he couldn’t even stop himself as the words flew out of his mouth. “And you’re all mine.”

Realizing what he had just said, he flushed even harder. Turning back to look at Seungcheol, he was horrified. “Sorry, I don’t know where that—!”

But Seungcheol couldn’t stop laughing. Immediately, he reached out and pulled Jihoon into his embrace. Nuzzling his face into Jihoon’s soft hair, he smiled. “Yes, I’m all yours.”

— — —

10:00am.

Joshua opened his eyes to find himself on the sidewalk. Nobody was walking by, but cars began to pass along the street. He took a second to gather himself, prepared once again to be somewhere new. Yesterday with his friends in Seoul was already wild.

Here we go again, he thought. He closed his eyes and felt the weight of his guitar on his back. Taking in a deep breath, he tried to calm his thoughts. But just as he was, two people walked by him and he couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.

“It was so weird. I guess I just couldn’t remember that I’d done all those things already. I ended up in the exact same place I was yesterday,” the stranger said in Korean.

“Like you just went back again for no reason?” her friend replied in Korean.

“I guess. Honestly, I don’t really know what happened.”

Joshua opened his eyes. His body was tense.

Were they speaking Korean?

Confused, he started scanning the area. Suddenly, he realized he knew this street. He knew this sidewalk. He’d seen this place all too recently.

Wait…

Joshua turned around. He felt his heart stop.

He was standing right in front of Mingyu’s apartment building. He was in Seoul for the second day in a row.

— — —

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

Startled, Boba and Sushi hissed and jumped off the arm of the couch. Wonwoo sat up at the sound of the abrupt knocking. Sitting together, he turned to his boyfriend and asked, “Are you expecting anyone?

Mingyu quickly got up. “No.”

The knocking didn’t stop as Mingyu headed for the door. He didn’t even have time to check who it was and just went to open it.

“Joshua?!”

Joshua stormed into the apartment, not giving anyone a second to process what was happening. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Wonwoo jumped to his feet. “What?! Joshua?!” His eyes were wide as he stared at his friend. Suddenly, his heart was racing too.

Mingyu closed the door as Wonwoo walked over. Joshua still hadn’t said anything. He was hunched over, breathing heavily.

Wonwoo couldn’t believe his eyes. He didn’t know what he was looking at. “Josh! What the ?!”

Finally, Joshua’s head shot up. With all the surprise that he could’ve possibly been feeling, he shouted back, “I don’t know!”

“How...how are you here?!” Wonwoo choked out.

Joshua clutched his head. “I don’t ing know!” His vision started to come into focus. He could see Wonwoo’s shocked expression. He could see Mingyu’s apartment, all the cats and all the furniture, just as he had seen yesterday. “I...I don’t know how this is happening!”

Joshua took a few wobbly steps forward before Mingyu reached over and took his guitar from him. With the load off, Joshua collapsed onto the couch, staring forward in utter disbelief.

Wonwoo looked over at Mingyu, his mouth hanging open. Mingyu shrugged back at him, equally as confused. Taking a moment, Wonwoo joined his friend on the couch.

Joshua’s chest rose and fell steadily as he tried to calm down. The other two waited for him to say something. If he thought his mind was racing before, this was an entirely new level.

What the hell is going on? Am I in Seoul...again? But that’s...impossible! That’s not supposed to happen! You can’t jump to the same place two days in a row! How is this happening? How the ...am I in Seoul again? What...what is...

Nothing was making sense. After a minute, he finally said, “I’m in Seoul again.”

“Dude…,” Wonwoo said, his voice drowning in disbelief.

“I’m literally in the same city I was in yesterday,” Joshua said. He stated it so matter of factly.

Mingyu slowly came to sit on the ground in front of them. The grey cat immediately found his lap to join.

“Josh, this is crazy,” Wonwoo said.

“I have no clue what’s going on.” Joshua ran his hand through his hair. “How...how is this possible. This...this isn’t supposed to happen. This is literally not allowed to happen.” He gripped the edges of his face, as if trying to get a hold of himself. “We don’t jump to the same place back to back! You don’t! You just don’t! What the actual...what is…”

His voice trailed off, tremoring as it did.

“Hyung…,” Wonwoo started to say.

“Holy ing !” Joshua’s eyes darted between Mingyu and Wonwoo. “I’m here, again!”

Wonwoo looked at Mingyu again and neither of them knew how to react. “Hyung, I can’t believe—”

“Yeah, I really can’t either,” Joshua said, cutting him off. He stood up and started to pace. “This is bull, are you ing kidding me?”

He paused for a second, running his hand over his mouth. Just then, his mind thought of the person it always thought of: Jeonghan. All of a sudden, everything was far too similar to what he had felt just yesterday. The same irritating reality was attacking him all over again. “I’m in the same damn place as Jeonghan again. Again, they did this to me!”

Reminded of Joshua’s love, Mingyu felt a pang in his chest. Wonwoo let out a deep sigh, shaking his head.

“This is so ed up,” Joshua said, fuming. “This is so ed up.”

Wonwoo hated to see his friend like this. He couldn’t imagine what he must be feeling, but unfortunately they shared a common bitterness towards the universe. It was too cruel.

They really did this to him two days in a row, Wonwoo thought. God, Chan would handle this so much better.

Suddenly, the wise words from his younger friend came to mind.

“The universe breaks its own rules..So if it can break the rules, you most certainly can too.”

Wonwoo’s heart started to slow as those words registered. “Holy …,” he said under his breath.

“Yeah, is right,” Joshua said, his head pounding.

“No,” Wonwoo said, looking up, waiting to meet Joshua’s gaze. “I can’t believe Chan was right.”

Joshua stopped, eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

Wonwoo smiled and stood up. He walked to stand before his friend. “The universe breaks its own rules…”

“...so I can too,” Joshua said, the words leaving his mouth without him even thinking.

Joshua loved Jeonghan. That feeling of love surged through his body like a bolt of lightning—strong and suddenly. Since Jeonghan had left, Joshua had felt a great sense of longing, a sad desire to be with the boy with the long hair once again. But now his love showed itself in a new form, a powerful one.

During their short time together, Joshua had never laughed more with another person, never smiled more with another person, never felt more with another person than he had with Jeonghan. Years of jumping had made him numb to affection. Wooing men and women all over the world was how he got by. It was a means of survival. At this point, that felt like a lifetime ago. But then came along a boy who didn’t need his adoration for any reason at all; he just wanted to give him back the same.

Joshua could see Jeonghan sitting beside him in the apartment on a Wednesday afternoon, several weeks into his visit and their relationship. The LA sun seeped through the window and skimmed the edge of the boy’s face, outlining his sweet lips and dazzling eyes. Joshua stared for a moment, not even noticing that he was until Jeonghan did. He chuckled. “Jisoo.”

“Yes,” Joshua gently replied, like he was still asleep, uninterrupted in his dreams.

Jeonghan smiled even wider. “Nothing.” He reached over and held the boy by his chin, leaning in for a kiss. “Just…, I’m falling for you.”

“Holy .”

“Joshua!”

“Yeah!” His head shot up. He hadn’t realized Wonwoo called out to him several times.

“Are you okay?”

It only took Joshua a moment to once again hear Chan’s words. You most certainly can too. He smiled and stood up. “I will be.” Looking down at Wonwoo, he asked without hesitation, “What’s Jeonghan’s address?”

— — —

Jeonghan sighed and turned off the TV. He’d only been home for 2 days, so it was no surprise he was still pretty jetlagged. But that wasn’t the worst of what he was going through, not by a long shot.

Jeonghan stared up at the ceiling and said the only thing that had been on his mind since leaving LA. “Jisoo-ah.”

He missed him so much. Jeonghan hated that his boyfriend was so far away. He’d gotten used to cuddling up next to him, smelling his sweet lavender shampoo. He loved how Joshua’s scent was completely void of chlorine, something he couldn’t say about himself. He wanted to feel the warmth of his soft skin against his again. Every time Joshua touched him, whether with his lips, his hands, or just the gentle graze of his arm, Jeonghan felt fireworks. Smelling breakfast in the morning as it wafted through their quaint little apartment was Jeonghan’s new favorite way to wake up. Hearing Joshua play his guitar was an incredibly close second. But now that was all an ocean away, and he really missed it. He really missed Joshua.

Jeonghan groaned and stood up, realizing he still needed to unpack. Practices had been postponed for the week and he just didn’t have the strength to do anything since he got back. Might as well try to get used to being back here, he thought. But just as he bent over for his bag…

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Jeonghan stretched out his arms as he headed for the door. He expected it might be one of his hallmates coming to say hi. But nothing could prepare him for what he opened the door to. His eyes grew wide.

“JISOO!?”

Joshua had the biggest smile on his face. He couldn’t contain himself.

Shocked, Jeonghan said, “What are—?!”

But he didn’t get to finish. Joshua lunged forward and kissed him. All that longing inside of him made him close that gap.

The second their lips touched, Jeonghan missed his boyfriend a lot less. His eyes fluttered shut and he just melted. His hands reached up to hold Joshua’s face. He didn’t even know to be shocked anymore. This was all too beautifully familiar.

Joshua unlocked from the boy who wouldn’t leave his mind. He had the biggest grin as he said, “Hi.”

Shaken back to the moment, Jeonghan said back, “Hi!” His mouth agape, he looked Joshua up and down. “What are you doing here?!”

Joshua laughed. I’ve been asking myself that a lot lately, he thought. With Jeonghan now right in front of him again, he didn’t need to ask anymore questions. He was just so happy. He’d fallen so hard for Jeonghan, and he wanted to tell him everything.

“There’s a lot I need to tell you.”

— — —

Mingyu lightly stretched his neck as he finally wrapped up his essay. A yawn escaped his lips before he looked at the time.

4:55am.

Holy , he thought, how’d that happen? But he knew exactly how that happened.

Pulling out his phone, he texted his boyfriend.

Mingyu
Guess who’s stupid and stayed up all night

It didn’t take long for Wonwoo to respond.

Wonwoo
Let me guess…
My boyfriend who’s awake for some reason?

Mingyu
You’re so smart

Wonwoo
LOL honestly I don’t blame you
You had to finish that paper and there were a lot of distractions today

Wonwoo was right. After Joshua had left to find Jeonghan, Mingyu and Wonwoo were left awestruck. They couldn’t believe how right Chan had been. The universe really broke its own rules all the time.

“Wow, this is insane,” Wonwoo had said, sounding exasperated. “Jeonghan’s gonna be so shocked.”

“Yeah, that’s some big news,” Mingyu had replied.

Wonwoo looked over at his boyfriend and smiled. Gently grazing his cheek, he said, “Some people take it better than others.”

Mingyu scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Some people tell it better than others.”

Wonwoo grinned. He was still buzzing from Joshua’s entire situation.

But at that moment, a thought kept running in Mingyu’s head. As thrilled as he was for Joshua, he couldn’t help but worry if Wonwoo was holding back his own jealousy. He wondered if the boy who hated jumping was still hoping the universe would make an exception for him. It hurt Mingyu to think he wasn’t enough to be that exception.

“Wonwoo.”

“Hmm.”

“Does it bother you?”

“Does what bother me?”

Mingyu hesitated. “Does it bother you...that the rules haven’t changed...for you?”

Wonwoo blinked a few times. Sitting beside Mingyu, he leaned his head onto his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Ya know what? No. It doesn’t.”

“Really?”

Wonwoo nodded. Internally, he searched for any part of him that was lying. He couldn’t find any. “Yeah. Somehow...I’m okay with it.”

Mingyu paused to let Wonwoo go on.

“Man, that’s crazy…’cause you’re right. I totally thought it would’ve bothered the out of me that I was still stuck in the universe’s rules when it was bending for other people. God, a month ago I probably would’ve been so ing pissed. I would’ve been so ing happy for Josh, but yeah I’d be jealous.”

Wonwoo rested his hand on top of Mingyu’s and lightly drew little circles on his skin. He smiled. “But not anymore. I guess...I don’t let the universe dictate my life anymore.”

Hearing that made Mingyu’s heart soar. They had come so far. “I love you so much, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo turned to look up at him. He kissed him. “I love you too.”

With all this commotion, no wonder it was hard to focus on such a dull history paper.

Mingyu
You’re right
I’m gonna go to bed now
See you in an hour love

Wonwoo
Get some sleep
See you then <3

Mingyu smiled and plugged his phone into the charger. He turned off the bedroom light. He slipped off his shirt and snuggled himself under the covers. One hand under his head, Mingyu stared up at the dark ceiling, his chest warm, thinking about Wonwoo soon being beside him again. He closed his eyes, if only for a moment.

Mingyu’s eyes shot open as he heard a loud THUD beside him. Instinctively, he reached over and his bedside lamp. His eyes grew wide and he shot up.

“WONWOO?!”

There, sitting on the floor in a baseball cap and puffy outdoor vest, was Wonwoo. He looked just as confused as Mingyu. He couldn’t move.

The clock read 5:00am.