Faction before blood; it’s a societal memo. Regardless of what faction you were born in, it’s imperative to choose the faction that best fits you. This is to ensure society functions to its highest potential – to promote peace and well-being amongst all citizens. But what they don’t tell you about is the cold, hard truth. The reality of leaving everyone behind, just to benefit humanity. 
Faction before blood is easy. But what about faction before love?

 “Jae,wake up!” his mother called cheerily, coming into his room and opening the curtains,letting bright sunshine trickle in.
Jae groaned, pulling the blanket over his head.
               

“Oh, come now,” she tutted, forcibly pulling the covers off of him. “Jae, you need to get up now. Today’s your test, remember? Choosing ceremony tomorrow?”

Jae’s eyes opened slowly, allowing himself to get used to the light before he sat up and stretched, yawning as he did so.
              

  “Good morning, mother,” Jae sighed, standing up and giving her a hug.
              

  “Good morning to you to, dear,” she replied, rubbing a hand on his back. She pulled away, smiling at her son.

“I can’t believe tomorrow’s the big day. You’ve gotten so old so quick.” She sniffled, placing her hands up onto Jae’s shoulders. “My son’s all grown up.”
              

“Hey, it’s okay,” he reassured her, wiping away a stray tear from her worn face. “I can’t believe it either.”

And it was true. Testing day always seemed years and years away, but here it was, right in front of him. He wasn’t sure what to feel, how to act, or anything really.

“And I’m not that old – I’m only sixteen!”
 

His mother laughed and took a composing breath, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Well, good luck. I know you’ll do great.” She hugged him again, holding onto him tightly as if he may disappear any moment.And then she left, leaving Jae standing alone in his room. He sighed.He wasn’t worried about doing great during the test. He knew that he was Amity through and through.
 

It would be fine.
 

* * *

After breakfast and chores, it was time to go down to the Aptitude Test facility, where every 16-year-old would be told which faction they belong in after a series of tests done through simulations. Everyone was heading there now - that is, except for two boys who were lying in the grass under the shade of a tall oak, enjoying their leisure time for just a bit longer before they really had to leave. Jae looked over to his left at his best friend, Brian . The two had been practically inseparable for as long as Jae could remember, growing up together in peaceful Amity. They’d been through just about everything together, both highs and lows. But it wasn’t until a few years ago when he caught himself stealing glances at Brian from time to time, admiring the way the sun bounced off his eyes and hair, or how his smile made Jae feel butterflies in his stomach. Brian’s laugh was music to Jae’s ears, and he loved how perfectly they seemed to fit together. Of course they were friends, but Jae couldn’t always help but think, what if there was more to it? They did certain things that may not be considered solely friendly, like holding hands and chaste kisses, but those were just typical Amity behaviours, right?
 

“Jae,” Brian said cutting through Jae’s daydreaming. “You’re staring at me again.”
 

“Sorry, I can’t help that you’re incredibly attractive,” Jae replied sarcastically, earning a light nudge on the arm from Brian.

“Shut up,” he laughed, and his eyes crinkling.

“Never,” Jae stated with a smile of his own, looking back up at the sky that was painted with light blue hues.

“Why am I friends with you again?” Brian asked, sighing.

“Because you love me,” Jae replied simply, looking back at the other boy.

“Do not!”

“Do too.”

  “No, you love me, Park!”

“And you love me, Kang.”

The boy kept their eyes locked with each other’s for about two more seconds before they burst out laughing, shaking their heads. The next few moments were filled with comfortable silence, save for the occasional bird chirp. Brian rolled onto his side so he was facing Jae completely, speaking up a few seconds later.
 

 “Are you scared?” Brian  asked, his voice a lot smaller and quieter than before. His gaze was trained on the ground, his hand fiddling with the grass.

Jae to his side just as Brian had done, his full attention on the other boy.
               

“Scared of what?” Jae questioned, his brows furrowed.  “The aptitude test?”
               

 “Not just that,” Brian murmured, glancing back up at Jae.
              

  “What else?”
 

Brian breathed deeply, shutting his eyes for a moment before continuing.
 

 “The results,” he answered finally.
             

   “Oh,” Jae said. “I don’t know, I mean, I’m pretty sure I’ll get Amity. Why?”
 

Brian  bit his lip, looking away from Jae soft gaze. “Just wondering.”
               

“Brian,” Jae sighed, knowing his best friend way too well. “Tell me what’s really going on.”
             

   “I…”  Brian trailed off, lost for words. He shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s just…”

Jae looked at the grass  Brian had been messing with, noticing that his hand was shaking slightly.
               

“Hey,” Jae said softly, gently taking Brian’s hand with his and squeezing tightly. “It’s going to be alright, I promise.”

Brian smiled sadly, squeezing back. “I know it will be. But, what if I don’t get Amity? What will I do?”
       

“You will get Amity, Brian,” Jae reassured, scooching closer to him. “You are the kindest person I’ve ever met. Trust me, you’ll be okay.”
               

 “I just don’t want to leave you,” Brian whispered, and if Jae hadn’t been so close, he didn’t think he would’ve heard him. “If I get a different test result, I’ll have to.”
               

“I don’t want you to leave either,” Jae murmured, using his free hand to brush Brian’s  hair out of his face.

“But I also don’t want you to make decisions because of me. Even if you do get another faction, you have to know I’ll still be your friend, I’ll just be living somewhere else.” Jae pressed a kiss to Brian’s forehead.

 “You have to go where you fit best.”
               

“I know,” Brian breathed, shutting his eyes and putting his head against Jae’s chest. Jae immediately wrapped his arms around the shorter boy, pulling him even closer.
 

“I’m just not sure on anything right now.” Brian admitted.
             

   “Do you think you belong somewhere else?”
              

  “…I don’t know.”
            

  “When the time comes, you’ll know what to do,” Jae whispered into Brian ’s hair.

“Now come on, we should get going.”
 

Brian nodded and they pulled apart, standing up and brushing off their red and yellow clothes. The boys smiled at each other, holding hands as they made their way to the testing facility.
 

* * *
 

The test had gone just fine, and Jae unsurprisingly tested for Amity. The simulation had been a bit terrifying at times, but he had gotten through it and wouldn’t have any problems at the Choosing Ceremony and deciding his future. Brian, on the other hand, was a completely different story.
It was later that evening and Brian and Jae were walking through the empty fields of Amity while everyone was eating dinner at the dome. Brian had rushed home after the test before Jae could catch up, but Jae found him later sitting by himself under their usual tree. Jae had offered they go for a walk and they hadn’t spoken since, at least, until now.
               

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Jae asked.
Brian tore his gaze from his shoes, choosing instead to stare at the stars above, his skin looking radiant under the moonlight.
            

 “I don’t know if I can.”
 

“What?” Jae said, slightly confused. “Brian, you can tell me anything, you know that.”
 

“And you know we’re not supposed to talk about our test results,” Brian replied bitterly, very unlike his usual tone.
             

  “So it is about your test result.”
 

Brian sighed exasperatedly, finally meeting Jae’s gaze.

“Yes, it is about my test result. Congrats, you’ve figured it out.”
             

“Brian, please,” Jae pleaded, stopping in his tracks and grabbing onto Brian’s hand.
 

The shorter boy stayed silent for a few more moments, looking down at their clasped hands. Tears began to fall down Brian’s cheeks as he peered up at Jae, causing Jae to pull him into another hug, his arms around the boy’s waist. Brian wrapped his arms around Jae’s neck, pressing his face into Jae’s shirt and letting out a sob. Jae ran a hand through Brian’s hair, softly shushing him.
             

 “It’s okay, Bri,” Jae whispered, reverting to an old nickname of Brian’s.

“It’s okay.”
            

 “No, it’s not,” Brian murmured, pulling away slightly so they were face to face.

“I did the test, and I’m still nowhere. It just made things worse.” Brian bit his lip.

“I didn’t test Amity.”
 

Jae stomach dropped, and it felt like everything was crashing down at once.
              

  “You w-what?” Jae stammered, utterly bewildered. “What did you test for?”
              

  “It doesn’t matter,” Brian muttered darkly, his eyes heavy. “I don’t want to leave.”
            

   “Then don’t,” Jae pressed, rubbing circles on Brian’s back with his thumbs.

“You don’t have to choose what the test told you – it’s what you think is best. If you think you belong in Amity, then stay in Amity.”
               

“But that’s the thing,” Brian continued, pulling away. “I don’t know if I belong in Amity. I’ve always felt like I need to go somewhere else – that my personality doesn’t completely mesh with the ones here. I didn’t really realize that until today when I got my results. I can’t stay, but I can’t go either. I don’t want to lose my best friend.” Brian looked at Jae sadly, and Jae could feel his heartstrings being tugged.
 

“I told you not to make your decision based off of me,” Jae murmured, shaking his head.
            

    “Yeah, well, easier said than done!” Brian exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

“Don’t you see, Jae? You’re the reason I can’t make a decision. It’s not because I’m worried about leaving my family; it’s not because I’m worried about disappointing them. It’s because I’m so incredibly in love with you, that I can’t bear the thought of leaving you here by yourself while I’m off living in another faction! It’s because I’d rather be factionless than be without you and -”
              

  “You’re in love with me?” Jae repeated, scanning Brian’s face for any sign that would entail otherwise.
 

Brian’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. “I thought it was obvious,” he muttered, putting his face in his hands.
 

Jae stepped closer to Brian, pulling his hands away and raising Brian’s face by his chin.
              

  “Look, Brian,” Jae said gently. “All I want is for you to be happy. But I also don’t want you to throw your life away because of me. I would love to live happily ever after with you, but not if you’ll be regretful or sad. You need to make this decision on your own, and I will respect your choice either way.”
The boys stared into each other’s eyes for a bit longer, only the sound of the wind surrounding them.
               

 “I love you,” Brian whispered.
               

“I love you, too,” Jae whispered back.
 

The remaining distance between their faces was then extinguished into a sweet, soft kiss. But this wasn’t like one of their other best friend greeting, or parting kisses on the cheek; this was real. It was passionate, and it sent goosebumps over Jae’s skin and shivers down his spine as their lips moved against one another, Brian tasting faintly of strawberries.
Jae only hoped this kiss wouldn’t be their last.
 

* * *
 

There was a sickening feeling in Jae’s stomach from the moment he woke up, thoughts of Brian and the night before swirling around in his mind and bouncing around his skull. Even now, sitting in the Choosing Ceremony room dressed in his nicest clothes (a faded yellow button up and dark red pants) with the rest of Amity and the other factions, Brian was all he could think about.
When everyone was in their respective seating, Jeanine Matthews walked on stage, dressed in Erudite blue with confidence in her stance. She greeted everyone and continued with her speech she made every year.
 

“The faction system is a living being composed of cells: all of you,” she said, looking around the room.

 “And the only way it can survive and thrive is for each of you to claim your rightful place. The future belongs to those who know where they belong.”
 

Brian, who was seated on Jae’s left, seemed to shudder at her last statement. Jae held onto Brian’s hand, which Brian smiled at gratefully.
 

More people came on stage to make quick speeches about the Choosing Ceremony, explaining how it works and what the initiates will have to do, even though everyone already knew. A final faction before blood was said unanimously among the crowd before the first names started to be called off, starting at the end of the alphabet and working backwards.
              

                 “Song Minho, Candor.”
                “Lee Chaelin, Dauntless.”
                “Jackson Wang, Dauntless.”
                “Kim Woonpil, Abnegation.”
 

The names continued and all too soon it was Jae’s turn. He stood up shakily, making his way to the stage where Jeanine and the other leaders were standing, smiling at him.
 

Five bowls were laid out in front of him, all with different substances in them representing the factions. Bits of glass for Candor,  hot coals for Dauntless, clear water for Erudite, gray stones for Abnegation, and soil for Amity.
 

Jae picked up the knife that was laid out in front of the bowls, cutting into his palm with a hiss and letting the blood slowly leak out. He took a deep breath and held his fist over the Amity bowl, letting his blood drip onto the soil.

  “Park Jaehyung, Amity,” one of the leaders announced, jarring applause roaring in his ears immediately after.
 

Jae was handed a cloth for his hand as he stepped off stage, making his way back to the Amity section, where he was greeted with hugs and congratulations. His eyes fell to Brian, whose skin was a sickly pale and his body visibly shaking. Jae sat back in his seat next to Brian, taking hold of his hand again.
              

  “Are you okay?” Jae whispered, but Brian remained silent, keeping his gaze on the ceremony.
More and more names were called out, the initiates going up and deciding their fates with a single drop of blood. Eventually, it was Brian’s turn, his skin somehow paler than it had been before. Jae gave his hand one final reassuring squeeze before Brian stood and made his way to the stage.
I love him no matter what, Jae told himself. He repeated it over and over in his head.  Once when Brian reached the stage. Once when he reached for the knife and cut his skin open.  Once when he watched Brian’s blood fall through the air in slow motion.  Once when it landed in the clear water.
 

One year later

Park Jaehyung  was an official member of society now. He’d passed initiation and finally started his life as a part of the faction system. He’d found work as a farmer just like many other Amity citizens, and was set to become the leader of Amity in place of his mother when he turned twenty years old.
Today he was sat in the Choosing Ceremony room as a spectator, watching as this year’s initiates decided their futures. Amity lost a few members but gained many more, at least, that’s what Jae figured out long after the ceremony when he noticed the increase of population in the faction. He’d admittedly been a bit distracted, his eyes glancing over to the Erudite section every now and then.

On the fourth glance, he’d found what he was searching for.
 

A boy with clean cut brown hair and eyes to match dressed in a royal blue blazer was seated in the middle of the section, clapping enthusiastically as an initiate joined their faction. His smile was incredibly wide. He looked happy; radiant.

When he saw Jae looking at him, he nodded with a knowing smile.

Jae nodded back.
 

Faction before blood was easy. Faction before love was harder.

who said it's gonna be a happy ending guys, who said