It was a Tuesday morning before school when Doyoung knew he was absolutely whipped for Jaehyun. 

Yes, he'd just seen Jaehyun at student council the day before. Yes, they'd talked for hours on the phone the night before. But Doyoung still missed Jaehyun to death. 

So when Doyoung was at his lockers, talking with his friends, and he saw Jaehyun walk down the hall, he couldn't stop himself. Cutting Yuta off mid sentence, he ran to Jaehyun and leapt into his arms. Jaehyun immediately grinned wide, pulling Doyoung tight to himself and holding him close. Doyoung sighed in contentment, the feeling of sparks and Jaehyun's big arms around him settling every nerve he had. 

"Hey bunny," Jaehyun mumbled into Doyoung's dark hair, and Doyoung blushed a deep crimson. He couldn't believe what he'd just done; he made a fool out of himself in front of the entire school. 

"Hey," Doyoung mumbled uncomfortably, pulling away from the hug. He fidgeted where he stood, staring down at the floor. 

"Cute," Jaehyun mumbled back, giving Doyoung a smile that made him feel a lot less awkward. 

"Someone's head over heels," Yuta called from across the hallway. 

"Our bitter old man Doyoung, leaping into the arms of his soulmate in the middle of the ing hallway," Taeil added. Mark made fake kissing noises and Doyoung glared and pouted at his friends. Jaehyun laughed that bright laugh of his, wrapping his arm around Doyoung's shoulder. 

"Look at you hypocrites," Kun finally spoke. "You all are just as whipped for your soulmates as he is." 

Mark scratched the back of his neck, Taeil grimaced, and Yuta gave a shrug of admittance. 

"I guess you two are cute together," Yuta groaned, and both Doyoung and Jaehyun beamed with happiness. 

"It's a relief from Doyoung's constant ing about y-" 

"Shh!" Doyoung gestured to Taeil, stopping him in the middle of his sentence. 

"Not as cute as me and Mark," Donghyuck suddenly interrupted, wrapping his arm around Mark's waist as a shy smile ghosted Mark's face. "Come on, let me walk you to class." 

"Bye guys!" Mark called as Donghyuck tugged him away to have a bit of alone time before class. 

"Speaking of, where's Sichengie?" Yuta murmured, his eyes darting up and down the hall. 

"Johnny texted me that he woke up late so he's not coming until after first period," Taeil grumbled sadly. 

"At least your soulmates go to this school. Me and my girlfriend skip so much school to be together that we've both almost made the truent list. My parents are starting to not believe my 'my homeroom teacher is really stupid and he forgets to do attendance all the time' excuse." 

" to be you guys!" Doyoung teased, sinking deeper into Jaehyun's arms. Jaehyun wrapped his arms around Doyoung, Doyoung leaning back against Jaehyun's chest to tease his friends. 

Suddenly, the second bell for class rang. 

"," Taeil mumbled, he, Kun, and Yuta running off to their classes. But distracted by Jaehyun's presence, Doyoung found himself not caring much whether or not he made it to class on time. 

Interlacing their fingers, Jaehyun gave Doyoung a gentle smile before starting to walk down the hallway. Doyoung smiled back up at him, still slightly salty that Jaehyun was just a tad bit taller than him. But he was starting to enjoy the slight difference, liking the feeling of Jaehyun resting his head on him or looking down at him with that smile in his eyes. 

"Do you wanna take the long way?" Jaehyun asked in a soft tone. Doyoung checked his watch with his free hand. 

"But we're already late," Doyoung responded. 

"Please? I have something I want to ask you." Doyoung swallowed and sighed; he couldn't resist any of Jaehyun's requests. 

"Alright, fine," Doyoung said with an exaggerated sigh and eye roll, pretending to be annoyed when really he was excited to spend more time with Jaehyun. 

"Cute," Jaehyun mumbled under his breath, and Doyoung couldn't stop himself from smiling. It was hard to pretend to be not so enthusiastic when Jaehyun was around. 

As they weaved their way through the empty halls, simply strolling, Doyoung thought about how pleasant this all was. Things were just so easy with Jaehyun; they fell into place; he never felt awkward or uncomfortable (unless his friends were teasing him). He really, really, regretted not dating Jaehyun sooner. If he hadn't been so blind, they could have been doing this for years. 

This would be ever better if they weren't at school, Doyoung thought. 

"When are we going on another date?" Doyoung asked. 

"Whenever we're both free," Jaehyun responded, then chuckled. "We haven't actually been to Granite Run yet together; have we?" 

"No, actually," Doyoung responded, chuckling back. It was unusual for two people who were seeing each other to not have been to Granite Run. Suddenly, Doyoung looked over at Jaehyun. "Wait, what was it you wanted to ask me?" 

Jaehyun seemed to remain normal, but Doyoung could feel Jaehyun's palms go sweaty, and he knew it was serious. 

"So, you said you wanted to be with me for real, right?" Jaehyun asked, and Doyoung nodded back. "Well, I wanted to take that all the way. So...do you want to be my boyfriend? Officially?" Jaehyun asked. 

"Yes!" Doyoung responded immediately, turning to hug Jaehyun tight. "Yes yes yes yes yes. Yes. Most definitely yes." 

Jaehyun beamed and squeezed Doyoung back, spinning him around the halls and kissing him square on the lips. He put Doyoung down, cupping his cheek as he captured his lips in a passionate kiss. Doyoung didn't hold anything back, gripping Jaehyun's broad shoulders as he kissed him back, returning the passion that Jaehyun felt. 

They sighed softly as they pulled away, smiling at each other for a moment before Doyoung looked down at his watch in a state of panic. 

"We're fifteen minutes late for class!" He cried. 

"," Jaehyun mumbled. They kissed again, loving but quick, before Doyoung waved goodbye. 

"See you at choir!" Jaehyun yelled as he ran down the hall. 

"See you!" Doyoung responded, running the opposite direction as he beamed with happiness. 

~~~~~~~~~~

In the evening, Sicheng was sat next to Yuta, relaxing in his car before it was time to go inside. His hands were trembling nervously, and Yuta squeezed them tightly. Today he was going to meet Yuta's family. 

Sicheng could tell that Yuta was really close to his family; he'd told them about Sicheng as soon as they'd realized they were soulmates. Yuta talked about them a lot, in a mostly positive way, so Sicheng knew they were good people. But at the same time, it only made him more nervous. If they didn't like him, they might make him and Yuta break up. Plus, it was funny to Sicheng: he was going to dinner with Yuta's family, yet his own family didn't even know Yuta existed. But as Yuta said, Sicheng always had a family with Yuta. 

"Okay, I'm really excited for this," Yuta spoke, smiling at Sicheng as he held his hand. "The two most important things in my life, my family and you, meeting! It's going to be so great." 

Sicheng nodded, faking a smile for his boyfriend. Clearly this was super important to Yuta; Sicheng wouldn't have done it if it wasn't. 

"Anything I should know about?" Sicheng asked. 

Yuta smile suddenly disappeared from his face. "My family is all really accepting, other than my grandma," Yuta explained with a sigh. "I came out years ago, but she still doesn't accept me, and even says awful stuff sometimes. But my parents always defend me, so it'll be alright. And I won't let her say anything rude to you." 

Sicheng nodded, even more nervous than before. "I-I understand," he responded. That much was true, but it only made him more nervous. 

"Come on, let's go in! My parents are waiting," Yuta spoke, right after dropping that bombshell on his boyfriend. Sicheng nodded, a bit shell shocked, as he and Yuta got out of his car and walked up to Yuta's door. 

Yuta fumbled with his keys, unlocking the door. "Mom! Dad! Sicheng's here!" Yuta called excitedly. Yuta held Sicheng's hand again, and Sicheng felt a bit less nervous. 

Yuta's parents came down the staircase, looking sweet and homely, and Sicheng's nerves were partially soothed. They seemed kind and accepting, and Sicheng knew there was nothing to be worried about. 

"Hello Sicheng! I'm Yuta's mother. We've heard so much about you," she said in a soft tone, reaching for a hug without hesitation. Sicheng knew where Yuta got his touchy-ness from, hugging his mother back. 

"And I'm his father," the man added, giving Sicheng's delicate hand a firm shake. 

"N-nice to meet you both," Sicheng stuttered nervously. 

"Yuta was right, you are very handsome," his mom said. 

"Mom!" He whined, and she chuckled at her son as Sicheng's skin flushed. 

"Why don't you give Sicheng a tour of the house? Dinner is almost ready," Yuta's father said. Yuta gave Sicheng a smile. 

"Shall we?" Yuta said. Sicheng nodded, and with a smile to his parents, Yuta lead Sicheng down the hall. 

"This is the living room," Yuta explained, gesturing to a cozy looking room with a couch and a TV. "And here's the kitchen." A simple kitchen area and dining room were at the end of the hall, separated by a half wall. "That's the garden, but it's kinda cold so I won't take you out there." Yuta pointed past the windows out to a small but well maintained lawn, surrounded by flowers and a fence. 

"It's really pretty," Sicheng said softly, waving hello to Yuta's mom, who was cooking in the kitchen. 

"Thanks! My mom does most of the work, but in the summer my dad and I help out," Yuta responded with a proud smile. "Now let me show you upstairs." 

They walked back down the hall, past the living room, and Yuta gestured to a shut door. 

"That's my grandma's room," he said in a sadder tone than earlier, before putting a smile back on his face. "Upstairs!" He said excitedly, dashing up the painted blue spiral staircase as Sicheng followed. 

"There's the study," Yuta said, pointing to a room with an exercise machine and a desktop computer. "And there's my parents room," Yuta said, gesturing to a room a little farther down the hall as they walked along. Finally, they got to a door at the end of the hall. 

"And here is my room," Yuta spoke, pushing the door opened. 

Sicheng looked around the fairly large room. The walls were painted lilac, a fairly large bed in the corner with an old TV across from it. Yuta's desk had a laptop on it, a tack board placed directly above it. On it were photo booth strips and polaroids of him and his friends and printed out photos of what looked like shirtless anime boys and tourist pictures of Japan. He had a well used looking stuffed animal on his bed, which Yuta quickly tried to hide once Sicheng spotted it and giggled. 

"It's cute," Sicheng mumbled, and Yuta breathed a sigh of relief, gently tucking the stuffed animal into his bed. 

"So...what do you think?" Yuta asked, plopping down on his bed. Too shy to sit down on Yuta's bed, Sicheng sat down on Yuta's desk chair. 

"It's really great. I love it; it suits you well," Sicheng responded. "I especially like the purple walls." 

At that Yuta laughed. "I painted the walls this color when I was twelve. My dad told me that girls would get the wrong idea if they came up to my room...little did he know that there wouldn't be any girls coming up to my room." 

Sicheng chuckled back at the story. "How old were you when you came out?" He asked. 

"Uh....fourteen," Yuta responded, humming and looking around at his room before fixating on his tack board. "I need a picture of you for my board. Or my bedside table," he said, mostly to himself. 

"Sicheng! Yuta! Dinnertime!" Yuta's father called. Yuta and Sicheng leapt up, walking down the stairs and into the dining room. 

Sicheng immediately looked down when he saw an elderly woman at the corner of the dining table. 

"Mom," Yuta's mother said. "This is Sicheng. Yuta's-" 

"Boyfriend," Yuta interrupted. "My boyfriend." He gave his grandmother a defiant look. 

Yuta's grandmother gave Sicheng an extremely dissaproving look as everyone sat down to dinner. 

"You know, if he were my son, I would never let him partake in such disgusting behavior, now-" 

"Let's try and make this pleasant, shall we?" Yuta's father said to his grandmother through gritted teeth. His grandmother shot the couple another glare before they began to eat, Yuta giving Sicheng an affectionate knee rub. 

The dinner was silent, until Yuta's grandmother gave Sicheng a confused look. Sicheng blushed hard, not wanting to have to endure her attacks. 

"Is that a cross?" She asked. Sicheng looked down at his neck, fiddling with his cross necklace. 

"Y-yes," Sicheng responded shyly, his fingers trembling as he picked up his fork again. 

"You are a Christian? You believe in the word of God?" She asked, and Sicheng nodded. "Then why would you ever think this," she spoke, gesturing to him and Yuta, is okay?" 

"Mom, leave the poor boy alone-" 

"Let him speak," Yuta's grandmother interrupted Yuta's mom. Yuta looked at Sicheng nervously, worried both for him and for himself. 

Sicheng swallowed and took a deep breath. "W-well...I wasn't sure myself. For a long time I...I thought it was wrong too. But then... then the soulmate thing happened. Did you hear about it?" Sicheng asked. 

"Of course I did," she responded, using few words for once. 

"I-I couldn't think of a-any other explanation for it happening other than...other than that God made it happen. A-and it showed me that Yuta is my soulmate, s-so that must mean God approves of us. Of gay people and gay relationships," Sicheng explained. 

The woman was silent for a moment. 

"Are you sure it's not just a test from God?" She asked, her voice polite. 

Sicheng vigorously nodded. "I'm sure. I mean, it's just as likely that he's trying to say he doesn't see anything wrong with love between two women, or two men." 

"A-and you're sure you're soulmates?" She asked. 

"Absolutely. One hundred percent. No doubt about it," Yuta responded, and Sicheng nodded in agreement. She inhaled and exhaled, falling completely silent. Yuta and his parents both looked at her with surprise. After shaking their heads, Yuta's parents turned to Sicheng. 

"So, you're Christian?" They asked. He nodded. 

"Yes, I'm in the Christian club at school. I was raised that way and I truly believe in God," he explained. 

Yuta's parents sighed. "Yuta, he's too good for you. Sweet and pure? You lucked out," Yuta's father teased. 

"Smart too," Yuta's mother added. Sicheng blushed and smiled at his almost eaten food, and Yuta beamed with pride. 

"He is too good for me," Yuta responded, sharing a smile with Sicheng. 

They all finished eating, Yuta's mother checking the oven clock. 

"When is your curfew?" She asked. 

"In half an hour," Sicheng responded. 

"Yuta, may I speak with you?" Yuta's grandmother suddenly interrupted. Yuta turned stiff, nodding and following her out of the kitchen. 

It was silent for a moment before Sicheng gave Yuta's parents an awkward smile. "Thank you so much for the meal," he spoke. "It was delicious." 

"Oh, it was nothing," Yuta's mother responded. "You seem like a really sweet boy. Our son is lucky to have you." 

"I'll second that," Yuta's father added. "How are you getting home?" 

"Yuta said he'd give me a ride," Sicheng explained. 

"As soon as he's done with his grandmother we'll have him take you home," Yuta's father responded. 

"May I help with the cleaning?" Sicheng asked. 

"No way!" Yuta's mom protested. "It's nothing. You deserve to relax, especially after having to deal with her opinions." 

Just then, Yuta's grandmother and Yuta himself emerged from the living room, both wearing hesitant smiles. 

"It's time for you to take Sicheng home," Yuta's mother said. Yuta nodded and took Sicheng's hand. 

"It was lovely to meet you, Sicheng," Yuta's parents called, each giving him a hug. 

"It was lovely to meet you," Yuta's grandmother spoke, and Sicheng gave her a look of surprise. 

"You guys too! Thank you so much for everything!" Sicheng responded as he and Yuta began to walk back to Yuta's driveway. 

Suddenly, once they were out of the house and before they got into Yuta's car, Yuta squeezed Sicheng into a tight hug. 

"Thank you," he murmured into Sicheng's hair. 

"What for?" Sicheng asked. 

"You...you've changed my life. You helped my grandma understand. She just...she just apologized to me. It's been years, Sicheng. Years," Yuta said. Sicheng knew Yuta had tried to brush off the pain, but he knew his grandma's beliefs had deeply hurt him. But to know he'd helped Yuta filled his heart with joy. 

Sicheng pulled away from the hug to see tears pooling in the corners of Yuta's eyes. 

"Don't cry," he mumbled softly. 

Yuta sniffled. "I'm just really grateful for you, Sicheng. For everything." He wiped his tears away and turned to Sicheng. "Let's get you home now, shall we?" 

"Let's go," Sicheng responded, taking Yuta's hand with a proud smile. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: hey yall! How are you liking the story so far? I hope you're all enjoying it. Can you believe we're already a little over halfway done with this fic? (I can; it feels like I've been working on this fic forever.) I hope you all like it, and I hope you will enjoy what will happen in the future. Wanna do this author a favor? In the comments, rank your favorite to least favorite couple in this story! And if you're feeling extra nice, leave a comment explaining why! I've already planned out the rest of this fic, but it could help me decide certain things and know what to focus on for my next story!

Thank you all! I love all my subscribers and commenters!

Love, 

RainbowDonkeys