Author's Note: After a long time, I've finally returned! And Jongin has officially made it back to the city. Let's get right into it, shall we?

13. Dreams

After spending months away from his old life, Jongin had imagined that it might take some time to settle back into the rhythm of the city. The biggest adjustment was his new apartment, which was half the size of where he had lived before and not nearly as elegant. However, once he got back to school, he quickly became re-acclimatized to the way he had lived before. Hanging out with his wealthy friends, eating overpriced meals, lounging around in the bougiest areas in the city. He had so much to catch up on that he soon found himself booked every weekend for a month in advance, very quickly distanced from everything to do with his country life.

It wasn’t that Jongin forgot. He was just… busy. His promise to visit often fell through the cracks, though he still made the effort to call Taemin. Every time they talked, the sound of Taemin’s voice drew him back into their memories, and each time he promised to come visit soon. But then he would see his friends and they would drag him along into their plans and he just never had time to be going out to the middle of nowhere like that.

Finally, after a month of pushing it off, Jongin remembered just how much he had wanted to stay friends with Taemin. Truthfully, there were a lot of little things that his other friends did that… well, they didn’t exactly sit right with Jongin. They could be very wasteful with money – buying a snack and then throwing it out after one bite because they didn’t want it anymore and other dumb things – and also rather inconsiderate of others. On top of this, they were all a bit selfish; sure, they all took turns buying meals for the group, but it was more to show off how rich they were than out of friendliness. Otherwise, they would barely drop a coin on someone else. All of these things made him miss Taemin and his endless kindness.

So he made a plan. Calling up his grandparents, he asked if it would be okay for him to come visit in a couple weeks when he didn’t have any plans. They agreed without hesitation, and then he asked for them not to mention anything to Taemin – he wanted this visit to be a surprise.

The next day he called Taemin.

“I was hoping to come up, but I don’t think I can make it this month either,” Jongin said, putting it on thick and trying to sound as apologetic as possible. “I have so many things to do up here, but next month for sure…”

The softest of sighs came through the other end of the line, Taemin exhaling out his nose. He stayed silent for a minute, and then said, “That’s okay, Jongin. You don’t have to come, don’t feel pressured…”

Jongin could feel the disappointment in his voice, and a wave of guilt passed through him. It wasn’t like Taemin had anyone to replace him with, he reminded himself. His behaviour was so unfair. He’d really been stringing his friend along this whole time, leaving Taemin with nothing to look forward to as he repeatedly delayed and rescheduled. At this point, it was amazing Taemin even put up with him.

I’ll fix this, he told himself. I’ll be there soon.

Taemin never once complained though, never tried to make Jongin feel bad. He always mentioned how much he missed Jongin, but with each call he seemed to hold back from saying it more. From Taemin’s perspective, it was just pitiful. Obviously Jongin was doing well back in the city, without him. It was dumb to keep holding onto a short-lived friendship like theirs.

Finally, the last weekend of April rolled around, and Jongin found himself hopping on the bus that Friday night. With his backpack in tow, he soon made it to the old town, catching a cab to his grandparents’ house and dropping his things off there. When he arrived, his grandmother called ahead to Taemin’s mother, checking that the boy was home and if it would be okay for Jongin to drop by. Just a few minutes later, the woman was sneaking Jongin into their kitchen, and calling Taemin to come downstairs from his room.

Hidden out of sight, Jongin was able to see Taemin before he was spotted. The way Taemin looked tugged at his heart; his usual sunny expression was notably absent, looking tired and… sad. It immediately reminded Jongin of the way Taemin had always kept his feelings masked – even though some of the sadness might have slipped through and tainted his voice, Jongin had hardly been able to detect it over their calls. But now, actually seeing him, it was like he wasn’t bothering to hide it at all. Maybe Taemin was different with his family – maybe he didn’t try to hide things from them, but it really took Jongin by surprise to see him look so… dreary. Jongin could almost imagine the little raincloud over his head.

“We got something from Mr. and Mrs. Cho, I left it in the kitchen for you,” Taemin’s mother said, gesturing to the unlit room. At the mention of Jongin’s grandparents, Taemin’s eyes only saddened further.

“Thanks mom, but I’m not hungry,” he replied quietly, turning back towards the stairs with his shoulders slumped. Taemin, not hungry? Since when? “I’ll have it for breakfast…”

“Sweetie, you didn’t even look,” his mother called after him. “You won’t want to wait until morning for this,” she added, Taemin’s brow furrowing as he looked back at her. Her words caught his attention, intriguing him as she was never one to pressure him into things. Then he gave a small nod and went to the kitchen, flipping on the switch and filling the room with light.

Jongin, who was crouching in the small space behind the table, straightened up and grinned as Taemin’s eyes widened – at first in shock at the unexpected movement, and then at the unexpected sight of Jongin standing in his kitchen. His jaw dropped, and then he gave a few familiar blinks that made Jongin’s smile stretch further across his face. He had missed seeing his friend’s endearing habit.

“Surprise,” Jongin said quietly when Taemin continued not to speak, looking thoroughly stunned. Making his way around the table, Jongin held out his arms. “Were you hoping for dessert?”

Blinking once more, Taemin let out a choked laugh. Then he threw himself into Jongin’s arms and gave him a crushing hug. “How did you get here?” he asked without letting him go, Jongin cherishing the feeling of Taemin’s warm little body next to his. A million memories came back at once, his heart fluttering with joy.

“I took the bus,” Jongin grinned, pulling back to look at Taemin appreciatively. Had he gotten taller? The gap between them felt smaller now; or maybe he’d just been imagining Taemin as much smaller in his mind for too long.

“That’s not what I meant,” Taemin shook his head, expression incredibly brighter than it had been just a minute before. Jongin was almost able to forget how miserable he had looked for a moment there, all hints of cloudiness gone. “I thought you weren’t coming…”

Realizing Taemin’s mother was still there, Jongin finally let Taemin go and shot her a smile. “It was a secret,” he admitted, thrilled at how well he had pulled it off. Although he had left Taemin pretty disappointed, he figured that his happiness now Jongin was there made up for it. “I wanted to surprise you… Would it be alright for you to come stay over at my grandparents’ tonight?” he added hopefully, glancing to the woman again.

“You go right ahead, sweetheart,” she said before Taemin could even open his mouth to ask. Giving a cheer, Taemin ran up the stairs, coming back hardly a minute later as if he were afraid Jongin might disappear if he took too long. In another moment he had thrown on a sweater and his shoes, and was taking Jongin’s hand as he greeted his family and went out the door.

Walking down the old roads with Taemin filled Jongin with memories, a wave of nostalgia hitting as they passed by houses and shops that he’d grown so used to last year. Jongin had done so many things since moving away that it felt like much longer than just the two months that had passed. He and Taemin chattered nonstop, catching up on everything they had missed in each other’s lives. Even after they reached his grandparents’ house, there was still so much to say, and they ended up huddled on Jongin’s old bed talking for another hour. Eventually Jongin’s grandmother called them to have a bedtime snack, and then they got ready to sleep.

After they put on their pajamas, Jongin brought out Bambi, Taemin’s old stuffed toy deer, and passed it over to him. It didn’t smell like him anymore, he explained, and this made him upset. Therefore, he needed Taemin to remedy this as much as possible before he left again. In response, Taemin tucked the toy under his shirt, and the two of them laughed about it as they finished getting ready.

“I’m really happy to see you,” Taemin said softly when they got into bed for the night, the older wasting no time in cuddling up next to Jongin. Just like they used to.

He didn’t have to say it for Jongin to know; Taemin couldn’t stop smiling and looking at him with a blatantly fond look in his eyes. Unconsciously, Jongin reached out to Taemin’s hair, something in the highly affectionate atmosphere compelling him to do so.

“Me too,” Jongin smiled, feeling somewhat shy admitting it. He was never like this with his city friends, and it felt like crossing strange boundaries that ought not to be crossed. But of course, Taemin didn’t have those same boundaries. Frankly, Jongin wasn’t sure Taemin had any boundaries sometimes (not that he minded this). “It’s nice to be back. Sleep now, though. Tomorrow you’ll have to entertain me the whole day.”

Despite how dark the room was, Taemin’s face shone even brighter. “Really? Don’t you have plans with your grandparents?”

“What? I came here to see you,” Jongin replied, confused by his friend’s logic. He supposed it would be more reasonable for him to come visit his grandparents, but, as much as he loved them, he was quite satisfied seeing them just on the holidays. They weren’t exactly the most hip and fun people. “Don’t tell them I said that though,” he added in a whisper, making Taemin giggle.

“You sleep too then,” Taemin whispered back. “You’ll need to if you want to keep up with me…”

Jongin snorted but closed his eyes, pulling Taemin a little closer. The feeling of his warmth radiating beside him was soothing to Jongin, making it easy to fall asleep despite sleeping in a different bed than the one he had finally gotten used to. Before he could properly drift off though, a voice was interrupting.

“Jongin?” Taemin breathed, making Jongin open his eyes sleepily and peek out at him in the dark. Taemin’s face was quite close to his, the two of them sharing the same pillow, and it made his heart skip a beat. It was strange having someone that close to him…

He hummed in acknowledgement, but Taemin stayed quiet. For a moment, Taemin looked over his face, his expression reminding Jongin of something he couldn’t put his finger on. Not coherent enough to think clearly, he just made a soft grunt and waited for Taemin to speak again.

Smiling, Taemin just snuggled up even closer to Jongin, face pressed against his chest and hair brushing against his face. “I missed you,” Taemin mumbled from there, making Jongin shake his head a little before he closed his eyes again and ordered Taemin to go to sleep. He didn’t say it, but Jongin felt the same.

But that could be dealt with later; for now, sleep was calling him. Within moments, both of them had drifted off.

*

As promised, Jongin spent the whole day with Taemin, doing all the things they used to do. They rode bikes, played outside, ate at Taemin’s family’s restaurant, played video games in Taesun’s room, and then ended up watching a movie. (Taesun had gone off to the army for his service, so his TV had become Taemin’s in the meantime.) Then Jongin slept over, the two truly inseparable for the entirety of the day.

Before they went to bed that night, Taemin pulled out some books to do some homework, making Jongin prod him and complain. “Hey, what are you studying for?”

Taemin gave an embarrassed smile, blush turning his cheeks pink. “I don’t think I can finish it all tomorrow night,” he admitted, cracking open a thick math textbook. “I’ve been trying to use the weekends to study more thoroughly…”

“Since when did you become such a nerd?” Jongin wondered at this, scrunching his nose. He couldn’t remember Taemin ever putting much effort into studying before. In response, Taemin just kept his eyes on the book, flipping through the pages to find the right one. It was strange; something about his behaviour was off. “Taemin?”

Glancing up at last, Taemin gave a soft sigh. “I have to study, Jongin,” he explained quietly. “If I want to get into a good university…”

Understanding dawned on Jongin then, feeling ashamed for being so tactless about it. Of course. Taemin was in his last year of high school now, meaning he had to prepare for his entrance exams at the end of the year. The exams were meant to be extremely stressful – even Jongin had been feeling the pressure of them this year, and he was only a second year.

“Right,” Jongin nodded, flopping down on the bed. “I didn’t bring any of my homework with me…”

Taemin chuckled, grabbing a pen and starting to write things down. “It’s okay. I won’t take more than an hour, I promise.” And then he set to work, Jongin playing on his phone quietly so as not to disturb him. In twenty minutes he had gone through his math book, and then he spent another half an hour on some Korean practices. It was mostly silent, only the sound of Taemin’s pen and occasional interruptions of him muttering to himself, so when he let out a loud sigh it made Jongin jump.

“Done!” Taemin announced, tossing his books aside. Jongin glanced up at him, clutching his chest from the suddenness of his exclamation. He himself had barely moved, laying across the bed and taking up most of the space. When Taemin got up he noticed this, laughing at Jongin’s dramatic pose and deciding to simply collapse on top of Jongin, earning a groan. “Oh sorry, were you comfortable?” he teased without making any move to get off.

Grumbling, Jongin grabbed Taemin by his waist and rolled him off of himself, turning on his side to make space for the both of them. Then Taemin was throwing the blanket over them, their hands resting together between their bodies.

“Do you know what you wanna do yet?” Jongin wondered, looking over Taemin’s tired features. Studying after an already long day seemed to have the remainder of his energy out of him. His eyes had already closed, tension slowly beginning to release from his body. It didn’t take Jongin long to fall asleep, but he was always slightly amazed at how quick Taemin was to. Some nights he would pass out the second he closed his eyes. “What you’re gonna study, I mean.”

“In school?” Taemin clarified without opening his eyes. “I’m not sure yet. Still thinking about my options…” Jongin took to playing with his fingers, the old habit coming to him naturally as they lay there and making Taemin’s mouth quirk up a little. “I’d like to study in the city though…”

The city? “That would be great,” Jongin told him, fully supporting this plan. “Then we could see each other all the time.” His brain immediately started whirring with all the ideas it gave him, the places he could take Taemin and the things they could do together. Having Taemin out there would open so many more doors for them, he thought. Not to mention, Taemin could experience city life for himself. “I could show you a whole new world…”

“Sounds good, Aladdin,” mumbled Taemin, peeking through his lashes at Jongin and grinning when he shook his head.

“That’s not what I meant. I mean you can get away from here, see something totally different. And I can be a guide for you this time,” Jongin explained, resting his hand on top of Taemin’s. Then he let out a quiet laugh. “I can’t imagine you living in the city though…”

Opening his eyes properly, Taemin looked to Jongin with a frown. “Why not?”

Jongin’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Remember when we went to that party last year? Out at the barn?” At the reminder, Taemin nodded, his frown lines deepening. “That was nothing compared to what it’s like in the city. Picture that times a thousand. I’d have to protect you all the time.”

“You would not,” Taemin pouted back, but he didn’t look so sure. As much as he’d liked the thrill of the party, it had been a pretty stressful night. Experiencing worse than that, all the time? It wouldn’t be an easy adjustment, that was for sure. “I still want to go…”

This made Jongin smile, throwing an arm around Taemin’s frame. At the loss of his hand, Taemin quickly replaced it with his other hand, holding onto it childishly with both of his own. “I’m glad. I’d love to have you there. We can be neighbours.”

“I dunno about that,” Taemin replied slowly, smiling a little but his gaze focused on their hands now. “I’ll be a broke college student, I doubt I could afford to live in your area.”

Oh yeah. Jongin had forgotten that, despite being a downgrade for himself, his place was still a massive upgrade by Taemin’s standards. Wherever Taemin went in the city would be expensive for him, and Jongin didn’t want to think about how he’d be able to afford it. He just nodded solemnly, and then chuckled as another thought occurred to him.

“You probably won’t want to be friends anymore anyway.”

“What?” Taemin’s eyes shot back up to his in disbelief. “Why on earth not?”

Jongin had to bite back a grin, giving his best attempt at a pout instead. “You’ll be in university. I’ll still be in high school – I’ll be a kid to you next year.”

“That doesn’t matter!” Taemin squeezed his hand as if it would somehow be more convincing. “I don’t care about that. I-” He cut himself off, as though he were about to say something and abruptly changed his mind. “I want to move there so I can see you…”

What? This took Jongin off guard, not having imagined he would be the reason Taemin was trying to uproot his whole life. “Really?” he wondered, Taemin shyly looking down again but nodding nonetheless. “Why?”

Blinking, Taemin gave him a look. “What do you mean, why? You’re my friend. My closest friend…” His cheeks flushed a little pink, tacking on, “Plus, schools are better out there. And I wanna see what life is like there. I can always come back if I don’t like it.”

No, I won’t let you. Jongin thought it, but he knew he shouldn’t say it. He already wanted Taemin to stay though. Having Taemin while getting to live in the city? It was all he could ask for, the best of both worlds. He couldn’t wait for it all, praying the rest of the year would fly by.

“I guess I have something to look forward to then, huh?” Jongin shot Taemin a grin, and when Taemin smiled back it felt like the past two months were erased from his mind. The rest of the year would fly by, Jongin convinced himself.

This will be so great! He prayed for Taemin to study well, for it to be enough for him to get into somewhere. Any school in the city, it didn’t matter, all of them were closer than all the way out here. It was a dream, one he fantasized about that night until he fell asleep.

Author's Note: Did Jongin abandon Taemin for a bit there? Maybe a liiittle. But has he made up for it? I'll leave that up to you guys to decide. ♡

In other news, I'm back! I'm planning to update once a week for the time being, until I finish writing part two. However, the chapters in part two are all longer: 3~5K words instead of 1~3K, so hopefully that will hold everyone over!