Months passed like minutes, and it almost seemed like the end of the school year came too fast. It was full of projects, homework, performances, and long nights with Seunghyun, and he was okay with that.

As the school year started drawing to a close, though, Jiyong started getting anxious. Going back home wasn’t exactly something that he wanted to do; in fact, it was at the bottom of his list of things that he was emotionally ready for at the moment. Sighing softly, he glanced around his partially packed up dorm, eyes landing absently on a picture he’d kept out of Seunghyun and himself. He smiled at it, though he jumped when his phone vibrated in his lap. Flipping it open, Jiyong glanced at the text from Seunghyun saying that he was going to be up in a minute and grinned.

When he heard a knock at the door he answered immediately, though he wasn’t greeted with the normal smirk from Seunghyun. Instead the other man just hugged him close, Jiyong returning the motion with a confused hesitation.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, and Seunghyun pulled away, brows furrowed.

“I know how special it is to you, Ji… I’m sorry,” Seunghyun replied, leaving Jiyong in even more of a state of confusion.

“What? What are you talking about?” he asked again, and Seunghyun frowned.

“They’re closing the café.”

Jiyong had never felt such a sinking feeling from such a simple sentence. There was a long silence as Jiyong let the words sink in, just standing there in shock as he stared at Seunghyun.

“I wanted to tell you first because I know it means a lot to you.”

The café was closing.

“It’s closing at the end of the school year.”

The café was closing.

“Jiyong, I’m so sorry,” Seunghyun finished, hand resting on Jiyong’s shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze. Jiyong swallowed deeply, nodding as the reality hit him.

The café was closing. The café that he’d discovered one night on a whim. The café that he’d performed the first song he’d ever written in. The café where he met Seunghyun. The café where he told Seunghyun he loved him.

It was closing.

Jiyong walked over to the couch, sitting down in silence. Seunghyun followed him, sitting next to him and resting his hand on Jiyong’s thigh. Jiyong laid his hand over Seunghyun’s, grasping it tightly before Seunghyun spoke again.

“They’re having a party, though. To celebrate the final night.” Seunghyun offered Jiyong a hopeful smile, Jiyong simply nodding before smiling weakly back to him. The utter sadness that showed on his face just made Seunghyun frown and he let out a deep breath, giving Jiyong’s hand a squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Jiyong said as he shrugged. They sat there for a moment in silence before Seunghyun glanced around, looking at the boxes that were already packed.

“You’re nervous about going back home, too,” he mumbled, and Jiyong nodded.

“More than anything,” Jiyong replied in an exhale, forcing a smile. Seunghyun looked down, gaze falling on their locked hands before he spoke again.

“You don’t have to,” he said softly, and Jiyong looked up at him, brow quirked. “Just come and live with me.”

For the second time that conversation Jiyong was speechless.

He thought that that was just something that they joked about, or that Jiyong refused to admit he daydreamed about. But as he stared at Seunghyun, he literally couldn’t hide the smile that was on his face. Still he couldn’t say anything, so he just hugged Seunghyun, nodding into his shoulder. Seunghyun laughed.

“Oh. Well, I thought that was going to be a longer conversation,” he said, chuckling as he ran his hand through Jiyong’s hair. “Do you want me to come with you to tell your parents?” Once again Jiyong nodded against Seunghyun’s shoulder, squeezing him tightly.

Maybe he didn’t have to worry so much about visiting home now.

Still, when the day finally came Jiyong stood looking up at the house, brows furrowed.

“Never have I not wanted to walk into a house more than I do right now,” he said flatly, letting out a deep breath. Seunghyun nudged his shoulder playfully, Jiyong trying not to react but almost losing his footing.

“You can do this. You already did the hard part,” Seunghyun replied, and Jiyong nodded.

“Yeah, and my dad still isn’t even looking at me,” he admitted softly, frowning to himself. Seunghyun frowned as well, though he took Jiyong’s hand a moment later and pulled him toward the door, knocking before Jiyong had a chance to run from the situation. Like before, Jiyong’s mother answered the door, smiling happily at them.

“You two look well,” she said, pulling both of them into a hug. Jiyong laughed awkwardly, though when Seunghyun squeezed his hand he smiled, slipping into the house behind his mother. Dami was walking down the stairs and she waved at them, running down the last few before hugging her brother tightly.

“I haven’t seen you since the holidays. You look like crap,” she said, and Jiyong just glared at her.

“I’ve been stressed. And studying. Leave me alone,” he replied, though the laugh from Dami a moment later and he realized that she was kidding and simply punched her in the shoulder, walking off into the kitchen where his mom had ended up. He sat down at the table, Seunghyun sitting next to him easily. “Where’s dad?” he asked, Dami walking in behind them.

“He’s in his office,” she said, and Jiyong nodded.

Maybe if he wasn’t here, it would be easier for Jiyong to just say it. Maybe he could just calmly put it into perspective and see what happened.

“I… I came by to tell you that once school’s over I’m moving in with Seunghyun,” he said, and despite Dami’s immediate squeal of approval, his mother was staring at him with furrowed brows.

“Are you sure?” she asked after a pause, and Jiyong nodded.

He had never been surer of anything in his life.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” he answered softly, smiling gently to himself as he looked down. He didn’t see the smile that his mother flashed at Seunghyun, nor did he see the grin Dami gave him. He was content with holding Seunghyun’s hand at this point, but when Seunghyun stood Jiyong looked at him with a quirked brow.

“I’m going to have a chat with your mom for a second, if that’s okay. Just to put her at ease,” he said with a smile, and she nodded as the two walked off into another room. Dami took Seunghyun’s spot next to Jiyong, still smiling as she leaned on her elbow.

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” she asked. Jiyong didn’t answer, just blushing softly as he nibbled the inside of his lip. “You do. You’re completely in love with him. Jiyong, that’s adorable.” She reached over, unable to control herself as she pinched his cheeks. He only slapped her hands away, nose scrunched up in distaste.

“I am! Okay? I love him, stop pinching my cheeks, Dami,” he whined, just in time to hear another voice enter the room.

“What did you say, Jiyong?” his father asked, tone low. Jiyong turned around slowly in his seat, meeting eyes with his father as he felt the breath catch in the back of his throat. If he had wanted to make a comeback, or even say anything at all, he certainly couldn’t now as he felt like he had lost the ability to speak.

Why had he walked in at that exact moment?

Jiyong had never been scared of his father – yes, he was strict and traditional when it came to most things, but he had never wanted to run away from him. Now he felt like he could be safer anywhere else, and when his father started talking again he sank down in his seat, trying to get away from his dark stare.

“You love him? Is that what you said?” he asked, and Jiyong just nodded. Dami seemed to be in stunned silence as well, or she was just willing herself not to speak in an effort to not anger her father more. “That’s not a natural feeling, Jiyong. At all. And I stand by my words – it’s disgraceful. Why are you here?” he continued, and Jiyong swallowed deeply.

“Seunghyun and I stopped by to-”

“He’s here, too?” his father asked, cutting in to Jiyong’s explanation. Voice cracking slightly, Jiyong nodded once more. “Where? Where is he? As long as you live under my roof, he isn’t allowed in my house.”

“Well it’s a good thing that Jiyong’s moving in with him then,” Dami suddenly piped in, though the glare her father shot her immediately after made her go quiet, eyes widening as he took a few steps toward the table.

“What?” he asked simply, and his voice made every warning signal go off in Jiyong’s mind. He wanted to get out of here immediately, to grab Seunghyun and run out the front door. Becoming one with the chair also seemed like a valid option. His father was close enough that he could feel the heat radiating off of him and Jiyong just stared at him, hands clenched into fists.

“I… I’m moving in with Seunghyun when school’s over this semester,” he managed to stutter out. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, though, because a moment later his father had stepped forward and Jiyong was on his feet, backing away from him.

“You don’t deserve to be part of this family,” his father muttered, the cool heat in his voice putting Jiyong on edge. “I thought that you’d settle down with a nice girl like Hwayoung after college, find a good job, get married, have children… But no. You’ve destroyed my faith and pride in you. This is unnatural and wrong, and I won’t ever forgive you for destroying this-”

“No. I’m not listening to this anymore,” Jiyong said loudly, his mother and Seunghyun walking into the room again. “I don’t care what you say. I don’t care that you don’t like this choice. I didn’t fall in love with someone because you wanted me to. Hwayoung cheated on me with my best friend, dad. Do you want something like that for me? You’d rather me be miserable just so I can be normal? Well, here’s a shocker – I’m not normal. I never have been normal. Jesus Christ, take a look around. Mom likes Seunghyun, Dami’s proud of me, and I love him. I want to be with him – and who knows. Maybe we will be together for a long time, and I wish I could marry him and adopt kids. Hell, that’d be a ing dream. But I can’t. Because of people like you,” he spat out, anger in his eyes and near tears. He turned to his mother and sister, smiling gratefully at them. “The café by the university is closing. There’s a party. You should come – I’m going to try to perform.” He shot an angry glare at his father before closing his eyes as he tried to calm himself down. “I’m sorry I can’t be the perfect son, dad. But I don’t live my life to please you. I live it for myself.” With that he turned around, walking toward the door as Seunghyun followed behind him.

“That was brave,” he said, taking his hand as he looked back at Jiyong’s father. He looked as though he was in shock, like he hadn’t expected Jiyong to be able to speak for himself. As they closed the door and walked out into the night, Jiyong felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders and he smiled softly, still trying to calm himself as they walked back.

It might not have been the best meeting, but he’d gotten some things off his chest and that was good enough for the night. He just wanted to curl up next to Seunghyun and forget that this night had ever happened.

Fortunately for him, Seunghyun was good at distracting him from reality most of the time, and until the café’s closing party he spent most of his time trying to come up with a song, doing schoolwork and slowly moving things to Seunghyun’s while he wasn’t focusing on it. Seunghyun seemed busy, too, either with school or work. Regardless, he was happy. Months had passed, and Jiyong couldn’t remember ever being this close to someone.

Finally the night came, and Jiyong was surprised how many people had shown up. It was like a reunion for everyone; even some people that Jiyong hadn’t seen in ages had come, and he really enjoyed catching up with them. Seunghyun was working behind the counter, and every once in a while he’d shoot Jiyong a smile, which only made him happier.

When they finally opened the stage up for performances, Jiyong watched as act after act reminisced and sang with teary eyes. It was bittersweet seeing all of these people that Jiyong had enjoyed the company of, but he honestly had no idea if he was ever going to see them again. A chapter of his life was closing, and he looked up at the stars on the ceiling as he sighed to himself, leaning back against the counter in silence.

“You should go up next,” Seunghyun suggested quietly, leaning forward over the counter so that he was speaking directly into Jiyong’s ear. Jiyong turned to look at him, brow raised.

“Well I have to go up soon. It looks like they’re taking last calls for performing,” he replied, looking at the man who was doing his best to MC. There were so many people trying to get their chance that he looked overwhelmed, but he was managing. Jiyong pushed himself up from the counter, signing his name last and smiling at the man. He nodded in response, going back to introducing the musicians. Leaning back against the counter, he smirked at Seunghyun. “Better?” he asked, and Seunghyun nodded.

Even though he wouldn’t admit it, he was a bit sad that his mother and sister hadn’t shown up. He knew that Seunghyun could tell, but he wasn’t going to say anything. Instead Jiyong just sighed, waiting for his turn to come up.

When he finally heard his name Jiyong walked up on stage, waving at everyone happily. He was just about to start talking when the door opened and his mother and sister walked in, followed very unexpectedly by his father. Jiyong stared at them for a moment, smiling softly at them before looking down as he covered his mouth with his hand.

They had shown up.

They had actually come.

Jiyong looked at Seunghyun, who had stepped out from behind the counter to give his mother a hug. Then he walked up to the front of the group of people, smiling up at Jiyong silently as he let out a deep breath.

“I’ve been coming to open mics here for as long as I’ve known about them. Every week, I was up here. This is a really meaningful place to me, and just the fact that it’s going to be gone is still mind-blowing to me,” he said softly, frown tugging at the corners of his lips. He was silent for a second before shaking his head at himself, forcing a smile. “I… Anyway…” Jiyong let his voice trail off, instead letting his fingers strum the strings of the guitar in his hands.

There was only one song he could play. There was only one song he wanted to play. And that was the one he’d written for the man standing in front of him. He didn’t care that people had heard it already, and he didn’t mind that Dami was recording the whole thing. His voice wavered and cracked at points, but Jiyong couldn’t deny the fact that this performance was emotional, so he didn’t mind it. He kept his eyes trained on Seunghyun for parts, though eventually he just closed them, heart beating as he finished the song with a soft flourish of chords.

He was doing something he loved.

He had someone he loved.

And he was at a place that, even though he was losing, he loved dearly.

The thoughts nearly brought him to tears as he bowed to the clapping audience, slipping off the stage and setting his guitar down and about to hug his parents when he heard someone on the microphone that wasn’t the MC. Jiyong looked at Dami, who pointed at the stage with a bright smile. Jiyong turned around, eyebrow quirked in confusion as he looked at Seunghyun, who just winked at him.

“I’m not going to sing,” he said, chuckling softly, “so before anyone asks… No. I just have to get something off of my chest.” Jiyong looked at the small crowd, all seeming to be equally confused, then watched as Seunghyun continued.

“Almost a year ago, I met someone in this café that I wasn’t expecting to. And it was great. I felt like I’d finally met someone that I needed, and I fell. Hard. And quite unexpectedly.” Jiyong laughed, blushing as he shook his head. “Sure, it might not have been conventional, or traditional, or normal, but it was perfect. We did stupid things together, we shared adventures, we laid on rooftops and watched the stars…” Seunghyun looked up at the ceiling, sighing as he looked over the mural. “And I guess that I have this little café to thank for it. Some of the best moments in my life have been spent here, and I’m going to miss it. But I’m getting off track.”

Jiyong listened with some confusion, not noticing the fact that Dami was still recording all of it. She captured all of his little responses, all of his blushing, all of his reactions to Seunghyun’s words.

“I know it’s not traditional, and I don’t know how everyone is going to react to this story… But a couple of weeks ago I had a conversation with Jiyong’s mother,” he said, finally mentioning Jiyong’s name as he looked at him. “She gave me something, answered a few questions for me, and I don’t think that Jiyong knows this, but I went back over later that week.” Jiyong immediately looked to his mother, eyes wide, then to his sister, and finally his father.

For the first time in a long time, Jiyong’s father was smiling at him. It was a genuine smile, and Jiyong smiled back.

“I’m sorry, Jiyong,” he said softly, and Jiyong took in a fast breath, brows furrowed slightly. Seunghyun continued.

“Ji, I poured my heart out to your mom and dad. It took everything I had to do it. And I don’t think I’ve ever been that nervous in my life. Except maybe now,” he added, hands in his pockets as he looked down. Jiyong could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and there was a growing suspicion that he knew what was going on. When Seunghyun pulled his hands from his pocket he was fiddling with something, gaze turned down. “Jiyong, this isn’t exactly a normal thing to happen, but… I really would like to spend the rest of my life with you,” Seunghyun said, and Jiyong felt his heart almost stop. He was shaking, mouth open in shock. “I figured that it was a nice way to end it. First date, first time saying ‘I love you’… And first time putting a ring on your finger.”

Time stopped for a moment as Jiyong wrapped his mind around what had just happened.

Seunghyun said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.

Seunghyun had…

Had Jiyong not already run up on the stage and wrapped Seunghyun in a tight hug, he probably would have fallen over.

“I know it’s not legal yet, but when it is…” he started, and Jiyong could no longer hold back tears. The crowd around them was smiling, but Jiyong could see none of them. All he saw was Seunghyun, and that was all that mattered. “When it is, will you marry me?”

Time stopped again.

It seemed to have a habit of that.

The only thing Jiyong registered was sobbing out the word yes as he smiled, Seunghyun sliding the band on his finger, then Jiyong punching Seunghyun in the shoulder before hugging him again. He heard muffled clapping but it was almost like it was coming from a distance – the only thing he heard closely was Seunghyun’s pounding heartbeat.

How had this happened?

He had mentioned it when he was yelling at his father.

Seunghyun had heard him say that he’d wanted to be with him.

Realization dawned on him slowly before Jiyong turned to his father, who was looking up at him. He wasn’t scowling, he wasn’t angry, he was just watching. And then he saw it – Jiyong saw the slight smile perk the corners of his lips, and in that moment, life was perfection.

“The first proposal we get and it’s on our last night,” the MC said, walking up onstage. “You two are precious, but we have to start drawing to a close I’m afraid.” Seunghyun nodded, Jiyong’s hand in his own as they walked off the stage. Dami ran up, wrapping Jiyong in a tight hug as Jiyong sobbed once more, returning the squeeze as he took in a shaky breath.

“You knew about this, Dami…” he mumbled, and she nodded, smiling at him.

“Of course I knew about it. I’m your big sister,” she said, winking. Jiyong’s mother hugged him a moment later, smiling at him before she hugged Seunghyun as well. Seunghyun laughed, smile bright.

Then Jiyong looked to his father. There was a silence for a moment, Seunghyun standing behind Jiyong as they almost sized each other up. No words were spoken, Jiyong just watched as his father extended his hand to Seunghyun, Seunghyun taking it and shaking it a moment later as Jiyong’s father smiled.

“You love my son,” he said softly. “I have to understand that.”

Jiyong couldn’t help himself – he hugged his father tightly, head buried against his chest. Hesitantly, his father hugged him back.

“Thanks, dad,” Jiyong nearly whispered.

Until the party was over, Jiyong spent his time trying to comprehend the night. He had no idea how to put into words how he felt.

Ecstatic.

Scared.

Anxious.

Happy.

Terrified.

Maybe it was all of those rolled into one.

All Jiyong knew was that, as he and Seunghyun stood outside the little café, watching the lights go out for the last time, there was a shared feeling that this chapter was over, but a new one would start up immediately after. Seunghyun squeezed Jiyong’s hand, the soft feeling of the ring pressing against his finger like it belonged there and had always been there, and Jiyong took one last look at the stars painted on the ceiling. The lights went out immediately after, and he looked at Seunghyun, smiling as he pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

He didn’t need painted stars.

He had a lifetime to look at the real ones in the sky, standing next to someone he loved for all of it.