A/N: This was inspired by Tablo's 'Expired' except it wasn't really I was just prompted by the title and I was listening to it the entire time I was writing/editing and I guess this is just my way of telling whoever is reading this to listen to the song :/

Oh yeah it's 11pm so watch out for late night errors.

On with the story~

When most people reach tenth grade they all start to get excited and anxious at the same time for the receiving of their clock. Of course, a fraction of those who are in tenth grade turned sixteen when they were in ninth grade and have therefore already received theirs.  

They’re thought to think of them as clocks as opposed to what they practically are—expiration dates—mainly to uphold some kind of positive connotation to the implements. Really there’s nothing positive or uplifting about finding out when you’re going to die. But everyone gets excited about them anyway.

Jonghyun and Key are both in tenth grade but Jonghyun got his clock the previous year. His ostensible passing falls on the seventh of March fifty-six years later when he’s seventy-two. Jonghyun was ecstatic as everyone whose death happens long after they’re sixty are perceived as superior beings.

It was Key’s turn to get his this year and he was the only one who was dominantly nervous about it.

“I have a bad feeling about my clock,” Key says when they were lying in bed together. They still hadn’t had so their clothes are on as they cuddle close. It was Jonghyun’s idea to wait until Key got his clock to use losing their ity as some sort of celebratory present.

“We’re going to die at the same time. It’s certain,” Jonghyun says with a definite tone.

“No two people who know each other personally die at the same time. It’s impossible. Those are the rules.”

“Remember what they said in class?” Jonghyun asks. “Soulmates always die at the same time.”

Key scoffs. “Yeah, you’re missing one important detail though. Soulmates do pass at the same time but they also get their stupid expiration dates…”

“Clocks,” Jonghyun intervenes.

Key rolls his eyes. “…Clocks at the same time. We didn’t get our clocks at the same time.”

“Yeah but that rule doesn’t apply to same couples…”

“Which means…” Key starts off with a self-righteous tone as if he knew he was going to win the debate. “…That if we didn’t get our clocks together at the same time then we won’t get the same date.”

Key rolls onto his stomach and starts rubbing his hands together nervously. Jonghyun peers down at him.

“I have a bad feeling, Jonghyun. In my gut. I’m going to die early.”

Jonghyun rolls his eyes. Key has had this gut feeling that he was going to die exceptionally early since he was thirteen. They weren’t a couple then but still Jonghyun was always telling Key that they were going to die together because they just belonged to each other. It was how they were made. They’ve had this very conversation many times but it has been brought up more frequently since the year had started and with each time, Key had grown increasingly more fidgety and apprehensive.

“You’re not going to die early. Remember what they said in class again? Only people with terminal illnesses or certain disorders have very early dates. You’re fine. You’re going to die long after you turn sixty, alright babe?”

Key lets Jonghyun kiss him but doesn’t contribute any passion or effort. He knows he’s going to die early. His gut has never failed him before and he knows it’s not going to fail him now.

“So big day today, huh?” Onew asks when they’re leisurely strolling down a supermarket aisle before school.

“Yep,” Jonghyun says. He’s excited but nervous at the same time. He’s forgetful that Key’s getting his date today and he’s mostly anxious about the fact that they’re going to have for the first time. Jonghyun had done extensive research on gay for the past few months but still feels so devoid of any knowledge. He feels like he’s been learning the alphabet all over again.

“Are you topping?” Onew asks.

“Obviously,” Jonghyun replies much too smugly. “I mean—Key’s already expressed his disliking for topping. He doesn’t like doing too much work and I like doing all the work. See? We’re soulmates.”

“I can’t believe your basing your level of soulmateness on your convenient preferences on ual roles.”

‘Shut up’ is what Jonghyun usually says when he can’t formulate a winning response. He utilises the phrase in this instance and Onew laughs, aware of this tactic.

Onew got his date last year with Jonghyun and is currently holding the record of the highest date to ever score within their school. Onew’s supposed to pass on the ninth of September when he’s eighty-eight. Jonghyun says there’s just a glitch in his clock and Onew refutes that there’s no such thing as a glitch in a clock.

Jonghyun reaches for a box of condoms and Onew stretches his arm across Jonghyun’s chest.

“Why are you getting condoms? Can’t gay guys just…I don’t know…do without the protection considering neither of you have a uterus to impregnate?”

Jonghyun shrugs and proceeds to grab the box of condoms. He’s not totally sure about what size to get or what particular brand. He just gets a box that looks more serious about promoting safe than a box that resembles a cover of a magazine.

“Safety first, I guess?”

Jonghyun blindly grabs any bottle of lube that strikes him as suitable and they start exiting the aisle to pay. Jonghyun blushes when the check-out lady offers them judgemental glances and then scans their items while making a face.

“I just don’t get it,” Onew says as they walk out. Jonghyun’s hand is elbow-deep in the plastic bag, feeling for his purchases as if to confirm their safety and realness. “Two dudes using a while doing it is like with a to me. It’s not like you guys have diseases…Do you?”

“Like I said earlier: safety first. And, I mean, I don’t like messes. We’ll probably do it this one time with a and we’ll probably never use one again.”

“I’m sure you’re counting on that,” Onew says.

“I am.”

“But you’re forgetting the most important question.”

“And what would that be?”

Onew takes a dramatic pause before leading into the question. “What if it’s bad?”

Jonghyun stops in his tracks and looks up at Onew. “The ?”

“Yes Jonghyun the . What is it that we’ve been talking about for the past, like, year? Jesus. But yeah, what if the is bad?”

“It’s not going to be bad,” Jonghyun says without any fault. “In fact I truly believe the will be revolutionary. I can imagine it when I come I’ll see a light and then all my greatest memories will play before me like a short film. The will be mind-blowing. The will be exceptional. It’ll be highly acclaimed. Rolling Stone will write an extremely positive review on it and will rate it five stars out of five…”

“Yeah, I get it,” Onew says flatly, completely unimpressed.

“The isn’t going to be great in the sense that he’ll be really tight or that I’ll be really big or that it turns out we both have a natural aptitude at it. The will be great in the sense that this is the most intimate way possible that we can show we love each other. The will be great because I’m doing it with someone I love with all my heart. We’re soulmates.”

“Soulmates,” Onew repeats as if he were convincing himself that the word had any meaning.

“Yes. Soulmates.”

When they get to school, Jonghyun stuffs his purchases into his locker and then goes off to regroup with Onew, Minho and Taemin. Taemin’s still in the eighth grade but it is apparent that he’d much rather hang out with them than people his actual age. They don’t mind.

“Big day,” Minho says when they find somewhere to sit in the shade. It’s still pretty early, eight-thirty in the morning, and they’re not scheduled to dismiss to roll call until eight-fifty five. The sun’s barely half way in the sky yet but still shining like it completely owns it, dominating over endless clouds.

“I know. I’m, like, totally ready to lose my ity,” Jonghyun says proudly.

“Oh, right, that. Good luck with that but I was referring to the fact that Key’s getting his clock today—and speaking of Key he’s supposed to be here right now.”

“I can’t wait to get my clock,” Taemin says. He’s been ready to get his clock since he was five. He’s convinced that he’ll break Onew’s record and live until ninety or over. Neither of them actually actively tried to deny that. It’s an odd feeling but they can all sense that there’s something about Taemin that will allow him to live such a long existence.

“What if it is bad?” Onew asks and when Jonghyun gives him a look he wishes he hadn’t said anything.

It’s a sensitive topic—having to die so early. If you pass away before sixty it counts as an early passing. Early dates weren’t rare although they were disheartening. There were the rare ones: a premature passing. If you pass before the age of thirty it counts as premature. There have only been two cases within the school of students receiving premature dates. Neither took it well. 

Your longevity simply symbolised one’s wellbeing. There were the average years that simply meant you had a generic wellbeing. Then there were those who lived over sixty and that meant they had extra sufficient health. But there were other variables that actually effected the date you received. Genes were accounted for. If you committed a crime it could affect your date. But once you got your date then there was no going back. No changing. It was resolute, definite, and unchangeable.

“It’s not bad,” Jonghyun says although he is starting to worry.

Key promised that he wouldn’t look at his date until he got to school and then they’d all look together. The tradition started with Onew when he got his date. They were to do the same for Minho and then eventually maybe Taemin.

Jonghyun grows increasingly more apprehensive as they day progresses and Key doesn’t show up to any of his periods. When school ends Jonghyun’s much too preoccupied with the situation with Key to bid any farewells. He gets the lube and condoms from his locker and then quickly makes his way to Key’s house. He’s almost certain that neither of them are going to lose their ities today but Jonghyun’s still hopeful—barely—but still hopeful.

He can’t believe he’s letting his worries get the best of him. For his entire life he’s known that he and Key were going to live long lives together. Always together. But when he approaches Key’s house that determination begins to rot away like a cadaver leaving nothing but the skeleton of his hope.

The door’s unlocked as if Key were expecting him. He goes upstairs and finds Key by the windowsill with a large sweater on. There are tissues everywhere and he’s sniffling. Jonghyun quietly makes his way to Key’s side.

“Kibum?” Jonghyun says wearily.

He can feel the bad news waiting to be revealed like vomit rising to his throat. He sits beside Key on the windowsill.

“Jonghyun…” he says but it’s said so brokenly.

“Let me see…” Jonghyun says but he’s too scared to look.

Key lifts up the sleeve of his sweater. The clocks always appeared printed on your right wrist like a tattoo. It was forever and irreversible.

“Key…” Jonghyun says but he can’t even distinguish the one syllable from a suppressed sob. “This…It…This isn’t right. It can’t be.”

“It is Jonghyun. It’s…It’s always right. It can’t be changed. I’m going to die in three days Jonghyun. I can’t stop it. No one can.”

Jonghyun doesn’t know what to say so he holds Key until the sun goes down.

When Jonghyun tells Onew he is speechless. Onew is easily the most intelligent person in school but even he cannot pry them out of this conundrum. He doesn’t even know what to say so he just sips his hot chocolate, drowning himself in it.

They’re at school at exactly eight. Jonghyun wanted to get there early when the school looks desolate. He finds most solace in its early desolation but now the quiet isn’t helping his thoughts clear. Instead his thoughts are miscellaneous. The quiet only emphasises the fact that there are so many thoughts running through both their minds but none of those thoughts is a solution.

Onew’s quietness is making Jonghyun uncomfortable so he yells at Onew to say something. He throaty shouts echo through the school. It echoes through the hallways. It echoes through Jonghyun’s head.

“I don’t know!” Onew shouts just as loud.

They’re both mad. Neither of them wanted this to happen. But it has. They wished they had been more prepared. But preparation wouldn’t have found them a solution. They both knew it couldn’t be fixed. No one could change their clocks. No one could reverse it. No one could extend it. It was resolute. It was final. Neither of them could stress that enough.

“Hey, hey, breathe…” Onew says calmly when he notices Jonghyun’s breathing becoming unsteady. “In…out…In…alright there you go. Look, we…we can talk to Jiyong about this—the counsellor. He…He’s an expert on this stuff. He’ll know what to do.”

Onew’s hopeful tone is so contrived but even knowing that it makes Jonghyun feel calm and a little better about everything.

Key refused to get out of bed when Jonghyun went to fetch him. He hadn’t eaten all the previous day. He didn’t want to eat today. Jonghyun said that if he kept this up he’d be dead by this afternoon rather than in three days. Key said he didn’t care. He was going to die soon anyway.

The hourglass has just started. Jonghyun was already running out of time.

Jiyong was the school counsellor. Like with all other counsellors, he all asked to be referred to by his first name—if it made students comfortable. Jiyong seemed to take an interest in clock study. He claims to have known someone who changed their date but no one believes it to be true. Jonghyun prays it is.

Jiyong invites them into his office. It’s small and cuts the supply of oxygen short. Jonghyun has learned to control his breathing.

“Mr Kwon,” Onew says, electing to refer to him as such. “We need to ask you a question about the clocks.”

“Expiration dates,” Jonghyun says, suddenly feeling that the label is more appropriate.

Jiyong beams. Jonghyun wants to punch the smile off of his face. “How can I help?” he asks ecstatically.

Onew looks at Jonghyun expectantly but Jonghyun offers no help. He just sits there and stares blankly into oblivion. He allows Onew to do all the talking.

“Well, you see…”  Onew pauses to think. “We have this friend, see, and his sixteenth was yesterday and…” he looks at Jonghyun for reassurance. Jonghyun continues staring. “Well…” Onew continues. “He got a premature date. Like, really premature.”

Jiyong’s face goes serious. It was like watching a chameleon change colour. “How premature?”

“Three days,” Jonghyun says.

His heart explodes like a popped balloon. He dismisses himself from the room and starts running. When he reaches the gates he’s breathless from running and crying at the same time. He drops down to his knees and claws at the concrete. He can’t hear anything except for a faint buzz. His thoughts are tangled like interwoven shoelaces. All he can comprehend is crying and to cry some more.

He wants Key forever. He’s wanted that since he could remember. He wasn’t going to get forever. He was going to get three days. Three useless days. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair on him. It wasn’t for on Key. He wanted an eternity. He wanted identical dates. They were soulmates. Nothing could deny that. Nothing could deny what they had, what they felt, what they wanted, what they needed.

He doesn’t know how long he had been crying on his knees. Onew finds him and brings him to his feet. Jonghyun wants to fall back to the ground but Onew is hugging him. He’s hugging him tight. He’s whispering something gentle. He’s whispering something mellifluous. It’s soothing. It’s calming. It calms Jonghyun’s heart down.

That faint buzz clears and he can hear Onew singing. Jonghyun clings to him harder and breathes in a sharp breath. It numbs the pain momentarily but when he exhales it crashes harder.

“Jiyong…he has a plan. He needs you to bring in Key tomorrow.”

It was a battle getting Key out bed but it was a battle won. Jonghyun managed to get Key in his uniform and to school. Onew was there. So was Minho. And Taemin. They escorted him to Jiyong’s office like a sad entourage. They walked as if they were leading Key to his death. They probably were. You never knew.

Jiyong only allowed Jonghyun and Key into his office. Through the gaps in the blinds they saw the other three lingering by the door. They were restless and confused.

Jiyong had them sit in these large, weird looking chairs with wires attached to them. Jiyong explained that it was like electroshock therapy—except it wasn’t that at all. He was going to connect wires to both of them. They were supposed to tap into their brain. He explained that the determination of dates was usually dictated by the mind. Jonghyun didn’t know why he needed the two of them. When he asked this, Jiyong said that he needed him for plan B. Jonghyun could be able to transfer some of his years to Key if all worked out as according to plan.

Jonghyun could tell Jiyong was vacillating. Or maybe Jiyong knew that this attempt to increase years was futile. Jonghyun knew it all was but Key said that he trusted Jiyong when he first sat down. Jiyong and Jonghyun communicated a look that only meant bad news. But Jiyong went on with the experiment anyway.

Key bursts through the door and sprints down the hallway when they’re done. When Jonghyun sprints after him the last thing he hears is Minho asking Jiyong how it went and him informing them it didn’t work.

Key spends the entire second day ignoring Jonghyun’s phone calls. Jonghyun makes an effort to visit him three times; once in the morning, again in the afternoon and lastly in the evening. Key’s mother answers the door all three times to inform Jonghyun that Key didn’t want to see him. Jonghyun nodded wordlessly each time.

He makes one last phone call before the end of the night. He manages to encompass all his feelings into the five minutes. He makes sure to mention that despite all the rules about soulmates regarding the clocks he and Key were soulmates. Their hearts melded together. They beat for each other. He made sure to be very eloquent and poetic about everything.

The sand in the hour glass was almost drained.

Jonghyun lets time slip away until he realises that it’s hours until Key’s meant to be gone. He wants to see Key one last time. Hold him one last time. Kiss him one last time. He wants to be there until he passes. When he opens the front door to leave Key is standing there with his fist in mid-air. He doesn’t let Key talk and envelops him in a bone-crushing hug. He takes in his scent for the last time. He lets himself almost fall asleep to the sound of Key’s final beats of the heart.

Key loosens his arms around Jonghyun’s neck but doesn’t pull away completely. Then he kisses him. It’s deep and passionate like they’re devoting their whole souls into the kiss, but it only reminds Jonghyun they’ll never be like this again.

Jonghyun leads Key to his room, neither of them saying a word, and they kiss more when there. They have their hands all over each other, removing each other’s clothes and kissing the entire time. Jonghyun asks Key if he’s ready before slipping inside of him and they make love in a way that Jonghyun can’t put into words. It’s whimsical. It’s all kinds of wonderful. But like most wonderful things it ends. It ends with Key in his arms with his head on Jonghyun’s shoulder.

The day had turned into night while they were in bed. They have a few normal conversations until it hits eleven o’clock. Jonghyun can picture the hour glass. There are a few centimetres left of sand. He feels like they’re both looking at it as the sand wastes away.

“Do you still think we’re soulmates?” Jonghyun asks.

Key presses his lips against Jonghyun’s shoulder. “Of course I do. I don’t care about the stupid rules. We’re soulmates.” Key sighs and traces his fingers over Jonghyun’s chest for the last time. “We were supposed to die together. That’s how it should’ve been. Whoever invented these clocks really ed up with us.”

“We should demand a refund and pitch in for a new clock.”

They both laugh at this. Key snuggles closer. Jonghyun can smell the citrusy scent of Key’s hair. He feels himself beginning to succumb to his emotions. He’s going to break down, though he doesn’t want to. He wants this last hour to be divine.

“Jonghyun I know this wasn’t all fair.”

“I know.”

“I love you.”

“I know.”

Each time they talk they lose more breath.

“I love you too. It shouldn’t be like this.”

They sit up and kiss once more on the lips. Jonghyun feels himself getting tired. He doesn’t want to fall asleep. Resistance is futile. He can feel the sleep creeping up on him like that mental breakdown.

“I want to die with you,” Jonghyun says.

Key intertwines their fingers. “Don’t. You don’t have to. You shouldn’t.”

“We should. It could be like Romeo and Juliet except it’s not all bitter. We could die together. Right here. Right now. I could just get some sleeping pills or something…”

“Jonghyun you sound stupid,” Key says, forcing a giggle.

“If you can’t live with me then I’ll die with you. I’ll die for you. I—there were so many things I wanted to do for you. There were so many things we needed to do.”

“I know.” Key presses a finger against Jonghyun’s lips. “I know. But you can’t die with me. The rules won’t let you. I won’t let you.”

Jonghyun feels like he’s wasting time. But time’s still steady, the sand still pouring. Key grabs Jonghyun’s hand gently and presses it against his heart.

“I love you,” Key says more quietly.

“I love you too,” Jonghyun says.

The feeling of Key’s heartbeat against his palm prevents the meltdown and brings Jonghyun closer to sleep. They continue whispering ‘I love you’ to each other, each time their voices die out a little more. Jonghyun manages an almost inaudible ‘I love you’ before he falls asleep. He feels Key’s heart beat a few more times. Just before he finally slips into a deep slumber, he hears Key whisper ‘I love you’ once more and then feels his heart stop beating against the palm of his hand. 

A/N: 

Sorry I don't really know what this. Though I am rather fond of this, it is now the internet's problem. 

Thanks for reading and if you aren't aware of that fact that I am currently writing a chaptered fic then I'm going to shamelessly promote myself: click here babies } pretend this is like on a banner with stars and everything

Ignore mistakes blah blah blah blah blah and THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading. I cannot stress how thankful I am that there are PEOPLE out there who READ my so THANK YOU <3