Taemin had it all. Or so he thought he did... until his world started coming apart at the seems.The only person he ever wanted was slipping right through his fingers,  and there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing he said... nothing he did would make the older male stay.

------

"Hey, kibum!" Taemin sauntered over, exceptionally happy to speak to his boyfriend again. He plopped down in the open seat next to his boyfriend at the table and rested his head on his shoulder, reaching a hand out to Kibum's free hand.

"Hey," kibum merely nodded and smiled in the younger boy's direction, shifting awkwardly in his seat.

"How are you doing?" Taemin tried to smile, feeling his resolve drowning away already. Another day, another round of awkward conversations and short replies.

"I'm good. Look.. I gotta go," And with that, Kibum rose from his seat, scampering off to do other things.

In that moment, Taemin knew. He knew that everything was breaking down; It was a tragedy at best. It amazed him how one tiny little complication could lead to this. They weren't speaking for days on end. When they did speak, everything was awkward. Taemin thought that this little break would do them some good; they could regroup and maybe- just maybe- things could work out like he knew they should.

Like he hoped they would.

Taemin watched with bated breath as Key entered the dining room one evening. He wanted to scream at the older male and tell him how bad he was hurting; how badly he wanted Key to pull him into his arms and tell him that everything would be okay. But he kept his mouth shut. He kept his mouth shut as Key grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and made his way for the door.

"Kibum, wait," Taemin breathed, grabbing his boyfriend by the wrist. "We need to talk. What's going on with us?" Taemin pleaded, looking for anything to resolve the issue. Couples are supposed to speak, right? Couples shouldn't be awkward, right? Maybe they weren't much of a couple after all.

"...I- I don't know," Kibum faltered, sitting down across from Taemin at the table. "This thing is breaking down, Kibum... and you know it. We
barely speak. Tell me, do you still want.. us?" Taemin asked.

Kibum mearly fell silent. He could only stare at Taemin. He wanted them. But he just couldn't do it anymore. He loved Taemin. He really did. But he just wasn't in love with him. And honestly, talking to him hurt more than not talking to him.

Key's utter silence was enough for Taemin. He understood everything now, and it cut him to the very core. Everything had come down to nothing. All of the laughs, all of the tears, all of the secrets, and all of the inside jokes, right down to nothing. Taemin knew they were basically walking on thin ice, yes. But he never knew that they would eventually fall through. And now they are drowning. Drowning in words better left unspoken and conflicts better left unresolved.

"I get it," Taemin croaked out. "Just answer me this.. Why would you stick around even after you knew things couldn't be fixed?"

"Because I love you."

"But you aren't in love with me."

"Well.. no."

"I get it."

"Please don't hate me," Kibum pleaded, eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill over at any second. "I could never hate you," Taemin nodded. Taemin honestly loved Kibum more than any words could express. But there he sat.. watching Kibum walk away from everything they had. He knew Kibum wasn't really gone; He just couldn't be gone.

"Can we still be friends?"

"Most definitely."

Taemin knew what that meant. No matter what, they would reach the inevitable. They would go back to exactly what they started as:

mere strangers.

Kibum was everything to Taemin. Everything he wanted and everything he needed. But now Taemin was left with nothing. it was evident that Taemin just needed to pick himself up and move on with his life. But for now, he's haunted.


Haunted by the laughs and the jokes.

Haunted by the love they once shared.

Haunted by the fact that Kibum is gone.

And that is all Kibum will ever be.

Gone.