Chapter Text
Hanbin's joints ached slights as he readjusted his position in his recliner. He looked around his house, his eyes falling upon the electronic slide show picture frame placed in the already crowded fireplace his daughter had gotten him and Hao this past Christmas. He smiled as he looked at the pictures, some from when Hao and he were in their twenties and all the decades that had passed since then in the sixty-some-odd years they'd been together.
A loud whistle erupted from the kitchen, slightly hurting his ears as he listened to the sound of the cabinet opening.
“Earl Grey,” Hanbin announced loudly, his voice carrying the weight of their shared history. He peered at Hao, who was standing over the stove in the kitchen, his grey hair glistening in the soft light. Two ceramic glasses, worn from years of use, were on the countertop next to him. Hao's hair had started turning grey when they were in their forties, much to his initial dismay, but in the decades since, he had grown to love it. Especially after Hanbin reminds him that this is part of the whole growing old-together thing they agreed on when they got married.
The sound of footsteps approaching, accompanied by the sound of porcelain rattling against the tea tray, caused Hanbin to smile as he moved his head to look at Hao.
“Why are you smiling?” Hao said in a slightly annoyed tone as he placed the tray on the table next to the chair and urged Hanbin to scoot over.
“Aren't we a little old to be doing this?” Hanbin questioned as Hao squeezed into the tight space next to him
“We bought this recliner specifically so we could do this,” Hao said as he glared at Hanbin. Hanbin rolled his eyes as he looked to the side at the matching lazy boy on the other side of the table.
"We bought these recliners.” Hanbin said, gesturing to the other chair, “Are you actually ever gonna use it, or should we see if the store return policy extends twenty years.” Hanbin said jokingly as he reached over to Hao to grab his teacup off the tray to have his hand stopped by Hao, gently grabbing his wrist and examining his fingers.
“Where is your wedding ring?” Hao pouted as he turned to look at Hanbin.
“I guess I forgot to put it back on after the CAT scan yesterday,” Hanbin said. Hao's eyes only narrowed as he spoke. "I’m sure it's around here somewhere,” Hanbin said, his voice slightly scratchy. Hao finally let go of his hand so he could pick up the glass of tea and bring the hot liquid to his lips.
After taking a few sips, Hanbin looked at Hao and noticed he was glaring at the electronic picture frame.
“It was a sweet gift. Not everything has to be in physical scrapbook form.” Hanbin said, slightly nudging Hao's side. Hao turned to look at Hanbin and scoffed as he stood up slowly from the chair. “You storming off would be a lot more dramatic if you weren't so damn old,” Hanbin said as he held out his arm to help Hao stand up.
“You're one to talk. At least I can still walk without a cane.” Hao said, his bones creaking as he stretched before walking off toward their bedroom. Hanbin shook his head, his eyes falling on the electronic picture frame again, a smile creeping on his face as the faces of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren came on screen.
“Found it,” Hao announced excitedly from their bedroom. Hanbin turned his head to see Hao approaching with a very thick, dust-covered book.
“Ooh, not that old thing,” Hanbin said as he watched Hao blow on the cover layer of dust suddenly filling the air around them. “Do you want me to die?” Hanbin asked as he coughed violently.
“Yes, I’d love to use the life insurance money while I’m still physically and mentally able.” Hao sneered as he plopped the old scrapbook in Hanbins lap, then sat again beside him, sliding his arm over Hanbin's shoulder.
“You're mean,” Hanbin complained as he looked at Hao, who promptly rolled his eyes as he opened up to the first page of the scrapbook.
“God, we look so young,” Hanbin said as he traced his fingers over a photo of Hao and him sitting on the beach together, waves crashing in the distance behind them.
“I know,” Hao said, his eyes scanning the various pictures on the page as well as the train stubs and a little business card for the motel they had stayed at.
Hanbin nestled deeper into Hao's shoulder as he lifted his fingers to the edge of the paper to turn to the next page.
“Where are the photos from the first time we saw each other after the roof?” Hanbin questioned as he turned to look at Hao, who was biting his lip as he thought.
“Hmmm,” he said as he stared, flipping through the pages until he finally stopped. “Here,” he said, pointing to a Polaroid photo of them at a party. Hao let his head fall, resting his cheek against Hanbin's hair.
“I can’t believe we just ran into each other at a random party,” Hanbin said, his fingers tracing the photo's outline.
“I know. Also, here's a fun fact about that particular night... I was on a date.” Hao chuckled as Hanbin abruptly lifted His head from Hao's shoulder to look at him.
“You kissed me the second you saw me?” Hanbin said in a judgemental tone.
“Yeah, my date was not happy about that,” Hao said awkwardly as Hanbin glared at him. “What? It worked out for you, didn't it.” Hanbin crossed his hands over his chest, huffing. “ It was only like our second date,” Hao said defensively as he flipped to the next page. Hanbin finally smiled as he plopped his head back down on Hao's shoulder.
“It did, didn’t it,” Hanbin said as he grabbed Hao's hand, interlacing his fingers.
“It did,” Hao said, squeezing his hand slightly as he took a long breath. "Do you think we'll see each other again in our next life?” Hao questioned, his eyes misty as he looked at the photos of them laughing and dancing on the page.
“Without a doubt,” Hanbin said as he lifted his head from Hao's shoulder to look at him better. Admiring the wrinkles that had formed on his face, an ode to the life they had lived together. Hao turned his head to face Hanbin.
“How do you know,” Hao said, tears already pooling in his eyes.
“Because they say you wear the face of your soulmate in your next life, so even if we dont meet, I'll see you every time I look at my reflection,” Hanbin spoke gently as he wiped the tears cascading down Hao's cheeks.
“I really thought I was gonna lose you this time,” Hao said, his voice quivering as he continued to look at Hanbin. Absent-mindedly, Hanbin lifted his hand to his chest, dragging his fingers across his incision scar.
“The doctors said they got it all out,” Hanbin said, resting his hand against Hao's cheek. “I’m okay, we’re okay.” Hao nodded as he leaned forward, resting his forehead against Hanbins.
“I really can’t do this without you,” Hao said in the sky voice as he leaned forward softly, pecking Hanbin on the lips.
“You won’t have to." Hanbin said with a cheeky smile," I paid the doctor extra to interlink our hearts, so when one of ours stops, the other will follow,” Hanbin said teasingly as Hao groaned and punched him on the shoulder.
“God, you’re so annoying,” Hao said with a smile as he wiped the remaining tears from his face.
“You love it when I annoy you,” Hanbin said, nudging Hao slightly wiith his shoulder.
“Yeah, I do so; you better keep doing it,” Hao said as he grabbed his cup of tea from the tab and sipped. "Ahhh, it's cold,” he said, annoyed, as he placed it back down onto the tray.
“While you reheat our tea, how about you take this book back to our room,” Hanbin said as he watched Hao once again struggle to get up off the chair.
“What am I, your maid?” Hao sneered as he picked up the books from Hanbins lap and tucked it under his arm as he picked up the tea tray.
“From the looks of it, yes.” Hanbin smiled as he watched Hao slowly walk to their kitchen. Hao scoffed in response.
As Hanbin looked at Hao looking at him, from over his shoulder, flashes of their past appeared before his eyes. At some point, it seemed that the past, present, and future had meshed together, and he was experiencing every version of Hao simultaneously like a flip book where every page was at a different age or stage in their lives.
Even though their clothes changed, their hair greyed, and their posture grew slouchy, the way Hao’s eyes looked as he stared at Hanbin never changed, acting as a tether point channeling all the love he felt and would ever feel for him. When Hao first told him that night in the taxi, he had a strong feeling that he was supposed to love him. Even though Hanbin agreed, he wasn’t quite sure what those words actually meant as he said them.
It would take falling in love with Hao before he fully understood the gravity behind that statement. It wasn’t just that loving Hao was easy because it was; it was the easiest thing he ever did. Often, it even felt easier than breathing, especially these days. Ultimately, it felt necessary; he yearned to love him like he couldn't live if he didn't love him. At times, it seemed as if time hadn’t actually started until he loved him. It seemed that his life was just building up to the moment he walked into the party.
The music was loud, and the lights were dim. Hanbin had been invited by a friend with whom he used to teach dance classes at the old studio. At this point, it had been a couple of years since that night on the roof, and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever actually see Hao again. He maneuvered his way through the crowd, careful not to run into the already drunk people leaning against the wall of the apartment for support.
He scanned the room. Some people were sitting on the couches, others were dancing in the crowd, and most were just talking to each other; despite the music being so loud, none of the words they were saying could truly be heard. Hanbin wasn't sure what he was looking for or why he had even come to this party. He had hardly slept the past couple of days and wanted nothing more than to be home in bed sleeping, but he figured, why waste a Friday night? Which is how he found himself here.
After a while, it started to feel stuffy being around so many people. So he decided to step out on the balcony for some air. He looked at the sky, the stars shining brightly in the distance, wondering if it would ever feel like his life would actually start, as it felt so stagnant lately, just an endlessly feeling like he was living the same day over and over. That's when he finally saw it— a thin streak of light trailing across the sky after years of waiting.
“Woah, was that a shooting star?” A voice said excitedly as they made their way to the balcony rail. Hanbin turned to look and saw a familiar figure standing a few feet from him with just as surprised of a look on his face as he did.
“Yeah,” Hanbin said, stunned. He looked at Hao, staring at him in disbelief, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him like he had craved to see him again so much that he had started to hallucinate. He gulped as he watched Hao walk toward him, dragging his hand across the cold metal of the rail until it rested on top of Hanbins.
“Yeah,” Hao said as he lifted his hand up and placed it behind Hanbin's neck. “Did you make a wish?” Hao asked as he felt Hanbins hands against his waist, sending chills throughout his body.
“No,” Hanbin said as he took a small step forward until their faces were only a few inches apart.
“Why not?” Hao said as he stared at Hanbins lips.
“Because I don’t need to,” Hanbin whispered as he moved his hands to the small of Hao's back, pulling him closer and kissing him. A wave of nostalgia filled his body as he felt Hao smile into the kiss as he interlaced his fingers behind Hanbin's neck, kissing him further.
And just like that, their story finally began.
The End