Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

If the next hour Chan knew what the current Chan thought when Minho was in his arms, he would say “Yikes, you thought you got the happy ending?”.

But the current Chan was genuinely happy to get Minho back. It was like the sweetest dream that Chan could ever dreamt about. 

“Baby” Mrs Lee suddenly opened the door and peeked in. “Uhm… Sam is here.”

Sam? Sam who? Chan was mixed between curiosity and confusion while Minho’s expression went surprised. 

“No way… Did you contact him, mom?”

“Actually he called you when you were resting, a-and we don’t know if you can make it!” His mom was nervous. “So he just ended up flying here to see you.”

That’s when a strange face appeared behind Minho’s mom.

“Darling, long time no see.”

Uh oh.

___

If Chan met a tall artistic-looking man on the street, with a poetic smile and walked past him with a smell of fresh spring flower, he was sure he would turn to look at him. However, the scene he had to turn to look at, was that said man walking with a big red box and a bouquet towards Minho. The patient shrugged off Chan’s hug to open his arm before they fell into hugs and kisses. Of course in Australia people hug and kiss for greetings all the time, but on the nose, and the forehead… He felt his gut churn again.

Minho on the other hand seemed brighter when Sam went in. He chimed.

“You don’t have to be that rush though.”

“Say it to you who are overworked due to some angsty melodrama, and have not talked to me for months.” Sam playfully pinched Minho’s nose, making him squeak. “If your mom didn’t pick up the call, I would go to find you anyway.”

And then he noticed a pair of eyes glaring at them besides Minho’s mom.

“Oh! Hello! Sorry I didn’t notice Minho is having a guest. I’m Sam, his fellow in university.” 

Even though I was next to him the whole time before you came , Chan rolled his eyes.

But he remembered Minho mentioned Sam once when they first caught up. An artist who has the privilege to draw on Minho’s body. It looked like Sam and Minho hadn’t seen each other for a long time, according to Minho it was after he flew back to Korea when his university’s exchange program ended.

The jealousy in Chan slowly rose up. It was a hard time to talk to the Lee parents and finally confessed to Minho, then suddenly the “highschool sweetheart” stepped in to steal all Minho’s attention from him.

“Hello, I’m Christopher Bang. I am Minho’s boyfriend. Now excuse us, I think Minho should rest a little bit more. You can come back to see him tomorrow.”

Opposite to Chan’s grumpy face, Sam just burst a laugh. “Oh, that’s you Christopher. Nice to meet you.” He kicked his elbow to Minho. “Get a grip?” Minho was about to kick back but Chan held him. “Alright, spend your lovely time. I will go have dinner with Mom and Dad then. Let’s go, Mom.”

Mrs Lee, satisfied with Sam’s gentle hand towards her, held him.

“I bet your Dad is starved now.”

Minho smiled at Chan’s neck looking at the two walking away.

“I guess they can finally leave me alone because Sam’s here to distract them.”

Chan kissed his forehead, not saying anything. He hope so, only to distract Minho’s parents, not his lover.

___

They announced the situation to everyone right after they decided to start dating, but Sam left before, so Minho could only text him about that. Minho’s mom was not happy totally but she melted at the soft gaze Chan gave to his son when the younger didn’t notice; the Bang son took the whole week off to stay in Korea and took care of Minho until the day Minho was okay to come home.

“Can’t I go with you?”

“I wish so, but you still need to rest to fully recover,” Bang Chan patted his boyfriend’s hair, “When you are all good to go, I promise I will pick you up at the airport there.”

Minho pouted, he only had gotten Chan for a week, now they had to be in a distant relationship. He wished he could cling on Chan 24/7, show everyone that Chan was his. However, he also knew they were grown up adults; while Chan got to come back for work, Minho also had to recover so he was able to check on the restaurant in Australia. He had left it for almost a month and it was not good for the future plan where he would add it in the business system.

“Okay, I will come there later, remember you would not look at anyone when I’m away.” Minho held Chan’s ring finger with the mark. “I can feel your feeling, so if you fasten your heartbeat I will know immediately.”

“What if I flutter everytime I think about you?”

“T-then call me, I’m always available!” Minho stuttered while Chan laughed out loud.

The happiest person who received the news was Felix. He called Minho after Chan told him the story; he told Minho to Australia soon so he could help the elder unpack and arrange stuff even though Chan said he would be in charge of doing it.

“And imagine me and my mate coming to your house to have a party! A double date!” Felix excitedly screamed.

“I thought you hated the domestic fluff?”

“I HATE the domestic FLIRT, dear Bang-Minho”

If Felix saw with his eyes on the other end of the line, he would definitely laugh at Minho’s face blushing, legs kicking on bed. Oh gosh, Minho loved that name .

And every night before Chan slept, Minho would spend an hour talking with him while looking at his documents of the restaurant. The difference of time zone didn’t prevent them from enjoying their new love.

“...and then that customer thought I had a partner who was enlisting because I said my partner was not in Sydney!” Minho giggled when he heard Chan raise his voice to express his helpless emotion behind the story.

He didn’t know Chan was warmer and nicer when he was in love, now he got jealous with all of Chan’s exes that they experienced what he was getting. The elder cared for his partner a lot like he wore his heart on his sleeves, exactly as Felix said.

____

Of course Minho tried to get himself in some short relationships when he was young in Korea, but all of those flings didn’t give him any butterflies in his stomach, and he decided to stop before he hurt them. After jumping in and out of flirting, Minho was craving for true love. He knew his heart was trapped with Chan and he was curious what Chan would be like when he fell in love. 

And Chan finally came.

They fucked up and fixed sometimes, but Minho was satisfied. They just used the similarities to match and the differences to mix that ended up bringing chemistry explosive to them. Minho moved in to live with Chan when he came back to Australia. The elder decided to make his own room into theirs, the room which was supposed to be Minho's bedroom then became the tea room because Minho loved to spend afternoons reading books and drinking tea. Sometimes when Felix was free, they would cook pastries together and gossip in that room until Chan got home or Felix’s mate came to prepare for the double dates.

They lived their life peacefully, and welcomed their parents to visit them usually. Chan’s mom was excited when she heard that finally Minho and her son got together, immediately drove to their house and hugged Minho tightly to claim that Minho was her son-in-law.

“Aw you will be Bang-Minho soon?” Chan teased him one night after everyone left their house.

“How about you, Christopher Lee?” Minho raised his eyebrows, challenged his lover.

“Wow it sounds like I’m going to be one of the cast in ‘The Lord of the Rings’, it's big news I have to prepare”.

Minho cracked hard with the elder’s lame joke, until Chan pulled him close with a kiss to cover it. The laugh became lower into a giggle, ending up being swallowed in between their lips.

Before, Minho wondered how it felt to be a romantic soulmate. Now he knew, and he really enjoyed it.

*

Until he didn’t.

It started one day when Felix ran to Minho’s restaurant, waited for the older man to finish his work. Minho closed the door at 10 p.m. and was so tired to hear what he said, but then Felix suddenly raised his left hand.

“Minho hyung, look”.

Minho felt fully awake. On Felix’s finger, there was a rose golden ring wrapping around, and Minho could squint hard enough to see the symbol of two flames tangled together.

“I got engaged.”

“Wow,” Minho exhaled, smiling at the younger, “Congratulations, are you implying that I will be your mate’s best man? I have to check with him then.”

“If you are happy to do it, we can manage tho. However,” Felix whispered as if someone would hear his guilty confession if he talked out loud, “I mean it’s time you and Chan should come to a wedding plan too.”

Minho paused. Oh yeah, they would have to talk about it one day…

“You guys have dated for uhm… a year? Two years? Yeah, it’s been two years and I think it’s the best time to officially start a family.”

Yes, they would have to make a family…

“Lix, can we talk about this another time?” He looked at the younger with a complicated glance, but Felix picked it up fast.

“Hyung, what's the matter? Are you guys not going well?”

Minho shook his head. He looked down at his shoes, his left thumb unintentionally rubbed his left ring finger, while he touched behind his ear. Both marks felt heated life being burned under his skin.

“No, it’s that… I’m afraid.”

“Of what?”

“Of our relationship.”

“Why? Oh my God, hyung, let’s sit somewhere and talk.” Felix pulled him in a hug and caressed his back when he heard the elder sniffed.

That night, Minho expressed all the thoughts he had lately that made him unsure about the relationship between him and Chan. Obviously they still loved each other, but there was one thing which he was confident about now felt insecure.

“After two years, we still don’t have it.” Minho sighed after he finished his thought.

“Have what?”

“The thing”. He feared and no one was able to help him to get out of the concern he was diving in.

“You need to be specific, hyung”.

“I know we are different, Lix-ah, but how can you come to the final ending with someone if you don’t have twin flames mark?”

Minho never doubted his love for Chan. There used to be the baby Minho who ran after his “Chan hyung” and became Chan’s right arm. The teenage Minho who sneakily bought an adult magazine to imagine about “Chan hyung” made out in his wet dream was him. The grown up Minho who built his background well to deserve standing next to ‘Chan hyung” was also him. The only two marks on his skin told everything about his love for Chan.

But the marks were the reason he feared now. He couldn’t say that he never doubted Chan’s love for him. The man had loved him for two years, while his feelings had existed for most of his life. It was not that Chan didn’t love him enough, oh the elder gave him more than he ever asked for; it was that he remembered what Chan said when they first hung out.

“...you must’ve felt lonely, haven’t you? About people coming to your life and leaving… without any memories left on your body".

Chan was serious about soulmate connection. And Minho cared for his thoughts, that was hard to ignore.

“Felix, I’m scared”. Minho looked up to the starry night, he couldn’t stop worrying. “What if Chan and I are not twin flames? What if we break up before we can find something to convince us that we are stable?”

“What do you think about it? It’s rare in this world when someone has more than one marks with the same person, and you guys have them, it makes you special!”

“Two are many, but will never be enough.” Minho sighed. “What if one day one of us has a twin flame mark that doesn’t appear on the other’s skin? Will I have to break up with Chan? I don’t know what I would do at that time; but now just thinking about it, I realise I can’t do it.”

Felix frowned.

“Then don’t give up, hyung. You tried hard and worked hard for this love and so did Chan hyung. Twin flames need time and effort to be formed. It also needs a lot of triggers, and I see that you’re doing well! Moreover, you guys are compatible. You guys have similarities and differences to complete each other, and it matters.”

Minho didn’t say anything after that. He walked home silently with Felix, seeming restless. The younger one hugged him and said “You will be fine” before he got in his house.

Were they really doing well?

___

A few days later, Minho got home late as usual. He opened the door and darkness welcomed him. Why was Chan not home at this time? Minho got his phone out of his pocket and texted the elder.

“To: Woofie hyung

Hyung, where are you? Aren’t you home tonight?”

Then he came to take a shower, tried to relax after a long working day. When Minho came out to the kitchen to have supper, his phone popped up a message.

“From: Woofie hyung

Ah I’m sorry, there is a new intern and I need to stay overnight at the office to guide them. Don’t wait for me, I will be home at around 3 am, you need to sleep for tomorrow’s shift

Love you bae”

Minho knew he had just talked to Felix lately so he might be sensitive, but he got a weird feeling when Chan mention about another person during that time.

Guess he will need to live by himself for a while.

*

Could someone calm Minho down when there was no Chan around him?

He found himself laying on the sofa at 4 am, eyes opened widely looking at the ceiling. It had been a week since Chan started going home late, and Minho was not able to sleep early since then. He got used to the warmth when Chan big spooned him every night; he missed the morning kisses when he woke up the next days. Now Chan was away and busy, while Minho felt like he was living with a ghost, or he was living like a ghost in this house because it belonged to Chan.

Minho knew he was stressed and overthinking, but he couldn’t help.

The next morning, he decided to take a day off, drove to the house of Chan’s parents.

“You looked tired, darling.” Chan’s mom caressed his face when he laid his head on her thighs.

“Sorry, I haven’t slept well this week and I guess if I have you around I could take a nap for a while”.

“Oh dear, what happened? Did you and Chan argue? Did he hurt you? Remember, you still have me as your mom.”

His “mom”.

“No, we did not argue, mom.” Minho smiled, looked up to her eyes. “I’m just stressed and tired from work and I need a mother hug.”

“I can give you a lot of hugs if you ask,” Chan’s mom rubbed his hair. “Anything for my son.”

He loved her so much that he was scared if one day he could no longer call her “mom”. Minho felt unsettled.

____

The second week without seeing Chan was slowly passing, and Minho started looking back at their relationship.

Before, he saw that they were mix-and-match. Chan was slow but steady, he was more mature in thinking than Minho. He didn’t usually show his love obviously but he used action to tell Minho that he cared for Minho. On the other hand, Minho was an affectionate person, and he never hid his feelings to shower Chan in his compliments. All the similarities were in addition to making their relationship sweeter.

But now, he saw that they were too different. Chan focused on his work life, he was a workaholic, and everything could wait as his job was a priority. He could stay in his office or the study room in their house the whole day and forget to text Minho or check on the other. In contrast, Minho wanted many things outside his work. He thought that family life would help him to release stress from work, so he loved to cook and clean the house. Sometimes he brought plants home to make a small garden on the balcony. The similarities became the weak connection that trying to hold their relationship.

Minho didn’t blame Chan because the man was still him before he came back in his life. He was just tired and painful of comparing themselves.

People said twin flames fit together as if they were a missing link or connecting to a puzzle, but Minho felt they were two puzzle pieces that their shape fit in a wrong position. Maybe the timing was wrong, maybe they would be twin flames, but in another universe or their next life.

*

Chan got home late again, and he tried to open the door silently. But the scene in front of his eyes was not in his expectation. The living room’s light was on, and Minho was sitting in the lounge, watching something. The sound was so loud that Chan was afraid the neighbourhood would send a complaint letter to them next week.

“Min, why didn’t you sleep? You have work tomorrow, don’t you?”

Minho didn’t reply.

“Min?”

Minho didn’t turn his head to him.

Chan walked in front of his lover. Oh my God, Minho was looking into space, zoned out but he looked devastated. The bags under his eyes were dark to tell Chan that the man hadn’t slept well for so long. The eyes were bloodshot and wet, tears running down on his face. Chan sat next to him and hugged him tightly.

“Oh Min, what’s wrong? Why didn’t you tell me you don’t feel well when you texted me earlier? I would’ve run home immediately if you said you needed me.”

“I have texted you to ask why you weren’t home for a while, and you always replied with ‘Oh I need to guide an intern’, so I gave up.” Chan heard Minho suddenly say. “I don’t have reason to force you to be around me all the time”.

“No, you never force me to stay with you, but if you don’t say I wouldn’t know you need me.”

“I never knew that the soulmate feeling connection was useless. now I have to tell my lover that I need them while you can sense it in your heart.” Minho sighed.

“Listen, Min. I was bu–”

“Yes you were busy this, you were busy that”. Minho teared himself from Chan’s hug. “Am I not busy? I literally work ten hours a day without resting so that I can come home and have dinner with you, to sleep with you. I don’t stay home all day or go shopping without earning money. I have my life too!”

“I didn’t say you aren’t!” Chan raised his voice also. “But I was too busy to feel anything in my heart, that’s why communication is important. Please! When was the last time I rested? I couldn’t even come home because if the intern fucked up one thing, I would have to stay longer!”

“With that reason, would you run home if I really texted ‘I need you’ when you were busy with the intern?”

“If your business were not serious–”

“Hah! So now I have to consider if my business is serious enough to distract you from your work? Chan, if I said I was stressed and you’re not home and I can’t sleep, would you run home? You wouldn’t, because your texts were even repeated all this time!”

“Fine! So what made you stressed then? I’m all ears to hear you! Fuck it, I’m never enough for you, ain’t I?”

Minho was about to protest but he froze when Chan unbuttoned his shirt due to heat and anger. A mark on his chest appeared.

“Chan–”

“What! Now are you playing the victim card with me?! I am so fucking tired, I just want to go home and relax after a long time and you welcome me with your childish thoughts and say I don’t care you enough.”

“Chan, the fl–”

“I don’t fucking care about anything! I’m fed up, I will go to sleep now, you can sleep if you want, we will talk tomorrow”. Then Chan left Minho in the living room with the last words.

Minho collapsed on the floor, he couldn’t believe what he saw and what he heard. Chan was tired of him, Chan didn’t want to know his concern.

And on Chan’s chest, there was a flame mark. Minho looked down on his chest through the neck of his shirt.

He had no flame mark.

_____

When Chan woke up, he remembered about their argument last night and felt so sorry. He was too stressed and couldn’t control his words. It must have hurt Minho so much that he didn’t see the younger one next to him when he was awake. He should apologise to Minho.

Chan got out to the kitchen and he found Minho was cooking breakfast.

“G’ morning, Min,” he came and hugged Minho from the back. “How are you doing?”

Silence.

“I’m sorry for what I said last night…”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

He stood back, turned Minho around.

“What do you mean? I admit I was hot-headed and I didn’t control my mind, but I never mean I don’t love you.” He frowned, hugged Minho again. “Please forgive me, I will be off today to be with you the whole day, would you like me to?”

Minho sighed. He turned off the stove, then spoke.

“I said it doesn’t matter anymore, and I don’t think it matters now either.”

He paused for a moment.

“Chan, I think we should break up.”

“W-what? Where did this come from?” Chan panicked. He couldn’t process that information. “I am truly sorry for what I said last night, although I know it hurt you and we need time to make it up. Please, don’t break up, I need you.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Minho shook his head, “it was not about the fight last night. I’m sorry I didn’t control my mind either then became bitter about your work. But I want to break up, I don’t think we will have a final ending.”

“Then what is the reason that makes you think we can’t have an ending?” Chan cupped Minho’s face in his hands, tried to look into the younger’s eyes.

“I feel betrayed.”

“Why? I do love you, I never fall out of this love. You can see I wear my feelings on my sleeve, I show you all I have so that you can never doubt my thoughts for you. I-I don’t know who said anything, but if you think there’s something happening between me and the intern, I can bring you to meet them and talk.”

There were tears in Chan’s eyes and he tried hard to hold them, but Minho closed his eyes so he didn’t have to see. He really wanted to trust him, but the truth was right there, how could he ignore it? But he was scared of losing Chan also. Should he tell him his concern? It was not like he could just dump all his worries and assumptions on Chan, but he would try.

“It’s not helpful, Chan. I can’t feel the emotion you feel for me in my heart anymore.”

“Then whose can you sense? That little fucker Sam Hwang?”

“Why is he suddenly in our conversation?”

“Yeah the same question I have when you bring my intern in our relationship. I have nothing to do with them!”

“If you said you’re innocent when I know nothing, I will believe you and fool myself to continue our relationship. But Chan,” Minho pulled his shirt down to show his chest, “I can’t fight against fate.”

“What is that doing for? You mean we have no twin flames marks? Min, please hear me out, I will love you even if we don’t have flame marks, those things have stuck in my mind for two years. I fucked up one and I almost paid the price because of it, so I just want us to love as a normal couple without thinking about it. I truly love you, we have been dating for so long that we could pass whatever fate challenged us. And I would not let you dive alone in the pain of the marks.”

Minho laughed out loud, but his heart was sore like Chan had ripped it into pieces. He was tired and he didn’t want to walk a step ahead.

“But Chan… have you looked at your chest? When you were away, I got stressed from everything and one of them was the scenario of one of us having the mark one day while the other doesn’t. And even when I’m scared it was me, it turned out I am the one who had to say goodbye.”

Minho pulled the neck of Chan’s shirt down, and Chan froze. He didn’t notice it all the time before, and now he panicked more than when Minho first asked to break up with him. No way, he never lost his love for Minho, he never thought about anyone but Minho, he…

Minho cracked his voice.

“You’re an amazing person I have met in this life, and it hurts that I have to walk away. But Chan, you found your twin flames somewhere, fate proved it, and I’m not them. Even if it’s not with the intern, I just know it’s not with me either.”

He sniffed and tried to continue talking properly.

“I still love you like I do my whole life. I hate to say goodbye but I can’t stand watching you get married to someone, while I can’t be them. Please, Chan, let me go. I’m exhausted.”

Chan weakly looked at Minho again, and found his voice to say.

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

Minho nodded, started crying.

“Okay, you can pack your stuff as you want, I will be in the study today. If you need help, just tell me.”

Then Chan left.

_____

Minho didn’t know how long he had been crying; but the moment he dragged his suitcase out of the house, he just sat on the stairs in front of Chan’s house, and bursted into tears like a mess. He truly messed them up. Minho knew if he talked his worries to Chan and they were calm to figure out, they would not end up separating. However, he feared he had to hear from Chan ‘yeah, I met my twin flames’, ‘maybe we are just normal soulmates at the end of the day’. He feared that he had to accept to be someone who passed Chan’s life.

Damn, he used to be nonchalant about this soulmate shit: He once said to Chan he loved someone with their personality. He said he would not let fate decide for him. He said, although he believed in twin flames, he would still choose whoever he fell in love with.

Then what was it? He became insecure because he lost one time when Chan refused to sleep with him without soulmate marks, even though they had one. He became defeated in fate’s decision, he let the person he loved go out of his life just because of a mark he knew it was not his.

Minho headed up, looking at the sky. It was a beautiful day, but he wasn’t fine. He was so lost. Where could he go now? He still had work to take care of here; the restaurant in Korea was alright and his parents managed it well, he had no reason to run back. He couldn’t run to Chan’s parents, they were not people he can come to anymore. He had nowhere to hide. Except for…

As if fate heard him and sent help, his phone just rang up.

“H-Hello…?”

“...Min, are you okay? Your voice sounds weird. How have you been recently?”

With just a few simple questions, Minho sobbed again. He needed someone, and they appeared on time.

“Sam, I-I am fucked… I-I don’t know where to g-go.”

Sam, his friend, came to him when he needed help the most. 

“Oh dear! What happened?! Nevermind, you are more important now. Where are you?”

“In Sydney, but I don’t want to fly back to Korea...”

“Lemme see…” Minho heard a click-clack sound from the other end of the line, probably they were typing something. The waiting time was like a ticking bomb. “I don’t know what happened to you, but I am searching for the earliest flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. I can let you stay in my house if you don’t know where to go. Just catch a taxi to the airport and I will get your back, okay?”

“B-but Sam… I don’t want to bother you…”

“Shhh” Sam shut him. “Let’s come here first. Haven’t seen your best friend for a while that you decided to contact first and the next thing you know is they are not okay, that’s not a thing Sam Hwang would like to suffer. And do you think I can’t connect dots why you’re in Australia?”

Didn’t let Minho say, Sam continued.

“Okay, catch a taxi now, go to the airport. I will see you tomorrow, in Los Angeles.”

“...Okay, see you tomorrow.”

*

That was how Minho sobbing in Sam’s neck with a blanket wrapped around them in Sam's lounge. He told Sam everything; from when he and Chan reunited, separated, got back together, living happily after-not-ever, to now breaking up due to his insecurities and weakness.

“You know what,” Sam patted the elder’s head on his shoulder, spoke slowly, “You are not the Minho who brightly chimed about Christopher with me after classes anymore, and I miss it. I miss Minho who was stubborn saying ‘Shit, who cares about that stupid mark, as long as he feels sad due to breaking up, I still have a chance to heal him’ when I asked what if the kissing mark faded. But I don’t think your thoughts are invalid. You have the right to be petty and mad when he has twin flames mark while you don’t. You deserve to complain about him spending too much time on his job and not seeing you for a while.”

He paused for a moment and wiped the tears on Minho’s face now dried a bit.

“However, you guys need to talk. Min, I know you are not the right you now, and I believe everything will be better after communicating.”

Minho headed up, and what welcomed him was the kiss on his forehead from Sam.

“What if I truly have to say goodbye?”

“Then at least it is a beautiful goodbye. Accepting how you feel helps you understand where you’re standing and what you want to do about it from there; and accepting how he feels helps you guys figure out what you can actually do. From what I heard, he loves you so much that he didn’t even notice the twin flames mark was on his chest.”

Minho nodded, seemed calmed down and chilled. He looked down on his chest and suddenly mumbled.

“Sam…”

“Yes, my baby?”

“Before I work on my own feelings, can I stay here a few days and get another tattoo? I want you to do a new one for me.”

“Of course, anything for friends.”

____

Minho stayed with Sam for three weeks. The American friend brought him everywhere around Los Angeles to experience his memories again, and it helped Minho work on his mind so much. Night by night, they laid on the same bed; Sam listened to Minho’s love life, sometimes commented on Minho’s clumsy ass and Chan’s lame jokes. Sam was the artistic counsellor Minho luckily met in his life.

Sam was the person Minho admired the most, sometimes jealous. He was easy-going, and the artistic soul made him blend well with everyone. That was the reason why he had his arms full of soulmate marks, some around his waist. But he said he didn’t belong to anyone or anything except for art. It was the part where Minho was jealous. He wanted his life to belong to cuisine too. Sam just laughed at it, saying he should be the one envied Minho's love which seemed like a fairytale.

Minho also got a new tattoo. He was about to do one on his chest but in the end he chose to get on on his pinky finger. It was the finger Chan loved to hold when they slept together, so Minho asked Sam to make a heart symbol. A heart which could connect to his woofie-ex-boyfriend.

Minho also realised he loved Chan more after they broke up. He was impatient to meet Chan again. If Chan still loved him and they were brave enough, he would ignore all the soulmate things to stay by Chan’s side. At least he had two marks with the man, no one could pass him unless Chan let them.

He would talk to Chan about his feelings soon.

“To: Woofie hyung

Hi, I hope you still keep me in your contact, it’s Minho. I will be back in Australia next week, and I wonder if you would like to talk about our relationship.

I want to figure out and see if we can get back together. If you refuse, you can say it now, I won’t appear in front of your eyes.”

And he couldn’t stop smiling when he read the message at the end of the day.

“From: Woofie hyung

Hey, I’m available next whole week, feel free to come back home. I’m waiting.

Still love you, Min.”

____

Minho was on the way to the Los Angeles airport, and Sam drove him.

“Say hi to Christopher and his friends for me, darling. Tell him if he can’t get your stupid heart back, I will come to Sydney and ask for the Felix guy and his mate to kick both of your asses.”

Minho laughed, felt relieved.

“No, seriously I would do it because you’re so silly to decide to break up with a man who loved you for the last two years and you’ve loved him for so long just because of the marks. Do you think my twin flames would get jealous with the amount of marks on my body if they dated with me?”

Then they stopped the conversation to drop Minho off. Everything was fast like the day he landed here to cry in Sam’s hug. This time, the American friend hugged Minho again, and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Go fix your relationship when you still can, don’t waste it because it is beautiful. Also, if things don’t go well and you need to run away, remember I’m always available.”

*

Chan was actually calm when they broke up.

He knew fate played with them a lot like it usually did. It refused all of his dates to tell him that Minho was the right one he needed; it triggered the second mark to form to tie them together when they were stuck in their ambiguous relationship. So he would not be surprised if it made them misunderstand to separate again.

He was sure he never stopped loving Minho. The younger was the new motive in his life that words couldn’t describe. Minho changed his habits and made him live healthier. In those years when they were together, everyone saw Chan glowed up so much. His boss not only once said to him “you look energetic today, it seems like your partner cares for you well.” Obviously, Chan wished he could show off Minho to his world and shouted out “The man who brightened my life is Minho, and he’s mine.”

However, the twin flames mark was confusing.

The last time he had to face a twin flames mark was his second date, and Chan didn’t want to mention it again. He didn’t see a similarity between his situation and his mate’s one. This time, he had no one but Minho, and it never changed.

So what was happening?

Chan wanted to find the answer, before he really lost his lover. To clear Minho’s doubt, he started with the intern. Fortunately, the intern got married and the couple got their twin flames mark matching each other. So Chan didn’t not betray Minho, neither by fate nor by heart. The intern, after listening to his story, encouraged him.

“Leader Bang, your love story is beautiful and you have gone through a lot, so don’t give up. I’m sure Mr. Lee can sense your feelings and will think carefully again. I believe your fate doesn’t end at this point.”

And they were right. Minho texted him after almost a month, but better than never. The younger asked him if they would talk and get back together, that was all Chan wished for. 

Sometimes you didn’t have to marry your twin flames, Chan would do the same.

*

Chan made sure that he would be there as soon as Minho entered the house, yet he was still standing in front of the door without really having any plans for what to do. When he started to feel nervous, his thumb moved to his lips, and he didn’t hesitate to nibble on it. He bit down too hard, tasting his own blood, but his attention was on the door rather than the mild discomfort in his thumb. Minho would be home soon.

And then the door cracked. Chan’s mind went empty when he saw Minho’s head pop up behind the door.

They stayed silent for a moment and Minho was so nervous. Why did Chan stand there? Was he about to say he regretted talking and getting back? Would he say to Minho that Minho could fuck off and not come inside? Would he…

All of Minho’s thoughts were blown away when Chan spoke up.

“Min, welcome home.”

Minho swore he was attempting to control his tears. 

It was clear from his rigid expression and the way his jaw was clenched. His eyes were shaking, and all the crystal drops couldn’t resist falling over his cheeks. Minho's heart was broken; looking at Chan after a long time let him know that the elder was not better. They kept staring at one another.

Chan was unsure of what to do because Minho's eyes were watering from the moment he spoke. He should’ve been sad and mad, but he never got mad at Minho, he just knew the younger man felt insecure and misunderstood something, so he was there to convince and clear it. 

He could clear Minho’s dark corner.

He used to be so scared. He never thought he’d be able to calm Minho down after the first breakdown, because the man was so independent and brave. Everything about him became a zone Chan would never dare to enter without caution.

But he was not scared anymore. Minho was independent, yet affectionate to people he trusted; Chan was glad he was the person Minho chose to lean on.

Now he just needed to try.

And there Chan was opening his arm, waiting for Minho to run to him without forcing words or fierce action. He knew he looked stupid by waving his hands to signal Minho like he was trying to tame an animal, but he didn’t want to scare the younger. Indeed, he was still a slow burn person. He remembered Minho loved their hugs that didn’t need to talk; Minho called them ‘magical hugs’. They happened every time when one of them felt overwhelmed and the other sensed it from their heart, they hugged to release unwanted stress and sadness. He remembered Minho would hug him tight inside their car when Chan drove him to work before they separated to start the day. Or there were times when Minho decided to become the big spoon, hugged Chan from his back to say he was doing great, he didn’t need to stress out.

He hoped Minho would run to him like usual.

And Minho truly opened the door widely to fall into his arms. Chan caught him, and they kneeled in the hallway.

“Hyung… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Minho sobbed into a mess. Oh who would know that he missed Chan so much.

“That’s okay bae. I’m sorry too.” Chan mumbled in the younger’s ear. He kissed instantly on Minho’s face to shower him in love and comfort, said everything was alright and they could fix it, there was no need to worry.

“Did I fuck up so much?”

“No, you did nothing wrong as long as we talk now and I promise I still love you if we come to different endings”.

“Oh hyung, I’m so sorry…” Minho hadn’t gotten back to his sober mind, and cried violently. “I sensed how hurt you were as a result of my rash choices. I didn’t mean to break up, I never want to. Please, even if you met your twin flames, can I stay by your side as a friend?”

“You can be my lover forever, I don’t mind. If you aren’t ready we can talk tomorrow, but tonight let you rest first, alright?”

Maybe because Minho was so happy and overwhelmed, or maybe because of the words "I'm sorry" that he could finally say out loud, that night he buried his head in Chan’s chest, poured out all his emotions and cried happily on their bed.

Chan hugged him tightly, reassuringly in a low voice, there was no hint of impatience in his solace.

Until Minho’s cry subsided, finally falling asleep in the elder’s arms, Chan leaned down to kiss the tears on his face, hugged him and fell asleep.

____

Minho slept a long sleep. It was over two o'clock in the afternoon, but the younger still hadn't woken up, probably due to jet lag and being exhausted from crying. Chan was afraid that Minho might be hungry when the younger woke up, so he went to his parents quickly. Thank God, Bang mom was home to help him cook a serving of pork porridge with salted eggs. Chan was actually good at cooking, yet he didn’t have time to do a proper meal when he was still single. This time, Chan cooked the porridge a little long so the meat would be soft and easy to chew. When Chan got back home, he coaxed and woke Minho up, feeding his lover spoon by spoon. When Minho got more than half a bowl, Chan helped him to sleep back again.

At night, Minho woke up again, but was still not very awake, lying on Chan's back when he found the elder was on the same bed with him. They just ate a little, said a few sentences, then before nine o'clock Minho fell asleep again.

Until the next morning, Minho was completely awake. The sun was shining through the curtains, showing that it was already morning, maybe seven or eight o'clock. He turned, seeing Chan was deeply sleeping beside him. The blanket tightly covered the elder, only revealing his face.

Minho moved closer to Chan. Looking at his lover who slightly tilted head to the side and slept like a baby, Minho smiled, unconsciously reaching out his finger to touch Chan’s forehead, gradually moving down to his eyelashes and nose bridge. Then Minho licked his lips and kissed the elder lightly on the forehead. That warm touch made him suddenly feel that this person lying next to him wasn't a dream. The loneliness of past days, the endless nostalgia, suddenly felt like the dust that had been covered for a long time in the bottom of the heart was blown away without leaving a trace.

Minho put one hand against his head, the other hand lightly touched Chan lips with his index finger, a smile appeared on his face. He moved his fingers downwards, drawing circles around his lover’s throat, then slowly crawling under the blanket.

All of a sudden, Chan grabbed that naughty finger and rolled his eyes at him.

"Guess my Minho is fully awake and so energetic that we need to do some morning exercises?"

Minho did nothing but smile, leaned forward and kissed Chan on the lips.

It was a passionate kiss which no words could describe. All the nostalgia, anxiety, comfort, joy dissolved in one kiss.

When the kiss ended, they looked at each other silently, and didn't hide the longing in their eyes.

Chan placed his lips on Minho’s again, kissed him and asked softly: "Do you miss me?"

The touch made Minho cringe, leaning closer to Chan. “I do,” he replied softly, his voice was soft, sounding more like whining than answering, “I miss you so much.”

“How much?”

“More than what you can sense from your heart. More than what you can feel from the marks.”

Chan smiled and kissed Minho one more time, he seemed satisfied.

_____

They didn’t talk on that day since Chan wanted to make sure Minho was ready. He would like to hear all concerns and insecurities from the younger to understand him more. So when Chan was in the study room and heard a knock on the door, he knew that was the time.

“Please come in, Min.”

He saw Minho hesitantly open the door and walk close to his table, and sit at the tea table. The younger looked so nervous that he grabbed the end of his sweater tight, rubbed them constantly.

“I am ready, hyung.”

Chan came and sat on the floor in front of Minho, caressing his knees.

“Because I think we should stop lying to each other, I will confess my thoughts first, then you can confess yours, alright?”

And when he saw the nod from Minho, he started.

“I used to rely on soulmate connection so much that I feared I would lose you if we didn't have any stable mark. Remember the time we separated because I didn’t want us to have sex before love? People come and leave without a mark, what if you were the same, just more special as a “childhood soulmate”? Then you got deadly sick; it was a big price I paid and I never want to repay one more time. I’ve gone through a lot to have you, so I will never allow myself to lose you again.”

“Minho, you are the greatest person whom I luckily have. You are bright, independent yet clingy and affectionate. You run your businesses in two countries without flaws and still spend time taking care of me, loving me. At the same time, you act like a baby who needs attention, always asking for a hug when we wake up. Everything you did made me feel that I’m wanted, reliable. Day by day, I stopped caring about soulmate things because I just want to be with you.”

“When we didn’t understand why I got the mark on my chest, I was afraid about you doubting my love more than anything. I came to ask the intern even though I knew we had nothing to get involved in. Fortunately they had their mate, so I thought my twin flames were hiding somewhere. But no matter who they are, I still love you, and I just want to wait for you, Min.”

He paused for a moment, then took Minho’s hands in his, slowly vowed.

“So Minho, please stop thinking about them too. It can be you, maybe fate plays with us. Other than that, we still have soulmate marks, they mean we have parts connected to each other. Even if we are just normal soulmates, at least I still have the best relationship I wished for, longer than any one in the past. I love you, Min. And when I say I love you, my heart means ten times more. We should stop second guessing everything. Instead of trying our best to work it out, we could try enjoying it. I am glad that you thought about us again and consider a chance to come back. Because if I can’t sense your feelings anymore and the marks fade, I will collapse in this world alone; it was the last thing I could think of.”

Minho was too stunned to speak, he tried to figure out words, just rambled.

“C-Chan, I was about to say sorry first and express how much I love you, and how I would fight with your twin flames to stay by your side, but after hearing I just feel my love is never enough. I can love you from the bottom of my heart and that’s all I can give you. I fell first, but you fell harder I guess.”

Chan was about to protest yet Minho continued.

“But here is my final confession: I want you; I always wanted you since I was just a kid. When we were young, I wanted you as a friend, a brother that my parents couldn’t give me. When I grew up, I wanted you to discover me, I wanted you to please me in my wet dream, I hope you don’t find it weird now after we made out a lot in the last two years. When I was finally yours, I knew I couldn’t escape. You can tell me to run in circles forever but I know I would always end up with you. And would be disappointed at all of my next mates because I would never pass my standard which was raised by you.” 

Chan dropped his head on Minho’s thighs and sighed against them, loving how sweet Minho’s confession sounded in his ears.

“Min, you always love me more than enough, your genuine feelings are all I need.”

“My genuine thoughts include overthinking.”

“It means you want me to be yours.”

“Even when I get jealous with nonsense?”

“As long as you get jealous of me, I can handle it, and I know you love communication too. So please, show everyone that no one can touch your Bang Chan.”

“My Bang Chan…” Minho giggled, and lowered into a silent smile when he saw the desire and lust in Chan’s eyes.

“Yes, I’m yours.” Chan kneeled up, leaned forward and tried to seal their lips together.

Of course, Minho let him.

Chan explored the younger’s mouth. Minho’s lower lip was particularly full; Chan licked the edges and nibbled on it while running his tongue over every feature. His hands slid under Minho’s shirt to wander on his lover’s skin, stopping at his nipple. He stopped and separated their kiss, looked at Minho and sought permission. Minho nodded because he understood that he wanted to be touched. Chan didn't waste any time taking their shirts off and pressing down on his nipples, softly twisting them. Minho hungrily found Chan’s lips, sobbed against Chan's still-encircling mouth.

The heat in the study room got hotter, but they couldn’t care less. Chan sucked onto Minho’s jawline, moved down on his body. Minho could clearly see through his pleased eyes that his skin turned slightly red everywhere his lover’s lips nibbled. When Chan moved to Minho’s chest, he breathed against it; that made Minho whisper.

“Please, leave a mark over there…”

“So we can be twin flames now?” Chan silently laughed.

Minho ignored him, arched his chest forward because it was true but he would never admit it to the elder.

“I can leave a mark on your chest, and everytime it starts fading, I will suck on it to make it bloom again.”

Minho just thought about it and the next thing he did was spit out.

“I love you.”

Chan softened his nibble and spoke in between.

“I love you too.”

*

After the rain there was always a rainbow; Minho and Chan got back together. Minho came back to their house, the place where he found home. 

_____

Three years later.

Now Minho found himself standing at the corner of their garden, watching Chan who was surrounded by friends and families with happiness on his face. Being together for five years still made him fascinated with the elder, even when Chan was no longer in twenties when they met.

Today was Chan’s thirty birthday party. Only the closest friends were invited so it wasn't large. As Chan and Minho didn’t like alcohol, they agreed to make a BBQ party instead. Most of them just settled for juices and tea but everyone seemed happy with it.

“Darling, are you still glamourising your man in your post honeymoon phase?” Sam reached next to Minho.

The American friend accepted the invitation to attend Chan’s birthday party from miles away. Last week when Sam landed in Sydney, both Minho and Chan were busy so Felix and his mate picked him up. They went along really well that just a few days later, Felix and his mate got a new mark while Sam got two. They even joked that they were the trio then.

“What is the post honeymoon phase? I never get out of it.” Minho turned to his friend, grinned evilly.

“Min, I love you so much but I swear if you don’t stop being cheesy, I will push you straight toward Chan in front of everyone right now. Don’t test me, Los Angeles taught me wilder than what Sydney and Seoul asses did to you.” 

Minho bursted out a laugh that made some people turn to him curiously. Okay now he was embarrassed as fuck that he just hid himself in Sam’s hug. His friend laughed too and waved at everyone to signal that everything was alright.

“Minho, no one looks at you anymore. Leave me before Christopher comes to me and sabotages us.”

Minho immediately got out of Sam. He remembered the first time Chan saw them being affectionate to each other, the elder got so jealous that he almost jumped onto Sam to punch him. Minho had to explain a lot and spend a few nights later being-punished-by-his-lover. Although Chan was embarrassed about being too possessive, Minho would not prefer to make it happen again.

As if Sam was a fortune teller, right when Minho got out of Sam’s arms he fell into another hug. Turning back, his lips met Chan’s aggressively. The elder was holding himself back from blowing up. Seemed like Minho would have to do some apology exercises with his Woofie hyung tonight.

“Leaving your boyfriend alone at his birthday party doesn’t sound right, Bang-Minho.”

Minho smiled, leaned forward and placed another kiss before they heard Felix standing at the centre of the garden, shouting out through the mic he got somewhere.

“Okay! The lovebirds, that’s too much domestic flirt! Everybody, and particularly Chan hyung who turns half sixty years old today, please cheer! And it's time to hear a speech from the main character. Chan hyung, come here.”

Chan held Minho's hand tightly, leading him to the main spot. Minho’s ears were full of cheering mixed with whistling from everyone, but his attention now was all on the man in front of him. Chan took the mic from Felix, looked at everyone until they got silent, then he spoke.

“Everyone here has known me for so long. I am a man who doesn’t have positive thoughts all the time; I barely care about my personal life and focus mainly on my job. As a result, fate played with my love line to make it more fun and games: I had no soulmate. Some of you watched me grow up,” he turned to his and Minho’s parents, “some decided to be my friends when we were just kids, some came and couldn’t stay but still respected me, you guys knew me so well that I only had one lips mark behind my ear. I had been lonely for twenty years before I reunite with the owner of that mark.”

Now he turned to Minho, who was looking at him with sparkly eyes.

“I was so desperate about myself that I refused to let him come closer to me at first, but I enjoyed that time he stayed by my side as a friend, because he slowly reached my heart in an unexpecting way. I almost lost him due to my stupidity but luckily I got him back when fate gave us the second mark. And surprisingly, the first mark was the romantic one too that he put his love in. I think about fate everyday in my head that it lets me meet him again.”

He choked a bit when everything started getting emotional, Minho rubbed his back to comfort him.

“Last five years we went up and down a million times that sometimes we thought would come to an end, however we could sense the other’s emotion in our heart and we knew how much we still loved each other, it told us not to give up. After five years, I could say our relationship became stable beyond what we wished. However, I think it’s long enough for us to muck around. So I wanna make an ending for us.”

Minho’s heart dropped, everyone went straight to silence and shock. Chan was the only one who was calm and continued speaking.

“I want our story to have the last sentence that every fairytale has. I want to live happily ever after with Minho.”

And he put one knee down in front of Minho. The whole garden gasped and started cheering up loudly, but Minho couldn’t hear anything. His eyes were tearing up, he blinked a few times to see Chan clearly.

“Lee Minho, although you’re not my twin flame, I love the feeling and the butterflies I get when I see you smiling. I would love to smile for the rest of my life too. So, will you agree to stay with me our whole life? If it’s a yes, I promise I will be the happiest man in this world and I will make you the same.”

Chan was crying, so was Minho. He couldn’t say a proper “yes, I do” but nodded and lifted his left hand to Chan. Everyone clapped hands continuously to congratulate the couple. Sam raised his drink and shouted out.

“To the lovebirds who I barely knew shit about until the day Minho ran to me to get their asses again, I am happy that you found yourselves in this complicated world. And if you don’t mind me joining your marriage preparation, I would love to be Minho’s best man and sponsor for your honeymoon trip if you choose Los Angeles.”

The crowd cheered for the American man, while Chan and Minho laughed loudly, tangling their fingers together.

_____

Chan groaned when he felt a small tickle under his jawline. He opened one eye to catch Minho kissing lightly.

“Min, aren’t you tired?”

Yesterday was wild with crying and laughing, so Chan felt he lost all his energy the next day. He didn’t get why Minho could have so much motivation to annoy him.

“Hmmm a bit, but I love a lazy morning making out with my fiancé.”

Fiancé . Chan sleepily smiled. He loved it.  

“Okay, so you want to do some morning exercises. Some riding?”

Minho laughed when Chan got more awake. The elder slid his hand under Minho’s pyjamas, but suddenly stopped. Minho felt something weird too.

Chan got up above Minho immediately, trying to unbutton the younger’s shirt.

“Hey hey, Woofie, I said lazy morning. No hard exercise!”

Chan seemed like he didn’t hear or care what Minho said, impatiently buttoning Minho’s top. He even got flustered, ripped Minho’s shirt in a second. What the fuck, did Chan lose his mind after the proposal?

“Min…”

“What, if you don’t get off me there will be no more sex in the morning.”

“Look…”

Minho looked down and he shut up. A twin flame mark on his left chest, under his nipple.

Chan opened his own shirt and showed it to Minho, his hands shaking. He trembled.

“Min, we matched…”

Minho looked at Chan, seeing the man tearing up quickly. The elder leaned down and hugged him tightly, kissed him constantly and got excited like a child.

“Min, five years… H-how the fuck your mark matched with me but they formed five years apart? Min, you’re finally mine, totally mine.”

Five years of up and down, two times separating, millions times arguing and apologising. Five years of passion in love and sex. Five years of trying to understand to become beyond a normal soulmate couple.

Minho cried happily too, he was glad that he decided to love Chan genuinely and didn’t give up when he first saw the mark on Chan’s mark. Fate said they needed to be patient, and it was worth the wait.

Finally, Minho was Chan’s, and Chan belonged to Minho.

______

Chan thought he didn’t have time to find soulmates due to the missing of the forming mark before he met Minho again. But he gave it a try.

Minho thought he didn’t have a chance to stay by Chan’s side due to the twin flames mark before his flame was formed and matched with the elder. But he gave it a wait.

Fortunately, they decided right.

The end.