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Sharing plays an integral part in any relationship. Whether it be experiences and memories, or first-times and secrets, its importance is undeniable; and as a relationship progresses, the significance becomes even more apparent.
Relationships were something that took a perpetual backseat in Choi Yeonjun’s priorities. Going days, weeks, even months without thinking about someone romantically, Yeonjun was content. In his last year of university and conducting research in the physics laboratory five days a week for his thesis, Yeonjun had no time to date. He’d heard too many horror stories from his younger brother about dating, anyways.
Yeonjun knew what getting into a relationship meant. It meant spending most of your free time with your significant other, going out on expensive dates, keeping track of anniversaries, and showering them with gifts and affection, all of which proved to be too much for Yeonjun. Plus, he knew that he’d have to share his things with his significant other eventually, and Choi Yeonjun was not keen on sharing.
At all.
That was, until one fateful day, a doe-eyed boy happened to stumble into his laboratory. The boy was lost, the labyrinth of hallways, classrooms, and other labs proving to be too difficult to navigate correctly. He was shivering slightly, since it seemed he hadn’t got the memo that Seoul was usually below freezing in the wintertime, and he had a facial expression so pitiful, Yeonjun didn’t know whether to laugh or feel bad for him.
Initially, Yeonjun wanted nothing more than to shoo the intruder out of his lab and continue his work without interruptions, but as the other boy started talking, Yeonjun found it more and more difficult to focus, allotting his attention to the boy’s face instead. Yeonjun found the sudden intrusion more than a bit of a shock, but what was even more shocking to him was that he didn’t chase the boy out. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that a stream of words, most of them unintelligible, flooded from the stranger’s mouth the moment he stepped foot in the lab and locked eyes with Yeonjun.
The boy was obviously in distress, and Yeonjun felt slightly guilty for wanting to laugh at him before.
With the two sitting an awkward distance away from each other on an empty table, Yeonjun managed to calm the boy down, his speech becoming coherent again.
With soft dimples, big, round eyes, and dewy caramel skin, Yeonjun couldn’t deny that the boy sitting next to him was beautiful, especially with the most alluring pair of plump, pink lips he'd ever seen.
He’d learnt that the boy had a name; a name almost as pretty as his face.
Kang Taehyun.
Yeonjun liked that. In fact, he really quite liked it. He liked the way it rolled off the tip of his tongue when he said it out loud, and he especially liked the way Taehyun smiled as he repeated it.
Taehyun was a sophomore, and a transfer student as well.
“So, that’s why you got lost?” Yeonjun raised a single eyebrow at Taehyun.
Nodding slowly and smiling shyly, Taehyun silently affirmed Yeonjun’s suspicions.
“That doesn’t explain why you’re wearing short-sleeves in winter.” Yeonjun crossed his arms and looked at the other boy expectantly.
“Oh-” Taehyun chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting around the room as if he was searching for an answer. “-I was just in a hurry.” He shrugged and looked over at Yeonjun who was giving him a disapproving, almost knowing, look. Taehyun sighed dejectedly before allowing the corners of his lips to turn up slightly into a small smile. “Okay, I couldn’t find the box that I’d put all my jackets in. My place is a mess right now.” He groaned and thought about the state of his dorm. “It was either be late for my first day of classes, or be cold-” He trailed off and looked at Yeonjun sheepishly. “-guess you can tell which one I chose.”
Looking at Taehyun’s arms and pathetic short-sleeve shirt, Yeonjun fought with himself internally, wondering if he'd be considered a bad person for not giving the boy something warmer to wear. His internal battle ceasing after several moments, Yeonjun pressed his lips together into a tight line and tried not to groan audibly as he tugged at the sleeves of his sweatshirt. He was considering lending his sweatshirt to Taehyun, someone he’d known for less than an hour, and he had no idea why. Yeonjun wondered briefly what kind of power this boy held over him as he stood up and wiggled out of his sweatshirt, the hood catching slightly on his hair, causing it to stick up in tufts.
Holding the sweatshirt with one hand, Yeonjun carded his hands through his hair, forcing the black strands back down into their place.
Offering the sweatshirt to Taehyun, Yeonjun felt his heart swell as a pair of tiny hands grabbed at the clothing to pull it over a small frame, the fabric seeming to swallow Taehyun whole but still managing to look impossibly endearing.
That day, Yeonjun went home with butterflies in his stomach.
It wasn’t until several weeks later he’d run into Taehyun again-
-wearing the sweatshirt he’d lent him.
“You like it?”
Taehyun jumped slightly, startled at the sudden voice speaking to him.
“Oh-” Taehyun nodded up at Yeonjun, smiling so big and warmly that his eyes morphed into soft crescents, creasing slightly at the corners. “-I do.” He let his arms fall to his sides, showing off just how big the sweatshirt was on him. The tips of his fingers barely peeked out from the sleeves; something Yeonjun found impossibly cute. Taehyun cleared his throat, causing Yeonjun to snap back to reality. “I totally forgot about giving it back, I’m so sorry-”
“No, no-” Yeonjun interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. “-use it for as long as you’d like. You wear it better than I do, anyways.” He smirked and gave Taehyun a once-over, swearing he saw the other boy’s cheeks flush a light pink for just a moment before they met eyes.
“R-really? Don’t you think it’s a little big?” Taehyun wiggled his arms, showing off how much extra, unused fabric there was before tugging at the end of the sweatshirt, pulling it down just so it settled around his mid-thigh.
Yeonjun had to stop for a moment to take in the sight in front of him. Trying not to smile, his cheeks grew warm instead as he looked at Taehyun. Taehyun was just a bit shorter than him, and small, much smaller than him. Realising how big his sweatshirt looked on Taehyun, Yeonjun found himself caving into a smile which seemed to earn a giggle from the other boy.
For some reason, Yeonjun found his thoughts wandering just slightly, filling with wonder.
Wondering why Taehyun was quickly becoming his favourite sight.
Wondering how Taehyun’s laugh rivalled the most beautiful music.
Wondering how cute Taehyun would look in his other sweatshirts-
-and for the first time in his life, Choi Yeonjun had no problem with sharing.
“Not at all.” Yeonjun said back. “I think you look great. Also, I have more-” He shrugged and pointed to Taehyun. “-if you ever wanna switch it up.”
Taehyun let a coy smile play on his lips before responding to a red-faced Yeonjun.
“I’d like that.”
Those three words ignited something in Yeonjun, and for the first time in a very long time, something that he kept tucked in the back of his mind seemed to occupy his everyday thoughts.
Choi Yeonjun wanted to be in a relationship.
As months passed, the two grew closer. Spending time together inside and outside of school, Yeonjun felt a warmth blossom in his chest every time they were with each other, a feeling that would soon become one of his favourites. Learning more and more about one another, Yeonjun felt himself different around Taehyun, something he rarely, if ever, felt. He allowed himself to be genuine, and was delighted when Taehyun did the same. They talked about a variety of topics, ranging from academics and aspirations, to family life and relationships, to music and fashion - the list was endless.
Yeonjun found that there was never a dull moment when Kang Taehyun was around.
Taehyun became somewhat of a regular at his laboratory, visiting before or after classes, it was a change that Yeonjun found himself welcoming with open arms.
He'd never liked other people coming into his laboratory while he was working, not even his own brother. He hated sharing his space with others, plus, it distracted him from working. Yeonjun always groaned as he heard the sound of the door opening, knowing that some idiot was going to walk in and start using the lab, and in turn, throw his concentration off.
Now, he relished in that very thing he used to despise. The sound of the laboratory door opening quickly became synonymous with a racing heart and cheeks flushing a rosy pink.
There were so many instances where Taehyun would come in just to talk or hang out-
-and Yeonjun found himself not the least bit angry that he had to stop his work.
In fact, Yeonjun came to look forward to these times as weeks passed. Taehyun was an entertaining conversationalist. He always had something interesting to talk about, whether it be something stupid that happened in class, or something that happened at his dorm, Taehyun could make the most trivial and mundane thing sound like the coolest thing in the world.
Yeonjun really liked that. He was never good at making conversation, so having Taehyun be in charge of that was nice.
Plus, he just really liked hearing Taehyun talk.
“You know, you ramble sometimes.” Yeonjun commented, looking at Taehyun from across his table.
Taehyun laughed and began to explain, his face animated. “Oh, I know, I’m sorry, sometimes it just happens, like, one time-”
“You’re doing it again.” Yeonjun laughed and smiled warmly at Taehyun, his heart nearly skipping a beat as the smile was reciprocated.
Yeonjun would be lying if he said he wasn’t afraid. This sudden personality change coupled with thoughts he never prioritised felt almost too surreal. He was terrified his social inexperience would screw everything up, since he’d never really been close to anyone in the first place. It wasn’t that Yeonjun was cold, he just had better things to do with his time, he thought. He worked hard to get where he is now, and he believed that having friends or dating would bring him down and make him unable to focus on his research and degree. That was true, to an extent, but ever since he met Taehyun, he found himself slacking off slightly. He’d often catch himself daydreaming in lecture, twirling his pencil around his fingers idly as he thought about Taehyun instead of concentrating on what the professor was saying.
After class, Yeonjun made his way to the lab with a skip in step, knowing that Taehyun would already be there, waiting for him.
The way Taehyun greeted Yeonjun evolved from distant waves and shy smiles, to warm hugs and lingering touches - something Yeonjun couldn’t get enough of. He’d arch into Taehyun’s gentle touches and pout when they ceased, eliciting the most beautiful giggles from the other boy.
Every week or two, Yeonjun would gift Taehyun with another one of his sweatshirts, delighted when he saw Taehyun wearing them the next time he visited.
Yeonjun never realised how seeing someone else wear your sweatshirt could be so endearing-
-but Taehyun did. He knew perfectly well.
So, he did it on purpose. Wearing Yeonjun’s sweatshirt was not only extremely comfortable, but it seemed to spark something in Yeonjun, something that Taehyun came to notice over the coming weeks. There’d be something unusual in his eye, like a twinkle, or something strange in his mannerisms, like stammering more than he normally did. He noticed that Yeonjun was blushing more around him, and getting nervous whenever he came close. Taehyun knew that only one thing could possibly explain these symptoms; Choi Yeonjun had a crush.
“What are you doing now?” Taehyun asked, standing up from his spot to walk over to Yeonjun, who was hovering over a metal spider-looking contraption which, upon closer inspection, seemed to be carrying a… laser? Taehyun stood behind a concentrating Yeonjun and rested his head on Yeonjun’s shoulder, startling him slightly.
Yeonjun cleared his throat and desperately willed himself not to start sweating, or worse, blushing. “T-this little guy has a COIL laser attached to him, and, um, basically we can control him remotely.” Yeonjun nodded excitedly and shifted away slightly so he could look at Taehyun, silently groaning at their lack of closeness, but relishing in the fact that he could look at his whole face instead. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone this, but-” His voice low and quiet, Yeonjun motioned for Taehyun to come a bit closer, delighting as the smaller boy shuffled forward. “-he’s a military laser. We’re gonna send him off soon.”
“That sounds awesome! You got to work on it?”
“ Him .” Yeonjun corrected. “He has a name. We call him ‘GYU’ for short, since his actual name is super long and impossible to pronounce.”
“Him.” Taehyun smiled “You worked on him?”
“Uh-huh.” Yeonjun nodded with a proud smile on his face. “Just a little bit of fine-tuning, but still.” He shrugged.
“I see.” A loud beep filled the silent air and Taehyun pulled his phone out of his pocket, only to groan right after. “Class. Let me know how he gets on. Also, can I come by after?”
Nodding, Yeonjun managed to croak out a single syllable. “Please.”
As visits from Taehyun grew more frequent, the space between them as they sat lessened gradually, ultimately becoming nonexistent. With Taehyun practically in his lap, Yeonjun felt his heart pound at this kind of foreign intimacy-
-then he felt his heart stop completely as a pair of lips pressed gently against his own.
Soft, warm, and with a faint taste of strawberry, Yeonjun let his eyes flutter shut and melted into the kiss, allowing Taehyun to guide him.
All gentle touches and shy giggles, Taehyun pulled back and looked at Yeonjun with the most endearing yet bashful smile on his face. With Taehyun on his lap, Yeonjun stared into the boy’s wide eyes, which seemed to be shining brighter than usual, and the soft dimples that appeared on either of his cheeks.
Still seated on Yeonjun, and wearing his sweatshirt, Yeonjun decided that a relationship and sharing might not be so bad after all-
-and it wasn’t.
Before, Yeonjun dreaded sharing his time with others. Now, it was one of the things he enjoyed the most.
Before, Yeonjun thought that going on dates was unnecessary and stupid. Now, he jumped at the chance to go out anywhere with Taehyun.
Before, Yeonjun wanted to keep all his things for himself. Now, he found himself willingly giving his stuff to Taehyun, just to see that beautiful smile appear on his face.
Spending days together in his lab stealing kisses, and nights together wrapped up in each other’s arms, Yeonjun found himself falling quickly. Seeing Taehyun waddle around his dorm room in nothing but one of his long sweatshirts suddenly became his favourite thing, and Taehyun’s cute squealing as Yeonjun lifted him off the ground and onto him instead became his second.
“I think you’re lying-” Taehyun poked Yeonjun’s nose and furrowed his brows.
“Why would you say that, babe?” Yeonjun reclined on the bed and patted his thighs, hoping Taehyun would take the invitation.
Crawling on top of Yeonjun, Taehyun pouted. “Because that’s what I think.” He declared with a dumb smile on his face.
“You can’t say that and not give an explanation.” Yeonjun countered.
Taehyun groaned. “You’re too good of a kisser. There’s no way I’m your first boyfriend.”
“Really?” Yeonjun smirked shyly, surprised that his boyfriend considered him a ‘good kisser’. “I swear! You can ask my brother if you want.” Yeonjun tried to argue back, but was met with a pair of rolling eyes instead.
“Maybe I will.” Taehyun replied teasingly, unable to hold back the laughs that were threatening to spill out any longer.
As Yeonjun’s graduation rolled around, Taehyun found himself spending the school days alone. As he walked past the lab in which they met, the lab in which they shared their first kiss, the lab in which they fell for each other, Taehyun felt his heart drop. He clutched at the straps of his backpack and glued his gaze to the floor, not wanting others to see the tears that were welling up in his eyes. Racing up the stairs to the rarely-used top floor, Taehyun barricaded himself inside an empty bathroom and plunged his hands deep in his pocket, searching for his phone. With tears blurring his vision, he scrambled to call the person he called the most.
Yeonjun.
“Hey babe!” Yeonjun’s voice on the other line was happy and Taehyun immediately felt guilty for not feeling the same.
All that came out from Taehyun was a quiet sniffle, and that was enough to send Yeonjun into a fit of worry.
“Taehyun? Babe? Are you okay?” The chirpy voice that spoke before now turned into one of concern, with Yeonjun spitting out words so quickly they were almost unintelligible. “Did something happen? Do you need me to come get you? I can leave right now-”
“I miss you-” Taehyun’s small voice broke the continuous stream of words. “-Jjuni.”
“Baby-” Yeonjun sighed. “-you scared me. I miss you, too.” He said warmly, voice soft and low now.
“I walked by your lab…” Taehyun gripped the phone tighter. “I just want to see you so badly. I hate that you’re gone.”
“Listen, baby, I’ll make it up to you today. I know I haven’t seen you in a few days, and I’m so, so sorry, but one of my co-workers dumped a project on me and I don’t really have a choice to refuse it.” Yeonjun sucked in a deep breath. “However, I’ll leave a few hours early today, come pick you up, grab us some takeaway, and we can spend tonight together at my place. Okay?”
Taehyun could practically hear Yeonjun smile through the phone.
“I’d really like that.”
“I thought you might. I’ll see you in a few hours, baby. Hopefully I can make you feel better.” Yeonjun chuckled for just a second before speaking again, holding the phone closer to his face this time. “Hey, you know something?” He whispered.
“Hmm? What is it?” Taehyun asked.
“I love you.”
Taehyun blushed.
“I love you, too.”
Yeonjun was true to his word. His flat reeked of fast food, but with a full and happy Taehyun in his arms, he couldn’t care less.
“Wanna change and head to bed?” Yeonjun asked, rubbing gingerly at Taehyun’s arm. “I have a shirt for you.”
Taehyun giggled and nodded and allowed Yeonjun to take his hands, guiding him off the couch and into his bedroom.
“Here.” Yeonjun rifled through a drawer before offering a shirt to Taehyun with a smile. “Let me see you in it.”
With a blush on his face, Taehyun changed quickly and crawled into Yeonjun’s open arms. Lifting the smaller boy onto him as he relaxed on the bed, Yeonjun buried his hand in Taehyun’s hair, ruffling the brown strands gently.
“You really missed me that much today, baby?” Yeonjun pouted down at Taehyun.
Nodding slowly, Taehyun looked up at his boyfriend with big eyes and a frown on his lips. “I don’t know what got into me…” He trailed off and tried to snuggle closer to Yeonjun, trying to eliminate any space between their bodies and let himself melt into Yeonjun’s touch.
“I’m not used to it either, yet.” Yeonjun admitted, his hands gliding up and down Taehyun’s sides comfortingly. “Having an actual job is crazy.” He blew out a sharp breath and wrapped his arms around Taehyun’s waist tighter. “Can I admit something to you?”
Taehyun nodded.
“I didn’t think I’d ever have any of... this before. I never thought I’d be in a relationship.” Yeonjun laughed dryly. “I’m selfish… was selfish. I didn’t want to share anything with anyone. I didn’t want to share my time, my feelings, my... stuff with anyone before-”
“Then-” Taehyun interrupted, brows furrowed slightly. “-why me?”
“I… don’t know. You captivated me.” Yeonjun admitted with a deep breath. “Not a day goes by that I don’t thank you for getting lost and walking into my lab instead-”
“Jjuni, you’re going to make m-me cry…” Voice quavering, Taehyun buried his face in the crook of Yeonjun’s neck.
“Agh, I’m sorry.” He turned slightly to press a kiss to the top of Taehyun’s head, delighting as he heard a giggle from the younger boy. “Come here, come here.”
Taehyun looked at Yeonjun with big, glassy eyes, desperately trying to blink back the tears that were threatening to spill out.
“Hey, hey, baby-” Yeonjun thumbed at Taehyun’s cheek, wiping away the droplets that had grown too heavy and managed to escape. “-shh.” Yeonjun placed a kiss to the tip of Taehyun’s nose before pressing their foreheads together, the smaller boy sniffling quietly as they looked into each other’s eyes. “You’re so pretty, you know that? That’s the first thing I thought when I saw you… and it still hasn’t changed.”
“Aw, Jjuni-” Taehyun laughed shyly before grabbing at the loose fabric on Yeonjun’s shirt and pressing himself against it, face red and warm from the compliment.
“You'll be out and graduated in no time, and we can take our lunch breaks together!” Yeonjun said happily, rubbing gently at the back of Taehyun's neck.
“I hope so.”
His final year seemed to speed by and Taehyun couldn't be happier. He was ready, ready to start his life with a real job, ready to start his life with a real place to live in-
-ready to start his life with Yeonjun.
Taehyun found a job close to where Yeonjun worked, and he was extremely thankful. He couldn't go very long without physically seeing Yeonjun, something inside him just couldn't handle it. He needed to be held, kissed, and cherished, something that could only be done by Yeonjun.
Lunch breaks became their favourite part of their work days. Half-eating and half-flirting, it was just a little taste of what was to come when they went home.
Taehyun usually got home earlier since he started work an hour earlier than Yeonjun. He usually took that time to prepare a nice dinner for both of them, and today was no exception. A delicious aroma filled the kitchen and spilled out into the rest of the rooms, something that prompted a smile from Yeonjun as he finally arrived home.
Yeonjun looked at Taehyun in the kitchen and felt his heart swell. Taehyun's hair was mussed slightly and there was a dab of pimple cream on his face; he was dressed in one of Yeonjun's shirts which looked ridiculously long on him and stopped right above his knees, and had his eyeglasses on.
“I don't know what's more delicious-” Yeonjun started, kicking his shoes off and walking towards Taehyun, arms outstretched. He settled himself behind Taehyun and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist, letting his head come to rest on Taehyun's shoulder. “-this food, or you.” He gushed, pressing open-mouthed kisses up and down Taehyun's neck.
“Ugh.” Taehyun groaned. “Please, I look like crap. And I have a pimple!” He turned around to face Yeonjun and pointed dramatically to the spot of white cream on his cheek. “It's so-”
Yeonjun rolled his eyes and dipped forward to kiss Taehyun quickly but gently. As he pulled away, he smiled. “Shut up. You look beautiful.”
Struggling to hide his smile, Taehyun just turned around to tend to the food, the blush on his face unable to be seen by Yeonjun.
“I know you're blushing, babe.” Yeonjun teased as he walked into the bedroom to change. “We've been dating for over two years, you really think I don't know what makes you blush?” He called out, knowingly.
That seemed to make Taehyun blush even harder.
Two years became three, and three years became four, and before they knew it, they were due for a five-year anniversary celebration. They were never ones for going out and having some lavish dinner and party, so staying in with some greasy food and lazy clothes proved to be just as good. Snuggled together on the couch, Yeonjun draped an arm around his boyfriend and Taehyun reached a hand up to link his fingers loosely with Yeonjun's.
Yeonjun was amazed, and not only at how great Taehyun was, but at how much Taehyun had changed him. It was really something that rarely crossed his mind years ago, and now, he found himself sharing everything with someone. He wasn't much of crier, but as he sat in thought with Taehyun clinging onto him, he couldn't stop the flow of tears. He never imagined that the person he had his first kiss with would also be the person he shared his first time with, and in turn, his first love.
And he was grateful.
Extremely.