Work Text:
Right after putting down his luggage on a corner, Jae proceeded to check the sink, and was relieved to find that the water was still running. During his flight to Korea, he worried about the facilities in his old apartment. When he left two years ago, he didn't even have the time to worry about these things because he didn't know how long he would be gone, heck, he didn't even know if he would still come back or not. at that time, he had two important goals to achieve: one, to pursue his dream and two, to forget about his unrequited love--it was killing two birds with one stone. But he obviously failed to hunt the second bird. And gloriously at that. For he still had the man's picture inside his wallet all this time.
But the first one he had successfully pinned down. He's now a wildlife photographer. some of his works were featured in magazines, one time he even made it to national geographic monthly issue. It was his biggest achievement. He could say that starving in the Amazon forest for months was worth it. Don't get him wrong, he enjoyed life in the jungle. It's just that, juicy lobsters often appeared in his dreams and it made his mouth water just thinking about it the next day.
Jae checked all the lights if they were still working before he entered his bedroom.
Two days ago, he hired someone to clean his place and by how fresh the air inside his room was, he knew that he made the right decision even though it cost him a part of his fortune. The room was spotless, the bed was already made and sanitized and the bathroom was filled with fresh towels and toiletries.
Out of pure habit, he opened his personal fridge for some water. He was about to laugh at himself as he realized how stupid he was when he saw that the appliance was working and there was a pitcher half-filled with clean water inside. He took it out and examined it. It looked like the water was placed there just recently. Thinking that the cleaning staff must have placed it in there, he shrugged his shoulders and returned the pitcher.
Jae slumped down his worn out body on his bed and closed his eyes. Oh how much he missed the comfort of his own home.
It was finally the day. The day when they could happily wear their black gowns and throw their square hats in the air.
College life had been way better than Jae's unrequited love for his best friend. Finally he could say goodbye to college but as for his love quest, well, the least he could do was to tough it up; he thought as he styled his hair in front of a full length mirror attached to the door of his wooden cabinet. He fixed his glasses a bit and smiled to himself, puffing his chest out a little more than necessary.
He wore his favorite light blue striped polo shirt with matching dark blue necktie that he found among his rubbish just the day before. His one and only black jeans was the ripped one of course, so he applied some remedy on it--thread, needle and his sewing skills (their dean specifically said that ripped jeans weren't allowed for the program). And good thing that he still had his black leather shoes from high school because otherwise, he would have just worn his all-time favorite black and white canvas shoes. At least it's way better than Brian's crocs. He slightly chuckled at the thought Brian's prized pair of blue rubber shits before picking up his paper bag and marched towards the door. He's sure that Brian was already there at the venue, forever ready for his speech, having graduated at the top of his class and all. What's new anyway.
When Jae arrived, the place was already packed with people buzzing about but he didn't have any difficulty locating his best friend. He found Brian sitting on the right most front chair fiddling with his phone, earphones in his ears.
Jae Briskly walked towards Brian before grabbing his free hand. Brian was surprised but his features softened when he saw that it was just his friend. But still, that didn't mean he won't yell at the older.
"Where the hell are you dragging me to?"
They were nearing the lined-up empty halls and classrooms. away from the bustling crowd.
Jae stopped at a corner. "Here."
Brian raised a brow. "First, let go of my hand. My sleeve is already crumpled," he said as he removed his earphones with his free hand and placed them inside his pockets, under his gown.
But Jae didn't let go. Instead, he tightened his grip like his life depended on it. Because it did. Duh. He felt like his chest was holding thousands of drums and they were being played at different rhythms and bpms as he pulled Brian into his arms and hugged him tight.
"What drama is this supposed to be Jae?"
"Let me stay just like this a little more please."
Brian never said anything and lifted his own arms to hug Jae back which the latter was so thankful he ought to cry.
After a while, Jae loosened his hold but he didn't totally let go. He tried to find Brian's eyes but in the end, he chose to look away.
He didn't want to see the look of disgust on the younger's face.
Well now he was still the same Brian but Jae wasn't sure what to expect later.
Jae settled his eyes on a trash bin nearby and took a deep breath before starting. "I don't really know when all of this started. Maybe it's when I strongly insisted on going to the same university as you when we were about to graduate from high school despite my grades being average at most. But what i'm sure is that my feelings had turned into something serious during our second year in college when you said you wanted to get a girlfriend." Jae paused and bit his lower lip before continuing, "I...I'm so sorry Bri. Back then I did everything to date every single girl that I thought you liked just to prevent you from getting a girlfriend. And it worked. That's why I kept doing it until now. I like you Bri. so much."
Jae felt Brian's hands on his chest, pushing him away. He had to bite the inside of his cheeks just to stop his tears from falling. It was really happening.
"Jae, please tell me that you're just joking," Brian said, disbelief in his voice.
"Bri i'm serious." Jae didn't know what occurred to him but a split second later, he found himself grabbing Brian by the shoulder before he leaned forward. He would kiss him! But before he could do anything irreversible, a clean hit landed on his face.
Brian slapped him.
"I can't believe what you were just about to do to me, of all people Jae. I hate you," Brian hissed before he turned around and walked away like Jae was a plague.
Having spent all of his energy confessing, Jae just watched Brian leave him. So there he was, splayed on the cold concrete floor as his tears flowed freely from both sides of his eyes.
Jae opened his eyes and saw that it was already dark outside through the slightly opened window. He wondered why his vision was blurry despite having slept with his glasses still on so he removed them and was not really surprised that his cheeks were wet with tears. He let out a bitter chuckle before wiping them with the sleeve of his shirt.
He sat up and put on his glasses again. He was about to stand when he heard someone humming.
Jae stopped his other brain activities and sharpened his hearing.
Someone was really humming.
Cold sweat started to form on his forehead. Anything but ghosts. He lived in the wilderness while he was on his expedition but there were no ghost sightings there. He did his research mind you. But he couldn't say the same about his old apartment since he was gone for a long time. Maybe the ghosts decided to live there like...a year ago?
But he was a six foot tall adult man for christ's sake. He was no longer the lanky teenager that he used to be, always hiding behind Brian whenever he heard strange noises from the ceiling. He could do this. He needed to. He could rely on no one but himself.
Cautiously, he landed both feet on the floor all the while chanting that no one's gonna grab his ankles from under the bed, fuck. He heaved out a sigh of relief when he felt nothing of the sort, he tiptoed towards the door and opened a crack so he could peek from it.
In the kitchen to his right, he saw a man. The said man had his back on him, busy doing something while humming a tune like he was at his own home and not barging into someone else's apartment.
Jae gulped. What if the man was a serial killer that decided to stay at his abandoned apartment for the time being? Well that's way much less scary than ghosts but still. He observed the man a bit more not sure what to do next when the said man turned around and now he was facing Jae.
Their eyes met.
"Brian?"
And Jae was answered by a shriek from a very scared Brian.
Well who wouldn't be scared when you've felt that someone was watching you for a while already and when you turn around you would be greeted by a pair of haggard eyes peering through a crack on the door of your supposed to be missing-in-action friend's bedroom?
Jae opened the door to show himself to the still screaming Brian. "Hey it's me."
Brian blinked for a couple of times at the older man. "Jae?"
Jae let out a hesitant smile. Brian still looked the same even after two years. He still wore his raven black hair at the same length that Jae found refreshing. Not too short but not too long either. His fox eyes still pierced through Jae in a glistening glow like youth was forever trapped in them. His eyes make someone think that he was up to no good when all he ever was was a kind, caring and understanding friend that you couldn't ask for more unless you are Jae.
"I-it's been a while. yeah." Jae didn't know what to say. "Uhh..so you still have the key to this apartment that I gave you five years ago."
Brian huffed. "How else could I enter here? I'm not the one who picked the classroom locks before, remember?"
Jae laughed. Of course it was always him who opened locked doors.
"Yah park Jaehyung. You disappeared without telling me anything are you stupid?"
Jae bit his lower lip. "Sorry, the circumstances made it difficult for me to say goodbye to you." Well, he wasn't entirely lying.
Brian had an unreadable face. "You could have at least left me a message. After that half-assed confession you ran away like the coward that you are. I didn't know you were a quitter."
The words were supposed to hurt Jae but how could he feel that when the one saying them had tears rolling down his cheeks. In a few strides, he crossed the room and drew Brian into his arms. "Oh my God. I'm sorry, Bri. Shh. Oh my God please stop crying." He whispered as he ran his hand on the younger's back up and down in a comforting manner that he knew. The sight of Brian crying because of him broke his heart.
But instead of hushing, Brian started to cry harder. He was now a bawling mess on Jae's chest. "You idiot jerk." He started, words muffled. "How dare you leave me after that. I was so confused, worried and lost." Then he cried even more, hitting Jae as he continued to let out his frustration. "I...I went back to where I left you after the graduation ceremony but you weren't there anymore. I was so worried when you didn't show up when the emcee called for your name to claim your diploma. I said I hated you but I didn't tell you to get lost dummy! After that I went to find you in California but the State was so big I didn't have your mother's number or your home address, the registrar's office said they couldn't give it to me too because of data privacy, the fuckers." At this point, Brian was practically being carried by Jae considering how he didn't have any strength left to hit the older man anymore, much less to stand on his own. But he still continued. "Every fucking time I would hear news about a corpse being found somewhere I would pray that you may always be safe and sound, you know how much I hated praying but I still did it because I was powerless against your demon. But you? Did you even think of me even for a fleeting moment? I was like a zombie for four straight months. If I didn't meet our arts professor by chance I wouldn't have known that you went to some stupid jungle in America. I swear I was so close to burning that woodland if that's the only way to get your butt out of there. I don't care if it's a virgin forest or whatever. I myself is a virgin but you still left me--"
Jae couldn't help but snicker. Brian was already rambling which was a good sign. His sobs had considerably toned down too.
Brian shoved him away. "Now you're laughing at me. I wasn't joking."
Scratching the back of his head, Jae started to explain. "I'm sorry, of course you weren't joking. I was the one at fault. But on that day I really tried to be brave. I confessed to you but you said you hated me for it. So being the coward that I am, I ran away."
"If I didn't say I hated you, you wouldn't have left?" Brian implored in between small sobs.
"I would have asked you to come with me." Jae said in all honesty. Brian would have to sacrifice but Jae would do everything to prove that it would be worth it.
They had a staring contest that lasted for minutes before Brian broke the silence. "So what if I told you that it's okay now?"
Taken by surprise, Jae didn't know what to say or do. His heartbeat tripled and he's sure he was as white as a radish.
Brian pursed his slightly trembling lips. "So it's not possible anymore?"
Jae was quick to shake his head. He found even breathing laborious.
Obviously misunderstanding what Jae meant, Brian snorted, "Of course it's been two years already. What the hell was I even thinking?” he clumsily fished out the key to Jae's apartment from the pocket of his jeans and placed it on the counter. "I used your apartment without your permission but I maintained and cleaned it while you were away so don't ask me for rent. But if you will still insist, I will be forced to recall all of your debts since we were in middle school. I think the sum and interest will be more than enough to cover it." Cleaning the remaining tears that stained his cheeks, Brian turned around to walk away.
He was already about to turn the knob of the door when he felt strong hands gripped his shoulders and he was forced to turn around. The same hands seized his wrists and pinned him on the door. Brian was surprised but he toughened it up when he saw Jae's burning eyes.
The kiss was simple. just two lips pressed together. Yet Brian felt heavenly.
Jae rested his forehead against Brian's as he looked at him in the eyes. "Of course it's more than okay. You, saying that it's okay was enough to stop my world from spinning. And don't ever say that I didn't think about you. Every blade of grass I've seen, every rustling of leaves I've heard, every rain drop that fell and every morning dew I've smelled reminded me of you. Because every beauty I encountered made me remember how beautiful you are inside and out. I've been unceasingly in love with you and I missed you so much Kang Brian."
"I missed you too. A lot." Brian closed the gap between them for a chaste kiss. He felt his cheeks warm up at the next few words he uttered, "Why don't you show me how much you missed me Park Jaehyung ssi?"
Upon hearing this, Jaehyung lifted him up bridal style and carried him to his room before kicking the door close.
Jae woke up with a start.
An oh-so-familiar mop of hair greeted his eyes as soon as he opened them; soft black hair full of lush and volume.
He was so happy he could die. To wake up with the love of his life lying close to him had been one of his greatest dreams. The warm breath that fanned his bare chest was a confirmation that he wasn't just hallucinating and everything that happened the night before wasn't just the product of his wild imagination.
Brian was really there, curling up beside him. His honey skin glowed against the morning sunshine as his chest heaved up and down in a steady rhythm.
The Kang Brian in flesh.
Jae couldn't believe that god finally answered his prayers after years of ignoring them.
The blanket only covered their waists down so Jae decided to fix the fabric afraid that Brian would get cold even at the expense of him leaving the younger's side so he could do it properly without waking him up. Slowly, he inched his body away from the sleeping prince and carefully pulled the blanket up to his chin.
Jae got surprised when Brian mumbled something incoherent but a fond smile found its way to his lips when the younger went back to his slumber again.
He sat on the edge of the bed and gazed lovingly at the man who had been with him since middle school. The same man he'd been in love with for years.
Brian's face was the definition of the calmest seas. His eyes that slant upwards were closed in the most perfect way possible. It was as if each and every one of his lashes was crafted and laid out by the world's finest artisans.
His lips. One should have at least touched them in order to give an acceptable description on how they could make someone see an entirely different dimension. Just looking at them wouldn't give someone a hint on how sublime they were. Jae licked his lips before he leaned forward, enchanted.
But his timing could be labeled as the worst in the whole universe because just when he was about an inch away from the treat, the calm and peaceful sea got disrupted the moment Brian opened his eyes.
Jae's dreamland vanished as he stopped midway, petrified.
In his dreams, Brian would always smile sweetly at him after their love-making and greet him with a 'good morning' in his hoarse voice.
But reality was just the most absolute plot twist jerk because Brian was fucking scowling at him.
"What the hell are you doing? It's cold."
Brian's voice was sexy but his tone wasn't.
It took Jae a couple of seconds to pull away and heat up in embarrassment realizing that he was just caught red-handed.
Flustered, Jae ransacked his head for an excuse but he couldn't find any. "I-I'm sorry. I thought. I could-"
Brian's brows met in the middle of his forehead. "Hurry up and get back in here it's cold."
Jae looked at Brian and then to the space beside him that he was obviously offering to him. "Do you want me to get back to bed with you? You're not angry?"
"You don't want to? Fine." Brian pulled the covers over his head and turned his back away from the older.
"Bri, I didn't mean--okay sorry. If you need anything I will just be in the kitchen making breakfast." Jae said as he picked up his shirt that scattered on the floor before promptly picking up Brian's and folded them neatly and placed them on the chair next to the bed before exiting the room.
When Brian heard the door close with a soft click, he pulled down the blanket revealing a wide grin. But he raised it up again when he heard approaching footsteps.
The door slightly opened and Jae peeked his head through the opening, "Uhh..what do you want for breakfast?"
To the older's surprise, Brian answered. "I'm not that hungry yet. Come join me here again. I wanna sleep more."
"Why?"
Brian eye rolled. "I told you it's cold. I will cook for us later so come here before I change my mind."
Jae was quick to cross the room. He settled himself beside the younger under the covers. Observing Brian's broad back, he wanted nothing but to hug him tight in his arms. But he didn't. There's a seventy-five percent possibility that Brian would snap at him if he did. But the next words of the younger proved him wrong.
"Put your arms around me. I'm cold."
Jae placed his right arm over Brian, the hollow on his waist perfect for accommodating his limb like it was tailored for him. "You smell really good," he murmured as he buried his nose on the younger's nape.
Jae felt a warm hand on his arm. Brian was making circles on his skin with his thumb.
"I love you too."
Afraid that he was just hearing things, Jae just kept silent but of course he was screaming inside.
"Hey. I said I love you too." This time, Brian turned towards Jae and kissed the tip of his nose.
"i...well. I'm at a loss for words?" Jae stated as a matter of fact. Because hell, he was overjoyed.
Brian grinned.