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Soobin held the little box in his hands, doing his best to keep his smile off his face. He didn’t want to give away the surprise by accident, even though he was sure Yeonjun would be able to figure out what it was. Soobin had also slipped on the iconic letterman jacket that had been the starting point of the most fulfilling relationship of his life. Usually, it hung in his closet and was only brought out for special occasions—now that Yeonjun was at college Soobin didn’t wear it as often.
It made him nostalgic when he wore it, and he figured their one-year anniversary was a good reason to put it back on. He might have gotten a few weird looks from the college students in the dorm halls, but he only smiled brightly at them, which made them either smile back or look away awkwardly. Usually, he might have felt self-conscious, but he only had to think of Yeonjun’s expression when he saw him wearing it and he felt secure.
He stopped at the door, proud of himself for not getting lost. Yeonjun had only moved in a couple of weeks ago, and Soobin had gotten tragically turned around the first time he came to visit. He ended up knocking on someone else’s door and was so mortified he pretended to be an RA and, well, he obviously wasn’t an RA so that ended badly. Yeonjun found it all hilarious but proceeded to give Soobin step-by-step directions so he didn’t get lost again.
The younger made sure the box was properly closed before he knocked. Yeonjun was finished with classes, and Soobin could only hope his roommate wasn’t back yet. He wasn’t planning on doing anything scandalous, but he got shy if there were other people to witness him being head-over-heels in love with Yeonjun. The confidence he held when they were relatively alone disappeared as soon as another person entered the room.
Soobin could hear some light music leaking through the door and he wondered what the elder was getting up to. They hadn’t texted since the morning, which wasn’t anything substantial, just their normal good morning texts. Soobin hadn’t been expected a happy anniversary, and he assumed the boy was also planning a surprise of sorts. They liked to do that with each other. Spontaneous dates, gifts sneaked under their doors, stuff like that. It kept their relationship exciting.
But when Yeonjun opened the door, he was dressed in exercise clothes, hair tied back and his shoes were halfway tied. His eyes widened as he saw Soobin and he did a shameless once-over with his eyes, lingering on the red jacket. “I didn’t know you were coming over,” he said sweetly, smiling a little and leaning up to kiss Soobin’s cheek. Soobin blushed, stepping inside as Yeonjun opened the door more. “Wanted to surprise you,” he explained.
Yeonjun chuckled, closing the door and going to sit on his bed. His roommate was indeed out, but it appeared that Yeonjun was getting ready to leave as well. Soobin could see his workout bag on the floor next to him, and he was tying his shoes as if he had just put them on. The taller furrowed his brow, a subtle sadness starting to creep up on him. Surely…surely Yeonjun hadn’t forgotten.
He wasn’t the most sentimental one out of the two, but Soobin had made it pretty obvious that their anniversary was this week. Mostly because he was excited, and he had never gotten this far in a relationship before, so it was a big deal to him. It kind of hurt to think that Yeonjun hadn’t been counting up to it the same way Soobin had. But maybe Soobin was being too sensitive.
“I’m meeting Jungkook-hyung at the gym, he’s gonna teach me how to box,” Yeonjun informed, standing up straight after tying his shoes. Soobin blinked a few times, still holding the box that contained Yeonjun’s gift. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a red string bracelet that symbolised two souls connected. Soobin had gotten the idea from a friend of a friend, added a couple charms, and that was that. “Oh. Will you be gone long? I can wait here until you come back,” he replied.
Yeonjun moved around him to grab something from his closet and Soobin watched him as he did. “I think we’re gonna get dinner after, but you can totally join us! You’d love Jungkook-hyung, he’s the best,” the elder replied from the depths of the closet. Soobin’s face fell as his heart constricted a bit and he felt a small lump form in his throat.
“But hyung—.”
“Oh fuck, I’m running late.”
Yeonjun rushed past Soobin, ignoring him and picking up his bag. He was texting on his phone rapidly, not even looking at Soobin, and he only stopped when he got to his door. Soobin stood there, watching as his boyfriend shoved a towel in his bag and then shot Soobin an oblivious smile. “I’ll text you the address of where we go eat,” he said simply, not waiting for a response as he opened his door and left.
Soobin blinked a few times, trying to figure out what he should do, and what he was feeling. He was definitely on the verge of tears, but he wasn’t sure if he was angry or sad. He didn’t think he was angry, he knew Yeonjun didn’t forget on purpose. But it still definitely hurt. Soobin sat down on Yeonjun’s bed, staring at the neatly wrapped box that Yeonjun hadn’t even noticed. He sighed, sniffling as a few tears managed to escape. He wiped them away quickly, taking a deep breath and deciding to just let it go. It was fine, they would hopefully have more anniversaries in the future.
He sat the box on Yeonjun’s desk and took his shoes off. He would rest in the dorm until Yeonjun texted him about dinner, and he would at least try to enjoy that, even if it wouldn’t just be the two of them. He was rather tired from his long day at school—stupid high school, he couldn’t wait to graduate—and so he managed to fall asleep pretty fast as soon as he curled up.
After a short nap, Soobin did some homework using Yeonjun’s laptop, and then soon after the boy himself sent an address to a café not too far from campus. Soobin got up, putting his shoes back on and grabbing the gift. He checked his reflection in the mirror and then left, going down to his car. He still didn’t feel great about what had happened, but he tried not to let it get to him.
He drove to the café and got out, looking around for Yeonjun’s head of pink hair as he walked up. He found him sitting at a table with who Soobin assumed to be Jungkook. The elder was shorter than Yeonjun, but from what Soobin could see, he had a kind face and bunny teeth similar to Soobin himself. He was a little intimidated as he walked up, but Yeonjun lifted his gaze and smiled as he saw Soobin approaching.
Soobin smiled back as best he could and slid into the seat that Yeonjun had saved for him.
“Soobinie! I’m so happy you came!” Yeonjun squealed, throwing an arm around Soobin’s shoulders and giving his cheek a kiss. Soobin blushed despite himself, glancing at Jungkook, who had a fond expression on his face. “This is Jungkook-hyung,” Yeonjun introduced, gesturing to the boy sitting across from them. Soobin bowed his head politely. “This is my boyfriend Soobin, who I told you about.”
Jungkook smiled warmly, bowing his head too. “Nice to meet you, Soobin-ah, Yeonjun never stops talking about you,” he teased, laughing lowly. Soobin blushed again, not sure what to say. Like he said, his confidence went out the window in situations like these. Yeonjun only groaned, shaking his head and falling back into his seat. “Don’t listen to a word hyung says, Soobin,” he instructed.
Soobin only bit his lip, setting the gift on the table as he took off the jacket. It was a little warm in the café. The action drew attention to the gift though, and Yeonjun snatched it up. “Is this for me?” he asked, eyes bright. Soobin hesitated, lips parted but no words coming out. He hadn’t even really meant to bring it inside, and he wasn’t sure Yeonjun should open it. But before he could think of an excuse, Yeonjun started to pull apart the wrappings.
“Soobin and I like to give each other gifts every now and then, like cute little surprises,” he explained to Jungkook, who was watching everything. Soobin’s heart had dropped to his stomach, and he was sure he looked pale as a ghost. This was about to be so embarrassing. Jungkook only smiled happily though, eyes trained on Yeonjun’s hands as he finished taking off the wrappings.
All Soobin could do was watch as well, as his boyfriend lifted the lid and reached inside. He saw the bracelet, cooing and examining it closely before setting it back and plucking the little note up. Soobin looked away then, staring at his lap, hands shoved under his thighs. But he couldn’t look away for more than a second, and so he peeked with his peripheral vision.
He saw Yeonjun read the card, and the grin on his face faded as his eyes widened and a panicked expression fell over him.
“Fuck,” he breathed.
Soobin really looked away then, but not before catching a glimpse of a concerned Jungkook. Soobin puffed his cheeks out a few times as Yeonjun sat the note down and turned to look at Soobin. Soobin couldn’t not look at him, so he lifted his head and the look on Yeonjun’s face broke his heart, even though he had been the one who had forgotten. But the boy looked so tortured, skin pale and eyes full of fear. “I’m a fucking idiot,” he said, grabbing Soobin’s arm. Soobin shook his head, glancing at Jungkook, who looked confused but also a little worried. “You’re not, hyung, it’s okay, really,” Soobin reassured.
Yeonjun shook his head, pushing his chair out and standing up. “It’s not okay. We are both going to go home, and I am going to pick you up and we are going to celebrate.” He didn’t seem to be open to negotiation, so Soobin just nodded, watching as Yeonjun carefully closed the gift box and handed it back to Soobin. Soobin took it, but kept his gaze on Yeonjun, who seemed close to shaking.
Soobin wanted to say something, even opened his mouth to do so, but again no words came out. Yeonjun grabbed his stuff, bowed to Jungkook—who was now watching with a sense of sad understanding—and after a pained glance at Soobin, he dashed out. Soobin watched until he couldn’t see him anymore, and he sighed.
“You know,” Jungkook said, startling Soobin. The younger flinched and then blushed furiously out of embarrassment, turning to look at his hyung. Jungkook was smiling gently at him, empathetically. “I forgot my boyfriend and I’s two-year anniversary.” He chuckled then, and a little pressure lifted off Soobin’s chest as he listened. “I had to sleep on the couch for a week,” Jungkook continued, sitting up straight. He looked Soobin in the eye then. “It didn’t mean I didn’t love him, I just genuinely forgot. And I haven’t forgotten since then.”
He reached a hand out, patting Soobin’s shoulder, before standing up too. Soobin did the same, clumsily bowing. “Thank you, Jungkook-ssi. It was really nice to meet you,” he stammered. Jungkook smiled, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. “Don’t let him off too easy, he should know he messed up. But don’t read into it too much,” he said as a final piece of advice. Soobin wasn’t used to it, getting advice from someone older and more experienced than him, but he greatly appreciated it. He said as much, and then the two parted ways.
Soobin drove home, still kind of sad but comforted a little by Jungkook’s wise words.
When Yeonjun knocked on Soobin’s bedroom door—his parents must have let him in—Soobin opened it slowly. Yeonjun looked amazing, decked out in a suit and tie and his hair was slicked back off his forehead and Soobin found it a little harder to breathe.
“Happy anniversary, baby,” Yeonjun whispered.
Soobin blushed, letting Yeonjun in. He closed his door, chewing on his lip. Yeonjun walked into the middle of the room, before turning to face Soobin. He clasped his hands together and blew out a stream of air as he fidgeted.
Soobin moved closer, hating the tension. “You look really pretty,” he complimented. Yeonjun looked at him, before suddenly closing the distance. He invaded Soobin’s space as he cupped his cheeks and kissed him. The taller squeaked, eyes widening, before he kissed back a bit. It didn’t last long, Yeonjun pulling away but keeping his hands on Soobin’s face.
“I am so sorry, Soobin. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, but I’m so sorry I did, and whatever I can do to make it up to you, I’ll do,” he said, desperate. Soobin stared at him, at his ridiculously attractive and compassionate boyfriend who he had fallen so deeply in love with over the year they had been together. He could see the tinge of fear in his irises, could feel the way his fingers were holding onto his cheeks a little tighter, and he wanted to put him at ease.
He would follow Jungkook’s advice and not read into it. It was clearly causing Yeonjun more distress than Soobin had imagined, and he didn’t want that. So he rested his hands on Yeonjun’s slim waist and kissed his nose. He only ever did that when they were in private. “You don’t have to do anything,” he whispered. He lifted a hand to brush it over Yeonjun’s soft cheek. “Just don’t forget again,” he tacked on, smiling softly.
Yeonjun blushed, locking his arms around Soobin’s neck. “I won’t, I swear,” he replied. Soobin smiled again, and the two shared another kiss. When they parted, Yeonjun ran his hands over the letterman jacket that Soobin was still wearing. “Still can’t believe this move worked on you,” he muttered, mostly to himself.
Soobin chuckled, pulling Yeonjun back by the waist. “It worked because it was you who gave it to me.”
They ended up ditching dinner and staying in, Yeonjun shedding his suit to wear some of Soobin’s pajamas, and they exchanged gifts on Soobin’s bed. Yeonjun pretended to be adorably surprised when he re-opened his, and it made Soobin giggle and the last of his sadness to leave him. Yeonjun was excellent at cheering him up and making him feel so loved, and he felt it even more that night.
Yeonjun gifted him a key to his dorm, which kind of made Soobin want to cry, and then they ordered takeout and put on a movie.
After they ate, they turned up the volume of the movie and did their best to stay as quiet as possible as they spent an hour or two really making sure the other knew how loved they were. It was difficult with Soobin still living with his parents, but they had learned the best ways to be discreet.
When they were sated and their bodies too exhausted to do anything else, they turned off the movie and got ready for bed.
Soobin turned on his fan and sat down, taking his contacts out carefully. Yeonjun emerged from the bathroom, hair damp and throat littered with hickeys, courtesy of Soobin (and Yeonjun’s begging). He gave Soobin a sweet smile, crawling onto the bed and flopping onto the pillows. “Think you broke me,” he whispered, giggling.
The darkness hid Soobin’s blush as he rolled his eyes, closing his contact lens case and rolling onto his back. “Pretty sure you kept asking me to,” he replied. Yeonjun scoffed, curling up into Soobin’s side and rubbing his nose against the skin of his neck. “Can’t prove anything,” he mumbled. Soobin smiled, throwing an arm over Yeonjun’s waist and pulling him closer, nearly halfway on top of him.
The boy cuddled him, leaving kisses over his collarbones before settling his head next to Soobin’s on the pillow. Their noses brushed, and Soobin closed his eyes, heart fluttering happily. Yeonjun’s hand ran through his hair methodically, lulling him closer and closer to unconsciousness. “I love you so much, Soobin,” the elder whispered, lips brushing Soobin’s.
Soobin could only whimper a bit before Yeonjun kissed him quiet. It was a chaste kiss, short but sweet, and Soobin was in heaven. “I love you too,” he replied, feeling like he was floating. Fuck actual drugs, he would get high off Yeonjun instead. Yeonjun hummed, kissing him one more time before snuggling up and getting comfortable.
Soobin fell asleep quickly, so intertwined with Yeonjun he didn’t know where he began, and the other ended.