Work Text:
July 7, 2022
The sound of an alarm filled the room as Soobin lay in his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. 5:53pm.
He sat up with a groan and silenced the alarm on the bedside table. He opened the draw and pulled out a small container. He poured it's contents into his mouth and swallowed it down with a gulp. The sounds of cars passing by the window filled the room, and Soobin sighed, pulling the covers up to cover his chest.
His eyes fluttered closed as sleep finally took over.
March 4, 2017.
When he walked into his first biology class at his new school, Soobin found himself seated between the two boys he would soon call his best friends. He always tried his best to focus on the work, but it was so much harder when he was stuck between two people who somehow managed to speak about anything and everything.
"No I'm telling you Yeonjun, eggs are fruits" The smaller of the two boys was practically leaping out of his seat.
"Beomgyu an egg is not a fruit or a vegetable" The pair stared at each other over the top of Soobin's head. On the bright side... at least he knew their names now.
"Ok. Well. Maybe we should ask the new kid what he thinks." Soobin looked to the boy on his right with a puzzled look.
"M-me?" Soobin stuttered as he met Beomgyu's eyes. Beomgyu nodded.
Soobin rubbed the nape of his neck while he searched for an answer. "Uh. Well. Yeonjun's right. It's not a fruit or a vegetable." The cheesy grin on Beomgyu's face dropped, and he stared at Soobin, dumbfounded.
"Wait. How do you know my name?" Yeonjun raised an eyebrow at Soobin.
Stifling a laugh, Soobin simply shook his head and went back to taking notes. Yeonjun and Beomgyu stared at each other, both hoping for an answer from the other.
5:54pm
September 13, 2020
It had been more than 3 years his first encounter with Yeonjun and Beomgyu, and now the trio were practically inseparable.
They did everything together.
"SOOBIN!" Beomgyu was sprinting down the hallway towards the tall boy. He grabbed his shoulders before he ran into him. "The. Carnival. Is. Tonight. Do. You. Want. To. Go." Beomgyu said, while trying to catch his breath.
"Yeah, of course!" Soobin smiled.
"Great! Oh also, you know how it's Yeonjun's birthday?" Soobin tilted his head at Beomgyu, confused. "I need your help with something."
One thing about Soobin was that he was very observant. You didn't need to tell him how you were feeling, he just knew. What Beomgyu had told him may have come as a surprise to some, but not to Soobin.
"So?! Will you help me?" Beomgyu paced around Soobin's room, anxiously running his hand through his hair.
"Beomgyu relax. I'll help" Soobin flashed the boy a soft smile to which he immediately relaxed.
If you had told Soobin a year ago that he'd be helping the loud kid from his biology class confess to his first love, he'd think you were crazy. But yet here he was, at the foot of the Ferris wheel, about to do, just that.
"You ready?" Soobin leaned down to whisper in Beomgyu's ear. He nodded.
"C'mon let's go!" Yeonjun grabbed Beomgyu's wrist, dragging him towards the empty cart. Once inside, he turned to Soobin with a confused look. "You coming Soob?" He simply shook his head.
"Oh no. Absolutely not. I uh- I'm scared of heights." That was a lie. But Yeonjun didn't need to know that. Yeonjun simply shrugged before turning to look out the window of the cart, as it began it's slow ascension to the stars. Beomgyu looked at Soobin, who gave him a nod of encouragement.
The ride to the top was silent. But it was a comfortable silence that neither Beomgyu or Yeonjun felt compelled to break.
When they reached the top, Yeonjun sat still, staring out at the stars. Beomgyu observed the boys side profile and couldn't help but smile softly to himself.
"Hey" Beomgyu's voice was soft, almost as if the stars would shatter if he spoke too loud. Yeonjun moved his gaze from the sky and onto Beomgyu.
"Hi" A small smile crept onto Yeonjun's lips. He'd never admit it to anyone, but the way Beomgyu's eyes sparkled in the moonlight was enough to make his heart skip a beat. Beomgyu felt the heat rush to his cheeks as Yeonjun stared into his eyes.
"I-uh... I have something I need to tell you..." Beomgyu rubbed the nape of his neck anxiously as he diverted his gaze to the floor. Yeonjun sat up straight in his seat, glancing worriedly at one of his best friends seated in front of him.
"What is it?"
There was a brief silence. The cool breeze of the night hitting their skin, causing the hair on the backs of their necks to stand up.
"I love you." Beomgyu's eyes slowly lifted to meet Yeonjun's. He smiled.
"I love you too." Yeonjun gently placed a hand on Beomgyu's knee. Beomgyu sighed.
"No, Yeonjun. I love you. I love you not just as a friend. I love you like we're the only two people in this world and nothing else matters. I have loved you since the very first day we met. I love everything about you." Beomgyu inhaled shakily, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. Yeonjun tightened his hold on Beomgyu's knee.
"Hey." He spoke softly. "I know." Beomgyu wiped a stray tear from his cheek before looking at Yeonjun.
"What?"
"I said I know." Yeonjun leaned closer to Beomgyu. "I love you too." He moved his hand to touch Beomgyu's cheek, his thumb wiping away more tears as they fell. The space between them was closing slowly, they could feel the heat of each others breath on their lips. Beomgyu's eyes flashed down to Yeonjun's lips and then back up to his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to close the gap between them.
Beomgyu brought his hand up to stroke the back of Yeonjun's neck. He pulled Yeonjun closer to him until the space between them was no more. Beomgyu's eyes fluttered closed as he felt Yeonjun's soft, pink lips meet his own. The lingering taste of salt from the popcorn they had shared still present on Yeonjun's lips, but Beomgyu didn't mind. As they pulled away for air, a small smile was plastered on Yeonjun's lips, causing a soft chuckle to escape Beomgyu. They both smiled into the kiss as their mouths met once more, and Yeonjun's free hand found it's way to Beomgyu's waist, holding him steady.
"Happy Birthday." Beomgyu whispered against Yeonjun's lips and the cart made it's slow descent back towards the ground.
Stepping out of the cart, fingers intertwined they made their way back to where Soobin was standing, a toothy grin plastered across his face.
"You knew..." Yeonjun playfully shoved Soobin's shoulder, cause him to step back. He laughed.
"Maybe I did." Soobin shrugged.
"Thank you." Beomgyu pulled Soobin into a tight hug before taking Yeonjun's hand again.
The trio continued through the carnival together, playing games and laughing with each other. Everything was perfect.
5:55pm
December 24, 2020
Christmas Eve. They always looked forward to this time of year. Standing in Soobin's kitchen making gingerbread houses while Christmas carols played softly in the background. It was just Beomgyu and Yeonjun this time, Soobin had told them he was visiting family.
It was their first Christmas together as a couple. They were curled up together on the couch drinking hot chocolate and whispering sweet nothings into each others ears. Yeonjun was rubbing patterns into Beomgyu's back while he spoke about whatever was on his mind. Yeonjun couldn't help but stare at the boy snuggled up between his thighs. Beomgyu shifted to face Yeonjun.
"What?" Yeonjun pressed his forehead against Beomgyu's with a soft smile.
"I'm just thinking" Beomgyu rolled back to his original position, back pressed against Yeonjun's chest. Yeonjun rested his chin on Beomgyu's head, and placed a soft kiss in his hair.
"What are you thinking about?" Yeonjun spoke into the top of his boyfriend's head. Beomgyu hummed in response, lifting Yeonjun's hand to his lips and kissing it gently.
"You." Beomgyu continued to fiddle with Yeonjun's fingers, not looking up at him.
"What about me?" Yeonjun flipped Beomgyu over so he was straddling his waist, both hands placed on Beomgyu's thighs. Beomgyu wrapped his hands around Yeonjun's neck before placing a quick peck on his lips. Yeonjun smiled and raised and eyebrow. "Hm?"
"I don't know." Beomgyu paused for a minute, simply staring into the eyes of the boy he loved. "Just...everything about you" He placed a soft kiss on the corner of Yeonjun's mouth before nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck.
"You know I love you right?" Yeonjun whispered.
"I know"
They stayed like that for a while. Simply enjoying each others company, before Yeonjun spoke again.
"I'm so lucky to have you" He placed a kiss on top of Beomgyu's head, causing the boy to sit up. Beomgyu flashed him a confused look. "What? It's true!" Before he could say anything else, Beomgyu engulfed Yeonjun in a hug, causing him to fall backwards onto the couch. Beomgyu hovered over him with a coy smile.
"I love you."
"Let's got to bed."
Hand in hand the couple made their way upstairs to bed, where they lay comfortably in each others arms, rubbing circles on the other's back. Yeonjun felt Beomgyu snuggle closer to him and wrapped both arms around him to hold him tighter.
"Goodnight, Gyu." He placed a gentle kiss onto the top of his head as he allowed sleep to take over.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Soobin hated that he had lied to his friends but he didn't want them to worry. The truth was he had an appointment. Soobin knew he was sick. In fact, his family moved so they were closer to a hospital with better treatment.
He wanted to tell Beomgyu and Yeonjun he really did. But he couldn't. And besides, it was early stages so it didn't matter. Or so he thought.
"You've got 2 years Soobin."
As those words left the doctor's mouth, he didn't know what to think. All he could do was cry. Soobin was the type to bottle up his emotions because he didn't want anyone to worry about him, and now for the first time, he sat all alone, sobs filling the room around him.
He couldn't tell Yeonjun and Beomgyu. He just couldn't.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5:56pm
May 7, 2021
The worst day of Yeonjun's life.
"Call me on your way home ok?" Yeonjun kissed the top of Beomgyu's head as he nodded. "I LOVE YOU!" He called out.
"I LOVE YOU TOO!" And with that, Beomgyu stepped into the car with an old friend.
Yeonjun paced around the kitchen with his phone placed to his ear, begging for Beomgyu to pick up.
"come on, come on..." he whispered to himself. Nothing.
It had been an hour since Beomgyu had called to say he was on his way home but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Soobin, Hey" Yeonjun spoke breathlessly into the phone.
"Hey Yeon-" Soobin paused for a moment when he heard Yeonjun's panicked voice. "You ok?"
"Have you seen Beomgyu? He said he was coming home an hour ago and he's not here"
Soobin's heart sank. "No I haven't"
"shit shit shit" Yeonjun whispered over the phone.
"hey, do you want me to come over? I'll help you find him" Soobin spoke calmly, reassuring Yeonjun.
"Yeah... please."
"ok. I'm on my way."
When Soobin arrived at Yeonjun's place, the boy was leaning against the couch, hugging his knees, his sobs could be heard from outside the door.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Soobin sat in front of Yeonjun and pulled him into a hug. "You ok? What happened?"
Yeonjun couldn't speak. All he could do was hug Soobin tighter. Soobin brought a hand to Yeonjun's hair a stroked it gently.
"It's ok. I'm here." Soobin rested his head on top of Yeonjun's, holding him tighter with every sob.
Yeonjun lifted his head to look at Soobin, who was staring at him with worried eyes.
"It's Beomgyu...he.." Yeonjun struggled to get the words out, as tears threatened to fall again.
"It's ok. Take your time." Soobin placed a reassuring hand on Yeonjun's back.
"I never should have let him go out. At least not with that old friend. This has happened before HE'S DONE THIS BEFORE" Soobin grabbed Yeonjun's hands to stop them from shaking.
"Yeonjun...what happened?" Soobin could feel the tears forming and his heart aching as Yeonjun met his gaze with his sad eyes.
"He's gone Soobin... Beomgyu's gone" The tears fell down Yeonjun's face again as Soobin pulled him into another tight hug.
"What...what do you mean he's gone?" Now Soobin was crying to, both him and his best friend sobbing on the floor of Yeonjun's apartment.
"That...that guy he left with." Yeonjun stopped to catch his breath. He inhaled shakily. "He was drunk and...and he still got behind the wheel. He shouldn't have got behind the wheel Soobin WHY DID HE GET BEHIND THE WHEEL?" A sob left Yeonjun's throat while he clung to Soobin's shirt.
BREAKING NEWS:
A horrific drunk driving accident has left one dead. The driver of the vehicle has been taken to hospital in stable condition. The body at the scene has been identified as Choi Beomgyu. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family during this time.
5:57pm
June 7, 2021
It had only been a month since Beomgyu's death, but Yeonjun and Soobin were closer than ever.
"Hey." Soobin walked into Yeonjun's room and placed a hand over his. "You ok?"
Yeonjun sighed deeply and turned to face Soobin. He flashed him a weak smile. "As ok as I'll ever be I guess." Soobin knew Yeonjun was struggling but he didn't say anything. Yeonjun intertwined his fingers with Soobin's and lay his head on his shoulder. A stray tear escaped Soobin's eye, causing Yeonjun to sit up and look at him.
"Soobin?" Yeonjun wiped a tear from Soobin's cheek and scooted closer to him. "What is it?"
Soobin didn't know how to tell Yeonjun he didn't have much time left. He didn't know how to tell his best friend he was dying.
"I-" Soobin inhaled shakily, and Yeonjun squeezed his hand to show him that he was listening. "I'm-" Before Soobin could finish, Yeonjun wrapped him in a hug.
"You're sick, aren't you Soobin?" Soobin's eyes widened at Yeonjun's question.
"How did you-"
"The night Beomgyu died and I was sobbing in your arms," Yeonjun cupped Soobin's face in his hands, forcing him to look at him, "I noticed you'd lost weight. And you're always pale Soobin..." Yeonjun placed a soft kiss to Soobin's forehead before Soobin let his head drop.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Yeonjun shook his head and grabbed Soobin's hand again. "I wanted to tell you I did, I just...didn't know when." Yeonjun let out a sigh.
"How long?" He looked at Soobin with worried eyes
"What?" Yeonjun turned so he was face to face with Soobin.
"How long do you have?" The tears started to fall down Soobin's cheeks again and Yeonjun wiped them away with his thumb. "Soobin?"
"About a year..." The room went quiet. The two boys stared at the floor, but Yeonjun didn't let go of Soobin's hand.
"Well, I guess I should make this the best year of your life!"
5:58pm
July 7, 2021
It was the two month anniversary of Beomgyu's death, and Yeonjun was acting different. Soobin knew. He was quieter and more distant, and Soobin knew he cried every time he left the room.
"Hey. I'm going out for a bit... you gonna be ok?" Soobin asked as he tied the laces on his shoes.
"Uh. Yeah. I'll be fine."
Soobin shouldn't have believed him. He should have known he was lying. He shouldn't have left that night.
As he sat on the cold bathroom floor with his best friend's lifeless body in his arms, and the empty pill bottle on the floor, Soobin couldn't help but blame himself for the way the night ended. He never should have left Yeonjun alone.
5:59pm
July 7, 2022
Soobin's pale skin was almost indistinguishable from the white bed sheets he lay on. The door to his room opened with a creak, and a woman approached his bed. She placed her belongings down on the small portable table beside Soobin's bed and took his hand in her own. As the faint ticking of a clock filled the room, the doctor pressed two fingers to Soobin's wrist.
It was faint, but it was there.
She returned his hand to its original place beside him, and stepped back to watch the clock. tick tick tick tick.
6:00pm
The soft ticking of the clock was replaced by one long beep.
Flatline.
Never did Soobin think he would die on the 1 year anniversary of Yeonjun's death. Never did Soobin think, that with his last 7 minutes of brain activity, he would remember the more important moments of his life.
Now, finally reunited, Soobin, Beomgyu and Yeonjun could dance together among the stars for the rest of eternity.
fin.