Work Text:
One should always be mentally prepared for certain things in a relationship. The first date, the first kiss, a beautiful love confession that remains marked in your heart.
However, other things that seem essential to many, can be insignificant and outdated to others. Celebrating each month of the relationship? Some people will get so upset about it that it becomes a reason to break up, but to others, it's so silly that they may even laugh at the idea. Commitment rings? Sure, if you're so insecure in your own relationship that you need a material thing to prove you're in one.
However, one social thing stays relevant throughout time, and despite the fact that celebrating each month seems to be a burden to some, this one seems to stay mostly consistent through most relationships: the first anniversary.
And see, Taeyang would agree that it is definitely an important date— you should definitely buy something for your special other, take them on a date, and whisper how much you love them in their ear as you take them to bed or whatever, but situations are not always as ideal as one would hope for them to be.
Maybe that's why he stood there, in front of an apparel shop at 10 pm trying to catch his breath, the “We're closed” sign mocking him through the class door after running five blocks to get there. He puts his hand on the wall, the cold running through him as he recovers an his heart beating hard in his chest. As he raises his head again to face his irremediable bad luck, he lets out a loud groan and just as he's about to curse, he feels his phone vibrate on his pocket.
boyfriend
are u coming today?
i thought we could do something since we haven't seen each other in a while
He lets out a sigh after seeing Intak's text. He feels a pinch of guilt in his gut, as he remembered what brought him to his current situation.
Taeyang didn’t actually forget their anniversary, he had it marked with bold red in his calendar and had a list of things he'd like to do on that day. But he did so three months ago, on his first day on the job when he was full of hope and energy for a new day. However, as weeks went by, things started to get harder, and he became so immersed in his own work that the days passing by became nothing but a buzz in the background. Then suddenly his calendar decided to remind him the same day at 9pm instead of 9am, and he's been panicking for the last hour thinking he's completely flunk the day. Not only has he not bought a gift or booked a restaurant, he also hasn't talked to his boyfriend all day apart from a good morning message.
And now that Intak's favorite shop has closed, he is confident to declare himself the worst boyfriend ever. He looks at his phone and decides that he should come clean in a straightforward message.
hyung
babe
i forgot
i'm sorry :(
He hangs his head in defeat as he leans on the wall to let his back slide on it to sit on the ground. He closes his eyes for a second, feeling the uncomfortable wind of winter seep in his skin, and he starts to reflect on his relationship with Intak. They had been friends for a while before they started dating, and it has been everything he wanted in a relationship. They are both quite reserved, which means he could take his time replying to texts, and they keep a healthy space when necessary. It doesn't mean they lack physical touch or that they are distant, they just have everything in a healthy balance.
Taeyang loves Intak so much, and the other loves him back, so somehow forgetting their anniversary doesn't seem to fit into their dynamic.
boyfriend
what did you forget??
hyung
what do you mean?
our anniversary
did you forget about it too??
boyfriend
hyung
what are you talking about?
today is not our anniversary
hyung
what???
i have it marked in my calendar
boyfriend
why would you have a random date marked on your calendar as our anniversary
wait, i don't know when is our anniversary
hyung
if you don't know then how are you so sure it's not today???
boyfriend
well, you have a point
i don't really know when our anniversary is
so it could be today
hyung
???
omg
i thought i was the worst boyfriend ever, and here you are not even knowing is today
boyfriend
well, how do you know it's today?
hyung
it's on my calendar ._.
boyfriend
and you trust it so much
hyung
well, more than you, at least
boyfriend
you trust your calendar more than me??
is this even going to work?? between you and me??
hyung
Stop making that kind of jokes, you know I can't read tone
boyfriend
ok, whatever
so are you coming or what??
i wanted to see my boyfriend today
hyung
So, are we just going to ignore we don't know the date of our anniversary?
boyfriend
look, it's not that i don't care about it
it's just…
it's been a long day, the last thing I want to think about it's the exact date you called me your boyfriend for the first time
i stopped writing the dates after the six one
The lines in their relationship became blurry from the very beginning. One moment they were watching the stars paint the sky as friends, and the next they were intertwining their hands as they kissed under the moonlight. They had so many first times: first kiss, first date, second first date, first real kiss… They went on and off for a couple of months, and then Intak started sleeping over, and by that time they didn't even have a name for their relationship. Maybe it was a random date marked in his calendar after all, or it was important, but what did it mean?
He sighs with a smile as he reads the last message.
boyfriend
so, just come here, ok?
i want to kiss you, and hug you and make you dinner
and if it's our anniversary even better, we can even open the whiskey
Reading those last messages leave him speechless, all worrying thoughts leaving his mind as he stands up with a smile. He only has one set of words that he wants to type, words that come more naturally to say with every passing day.
hyung
i love you
boyfriend
i love you too
no, i love you more
hyung
if you loved me more you would remember our anniversary, though
boyfriend
LET IT GO
And just like that, he walks home to his boyfriend, one less thought burdening his mind and much more love filling his heart.