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The sound of the door slamming shut didn't just echo in the quiet confines of their shared apartment; it dug its claws into JJ's brain, leaving a phantom resonance that refused to fade. It had been seven years of building a life together, of weaving their routines, their inside jokes, and their future into a seamless fabric.
It had been two weeks since Net walked out of their shared apartment, but the sharp, heavy thud of timber striking the frame remained. It was a phantom noise that echoed in the silence of the early mornings and rattled through Jj’s head in the dead of night.
Seven years. They had built a life together over seven years, starting from scratch in a small, cozy apartment that eventually filled with shared memories like matching coffee mugs, or polaroids taped to the refrigerator. But looking back now, Jj could not even pinpoint the exact moment the foundation had begun to crumble. Maybe it was about a year ago.
At first, it was just the small things. A quiet shift in temperature. Net, usually attentive and warm, had become consumed by his drive for a major promotion at his firm. The ambition itself wasn't the problem; JJ loved how passionate Net could be. The problem is that Net’s office slowly became his primary residence. His co-workers became his constant companions, and when he finally did come home, he brought the high-strung, unforgiving energy of his workspace with him.
Jj had brushed it aside at first. He’s just stressed, Jj had told himself. It’s a temporary phase. So JJ swallowed his own loneliness. He sat alone at the dining table with dinner growing cold, waiting for a text that usually read: “Working late again, don't wait up.” The small misunderstandings began to stack like dry kindling.
They had both been ambitious, but as Net climbed higher up the corporate ladder, his world expanded outward while JJ's contracted. Minor inconveniences turned into fuel for petty arguments. A misplaced set of keys, a chore left undone, a delayed text, anything could spark a fire because beneath the surface, neither of them was truly communicating. Net practically lived at the office, drowning himself in tons of reports and endless meetings, while JJ sat alone in the growing silence of their apartment, slowly realizing he had become entirely dependent on a man who was emotionally slipping through his fingers. Because neither of them truly spoke about the growing distance, their lack of communication turned minor inconveniences into major battlegrounds.
All of the warning signs had remained unheaded, and then came the explosion. Words were hurled like shrapnel, cutting deep into wounds they had both ignored for months. Net had snapped, shouting about the weight he felt he was carrying alone, and JJ, blinded by hurt and pride, had given him the push he never truly wanted to give. When JJ said he was free to leave if he can no longer stand being in the same place as him, Net packed a bag, grabbed his keys, and walked out.
The door slammed. That's the last thing Jj heard, and for some reason, that had become a ghost that never left his brain.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
When JJ opened his eyes, the sensory assault was immediate. Instead of the damp walls of his apartment bathroom or the sterile ceiling of an emergency room, blinding white light poured into a massive, hyper-modern space. He was lying on a sleek leather sofa inside a lounge that he had never seen before in his life. Towering bookshelves lined the walls, filled with thick, leather-bound textbooks and glowing monitors displaying complex mechanical drafts.
He sat up quickly, pressing his hands against his temples to steady the lingering throb in his head. At first, he assumed he had been rushed to some university medical clinic after collapsing somewhere outside. But as he looked around, a creeping sense of profound wrongness settled over his skin.
He looked down at his own clothes. He was wearing a crisp, tailored collegiate blazer embroidered with a silver crest and an engineering department pin. An item of clothing he had never owned, let alone purchased. His heart hammered against his ribs as he stood up and walked over to the nearest glass table. Reflected on the polished surface was a smartphone that did not belong to him. He picked it up and tapped the screen. The wallpaper was a blueprint schematic of a hydraulic turbine, and the calendar app displayed a date that matched the current year, but the schedule was entirely foreign.
Thankfully, the phone had recognized his face in the facial recognition unlock. He opened the contacts list with trembling fingers. Names of people he had never met scrolled past: professors, lab partners, and classmates.
"Hey! Jj! What are you doing standing there staring into space? We're going to be late for thermodynamics!"
Jj turned to see a familiar face running toward him. It was Kim. But Kim looked younger, his hair styled differently, carrying a stack of thick engineering textbooks.
"Kim?" Jj asked, his voice breathless.
"Who else? Come on, move it! Professor Anan doesn't tolerate tardiness, especially not with the advanced class lectures today." Kim grabbed his wrist and started walking with JJ in tow. As he was dragged through the hallways, his mind raced. This was Kim, but it wasn't his Kim. The environment, the atmosphere, the subtle details, everything felt off. When they entered the large lecture hall, Jj caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass door. He looked younger, healthier, but unmistakably himself.
And then, he saw him.
Sitting in the front row, adjusting the sleeves of his pristine uniform, was Net. Jj froze in his tracks, his heart executing a violent double-flip. But this Net looked different. His eyes held a sharp, fierce competitiveness, and his aura was devoid of the exhausted, stressed weight Jj had grown accustomed to over the past year.
Net turned around, his eyes locking onto Jj. A smirking, arrogant smile spread across Net's face.
"Look who finally decided to show up," Net called out loudly enough for the surrounding students to hear. "I thought you gave up on the scholarship ranking, Jj. Planning to hand me the top spot on a silver platter?"
The surrounding students snickered. Kim groaned beside Jj. "Ignore him, Jj. He’s just trying to get under your skin like he always does."
Jj stared at Net, completely paralyzed. Through the confusion, the truth slowly crystallized in Jj’s mind. He wasn't in his own world anymore. He had transmigrated into an alternate timeline. A universe where he and Net were not lovers of seven years, but bitter academic rivals competing for a prestigious postgraduate scholarship to Europe.
Net stepped closer, leaning in with a teasing grin. "What’s the matter, Jj? Cat got your tongue today? Usually, you’d have five different insults lined up by now."
In his original timeline, Jj had spent months feeling abandoned and heartbroken by Net. Seeing this version of Net: arrogant, healthy, and completely unaware of their shared past sent a wave of profound self-preservation through JJ's chest.
He didn't yell. He didn't retort. He didn't give Net the fiery confrontation he was clearly expecting. Instead, JJ simply looked through Net, as if he were made of air. Without saying a single word, Jj walked right past Net, took a seat in the very back row of the lecture hall, and opened a notebook.
Across the lecture room, Net stood completely stunned, his hand still half-raised in a taunting gesture that had completely flopped. He blinked, staring at the back row where Jj was quietly organizing his stationery.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
In an apartment in downtown Bangkok, Kim, his best friend who had promised to drop by that afternoon to help box up Net's remaining belongings, found JJ slumped motionless on the bathroom floor. The frantic, tear-soaked 911 call Kim made set off a chain reaction that rushed JJ to the hospital, where doctors delivered the grim verdict: JJ was in a deep, unresponsive coma.
News of the medical emergency spread like wildfire among their circle. When Net received the call, the world seemed to tilt on its axis. The ambition, the promotion, the corporate stress, it all vanished in an instant, replaced by a suffocating terror that he might lose JJ forever without ever getting the chance to say sorry.
Net drove recklessly to the hospital, his chest tightening with every mile. But when he arrived at the hospital ward, he hit an impenetrable wall. Standing guard outside JJ's room like an unmovable fortress was Zee, JJ's older brother. Zee's eyes were bloodshot, blazing with a fury so intense it could melt steel. When Net stepped forward, desperate to see if JJ was breathing, Zee lunged at him, shoving him hard against the corridor wall.
"You did this," Zee snarled, his voice trembling with a mixture of grief and pure, unadulterated rage. "You walked out on him, you broke his heart piece by piece, and now this? Don't you dare take another step toward my brother. If you cross this threshold, Net, I swear to God I will make sure you never see the light of day again."
Net didn't fight back. He didn't have the strength. He sank against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the cold tiled floor, tears finally breaking free and spilling down his cheeks. He knew Zee was right. He had been so blind, so obsessed with proving his worth through a corporate ladder that he had neglected the only person who truly mattered.
It was Kim, with his endlessly soft heart and deep empathy, who took pity on the shattered man. Late that night, when the hospital corridor fell into a tense, sterile silence, Kim slipped out of the waiting area and tapped Net on the shoulder.
"Follow me," Kim whispered, glancing down the hallway. "You have five minutes."
Net slipped through the door of JJ's hospital room, his breath catching in his throat at the sight before him. JJ lay motionless in the center of the bed, his chest rising and falling to the mechanical rhythm of a ventilator. A tangle of IV lines, monitors, and thin plastic tubes wrapped around his arms and face, making him look heartbreakingly fragile.
Seeing the state of the person he loved the most, Net broke down. He dropped to his knees beside the bed, burying his face in the mattress as a ragged sob tore from his chest.
"I'm sorry," Net wept, his voice cracking as he gripped JJ's limp, warm hand, pressing it desperately against his cheek. "I'm so, so sorry, JJ. I was an idiot. I let my own insecurities and stress poison everything we had. I thought chasing that stupid promotion was everything, but it's nothing, it's absolute nothingness without you. Please... please wake up. Give me another chance. I'll throw it all away. I'll do anything. Just come back to me."
He stayed there for hours, whispering confessions of love, recounting their happiest memories, and begging for forgiveness until Kim gently nudged him out before the morning shift change.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
Meanwhile, in the alternate timeline, JJ was navigating a reality that felt like walking through a foreign landscape and people speaking a language he couldn't quite decipher. He was sitting in the back of a cavernous lecture hall, staring blankly at a complex thermodynamics diagram on the projector screen, when Net entered with his tall, sharp-features, wearing a fitted black shirt under the school blazer and carrying a stack of papers. In this universe, Net carried an aura of effortless arrogance that made other students step aside.
JJ watched him with a mixture of wariness and detachment. His immediate survival instinct in this bizarre reality was simple: stay away from Net, do not engage, and do not fall in love with him all over again.
Net scanned the lecture hall, his eyes naturally locking onto his favorite target, the brilliant, sharp-tongued alternative version of JJ that he loved to spar with. But today, something was profoundly wrong. JJ didn't glare back. He didn't scoff, roll his eyes, or fire back a witty, razor-sharp counter-argument. Instead, JJ simply looked away, calmly packing his notebook into his canvas bag, standing up, and walking out of the lecture hall before class even began.
The taller student froze mid-step down the aisle. His chest gave an uncomfortable, hollow lurch. For months, their entire dynamic had been fueled by verbal sparring, late-night argument on who has the right to claim the back spot of the library, and the electric tension of trying to outsmart each other. To have JJ completely ignore him, to look at him as if he were a transparent ghost, sent a jolt of panic straight through Net's system.
In this universe, Net was deeply, desperately in love with Jj. He had been for two years. But being young, proud, and entirely clueless about how to express his feelings, Net had resorted to the only method he knew would guarantee JJ's undivided attention: rage-baiting him. He competed aggressively, picked arguments, and poked at Jj’s pride, all just to watch Jj’s eyes flash with determination and hear his voice utter his name.
It was an utterly foolish strategy, but it was their dynamic.
Until the last two days.
Days had passed, and Net’s world was thrown into total chaos. Jj had changed completely. Whenever Net tried to start a debate during lab sessions, Jj would simply yield without an argument. When Net made sarcastic remarks about their project grades, Jj would offer a polite, distant nod and walk away. It wasn't just that Jj was ignoring him,it felt as if Net had been entirely erased from Jj’s universe.
Net couldn't sleep. He couldn't focus on his projects. The top rank for the scholarship felt meaningless when the thrill of their mutual chase was entirely gone. One evening, after a late-night practical exam, Net caught Jj outside the engineering building just as a light rain began to fall.
"Jj! Stop!" Net called out, jogging down the stairs and stepping into Jj’s path.
Jj stopped, taking a subtle step back to maintain distance. His expression was neutral, completely devoid of the warmth or fiery passion Net so desperately missed. "Can I help you, Net?"
"What is wrong with you?!" Net demanded, his voice cracking slightly with frustration and anxiety. "You’ve been acting like a completely different person for weeks! You don't argue with me, you don't even look at me! Did I do something? Did I cross a line?"
Jj looked at Net, seeing the genuine panic in his eyes. A soft, weary sigh escaped Jj's lips. He didn't hate this version of Net, but every time he looked at him, he heard the echo of a slamming door from his past life.
"I don't have a problem with you, Net," JJ replied softly, his voice remarkably steady. "In fact, I don't have anything for you at all. Let's just... call a truce. You do your engineering, I'll do mine. We don't need to fight anymore."
Net stared at him, his mouth slightly parted. "A truce? Since when do you ever back down from a challenge?"
"Since I realized there are much bigger things in life than ranking number one," JJ murmured, stepping past him without a backward glance.
That brief interaction left alternate-universe Net entirely unmoored. Over the next few weeks, Net found himself unable to focus on his studies. He tried to provoke JJ again by leaving sarcastic notes on his desk, challenging him during lab sessions, but JJ remained a wall of polite indifference. It was driving Net insane. Realizing that his usual toxic brand of hostility was pushing JJ further away, Net decided to change tactics entirely.
He started showing up where JJ studied, not to argue, but to quietly drop off a cup of warm coffee or a textbook JJ had been searching for in the library. At first, JJ was deeply suspicious, rebuffing every attempt. But Net was persistent. Slowly, awkwardly, the two former rivals transitioned from bitter enemies into reluctant, tentative friends.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
Back in the original timeline, things were growing increasingly desperate. Zee discovered that Net had managed to sneak into JJ's hospital room. Enraged that his security had been breached, Zee immediately ordered JJ transferred to a private, highly secure wing of a different hospital. He increased security threefold, placing guards outside the door around the clock. Even Kim was explicitly forbidden from helping Net get inside.
Net felt his world crumbling completely. Day after day, he stood outside the glass partitions of the new hospital, watching JJ from afar like a ghost locked out of his old home. He realized that sneaking around wasn't going to work anymore, and brute force was out of the question. If he wanted to prove his love, he had to face the dragon in its lair.
One afternoon, Net walked straight into Zee's corporate office downtown. He bypassed the receptionist, pushed open the heavy oak doors, and stood before Zee, who was sitting behind a sleek mahogany desk, looking up with eyes filled with venomous ice.
"You have a lot of nerve coming here," Zee said, his voice dangerously low as he stood up.
Without a word of warning, Net dropped to both knees on the polished hardwood floor.
Zee stopped dead in his tracks, staring down in absolute shock.
"I know I have no right to ask for anything," Net said, his voice thick with unshed tears, his pride completely stripped away. "I know I broke him. I broke the person you love most in this world, the brother you swore to protect. You can hit me, you can sue me, you can keep me away from him forever... but please, Zee, don't keep me from telling him how sorry I am. I love him more than my own life. I would trade places with him in a heartbeat if I could. I can't breathe without him."
Zee stared at the man kneeling before him. He saw the dark circles under Net's eyes, the trembling hands, the utter devastation etched into every line of his face. You see, Zee was not a cruel man; his harshness was entirely born of fierce, protective love. He and JJ had lost their parents at a young age, and Zee had shouldered the responsibility of being both brother and father. Seeing JJ sobbing on their living room floor weeks before Net left had broken Zee's heart into a million pieces, which was why his rage burned so fiercely.
A heavy silence hung in the office until the door behind Net clicked open. NuNew, Zee's husband, stepped inside, carrying a folder of documents. NuNew took one look at Net kneeling on the floor, then looked at Zee's conflicted expression.
NuNew walked over, gently placing a hand on Zee's shoulder. "Babe," NuNew murmured softly. "Look at him. He's broken, too. Anger won't wake JJ up. Forgiveness and love might."
Zee closed his eyes, taking a long, shuddering breath as the armor around his heart finally cracked. He looked down at Net. "Get up," Zee said sternly, though the venom was gone from his voice. "I'll authorize your access back to his room. But understand this, Net: I am not forgiving you on JJ's behalf. My forgiveness is conditional. The moment JJ wakes up, if he tells you to leave, you walk out of his life forever and never look back. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Net whispered, his voice choking with gratitude. "Thank you, Zee. Thank you."
From that day on, Net practically lived inside JJ's hospital room. He brought his laptop, setting up a makeshift workstation in the corner by the window, answering corporate emails between holding JJ's hand and reading aloud from JJ's favorite novels. When performance reviews rolled in at work, Net missed the deadline for the major promotion he had spent the last year chasing. Another coworker got the position.
Net didn't even blink an eye. A promotion meant nothing if the person he wanted to share his success with was trapped behind a wall of silence.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
Months of shared library sessions, late-night project collaborations, and surprisingly honest conversations had transformed Net and JJ's relationship entirely. They were close now, closer than JJ had ever intended to be. One evening, sitting under the canopy of old mahogany trees outside the engineering building, JJ finally decided to come clean. The weight of carrying two lives in his head had become too heavy to bear.
"Net," JJ said quietly, staring down at his sneakers. "I need to tell you something crazy. And you're going to think I've lost my mind."
Net chuckled, leaning back against the bench. "Try me. After surviving your silent treatment for a month, nothing you say can surprise me."
"I'm not the JJ you've known all your life," JJ said, turning to look Net straight in the eye. "In my world, We are not friends. We are not classmates competing for a scholarship. We were partners. We loved each other, and then we broke each other's hearts."
"I transmigrated here," Jj confessed softly, looking straight into Net’s eyes. "In my original world, you and I were together for seven years. We were in love. But we grew apart because of work, stress, and a lack of communication. We fought, you left, and then... I had an accident and fell into a coma. That's how I ended up here."
Net sat in stunned silence, trying to process the wild declaration. But looking at the solemn, melancholic truth in Jj’s eyes, Net couldn't find a reason to laugh.
"That's why... that's why you looked at me like you hated me during class three months ago," Net whispered, realization dawning on him.
"I didn't hate you," Jj corrected gently. "I was just heartbroken and afraid. But Net, the JJ of this world isn't me. He’s currently somewhere else, or perhaps his soul is resting while I’m occupying this body. And you, you love him, don't you?"
Net flushed red, looking away shyly. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't lie to me," Jj smiled softly, a genuine, warm smile that made Net’s heart skip. "I know the way you look at him, or rather, the way you were looking at me when I first arrived. You rage-bait him because you don't know how to confess your feelings."
Net hid his face in his hands, groaning softly. "Is it really that obvious?"
"It's a terrible strategy," Jj laughed softly. "Listen to me, Net. Soon, I think I’ll be going back to my own world. My body there is holding on, and I can feel the pull getting stronger every day. When I leave, and your JJ comes back, you need to do things right."
"If I'm that guy in your world," Net asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper, "what does he love? Tell me everything. Give me the details, a guidebook? If there’s one so that when you go back, and if I ever get the chance... I won't screw it up."
For the next two hours, sitting under the fading twilight, JJ poured his heart out, teaching Net all the little things about him. How JJ liked his coffee, how he needed space when he was stressed, how a simple handwritten note meant more to him than any expensive gift, and how underneath all his defensive walls, JJ just wanted to feel safe and deeply adored.
"Thank you, Jj," Net said quietly, looking at him with deep respect. "I hope... when you go back, your Net is waiting for you with his heart open."
"Me too," Jj murmured softly.
Following their conversation under the tree, JJ felt a strange, comforting lightness settle over his chest. He closed his eyes that night in his dorm room, feeling as though the boundary between worlds was dissolving like mist under the morning sun.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
In the hospital room of the other timeline, the dim glow of the evening monitor cast long shadows across the walls. Net was sitting in his usual chair, his eyes rimmed with red, holding Jj’s limp hand in both of his own. He was soft-spoken as he recounted a memory from their third anniversary, a disastrous picnic where it had poured rain, forcing them to eat soggy sandwiches under a cramped bus stop shelter, laughing until their stomachs hurt.
"I miss your laugh, Jj," Net whispered, leaning his forehead against Jj’s knuckles. "I miss it so much. Please come back..."
Suddenly, Net felt a faint tremor beneath his palm.
He froze, holding his breath. Slowly, impossibly, the slender fingers wrapped in his own gave a weak, faint squeeze. Net gasped, snapping his head up. "Jj?"
The heart monitor’s steady rhythm spiked slightly. Jj’s eyelids fluttered, his long lashes casting faint shadows against his pale cheeks as he let out a low, breathless groan.
"Jj! Nurse! Doctor!" Net yelled, stumbling out of his chair to hit the call button, tears pouring down his face freely now. He rushed back to the bedside, grasping Jj’s hand tightly. "Jj, can you hear me? I’m here. Your Net is here!"
Slowly, painfully, Jj’s dark chocolate eyes opened, albeit unfocused and heavy, taking in the white ceiling before slowly turning toward the sound of Net’s sobbing voice.
It took three days for Jj to fully regain his senses and speech.
During those three days, his room was a revolving door of loved ones. Zee, NuNew, Kim, Ohm, and Latte visited constantly, bringing flowers, soft food, and overwhelming affection. Zee wept tears of pure relief, clinging to his baby brother as if he might disappear again. Through it all, there was one constant presence that stood quietly in the background.
Net never forced himself into conversations. He stayed in the corner of the room, stepping up quietly only when the nurses needed assistance, adjusting Jj’s blanket when he fell asleep, or pouring fresh warm water when the glass was empty. Jj saw him, but for three days, Jj didn't speak to him directly.
On the fourth afternoon, the room was quiet. Zee had stepped out to talk to the head doctor regarding discharge papers, and Kim had gone home to rest. Jj sat up in bed, looking at Net, who was sitting near the window silently working on something in his laptop.
"Net," JJ called out softly.
Net nearly dropped his laptop. He looked up, his eyes widening in surprise before he quickly stood up and approached the bed, standing at a respectful distance. "Yes, Jj? Do you need water? Are you in pain?"
"Sit down," JJ requested, gesturing to the chair.
The taller guy sat down slowly, his hands clenching nervously on his knees.
"I'm sorry," Net began immediately, his voice trembling with emotions he had held back for days. "Jj, I am so, so sorry for everything. For neglecting you, for letting my stress poison our home, for making you feel lonely in our own apartment, and for slamming that door. I threw away seven years of happiness for a promotion I didn't even care about in the end. I lost the promotion, but losing you... losing you almost killed me. Please... if you can find it in your heart, forgive me."
Jj listened quietly, looking at Net’s hollow cheeks, dark eye circles, and raw, honest posture. The anger that Jj had carried for months had dissolved, replaced by a deep, profound understanding of life’s fragility.
"I forgive you, Net," Jj said softly.
Net let out a shaky breath, tears pooling in his eyes. "You... you do?"
"Yes," Jj nodded gently. "I forgive you. I know you loved me, and I know you were drowning in your own pressure. I wasn't faultless either, I stopped communicating with you and stayed silent until I exploded."
The other boy smiled through his tears, reaching out tentatively. "Does this mean... can we go home together?" But JJ looked at Net with immense fondness, and slowly shook his head.
Net’s smile froze.
"Net, I love you," Jj stated candidly, his voice firm yet gentle. "But I can't get back together with you right now."
"Why?" Net asked, his heart aching.
"Because these past few weeks, and the time before my collapse made me realize something critical," Jj explained, looking down at his own hands. "I lost myself in our relationship. I became entirely dependent on you for my happiness, my routine, my identity. Learning to walk again after you left was terrifying because I had forgotten how to stand on my own two feet. If we jump back into a relationship now, we’ll just fall back into the same toxic patterns."
Jj looked back up, his eyes clear and determined. "I need to learn how to be independent. I need to love myself, build my own life, and stand strong on my own. Only then can I truly be a healthy partner to anyone."
Net stared at Jj, processing the words. The pain in his chest was sharp, but as he looked at JJ's resolute expression, Net felt a deep sense of respect and admiration. This was the person he loved. Brave, insightful, and precious. He took the latter’s hand, pressing a soft, respectful kiss to the back of his knuckles.
"I understand," Net said softly, a brave, genuine smile gracing his lips. "You take all the time you need, Jj. Learn to walk, run, and fly on your own. But know this... I’m not going anywhere. I will wait for you. Whether it takes months or years, my heart belongs only to you. I won't force you, but I will walk along your path as long as you let me."
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
When he woke up, there was no sterile smell of disinfectants or beeping monitors. JJ bolted upright, gasping for air, blinking rapidly against the familiar morning sunlight streaming through the window of his usual university dorm room. He looked around frantically. His drafting tools were scattered across his desk. His engineering textbooks were stacked neatly by his bed. Everything was exactly where it should be. He had no memory of a coma, no hospital machinery, and no lingering physical pain. As far as his mind and body were concerned, he had simply fallen asleep and woken up in his own bed.
Confused and disoriented by the vivid, emotional memories of a life and a broken apartment that felt entirely too real to be a dream, JJ grabbed his bag and headed out toward the engineering building.
He expected the usual hostile atmosphere. He expected the sharp glares, the cold shoulder, or the usual snide remarks. Instead, as he walked past the campus courtyard, a familiar voice called out his name. He froze and turned.
It was Net. But this Net looked different. There was no arrogant smirk playing on his lips, no sharp, defensive challenge in his posture. Instead, Net was jogging toward him, holding two cups of iced coffee and a small paper bag.
"Hey," Net said, stopping right in front of him, looking a little nervous as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I saw you rushing. I... well, I grabbed an extra, and I can’t finish two coffees in one sitting. You can take this."
JJ stared at the cup held out toward him, his brain stalling completely. He looked up at Net's face, searching for the usual sarcasm, but found only a soft, hesitant warmth in the other man's eyes. It was a look born entirely from the guidance of the alternate JJ, though this Net had no conscious memory of why he felt compelled to be so gentle. A slow, disbelieving smile crept onto JJ's face. He reached out and took the coffee.
"Thanks, Net," JJ murmured softly.
Net's face lit up with a brilliant, genuine smile that made JJ's heart skip a beat. Their love story in this universe is only just beginning, but this time, the foundation was built on understanding, patience, and a second chance they both deserved.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
Five years later.
The afternoon sun streamed through a magnificent floral arch woven with cascading white roses and eucalyptus leaves, casting a golden glow over a lush beach-front ceremony overlooking the sparkling blue ocean in Pattaya. Standing beneath the arch was Net, wearing a sharp tailored beige suit, his hands trembling slightly not from fear, but from an overwhelming surge of pure, unadulterated joy. As the traditional Thai-fusion violin melody swelled, the path before him cleared.
Walking down the aisle was JJ.
It had taken JJ three full years to truly find himself. The years spent traveling alone, building his own career, painting, learning how to be comfortable in his own skin, and discovering that his happiness belonged to him first. Throughout those three years, Net had walked patiently alongside him from a respectful distance, never crowding him, never demanding, but always showing up with quiet encouragement, a cup of coffee, or a handwritten note reminding JJ of how fiercely he was loved.
Three years ago, when JJ finally felt whole, strong, and entirely independent, he walked up to Net, taken his hand, and whispered that he was ready.
Today was the culmination of that journey.
Under the floral arch Net stood waiting for the love of his life, the sound of the rest of the world, their family, friends, and loved ones cheering softly from the white chairs set against the stunning Pattaya coastline faded away. He is wearing an impeccably tailored cream-colored suit. His heart hammered against his chest, exactly as it had five years ago, but this time, it was filled with overwhelming joy.
The music shifted to a sweet, acoustic melody.
Jj walked down the aisle, radiant and handsome in a matching suit, holding a small bouquet of white lilies. His steps were confident, graceful, and entirely his own. When he reached the altar, Net extended his hand. Jj took it without hesitation, their fingers lacing together naturally, perfectly aligned.
"You look breathtaking," Net whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
"You don't look too bad yourself," JJ teased softly, his eyes sparkling with laughter.
They exchanged their vows. Promises built not on youthful obsession or codependency, but on mature love, mutual respect, unwavering patience, and clear communication. It was as if the gods are blessing their union because Net slid a sleek platinum band onto Jj’s finger, and Jj did the same for Net, the sky broke down with one of the most breathtaking sunsets they had ever witnessed.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you partners for life," the officiant announced with a warm smile. "You may seal this bond."
Net didn't hesitate. Reaching out, he pulled Jj gently by the waist into a deep, loving kiss as the crowd erupted into loud cheers, applause, and whistles. When they pulled back, their foreheads rested against each other, their shared breath warm in the afternoon air.
There were no phantoms left in Jj’s brain. No slamming doors, no cold hospital walls, and no fear of being left behind. There was only the present moment, the quiet strength of two whole individuals, and a lifetime of love waiting to be lived together.
FIN.