“You’re the one who came ten minutes early just to take my seat,” Soobin replied, spreading his legs casually. A heat climbed up the back of Beomgyu’s neck.

Beomgyu did show up ten minutes early to take Soobin’s seat. It was on impulse—a desire to bother him—as a way to get Soobin to notice him.

For some reason, an apology sat heavy on his tongue. But never in a million years would he show weakness in front of Soobin. “Never. I always sit here,” he says, voice unconvincing.

“You sit by the windows on Tuesdays.” Soobin said smugly, like he’d been waiting to drop that.

Suddenly the carpet beneath them seemed very interesting. Beomgyu’s knee wouldn’t stop bouncing. “Why do you know that..?”

The tense silence that fell over the room was only broken by the sound of Yeonjun writing on the whiteboard, the marker making a soft chirping noise with each stroke.

“If you’re going to memorize each other’s seating schedules,” he started, turning to the two of them, “you might as well get married.”

Beomgyu’s retort died on his lips as Soobin spoke up. He scoffed, glaring at Yeonjun. “Shut up.”

Taehyun cleared his throat, and the room was quiet in an instant. “I hope you lovebirds make up quickly, because we have things to do,” he said, flicking ash into an empty teacup.

“As I was saying, we—” Taehyun was cut off abruptly.

Kai was reading a page in their spellbook, finger sliding across the page with each word. “The binding of two souls..”

Yeonjun’s ears perked up almost immediately, standing nearby to peek over Kai’s shoulder.

Beomgyu crossed his arms. Those two were going to cause some type of damage, messing with magic like that. He’d always been more hesitant when it came to things like casting spells.

His opinion becomes irrelevant when Soobin stands up curiously.

Taehyun merely raises an eyebrow, staying seated, “Can you read it, Kai?”

“When two names are spoken in unison beneath an unbroken flame, the tether shall form. Blood is not required, but sincerity is. Once bound, the hearts shall echo one another’s,” Kai declared.

“The bond may only be severed when truth is spoken without fear,” he whispered, leaning in close to Taehyun to be all dramatic.

“You and Yeonjun should bind your souls together. You know, since you’re best friends.” Beomgyu traced the edges of a splotch of dried candle wax on the table absentmindedly, a snicker leaving his lips.

“Wouldn’t it be more interesting if Soobin and Beomgyu did it instead?” Taehyun spoke up, looking at the two of them with a small grin.

Beomgyu was the only one who looked bothered by this. Of course it was him. He glared at the floor like it personally offended him. “Seriously? Never.”

Soobin raised an eyebrow, leaning against the wall with a slight smirk. “Oh? Why not try it? Worried it might work?”

Beomgyu’s heartbeat thudded in his ears. “You’re impossible.”

Cold air from the window breezed in, goosebumps crawling up Beomgyu’s arms. Kai was still holding the book. “You have to say the names together,” he said, squinting at the page. “Beneath an unbroken flame.”

“Beneath an unbroken flame?” Yeonjun repeated, already reaching for a match. “That just means to not let the fire go out, stupid.”

He struck the match ablaze. The amber flame made the room feel smaller in a way.

Taehyun facepalmed, rubbing two fingers to his temple. “Stop. We are not actually doing this,” he sighed.

“So uptight, Taehyun,” Yeonjun drawls. He brings the small flame to the wick of a nearby candle. Its soft aroma wafted through the air. “Statistically, nothing will happen.”

“It’s…symbolic,” Kai chimed in with a smirk.

Beomgyu scoffed, “Yeah, symbolic. Like Soobin’s ego.” He couldn’t help but throw a jab at him.

Soobin pushed off the wall, making eye contact with him. “At least mine exists.”

“Trust me, we know.”

Kai grinned, glancing between the two of them. “Okay, wait. For demonstration. I’ll read it over again. You guys just stand there looking dramatic.”

Beomgyu’s stomach turned. The thought of actually binding souls with his enemy was both terrifying and exhilarating as hell. He stared at the candle nervously.

“Hard pass,” Beomgyu said immediately, yet he stood in place.

The candle flame steadied, melted wax dripping down the sides. Kai cleared his throat, beginning to read once again.

“When two names are spoken in unison beneath an unbroken flame..”

“Choi Soobin..” Beomgyu snapped under his breath almost inaudibly, at the same time Soobin muttered—

“Choi Beomgyu.”

The two of them froze, and then the room went silent. The candle flame seemed to stretch taller.

Yeonjun blinked. “Oh.”

The air in the room shifted. A weight settled on Beomgyu’s shoulders, as if his breath was being dragged out from his lungs. Everything seemed to be much heavier. Like the room had forgotten to inhale.

Soobin stiffened as well. Their eyes meet, and Beomgyu feels a chill run down his spine.

The candle goes out and smoke curls upward in a thin line.

For a second, Beomgyu feels something low in his chest. A slight discomfort, like a thread pulling his ribs tight.

Kai lowered the book slowly, his expression a mix of confusion and fear. “Well..” he started.

Taehyun stared at the extinguished wick with furrowed brows. “That’s…not good.”

“Nothing happened.” Beomgyu swallows hard.

“Right,” Soobin agrees, shooting an uneasy glance at the candle.

Beomgyu stood up, immediately feeling like his legs would give out on him at any moment. “I’ll take that,” he picked up the candle clumsily. Hot wax dripped onto his knuckle.

He quickly sets the candle down on a nearby counter. Beomgyu cradles his stinging finger to his chest.

Across the room, Soobin flinches, cursing under his breath. He looks down at his finger. There’s nothing wrong.

Drawn to his voice, Beomgyu turns around, watching Soobin mimic his own reaction. His jaw clenched.

“What’s your problem?” Beomgyu scoffs, glaring at Soon.

Soobin flexes his fingers, trying to shake off the pain, “What..?”

Beomgyu’s gaze dropped down to Soobin’s hand. He was caressing his right index finger. Same one that Beomgyu had burnt.

“Nothing. Nevermind,” he muttered.

Beomgyu sighs, a hollow feeling rising in his stomach. He looks over at Soobin. His face was twisted in discomfort.

“I don’t feel well, let’s end the meeting off here,” Beomgyu suggested, lightly nipping at his burnt finger with his tongue. Soobin nodded, looking equally unwell.

“You weren’t even supposed to say each other’s names. It was a test drive,” Yeonjun says with a roll of his eyes. “How do you make such a big mistake by accident?”

Beomgyu scoffs, not even knowing the answer himself. “Shut up. I’m leaving,” he mumbles.

He takes one step. Pain creeps up his legs as he inched closer to the door. He’s losing his balance, and not long after he’s on the ground, doubled over in pain. “Ah!”

His chest thrums. It’s not his own heartbeat. It had to be Soobin’s.

“Can you calm down? Your heartbeat is literally—” A white flash of pain shoots through him, making him wince.

Soobin scoffs, walking over to Beomgyu. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He kneels down next to him. “And get up. You’re so dramatic.”

“I’m not. It feels like I’m dying when I walk away from you.” Beomgyu almost sheds a tear of relief. He sighs shakily.

Soobin didn’t just roll his eyes, but turned on his heel, intending on distancing himself from Beomgyu as much as possible.

“I’m done with your theatrics, Beomgyu. Rot here if you want,” he snapped, wrenching the door open and taking a step into the hallway.

It seemed like the world shifted. No, shattered. Beomgyu’s ribs felt like they were being sewed together, vision blurring with pain.

In the hallway, Soobin gasps, his knees buckling. He clutches at his chest, feeling a phantom hand squeeze his heart until it stuttered. The taste of Beomgyu’s panic rises in his throat, cold and oily.

“Stop,” Beomgyu chokes out from the ground, forehead pressed against the wood, “Soobin, stop.”

Soobin crawls into the room, the agony slowly fading into a dull, angry throb. “What did you do,” he hissed, glaring at Beomgyu. “What kind of sick joke is this?”

Beomgyu looks up, eyes shimmering with tears of exhaustion that he refuses to let fall. “I didn’t do anything! You’re the one that walked away!”

They lock eyes, breathing in sync despite themselves. Embarrassed, Beomgyu looks away after a few seconds.

Taehyun walks over to their panting forms with a facepalm. “Well, you clearly can’t go anywhere without Beomgyu, Soobin,” he pushes his glasses up his nose, “when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Deal with it.”

The two of them, Beomgyu and Soobin, groan in unison.

This was going to be one heck of a day. Or even longer. Beomgyu didn’t like imagining that.

a/n 2: this took too long to proofread.. my writing in february was something else, pls forgive me if some of it doesn’t make sense. also if i make a part two im definitely adding in some side taejun their dynamic is too good to go to waste

Choi Yeonjun had answered just a few minutes after Soobin had messaged him. 19 years old, a university student, an aspiring singer. He’s bold, unfeeling and honestly emotionally unavailable. But that was one of the many things Soobin loved about him.

Yeonjun loved to tell Soobin about his life, which Soobin loved to hear about, since his was nothing special. He would also send Soobin playful selfies and those lyrics he had written late at night, in his feelings. “Don’t read into it,” Yeonjun would say.

During those months that they talked, Soobin wanted nothing more than to meet Yeonjun. But he lived across the city, and Soobin could barely afford bus fare on a good day. And it wasn’t very easy for Yeonjun either, considering he was a student.

“I have other things to worry about,” He’d say, “I can’t just drop everything to see someone I barely know.” Soobin’s face would fall. He didn’t know much about Yeonjun either. It could always be a catfish—a catfish that’s been the reason for his lack of sleep in the past few months.

But then winter rolled around, and Yeonjun could finally take a short break from his studies. And now he was taking the train to see the love of his life, who just so happened to only exist on his screen. Up until now.

Suddenly, Soobin’s startled by the sound of the train’s horn blasting. He nearly drops his phone, his heart thumping out of his chest. He looks up at the train, studying each person that walks through those doors.

He waits. And waits. Still no sign of his Yeonjun. Soobin looks down to check his messages, making sure this was the right train.

This is definitely the one, he thinks. Soobin glances at the train one more time, just to see a figure standing in front of him.

He’s wearing a hoodie over his head, hands shoved into his pockets. “Soobin-yah,”

Soobin blinks a few times, completely out of it. He answers dumbly, “Yeah?”

“It’s me.”

His eyes dart up to the man standing in front of him. Those fox-like eyes from his selfies, his honey brown hair. A tiny pout on his lips. Soobin’s eyes widen.

He stands up immediately, taken aback. He’s not sure what to say at first. “Yeonjun?” he practically whispers.

“Who else would I be?”

…

Soobin walks with Yeonjun out of the train station, a giddy smile on his face. He can’t stop stealing glances at Yeonjun beside him.

The cold winter air bites at their skin as they step outside. Yeonjun wraps his arms around himself, looking at the dangerously thin coat Soobin’s wearing. His chest tightens with a feeling he can’t explain.

“Yeonjun-hyung?” Soobin asks softly. He stopped walking, the two of them standing on the sidewalk together.

“What?” Yeonjun replies, his voice coming out harsher than he’d wanted it to.

“We’ll have to walk the way to my apartment.” he admits, rubbing the back of his neck. “Is that okay with you? I promise the walk isn’t that long..”

Yeonjun’s expression visibly sours. “Seriously?” he asks, but immediately regrets it as he watches Soobin’s face fall. “I mean, your coat is so.. light.”

Soobin looks away. He doesn’t want Yeonjun to pity him. “I’ll be fine. Let’s just go.”

They cross the sidewalk in silence. The tension between them seems to ease as time passes. Soobin had even gently nudged Yeonjun, intertwining their fingers, which made the older boy blush. Finally, they reach Soobin’s apartment.

He unlocks the door to his room, slightly out of breath from all the walking. Yeonjun glances at him worriedly, but he quickly schools his expression to perfectly neutral.

Soobin flips on the light switch. His place is small. Just one room, excluding the restroom. There’s a twin sized bed in the corner, a lonely table next to it, and his “kitchen.” Pathetic. It makes Yeonjun think back to his own house.

He’d lived with his parents in a place that was significantly nicer than this. With an actual heating system. Soobin’s apartment is no warmer than the cold outside.

Yeonjun is silent. He thought he’d be a lot more talkative. After all, it’s his first time meeting his online boyfriend—more like situationship—in person. But he has nothing to say.

Soobin sighs heavily, leaning against his kitchen counter. He looks like he’s trying to catch his breath. Yeonjun’s eyes narrow. “What’s wrong with you?”

He walks over to him, placing a hand on Soobin’s forehead. It’s warm. Just a simple cold, Yeonjun thinks. Who isn’t getting sick in this weather? He frowns. “Soobin, you’re burning up.”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry,” He says, but Yeonjun isn’t buying it.

“No, you won’t be fine,” Yeonjun snaps. He runs a hand through his hair frustratedly. “Just.. Just go sit down. Please.”

Soobin doesn’t say anything further, walking to go sit on his bed. He watches as yeonjun searches his cabinets, looking for something for him to eat.

He already knows Yeonjun won’t find anything of substance. Money’s always been an issue for him, and he can’t even afford to eat dinner most days.

Yeonjun pulls out his phone, ordering things for Soobin to eat. He adds anything he can find into the cart. Pizza. Pizza should feed him for a few days. As he’s swiping frantically on his phone, he asks, “How long have you been living like this?”

Soobin would joke about his living situation and money struggles occasionally in their messages, but Yeonjun never thought much of it. How could it get this bad?

Yeonjun’s too deep in his thoughts to notice Soobin hasn’t answered for a while. He looks up at the bed. Soobin is lying down, curled into himself.

His eyes widen. He rushes over to Soobin’s side, watching his miserable expression. His lips are parted slightly, his chest heaving with the effort of breathing.

Yeonjun taps his shoulder lightly. “Are you okay? Soobin?” He tries to keep his voice steady, not to betray his panic. Soobin shakes his head.

He scoops Soobin into his lap, tucking the boy’s head against his chest. Soobin closes his eyes, his frame trembling a little.

Yeonjun feels his stomach turn. “N-No, Soobin, don’t close your eyes. Stay with me,” his voice wavers, shaking his shoulders gently until Soobin reluctantly opens his eyes.

“I ordered food. It’ll be here in a few minutes. Just h-hang on,” he insists, threading a soothing hand through Soobin’s hair.

Yeonjun tries to be patient, but Soobin doesn’t look okay and he doesn’t want to lose him—No, he can’t think like that, or—

He gently rests Soobin’s head on the pillow, standing up to search his kitchen. He grabs an old handkerchief, wetting it with cold water. Yeonjun’s hands tremble as he brings it over to Soobin.

Soobin’s eyes are half lidded. He’s started to cough weakly, his breaths sounding so fragile. Yeonjun can’t believe his this afraid for a boy he doesn’t really even know.

He places the cold cloth on Soobin’s forehead, desperately trying to cool down his body temperature.

“3 minutes until food’s here, okay? Don’t worry,” he murmurs to no one. Soobin’s eyes have closed, and Yeonjun can taste the saltiness of the tears running down his face.

…

When Soobin opens his eyes the next morning, he weakly turns to Yeonjun.

He’s sitting on the ground beside the bed, his head buried in his hands. Soobin’s not sure if he’d fallen asleep, or if he was—

“Yeonjun-hyung..?”

Yeonjun doesn’t look up.

Soobin stirs, slowly sitting up. A damp cloth and two untouched boxes of pizza sit on the table.

He places his feet on the ground, about to stand up when Yeonjun stops him. He’s partially hiding his face behind his hoodie sleeve. “Don’t go anywhere, idiot,” Yeonjun mutters.

Soobin opens his mouth to say something, anything, but Yeonjun cuts him off. “J-Just be quiet. You scared me yesterday.” he mutters, sounding almost angry.