Short Stories-Kai Ships Only! Volume 3

🍉Yeonkai- Our Reality

Kai still didn't trust him. He tried. He really did. Being cheated on that many times was something he could never get over. It didn't matter what Yeonjun said or how perfect their dates were. The agony never went away. When he looked at the redhead, he didn't see his future. He saw a regretful past. His tie was tightened and then he went to work.

The restaurant closed early for his parent's anniversary. Yeonjun took the opportunity to surprise Kai. He sat on the train with headphones in his ears and a bouquet of roses in his hands. The video he was watching was of Beomgyu's anniversary with Soobin. According to other timelines, they were set to be engaged within six months and married within two years. He and Kai were supposed to attend their wedding together. One year later, they themselves were set to be engaged. With how distant the blonde had been, he doubted that was true.

A couple years ago, before he had even met Kai, he studied the realities where they didn't end up together. Those were exceedingly rare. Infact, he only found five out of a hundred. Those five all had one thing in common though. In all five, he died within a month after Kai left him for the second time. One was of suicide. Another was a car accident. A third was a heart attack. A fourth was a murder. The last was a stroke. If Kai left him again, he was sure his own would be of heartbreak.

Stepping off of the train, he saw the blonde packing a suitcase in the window. "NO!" He started running into the building. He pushed the elevator button a dozen times a second. It didn't come fast enough. "Open this god damn door! Come on!" When he stepped inside, he pushed the "door close" button just as rapidly so no one else could slow him down. The roses were clutched tightly in his hand. Dying seemed like a mercy if Kai left but he didn't want him to leave. He wanted this reality to be the majority. Not the heartbreaking minority.

Kai heard the electric doorknob turn. His suitcase zipped shut. All of his stuff was packed.

Yeonjun burst into tears when he saw three large suitcases by the coffee table. This morning, he thought they were getting better. He started to believe it was all in his head. Maybe he didn't see love return to those golden irses. Maybe he was so lost in the fantasy that he warped his own reality. "STOP! YOU CAN'T GO! TELL ME HOW I CAN FIX THIS! I-" Yeonjun fell to his knees. The roses dropped to the ground. "-I can't go back and fix what I did... I want more than anything to go back to what we were... you can't leave me Kai. I-I..."

Kai knelt to the ground and lightly raised Yeonjun's chin with two fingers. He then took his hands in his own when their eyes met. "Yeonjun-"

Yeonjun whimpered "-I can't lose you again..."

"I'm moving back."

"You are?" Yeonjun threw his hand over his mouth to muffle the sounds coming out.

Kai hugged him tightly. "I found another apartment in the city. It's close to your family's restaurant. I already have a key for you too. I love you Yeonjun."

Yeonjun looked down to see a keycard being slipped into his palm. He could barely tell him he loved him back. Shakily, he picked up the roses and presented them to the blonde.

"Thank you Junnie. They're beautiful." Kai kissed his cheek. "You're beautiful too." That smile meant everything to him. He still hadn't fully forgiven him yet but this time, he was actually going to try.

Yeonjun's breathing steadily returned to normal. Those suitcases were no longer a death sentence. They meant the start of the best years of his life. He couldn't stop smiling. "What? I mean- I'm happy but I thought-"

Kai shut him up with a kiss. "It doesn't matter why."

"You're right. It doesn't."

"It's going to bother you if I don't tell you isn't it?"

"No..."

Kai kissed him again. "It's okay. I'll tell you." Tired of sitting on the floor, Kai lead him to the couch. He decided to go straight to the point. "Taehyun kissed me."

"He kissed you?"

"Yeah. It felt wrong. All I could think about was you. I wanted to see you. I wanted to tell you about it. I miss my old job and I miss being around you all the time. I want to go home."

Yeonjun should've been elated but Kai's behavior read upset. "I miss being around you too... tell me what you're thinking."

"I still don't understand how you cheated on me if that's how it felt from just a kiss."

"Neither of us enjoyed it. We-I was so fixated on our future that I assumed the sacrifice would be worth it. Seeing other timelines made me neglect this one. There was no excuse. It's just what happened."

"Was it worth it?"

"No. Absolutely not." Yeonjun gripped his hands tightly. "You were gone longer than I thought you would be..."

"How long were other versions of me gone for?"

"Two to four months..."

Kai had been gone for a year and a half. "Oh." He didn't know what else to say. Holding on to the past had ruined him as much as Yeonjun holding on to their future. Neither bothered to cherish the present. It was something to learn from. A lesson from their mistakes. "Can you tell me honestly that it won't happen again?"

"Never." Yeonjun had been promising him that exact thing for the past three months. This time felt different. With all of the confidence he could gather, he stated "you will never regret taking me back. I can't promise you'll always be happy but I can promise you'll never feel alone again. I WILL heal everything that I broke. I swear to it."

Kai stood up and grabbed two of his suitcases. "I'm ready to go Junnie."

Yeonjun leaped off of the couch cushion to grab the last one. As they walked out, he beamed with hope. Rebuilding trust was never going to be easy. These past few months felt like he had to drag Kai along the journey. This time, it felt like they were walking it together.