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when two people get into a situationship, it never ends well. why? because if you can’t keep up with the complicated lines of a story, then you can’t read the book properly. for example, kim juhoon and lee tarzzan’s relationship went on and off, one moment theyre posting each other to love songs, and then, the next moment, they’re pouring their hearts out to their friends talking about they hate the sudden distance between them or how annoying the other is.
tarzzan sat on the edge of his dorm bed, hunched over as he sighs. “what’s up with you, tar?” bailey asks with concern, curling her hair at the vanity. tarzzan lifted his gaze reluctantly, his eyes slightly red and watery. “is it that juhoon boy again?” tarzzan nods quietly as bailey frowns in sympathy.
“i told you that boy was doing too little for you, tarzzan. you treat his sudden acts of bare minimum as if they were the most precious thing in the world. but really, it’s nothing special. don’t settle for that kind of thing, seriously.” bailey lectured, tarzzan’s shoulders slumping sluggishly as she went on, even if bailey was indeed right.
“i know, i know, but you’ve told me that too often, bailey!” he snaps, arms flailing. bailey gritted her teeth before she groaned. “then fucking listen, gosh!” setting down her curling iron, bailey got up from her stool to storm out. but not before calling out in a wave of jealousy. “juhoon doesn’t deserve you, tarzzan—i do!”
great. not only was tarzzan already down from juhoon’s indifference, bailey was also pissed at him.—and she wants tarzzan, too!
meanwhile, juhoon was out with sean and keonho, getting acai at oakberry, chatting. “didn’t you have plans today?” keonho piped up, scooping a spoonful of acai into his mouth.
at keonho’s sudden interruption, sean let out a mumble of realization, “oh yeah… like with his situationship! who was it again? martin?” juhoon shook his head. “no, tarzzan.”
keonho nearly spat out his acai. “you’re still screwing around with that little freak? seriously? if you said martin, i would’ve been fine with that!” the three of them then burst into laughter, with sean playfully hitting keonho’s shoulder as they hooted and hollered. “gosh, i know right?” juhoon agreed in a fight of giggles. “i didn’t want to go to the movies with his weird ass, so here i am now, having oakberry with you guys.”
“well thank god you didn’t, because you’re paying,” sean replied, his cheeky grin full of acai, keonho calling sean a broke loser in the meantime.
weeks flew by—not a single side talked.—not juhoon, and certainly not tarzzan. so tarzzan decided to speak to juhoon in person. to make a statement.
the doorbell rang out in juhoon’s college dormitory, james coming to answer the door this time. “heyyy whats up—“ james stopped in his tracks. “—uh… tarzzan? oh! tarzzan! hello, long time no see…” tarzzan gave james a tight-lipped smile as he brought himself to nod. “yeah… um… is juhoon home?” james pretended to take a look around the dorm in response. “uhhh… no?”
“bullshit, he texted me that he was home today, y’know.” eyes widening, james nervously chuckled, seemingly caught trying to lie to his face. “oh! then uhh, i guess you can come in..?” tarzzan pushed past him.
he hoped to find juhoon, while juhoon was doing something else entirely. “juhooooon—!” he called out, listening for a reply. juhoon let out a startled gasp, getting off of martin’s lap so quickly, his game console slipped out of his reach. “quick, hide in the closet!” juhoon hissed.
after martin obeyed, juhoon turned the doorknob. “tarzzan… what are you doing here?” he asked awkwardly, cheeks previously flushed from being up on martin just moments ago. “i came to talk.”
juhoon scratched his head, continuously nervous. “oh. okay. sit down, i guess!” and so he did. tarzzan sat down on juhoon’s bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. “i missed you, baby… i really did.” tarzzan admitted. juhoon took a cringed inhale. “yeah, i did too,” he lied between his teeth. meanwhile, tarzzan lit up, leaning in close so juhoon could feel his hot, sour breath. “really?” juhoon forces himself to nod, trying not to gag.
among the clothes hangers in juhoon’s closet, martin slaps his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh.
heart fluttering, tarzzan nervously leaned closer so that he could pull juhoon against him in a kiss. he held juhoon by the shoulders, hesitantly pressing his chapped lips against juhoon’s plush lips. tarzzan leans into the kiss—even tilting his head to feel juhoon’s mouth deeper.—but juhoon doesn’t seem to reciprocate. he sits there awkwardly, stiff like a board in discomfort. his body locks tight as he squirms in place.
it’s bad—really bad.
noticing this, a sense of disappointment fills tarzzan’s thoughts. so he pulled away, catching a glimpse of juhoons disgust before he quickly flips it back to a neutral expression. “…so,” juhoon began. tarzzan shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows as he frowns. “i have something to say too…”
“on the count of three then…” tarzzan mumbles. the buzzing of silence amidst the two felt loud—with an even thicker tension as the adrenaline made their abilities to speak hold back.
“i think we need to talk more!” tarzzan loudly suggested.
“i’ve been seeing martin behind your back!” juhoon hollered at the same time. “wait—“
the two of them then stared at each other, both in disbelief as another sharp silence bloomed for a few painful seconds before tarzzan gasped in horror, his eyes welling up with tears. “w-what?! WHAT??”
suddenly, as if on cue, juhoon’s closet door creaked open.
martin exited awkwardly, making the clothes hangers rattle while he moved to bent down a little so he wouldn’t hit his head on the closet roof. “it’s true. i’m sorry you found out this way.” martin confirms. at that, every nightmare of tarzzan’s had came true. the tears flow against his cheeks rapidly and so he rushes out of juhoon’s dorm—past him and martin—past james and the twins—all while his sobs echoed throughout the dormitory’s hallways.
martin and juhoon look at each other for a few moments, trying to process what the fuck had just happened. realizing he didn’t have to bend awkwardly like he did in the closet anymore, martin sat down on juhoon’s bed—on the side of juhoon that tarzzan didn’t sit on—feeling the clean duvet dip beneath him.
minutes later, juhoon lets out a hard sigh in both relief and heaviness. it felt like he was free from the cage, like an angel finally able to spread its wings after being punished.—in this case, the punishment was his relationship with tarzzan. “finally… i didn’t know how else to tell him.” he breathed, taking another deep breath before martin elbowed him gently.
martin had a shy, cheeky little smile plastered on his face, his eyes finding juhoon’s eagerly. “so… can we be a thing now? without the tarzzan?” martin propositioned in hopes of being able to experience what it was like to keep juhoon all to himself—true and official. “of course, mars. without tarzzan,” he smiled back, his gaze fixating upon martin’s lower lip, clearly tempted.
“can i kiss you—?” martin stopped himself. “well, i know we’ve kissed before already, but this feels sacred and you know… special and all.”
juhoon didn’t hesitate any longer, pushing himself up taller so he could reach martin’s height. his lips touched martins with a softness he never felt before, all the remaining turmoil draining as he scooted himself closer until his leg was sitting against martin’s. he felt martin’s hands drift to the underside of his knees and the small of his back as he was lifted onto the familiar warmth of martin’s lap.
after what felt like forever, juhoon pulled away with a newfound sense of love blooming in his thumping chest. “i guess our story ends this way, huh?” he breathlessly whispered, lips curling into a gentle smile as martin darts out to fix juhoon’s bangs. “our story ends this way,” martin repeated quietly.
. . .
“you’re my boyfriend now, by the way.”