Tally Marks- soulmate au

Chapter Three: A Tail or A Tale

The following morning was filled with a painful headache and slight regret for drinking too much. But, a small smile still found it's way to Junhui's face when he had noticed a note laying on his bedside.

I had to carry your heavy ass back home last night. I don't know what you'd do without me. Don't forget to drink water and eat breakfast. See you at the coffee shop.
-Woo

The little twinkle in his eye after reading the note had brought hope to his day. He then did as he was told: got ready, ate breakfast, made sure to drink lots of water. He then proceeded to prepare his things for work, there wasn't much since most of it stayed in the office, but he did have a few personal items he liked to keep with him. He grabbed his worn out, faded, leather wallet and opened it, making sure he still had the important things inside of it, like cash, ID, a small note from his parents with the characters 我愛你 on it. Wonwoo had once asked him what that meant. The two were walking home when Junhui had accidentally dropped his wallet and the note fell out. Wonwoo was the one to pick it up and return it to the older male. When the question slipped from Wonwoo's mouth, a small, sad smile appeared on Junhui's face. He then turned to look directly at Wonwoo and grinned as he whispered "I love you." There was a small pause of silence as the two just stared at each other and their hearts unknowing picked up pace before he continued. "It translates to 'I love you.'"

Junhui smiled at the memory, letting his mind and body drift to that small, happy moment. That moment was the moment Junhui realized that he might be developing feelings for Wonwoo. That flutter in his heart and roller coaster in his stomach where indications of how nervous he was to say those words to his friend. They were friends, just friends, and in this time, he knew they could be nothing more. Not necessarily because he was worried about ruining their friendship or he feared that Wonwoo wouldn't feel the same -even though he did feel those things- but on top of that, if they did get together, and people found out, they would be lynched. And to think, living so long, waiting for a soulmate to come along, only to die without being with them. It was really something Junhui was trying to avoid. And he couldn't put Wonwoo through that either. So he went along with his business and tried incredibly hard to push those feeling into a pit and lock them up.

The walk to the coffee shop was mundane and pedestrian, with other people walking the winter streets besides him. A few cars driving the cobblestone streets. It was nice, if he didn't have to walk it every single day. His daily life was getting really boring, having to do the same thing over and over again. That's why he was so glad when Wonwoo walked into his life, he finally got a change of scenery, and it was definitely a good change. But now, things were starting to go back to the same boring routine. He needed some excitement, he just wasn't sure where to find it.

The familiar bell above the cafe door rang aloud as Junhui walked into the shop. His eyes immediately looked towards the spot in the corner of the cafe that Wonwoo and him usually meet. And there he was, Wonwoo, sat in their corner, drinking a cup of coffee with another cup sitting across from him. There was nothing special about the way the light hit him or the aura he created, it was just him, and that was perfect enough. Junhui strode over to their table and took a seat across from the younger man. They quickly made eye contact and smiled at each other.

"Good morning." Junhui started, before taking a sip of his coffee.

"How do you feel?" Wonwoo asked in concern.

"Like shit. Thanks for the note though."

Wonwoo just chuckled. "You know, you're a real mess sometimes."

"I'm only a mess for you." he replied with a small smirk.

Wonwoo only rolled his eyes, trying to cover up the light tint forming on his cheeks. He still wasn't quite used to Junhui's antics. Wonwoo then picked up his drink as he stood from their table getting ready to leave. "Come on," he started, "Let's go." He then headed for the door, hoping Junhui would follow. But he didn't need much hope, Junhui would follow him anywhere. So, thus, the two headed off for work. Soon, they were walking side by side on the New York, cobblestone streets, and enjoying their coffee's.

"So, how does it feel? Finally having an actual job." Junhui asked, starting up a new conversation.

"Honestly, I'm so excited to actually be working alongside you and Seungcheol. To finally have a real job after all these years." Junhui could tell by the way Wonwoo's eyes slightly lit up as he talked about the topic, that he was genuinely happy about working together. He smiled at that and took a sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, now all you have to do is keep the job and soon enough, we'll be working in the same department. I can't wait."

The two chuckled at that, knowing it would take years for them to get there.But the idea of working together for years didn't seem so bad. They kept the conversation going, chatting insistently about whatever their conversation seemed to drift to. Their smiles bright and eyes lit up as the sun shone out from behind the tall city buildings. The morning cascaded into a new day of smiles and hope. Hope for a better future.Hope for each other. Hope for soulmates. They both felt a connection between each other, and whether or not the other knew about it, they didn't mention it, at all. They proceeded as friends, and nothing more than that. So they talked, and acted like best friends and continued living their lives.

"I think I want to adopt a cat." Wonwoo said out of the blue.

An immediate smile formed itself onto Junhui's face as he heard the words spill from his friend's mouth. "Really?" He asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I've been considering it ever since I got out of the war. I think it would be good for me."

"That's so cool, because I've also been considering getting a cat. Preferably a kitten so i can raise him or her."

An idea popped into Wonwoo's Head as he heard Junhui speak. "Why don't we adopt one together?"

"That would be amazing, we should definitely do that. How about this weekend, we go down to the pet shop, you know, the one of the corner of Barrington and Floyd, and get ourselves a kitten."

"It's a date." Wonwoo said as the two walked into their office building. It was a fairly tall building, with security and revolving front doors. A few fake potted plants sat on each side of the inside of the door. They walked in and to the left as they headed for the staff elevator. Their conversation continued as they discussed what type of cat the might want to get and what they would name it, and who would take care of it when. It wasn't long until they had reached Wonwoo's floor and he had to leave with a promise to meet at lunch. Junhui had taken the rest of the empty elevator ride up to his floor. When he got there he stepped out and walked to familiar route to his office.

Once he entered his office, he noticed Anne was already there, she seemed to be sitting at her desk going through some files with a slight frown on her face, which was odd because she can almost always be caught smiling.

"Good morning Mrs. Klein." She huffed as she made eye contact with Junhui. He was setting his things down at his desk when she stopped rummaging through her papers and said to him, "Junhui, we need to talk"

(1373 words)