A bottle of stardust (SVT)

Polaroid

Jihan

Jisoo loved polaroids. He owned a worn and old polaroid camera that he forces to feebly spit out polaroid after polaroid. Pictures of scenery, animals and people adorn his walls, from his travels and adventures, but none of them contain a picture of him. A pity, really, with such attractive features like his shining eyes and pretty lips, he would make a lovely model. Everytime someone offers to take his picture, he would shyly shake his head, because that's who he was. No one ever managed to sneak a picture of him. Ever.

Jisoo moved to an apartment after his twenty-third birthday, a new, unused one, with a spacious overhanging balcony that overlooked the streets. He could watch the sunset at night, see the neighbourhood wake up like a snoozing creature in the morning, when the birds start to chirp and the people start to move. Jisoo enjoyed bringing his cup of coffee to the balcony, and leaned against the rail to see the world around him come to life once more after a dreary cold night. Then-

Click!

Startled, Jisoo turned to his right, where he saw his neighbour standing there with a broad grin on his face and a polaroid camera in his hands. A white rectangle popped out from the top, which the boy plucked out to study, then handed it to Jisoo. "Sorry, you looked so cute, I thought you'd want a photograph," The young man said, his eyes bright with mischief and wonder, as if he had a good secret, and if you waited, he may tell it to you. Their hair wafted through the air as the cheeky wind breezed by, the young man's tousled hair looking soft and gentle. Jisoo accepted the photo, and there he was, eyes closed and the ghost of a light smile across his lip. "You're very photogenic," The young man gushed, his hand running through his bed hair. "Thank you," Jisoo managed, "What's your name?" The young man winked and said, "Yoon Jeonghan."

They spend their free time on their balconies, Jisoo stealthily snapping polaroids of Jeonghan. Jeonghan listening to music, Jeonghan watering his plants, Jeonghan drinking coffee, Jeonghan laughing, Jeonghan smiling. Jisoo had stuffed all his old polaroids haphazardly into a box, and used space instead to decorate with pictures of Jeonghan. He looked different in every photo, but the one thing that never changed was the sparkle in his eye and that brilliant white smile. After marking the date of every photo, Jisoo would tack it to the wall, which he also furnished with twinkling fairy lights. They watched the sunset together, laughing and telling stories, and they watched the neighbourhood wake up like a snoozing creature in the morning, when the birds start to chirp and the people start to move. And it was different, so, so different, because he couldn't see the darkness of the sunset sky, all he could see was the vibrant vivid colours that danced in Jeonghan's eyes, and he couldn't hear the birds chirping or the people talking, because all he could hear was Jeonghan's sweet voice.

But one day Jeonghan didn't come to the balcony. And Jisoo was swamped with work, so he couldn't go to his balcony either.

Then Jiso started to see the darkness of the sunset sky, because there were no colours to be seen, and the bird's chirping and the people's talking were loud and annoying, because there was no laughter to be heard.

And it became worse. Jeonghan's balcony plants slowly disappeared, as did the little table on the balcony and its chair. Then dust began to collect in the house, next to the stacks and stacks of brown cardboard boxes. But Jeonghan finally reemerged one day, limp hair and cracked lips, but his eyes still brightened when he saw Jisoo.

"Soo yah," Jeonghan started, his voice sad and apologetic, "I'm-"

"-moving away?" Jisoo guessed.

Jeonghan's cheeks flushed. "I...I got fired from my job, and the landlord's gonna evict me soon, and I don't have anywhere to go-" The young man broke down, soft heart-wrenching sobs drifted from his mouth. Jeonghan looked up with tear-stained cheeks. "I just wanted to see you again." Jisoo felt his heart clench, then he stood up.

"Come to my apartment."

Jeonghan's eyebrows twitched.

"What?"

"Come."

Five minutes later, Jeonghan knocked on the door and Jisoo swung it open, enveloping the other in a tight hug.

"Thank you," Jeonghan choked out," I really needed-" His words dried up when his eyes landed on the wall.

The photos of him, but also them, the selfies they took together, the times they visited each other's apartments, they were there on the wall.

Jeonghan wiped his nose, "Hong Jisoo, you stalker."

Jisoo let out a tinkling laugh, then whispered, "You can stay with me."

Shocked, Jeonghan's jaw was slack, then he closed his mouth and buried his head in Jisoo's shoulders. "Thank you, soo yah."

Jisoo let out a light laugh.

"Love you too, Jeonghan."