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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2020 8:39:52 GMT -8
Jihoon sat back and made himself comfortable in his seat, as comfortable as you could get in an airplane seat. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, hovering over one. Could I ask anymore last minute....? he scolded himself. He selected Anbai's name and texted: "So I'm moving to Cedar Beach, and moving is a pretty loose term because I haven't house hunted or anything yet. Could you pick me up at the airport and help me find a hotel to crash for a few days while I find a place to stay? Also.... I'm arriving today at 3pm. Sorry, for the super late notice." He sent the message and closed his eyes, imagining Anbai reading the message. If it was back in their college days they'd have probably playfully scolded him, maybe even mussed up his hair. It'd been too long since they'd really talked to each other. Jihoon knew he avoided talking to Anbai because it always hurt his heart. Of course he wanted to know how they were doing, but couldn't bear to hear about them dating or getting married or who knows what else. Please don't hate me... he thought as he dozed a bit while other passengers were still embarking. Anbai Wang
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World History Teacher.
Demisexual.
Single.
03/21/1991.
32.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Anbai Wang on Jul 15, 2020 11:52:05 GMT -8
Anbai was having a good day. Or well, at this point, night. The day had been relatively uneventful, and therefore relaxing, and now it was going on 2am and they were laying on the couch, with something playing in the background. They'd long stopped paying attention, but they recalled it was still on TLC, meaning it was probably something medical and sad.
Anbai was instead playing on their phone, flipping through social media. They were about ready to call it a night when a text message came through. They worried for a moment a friend was reaching out for some sort of help when they realized who the message came from, and then a different sort of panic set in.
You're arriving today?? Why didn't you tell me sooner? How long have you known about this? >[ How am I supposed to find-k. yes. Send me your flight info. I'll see you around 3pm.
They grumbled the entire time they turned off the tv and made their way to their room, shaking their head. However, Anbai felt like they had an endearing smile on their face. Jihoon was finally coming back! They were happy, but hesitant. What if Jihoon didn't have feelings for them anymore? They would manage just being friends, but it would hurt a bit.
They eventually fell asleep, and felt like they only blinked and woke up again, but the clock said otherwise, their phone showing 10:30am. They crawled out of bed and went to the kitchen, noticing it had been used but Anlan was nowhere to be found. They wondered if she had work that day, but couldn't remember what she told them. Anbai made themself some cereal and tea and looked at hotels on their phone while eating mindlessly. "I sure wish you'd given me a price range..." They grumbled, before an idea struck them. They texted their twin for permission for Jihoon to stay with them, reminding her that their ex from college, and breathed a sigh of relief when they received a positive response from Anlan.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2020 12:14:23 GMT -8
Jihoon opened his eyes when he felt his phone buzz. Of course they were still awake at 2am. He chuckled at the reply, typing: "Sorry and thank you. Sending my flight info now, we'll talk about the rest when I see you. Later Xiaobai~"
He forwarded his flight information then switched his phone into airplane mode, smiling to himself. He was looking forward to seeing Anbai again. He probably should have told them earlier. He'd gotten the job right before the school year had ended, so he's known he would be moving back to Washington soon, but he kind of wanted to leave things up to fate. If things were meant to be, they would be.
He pulled out the book he'd brought with him, hopefully this would entertain him until he fell asleep. Then hopefully he'd sleep for most of the flight. It wouldn't do a thing to help him get over jet lag and the time change, but it'd make the flight go by faster.
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World History Teacher.
Demisexual.
Single.
03/21/1991.
32.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Anbai Wang on Jul 19, 2020 18:48:59 GMT -8
As 3pm neared closer, Anbai began panicking over their plan. The apartment they shared with their twin was by no means small, but with three people it would definitely feel crowded. They only hoped Jihoon was serious about it only being a couple days. Anbai had a feeling finding a place of his own would take Jihoon at least a week. They would, of course, suggest this apartment complex first, but they were unsure if the complex was even leasing at the moment.
Anbai checked the flight info throughout the day, using it to determine when they were going to leave. Finally, with one last check of the flight info, Anbai headed out. They had settled on a form-fitting, black v-neck t-shirt and light blue shorts, along with their favorite pair of shoes, a pair of glittery, dark blue high top sneakers with a few highlight colors on the soles and around the edges conveniently the same colors as the genderfluid pride flag. They teetered back and forth on makeup before deciding to just go with some heavy eyeliner. As they got in their car, Anbai realized they were nervous about seeing Jihoon again. What if things were different? Or awkward? Or the same? Anbai wasn't sure which they dreaded most.
They arrived just after three and parked in the short term parking lot and headed towards baggage claim to wait for Jihoon, rocking on their feet nervously as they waited for the man to show up.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2020 19:03:31 GMT -8
Jihoon opened his eyes, waking when they hit the runway. He stretched in his seat and chastised himself. He wasn't going to sleep at all tonight, but considering he was staying with Anbai, sleep probably wasn't expected until 3 or 4 am. Anbai never seemed to sleep at decent times, so maybe they could chat and catch up.
He followed everyone off the plane and towards baggage claim. The closer he got, the faster his heart was racing, "get it together," he whispered to himself. As he walked into baggage claim, he saw them immediately. When they had dated, Anbai was practically North on Jihoon's compass, he could always find them, this time was no different.
He ducked down a little, blending into the crowd. He wanted to surprise Anbai. He managed to get behind them, thanks to an overly aggressive and pushy crowd and waited for that crowd to leave.
"Miss me?" Jihoon said in Anbai's ear, wrapping his arms around them from behind. He knew he probably should have gone for a softer, more cautious approach, but was just so excited to see them again that he couldn't help himself but to tease them.
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World History Teacher.
Demisexual.
Single.
03/21/1991.
32.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Anbai Wang on Jul 20, 2020 18:57:07 GMT -8
Anbai glanced up from their phone as people started pouring out and gathering around the belt where Jihoon's plane's baggage was supposed to come out, looking around for their ex. Somehow, they missed him sneaking behind them, and let out a shocked squeak as someone wrapped their arms around them. Anbai turned and found themself face-to-face with Jihoon, and felt like their heart just melted. He was still the same goofball they remembered. Their initial surprise faded quickly and Anbai let out a laugh, lightly hitting Jihoon's chest. "Of course I did!" They said chipperly, but as they gently escaped from Jihoon's embrace, Anbai's face darkened. "You've barely talked to me in months and suddenly spring this on me. Are you crazy?!" They said, saying the last part in Chinese. Anbai's expression softened and they let themself show a moment of weakness, wrapping their arms around Jihoon's neck and nuzzling them a bit. "I thought you were mad at me or something..." They muttered, the pout evident in their voice despite Jihoon not being able to see it at the moment.
Anbai knew they were showing a rather... multifaceted reaction to seeing Jihoon, but it was the exact wave of emotions they imagined would happen when they got to see him again, so they didn't bother fighting it. Anbai pulled away, just as reluctantly as the first time, as they heard people begin pulling baggage off the belt. "We should find your bags. What do they look like?" They asked.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2020 20:36:30 GMT -8
Jihoon laughed when Anbai faced him, then quickly had to throw his hands up in defense. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Yes, I'm crazy," he answered the last bit in Chinese.
He wrapped his arms around Anbai's waist and held them tight, nuzzling into their neck. "No, I wasn't mad. I was sad. It hurt whenever I'd talk to you. I missed you." Jihoon was sorry he hadn't stayed in touch more, and he was sorry if he seemed like he was coming on strong. His moms had always taught him to be honest, especially when it came to matters of the heart, so he wasn't embarrassed to tell Anbai the truth.
He loosened his grip and let them slip away from him, "I see my bags," he snaked his way through the crowd and managed to get to his luggage just in time to get them off the belt. He returned to Anbai's side, "ready when you are," he said, a grin plastered to his face.
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World History Teacher.
Demisexual.
Single.
03/21/1991.
32.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Anbai Wang on Jul 25, 2020 10:27:09 GMT -8
"I missed you too..." Anbai muttered, not even sure if Jihoon heard it. They were relieved Jihoon hadn't been mad, but now Anbai's heart ached at the thought. Maybe there was hope for them to rekindle their relationship after all. They waited as Jihoon went to grab his bag, and smiled when he returned. "Let's go then." They said, motioning for Jihoon to follow as they headed to the car. "You had asked me to find you a hotel, but didn't give me a price range or anything. So, I hope you don't mind being placed in my and Anlan's place until you can find your own place." They began, then added after a pause, "You've had a long flight... Are you tired, or did you want some food or anything before we went home?"
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2020 10:38:57 GMT -8
Jihoon followed Anbai closely. "Is Anlan okay with that? Sorry, I was pretty poor at planning this whole thing... even though I might have known about the job since the end of the school year, " he said cautiously, knowing they'd probably get mad at him for that.
"I just figured I'd do some apartment hunting once I got here," he gestured to his luggage, "this is all I have anyways."
"I slept on the flight but I could definitely eat," he loaded his things into the car when they got there and pulled Anbai to him, hugging them tight, "I missed you. Thank you for coming to get me."
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World History Teacher.
Demisexual.
Single.
03/21/1991.
32.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Anbai Wang on Jul 27, 2020 21:04:14 GMT -8
"You what?!" Anbai shrieked, smacking Jihoon's arm as they grumbled. They let out a frustrated breath and returned their hands to their side. "Yes, I asked her as soon as the idea came to me." Anbai confirmed. "You're welcome." They added curtly, though they returned the hug.
Although Anbai would've been fine staying in his arms forever, they instead motioned for them to get going, getting into the driver's seat and starting the car. "What kind of food do you want?" They asked, starting to move once Jihoon was settled. The sooner they left the parking garage, the less they'd have to pay in parking fees. It was a long drive back up to Cedar Beach anyway, and they had to pass by Seattle to get there, so Jihoon had plenty of time to think of a place to go even if they were already on the road.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2020 22:12:04 GMT -8
Jihoon felt a little guilty he hadn't told Anbai earlier, but was happy to be here now. He played with his necklace which held the couple ring he'd worn when he'd dated Anbai. It was such a subconscious movement at this point that he didn't even realize that he was doing it.
"Feed me whatever you want to eat," he said, grabbing some cash and giving it to them so they could pay for parking.
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World History Teacher.
Demisexual.
Single.
03/21/1991.
32.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Anbai Wang on Aug 1, 2020 11:49:22 GMT -8
Anbai looked at the money given to them and then to Jihoon. "What... Oh, for parking? No, keep it for another time. Buy me a coffee or something." They said, handing the money back to Jihoon. Anbai tried to think of somewhere that Jihoon might have missed, but they had never actually been to China, and hadn't even left the country in about 15 years, so they had no idea what the man had access to. "Um... a diner?" They guessed.
Anbai had noticed Jihoon was fidgeting with a necklace but couldn't quite figure out what it was right away. When they did, they bit their lip, focusing on the road. After a moment's silence, Anbai spoke, "You still have that?" They asked in just above a whisper.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2020 16:26:49 GMT -8
Jihoon accepted his money back, "okay, but airport parking isn't cheap so it better be some expensive coffee."
He thought about a diner, "breakfast for dinner. Yum," he was preparing a menu in his head, "pancakes and a scramble, or even a burger and a milkshake. I didn't realize how much I missed food here."
"Still have what?" He asked, taking a few extra seconds to realize that he'd been playing with their couple ring. He tucked it away in his shirt, a little shy, "Yes... I.." he was at a loss for words. He wanted to ask Anbai if they still had their couple ring, but was afraid the answer would be no.
"Is it weird? That I have it?" he asked.
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World History Teacher.
Demisexual.
Single.
03/21/1991.
32.
Sheep (WA)
Authored by Redeim.
Offline.
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Post by Anbai Wang on Aug 10, 2020 10:30:59 GMT -8
"I'm okay with that." Anbai told him with a raise of an eyebrow.
They laughed as Jihoon began listing off foods. "It's settled then. A diner it is."
They were quiet as they got through the parking structure, trying to figure out how to respond. Finally, Anbai spoke after a shake of their head, "no... I still have mine, too. I mean, not on me, but it's tucked away safely in a drawer at home. Honestly, I almost wore it today, but then thought you might find it weird, so I didn't." They smiled just slightly, "Maybe I should have."
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2020 19:40:16 GMT -8
"When I moved I put it on the chain, but I don't really ever take it off," Jihoon said, looking out the window a little shy. "I mean I... Never mind..."
He was going to say he didn't wear their couple ring when he was in relationships with other people, but wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say. And what if Anbai was the same? Were they not wearing it because they were dating someone?
Jihoon tentatively hovered his hand over Anbai's before finally gathering enough courage to cover their hand with his own.
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