"I heard that you were sick that day," August's hazel eyes were drinking in Jin and the latter could only focus on the warm cup of coffee before him, wisps of cloud emitting from it before dying down.

Begrudgingly Jin put a finger down the neck of his black turtleneck sweater, as if the soft material was too tight circling around his throat. Jin thought it might be nostalgic to see August after so many years, but he only felt like he was being weighed down by something.

"It's so good to see after such a long while, Jin. You seem like you have changed a lot," August's voice was almost like a whisper. He would not avert his gaze from Jin even for a second, watching him almost as if he was a mystery.

"People change," the words were heavy on Jin's tongue. He shifted on his seat again but this time, he tried to match August's gaze.

Nothing had seemed to change in him. The curly locks in a murky shade of brown still tousled on August's head, eyes still as curious and glittering like pearls in the sea, when he smiled he still showed his gum.

The only changes were that he was not wearing his glasses anymore. His bare and beautiful eyes were for everyone to see, not only for Jin when he would remove the boy's heavy glasses and stare into those translucent set of hazel green pearls before they would both burst out into fits of giggles.

His cheekbones had also become more prominent, almost like his American father. His voice a stark deeper too, despite all that he still had the boyish innocence engraved on his face.

Then it struck Jin. He was only feeling uncomfortable because he was the one who was a stranger here. Not August.

"I, on the other hand," August heaved a small sigh before tilting his head to the front and letting out a soft chuckle by himself. "I gave up on college, dropped out. It's just not my thing. I want to start a small business but before that, I kinda wanna travel the world."

"That's always been your dream," Jin found himself whispering for no reason, in which the other boy laughed triumphantly.

Jin could see how much August was enjoying his presence but the dark haired could only feel strange when the past memories came to him, as if they were not his own but he was looking at the recollections through a kaleidoscope.

"Yeah," August mused taking a sip of his coffee. "I also came out to my parents. It was hard for them to consume at first but later they accepted it."

Eyes slowly going wide Jin stared at the hazel boy but then he remembered how different August's parents and his environment were than his.

That was also the reason why Jin would find himself more in the mansion next door with a vast green lawn and flower garden attached to it, the other reason was August himself of course.

August lived in a carefree and frolic environment where bubbles, butterflies, and giggles danced around the atmosphere, Jin could feel his shackles free him whenever he would find himself there.

And when they left to the USA, August and Jin were merely sixteen. The parting happened as less dramatic as possible.

Yet everything changed drastically after that. Jin had nowhere to turn to and his parents also realized how he was lacking in 'manners', 'etiquettes', and 'behaviors' due to his frequent escape to their next-door neighbors.

"That's good for you," Jin felt his stiff shoulders loosen a little as he managed to smile for the first time. "I am glad to hear that."

August slowly nodded to himself returning Jin's smile. "Do you remember how this place used to be an internet café? They have made this a coffee shop, I see." He wandered his head around a bit and Jin relaxed a bit more not getting the same question about coming out from August.

"So much changed around here," hearing him mutter Jin only could think how Jin had transformed into a different person too.

Trying not to give in to his thoughts he spoke up. "How long are you here for?

"A week. Tops." August shrugged to himself. "Next stop is India. I will be meeting Julie there, apparently, she had mastered the hobby of traveling too. Hey, do you remember-" the boy leaned a bit forward, eyes gleaming with mischief as if he was spilling an enormous secret.

"When we broke her favorite set of mirrors. We were only playing with her makeups. Oh boy, who knew she would cry so much."

Hearing that brought Jin back to the set of events as if he was not looking through a mirror anymore but it was actually happening.

Jin in his favorite pink sweater trying to hold August's face still with one hand, other applying blush on his cheeks. As if they were not tinted already just like Jin's sweater.

"She misses you a lot. You know, after we moved away she confessed to me one day that she had a crush on you."

Julie who was two years younger than them both had curly locks just like August, but they fell onto her shoulders in waves. Jin could still picture her whimpering after scrapping her knees in the garden, August scolding her and Jin tending to her wounds.

"Poor girl did not know we had a thing going on," a ghost of a smile still lingered on August's face as he muttered.

The clouds brewing from the coffee took Jin a long time back when things were alright, when he would find his hands locked in the hazel boy's hands, their fingers entwined as they chased down the butterflies when they beat their wings in their hearts. August and Jin were ten.

Or under the maple tree in an autumn afternoon when August first confessed to Jin when they were fourteen, his face crimson and words a stutter. Jin decided that day that the color of August's shy face could be the next best color to pink.

Or when they were sixteen and August told Jin that they were leaving, his face a ghastly shade of pale that matched Jin's hollow heart.

Or two years later when the unread emails from August that Jin skimmed through before deleting them all and turning his computer off, the screen just as black like Jin turtleneck sweater. There was no place for pink.

"A few weeks ago I was in Japan and you would not believe, I found the exact same set of mirrors like Julie's!" August bit on his lower lip fighting down a grin. "And I also found the sailor moon mangas you used to love. With the pink covers, I learned that they were a rare version."

Jin remembered why he had decided to meet August in the first place, and the weight that was sitting on his lap all this time. Jin finally took it out and placed it on the table.

He saw the crestfallen face that befell August's face, as if like an avalanche all the snow suddenly falling down a steep mountain.

"I don't like those anymore, August," Jin breathed out and despite the lump forming on his throat he kept speaking. "Nor do I like pink now."

There was a time when Jin used to find home in August, but now the hazel boy and the crisp comic books before him were only making him realize how he was bound by the chains, the thick ropes tightening around his muscles.

He could not hear much of what August was saying in reply. It did not matter much when Jin noticed the man with a book on his hand sitting on the other table that was behind them stand up to leave.

The familiar face made Jin freeze up in his seat before he abruptly stood up to chase down the guy that had already left the café.

It was Namjoon, only when he had taken the book down Jin saw it was him.

And the same thoughts jumbled up his brain again like the incident that occurred with Taehyung. With erratic breathing and a screaming heart Jin ran to catch up to Namjoon.

Thankfully he hadn't gone too far. "Wait," the older shouted from the back making his housemate stop.

When he had finally walked up to Namjoon he could barely ask if he had heard all of the conversations between him and August between his huffs and puffs.

Namjoon's concerned eyes were on Jin before they followed the other person that had walked up to them.

August, who had gotten outside the café too held out the transparent bag that Jin had used to wrap in the comic books. The curly-haired gave him a somber expression that almost mirrored his pale face from ten years ago when he left.

"Please keep this. As a final goodbye, Jin."

From Jin's periphery he could see Namjoon look away from August and gaze down at the asphalt instead.

Jin was bisexual and now he was sure Namjoon had learned about it too.

---
A/n: I'm proud of myself for being able to write this chapter in the pride month for the lgbtqap+ community.

Jin from this story is my most prominent lgbt+ character yet.

I've written characters like him before. Shin Soohyo (bi) from online crush, byul (possibly gay) from his errand boy, soomi (demi) from fall for me. But this is my first time diving into an lgbt+ character. As an asexual person who's from the community itself this was really refreshing to write.