the theory of relativity | heehoon

five.

They move into the university dorms just two weeks before the new semester begins.

Sunghoon and Heeseung's rooms are both small singles, split according to faculty and randomised within their dormitory buildings, which means Sunghoon is blockmates with thirty-nine other students in the Engineering faculty, as is Heeseung with the students from the Music stream. The university has it arranged that way for ease of group study and to better facilitate intra-faculty connections, but to the two of them it is merely a sort of inconvenience.

The walk between the two blocks is fifteen minutes at a normal pace, ten if one is rushing. It doesn't matter, though. Heeseung and Sunghoon find easy places in between for them to meet each other as they familiarise themselves with the sprawling campus over the final few days leading up to the start of the semester, and the distance, as it is, doesn't prove to be an obstacle after all.

"I've got something for you to hear," Heeseung mentions one day out of the blue. It's one of the days Sunghoon has agreed to make the journey to the Music faculty's dormitory block, and they study in the comfort of Heeseung's room instead of the crowded university cafes. "A song I picked up recently."

"Oh?" Sunghoon twirls his pen once before putting it down. "For class, or just something you wanted to work on?"

"Just something I wanted to work on," Heeseung answers. He flips papers upward to look for his acoustic guitar pick for a few moments, before remembering it's in his pocket. "I'm not finished with it, but I thought you'd like to hear it."

He picks up his acoustic from the guitar stand by his couch, and strums.

"I don't really give a damn about the way you touch me,

When we're alone

You can hold my hand if no one's home

Do you like it when I'm away?

If I went and hurt my body, baby would you love me the same?"

He looks up between chords right then, as if waiting to see if Sunghoon wants him to continue.

"Go on," Sunghoon smiles, nudging Heeseung's foot with his own. "Keep singing."

"I can feel all my bones coming back and I'm craving motion

Mama never really learned how to live by herself

It's a curse, and it's growing

You're a pond and I'm an ocean"

─

8:34AM

sunghoon:
hi!!!!!
i'm in my first lecture
the theater is insanely big

heeseung:
my first class starts in
half an hour
the theater is not as big
as my ___

sunghoon:
brain

heeseung:
my love for you

sunghoon:
oh in that case
the theater might be just
a little bigger

heeseung:
You are horrible
take that back

sunghoon:
let me pay attention to
DYNAMICS OF MACHINERY please

heeseung:
bitches always talking about
dynamics of machinery

you are worried about the
wrong dynamics

sunghoon:
which bitches are always
talking about dynamics of
machinery

do you have another engineering
boyfriend or something

heeseung:
can you just ask which
dynamics you should be
worried about

sunghoon:
which ones

heeseung:
when i dynaMIX deez
nuts in your mouth

okay my class has started

sunghoon:
what the fuck

─

Sunghoon puts his armful of school books down on the seat beside him, chewing on the straw of his ice-blended coffee as he sits down. Heeseung had once upon a time tried to break the younger boy out of the habit, but none of the methods he'd ever tried had seen any fruitful outcome. At some point enough time passed that he'd already gotten used to it, and neither of them much bothered with it anymore.

"Heeseung, do you know what the Theory of Relativity is?"

Heeseung's eyes widen as he puts down the bite of cake he's speared on the tip of his fork. "Are you kidding me? I'm literally a music major. But tell me anyway."

Sunghoon grins, and sets down his drink. "Imagine we're in a train running along a track," he begins. "The theory of special relativity dictates that the faster we move, the slower time passes for us."

"There are two axes, space and time." Sunghoon uses his miscellaneous stationery to make a rough diagram on the table between them. "The more you move through space, the less you move through time. See this? So, the faster you move, the slower time passes for you."

Heeseung just gives him a 'Sunghoon, what the hell?' look and continues eating cake. "I can't imagine why people would like thinking about things like this."

"It's terrifying," Sunghoon agrees, picking up Heeseung's fork to steal a mouthful of strawberry shortcake. "Mechanical engineering is a painful degree to sit through."

"That's my cake."

"Sharing is caring."

"Okay." Heeseung reaches over to take Sunghoon's iced coffee, and the other boy doesn't protest. "All's fair in love and war."

"Is this love or war?" Sunghoon retorts playfully, between mouthfuls of strawberry and cream.

"Are you kidding? Of course this is war."

"Oh, all my emotions feel like explosions when you are around

But I've found a way to kill the sound"