A/N: I updated the previous chapter so if Wattshit is in touch with its wits the last bit should be up, so make sure to read it before this part 🥰
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🎶: 'Rain' by Taeyeon
The next day went by quickly. Taehyun had his morning classes, ate lunch with the rest, had his afternoon classes, and got ready for work. Soobin unfortunately couldn't tag along for the walk, having an appointment to attend, so Taehyun just went there by himself.
Sometimes, Taehyun thought to himselfit was nice to work there. He got to meet many new people every time he took the customers' orders, delivered the food, or printed out the bill, some who even give me extra cash. And his coworkers were really friendly too; being the extrovert he was, Taehyun befriended most of them already.
The only thing that was really risky sometimes was that a lot of students came here too. What happened with Soobin did not affect Taehyun that much, surprisingly, but that was because he promised with his whole heart he wouldn't tell, and Taehyun trusted him because he was his friend (and crush).
But he didn't know too much about others.
If they found out, I would be screwed.
Towards the end of his late evening shift, Taehyun sat down on a bar stool, resting his head on his arms. He was really tired, but unfortunately, the boy still had to clean up.
All the other workers had already left, except for his manager, who was busy finishing some things up. Meaning it was only him around, as usual, doing the remaining work. Taehyun grabbed the cleaning rag off the sink and began to wipe every table platform, and the backs of the chairs too, and after that, he swept the floor, occasionally having to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
Finally, everything was clean and tidy. Except for the dishes. Taehyun sighed, wishing he was done, and opened the tap to wet the sponge to take care of them.
"Taehyun, it's already 8:35. You can go now," his manager said out of the blue, coming in from his office in his clean restaurant.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes yes, I think you've worked plenty; the place is spotless. Good night and get home safely."
Taehyun gave him a small and polite smile.
"Thank you, you too."
After taking off his apron and hanging it up, the brunette grabbed his school bag from the storage room and put his coat on. He pulled his beanie over his hair and went outside of the café, ready to go home.
...
Great.
It just had to rain. But it was not just any rain; it was pouring, and it even felt like sleet. A sign of the times, that the seasons were changing and getting colder, signaling November.
There's no way I can find a taxi to take me home; they're probably extremely busy. And I need the wages for Lia and Yuna more than a car ride.
Taehyun stood there, already getting drenched by the continuous pouring.
What other options do I have?
The brunette thought for another while.
He didn't have a phone, so he couldn't call Beomgyu to have his mom pick him up either. The school was too far away, and the teachers were probably heading home, so none of them could give him a lift.
And Taehyun didn't exactly think camping in the café was great or ideal for his back.
Then, he realized his only option left. And already, Taehyun was a blushing mess.
Soobin offered that I could stay over in case of anything. What's his address again?
Taehyun reached into his pocket, and took out the paper, which thank god that wasn't soaked yet. Quite a miracle with how thin the material was.
He squinted to read what was written there in the darkness, and soon enough realized where this was.
Okay. That isn't too far away from here, right?
To Taehyun's astonishment, he arrived at a medium sized house. He didn't exactly think he'd end up here, in a yes, nice looking neighborhood, but not as extravagantly glamorous as the street Bomi lived.
Doesn't his father have one of the most prestigious, richest companies in Seoul?
Taehyun would have expected a mansion, but this place seemed nice too. Unless, he went in the wrong direction.
Let's hope it's his place.
He rang the doorbell, lightly jumping from one foot to the other, in hopes of warming up from the cold rain. Because he was definitely already freezing from the cold temperature and sticky wetness on his clothes.
The door opened.
"Taehyun?"
Soobin was surprised to see the younger boy at his doorstep, but what shocked him more was his completely drenched, rain soaked state.
"Oh my god Taehyun, don't stand in the rain!" he exclaimed, pulling him inside the house.
Taehyun looked around the main entrance area with large eyes. The whole first floor looked so immaculately clean and tidy, with lavish, expensive looking furniture and beautiful plants, and a staircase right in front of him leading upstairs. A pale fleshy color was emitted on the walls due to the golden glow of the light bulbs in the lamps hanging from above.
Soobin noticed his staring and sighed.
"I know. It's all glamorous and overpriced."
"No... it feels just like royalty."
Soobin chuckled, a joke coming up.
"Well, royalty doesn't stand around and keep their drenched clothes on."
Taehyun blushed and slipped off his wet beanie that had partially kept his head dry. Soobin beckoned for him to follow him.
"Come on, you should change clothes. You can borrow some from me, although they may be very oversized," he offered.
"Oh okay."
Internally, Taehyun was screaming.
I am actually gonna wear my crush's clothes?! Oh god oh god how to stay calm?!
Soobin opened the door to his room and let Taehyun go inside. He was in awe at how nice and comfy Soobin's room was: The Christmas lights that were strung around his bed's headrest, the small lamps which were the only large source of light, the brown dresser, the desk pushed in the corner, and the doors of an opening closet all gave a warm and welcoming vibe.
In fact, Taehyun found it the homiest room of the whole house so far (he may or may not have peeked into the other rooms, just out of curiosity and nothing else).
Soobin rummaged around his closet, picking a pair of black sweatpants and a white t-shirt with a purple and a green circle intersecting. He handed them over to Taehyun.
"Here. I think these will fit you."
Taehyun took them and smiled softly.
"Thanks. Where should I change?"
"You can change in the bathroom across from my room. Don't forget to dry yourself first; there's towels in the cabinet under the sink. I'm going downstairs to prepare you some warm tea."
"Okay."
The two parted ways, the older heading downstairs and the younger into the bathroom.
Taehyun undressed from his wet shirt, hoodie, and jeans into the clothes Soobin gave him. He looked at himself in the mirror, fixing a few strands of hair that were uneven and exhaled.
"It's totally fine Taehyun. You're just in the bathroom, in your crush's house, and you're currently alone. HELP!"
Shit. I hope he didn't hear that.
Taehyun wanted to bang his head on the mirror but remembered to not even leave a scratch. Besides, he should not raise suspicion either with his typical crush behavior that he intended to still keep secret from Soobin. So he just opened the door and went downstairs.
The warm fragrance of tea wafted in the air as Soobin set the two bags in. Suddenly, he heard the soft rustling of clothes and the small squeak of a chair moving, meaning Taehyun was there.
Soobin felt a little awkward, since it was so quiet, so he started talking.
"You're lucky my parents aren't coming home until tomorrow."
"How come?"
"Business meeting outside of Seoul. They're staying at a hotel."
"Your parents go on business trips a lot."
Soobin exhaled.
"Yeah they do. But I'm glad to be honest. It's quiet and peaceful without them."
Taehyun looked down, feeling a little sad as he heard Soobin say that.
At least you still have both.....
"Do you hate your parents?" Taehyun suddenly asked.
Soobin stopped pouring the tea into two cups.
"What?"
"Do you hate your parents? You've never said anything positive about them."
Soobin sighed, setting the tea kettle down and sliding the second cup towards Taehyun, who accepted it with a tiny bow.
"It's a bit complicated..."
Taehyun sipped on the tea.
"You can tell me."
Soobin nodded, and took a sip from his cup as well.
"My parents... I was never very close with them. I was raised by a nanny until I was ten years old. My parents were busy working, so I barely saw them growing up, and soon enough, my father became successful in creating his big company. My mother is his secretary, so that's why she always comes along if he has a meeting."
And somehow in between, they still find time to care for their son as long as it means criticizing him for not doing his work that could one day aid him in taking over their business.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
But ask him how his day was? Never.
Soobin decided to change the topic.
"After I turned ten, I met Hoseok, and we would hang out all the time together during middle school. He also introduced me to his two friends who are sisters, but they moved to Australia a few months ago. I never got close to them but I stayed with the three of them till high school. That's when Hoseok met Jungkook, but I'm sure you know that."
"Yeah."
Soobin was about to continue when Taehyun asked another question relating back to their previous topic.
"How would you describe your parents?"
"Describe?"
Soobin pursed his lips in thought.
I guess I can still talk about them.
"Well... cold. Strict as well, and can sometimes be quite arrogant. But they're very professional, and barely embarrass themselves. That's something I'm not very good at."
Taehyun didn't really know how to react to that.
At that moment, they heard thunder in the far distance. Soobin glanced at the clock, which read 9:15pm. The weather forecast had predicted that they'd be getting a thunderstorm at this time, he remembered seeing that on his phone.
"You should probably stay overnight," he said.
"What?"
"It'd be too dangerous for you to travel in a storm. We have a few guest bedrooms, so you could stay there."
Taehyun felt a bit uneasy with that.
"I umm... I don't do well in strange rooms without someone I know."
"Is that so?"
Soobin hummed to himself in thought. He obviously didn't want Taehyun to feel unwell in this place... so... what can he do?
"Hmm... then you can stay in my room with me."
Taehyun looked at him with wide eyes. Soobin mentally cursed himself— he had no idea how that came off.
"You'd let me stay with you?"
Okay, he doesn't seem... too taken aback.
Soobin nodded, softly smiling.
"Yeah. I'll pull out an air mattress; I've got one in my closet."
"Okay."
🎶: 'Gravity' by Taeyeon
Taehyun may have said 'okay' a few thousand times now, but on the inside, his nervousness was spiraling out of control.
First it was me wearing his clothes, then being in his house, and now I am going to spend the night in his freaking bedroom?! Lord, how the hell am I gonna survive this?!
He patiently waited outside of Soobin's room as he prepared the air mattress, and got some pillows and blankets, fidgeting with his fingers as his eyes scanned the empty walls, aside from the occasional baby pictures of Soobin.
Cute...
"Come on Taehyun, you should rest," Soobin's voice called for him.
Taehyun went inside his room, about to tell him his baby pictures were cute, when he suddenly remembered something.
"Mom."
Soobin lifted his head.
"What?"
"My mom! She must be worried sick!"
"Is there any way you could contact her?" Soobin quickly responded.
"I'll need to borrow your phone to call back home."
"Okay."
Soobin handed him his cell phone, and Taehyun typed in their family home's number and rang it. It wasn't too long until Ahyeon answered.
["Hello, who is this?"] she frantically asked.
"Hi Mom, it's me."
["Taehyun?! Where have you been; I'm so worried!!"]
"It started raining when I came out. Don't worry, I'm at Soobin's place. He said I can stay overnight."
["Really? How kind of him."]
"Yeah... I'm in good hands Mom, don't worry."
Taehyun said that while looking at Soobin with thankful eyes, which may or may not have caused the rate of Soobin's heart to speed up a bit.
Ahyeon sighed over the phone.
["Taehyun, just... call me as soon as you can next time. I... I got scared. I cannot bear to lose another son of mine."]
Taehyun felt a pang in his heart as she mentioned him.
"I know Mom. Tell Lia and Yuna a good night from me, I love you guys," he sweetly responded.
["I love you too Taehyunie, sleep well."]
She hung up and Taehyun handed his phone back. Soobin looked at him with a worried expression.
"You have slight tears in your eyes."
"Huh what?"
Taehyun quickly wiped his eyes, feeling that salty liquid in them.
"Oh yeah. My mom mentioned my brother, so I guess I kinda got a little emotional. It's no big—"
Suddenly, Taehyun was in his arms, pressed closely to his body. He was surprised at first, but then smiled and hugged Soobin back, leaning and drowning into his warmth.
His hugs are always so warm...
"If you need to talk, we still can," Soobin offered.
Taehyun shook his head.
"No it's alright. You need your rest."
"True. You as well."
Soobin went around his room, turning off all the lights. Meanwhile, Taehyun settled into the air mattress, shifting into his favorite sleeping position. Soobin climbed into his bed too and pulled the blanket over his body.
He turned to his left, and he reached his hand down, but hesitated.
Should I? Or... am I crossing boundaries?
Soobin decided to not overthink for once. He fully reached his hand down, patting and ruffling Taehyun's hair in a gentle manner. The brunette blushed rosy at the gesture.
"Good night Taehyun," Soobin softly whispered.
"G-Good night Soobin, sleep well."
He smiled warmly, drawing his hand back, and closed his eyes. And soon, after watching how peaceful he looked while sleeping, Taehyun did too.
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White light. Then black light.
It kept flickering, hurting his eyes. He tried to shield them from these lights, but it did not help him.
Suddenly, it was all white light.
And then... he saw him.
"Where are you going?!" he cried out.
His figure continued walking, ignoring his words.
"Hyung, what are you doing?! Don't leave me!"
I'm so certain that it's him. Who else could it be?
Taehyun started running, but as he ran, the distance between us became bigger.
"Hyung stop! Don't go! You'll break my heart!
It was useless. He couldn't hear him, and was just disappearing more into the white light. Now it was really burning his eyes, causing small tears to spill.
"Hyung!! Come back!"
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"Taehyun? Taehyun, wake up!"
The younger's eyes snapped open as he gasped, his nightmare finally interrupted. Soobin looked down from his bed, worried.
"You're shouting; is everything alright?"
He frantically shook his head, whole body trembling.
"N-No. I had a nightmare. I-I saw my brother, a-and he-he... he left me again."
"Oh..."
Soobin didn't know what to say.
"I'm sorry."
Taehyun felt like crying, but he couldn't.
"Dammit... n-now I'm scared to fall asleep again."
I don't want to see him leave again... it was already painful enough the first time.
Soobin said nothing in response. He was just thinking of all the possible ways he could help Taehyun when the younger one spoke.
"Soobin... c-can I climb up?"
He was shocked.
"What do you—"
Without letting him finish his sentence, Taehyun left the air mattress and climbed into Soobin's bed. Soobin became flustered; did Taehyun just do that?!
Taehyun shuffled closer to him, burying his head into Soobin's t-shirt. Not only that; he also wrapped his arm around the older's torso, so that he was latched onto him.
"D-Don't leave me. N-Not like him."
Soobin figured out what was going on. Taehyun was in a stage of distress where his heart was ordering him around instead of his mind. The older one could understand him completely, which is why he was just fine with it. He brushed Taehyun's soft hair with his long and slender fingers, smiling contently.
"I won't leave you. I promise."
Taehyun whimpered in response and only snuggled closer to him. Soobin wrapped both of his arms around him, listening to his soft breathing. He felt the urge to leave soft kisses on his forehead, but he knew his boundaries. Instead, he just rubbed his back comfortingly.
"Just sleep Taehyun. I'm here."
Soobin forced himself to stay awake, until he was certain that Taehyun was fast asleep. He looked down at the younger, who was still clinging onto him. While his face was still strained... he was slowly looking a lot more peaceful, holding onto Soobin in his sleep.
He smiled fondly.
"Good night... Taehyunie."
After a while, Soobin also fell asleep, Taehyun's warmth giving him more love and light than he ever felt in his whole life.
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A/N: warm and fluffy chapter and now I'm crying. Irl relationships >>> Taebin.
And hooray I don't feel half asleep for once while updating! But I will go to bed soon cuz I needa catch up on sleep 🥲 thank you for reading lovelies, make sure to sleep nice and warm in your beds tonight 💞 I hope you feel loved 🫂