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If there was one thing Taehyun could count on, it was his perpetual bad luck.
Stumbling off the last bus of the night, he heard its doors close as soon as his feet hit the concrete, as if the bus driver wasn’t to waste any time clocking out for the night. Taehyun barely cared, however; his sights were set on the blinking neon lights down the street— 24/7 Rent-a-Car! —seemingly mocking him as it flickered off for a second, before starting back up again and shining brightly in his face.
Taehyun wasted no time pushing the door open, stopping in his tracks immediately as he took in the sight before him—an older gentleman, presumably the owner, passing a set of keys to a young man who had his back to Taehyun. The man had a guitar case strapped to his back; a worn black leather with peeling stickers documenting different places around the world stuck half-hazardly on its surface. Taehyun didn’t have much time to take in the guitar case as the man turned around after quietly thanking the owner, briefly locking eyes with Taehyun.
Taehyun rushed past him, taking his place at the counter. He could hear the man continue his journey to the car park, the keys in his hands jingling.
“Excuse me, sir,” Taehyun placed his palms–a bit sweaty–on the counter. “I need a car. I’ll be dropping it off in New York City by Saturday at the latest. Do I pay a deposit now?” He rushed out all in one breath.
The man hesitated, before glancing out toward the car park. He looked back toward Taehyun, a sympathetic look reflected in his gaze. Taehyun’s heart dropped to his stomach.
“Sorry, kid, I just gave out my last car for walk-ins. Everything else is reserved.”
Taehyun felt his throat squeeze shut. This was his last hope, and it just got torn to pieces right in front of him. Trying not to cry, Taehyun glanced around behind the man at the wall of keys, all locked up in a glass casing. “Are…are you sure?” He asked, desperately.
The man let out a sigh, typing on his computer for a few seconds, then nodding. “Hundred percent. All my other cars you see out there have been rented out for the week. I’m sorry, kid, but you can’t come in on a Sunday night and expect there to be cars available.”
“I didn’t…” Taehyun started, before quickly snapping his mouth shut. There was no point–no amount of arguing he could do with this man would change the fact that he didn’t have any cars.
“Look, I can refer you to another one of our branches. They don’t open until 9AM, but I can put in a reservation for you to make sure you get a car.” He offered, hands stilling over his keyboard as he waited for Taehyun’s response. The aforementioned just stood there, staring at his hands that rested on the countertop.
“No…no, sorry, that won’t be necessary. I need to…I need to leave now if I’m going to get there on time.” He replied, voice barely above a whisper. He saw the man shake his head in his peripheral vision, letting out another quiet sigh through his nose.
“Then, I’m sorry, son. Nothin’ I can do for you.” He stated with finality, turning around to go into the back office.
Stepping back out onto the dark sidewalk, Taehyun slowly pulled his phone out, glancing briefly at the time. It was twenty minutes past midnight—he was losing time. If he couldn’t find a car now, he might as well call his father to tell him he failed. There was no point. As Taehyun pulled up his father’s contact, he felt a presence behind him, and moments later–a voice.
“Hey,” a deep voice rang out. Taehyun turned his head, coming face to face with the man from earlier, guitar case still strapped to his back. His long hair whipped around in his face as the wind blew a little harder. Taehyun shivered and pulled his arms around himself. “Do you need a car?”
Taehyun hesitated, glancing around himself for a way out in case this encounter went south. He faced the man again, nodding slightly. He zeroed in on the keys in his possession, dangling off of his forefinger. “I need to be in New York by Saturday.”
The man smiled. It was a warm smile despite the cold air. Taehyun found himself relaxing a bit. “How interesting,” the man replied. “I need to be there by then as well. Wanna join me?”
“So why do you need to be in New York by Saturday?” Beomgyu asked about twenty minutes into the otherwise silent drive on the nearly empty Los Angeles freeway. Until now, Taehyun had resorted to looking out the window and memorizing his surroundings had he just made a mistake of taking Beomgyu up on carpooling cross-country with him. He was starting to worry, as he always did–what if the other man was a serial killer? He basically just sealed his fate by getting into a car with him.
There was another part of Taehyun that didn’t believe any of that, though. Beomgyu had a strangely comforting presence–he drove with both hands on the wheel and kept his eyes on the road at all times. Taehyun had felt that when he and Beomgyu had first met, about an hour ago at that point.
(“What’s your name?” The man asked as he took Taehyun’s duffel bag from him to place in the trunk of the car—a slightly dented 2007 Toyota Corolla with an uneven paint job—right next to his own bag and guitar case.
“Taehyun Kang.” Taehyun replied, walking around from the front of the car, where he was inspecting the headlights. They seemed to work okay, much to his relief.
“Nice to meet you, Taehyun Kang. I’m Beomgyu Choi.” He extended his hand for a shake, which Taehyun reciprocated moments later. Beomgyu’s hand was warm, similar to his smile. Taehyun felt his cheeks and ears warm in Beomgyu’s gaze. He tore his eyes away and looked back over to the car.
“Shall we?” Beomgyu gestured to the car after shutting the trunk with a rattle. Taehyun nodded promptly, pulling his passenger door open.)
Taehyun wasn’t going to relax fully, of course, but he had a feeling he was going to be okay for now.
“Um, I have a job interview.” Taehyun hummed, turning his head to look at Beomgyu, who’s eyes were still on the road in front of him. “It’s with a, like, big company. The problem is that I wasn’t told I was offered an interview until a few days before. When I live across the country.” He finished, his voice clipping in frustration.
“Weird.” Beomgyu made a confused noise. “They didn’t even offer to pay for your flight for the interview? If they’re a big company, I would think they’d have the money for that.”
Taehyun shook his head slightly. “Nope, just told me to be in New York by the 17th and figure out where I’m staying too.”
It was silent for a moment. Taehyun glanced over toward Beomgyu again, where the latter was pouting in thought. “Tell me if I’m overstepping, Taehyun, but why would you want to work at a place like that?”
Honestly, Beomgyu was overstepping. They barely knew each other and here he was, questioning Taehyun’s career choices. Yet, there was a part of him that knew the other man was right. There were a lot of reasons why he was doing so much to make it to this interview, most of which he didn’t want to share with Beomgyu.
“I don’t have much of a choice.” He responded instead, heaving a sigh and curling his arms into his chest.
Beomgyu made a quiet noise in response, a sort of hum. It was quiet again for a moment, making Taehyun cringe internally at the heavy tension in the air.
“What about you?” He asked, trying desperately to get rid of the awkwardness surrounding them. “Why are you going to New York?”
“Oh, my friends are getting married. It’s crazy, I’ve known them since we were little and now they’re marrying each other. Time flies.” Even though Taehyun wasn’t looking at him, he could hear the smile in Beomgyu’s voice. It was endearing–at least one of them was happy to be heading to NYC.
“Tell your friends I said congratulations when you get there. You can also tell them I’m the strange hitchhiker you picked up on the way.” Taehyun joked, running his fingers through his hair absentmindedly. This made Beomgyu let out a laugh, and Taehyun glanced toward him at the noise. It was a pretty sound.
“I will tell them, word for word.” He laughed again, readjusting his grip on the steering wheel as he took the exit toward the 605. “By the way, what kind of music do you like?”
The question threw Taehyun off for a second. It was so far from what they were just talking about that he almost didn’t know how to respond to it initially. He supposes he shouldn’t be surprised Beomgyu was asking about music, though–going off the guitar case that was strapped to his back when they first met, Taehyun guessed he was a big music guy.
“Uh,” he paused, glancing down at his shoes, which he was scuffing gently across the floor of the car. “I don’t know, really. I kind of just listen to anything. I’m sure that’s not a great answer, though.”
“Nah,” Beomgyu responded immediately, shrugging. “Anything is a great answer. It shows you have a diverse taste, which is a good quality, in my eyes.”
“Oh. Thanks.” Taehyun smiled at the other man’s profile, bashfully looking away toward the window after. “My older sister used to be really into the indie-rock scene that was like, late 2000’s, early 2010’s. You know…Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club…” He trailed off.
“MGMT, Passion Pit, Vampire Weekend…oh yeah, golden age for indie rock. That’s awesome. You can never really go wrong with that.” Beomgyu grinned. “Would you say that’s what you listen to then?”
“I suppose so. I like pop too, I find myself turning on Ariana Grande and Beyoncé a lot.”
“Both amazing artists. See, you have taste, Taehyun Kang.” Beomgyu said as he slowed to a stop on the freeway. Who knew there would be traffic at four in the morning? It was Los Angeles, after all. Beomgyu picked up his phone quickly, connecting it to the car’s bluetooth. Then, he handed the phone to Taehyun. “Go on, you’re on aux. You earned it.” He smiled earnestly at Taehyun, his gaze making the younger boy flush slightly. Beomgyu was entirely too charismatic for his own good.
“If you say so.” Taehyun shrugged nonchalantly, opening the Spotify app and glancing briefly at the playlists the other had created. They were basic–titled things like ‘driving’ or ‘writing,’ but the songs made absolute sense to Beomgyu. He spotted some old Fall Out Boy, Fleetwood Mac, Arcade Fire…the long haired man next to him at the wheel was predictable.
Taehyun ended up settling on “1901” by Phoenix, the song reminding him of his sister. He’s always been fond of it. Beomgyu let out a whoop when the song started, grinning at Taehyun.
“You gotta queue shit too,” he pointed toward his phone. “So we don’t have to sit in silence anymore.”
Taehyun let out a short laugh, rolling his eyes. Beomgyu was fun. If there was anything else Taehyun was worried about getting into this car an hour ago (besides potentially getting murdered), it was sitting in silence for however long it would take them to get to their destination. Now, as he glanced toward the older man who sung the lyrics to Phoenix’s 2009 hit under his breath, and bounced in his seat a bit, he knew that was the last thing he had to worry about.
“You’re lying. You’ve never been to Las Vegas?” Beomgyu’s jaw hung open as Taehyun adjusted his car visor to block out the rising sun. He shook his head in response to Beomgyu.
“Nope, never had time.”
“Not even for your 21st?”
“I was stuck in my dorm writing an essay when I turned 21. I never did anything to celebrate it.”
“Aw, Taehyun,” Beomgyu pouted. “That’s so sad. You need to experience Vegas. We should stop and have some fun when we get there.”
Taehyun made an unsure noise in the back of his throat, crossing his arms over his chest. “I dunno…do we have time? I mean, believe me, it sounds fun, but I just don’t wanna put us off schedule.”
“We won’t be! I think it would be good to stop there and sleep a little anyway. We’re ahead of schedule, I think. Don’t worry, Taehyunnie, I’ll get you to New York on time.” Beomgyu smiled at him. Taehyun’s cheeks flushed a little at the appearance of the new nickname.
And really, was Taehyun ever going to say no? Beomgyu seemed giddy at the thought of stopping in Las Vegas, excited at the mere idea of showing Taehyun around. His eyes gleamed at him after Taehyun nodded his head yes, asking the younger man to look up what the nearest exit to take would be. There was a childlike wonder in his tone, and Taehyun couldn’t change his mind even if he wanted to. He couldn’t do that to Beomgyu.
Las Vegas was…a lot, to say the least. It was the middle of the day when Taehyun found himself standing next to Beomgyu on Fremont street. They had checked into a nearby motel to stay for the night, and left the car over in that parking garage for safety. Walking past large casinos, bustling bars, and families stopping every five minutes to get a picture in front of some random tourist trap, Taehyun was sure he could’ve gone without visiting Las Vegas ever in his life. Yet, the man next to him was convinced he could turn the ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’ into Taehyun’s favorite destination on earth.
“Wanna get some lunch?” Beomgyu asked, and Taehyun glanced over at him. The same childlike wonder Taehyun saw earlier in the car still held true in his eyes. He forced a smile and nodded, trying not to show him how nervous he was.
Because the thing was–-Taehyun never did this. Well, really, he knew it wasn’t common to jump in cars with strange men he didn’t know and travel across the country, but in a more general sense, he never did this: let himself indulge in something that, otherwise, a normal person would see as a good time. He had spent so long in college holed up in his dorm when he could’ve been out partying with his friends, spent so long studying with a fucking business degree instead of doing fun shit like going to goddamn Las Vegas for his 21st. He was embarrassed—and he had never realized how embarrassing it truly was until now—sitting across from Beomgyu in the small pub on a street off Fremont, explaining how he just ‘never had time.’ It was bullshit.
“It’s not bad at all, I mean, that’s why we're here now! Sure, we only have a night, but I’m determined to show you a good time, Kang. You’re gonna be grateful that I’m your travel buddy.” Beomgyu grinned at him. They were sitting at the bar, two drinks in their hands already. Taehyun nodded with a hum, stirring his rum and coke absentmindedly.
(“Did you really just ask him to use the malibu rum for that?” Beomgyu had asked him earlier, tipping his head back after Taehyun had ordered his drink. The younger man turned to him with raised eyebrows, confused at his reaction.
“Yeah, why?” He asked, glancing back over at the bartender as he placed the drinks they ordered in front of them with a nod. A rum and coke for Taehyun, and a house special martini for Beomgyu.
“That is such a college drink, dude. That’s the shit I’d see random girls curating in the kitchen of a frat party at like 3am.” Beomgyu laughed again, taking a sip of his martini.
“So?” Taehyun grimaced, taking a sip of his as well so he didn’t have to look Beomgyu in the eye. “It tastes good.”
“Oh, I know it tastes good. Just thought it was funny you ordered that.” He responded, nudging Taehyun’s thigh with his knee. It was then that Taehyun realized they were sitting entirely too close for comfort, their shoulders could’ve touched had Taehyun leaned over a couple inches.
“I prefer my alcohol and coffee to be on the sweeter side, to be honest. I’ve never been a…bitter taste kind of person.” Still fidgeting with his glass and wooden stirrer, Taehyun could feel Beomgyu’s eyes bore into the side of his face. The attention was entirely too much. Beomgyu…was too much.
“That’s cute, Taehyun. I like that about you.” Beomgyu had said, and Taehyun had frozen.
Beomgyu was too much.)
“Better not get any funny ideas, Choi.” Taehyun bantered back after a second, leaning his head on his hand and gazing over at the other man. Beomgyu just sent him a mischievous grin, before shaking his head.
“I won’t, don’t worry.” Beomgyu’s warm smile made another appearance after a moment. “Also, if you wanna retire early tonight, just let me know. I think we’ll probably get up early tomorrow to get back on the road, so I wouldn’t be upset if you do.”
And that was just one of the problems about Beomgyu, that honestly wasn’t even a problem at all. Taehyun had spent a total of less than twelve hours with him so far, but the entire time he hadn’t shown an ounce of resentment for having to keep up with another person on his way to New York. Sure, he did offer to take Taehyun where he needed to go, but Taehyun was so sure that he was going to be sick and tired of him before they even reached the halfway point.
Maybe Taehyun was too used to being regarded as a burden. His father continually told him what a waste of space he was growing up and at some point he just…accepted it. He thought, possibly, it would get better once he moved out and went to college, but it just got worse. And now, being faced with such a grown up problem and situation as literally getting into a car with a stranger and driving from LA to NYC, he still couldn’t let go of that mentality. He was sure that Beomgyu could grip him by the shoulders and shake him around while saying on a loop that he enjoyed his presence and Taehyun would still not believe him. The issue was also with the fact that Taehyun wasn’t sure if Beomgyu was like this normally or it was just the circumstances. He cringed to himself, annoyed that he was making himself worry over something that was going to be future Taehyun’s problem. Right now–he’ll let present-Beomgyu show him a good time, like he promised.
“Casinos are just money laundering scams.” Taehyun mused as they walked side by side through the casino closest to their motel. It was lit up like a Christmas tree; neon lights ran like snakes across the ceiling, changing color every few seconds, slot machines lined the walls, loudly playing music and the sound of change rattling in order to draw people in. Taehyun wrinkled his nose as they passed a poker game, the dealer shuffling the deck of cards swiftly. Taehyun leaned in close to Beomgyu as they stopped to observe.
“He’s doing it all wrong.” He mumbled. Beomgyu glanced over at him with a confused look in his eyes, but an amused grin on his lips.
“Oh yeah?”
“The card shuffling. It looks like he’s going to drop the deck any second. You think he’s new?” Taehyun tilted his head as he watched the man deal the cards, not dropping the deck like he guessed he would. Pity, it would’ve been entertaining.
“Are you an expert in card shuffling or something?” Beomgyu chuckled, still looking at Taehyun humorously. When Taehyun shrugged, tilting his hand back and forth in a ‘so-so’ manner, Beomgyu pressed on. “I wanna buy you a deck of cards now just to put you to the test, oh great card shuffler.”
Taehyun tipped his head back and laughed, nudging Beomgyu in faux-annoyance. “Yeah sure, do that. I’ll impress everyone here and get a job. New York be damned.”
“I’d love to see that.” Beomgyu hummed, before pulling Taehyun by the elbow to a nearby slot machine. “But before I do, show me how you gamble.”
Taehyun eyed the slot machine warily, before sitting himself down in the velvet seat in front. He glanced at Beomgyu, sucking his teeth with his lip. “I’m not betting my entire life savings, though. So don’t get too excited.”
“I don’t expect you to,” Beomgyu giggled, sitting down next to him.
They didn’t win anything–which Taehyun was entirely expecting. He didn’t bet more than ten dollars, but he was definitely going to spend the rest of his time moaning about how that was ‘ten dollars down the drain, Beomgyu,’ among other complaints. They had reconvened at another bar, this one inside the casino, both sipping on beers. Or rather, Taehyun was downing his beer and Beomgyu was looking at him with a worried expression.
How was he supposed to know Taehyun was a bit of a light weight? Sure, he suggested taking a couple shots to liven the mood, but there wasn’t any way for him to know that two shots was way too many for Taehyun’s small body to handle. With the rum he had earlier as well, it wasn’t looking good for the younger.
“Alright, slow down.” Beomgyu gently grabbed the beer bottle from Taehyun’s hand and put it out of reach, his other hand on Taehyun’s elbow to steady him. “I think we’re both done for the night.”
Taehyun whined from the back of his throat, but it was quiet, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear it. Even tipsy, he found a way to keep to himself. Beomgyu smiled, the hand that was holding Taehyun’s elbow making its way to his back to rub circles slowly. “You okay?” He asked.
Taehyun just hummed, setting his head on the bar counter. Beomgyu glanced up at the bartender who had just walked near them, mouthing a request for a glass of water. The man nodded, filling a glass of ice with fresh water, and placing it beside Taehyun’s head.
“Taehyunnie, drink some water, please.” Beomgyu mumbled, pulling the glass closer toward him. At this, the younger boy lifted his head to look at the refreshing glass of water, already building condensation on the outside, and nodded. He sat up fully and took a long sip.
Beomgyu watched him, relieved he was drinking the water. Taehyun was still an enigma to him–he was extremely quiet and kept to himself, despite a lot of Beomgyu’s attempts to ask him about his life. He was starting to worry that they wouldn’t get anywhere with each other by the time they arrived in New York, as the boy seemed hesitant to open up. There was something so intriguing about him, though. Beomgyu wouldn’t push if Taehyun didn’t want to tell his life story, but there was a part of him that wanted to know who this man was so very badly.
Taehyun must’ve noticed the curious look on Beomgyu’s face as he gazed at him, because after he took his third generous sip of the water, he spoke, rather harshly. “You wanna know why I’m in such a rush to get across the country, don’t you?”
Beomgyu jumped, eyes widening. He wasn’t expecting such a snappy tone from Taehyun, who up until this point was very soft-spoken and understanding in his tone. “Not if you don’t want to share it, Taehyun. I won’t pry.” Beomgyu replied, blinking at him.
Taehyun shook his head, turning his eyes away from Beomgyu to stare at the water. He ran his finger along the rim, then down the glass, the pad of his index finger picking up the water droplets on the outside as a result of condensation. “I can tell you’re curious, so I’ll just tell you. It’s my dad. He’s the one who told me I need to get to New York for this interview at this company I honestly don’t even want to work at.”
Beomgyu was holding his breath. Why, exactly, he wasn’t sure. Taehyun was on the verge of spilling his guts out with his confession, and there was something in Beomgyu that felt extremely guilty. The man was drunk and not in control of his own mouth, and here Beomgyu was, not doing anything about it. “Oh.” He replied.
“Yeah. He’s the world’s biggest asshole. Never once has he taken my feelings into account, or asked me what I want to do. It’s always, Taehyun, you will do this. Taehyun, you will do that. You must work here. You have to get your degree in this. You will never amount to anything if you keep wasting your time, Taehyun. You’re a disappointment, Taehyun. I’m so…so sick of it.” Taehyun spilled, breathing heavy. Beomgyu sat stock still, watching the younger man as he continued on. “My entire life, he’s basically shaped me into being this mini version of him. But the thing is, I don’t want to be like him. I never wanted to be like him. I am not him and he is not me. I am not my father.”
“You’re not your father, Taehyun.” Beomgyu said quietly after Taehyun stopped, squeezing his eyes shut. The younger man shook his head.
“Sometimes…I wish he would just be gone from my life. I feel so bad saying that, though, because he’s my dad . I shouldn’t wish for my dad to disappear.” Taehyun swallowed, scrubbing at his eye with his long sleeve, like he was willing himself not to cry. “I can’t help it though. He’s ruined everything for me. I just want to be happy.”
Beomgyu took a deep breath, going to rub circles into Taehyun’s back again. The quiet stretched between them as Taehyun finished his glass of water, seemingly having trouble swallowing the last gulp. Then, he turned to Beomgyu.
“Can we leave?”
Beomgyu nodded, gesturing for the bartender to close their tab.
Silence was something Beomgyu tried to never take for granted. Sure, for as someone who could be as loud as him, most people probably wouldn’t even expect the word silence to be in his vocabulary. But Beomgyu was just like everyone else–in that, he enjoyed the quiet and the time to himself.
It allowed him to think.
Like right now–sitting in the small twin sized bed across from a similar bed where Taehyun was sleeping, passed out from the amount of alcohol he consumed. He was trying to figure out a way to tell sober Taehyun in the morning that he basically confessed to a stranger his biggest problems.
Of course, it wasn’t completely quiet–the sounds of Vegas still very prominent a couple of blocks over–but it was enough for Beomgyu to hear the sounds of Taehyun’s languid breathing and the sheets rustling as he turned over in his bed. Beomgyu sighed to himself, hand playing with the chain that sat against his neck.
He’ll just sleep on it, he finally decided, laying down against his pillow. He stared at the ceiling for a little while longer, before turning on his side and allowing the silence to engulf him.
“I’m not sure how to tell you this,” Beomgyu started, realizing it was the perfect time to bring this up, as they got situated in the car to continue their drive. Taehyun looked much better now, his hair combed and teeth brushed, having downed multiple painkillers for the slight headache he had woken up to. He glanced over at Beomgyu, his wide eyes presenting his curiosity as he buckled himself in. “But last night, when you were drinking, you told me some information I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to know.”
Taehyun’s face paled. “What did I say to you, Beomgyu? I am so sorry, I thought for sure I wasn’t that drunk.”
“I mean, I–” Beomgyu stuttered, keeping the car in park as he nervously glanced over at Taehyun. “You just told me about your dad. And some stuff about him that you don’t like. We can forget it if you really don’t want me to know about that, I’m great at forgetting things.” Beomgyu rambled.
Taehyun stared at him for a minute, his eyebrows furrowed. “Oh. Beomgyu, I knew that. I’m aware I shared that with you.”
Beomgyu sat up from where he was curled in on himself in his seat, blinking at him confusedly. “Wait, really? Taehyun, I was so worried I was being told something you weren’t comfortable with me knowing.” He whined.
Taehyun’s mouth quivered into a small smile. “I knew I wasn’t that drunk. Don’t scare me like that.”
“ You don’t scare me like that!” Beomgyu cried, trying not to laugh.
“I’m sorry! Everyone knows about the shit with my dad, though. You were bound to find out, anyhow.” Taehyun shrugged, opening his phone to pick up where they left off with the GPS. “You know how to get back on the 15 from here?”
Beomgyu just opened his mouth, then closed it, much like a fish, before letting out a deep sigh. “Yeah, I do.” He replied finally, pulling out of the parking lot.
Even after this weird interaction with Taehyun, the fear he had grappled with trying to figure out if he was breaching the younger’s boundaries, he still had no idea who Taehyun Kang was. He was still an enigma to Beomgyu. Though, he was starting to realize, that might just be who the younger man was. Someone who you never really understood. Could he come to terms with that?
I might have to , he thought, merging on to I-15.
“It’s pretty.” Taehyun stared in awe out the window of their little Corolla, eyes taking in the red dusted rock formations that stood out sharply against the clear blue sky. At the very bottom of the great Mormon infested state of Utah stood St. George–a conservative and wealthy area that didn’t have much going for it except for the views of the canyons. For anyone who had never seen the big rocks up close, it was enough to make you stare with your mouth and eyes wide open.
“Yeah, you know there’s this car tour you can take through the canyons? I think my dad took my mom, brother and I once when I was a kid. I can’t remember much from it except for the fact that I almost got sick from all the twists and turns.” Beomgyu babbled, adjusting his grip on the wheel. Taehyun glanced over at him curiously, before letting out a soft giggle. “What?”
“Nothing,” Taehyun responded, trying to bite back another giggle. “You just do not look like you enjoy this place.”
“Not particularly,” Beomgyu conceded, shrugging one shoulder half-hazardly. “It’s too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. I never lived here but my parents loved coming for vacations because of the mountains.”
“It's nice that you went on vacations with your family.” Taehyun’s voice was soft, and in his peripheral vision, Beomgyu saw him turn away. Considering what Taehyun had told him the previous night over cocktails and loud music, the topic seemed sensitive. The last thing he wanted to do was make him feel bad.
“You know what I did like, though?” Beomgyu made his attempt to steer the conversation (and tension) away from becoming something too uncomfortable. “This place has hella good breakfast spots. I’ll take you to my favorite from when I was a kid.”
Taehyun’s smile grew ever so slightly, his cheeks bunching up in the way that Beomgyu was becoming fond of way too quickly. He gave him a subtle nod, and Beomgyu steered them off the main road to a place he knew from muscle memory.
The café looked the exact same as it had the last time Beomgyu had been there, which had to have been years ago. It had a familiar dusty red exterior, loud and proud signs by the entrance advertising the fresh and quick service they had to offer. And inside, it was just as busy as Beomgyu remembered.
Bustling waiters, families talking way too loudly for comfort, the sound of a bell ringing in the kitchen every few minutes–it was all familiar to him. Beomgyu was glad he had helped Taehyun with his mild hangover before they got here, otherwise the younger boy would’ve been hunched over holding his head from the noise. Instead, he seemed alright, taking in the scene with his big eyes that Beomgyu found himself drawn to.
“Sit anywhere,” A young girl passed two menus to them at the hostess stand, before flying off in the other direction. The two did as they were told, finding a booth by a window and a framed photograph of one of the mountains they must’ve passed on their way here.
“So you used to come here?” Taehyun asked, flipping through the menu absentmindedly. Beomgyu found himself nodding, before realizing the other wasn’t looking at him. He sat up.
“Yup. This is very familiar to me. Although, I think the last time I was here I had to be close to twelve years old. It’s crazy to me that nothing here has changed.”
“Ten years isn’t a long time to some people.” Taehyun replied, glancing up at Beomgyu and tilting his head to the side. “Especially if nothing around them changes. I think the more shit you go through, the longer time feels. But maybe that’s just me.” He shrugged.
Beomgyu let out a deep sigh, leaning his head on his hand. “You have such a way with words. No wonder you're Mr. Businessman.” Taehyun’s hand slapped his arm good-naturedly, making the older man laugh.
“Shut up.” Taehyun grumbled, sitting back and crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m still a little hungover.” Beomgyu just mumbled an excuses, excuses at him before they were approached by a young waitress to order. Taehyun caught himself staring at Beomgyu as he ordered his breakfast, his hair still perfectly styled despite the fact he just woke up and brushed it that morning before getting ready.
Taehyun didn’t want to have a long ass internal monologue about how pretty he thought Beomgyu was, because if he did, it would make it all too real. Every time Beomgyu grinned at him, did that thing where he shut his eyes all the way while laughing, or even did something as minute as driving with one hand , Taehyun found himself having to look away. He blamed it on the close proximity. It was just the fact that Beomgyu was here, and giving him genuine attention, nodding along to whatever he said, smiling at him and asking him questions about his life. God, he was insufferable–he couldn’t have just been pretty. He had to be pretty and smart and kind.
At some point, maybe it was Taehyun’s clipped answers and tired eyes, Beomgyu began talking for the both of them. Taehyun asked him quietly how he had ended up in Los Angeles, and Beomgyu responded by excitedly telling him about how he had gone to college there, earning a degree in English Literature before he realized he wanted to do more in music. He had an older brother who lived in San Francisco with his wife and young son, and Beomgyu made it a routine to go visit them every few months (just so his nephew wouldn’t forget him). He hated seafood–couldn’t stand the taste of it ever since he was little. He had been all over the world, from South Korea to London to Brazil, and he wasted no time telling Taehyun his favorite places he’d been.
“Jakarta is amazing. It’s hot, but the food is so good, Taehyun. I think you’d like it there.” Popping a piece of bacon into his mouth, Taehyun nodded along to Beomgyu’s words. He wished he was as much of a traveler as Beomgyu was. There were just so many hours in the day. “Can I guess something about you?”
“Guess?” Taehyun repeated, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion as Beomgyu cut a piece of pancake before dousing it in syrup and eating it happily.
“Yeah, just so you don’t have to sit there and explain things about yourself like I did. Plus, I think it’s fun to guess.” Beomgyu shrugged, swallowing the pancake. Taehyun smiled slightly, eyes cast downwards toward his food. There he goes again–too nice for his own good.
“Sure, go for it.” Taehyun had responded shortly after.
“Okay, um…” Beomgyu glanced around him, hoping to figure out something about Taehyun with his surroundings. He gazed at the ceiling for a moment before dragging his eyes back toward the younger man. “When you were eight years old, you kidnapped a frog from the river behind your house and hid it from your mom for four days before she found out and made you release it and throw away the makeshift home you made it.”
Taehyun couldn't help it–he let out a cackle, clapping his hands together. “That is entirely too specific to have not happened to you, Beomgyu! What?” He laughed harder, ignoring the way it made his head pound.
Beomgyu just pouted. “I was hoping someone would relate to that. Oh well.” He shrugged, trying to suppress his grin. Taehyun, coming down from his laughter, shook his head in exasperation.
“Not me. But that’s so cute. Four days?”
“Four days.” Beomgyu confirmed, pursing his lips together. “In the end, I found out it was my brother who told her. We used to share a room and I think he was getting sick of the smell. He knows I’m still holding a grudge over it.”
“To be honest,” Taehyun wrinkled his nose. “I would’ve told on you too.” He laughed at Beomgyu’s cry of indignance. “Did you name it?”
“Oh yeah,” Beomgyu nodded, forcing a faux-serious look on his face. “He was named the Duke of Hops. I made up this whole backstory for him. He was running away from his duties at the frog castle because he never wanted to be royalty. Poor Duke. I hope he’s enjoying life somewhere in that river.”
“I’m sure he is.” Taehyun smiled, mind imagining a smaller and younger Beomgyu, letting go of a tiny green frog, who hopped along the river bank for a few moments before sinking into the water.
“How’s the food?” Beomgyu asked after a few moments, taking a sip of his orange juice and nodding at Taehyun’s plate, which he was just finishing.
“Really good,” Taehyun hummed after swallowing his last piece of scrambled egg. “Thanks for taking me here.” At this, Beomgyu glanced down at his plate almost shyly, shrugging to himself.
“It’s no problem. I mean, we’re in an area I’m actually familiar with. Why wouldn’t I take you somewhere I know is good?” He responded humbly, playing with the corner of his napkin. Taehyun felt himself smile at the other man, before a loud wail tore his attention away. He looked behind him, Beomgyu’s eyes also following the location of the cry.
A young woman was trying desperately to hush her child, who was on the ground throwing a temper tantrum. One look at their table and it was pretty obvious what the context of the tantrum was–a glass was flipped over and what looked like apple juice was running into scrambled eggs on a small plate, effectively ruining the dish. The little boy had tears rapidly running down his face as he screamed, his tiny fists banging the hard floor. The woman looked close to a panic attack herself, whispering something to herself as she wrapped her hands around his body and lifted him to her chest. Taehyun frowned, looking back toward Beomgyu, who he noticed had already torn his eyes away from the scene.
“I feel so bad,” Taehyun mumbled, looking back at the young woman and her child one more time before refocusing his attention on the man across from him. “It must be so hard to take care of a kid that age.”
“It is.” Beomgyu nodded. “I used to throw so many tantrums according to my mom. She would always laugh telling me about how much I used to misbehave.”
“I don’t doubt that, considering the frog story you just told me.” Taehyun snickered, placing his forearms on the table and leaning toward Beomgyu.
“Yeah, see, you’re getting it.” Beomgyu joked, although his tone was a bit off. Taehyun was surprised how fast he noticed that.
“You talk about your mom a lot. Are you close to her?” Taehyun asked gently, not missing how Beomgyu seemed to grip his fork a little tighter. He didn’t respond either, instead tearing his eyes from where they had been staring intently at his empty plate toward where their waitress was approaching them. Beomgyu gave her a tight smile as she passed them the check.
Taehyun decided he wouldn’t bring that topic up anymore as they left the restaurant.
Before hopping back on the road toward their next city, Denver, Beomgyu had stopped at a truck stop and gas station to fill up the car. Taehyun offered to pop into the truck stop to pick up some food they could eat on their way to Denver. Beomgyu had only nodded, seemingly still feeling bad from the end of their breakfast.
Taehyun sighed as he entered the small store, browsing the aisles and looking at the snacks. He was worried about the older man, glancing at him from the window, seeing him still standing there filling the car up. He didn’t mean to upset Beomgyu; that was the last thing he wanted to do. Before this, he wasn’t sure if he could even picture the other man angry or upset. He didn’t like how quiet he had become–the silence that filled the car briefly before they had stopped was almost suffocating for Taehyun, who had so quickly become used to Beomgyu talking to fill the quiet.
He was positive what had caused it was the stupid question he had asked him right before they left– You talk about your mom a lot. Are you close to her? On the outside, it seemed like a perfectly innocent question. But to elicit that kind of reaction from Beomgyu? Taehyun decided not to approach the topic anymore, not until Beomgyu did first. Taehyun had his own set of daddy issues he wasn’t super comfortable talking about, so he could understand where the older was coming from.
Taehyun sighed again, shaking his head out of his thoughts as he combed through chip options on the rack. He decided to just get two bags of potato chips (because that was a safe option, right?) before heading over to the fresh food section. He paused, eyes raking over the wrapped sandwiches, before he jumped, feeling a hand brush his lower back. He looked to his side to see Beomgyu smiling sheepishly, pulling his hand back to himself.
“Sorry,” He said quietly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Taehyun blinked, shaking his head and stepping a few steps back from the older man, as he noticed immediately their noses were inches away from each other. Beomgyu glanced toward the sandwiches Taehyun had been looking at. “I finished with the gas and you weren’t back yet, so I decided to see what the hold-up was.” He grinned playfully, before reaching out and grabbing a turkey sandwich.
Taehyun just nodded, grabbing himself a chicken salad. “You seem better.” He commented as they walked toward the cash register. Beomgyu grabbed a Twix bar from a box near the cashier, placing it in their food pile.
As the cashier scanned their food, Beomgyu turned toward Taehyun with a slight nod. “Yeah, sorry about that. I think there was something in my pancakes; my stomach hurt.”
Taehyun raised an eyebrow, not really believing him as Beomgyu wouldn’t exactly look him in the eyes. “Oh, well, you should’ve told me. I always keep Pepto Bismol in my duffel bag.”
“You do?” Beomgyu asked, breaking his staring contest with the counter to send him a confused look. Taehyun nodded, causing him to snort. “You’re a nerd.”
Before Taehyun could slap his arm in offense, the cashier announced their total to them. Beomgyu fished his wallet out of his pocket, but Taehyun stopped him, passing his card to the boy. “You paid for the gas and breakfast. Stop paying for everything, you’re going to end up broke.”
“But Taehyunnie, a gentleman always pays.” He whined, a smile spreading across his face. Taehyun tried to suppress his own smile as the boy handed his card back to him, along with their goods all bagged up.
“Have a great day.” He said monotonously, and the two men just bid him goodbye and started heading toward the car.
Taehyun watched Beomgyu as he opened the driver’s side of the car and got in, matching his movements on the passenger side. “How long do we have until Denver?” He asked, reaching for the USB cord to turn the music on as soon as Beomgyu started the car.
“Couple hours at most. I think we’ll get to the city by dinner time, so we can stop to eat and maybe get a motel for the night.” He replied as he effortlessly pulled out of the truck stop and back onto the main road heading east.
Taehyun just hummed in reply, scrolling through his Spotify playlists before landing on a playlist he made a couple months ago for his bus rides, shuffling it and locking his phone before he changed his mind again.
The song that started playing made Beomgyu’s eyebrow raise and he glanced at the man next to him, who had taken an interest in the window. “Is this Coldplay?”
“Yeah, uh…” Taehyun glanced at his phone briefly. “It’s called Glass of Water. It’s one of my favorite songs.”
Beomgyu just grinned, bouncing his head to the beat as the drums in the song kicked in. “It’s good. I like Coldplay but I’ve never heard this song.”
“It’s off the Viva la Vida album. The deluxe version of the album has like eight extra songs that no one ever talks about, it’s so good.” Taehyun rambled, not noticing Beomgyu’s smile growing the more Taehyun spoke.
“I love when I learn new things about you, Taehyunnie. It’s like unlocking a new character in a video game.” Beomgyu said wistfully, keeping his eyes on the road. Taehyun felt his cheeks grow hot, though he was unsure entirely why, and he glanced at the older man.
“Same about you. You’re definitely one of the most interesting people I’ve met, Beomgyu.”
“Really? Wow, can’t tell you how honored I am to be high on Taehyun Kang’s list of interesting people.”
“I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not, but you better not be.”
Beomgyu just laughed in reply, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel. “Play the album, then, Taehyun. If you love it so much, I want to listen to the whole thing.”
Taehyun’s eyes widened and he grabbed his phone from where it was sitting idly in the cup holder. “Really? It's super long, are you sure?”
Beomgyu scoffed, still smiling as he looked Taehyun in the eye for a quick second. “I wouldn’t tell you to do it if I wasn’t. I care about the things you like. Now play it.”
Taehyun’s cheeks warmed even more than they did earlier as he clicked on the album, playing the first song.
It was nearing 5pm when Taehyun saw the first skyscraper in downtown Denver. The sun was setting rapidly, peering over the tall buildings and blinding the two men in the car briefly before they pulled their sun visors down.
“Have you ever been to Denver, Taehyunnie?” Beomgyu asked, as they got off the main highway and rode into the streets of downtown. Taehyun shook his head, peering out the windows to get a look at the passing views.
“It’s great. My dad used to come here a lot for work trips, and he took me and my brother a couple times. Oh, look,” Beomgyu pointed out Taehyun’s window as they came to a stop at a red light. “The Denver Art Museum is down this road, a couple blocks away. It’s gorgeous.”
“You wanna go?” Taehyun asked, locking eyes with Beomgyu. The latter just pursed his lips mischievously, his eyes lighting up. The light turned green, and Beomgyu made a (very) illegal right turn down the street he had just pointed to. Taehyun yelped, gripping the passenger handle above his door tightly as Beomgyu laughed. The cars behind them honked angrily, but Beomgyu paid them no mind as he drove to the museum.
“You’re crazy.” Taehyun breathed out, letting go of the handle once Beomgyu had slowed down.
“Only for you, Taehyunnie.” He replied, making the younger roll his eyes. A couple of large buildings came into view just then, including a fairly pointy one that Beomgyu seemed infatuated with. “Hamilton building.” He said to Taehyun, before he continued toward the parking lot.
Taehyun found himself in awe of the architecture, of how big and grand it was. The building right next to the pointy one had floor to ceiling windows and a large staircase inside, and Taehyun found himself gasping at how pretty the windows reflected the setting sun.
Beomgyu pulled up to a parking garage, stopping in front of a man who was passing out tickets. He tipped his hat at the two, passing them a parking ticket. “Good evening, just letting you two know the museum closes in about an hour. Put the ticket on your dashboard.”
“Wait, an hour?” Beomgyu parroted, taking the parking ticket from him. The man nodded, pointing toward a sign on the wall opposite of the entrance that listed the museum hours. Sure enough–on Tuesdays, the museum closed at 6:30pm. “Okay, thanks so much.” Beomgyu smiled at the man before pulling into the garage and hurriedly finding a spot.
“Okay, so, y’know what this means?” Beomgyu said once they had pulled into the spot and grabbed their stuff. Taehyun just turned to him, confusion all over his face. Beomgyu just smiled that mischievous smile that the younger had become all too familiar with. “We have to speed-run the museum.”
And they tried–they really did. Beomgyu had taken Taehyun’s hand once they bought their tickets, and off they went. The museum was huge –Taehyun was sure they couldn’t see everything, but the fun he was having made up for it entirely. Beomgyu would pose in front of some of the regency-era paintings, mocking their expressions and making Taehyun laugh so hard he would snort. Taehyun even got a few shots of it on his phone, smiling widely every time.
“No way,” Taehyun murmured as he locked eyes on one particular painting from across the room. “Is that a Monet?”
“Huh?” Beomgyu asked, his eyes following Taehyun as he moved into the exhibition with the painting he saw. The walls were a deep purple, coating the room in a darkness that was only disrupted from the lights shining on the Monet paintings that hung, encased in gold frames. Taehyun stopped in front of one painting in particular, Waterlilies or the Water Lily Pond, his wide eyes sparkling with interest. Beomgyu stopped beside him, looking at the painting briefly, then looking at Taehyun’s side profile before he could stop himself.
The way Taehyun was looking at the painting–Beomgyu felt something new churning in his chest. His heart started beating a little faster, and he felt his hands go clammy. Taehyun’s eyes were so big and sparkly and Beomgyu had never noticed how pretty they were. He had looked into those eyes countless times the past few days–why was he feeling this now? What was going on?
“God, Monet’s works are so pretty.” Taehyun mumbled, pulling Beomgyu along to look at more of the oil paintings on the deep purple wall. Beomgyu kept his mouth shut, humming in reply. He knew if he had let himself speak, he would’ve said some dumb shit like you’re prettier . Except, with how he was feeling currently, it probably would’ve come out in a stutter.
Beomgyu let Taehyun lead him like that for the next few minutes, a gentle hand on his arm pulling him close and keeping him there. It felt…warm. Beomgyu felt warm, watching Taehyun speak softly about the downy painted pieces of art in front of them. It was a complete 180 from the way they had been racing through the museum earlier. Right now–it was just them and the art.
Taehyun and Beomgyu had come to an eventual stop in front of The Lesson in the Garden by Berthe Morisot. The title of the painting was very literal, as the gentle paint strokes brought that exact scene to life: a man and a young girl sitting on a bench in a garden. Leaves and flowers were in bloom all around them, and the little girl had a wide brimmed hat resting on her head, as she sat with her hands in her lap. Taehyun smiled, taking in the painting. Beomgyu had even pulled his eyes away from the younger to take it in as well.
“It’s gorgeous. I’ve only seen this one online. I love how the title is exactly what it is. A lesson in the garden.” Taehyun whispered, pulling Beomgyu close again by his arm like he had been doing all this time. Beomgyu couldn’t even find it in himself to nod, too entranced by the otherwise simple painting in front of him.
It was all too familiar, memories of rolling in grass and jumping in lakes as a kid circling his head, the faint sound of a woman’s recognizable voice calling after him as he soaked his day clothes, cheerful laughter in his ear and a warm hand wrapped around his middle as she pulled him out of the water. “Whatever will I do with you, Beomie?” She would laugh, wrapping him in a snug towel to dry him off. She would cup his face as he grinned toothily, pressing a comforting kiss to his forehead. The memories were too much–the painting was too much. Everything was becoming way too much.
It was quiet for a moment, before Taehyun spoke again. “I wish my relationship with my father was as content as this.”
Beomgyu broke. He sniffled, pulling his arm away to wipe at his eyes that were threatening to spill. This, of course, startled Taehyun. He turned toward Beomgyu, his beautiful, sparkling eyes wide with concern. “Beomgyu, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” He tried to say, before squeezing his eyes shut and covering them with his arm. Taehyun placed a gentle hand on the arm over his eyes, pulling it away. “Sorry. I don’t…I don’t…” He stuttered, before he snapped his mouth shut altogether.
Taehyun shook his head, pulling the older man into a hug and wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “Don’t force yourself.” He said quietly, his voice gentle as ever in Beomgyu’s ear. Beomgyu just let out a tiny whimper as he tucked his face into Taehyun’s neck and wrapped his arms around his middle. He needed to just accept the hug.
After a few moments of silence and a tight hug, Beomgyu sniffled again. “It reminds me of my mom. We had a lake behind the house when I was younger and she…” He paused to take in a deep breath. Taehyun just nodded slightly, as if to tell him to take his time. “She would always sit out there with me. And talk to me, and listen to me. We always spent hours out there together.”
Taehyun didn’t respond, just moved a hand to stroke the back of Beomgyu’s head as the older grappled with his words. It went quiet. Beomgyu kept his face tucked into the younger man’s neck, grounding himself. It felt nice to be able to hug someone like this–he never really found a good way to deal with his grief, and just having Taehyun here was more than he had allowed himself the years he had been without his mom. He never felt he deserved anything more.
It was a few more moments before they pulled away from each other. Taehyun put his hands on Beomgyu’s shoulders to look him in the eye. “You okay?” Beomgyu just nodded, smiling at him through wet cheeks and messy hair. Taehyun smiled back, running one of his hands back down to his arm.
Just then, a woman’s voice came over the intercom above them. “Good evening, the museum will be closing in five minutes. Please make your way to the nearest exit as soon as you can. Thank you.”
Taehyun pulled on Beomgyu’s arm, eyes on his face to make sure he was okay. “You ready to go, then, Gyu?” At the new nickname, Beomgyu couldn’t help but smile, and he nodded.
As they started walking toward the museum exit, Beomgyu glanced back at the Morisot painting, still hanging on the wall. The man and the young girl sat motionless on the canvas, not facing each other. Beomgyu looked away.
Shortly after they left the museum, Beomgyu had found a relatively safe motel nearby and checked them both into a room to sleep in for the night. Taehyun found himself keeping quiet the entire time, still worried about Beomgyu’s break in the museum. The older man’s eyes had long since dried and he seemed almost back to normal, just a bit tired, but Taehyun still wanted to keep him close.
It wasn’t until Taehyun woke up hours later, pitch black gracing his eyes as he looked around, that he noticed Beomgyu wasn’t asleep in his own bed. Instead, the older man was sitting on the tiny balcony of the room, looking at the stars outside. Taehyun, now wide awake, slipped out of bed and pulled on his zip up jacket to join Beomgyu on the balcony.
“Why are you awake?” Taehyun had said as soon as he stepped outside, leaning on the metal bars beside Beomgyu. The latter smiled sadly at him, before glancing back up at the night sky.
“Couldn’t sleep. Kept thinking about today in the museum.”
“Ah.” Taehyun replied, following Beomgyu’s eyes toward the sky. There weren’t too many stars that were visible in the sky due to the city’s lights, but Taehyun could make out a few.
It was quiet for a good while as the two men just stared up at the sky, taking in the loud sounds of Denver’s nightlife. Beomgyu let out a sigh.
“My mom died when I was fourteen.”
Taehyun turned to look at him. Beomgyu’s eyes were still looking toward the sky, but he seemed less tense than before. Taehyun nodded at him, urging him to continue.
“I was really close to her, so it was hard on me when she died. Um, car crash. She was driving back home from work and some drunk guy ran a red light and flipped them both over. Dude was going like sixty miles an hour…” Beomgyu let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and Taehyun slipped his arm in his softly. “My mom always understood me. I don’t know. She always knew what I was thinking or what I was feeling. She called it her ‘mom intuition'.”
Taehyun leaned his head on Beomgyu’s shoulder as the two of them continued to face out toward the city.
“When I was ten, she bought us these matching necklaces. One is a lock, and the other is a key. She gave me the lock because she said I was the key to her heart, and she wanted to keep me close to her at all times.” Beomgyu moved slightly, using the arm that Taehyun wasn’t leaning on to pull a chain necklace out of his shirt. A metal lock, hanging loosely around his neck. “My mom was buried with her key necklace around her neck. I keep my lock on all the time to keep her close to me, no matter where I am in the world.”
Taehyun nodded, nose buried in Beomgyu’s shoulder. “That’s so sweet.” He said gently after a few moments of silence. “Thank you for telling me.”
“Yeah,” Beomgyu nodded, taking in a deep breath and letting out slowly. “Thank you for being there earlier.”
“Anything for you.” Taehyun said softly, pulling him close as the night wind whipped past them.
“You want to get some coffee or something before we leave?” Beomgyu asked after they had checked out of the motel. Taehyun pulled his hoodie closer, the cool air of the early morning a bit too much for him.
“Sure, as long as it’s hot.” He chattered, practically running toward their parked car. Beomgyu just laughed, unlocking the car so the younger could jump in.
After their emotional talk the night before on the balcony, Taehyun had led Beomgyu back inside to go to sleep before he ended up not catching up on the Z’s he very badly needed. He had tucked the older man in, making sure he had fallen asleep first before turning over and letting sleep overtake him as well. He couldn’t help but feel like their adventure in Denver had brought them even closer than before; Taehyun felt safe with Beomgyu and he hoped the other felt the same.
“I actually never go to Starbucks.” Taehyun quipped as Beomgyu pulled into the parking lot. He scoffed, effortlessly backing into a spot.
“And you call yourself a west coast native.” Beomgyu laughed, pulling out his phone. “You wanna look at the menu before we go in then? Starbucks menus in stores always used to confuse the hell out of me, so.”
Taehyun grinned at him, nodding. “Sure, I’ll look.”
Beomgyu passed him his phone, the Starbucks app already pulled up. As Taehyun browsed the menu, Beomgyu messed around with the heater. “What are you getting?” The younger asked, unsure of what to get.
“Iced Americano.” Beomgyu replied immediately, then met Taehyun’s eyes as the latter pulled a face. “Oh whatever, I know you’re more of a sweet drink person. It tastes good to me, alright?” He laughed when Taehyun shook his head dismissively, before passing the phone back to him.
“I’m just gonna get a caramel macchiato. Do you know if that’s super coffee tasting or like milky?” He queried as the two clambered out of the car.
“Uh…” Beomgyu let out another laugh, locking the car and walking with Taehyun into the Starbucks. “I’m not entirely sure. I don’t think I’ve ever had the caramel macchiato. But I will tell you most drinks here have a strong coffee taste.”
“Okay, good. I don’t like when milk overpowers the coffee. Gross.” Taehyun grimaced as they got in line. Beomgyu just grinned again, eyes scanning the younger’s face.
“Taehyun Kang, you are so cute. Every time I learn something new about you, you just get cuter.” That earned Beomgyu a swift punch to the shoulder.
Once they had ordered and received their drinks, they got back on the road to continue their journey east. Beomgyu took control of the music, sitting in the passenger seat this time. Taehyun felt bad he had done all of the driving so far and basically forced him away from the wheel.
( “You need to make sure you’re telling me where to go, Choi. You don’t want us off course, because we will both be in deep shit if we’re late.” He had said with what he hoped was a threatening aura, but Beomgyu just giggled in reply and waved his phone in his face, Google maps pulled up.
“Don’t worry, Taehyunnie. I got you.” He assured, making Taehyun’s cheeks warm once again. )
He started playing some old Fall Out Boy song with a long title, leaning his seat back and putting his feet on the dashboard. Taehyun scoffed, leaning over to swat at his feet.
“What?” He whined, moving his feet and sitting up.
“I let you play passenger princess and this is how you act?” Taehyun laughed at Beomgyu’s over dramatic antics. The older man just huffed out a sigh and lolled his head toward the window.
“You’re so uptight, Taehyunnie.” He whined again, feigning indignance but the smile on his face said otherwise.
“Yeah, sure, I’m uptight.” The younger joked back as he merged onto the highway. Beomgyu just grinned and leaned over to poke at his arm.
“I like it when we banter. You’re so much fun.” Beomgyu laughed, leaning toward Taehyun a bit more than he was before. Taehyun suppressed another smile and just shook his head in exasperation. He shouldn’t have let Beomgyu get coffee. This was going to be a long drive through Kansas.
“I’m hungry, are you hungry?” Beomgyu said sometime after they had crossed the Kansas border into Missouri, therefore putting them in Kansas City (yeah, he didn’t understand that either).
“A little.” Taehyun shrugged. They had eaten earlier that day by pulling into a McDonalds somewhere between Topeka and Junction City. Taehyun didn’t want to stop driving and therefore put them off schedule, so he and Beomgyu had a ball of a time trying to get the chicken nuggets into his mouth as they continued toward Kansas City.
“Once we get into KC, we should find one of those like sports bars or country bars. I heard those are so much fun.”
“On a Wednesday night?” Taehyun glanced over at Beomgyu with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, yeah,” Beomgyu started with a grin on his face. “All the weirdos come out on weekdays. And the weirdos always have the most fun.” He emphasized his point by wiggling his fingers in Taehyun’s face, causing the younger one to sputter and laugh.
“You are crazy, Gyu.” He rolled his eyes. “What’s the exit into the city? I’ll find a parking lot and we can just walk around or something.”
“Yah, Taehyunnie, you read my mind.” Beomgyu yelped, doing as he was told. Taehyun ended up driving for a little while around the streets of downtown Kansas City, before they had found a parking garage that wasn’t too busy. It was also only $5 to park for a few hours, which was the best they were going to get at this time of day. When they had parked and walked out of the garage and onto the streets of the city, Taehyun couldn’t help but wrap his arm around Beomgyu’s like he had been doing the past few days. Beomgyu just smiled, letting the other man lean into him.
“Alright,” Beomgyu had started as they walked along the sidewalk, looking around at the nightlife. “Anywhere you want. Preferably one of those cool bars though. I want to listen to good music while drinking a cocktail with a funky name, y’know?”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Taehyun replied, glancing inside of the pubs and bars as they passed them. The sound of loud music mingled with hundreds of overlapping conversations, the lights from the bars protruding onto the sidewalk, casting hues of blue and purple and pink onto passersby and cars. Taehyun smiled as they passed a young couple, the woman in a tight fitting dress helping fix her boyfriend’s shirt by buttoning it up neatly. As cute as it was, it made him hyper aware of how close he was to Beomgyu at that moment, and he stepped away, putting space in between him and the older man. He didn’t want to potentially make Beomgyu uncomfortable by insinuating they were a couple as well–he had enough on his plate. If Beomgyu noticed, he didn’t say anything about Taehyun’s actions.
“How about that one? It doesn’t seem as packed as the others. We’ll get our drinks faster.” Taehyun tugged on Beomgyu’s jacket and pointed in the direction of one of the bars, the music more muted and, like Taehyun mentioned, less people spilling out of the doors. Beomgyu just nodded, leading the younger man toward the bar.
When they had entered, Taehyun’s eyes were drawn toward the stage at the very back of the space. It wasn’t a super large stage, just enough to house a few extra instruments. A single microphone stood at the front, plugged in, illuminated by lights, but there wasn’t anyone occupying the space yet. Taehyun turned to Beomgyu and tugged on his sleeve as they got situated at the bar.
“You think they’re gonna bring someone out later? Live music?” He asked, pointing toward the stage that had drawn his attention. Beomgyu gazed lazily in that direction for a second before turning back toward Taehyun.
“Possibly. I hope it’s someone super underground so I can say I went to one of their early shows in KC when they get big and famous.” Beomgyu smirked, making Taehyun roll his eyes. Just then, Beomgyu managed to get one of the bartender's attention, leaning over the counter to talk to her over the music playing from the speakers. “Do you know who will be playing later?” He asked, gesturing toward the stage.
The woman smiled knowingly, wiping the counter with the towel she had in her hand. “It’s open mic night. Every Wednesday we invite our patrons to sign up to sing, put on a show, whatever they want, really. It’s starting in about ten minutes.”
Beomgyu’s mouth fell open with surprise, and Taehyun suddenly became extremely worried as he noticed the older’s eyes light up with a sparkle. Sure enough–the man leaned closer, a smile inching its way onto his face. “Where’s the sign-up sheet?”
The woman pointed behind him toward the stage stairs–there was a piece of paper flapping against the wall, along with a cup and some pens. Beomgyu just nodded, thanking the woman before flying off his stool. “Be right back, Taehyunnnie!” He called, already halfway across the bar. Taehyun just heaved a sigh.
When Beomgyu came skipping back, he had a wide grin on his face. Taehyun outwardly groaned, mostly in an attempt to play along with his antics. “What?”
“I’m number fifteen on the list. I’m gonna be singing, but first I gotta run back to the car and grab my guitar. Do you mind? I’ll be really fast so you’re not alone too long, I swear.” Beomgyu replied, all in one breath. Taehyun just chuckled, weirdly endeared by Beomgyu’s behavior, and nodded.
“I don’t mind. Let me know what you want to drink, though. I’ll save your seat.” Beomgyu’s face lit up even more, if it was at all possible, and he hurriedly looked through the cocktail menu before giving Taehyun his order and rushing out of the bar.
Taehyun watched him go, observing how the man crossed the street (safely) with a skip in his step, all the way until he couldn’t see him anymore. He still had that wide grin on his face as he left, making Taehyun’s cheeks warm like they had been doing the past few days. Beomgyu was annoyingly endearing, especially when he let his childlike wonder control his behavior like that. Anyone could see how passionate he was about music, and Taehyun was really excited to see him perform later. He had heard Beomgyu sing, through hums and half-assed performances in the car, but to see him on stage, strumming his guitar and actually putting effort into the song–that was something entirely different. He couldn’t wait.
“Your boyfriend?” The bartender from before broke Taehyun out of his thoughts. He blinked at her, watching as she nodded toward where Beomgyu had exited the building. Registering her words, he flushed, letting out a small nervous laugh.
“Not really. Just a friend. We’re, uh, traveling through on our way to New York.” Taehyun replied, making a vague gesture toward the east.
“Ah, sorry for assuming. He’s very cute, though. Can he sing well?”
“Very.” Taehyun had said immediately, though he came out more snappy than he had intended. He wasn’t even sure why he had replied with that, as well, considering he didn’t actually know if Beomgyu was as good on stage as he was in the car.
“I’m looking forward to it.” The woman hummed, before asking him what he would like to drink. Keeping his eyes cast downward toward the menu, he ordered his drink and Beomgyu’s, willing the woman to walk away. When she did, he caught her glancing back toward the entrance with a smug smile on her face, and Taehyun flushed again.
“Taehyunnie!” Beomgyu bounded up next to him a few minutes later, right when the first performer had started to introduce himself and what he would be presenting. “I got my guitar. Now we just wait.” He said, climbing back onto his stool. His cocktail was sitting in front of him, and he made an ooh-ing noise before taking a small sip.
“What are you singing?” Taehyun asked him, nudging his arm with his elbow. Beomgyu hummed around his second sip of his cocktail, putting it down carefully before spinning in his chair to face the younger man. His knees knocked into Taehyun’s briefly, making him hyper aware of how close they were. Seriously, what was it with these bars and their chairs being entirely too close together?
“That’s a secret. You’ll know when you know.”
“Why’s it a secret for me? That’s unfair.”
“Because I’m singing for you. I wouldn’t have signed up otherwise.”
Stop. Record scratch–what? Taehyun raised an eyebrow at him, confused. “You wouldn’t have? Why are you singing for me?”
“You’ve never heard me sing properly. I wanna show you I’m not some uptight hipster dude with a guitar that doesn’t know how to hold a tune. Besides, what’s the point of singing if you won’t be watching?”
Taehyun flushed, letting out a nervous little breath of laughter like he had earlier with the bartender. He looked away from where Beomgyu was looking at him, opting to stir his drink slowly instead. “Thank you.” He murmured after a second. Although he wasn’t looking at him, he could tell Beomgyu’s face had split into a grin.
Every performer was only allowed to sing one song or speak for up to five minutes. Taehyun thought he was going to be bored waiting for Beomgyu’s turn, but the older man continued to prove he was good company with every passing minute Taehyun spent with him. He would lean over to whisper in Taehyun’s ear about certain performances or make comments about the attempts at comedy being made on the stage. Taehyun had to screw his mouth shut on several occasions so as to not laugh out loud at some of the words Beomgyu was saying to him. Because of this, fifteen minutes quickly turned into thirty minutes, which turned into an hour, and then, soon, it was Beomgyu’s turn.
“Alright, thank you so much Angela for that wonderful performance of Wonderwall by Oasis. Not like we haven’t heard that every time we do an open mic.” The host muttered as the older woman waddled off the stage. The crowd chuckled. “For our next performance of the night, we have Ben Choi performing a little number by Yoke Lore for us. Come on up, man.” Taehyun wasn’t sure at first whether or not that was supposed to be Beomgyu, but when the older man next to him climbed off his stool and pulled his guitar out of the case, it was clear it was.
“Ben?” Taehyun whispered to him, evoking a shrug from the other.
“I used to go by it in school.” He explained, before hurriedly heading toward the stage. He smiled at the host, who leaned down to help plug the speaker into his guitar before moving to allow Beomgyu onto the stage himself.
Placing himself in front of the microphone, Beomgyu put the strap of his guitar around his neck and smiled at the crowd, who was clapping politely for him. He moved the mic slightly to account for his height, then nodded. “Hi everyone, my name is Ben, or Beomgyu, whichever you want to refer to me as. I’m going to be singing a song by Yoke Lore that I’ve loved for a long time. This is Beige, thank you.” He stepped back, and started to strum.
Beomgyu looked like a natural up there. He smiled and kept eye contact with everyone in front of him as he began the song, the guitar perfectly tuned and perfectly situated against his body. No one there could deny the man was a musician. And then he started singing.
Taehyun felt everything fall away. I don’t wanna see you smile . Beomgyu’s voice was gorgeous in the mic. His deep tone rivaled that of the original singer, but it fit the song all the same. I want you in the mornin’. Before you go performin’. The lights that glistened on Beomgyu’s smooth skin only seem to emphasize his presence even more, highlighting his body as if he was the only one in the room.
You know you’re beautiful. The rest of the crowd seemed absolutely chained to his performance–with the exception of Beomgyu’s voice and his guitar, you could hear a pin drop in the room. Everyone had halted their conversation to watch the young man on stage who sang with such conviction and passion, a type of performance they hadn’t seen in years on that stage. With your fingers in my mouth, I fail to see your faults, so please don’t let me fall.
Then Taehyun locked eyes with Beomgyu. Of course, his eyes had never left the older man the entire time he was on stage, but it was just now that the other looked at him. And Taehyun wasn’t sure if it was the lights beating down on Beomgyu, or the fact that everyone was looking at him (even people passing by the bar had stopped to peer inside at this point), but Beomgyu’s cheeks turned crimson as he looked in Taehyun’s direction. Reaching the end of the song, Beomgyu seemed to put in all his effort to finish strong, but his eyes never left Taehyun’s. He was glued to him, his emotions keeping him stock-still on his stool.
(Don’t let me fall.)
Beomgyu stepped away from the mic again, strumming the last chords of the song. It was silent for half a second when he finished and then the crowd erupted. Taehyun couldn’t help but laugh to himself when Beomgyu’s grin appeared, taking up half his face.
“You have a beautiful voice,” Taehyun started as they began their walk to the car. Beomgyu smiled at him, guitar case snug against his back. “I was really blown away. You had the whole place in the palm of your hand.”
“I know. I got so nervous mid-song, I thought I was going to throw up.” Beomgyu chuckled, glancing up toward the night sky.
“You? Nervous?” Taehyun gasped over dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. “It’s so hard to believe.”
“Shut up.” Beomgyu replied bashfully, scratching the back of his head. “No but seriously, toward the end there…I was really scared, but I saw you and it kind of…rebalanced me? I guess. If you were wondering why I was looking at you so intently when I was finishing the song. Sorry about that.”
Taehyun couldn’t help himself–he looped his arm with Beomgyu’s and tugged him close. He leaned his head on Beomgyu’s shoulder (as much as he could with the guitar case in the way) and started humming Beige by Yoke Lore–the song Beomgyu sang.
They didn’t talk much after that. Taehyun knew Beomgyu was still with him when he slid a hand toward his, linking their fingers together silently. It was a warm gesture–warm enough to protect Taehyun from the cold wind attacking his body. They decided to stop and sleep for the night instead of continuing the drive.
“Sorry, are you sure?” Beomgyu asked the lady across the counter, who was looking at him with annoyance due to having to repeat herself. She heaved a sigh that was wholly unnecessary, and nodded.
“The only open room we have for tonight has one bed. I’m sorry sir, it’s either you take the room or you go somewhere else.” She smacked her gum–it was way too late to be dealing with shit like this.
“It’s fine with me.” Taehyun tugged on Beomgyu’s sleeve, nodding at him. “Just take the room. It’s the cheapest we’re gonna get.”
Beomgyu pursed his lips, sucking his teeth for a moment before nodding and handing the lady his card. He turned toward Taehyun as the lady put his card info into the system on her computer. “Seriously, I can take the floor or something if you’re uncomfortable.”
Taehyun just huffed a laugh, shaking his head. “We can share the bed, I trust you, Gyu.” At this, Beomgyu’s eyes seemed to scan Taehyun’s face briefly before he nodded, smiling softly at him.
The woman passed the card back to Beomgyu, along with a key. “Your room is on the second floor, just left of the elevator. Enjoy your night, or whatever.” She said monotonously, waving a hand toward them as she collapsed back in her chair and clicking open her phone.
Taehyun suppressed a laugh as he followed Beomgyu toward the elevator.
As soon as they had settled into the room for the night, bags placed precariously on a chair by the window and curtains pulled shut, Beomgyu announced he was going to take a quick shower. “I’ll be quick so you can get to sleep faster, okay, Taehyunnie?” He had said, causing Taehyun’s cheeks to pinken. Beomgyu shut the bathroom door, and Taehyun changed into his pajamas for the night–which consisted of gym shorts and a ratty t-shirt from years ago.
He was pulling his toothbrush and toothpaste out of his bag when his phone started ringing. He had to pull it out of the bed covers in order to answer, but as soon as he saw the caller I.D., he froze. Hesitating slightly, he pressed answer and placed the phone close to his ear.
“Father?”
“Taehyun, are you on your way or not? Ignoring my texts won’t do you any good.”
“I am. I’m driving up, I told you. It’s gonna take a few days.” Taehyun’s throat felt dry the minute he heard his father’s voice in the receiver. He hated how bad the man scared him, even as a grown ass adult. It was pathetic.
“You should’ve just bought yourself a flight. Then you would’ve had time to prepare, but instead you subject yourself to driving. You better not be tired the day of the interview, don’t go embarrassing me, boy.” His father’s fierce words cut into Taehyun’s skin like knives, making him squeeze his eyes shut to force himself not to cry.
“I-I won’t. I’ll be there and I’ll do well, Father. I promise.” He stuttered back, not realizing how hard he was digging his fingers into his knee. His dad had this weird ability to make Taehyun feel like a scared kitten, cowering in the corner of the room. He had to deal with it his entire life, never being able to grow a tough skin around him. Pathetic.
“If you’re even a minute late, you will lose everything. Do you hear me, Taehyun? I won’t repeat myself again.”
“Yes, sir.”
The familiar monotone beeps sounded in his ear just then. His father had hung up, no goodbye, no ‘be safe,’ nothing. But that was typical of him–he didn’t care about Taehyun. He just cared about his reputation.
“Are you okay?” Taehyun jumped a few feet in the air, turning around quickly as he made eye contact with Beomgyu, hair and skin damp from being fresh out of the shower. He had on a soft sweatshirt and gray sweatpants, looking concerned as he gazed at Taehyun.
Slowly, the younger man nodded, keeping his phone close to his chest. “I just…” He paused, unsure if he wanted to ruin such a lovely night so far by talking about his father. “My dad called. And he…just says stuff that…” Taehyun trailed off, averting his eyes from Beomgyu to the bed.
Thankfully, Beomgyu seemed to read his expression and nodded. “You don’t have to talk about it. We can just sleep.” At this, Taehyun nodded quickly, plugging his phone into his charger on the nightstand and excusing himself to brush his teeth.
When he had come back out, Beomgyu was sitting on the bed, back against the headboard. He was typing rapidly on his phone, head dipped low enough for his bangs to hang in his eyes. Taehyun held back a sigh, climbing into the bed beside him and covering his legs with the comforter. He leaned his head gently on Beomgyu’s shoulder, gazing at his phone. He probably shouldn’t be peeking at it, but Beomgyu didn’t move away.
“My friend, Yeonjun, is hounding me about when I’m going to get there. He’s the one getting married. Him and his fiancé, Soobin. They’re so scared I’m going to be late.” Beomgyu explained after a moment, shutting his phone off and leaning his head on Taehyun’s.
Taehyun just chuckled softly. “I’m going through the same thing. My dad was being all threatening, saying if I don’t show up on time I’m gonna regret it or something.”
Beomgyu was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry.” He said finally. “Your dad’s a dick.”
Taehyun just let out that sigh he was holding earlier. “Yeah, he is.” He moved away from Beomgyu then, reaching over to his nightstand to turn out the light. “Gotta wake up early tomorrow in order to make sure we both make it there on time and avoid disappointing everyone.”
“We will, Taehyunnie. I’ll make sure of it.” Was all Beomgyu said in reply, but Taehyun had already encased the room in darkness and slid fully under the covers. He felt Beomgyu mimic his actions, snuggling into his own pillow. It was dark–too dark to see each other, but Taehyun knew they were facing each other. Beomgyu whispered to him in pitch black–“Goodnight, Taehyun.”
“Goodnight, Gyu.” He whispered back, opting not to say anything when he felt the older man’s hand grab his under the covers. Taehyun fell asleep soon after that, warmth engulfing him in the silence.
They don’t talk about what happened when they woke up that morning in Kansas City. Or, at least, Taehyun didn’t talk about it.
He woke up at the crack of dawn, void of any alarms, snuggling into something soft and comfortable. When he had opened his eyes, he realized he was closer to Beomgyu than he had been when he fell asleep the previous night. The two were practically interlaced, legs thrown over each other, and Taehyun’s head previously laying on Beomgyu’s chest. Pulling himself away as silently and slowly as he could, he tip-toed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Taehyun couldn’t breathe. When had they ended up cuddling? In their sleep?
Taehyun decided not to bring it up when Beomgyu woke up half an hour later. Instead, he got dressed and grabbed motel breakfast for the two of them, eating the soggy oatmeal and dry eggs in bed with the older man. Beomgyu cracked a few jokes about how it wasn’t the worst breakfast he’s ever had, and Taehyun had to will himself to smile. Because the truth was–he was scared. He was scared of his father, he was scared of not making it on time, he was scared of the interview–but most of all, he was scared of whatever was going on with him and Beomgyu.
He wasn’t blind. It wasn’t like he couldn’t see it–or feel it, perhaps. He knew he had a crush on the man sitting before him, shoveling blackberries into his mouth like his life depended on it (and honestly, the fact that the scene wasn’t grossing him out and instead it was endearing was enough to convince Taehyun). He knew it was turning into something more, and he knew there was a chance Beomgyu felt the same way. There was a specific way that they looked at each other, something Taehyun had noticed since their trip to the museum. It hadn’t even been a full week of knowing each other, but there was something about their relationship that was just…different. He had opened up to Beomgyu quicker than he had with anyone else in his life, and Beomgyu had opened up to him just as quickly. There was a warmth to him that he had never seen with any of his other friends, something that drew Taehyun in and kept him in. It was scary, he didn’t know what to do about it.
And really–he knew there wasn’t anything he could do. It’s not like he could distance himself like he had done with every other relationship in his life; they literally had to share a car to get to their destination. The most Taehyun could do was keep to himself the rest of the trip, but there was a part of him that overpowered the unfair, self-deprecating one. You can’t do that to Beomgyu. Just enjoy it while it lasts.
“Hey,” Taehyun spoke, snapping himself out of his thoughts before they got too heavy. “I’ll drive first today.” He drummed his hands on Beomgyu’s knee, sending him a smile. Beomgyu smiled back and nodded, running a hand through his messy hair.
“You still want me on GPS, then?” Beomgyu asked, teasingly. Taehyun just sent him a look, climbing off the bed and grabbing Beomgyu’s toiletries bag to throw at his chest.
“Get ready. We should check out in twenty minutes or less.”
Beomgyu pouted, moving off the bed to stand in front of Taehyun, holding his toiletries bag close to his chest. “Is that a no, Taehyunnie?”
Taehyun just laughed and pushed him toward the bathroom. “It’s a, get dressed and we’ll see if you can handle GPS today. Go.” Beomgyu let out a low whine from the back of his throat at this, but left for the bathroom all the same. When the door closed and Taehyun heard the sink turn on, he moved toward his bag to make sure everything was zipped and ready to go. He sighed. Just enjoy it while it lasts, Taehyun, because it won’t.
“Can I ask you a question?” Beomgyu asked after a few hours of driving in the midwestern sun. They had just passed Springfield, Illinois, of which Beomgyu had made a few comments about.
(“Do you think this is what they named the Springfield in the Simpsons’ after?”
“Didn’t they base that city after some place in Oregon, though?”
“Really? Oregon? The Simpsons’ don’t really seem like an Oregon family.”
“I think it was because one of the creators is from there.”
“Ah! That makes sense. You’re so smart, Taehyunnie.”)
Taehyun just glanced over at Beomgyu briefly, before nodding and moving his gaze back to the highway in front of him. “Go on.”
There was a moment of quiet on Beomgyu’s end, just the music playing softly through the speakers of the car, until he seemed to get his words together and continued. “If you weren’t doing business and following what your father wanted you to do, what do you think you would’ve pursued?”
If there was any question Taehyun wasn’t expecting, it had to be that. He readjusted his grip on the steering wheel, letting a long breath out of his nose. “Wow, uh, let me think.” He responded, blinking.
“You don’t have to answer, I was just curious, is all.” Beomgyu explained, leaning his head on his hand to gaze over at the man driving.
“No, it’s a valid question. I just haven’t really thought about it in a long time.” Taehyun hummed. “I was really into photography in college. I did it on the side, as a creative outlet. Took a few classes as well. I’d like to believe that if I didn’t get my degree in business, it probably would’ve been that.”
Beomgyu sat up, interested. His mouth was open in an o-shape. “Photography? That’s great. You really enjoyed it, then?”
“Yeah,” Taehyun sighed wistfully, memories of buying his first film camera and snapping shots of his college friends flooding back into his mind. “I loved the whole process of it all–framing a shot, pressing click, getting the photo back. I had a real eye for it. Sometimes I miss it, though. My dad made me sell my camera once I graduated.”
“Fuck your dad, seriously. Do you have any of your old work saved, though?” Beomgyu asked, pulling his knees to his chest. Taehyun nodded toward his phone.
“I think a lot of it is still up on my Instagram. My phone should be unlocked if you want to look.” Beomgyu grabbed the phone sitting in the cup holder and did as he was told, clicking through Taehyun’s Instagram that he hadn’t thought to ask for before this. His page was pretty normal–recent pictures of himself and friends, a couple cat photos. As he scrolled down, Beomgyu could tell what Taehyun meant. His feed was entirely imported professional looking photos of places around Los Angeles, some of people, food, and other miscellaneous items. Taehyun was humble, some of the photos were incredible–beautifully framed and shot, the subjects and lighting perfectly mastered. Beomgyu made an impressed noise, looking up at Taehyun, who’s cheeks were flushed a light pink.
“You are mega talented, Taehyunnie. These are so good.” He complimented, placing his phone back in the cup holder.
“Thank you, Gyu.” Taehyun mumbled. “Sometimes I feel like I never stopped, though. When we were at the museum and I was taking pictures of you in front of the paintings, I couldn’t help but go back into that photographer mindset. It’s crazy how some things never leave you.”
“You should start doing it professionally. Like, I’m serious, you’re that good. You could make a career out of it.”
Taehyun just laughed and shook his head, like he couldn’t believe what Beomgyu was saying. “That’s…impossible, Gyu. I can’t do that. My dad would disown me and then kill me. In that order.”
“Like I give a shit what your dad thinks.”
“Yeah, Beomgyu, but I do.” Taehyun replied quickly, gripping the steering wheel a little harder. Beomgyu seemed to notice, as he went quiet for a moment. Taehyun hated how he managed to kill the conversation so quickly, but that’s usually what happens when his father is brought into the conversation. The son of a bitch was ruining his life indirectly, as well. After a few quiet minutes full of heavy thoughts and thick tension, Beomgyu gestured to the side of the road.
“Can you pull over, Tae? Please?” He asked. Taehyun just looked at him, confused. He pointed to the side of the road again to emphasize his question, then watched as Taehyun put on the hazards and pulled over to the side of the highway. He put the car in park, and it was quiet again. Beomgyu looked out the window for a few seconds, before taking a deep breath and turning back to Taehyun. It was as if he was gathering his thoughts.
“You probably don’t want to hear this, and from me least of all, but your father does not have the right to control your life, Taehyun. You may think he does, because he’s done it for as long as you can remember, but you are an adult. You are fully capable of making your own decisions and if photography or traveling or doing something other than fucking business makes you happy, then he shouldn’t stop you from seeking that out.” Beomgyu said seriously, his eyes boring into Taehyun’s. It should’ve been inspirational, he’s sure that was what Beomgyu was going for, but really, all it did was piss Taehyun off more. Why on Earth was he continuing with this bullshit?
“You don’t really get it, though, Gyu. You didn’t go through life being told what you’re supposed to do every minute of every day. I was forced to dress how he wanted, act how he wanted, talk how he wanted. I never got to go out and be a kid. I had to sit at home and do schoolwork and watch as all the other boys in my class played soccer after school. It’s not as easy as just…deciding he doesn’t run my life anymore when that’s all I’ve ever known.” Taehyun argued, tearing his gaze away from Beomgyu’s to stare at the wheel in front of him. There wasn’t anything in particular he was looking at, he just needed to look away from the man sitting next to him, whose gaze was so frustrated that it hurt to see. “I would lose everything if I defy him and I can’t afford that. I can’t afford to lose everything I’m familiar with; I’m not ready for it.”
“But you can be!” Beomgyu insisted, voice raising an octave. “You’ve been through high school, you’ve finished college, you know people who would understand and take you in. Taehyun, you have me now. I wouldn’t let you lose everything.”
“Beomgyu,” Taehyun started, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t…I don’t know how to even begin to break away from him. I mean, I’m literally driving across the country because he fucking told me to. I’m that pathetic.” He sniffled, feeling the tears build in his eyes.
“You’re not pathetic.” Beomgyu replied, voice soft. He reached over and interlaced his fingers with Taehyun’s, his eyes still on the side of his face. “I’m not forcing you to do anything, just telling you that you have options. Like I said, you have me now.” He repeated. “I won’t let you fail.”
Taehyun had just nodded, squeezing his hand and staring out the window for a little while longer. He sniffled and wiped his eyes, turning toward Beomgyu finally. “Do you think you can drive now?” Beomgyu just laughed sadly and nodded, already moving to switch seats with him.
Chicago was gorgeous. It was all tall buildings and green parks on the outskirts, bustling with people on the sidewalks, in and out of the businesses that lined the streets. Driving through familiar streets, Beomgyu mentioned to Taehyun that Chicago was a city his dad would take him and his brother to often, much like Denver. The other man had just rolled his eyes with an of course he did, Gyu , his voice drenched in faux-annoyance.
“One of my favorite things he ever did was take us to Willis Tower.” Beomgyu continued. Taehyun glanced at him warily, already figuring the older was up to something. It only confirmed his suspicions to see Beomgyu scratching the back of his head like he was waiting for Taehyun to reply and set his plan into motion.
“What’s Willis Tower?” Taehyun decided to play into his plan that he had, and Beomgyu bounced in his seat at the red light they were currently stopped at, a grin overtaking his face.
“The tallest building in Chicago. Tae, you aren’t scared of heights or anything, right?” He asked giddily, turning to look Taehyun in the eye. When the younger shook his head no, he smiled brightly, turning back to the wheel to step on the gas as the light in front of them turned green. “Great, because that’s exactly where we’re going.”
“I didn’t think I had much of a choice anyways,” Taehyun laughed, leaning his head out of the open window to his right. Beomgyu shook his head from his seat, endeared at the fact that Taehyun already knew where he was heading with his words. “What’s so good about this building, though? You know, besides the height.”
“Well, I mean,” Beomgyu paused as he took a right turn, desperately wishing no pedestrians to cross in front of the car like they sometimes did. “It’s a pretty normal building, it has dining and things to do inside that are like…Chicago themed, but the whole reason I’m taking you is because of what’s at the top.”
Taehyun kept his eyes on Beomgyu’s side profile, nodding for him to continue. “...And? What’s at the top?”
“The SkyDeck.” Beomgyu smirked, pointing up with his hand. “It looks over the entire city. The view is gorgeous, but the coolest part is they have this glass box that literally places you in mid-air. It’s like you're floating.”
“Oh my god,” Taehyun laughed, eyes widening. “You really are crazy. I didn’t think I had a fear of heights, but just thinking about that is making my skin crawl.”
“No, it’s incredible, Taehyun. You will love it. Also, I’ll be right beside you the whole time.” Beomgyu snickered, turning into a parking garage.
“That’s what worries me the most.” Taehyun quipped, laughing out loud when Beomgyu mocked him half-heartedly. “I am kind of excited, though. You do a hell of a job advertising this place, they should hire you.”
Beomgyu just hummed, smiling in the other man’s direction. “It’s what I do best.”
There was something so breathtaking about seeing the city from hundreds of feet in the air. It’s the same wow moment you get when you look out the plane right after takeoff or right before landing, when you can see the entirety of the city you’re about to be in. The cars racing up and down the streets looked tiny, and the people walking on the sidewalks looked even smaller. At this height, they were level with the low-hanging clouds that wrapped themselves around the tall buildings like vines. It was gorgeous.
Taehyun placed his hand on the glass, leaning as close as he could in order to see all around them. And when he glanced at his feet–wow. Right below him, he could see the sidewalk and roads right outside the tower, and he felt like he was floating in midair like Beomgyu had mentioned earlier. If this was what it was like to be able to fly, Taehyun wanted that superpower immediately.
They had come to the SkyDeck on somewhat of an off hour, as there wasn’t anyone in line to stand inside the glass box except them. The woman nearby told them to take as long as they wanted, as there wasn’t anyone behind them. Beomgyu was as giddy as a little kid at Christmas, talking Taehyun’s ear off about the things he could see in the distance.
“Oh my god, Taehyun, look!” He pointed with his free hand (the other was holding Taehyun’s tightly–he would tease him about how nervous he was later) toward where Lake Michigan met the coastline of Chicago. “If you squint, you can see the Bean! I wish we had time to go to that.” He said wistfully, a wide smile overtaking his face.
“I wish we did too.” Taehyun squeezed his hand, causing Beomgyu to look over at him.
And wow–why did he spend so much time looking at the view in front of him, when there was a better one to his side? Beomgyu’s smile quivered as he looked at Taehyun, their eyes locking. There was something different in Beomgyu’s eyes, however, and Taehyun’s heart started to beat fast as he recognized the look on his face.
To Beomgyu, it all made sense. Being here, right now, looking at Taehyun like this. He wasn’t sure if it was the lighting from being inside a glass box, but the sparkle in Taehyun’s eyes had stopped him dead in his tracks when he looked over at him. The other day, he had seen that same sparkle as Taehyun looked on toward the Monet paintings, something that he loved and adored. And it all began to make sense to him at that moment, as he could see the same love and adoration inside the sparkly eyes that were currently looking at him.
He couldn’t not take the opportunity, right?”
“Taehyunnie,” he whispered, moving his free hand to Taehyun’s cheek gently. They were still holding hands, the grasp in between them now as they turned their bodies to face each other. “Can I kiss you?”
Taehyun only nodded, and that’s all Beomgyu needed, as he leaned in and they kissed for the first time, hundreds of feet in the air, inside a glass box. Taehyun’s heart was going at least thirty miles an hour in his chest, and he moved his hand up to hold Beomgyu’s wrist where he was situated by his cheek still. After a few more moments, they pulled away, noses brushing gently. Taehyun opened his eyes, a grin making its way onto his face as he locked eyes with Beomgyu once again.
“I have been waiting since Denver to do that.” Beomgyu said after a moment, biting his lip to stop from smiling so hard.
“Well? Was it good?” Taehyun teased, giggling quietly.
“Hm, you know what? I seem to have forgotten. We have to do it again so I can answer your question.” Beomgyu mumbled in reply, already pressing his lips against Taehyun’s again. The younger man laughed against his mouth, pulling him closer as the sun shone on their skin. It was like Chicago was giving them a round of applause.
It was, by far, his favorite stop of the trip.
Right after SkyDeck, they had opted to continue driving through the rest of the midwest, switching seats every now and then. It was just like it had always been–except extremely different. For one–Beomgyu could lean over and press kisses to Taehyun’s mouth in the car. In fact, they had kissed for what seemed like hours getting back to the parked Corolla after spending some time in Willis Tower. Beomgyu had hovered over the younger man in the backseat, although a makeout session was all that came about it. Additionally, Beomgyu would keep a hand on the other as much as he could throughout the night drive. His thumb caressing Taehyun’s hand, a palm on his thigh, whatever as long as it meant they were connected.
Taehyun couldn’t stop smiling, or take his eyes off the older man, watching him fill the car up with gas. He leaned his head out of the passenger window, grinning lazily at Beomgyu.
“What?” Beomgyu laughed when he noticed him, leaning against the car.
“Nothin’. You’re just cute.” Taehyun mumbled in response, making Beomgyu bow his head bashfully. He did look cute–he had put on a thin flannel over a white t-shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
“You’re just saying that.” Beomgyu laughed, turning when the gas nozzle stopped. Taehyun let out an indignant huff and a breath of laughter, watching Beomgyu print his receipt out and climb back into the car. Everything felt different between them–but in a good way. And Taehyun couldn’t get enough of it. As Beomgyu pulled out of the gas station, one hand crept over to Taehyun’s thigh, and he just held it, as if he was keeping Taehyun close. He blushed, willing himself to look out the window instead of the other man so the red adorning his cheeks wouldn’t give him away.
Despite how happy he was at this given moment, the fact that their journey was coming to an end still hung above Taehyun like a raincloud ready to unload onto him at any moment. It was scaring him a little–he had become so comfortable in this space with Beomgyu so quickly. He didn’t regret anything, don’t get him wrong, it was just the unfortunate fact that it was temporary from the start. They began their journey with a destination in mind and a time to be there–and as it creeped up on them, less than 36 hours away now, Taehyun found himself getting more and more upset that he wouldn’t have this time with Beomgyu anymore. After they arrived in New York, they’d have to go their separate ways, since Beomgyu did still live in Los Angeles and Taehyun would have to permanently move to New York if he got the job. There was a tiny part of him that was wishing it wouldn’t end. That New York would never come. That he wouldn’t get the job and he could spend more time with Beomgyu before having to separate.
But that was crazy talk. This was his career he was talking about–the one thing that had been the most important to him since he was young; his father had instilled the idea that if you didn’t have a high paying job that guaranteed your comfortability, then you were a failure. Was he really thinking about giving up everything he had grown up knowing and understanding for a boy he met less than a week ago? His father would be so disappointed in him if he knew what he was thinking.
Beomgyu threaded his fingers through Taehyun’s, pulling him out of his thoughts. He glanced over at the boy at the wheel, smiling softly. Beomgyu just squeezed his hand comfortingly.
Taehyun shook the thoughts of his father out of his head as he watched Beomgyu, eyes soft in his gaze. It didn’t matter what he thought at this moment–he would just enjoy the time he had left with Beomgyu for now.
“What about there?” Taehyun pointed out the window to a worn down looking diner off the side-street they were cruising on. Beomgyu glanced to the side at it, shrugging before putting on his blinker and pulling into the parking lot.
After a few hours of driving, they ended up somewhere in Ohio–the nearest city being Toledo–absolutely starving. Beomgyu had pulled off the highway and gave Taehyun the task of finding somewhere to eat as he leisurely drove around. Which brings them to now, looking at the diner from the outside. It was quaint looking and reminded both of them of the cute diner they stopped at back in Utah. As they made their way toward the door, Taehyun wanted to hang onto Beomgyu’s arm, but he wasn’t sure how crazy people from the Midwest were about gay people. And he sure as hell didn’t want to find out. Beomgyu sent him a comforting smile before leading him into the diner.
“Welcome.” A woman’s voice called from the kitchen, her head ducking through the window that connected it to the rest of the diner. Beomgyu raised his hand in greeting, smiling at her. “Sit anywhere you like, boys. I’ll be out in a second.”
Taehyun glanced around the small area, finding a booth all the way on the right-hand side. A dusty jukebox sat next to it, looking like it hadn’t been used in decades (which, to be fair, it probably hadn’t). Taehyun pulled on Beomgyu’s arm to bring him to the booth, where they slid into the seats across from one another. They sat quietly for a moment while Taehyun observed their surroundings. There were a few other patrons in the diner with them, all mostly eating alone. A few older men with trucker hats perched on the bar, shoveling late breakfast meals into their mouths. On the other side of the diner, Taehyun spotted a young girl having lunch with her father as he read the newspaper and leisurely sipped coffee. She seemed to be alternating between taking tiny bites of her sandwich and coloring on a piece of newspaper her father must’ve given to her.
“Good afternoon, would you like a menu? I haven’t seen you two before.” The woman from before walked up to their booth, two menus in hand. Her light blue apron was tied tightly around her, accentuating her small waist. She had her naturally red hair pulled into a tight bun and her makeup was caked on, but her presence was homely. Taehyun felt himself smile at her before nodding and taking the menus for himself and Beomgyu.
“Ah, we’re not from around here. We were just passing by and got hungry.” Beomgyu replied, flashing her a pretty smile, making Taehyun bite back a giggle. He truly was ever the charmer.
“Where y’all from?” She asked, hand on her hip.
“Los Angeles. We’re on our way to New York.”
The waitress let out a surprised hum. “That’s quite a journey. And you’ve almost made it. I sure hope you’ve enjoyed your trip so far.” Taehyun felt Beomgyu’s foot brush his leg after she finished her comment, making him flush all the way to his ears. Enjoyed would certainly be an understatement. “Can I get you anything to drink while you look at the menu?”
“I’ll have a Coke, and he’ll have a Sprite, please.” Beomgyu smiled at her again, and she nodded, turning around toward the kitchen. Taehyun glanced at him, willing himself not to flush again at the mere fact that Beomgyu remembered his drink order.
“You are so…” Taehyun started, shaking his head with a smile on his lips. Beomgyu raised his eyebrows, mirroring his smile.
“Charismatic? Hot? Amazing?” He quipped, still doing that godforsaken thing to Taehyun’s leg with his foot.
“Annoying.” Taehyun finished, making himself tear his eyes away from Beomgyu and toward the menu in his hand. He heard Beomgyu laugh in response.
After a few moments of menu-reading, Beomgyu tapped Taehyun’s hand gently to get the younger man to look up at him. “Did you know Toledo is regarded as the Glass Capital of the World because they’re one of the largest manufacturers of glass?”
“...Why do you know that?” Taehyun asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.
“I used to memorize Wikipedia pages for fun as a kid.” Beomgyu grinned, sitting back in his seat and crossing his arms. Taehyun let out a scoff, glancing back down at the menu so he didn’t have to look Beomgyu in the eyes and give away the embarrassing blush that was adorning his cheeks.
“Knowing you, that’s not surprising.”
“Is that why you like me so much?” Beomgyu countered, causing Taehyun to glance back up at him. The older man was biting a grin back, making him look devilishly handsome. Seriously, it was practically illegal to look that good.
“Who said I like you?” Taehyun said instead of what he was really thinking, which was something along the lines of lean over this table and kiss me, please.
“Ouch, Kang.” Beomgyu clutched his chest overdramatically, tipping his head to the side as if he was hurt. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re in love with me.”
Taehyun swiftly kicked his shin.
After eating and playfully arguing back and forth for a little longer in the small, homely diner, they got back on the road. The sweet waitress wished them good luck on the rest of their journey, even wrapping some homemade pumpkin bread in tin foil for them to share, free of cost. They tipped her extra.
It wasn’t until Beomgyu was coming up on the entrance to the highway that Taehyun spotted it. A lit up thrift store off the side of the road, much like the diner had been. There were pieces of furniture littering the front lawn, as well as tables that housed mounds of clothing pieces and baby toys, but what caught Taehyun’s eye was the sign in the window that advertised trinkets and souvenirs.
“Can we stop there, maybe? I love looking around stupid little trinket shops so much. Something about it makes me happy.” Taehyun asked. Beomgyu glanced over at the store, nodding immediately. He pulled over on the road in front of the store, and they climbed out.
“You’re a nerd, you know that?” Beomgyu smiled at him, before approaching the front of the store and running his hand along a dusty wooden entertainment center. “Man, this looks old as shit. My bet is on 1993.”
“That’s oddly specific, Gyu.” Taehyun laughed, stuffing his hands further in his pockets as the cold wind picked up.
“I have a knack for such things,” Beomgyu trailed off, walking toward the entrance to the store. Taehyun took a last look at the furniture before jogging to catch up with the older man, wrapping a hand around his bicep.
“Welcome!” A man’s voice called from the counter, and the two looked over at him with smiles. They delved deeper into the makeshift wooden aisles of the small store, taking in the hundreds of small souvenirs lining the shelves. They seemed to have everything from small porcelain statues to mugs with hand-painted state slogans. Taehyun seemed particularly enamored with a pillow on the back wall that had a hand-stitched dove on the front.
“It’s so pretty.” He gaped, running his fingers over the thread. Beomgyu nodded, before blowing the dust off it.
“And old.” He snickered when Taehyun slapped his arm, huffing faux-annoyance.
They ventured into another aisle, which seemed to house strange figurines of God-knows-what. “It looks like you.” Taehyun giggled, pushing a horrendous tiny doll with long hair and ugly features in Beomgyu’s face. The older one stuck his tongue out in retaliation, but melted inside all the same. His Taehyun was beautiful like this, looking him in the eyes and smiling without a care in the world.
As Taehyun continued looking at the shelves, Beomgyu made his way toward the jewelry counter, which had caught his eye earlier. He knelt down, looking through the glass at the gold and silver necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. It all looked hand-made, which was beautiful in and of itself. A gentle rap of knuckles against glass came from above him, and Beomgyu glanced up to make eye contact with an old woman, a warm smile on her face.
“You like?” She asked simply. He stood up straight and nodded quickly, pointing through the glass.
“It’s gorgeous. Do you make them yourself?” He asked, eyes zeroing in on a ring with black gems around the band.
“I do. Takes a very long time, but I’m proud of it. I’m glad my husband lets me sell them, though. I love seeing people walk out of here wearing my creations.” She sighed wistfully, before pointing to the chain around his neck. “I couldn’t help but notice your necklace. It’s beautiful.”
Beomgyu’s hand made his way to the lock that sat against his chest and rubbed it. He let out a nervous chuckle, nodding. “Thank you. It’s personal, so I never really leave home without it.”
She hummed, nodding. Then, she glanced behind him to where Taehyun was looking at the book section, taking a heavy volume out from the shelf and flipping through it briefly. “You are here with…your boyfriend?” She asked, and Beomgyu’s eyes widened. He hoped the heat he felt in his cheeks wasn’t giving him away.
“Ah…uh,” He scratched the back of his head, glancing over toward the younger boy again. “I’m…trying.” He decided to settle with, turning back toward her with a shrug. She had a knowing look on her face, and she held up a finger to beckon him toward the other side of the store.
Curious, Beomgyu followed her, shooting a look back toward Taehyun briefly before turning back toward her. When he caught up with her, she had a chain in her hand.
“I have an offer for you. For young love. It’s perfect for you.” She opened her hand, revealing the charm at the end of the chain. Beomgyu gasped softly.
It was a key. Almost eerily similar to the key that his mother had, the one that was still with her. Beomgyu’s hand flew back to his lock, and his heart sped up, though he wasn’t sure if it was because of the existence of the necklace or the implications of the old woman’s words.
“You…you mean…” Beomgyu stuttered, motioning toward where Taehyun was. The woman nodded, the warm smile still gracing her features. She pushed the necklace toward him, the metal of the key glistening in the light. Beomgyu touched it with his finger gently, memories of rubbing his mother’s key when he got nervous as a child flooding back into his mind. It was enough to make him tear up momentarily, before he wiped his eyes and brought himself back to Earth.
“Make him yours. Show him how much you love him.” She said to Beomgyu, offering the necklace. “For you, I will lower the price.”
“No…” Beomgyu started, shaking his head. “You don’t…you don’t have to lower the price, please.” He blinked at her, overwhelmed by the woman’s kindness.
She waved her hand, typing on the cash register. “Only twenty five dollars for you and your boy. You deserve happiness.”
Swallowing thickly, Beomgyu nodded, smiling from ear to ear. He pulled the money from his wallet and handed it to her, as well as a few singles just because he felt bad. She took it all, smiling, before wrapping the necklace up for him. He took a moment to compose himself while she did that, facing away from both her and Taehyun. Was he really going to do this? Give another key to someone that wasn’t his mother?
“Here. You two enjoy the rest of your day, you hear?” She handed him the wrapped box, which he stuffed into his pocket before Taehyun saw. He thanked her profusely, bowing his head multiple times. She waved him off, just as Taehyun approached him and wrapped his arm around the older’s again.
“You okay?” He asked Beomgyu gently, noticing the older man was a little shaken up. Beomgyu nodded immediately, kissing the side of his head tenderly. Taehyun laughed nervously, giving him a confused look.
“Let’s go.” He whispered, nodding toward the doors. Taehyun nodded again, letting himself be pulled away.
“Thank you!” Taehyun made sure to call toward the old man and woman, waving brightly. They waved back, the old woman winking at Beomgyu secretly. Beomgyu wiped his eyes again.
Even under harsh fluorescent lights, Taehyun looked beautiful. He was sitting across from Beomgyu in the cramped deli, slowly eating his breakfast so that he had something in his stomach before he went to his interview.
They had arrived in New York only a little bit ago, the silence that was engulfing the car being too much for Beomgyu to handle. He had pulled up to a random deli on the street, announced that they needed to get something to eat before they continued, and sat Taehyun down in a seat before going to order. He knew how nervous the younger one was about the reason he had even jumped in a car with Beomgyu in the first place. Taehyun had said something about how it was all too real when they were close enough to New York to see the buildings on the horizon. Beomgyu had no idea what he was going through, but he could imagine what a horror it was to go through as he watched the younger man, his palms sweaty and body shaking slightly from sheer nerves. Beomgyu was here for a wedding that wasn’t his, Taehyun was here to determine his life path. The two were not comparable in any way.
So, he ordered Taehyun something to fill his stomach and sat across from him to make sure he ate it. He figured there wasn’t much he could do besides let the man know he was supporting him from the sidelines, whether he went through with the interview in the end or not. There was a part of him that almost wanted to try one last time to convince Taehyun to stay with him and come to the wedding instead–that any interview that had him this nervous and shaken up wasn’t worth it in the first place–but he quickly realized that was absolutely not what Taehyun needed at this moment. So instead, he reached over and held his free hand with a quiet comfort that he hoped translated on Taehyun’s end.
“Do you need anything else before I drop you off at the company?” Beomgyu had asked, genuinely curious if he could do anything to help the younger before he had to go through anything. Taehyun had just shaken his head, continuing to eat. He swallowed his bite, thought for a moment, then spoke.
“You being here right now is enough. Thank you.” He said quietly, and Beomgyu’s heart broke. Why wouldn’t he be here? After everything they’ve been through this week, did Taehyun seriously think Beomgyu would just leave him hanging?
“Of course. I can even stick around and wait for the interview to be over. I don’t really need to attend that luncheon later. Really.” Beomgyu punctuated, squeezing Taehyun’s hand. The latter just made a noise in the back of his throat and shook his head quickly.
“No, please,” he started, closing his eyes. “Don’t miss your friend’s luncheon for me. I’ll be fine, you drove out here to see them.”
“I know, but–”
“Seriously, Beomgyu. Go to that luncheon, I’m forcing you.”
Beomgyu just laughed softly, before nodding. “Okay, I will. I promise. You better make it to your hotel safe, then. And text me when you do or I will be really worried all night. You don’t want that.”
“I promise you I will text you.” Taehyun fixed his gaze on Beomgyu’s, mirroring his slight smile. “There, we both made promises we have to keep, otherwise this relationship will begin with lies.”
“Oh? ‘This relationship’? I like the sound of that.” Beomgyu teased, causing Taehyun to kick his shin lightly. He was glad to see the familiar smile on Taehyun’s face–one that he had grown all too fond of the past week. Oh, what he would do to see that smile everyday of his life–he was sure he’d be the happiest man on Earth.
“Yeah, yeah. We’ll see.” Taehyun mumbled, adjusting his eyes back on the plate in front of him. Beomgyu swallowed, noticing how the silence between them grew once more. His hand itched near his jacket pocket, where a certain necklace was still idly sitting. He still wasn’t sure if he wanted to give it to the younger man now or wait, not wanting to scare him off or spook him too badly before his interview.
But the necklace burned a hole in his jacket. It sat heavy like an anchor chained to a boat. With every step he took, he felt it in his pocket–somewhere it didn’t belong. It belonged around Taehyun’s neck, fastened tightly. Taehyun belonged to him. But that wasn’t something for him to decide. He didn’t want to show the necklace to the younger and put a label on something that hadn’t had time to properly settle yet. Hell, he could count on two hands the amount of kisses they had shared up until this moment in the deli.
Yet, looking at the boy across from him, shoveling food in his mouth (he was hungrier than he thought he was), there was a part of him that urged him to do it. To give the necklace to him, make it known how much he meant to Beomgyu, make him his–as the older woman from the antique store had said. He wanted to make sure Taehyun knew he had someone on his side, the way he never had before. He may have been alone prior to this trip, but he wouldn’t be after it, regardless of how his interview went.
And so Beomgyu reached into his pocket.
“Taehyun?” He started, his voice uncharacteristically wavering. Thankfully, Taehyun heard him anyway, glancing up at him in curiosity. Beomgyu locked eyes with him, took an unnoticeable deep breath, and pulled out the small wrapped box. “I, uh, want to give you something. Maybe it’ll help before you go to your interview. I mean, I hope it will.”
Taehyun hummed, taking the box from Beomgyu’s open hand, a flush already making its way up his ears. He was so beautiful like this, looking into Beomgyu’s eyes with the wide, sparkling gaze that convinced him to lock lips with him for the first time a few days ago.
He watched as the younger unwrapped the box, opening it slowly and just…looking at the necklace. Beomgyu couldn’t see it from where he was sitting, and for a second, he panicked, as if it was the wrong necklace or it wasn’t in there or…
“A…key?” Taehyun whispered, still looking down at the necklace. Beomgyu could practically see the gears turning in his head, everything clicking into place for him.
“Yeah…yeah. Um, I got it at the antique store we were at yesterday. It looks…exactly like the one my mom had and when I saw it, I only thought of one person I’d want to have it. And that was…that was you.” Beomgyu explained, his mouth dry and his throat constricting in on itself. He was terrified , which was entirely unlike him. He wasn’t terrified of anything, but here he was, feeling as if he was going to melt into his chair as he watched Taehyun put two and two together.
“You…wanted me to have it?” Taehyun repeated, finally glancing up at Beomgyu. He nearly jumped out of his seat seeing the tears brewing in the younger’s eyes.
“Why are you crying? Please don’t cry, I don’t want you to–” Beomgyu started, then snapped his mouth shut as Taehyun stood up from his chair abruptly, the metal legs screeching against the ground. Beomgyu’s heart dropped, watching Taehyun place the chain and key on the table gently. This was it, he fucked up. Taehyun was going to run out of the deli, never contact him again, and forget he existed altogether. This was exactly what he was terrified of.
Only-Taehyun didn’t do any of that. He hurriedly walked around the table, sitting back down on the chair right next to Beomgyu. He turned toward him, a smile lightly gracing his features, cheeks damp from unprecedented tears. Taehyun grabbed a fist full of Beomgyu’s shirt and pulled him close, pressing his lips to Beomgyu’s with such a feverish need, passion was sparking through his mouth alone. Beomgyu’s eyes fluttered shut as he kissed back, hands finding solace on Taehyun’s face to pull him even closer (if it was at all possible) and keep him close. This kiss was different from the others, as passionate as they were, because of the pure emotion behind it. Taehyun needed to show Beomgyu how much he had grown to love him.
Taehyun’s grip loosened on Beomgyu’s shirt as they lost themselves in the kiss–breathing each other in, noses brushing, warm cheeks pressed together. Beomgyu ran one of his hands behind Taehyun’s head to tangle his fingers in his lover’s hair, keeping him as close to him as he could before the younger pulled away, breathing heavily and giggling slightly as he watched Beomgyu chase his lips, a whine in the back of his throat.
“Thank you.” Taehyun whispered, eyes finding Beomgyu’s, still damp. Beomgyu just bit back his grin, utterly relieved that Taehyun knew what he was trying to say with the necklace. He wiped the tear threatening to escape underneath his lover’s eye, pressing one more kiss to his lips before they pulled away from each other.
“Do you…” Beomgyu picked the necklace up off the table, holding it gently in his hands. “Do you want me to help you put it on?”
Taehyun laughed wetly, nodding his head. He turned around to allow Beomgyu to wrap the chain around his neck before clasping the hook to the other end of it. The key sat prettily along the top of Taehyun’s sternum, right in between his collarbones. Beomgyu felt his heart stutter as Taehyun turned to him, shyly asking how it looked. He never imagined anyone else wearing his mother’s key, but now, seeing Taehyun gently touch it and look at it as it hung around his neck, he realized there wasn’t anyone else who could pull it off besides him.
“You’re so beautiful.” Beomgyu whispered, smiling as Taehyun locked eyes with him again, dropping the necklace back against his neck. Taehyun leaned in again, this time softly kissing his cheek. It went unsaid, but Beomgyu couldn’t help but think about how much his mother would’ve loved Taehyun. His heart stuttered in his chest at the thought.
“Are you ready?” Beomgyu asked a couple minutes later, then watched as Taehyun took a deep breath in through his nose. He nodded gently, allowing Beomgyu to stand him up and lead him back outside. He had no idea how this interview was about to go, but at least he had someone on the outside, waiting for him.
Beomgyu had taken Taehyun back to his own hotel room, the one that was reserved for him for the wedding, to change into his suit for the interview. Taehyun was shaking badly as he tried to fasten his tie around his neck. Beomgyu had to step in, tying it for him before he ended up hurting himself. Tightening it gently, he looked Taehyun in the eye, sending him a smile in order to try and calm his nerves.
“You know whatever happens, I’m here for you, right? I’ll still be in the city and a phone call away, so please, keep me updated.” He mumbled, taking Taehyun’s face into his hands and pressing a kiss to his hairline. “Besides, you’ll do great. I know you will, my little smartypants.”
Taehyun let out a half-hearted scoff, letting himself lean into Beomgyu’s warm embrace. He tucked his head into his neck. “I know. I’ll keep you updated, Gyu.”
“Good.” Beomgyu replied, wrapping his arms around Taehyun’s shoulders. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand, the loud red numbers reading 9:22 AM. They had 38 minutes to get to the company for the interview. He gently pulled Taehyun back from the hug, letting him know they should leave soon. Taehyun had just nodded, too caught up in his thoughts to say anything else. He let Beomgyu pull him along, his warm hand in Taehyun’s clammy one.
It wasn’t until they had walked up to the entrance of the building together that Taehyun felt his heart drop to his feet. His father was somewhere in that building, waiting for him to walk in so he could begin making him feel less than he really was before he was told the same thing by some higher up of this company he didn’t even care about. He wasn’t ready for this. He couldn’t do this. What was he thinking?
Beomgyu, all too aware of Taehyun’s facial expressions at this point, pulled his arm. “You will be okay.” He said softly, pulling the younger into a hug. He kissed the top of his head. “Please breathe. Everything will be okay. You know how qualified you are for this. You just make them aware of that.”
Taehyun just nodded, closing his eyes and breathing Beomgyu in one last time before he had to walk in. It was a few more seconds before he detangled himself from Beomgyu’s arms, glancing up at him with appreciation. “Thank you. I’ll see you in a bit.”
“See you. Knock ‘em dead. I know you will.” Beomgyu sent him a supportive smile, watching as Taehyun walked away and into the building. Taehyun had to will himself to breathe regularly.
He smoothed his suit jacket down, in case it had gotten wrinkled in the hugs he had shared with Beomgyu. Approaching the front desk, he forced himself to smile at the man behind it. “Good morning. I’m here for an interview?”
“Hi. What’s the name?” He had asked, not slowing his rapid typing on his keyboard.
“Taehyun Kang.” The man hummed, typing some more and clicking the mouse a couple times.
“You’re here for the 10AM interview with Riggs?”
“Yeah–yes. I believe so.” Taehyun stuttered, mentally berating himself for stumbling. The man hummed again, before picking up the phone next to his keyboard and putting it to his ear. He clicked his gum, glancing briefly at Taehyun. When their eyes met, the man sent him a fake-as-all-hell smile before looking back at his computer. Taehyun repressed the urge to roll his eyes. If Beomgyu was here, he would’ve made some sly comment to Taehyun about this interaction already.
“Yeah, hi, this is downstairs reception. I have a…Taehyun Kang here for the 10AM interview with Riggs. Mm, okay. Okay, thanks.” The man set the phone down and looked at Taehyun, smiling that fake smile again.
“Head over to the elevators, floor eighteen. When you get there, turn to the left toward the white desk. They’ll direct you from there.” He instructed, pointing toward the elevators a few feet away. Taehyun just nodded, thanking the man and doing as he said.
After he had got to the 18th floor, and talked to the woman at the reception desk, he found himself sitting uncomfortably on the couch in the reception area, waiting for someone to grab him for the interview. He looked around, taking in the large office space. It was dull–everything was white. The desks, the walls, the computers that adorned the tables. It was unnervingly quiet too, just the sound of keys clacking and a soft murmur of people discussing. Taehyun always knew this would be his future, but seeing it in real life was as disappointing as he imagined it to be. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch again.
“Mr. Kang?” A woman called, having just walked through a door from a small office in the corner. Taehyun stood immediately, bowing his head politely.
“Yes, ma’am.” He replied, walking up and extending his hand to shake hers. She sent him a confused look, staring at his hand before turning around.
“This way, we’ll talk in my office.” She was already through her office door by the time Taehyun had found it in himself to move his feet, a bit weirded out from her behavior toward him. He hurriedly followed her, entering her office as she settled herself in her chair behind her grand wooden desk, decorated with ornate carvings–it must have cost a fortune. “Close the door behind you.” She waved half-heartedly, her gaze locked on the papers on her desk.
Taehyun did as she said, before sitting in the seat on the other side of her desk, smoothing his suit jacket. It was quiet for a few moments as the woman (Mrs. Riggs, he was guessing), pulled out a few sheets of paper from a folder. He recognized one as his resume, and the other an extensively long letter of recommendation from his last employer; a place in L.A. he had interned at thanks to his father.
(Or rather, he was forced to work at. It was all the same; he finally felt at ease with his life and then his father had to stomp his way back into his business, demanding he work at some place that offered to hire him just so they could be in his father’s good graces. It was a terrible, relentless cycle.)
“Your father was quite worried you wouldn’t make it on time, Mr. Kang.” The woman said, finally, setting the paper down. Taehyun’s stomach dropped, and his eyes widened. His father had told his potential future employers he was unsure if Taehyun would even make it? He was utterly confused–was his dad even trying to get him this job? Or was he hell-bent on making sure Taehyun failed regardless?
“Oh…oh, well, I…I’m here.” Taehyun stuttered out, shocked by her words.
“I can see that. I have to say, that doesn’t sound good to someone who is ultimately in charge of hiring you, does it, Mr. Kang?” She narrowed her eyes, and Taehyun gulped, shaking his head quickly. He had never been late to anything in his entire life, why on Earth was his dad trying to sabotage him before he even had a chance to advocate for himself? “Tell me, are you someone who has trouble arriving on time?”
“Absolutely not, ma’am. I’m honestly very confused why he would tell you that, as I’ve never been late to anything in my life.” He replied, echoing his thoughts. He hoped she couldn’t see how sweaty his hands had become in the last five minutes.
“That’s good to hear. Mr. Kang.” She said, but her tone was just as pejorative as before. “It says on your resume that you’ve only been an intern following your college graduation, which was two years ago now. You do realize you’re applying for a high level analyst position, correct?”
“I–uh…” Taehyun blinked, his head feeling fuzzy. It was only now that he realized his father had failed to mention one of the most important pieces of this interview to him–exactly what he was applying for. He wasn’t sure where he was, all of a sudden. “Yes, ma’am. I…I am very resolute, and I’m always seeking to be the best I can be. I’m confident I have what it takes to occupy that position regardless of my resume.”
Mrs. Riggs eyed him, unmoving for a second. Finally, she let out a sigh, taking her cat-eye glasses off. “Mr. Kang, I viewed your resume before you got here and already made my decision. Unfortunately, based on this conversation, I will not be changing my mind. I cannot offer you a position at my company.”
Taehyun felt his heart drop to his stomach and his ears filled with a high pitched sound that drowned out everything else in the room. Mrs. Riggs continued talking, but Taehyun couldn’t hear her. All he could hear was his father’s inevitable rage directed at him after he heard the news. He couldn’t breathe. He felt like he was going to throw up.
“...not suitable for my company, Mr. Kang. You’re way too inexperienced and wasted your time traveling out here. There is nothing I can do for you. Good day.” Riggs finished, her words sharp and concise. Her face was devoid of any emotion, not a single speck of empathy in her eyes as she stared at him from across the desk.
“But…but…” Taehyun floundered, finally finding his voice. She glared at him, pointing toward the door.
“I said, good day, Mr. Kang. ” She repeated. He glanced toward the door she had pointed to, then looked back at her. His ears filled with the ringing again, except this time it was loud and hot and angry . He saw red, and then he stood up.
“I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you or my father, but I did know there was a reason I didn’t want to work here in the first place.” Taehyun seethed, watching as the woman’s eyes widened. She crossed her legs in her chair, however, and sat back to watch him with mirth. It only pissed Taehyun off more.
“I traveled by car this entire goddamn week to make this stupid interview. I spent nights in a barely working Toyota Corolla and in nasty motels in order to prepare for this interview. I fucking ironed this stupid suit every night in those motels to make sure it was perfect for today.” He spat, narrowing his eyes at the woman. She just stared back, listening silently.
“I have never, in my life, encountered someone as dreadful as you. But that’s not surprising to me considering you’re friends with my father. Who deliberately tried to sabotage this interview for me. I understand now. Both of you are sick motherfuckers who wanted to see me suffer. I hope your business burns to the fucking ground.” Taehyun turned on his heel and exited the office, ignoring the stares drilling holes into his head as he got on the elevator to head back down to the lobby.
He was more than angry. Taehyun was irate, staring straight ahead of him as the elevator doors opened back up to the lobby and he stomped out toward the exit of the building, his hand already fumbling with the phone in his pocket to call Beomgyu to pick him up. He didn’t even get to step through the doors, however, when a hand grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him back inside roughly. Taehyun let out a yelp, turning to face the absolute last person he wanted to see at this moment.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” His father spat, his beady eyes boring into Taehyun’s.
Taehyun surprised himself. Instead of cowering back in fear, he glared just as hard back at his dad, keeping his feet glued to the ground where they had landed.
“What’s wrong with me?” Taehyun replied, eyebrows raising. “What the hell is wrong with you, Dad? Why the fuck would you try to sabotage me before I even got to the goddamn interview?” He seethed.
“Watch your tone, Taehyun. Do not speak to me like that.” His father snarled, his grip on Taehyun’s arm being so tight it was starting to hurt him. Taehyun ripped his arm from him, stumbling back a bit. He caught himself, fixing his glare back on his dad.
“I don’t give a fuck,” He snapped, extremely aware of how everyone in the lobby had stopped to stare at the father and son who were yelling at each other by the entrance. “I did everything you asked, Dad. I traveled by car over 2,000 miles to get here in under a fucking week. I got to this interview with fifteen minutes to fucking spare, despite you going around telling everyone not to expect me to make it on time. I agreed to sign my life away to work as some soulless analyst in a company that will probably go under during the next recession just because you asked, Dad. I did everything you fucking asked me to do. And I want to say this is the first time I’m finding out that you never had my best interests at heart, but it’s not. I’ve always known, but for some reason, this hurts the worst. You took my entire childhood away from me. You have never cared about me, Dad. You probably wouldn’t get a shit if I died on the street right now, because all you care about is yourself. You’re a fucking asshole.”
His father’s eyes were wide open, breathing heavily as he took in Taehyun’s words. Taehyun’s eyes, on the other hand, were drilling holes into his father’s. Taehyun was more pissed than he had ever been in his entire life. It was quiet, no one saying anything, until Taehyun’s father raised his hand and slapped Taehyun across the face.
Taehyun flew back, hands finding the couch behind him. His cheek stung with the force of the slap, and he looked around rapidly, trying to ground himself. He forced himself to look at his dad, his own hand flying up to hold his cheek.
“How dare you talk to me that way, boy. You have never been grateful for the things I do for you. And I know now you never will be. You are to never contact me again, you hear me?” He spat, stepping away.
It was silent, except for his father’s loud footsteps against the floor as he left the lobby. Taehyun’s breath became raggedy as he remembered where he was, his cheek still feeling the force of his father’s slap. He blinked a few times, the tears springing up in the corners of his eyes. He felt himself fly to his feet, and suddenly he was outside in the cold. His knees felt weak. He needed to breathe, but he couldn’t. His throat felt like it was closing in on itself and Taehyun stumbled over to a bush away from the sidewalk. He kneeled over and threw up in the grass, the tears falling down his face rapidly.
He hiccuped after a few minutes, the dirt digging into his knees. He fumbled with his phone in his suit pocket, blindly pressing the contact before he pulled it to his ear. It rang a couple times, before he picked up.
“Hello?”
“Beomgyu, I need you. Please.”
Beomgyu had been walking into the restaurant where Soobin and Yeonjun were holding their pre-wedding lunch when he got the call. He had nearly dropped the wine bottle he was holding when he heard Taehyun’s teary voice, going into absolute panic mode.
“Taehyun, I need you to breathe, baby, please. I’m on my way.” He said into the phone, glancing up at the hostess who was looking at him with concern. He floundered with his words, before passing her the wine bottle. “Please, let Yeonjun Choi know I’ll explain everything to him later and give him that. Thank you!” He called as he ran out of the door. He practically sprinted to the nearest subway station, still on the phone with Taehyun.
“B-Beomgyu, I don’t know what to do. I think I just got disowned, I feel like I’m about to die. I can’t breathe.” Taehyun sobbed into the phone and Beomgyu cursed under his breath, seeing the train doors already opened as he descended the stairs. He ran toward the train, and barely made the closing doors, breathing out a sigh of relief.
“I’m on my way to you, okay? I’ll be there in five minutes. You’re okay. Try to breathe for me, in and out, 10 second intervals, Taehyunnie. Please.” He whispered into the phone, his head swirling with worry.
Beomgyu stayed on the phone with Taehyun until he could physically see him, kneeled over by a bush in front of the company building. He hung up the phone as he approached him, bending down to take Taehyun into his arms.
“Baby, you with me?” Beomgyu asked, his mouth buried in Taehyun’s hair. The latter nodded weakly, tucking his face into Beomgyu’s neck as they hugged. He could finally feel himself slow his breathing as he embraced the other, warmth encircling them. “Hey, let’s get out of the cold, okay?” He whispered, only helping the younger man up once he had felt him nod against his neck.
Beomgyu brought him back to his hotel room, where they had been only an hour or so earlier getting ready. Taehyun was a lot calmer now, breathing normally and his tears had dried for the most part, but he still looked shaken up. Beomgyu’s heart broke for him; everything they were both scared of happening had occurred, and now they had to deal with the damage.
Taehyun had gently sat on Beomgyu’s bed, kicking his shoes off and curling his knees to his chest. Beomgyu sat next to him, a hand rubbing circles on his back. They let the silence slip between them, although this time there wasn’t any tension woven into it; it was a comfortable silence that they both appreciated. Taehyun decided to lay down on his back, Beomgyu following suit. Taehyun curled into his chest, and they continued to let the silence engulf them for the time being as the afternoon sun shone through the curtains.
After a while, Beomgyu let himself be the first to speak. “You want to talk about it?” Was all he said, carding his fingers through Taehyun’s hair like he had been doing the entire time. Taehyun hummed, then nodded. It was quiet again before Taehyun spoke.
“The CEO of the company is friends with my dad. I think they both set me up to fail, as some sort of test. I ended up yelling at them both and my dad slapped me in the lobby. Then he said to never contact him again.” He summarized, words barely above a whisper.
Beomgyu’s heart felt like it shattered just then, and he felt angry for Taehyun, but he told himself to pack it away. There wasn’t any more need for anger right now, not when they had finally both calmed down in the quiet of his hotel room. “I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry.” He said instead, pulling Taehyun closer and pressing his lips against his forehead. “Can I say how proud I am of you for standing up to your dad though? That’s incredible, Taehyun. You’re incredible.”
Taehyun just laughed quietly in response, shoulders shaking. “I’m pretty proud of myself, honestly. The entire ride to the hotel I was just…thinking about how I’ve never seen that side of myself before. It was…crazy.”
Beomgyu laughed. “I would’ve paid money to see it, Taehyunnie. Really.”
“I bet you would’ve.”
Beomgyu raised his head to look at Taehyun’s face, and more specifically, his cheek. “Are you okay? The slap, did it hurt you badly?”
Taehyun’s palm went up to rest on the cheek that came into contact with his father’s palm. “I think I’m okay now. It stung, obviously, but I think I’ll be fine. My cheek might be red though.”
“Can I kiss it better?” Beomgyu asked slyly, smirking in his face. Taehyun just laughed, screwing his eyes shut. He nodded, then smiled widely when he felt Beomgyu’s plush lips make contact with his cheek. “There,” He mumbled, moving his mouth to press a quick kiss to Taehyun’s lips. “All better.”
“You’re insane.” Taehyun replied, still smiling wide as he leaned in for another kiss. One more turned into two more, then three, and soon they were sharing a long, passionate kiss on Beomgyu’s bed.
Taehyun’s hands had found their way into Beomgyu’s long locks, pulling him closer by the strands. Beomgyu moved so he was hovering over the smaller boy, taking his waist into his grip. They pulled away briefly to breathe, making Beomgyu grin mischievously.
“You better not get any funny ideas, Choi.” Taehyun mumbled, echoing himself at the start of their trip, back in Las Vegas. Beomgyu just shook his head, nosing Taehyun’s jaw up to press a few hot kisses down his neck.
“No funny business here, Kang.” He mumbled before sucking into Taehyun’s juncture, making the younger gasp and curl his fingers into Beomgyu’s hair again. “I’m completely serious.”
They stayed in bed until the light outside dimmed, exploring and sharing intimate touches with each other. They weren’t aware how much they longed for each other until just then. And in that fancy hotel room in New York that his best friends rented for him for the weekend, Beomgyu let Taehyun know exactly how proud he was of him.
“That’s Mrs. Choi, Yeonjun’s mom. She’s literally the sweetest woman you will ever meet.” Beomgyu pointed with his finger toward a woman sitting next to one of the grooms, smiling at Taehyun. “When my mom died, she let me stay over at their house for as long as I wanted, and never acted like I overstayed my welcome. Which, looking back, I probably did.”
Taehyun rubbed Beomgyu’s arm, before nodding toward the man on Yeonjun’s left. “And that’s Soobin? The tall one?”
“Oh, yeah! I forgot. You didn’t get to meet him earlier.” Beomgyu stood, taking Taehyun’s hand and dragging him over to the long table in the front of the reception hall. “C’mon, you’ll love him. You’re very similar.”
Taehyun had been able to meet Yeonjun right before the reception started, when the latter pulled Beomgyu away by his tie to pester him about his absence the day before. With flushed cheeks and awkward stances, he pointed to Taehyun right beside him and blamed him jokingly. Yeonjun’s demeanor changed completely, as if he had just noticed Taehyun was standing there, and he welcomed the younger man with a big smile.
He’s said a lot of good things about you. I’m just finally glad to put a face to the name. Yeonjun had said, shaking Taehyun’s hand politely. Taehyun just smiled back at him.
“Yo Boobin!” Beomgyu called out, causing a few people to turn around at the sound of the nickname, including Soobin himself. The man just grimaced, before grinning in Beomgyu’s direction.
“Are you ever going to let that name go?” He whined, standing up to pull the long haired man into a tight hug. Beomgyu just laughed, pulling back and placing his hands on his shoulders.
“Never. I will never let it go.” He stepped to the side, pulling Taehyun beside him by the hand. “Soobin, I want you to meet Taehyun. Taehyun, this is Soobin, Yeonjun’s now-husband and one of my closest friends.”
“Hi Soobin,” Taehyun stuck his hand out politely, smiling nervously. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Soobin just reached over and pulled Taehyun into a hug similar to the one he had given Beomgyu. Taehyun froze, not expecting it, but soon relaxed into the hug. Soobin pulled back, a wide grin on his face. “It’s so nice to meet you. Beomgyu will not shut up about you in the groupchat we have with Jun.” Beomgyu slapped Soobin’s arm in embarrassment.
“Oh,” Taehyun laughed nervously, blinking over at Beomgyu. “He just really likes me, sorry about that.”
“Yah, I will hit your arm too.” Beomgyu snapped, a playful grin wavering on his lips. Taehyun just stuck his tongue out at him in retaliation.
Soobin watched the interaction, endeared. “Well,” he interrupted. “I’m glad you could join us, Taehyun. When Beomgyu called us this morning asking if he could bring a plus one at the last minute, we knew exactly who it was going to be.”
“That’s so…” Taehyun flushed, looking away. “Thank you for letting me come. Really, thank you. I would’ve felt like I crashed otherwise.”
“Never.” Soobin replied, smiling at him, before he was pulled away by an older woman who looked eerily similar to him.
“That’s Arin, his sister.” Beomgyu whispered in his ear, and Taehyun sighed, glancing at him. He was so grateful for Beomgyu, who had come to understand him in ways Taehyun wasn’t aware were possible.
It turns out Arin was dragging Soobin onto the dance floor, claiming he hadn’t allowed himself to dance enough (in her words: “You and Yeonjunnie’s first dance is not the only dance you’re doing, Soobin!” ). Taehyun watched Beomgyu longingly look out toward the dance floor, obviously conflicted about leaving Taehyun behind to get down with his best friends. Taehyun rolled his eyes. God, he was too nice for his own good.
“Go. I’ll be fine.” Taehyun attempted to push Beomgyu toward the dance floor, smirking as the older man sputtered and looked back toward him.
“You–” He started, but Taehyun waved him off.
“I will be fine .” He emphasized, smiling as Beomgyu blinked a couple times, then nodded. Beomgyu was already halfway across the room when he turned back abruptly and ran back over to Taehyun.
“You owe me a slow dance, though. We are not leaving until you and I dance.” He pointed at him and Taehyun laughed, pushing his finger away.
“Yeah, yeah, I promise. Go dance with your friends, Gyu.”
Beomgyu yipped with glee and ran back toward the dancefloor, practically crashing into Yeonjun, who let out a whoop seeing Beomgyu. The two matched each other’s energies well, it was obvious they were extremely close. Soobin had found himself close to them moments later, and Yeonjun grabbed his hand to bring him into the mix. It was a sweet sight, Beomgyu finally enjoying his moments with his friends he had traveled so far to see.
Taehyun smiled at them one last time before finding himself sitting at an empty table. A waitress came by to ask if he wanted anything to drink, and he ordered a glass of wine. She stood up to leave, before a body came nearby, accompanied by a soft, kind sounding voice.
“One more glass of wine, please. Thank you, ma’am.” He requested. The woman smiled and nodded, before walking off. The man sat next to Taehyun, extending his hand in greeting. “Hi, I’m Kai.”
Taehyun smiled back, shaking his hand. “Taehyun.”
“Nice to meet you, Taehyun. I’m a friend of Beomgyu’s.”
Taehyun nodded. “Who isn’t?” He joked, glancing around the room at the people he had met so far. So many of them regarded Beomgyu with such happiness and hugged him close and complained that they hadn’t seen him in so long. It was endearing to see how popular his boyfriend (wow–he was still getting used to that) was with the people at the wedding.
“That’s true. Beomgyu’s charismatic, everyone loves him.”
“Yup.” Taehyun replied, his eyes finding Beomgyu on the dance floor. He was laughing out loud at some crazy move Yeonjun was pulling to the Usher song that played through the speakers. Soobin stood nearby with his hand over his eyes in embarrassment, but he was laughing all the same.
“Beomgyu told me you’re a photographer.” Kai said suddenly, leaning on the table. Taehyun’s gaze snapped to him, taken aback. His eyes widened and he sputtered in response.
“I…I mean, I guess. Not really. I haven’t…been in practice in a while. He’s being generous.”
“He showed me your stuff! You’re really good. You should get back into practice!”
Taehyun grinned, a blush gracing his cheeks. He should’ve known Beomgyu was bragging about his photography, considering how in awe he was the first time he showed him his work. He supposes since he was putting a pause on business, he really would get back into photography. This new era of his life was about focusing on himself…so it made sense. There was just one problem.
“I really want to, it’s just hard given my circumstances. I need to be able to pay my bills, y’know?” He shook his head sadly, glancing over at Kai.
The other man smiled widely at him. “I may have a solution to that. I have my own photography magazine here in NYC. I’m actually looking for more people with cameras for my company. Portrait, nature, whatever it is.” He explained. Kai’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he watched Taehyun’s eyes widen. “If you promise to get back into practice, I’ll keep your name and number on file and bring you on whenever you’re available to start. I’d really love to see you grow, Taehyun.”
Taehyun’s mind went fuzzy as he stared at Kai. This couldn’t be real, was this real? Was he being offered a job as a photographer in NYC, one of his dreams since he was little? He blinked, mouth feeling like it was full of cotton.
“Don’t feel pressured to–” Kai started, but was quickly interrupted as Taehyun found his voice.
“I would love to!” He gasped excitedly. Kai found himself laughing at Taehyun’s wide eyed expression. “Thank you so much, Kai. I can’t…I can’t even begin to explain how honored I am.”
“Thank your boyfriend. I mean, your work sold me but he really is very good at pitching for you.” Kai giggled again, just as the waitress from before approached them with their wine glasses. He took a sip of his, pulling out his phone from his coat pocket. “Put in your name and number and we can be in contact soon!”
Taehyun did as he said, the smile never leaving his face. He had found himself deep in conversation with Kai about how he had gotten into photography and how hard it was for him to continue it with his circumstances when Beomgyu came bounding up to him.
“Taehyunnie! You met Kai!” He exclaimed, coming behind Taehyun and placing his hands on his shoulders.
“Yes! Listen, Kai offered me a position as photographer at his magazine. Can you believe that?” Taehyun grinned, turning to look up at Beomgyu from his chair. Beomgyu pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
“I told you you were talented. You have a gift.” He mumbled, smiling against Taehyun’s locks. “Wanna dance?” He asked a second later, holding his hand out to him. Taehyun nervously glanced over at Kai, worried about their conversation they were just having, but Kai waved him off.
“Have fun! We can continue our conversation another time, Tyun.” Kai smiled. Taehyun giggled, nodding, allowing himself to be pulled up by Beomgyu.
“See ya, Kai!” Beomgyu called, sending him an overdramatic flying kiss, to which the other man ducked to miss. It caused laughter from all parties. Taehyun felt hands go to his waist as soon as they stepped onto the dance floor, a slow song filling his ears.
“Put your arms around my neck, have you never slow danced before?” Beomgyu joked, barely missing Taehyun’s foot coming hard down on his own. “Joking!”
Taehyun rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Oh, I know.” He slung his arms around Beomgyu’s neck, allowing himself to be pulled in close. Their noses were inches from each other, making Beomgyu smile widely.
“You’re so beautiful.” He mumbled to Taehyun, forcing himself not to initiate the long, passionate kiss he so desperately wanted right then. Taehyun smiled back, ducking his head as a blush overtook his ears. He glanced back up, moving his hand to cup Beomgyu’s cheek gently.
Eyes raking over Beomgyu’s entire face, Taehyun spoke quietly, just enough for the man in front of him to hear. "Thank you." His thick eyebrows, dark brown eyes that held the world inside of them, beautiful nose, and plump lips. He was perfect.
“For what?” Beomgyu replied just as quietly, getting lost in Taehyun’s own eyes.
“For showing me I’m more than my father. You taught me how to let go of what was holding me back. I’m forever grateful for you because of that.” He leaned forward, brushing his nose against Beomgyu’s slightly.
Beomgyu just hummed, nodding. “Then…thank you.” Taehyun’s beautiful wide eyes had him in a trance.
“For what?” Taehyun giggled, mimicking Beomgyu from a few seconds ago.
Beomgyu pressed their foreheads together gently. “For showing me I don’t have to grieve silently. And that I’m allowed to show my negative emotions.” Taehyun just smiled, nodding.
“I would do anything for you, you know that right?”
“Of course I do.”
Taehyun pressed forward, finally connecting their lips in a gentle kiss shared between two lovers on an entirely too packed dance floor. It wasn’t like they saw anyone else there, though. For right now; it was just them. Alone together.
“Can you be serious for ten minutes, Gyu?” Taehyun sighed, exasperated. He placed the camera that was previously around his neck onto a nearby table, swatting at Beomgyu who scratched at the baby blue sweater he had on.
Beomgyu pouted, bottom lip sticking out. “It itches.”
“Listen, let me get a couple more shots. Then we can go get lunch and you can change into something else.” He adjusted the sweater’s collar, making sure it was sitting on Beomgyu’s torso correctly.
Beomgyu smiled, nodding. He was dressed head to toe in soft, comfortable (except for this God forsaken sweater he had on) clothing items, the main features of his wardrobe being the white, crochet knitted hat he was atop his head and his new, messy blonde hair falling above his eyebrows. He sat at a wooden desk, all the colors contrasting in the best way to bring out his features.
When Taehyun had asked his boyfriend to help him with a shoot, he couldn’t have expected it to be close to what some would call a boyfriend concept, but he wasn’t complaining. Taehyun had explained to him, as he helped him get ready, that the theme of the magazine spread this month was home, comfort, and learning to love . Beomgyu thought it was perfect for him.
The previous week, he had helped Taehyun with modeling himself for the first half of his spread, his newly dyed pink hair tousled, clad in a sweater that matched the color of his locks. There was a shot in particular that Beomgyu had helped Taehyun capture, handling the camera. It was Taehyun, sitting on the floor against the cabinets of the small house, mid-bite of a small carton of ice cream. He couldn’t stop thinking about it.
The second half of his spread was of Beomgyu in a similar concept, in the same set. Taehyun explained to him that his definition of home, comfort, and love was just that, being with Beomgyu and slowly learning to love himself in a world that had previously taught him to do the opposite. Taehyun was grinning at him as he explained it, and Beomgyu had never felt prouder in that moment.
His boyfriend was going to great things, he was destined for it. He was so glad Taehyun could finally see that, too.
“You ready? Just think about where you want to go for lunch after, okay?” Taehyun called, picking up his camera again. Beomgyu laughed, nodding. As he heard the click of the camera go off, capturing his likeness, he couldn’t help but smile to himself at the thought of this being his future. He couldn’t wait to experience more of it.