love in autumn | taegyu

IX. "December"

Taehyun sat in his room, looking at all the photographs of Beomgyu's he'd printed. He wanted something to remind him of the boy while the boy couldn't be there. It had been about five days since the accident, it was nearly christmas time and that's all Taehyun wanted for christmas, was for his dear boyfriend to wake up. Soobin had gotten them printed actually and helped hang them up, the male had developed a soft spot for his bestfriend's partner. He knew Taehyun was truly in love, he'd never seen him like this before.

"Do you think he'll wake up?" Taehyun asked as Soobin set down his bag.

"I think you ask me that everyday and each time it's the same answer. I don't know." Soobin responded. "I think he needs time to heal. And I think that you need to worry about school. If you don't get these online grades up, you won't get the credit. Which means, you won't be attending University next fall."

Taehyun groaned. He hated school. Atleast he got to do online, it was easier doing an online curriculum rather than miss in person classes way too often. He grabbed his laptop and opened it up, Soobin sitting right next to him as they began going over his homework. Soobin was incredibly intelligent, he'd already begun receiving offers to incredible colleges and universities, a ton of which were in America.

There was a ruckus outside of Taehyun's room and a group of teenage boys came piling through the door. It was their friends, all laughing as they landed on top of eachother. "I told you to slow down!" Hueningkai laughed. "And I said to stop pushing me!" Jay laughed in response.

"Trying to focus," Soobin said sternly, causing the younger males to straighten themselves out.

They stood up and walked the rest of the way into the room. The photographs Beomgyu had taken all captured their attention and they began admiring them. "Did Beomgyu take these?" Yeonjun asks. Hueningkai nodded proudly, he had been shown all of them and yet each time he seen them he never failed to be stunned by his friends ability to capture such beautiful photographs.

"This one is my favorite," Hueningkai said softly, picking up the photograph of Beomgyu. It had been taken with a timer on. Beomgyu always said he disliked it. He disliked the way his eyes shone in the glistening sunlight, the way his lips curled up as he smiled. How scrunched up his nose was. He was wearing a hunter green sweater, and the autumn leaves were falling behind him.

"He looks so beautiful," Taehyun whispered, admiring the photo as Hueningkai showed it to everyone.

"Funny, he used to say that about your photo all the time," Hueningkai replied.

The room was quiet. They all had so many questions. Why Beomgyu? Out of all people, why did fate choose to ruin his life like that. Why was he the one who got smashed between those two cars that night, it could've been anyone but no, it had to be their friend. There was so much uncertainty, it seemed like everyday something new happened that worsened his condition. And now, the doctors were saying Beomgyu might never wake up again.

"I wanna talk to him again..." Taehyun admits. "I need to see him."

"Then lets go." Yeonjun responds, holding his hand out. Taehyun took it, grasping it firmly as they walked down the hallway towards Beomgyu's room.

With each second that passed, it felt like Beomgyu was drifting away from them further. They feared that the efforts being put in by the doctors weren't enough, even though Beomgyu had a team of surgeons and nurses who monitored everything about his condition twenty four seven, ensuring that if anything changed they'd fix it immediately.

The two teenagers entered the fragile boys room, being as quiet as they possibly could. Beomgyu looked somewhat different than he had that first night. The small cuts had begun to heal, the bruises beginning to fade from harsh shades of blue and purple to softer shades of yellow and green. He still had casts on his leg and wrist, a large bandage covering his forehead.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Yeonjun asked in a gentle voice.

"No, I'll be okay." Taehyun smiled softly. "Just wait for me outside, okay?"

"Yeah, of course." Yeonjun replied.

Had Taehyun had the chance to meet Yeonjun before Beomgyu, he probably would've fallen for him too. But he was so irrevocably in love with Beomgyu, and everyone could tell.The way he spoke of him, the way his eyes lit up whenever he thought of him. The way he was able to be himself around the older male, not holding anything back, it was real. Their love was real.

"Gyu, I don't know what's keeping you away from us," Taehyun began speaking gently, grasping the older boy's hand as gently as he could. "But, I need you to come back to me. I need you to wake up and smile for me. To tell me about school and how much your math class stinks. I need you to kiss me, to assure me everything will be fine. I need you to see all the beautiful christmas lights. You alway said you like looking at the lights..."

Taehyun was crying now, tears silently slipping down his pale cheeks as he wiped them away with the pad of his sweater. It was Beomgyu's actually, Mrs.Choi had brought it to the young boy after he couldn't sleep one night, worrying about Beomgyu. The sweater was hunter green, the same one Beomgyu had worn in the photograph on his wall.

"W-we need you. All of us. Soobin, Yeonjun, Hueningie...We all need you to come back Beomgyu. We're a family, a group of dumb teenage boys who run around a hospital and get yelled at for being obnoxious. We torment my nurses, we play jokes on your mom, and we always steal random snacks from the kitchen." Taehyun tried not to let out a sob, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Beomgyu, you're my first love. You're my first real boyfriend. You're my bestfriend. My soulmate..." Taehyun couldn't find anymore words to say after that last one left his mouth, his mind flashing back to the day they sat in the garden and he asked Beomgyu about soulmates, proceeding to ask if he could be his after that. He missed that, those happy days where nothing was complicated, nobody was dying, nobody was fighting and everything was perfect.

"Beomgyu, it's almost christmas. And the only thing I want this year is for you to come back to me." Taehyun spoke softly. "If you love me, and I'm sure you do, make my christmas wish come true..."

"Come back to me Choi Beomgyu."

-

just a filler chapter! 

sadly besties, we've come to our end.

one more chapter, then the epilogue and it's over :(