Sound of Winter || Taegyu

Chapter Seven

He falls back on Taehyun's bed, hair falling carelessly on the pillow below him while he groans loudly. It's the summer after their graduation and he's currently trying to decide if he should join his family while they travel the world, the only thing stopping him being the boy in front of him that he's madly in love with. Their relationship had just kicked off a year prior, after years of being friends, finally getting somewhere when he was given the news that his family wanted him to join their family business. He admires them more than anything in the world, but their business isn't anything that he wants to take part in.

As much as he loves to travel, he can't do it for a living, and he can't leave Taehyun behind either. It's unfair of him to ask his boyfriend to put his own dreams aside to follow him and pursue a career that he's not even interested in himself. Taehyun got into the accelerated program for information technology, a dream that he's had for a long time, and he can't put that added stress on him.

"Hey," Taehyun mumbles softly, the bed dipping down beside him as his weight shifts on the bed. He props himself up on one of his arms, partially leaning over Beomgyu as he uses his other hand to move some hair out of his face, his fingertips igniting flames on his skin. "It's going to be okay, we'll figure this out."

"I don't want to leave you."

"Then don't."

He bites the inside of his cheek in thought. He doesn't have anywhere else to go, which forces him to take the position with his family. There's no family in the area and he doesn't have the funds to find a place to stay near Taehyun, especially with the price of housing near colleges. A concerned expression washes over the younger's face as he pushes his hair back, only for it to fall back into the same position due to how they're laying. Beomgyu moves up slightly in the bed, propping up his top half with his elbow. "What's wrong?"

"Stay with me."

His eyes widen at Taehyun's comment, heart pounding against his ribcage as they stare at each other. "What?"

"Yeah, there's a small apartment that I'm going to rent. I was going to find a roommate but we- me and you can live together." There's a sparkle in Taehyun's eyes as the words flow out, stumbling over his own words in excitement. "You can find a small job and as soon as I'm done we'll get our own place. Then you can stay." His voice is hopeful, delicate as if the world depends on the next words that come out of Beomgyu's mouth.

Had Beomgyu not been in love with Taehyun before, he certainly would have been with the way the younger stared down at him, eyes full of hope and longing for the answer that he so desperately wanted.

He holds Taehyun's gaze, searching for any indication that he's unsure of the offer. A breath of air passes through his lips as he nods his head, eyes maintaining contact.

"Yeah, let's do it."

A groan passes through chapped lips as Beomgyu's head roughly slams against the wall behind him. His limbs are numb and heavy as he tries to move, every inch of his body seemingly paralyzed where he lies on the hard cement. He's able to wearily open his eyes only momentarily before they're fluttering closed again, head falling down in exhaustion. There's a warmth overcoming his body, leaving him in a fuzzy, dream like state. The feeling of his arm being maneuvered like a puppet on a string grabs his attention, though it's only for a split second before his mind goes blank again. With a soft click, his arm is released, dangling slowly from the metal object secured tightly around his wrist.

Waves of heat hit his skin, the room feeling suffocating as beads of sweat roll down the side of his face, leaving salty streaks of water in its wake. He's unable to process any of his surroundings or even recall what happened, the sheer heat of the room only sending him further into his disillusioned state.