fire & ice | taegyu

epilogue| what is love?

song: o sole mio –sf9

epilogue| what is love?

"appa i don't want to go to uncle chois' house for dinner!" 

beomgyu came running out from the kitchen, flour lightly dusting his cheeks and apron. "yah you brat! yeonjun-hyung's house is literally next door! get ready and come downstairs in five." 

beomgyu hears the door slam shut upstairs. 

"baby calm down," taehyun mumbled as he back hugged beomgyu, lovingly rubbing the latter's tummy. beomgyu relaxed into his husband's embrace, gently inhaling taehyun's scent. 

"i've let it slide so many times this week tae but he's showing so much attitude lately. and today he absolutely refused to go yeonjun-hyung's for dinner. he loves dinner soobin makes! you know that kai's coming today and he rarely ever gets a break from filming..." beomgyu softly complained into taehyun's ear. 

taehyun wasn't going to lie and say that he didn't see his son's cranky mood all week but he had promised himself to stop beomgyu from meddling in their son's business. 

"did you try to talk to him or did you snoop around his room and his phone beom?" 

beomgyu paused before letting out a soft sigh, "he didn't want to talk to me so...i snooped around and got caught. he pushed me away and he's been giving me the cold shoulder all week." 

taehyun chuckled softly, "beom. that's not how it works. we have to trust him and he has to trust us okay? if we snoop around he wouldn't want to confide in us anymore. i'll go talk to him right now okay? so just go over to yeonjun hyung's place first. i'll bring him along." 

beomgyu smiled, "you're the best tae." he swiftly placed a small kiss on taehyun's cheek before walking off. 

"i can't believe we've been together for fifteen years and he still makes my heart race," taehyun mumbled under his breath. 

taehyun placed several knocks on the door. a muffled, "go away!" sounded from inside. 

"jungwon-ah, it's just me. i want to talk to you alright?" taehyun voiced out. 

a minute later, the door gently clicked open and taehyun took as a sign and walked in. "what's wrong won? you know beomgyu and i are worried sick about you. have you been crying?" 

jungwon sniffles slightly, as he blows his nose. taehyun smiled fondly, jungwon reminded him of beomgyu in many ways but mostly in times when he was upset and needed some care, attention and love. 

taehyun rubbed jungwon's back, "take your time won." 

jungwon looked at taehyun, his vision blurred by his tears. "why doesn't he like me? i- i loved him all my life! but he always hur–hurts me. appa i don't want my heart to hurt anymore," jungwon cried silently. 

of course, taehyun noticed his son in love with yeonjun and soobin's son. how could he not when jungwon was pining over a boy so much that it was so painfully obvious. 

"why don't you think jay likes you back?" taehyun asked quietly. 

jungwon's eyes widened in surprise, "you-you knew i liked jay hyung?" 

taehyun chuckled, "it was written on your face jungwon-ah. i knew the moment you met jay that you liked him and my theory was correct as i saw you grow older. because you had the exact same look i had when i looked at beomgyu." 

jungwon chuckled bitterly, knowing that him and jay could never turn out to be how his parents were. jungwon wished though for someone –for jay– to love him as much as his dad loved each other. 

"how did you know you loved beomgyu appa?" jungwon asked, fiddling with his sweater. 

taehyun smiled as he gently ruffled his son's hair. "i met beomgyu when i was four."

flashback: 2004 

"eomma who is that boy?" taehyun tugged his mother's shirt as he pointed at the older boy who stepped out of a black car. 

his mother knelt down beside him, "that boy is your hyung alright? beomgyu hyung. his appa and your appa are having a business meeting and beomgyu hyung has come to play with you." 

taehyun hurriedly hid behind his mother as beomgyu and his mum approached them. curious, he peeked from behind his mum, his eyes directly gazing into beomgyu's and instantly taehyun buried his head into his mum's back. 

 "eomma taehyunnie has big big eyes...like bambi!" taehyun hears the older whisper, quite loudly, in amazement to his own mother. 

softly, taehyun asked, "what's a bam...bambi?" 

beomgyu's mother gently nudged beomgyu towards taehyun, "go on taehyun-ah is asking you something." 

slowly beomgyu approached taehyun, slightly hesitant and slightly anticipating, "it's a type of deer! it has big eyes like yours!" beomgyu smiled, his pearly white teeth glinting. 

slowly, their mothers inched away from them, letting the two interact in their own world. 

"i look like an animal?" taehyun tilted his head questioningly, seemingly disappointed. 

beomgyu immediately poked taehyun's cheek, "no! i think taehyunnie has pretty eyes!" 

taehyun smiled, his eyes turning into crescents, "i think hyung is pretty too." 

the two giggled away running around and rolling around amongst the flowers. 

"ouch!" taehyun immediately stumbled up to beomgyu who was sitting down holding his finger. blood slowly dripped out of the small cut on beomgyu's finger, having been cut by the thorns on the rose bush nearby. taehyun immediately sucked on beomgyu's finger. 

"what..what are you doing?" beomgyu hiccupped. 

"eomma says to suck the blood away before putting on a band aid." taehyun stuck his tongue out as the boy fully concentrated on sticking on the spiderman band aid that he always has in his pocket. 

taehyun could see the tears slightly pool in beomgyu's eyes making them glassy. 

"i don't like hyung crying. i promise to never make beommie cry!" taehyun babbles as he squished beomgyu's cheeks together. 

"pwomise?" beomgyu asked, his cheeks still in taehyun's hold. 

"i promise." 

"you've loved beomgyu appa every since? how did you know he was the one?" jungwon asked. 

taehyun snapped out of his memories as he offered a small reassuring pat on jungwon's back. 

"for every person the feeling of love will be different but it'd just feel right. for me, i knew beomgyu was it for me since my heart never wanted anyone else but him." 

later that night around the dinner table at the chois, as everyone laughed joyously with one another, jungwon watched taehyun gently mumble a soft 'i love you' to beomgyu who was sleeping on his shoulder. 

as taehyun placed a small forehead kiss on beomgyu, jungwon's eyes flickered away just to see jay hyung already staring at him. 

taehyun observed how jungwon and jay stared at each other clearly with feelings written all over their faces. then again, when two people believe their love is unrequited, it is a canon event for only the two to be oblivious to their feelings for each other.  

jungwon-ah i don't think you have to worry about not having the kind of love me and beomgyu share.

the real fin.

took me a while to get here, so how is this end?

–L