Inspired by Songs.......Gongfourz Oneshots (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Dandelion-Part 3:After the Silence

'Cause I'm in a field of dandelions
Wishing on every one that you'd be mine, mine
And I see forever in your eyes
I feel okay when I see you smile, smile

The warmth of the café meant nothing anymore.

Leehan stood by the window, the glass cool against his skin, but the heat inside him was unbearable. Outside, Taesan hadn't moved—still leaning on his car, still waiting, still hurting—all because of him.

The towel in Leehan's hands slipped to the floor without his notice.

Why is he still out there? After everything. After the yelling, the silence, after how Leehan had pushed him away with bitter words and colder eyes. After he'd said he was done.

But Taesan wasn't done.

He never had been.

And suddenly—painfully—Leehan realized maybe he had been wrong all along.

He had spent so long building walls, mistaking them for protection when they were just distance. He had convinced himself that Taesan didn't care enough, that he played games, that the love was uneven.

But looking at him now—soaked, motionless, stubborn as ever—Leehan saw everything clearly.

Taesan wasn't the one who gave up.

It was me.

Taesan gave him his name, his time, his patience, his heart—all of him—and Leehan had thrown it back in fear. Because the love Taesan gave felt too real, too big, too consuming. And Leehan had been scared he wouldn't survive it.

But he wasn't surviving now.

Not like this.

Maybe it was the way you said my name, Leehan thought, his eyes stinging. The way he played the game too honestly, too raw, too real—that made him run.

His fingers trembled as he touched the foggy glass again, this time not to shield himself, but to anchor.

"I never knew anybody like you," he whispered, voice cracking. "Never dreamed of anyone like you."

Suddenly it wasn't anger or pride or pain filling him—it was longing. Pure, helpless longing. Because now he could see it clearly.

Taesan was that once-in-a-lifetime love.

And he let him go.

His legs moved before his mind caught up. The bell above the café door jingled as he stepped out into the chilled air, barely registering the cold. All he could see was Taesan, standing still like a statue carved out of regret and stubborn hope.

Taesan turned slowly, as if unsure whether it was a dream. His eyes were tired. But they softened when they met Leehan's.

Leehan didn't know what to say.

So he spoke the truth.

"I was wrong," he said softly. "I was so wrong."

Taesan's lips parted, but no sound came.

Leehan stepped closer, just a little, and reached up, his fingers brushing a strand of hair damp and tangled against Taesan's forehead. His thumb traced the line of Taesan's temple, gentle and deliberate, like an apology in touch.

"You were the only one who never gave up. Even when I begged you to."

"You didn't believe me," Taesan finally said, voice hoarse. "No matter how many times I said I loved you."

"I didn't believe I deserved it," Leehan admitted. "But I think... I think I was wishing you'd still be mine. Even when I told myself I didn't care."

Taesan's eyes glistened with moisture, and he finally spoke, voice trembling but certain:

"You know... I was in a field of dandelions, wishing on every single one," he said softly, "hoping you'd come back. Praying you'd be mine again."

Leehan's breath hitched.

Taesan's gaze didn't waver. Slowly, he reached out and tucked a damp curl behind Leehan's ear, his fingers lingering against his cheek.

"I saw forever in your eyes once. I feel okay when you smile—like maybe everything could be okay."

Leehan's throat tightened. The truth in Taesan's words hit him like a storm.

"I wished for you... all the time," Taesan added, voice breaking, "even when it hurt so much. Even when I thought I might lose you forever."

Leehan swallowed hard, then took Taesan's hands in his own, squeezing gently, as if grounding himself. "And now I see it, Taesan. I see the love I was too scared to hold onto. I was wrong to walk away."

"I see forever in your eyes," Leehan said, voice dropping. "I see the pain, the hope... the truth you never stopped carrying."

A faint, fragile smile ghosted across Taesan's lips. Slowly, deliberately, he leaned in, resting his forehead against Leehan's, their breaths mingling in the cool air.

"You think I'm the one for you now?" Taesan murmured.

Leehan hesitated, heart raw, then whispered, "I know you are."

Taesan's fingers brushed a wet strand of hair from Leehan's face, trailing down to cup his cheek with a tenderness that spoke volumes. "I've been wishing on dandelions every day, hoping you'd come back."

Leehan swallowed hard, the weight of every unspoken word hanging between them. His hand rose, fingers threading through Taesan's damp hair, pulling him just a little closer.

"I'm sorry I was so scared," he confessed. "Scared of how much I needed you."

Taesan's hand found Leehan's, fingers curling around his like an anchor. The warmth of their touch settled something fierce and steady inside them both.

"It's hard to breathe when you look at me like that," Taesan said softly, voice low. "Like I'm everything."

Leehan met his gaze, the storm around them fading into silence. "Because you are."

The rain wrapped around them like a fragile promise, washing away the old wounds. No grand declarations—just two broken pieces trying to fit back together.

Taesan pulled Leehan into a slow, gentle hug, his cheek pressing softly against the side of Leehan's head. Leehan's arms tightened around Taesan's waist, fingers clutching the soaked fabric of his jacket like a lifeline.

Their breaths slowed, syncing in the quiet rhythm between heartbeats.

Taesan's hand rose, cupping the back of Leehan's neck as he tilted his head slightly, nuzzling tenderly into the crook of Leehan's neck. His warm breath brushed against the sensitive skin there, sending a shiver of comfort through both of them.

Leehan's eyes fluttered closed at the intimate touch, his body relaxing against Taesan's. The world outside faded until all that remained was the soft press of skin against skin, the whispered exhale, and the steady beating of two hearts learning to trust again.

"Maybe love doesn't come once in a lifetime," Taesan whispered, voice low and full of hope. "Maybe it's us. Always us."

Leehan lifted his face, breath catching as Taesan's fingers trailed from his neck up to his cheek, thumb brushing softly. "I don't want to lose you again."

"No," Taesan breathed, voice warm against his skin. "You won't."

Beneath the gray sky, between falling rain and fading hurt, they stood—tangled in the fragile hope of beginnings and second chances—finally letting the quiet language of touch speak what words couldn't.