Mediterranean Kiss ~ Taeten

Plans

Ten minutes later Taeyong and Ten were relaxing on the balcony enjoying the feast that Ten had brought back with him from the kitchen. Fresh fruits, chocolate dipped strawberries, crumbed fish, fried rice and fresh bread, along with a bottle of champagne of course.

“What will you do if you get fired?” Taeyong asked quietly. He didn't really want to bring up the topic in case it upset Ten, but the uncertainty of what could happen made Taeyong worried for him.

“Probably go back to Thailand while I think of plan B.” Ten just shrugged.

“Would you go overseas again and try to find a similar job?” Taeyong then asked, curious.

Ten nodded eagerly. “Definitely. I love this job so I would probably look for something where I can be around heaps of different types of people and cultures. I want to travel more as well.” He added.

“Aren't you worried though? You seem really fine about the possibility of getting fired.” Taeyong said.

“Well I have you to worry for me now, don't I?” Ten responded cheekily, blowing a kiss at him.

Taeyong smiled shyly and shifted in his seat as he tried not to feel embarrassed. He still wasn’t completely used to the way Ten could so easily express his feelings.

“By the way, I wanted to ask, why aren't you sharing a cabin with Johnny and Mark?” Ten asked, changing the subject as he bit into a strawberry.

Taeyong took a sip of his champagne before answering. “I was actually supposed to be sharing this room with someone.”

Ten’s eyes widened in curiosity and he waited for Taeyong to explain.

“Our friend Jaehyun was supposed to be coming on this cruise with us. He’s been my friend since childhood, so of course there was no doubt I wanted him to come too.” Taeyong explained.

“And Jaehyun was supposed to share a cabin with you?” Ten asked.

Taeyong nodded. He had been trying to avoid thinking of Jaehyun while he was on this cruise. Jaehyun knew him better than anyone and Taeyong realised he should listen to him when he had told him to enjoy himself and not worry about him. But now Ten had brought up the topic of him, Taeyong could feel worry and concern for him fluttering in his stomach.

“What's wrong?” Ten asked. He reached forward and gently rubbed Taeyong’s thigh. “Why couldn't Jaehyun come with you?”

Ten’s warm affection soothed Taeyong a little and he continued. “Jaehyun was in an accident. We were walking back home from work one night. We were waiting for the light to change to cross the street, it finally did and Jaehyun stepped out into the intersection first. It… it happened so fast, he was right in front of me, within arm's reach… and then he was lying in the middle of the intersection and a lorry had screeched to a halt where he had been walking.”

Taeyong felt his eyes well up as he re-lived the memory of that night. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, then Ten took his hand in his.

“Is he okay?” Ten asked.

“He survived, yes, but at the time I thought he was dead. I ran over to him and he wasn't moving. There was blood… so much of his blood on the road. I really thought I had just watched him die in front of me. I was so relieved when he woke up in the hospital and smiled how he usually does.” Taeyong clasped Ten’s hand tightly and exhaled, trying to steady his pounding heart.

“The side of Jaehyun’s body which was directly hit by the lorry had taken the most damage. His arm was broken in two places and his ribs, femur and ankle were broken too. He was also concussed and had a head wound from hitting the road. It was hard to see him so beaten up but I was glad he was still alive.” He said.

“I'm sorry you had to go through that; no one should have to watch their friends get hurt like that.” Ten soothed, kissing him softly on his forehead. “When did this happen though?” He asked.

Taeyong smiled at him, thankful that he had Ten with him. “It was only two weeks before the cruise. We were all so worried for Jaehyun and we didn't know what to do; it was supposed to be the four of us, you know? But Jaehyun insisted that we still go. That knowing we were all having fun and enjoying ourselves would help him get better faster.” He chuckled as he remembered Jaehyun sitting in his hospital bed, making up all sorts of silly reasons for them to still go on the cruise and yet trying to be stern and authoritative at the same time.

“Well, whatever he said worked because you're here now.” Ten said. “I feel like I should meet Jaehyun now, and thank him for insisting that you come, because we met thanks to him.” He smiled and rested his forehead against Taeyong’s.

Taeyong looked into Ten’s eyes. “Really? Because I think you would like Seoul. Have you ever been to South Korea before?” He asked. His heart started to flutter with excitement at the thought of Ten coming to stay with him back home.

“I haven't but yes, that does sound like a good idea, especially if I'm staying with you. You could show me around your neighborhood; we could have breakfast together every morning; we would even be able to spend every night together.” Ten’s eyes lit up with what looked like the same excitement Taeyong was feeling.

“So you'll come?” Taeyong asked eagerly as ideas of what they could do together began to fill his mind.

Ten smiled warmly and kissed him before answering with a grin. “Of course I will.”