Hard to Love - (chanbaek)

22

The autumn-colored trees shuttered as the strong wind passed by. Some leaves had even snapped off from the powerful force. Unlike the pretty scenery before them, Baekhyun wanted to jump off a cliff-

Taehyung wouldn't shut up about the hickeys on his neck. He wanted to know who did it, what happened, why it happened, where it happened. He basically wanted all the details that led to the marks on his neck. Baekhyun was getting embarrassed. He didn't notice the bruises on his neck when he put on his hoodie. He thought they would be covered, but of course, Chanyeol just had to go overboard.

They entered the cafe with Taehyungs whine and Baekhyuns cursing. This was supposed to be a meet-up to talk about the younger's love life, not Baeks. But now that Tae saw the love marks, he wouldn't shut up about it until he got the details on the event. Baekhyun sat at one of the empty tables, surprised to see the menus on the board already. He folded them back in their place since he knew what he wanted to eat beforehand.

"Welcome! Did you guys plan out your orders already?" The waitress smiled at them, looking at the boy with honey-like hair very closely. Baekhyun pushed the stares aside and handed her the menu.

"Yeah. An americano and a hot chocolate with two strawberry shortcakes." Taehyung gave the lady the menu as well since Baekhyun had ordered for him. They were alike in many ways, and although they didn't hang out that often, they knew how to read each other like a book.

"A great pick. Your orders will be right up!" She bowed slightly and left to report the new orders. Taehyung didn't miss the wink the female confidently shot at Baek. The older was far too concerned about the dog that had almost tripped against the sidewalk. He cared more about the dog than the flirting waitress. He could tell when someone was into him, but most of the time, he didn't point it out because he hated the awkward silence that would come afterward.

"Ouuu. You keep attracting people with your looks. That girl was totally into you." Taehyung wiggled his eyebrows in a teasing way.

"So?"

"Usually, you would be cocky about it and say 'no shit.' Did you really get a boyfriend so soon?" Baekhyun scoffed and averted his attention to the window once again.

"I'm still single, Taehyung."

"Well, your neck says otherwise." The younger laughed when he received the same glare he had previously seen. He leaned against his own arms and stared at his older cousin with amusement. It was nice to have someone to talk to, someone you felt comfortable with.

"How's auntie?"

"She's good. She still hasn't accepted me, though... she still thinks it's a phase." Baekhyun sighed, knowing he would get that type of response. He was hoping his aunt had opened up a bit more to the LGBT community, but she still felt weird about it. It's not that she was extremely against it but, she came from a traditional family that focused on only male and women relationships. She didn't know how gay relationships worked, and she was sure Taehyung was clueless as well. In a way, she was looking out for him. Slowly but surely, she would accept him no matter who he loved.

"And uncle?"

"He's good too. Dad accepted my sexuality immediately, so I'm pretty happy about that." Baekhyun chuckled, feeling the same joy as the younger. Taehyung was his cousin from his father's side, so he automatically felt a bit closer to him. His uncle was also very gentle with him and took care of him as his own son... it was the least he could do after the car accident that occurred years ago. Baekhyun felt relieved that his uncle had accepted Taehyung after he came out. He remembered how scared and worried his cousin was about coming out to his parents. It was a scary thing to do. You didn't know how they would react or what they would even do. It was a terrifying experience that put Taehyung in a very nervous state. He ended up finding all the courage within him to scream out, "I'M BISEXUAL!" while having dinner. He was left disappointed and happy that he had received acceptance from only his father.