Twin Flame

The Birthday

"Shit!" Tae was turning the air blue in the kitchen, reminding himself why he didn't ever use it and why ready meals were his friend. He planned to look at cookery classes maybe in the new year, it will probably be a new year resolution but he kept putting off looking. His Mother was a great cook and she tried over the years but he didn't understand the enjoyment she got from it and he always looked bored... now whilst burning toast and eggs, he wished he'd listened more.

He frowned when there was a knock at the door and he crept to it so he could open it a little bit and peer through the gap.

"Eomma? Is everything okay?" he asked his Mother who was smiling at him.

"Yes, everything is fine. Here, take this and have a lovely day." she handed him a basket and when he moved the cloth away he found pastries and a bottle of fresh juice, containers of fruit salad and fresh bread rolls.

"How did you know?"

"We could smell the burning and we know you, Taehyung. Oh and Bogum might've told us your plans when he came for coffee yesterday. Charlie is a lovely boy." Mrs Kim was pleased to see Bogum yesterday after he'd had waffles with Tae, she hadn't met Charlie yet. She was always grateful for Bogum and the friendship he had with her son because there were days she felt completely lost and didn't know what to do to help Tae. The day Jin brought Tae home after they'd left Jungkook at the airport was one of the worst days she'd ever had and that was the start of many, many months of feeling inadequate as a parent as she was so unsure of how to make things better. As a parent, you want to take the pain away from your children, provide a safe environment for them and protect them from harm but Jungkook being taken away was out of her control and she simply had to suffer the consequences of the Jeon's actions, along with everyone else.

The Kim's were not surprised when Tae came out to them over breakfast one morning, they'd been through it with Jin and were waiting for the time when Tae felt it was right for him to say it. He was different to his brother, more methodical, Jin had blurted it out one day whilst brushing his teeth, laughing and spraying toothpaste over the mirror. Mrs Kim already knew, she'd noticed the looks between her eldest Son and Namjoon when they were eating dinner, she often smiled to herself because she saw the way their fingers brushed each other when they thought no one was looking. She grew up in a country that was not accepting of homosexuality, she was raised to believe it was wrong but deep down in her heart she knew that love was love, no matter what and there was no way she would lose her sons because of prejudice.

Now she had witnessed it first hand, the family that couldn't accept their sons sexuality and as a result they'd lost him. Their prejudice nearly destroyed her son as well as their own and the people closest to them so when she looked at Tae's face, beaming through the gap in the door right now, it made her heart soar because love had found a way.

"Thank you so much... yeah he is and I don't know how he puts up with Bee." Tae laughed, trying to keep his voice down because he needed Jungkook to be asleep.

"They make a good pair, just like you and Jungkook. Don't dwell on the birthdays you've missed, concentrate on the memories you will make on every birthday from now on."

"I will try, it's very raw, still."

"Don't let those years ruin your future, Taehyung. You have your boy back and nothing can keep you apart now."

Tae placed the basket down gently and threw his arms around his Mother "Thank you, I love you."

"I love you too. Be happy, Taehyung and he will love the ring, don't doubt yourself." she smiled as she turned to leave.

"But how do you... Bee?"

Mrs Kim nodded and smiled. Bogum filled her in on everything yesterday, he was always visiting when he got the chance and she adored him too. Meeting Charlie was a big deal, Bogum struggled over the years to find someone and make that connection because he'd suffered a lot during his parents messy divorce and didn't like relationships for a while. The Kim's treated him like their own because he'd spent so much time at their home, helping Tae and showing a level of friendship that they believed saved their son's life but they'd never said that out loud because it hurt too much to accept that things had been that bad at one stage.