Title: How It Should Be

Author: Flowery

Pairing: TaePyo

Warning: BoyxBoy love. Enough said.

***

They say your first three months of a relationship is the sweetest moment.

Taeil always wondered if it’s true.

The first time Pyo announced that he and Taeil were officially dating, everyone was shocked. All of them—especially Zico and Jaehyo—stared in disbelief at their main vocalist. Taeil wondered if it was a mistake but then everyone congratulating him. Kyung gave him a comforting pat on the back and Yukwon stared sweetly at his Hyung. The situation was tensed for a while and Taeil felt awkward. In a few moments the other members forgot about it already, laughing and joking with each other.

They were dating, but they didn’t sleep in the same room. Unlike Yukwon and Minhyuk who immediately became roommates after dating, they didn’t. And Taeil thought it was good. Pyo went to his shared room with Jaehyo a lot, sometimes they fell asleep together, most of the times Pyo went back to his shared room with Zico. It was good because...Pyo was still so young, and he was...well, he just knew nothing about physical touch.

Their first month of relationship went okay. Okay means no fight, no argument, no other bad things. It was—what do you usually call it?—sweet? Even though Pyo bounced everywhere to his Hyungs, doing corny jokes with Zico, earning mocking laughs from everyone, he’d always go back to Taeil’s side. Taeil would just keep an eye on Pyo, in case he’s doing something crazy. And he’d just smile whenever one of the member wailed at him playfully, protesting how annoying his boyfriend was.

Even though Taeil was much older, but he’s quieter than Pyo, even than the other members. Kyung even joked one time that lately Taeil was becoming more and more quiet because of Pyo. Their maknae was too damn loud and noisy and bouncy that Taeil was affected—he actually meant to say embarassed. But of course he was joking. Even before they got together, Taeil wasn’t too talkative.

In their second month of the relationship, it was slightly okay. Slightly means Pyo was starting to get protective and a bit possessive over his boyfriend. Not that Taeil didn’t like it. He followed Taeil wherever the shorter male went, he led Taeil whenever they walked together, his hand gripping Taeil’s tightly, and he uttered a protest whenever the other members made fun of him. Pyo was willing to be sacrificed for Taeil’s safety.

Taeil wondered if it was okay to let Pyo to be the object of their bullying. But then again, you can’t help it when you date someone in your group. And Pyo was serious, taken advantage by his height, he easily could protect Taeil behind his back, covering him from harm. At times like this, Taeil was grateful for his short feature.

The third month, however, wasn’t too good. Pyo was starting to nag—nag? Taeil wondered—he seemed to be doing that a lot since he’s dating Pyo—if it was because their relationship was starting to get more serious? It was actually in a good way, the way Pyo reminded the older male, the way he took care of Taeil, the way he protected him, but Pyo’d get pissed off easily if the latter had done something wrong. Not in a big angry kind of way, but he’d just sulk or not talking or ignoring him. And Taeil would get confused. This is actually his first time dating someone and Pyo’s changing of behaviors were bugging him.

Pyo was starting to be more demanding than before. He protested a lot, and if Taeil wouldn’t obey, he’d be so annoyed that eventually the older male did obey him. Like that one time when they were going out and Taeil was just going to put on his sunglasses, and Pyo forbid him. Maybe the maknae forgot that Taeil plus sunglasses equals inseparable. But Pyo has his own reasons, he told Taeil that they’re not on stage, they’re just going on an usual date—so why bother? Of course the reason would be that Taeil’s not confident of his small eyes, but Pyo found it irrational and the former ended up leaving his sunglasses at the dorm.

And that one time when the U-Bomb couple were across the room, talking about Minhyuk’s plan of dying his hair—preferably back to black, and Taeil added into the conversation that he wanted to dye his hair too, and Pyo loudly stated no. Yukwon looked at Pyo blankly, and the maknae crossed his arms on his chest. No hair coloring unless it’s what the management asks. Period. Full stop. No further questions. Any argument is invalid.

Taeil wondered if Pyo actually hated him.

Sometimes Taeil would be drowning in his own thoughts about his relationship with the maknae. They were—oh God, how did they become lovers in the first place? Was Taeil out of his mind? Pyo was three years younger than him, so basically he’s dating a kid. A taller kid. A bigger kid. A noisy, loud, deep voiced kid. A kid who had stolen his first kiss. So, since Pyo was a kid, younger, bigger, he should be the one who listened to his Hyung, his Lee Taeil hyung, not the other way around. But why, in the end, Taeil was the one who obeyed? And why was he feeling afraid everytime Pyo gave him a warning tone?

That day, everyone went out except for him and the U-Bomb couple. Yukwon was having a fever and Minhyuk was taking care of him. Taeil had a late singing schedule the day before, he slept very late and no one had the heart to wake him up in the morning. He needs his sleep afterall. After taking a nice shower, Taeil decided to grab something to eat and he was looking for his favorite hat. He looked for it everywhere but he couldn’t find it. Maybe Pyo knows where it is. So he dialed his boyfriend’s number and waited for the phone to be picked up.

“Pyo? Do you see my hat? You know, the black striped one??”

“I kept it. It’s on the top shelf of the drawer.”

“Ah, I see, thank you,” Taeil stared at a chair before half dragging it to Pyo’s room. Top shelf of the drawer means...very high. The main vocalist lifted up his chin and sighed. He was short, he couldn’t help it if he needed a chair.

“Are you going out? You don’t need to wear the hat. You’re fine.”

“Ah...I feel like wearing one today.”

“You look good even without the hat,” Pyo stubbornly said. He was starting to speak in a warning tone.

Maybe Pyo forgot that Taeil plus hat equals inseparable part two.

“But it’s hot outside. I think I need one.”

On the end of the line, Pyo sighed in defeat. “Can you reach it? Wait for me, I’ll be home in a few minutes. I’ll accompany you then.”

“That’s okay, I’ll be fine by myself.”

“Are you trying to reach the hat by yourself? Can’t you ask for Minhyuk-hyung’s help?”

“He was asleep, taking care of Yukwon must have tiring him. I’ll see you later, okay?”

Without hearing the reply, Taeil quickly disconnected the call and put the phone on the table. He puffed his cheeks in slight annoyance. Pyo was really demanding and dominating in the relationship. It’s not that Taeil hated it, but sometimes he felt helpless being the older one. Is it not possible for him to be independent without leaning on to Pyo? He just needed a bit trust. And Pyo didn’t seem to trust him if he’s alone.

Taeil stood on the chair and tried to reach the box on top of the shelf. Why did Pyo have to keep it in such place? It was obvious that he couldn’t reach it and he sighed tiredly. Maybe he should really wait for his boyfriend. The thought was quickly erased as Taeil shook his head roughly. Come on, no need to wait for Pyo. You can do it by yourself. But at the third attempt, Taeil gave up and he thought he should just use his other hat. As he tried to get off the chair, Taeil lost his balance and fell to the wooden floor with a loud thud.

A minute later, Pyo’s phone was ringing and his eyes widened as he answered the phone.

***

“I told you to wait for me!”

The moment Pyo, Zico, Kyung and Jaehyo arrived at their dorm, Pyo dashed into his room. His face looked very worried as he saw his boyfriend on the floor, holding to his feet dearly. Taeil couldn’t move at all, his ankle was hurting him, and his eyes were teary. Pyo immediately carried him bridal style to the bed and the older male let out a painful moan.

“That’s why when I told you to wait, you wait!”

Taeil didn’t voice out anymore, he was scared at Pyo’s tone and the pain on his feet was starting to affect his head. He didn’t like it when Pyo talked in a higher tone. Even when he’s only talking, Pyo’s voice was so deep, and even deeper when he’s half shouting like that.

“Hyung, I’m gonna bring him to the doctor!”

Taeil shuddered at the mentioning of doctor. Oh no, if he’s taken to a doctor than his ankle would be rubbed and he would feel pain and he would get injected and he would not be able to sleep. He opened his mouth to refuse the offer, but Pyo’s anger was frightening him more so he shut his mouth.

“Should we call a taxi?”, Jaehyo looked as panic as Pyo.

“Why is it so noisy?”, Minhyuk appeared sleepily at the doorway and tried to regain his consciousness. He stared at his friends who were surrounding Taeil on the bed. “Taeil? Are you okay?”

Taeil nodded and looked down. He’s causing quite a fuss now...

“Instead of a cab why don’t you just tell Manager-hyung?”, Zico frowned. “Calm down guys, you’re not thinking clearly.”

“Yeah, you need to calm down,” Minhyuk said as he casually leaned forward to check on Taeil’s swollen ankle. “It just needs compression. A bag of ice would be enough. We should bandage it too.”

“Really?”, Pyo looked really concerned. Taeil’s heart skipped a beat.

“Does it hurt?”, Minhyuk asked Taeil as he pressed two fingers to certain spots on his feet. “Here? How about here?”

Taeil shook his head slowly and Minhyuk gave him a comforting smile. It’s not that painful, thankfully. He breathed in relief and sniffed quietly. Taeil brought a hand to his face to wipe his silent tears. Minhyuk, who was the nearest one to their main vocalist, widened his eyes in surprise.

“Pyo! Stop being so loud on Taeil!”

“Eh?”

“He’s your boyfriend, not your maid! Start talking in a soft tone!”

“Yeah, Taeil’s scared at your tone, you know!”

“He couldn’t even say anything when you dashed into the room and started yelling!”

“I get it, I get it! Aish...”

“You’re doing the dishes tonight!”, Kyung butted in and everyone laughed.

Taeil felt grateful at his band member’s attentions and the tension was gone. He laughed a little at Kyung’s joke, and he felt a bit ashamed that his friends were able to notice his feelings. But then again, they’ve all been together for a pretty long time that they would understand each other’s feelings. They’re starting to talk loudly to one another, discussing about dinner. It was when Minhyuk heard Yukwon was calling for him weakly and he quickly rushed to his room that everyone left, too. Then it was only Pyo and Taeil.

For a moment it seemed like none of them would start talking, but then Pyo cleared his throat and Taeil looked up shyly at his boyfriend.

Pyo smiled and caressed Taeil’s hair.

And Taeil felt the throbbing pain on his ankle was gone.

***

Zico had given them permission to sleep together that night, and the leader brought his own pillow to sleep in Kyung’s room. Jaehyo wailed on how he didn’t want to be alone and promised to behave even if ZiKyung’s gonna make alien noises in their sleep—and he’d pretend he knows nothing about it. Preferably covering his ears with music. Kyung gave him a naughty look and he told Jaehyo the latter could join them if he wanted to.

Since Taeil’s ankle was sprained and Pyo was underage—wait, what kind of reason is that—Zico only warned them not to do anything weird. Though he doubted they would do anything at all beside talking and sleeping next to each other. Both of them still lack of experiences, unlike the U-Bomb couple next door...

Pyo laid on his back, covering his body with the blanket and stared at the ceiling.

“Hyung?”

“Hm...?”

“I’m sorry.”

Taeil frowned and he leaned closer to Pyo’s arm. “What for?”

“For shouting at you. For being annoying. For getting a bit protective. For everything.”

Pyo turned to face Taeil and he touched the older male’s cheek. Taeil could feel his heart was starting to beat faster. He’s still not used to physical touch...moreover, Pyo’s touch on him.

The maknae seemed to think for a moment before speaking.

“Boyfriend’s...supposed to make you feel better, you know?”

Taeil listened carefully.

“Boyfriend’s...no, I’m supposed to make you feel better. I don’t want you to use those sunglasses again except when we’re performing because you...look good without it. I don’t want you to dye your hair except it’s what the management decided, because...you look gorgeous with your current hair. And I don’t want you to wear any hat because...because you’re pretty without using one—not exactly Yukwon-hyung’s pretty material, but to me, you’re...you’re...”

Pyo facepalmed. What’s up with that Yukwon-hyung inserted in the last sentence?

“...I’m having trouble breathing just by looking at you.”

Taeil blushed at the chosen words and he covered his face with his hands. “T—then stop looking.”

Pyo groaned and grabbed Taeil’s hands. “Why am I not allowed to see my boyfriend’s face?”

“Be—because it’s embarassing! Pyo! I’m your Hyung!”

“And I’m the Hyung’s boyfriend!”

Pyo’s deep voice and Taeil’s laugh was heard faintly.

In the other room, Minhyuk smiled to himself. At least everything’s going well over there, he thought and looked down at his snuggling boyfriend. Minhyuk kissed the top of Yukwon’s head affectionately. Get well soon, Kitty.

“They’re really talking,” Jaehyo said as he peeked from the door and he seemed disappointed. Zico rolled his eyes as if to say, what else do you expect? “What? Don’t tell you you expect a clean night.”

“That’s good, Jaehyo-hyung, really, whatever,” Kyung replied sleepily and pulled Zico closer to him. “Let’s sleep.”

Jaehyo pouted but quickly turned off the lights. “Good night.”

Pyo and Taeil talked the whole night, since they have the room alone for themselves. How long has it been since they talk heart to heart like this since they started dating? They were always busy and occupied with schedules. Even if they could sneak out and spend some time together just the two of them, they never talked this much.

How could it be this comforting, even though we’re three years apart?

Taeil didn’t want to think about it. He likes Pyo, and he doesn’t care about the . It’s not a problem. Deciding to stop thinking, Taeil closed his eyes and drifted to sleep. He slept peacefully with Pyo’s warmth beside him that night.

***

“Ow,” Taeil moaned softly to himself, but Pyo heard it.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Just a bit. I can’t walk fast...”

They were having a fansign meeting downtown. All the other members were preparing their own things, changing clothes and packing their bags. Taeil was the first to get ready. He was reading a magazine and their manager told him that if he’s done, he should wait in the car. Just as he was trying to walk, he felt a sharp pain on his feet. Even though it’s not as painful as last night. Taeil looked down at his feet desperately.

Pyo appeared in the living room and he stared at his boyfriend meaningfully. Then he knelt down in front of Taeil, backfacing him. “Come on. I’ll carry you to the car.”

“W—what? I—I’ll be fine,” Taeil stuttered in embarassment. “It’s okay, Pyo. Besides, I’m heavy and it’s not your job.”

“I’m your boyfriend and you’re not heavy and it’s my job.”

Taeil blushed. Pyo really should stop being so straightforward...

“If you don’t want Pyo, how about me? I’ll give you a piggyback ride for free,” Jaehyo showed up suddenly and grinned at the two of them. And his grin even got wider as Pyo gave him the look and Taeil mumbled Pyo’s fine shyly.

So Taeil hopped on Pyo’s back, and the maknae stood up. Taeil almost lost his balance and wrapped his hands tighter around Pyo’s shoulders. Pyo repositioned Taeil on his back and started walking out of the dorm, heading downstairs. Taeil buried his head on Pyo’s neck and he inhaled the scent.

Someone I can lean on to.

Taeil kissed Pyo’s back shoulder softly and smiled to himself.

Even though he’s younger.

“...Pyo?”

“Yea, hyung?”

“I love you.”

It was merely a whisper, but Pyo heard it, and he looked over his shoulder looking surprised. Pyo’s lips slowly curved into a smile. A happy smile.

Taeil smiled back and closed his eyes, kissing Pyo’s back shoulder once again.

He felt calm. He felt secure. He felt safe. And Taeil loved it.

Afterall, it’s what a boyfriend’s supposed to make you feel...right?

End.