“There’s something I want to show you,” Yugyeom said one day.

They had tried climbing a tree again earlier, to sit under some shade after they spent the morning hunting for thyme and sage—mostly for Youngjae, while Yugyeom played loyal assistant. Nora had come along as well, trailing behind the two with yet another flower crown sat atop her head. The flower of the day appeared to be a daisy, its petals bouncing with every step the cat took, big enough to obscure one of her ears. She followed them around for a good while, before running off to do whatever it was cats did. Yugyeom said to leave her be when the doctor asked, most likely chasing after a butterfly or a bird.

She hadn’t returned to them, not even when Youngjae was struggling to find footing on the tree trunk Yugyeom had already climbed. (The doctor was keeping an eye out for any surprise attacks that could have possibly led to a repeat of the last time he tried to climb a tree.) He had gotten up eventually with the help of the other man, pulling him up to sit beside him on the treetop. Their belongings lay a safe distance away, in case Youngjae's landing was less than perfect. The doctor had laughed when Yugyeom said that, but still pinched his side for it.

"What is it?"  

“It depends if you can get down,” Yugyeom winked at him before sliding off the branch. The pleasant surprise Youngjae felt quickly morphed into horror when the young man leapt down without a warning, watching as he only stumbled a little after landing on his feet. He briefly had a good view of the man’s backside when he fell, and only continued to admire Yugyeom’s long legs when he stood again, completely unashamed even when the young man rolled his eyes at the staring. From where he sat, Youngjae could see the tips of the man’s ears burning red, and thought it a little too easy to make Yugyeom flustered.

It momentarily distracted from the problem at hand. One that included a recovered Yugyeom staring up at him, hand on his hip and foot tapping away. On his handsome face was a smirk, as if the doctor wouldn’t be able to get down by himself. He could be right, looking down.

“Come on, Youngjae,” Yugyeom sing-songed.

“You really make me rethink how young I am,” Youngjae muttered, inching closer to the trunk.

“You’re not!”

“Thank you,” he rolled his eyes, making a face. Looking down at the the ground again, his expression distorted further into exaggerated anguish. His pitiful wails only served to make Yugyeom laugh.

“You’ll live,” the young man tried to reassure him, “I won’t leave you sitting alone in the woods if you get hurt this time!”

“You have such a way with words.”

“Who’s the one being dramatic now?”

“Catch me if I fall?” All joking aside, the eternal young doctor was only a tad bit nervous about staining the green grass with red. He was a fair distance above ground, and although he admitted it had been a while since he’d climbed trees, he never disclosed it had been when he was a small child with boundless energy and no sense of danger. Ah, youth.

“You’ll be alright,” the young man’s tone was softer, soothing Youngjae’s worries with a smile. He held his arms open and promised to not let Youngjae’s face smash into the ground—so much for reassurance  he thought, groaning in agony.

“Come on!” Yugyeom urged, his leg shaking like he was trying to resist the urge to stomp.

“I don’t want to break my face,” he wailed, hugging the tree.

“Ya, you’re the one that wanted to climb up there it the first place!” the young man answered back heatedly, throwing up a finger to point at Youngjae.

“You should’ve stopped me!”

“Since when do you listen to m—oh,” Yugyeom stopped mid-sentence, blinking in surprise at Youngjae who stood before him. Well, sat before him, rubbing his back and groaning. “You jumped.”

“Thank you for the astute observation,” Youngjae continued to groan, taking the hand that was offered to him. His free hand was still rubbing his lower back, praying it wouldn’t bruise from his less than stellar landing. “Please, stop me next time.”

Yugyeom only giggled, and pulled the doctor along with the hand he had yet to let go of. “As I said before, since when do you listen to me?” Youngjae clumsily stumbled behind him, barely noticing the other pick up his basket as they made their way between the trees deeper into the forest.

“I’ll listen to you if you stop me from climbing trees,” he said, tightening his grip on Yugyeom’s hand and quickened his pace to fall in step beside the young man. He only grinned when Yugyeom turned to look at him with a quirked brow.

“I’ll remember that next time you decide you want a closer view of the sky.” Turning to face Youngjae he asked, “What does that mean, anyway? The sky is always going to be far no matter how high up in a tree you want to go!”

“A better question is where are you taking me?” he said with a loud voice, smiling like nothing had happened and he wasn’t hugging a tree trunk moments before and changing the subject. Yugyeom said nothing on the matter, but Youngjae did catch the man rolling his eyes.

“You’ll see. I had to make sure you were completely well enough to be around flora first,” the young man admitted, shrugging his shoulders when the doctor looked over at him with mild surprise.

“Is that why Nora’s been wearing flowers?” he finally asked after thinking over their last few meetings. His nasal irritation had been reduced greatly since then with honey and nettle, and also why he could begin picking herbs again. Youngjae hadn’t physically reacted to the flower crowns Nora had been walking around in, only thinking of them as pretty, and just assumed it was because flowers were finally blooming again that Yugyeom made them for her. It made sense that would be how Yugyeom could gauge his reactions to the pollen in the air—clever boy.

“Not...exactly,” the man replied. “It did help, though. We’re almost there.”

“Where is there, exactly?”

“Patience, old ma—ow!”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Yugyeom huffed and purposely bumped into Youngjae for pinching his hand, not amused with his poor taste in humor or abuse. If not for their still clasped hands, Youngjae was sure he would have veered off to the side and into a tree.

“Like I said, you obviously don’t listen to me.”

“Does it count for anything that I heard you?”

“For someone older than me you certain don’t act like it.”

“Perhaps if you respected me more, Yugyeom!”

“We’re close,” Yugyeom said instead, pulling on Youngjae’s hand as he took the lead once more. They were in a part of the forest Youngjae wasn’t familiar with, despite all his exploration over the years. He didn’t know how long they were walking for, nor was he paying any attention which was his own fault for being distracted by his company.

The area Yugyeom had led them was dark, like everything was masked in a hazy gray, the trees above them blocking out nearly all the sunlight, and only small streams peeked through between the leaves creating a trail of dotted lights along their path. The patches of grass and flowers were all darkened by the shade, the purples, blues, yellows, and greens washed out but yet still remained vibrant, lining the dirt path. The patches of bluebells and violets swayed in the wind, parting for them as the two passed into a more open area where the sun shone unobstructed.

And suddenly the purples became fushias and lavenders and orchids, the blues were sapphires and indigos, the yellows nearly gold and ivory, and all the shades of green from chartreuse to olive painted all over the large clearing. It was certainly bigger than the one near town, and nothing but open space with tall grass and flora—had such a place existed all along?

Youngjae was mesmerized by all the colors; even the air smelled fresher in his mind, tinged with the light scent of the various flowers growing around him, wonder and awe washing over him. So much that he didn’t realize Yugyeom letting go of his hand and walking forward into the grass. He let his eyes clothes and the wind blow past him, ruffling his hair and clothes, the sound of the leaves rustling and birds chirping behind him.

“Are you going to stand there all day?” Yugyeom called out, rousing Youngjae from his daze. When he opened his eyes the young man had already gone ways before him, standing in the middle of the clearing, the soft breeze playing with his rose colored hair. Under the sunlight it shone a brilliant vermillion, standing out among all the other hues like a rare flower. Radient was all he could think.

“Calling Doctor Choi Youngjae!”

The doctor threw his head back and laughed, clearly amused with how impatient Yugyeom was getting and shouting his full name. He ran the rest of the way and nearly crashed into the younger man in all his excitement. Yugyeom put a hand on his shoulder, steadying the man and making sure he stayed upright lest both of them fall over. The doctor’s basket of thyme and sage sat on the ground beside Yugyeom’s feet, handle barely standing taller than the grass; the grass came up to about their shins, brushing their boots as they strolled a further in.

Out of the shady forest, Youngjae could identify bluebells and violets near where they came, and heather flowers and buttercups with dandelions here and there around them swaying in the wind.

“Where is this,” he asked, voiced tinged with awe.

“We’re still in the forest, just another part of it,” Yugyeom smirked. They were a decent distance from where the trees stood, under nothing but the vast expanse of blue sky and the bright yellow sun. Yugyeom took a seat, letting out a content sigh as he did, and leaned back on his arms and legs straight out before him. Youngjae followed suit, putting his bag beside him near the basket, and was tempted to lay down in the grass and just stare up at the sky, cloud watching. He didn’t, only because he was sure if he did, he’d stay even long after the sun set to see the stars.

“How’d you find this place, then?”

“It’s…” Yugyeom paused for a bit, pondering his words. “Nearby somewhere I go often, and one day I decided to walk around a bit and ended up here. It’s nicest in the springtime, when the flowers bloom.”

“I can tell,” Youngjae said, looking around some more. He reached over and plucked a dandelion from the ground, twirling it in his fingers. “Is this where you get the flowers for Nora’s little crowns? Which are very lovely, I have to say. Isn’t it difficult to make them so small?”

The doctor barely caught the slight tinge of pink on Yugyeom’s cheeks before the man coughed into his fist and looked away. He didn’t understand what would be so embarrassing about it, so he laughed and playfully nudged his shoulder, asking what. Perhaps it was because he was caught, thinking Youngjae would’ve not cared for who made them after so long, or maybe he didn’t know how to react to compliments.

“..Yes,” the man answered, clearing his throat, the red gone from his face. “Sometimes I pick the flowers around here for decoration, and other times I put together the crowns for no particular reason other than it’s something to do with my hands.”

“That’s an interesting skill,” Youngjae said, tilting his head back. “Did you learn when you were a child?”

“Ah,” Yugyeom slowly sat back up, almost hesitant to answer. He wrapped an arm around his knees while the other held his chin up. “Somewhere around there, when I was about eleven if I recall. There was only so much to do,” he let out a short laugh, staring into the distance.

“Did your mother teach you?” he asked, suddenly curious. The young man never spoke much about the people in his life, so Youngjae felt the need to ask. Yugyeom cast him a sidelong glance, once again pausing before he answered. He opened his mouth and closed it, not sure how he should answer. Youngjae only waited patiently, growing more curious as the seconds passed. “No,” he finally said. “My...guardian did. He said that...someone he once knew taught him how to make them, because people reminded him of flowers with the hundreds of different kinds and meanings, or something like that. They were pretty,” he quickly cut his train of thought and changed the subject. “What did you do?”

“Well, when I was a child I learned how to climb trees—” Youngjae answered, noticing the discomfort Yugyeom felt talking about that person. It did strike him somewhat strange the young man had a “guardian,” but didn’t press it any further, going along with where the conversation went.

“You’re not very good at it,” Yugyeom interrupted, more at ease with his slumped posture.

“I was, mind you. Skills can deteriorate if not used,” he justified himself, holding his nose in the air. “I didn’t get to spend too much time outdoors after my studies became more...intense, I think would be the proper word.” Yugyeom hummed, nodding his head in understanding.

“And now?”

“Well now, I have you don’t I?” he grinned, laughing at Yugyeom when he rolled his eyes—the small smile he tried to hide behind his arm didn’t go unnoticed. “Even though I don’t climb trees or run around chasing after butterflies and fireflies anymore, it’s nice to walk around in the woods when the weather is good. It just so happens I can collect the medicinal herbs I need, so it all works out in the end.”

“Don’t forget stargazing,” the other man added.

“Right, of course! And speaking of, you must bring me back here to do just that, it must feel amazing to lay in the grass and count the stars,” Youngjae exclaimed, stars in his eyes just imagining it.

“Am I your guide now?” Yugyeom teased, letting out a short bark of laughter when Youngjae turned to him and nodded excitedly.

“I wouldn’t want anyone else! And you can’t send me back at nightfall, not when this is at stake! I will not be barred by a curfew!”

“You’re absolutely ridiculous.”

“Says the man that makes flower crowns for cats!”

“Who else would I make them for! It’s strange to make one for myself,” Yugyeom defended himself, slapping Youngjae on the shoulder.

“Me, of course!” the doctor said as if it were obvious. He fended off Yugyeom’s next slap and gave the man a hit back on his arm.

“You have hands to do it, don’t you?” he countered, dodging a surprise attack aimed for his ribs.

“And you think of me as the insufferable one,” Youngjae laughed, not at all surprised with the comeback.

“I can’t help if you are,” the young man stuck his tongue out, daring Youngjae to retaliate.

“You just said you wouldn’t make one for yourself, so why would I make one for myself!”

“Because you’re shameless!”

“Oh you cheeky little—” Youngjae lunged for Yugyeom, laughing when the man squeaked in surprise, and relentlessly tickled his sides and wherever he could reach with him squirming so much. He managed to get Yugyeom to fall backward onto the ground and fend off his hands while he continued tickling the young man, unable to help himself from laughing along. Yugyeom’s face had turned impossibly red, neck bared as he threw his head back against the grass, and trying to slap Youngjae’s arms away from him. He landed a few hard hits to Youngjae’s chest, but it wasn’t enough to make the doctor stop.

“You’re not winning this one!” Youngjae said in between breathes, sure of his victory in the small argument. Or, up until Yugyeom rolled them both over with well timed shove that sent Youngjae off him, with Yugyeom suddenly sitting on top of his thighs. Suddenly, he was thankful he’d retired his glasses for the time being, or else he wouldn’t know what state they’d be in after their little tussle.

“Are you sure?” Yugyeom questioned, breathing heavily, his face still red, but a wicked glint in his eyes as he began to tickle Youngjae back. Nothing could’ve prepared Youngjae for the counterattack, he was barely able to catch Yugyeom’s wrists and only managed to prevent the young man from tickling his underarms by keeping his arms braced against his chest. He was sure he had tears on his face, or at the very least in his eyes with how hard he was laughing.

For a moment things stilled and the doctor was allowed  moment to breathe while Yugyeom sat back on his thighs, keeping him down. “Do you surrender?”

Youngjae let his arms fall to his sides, chest heaving with each breath he took. He whined, but didn’t say anything. Yugyeom didn’t seem to care, taunting him a little more. “Oh, the good doctor is speechless after defeat?” Youngjae only tilted his head up to eye the young man sitting on top of him, his mouth still hung open taking in large gulps of air. The young man was not looking any better, his arms hanging limply in front of him, his hair mussed and head practically resting on his shoulder, staring down at him with a smug grin.

“In your dreams, Yugyeom,” and he flipped them over by raising a leg, the shift enough to send Yugyeom teetering to the side, catching him off guard long enough for Youngjae to get on top and pin the man’s wrists down by his shoulders. He hovered over Yugyeom, catching the surprise flicker through his eyes before Youngjae let his head drop, breathy chuckles escaping him. They both acted like children, rolling around in the grass tickling each other, and no doubt they had grass and dirt all over their hair and clothes after their tussle.

Soon his little chuckles became louder, louder and louder until he was laughing without abandon. At first he didn’t hear anything for the man he still had pinned underneath him, but not long after Yugyeom began to laugh along, feeling his body shake with laughter. They stayed like that for a while, just laughing, carefree and happy in the middle of the clearing.

Youngjae eventually managed to stifle his giggles into nothing more than a few amused noises, and stared down at Yugyeom who was looking up at him. A wonderful smile on his face, his eyes so bright he swore the moon would be envious, and a light red brushed across his face from laughing so much; Youngjae thought he was breathtaking, even with the grass in his hair.

“What?” he asked, staring up at Youngjae with twinkling eyes. And Youngjae couldn’t stop himself after that.

“May I kiss you?”

Yugyeom’s breath hitched and his eyes widened, the red on his cheeks darkened. It was too late to take back, too late to bury it with a teasing remark and pretend it never happened, but inside his mind he knew he didn’t want to take it back. He was nothing like the protagonist in his novels, and Yugyeom was certainly not a damsel in distress, and they were more likely to jump into a stream than spend hours waxing poetic about one another under the moonlight. But he felt so elated, so light, and everything else those borish romance novels went on about. Youngjae understood them then, looking down at Yugyeom, waiting for an answer.

His heart was beating incredibly fast in his chest, and while completely aware of the possible outcomes including the young man pushing him away and running off, Youngjae could only continue smiling.

“...Absolutely ridiculous,” Yugyeom finally whispered, the ends of his lips curling into a smile. Youngjae watched the younger man his lips, following the movement of his tongue, before looking back up to see Yugyeom close his eyes. He smiled to himself, closing his eyes as well, and leaned down.

“Oh Doctor, you’re looking well!”

“Did something good happen? I’ve never seen you so happy!”

“It’s like you’ve become an endless fountain of positivity, my boy!”

“Congratulations! Oh..for what? Well, something wonderful must’ve come your way for that smile on your face!”

Youngjae spent a few weeks waving off questions and comments, laughing sheepishly and not exactly answering. He himself wasn’t aware of his change in demeanor, he went about his days the same way as always; the townspeople seemed to think otherwise every time they stopped to speak with him. The first few times were a bit strange, people made comments as he passed but he didn’t think of it as anything other than common smalltalk. When it happened more after that, he became more conscious of his movements and expressions, like slowing his pace and biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling too much. The doctor was by no means a dim man, but it did take a little bit of time until he figured it out.

He blamed Yugyeom, of course. The young man didn’t seem to care, idly inspecting his fingernails when he voiced his despair. Or complained about it, rather.

They had met several times after their kiss among the flowers—though not nearly enough for him—seeing each other in a new light, and shyly testing new waters. On one of those meetings, Youngjae brought with him a light pink rose. It was something he remembered from his last relationship, something his mother stressed the importance of when he was a boy; his only hope at the time was that Yugyeom accept it. He was nervous, so much that he almost knocked them both over when he pulled Yugyeom in for an embrace in attempts to keep the rose hidden that day.

Thankfully Yugyeom hadn’t questioned it, just laughed it off and made said he was happy to see him as well. It was after they sat down Youngjae mustered up his courage and presented it to Yugyeom, formally declaring his intention of courting the man. He’d never forget how the young man reacted, from frozen to uncontrollable laughter; he had been apologizing between giggles, telling Youngjae he didn’t mean to, but it was just so serious he couldn’t help it. His own face had been flushed, slapping the giggly man repeatedly to get him to stop but ended up laughing with him until they were leaned up against each other, breathless.

Yugyeom had taken the rose from the doctor’s hand that lay limp between them, and twirled it in his fingers. Youngjae, from his spot on the man’s shoulder, only watched. He of course said yes, much to Youngjae’s delight, though it hadn’t been much of a surprise. (For the sake of tradition, the doctor explained later.) The man then snapped the stem between his fingers, tossing the end half without much of a thought, and placed the rose behind his ear. The doctor remembered how the pink stood out next to the darker red of Yugyeom’s hair and how beautiful he was when he looked over to him, asking what he was staring at. Youngjae would admit he should have picked his words a bit better, but caught it the moment he only asked if he could kiss Yugyeom again. The man—Youngjae really should have seen it coming—rolled his eyes and told him he hoped Youngjae wouldn’t feel the need to ask every time. Then, cupped the surprised doctor’s face and pull him in himself, kissing him soundly before Youngjae could protest. Needless to say, Youngjae had no problem giving the younger man kisses after that.

It was the likely explanation for his behavior, and who else but Yugyeom had allowed it? Said man only  scoffed when Youngjae continued to rant about it.

“Who’s the lucky lady?”

“I admit I’m more than a tad envious of the woman that’s caught your eye!”

“It was only a matter of time before you found yourself a girl! Congratulations, our young doctor is finally growing up!”

“So who is she? She can’t be from here! Oh doctor, you can’t keep secrets like this!”

Youngjae moaned into his hands as he recounted the inquiries of too nosy townspeople about a fictitious woman in his life. Yugyeom hummed, and ran a hand down his back; he had no interest in what the people of Youngjae’s town thought, but tried to calm the man regardless.

“They think I’ve gone and met some woman!” Youngjae huffed. He was still bewildered by such claims, he made appearances in town quite often, alone. “There are plenty of other reasons I could be happier, and they choose to think that! And might I mentioned there aren’t even any nearby towns for that to happen!”  

“There, there,” the young man said, sounding disinterested but continued to rub his back. When Yugyeom’s hand stilled Youngjae looked up from his hands to find him staring thoughtfully up into the sky. “Well, would you have rather you did?” Yugyeom suddenly said before Youngjae could call for his attention.

“What?”

“Meet a woman, I mean.”

“No, of course not! Why would you ever think that!?” Youngjae sat up straighter, turning to fully face Yugyeom, and would’ve reached for the other’s hands if Yugyeom hadn’t stopped him. Their relationship was new, yes, but the feelings he had weren’t—there was no one else he wanted to be with. Those thoughts ran through his head as he tried to understand what the younger man meant; he was sure he made himself quite clear.

“Calm down, Youngjae,” Yugyeom laughed, “I can hear your mind overworking itself. I didn’t mean anything by it.” He shook his head softly when Youngjae visibly relaxed, the easygoing smile the young man adored slowly appearing back on his face. “I’m quite enamored of you.”

Youngjae let out a sigh of relief, but immediately slapped Yugyeom’s shoulder for making him worry over nothing. “You idiot, I thought were having second thoughts.”

“Me? You’re the one in a supposed relationship with a fake woman, oh my broken heart!” The young man brought his hands over his heart, leaning heavily against Youngjae, his head tipped backward.

“Very funny,” Youngjae rolled his eyes, but made no effort to push the young man off him.

“It actually is. Just a little bit,” Yugyeom grinned up at him. The doctor smiled back down fondly, and angled his head to leave a soft kiss upon Yugyeom’s lips. “No it isn’t. And for the record, I quite fancy you myself.”

“Why, I couldn’t tell,” Yugyeom teased. Youngjae only moved to rub their noses together, distracting the young man enough to tickle his sides. He squealed, pushing himself from the doctor and his wandering hands.

“Can you tell now?” the doctor teased back, wiggling his fingers in the man’s direction. Yugyeom had his arms wrapped around himself, watching Youngjae with wary eyes.

“If I say no?” he dared to say, smirking when surprise briefly flashed through Youngjae’s face. However like Yugyeom, he wouldn’t back down either. Wearing a smirk of his own he inched closer, his lips when Yugyeom only angled his chin forward and stared him down.

“I suppose I’ll have to work harder to show you, then.”

“Yugyeom! Are you here?” the doctor called out, stepping into the clearing one afternoon. “I have chocolate!” he tried again. The only response was from the crow that sat atop one of the trees, watching Youngjae as he made his way around the clearing to try and catch a glimpse of the young man. Heaving a sigh he went to sit down and set the small bundle of sweets down beside him. Although they did not set times for their meetings, Youngjae always preferred it when he arrived to see Yugyeom waiting for him. There was a certain feeling that came with having someone wait on you, and then finally seeing them after a tiring day—morning, in Youngjae’s case.

“I heard you from meters away,” a voice came from behind him. The doctor nearly fell over with how first he turned, to see Yugyeom step forward and slip his hood off. “You’re so loud,” he said.

“The whole point was that you hear me,” Youngjae replied, holding out his hand. The young man rolled his eyes and placed his hand in Youngjae’s, lacing their fingers together as he sat down.

“Well wonderful job on that. I’m sure the rest of the forest did as well.”

“Oh, if I have an audience I can’t just leave them with that!” the doctor grinned, and cupped his free hand next to his mouth. “HELLO FOREST, I FANCY YUGY—”

Yugyeom’s hand covered his mouth before he could finish his declaration; the man knocked into his side in his haste to silence him Youngjae couldn’t help but laugh. Even muffled by the hand, Youngjae’s laughter was heard loud, but not so clear. The young man’s face had turned a bright red, his eyes wide as if he couldn’t believe Youngjae, and would’ve kept his hand over the doctor’s mouth the rest of their time together if he wasn’t so weak for his joyful expression. (He was also sure Youngjae wasn’t above his hand.)

“You’re unbelievable,” he moaned, moving off of Youngjae and letting his hand drop. The young man swung a leg over one of Youngjae’s own, resting on the older man’s thigh, and pulled their still clasped hands into his lap. He did it so naturally Youngjae had to wonder if Yugyeom himself even noticed the level of physical affection he was showing. Regardless, the doctor very happily reciprocated by resting his head on the young man’s shoulder and giving his hand a small squeeze.

“If it happened, can it truly be unbelievable?” he mused, laughing when Yugyeom groaned.

“What was that you said about chocolate earlier?” Yugyeom asked instead.

“Hm?” Youngjae made himself more comfortable against the younger man, pressing himself closer until all he could smell was the familiar combination of mint and chocolate. His eyes had closed without him realizing, surprising himself when they opened after Yugyeom had jostled him. “Oh, that. A merchant came by recently and he had some, so I bought several blocks.”

“Several? My, that’s quite a bit,” the young man said. The doctor could hear the grin in his voice, and had to stifle his own laughter when he felt Yugyeom move around, most likely trying to find said blocks, already assuming he had brought them with him.

“Well, I know of someone who really enjoys it,” he mouthed into Yugyeom’s neck, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin with every word. The young man squirmed out of instinct, but from the way he shook his hand free for Youngjae’s and leaned around the doctor’s body too look for the treat, he didn’t care too much for it.

“Where, where, where?” he chanted, one hand reaching toward the doctor’s side and the other pushing Youngjae’s hand off his waist. He had a bit of leverage since his leg was still on top of the older man’s, making it easier to climb over and pluck the wrapped parcel from the man’s other side. Youngjae, on the other hand, was content with finally getting his arms circles around Yugyeom’s torso without any interference. His head still lay on the man’s shoulder as he watched Yugyeom unwrap the bundle and clap his hands together in excitement.

“If I didn’t know better I’d say you enjoyed chocolate more than my company,” the doctor said while Yugyeom bit into a small square of chocolate, his eyes closing as he tasted it. His only answer was a pleasured groan.

“I suppose I should just be pleased you like it,” Youngjae grumbled, closing his eyes again. He crossed his ankles, trapping Yugyeom’s leg between his, moving to get more comfortable.

“Don’t sound so put out, I enjoy your company too,” Yugyeom said, bringing a hand to softly pat the doctor’s head like he were a pup. Though, Youngjae had a feeling the young man was staring at the chocolate the entire time he spoke. “I’ll give you something in return, if that’ll make you feel better.”

“Does it have anything to do you hitting me? Because I think I’ll be alright without that,” he responded.

“I’ll put that on my list of what Youngjae dislikes, right after to cucumbers,” the young man chuckled, “But no, it does not.”

“May I have it now?”

“No.”

“And why not?” Youngjae whined, lifting his head from Yugyeom’s shoulder. He let the man have the sweets, so it was only fair Yugyeom give up whatever it was he had to him! The doctor rocked Yugyeom from side to side in an attempt to get his resolve to crumble, but the young man was having none of it and continued to deny him.

“Because I said so!” He continued eating despite the rocking, paying little attention to Youngjae even when he stopped shaking him and opened his mouth, expecting to be fed. “What are you, a child?” Yugyeom scoffed.

“No, but I am holding one,” the man said, barely dodging the hand aimed for his face. He muffled his laughter in Yugyeom’s shoulder, squeezing the young man’s middle in a sign of affection. He heard the man sigh, and suddenly a piece of chocolate was held in front of his face. “Ah, I knew you couldn’t resist me.”

“Insufferable,” Yugyeom said over his own piece. Youngjae hummed.

The two sat in silence, the doctor having eventually let go of Yugyeom to sit properly—their legs remained tangled—and shared the chocolate in a mostly civil manner. (Neither of them could resist ridiculing the other, from how much they ate to their age, anything was grounds for (unnecessary) commentary.)

“You should drink something,” the doctor insisted, pushing his flask toward Yugyeom who in turn, politely declined. “You’ll end up dehydrated, you should listen to the doctor here.”

“I’m fine, thank you doctor,” he replied, pushing it away. “I’m not particularly thirsty at the moment.”

“You say that, but your bloodstream is—” he tried to explain, but was cut off. He had taken a generous swig a little earlier before offering it to the young man, the chocolate leaving him parched. Or, he tried to offer, really he was just looking out for Yugyeom’s well-being.

“Please, Youngjae,” Yugyeom gave him an exasperated look, “There’s no need to get technical, I’m fine.”

“You should drink it anyway,” Youngjae tried again, this time placing the flask against the younger man’s lips. Yugyeom let out a weak laugh and turned his head away, pushing Youngjae’s hand away. “I don’t want water, you nut.”

“Well that’s just offensive,” Youngjae mock gasped, pulling the flask against his chest. “See if I offer you water again. You will most definitely get thirsty and regret ever turning me away.”

“I think I’ll live,” the young man snickered into his hand at Youngjae’s expression, eyes narrowed and mouth curved in an exaggerated frown. “I appreciate the concern,” he cooed, nosing the doctor’s cheek to pacify him. As much as Youngjae wanted to resist, he couldn’t help pressing a light kiss to the tip of Yugyeom’s nose as he pulled away. Seeing the pretty pink on the man’s cheeks was far better than anything else that could’ve possibly happened. Well, second to the way Yugyeom pushed him away and shyly laughed it off.

“And I mean it, don’t beg me for a single drop later,” Youngjae wagged a finger in the man’s direction once he calmed down.

“Oh I won’t you inane man,” Yugyeom huffed and grabbed the offending finger, pulling it down and away from his face.

“You know,” he said when he pulled his finger back, “I’m only more convinced the more chocolate you consume all it does it make you smell like it. Do you even digest it?”

“How did you ever come up with that?”

The doctor shrugged his shoulders, “All I can smell when you’re near is chocolate—chocolate and mint. It’s very nice.”

“I..thank you?” Yugyeom looked slightly perplexed, not sure how exactly to take Youngjae’s words. The doctor just lightly pinched the man’s cheek and laughed it off, telling him it was nothing more than a mere observation.

“Right, now that that’s done,” he continued on after folding up the leftover bits they had and placing it in his bag, “I believe you had something to give me!” Yugyeom had laughed, amused with how expectant the doctor looked staring intently at him with a hand out, palm faced upward. “Come on then!”

“I don’t suppose this is revenge for earlier?” he smiled behind a hand, knocking their shoulders together playfully.

“I don’t know where you could’ve gotten that idea,” Youngjae replied, feigning innocence. “What is it, what is it, what is it?”

Yugyeom groaned, “I hope I didn’t raise your expectations, it really isn’t anything special.” He reached into his trousers pocket and pulled out a small red pouch. It was barely the size of the man’s palm, with a yellow drawstring.

“What is it?” Youngjae asked again, curiosity sprinkled in his tone rather than impatience. By then Yugyeom looked a little nervous, but shrugged at his question. Wordlessly, he placed the pouch in the doctor’s hand and bit his lip, almost afraid to see his reaction. The man did his best to play nonchalant, leaning back and staring off into the distance like he didn’t care. Though, Youngjae caught him looking over from the corner of his eyes while he opened the pouch. He was shocked, to say the least.

Were it a flower bud or tea leaves he would have been mildly surprised, but what he hadn’t expected to see was what looked like a bracelet inside. He slowly slipped it out into his hand; it really was a bracelet! Almost jade like in color, it was a thin leather bracelet with a small metal charm hanging off it.

“Oh..” he muttered, running his finger along the material. The metal glinted in the sunlight, and ironically it appeared to be cut in the shape of a sun, the silver matching nicely with the green. Yugyeom hovered over his shoulder, evidently his nervousness getting the best of him; he had to know what Youngjae thought.

“Well?” “Did you make this for me?” They both said at once.

“Um.” Yugyeom was the first to say something, red immediately blooming on his cheeks. “I admit I made it, but whether it was for you is questionable,” he said.

“Of course,” Youngjae laughed. “You just happen to keep leather bracelets on your person, right? I completely understand.” The young man groaned and covered his face with his hands when the doctor continued. “It’s like how I keep a few candies in my bag, you never know when you run into rowdy children! Is that how it is, Yugyeom?”

The man peeked through his fingers only to see the doctor still grinning at him, and whimpered, defeated by the silly man. “I’m not going to say it,” he resolved.

“Say what? That you have more in your other pockets? Your secret is safe with me,” Youngjae cackled when Yugyeom began to slap him repeatedly on his chest and arm. He quickly slipped it around his wrist, admiring the shiny glimmery the charm held, and caught the young man’s hand in his again. “It’s lovely, thank you,” he said, making sure Yugyeom’s attention was on him before smiling.

“I’ve come to regret my decisions,” Yugyeom said woefully, collapsing against Youngjae.

“We all have to lay down our pride sometime,” the doctor said reassuringly. He pat the back of Yugyeom’s hand and pressed a quick kiss to his knuckles for good measure. “Believe me, I’ve learned with you,” he muttered quietly.

“What was that?”

“Ah? What?” Youngjae blinked over at Yugyeom’s confused face. “I haven’t said anything!”

“...Alright.” The young man sighed and leaned his head against Youngjae’s, suddenly drowsy. Youngjae rested his head on top, and begun to hum quietly—something he learned Yugyeom liked. There wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before in their little clearing, so he moved his sights onto his new bracelet. He wouldn’t deny he was a little curious why a bracelet of all things, and the color and the charm. And, Youngjae couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen something like it before somewhere...Nora! He stopped mid-hum to gasp at his sudden realization, mumbling a small apology for jerking up so quickly.

“If I were to ask you how long you planned on making this for me, what would you say?” Youngjae asked slowly.

“I’d ask why you would ask me that,” Yugyeom said back.

“Well you see, I recall Nora running around with a green strip of something in the day you were chasing after her and I writing my letter months ago.”

“You remember that?” Yugyeom sat up in surprise, looking at Youngjae like he were some strange creature.

“It might have partially been because of your wet clo—” he didn’t get to finish as Yugyeom pinched his side rather hard, Youngjae only able to squeal in pain between laughs and apologies. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! That wasn’t it, I promise. I’ve always had a good memory.”

“You make it very difficult for me not to hit you,” the young man grumbled. Youngjae laughed.

“Can you answer my question now?”

“You’ve answered it for yourself.”

“Oh Yugyeooom,” Youngjae gushed, throwing his arms around the man’s shoulders and laughing right into his ear, “Sometimes you make my heart want to burst, I knew you cared for me!”

Yugyeom had of course rolled his eyes at Youngjae’s overly exaggerated antics, but didn’t shy away from his embrace either. And as cringeworthy his gestures were at times, he couldn’t help the smile creeping up his face. “Of course I do, are you an idiot?” He mumbled, a thin layer of fondness hidden in his words, as he leaned over and lightly pressed their lips together. The doctor smiled into their chaste kiss, following after Yugyeom’s mouth after he moved away in hopes for another. Unfortunately the young man denied him that privilege by pressing a finger to his lips and pushing his head away. He had laughed at the pout on Youngjae’s face after.

“Well now the least you could do is answer another question,” the doctor decided, pulling one of Yugyeom’s arms to his chest while he lay his head on the younger man’s shoulder.

“It depends on the question,” Yugyeom replied airily, brushing his fingers through Youngjae’s hair.

“Why the sun?” he asked, holding his wrist in the air and watching the wind play with the charm. It was very nicely made, but still a strange choice of...anything. Yugyeom’s hand stilled for a moment, but just as quickly went back to the soothing motions through the doctor’s hair.

“Ah,” he said. “You must promise not to laugh, first.”

“When have I ever laughed at you?” There was a sharp tug to his hair. “Oh alright, I promise.”

“.....You remind me of the sun,” Yugyeom said in a quiet voice. “Mostly your smile. Sometimes you make me feel...warm like I’m standing in sunlight.” Youngjae nearly stopped breathing at the admission, breath caught in his throat as Yugyeom’s words sunk in. There was a fluttery feeling in his chest, not from the lack of oxygen, but like his heart threatened to burst out of his chest. Youngjae turned to look at Yugyeom, perhaps ask him if it was a joke, but Yugyeom’s flushed face was all the confirmation he needed.

“And,” the young man continued, avoiding eye contact and cutting off anything Youngjae was going to say, “Before you ask about the color, it’s green because it’s the color of spring. And you..you ran into me around this time in spring, do you remember?” Youngjae didn’t bother answering at that point, overcome with the need to hold Yugyeom, kiss him, showering him with all the affection in the world; the feeling was indescribable. He peppered the young man’s face with light kisses, relishing in the light giggles flitting through his ears, until he reached those lips and thoroughly kissed him until both of them were left breathless.

“You are going to be the death of me,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to Yugyeom’s. Looking into the young man’s eyes, he couldn’t help but wonder how angry the moon must be to know her brightest stars were not in the sky, but right there before him.

There was a small commotion a little ways off from where the doctor was.

He was on his way home from a seeing a patient when he heard the cries of a little girl. Her mother was knelt down beside her, no doubt trying to calm her down, when Youngjae turned the corner and saw them. Other townspeople lingered about, some whispering to each other and some asking the mother and daughter if they needed anything.

“Miho, Miho it’s okay,” her mother said, “We can fix it, don’t cry!”

“What happened?” Youngjae asked when he was close enough, kneeling on Miho’s other side. The girl was still crying, big fat tears rolling down her splotched cheeks and mucus running down her nose. “Miho, don’t cry,” he tried.

“She was running ahead of me on our way to Hyemi’s house when she tripped and fell,” her mother told him over her daughter’s wails. “Scraped her knee and tore her skirt. See?” She gestured toward Miho’s leg and the doctor finally noticed the tear in the girl’s skirt. Because of the way she sat, the hole wasn’t above her knee anymore. Youngjae asked her mother’s permission before speaking to Miho, telling her he was just going to check if she was okay. The girl still cried, but managed a weak nod.

It wasn’t anything serious, but it was fairly large scrape. He was a little surprised her skirt did nothing to buffer the damage, but that wasn’t the issue at the moment. He rummaged through his bag until he found a spare handkerchief and his flask, wasting no time in wetting the handkerchief to start cleaning Miho’s knee. It obviously wasn’t a disinfectant, and it would only make Miho cry louder, but Youngjae worked with what he had—Miho’s mother was appreciative at least.

By the time Youngjae applied a bandage on Miho’s knee she had stopped sobbing, only sniffling every so often while she rubbed at her face with her fists. Her mother was rubbing her back, whispering quietly to the girl and promising her to “fix her skirt like it was new again.”

“Oh bless your soul, Doctor,” she thanked him as he stood up, she herself helping Miho stand before she did. “Who knows how long we would’ve been out here if it weren’t for you.”

“Not at all,” Youngjae laughed nervously, still unable to respond properly to compliments. “I’m happy to be of help. I hope you’re feeling better now, Miho,” he said to the girl, bending at the waist to be eye-level with her. She gave him a watery smile, but a smile nonetheless. The doctor was about to ruffle her hair a bit to make her laugh when he suddenly remembered something.

“Ah!” he exclaimed, making both mother and child look at him in confusion. “I know you’re sad about your skirt but,” Youngjae continued, and opened his bag once more for something Yugyeom (begrudgingly) taught him how to make the last time he visited. “But how about this?” He presented the girl with a simple flower crown of daisies and violets. (He had only discovered it that morning when he went to look for his thermometer; and realized why Yugyeom had been snickering so much that day.)

Miho gasped, her small hands flying up to cover , eyes sparkling at the flowers. “I can have it?” she said, looking up at the doctor. Youngjae smiled and nodded, placing it gently on her head.

“Look mommy, look!” Miho jumped up and down, twirling in place for her mother to see. The woman laughed, agreeing it was very beautiful. “Thank you, Doctor Choi!” she beamed up at him, forgetting all about her skirt and injury.

“Yes, thank you,” her mother thanked him once again before leading Miho by the hand away. The little girl waved to him as they walked away, and even a fair distance away Youngjae heard her excited babbling. He only shook his head, and picked up his bag, ready to head on home again.

“My, Doctor, you’re full of surprises,” a voice from his side said. Father Park appeared beside him, wearing the same gentle smile as always.

“And you’re always surprising me,” Youngjae said, holding a hand over his heart.

“My apologies,” the priest laughed, putting a hand on the doctor’s shoulder. “I couldn’t help but watch your little session. You’re very good with children.”

“Ah it’s mostly because I can relate. Medicine is still disgusting after all these years.” Father Park stifled his laughter behind a hand, his shoulders shaking at the doctor’s confession. He gave Youngjae a hard pat on the back, a few chuckles still escaping him.

“You’re a delight,” he said, smiling at Youngjae. “I also didn’t know you could make flower crowns!”

“You saw that too?”

“Well who didn’t? Little Miho is likely telling everyone now,” the priest continued.

“Ah,” the doctor scratched the back of his neck, laughing a little bashfully. “I only learned recently, and she looked so sad about her skirt…”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about Doctor,” Father Park reassured him, “I myself used to love making them as well. My mother often collected flowers from a nearby field when I was a child.”

“Oh?”

“She was the one that taught me, and told me to make them for my loved ones because flowers expressed what words couldn’t,” he told the doctor, smiling fondly as he wandered through his memories. “It’s been several years since I’ve seen them, let alone make them anymore. Seeing you give one to Miho just reminded me of that.”

“I’m sure if the children received one from you they’d be very happy,” Youngjae hinted, a sly grin appearing on his face. “It’s never too late to start again!”

“Oh no, I don’t think I can remember anymore it was so long ago!” Father Park shook his head. “The memories of my my boyhood...well I must’ve forgotten along the way.”

“You? Forget something? Why I couldn’t believe that even if I tried! You would have to be forcing yourself to forget for that to be true, Father!” the doctor exclaimed, “You’re the one person that remembers nearly everything!”

“Now you’re just exaggerating Doctor, I can’t possibly remember everything,” the priest chuckled. “I’ll leave the flowers to you. And speaking of, Mr. Song tells me he sold you a rather beautiful pink rose some time ago. Perhaps for that mystery woman of yours?”

“Oh not you too,” Youngjae groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He thought those rumors had died with time, but apparently not. Father Park had only laughed. “I sent it with a letter to my sister!” he lied, mentally apologizing to his sister for dragging her into it, but oh how he wished people would stop being so nosy.

“Oh?” He didn’t seem to be fully convinced, but thankfully didn’t try to refute it. Youngjae did send things often to his family, so it wouldn’t be too farfetched to believe. “Whatever for?”

“She complained of her husband not buying her nice things anymore,” the doctor said, sighing and rolling his eyes for added effect. “She’s always favored pink, and with her newborn I figured a pink rose would be suitable.”

“Ah, what a considerate brother you are,” Father park said, nodding along. “I hope it reaches her well. Pity it wasn’t for another lady.” He had the audacity to wink at the doctor, playing it off with a laugh while Youngjae gaped at him.

“I really don’t have that kind of woman in my life!” Youngjae whined, laughing weakly half at the tenacity of the priest and half at how much of a popular topic his romantic life was.

“It’s alright. Confession will always be available if you need it.” WIth that Father Park made his leave, sending the doctor off with a good natured smile and wave.

On his way home, Youngjae wondered when his life had become a comedic play.

In the following weeks, between Youngjae’s duties of house visits and plant collecting, the doctor and young man fell into a routine of sorts. Youngjae had given Yugyeom a spare key somewhere along the way, for no particular reason aside from subtly hinting the young man should visit him more often. They still met in the clearing, sometimes venturing deeper to the larger clearing or to the creek, and other times the young man could be found sitting in Youngjae’s arm chair or in the kitchen with a kettle already boiling when he returned home. To date Yugyeom had used it only but a few times (without Youngjae around), but had been agreeing to going into town with Youngjae more often than not.

The doctor had asked about Yugyeom’s home once, while they sat in the grass one afternoon after splashing about in the stream.

“You do remember I don’t live alone,” the young man said, giving Youngjae a sideways glance. “There isn’t much reason to go.”

“I remember that, but...isn’t it alright?”

“What is?”

“Considering we’re lovers,” he said, the tips of his ears burning as he spoke, “Even just to walk by, I’m curious to know where it is you call home.” It took an immense amount of willpower not to bury his face in his hands from embarrassment, and even if it were the truth hearing it spoken aloud was...

“Oh Youngjae, Youngjae, Youngjae,” Yugyeom shook his head, not at all fazed by the label or choosing to ignore it, he continued. “Believe me when I say I would love to take you there so I didn’t have to go into your town anymore,” he paused when the doctor laughed; his apprehension of the town a small joke between them, “But it’s not something I can decide to do, I hope you can understand.” The man reached over and grabbed Youngjae’s hand, slotting his fingers in between the doctor’s and closing down.

Truthfully Youngjae did not understand, he didn’t see any reason why they weren’t able to even pass by. He didn’t believe Yugyeom would lie to him, but it hurt him a little bit that wasn’t extended the same invitation he offered to the young man many many times. But if it were out of his control like he implied, well, Youngjae could do nothing but respect that.

The doctor smiled over at him and nodded, squeezing Yugyeom’s hand. The man sighed in relief and leaned over to kiss his cheek in thanks. “One day you can, I promise. But meanwhile, I’ll just have to visit your home more often to make up for it, if that’s alright with you?” Yugyeom bat his lashes in a transparent attempt at being coy, biting his lip and pulling their joined hands to his chest.   

“I think that’s a suitable compromise,” Youngjae grinned, pulling their hands back and Yugyeom closer until they were sitting were shoulder to shoulder. Yugyeom had laughed, and yanked the doctor by the front of his damp shirt forward into a kiss.

The doctor remembered the man’s discomfort of being in town, especially at times where people were still roaming about, and did his best to accommodate. Because of the cool temperatures at night it wasn’t uncommon for them to stay out after the sun set, talking about mundane things or stargazing, and easier for Yugyeom to walk back with him without nervously eyeing every movement around him. (Inside the safety of his home Yugyeom would relax more, and they would prepare a late supper together over light banter.) Other times, it was a little more difficult to convince him.

But there were days when the man stayed the night, when Youngjae had no important engagements to attend to, Yugyeom would rouse him from sleep and they would take a walk around the town before dawn broke. And despite how tired Youngjae would be those mornings, and how many times he would fall back asleep standing up, he always went and told little stories of things that happened here and there. Yugyeom seemed to be fascinated with the buildings and structures every time, never tiring of walking the same paths under the twilight. The thing he liked the most, however, was the reflection of the colored glass of the church when the sun rose, dancing across the other buildings and the ground. Though, there were times it looked like there was light coming from inside, but Youngjae would brush it off as a trick of the eyes, and instead start to lead Yugyeom away back.

It was curious to think that previously when the sun set Yugyeom was aloof and curt, but as time went on, watching the sun rise he allowed Youngjae to lean against him while he nodded off with a soft smile on his face. Then, on those days they would fall back into bed and not wake until late morning.

Youngjae quite enjoyed the younger man’s presence in his home, almost as if they shared the space like a husband and wife. He hadn’t any of his belongings tucked among Youngjae’s own, but it was easy to see Yugyeom in things around the house from the extra tea cup on the table to the blankets left on the windowsill and armchair; the young man had perfectly fit himself into Youngjae’s life. Casting a glance to the sleeping man beside him, he hoped Yugyeom would never leave.

The night found them once again among the field of flowers, sat atop an old blanket Yugyeom brought with him. It was a dark blue, darker in the night and almost black, and large enough for them to lay down comfortably with a fair amount of space left over.

When Youngjae had met Yugyeom earlier in the evening the man had the blanket draped over his head and his upper half, wrapped thickly around his body that Youngjae became concerned he had fallen ill. Yugyeom smacked his hand away when he tried to check his temperature, and rolled his eyes reassuring the worrisome doctor he was indeed fine. Youngjae looked unsure, and asked what the purpose was to which Yugyeom told him to wait and see. And he did, when they made their way to the larger clearing. The young man had unwrapped the blanket from himself, letting it unfold out in the wind, and lay it down on the grass before settling down on it. Yugyeom had smiled up at Youngjae and pat the spot beside him, no doubt feeling rather pleased with himself after seeing the doctor’s surprised expression. The doctor’s bag, their shoes and outer layers, were neatly placed by the edge of their makeshift mat to keep it from being overturned by the evening winds.

Eventually the two had moved to sit back to back; Youngjae had his head tilted back on Yugyeom’s shoulder while he stared up into the sky; Yugyeom’s head was bowed as he quietly slept. The silence was comforting, after a long day the quiet was welcome for the doctor to be alone with his thoughts. Staring up into the twinkling lights in the sky, Youngjae smiled. He traced patterns in the stars with his finger, quietly describing to the sleeping man the shapes he could see and told stories of the constellations. Around them the fireflies had come out, their lights flickering in and out of existence, moving slowly through the clearing like the sky’s earthly counterpart.

Youngjae let his eyes fall close, words of majestic creatures in the skies dying into nothing more than quiet whispers heard only by the night. Yugyeom made no sound, barely shifting when the doctor gently knocked his head into his.

“I hope you’re not awake,” he whispered, “And this may seem silly to do while you’re asleep, but I don’t think I’d be able to face you if you were awake. It’s...a scary thing to admit, despite how utterly happy it makes me. Maybe because I don’t know if it would make you happy as well, as much as I hope.”

He wanted to reach for Yugyeom’s hand, for any part of him, but refrained in the case he woke. Youngjae wouldn’t know how to explain what he was doing either, so he continued on in his one-sided dialogue.

“I…” he let out a breath, laughing to himself, “I’m in love with you. So, so much that it’s been distracting me quite a bit. I haven’t done anything stupid yet, but by your standards most of the things I do are stupid, no? Either way, I promise I’ll be careful. And...I know you’ve told me countless times, forgive me, but I hope some part of you feels what I do. That you’re...you’re in love with me too.

“Someday I’ll be brave enough to confess this again to you. You know after all this time, I can just about imagine your reaction now. You’d roll your eyes and huff, blowing that one part of your hair that always manages to fall over your eyes, and then call me an idiot or something similar. Your face would get so red, like a tomato! And you’ll pretend it’s not, and hit me if I point it out, but then you’d give in and laugh and smile and...well, I don’t know what you would do after. Return my feelings and kiss me, perhaps? You’re always so stingy with those, I know you enjoy kissing me!” Youngjae whined, “You’d be laughing at me if you were awake right now, I just know it. But...I hope you realize it’s things like that I appreciate—no, love about you. I don’t know how many times I’ve thought “ah, he’s so refreshing,” it’s like my mind is in this endless cycle. It’s...you’re all I ever think about. I’m thankful we had the chance to meet.

“Ah, this is so embarrassing! But I think I’ve said all I wanted to…” he paused, listening for Yugyeom’s still steady breathing. “How did you even fall asleep so quickly?” Youngjae laughed, loudly and freely, when the man didn’t stir. He was about to move so he could have a proper look at Yugyeom when the young man groaned, his back arched and head leaned into his shoulder as he began to wake. Speaking to him in low tones was safe, but laughing? And especially Youngjae’s (rather obnoxious, according to Yugyeom) laughter, it had no trouble rousing the young man.

“What were you doing, laughing to yourself like mad man?” Yugyeom mumbled, stifling a yawn. He leaned back into Youngjae, his head falling next to the doctor’s as they were earlier. Youngjae butted his head against Yugyeom’s playfully, smiling at the man’s tired groaning.

“And I thought you were never going to wake,” he teased. “I didn’t think my company bore you that much.”

“Your voice is soothing,” the man mumbled back, his voice thick from sleep. “Felt like I was home.” Youngjae smiled, Yugyeom had always been terribly honest when he was sleepy. He couldn’t see the young man’s face, so Youngjae settled for gently poking at his back with his elbow rather than continuing to tease the adorable man. Yugyeom murmured a quiet “stop that,” and pushed back against him, seemingly a little more awake and back to his “Youngjae is an idiot” senses.

The doctor shook his head, but nonetheless pushed back, only relenting when Yugyeom started to laugh. Youngjae took mercy on his younger lover, but not enough that he would stop playing with him. Instead, he toppled them both over to the side and climbed on top of Yugyeom, hovering over the man with a wide grin on his face. Of course Yugyeom huffed, turning his face away from Youngjae’s and giving him a hard slap to the chest.

“That was uncalled for,” the young man said, looking up at Youngjae from the corner of his eye.

“I had to wake you somehow,” he replied, leaning on one elbow to turn Yugyeom’s head to face him again, and brush the hair out of his eyes. The man had scrunched up his face when he did so, but did not protest.

“It’s extremely ineffective.”

“You’re awake now, aren’t you?” Youngjae’s smile grew when Yugyeom only response was a deadpan glare.

“Will you get off me then? I daresay we find ourselves in this position a bit too often,” Yugyeom complained, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared up at Youngjae, expecting him to move, and only rolled his eyes when the doctor did no such thing. “Never listens,” Youngjae heard him say under his breathe.

“Well perhaps I enjoy having you look up at me,” the doctor said cheekily.

“I won’t dignify that with a response,” Yugyeom said. Shortly after, the young man yawned and pressed a hand to his closed eyes before opening them to stare up at the doctor again. The same exasperated expression remained on his face.

“Alright, alright,” Youngjae broke, chuckling moreso to himself and rolling off the man. “We should head home anyhow.”

“You can go, I’m not too far from where I need to go,” Yugyeom said. He hadn’t gotten up despite Youngjae releasing him from his captivity, and only lifted an arm to wave the doctor away. From where he stood, it appeared that Yugyeom was going to fall asleep in the clearing.

“You must be out of your mind if I’m leaving you here. You’ll be coming back with me, Yugyeom.” Youngjae stood and grabbed his belongings, nudging the man with his foot to get up.

“Youngjae, please,” he groaned, throwing an arm over his face.

“You would fall asleep on your feet quicker than you would get home, and I will not have you sleeping in the forest alone,” Youngjae said with a note of finality. He was already slipping on his shoes, waiting for the young man to get up. “I will carry you back with me if I need to.”

“You worry too much,” Yugyeom huffed, but sat up. He covered his face with his hands and let out a muffled shout—it was Youngjae’s turn to roll his eyes—then followed the doctor’s example and crawled over to put on his shoes.

“That’s my Yugyeom.”

“Watch your tongue if you’d like to keep it.”

“You’d be quite sad if I lost my tongue, if the—”

“Don’t you dare finish that.”

“Yes, dear.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, what kind of tea do you like?”

Youngjae sat at the table with a glass of water, a book open before him. Yugyeom had just come out from the washroom, steam billowing out from behind him, and fixed himself a cup of warm water.

“Hmm,” he hummed, blowing into his cup. “Peppermint.”

Earlier Youngjae had come home after a long day to find Yugyeom lounging in his bedroom with a book he recognized was from his study. The doctor let his bag slip to the floor and immediately fell forward into the man on the bed, his arms going around Yugyeom’s middle as he rest his head on his stomach. Yugyeom let out a small grunt at the sudden weight thrown on his body, but only continued to read. Youngjae inched further up across Yugyeom’s stomach, and made himself more comfortable on the bed curled up by the man’s side. He sighed contently when Yugyeom began to gently comb through his hair. The man mumbled a low “welcome back,” not looking away from the novel. The doctor only remembered nuzzling against his stomach before he fell asleep.

He had only slept for a short period of time before he woke up to Yugyeom lightly slapping his cheek. The book the younger man was reading sat atop his nightstand, presumably Yugyeom grew disinterested—it was one of the novels he himself hadn’t even finished. The sky was dark and Yugyeom said something about being hungry, but having just awoke Youngjae had trouble comprehending anything save for how comfortable and warm he was. In the end, with the encouraging incentive of kisses, he had made his way downstairs to prepare dinner. It was an uneventful affair, the usual banter and cheekiness that came when they were together, and the comfortable silence as they ate.

Only after the two had cleared the table and done the dishes Youngjae sent Yugyeom off with a set of sleepwear into the washroom while he busied himself with other things.

“Peppermint?” he repeated in surprise. Yugyeom took a seat diagonal from him, quirking a brow over his cup. “I suppose I was close in my guess, I always imagined you would like mint in your tea.”

“Because I smell like mint and chocolate,” the man said, his expression not changing; he still looked at Youngjae as if he didn’t understand why they were having the conversation at all.

“Uhm.”

“....That’s your reasoning,” Yugyeom deadpanned. He dragged a hand down his face and shook his head. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Come on!” Youngjae laughed, amused by Yugyeom’s dramatics, and pulled the man’s hand away from his face. “It’s perfectly sound!”  

“It’s perfectly ridiculous is what it is! It’s like assuming you like honey and sandalwood just because you—” The young man quickly stopped, his eyes wide as he realized what he had been saying.

“Because I what?” Youngjae grinned, pushing his book aside to lean his elbows on the table. His undivided attention on the other man, “Please, do go on.”

Yugyeom ignored him, and turned his cheek to sip at his drink. It would have been a haughty action on his part, if not for the rising blush on his cheeks from his almost admission.

“Yugyeommm!”

“Go wash up already,” Yugyeom huffed. “It’s getting late.”

“Yes mother,” Youngjae sang back, letting the topic slide. He went around Yugyeom, catching the man’s cheek when he went in for a kiss on his way to the bath. He was far enough away to miss the slap aimed for him and laughed all the way to the washroom.

The young man still sat at the table when he came out, idly flipping the pages of the book he’d left there. Yugyeom hadn’t said a word even when Youngjae approached him from behind and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. At first Youngjae just watched him turn the pages, not even sure if he was even reading it or doing it to avoid acknowledging his presence. Whatever the case, Youngjae didn’t care and buried his face in the man’s neck and inhaled.

The sound of pages turning stopped. “....Did you just sniff me?”

“No?” came the muffled reply.

“You did!” Yugyeom exclaimed incredulously, pulling Youngjae’s arms off him to turn in his seat. The doctor only wrinkled his nose and feigned innocence, blinking back at Yugyeom as if he hadn’t done anything.

“One can’t help but smell while they inhale!”

“But not everyone inhales like they’re breathing air for the first time!”

“Well that’s certainly a creative response—”

“My virtue!” Yugyeom wailed, holding a hand to his mouth and acting as if he were blinking away tears. He got up from his chair and fled to the other room as Youngjae stood stupefied at where the man once sat.

“Oi, Yugyeom!” he shouted, following the young man’s path, prepared to defend himself in their inevitable (childish) squabble. What he found was Yugyeom laying sideways in the armchair, cackling like there was no tomorrow, clutching his sides.

“Your face was hysterical, I can’t take it!” he gasped between laughs when he noticed Youngjae’s head pop up over the chair.  He continued to giggle even when the doctor pushed his legs off the armrest to sit. Youngjae crossed his arms over his chest, huffing once before letting himself fall over onto the young man; he found great joy in the whines and the squirming.

"Youngjaeee get off me!" Yugyeom whined, trying to shove the older man off him—he was heavier than he looked. The doctor continue to lay limp on top of Yugyeom, wondering if he should just fall asleep there and worry about consequences later. He would have done it, had Yugyeom not managed to shove him off with a strong push. Youngjae tumbled to the floor and landed with a large thud. For a moment he wondered where he was, blinking the stars out of his vision, and waited for the ringing in his ears to stop. The young man's face suddenly appeared in his line of sight, squinting down at him.

"You have a hard head," he said. Youngjae groaned.

"Why yes, I'm perfectly fine thank you for asking," he moaned, slowly sitting up and rubbing the back of his head.

"I'd imagine you'd say something if you weren't," Yugyeom said. The man didn't offer his hand to help Youngjae up, nor had he even moved from his spot while the doctor lay on the floor. "I'm sure you keep your home very tidy, but perhaps you should get up now."

Youngjae rolled his eyes, choosing not to comment that he was waiting for Yugyeom to offer some help; though he had the feeling he wouldn't have anyway. "One day I'm going to fall and not be able to get up," he grumbled.

"What, like in love with me?" Yugyeom had a small smirk on his face, mischief twinkling in his eyes as he stared down at Youngjae.

"No need to worry about that, it's already happened. I was talking more like...if I fell down the stairs," he answered, shrugging his shoulders as if he hadn't confessed. (Though, he was a little worried about falling down the stairs and not being able to get up. Something similar happened to one of the more elderly members of their town some time ago.) Truthfully, the two never spoke much of their feelings, they knew the mutual attraction was there as well as their compatibility; and that was seemingly enough. More often than not Youngjae had thought about it, from the time of his nighttime monologue and even before it, to where they sat in his house just playing around. It was bound to happen, he told himself, with the time they've spent together and amount of time that passed—he only wished he exercised a bit more tact before he slipped it in conversation.

The doctor played with his bracelet, fiddling with the charm, while waiting for Yugyeom to react. His words hung in the air like smoke, wrapping around the two of them until one of them would decide to dissipate it. Youngjae wasn't going to be the one, he hadn't wanted to keep his feelings to himself any longer and needed an answer. The young man was often too mysterious, there was no way to know unless he put it out there, even in a thinly veiled joke.

Behind him he heard Yugyeom shift, his legs appearing in Youngjae's peripheral vision as the man sighed. "Well," he said. "I was expecting a little more...direct from you—though I am pleasantly surprised you've gotten more subtle as of late."

"Ugh, you," Youngjae grumbled, pushing the man's legs. A small smile had appeared on his face, but didn't dare look up at him just yet, waiting for Yugyeom to continue.

"I mean that as a compliment, so stop that,” he said, nudging the doctor with his foot. “And I suppose I have to give you my answer now, hm?"

Then, without warning, Yugyeom lightly tugged on Youngjae's hair to tip his head backward until he was staring at the young man's (upside down) smiling face. The doctor was about to his mouth to comment when Yugyeom leaned over and kissed him, softly and gently, reminding him of the first time when he had asked to kiss Yugyeom. Youngjae broke the kiss only to turn around so he could face the man properly; sitting up on his knees he pulled Yugyeom in again by the back of his neck, the kiss more fervent than the last.

Yugyeom had started giggling when Youngjae's hand found its way under his shirt, his awful touch ticklish, and nearly bit down on Youngjae's tongue had he not pulled himself away. “Ack, sorry, sorry!” Yugyeom tried to hold back his laughter as he leaned further away from the doctor, distracted by the hilarity of their broken mood. The doctor groaned, his head dropping into Yugyeom’s lap. And despite his disappointment and the overall situation, he laughed too. (He remained disappointed, though.)

“Aw, don’t pout,” the young man said after a moment had passed, “I’ll take full responsibility for ruining the moment. At the very least be glad I didn’t actually bite your tongue. Although...” There was a sharp pinch by the underside of his knee that caused Yugyeom to hiss in pain, scowling down at the mop of hair down his lap. “Alright, alright! I wasn’t going to say anything bad!” He brought the side of his hand down on the back of Youngjae’s head in a chopping motion.

Yugyeom sighed when the doctor didn’t move. He bounced his knees, “Up, up, Youngjae. Your head is as heavy as it is hard, and it would be nice to keep feeling in my legs!”

“Don’t want to,” Youngjae mumbled.

“Oh you big child, remind me who the older one is again,” Yugyeom muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes. “I’m going to get up now,” he said. Youngjae didn’t move. He heard Yugyeom sigh, and braced himself for the possibility he fall over again only to be surprised by the hand in his hair.

“What to do with you,” the young man chided. He clicked his tongue and shook his head, “Now I really do sound like your mother.”

“It would be quite unfortunate if you were,” Youngjae finally lifted his head, grinning up at Yugyeom. The man glanced down at him, now that Youngjae was properly facing him, he flicked the doctor square in the forehead.

“Ever so difficult,” he huffed while Youngjae sat back on his heels, rubbing his forehead. “But yes, unfortunate considering you had your hand up my shirt earlier.”

“But you’re not, so it’s alright,” the doctor replied. He stood up, his knees beginning to hurt from kneeling for so long, and moved to hover over Yugyeom, holding himself up with a hand on top of the chair. The man looked up at him in confusion, half expecting the doctor to crush him again and half expecting him to continue where they left off. “Now sit still for a moment,” Youngjae said instead, a hand poised to return the forehead flick. “This hurts me more that it does you,” he said solemnly.

“Wait, what are yo—Absolutely not!” Before Youngjae could strike, Yugyeom ducked out from under him, nearly stumbling over the doctor’s feet in his haste to escape. He ran around to the other side of the room to the window, nearly hiding himself behind the curtain, watching with narrowed eyes as Youngjae slowly made his way over.

“It’s only fair, Yugyeom!” The doctor laughed as he followed the man into the dining area, keeping his steps quick while Yugyeom darted about. They stood at opposite ends of the table; on one side Youngjae grinned, determination in his eyes, and the other was Yugyeom, a tongue peeking out from his lips as his eyes glanced back and forth for possible escape routes. “Yugyeommm,” he sang.

“Youngjaeeee,” the man said in the same tone, feinting left before making a mad dash toward the stairs. “Don’t you dare!”

“It’s just friendly retaliation!” he shouted back, having barely enough to time to switch directions when Yugyeom ran right. He almost caught the hem of the man’s shirt as he passed, but sadly in his grasp was nothing but air.

“Youngjaeeeeeee,” Yugyeom whined turning away from the staircase before he cornered himself, deciding to run Youngjae around in circles instead. He looped back to the armchair, ducking when the doctor lunged over the top in an attempt to grab him. “It’s abuse if you just want to hit me!” He shouted over his shoulder as he tried to crawl away without Youngjae noticing.

“And what do you call the times you’ve hit me?” The doctor said, taking slow steps around the chair.

“Love ta—” Yugyeom was cut off by his own shrieks when he was suddenly pulled backward by his ankle. He had almost gotten back to the dining room when Youngjae spotted him crawling away on his hands and knees, and acting before he thought it through, grabbed Yugyeom’s ankle and pulled. “I can’t hear you!” Youngjae teased. Yugyeom’s yells turned into laughter the further he was being dragged, squealing when his shirt began to ride up. “Youngjae, let go of me!”

“Not until I’m sure you won’t run again!”

“Youngjae!”

The young man let his head drop against the floor when he finally stopped moving, catching his breath. Youngjae released Yugyeom’s ankle when he pulled the man to the rug that lay in front of the fireplace. He brushed a hand through his hair, the whole ordeal taking a lot more out of him than he expected. Youngjae stood over Yugyeom as the man slowly flipped himself back over, lazily tugging his shirt back down. He appeared to have tired himself as well, tugging his shirt only partially over his stomach before letting his hand drop to the floor. The doctor heaved a sigh and took a seat beside Yugyeom’s head, resting his arm over his bent knee while his other leg stretched out along the man’s side. The two glanced at each other, still catching their breaths. Then, with a small smile, Youngjae reached over and flicked Yugyeom’s forehead.

There was a moment of silence while Yugyeom just stared up at the doctor, unblinking. And suddenly, he burst into laughter. Uncontrollable and loud; Youngjae would admit he was a little startled by it. Yugyeom had taken to rolling over to his side, still laughing and shaking his head. “Are you serious?!” he breathed out, his entire body shaking with barely contained mirth. “Was all that worth it?”

The doctor let out his out short bark of laughter, shaking his head at the man; he should have known, expected even, that it was the game they play. He leaned over Yugyeom, pushing his hair back so he could see the young man’s face properly. Yugyeom had calmed down some, a few giggles here and there, but overall lay peacefully as Youngjae continued his gentle ministrations.

“Verily,” he answered, a grin on his face as he bent down to kiss Yugyeom’s forehead.

“Small victories, I suppose,” the man replied, nipping at Youngjae’s chin as he pulled away. “But you’re still an idiot,” he matched the doctor’s grin before he pulled Youngjae back down for a hard kiss, holding the older man’s face between his hands.

Youngjae hardly had any time to react, mentally patting himself on the back for bracing a hand on the ground next to Yugyeom lest he crush the man—though it would have been Yugyeom’s fault if that happened. He smiled into their kiss, angling his head just enough to coax a soft moan from the young man under him.

Despite the number of kisses they’ve shared, the doctor didn’t think he could ever tire from the sight of Yugyeom’s breathless expression, rosy cheeked and dazed, his lips slick and red. So when they eventually broke apart and Yugyeom looked up at him with hooded eyes, his own lustful expression reflected back, Youngjae kissed him once more. Yugyeom laughed through his nose at Youngjae’s enthusiasm, and brought an arm up to wind around the man’s neck while the other reached for a handful of his shirt to pull the doctor on top of him.

“Allow me to take you to bed,” Youngjae whispered, his lips just barely brushing against Yugyeom’s with each word. He felt the man chuckle, and a hand brush against his cheek. Youngjae in a breath when the man tilted his head to the side, the whole expanse of his neck presented to him.

“I take back what I said earlier,” he gasped as Youngjae on the spot below his ear, “I reckon I prefer the more direct side of you.” The young man had to bite back groan when he moved lower, his breath tickling his neck. He peppered kisses down the column of the man’s throat, pausing to let out a low moan when Yugyeom arched up against him.

“Shall I carry you?” the doctor replied, muffling his laugh in Yugyeom’s shoulder.

“I’m no damsel,” Yugyeom huffed, bringing Youngjae back up for another kiss, and catching the doctor’s lower lip between his teeth as he pulled away seconds later.

“No, but any damsel would be right with envy at your legs,” he muttered in between biting and marks into Yugyeom’s neck, deciding they had plenty of time for kisses later. It was intoxicating; the smell of chocolate and mint seemed rolled off the man in waves and flood his senses with every move he made. Daringly, Youngjae brought his hand slowly up Yugyeom’s side while he had the man distracted, brushing lightly against his skin and smiling when he felt Yugyeom shiver.

“My, have you been ogling, dearest?” the man teased, his voice wavering with every nip, bite, and touch. But not one to lie still, he hooked one of his legs around Youngjae’s hips to bring their bodies closer together, eliciting a moans from both of them. “Well?” he panted.

“Well,” Youngjae left one last mark on Yugyeom’s neck before rushing up to press their lips together, “I do believe that’s enough talking now.”

“Oh?” the young man raised a brow, a smirk decorating his face as he turned away from the kiss, much to Youngjae’s displeasure. He made up for it, however, when he rocked up against Youngjae, leaving open mouthed kisses against the older man’s neck. “And what do you propose we do now?”

“Let me make good on my word,” Youngjae breathed out, reluctantly lifting himself off of the younger man. He slide Yugyeom’s arm out from around his neck, but held it in his own as he shakily rose to his feet. He had no doubt he looked like an absolute mess of a man, but under Yugyeom’s heated stare, he couldn’t bring himself to care. With a light tug on the man’s arm, he urged the other to get up as well.

“As the master of the household wish,” Yugyeom laughed, letting Youngjae pull him up and up the stairs.

It was raining that morning.

The soft pitter-patter of the rain hitting his window roused Youngjae from sleep, and not from the usual  blinding light of the sun. Outside was a cool gray, darkened by clouds, casting minimal light through the window. Not closing the curtains the night before, for once, hadn’t come back to ruin the doctor’s morning. But it was a shame he was awake, as he desperately wished he could go back to sleep. He pulled the covers closer to him, wishing to keep the warmth surrounding him. That, unfortunately didn’t go over so well with his bed mate, who let out a small groan and tugged the blankets back.

Youngjae’s mind was still foggy, as cloudy as the sky, and didn’t put a fight, only sighed and turned over to press up against the other warm body in bed. With that, the doctor gradually slipped back into sleep.

He trailed a finger down Yugyeom’s exposed back, watching with mild fascination the involuntary shivers that ran through the sleeping man’s body. The blankets had drifted to lay messily over his lower half, presumably Youngjae’s fault when he got up. The doctor had awoke again to the sound of rain hours later; the sky hadn’t changed and the rain only seemed to have gotten harder compared to the earlier drizzle. The pocketwatch in his nightstand told him it was late morning, nearly noon, but with the sun hidden from view it felt much later. It was why he was still in bed, sat up and tracing patterns on Yugyeom’s back. The young man had moved to sleep on his stomach, hands underneath the pillow, head faced away from the doctor; completely unaware of Youngjae’s actions.

Youngjae traced words he no doubt muttered endlessly between kisses and gasps the night before, but in an uncharacteristic bout of possessiveness he drew them upon Yugyeom’s back; if he traced the same words over and over and over again, perhaps they’ll appear on his skin and the sun, the moon, the stars, and everyone would know Yugyeom was his and his alone. A bit of silly wishful thinking that brought a smile on the doctor’s face as he watched his lover sleep on, surely if he ever wrote on the man with anything other than a light touch, Yugyeom would end his very existence.

The room was cooler due to the rain, a welcome in the days of early summer. Deciding it was time to get up and do something other than sit in bed, Youngjae stretched his arms over his head and ran a hand through his hair. He tried to keep his movements to a minimum, not wanting to wake Yugyeom just yet. (One day he wasn’t going to give the man the luxury of sleeping in and have him wake the same time he did like a proper adult.) Youngjae stifled a yawn and pushed the covers off, barely containing a small shiver from the sudden cold. Almost knocking over a near empty vial of lavender oil, he glanced around the room, picking up a pair of trousers off the floor and pulling them on lest he fall temptation to his warm bed. He would deal with finding proper attire after he cleaned up, which included piling together all the things that required washing.

“Yugyeom,” he called out, rolling over to the man. Yugyeom’s few extra moments of sleep were over, decided by Youngjae who moved to whisper directly into the young man’s ear. “Yugyeom, it’s time to wake up,” he said, his nose in the man’s soft hair. He knew how much Yugyeom disliked being woken up in such a way, but as per usual, there were things Youngjae couldn’t help but do to the younger man. Yugyeom groaned and turned away, hiding away in the pillow. The doctor shook his head, a fond smile on his face, and tried again. “Yugyeom,” he muttered into the man’s shoulder, the warmth radiating from Yugyeom slowly causing him to get drowsy again. He didn’t receive a response, even when he lightly nipped at a purpling mark on Yugyeom’s neck. Sighing, he sat back up on the edge of the bed and huffed; Yugyeom had gotten better at ignoring Youngjae, especially when he was sleeping, it seemed.

“Alright,” the doctor said to himself, an idea coming to him. “Whether you like it or not, you have to get up!” He resisted the urge to cackle as he climbed up and over Yugyeom until he was knelt above the man, his knees on either side of Yugyeom’s own. Rolling his shoulders, he set his hands on the back of Yugyeom’s thighs and began to slowly massage, working his way up to the young man’s bottom. Yugyeom was ticklish—perhaps sensitive was a better word—so Youngjae hoped it would get a rise from him. And he wasn’t disappointed, almost immediately as the doctor began kneading the soft flesh of his rear, Yugyeom tensed up and jolted against the bed.

“Wha—” he groaned, kicking his legs and trying to look over his shoulder through squinted eyes. At that point Youngjae couldn’t keep it in and let himself laugh, but didn’t stop massaging. “Youngjae! Ge’off me!” Yugyeom’s voice was thick with sleep, his words slurred together. The young man began to buck underneath him, trying to get away from Youngjae’s hands and go back to sleep, but Youngjae wasn’t letting that happen. Instead, he crawled further up until he caged Yugyeom under him between his arms and legs, nearly chest to back as Youngjae hovered over him.

“Ah, ah,” he chided, “No going back to sleep! Come on sleepyhead, it’s time to get up.”

“G’way,” Yugyeom grumbled back, burrowing his face back into the pillow.

“And after I go through the trouble of trying to make you feel better? I was almost certain you’d be sor—” Youngjae was cut off by what sounded like a screech, and barely had enough time to sit back when Yugyeom turned himself around and swung a pillow in his direction. He laughed and threw his hands up before his face in defense, taking the hit when the man swung it round again.

“Good morning,” he smiled. Yugyeom had the pillow held to his chest, tiredly glaring over it at him. “With your hair in disarray like that,” Youngjae said, inching forward to brush the man’s hair with his fingers, “You kind of look like an angry kitten.”

“Yaong,” Yugyeom said flatly. Youngjae chuckled, patting down the man’s hair, almost in a petting manner. “Not quite as small and adorable, but I was never too fond of cats, anyway.”

“Nora won’t be pleased,” Yugyeom grumbled, pushing the doctor’s hand away to shake his head and ruffle up his hair himself.

“More fond of you than Nora,” Youngjae leaned forward to rub their noses together, his forehead coming to rest against Yugyeom’s in a gesture of affection. The man wrinkled his nose, and grimaced when Youngjae’s breathy laughter hit his face due to their closeness.

“Was there a reason you decided to wake me up, or did you just want to harass me?” Yugyeom hid his face in the pillow, hugging it closer to himself, no doubt to catch a few more minutes of sleep. The pillow did nothing to hide the bright red and purple bloomed over his neck and shoulders, like the flowers they picked in the early months of spring. Youngjae brought a hand up to touch one particular mark by his collarbone, remembering how Yugyeom seemed to favor the area the night before.

“Are you just going to stare?” He looked up to see Yugyeom peeking at him with one eye, his voice muffled by the the pillow.

“Sorry,” the doctor laughed. If Yugyeom were expecting an answered, he didn’t receive one. Instead Youngjae pushed the pillow down and with a hand under Yugyeom’s chin tipping his head up, he lay a soft kiss upon his lips.

“That’s not an answer either,” the young man said, but a smile pulled across his features nonetheless.

“I just wanted to do it, can you blame me?”

“I can, actually.”

“You’re definitely the difficult one betw—” Yugyeom cut him off with a kiss, harder than their previous one, and pulled away with a of the lips. He looked awfully pleased with himself at the dazed state he left Youngjae in, blinking owlishly and mouth slightly parted. Yugyeom snorted and scooted backward until his back hit the headboard, abandoning the pillow beside him to pull the covers higher up over his exposed body.

“Are you just going to gape at me?” The young man raised his foot to nudge Youngjae’s shoulder, jolting the doctor from his reverie.

“You’re just so enchanting!” Youngjae giggled after a moment, moving to sit alongside the edge of the bed again. Yugyeom scoffed. “But no, I wanted you to wake up so you could wash up before we have a late breakfast. It’s already quite late into the day, you sloth.”

“Excuse me? Is this how you treat all your bedmates, rouse them from peaceful slumber to tell them they’re dirty?” the man lamented, “I thought this was something special.”

“You’re the only one warming my bed, love. And the only one I’d ever want, I swear to you,” Youngjae grinned, leaning over to kiss Yugyeom’s frown away. He pinched his nose for good measure, resisting the urge to comment how endearing his blush was. (Of course, it also required a deal of willpower not to roll over and scream at how embarrassing his own actions were) “Go one while I gather the bedsheets to be cleaned later.”

“Why can’t you go first and allowed me to sleep,” Yugyeom whined.

“What kind of lover would I be if I didn’t offer first?” Youngjae teased, pulling him over.

“I was going to apologize for the scratches on your back, but now I hope they burn in the bath,” the young man grumbled back, shrugging out from under Youngjae’s arm and pulling the covers with him as he made his way to the door. Youngjae laughed, falling back onto the bed, listening to Yugyeom huff and puff all the way to the washroom before the door was shut; he closed his eyes and thought, this is it, a wide smile adorning his lips.

Before long, the days became longer and much warmer, and thoughts of when autumn would arrive were the only things on Youngjae’s mind. Yugyeom hadn’t come to see him for a few days, having spent so much time with Youngjae and an equal amount of time in his home, he was needed back at his own. There were chores he couldn’t avoid anymore, someone he had to see, and Nora needed to be looked after was what he told him before he left, silencing the doctor with a press of the lips when he offered to help. He promised he be back within a few days time, teasing the man not to miss him too much.

Yugyeom had mentioned offhandedly one day they were laying on the floor of his study with the curtains drawn and surrounded by cups of water that he was glad to be there with Youngjae. The doctor couldn’t remember what he said after that, but whatever it was, Yugyeom had only rolled his eyes. It was hot that day, hence why they just lay on the floor doing nothing in particular. The young man had said something about not liking empty houses, and Youngjae asked him if he wanted to stay with him permanently. They then got into a silly fight about something or other before it was decidedly too hot to even speak. Youngjae hadn’t thought anything of it, but on the days Yugyeom was gone, he couldn’t help but wonder what he had meant.

He knew the man lived with someone, and assumed whoever they were did not spend too much time in their home. It only made sense with what Yugyeom told him that day, about empty houses, and then with his reason for returning home. He remembered how he smiled that day, brighter than the summer sun itself, and the hurried pace in which he practically ran out of his front door. Youngjae waved his wrist in front of him, watching the small metal charm dance in the sunlight, as if it could snap him out of his mood. Yugyeom had spent a great deal of time with him since their night together, staying over to the point Youngjae had gotten used to setting two sets of tableware out every day—it was only natural he was missing his lover. Despite that, in the back of his mind he wondered if Yugyeom only stayed with him because his own house was empty. Youngjae would rather not be considered an “alternative option,” even though realistically he knew Yugyeom wouldn’t; although he hasn’t admitted to it to him directly, there were times Youngjae woke up to his soft murmuring and quiet love confessions, listening to him talk until he fell asleep and then turning over to gather the man in his arms and whisper the same words back. And, he cared for Nora a great deal more than he let on and wouldn’t leave her alone too long without knowing someone was taking care of her.

In the end, Youngjae huffed as blew his hair from his eyes, he ran his own mind in circles thinking about simple things too hard. He didn’t remember life being so dull before.

He was about to retire to his bedroom with one of the novels he picked up off the floor when a knock caught him by surprise. The doctor wasn’t expecting anyone, nor did he forget to attend to any of his patients that day, so who could it be?

Youngjae made his way to the door, putting on the pair of glasses he kept by the door, and opened it before his visitor could knock again.

“Father Park?” he said, puzzled by the priest's sudden appearance at his doorstep. The elder was dressed in his customary robes, long-sleeved and black, looking completely unbothered by the summer sun.

“Doctor Choi,” the priest smiled, bowing his head in greeting. Youngjae hurriedly did the same, nearly forgetting his manners, and stepped aside to invite the man in.

“Please, have a seat,” he offered, directing the man to the table. “Would you like something to drink? The heat is really something this year,” Youngjae continued.

“No, I’m alright thank you,” Father Park politely declined with a smile, settling down on one of the chairs and folding his hands in his lap as Youngjae fetched a glass for himself. The doctor paused, a hand hovering over another and looked back to his guest. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Doctor, I’m quite alright. But thank you for your hospitality.”

“Not at all,” Youngjae shook his head, sitting across the priest with his glass of water. “I hope you’ve been well.”

“I have, yes. The weather has been quite good as of late, don’t you think? It warms my heart to see everyone out enjoying themselves. The children have taken to carrying around little fans in the shape of animal heads, you really must see them all. But enough of that, how about yourself?” he asked, smiling pleasantly at Youngjae. It was a little jarring, if he had to admit, seeing the priest anywhere that wasn’t in town or in church. And in his home no less.

Regardless, he returned the smile and nodded, “I’ve been well, thank you.” The doctor took a pause to take a sip of water, and cleared his throat before asking why he had come to visit. The priest only laughed at the less than confident tone Youngjae took, and had the good grace not to comment on it when he answered.

“I’ve noticed you haven’t been to church for some time,” he said, the smile still on his face, “And wanted to come by to see that you haven’t left our little town. The young women have been making up stories, you know.”

“Ah,” Youngjae looked away in slight shame, rubbing the back of his neck, “My apologies, I’ve been somewhat preoccupied as of late.” He’d been prepared to deflect any questions about the mystery woman the townsfolk believed he was seeing, and tell the man he was often too tired after hours and hours of herb collecting (which was mostly true), unable to attend the weekly sermon. What he hadn’t been prepared for was the flicker of disbelief that passed through Father Park’s eyes, veiled by a cold mask of indifference. The smile hadn’t left the priest’s face, even when he moved his folded hands to the table, leaning forward in his seat. His expression didn’t hold the same warmth Youngjae knew the man for; the doctor resisted the urge to flinch, the hand around his glass tightening instinctively.  

“Preoccupied, of course,” Father Park repeated slowly. He nodded, glancing down at his clasped hands, seemingly unaware of how nervous Youngjae was becoming. “Doctor, do you remember...you once asked me about a man with the coloration of roses.”

Youngjae froze. He didn’t, that memory pushed to the back of his mind as something insignificant and easily forgotten. But as soon as the priest uttered the words, the image of Yugyeom flashed through his mind. He began to recall the conversation with Father Park, only vaguely, knowing it was before he and Yugyeom had formally met—it had been over a year ago!

“I..do,” he managed to say. The doctor willed himself calm, doing no good to be jittery for reasons he didn’t know for sure were there. Taking a sip of his water, he smiled up at the priest across from him. “Your memory is truly something, Father! That had been such a long time ago I had trouble figuring out what you were asking.”

A quick quirk of his lips was the only indication Youngjae received that the priest heard him.

“It seems you’ve found him.”

The sense of unease began to slowly creep back, Youngjae’s hand under the table clenching the fabric of his trousers. He did not respond.

“It was...quite startling to say the least, when I first saw him with you. I thought my eyesight had been failing me, but the color of roses….well, it would be hard to miss. Wouldn’t you agree, Doctor?”

“Yes…” The doctor was becoming more and more concerned with the way Father Park was acting, and his confusion only increased when he spoke of Yugyeom. The two had been careful, especially on Yugyeom’s part, to keep away from the eyes of the townspeople. He racked his brain for any possibilities they could have been careless or where someone could’ve seen them.

“Initially I had thought it was a passing event, that you only came across him because, despite my warning,” Father Park’s eyes met Youngjae’s, calm and composed, “Because you were simply curious. But then, imagine my surprise when I peer out the window to see the two of you stumbling around at daybreak.”

The doctor’s eyes widened. The glow from within the church windows hadn’t been a trick of the eyes; all those times they walked by, the priest had been there. If Father Park noticed Youngjae tense, he didn’t say. Instead, he continued, the smile not once having left his face.

“Like everyone else in our little town, I was sincerely happy for you when your mood suddenly brightened. That you had found a nice young woman to settle down with and begin a new chapter of your life,” the priest said, letting out a small laugh. “But it wasn’t a nice young woman, was it?”

Youngjae bit his tongue, resisting the urge to say it was them who made that rumor up, that it was of no one’s concern who he chose to love.

“What is this about, Father,” he asked carefully. He slowly unclenched his fist under the table, bringing it up to his other around his glass. It wouldn’t do to become angry.

“You’re a good man, Youngjae,” the doctor flinched at the use of his first name, something hardly anyone outside of his family and Yugyeom said, “From a good family who no doubt raised you well. So I come here as someone who cares for you and your future and...request you not see that man anymore.”

“Excuse me?” Youngjae’s head snapped up from staring at his hands, staring incredulously at the priest. His smile had gone, replaced with a thin line as he stared coolly back at the doctor. Youngjae couldn’t believe what he’d just heard, unable to form the proper words to question everything that was wrong with the situation.

—

“You cannot trust that man, he’s only ruining you—”

“I’m sorry, that is hardly any of your business!”

“He is manipulating you! That man is a danger—”

“How can you say such things abo—”

“—convincing you to sin, leading you astray! A good man like you deserves a woman and not—”

“Not what!”

“A man! I know you wouldn’t fall to such things unless someone was controlling you, caught under his evil spell—”

“Please stop, I can’t listen to this any longer—”

“How can you explain how enamored you’ve been in such a short amount of time? Do you know anything about him? Where he came from, if he even cares for you—”

“How dare you—”

“That man is wrong, a sinner, a creature bred from the darkness of the forest, breaking bread with Satan himself—”

“Father Park, that is enough!” Youngjae stood abruptly from his chair, hands clenched at his sides, barely contained anger painted on his reddening face. It felt like his whole body was shaking, ignited by the flame of rage, with every heavy breath he took as he stared down at someone he once held a great deal of respect for. The priest cleared his throat, caught off guard by Youngjae’s sudden exclamation. He leaned back in his seat and took a breath. If it weren’t for the red on his cheeks, he would’ve assumed Father Park hadn’t lost his composure at all. If it were a different time, the doctor might have applauded the older man for his cool demeanor, but know all he could think was how much he wanted the man to leave.

“You should go,” he finally said, as seconds passed and neither of them spoke. Youngjae was no less angry, appalled the man before him had the gall to say such things about himself and Yugyeom—the young man he’s sure the priest has never even met, so who is he to make such claims?!

The elder’s smile did not return, he narrowed his eyes and stood. “Perhaps it is best if I do.”

Youngjae walked him to the door, counting down the seconds the man would be gone from his home. He had nothing to say as he held the door open for the priest to walk out, only a curt bow. But before the doctor could close his door, Father Park turned around to him, a weary expression on his face.

“I hope you understand I mean no disrespect,” he said, and Youngjae resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The damage had already been done, but still he allowed the man to continue. “But you must realize, whatever feelings you have, the “love” you think it is, it is nothing but a lie. Do not be fooled. Break from his spell—”

“Good day, Father,” Youngjae all but hissed, interrupting before he could spout any more nonsense. The priest seemed unperturbed by the clear dismissal, but ever the gracious man, he smiled as he wish Youngjae the same.

It took a lot of willpower not to slam the door shut as the man walked away, smiling and bowing at everyone as if he hadn’t just insulted Youngjae in his own home. He rest his forehead on the door, closing his eyes and counting to ten, evening his breathing, to calm himself down. The man had absolutely no right in saying the things he did, invalidating his feelings as if he knew everything.

The doctor heaved a sigh, and pushed himself of the door, heading straight to his bedroom. He no longer wished to think about it, wanting to forget it more than anything. It was in those moments he wished Yugyeom were with him; to make him laugh, smile, cry, anything at all, just as long as he were there as a reminder of all the things that made him happy. A breeze came in through his window, turning the pages of the open notebook on his desk. It stopped on a page Youngjae recognized was written a few weeks ago while he and Yugyeom were out by the mountains looking for mugwort.

What had started as a typical entry on the environment, weather, and other notable plants, turned into childish drawings and equally silly descriptions of fictional things. Yugyeom had taken the book from his bag when they were taking a short rest under the shade of a large tree, frantically scribbling in what the doctor later found was a crude drawing of him with his sun hat and a frown on his face, but instead of his body it was that dog. Next to it were the words “Youngpuppy,” along with a short description of where it was found (in shady areas, typically indoors), its habits (whining and only repeating the words “too hot”), likes (jumping up and down, bothering Yugyeom, having its belly rubbed), and dislikes (heat, walking, being thirsty, running, physical activity). Underneath it, the doctor penned in his own..unique animal, after discovering his rather unflattering entry. He didn’t have dark red ink, Youngjae remembered crushing a berry and smearing the coloring into a shape that somewhat resembled hair, chuckling as he ran his finger over the now dried juices on the page. A “Kittyeom,” rose-like color and extremely fickle, that didn’t like much other than high places and sleeping, but on occasion would cuddle up to Youngjae. He didn’t get too far, Yugyeom having pulled him toward a nearby creek and insisted they at least dip their feet to cool off.

He smiled to himself, tracing over the words. Perhaps one day he’ll finish writing it and show Yugyeom, just to see his reaction. The doctor felt a little more at ease then, the tension seeping out of his body. He looked out his window, where the sun still remained high in the sky. There was still too much time left in the day, and unfortunately Youngjae didn’t have it in him to do much else. Forgetting his previous plan of reading, he shooed the crow that had been sitting on his windowsill, and drew his curtains.

He would sleep, sleep away the unpleasant feeling forming in his chest as he remembered the priest’s last words to him.

When Youngjae woke, the sun had already set. The sky was dyed a myriad of cool hues replacing the warm oranges and reds with the purples and blues of the night sky. Thankfully, it wasn’t as hot as it was earlier. He stretched, pulling his arms above his head, and wondered if he should bother with his evening routine of preparing supper and washing up before bed on account he slept away most of his day already. At the very least, he was calmer than he had been.

The doctor sighed and rubbed his growling stomach, perhaps food was a good idea. Sluggish, he shuffled out the door and downstairs, all his effort put in trying to figure out what he had left in his cupboards. The light from outside was enough for him to safely navigate through his house, but reaching the foot of the stairs, he hadn’t remembered lighting any candles in the kitchen before he went to bed earlier. In his inattentive state, he missed the figure curled up in the armchair staring out the window when he walked past.

Deciding on something simple consisting of bread and jam, Youngjae wasn’t expecting to see something already cooking on the stove. The smell made his mouth water instantly, and the closer he moved to the pan the hungrier he became. But before he could lift the cover to see what was cooking, two arms wrapped themselves around his waist and a head came to rest on his shoulder. Breathing in the familiar scent of mint and chocolate, he knocked his head against Yugyeom’s, leaning into the embrace.

“What a pleasant surprise,” he murmured, nosing the man’s hair, as if making sure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Me or the food?” was the muffled response.

“Ooh, tough question. May I abstain?” A pinch to the stomach showed that no, he may not abstain. Or possibly that his answer wasn’t satisfactory, one of the two. Youngjae just slapped at the arms around his middle and reached for the cover again, hunger getting the best of him.

“It’s glass noodles,” Yugyeom said, finally lifting his head and instead resting his chin on Youngjae’s shoulder. He waddled behind the doctor as he made his way closer to the pan.

“I had some?”

“Of course not,” Yugyeom snorted. “All you have is rice and rice and even more rice. I figured you would want something else. I left some in your pantry.”

“You’d make the perfect housewife,” he joked, but his laughter quickly turned into a noise of surprise when he leaned back into nothing, nearly falling over backward. The doctor turned around to face a displeased Yugyeom, standing a distance away from him with his arms crossed over his chest, hip cocked to the side.

“Aw Yugyeom,” Youngjae laughed, a hand reached out to tug at Yugyeom’s arms. The young man didn’t budge, huffing and turning away. “You know what I mean,” he tried again, a quick glance to make sure the flames of the stove weren’t going to consume his whole house, and stepped into Yugyeom’s space. He tried to catch the man’s eyes, tilting his head to-and-fro and until he decided to hold Yugyeom’s face in place with his hands. The pout was still present, but the man’s eyes glittered with amusement. “House...husband, then?” Youngjae grinned, pulling Yugyeom close enough to affectionately rub their noses together.

“A valiant effort,” the young man rolled his eyes. Youngjae grinned. “We are not married.”

“Perhaps someday we shall be,” the doctor mused, letting his hands drop to Yugyeom’s hips and pulling him close until their bodies were flush against one another. It was enough to get Yugyeom to uncross his arms and loosely wind them around his shoulders.

“Ah, that’s wishful thinking,” Yugyeom said softly, but smiled nonetheless. Youngjae too was aware the reality, the chance that they really could...but looking up at Yugyeom, he knew he wouldn’t want anyone else beside him.

“What?” the young man asked, gently knocking their foreheads together for Youngjae’s attention.

“Nothing at all,” he said with a grin. Yugyeom scoffed, muttering a quiet “of course,” and unwound his arms from around the doctor to place them on his shoulders. “Come on, you must be hungry,” he said, pushing the doctor off him, but to no avail.

“Youngjae, do you know how long I spent soaking this noodles before I could cook them,” he whined, slapping the older man’s shoulder to try to make him let go. “I know you’re hungry!” Yugyeom groaned, letting his head fall back while he pinched the bridge of his nose. Youngjae hummed into the man’s neck, closing his eyes, ready to fall back asleep on Yugyeom’s shoulder. Silence followed, and the doctor assumed his petulant little lover had given up trying to move him. He was about to concede, quickly kiss the man and finally attend to his rumbling stomach, when he felt Yugyeom’s breath tickling his ear.

“Unless..” he whispered, his voice low, sending a shiver down Youngjae’s back. “It is a different hunger you wish to satisfy?”

The doctor’s eyes immediately shot open, his heart nearly stopping. He felt Yugyeom bite down lightly on his earlobe and pull, releasing it just as quickly. Youngjae couldn’t tell if the room had become warmer or if it were because they were so close; he released a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he finally looked up at Yugyeom. Yugyeom, his lovely Yugyeom, looking at him with half lidded eyes and glistening pink lips parted in silent invitation. His eyes flickered from the man’s lips to his dark eyes, biting on his own lower lip when Yugyeom tilted his head to the side. Youngjae smiled, throwing caution to the wind, and leaned forward.

Only to be met with nothing; Yugyeom had moved his head at the last moment, removing himself from Youngjae’s loosened grasp and walking over to the stove. “Can you get the plates, please?” he asked nonchalantly, lifting the cover off the pan and recoiling when the steam rushed out.

The doctor stared open mouthed at him, disbelief passing through his body at what had just occurred. “Yugyeommmmmm,” he whined, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. “How could you be so cruel,” Youngjae pouted. He stepped behind the man, quickly hitting his back and sprinting away to where he kept the dishes before Yugyeom could turn around.

“I wasn’t too fond of the thought of simply standing there while you slept on me, especially when I went through the trouble of preparing this,” Yugyeom gestured to the pan of steaming noodles. “Did you think I was going to kiss you? I know you recently woke up.”

“That hasn’t stopped you before,” the doctor grumbled, pulling two plates from his cupboard and setting them on the table. He passed Yugyeom as he went to get the utensils, sticking his tongue out at the taller man as he did.

“Oh come off it,” Yugyeom rolled his eyes, setting the pan down. “I missed you,” he added quietly. He didn’t look up as he distributed the noodles to the plates, but the dust of pink on his cheeks did not go unnoticed.

Youngjae felt himself forget the conversation he had with Father Park, all the anger and unease gone from his mind, replaced with a warmth and lightness from hearing Yugyeom say those three words. He found himself smiling, and catching Yugyeom in a tight embrace from behind, he whispered, “I’ve missed you as well. Try not to leave me again, hm?”

The young man laughed, “Only if you can promise me the same.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that, there’s nowhere I’d rather be than with you.”

A groan.

“Some day you’ll come to appreciate my romantic gestures, and they’ll sweep you off your feet.”

“But not today.”

“Some day,” Youngjae dropped a kiss to the man’s shoulder and released him. “For now, I’m starving. Can we eat now?”

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just ask that.”

The two were in the forest again, Youngjae sat at the base of a tree while Yugyeom sat atop its branches, dropping leaves and the the honeysuckles he could reach into the doctor’s lap. Nora had made her appearance briefly, circling by the doctor’s feet before dashing off when Yugyeom decided to shower her with leaves instead. Several crows took the feline’s spot, landing in a flurry of feathers and scattering to different ends of the forest when Youngjae kicked his feet. (The young man had dropped a small branch on his head when he did). They sat in moderate silence, breaking it every so often with silly questions and comfortable conversation. At one point Youngjae tried to scale the tree, to which Yugyeom firmly said no and threatened his livelihood if he tried. Needless to say, the doctor stayed on the ground.

“Yugyeom?” he called out, looking up for the man.

“Yes?” Yugyeom was plucking the leaves off a small branch, dropping them to his side with no care for where they landed. Youngjae wrinkled his nose when one landed on his face. The noise was calming, in a way, slow and monotonous.

“Will you be coming back with me tonight?”

“Would you like me to?” he answered, without missing a beat or pausing in his leaf pulling.

“I would be offended if you think I wouldn’t,” the doctor said. Yugyeom peered over, putting the branch down in his lap, and smiled down at him.

“I would love to, but,” he said, Youngjae’s smile faltering as he continued. “I have my own home to go back to. I can’t keep lounging about in yours,” he giggled.

“You say that as if I mind that you do,” Youngjae countered. “My dreams would come true if you stayed with me for all eternity.”

Yugyeom hummed, nodding along. “I don’t doubt that. Truthfully I wouldn’t mind waking up next to you every morning, even if pester me to no end to wake up for who knows why,” he said, pausing while Youngjae laughed. “But if I were to stay with you, what would I do when you leave?”

“You needn’t confine yourself to my home, you could very well wander around town, or—”

“Youngjae,” he sighed, sounding tired as if he were talking to a child. The doctor closed his mouth, remembering Yugyeom’s particular feelings about being seen. He’d never questioned it much, nodded in understanding when he was first told and went along with his wishes, but so much time had passed since then; Youngjae still didn’t know why aside from a few vague words. “Please.”

The doctor wasn’t angry, he doubt he could ever truly be mad at Yugyeom, but he was unsettled by the man’s subtle refusal to answer his questions or at the very least give him a reasonable explanation. The words Father Park had spoke to him not more than two weeks ago coming to mind, do you know anything about him? How much did he really know about Yugyeom? Questions about where he lived, whom he lived with, his apprehension of the town, all left unanswered. Youngjae respected it, that perhaps Yugyeom did not wish to speak of it, but the conversation with the priest weigh heavily on his mind as of late. But was it worth playing ignorant fool while Youngjae himself had readily told him everything? Everyone had their secrets, but to keep them, especially over such simple things, from one’s own lover? Youngjae would not deny he was hurt.

“—jae, Youngjae?” Lost in his thoughts, the doctor hadn’t noticed that Yugyeom dropped down from the tree and was knelt before him, face only centimeters from his own. He widened his eyes in surprise and pressed himself to the trunk of the tree out of instinct.

“...Youngjae?” the young man repeated, immediately moving so they were just as close again. His big brown eyes searching his, looking at him with such worry and affection that Youngjae couldn’t believe he doubted Yugyeom. There was no faking the emotion swimming in the man’s eyes as he looked over Youngjae, his brows furrowed and lips pulled into a frown—he could barely hear the man’s questions over the sound of his heart beating in his ears. Everyone had their secrets, but hadn’t he promised to tell him? Yugyeom had said it himself, that he wished he could take Youngjae home, and someday he would. And Youngjae would wait, of course he would wait for the man to reveal everything he had on his own time. There was no rush, something the doctor admittedly forgot, they had time. There were of course things he didn’t know about the man and things Youngjae hadn’t told him, but...watching the young man fret over him and the worry etched in his face, he couldn’t help but smile.

“You...you!” Yugyeom stuttered, blinking back in surprise when the once blank expression on Youngjae’s face turned into a smile. His face was flushed red, teeth worrying his bottom lip, as his eyes flashed with relief, and then anger. “You idiot!” he shouted, slapping Youngjae’s chest once, and then again and again. “Don’t you ever do that again, was that your idea of a joke?”

The doctor laughed, loud and without abandon, his mouth open wide and eyes nearly closed, the more flustered Yugyeom became. He caught the man’s wrists before he could do any more damage to his chest, and pulled the young man forward until he was sprawled over his lap, face first into his chest. The doctor didn’t allow for Yugyeom to move before he wrapped his arms around the man’s shoulders, keeping him in place.

“Youngjae, what are you—” his lover whined into his chest, trying to push himself off while Youngjae only buried his face in the man’s hair, a wide smile on his face. Yugyeom of course didn’t know what had gone through Youngjae’s head, left confused and bewildered by the older man’s sudden actions.

“You,” he said. Yugyeom stopped struggling, so Youngjae continued. “You are so incredibly precious to me. Did you know that?”

He felt the man relax in his hold, and arms go around his back, clutching the back of his shirt. “Don’t do that again,” Yugyeom mumbled. Youngjae couldn’t see his face, but there was no doubt from his tone the man was pouting.

“Were you worried?” he teased, easing his hold on the man so Yugyeom could look up at him properly. As expected, the young man was less than amused. He stared up at the doctor with those bright eyes of his, a frown gracing his pretty pink lips—it would have been so easy to just lean down and steal a kiss, but instead Youngjae rubbed their noses together, pulling a quiet giggle from Yugyeom.

“I mean it,” he said. The young man’s frown gradually faded into a shy smile, eyes downcast to avoid looking into Youngjae’s as he pulled himself a little higher. “No matter what, you are the most important in my heart. I lo—” He didn’t get to finish, Yugyeom having surged up to capture his lips in a sudden kiss. Their mouths moved together, soft and languid, conveying all the affection, the warmth, the tenderness, and all the love that simple words could not.

“I know,” Yugyeom whispered when they broke apart, letting his forehead fall against Youngjae’s. “I do, too.” The doctor sighed happily, moving to brush his lips across Yugyeom’s forehead. He heard the young man laugh before he lift himself off the doctor, to adjust his position so he sat sideways between Youngjae’s legs.

“Did you hear a word I said earlier?” Yugyeom asked, settled comfortably against the doctor’s chest, the mood shifting to something lighter. He tugged on Youngjae’s bracelet, moving the hand thrown loosely around his middle. Youngjae hummed, carding his fingers through Yugyeom’s hair, watching the strands fall softly atop one another.

“Just my name. Was it important?” He resisted the urge to comment that his name was also important.

“No, not anymore.” The young man let his hand drop in favor of cupping his cheek so that he face Yugyeom. Youngjae leaned into the hand, closing his eyes when Yugyeom ran a thumb over his cheek. “I change my mind.”

“Hm?”

“I will go back with you.” The doctor’s eyes snapped open, staring at the younger man, pleasantly surprised. Yugyeom rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he smiled. With the hand still on Youngjae’s cheek, he pinched the man, “And next time, pay attention to me.”

Youngjae flinched away from the offending hand, rubbing his cheek and pouting at the man. “Uncalled for!” he whined. Yugyeom only grinned and set his head on the doctor’s shoulder. “Brat,” he muttered, but brought his arms around Yugyeom, tugging him closer.

“Old man,” Yugyeom chirped back.

“On second thought, you can go home and leave me to my wounds in peace,” Youngjae huffed.

“You don’t mean that,” Yugyeom yawned, shifting he lay lower against Youngjae’s body, and closed his eyes.

“And if I do?”

“Then I’ll go home.”

“You were supposed to say “Oh no, I’m sorry Youngjae, please let me go with you!”

“Oh no, I’m sorry Youngjae, please let me go with you!”

“Why do I feel like I’ve lost somehow?”

“Mhmm.”

“Yugyeom?”

“Hush now, nap with me.”

Youngjae rolled his eyes, of course Yugyeom would want to sleep. Nevertheless he closed his eyes and leaned back his head, complying with the request.

“I expect you to take full responsibility if I wake up with any bites,” he added.

“I’ll show you a bite if you don’t be quiet,” Yugyeom mumbled back, by the sound of it halfway to sleep already.

“That’s a promise the—ow! Stop pinching me!”

Later on, long after the hours of day passed, Youngjae sat awake running his fingers across the bite mark Yugyeom left on his shoulder not long ago. He silently cursed his past self for saying anything when they were in the forest. It hadn’t hurt at the time; Youngjae had hardly noticed it, preoccupied with drawing out every moan and whimper he could from his bashful lover. Bites, marks, bruises, all were given and repaid in kind throughout the night, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he missed any. He looked over at the sleeping man beside him, brushing the damp hair from his forehead Youngjae leaned over to press a light kiss to his cheek. Yugyeom sighed in his sleep, shifting to lay on his side, a blissful smile on his face. The doctor matched it with one of his own, before laying back down and pulling the covers over both their bodies.

Despite how much he wished he could pinch the younger man’s nose for bruising bite on his shoulder, Youngjae couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing—afterall, petty revenge was more Yugyeom’s territory than his.

Weeks passed, time watching people carry out their daily lives, withstanding the summer rains and enduring the heat as they bustled about. Despite all that, Youngjae felt the future looked rather bleak.

“You’re the bleak one,” Yugyeom said.

“You don’t understand! My autumn will be overcome by heat, tainting it into an...an extended summer!” he wailed, sniffling as he bit into his sandwich. Youngjae had prepared them beforehand, packing lunch neatly into a basket and surprising Yugyeom when he arrived at the clearing.

The young man rolled his eyes, recognizing the moment as one he should let Youngjae ramble on. He bit into his own sandwich, nodding and occasionally making a sound of agreement while Youngjae continued to complain about the seasons. Above them, the sky was gray, clouds low and dark looming across the earth. A bird’s caw was heard in the distance. Yugyeom stared up, the slight breeze ruffling his hair as he continued to nod along to Youngjae’s complaints.

“And my clothing sticks to me like a seco—are you listening to me?” the doctor asked, pausing in his rant when he finally noticed Yugyeom’s lack of response.

“Not entirely,” he answered honestly. “Something about bursting into flames whilst walking home?”

“Oh ha, ha, very funny,” Youngjae said, pushing the man’s shoulder over the basket. “I didn’t realize my suffering was so unimportant to you.”

“Not unimportant,” Yugyeom replied, brushing off the look of disbelief Youngjae sent his way. “It amuses me.”

“Well what a relief that my pain brings you such joy!” the doctor exclaimed, sarcasm dripping off every word. Yugyeom hid his laugh in another bite of his sandwich, watch Youngjae wave his arms around and practically roll his eyes halfway to the skies. “My life’s goal, to make your majesty Yugyeom laugh, absolutely fulfilling!”

Yugyeom didn’t bother with masking his laughter the more Youngjae spoke, laughing freely and throwing his head back with every outrageous claim. “Is this amusing you, my dear? Or will I have to work harder, perhaps I’ll fall and not find myself able to rise again!”

“Youngjae!” Yugyeom said between breathes, finding it difficult to say anything without another giggle bubbling from his throat, “Please, stop!”

“Oh, I can’t hear a thing over this melodious sound,” the doctor moaned, quickly removing the basket from between them to scoot over until their thighs touch. “For the sake of Yugyeom’s amusement,” he said, and grabbed the man’s arm while he continued to laugh, forcibly pulling it to his chest as he let himself fall backward to the ground with Yugyeom on top of him. “I fall!”

“Youngjae!” “Yugyeom!” They shouted over each other, before Youngjae burst into a fit of giggles. The young man only stared incredulously down at him, a mixture of horror and confusion on his face. Only when the doctor began to did Yugyeom give in, a few chuckles escaping him.

“You’re impossible,” he snickered, shaking his head. The man’s bangs tickled Youngjae’s forehead, adding to the reasons why he laughed.

“And you,” Youngjae said, taking a few breathes and reaching up to thumb across the crescent shape of Yugyeoms eyes, sparkling like they always did for as long as Youngjae had known him. “You’re the moon.”

He smiled as Yugyeom shyly ducked his head down, biting his lip down to keep from smiling himself. Youngjae craned his neck to kiss the man’s forehead, resting back down in time to catch a hint of red crawling up the Yugyeom’s neck. But, Youngjae was not quite done.

“...Your face is so big and bright,” he continued, only to burst out laughing once more, unable to keep his expression calm. The sound quickly filling the silence and drowning out Yugyeom’s embarrassed splutters. He rolled out from under the young man before he could strike him, scrambling to his feet when he was a safe enough distance away.

“Revenge is sweet,” he shouted, dodging Yugyeom’s outstretched arms.

“It looks it will rain soon,” the doctor said, staring at the dark clouds hovering over them.

“So you won’t have to worry about bursting into flames,” the young man quipped back.

“How witty, please do tell another,” Youngjae said flatly. Yugyeom grinned over at him and bumped their shoulders together, finding it fairly simple to bring the doctor’s smile back. “Excuse me,” he said, “I’m trying very hard to be displeased with you.”

“And how is that working for you?” Yugyeom crooned, leaning over to rest his chin on Youngjae’s shoulders and wrapping his arms around the elder man’s waist in a side hug. He rolled his eyes, but there was little to no fight in preventing the small smile from appearing on his face. Youngjae turned his head to lay a kiss at the corner of Yugyeom’s eye, the only place he could reach without stretching his neck too far, nuzzling the side of the young man’s face when his light giggles flittered through the air.

“I take that as a “not well?” Yugyeom asked, leaning forward to press their lips together in a chaste kiss.

“You make if very difficult,” Youngjae murmured, suddenly fixated on Yugyeom’s mouth as he chased for another kiss. The young man obliged, tilting his head to meet Youngjae, and sighed in content as Youngjae turned in his embrace and reached a hand up to cup the back of Yugyeom’s neck. Breaking apart only when the need for oxygen became too great, Youngjae took the opportunity to pepper light kisses all over he young man’s face, grabbing hold of his cheeks when Yugyeom tried to squirm away.

“Youngjae, stop! You’re getting your saliva all over me!” the young man squealed, trying to push Youngjae’s face away from his own, not expecting the sudden onslaught of kisses.

“Not a chance,” he said with glee, diving in to land a particularly wet kiss to the side of Yugyeom’s mouth, drawing a disgusted groan from the man. “Don’t you want me to no longer be displeased with you?” Youngjae continued to kiss Yugyeom, on both his eyelids, nose, beauty mark, cheeks, everywhere he could reach whilst dodging his hands and eventually causing Yugyeom to giggle.

“Isn’t that a tad excessive,” the man said when he eventually got Youngjae to sit back and leave him to wipe at his face with the corner of his cloak.

“You adore it,” the doctor preened, his eyes flashed mischievously as if daring Yugyeom to retaliate. To which Yugyeom scoffed and lightly shoved at his shoulder.

“Now, now, don’t pout or I’ll have to do something about that, my moon faced love,” Youngjae teased, tapping the tip of the young man’s nose, taking delight in the way Yugyeom’s eyes lit up, as if a flame was ignited.

“You are treading dangerous waters, Youngjae,” he muttered darkly, unamused by the new nickname.

“You can exact your revenge on me later,” Youngjae said, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. He picked up the basket and extended a hand out to Yugyeom, pulling the man up when he placed his hand in his. “Though I ask you to refrain from biting me, my shoulder ached for days!”

“I know, you wouldn’t stop complaining for days,” Yugyeom recalled, lacing their fingers together. “You never heard me complain about my aches and sores.”

“Only because I take such good care of you,” Youngjae said as he brought their joined hands up to his mouth, pressing his lips to the back of Yugyeom’s hand. The young man rolled his eyes, but allowed Youngjae to do as he pleased and followed behind him as they started walking back to the town.

“Is that your ego talking?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” he hummed, swing their hands back and forth. Yugyeom stifled a laugh behind his hand, rolling his eyes fondly, as the two continued their way back still bickering as they went.

The winds around them picked up, the young man’s cloak pulled and twisted in every which way behind him and the trees around them bent and waved, the leaves rustling and drowning out any further conversation.

“We should hurry,” Yugyeom whispered to him, pressed up against the doctor’s side. Youngjae only nodded, not too keen on staying outdoors when there looked to be a heavy storm coming. With one last thoughtful look to the sky, Yugyeom pulled on his hood as Youngjae tugged on his hand to follow, eager to get home.

Rain hadn’t fallen yet, but the rumbling from the skies told them it would be soon. They quickened their pace to a light sprint as the first few raindrops dotted the dirt path, coloring the ground in a dark brown more and more the faster they went. Yugyeom had begun to laugh when the wind tore off his hood and brushed his hair back, the sprinkles of rain hitting his face. It wasn’t so strange, that a child of the forest welcome the natural elements of their world like an old friend. Listening to the young man’s happy giggles Youngjae couldn’t help but wonder how many times Yugyeom had been out in the rain before. His lips curving upward into a smile despite the rain pelting against his face, he imagined the young man running through the forest, dancing in the rain with Nora or an imaginary partner, or perhaps in moments like that he stood still with his face tilted up and let the rain wash over him listening to the sound of silence. As he looked over to Yugyeom, who had a hand stretched out to catch the rain in his palm, Youngjae wondered what was so fascinating.

His hair stuck to his forehead and his clothes began to become heavy with water, but instead of breaking into a run like he should have, he slowed into a stop, nearly getting knocked over by Yugyeom whom didn’t realize Youngjae was standing still.

“Youngjae? Why did we stop?”

“Tell me,” he said, turning to face Yugyeom. Like himself, Yugyeom’s hair stuck to his face, once rose colored strands a dark maroon plastered against his forehead and cheeks. Raindrops clung to his eyelashes, dripping down his face with every blink. He stared down at the doctor, unbothered. Their hands were still clasped together, rain slipping in between their fingers and palms, but neither one of them wanted to let go. “What’s so great about the rain?”

Half expecting Yugyeom to give him a strange look and tell him to stop being stupid, he wasn’t prepared for him to start laughing. “You couldn’t wait for us to be inside to ask me that?”

“That...may have been smarter,” Youngjae replied, shifting around in his shoes, inwardly grimacing at his incredibly soaked socks. He wasn’t thinking, something he found to happen a lot around Yugyeom.

“As long as you don’t get sick later on,” Yugyeom teased, eyes dancing with mirth, “I can indulge you with this. Have you heard the poem that goes “sweet April showers/do spring May flowers?”

“Yes, vaguely,” the doctor said. He brought his free hand over his eyes, barely able to see Yugyeom with the rain in his eyes. “But it isn’t April, nor is it May.”

“Yes, of course,” Yugyeom chuckled, looking down at their feet almost bashfully, “But I enjoy the idea behind it. That the rain makes way for something new and wonderful. Like, it washes the old away so new can grow.”

Youngjae crinkled his nose. “It’s just liquid,” he said. “But I understand, it’s a rather positive view on things. I myself never cared for the rain much.”

“Yet, here you stand.”

“Very true,” the doctor made a small noise of amusement, pushing his wet hair back.

“Perhaps I can change your mind then?” Yugyeom smirked when Youngjae quirked a brow at him. He shook his hand free from the doctor’s, sliding up to rest above his heart while his other hand went into the doctor’s hair, the wet strands gently. The man paused centimeters from Youngjae’s lips, catching his widened eyes and winked, before slotting his mouth over Youngjae’s in a deep kiss.

Youngjae stood in shock, not reacting at first, not until Yugyeom made a small noise of frustration in the back of his throat and pull on his hair did he return the passion. The low moan the young man let out when Youngjae pressed himself closer, lips moving against Yugyeom’s and hands going up to rest at the small of his back, only spurred the doctor on. The feeling was different; the sound of the rain falling around them was soothing and rhythmic, and he should have felt cold standing there as the wind blew, but kissing Yugyeom, holding him, Youngjae felt warm as if he were laying in bed under the covers.

“Do you have a slightly better appreciation now?” Yugyeom smiled at him, breathless. His fingers untangled themselves from Youngjae’s hair, moving to rest on his shoulder. Youngjae himself was still a little starry-eyed at his lover, captivated by how absolutely bright he shone.

“One more time?” he whispered in a small voice, as if he were afraid it was all a dream and he’d wake up to nothing. Yugyeom’s eyes crinkled up into little crescents as he giggled, lips pulled into a wide smile as he took Youngjae’s hand again and kissing his forehead, rather than where Youngjae wanted him to. “When we get inside,” he said, “Your hands are freezing!”

“Who’s fault is that?” the doctor said, resuming their trek back.

“Yours, if I recall,” Yugyeom answered cheekily. “It was apparently so very important you find out why I like the rain!”

“Ah…so it was. You’ll have to refresh my memory what exactly happened, it appears I’m a bit...dazed.”

“Well if you ask nicely, I’m sure I can help you with that.”

(Youngjae wouldn’t notice until later he let go of the basket, leaving it lost in the woods taken by the wind.)

The large clocktower peeked out from just beyond the trees ahead of them. The two had run the rest of the way, splashing in puddles and ducking under trees, they ran and laughed like little children, hands held together to whole way. His mother told him once that running in the rain only caused you to become more wet, and walking was much safer. But what his mother didn’t know would save him from a scolding, he thought absentmindedly as he slowed into a slight jog. The rain wasn’t as heavy as it had been before, but enough to blur the short path ahead of them.

They were almost there, when suddenly a dark mass darted toward them, running around Yugyeom’s feet.

“Nora!” he heard the man exclaim, hand pulling away from his. “What are you doing out, you silly cat?” Yugyeom fussed, sounding irritated, but the way he was knelt down in an instant shielding her from the rain with his damp cloak Youngjae knew better. It was strange, why she came from the direction of the town, more than what the feline had been doing out in the first place.

Nora’s tail was restless, twitching every which way as were her ears, as if she were nervous. Youngjae assumed it was from being out in the rain, and Yugyeom must’ve assumed the same as he cooed quiet words of safety to her while running hand down her back. The doctor sniffled, loud enough for Yugyeom to hear and send him an apologetic glance. Nora, as per usual, didn’t care for Youngjae’s feelings, and rather than let the young man carry her in his arms, she her head against his leg. She was so insistent, repeating the action multiple times, and went as far as to pull on his pant leg with her teeth. Yugyeom looked up to Youngjae in confusion, but he hadn’t the slightest idea what was going on either.

“Nora, what’s wrong, why do you want me to go?” he asked. The cat only meowed, looking at Youngjae before turning its gaze back to its owner. “Wha—” Her ears twitched again, and Yugyeom stilled. The doctor looked on, increasingly more confused and was about to say something when he heard voices coming toward them.

“Youngjae.” He looked back to Yugyeom, taken aback but the sudden pained expression on his face.  He was no longer knelt on the ground, Nora wound protectively around his legs. He was hunched over himself, like he was purposefully trying to make himself smaller, and gone was the grin from earlier. Like a scared child his eyes darted from Youngjae to the path of the town, back and forth, back and forth; it was making Youngjae quite scared for him as well. “I need to go, I can’t, I’m so—”

“Yugyeom, what’s wrong? What’s happened? Are you alri—” he tried to reach out for the man, to figure out what was wrong and why he’s suddenly so scared, but Yugyeom doesn’t let him. One moment he was there, pleading to Youngjae about something, and the next he had his arms around the doctor in a tight embrace before he pulled back to press a kiss to his forehead. “I’ll explain next time, I’m sorry.” And then, he ran.

“Yugyeom!” he shouted into the rain, about to run after him, but a hand on his arm stopped him. Looking back, Youngjae’s eyes widened in shock as he stared into the face of Father Park. “What?” he uttered, disbelief washing over his features.

“Go! Don’t let him get away!” the priest shouted to a group of men Youngjae hadn’t noticed before behind them. In the rain they all looked the same, older men with hard expressions. He couldn’t hear what they were shouting over the sound of blood rushing in his ears, becoming more frantic and confused by the second. Why did Yugyeom leave? Why was Father Park there? Were they going after Yugyeom? Just what was happening?!

The hand on his arm loosened some, but not enough for him to pull free.

“Doctor, are you alright?” Father Park spoke, looking over the doctor with some concern in his dark eyes. Youngjae didn’t know how to answer, the last time they had spoken did not end so well, and then he suddenly appeared asking if he was alright? Right after Yugyeom had ran off? He truthfully didn’t know.

“Of course the boy isn’t,” a new voice joined in. “Who knows what that vile thing did to him!”

“Mr...Heo?” Youngjae said weakly. Said man looked toward him, a soft smile on his aged face. He felt ill.

“Hello, doctor,” Mr. Heo said. Again, Youngjae didn’t respond. The two older man fell into a quiet conversation with one another, leaving him with his thoughts. The Father hadn’t let go of his arm, so there was no way for him to try and find Yugyeom, or even go home. He did not, could not rather, understand what was happening. Everything was fine, more than fine! He and Yugyeom were good, they were happy, running through the rain together with promises of warm tea and even warmer kisses when they reached home. But then...It had all turned so terribly so quickly Youngjae’s mind had yet to catch up.

The three stood in the rain, two waiting for the others they were with to return, and one simply wishing he were elsewhere.

"Father!" a voice called out. The doctor looked up, half in fear they had Yugyeom with them, half in hopes they had come back with nothing. Mr. Heo was a little more impatient with his reaction, about to run forward to meet him if not for Father Park holding an arm out before him.

"What is it?" Father Park shouted back.

"Do they have him?" Mr. Heo asked him, lowering the priest's arm with his hand, assuring him he wasn't going to run toward the group. Father Park shook his head, he didn't know. Youngjae held his breath, praying that they weren't speaking about Yugyeom. It couldn't be Yugyeom, it couldn't, he repeated in his head like a mantra. The doctor knew how Father Park felt about Yugyeom, but it wasn't possible that he would go as far as to go after him. It wasn't.

There was no response from the other group, nothing except the sound of the rain. Youngjae was cold, but he couldn't feel anything, numb. Father Park and Mr. Heo were dressed in cloaks, as were the other men that came with them; they were prepared for it.

"Were you following me?" Youngjae asked. His head was bowed, looking down blankly, his eyes watching the rain drops that fell from his hair to the ground. He had given up trying to get out of Father Park's hold, his arm laying limp to his side. There was no response, but the doctor didn't know if he wanted to know at all.

There was only more silence, until a sharp cry pierced through the air.

"Yugyeom!" Youngjae shouted, snapping up at the noise. He struggled to move forward, to break free from the priest's grasp but the older man had an iron grip he couldn't get out of. "Let me go!" he begged, "Yugyeom!"

"Doctor, calm yourself!" It wasn't Father Park that spoke, but Mr. Heo. The elderly man had a stern look upon his face, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling him back. "You can't let him get to you!"

And then to Father Park, "Shouldn't we send him back? He should not be here!"

"No, we don't know how strong of a hold he has on him, he may try and help him escape," the priest spoke calmly. He hadn't torn his gaze from the forest ahead of him, watching carefully for the other townsmen to return.

"What is going on, Father?" Youngjae demanded to know, shaking his arm in an attempt to get free. The priest cast him a glance, not bothered by the doctor's jostling. "Patience, Doctor Choi. It'll all be over soon."

"Father Park!" "Father we've found him!" The voices drew closer, the group from before trudging through the rain back toward them. Youngjae heard Mr. Heo sigh in relief, and Father Park once again loosened his grip on his arm. The doctor strained his ears for anything that would indicate Yugyeom was alright and unharmed—the cry was most definitely him. There were a lot of grunts and hisses, and soon all of  them were visible, making their way toward them. Youngjae didn't care about the rest of them, only concentrating on the man held in the center between two others.

"Let's go," he heard one of them say.

"Let go of me," Yugyeom spat, followed by a hiss of pain. The doctor so badly wanted to run to him, take him away from whatever was going on. The closer they got, Youngjae could make out the bright red staining the young man's lips and the discoloration on his cheek. They had hurt him. They hurt Yugyeom, and for what?! The doctor was distraught, actively struggling against the priest's hold. He hadn't even noticed Mr. Heo grabbing him and pulling him back either.

"A job well done, Mr. Jeong, Mr. Kim," Father Park thanked the two men holding either of Yugyeom's arms. The young man's hands were bound between his back, leaving him to push and pull against his captors. "You've all done the town a great service," the man smiled when they, with Yugyeom, reached them.

Youngjae looked between the priest and the men he all knew and had helped once before, in utter disbelief that the good people of his town would do such a thing. Snapping from his stupor, his eyes searched for Yugyeom's for any sign he was alright. Wounds were easy enough to take care of, be he needed to know he was alright.

Yugyeom, on the other hand, was stunned. He had momentarily stopped struggling when he was pushed to kneel on the ground before Youngjae, the priest, and the old man. Youngjae tried to reach out for him, called his name, but ultimately restrained by Mr. Heo. The men that had caught him stood on either side of him, watchful eyes trained on him lest he escape.

"What do you want?" he growled, staring defiantly up at the priest. Youngjae watched Father Park smile and step forward, a sudden chill running down his body. He watched Yugyeom, noticing how white his knuckles had gone behind his back, and the slight shivers racking his body. They were caught in a fierce staring contest, but despite the strong front Yugyeom put on, Youngjae recognized the fear in his eyes.

"Your evil will be put to a stop, witch!" Mr. Heo sneered from behind the doctor. Yugyeom tensed up at his words, but didn't break his gaze at Father Park.

"Witch?" Youngjae repeated, his brows furrowing. "They..they don't exist!"

"If only that were the case, Doctor Choi," Father Park finally spoke. He grabbed Yugyeom's face between his fingers, forcing his neck up to meet his gaze. He flinched, wincing in pain from the priest's tight grip digging into his cheeks. The smile was unkind and cold, only growing wider as he jerked the young man's face around. "But you're in the presence of one of them right now."

"What?" Youngjae's eyes widened, anything he wanted to say dying in his throat. "What are you saying? That can't be—they don't, it can't be true!"

"Yugyeom, was it?" the priest continued, leaving Youngjae to stare in shock.

"I don't have to answer to a monster like you," Yugyeom snarled back, uncaring that he was at the mercy of the priest and those around him. Mr. Kim stepped forward, ready to further restrain the man. Father Park held up a hand to stop him, not tearing his eyes from those of the young man.

"It seems you weren't taught well enough to avoid "monsters," Father Park said, chuckling at the man. "Look where you are, boy. There is no getting out of this."

Yugyeom remained silent. The smile on Father Park's face disappeared, and let go of the man, pulling back his hand as if it were burned.

"Answer the man, heathen!"

"No, it's alright. He need not answer to me," he said calmly. Then, locked eyes with Youngjae who had been watching the whole exchange with disbelief. "But perhaps to our dear doctor?"

"Yugyeom?" Youngjae called out tentatively.

Yugyeom's head snapped up in Youngjae's direction, the anger ebbing away to leave the fear and panic open on the young man's face as he stared back at  Youngjae. The others were quiet, watching over with disinterest, conversing in low tones with each other instead.

"Yugyeom...is that...are you...?" Youngjae could not get the words out, unable to speak what he could not comprehend. Perhaps it was all one big joke, something the priest had made up to get them to stop seeing each other. He would leave the town that he resided in for years if it meant he could keep Yugyeom by his side, away from the liars and accusers of such blasphemy. But the longer the silence dragged on, the more quickly he was losing hope that it was false.

"I.." Yugyeom began to say. He bit down on his lip, a fresh trickle of blood running down his chin. But the pain reflected in his eyes, it wasn't from his wound. Youngjae waited for an answer, a mantra of "please, please, please" running through his head. When Yugyeom looked away, bowing his head, Youngjae felt like he was going to collapse. The man's eyes were hidden behind his hair, the shadows on his face hiding his expression—was it it shame, or was it just reluctance to admit the truth? The doctor didn't have a chance to demand an answer, not when Father Park stepped between them and quietly asked the townsmen to "take the witch away."

There were no sounds of resistance, no biting words, just the sound of the rain around them as they lifted Yugyeom to his feet and led him toward the town. Youngjae stared at the empty spot where Yugyeom was, the numbness in his bones spreading to the rest of his body, rooting him to the ground. He did not pay attention to the concerned look from Mr. Heo, or notice Father Park shake his head and send the elderly man away. He barely registered the priest letting go of his arm and placing a hand on his shoulder; he couldn't feel it through the cold.

"It'll be over soon," he heard the man say. "You'll return to your senses. It'll be alright, Youngjae." There was a sigh when Youngjae didn't answer, and the hand was taken off his shoulder. Replacing it was something heavier and thicker, coming to drape around his shoulders and head. The rain stopped running down his face, but was no less cold. The doctor looked over in surprise, clutching the cloak together in the middle, his mouth agape. Father Park only smiled and nodded, the rain beginning to soak his own clothing. "You need it more than I do," he said softly, and began to head back. The doctor supposed he was thankful he didn't ask him to follow along, leaving him with his own thoughts.

"What..." he found himself saying before he thought it through. Father Park paused, his head turned slightly to listen. "What will happen to him?"

"He will be held somewhere in town until tomorrow," the priest explained. He had resumed walking, as if the conversation wasn't important enough for him to stay. "Then he will be tried for his sins."

"A trial?" Youngjae said to himself, holding onto the cloak more tightly.

"And might I advise you one last time, Doctor, do not try and find him." The priest paused. "Get some rest, I will deal with the witch." He kept walking until he disappeared beyond the trees and into the rain, leaving Youngjae standing brokenly on the side of the path. "The witch," was what Yugyeom was reduced to. A creature of the night children were told to be afraid of, to hide, and keep away from their wicked spells and curses.

And that was what Yugyeom was.

The rain hadn't stopped even when the doctor reached his home.

He walked back like he had lost his soul, blank and listless, dragging his feet along the ground. Following the same path out of memory rather than paying attention to his surroundings, Youngjae just wanted to hide away in bed and wish it were all just a bad dream. He passed other townspeople on his way, some were whispering behind his back, while others sent him looks of pity, sympathy, or disappointment. But Youngjae didn't care, he never had, the only thing on his mind was how to cure the excruciating pain in his chest. He loved Yugyeom; the sweet man with a silver tongue, the overgrown child that always tried to convince him to stay in bed, the mischievous boy that loved chocolates, Youngjae was so in love with Yugyeom that when the man refused to answer him, it was like his own heart was ripped from his chest and trampled on.

The doubt that lay under careful wraps came back, rearing its ugly head up and weaving itself into all of his thoughts—did Yugyeom ever trust him? Youngjae remembered giving the man time, the benefit of the doubt, that one day he would share everything with him.

But it appeared that their time had run out.

He felt foolish, and wanted nothing more than to forget everything; to forget Yugyeom, everything they've done together; forget the town, and leave it all behind. He slid down against his door, digging his palms into his eyes. Youngjae was aware of the mess he was creating on the floor, and the wet clothes sticking uncomfortably to his skin, but none of it mattered. He could hear Yugyeom in the back of his mind chiding him for creating puddles all over his floor that one day he came in from the rain, he could hear himself ordering Yugyeom to strip off his wet clothing when they ran through the snow; everything he did and everything around him all held memories of him and Yugyeom, and they wouldn't leave his head no matter how hard Youngjae tried to will them away. He knew he didn't want to forget them, but being lied to in such a way that he had to question everything the young man ever said to him, it was a betrayal Youngjae didn't know from how to recover.

A quiet sob was ripped from his throat, the hot tears running down his face no matter how hard he pressed against his eyes. The doctor down on his lip to keep his cries quiet, but the more he tried to contain them, the harder it became to just stop and breathe. He lay slumped over himself, curling around his knees and sobbed. He cried for how blindly ignorant he was, he cried for Yugyeom, he cried for the trust he had in Yugyeom crumbling, but most importantly, he cried for his foolish heart that still beat for Yugyeom. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! He knocked his head against the door, tears still falling from his eyes, and grit his teeth in restraint from screaming.

They all had known before he had; Yugyeom kept it from him and the townspeople...the priest...they ruined all of it in one fell swoop. As if Father Park held the hammer and shattered the happy little illusion that was his life. Yet a part of the doctor still held onto the small hope that Yugyeom planned to tell him one day. He didn't know what to do, who to trust, what to believe anymore. Youngjae didn't know anything.

The doctor had eventually moved to clean himself up, taking a warm bath and leaving his clothes to dry. He wasn't cold, not after soaking in hot water and sitting by the fire, but even with all that, the numbness hadn't gone away. He couldn't scrub away the redness under his eyes, or the tired look from his; no matter how he tried, he couldn't even lift the corners of his lips into anything other than a straight line. He had a cup of tea, mixing in honey and some sugar for his throat and in case he caught something, and left it on the table when he went to fetch his cloak. Youngjae had to find Yugyeom, just to see him even if he weren't able bring himself to believe anything the man had to say. He ran his finger along the green leather bracelet, tracing the outline of the sun, unable to bring himself to take it off. Perhaps that was reason enough as well.

So he snuck out into the night, hiding in the shadows and hurriedly moving along. The rain had stopped by then, but the smell still hung in the air as a reminder. Father Park hadn't mentioned where they were keeping Yugyeom, only that it was in town, but Youngjae would not allow that to deter him. He had also lived in the town for a long time, there was no where he wouldn't know.

It was not difficult to find out, people in town were not the most secretive and often spoke loudly, especially when they thought they were alone.

Slipping past the men that ambled out of the tavern, and into an old building close to the outskirts of their town, he pulled down his hood. The building was one he passed many times, but never had much reason to enter. It had been there since before Youngjae settled in, and was told it was something akin to a storage space for any brick, wood, building materials and the like. It held true, from the piles and piles of logs and brick he could make out from the dim light that filtered in through the high windows. Or at least until he reached the back, where he was met with a door. The doctor took a deep breath, steeling himself before he turned the knob—there was only one place Yugyeom could be.

The first thing he heard when the pushed open the door was a low growl coming from the end of the narrow corridor he had stepped into. The only source of light from the window at the end, illuminating nothing but the metal bars there and the gray stones that lined the hall.

"Yugyeom," he breathed. He didn't dare step forward, conflicted if he made the right decision in going to see him.

There was no response, only the jingle of a chain, before, "...Youngjae?" The doctor in a breath, Yugyeom's voice was hoarse, as if he'd been screaming for hours; something he didn't doubt, considering the circumstances of his containment.

"Youngjae?" he called out again, followed by more light clinks.

"I'm here," Youngjae finally said, letting go of a breathe he didn't know he was holding. He slowly walked forward, until he was nearly up against the bars. From that distance he could make out Yugyeom's outline sat up against the wall, directly under the window, his arms laying limply at his sides. Long metal shackles around his wrists were attached to the wall on either side of him, keeping him there.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" he said, not waiting for the man to say anything more. He needed to know, to hear Yugyeom answer his questions.

Yugyeom didn't answer immediately, looking down at his lap. But Youngjae knew he understood. "Some day."

"That's not good enough for an answer, Yugyeom!" The doctor grabbed at the bars, anger and frustration flaring up inside him again. "Why couldn't you just tell me?"

"What good would that have done?" Yugyeom growled back, matching the intensity of Youngjae's tone. He made a move to get closer, shifting into the moonlight. The sight of him made Youngjae flinch, almost taking a step back. The blood on his lip had dried, leaving angry dark red lines running down his chin. The bruise had fully bloomed on his cheek, a dark purple with yellowing edges nearly reaching his eyes—oh his eyes, they were no worse than Youngjae's own. Red rimmed and tired, and a multitude of different emotions passing through them. But despite that, Youngjae still wasn't be able to say he was anything less than beautiful. The wounds contrasted with the smooth paleness of his skin, making the colors so vibrant no matter how gruesome it look, and the man's eyes still shone with an intensity as bright as the stars themselves, even in anger and fear.  "It wouldn't have changed anything, Youngjae."

"You don't know that," Youngjae retorted, "Something could've been done, I could have..we could have been more careful!"

"Do you think that would have made a difference when they found out?" Yugyeom asked, shaking his head at the doctor's answer. "The only thing that would change is you would be in here with me! I wasn't going to let that happen!"

"That isn't for you to decide, Yugyeom. I can make my own choices!" he said back, the volume in his voice rising before it fell to a quiet whisper. "I...I would have rather been beside you than this!"

"You can't say that," the young man said immediately, as if shocked. His eyes snapped up to meet Youngjae's, fierce and daring the older man to argue with him.

"You can't make my decisions for me," he said firmly, meeting the intense stare with one of his own. No words were exchanged after, they only stared at each other, either man unwilling to yield. Youngjae knew what he wanted, and would have gladly stood behind Yugyeom if he were privy to the information. Instead, they stood at opposite ends all because Yugyeom was so secretive.

"Do you know what they do to people like me?" Yugyeom spoke, voice quiet as he tore his eyes away from Youngjae's to look down at the dirty ground. The anger seeped out of his body as he moved to curl into himself, like he was scared. The doctor could only imagine what it was like to be in his place.

"Does it matter? He said...Father Park said you will be tried. But there's nothing to try you for, they have to let you go!" Youngjae told him what he knew, but unhappy with the change in subject, "That isn't the point Yugyeom, why couldn't you just trust me!"

Yugyeom looked like he wanted to say something else, but quickly decided against it when Youngjae accused him of not trusting him. "Of course I do!" he all but shouted, expression contorting into one of disbelief and sadness when he stared up at Youngjae.  

"Then you could have told me, did you think I was going to be afraid of you? Run away from you? Is that what you think of me?"

"What? No! Why are you being like this?" Yugyeom sat up straighter, shocked by the doctor's outbursts.

"Because I know nothing about you!" he shouted, shaking the bars. "You've never told me where you live, I don't even know your family name! Have you been lying to me all this time? Do you..do you even love me?" Youngjae asked the last part weakly, fearing for the worst. It wasn't the best time to ask, but it was the only time he had, and considering all that had happened, he had a right to know how genuine those feelings were.

"How dare you," Yugyeom responded immediately. His eyes were wide, and Youngjae found himself closing his eyes, unable to face the man. His voice became low, his words coming out slowly as if he were restraining his anger. "How dare you believe I would ever lie to you, about my own feelings!"

"You haven't been giving me reasons to trust you!" Youngjae said, but immediately regretted his words as soon as they came out. He took a step back, a hand thrown over his mouth as his wide eyed expression met Yugyeom's. The young man stared back at him, his face open with a vulnerability Youngjae had never seen on him before, his eyes filling with hurt and tears the longer the silence dragged on. Youngjae hadn't meant that, he didn't mean to say it; his hands had started shaking without him noticing.

"Go home, Youngjae," Yugyeom said quietly, ducking his head down and avoiding the doctor's searching gaze. "Dangerous things lurk here at night."

Youngjae couldn't find it in himself to smile at the obvious reference to their first conversation, when he was just another persistent man looking for a companion and Yugyeom the adamant stranger. He stepped back toward the cell, pleading to the man. "Yugyeom, please I didn't—"

"I don't have a family name," he continued, silencing Youngjae's excuses. He looked away again, the cracks on the ground. "I don't know who my family is. My earliest memory was of waking up in the forest and wandering until someone found me. Is that what you wanted to know?

"So I grew up there, in the forest with the man that found me. Somewhere far from these towns and far from anyone that wanted to hurt us. Do you understand why I couldn't tell you? Perhaps it was selfish of me to expect you to not ask questions, but...I was scared. I still am. People are not kind to those that are different, and less to things they don't understand.

"I still love you, Youngjae. Despite all of it, my feelings haven't changed from the day you decided to drag me home with you," the memory tugged a small smile from the man's lips. Youngjae let out a watery laugh, unable to find words to speak. He let his head fall against the bars as Yugyeom continued to talk softly, clutching his heart and wishing he could take it all back. Yugyeom deserved better from him, he deserved so much more than a life of hiding and distrust from those around him. "I hope you can believe that."

"Yugyeom, I—"

"If you could do one thing and listen to me for once," Yugyeom paused, letting out a shaky laugh. "Go home, Youngjae," he said, his voice breaking toward the end, and tried to hide it with a sniffle. Youngjae wanted to cry, listening to Yugyeom talk as if it was going to be the last time they spoke. He caught his voice breaking, and he swallowed his own tears to look up at up from beyond the metal bars. The proud and impish man he once knew sat hunched over in a tight ball, hiding his face from view. But there was no disguising the slight shaking of his shoulders and the quiet sniffles.

"Yugyeom.." he tried to say, finding difficulty in keeping his own tears from falling.

"Please, Youngjae," Yugyeom breathed out, "Go home."

The doctor had no choice, not when Yugyeom wouldn't even look up at him. So he his heel and walked out, breaking into a run when he was outside. His heart hurt so much.

The next morning found Youngjae pushing through the crowd of people gathered at the town's centre, to catch a glimpse of Yugyeom. What he was met with wasn't a trial like he was told, but something he wished only remained in stories.

"You're still spreading your filthy lies," Yugyeom spat angrily at the priest standing before him. The two stood in the middle, in front of a large wooden cross atop a hill of wooden logs. Around them stood townspeople holding torches and throwing up their fists, yelling and jeering at Yugyeom. The man paid them no mind, and only stared spitefully at Father Park, who only looked back at him with disgust. Yugyeom was still bound, held in place by the same two men as the day before. Youngjae wanted to run out and pull Yugyeom away from them, away from the fate everyone around him knew was coming.

He couldn't, however, as a large smack rang through the area. He looked on in shock, Father Park's hand was raised high in the air while Yugyeom was on the ground, breathing heavily and spitting blood out beside him. People around Youngjae cheered, calling for justice. Their shouts growing louder as Yugyeom was dragged to the cross, his arms and legs bound tightly to it. His face twisted into a wince the tighter they tied it, no sympathy for the man.

"Stop!" Youngjae found himself shouting, but no one could hear him. He tried to run toward Yugyeom, pushing people out of way to reach him.

"Today we will bring about a new day, a brighter day!" Father Park announced, holding up a torch of his own, burning bright under the clear blue sky. "Doing our Lord's work and saving this poor soul," he continued, smiling to the crowd that only rejoiced with him. "This man fell down the wrong path, following after the Devil and practicing his art, but fear not! God has delivered him to us so we may cleanse his spirit!"

"Burn him!"

"He must atone for his sins!"

Youngjae was appalled, horrified by how ready the people of his town were to sentence a person, another human being to death. Still, he tried to make his way to the front, past everyone else. He had seen Kisoo's mother, Mr. Seo, both of Miho's parents, nearly every adult in town was present, shouting angrily for "repentance." Youngjae was so confused by what had happened, and wondered where it all went wrong.

Yugyeom, tied to the cross, was silent as the priest continued to speak. His eyes were hardened as he looked defiantly into the crowd, looking down at all the peoples' hateful faces. He wouldn't show weakness to anyone.

"We will light a new day," Father Park exclaimed, lighting the logs underneath Yugyeom's feet. "The sacred flames of righteousness will be your judge!"

"If love is but a curse, then I only have myself to blame," Yugyeom whispered to no one, but Youngjae heard it. All the shouts and yells faded away, leaving only Yugyeom's soft voice. "Please," Youngjae cried out, pleading to God that Yugyeom hear him and look his way. "Please Yugyeom!" He needed Yugyeom to know that Youngjae still loved him with everything he had, that he had been wrong, that he was so, so, so sorry for abandoning him when he needed Youngjae most. They couldn't end on such a sour note, Youngjae swore he wouldn't as he tried to push back against the angry crowd.

"Burn the witch!"

"Repent! Repent! Repent!"

"Penitence for your crimes!"

He watched as Yugyeom closed his eyes, a grimace marring his face, as the the flames grew higher and higher. They at his shoes and trouser legs, the heat unimaginable. Yugyeom struggled, his lower lip caught between his teeth as he muffled his screams; the dried blood on his face renewed with a fresh stream the harder he bit down. He strained against the ropes tying his arms to the cross, pulling and pulling and pulling, but they wouldn't give. His eyes shone, not the way Youngjae recognized them and not bright as the stars would, but wet with unshed tears as he tried to escape.

"May the flames guide you to salvation," Father Park called out. "Or be condemned to your eternal damnation!"

The cheers that followed were deafening; faces of mothers, fathers, the shopkeepers, the elderly folk, all of them actively yelling for the death of the young man. Youngjae couldn't believe what he was seeing, what he was hearing. They were all afraid, but unafraid to condemn a man to death for the sake of their own reassurance.

"Repent for your sins!"

"Pay with your life!"

And finally, Yugyeom screamed.

He screamed in pain, sorrow, and anger, a terrible shrill sound that pierced Youngjae's very soul. It was drowned out by the chants calling for repentance and punishment, those that held torches lifted them to the skies creating a wave of fire all around them.

"No, stop! Please!" Youngjae tried, squeezing between people he once called friends and acquaintances, and trying to lower their arms. "Yugyeom!" he shouted. "Yugyeom!" But the young man wouldn't hear him, not over his own screams and those of the ones that wished him to Hell, nothing but the crackle and hiss of the flames that were crawling up his legs, threatening to devour him whole.

"Yugyeom!"

"Accept your fate, witch!"

As the chants continued, the wind around them grew stronger, twisting the flames and pulling the embers as it pleased. It only caused the people to grow louder, more aggressive, shouting loud enough for the God that lay in the clouds to hear them. The crowd paid no attention to the circle of crows that flew in over them, dotting the clear skies like drops of ink. Youngjae grew more frantic at the signs that they weren't going to stop until Yugyeom lay dead on the cross; they were far from the people he once knew. He continued to scream for Yugyeom, refusing to believe the man was to leave their world. He blinked back the tears, a luxury Yugyeom wasn't permitted as angry tears streaked his face, reflecting the blazes surrounding him.

"Burn, you heathen!"

"God won't save you!"

The winds suddenly died down, only for a large gust to sweep through the crowd, knocking people backward and cutting off their chants. They didn't stop, picking up dirt, small rocks, branches, leaves, everything and anything until it was difficult to see, snuffing out flames and throwing them elsewhere. Youngjae was pushed backward into someone else, another man that had the foresight to hold their cloak up and shield themselves. When he squinted to see who it was, he almost wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. Father Park Jinyoung, the man usually so composed and calm, who turned into someone Youngjae didn't recognize, looking distressed and confused at the turn of events. The rosary in his hand waved in the wind, standing out against the black of his robes.

Amidst the screams of all those around him, Youngjae could not see Yugyeom nor hear him any longer. He tried, blinking his eyes against the flecks of dirt and dust, to catch even a glimpse. What and where the winds came from Youngjae didn't care, but for stopping the townspeople from their witch hunt, the doctor was thankful. He only hoped it were a benevolent wind, saving Yugyeom with it.

Behind him he heard the priest gasp, and was close enough to feel the older man tense. Braving the harsh winds, he turned his head to see what had the man so affected. Youngjae wasn't prepared to see Father Park wide eyed, as if he'd seen the ghost of someone he used to know, his arm slack beside him and no longer shielding himself. The older man stood still, frozen as the wind continued its assault. Youngjae looked over to the direction in which he stared, seeing nothing but debris and flickers of fire. The wooden stake was obscured in view no matter where the doctor looked, quickly becoming more anxious again. He'd thought he saw eyes, sharp like a predator's, staring back at him, but that was impossible. They weren't the hooded mischievous ones of Yugyeom's, nor one that he recognized. It wasn't possible for them to be eyes, he thought, shaking his head and resuming his search. He tried to push forward, toward where he thought the cross to be, but just as quickly as the winds came, they were gone.

He didn't care for the people littered on the ground, some having fallen completely while others held their ground in groups; the torches that had been dropped, their flames gone and smoking; the mess of dirt and rocks and branches that were carried over. All he cared to see was the wooden stake, flames still burning at the base, where shredded pieces of rope lay. Yugyeom was gone. The crows above them flew, their feathers gently floating down like rain, calling out as if in triumph.

Youngjae stared out, past the broken wood, over the scattered flames, through the black feathers, beyond the clamoring townspeople, straight into nothingness as if he could find the man he longed for hiding away and waiting for him. Beside him the priest stood, the doctor did not acknowledge his presence any longer even as he shook in a combination of fear and anger, the rosary in his palm dripping with red, down to the ground.

Yugyeom was gone, gone in a flurry of wind and fire that turned to ash, without a trace. His eyesight swam, the buildings and people, the fire and the sky, all blurring together into a vision of angry reds and oranges; flames that the sky and consumed everything around him. Was that what Yugyeom saw when he looked around the town? The terrifyingly bitter visages of the people screaming and spitting at him, and what had he done about it? He stared helplessly until the end, watching the one person he came to love disappear.

Falling to his knees, Youngjae screamed, cursing the heavens.

And so the story ends.

holy

little things (if you picked up on it great, if you didnt well here it is)
- yugyeom's familiar is a crow, and thats how he found youngjae when his dumb sprained his ankle in the forest + knows where he is
- yugyeom's guardian/mystery dude at the end is jaebum, his familiar being a cat named nora lol
- when yugyeom first slept over and youngjae was trying to wake him up he was mumbling "jae" as in jaebum not youngjae which is why he was so surprised when he woke up in youngjae's house
- "he was taught by someone he used to know" when yugyeom was telling youngjae how he knew how to make flower crowns refers to jinyoung teaching jaebum and later on at the end when jinyoung freezes "as if he'd seen the ghost of someone he used to know" refers to jaebum 
- jinyoung and yugyeom somewhat recognize each other from an Event hence their hostile conversations
- ages i guess if anyone's curious: youngjae-25 yugyeom-20 jinyoung-36 (jaebum-37)
- i tried to put some of the notable yugjae moments in there if anyone noticed LOL and if it came out forced oOoOPs count them all
- thats it any questions (but even i dont know what time period this is. its an au go with it imagine 19th century europe but in like asia LOL IDK)
- i hope everyone can keep up with the timeskips because i didnt write out all their meetings and skipped weeks lol
 

sorry about the ending part if it reads a little rushed it was lol rip