"What's up with him? Who is he talking to so early in the morning?" Mino asked Bobby as he entered the kitchen of Taehyun's apartment. He pointed with his thumb at Taehyun, who was currently talking animatedly on the phone in the balcony. The two boys could see from the glass windows that he was pacing as he spoke, biting his fingernail when he wasn't waving his arm wildly. They couldn't hear what he was saying, although it was obvious it was nothing good.

"Why don't you ask him?" Bobby simply replied as he handed Mino a cup of coffee. Mino eyed him with narrow eyes, trying to get a read on the boy. It was obvious he knew something and he wouldn't tell Mino. Bobby looked like he woke up from the wrong side of the bed, expression sour with worry lines. He knew the boy was right though if it was something to do with his relationship with Taehyun, he had to talk to his boyfriend, not the cousin.

It wasn't just the phone call Mino was talking about, it was about the series of phone calls and messages throughout the holidays. Taehyun's phone seemed to be ringing at odd hours of the day, and he would always leave for a quiet place to talk. Mino didn't want to pry after Taehyun cried at that party and left, he thought maybe it had something to do with what Taehyun had promised. But it was starting to get frustrating; he could feel the tension in Taehyun's muscles, see the storm in Taehyun's eyes after every such phone call. He still kept quiet, hoping Taehyun would trust him enough to tell him soon.

The call seemed to be finished and Taehyun walked back inside the apartment. His dour face lit up when he saw Mino sitting there at the counter. Mino couldn't help mirror the smile.

"Morning."

"Did you sleep okay?" Taehyun asked him, pressing a kiss on Mino's cheek, As much as Mino was delighted that Taehyun cared to ask him such a question after waking up together more times than he could count, a creeping sensation crawled in his stomach. Was Taehyun always this polite? Or was it only because it was the first night they spent together in the apartment after the Christmas party? The holidays were spent with Taehyun and Donghyun traipsing around Seoul, New Year's Eve with his friends while Taehyun welcomed the new year with his family. Last night was the first night in the new year that they spent the night together on a bed.

"Very well, thank you," Mino replied with a smile, matching Taehyun's polite tone.

Bobby let out a telling cough and Mino caught his eye just before he left the kitchen. It seemed Bobby wanted to give them some alone time, maybe a chance for Mino to ask Taehyun if there was something wrong. Where could he start?

"Who was that on the phone?" he started with the obvious one.

"My father," Taehyun bit out, face going sour again. Mino went towards the coffee maker and poured Taehyun his cup, then started portioning the breakfast Bobby had made for them onto plates.

"Were you fighting?" Mino asked tentatively, wondering if Taehyun would be truthful.

"Yes."

"About what?"

"Umm..." Taehyun hesitated this time, placing his chopsticks back onto the plate. "He's in Seoul and he wants to meet me."

"You fought about that? You don't want to meet him?" Taehyun never said much about his father. From the little they had talked about, Mino learned that his parents divorced when Donghyuk was about 3 years old and Taehyun was in the middle of elementary school, that the marriage was riddled with fights and arguments and apparently ended on a bad note. He also knew his father funded his education, even though Taehyun's mother was perfectly capable herself, it was the decision of the court. However, Mino had no idea if they talked to each other regularly on the phone, or met each other as family. He didn't know if Taehyun hated the thought of meeting his father or not.

"Not exactly. Not for this reason anyway," Taehyun mumbled, staring into his plate.

"What reason?"

"Mino," Taehyun looked at him then, square on the eyes. "I..."

Taehyun's phone rang again then, breaking the moment. Was Taehyun about to tell him something? Mino could see the caller ID. 'Mother'

Taehyun picked it up and went back to the balcony. Mino turned his attention back to the table, at Taehyun's untouched food and he knew then, he was sure, something was wrong. He couldn't pretend not to see it anymore.

The call lasted a while. Mino finished his breakfast while Taehyun's food sat cold. He wondered if he would come back and finish it. I guess not, he thought to himself and wrapped it with saran and placed it in the fridge so he could heat it up for him later when he would feel like eating. He had half a mind to impose on Taehyun's privacy, to listen to what he was talking about with his mother but his decency wouldn't allow him. It was perhaps a family problem, nothing to do with Mino at all and it wouldn't be nice to pry if Taehyun didn't want to share.

The thought jabbed at Mino's heart. He wished Taehyun would trust him enough to share whatever he was going through. Maybe Mino wouldn't have the answers, maybe he wouldn't be able to fully empathise, but he could be there to hold him and listen to him, and tell him they could get through this together. He wished Taehyun would break down the walls himself, without Mino needing to climb his way instead.

Taehyun came back inside and went straight to his room without looking at Mino. "Gonna take a shower," he called out and Mino could hear the bathroom door shutting. So much for his wishes, he sighed.

Mino quickly waved away the thought of wanting to join his boyfriend in the shower. He was still reeling from the aftereffects of the night before. Taehyun had been a minx in bed, so eager to please, pulling reactions out of Mino's body the older boy never knew he had. Mino jotted it down in his memory as one of the best nights he ever had, if only he didn't wake up this morning to find his boyfriend was not at his side, but arguing on the phone. He figured Taehyun needed space right now to think, so he grudgingly made himself busy in the kitchen as a distraction.

.

.

.

Taehyun came out of the bathroom after locking himself inside for as long as he could. He knew his boyfriend would be out there, waiting to talk, looking for answers. he knew he had to come clean and accept the consequences. He knew he should have done it ages ago, he knew he was a coward, he knew he was stalling for time. However, the knowledge did not stop him from doing so.

He gave a shuddering breath of relief when he found Mino was not there in the bedroom waiting for him. He still had a few moments to himself. He had thought about what to say to him, had a conversation in his head, putting words in Mino's mouth as he explored the different ways his confession would end up. Even though he knew words would fail him in the end, it didn't stop him from coming up with perfect clear sentences as to how he could present the story. He dried the excess water off his hair with a towel and changed into clean clothes. He had just finished pulling onto his jeans when the sound of the doorbell jolted him.

"I'll get it," he heard Mino's voice. He made his own way towards the living room.

"Where is he?" he heard his father's voice when he reached the door to his bedroom. His eyes opened wide in fear, not because he was afraid of his father but because of the reason why he was here when Mino is in the apartment. "Nam Taehyun," his father bellowed from the door as Taehyun took a step outside. He could see his father brusquely stepping past Mino and stride towards him.

"What are you doing here?" he managed to speak, eyes leveling with his father's.

"You damn well know what I'm doing here. You're telling me, out of the blue, that you intend to throw your life away? Your future? For a boy?"

Taehyun didn't speak. The truth was coming out, not the way he intended it to come. He wished he could turn back time. Even only by half an hour. Mino was going to hate him now. He closed his eyes, waiting for Mino to start asking questions.

"And is this him?"

Taehyun opened his eyes again to see his father pointing straight at Mino, anger evident in his eyes. Mino looked shocked, arms at his side with his eyes opened wide. He was clearly unprepared for this outburst, Taehyun did not blame him.

"Father, just..." he started to say, going towards Mino to defend him from his father's wrath. His father wouldn't let him finish, of course. He continued berating a confused Mino.

"Did you ask him to stay in Korea? Did you tell him you were more important than his future? Did you?"

Taehyun quickly blocked Mino from his father's sight. He knew Mino was about to open his mouth to speak. He beat him to it. "He doesn't know anything. I haven't even told him my decision," Taehyun yelled in his haste and frustration, realising his mistake only a second after he had uttered the words.

"How dare you raise your voice at me!" his father growled, raising his arm. Taehyun closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever was about to happen but there was nothing. He opened his eyes to see Mino's hand clasped on his father's wrist, his father looking flummoxed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Please let's not be violent here," Mino calmly said as he let go of the wrist. Surprise did not even come close to what Taehyun was feeling now, then there's worry, about what his father might do next. Amazingly, his father simply let his hand fall to his side.

"Do you have any idea how much older I am to you?" his father gritted out, it was obvious he was trying to keep his temper in check. Mino bowed his head respectfully, stating the affirmative and Bobby swooped in, seemingly out of nowhere, bowing to greet his uncle and ushered him to the couch, asking him if he could get him anything, a drink of water perhaps.

Bobby didn't wait for affirmation and went towards the kitchen, rummaging about the cutlery. Taehyun could feel the glare of his father's eyes on him and Mino. At this point, he wished he was anywhere but here, or that he could shrink and run away undetected. Better yet, he wished he could be invisible. He didn't want Mino to find out like this. However, he was not a wizard, he couldn't transform himself or be invisible, he had to deal with this. He turned to his boyfriend.

"Can you give me some time to talk with my father?"

Mino was about to reply when his father decided there would be no privacy, he demanded Mino to stay right where he was. Taehyun was stuck.

"Father..." Taehyun started, not really knowing what to say because he felt he had said all he wanted to say in all those phone conversations and late night talks with his mother.

"You spoiled brat!" his father seethed again, glowering at him from his seat in the couch, Taehyun felt like a little kid all over again. "Do you think I paid for all this," he said gesturing all  around the room, "And your college education and your outrageous demands so you could decide on a whim that suddenly you want to give up Yale?"

Taehyun had had enough. He was tired of fighting this. He never said the words out loud but now they were pouring out of him. "Maybe you should have thought of that when you decided not to cooperate and messed up my application in the first place," he fumed. "I begged and pleaded with you and mom to just put aside your differences for once but did you? And now suddenly you're so involved because I decided not to go? What is it to you? It's my life!"

"And don't you think we know what we did? Don't you think we are trying to make amends? Why do you think I came all the way here?" his father stood up again, his veins could be seen clearly on his forehead looking like they wanted to burst. Bobby took that opportunity to come in with juice and a glass of water, smiling and trying his best to mollify his raging uncle.

"This is not fair at all. I have made my decision. I'm not going."

Taehyun had no idea that his words would make his father turn his attention to Mino again, who till now has been rooted to his spot without a word. If he could, he would take it back, maybe lie and say he would go to ing Yale just so he could get his father out of the house. Sadly, he couldn't lie so blatantly.

"And you're the boyfriend he didn't want to leave," his father narrowed his eyes at Mino, hostility dripping from the words.

"I didn't have time to introduce myself," Mino said bowing again. "I wished our first time meeting would have been better. I'm Song Mino."

"I have no interest in knowing you or your name, I just want to know what you did to make my son give up on a chance of a lifetime."

"Father!" Taehyun was so frustrated he was close to tears. "I told you, he didn't know!"

"Then maybe you could convince him to go," his father said, not taking his eyes off Mino. he got up, took a drink of water from the glass Bobby brought and made his way towards the front door. "I will visit you again tomorrow and by then will assume you have come to your senses," he said and left as suddenly as he arrived.

.

.

.

Mino had no idea what to think when the man who looked to be about in his forties wearing a grey suit brushed past him to shout his boyfriend's name, not even sparing him a glance. His ears were ringing in his head when the argument started, right in front of him, talks about Taehyun throwing away his future or some sort. He had no idea what they meant. Blood rushed to his head, blocking all rational thought when the man, he now found out was Taehyun's father, raised his arm towards his boyfriend, his protective instinct kicked in, his hand moved without realising and stopped the slap he knew was going to come.

It took a few seconds for him to realise what he had done. He was not sorry, he was just confused. He wished someone could help him out, explain to him what was going on, but Bobby sadly shook his head at him and he knew he had to wait. He bowed his head, he was brought up right afterall and showed proper respect to his elder.

Then he heard the word, Yale. A gear in his brain shifted. Taehyun couldn't shut up about Yale when they first met. He focussed on the argument. Taehyun was or is supposed to go to Yale. Mino was stopping him. His heart clenched at the realisation. Taehyun was supposed to go to Yale.

He could tell the focus is back on him. He raised his head towards the eyes boring into him, demanding his identity. His mouth worked on autopilot and he introduced himself, his manners not failing him.

"Maybe you could convince him to go." He heard the words, clearly, directed at him. He could convince Taehyun to go? Where? Yale? But how could he do that? Why was this upon him? He almost lost his ability to function when he couldn't see Taehyun every day the past few weeks now he was required to convince his boyfriend he should move? To the States?

He heard the sound of the door slam, jolting him from his spiraling thoughts. He could sense movement next to him, his eyes focussed to reveal the beautiful face of his boyfriend.

Why?

Mino was sure he looked like a kicked puppy to Taehyun right now, he couldn't care less. He felt like one. Someone had pulled the rug right underneath him, and he lost the plot.

Why?

"Mino I'm so sorry, I was going to tell you, I swear... I'm so sorry."

Mino could feel his head nodding at Taehyun's words, but still, no words came out from his mouth. Say something, he told himself, because Taehyun's face looked pained like he saw something terrible in Mino's visage and he didn't want Taehyun to look like that, no, his Taehyun should be smiling.

"Can we..." Taehyun said but instead of completing his sentence, he stretched out his hand and took Mino by the arm, taking him towards the bedroom. Mino's legs shuffled obediently after Taehyun's.

They sat down on the bed, side by side but leaving space between. Mino felt this was all wrong, there shouldn't be any gap, they should be sitting shoulder to shoulder like they always did. However, his body made no effort to move, to close the distance between them.

"So I guess now you know what the big secret is," Taehyun mumbled with a bowed head as he played with his fingers. "It wasn't supposed to be such a big deal. At first, I didn't tell you because I didn't think this would last, that I'd fall for you. I'm sure it would to hear these words and I hate myself, well, my past self I guess, for being so obnoxious but now there's no point hiding it, is there? I know you never wanted lies to be in our relationship. And I wasn't technically lying, was I?... I just... I just kept a few things to myself. It was still wrong, I know but..."

Mino allowed Taehyun to continue with his ramblings, taking in every word, giving a chance for Taehyun to explain himself because that was what he wanted, right? He wanted someone to help him make sense of what happened today.

"And then I fell in love with you, and the thought of leaving just... I couldn't bear it so I decided I wouldn't go and I told my mother so. But it's not all on you, mind you, there's Donghyun too. I told you I wanted the three of us to be a family again, I took the liberty of transferring him back as soon as his classes end, so how could I leave again?"

Taehyun still wasn't looking his way, Mino thought it was just as well because he couldn't bear to look at him right now, he was afraid of what he might do, or feel, subjected to his sorrowful eyes.

"I decided to take matters into my own hand. I thought if I did it quietly enough, you wouldn't know that I was always supposed to leave after a year, and everything could go as normal. I had given up on Yale soon after we met, I just didn't know it then. I didn't even have to think twice about it. I was, and I still am, quite sure I wouldn't regret my decision. But then I told my mother about it, the day after we brought Donghyuk home, thinking she would understand I realised I was wrong."

Mino thought back to that morning at Taehyun's home, when he felt guilty for overhearing what seemed like a private conversation. He realised now what they were talking about. Taehyun's mother was trying to convince him to go, telling him that they were still too young, for what? Real love? Mino wasn't sure what they were too young for, or what Taehyun's mother was trying to say. He only knew what he felt was pretty real, and that Taehyun felt it too.

"I had second thoughts, I admit, after talking with her. Seeing her so distraught I assured her I would think about it some more since we had a few months left. But when you gave me that flipbook, I knew then I couldn't do it." Taehyun looked at him then, really looked at him, with unshed tears pooling in his lovely eyes, the same face he had shown Mino when he finished flipping through the book. "You trusted me so much, you thanked me for letting you in but I didn't, did I? I still had the wall around me, I guess you knew it too because you didn't break down the wall in your drawing, you simply climbed up to get to me. But I don't want any more walls, I wanted to break it and ground it to dust and I wanted us in the future to be free and I knew then I didn't want anything keeping us apart, walls or parents or stupid Yale," Taehyun choked out.

Mino wanted to caress that face, wanted to wipe away the tears that were threatening to spill. He was sorry Taehyun had all those terrible worries, that he was attempting to fix them all alone. He wanted to reach out, to tell him everything will be alright, but his hands stayed resolutely where they were, on his lap. The seconds ticked by.

"Please, say something," Taehyun begged, shifting in his seat so that his whole body faced Mino. "Be angry, tell me I was stupid... anything."

Mino looked at his beautiful face, beautiful even though it's red, blotchy and contorted with pain. He couldn't think. He decided. He couldn't think here, with him so close to him.

"I'm sorry," he croaked out, his voice unrecognisable to his own ears like he hadn't used his vocal cords in ages. "I think... need... space… to think." He got up from the bed, his lips itching for contact with his boyfriend's perfect skin, but he turned away, not giving into temptation. He walked away before Taehyun's outstretched arms could stop him.

*****

My wounds

don't feel

like wounds

in your hands.

They feel

like beginnings,

like a chance

to make things

right again

-Pavana
 

A/N: So like I said in the very beginning, I have no idea how colleges work in other countries. In my head, Taehyun could not join his classes because his parents would not release his important documents necessary for his study VISA etc. Yale allowed Taehyun to join a college in Korea they had connections with so that he could get some credits before joining the next year. I know Yale has programs like this with other colleges, although I am quite sure it won't happen this way in real life, so take this story as pure fiction and just go along with it. lol. I was going to add all this information in the story but I thought the explanation wasn't really necessary so decided to add it in notes instead. I hope its not too much of a leap of faith to believe this was possible in this story.

Also big thanks to @sunmino for editing these last few chapters for me^^