As soon as Ten had closed the door to his room, Taeyong took off his jacket and held him in his arms, as tight as he could.

“Tae ?”

He breathed heavily, his forehead against Ten’s. His eyes burned… He needed… no, he wanted…

“Tae, what’s wrong…? Why are you..?”

Taeyong suddenly kissed him and he kissed him back. He tightened his embrace. There was a taste of salt on his tongue but he didn’t care.

They deepened the kiss and he could feel Ten’s hands tugging on the back of his T-shirt. He started feeling hotter and hotter, the other so close to him. Ten was breathing heavily too. They stopped to catch their breath and Taeyong started kissing the other’s neck.

“Tae… why are you..?” His voice was a little bit shaky.

Taeyong suddenly lifted him up.

“No wait !”

The older kissed him again, preventing him from finishing his sentence. He walked a few steps back and fell on the bed, Ten still on him.

As he tried to reach for his lips, Ten stopped him by pinning him down against the bed.

“What ?!” He gasped in surprise.

“Tae, stop…”

Taeyong’s eyes widened. “You don’t want me ?!”

“Of course I do. But not like this… I don’t think it’s the right time.”

“Why..?” His voice broke, barely audible.

“Because you’re crying, baby…”

Taeyong gasped. He felt his breathing speeding up, or had it been like this for the past minutes and he hadn’t noticed ..?

“Breathe baby, breathe…” Ten said softly while moving aside.

Taeyong tried to catch his breath but couldn’t. It was as if there was a weight in his chest. Ten turned him on his side and he started coughing uncontrollably.

“Baby, stop doing this to yourself…” He could hear the other’s voice. He could feel his hand rubbing his back gently.

His breathing was ragged and he choked.

“Baby, let it go.” Ten had lied down facing him and was caressing his cheek. “Let it all out.”

Suddenly, Taeyong realized he had been crying starting from when he had left his house to come over here. Suddenly, he was aware tears were streaming down his face. How come he hadn’t realized sooner ?

“Ten…” He stuttered, trying to hold back a sob.

“Yes Tae ?”

“My father… He… He…”

Why was it so hard ?

“He… left ..?”

As if he had unlocked something, he started sobbing. He couldn’t stop himself.

Ten immediately hugged him tight, so tight, his hand his hair softly.

“He left… He left !”

-

Taeyong opened his eyes and looked around him. For a few seconds, he felt at peace with Ten snuggled against him. His gaze then stopped on the clock: 11:45.

“Oh no ! I’ve slept so late !” He tried to stand up but got hold back by his boyfriend.

“You needed the rest, Tae.” He said in a sleepy voice. “Now calm down, we’re on holidays. There’s no need to rush.”

He took a deep breath and relaxed in the other’s arms. “You’re right… Yeah…”

“Baby… you wanna talk..?” Ten asked while brushing his hair off Taeyong’s face.

Taeyong had eventually fallen asleep from exhaustion the night before and had woken up this morning in his boyfriend’s arms.

“We were watching the holiday pictures and there were a lot from you and me. So my father linked the dots…” He laughed nervously. “Coming out through holiday pics, yay !”

Ten his arm to comfort him.

“I… I wanted to tell them this week… But I guess it's done now..."

"And your father ?"

Taeyong cleared his throat. "He yelled at me to get out, but eventually said that he was the one who needed to get out. I don't know if he’s come back yet..."

"Maybe you should check your phone..?"

Taeyong shrugged and grabbed his jacket on the floor to search for his phone. When he finally found it, he noticed he had a vocal message from his mother. He put the device on speaker for Ten and him.

“Hi honey, it’s Mom. I just wanted to tell you your father came back around 2 AM ? I haven’t talked to him yet because he went straight to work… But give him some time, he’ll get used to it… Just call me… please… to be sure you’re okay and tell me you’ll come back too ..? Say hi to Ten for me. Love you~”

“Oh, your mother is so nice.” Ten smiled.

Taeyong nodded, still a little out of it. He decided to call her back before her lunch.

“Taeyong ? Honey ?”

“Hey Mom…”

“I’m gonna shower.” Ten mouthed and pecked his cheek before leaving the room.

“How are you, honey ?”

“It’s okay…” He nodded slowly even if she couldn’t see him.

“Hm hm… You got my message ?”

He hummed in response.

“Well, your father came back around 2 AM…” She went on. “I don’t know how he’ll be… I think he’s still angry…”

“Yeah, probably…” He said while nervously playing with the covers.

“You know it’s a lot to take in for him… Just give him time, it’ll be alright.”

“Yeah, I hope so…” He sighed.

“Will you come home tonight ..?”

He thought a little before answering. “Yes, I’ll be there…”

“You should call your sister too… She’s worried and I know she feels really guilty for what happened, honey.”

“But it’s n