Frost

Alternative Ending.
 

Part 4.

3.695 words.

Taeyong stood facing the crossing roads again this morning. Ten watched him from the window, swallowing hard and waiting for the other to leave, still it didn’t look like Taeyong was leaving any time soon. Actually he had a different expression on today, and he was tapping his foot as if waiting.

Ten groaned and threw himself to the ground. Taeyong was waiting for him. Ten hit the ground in annoyance. It was impossible to avoid him.

Ten walked past Taeyong who spun around and immediately followed the other to school.

  “Ten we need to talk.” Taeyong said and jumped forward and turning around to face the other who kept his eyes upon the ground. Taeyong’s eyes momentarily focused on the other’s lips and he fell behind. “Hey.” He said and ran to keep up with the other.

Ten seemed to hold his breath as he waited for the light to turn green before he entered the narrow road where Johnny and his friends stood.

  “Why are you ignoring me?” Taeyong cried childishly and then eyed the group of students. “Can’t we talk? Please, please!”

  “Morning Ten.” Johnny greeted the other and flicked his cigarette away before walking beside Ten. Taeyong stopped for a second to stare at them.

  “Wasn’t he a bully?” He asked Ten who cleared his throat and turned to smile to Johnny who was already ranting about the party. Taeyong jumped up upon the roof and froze the ground ahead of Johnny. The tall boy slid across the ground and Ten caught him before he fell.

  “Wow,” Johnny gasped and got up by the support of Ten. “Didn’t see the ice.” He said and scratched his neck with a smile.

  “Idiot.” Taeyong muttered and saw Ten eye him. Taeyong’s face lit up in hopes of the other noticing him, but then Ten faced  Johnny.

  “Lucky you that I was here.” He said and started walking again.

Johnny nodded. “What would I have done without my dear Ghost Boy?”

  “Oh is that my official title now?” Ten asked and Johnny started talking again.

Taeyong sat upon the roof of the house right in front of the school and he watched the two students enter the gates.

  “Party…” Taeyong said with a frown. “What party?”

Ten was fixing his shirt in the mirror, it was dark green and he pulled a leather jacket over it. He was fixing his hair when he noticed a shadow upon the floor. He sighed. Taeyong was sitting outside by his window. Ten walked across the room to pull on white basketball shoes. He sprayed a bit of perfume onto his wrists and dabbed them onto his neck right under his ear. Then he pulled on his black warm duvet jacket and headed into the cold night air.

Taeyong had been following him every day. He threw snowballs at Johnny when they were walking to school and even on the window in class. He even once stepped in Ten’s way so that Ten had to turn around and walk another way. Ten wouldn’t give in that easily.

Still he was excited to go to the party. Because of Johnny talking to him it seemed as if people thought of the Ghost Boy nickname more as a joke than something to bully him with, and he was happy about that. Taeyong walked a few steps behind him, he was humming a small tune and Ten felt comforted by the other’s presence. He just didn’t tell Taeyong that.

When Ten knocked on the door he turned around to see Taeyong draw circles in the snow. He smiled sadly, for a moment wishing that Taeyong had just been another student, maybe he would have dark hair and brown eyes. Ten sensed Taeyong would love dancing too, or well he hoped. It would all be much simpler then.

  “What’s up!” Johnny said in English and Ten laughed. “Are you ready to get wasteeeed?” Johnny sing sang as he let Ten in. The boy laughed again and entered while pulling off his jacket. Johnny closed the door, leaving Taeyong at the foot of the stairs, blue eyes upon the spot where he had last seen Ten stand.

Taeyong watched the party from outside. Ten was drinking a lot of odd drinks. He was laughing and talking and Johnny was a bit touchy making Taeyong hiss curses beneath his breath. Later at night Ten suddenly stood by the window and the turned around to look outside. Taeyong stepped into the light and Ten smiled eyes meeting Taeyong’s, then he left the room.

Taeyong jumped. Ten had smiled at him, why would he do that? Taeyong looked at the window with hopeful eyes only to hear the door leading into the garden open up.

Ten stepped outside and breathed in deeply, but he didn’t look at Taeyong.

The white haired boy stepped closer, leaning to the side to catch the other’s attention. “Do you want to talk now?” He asked and Ten looked down, then he shook his head. “Do you… hate me?” Taeyong then asked and took place in front of Ten. The other looked away, sniffled and then shrugged. He was only wearing his shirt and leather jacket and Taeyong knew that he was cold.

Taeyong sighed and reached out to softly grab the other’s arm. “I never meant to harm you or your family.” He said. “I-”

Ten shook his head and shortly looked at Taeyong, he froze, eyes focused on Taeyong’s lips, then he turned to head inside again.

  “Ten please…” Taeyong pleaded and held onto Ten’s arm, the other’s movements were slow and his pupils were larger than normal. Ten looked away from Taeyong with pursed lips. Taeyong sighed. “I’ll be here.” He told the other and stepped into Ten’s view, Ten looked into his eyes for a short moment. “You know what to do if you need me.” He said in a soft voice and Ten nodded. Taeyong wanted to hold onto the other but then Johnny came into the dark garden.

  “Why are you out in the cold?” He asked, voice louder than normal.

Ten looked at Taeyong. “I needed some time with my ghost.” He said and Taeyong gripped Ten’s hand for a short moment, he felt the other hold onto his hand.

  “Is the ghost more interesting than me?” Johnny said and wrapped an arm around Ten. Taeyong glared at the taller and raised his staff wanting nothing more than the smack the other’s head. Hard.

Ten chuckled. “It’s cold.” He said and the two turned away from Taeyong, his hand slipping out of the grasp.

  “Then let’s go into the warmth.” Johnny spoke into Ten’s hair and they entered the house. Taeyong gripped his staff even tighter. He then flew up to sit upon the roof, hoping this party would end soon.

Then a group of students exited the house. Taeyong stood and looked down and amongst them he saw Ten, Johnny walking beside him with an arm wound his shoulders. Taeyong decided that he would smack the other’s head if he as much as tried to do anything more than that. He followed the group and noticed that they were heading for the park. They didn’t wear thick jackets and Taeyong didn’t like the way Ten didn’t even react to the cold.

They stopped by the frozen lake.

  “Hey who’s brave enough to walk onto the ice with me?” Johnny said and spun around to face his friends, Ten laughed and the other’s gasped as Johnny stepped out onto the ice. “See it’s safe!” He said and Taeyong watched it all from afar. Johnny walked in again and then pulled Ten closer. Taeyong groaned and flew up and farther away. Then he stopped. What if Ten walked onto the ice? It wasn’t safe. It was February and he hadn’t made sure that the lake was frozen for a long time. Taeyong flew back and sat in the tree and watched Johnny take Ten with him out onto the lake. Taeyong didn’t like it at all.

Ten seemed to walk back in again and Johnny said something about him not having to be scared. Taeyong rolled his eyes and was about to mouth ‘yeah right’ when he heard a hollow sound. He sat up straight but noticed that none of the drunk students seemed to notice.

Then the ice roared and Taeyong gasped when he saw Johnny fall into the ice. Then he watched Ten run over to where Johnny had vanished and the ice below him broke away. Taeyong cried out for them.

He flew to the lake, ignoring the screams of the students. He looked into the black water. He had to go in.

He dove into the water, leaving the staff behind. The moon shone brighter and he found someone in the darkness and pulled the other up to where he could see the light come in. He dragged the boy up onto the ice and closer to ground. Then he noticed that it was Johnny. Taeyong’s eyes widened and he ran towards the hole and sprang into the water.

Where are you?

He thought and swam with all his might and then he felt the boy. He immediately headed for the surface and pulled Ten with him closer to ground. Students where already swarming Johnny. Taeyong pulled up in Ten who was as limp as a ragdoll. “Ten!” He cried and shook him. “Ten no, please! Wake up!” He slapped the other’s cold wet cheeks and then leaned down, pressing his lips to the other’s forehead. “Ten… I beg of you… don’t leave me.” He cried and then gathered the other in his arms and stood up. He turned to see Johnny look straight at him and the boy gasped. Taeyong ignored the tall boy and flew up. He had to save Ten.

The nurses screamed when a cold wet boy suddenly lied on the floor of the lobby. In a hurry they wrapped him up with dry, warm blankets and Taeyong watched them with a sinking heart. He couldn’t let the cold take Ten, it had already taken his family. He ran through the doors, for a moment leaving Ten’s side.

  “Moon!” Taeyong cried outside of the hospital. “Don’t you let him die! Please!” He sobbed and covered his face with his hand. Far off in the sky he saw a golden light and he knew that Jaehyun was on his way. Taeyong ran inside again, finding Ten who was being rubbed by 4 nurses who tried to get warmth back into his body. Taeyong heard noise again and knew that Johnny had arrived there too.

Jaehyun stepped into the room, he had been running and he was panting slightly. “What happened?” He asked and walked over to Taeyong who was wiping his tears away.

  “That stupid boy walked out upon the ice with that tall idiot.” Taeyong cried. “I can’t even help him.”

Jaehyun sighed. “I saw him, he was brought here in an ambulance. He’ll survive.”

  “I’m going to make him slip and fall every winter, every day.” Taeyong growled as he watched the  doctor take the defibrillators and press them to Ten’s chest. Ten’s body jumped up and the monitor beeped once.

  “Clear!” One nurse said and the doctor repeated the same thing again. Taeyong fell to his knees and Jaehyun held him once again.

  “I can’t lose him…” Taeyong sobbed and hid his face in Jaehyun’s shirt. They shocked Ten once again and Taeyong saw the machine beep. Jaehyun and Taeyong waited in what seemed forever, but only two seconds passed and then they watched the green line shoot up again, everyone silenced as they heard the sweet sound of the machine beeping as it revealed that Ten was alive.

Taeyong collapsed on the floor and Jaehyun looked at Ten with a smile. “Thank you…” He whispered and then he sent a small ray of dream sand towards Ten and he pulled Taeyong up. The other was still crying as Jaehyun took him over to a bench and they sat down and waited for the nurses to do their job.
Taeyong was sobbing into Jaehyun’s chest, and Jaehyun rested his chin upon the other’s back while watching Ten’s chest rise and fall. “He’s alive.” Jaehyun said and felt Taeyong still. “You saved him.” He said and Taeyong chuckled and then gripped Jaehyun even tighter.

  “I saved him!” He said and sat up straight, he looked into Jaehyun’s golden eyes and for a moment feeling all happiness leave him. Jaehyun put on a mask but Taeyong had seen the sadness and hopelessness behind the other’s eyes. He still loved Taeyong and he was still hurt by the time where Taeyong denied his love. Taeyong glanced down for a moment and felt Jaehyun’s muscles stiffening beneath his touch. His heart leaped and he leaned in, meeting Jaehyun’s lips in a kiss; a kiss that shook Jaehyun to the bone. They both felt it, something deep within them that had been forgotten or pushed away rise up and Jaehyun’s uncertain hands gripped onto Taeyong’s shirt. Taeyong pulled away, he looked down and sat back, creating some distance between the two and he looked over at Ten and was struck by guilt, happiness and confusion. Jaehyun was breathing heavily as if catching his breath. None of them said anything.

Then Ten was brought to a room of his own and Taeyong stood and followed, sensing Jaehyun behind him. The two passed a room where Johnny and one of his friends were and Taeyong stopped for a second to see Johnny turn his head and look at him too. The other’s eyes widened and he looked like he was going to say something, but Taeyong was afraid of losing Ten in all the white hallways and he then continued to go.

  “No wait!” He heard Johnny call, but he ignored the other. Jaehyun never left his side, but when Taeyong glanced at him he saw that the other was looking down on the ground as he walked, hands clasped together in front of him and a his lips pressed into a thin line. Taeyong wanted to reach out and grab his hand, but when he looked ahead to see Ten’s unconscious expression he stopped himself. He felt torn.

 The nurses didn’t leave Ten alone and heated the room, checked his body temperature, heart beat and took blood tests. Taeyong waited until most had left, though with the door open and one nurse taking seat in a chair with a book. Then he took seat at the bottom of the bed, making sure Ten’s feet wasn’t touched by him and safely tugged in a comforter.

Jaehyun watched the two. Taeyong was staring at Ten and then he reached out and lightly touched Ten’s fingertips with his own. Jaehyun felt his heart ache and he stood and left the room, muttering something about checking upon the children in the hospital while Ten regained strength.

Taeyong had nodded and looked at him with eyes Jaehyun couldn’t quite read. There were a lot of mixed emotions behind them and Jaehyun headed down the hall with an uneasy feeling. No matter what choice Taeyong made one of the boys would end up hurt. Ten had grown to care for Taeyong too. He knew that.

Jaehyun ended up in Johnny’s room where the nurses encouraged him to sleep. His friends had arrived and sat in the lobby, but one friend was given a comforter, pillow and bedspread so that he could sleep on the bench that could be changed into a bed. The friend looked affected by alcohol but he also looked wide awake. Johnny was crying.

  “Is he okay?” He kept on asking the nurse.

Jaehyun stepped closer. Johnny couldn’t see him, he hadn’t noticed him yet. The friend beside him though was eying him. Jaehyun turned to look at him. “Can you see me?” He asked and the friend with wide eyes nodded. Jaehyun was impressed. “I’m Jaehyun.” He said and the boy nodded and then Jaehyun recognized him. He was the boy who battled insomnia and Jaehyun always sang him to sleep. His name was Doyoung.

Johnny was still crying when the nurse quickly left. Doyoung had a soft expression and spoke softly when he talked. “Is Ten okay?”

Jaehyun nodded. “For now, he’ll live.” He said, somehow you could never be too sure in a hospital. In all, life seemed to have lots of different surprises. Like Ten appearing to be the boy Taeyong had hurt and then used as a reason to bury himself in depression and self-loathing. Like Ten then becoming the reason for Taeyong to accept happiness again, and accept Jaehyun again. And then this happened. They fell through the ice and Taeyong saved Ten. What would this end with?

Doyoung stood and grabbed Johnny’s hand while brushing away his damp hair. “He’ll be okay.” He said and Johnny’s sobs silenced, but he still trembled.

  “How do you know.”

Doyoung looked at Jaehyun. “Well, Ten isn’t the only one to have a ghost.”

Johnny gasped. “Does he have white hair?”

Doyoung shook his head with a smile. “Not this one, he has golden eyes.”

The boy in the hospital bed seemed to relax. “It was Ten’s ghost that saved us.” He said and Doyoung blinked.

  “He did?”

Johnny nodded. “I was pulled up by something and when I got up I saw him appear in front of me out of the blue. He sprang into the lake for Ten and he… kissed him on the forehead and held him close.”

Doyoung’s cheeks went red. “Were they?”

Johnny shook his head. “I wouldn’t know… I don’t have a ghost.” Then Johnny looked at Doyoung. “Is your ghost…”

Doyoung shook his head violently. “No he just helps me sleep.” He said and then blinked. “He… sings me to sleep.” He explained and then the nurse came in.

  “The boy, Ten, he’s steady and we’ll see if the incident have given him any side-effects, but he was brought here very fast. Who brought him here?”

Johnny and Doyoung eyed each other. “We don’t know.” They just said and the nurse frowned but then nodded and walked towards the door to leave.

  “Call me if you need anything.”

Jaehyun looked at her go and decided it was time for him to go back to Taeyong. He looked at Doyoung and bowed to him shortly, noticing the other smiling and bowing too, then he exited the room.

Taeyong sat on the bench when he came back, he was looking up at the moon. Jaehyun went over to Ten to make sure his dreams were safe and then he headed over to Taeyong and took seat beside him. Taeyong reached out for him and Jaehyun held his hand with a small smile. The two of them rested their heads in their palms, elbows prodded upon the back of the bench as they looked up at the moon.

  “I asked him not to take away Ten.” Taeyong said. “He listened.”

Jaehyun smiled. “He always listens.” He said and then took his eyes off the moon and then narrowed them on Taeyong. His hair was dry now and even though he had nearly lost Ten there was a glint to his eye that reassured Jaehyun. He would be okay.

Jaehyun looked over at Ten and then decided it was his time to leave. He stood and looked at Taeyong who didn’t turn his head. Jaehyun couldn’t find his voice and turned around to go, but when he took a step he felt fingers curl around his wrist.

  “Don’t go.”

Jaehyun felt his knees weaken. He wasn’t sure if he could take it anymore. The push and pull that Taeyong did was hurting too much. He slightly pulled at his arm and felt the grip tighten.

  “Jae…”

Jaehyun heard the confusion in his voice. He bit his lip and thought hard. Then he turned to face Taeyong and he reached out for the other, cupping Taeyong’s cheek and then pressing his lips to the other’s lips. He felt Taeyong’s hand around his wrist lead his hand to his neck and then Taeyong wrapped his arms around Jaehyun’s waist and pulled him into his lap. Jaehyun tangled his fingers into the other’s blond locks and gripped onto them so that Taeyong had to pull back. The other looked up at him, blue eyes intense.

  “What will become of me?” Jaehyun asked, hating how thick his voice sounded. His grip on Taeyong’s hair loosened and the other buried his face in Jaehyun’s shirt.

  “I don’t know.” The other’s voice was muffled.

Jaehyun wanted to push himself off the other. “Then figure it out.” He cried instead and put his fingers beneath Taeyong’s jaw, guiding him to look up. Jaehyun pressed a kiss to his lips, he was trembling. Taeyong’s fingers slipped beneath the hem of Jaehyun’s shirt and slightly touched his skin when he gripped onto the other’s waist tighter. “You know that I love you.” He said and looked into the other’s eyes.

Taeyong exhaled deeply. “And I you.” He said and Jaehyun’s jaw clenched.

  “But you love him too.” He said referring to Ten and Taeyong’s grip on his waist faltered. Jaehyun got up and Taeyong sat with his hands in his lap. “You’ll have to choose.”

Taeyong nodded and covered his mouth with his hands, looking over at Ten’s sleeping form. Jaehyun knew he needed to think alone and Jaehyun felt the need to just run and so he left the room. He kicked at the wall of the hallway when he neared the lobby and rested his forehead against it, raising his hands above his head. Taeyong hadn’t touched nor kissed him like that in a long time and Jaehyun hated how much he feared that Taeyong would choose Ten. He wanted to be loved by him and he wanted to love him freely like he had done before. He wanted to fight for Taeyong, but felt as if a fight was meaningless.

It was Taeyong’s choice.

A/N:

Oooo~ dilemma dilemma~

Yeah, I'm back again for all you Jaeyong shippers!
I couldn't let you guys down, did you enjoy it? (And Ten lives in this one, my aching heart is pleased)

If any of you Jaeyong shippers crave more you can check out my chaptered story called Knowing.
It also has a bit of Jaetae and it's basketball!camp themed. ^^

Last part of the Frost will be up next week! But I'll be quite busy because I'm going to yet another concert under two weeks.
I just saw Troye Sivan(UP CLOSE) this Tuesday and I'm going to see 5sos (I GOT STANDING TICKETS AND SOUNDCHECK)
So I'll see if I have time, but still, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Love you guys <3

Love,
Emma. <3