Jae just stands in the doorway, silent, not wanting to interrupt the current conversation.

"Brian." his mom finally says,

"Thank you!" Brian exclaims, laughing but Jae can hear that he's not happy.

Brian had spoken too soon as his mom proceeds to add,

"That is not your real name. Your name is Kang Younghyun. You're my son-"

Brian cuts her off, not interested in where she was going with that sentence,

"I'm your son but I'm also Park Jaehyung's boyfriend-"

His mom's hand strikes him across the face.

Jae's eyes widen and he's about to step in, yell at the woman but he stops himself when Brian speaks up.

"Go ahead. Do that all you want, beat me up, we're in a hospital anyway." 

His voice is broken; it's tired. Those words aren't laced with anger and hate, in their place is sadness and defeat. He refuses to look his mom in the eye, but he can tell by her hand that's shaking that she's crying.

"We're moving." she says, and that causes his eyes to shoot up at her.

"What?"

"Your dad got an offer in Toronto. That job has a much better pay, and we already have a place we can settle into."

"Why're you telling me this?" Brian asks, his tone cold.

"You're coming with us."

"No," he scoffs, "I'm not."

"Yes you are, Youngh-"

"I just said that I'm not going-" he interrupts, his voice gaining volume again.

"If you don't, you will never hear from us or see us again." she cuts him off with her voice just as loud.

Brian halts. He stares at his mom, wondering what went wrong, what he could've done for things to be different. 

Jae's still listening, but he's instead of being in the doorway, he's outside, leaning on the wall. He can't look at Brian and his mom anymore. They envoke too much emotion that he's not sure he can handle properly at the moment. The author wonders if this is similar to the conversation that took place before Brian's inital move to Toronto.

Brian scoffs, looking at his mom with a smile that one may describe as twisted, and his eyes are glossy because of the tears that are there but refuse to fall.

"You're so ing selfish."

His words take his mom aback, 

"Watch your-"

"Get out." he says, and it's firm.

She inhales to say something but Brian doesn't let her,

"I said get out. This is Jae's room and I refuse to let him come back and see you... And frankly, I don't want you here either."

It's quiet for a while, his mom looking for something to say but fortunately decides against saying anything. She leaves, and as she makes her way out, she sees Jae.

They make eye-contact, and Jae's eyes aren't scared; they're resolved. There are no words shared between them, but it's the unspoken that makes things even more tense.

She stutters in her steps slightly, but clears and continues walking, the heels of her boots getting quieter. Jae stays outside a little longer, listening as he hears Brian sigh and then settle into what he presumes is the chair. After a few moments, Jae walks in,

"Hey!" he says with a bright smile, and Brian responds with a small one.

"Hi," the other replies,

"Dr. Park said I can be discharged."

"Really?" and he genuinely sounds excited,

"Yeah. Would you be up for chilling? At your place?"

Brian stares into his eyes and gives him a quick peck on the lips and Jae's eyes go wide,

"I would love to."

"H-Hey!" Jae stumbles on his words, and Brian giggles, going to pack his stuff quickly.

"C'mon, let's get you back out into the world." Brian is smiling put then he suddenly stops.

"I can go down first, and I'll meet you in the lobby, yeah?"

"What? Why? I can go now, let's just go together."

"But your fans.."

"Don't mind them. Seriously. This is about us, okay?"

They stare at each other for a while.

Brian felt like he needed time with Jae but he was also scared of what the media would say. He feels like he can't escape the judgement, the prejudice. He knows how his parents feel about this, but he's not sure if he's prepared if the media lashes out about it. Brian imagines the headlines, the articles talking about Jae using Eunyi to hide his uality, the fans he may lose, his whole career may be ruined just because-

"Brian."

Jae notices the way the other's eyes were darting around, clearly thinking about something that looked like it bothered him. Jae doesn't know how to comfort him, so he just motions toward the door and then Brian follows suit.

Jae's discharge goes smoothly with the help of Dr. Park, and the author agrees to come in within the next week, or if his head starts hurting.

Brian unlocks his apartment and walks in, placing his bag on the counter in the kitchen.

"Do you want to eat anything?"

"Are you a good cook?" Jae asks as Brian is already taking out a pan and placing it on the stove-top.

"I think I am," he replies, but his tone isn't all that convincing.

"You don't sound very confident," the author says while laughing,

"I'll try." Brian replies honestly.

Jae watches as Brian takes out cuts of pork from the freezer,

"Any requests?" 

Jae hums as he thinks,

"Chef's recommendation," he replies and Brian cracks a smile.

"But if I have to go back to the hospital after dinner, we're done."

Brian scoffs and places a hand over his heart,

"How dare you doubt my skills,"

"What skills?" Jae fires back,

"And you were doubting yourself a minute ago!"

Brian's mood dims down,

"Yeah but, not you. When I'm doubting myself, I need you to believe in me." Brian says and Jae looks into his eyes.

He can see how tired he is, how stressed he is.

"Okay." Jae says,

"I always will." 

Brian gives a small smile, and Jae gets up from the bar stool at the island,

"Want me to help?"

"That'd be great."

The couple is cooking, Jae's chopping up some red bell peppers and potatoes, while Brian proceeds to season the cuts of pork with simple spices. Jae chuckles,

"Look at you, you look like you actually know what you're doing."

"Do I?" Brian says with light laughter,

"I mean, minus the fact that you added too much oil to the pan, it's fine."

"If I don't add oil, the porkchop will stick,"

"I didn't say to not add oil, but the fat in the cut will melt so you didn't need that much oil." Jae says, sticking out his tongue

Brian laughs as he proceeds to flip the meat,

"Look at you..." he echoes

"You sound like you actually know what you're talking about."

"Gosh, you would think a barista would know something about cooking," the author teases, rolling his eyes with an exaggerated sigh.

"Oh, now you've done it." Brian whispers, and Jae is already smiling.

Brian bolts forward, but the latter is already running. The chase plays out, the duo running around Brian's kitchen, even going to the living room where Brian eventually catches him. He pulls him close, and their faces are centimetres apart.

They look at each other for a while, and they both start to think of the conversation Brian had with his mom earlier. Brian moves in slowly, capturing Jae's lips in a kiss.

It doesn't last long when the two start smelling smoke. Brian immediately pulls away and runs to the stove where he proceeds to take the porkchop off the heat.

"Really?" Jae says,

"My bad." Brian replies, chuckling and adding,

"I'll take the burnt one."

The author laughs and walks up to Brian who's dealing with the porkchops, trying to not let the other one burn. He wraps his arms around Brian's waist and nestles his chin on Brian's shoulder,

"You're amazing." Jae says, but it's more of a whisper.

"You know what's more amazing?" 

"What?" replies, already smiling.

"Those potatoes and bell peppers on your cutting board."

Jae playfully whacks him in the stomach, and Brian flinches but laughs as Jae gives him the chopped up vegetables, and Brian puts them on a baking sheet lined with foil and sticks them in the oven. 

While they're waiting for the roasted vegetables to finish up, Brian begins washing the dishes while Jae sets the table, and Brian can't help but smile to himself. He likes this dynamic, this scene of them getting ready for dinner, the way Jae hugged him while he was cooking. He liked this; he wanted this for the future. Once he's done the dishes, he watches as Jae checks the oven for the vegetables.

"What do you want to drink?" Brian asks, their dinner already on the table and Jae's already seated.

"Anything is fine,"

Brian scans his fridge and decides to just grab them some fruit punch,

"Fruit punch?" Jae asks, laughing lightly because they had fancy glasses prepared.

"I don't have wine, and it's red so close enough." he replies, laughing himself.

They begin to dine, and both of them think that food from the finest restaurant couldn't top the meal they're having right now.

They talk over their meal, Jae asking how the burnt porkchop tastes and Brian replying with a comparison to intensely smoked meat. The couple talk about how Eunyi and Min are amazing friends, and also go back and forth on the topic of socks. The happiness both of them feel right now is visible in their eyes and the way neither of them let the conversation die down.

Once they finish dinner and wash the dishes, together because Jae refused to let Brian do it by himself again, they settle on Brian's couch. They're sitting close to each other, comfortably picking up the conversation from the dinner table. Brian leaves momentarily to grab them some ice cream from the freezer, upon Jae's request.

And then Brian's phone goes off.

"Who texted?" Brian asks, and Jae hesitates,

"You can look," the other confirms from the kitchen.

Jae thinks it's going to be Sungjin, maybe asking when Brian's able to come in for work, or how he's doing; but it's not. On the screen reads,

mom: Our flight is on Wednesday, at 4PM. Your father and I already have the tickets, be sure to pack for the weather.

For some reason, those words break him. 

They remind Jae of 4 years ago when he lost Younghyun.

The owner of the phone makes his way back to the living room, holding a bowl of ice cream accompanied by 2 spoons.

"Who was-" Brian cuts himself off when he notices the tears that are silently falling down Jae's face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asks urgently.

"Jae." and he doesn't get an answer.

He lightly shakes him, and then looks down at his phone. Quickly reading the text, he reverts his attention back to Jae. 

"Jae..." his voice is soft, one of his hands holding Jae's while another is resting on the author's knee.

"Are you gonna leave me again?" Jae asks and it huts both of them.

"What? No- No... I'm not leaving you." Brian says and Jae continues to cry.

"If you don't, then you'll never see your parents again."

The latter's eyes widen,

"Y-You heard that?" 

Jae doesn't nod, but simply says,

"It's either me or them, Brian..."

Brian bites his lower lip, knowing that that's the reality of the situation. 

They sit for a few moments, the only sound being Jae's quiet crying.

"Is it..." the author starts off, 

"Is it wrong if I ask you to stay?"

Brian just looks at him, not knowing how to answer,

"Is it wrong that I want you to choose me over them? I-I know they're your parents and they- they raised you and spent so much time with you..."

Jae looks into Brian's eyes and he asks,

"Is it so wrong that I want to be selfish for once?"

The latter just pulls him into his arms, hugging him and Jae's arms wrap around him.

"I don't want to lose you again. I don't wanna be left alone again... I want to call you mine; be greedy with you and your attention."

Brian lets him cry into his shoulder, before he replies,

"No... No, that's not wrong. That's not wrong, you have every right to be angry, to be scared... To be selfish." 

Jae pulls out of the hug to look into Brian's eyes,

"They kept you away from me for so long... It's been 4 years since I was able to feel your touch, hear your voice, look you in the eye. Last time, I just let you go. You told me that you were moving, but I let you go because you said we would talk everyday, video call each other... We said we would only be apart physically."

Brian cotinues to listen,

"I sacrificed being able to see you in person so that your parents wouldn't get upset. I supressed my feelings, I-I spent years waiting for you to come back, searched for someone that maybe recognized your tattoo and realized maybe my novel title isn't just a coincidence. I suffered meeting you again, only to find out that you don't remember me, and that you have a girlfriend..."

Jae exhales, his tears starting to stop,

"But this time... I want you to stay. I don't want to just let you go.. Not this time around; not again. I-I want us to be happy, I want us."

Brian takes Jae's face in his hands, and kisses him on the lips. Jae's hand combs through Brian's hair, while the other is placed on top of the latter's. Brian doesn't mind that the lonely sound of Jae's cries are replaced by their breathing that has become synced and the ruffling of their clothes when they shift positions. Neither of them break away, breathing through their noses, and Jae's grip on Brian's locks is slightly tighter. Brian's thumb traces Jae's jawline and his hand shifts to Jae's waist, pulling him closer.

The kiss is long, but neither of them are complaining. By now, the ice cream they were going to share is completely melted, but Jae concludes that Brian's lips are much sweeter than any dessert on the Earth. Jae's hand is on Brian's nape now, trying to pull him closer but there was hardly any room for air between them.

When they finally do separate, they're both breathing heavily, taking in the much needed oxygen. Their faces aren't very far away, so Jae can almost feel Brian whisper,

"I'm not leaving you."

They share another kiss, it's shorter but not lacking in emotion,

"I'm selfish for you too..." he adds, saying those words against Jae's lips.

Jae stares for a while, admiring Brian's slightly messy hair, his sharp nose, his eyes that may seem cold at first but are staring at him with such love that the author can't help but smile.

"We deserve to be selfish." Brian says, leaning in again, but before he captures Jae's lips in another chaste kiss he says,

"We deserve to have each other; to have an us."

Their night ends with Jae staying over, Brian refusing to let him drive home, still paranoid from the car crash. They end up sharing the bed, and if he were completely honest, Jae would admit that he feels slightly awkward sleeping in the place Min used to.

Unable to sleep, Jae shifts in the bed, turning to see Brian's broad back and his nape. He stares at the tattoo that they had gotten 4 years ago, and begins thinking of his mom's text. Before he can think any deeper, Brian turns to face Jae, still fast asleep. It's a small, quiet snoring coming from Brian that makes Jae smile and laugh silently. There's something about Brian's sleeping face that has Jae mesmerized, but also calm enough that his eyelids begin to feel heavy.

The airport is buzzing with people trying to check in their luggage, passengers running to terminals to avoid missing a flight. Amidst the buzz, the Kang parents are waiting patiently. 

"I don't think he's coming," his dad voices, and Mrs. Kang exhales,

"There's still a few minutes left. He may come." but her voice isn't confident.

A few minutes later, Mr. Kang says,

"C'mon, we might miss our flight." 

And as they're turning to go to the terminal, they hear a familiar voice shout,

"Mom! Dad!"

They quickly turn to see Brian running toward them, Jae, Sungjin and Wonpil following behind him.

"Younghyun..." she says and Brian refuses the urge to correct her.

They stand, face to face just looking at each other. The other 3 are behind Brian, leaving some space so that Brian can converse with his parents.

"Have a safe flight." he finally says, and his mom's heart aches.

Brian had spent the morning discussing with Jae what to do about his parents. They come to the conclusion that despite their way of thinking, that's still Brian's parents. They love him and want what's best for him, it's something every parent wants. However, they just can't come to terms with Brian's uality; but that's irrelevant. Because Brian came to terms with it, and is comfortable with it.

"Yo-" his mom is about to say, but she sees Jae and Wonpil in the back. They grew up so well, so easily recognizable from their childhood. Jae's eyes are tired, but they're also apologetic yet resolved.

"Brian." she says, and Brian waits to see if she says what she did at the hospital.

"Don't get sick, take care of yourself."

Brian feels a wave of relief tinged with sadness, realizing that his mom can only say that when they're parting.

"Y-Yeah, you too." he replies, and then looks at his dad. 

His dad clears his throat and simply says,

"Visit us sometimes, son."

Right.

Brian was their son. Regardless of who his lover was, what his occupation was, where he chooses to settle in the world; Brian Kang is their son. Brian gives a small smile, looks at Jae and motions from him to come forward.

Hesitantly, Jae breaks away from Wonpil and Sungjin, going to Brian's side. Brian interlaces their fingers, and says,

"We will."

Mrs. Kang looks like she's about to object, but she doesn't. Instead, she looks at Jae,

"Well, aren't you selfish." she says, and Wonpil is about to go intervene but he realizes she's smiling.

Jae tightens the grip on Brian's hand, looking down at their hands,

"Yes. But for your son only."

They share a smile that's both regretful, and apologetic. Mr. Kang is about to add something when an announcement about their flight rings through the airport.

And with that, they part with words that must be left until the next time they meet.

Brian exhales and tilts his head back with eyes closed. Jae gives him a comforting look and uses his thumb to his hand. It's not that long before people recognize Jae, and the murmurs start up.

It's okay though, because from this moment on, they come to an undiscussed agreement that they would stop being concerned with other people's opinions. Instead, they would focus on theirs; be selfish for their happiness.

AUTHOR'S NOTE;

GRAPHICS DONE BY ME CAUSE I'M IMPATIENT DLFKSJDLF LOL

hi guys! my updating time has been pretty good lately.. I probably jinxed that! anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I think JaeBri deserved more sweet moments, but trust me when I say the angst isn't over quite yet. yes, brian's parents are finally coming around but it's unfortunate that it's almost too late. who knows, maybe they'll make a reappearance, but i don't think you guys like them enough? LOL 

Like always, please please pleeeasssee!!! comment your thoughts and opinions on this chapter, and the story as a whole. subscribe to keep updated, and upvote if you're enjoying the story so far! thank you guys so much for the amount of comments I receive, I'm sincerely grateful and I read and reply to every one of them! seriously, I do xD love you guys so so much! ^_^

I'm going to be busy the upcoming week or two, so if there's a delay in updates please understand! until next time, PEACE! - Zen