Taekwoon was a man of very few words, not talking unless spoken to and keeping to himself most of the time. He wasn't rude or antisocial. He was simply shy and liked the sound of a comfortable silence above the annoying tantrum of voices. The only time he'd get exited about a conversation would be when either one of these two subjects surfaced: music or the countless journeys he's made over his 25 years of existence. At times like these, he couldn't be stopped, passionately going on and on, sharing his experiences with anyone who cared to listen.

In the past, Taekwoon was never one to like school. Sitting behind a desk and doing nothing but take notes and wait for the torturously boring lesson to be over, suffering in silence until the bell rang, momentarily freeing him until the next tormenting hour would doom him with more boredom, more notes to take and an unbelievably sore wrist at the end of the day was never something Taekwoon enjoyed. And that was understandable. What was a bit odd about him was that he'd often find himself reading traveling brochures, encyclopedias and whatnot, his eyes roaming over the colorful pictures and descriptions whilst sparkling in wonder. He dreamt of leaving this boring student's routine and do something interesting instead. He wanted to explore, to see thing he could only dream of, to touch things he could only see. To witness the wonders of this world and see more than four white walls and a blackboard all the time.

He didn't want to exist. He wanted to live.

And he did just that, quitting school right after high school despite his parent's protests and emptying his pockets on a one way plane ticket to England. He had chosen his first destination wisely, perfecting his skills in English to better communicate with foreigners, and from there, he moved from country to country, taking jobs where he could and spending from a few weeks up to a year in the different locations he'd been able to visit depending on either the time it took to make enough money to leave or wether or not he wanted to stay.

The vagabond life suited him. He liked discovering new things and living his dream, yet he grew tiered of it after a while. Sure it was amazing, but deep down, he missed the feeling of having a fixed home, a safe heaven of some sort, instead of just whatever he found wherever he was. And so, he decided to go back to Seoul where he settled in a small apartment on the outskirts of the city. He looked around for a job, finally finding a request in the newspapers for a private language teacher and he jumped on the offer, applying and getting the job to his own surprise. Languages were his forte, but with that social inaptitude of his, he wouldn't have been surprised if they hadn't hired him.

From what he understood from the brief phone calls and webcam interviews, he was to tutor some 20 something young man who basically had been homeschooled his entire life. Nothing he couldn't do to his understanding, since he'd mostly be teaching him English and Korean. Taekwoon excelled in languages so he was pretty confident he could pull it off. How hard could it be, really?

---

Taekwoon stared wide eyed at the enormous house he just pulled in front of, double checking the address twice to make sure it was really the right place. It seemed to be. He suddenly felt extremely nervous, his stomach starting to turn and his palms getting all sweaty as they constricted the steering wheal to try and distract him from the loud beating of his heart. He tried to convince himself there was nothing to worry about, that he'd ace this no problem, but he still didn't know who he'd be teaching. Heck, he never even thought anyone before! Was he really going to be good enough? What if he wasn't? He glanced at his watch, seeing it was already 12h50. He'd be late if he stayed frozen in place any longer and he wouldn't know unless he tried anyway...

Taking a deep breath, he fixed his hair a little, whipped his palms as best as he could before repeating his introductory line one final time and finally stepped out of his car, walking the few needed steps to the side door he was told to knock on and was greeted by a maid, leading him towards the room where he'd be meeting his new student.

The house was just as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside, long hallways neatly decorated, the different shades of beige covering the walls and the ceiling complimenting the chessboard pattern of the tiled floor as the vivid colors of the different paintings hanging around added that last needed touch of brightness, bringing everything to life as the large windows covering the left wall allowed the gentle afternoon sunlight to filter into the house, basking everything in its soft, yellowy light.

Taekwoon looked around, amazed by the western influences mixing with the unique feeling of the simple hallway, his and the maid's steps echoing around a little as they suddenly came to a halt, the girl knocking on a door and slowly cracking it open, peeking inside before opening it fully, motioning for Taekwoon to enter. He did as he was told, the maid immediately exiting with a bow, closing the door softly behind her.

Taekwoon finally turned around, the man who had interviewed him a few days prior not giving him room to breathe before shoving himself in front of him, immediately offering his hand as he introduced himself as his new student's father. He stepping aside to let the other through and finally allowed the latter to admire this room as well. It looked like a comfy little living room, the word little expressing its size compared to the rest of the estate as it was probably as large, if not bigger than Taekwoon's entire apartment, a wooden table standing in the middle around which were disposed two couches and three armchairs that could be moved around to fit the needs of whoever was spending their time in here. The back wall was covered by the largest painting Taekwoon had ever seen, a beautiful waterfall depicted in a near fairytale fashion brushed onto the canvas with infinite precision, the artwork neatly sitting in a golden frame, catching the eye of anyone who entered. The other walls were pretty much bare aside from a mostly empty bookshelf and a few candleholders sprinkled here and there, the main light source being the enormous lamp hanging from the ceiling, miraculously staying fixated where it was as it seemed heavy enough to fall any second.

Taekwoon's eyes finally reached the two people sitting on one of the aforementioned couches where a middle aged woman, seemingly in an exceptionally good mood, was sitting next to a young man Taekwoon assumed to be his student and boy did he have to hold that gasp in.

A jawline so sharp it could cut you in half, nose and ears in perfect balance with the big bright eyes and delicious looking pink lips stretched into a shy little grin, hints of a pair of dimples slightly digging into those cute little cheeks mounted by defined cheekbones, fluffy blonde hair neatly falling over the forehead atop of the perfect face in a weird sort of styled messiness, completing the innocent charm held by the manly features of the young man. Below those where the gracious neck, the broad shoulders and the lean body every youngsters would envy, a simple black cardigan over a white blouse tucked into beige skinny jeans being the finishing touch to this magnificent artwork, even more impressive than the painting standing behind him.

The boy was gorgeous! Nowhere did Taekwoon ever encounter such beauty, such perfection, especially not in a person of flesh and blood! He was never interested in people as much as he was in music or books, always seeing beauty in anything other than humans and avoiding contact when he could. Now, all he wanted to do was to go talk to that boy, to get to know him, to have a conversation other than the price of his latte or the pleasing degree of the weather outside. He, for once, wanted to initiate contact, which was a first for him, really.

He got pulled from his current admiration by the cheerful greeting of the boy's mother, asking him to sit down and offering him some tea. He politely declined, insisting she didn't need to bother the maid unless she wanted some herself. She smiled, sitting back next to her son as her husband, in turn, took place next to her, indicating the seat opposite of theirs for Taekwoon to settle in, the latter doing so a little uncomfortably, still completely mesmerized by the young man in front of him.

He began exchanging small talk with the couple, trying his best to be likable while the younger simply listen with interest sparkling in his eyes, never once opening his mouth to speak until his mother urged him to do so. He seemed quite shy, Taekwoon mustering up one of his rare little smiles encouragingly, the other's seemingly permanent smirk turning into a blindingly bright one, Taekwoon having to hold yet another gasp back as the boy got even prettier, the unexpectedly deep voice suddenly coming from the latter may or may not be having something to do with it as well.

"I'm Lee Hongbin. It's nice to meet you!" the younger said excitedly, all traces of his previous shyness gone as he happily stretched his hand out for Taekwoon to shake. The latter's smile widened as he tried to prevent a silent 'cute' from slipping past his lips and took Hongbin's hand in his. He apparently failed to do so as he felt the other's grip tighten, bright red flushing his ears as he lowered his gaze if even for a second and Taekwoon realized how much he might already care for his new student.

---

"Taekwoon-ssiiiiii~" a whiny voice complained next to Taekwoon. He looked up from the notebook sitting on the table to set his eyes his student who was currently sprawled over the wooden surface, a slight pout adorning is perfect features, the spark in his eyes conveying utter disinterest in the boring lesson the teacher desperately tried to keep lively.

"Can't we take a break?" Taekwoon smiled, internally fawning over the younger's cute ways before answering.

"We took a break not even a full five minutes ago..." His words went completely ignored by the younger, the latter sending him the cutest puppy eyes instead. Taekwoon might has well have been talking to a wall. The latter sighed, thinking for a moment before he got an idea.

"I'll tell you what, Hongbin-ah. If you manage to finish this exercise efficiently, we'll take a break." An exited sound left the younger's lips, yet his bright smile morphed back into that cute pout when he heard, "But we'll be speaking English only. Or else it's no break at all." The younger was about to protest, but the unwavering glance Taekwoon shot him made him bite those protests back and get to work on the exercise instead. The elder smiled and patted Hongbin's shoulder, an embarrassed blush forming on the latter's cheeks, and the teacher had to bite his lip to suppress a chuckle.

It's only been a week since their lessons together began, yet the younger had been very keen on displaying how comfortable he felt around Taekwoon, not afraid to bargain for free time and getting away with botching homework. The latter never reprimanded him even once since he arrived, yet has had more than a few occasions to do so. Instead he'd just send him those glares he used to communicate on a daily basis when people were around him. When Hongbin did something wrong, he'd look at him with an annoyed or disappointed gaze and that seemed to work in getting the latter to regret his actions. He could also, on the contrary, send him a happy, impressed or proud look when he did something good and that allowed the younger's self esteem to skyrocket. It was a sort of connection they had established in a matter of days and it startled Taekwoon how quickly they were able to bond like this.

He was never really close to anyone, rarely speaking with others in the first place, and when he did get comfortable enough to call someone friend, it would take months or even sometimes years to get to that point. And since he'd been moving over and over again for a while now, the only real connection he had was with his old high school friend. And even that connection could be described by the simple word 'ignore' most of the times.

Yet here he was, tutoring Hongbin and surprising himself longing to go to work instead of wanting to stay home and read or actually talking to the younger instead of saying as little as possible like he normally would. It kind of freaked him out, yet he yet caught himself again not really minding at all and he sighed, not really sure how he should feel about it anymore.

He got startled out of his thoughts when a poke on his shoulder came from his student, the latter handing him his booklet and he quickly reviewed it, nodding approvingly and handed it back with a small smile, earning one of Hongbin's wide ones in return.

"Good. Break time now...again..." And the younger chuckled at his teacher's exasperated expression, knowing at least half the time they spent together was spent on breaks. He was a good student though and that more than made up for that fact. And he may or may not like it more than he should... Oh well...

He quickly got to talking, respecting the English rule the elder had set and doing his best to form coherent sentences, getting corrected a few times here and there. Suddenly, amidst the mutual fanboying on various singers and the very, very awkward silences following a misunderstood statement (which happened quite often to their demise), he remembered something. There was that one question that had always been itching the back of his mind ever since his teacher arrived. He stopped mid sentence, earning a frown from the elder, yet cut him off when he was about to ask if there was a problem.

"You travel a lot, don't you?" Taekwoon was about to reprimand him for his switch of language, the younger now speaking Korean again, and actually opened his mouth to do so, yet froze when he actually processed the latter's words. Hongbin had to resist the urge to shove a book in his opened mouth or something, because that chance was just too good to pass. It did, however, when the elder closed it slowly, a frown appearing on his features as he tilted his head in confusion.

"I don't remember telling you that..." Hongbin looked down at his hands who were currently fiddling with each other in embarrassment, not wanting to admit that he may or may not have pried a little about the elder to his parents since he was a bit too awkward to ask his teacher directly. Too awkward or too embarrassed...

"My parents told me. They also said it was one of the reasons they chose you over the other educators. Because you had 'field experience' as they said." Taekwoon nodded, not really sure how to react in any other way. The younger looked up, meeting the sharp gaze of those feline eyes and couldn't help but wonder where those eyes had looked, what they had seen overtime.

"Can you tell me? About your travels?" Hongbin had asked before he could stop himself, but he really wanted to know. He wanted to know what it was like in the outside world.

Taekwoon looked at his watch, sending a disapproving glance to the ticking little arms now pointing at the 5 and the 35. They must have eaten too much sugar with how fast they were going. He was about to protest, but when he met the hopeful eyes the younger had trained on him, he could only let those die in the back of his throat. He briefly thought back to the work they still had to do, but figured it could wait. They could always catch up tomorrow and refusing his student with the look he was sending him right now was not an option.

"Well, I could tell you about the country I last visited..." Hongbin let out an exited little squeal, propping his chin up on his palms while his elbows rested on the table. Taekwoon chuckled lightly before he continued. "It was Canada. A real beauty. I stayed there for about six months I believe. There really was something about that place that just drew me in completely and I was really sad when I decided it was time to go."

"Where is it?" Hongbin asked, eyes sparkling with interest and Taekwoon couldn't help but wish he'd have that look on his face during his lessons. It would undeniably make his job so much easier.

"It's the northernmost country of North America, just above the U.S. It's quite cold during the winter, yet warm and pleasant when summer comes knocking. I herd the fall season was especially beautiful there so I went around October and stayed 'till March. I swear you've never seen such a wonder. The green leaves slowly turning yellow, one by one, darkening until they became orange or even red, the fiery forests coating the bumpy horizon as far as the eye could see. The reddened leaves would fall, peeling off to uncover the skeleton of branches underneath. Winter then covered the land, the purest of whites drowning all colors in its infinity, the only one allowed to stay being the blue of the azure sky. Ice sickles would form on branches, dressing the silhouettes up with their diamond like jewelry, proudly shining in the morning glow." Taekwoon paused, smiling to himself a little, but before he could continue, he herd a chuckle, his student beaming at him with one of his brighter than bright smiles.

"You're very poetic, hyung!" The elder reddened, briefly looking away in embarrassment and failing to notice the change in honorifics. Hongbin smiled, figuring he didn't really mind.

"W-Well I really do get carried away when it comes to my journeys." The younger chuckled again and nodded, opening his mouth to add something.

"I traveled places too." Taekwoon raised his brows, eyeing his student with interest.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You said your trees were orange and red, well mine are mauve with a striped trunk. They're really tall, stretching their long bodies to impossible sizes. Sometimes, we can't even see where they end! Apparently, pink monkeys live at the very top, stealing from unsuspecting travelers and staking their treasures into their aerial nests. They're quite spectacular, really." And so, Hongbin went on and on about this crazy place he called "Iranigamy", Taekwoon figuring the name out pretty quickly, it being the backwards pronunciation of imaginary. He listened with the upmost interest at the detailed descriptions of the various habitats and animals you could find there, amazed by the younger's way with words and his limitless imagination. The wacky, yet impossibly beautiful descriptions of places only he could visit completely drew the elder in and only when the younger stopped on his own did he finally escaped this weird, captivated trance.

"How did you come up with all of this?" The younger shrugged, a sad little smile ghosting over his lips.

"I'm not allowed to go out alone. I've always been homeschooled and I've never even stepped foot out of our backyard if I wasn't in a car or with a guardian. I don't know anything about the outside world, so I just created my own..." A long sigh slipped past his lips and Taekwoon couldn't keep the affectionate and sympathetic hand he gently laid on Hongbin's shoulder from doing so, the younger shooting him a small smile before looking back down at his lap.

Taekwoon was positive that if he didn't care about his student before, he sure did now.

---

It's been a few months since Taekwoon first started to work for the Lee's, teaching Hongbin every Monday and Wednesday. They had started to talk a lot more than they did before, telling each other about their travels and journeys, be it real or imaginary. They both loved it, sharing their thoughts passionately with each other and the elder had started to feel something poking at his heart and soul. Something heavy and persistent, yet strangely pleasant and warm.

It never left him alone, this strange feeling. It always whispered in his ears, ordering him around and it was hard for Taekwoon to fight it. He had grown to love that weight on his shoulders, that weight on his heart. It was always there, yet when his student was around, it got so heavy it was almost painful, the orders and commands were harder to resist and the elder gave in to some of them.

He let his hand linger on Hongbin's shoulder when he patted it affectionately just a little longer than he should, he didn't resist the urge to ruffle his hair when he did something cute and never missed a chance to poke his cheek when he unexpectedly got embarrassed. Taekwoon mentally abused himself over those facts, repeating to himself in the mirror that he should by no means get any closer than he already was with the younger, that he was nothing more than his teacher. But how could he listen to himself when his student didn't shy away? When he brought everything even further? When he himself initiated the touches? There was only one answer in the struggling teacher's eyes: he couldn't. And so, he went with the flow, trying his best not to let anything through, not to let the feeling poking at his heart and sanity escape its cage of denial.

Taekwoon was back at the mansion again, ready to fight himself again for the few hours he'd be spending with the younger, when he was unexpectedly greeted by Hongbin's mother, sitting at the table his student would normally be at. He hid his surprise by politely bowing, the lady sending him a bright smile in return and nodding her head.

"Good morning Taekwoon-ssi. How good to see you." Her happy tone seemed forced, the mentioned pretending not to notice and simply answered like he normally would.

"Likewise." There was an awkward silence before he decided to speak up again, the lady not looking like she was about to do so herself anytime soon. "Where is Hongbin?"

"Oh, Hongbin wasn't feeling well so he stayed in his room. He didn't want to miss the lesson though, so he asked you to come and tutor him in bed if that's alright with you." The lady raised an eyebrow in a weird sort of way, Taekwoon a little taken aback by both her intimidating gesture and the fact that he'd be teaching the younger in his...bedroom...ok...

"I d-don't mind at all." The elder cursed his involuntary stutter and smiled a little to cover it up, the lady's sour expression now darkening even further.

"Very well then, please follow me." She gestured to the ajar door Taekwoon had failed to close and led him through the maze of corridors, not even bothering to cheer the now cold atmosphere up and let her freezing stature intimidate the fidgety teacher even further. She came to a halt in front of a short hallway, gesturing to a closed door at the end of it, saying it belonged to Hongbin's room. Taekwoon politely nodded, already moving to get there, when the lady's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Oh and no more talking about anything other than your lessons, okay?" And she stepped closer, harshly grabbing the elder's necktie and the latter was surprised by the amount of strength she had, pulling on the fabric harshly to bring his eyes down to her own level.

"And don't you try anything funny, or it's going to be the sack." Taekwoon gulped, the lady letting go of his necktie and walked away, not even giving the elder the chance to argue or ask what she meant by that. He frowned, fixing his clothes before he took the few necessary steps towards the younger's door and nocked, a weak little 'enter' answering him. He did as he was told, entering the room with hesitant steps and spotted the younger on his bed, calmly reading a book.

He didn't look particularly sick, yet when he looked up at the elder, the latter could tell he undeniably was, his radiating smile now the only thing on his features that was still lively. Taekwoon forced a smile back, a worried look now invading his eyes and Hongbin seemed to notice.

"It's just a cold, don't worry about it." The elder nodded stepping closer and grabbing the desk chair on his way to the bed, setting it down next to it before seating himself, parting his lips to ask the younger what he'd wanted to ask the latter's fuming mother before she stormed off.

"Hongbin, did something happen?" The mentioned frowned and tilted his head, not getting the question at all.

"What do you mean?" Taekwoon sighed, scratching the back of his neck slightly.

"Your mother forbade me from talking to you outside of work related subjects and added, not so gently, that I'd better not try anything funny." The younger's eyes widened in realization as he immediately looked away, suddenly finding his discarded book a lot more interesting than the elder's gaze and the latter continued, authority laced through every fiber of his voice. "Hongbin, what's going on."

Hongbin sighed, clenching the bedsheets in his tight gripped fists before he said with a hesitant voice, "My mom caught me writing in my journal is all." The elder nodded and raised his brows, encouraging him to continue. "I wrote about the places you visited, transcribing your descriptions and adding my own thoughts as well. My parents want to shield me from the outside world until they deem I'm old enough, even though I'm nearing 22 now, and are very protective, so naturally, they wouldn't approve."

"That explains your mother's request, but doesn't say much about her warning." The younger's faced suddenly turned scarlet red, the elder a little taken aback by this unexpected reaction and found himself worrying about what his student was about to say.

"I-It's just...I...may or may not have written about y-you as well. Just a little..." Taekwoon nodded yet again, asking in a less than certain voice, "And what did you say about me." He both anticipated and dreaded Hongbin's answer, knowing full well what it probably would be. He didn't miss the looks nor the touches the younger seemed to send him all the time, less than ambiguous and even straight out obvious.

Hongbin suddenly threw himself against his mattress, rolling himself into a cocoon of blankets and buried his flaming face into his pillows, screaming in embarrassment, no more than a muffled sound reaching his teacher's ears. The latter asked him if he was alright, nothing but a weak little whine coming from the younger. He waited a few more minutes, Hongbin finally deciding to escape the meager protection his pillows offered his thoroughly embarrassed self to explain, realizing the elder wasn't going to let off the hook with this one. He took a deep breath.

"I TOTALLY DID NOT WRITE ABOUT HOW HOT YOU ARE OR HOW CUTE YOUR SHY LITTLE WAYS LOOK AND I DID NOT ADMIT THAT I MIGHT HAVE A BIT OF A CRUSH ON YOU OR ANYTHING!!!!!" He nearly screamed those words, speaking so fast Taekwoon couldn't even catch half of it and the awkward silence following the younger's outburst was more than uncomfortable for the both of them, the elder frowning and tilting his head to the side, signaling his confusion to his student who immediately realized and reddened even further, hiding his face behind his palms. He mumbled something to himself taking another big breath before he stuttered his answer once again.

"I-I-I d-didn't do...write...a-ab-bout how.... Oh this." Taekwoon didn't have time to react as he suddenly felt a hand hook on the back of his neck before soft lips crashed against his own not even a full second later, his eyes subconsciously fluttering to a close. All of his body went numb yet burned in invisible flames as the younger set his lips into motion, and he didn't even fight the feeling he normally struggled against when it told him to kiss him back.

He put his hands on Hongbin's hips, gently pulling him onto his lap, receiving a contempt hum in return and in that moment, he didn't even care the slightest bit wether this was good or bad because it felt right and in his dazed mind, that was all that mattered. They parted after a while, both of their breathing now too short to continue without a break and the younger chuckled, resting his hands on Taekwoon's shoulders as the latter pressed their foreheads together, smiling a little.

"That's what I wrote about you." The elder chuckled, poking the younger's dimple.

"You wrote about your ual fantasies?" Taekwoon was just teasing him, enjoying the thoroughly embarrassed look spreading once again on the younger's features and the neck chop he received in return.

"Yah. What I meant was that I wrote about my feelings for you!" The elder now burst into straight out laughter, pressing another peck on Hongbin's lips before trapping him into a hug, the latter's arms wrapping around his shoulders and his smile got even wider.

He finally let the feeling free, opening his cage of denial and watching happily as it ran around, bouncing up and down in his heart and making it beat faster. Yes, he really did love his student.

---

Taekwoon sneezed for what seemed to be the nth time that evening, violently jolting on his living room couch where he was currently curled into cozy blankets, the movie on the tv screen only there to try and distract him from his obnoxious fever, 'try' being the key word here since his head ache did not give him that chance at all.

He cursed under his breath, grabbing the bottle of Tylenol from where he'd left it on the small coffee table and popped two pills into his mouth, praying they would at least help with the throbbing pain in his cranium. He shouldn't have let Hongbin kiss him if it was to catch his cold. Then again....

No, he wouldn't think about it. He couldn't deal with the flutters rising down the pit of his stomach when he remembered how amazing and satisfying it had been to kiss the younger, nor could he deal with even more heat rising to his cheeks. He already had enough trouble to deal with the fever as it was.

He closed his eyes, trying to empty his mind from thoughts of both his sickness and Hongbin, the latter being near impossible though. He was silently struggling, rubbing circles on his temples with his clammy fingers before he nearly died of a heart attack when his phone suddenly started to ring. He stretched his arm out with a groan, grabbing the device and checking the ID of the caller, reluctantly pressing the 'accept' button.

"Hello, Mrs. Lee?" He tried to give his voice a somewhat normal appearance, yet a clear rasp was still very much present and he mentally sighed. Why would Mrs. Lee want to call him? Why now of all times...

"Yes, hello, Taekwoon-ssi." Her voice was lukewarm, yet the teacher shivered at the strange bite it had, a bad feeling starting to spread through his stomach.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, mam?" he asked, wanting to get this call over with as quickly as he could.

"I am very sorry to say that you are fired." Taekwoon would've thought his heart had stopped if it wasn't for his blood's rhythmic pulses putting pressure on his brain and accentuating the pain of his already sore head.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me." Her voice was laced with venom, not at all the cheerful woman she was when Taekwoon first met her. He thought he could die at any second now, the meaning of he words slowly sinking in.

"B-But I don't understand I-"

"I don't need you to understand." she cut him off, "You're never stepping foot on my lawn ever again. Good day." A loud clang followed her harsh, cutting words, slicing Taekwoon's soul in half as the realization pressed onto his consciousness. He wouldn't see Hongbin ever again. The phone he was still trying to hold onto slipped out of his shaky finger, hitting the floor with a loud thud, the window of it cracking, yet the elder didn't care in the slightest. All he could feel was the sharp pain in his chest, a stream of invisible blood dripping from the wound and tainting his soul in the deepest shade of red, the only color he would ever see from now on in his new world of passionate anger and sadness.

---

"What the hell is this?!" Hongbin screamed those words to his mother as he burst into the room where she had just hanged up on the elder, tears shining on the brim of his eyes as he desperately tried to keep them from rolling down his cheeks.

"Why did you fire him?!" His mother simply shrugged, doubling his anger with her indifference.

"You know the reason perfectly well." She made a move to get passed him and exit, stopping the argument before it even started, but he was quick to block her path.

"Do you mean us kissing?" His mother's, up till now, nonchalant facade now morphed into that of an angered gorgon, her features twisting in pure hatred.

"There is no way I'm letting him anywhere near you after that incident!"

"You don't own me-"

"Oh yes, yes I do. I'm the one who gave birth to you. You wouldn't even exist without me." He got as offended as one could get, his jaw clenching tightly before he let loose to retort.

"No! I'm not some decoration or a cute little pet to keep your lonely company! I'm a human being, mother! Can't you understand that?!" Her face became so red it was nearing a purplish shade and Hongbin thought her head was going to explode.

"You'd better take those words back or-"

"Or what? You'll forbid me to go out with friends? I don't even get the chance to have those! And besides, you can't tell me what to do anymore!" He was so genuinely angry he just wanted to punch something. He'd at least release his animosity on the source of that anger.

"Oh really? Why so?" His mother's tone was sassy and it irked him even more.

"Because I'm over 20. You know what that means." He was so genuinely satisfied by the look of utter panic he got from her that he wanted to give himself a medal. Her reaction was priceless.

"You wouldn't dare-"

"Oh yes I would dare! I'm moving out and you better not send anyone after me or I'll report it as a kidnapping!" And with that, he ran out, stuffing anything of absolute necessity in a suit case and called a cab. He wouldn't let his parents push him around. Not anymore...

---

Taekwoon was violently ripped from his near unconscious state, eyes still red and puffy from crying, by the very persistent, very annoying ring of his doorbell. His whole body ached as he tried to get up, pushing the sheets he'd been wrapped in for the past few hours out of his way and wobbling to the door, opening it to find a miracle.

The one he had been thinking about so desperately was standing there, in front of him, eyes filled with relief and so many other mixed emotions it was hard for Taekwoon to decipher them all. Hongbin jumped into his arms, nearly making him fall backwards and he swore he'd never been as happy as he was now, steadying both him and the younger back on their feet and capturing the latter's lips in a relieved kiss. Indeed, it was Hongbin right now. No one was as sweet, as eager as he was.

They parted, the younger burying his face into the crook of the elder's neck, Taekwoon feeling the moisture of tears wetting his skin. He didn't care, his own tears now damping Hongbin's hair and he sighed, relief and happiness warm in his chest as he held the latter close, taking deep breaths of his smell and running his palms over his back soothingly.

Neither man knew how long they stood there and only when the younger had stopped crying did they move, the elder pulling back and smiling down at his student who returned its brightness tenfolds.

"How'd you find me?" Hongbin laughed in embarrassment before he admitted with a tiny voice, "I guess it won't surprise you that I told someone to tail you for your address..." And Taekwoon burst out into hysterical laughter, hugging the younger close once again.

"I don't mind at all."

---

"I went to France as well..." Taekwoon stated out of nowhere, Hongbin turning a tiered eye toward the speaker before smiling this God blessed smile nonetheless and snuggling even closer than he already was.

"How was it like?" he asked in a raspy voice, feeling the elder's hand now on his lower back, drawing random patterns on the shivering skin, pulling the covers over them to protect their bodies from the scolding coldness of the room.

"Beautiful. You could tell it was old and wise. It was as if every building, every person was as noble as they could get, a nonchalant air always on their features, but a lively crowd if you managed to hold their interest." He paused, letting the memories drown him into the nostalgic wave of happiness he'd get every time he remembered places he'd especially liked before he continued.

"A friend there thought me a very important sentence." Hongbin was now looking at him, eyes sparkling like every time he told him those stories and his soft, albeit kiss bruised lips, were parted to let his calm breathing hit the sensitive skin of the elder's neck before letting a few words pass them.

"What was it?" It was the elder's turn to smile, his hand cupping the younger's cheek before guiding his lips to his in a chaste kiss, conveying every single feeling he possessed into this one simple touch before pulling back with slight resistance from the other and whispering against his lips, "Je t'aime."

"What does it mean?" The question was unnecessary and they both knew it, Taekwoon smoothing the younger's hair away as he answered in his quiet voice, "I think you already know."

And they both smiled, closing their eyes to dream about the next places they'd be visiting, the only difference being that now, they'd do it together...

~[A/N]~

Cheese, so much cheese...

Oh my god.
That was a real challenge to write since fluffy things and awkward situations aren't the best things I come up with. I hope you liked it nonetheless :3

If by any chance you don't know what "Je t'aime" means, it means "I love you" in French. I really wanted to find a way to get some French in there and I did mouhouhouhahaha!!!!

Anyway, I hope from the bottom of my heart that you liked this one shot and I apologize in advance if it didn't suit your pace or liking. I don't write short stories very well ._.

Don't hesitate to tell me what you thought by dropping a comment and thank you so much for reading!!!

Thanks again and 'til next time~~~

<3