Half a year later

 

He would not have thought he would be in that town again. He did not see any familiar faces, but it was not a surprise, because he had only spent one day there. After he showed that he doid not have any problem but tiredness he immediately left his home, and one of his mates joined him, who wanted to keep his promise too.

"Thank you again that you let me join your team... General." Jonghyun bowed before the man, and when he nodded and patted the elder's shoulder Jonghyun turned around and rushed to an old man.

The general made a weak smile, and following his memories he continued his way on the town's dusty road, avoiding the playing children and the chariots.

Jonghyun thanked the old man's help, and went in that way where he told him he had to go. Hearing the knocking sound he knew he was close, and he tried to approach the opened building without any noise.

He saw a tall man's back as he was hitting something with a hammer. Jonghyun smiled, crossed his arms before his chest, and leaned on the wall.

The hammer fell on the ground, and the young man shouted because of pain. He took his finger into his mouth, and continued the swearing, but of course he hoped his mother would not hear him.

"I met your weird manners in the army, but I didn't know you're even swearing at home."

The younger shuddered after he had heard the voice, and he turned around quickly. He ran his dirty fingers through his sweaty hair, making his forehead dusty, but the man in front of him was more interesting.

"Hi, Kim Kibum, long time no see, right?"

"What are you..." Kibum tried to calm down, cleared his throat and made a serious face. "Kim Jonghyun, what are you doing here?"

"I told you I'll visit you."

"Yes, half a year ago!"

"Well... while you were playing with the hammer, I was scared to death because of the Japanese!"

"What?"

"I was in Japan with Choi Minho. We took Terada Takuya back because of the peace. Didn't you know it?"

"Not every news comes into this town..." Kibum shrugged, but his lips formed a smile. "But I can tell you some other news."

Jonghyun stepped away from the wall, and he went closer to his friend after his curiosity won.

"What's that?"

"There is a wedding in the Lee family."

The people in the town could only talk about this. It did not matter which street the general chose he only heard conversations about weddings. He did not really care about it, but then he heard a family name too.

"Oh, yes, Lee Chulgi's son is so lucky that he is going to have such a beautiful wife!"

"Have you seen her? And tell me, what is she like?"

"Oh, she is so beautiful like the cherry blossoms... and if you ask me, she is even more beautiful than Han Nari!"

A bride in the Lee house. Choi Minho turned around to ask the women about the details, but they had moved away, and Minho could not find them. After he heard the news he showed a fake smile to the world; he should not have asked a young man to wait for him, when his family had already wanted to find him a wife once.

Even if he felt pain inside he had to visit Taemin, because he promised him.

I will be waiting for you.

He remembered that in their last night Taemin had told these words to him, while he had been in his arms. Half a year is a long time, even if it seemed short to Minho because of the journey. He was curious how much the boy had changed during the long months.

He recognized the huge gate from the distance what was now opened, and people were walking inside with foods and flowers. So it was true, there was a wedding in the Lee house. Minho knew he had to congratulate, so he took a deep breath and followed the strangers.

Everything looked so wonderful in the summer sunlight. There were different kind of flowers on the terrace, the cherry trees had pink colours in the green garden, and there were colourful fishes in the lake what two children were watching with amazement. 

"Lee Taemin, what are you doing here? Hurry and change your clothes!"

When he heard it Minho looked at the terrace again, where Eungi wanted to go inside of the house, but she noticed that somebody put a flower bouquet in the wrong place, so she had to do something.

Minho's muscles became weak as he saw the boy who hadn't changed at all, except his hair that reached his shoulders. It seemed he was over the difficulties of the war, but Minho thought he saw dark circles under Taemin's eyes. Well, maybe he was nervous because of the wedding, so he could not sleep last night. 

"Oh, the ancestors listened to our prayers, my child!"

He was so busy looking at Taemin he did not notice the boy's grandmother, who was on the terrace too, and now she was staring the general with her small eyes. Hearing his grandmother's voice Taemin looked down to the old woman then he followed her gaze.

"Grandmother, where should I put these... oh!" Lee Jinki approached the woman with a tray of food, but he saw the object of their shock too. "Choi Minho?!"

"I didn't think I will see you here, Lee Jinki." Minho cleared his throat after he could finally take his gaze away from the frozen Taemin.

"Of course I have to be here, don't you think?" He gave the tray to a girl, and shook the younger's hand.

"Yes, you're close to each other." Minho realized and tried to decide that he should go to Taemin or not.

"Well yes, but... but what are you doing here?"

"We just came back with Kim Jonghyun. He's in the town if you want to know."

"It's good to hear that both of you are fine, and you could finally come home."

They did not notice that during their conversation Taemin slowly, without any noise, left the terrace, and now he was standing before them. Jinki wanted to say something, but he had changed his mind, scratched his nape, thinking about what he should do.

"I go and help your grandmother, I think you have to talk about a lot of things."

He was right. They had to talk about a lot of things, and as Minho looked down to the boy he could see the tears in his eyes.

"I think... I missed something important." Minho looked around in the crowded garden.

"Th...this?" Taemin followed the elder's actions, and looked around too then he shrugged. "Hm... there was something more important."

"Really?" What would be more important than his wedding?

"I am seventeen now. You missed my birthday."

Minho had to smile at the boy's words, and he wanted to hug him, but there were too much people around them, and it was not the right time either.

"I have a feeling your birthday isn't the only thing I missed."

"What are you talking about?" Taemin blinked blankly, so his tears ran down on his cheeks.

"This wedding..."

"Choi Minho! I didn't know you'll be here too!"

Lee Chulgi walked to the young men with his stick, and they stepped back from each other before the general shook the old man's hand.

"Taehoon told me the great news. Congratulate to your promotion, General Choi." The man nodded, politely. Minho blushed, and he felt Taemin's surprised look on himself.

"General?"

"Well... I thought it's your day, so I shouldn't..."

"This is my brother's day." Taemin corrected him.

"What?"

"I hope you stay for the ceremony, I think Taehoon and his bride won't mind it. Please, stay for dinner."

"I already made a bed for him in Taemin's bedroom." Myungok walked by them with some trays. 

Minho was wondering how the old woman could not drop them.

"I have to welcome the new guests. Taemin, would you be so kind and take care of the General?" Lee Chulgi looked with pleading eyes, and Taemin nodded, blushing.

After they were alone they could not take their gazes away from each other; Minho was relieved because of the thing the man had told him.

"So... is it your brother's wedding?"

"Sure. Why, what did you think?"

"I guess my information wasn't that good." Minho explained, but it was great to see Taemin's smile again.

"I'll show you where you're going to sleep" he nodded to him, and went to the terrace.

He looked back from the entrance of the house to make sure Minho was following him then they removed their shoes, and the elder just went after him in the corridor, not caring about the people who were helping in the kitchen.

Although the bedroom was clean Minho could tell it was a real artist's room. There were paintings on the walls, ceramics on the little tables what Taemin had made. The younger closed the door, and watched as the general was studying his bedroom.

"Minho..." Taemin could not act like an adult anymore. The elder turned to him after he had heard his name, and looked at the boy, curiously. "I missed you" he sniffled, and after some moments he rushed to the man, and hugged him, tightly.

He had wanted to do this when he had first seen him from the terrace, but he hadn't had the courage to do it because of his family and the other people. But now they were alone, and he hugged Minho if he had never wanted to let him go.

"I was so scared... I didn't know anything about you. I even went to the capital, but the King didn't hear anything from you, and... and..." He could not finish it because of the crying. 

Minho took the teary face between his palms, and tried to clean it while he was calming the younger with his voice.

"My most painful moment was after the end of the mission, when I thought it's your wedding" he told him honestly, and he hoped he could make a smile on the boy's face.

He succeeded, because Taemin made a weak laugh, then he felt as Minho's fingers went under his chin, and lifted it up to look into his eyes. The general did not have to say anything, Taemin knew from his gaze what he wanted. He hugged Minho's neck, and he felt the man's strong hands on his waist, before their lips met.

Although the kiss was careful first Minho's grip became stronger on Taemin's clothes, and he pulled him closer, when he let Taemin's tongue in. They did not care that their teeth clenched, they just wanted to be with each other, they wanted to feel each other.

Taemin took a step forward with a big momentum, but Minho fell on the bed, pulling the other with him.

"Minho..."

"Hm?" He asked back between two kisses what neither of them wanted to break.

"When... when you left I wasn't sure about it, but..." he sat up on the man's hips, but he was looking into his dark eyes. "I... I love you..."

Minho could not just stay there, so he slowly sat up, holding Taemin's back with his hands. He leaned his forehead to the younger's, and gave a small peck on his swollen lips.

"I love you too, Lee Taemin."

*

These words were heard again in the end of the ceremony, it was true they came from the married couple's mouth, but as they heard them Minho and Taemin carefully looked at each other in the crowd, and the younger blushed. He knew it was his brother's wedding, but he was as happy as him, and he felt like he had a wedding too, because the one he had been waiting for finally came back.

After the vows and the dinner only the closer friends of the family stayed for a little party, where they were playing on instruments, the men were drinking, and the women were laughing and dancing.

"Do you remember what I said before I went to Japan?"

The torches gave light to the road in the garden next to the lake. Taemin remembered every single word, and he started smiling as he thought about that night.

"Of course I remember. I thought about those words every night."

"So... did you make a decision? Do you want to live with me?"

"I think I gave you the answer before the ceremony" he stopped and turned to the general. "If a person loves someone he wants to live with the other, right?"

"And what about your family? What will they say about this?"

"We... we can only figure it out in one way, don't you think?" Taemin asked with shaking voice.

Minho smiled at the boy's behavior, and with a step he closed the distance between them to hug him.

"By the way... if they don't let me go, I'm just saying I'm really good at sneaking out during the night."

"Really?"

"You saw the result."

When the last guest left they closed the gate, and everybody wanted to go to sleep. Lee Jinki, who was the family's guest again started to extinguish the fire, helping Lee Chulgi with this, when they saw the younger men as they approached the terrace.

"Oh, I'm so happy that a real General visited us today." Eungi said with happiness in her voice, holding a flower bouquet. "I heard you were in Japan. Oh... if I had a daughter it would be so much easier. You could have been a great husband for her." Eungi was dreaming about it, and Myungok just rolled her eyes, and gave another bouquet to the woman.

"You're right." Lee Chulgi was thinking about it too. "Why did you visit us today?"

The time had come. Taemin's gaze met Jinki's then Myungok's. Both of them smiled at him, kindly, but before he could have stepped forward Minho was faster and he knelt down in front of Lee Chulgi.

"Your wife said if you had a daughter you would be happy to have a son in law like me. I know you don't have a daughter, but... but you still have a son. Even if marriage isn't possible, I... I want your permission and your blessing, because I want to live with Lee Taemin."

After the loud ceremony the silence was strange where they could perfectly hear the noises that the trees made in the light wind, and the crickets' sounds.

"What... what do you mean, General Choi?" Lee Chulgi's fingers held the stick so strongly, they became white. "Why... why do you want to live with my son?"

"He is a General!" Eungi interrupted him, heatedly. "A General, and even the King respects him."

"But..."

"And look! Taemin's eyes are so bright when he looks at him." Myungok noticed it with a quiet giggle.

"Between friends..." Chulgi started, but Taemin stepped forward, and joined Minho.

"I love him, father. And... and he loves me."

The bouquet fell down from Eungi's hand because of Taemin's words, and she was blinking with shock at the men kneeling on the ground then she carefully looked at her husband.

"I... I don't want to marry any girl, I just... I just want to be happy with Choi Minho."

"Eungi, write a letter to your brother tonight. Taemin will live with him, and..."

"Are you out of your mind?" His mother asked. "It is about your son's happiness, even your wife can see it."

"Think about it." Eungi joined her. "A real General would help our family."

"I won't go to mom's brother. If I leave this house I will go to only one place, and it's Choi Minho's house." Taemin stated quietly, but he was so confident that everybody paid attention to him.

They heard as Lee Chulgi slowly, with the help of the stick, walked down from the terrace, and from the shadow they knew he stopped before the young men. He raised his stick into the air. Eungi cried, Myungok dropped the flowers, and Jinki was ready to protect his friends, but Minho was faster and he covered Taemin with his body.

Minho was waiting for the pain what the stick could have caused, but nothing happened. Taemin was shaking in his arms, but he opened his eyes too after he heard the relieved sighs.

"I love my sons more than my own life. I hope you know it, General Choi. I don't care if you're the son of the King, I wouldn't trust you better. But my mother is right. One look at Taemin is enough, and I can see how much he loves you, and that you wanted to take the pain instead of him told me you feel the same as him. My permission and my blessing... are yours" he told slowly, and bowed before the persons, who were still on the ground.

Taemin carefully left Minho's protecting arms, he went closer to his father, and hugged the old man.

"But tell me General Choi, don't you have a sister..." Eungi tried after a little thinking, but Myungok hit her with a flower, and the woman stayed quiet.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Lee. I will go with General Choi and Taemin tomorrow to make sure everything is alright."

"This Lee Jinki is such a good kid. Tell me" Myungok hugged his arm as they walked to the house "have you thought about moving in this town with your family?"

Actually Taemin could only calm down, when he finally closed his bedroom's door. There was dark in the room, only the moonlight what escaped through the opened window, and the torches from the garden gave a little light.

"Are you alright?" He heard the question from behind.

He slowly turned around and stepped away from the door. Taemin was tired, but his heart almost jumped out of its place, when he could be alone with Minho again. He started to get rid of his upper clothes with lazy movements, and by the time he reached the general the material fell on the floor, showing Taemin's now healthy skin without any wound or scar.

"Can you wait until tomorrow? My family..."

"Taemin..." Minho laughed, and slowly led his fingers on the boy's spine. "If I could wait half a year, one night is nothing. And I think we have enough time to make everything up."

"Ev... everything?" Taemin repeated, and he was glad they were in the dark, because Minho could not see his red face.

"You have a very dirty mind." Minho enjoyed the time with him, and caressed his hot cheek. "I want to know everything that happened to you while I was away, and if you want I will tell everything that happened to me during the mission."

"We have a lot of time, right?" He blinked at the man, where he first watched his lips then his eyes.

"Yes, lot of time."

 

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Hi everybody! <3

I was so happy and surprised when you wanted another last chapter, I mean I understood because I didn't give you a normal end, but I was so happy when I was writing this chapter, so thank you for the idea! *-*

I already told everything in the end of the previous chapter, but thank you again. Thank your for the readings, the subscriptions, the comments and that you liked/loved this story. :')

I hope you liked this last chapter, I hope it was worth to write it :')

Again, sorry for any mistake I made, especially grammatical mistakes.

Have a nice day! <3