The only comprehensible thought to cross Hakyeon’s mind was that he must be dreaming. There was no other possible explanation. The Taekwoon that he knew would never be kissing him. It just wasn’t possible. And yet, he could feel his best friend’s lips softly moving against his, their warmth being absorbed by his slightly chilled lips. When Taekwoon leaned back, stopping his gentle assault, Hakyeon continued to stay staring into space, only snapping out of it when he heard a soft chuckle. His eyes widened as they took in the sight of a laughing Taekwoon, still close enough that Hakyeon could feel his breath ghosting across his face.

“Is it that shocking to you?” Taekwoon asks him, a small smile still gracing his lips though he’s stopped laughing. Hakyeon can only nod dumbly. His mind is racing, trying to figure out why Taekwoon would suddenly start acting this way, but he can only come up with one reasonable explanation.

“Taekwoon…this isn’t really you right now.” Hakyeon mumbles. Taekwoon gives him a confused look, opening his mouth to question what Hakyeon means but the red head cuts him off. “You’re only acting this way because of everything that happened. It’s made you emotional. You don’t feel this way towards me. I know you don’t. Believe me, I would have noticed before this.”

“So you’re telling me that I don’t feel anything for you? That this is just because I’m relieved you’re ok?” Taekwoon scoffed, “Hakyeon that’s ridiculous.” Hakyeon shook his head.

“It’s not. It makes perfect sense.”

“Wait a minute. I think I would know what I’m feeling more than you would.” Taekwoon said. “Don’t you like me?” Hakyeon sighed.

“Yes, I like you. I have for years. Which is why I know that there is no way you’d suddenly turn gay. You’ve never even been bi-curious for Christ’s sake!” Taekwoon stared at Hakyeon, the silence in the room turning awkward.

“Why are you acting like this? Shouldn’t you be happy? I want to try this. I want to try us. Why are you questioning it? Why don’t you believe in me?” Taekwoon said quietly, his eyes showing how hurt he was by the way Hakyeon was acting, making the dark haired boy look like a kicked puppy. And god it hurt Hakyeon to do this, but if he didn’t then what would happen? They might have a good time for a while until suddenly Taekwoon realized that this wasn’t what he wanted. Then what would happen to their friendship? What would happen to them? Hakyeon would rather have his friend then have an angry and bitter ex-boyfriend.

“This wouldn’t work Taek. It just wouldn’t. Why do you think that I never acted on my feelings for you? What would’ve happened to us? Our friendship is more important to me. I would rather keep you as my best friend than risk a relationship that could ruin us.” Understanding seemed to dawn on Taekwoon’s face, Hakyeon sighing in relief, thinking that he’d gotten through.

“You’re scared.” Shock ran through Hakyeon.

“What? No- ,” he sputtered.

“That’s exactly what it is. You’re too scared to accept that my feelings for you are real. It was ok for you to have feelings all on your own, but to actually take the chance that we have right now, it scares the out of you, doesn’t it?”

“That’s not true! I’m trying to protect our friendship!” Hakyeon spat out, indignant.

“No, you’re protecting yourself. But you know what? Ok. I’m going to drop it. For now. Just to prove that I’m right. My feelings for you are real and eventually, you’re going to have to figure out what to do with that fact.” Taekwoon gently kissed Hakyeon’s forehead, murmuring a soft “Good night” before turning over and leaving the other boy to his thoughts. Hakyeon was too stunned for a moment at what had happened in the last 15 minutes to think clearly, let alone move. When he did finally turn his back to the other boy, he told himself that he was doing the right thing, that this would blow over and Taekwoon would see that he was right. He had to be right.

                A week passed with Hakyeon having to stay in the hospital. For a boy with a high energy level, the hospital stay was the equivalent to a prison sentence. He just wanted to go home and try to forget that any of this had ever happened. Taekwoon had stayed true to his words, not bringing up even once what had happened between them. It made Hakyeon tense and nervous, but at the same time, he thought that the black haired boy had realized that what Hakyeon had said was true. Taek wasn’t bringing it up because there was no longer anything to talk about. Even as this thought brought relief to the boy, it also brought a sense of profound sadness. He wished more than anything that Taekwoon’s feelings were real, wished that they had a chance together. But when he actually thought about it, he was afraid that Taekwoon’s words about him being scared hit a little bit too close to the truth. If the feelings had been real, would Hakyeon have taken the chance? He wanted to say yes, definitely! But…a little voice in the back of his head was whispering to him all the reasons it would never work, how he would just end up sad and alone, not even having a best friend. Hakyeon chewed his bottom lip anxiously, only jolted out of his thoughts when his mom loudly opened the door.

“Guess what kid?” She said with a grin, his gym bag hanging by her side, “I’m springing you from this joint!”

“Really?!” He shouted, giggling and covering his mouth when he realized that it had been a little too loud. His mom smiled, taking his regular clothes out of the bag and handing them to him.

“Yep! I just talked to the doctor and you’ve been cleared to go home. The nurse will be in in a minute to take out your IV and then once you’re changed, we can go.” Hakyeon wrapped his arms around his mom’s waist, rubbing his face against her stomach while she gently his hair.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He grinned up at her, “I’m so ready to go home.”

“I figured as much. You never did like hospitals all that much.” And true to her word, in a couple of minutes the nurse removed his IV, he quickly changed and then they walked out of the doors of the hospital.

“Sweet, sweet freedom!” Hakyeon yelled as they walked towards their car, arms spread wide above his head, earning him a few weird looks from onlookers. Once they both got in the car, his mom started it, but didn’t start to drive, just sitting there idling.

“What’s wrong?” Hakyeon asked, curious.

“I swear I wouldn’t make you do this but…we need to go to the police station before we can go home. They made it quite clear that as soon as you were released, you would have to go down to file charges against that boy. He’s been there since the…incident.” Hakyeon swallowed the hard lump that had lodged itself in his throat before letting out a sigh.

“It’s fine. Let’s just get it over with.” His mom smiled and gave his hand a squeeze before finally putting the car into drive. As they drove, Hakyeon stared out the window, engrossed in his thoughts. He heard his mom say something but didn’t quite catch it. “Huh?”

“I said, Taekwoon wanted to come with but he’s not allowed anywhere near Yooncheol.” Hakyeon cocked his head slightly to the side, confused.

“Why not?” His mom looked at him, incredulous.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Taekwoon beat the crap out of the kid after you fell, only letting them pull him off once Yooncheol was unconscious.”

“Oh.” Hakyeon was just a little astounded. Taekwoon had a pretty solid “No Violence” policy. He’d been trained in taekwondo since he was little and knew how much damage he could do to another person with his fists. It was part of the reason he’d never laid a hand on Yooncheol before this.

                When they pulled up to the police station, Hakyeon shakily got out of the car. He knew it was ridiculous to be nervous, but his mind just wasn’t believing that currently. He felt his mom grab his hand as they entered the building, the cold of the air conditioning hitting him in the face. Hakyeon stayed quiet as his mom talked to the officer at the front desk. Next thing he knew, they were being led to a small room with a couple of chairs and a table in the middle. His mom kept a hold of his hand and he was thankful for it, not even caring that he was 18 and holding his mom’s hand. He was too nervous to give a damn. The door opened and in walked a 40 something detective with a file in one hand and balancing two bottles of water in the other.

“Here you go,” he said, setting the water in front of them. “Thought you might be thirsty.” Hakyeon grabbed the bottle, taking a small sip from it. Nerves were going to be the death of him. You’d think he was the one in trouble by how he was acting. “I’m Detective Park, Hakyeon. You don’t have to be nervous. We already got statements from everyone else that was there so all that’s left is your side of the story.” The man pulled out his phone from his pocket, setting it on the table. “I’m going to record this ok?” Hakyeon just nodded. “Ok then, let’s get started. Can you tell me your name and age?”

“Cha Hakyeon. I’m 18.” The detective nodded.

“Ok Hakyeon, can you tell me what happened?” Hakyeon stayed silent for a moment before telling the man his story, start to finish. His mom’s grip on his hand tightened as he retold his fall and then the days that had followed. “You’re definitely a fighter Hakyeon,” the man said, turning off the recorder on his phone. “And you’re also very lucky. A fall from that height could have killed you had you landed wrong.” Hakyeon just nodded, unsure of how to answer that, as an awkward silence filled the room. The detective cleared his throat, trying to dispel the awkwardness. “Well, all that’s left then is to file the charges. Yooncheol will be charged with attempted murder as an adult. I believe that there is enough evidence here that he’ll be convicted without much trouble.” The detective got up, ready to leave the room when Hakyeon’s words stopped him in his tracks, surprising not only him but Hakyeon’s mother and even Hakyeon himself.

“I don’t want to file charges.” His mother was staring at him, mouth wide open in shock.

“What? Why? That boy needs to be punished for what he did! You could have been killed!” The detective moved back to the table, sitting again.

“Your mother is right. Yooncheol needs to deal with the consequences of his actions. If you’re worried about him trying to get revenge on you, don’t. He won’t be able to hurt you ever again.” Hakyeon shook his head.

“It’s not that…I’m not worried about him trying hurt me again.” Hakyeon struggled for words, trying to explain something that he didn’t even quite understand. “I don’t think he meant for it to go that far. I know he wanted to hurt me but I honestly believe that he was just blinded by rage. I’m not dead, not even hurt that bad. He shouldn’t have his life ruined all over one mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. That’s not what I want.” The detective seemed to consider this for a moment.

“If you file assault charges instead, he’d probably end up with probation and community service. Would that be ok with you? It’ll be more of a slap on the wrist than anything.” Hakyeon nodded.

“But there is one thing that I want. I want to talk to him. Just the two of us.”

“Hakyeon, I don’t think that’s a good idea…” his mom said, worry evident in her tone.

“It’s not like he’ll try anything in a police station Mom. It’ll be fine. I can do that right?” Hakyeon asked the detective.

“Well I guess. It’s your choice.” Hakyeon’s mom gently let go of his hand, following the detective out of the room, leaving Hakyeon alone inside. He let out the breath he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding. He really hoped he was doing the right thing.

A few minutes passed before the door opened again, only this time the detective opened the room with Yooncheol, the boy getting handcuffed to the table once he was seated. “You’ve got five minutes Hakyeon.”

“Thank you.” The detective left and Hakyeon got a good look at Yooncheol. Taekwoon sure had done a number on the other boy’s face which was an unsettling blend of purples, yellows, and greens. Hakyeon shouldn’t have felt the small sense of satisfaction that he did, but hell, he wasn’t a saint. This kid had traumatized him for years. As Hakyeon opened his mouth to speak, he was surprised when Yooncheol beat him to it.

“How are you feeling?” Hakyeon was a little shocked at the question, this being the first time that Yooncheol had ever tried to talk to him normally.

“Umm….ok I guess?” And for the first time, Yooncheol looked the older boy directly in the eyes.

“I’m so sorry.” And Hakyeon believed that the younger boy meant it. It would be hard to fake the honesty in those eyes. “I didn’t mean for that to happen. And I understand if you don’t believe me because I wouldn’t if I were you…and I won’t ask you to forgive me. I know that asking that would be stupid but I just want you to know that…I don’t even know.” Yooncheol broke off on a small laugh, tears starting to slowly fall down his cheeks. Hakyeon knew that he was too much of a softie but he just couldn’t help it.

“I forgive you.” The shock that ran through Yooncheol’s eyes spoke volumes to the older boy. “I know that even as much as you hate me, you wouldn’t try to kill me. You may be a bully, but you aren’t a murderer.” The younger boy shook his head.

“You shouldn’t forgive me. I don’t deserve it.”

“Everyone deserves a second chance. And I’m going to give you one Yooncheol. I sincerely hope you don’t waste it.”

“What are you talking about?” The younger boy asked, confused.

“I’m going to do my part to make sure that you don’t go to prison.”

“Why would you do that? You should hate me.”

“I should, but I don’t. I may not like you all that much but even so, I don’t want your life to be ruined before you even get a chance to live.” Hakyeon looked at the broken boy in front of him with compassion before he continued. “You’ll be charged with assault. The detective said that you’d most likely get probation and community service.” The other boy looked down at his hands, tears silently falling. “Look at me Yooncheol and pay very close attention.” Shakily, the other boy looked up once more. Hakyeon’s voice was strong when he continued. “Don’t throw away this second chance on life. Be a better person. Learn to see the world through other’s eyes, and stop living in a world of hate. Not many people get the chance that you’re being given. I sincerely hope you take it and make the most of it. That’s my wish for you. Live so that you can be proud of yourself.” Hakyeon watched the other boy’s silent crying dissolve into sobs as he spoke and when he finished, Hakyeon walked out of the door, out to his mom, out to the car. And in his ears rang the soft thank you that had followed him as he’d left the room.

……………….Three Months Later……………...

In the three months that followed Hakyeon’s accident, his life finally went back to normal. His cast had come off, his ribs had healed, and everything was delightfully peaceful. Well, almost everything.

“Hyuuuuunnnnngggg….” The youngest of the group had attached himself to Hakyeon’s side like a freaking koala bear as they waited for the bus that would be taking Hakyeon and Taekwoon to their new city. “You have to promise to call all the time and come home on weekends!” Hakyeon laughed at the maknae’s cuteness.

“Hyukkie, we’re moving to another city, not another country. And I can’t come back every weekend! You have any idea how much homework I’m sure I’ll have?!” He gently detached the boy, “But I promise to come when I can ok?” The boy smiled cheekily at Hakyeon before wrapping him in a tight hug.

“But call ok? And I’ll deny it if you ever bring this up but…” The maknae glanced around, taking note that the rest of their friends were gathered around Taekwoon, before whispering to Hakyeon, “I’m really going to miss you.” The boy went on his tip toes, pecked Hakyeon’s cheek and then hightailed it to their other friends, leaving Hakyeon staring at him in disbelief before laughing out loud. What a weirdo. He ran to his friends, giving hugs (wanted and unwanted), and yelling at them to keep their asses out of trouble or else!  With laughter and slightly heavy hearts, Hakyeon and Taekwoon left their friends behind them in the street as the bus took them to their new home.

Two weeks into the new term at school and Hakyeon thought he was finally adjusting to this new life. He went to school, went home, did his homework, and slept. And maybe, kind of, avoided Taekwoon just a little. Hakyeon sighed thinking of his best friend. Ever since that night, their relationship had gotten a little…awkward. As he’d promised, Taekwoon didn’t bring it up again. And most of the time, Hakyeon did his best to ignore the feeling but lately it had been more difficult. At home, he’d been able to get away from the stares his best friend was now inclined to give him. Now though, they lived together. There was no avoiding Taekwoon unless he locked himself in his room under the premise of studying. Hakyeon wanted to hit his head against the wall. He wasn’t even sure why he was acting this way! If they talked, then maybe the awkwardness would go away. Or…it could just get worse. Hakyeon had no choice but to acknowledge that he was being a coward, running away from something instead of confronting it. But tonight he was going to do something to get his mind off of it, at least for one night. He’d been invited to a party on the edge of campus that a friend of his was throwing. He’d been ensured a good time and plenty of alcohol.

As the time for the party got closer, Hakyeon changed into a pair of black skinny jeans with rips going up to the thighs, a red undershirt, a black jacket, and a pair of black converse. He carefully applied just a bit of make-up before deeming himself hot and ready to go. As he walked out to the living room, Hakyeon noticed the television playing and Taekwoon zoning out in front of it. Hakyeon found himself thinking how cute the other looked right then before he stopped his train of thought right in its tracks. Not tonight. Tonight he wouldn’t be thinking about the other boy.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“I’m going out.”

“Oh? Where are you going?” Taekwoon asked, giving the other boy a swift one over, noticing the clothes and make-up. To say that Hakyeon was looking attractive would be a definite understatement.

“A party that some friends are throwing. Don’t wait up.” And with that Hakyeon left their apartment. Taekwoon sighed to himself, the sound seeming to echo through the silent apartment. Just as he’d told Hakyeon months ago, his feeling had been real. Still were. He knew that his friend was avoiding him, and honestly, that kind of hurt. It hurt that Hakyeon would rather ignore Taekwoon than try to talk things out with him. Taekwoon still felt the same as he had three months ago. If anything, those feelings had grown until all he could think of was making Hakyeon his. Taekwoon agreed with the other boy that he hadn’t suddenly turned gay. He just happened to love a boy. Just one certain boy. And that boy currently was making his life harder than it needed to be. With a sigh, Taekwoon shuffled to the kitchen, poking around the fridge without actually wanting anything. A glance at the clock told him that Hakyeon had been gone for about two hours now, the time slipping away from Taekwoon as he thought. He’d wanted to accompany the other boy but figured maybe he really just wanted some space. Taekwoon had just sat back down on the couch when his phone started to ring. He was surprised to see Hakyeon’s face pop up on his screen.

“Hello?” Loud music came through the speaker, but no one answered him. Did Hakyeon accidentally dial him? Figuring that to be the case, Taekwoon hung up. Only to find his phone ringing again. Eyeing the call curiously, he answered again.

“Hakyeon?” He had to yank the phone from his ear when someone started to shout into it.

“Hello? Is this Taekwoon?”

“Who is this?” Taekwoon had a sinking feeling in his stomach. “Where’s Hakyeon?”

“Oh sorry! My name’s Key. I’m throwing the party that he’s at. I think you should really come get him…” Taekwoon was about to ask what was wrong when he heard Key yelling at Hakyeon to “put his damn shirt back on and get off the goddamn table!” Taekwoon was already heading out the door before Key finished yelling.

When Taekwoon reached Key’s house, the party had spilled out onto the lawn. He had to shove a few people to the side, not caring about the dirty looks he was receiving. There were so many bodies shoved into the living room that Taekwoon could barely move. Not even knowing what this “Key” looked like, Taekwoon grabbed the nearest mostly sober person and asked.

“Key? Last I knew he was in the dining room. Over there.” Taekwoon went in the direction the girl had pointed, finding himself in another room, just as packed. He moved towards the center of the room, his eyes filling with anger at the scene in front of him.

“Oh come on Key. Let the kid go. I’ll make sure he has lots of fun.” An older guy had grabbed a hold of one of Hakyeon’s arms, pulling him away from a cute, blonde boy, who Taekwoon assumed was Key.

“I said no, Joon. Let him go. This is my party and you aren’t taking him anywhere. He’s drunk.” And Taekwoon could definitely see that. Hakyeon wasn’t just drunk, he was smashed. His undershirt was gone, his overshirt looked like it had been hastily put on him, and his eyes were half-lidded and glassy. He was too far gone to even realize what the hell was going on around him. Taekwoon decided he’d seen enough when the older boy placed his other hand on Hakyeon’s , Key looking like he was about to claw out the guys eyes. Taekwoon stepped forward, easily pulling Hakyeon to him so that his friend’s back was to his chest. He wrapped his arms around the other boy, a possessive look entering his eyes as he stared down Joon.

“Hey baby, I was looking for you.” Hakyeon turned around in his arms before letting out a very unmanly squeal and wrapped his arms tightly around the other boy, snuggling into the other’s chest.

“Taekwoonie!”

“As you can see, he’s taken. Now back off.” Taekwoon’s eyes went hard as he looked at Joon, as if he was daring him to touch Hakyeon one more time.

“No need to get physical. He’s not that cute anyways.” Joon turned around and left the room, Key yelling after him that he was no longer welcome at any of his parties, before turning his attention to Taekwoon.

“Hey thanks for coming to get him. I wasn’t sure how much longer I was going to be able to make him keep his clothes on. Kid sure likes to strip.” Taekwoon laughed, well aware of Hakyeon’s stripping tendencies when intoxicated.

“No problem. Thanks for keeping an eye on him. And keeping him away from the creeps.” Key haughtily studied his nails.

“Well there’s no way in hell I’d let anyone screw with one of my favorite kids. Believe me, I was getting ready to lay out that before you showed up. I could’ve taken him.” And even though there was considerable difference in Key and Joon’s sizes, Taekwoon had no problem believing the blonde.

“Well again thanks. I should probably get him home now.” Key escorted them to the front yard, helping put the now passed out Hakyeon on Taekwoon’s back before waving goodbye. Taekwoon could feel Hakyeon’s warmth as it seeped through his shirt to warm his back. Luckily, the walk home wasn’t long, though he’d had to stop twice for Hakyeon to get sick. As Taekwoon was walking up the stairs to their apartment, he noticed Hakyeon squirming more on his back. “You slightly less drunk yet?”

“Oh god…why didn’t anyone stop me? Better yet, why won’t the world stop spinning?” Taekwoon knew it was wrong to laugh at the others misery but he couldn’t help himself. Only when he’d opened the door to the apartment and entered did he set Hakyeon down onto the couch. He went into the kitchen and returned with a cold bottle of water.

“Here.” The boy took it gratefully, drinking some before looking down at himself and letting out a small, pitiful whine.

“What the hell happened to my clothes?”

“Well apparently, and I’m taking this from what I heard, you decided it was a good idea to put on a strip show on top of Key’s dining room table to the delight of many boys and girls. I heard it was…exotic.”

“Oh my god just kill me now.” Hakyeon groaned out, his head between his hands. “Key’s never going to let me live this down.”

“So you wanna tell me why you got so smashed?” Taekwoon asked casually, not surprised when the other immediately froze.

“Uh…just felt like it, I guess.”

“Right…so it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you’ve been avoiding me since we moved here and even before that? Nothing at all?” Hakyeon jumped off the couch.

“Nope. I’m going to my room. Thanks.” As he tried to move around Taekwoon, the black haired boy grabbed his wrist, refusing to let him run from this any longer.

“I don’t think so.” He tugged Hakyeon back, forcing him to sit on the couch. “It’s time to figure this out.” Not liking that he had to look down at Hakyeon for this, Taekwoon lowered himself to his knees in front of Hakyeon, grabbed the other boy’s face in his head and forced him to look at him. “That night you said that my feelings weren’t real. You refused to believe that I could actually feel anything for you. Well, you were and still are wrong. My feelings for you didn’t go away. They got stronger. I love you. I want to hug you, kiss you, and love every single part of your body. I want to be your boyfriend and be able to proudly claim that you belong to me, so that no one else can touch you. I want you so much that it hurts. And I know you’re scared that something’ll go wrong, that you’ll lose me, but I promise you that that’ll never happen. I will never leave you. So I’ll be brave enough for both of us. All you have to do is give me a chance. Please.” Hakyeon’s eyes had filled with tears as Taekwoon spoke, the kneeling boy laying to rest fears that had plagued him for years. And honestly, Hakyeon was tired of going against what he wanted, he was tired of being afraid, of being a coward. He’d wanted this for so long and was tired of depriving himself of it. Could it go wrong? Definitely. But the thought of what could be outweighed all the risks.

“Ok.” Hakyeon said, the one word bringing him peace that he hadn’t known in months. “We can try.” Taekwoon grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. And Hakyeon couldn’t help but find the irony in the situation, shaking his head at his own stupidity. He’d been the one making his own miserable prison. What an idiot he’d been. But no more. Hakyeon leaned forward to push him lips against Taekwoon’s, a sweet meeting that soon turned into something more. Soon Hakyeon’s tongue was invading Taekwoon’s mouth, lazily exploring as the other boy’s hands explored Hakyeon’s bare torso. The kiss became hotter, more intense, as teeth clashed against one another, Taekwoon the tip of Hakyeon’s tongue, making the red head softly moan. He could see the lust cloud Taekwoon’s vision, feel the hands that pulled him up off the couch. Hakyeon gazed into Taekwoon’s eyes before leading him into his bedroom. The collapsed onto the bed, the kisses slowly changing from frenzied to lazy and sweet. A look at the clock showed that it was almost 4 in the morning.

“Taek,” Hakyeon said as the other placed butterfly kisses across his face, reminding him of a certain other time, only this time was so much better. “I love you too. I always have.” And as the other boy gathered him in his arms, their breathing evening out as they fell into sweet dreams, Hakyeon couldn’t help but think that this summer was the best thing that had ever happened to him. It wasn’t their last summer, wasn’t the end of anything. Instead, it was the beginning of something wonderful and exciting. Something that he never dreamed could happen to him. Something that he would love and treasure until his last breath.

And it's over! Wow this last one was really long. Probably could've split it but I figured a long update was due (cause I at updating regularly). How was it? I'm kinda sad it's over but at the same time...relieved. I'm going to be trying an Post-Zombie apocalypse OnTae next. Still planning but look forward to it.(Most likely it'll be a little bit as I have finals coming up.) Plus, I've been into the Markson world. It's glorious when your OTP ships themselves. Ok then! Hope everyone liked it! <3 I'm out!