word count : 29,258

happy birthday to our beautiful tyun <3 here's a (late) special for our amazing talented bundle of love !! ^^

i wanted to get this out on the day of his bday but curse school and all :,) but anyways, i hope you all enjoy this purely fluffy one shot and tyun being an idiot in love !! ^^

˚₊‧ ꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Admiration.

That's the word Taehyun would use whenever he was around Beomgyu.

Admiration is what he always felt around him, be it during tough times or the most brightest moments. Even before they had properly met each other, he had always admired the elder from the start, ever since the first year of high school when he first laid eyes on him.

The day he met Beomgyu, was a memory he always and will forever cherish.

It was chemistry class when he had first laid his eyes on Beomgyu, it was hard not to. It was probably... the second day of school when the peacefulness of a morning lesson introduction was interrupted by the loud slam of a door, and there it was, a boy rushing in as if he had just ran a marathon.

Every one was startled by the sudden entrance, especially the teacher who was startled and dazed, asking the student the reason why he had just burst through the door loud and proud like some sort of surprise party, and the student... only gave a cheeky smile.

"I... attended the wrong class the first day of school," The student admitted bashfully, scratching the back of his nape with a sheepish grin. "I didn't realize I was in this class until a whole day later. I panicked."

Well, that was certainly unexpected.

The teacher was taken aback by that response, very very taken aback. Not only did this student attended the wrong class, it went unnoticed for an entire day when she was taking attendance. Maybe that's why the name she had called out didn't respond when she was trying to see if every one was here, maybe she thought they were skipping.

So with an amused smile, the teacher decided to let the student off easy, it was the second day of a new year after all. But with a sweet tone, she had asked the student his name when he walked further inside of the classroom after he had caught his breath.

And the student, unusually bright as ever, beamed brightly and proudly introduced himself: Choi Beomgyu.

From that day onwards, the atmosphere in the classroom had drastically changed, in a good way of course.

Beomgyu had a strange way of making every single day amusing and entertaining, it was hard to stay mad at him whenever he would goof off during class. It was also impressive from how smart the male was, grasping every new unit and lesson within minutes of learning it and using that to his advantage to help others who were struggling.

He would always walk into class, no matter what the weather was, no matter how tiring the week became, he would always walk into the classroom with a bright smile and an encouraging attitude that was far too difficult to ignore. His happiness was like a virus, impossible to avoid and easily infectious.

Beomgyu was sweet, patient, and understanding. He had gotten along with majority of the people in the classroom and became a star role model and helper — and all of those traits, were things that made Taehyun begin to admire him.

Unlike Beomgyu, Taehyun wasn't outgoing at all. In all honesty, he was reserved and quiet, only showing his true talkative colors to those he was very close with. But when he was in an environment where he barely knew anyone and didn't intend to get to know him, he was as silent as ever.

But observant, was one of his strengths.

And it was hard to not observe Beomgyu.

With the advantage of sitting in the way back of the classroom, successfully claiming a table of his own, Taehyun observed Beomgyu like a damn experiment whenever they had free time or finished his work.

He admired the way Beomgyu confidentially walked up to students who were struggling with the lesson, offering kind guidance and support with whatever they needed, something that Taehyun had always struggled with. It was hard walking up to others without knowing what the outcome will look like or if he would come off too rude.

He admired the way Beomgyu always cracked the best jokes or little comments when the classroom needed it. The days where the lesson would be too difficult or the day would just drag on and on, Beomgyu had always seemed to know when or what to say to fit the class spirit up. It took a lot to make that happen.

He admired the way Beomgyu would find the right words to say, the right sort of comfort to use on someone whenever they were upset. There was this one time where a student had burst out into tears due to the stress that she had been facing, and Beomgyu was the first one to immediately comfort her.

Taehyun's unsure of what actually happened or what Beomgyu had said to her, but when they came back to the class room — she was brighter than ever, her smile serene and glowing more than before, and after hearing from a friend of a friend, it was said that Beomgyu had been so comforting to her it was unreal.

Confident, caring, humorous, kind, patient, caring, smart. Those were all of the words that came to mind when Taehyun thought about how he should describe Beomgyu. It was all things he admired greatly about the elder.

Taehyun was barely any of those things. Sure, he was patient and kind but only with those he was fully comfortable to be around with. Whenever he's around someone new, he's certainly wasn't patient or humorous at all due to his awkwardness.

He certainly wasn't confident either, most would think that he was confident and smart because of his high marks on assessments and such, but it was the opposite of that.

He was one hell of an over thinker.

He was human after all, thought too much about whether his assignments or assessments would score high makes. He thought too much about his first impression on others, he thought too much about whether he was making the right decision or not. It was his biggest weakness after all.

So when he saw how Beomgyu was all of those things he wasn't, he couldn't help but admire him so much.

But of course, that admiration had to be dealt with from afar.

For the first two months of school, Beomgyu hadn't talked to Taehyun once. Of course he wouldn't, why would he want to waste his time talking to some quiet kid in the back of the classroom who knew what he was doing? Not once has he ever came up to Taehyun and actually had a proper conversation with him.

And honestly? Taehyun was content with that, because if Beomgyu ever came up to him one day with the offer of being his friend — he was certain his brain would short circuit and freeze right then and there.

Plus, he had academics to worry about.

That's how it was supposed to be for the rest of the year. Taehyun admiring Beomgyu's confidence and kindness from afar while he deals with his own things, it was simple, and he felt comfortable with that knowing nothing more would happen.

But of course, fate always had other plans.

It was one unfortunate day, a lab day, where everything had changed for Taehyun, throwing him completely out of his comfortable little world and routine he had built for himself.

They were working on a lab in chemistry with partners and all, and of course, Taehyun was extremely quiet with his partner, but it was no bad thing since they both worked diligently and took down careful notes.

They were handling different kinds of acid samples that day, a lab that required major patience and carefulness — but of course, not everything went according to plan.

He remembers it all too well, how he was so focused on writing down his notes and such that he had tuned the entire world out of his senses. Focusing on writing down the littlest details on every different kind of acid reaction there was, but within just a split second — his world came crashing down when someone had knocked over an acid jar and caused it to spill all. over. his. paper.

That someone was none other than Choi Beomgyu himself.

It took five seconds for Taehyun to realize what had happened, and once it did process, he had jumped back from his paper like a frightened cat and gasped loudly when he saw the acid spilled all over his paper, causing it to change a slightly different color and smudge his writing, causing his heart to drop down to his stomach.

His hard work, gone instantaneously.

With the guidance of the teacher and other students help, they were quick to clean the mess up and carefully dispose of the acid — but Taehyun stood there frozen and devastated as he watched the whole scene unfold

And Beomgyu?

It was safe to say the elder was a mess.

Beomgyu had immediately started to apologize to Taehyun, offering him his notes, offering to buy him lunch, offering anything to make up his mistake and all. He had panicked and blurt out that it was in fact his fault that the acid had spilled, that he was clumsy and didn't pay attention while messing around with his partner, and that he was deeply sorry for what he did.

Taehyun, however, was frozen still and a bit shocked. Not only was this his first time having Beomgyu talk to him, but it was also their goddamn first interaction with each other. Acid out of all things!

So with a shaky smile, that was definitely strained, Taehyun had reassured him that it was all okay and he can just... get more notes from his lab partner — but Beomgyu didn't seem content with that answer at all, as if he had a goal to make his apology worth it.

Unexpectedly, from that day onwards, things started to change between them.

Instead of sitting in the front of the classroom like he always did, Beomgyu had suddenly changed his seat and sat next to Taehyun (he was freaking out.), always offering him notes or snacks — and at first, it threw him off guard — there's no way that Beomgyu was doing all of this just because he had spilled acid over his papers.

But soon enough, he started to grow comfortable with the new company.

With each passing day, the conversations he had with the elder no longer were one sided awkwardness. Somehow, Beomgyu had managed rip open a hidden side that he never knew he had and pull it out, causing him to become more talkative than ever.

The more he opened up, the more he realized how much similarities he and Beomgyu had with one another. He started to realize how the both of them began to understand each other despite the short period of properly knowing each other, he started to realize how much he... enjoyed having the elder around.

Their friendship began to bloom more and more, with them seeking out each other outside of class and having lunch with one another — Beomgyu always somehow managing to make Taehyun laugh or Taehyun managing to make him laugh with his strange awkward jokes.

It made his admiration grow stronger.

It was addictive, like a damn drug, seeing the bright smile or hearing that sweet laughter every time he was with Beomgyu — it was addicting, and he selfishly wanted to witness more of it.

Days began to turn into weeks, weeks into months, and their friendship between one another grew impossibly stronger at such a rapid pace. One little accident had allowed Taehyun to properly meet Beomgyu, to finally call him his best friend.

He would be with Beomgyu almost every hour of the day. Meeting up with him in the mornings to take a nice walk around the school before classes, walking with one another to next classes, sitting with each other during lunch, always meeting up with one another afterschool and spending time with each other be it studying or going to some arcades, they were barely separated.

As months went by, those months began to turn into years of precious memories.

And his admiration for Beomgyu just grew stronger, especially in his heart.

Change was a scary thing, every one changes, it's something that they could barely prevent. Even the friendship between him and Beomgyu began to change, but in the best way possible.

They were finding their own identity, their own selves, so it wasn't a surprise that Beomgyu had turned into someone that many people looked up to. He was someone who took the lead, who always helped out, who confidently guided those who needed help — taking part of many events and earning the hearts of others while also staying on top of his education, it was no surprise that he became a top student.

Taehyun, however, remained in his personal little bubble. Of course he met other friends outside of Beomgyu, take Huening Kai and Soobin for example. He had met Huening Kai in his history class when the male had transferred mid-year, and Soobin was introduced to him by Beomgyu. He felt comfortable around them.

He stayed on top of his grades twenty-four-seven. Striving for the best, holding himself up to high expectations and goals. An honorary student is what he called himself, he wanted to make both him and his parents proud, and unlike Beomgyu who had always put himself out into the crowd, he felt more comfortable watching the crowd.

Of course, the elder understood him all too well. Never once has Beomgyu ever pressured him into visiting an event with him, pressuring him to skip his studies to hang out with others, pressuring him to meet new people he wasn't comfortable with.

And despite the change happening all around them, their friendship between one another grew stronger than ever — their understanding of one another grew stronger than ever.

Beomgyu always made time for Taehyun, even on days he was extremely exhausted. He would always stay after school with Taehyun whenever the younger needed to study, he would always make sure to bring him his favorite snacks to drinks, he always made sure to seek out for him whenever his classes ended.

He had always made sure that Taehyun was comfortable.

It made his heart start to feel weird.

They knew each other inside and out. They knew each other so well it was shocking whenever one would admit the smallest detail they noticed about one another — they were connected in an unexplainable way. They knew how to comfort one another after a stressful day or week, it was healing.

No matter what happened, Beomgyu never ever made Taehyun feel stuck in a difficult situation or issue, he had never made him uncomfortable. He was patient and kind with him, and he admired that.

However... that admiration began to change. It began to shift into something unexplainable the longer he spent with Beomgyu.

It was near the end of the second year of high school when it happened.

The changes were overwhelming, things started to get harder, and pressure began to become suffocating. It was all too much, far too much for Taehyun to keep up with.

As people change, expectations change too, and that's what happened with Taehyun when he began to pressure himself even more than before — and Beomgyu noticed it all.

He noticed when the younger would start to stay at the library more than his house. That he spent more hours with his nose stuck in a book instead of resting in a bed, that he began to avoid lunches and barely touched the snacks that he had always bought him.

The self expectations and worries weighed down on Taehyun like a damn train, his over thinking mind struggled to balance the calm and stormy emotions. It was raining down on him extremely hard the longer he went on.

Beomgyu, a sweetheart and his best friend, had always offered to help ease his mind or take up his notes, but he never pressured further than that. And when Taehyun would deny every offer, he didn't push forward. But it was safe to say that he was worried for his best friend.

But Taehyun knew he could handle it all, he knew that it would all pay off... right...?

wrong.

Being under the constant stress and pressure eventually hit him hard, and on one occasion after Taehyun had received a low score on an assessment he studied hard for (sacrificing hours of sleep to study), he was an absolute mess by the end of the school day.

When he went to go meet with Beomgyu at their usual spot, the elder had noticed his defeated mood almost instantly. Running up to Taehyun with a worried expression and worried questions spewing out rapidly.

The way Beomgyu had ran up to him, gently holding onto his wrists, his eyes shining with worry and his brows furrowed as his calm, comforting, voice asked him what was wrong — it just made the thin strings that were holding him together snap in an instant.

With a loud shaky breath, Taehyun tilted his head down and instantly burst into tears — the pressure, his own expectations, the stress of school and all — it finally hit him hard and it was devastating. He felt pathetic, scoring such a low score on an assessment he had studied so hard for, it felt like a damn stab to the gut.

Beomgyu who was stunned by the males tears and shaky sobs, immediately pulled Taehyun into a warm, comforting hug, holding him tightly in an embrace he couldn't dare to escape — allowing the younger to let out all of his tears as he gently rubbed his back.

Such a simple, yet comforting gesture, made Taehyun's heart race rapidly. Allowing a strange explosion of fuzziness to bloom inside of his guts. It burned being in the elders arm, yet the burn felt so good.

After a few minutes of letting out sobs and tears, Taehyun eventually calmed down, allowing for them to take a step back — yet Beomgyu kept a secure hold around his wrist, gently whispering comforting words to him: "You did your best. Be proud." "We all make mistakes, we will always score low on something, it's how we grow." "I'm proud of you for trying, Tyun."

All of those words went straight to his heart.

Eventually, Beomgyu had managed to calm him down — and Taehyun was extremely embarrassed that he had broke down like that. But the elder comforted him, saying that it was normal to feel this way, it was normal to cry over something so difficult, and it's not wrong to cry. His words were so comforting, it made him feel weird, so weird.

With a soft, lingering smile, Beomgyu took a step back, his gaze leaving Taehyun's as he turned toward the school's entrance.

That was when he noticed it — the rain. It had come quietly, washing over the world in gentle waves, the once golden sky now swallowed by heavy gray clouds. The air smelled of fresh earth, and raindrops shimmered as they kissed every surface.

Rain had a way of making people feel things — gray, nostalgia, longing, melancholy. It painted the world in muted colors, draped everything in a quiet, aching beauty.

But Taehyun didn't feel gray. He didn't feel melancholy.

He felt something else entirely.

He felt his heart race.

Because when Beomgyu had stepped outside and opened up his umbrella, allowing raindrops to slide down it gracefully, he paused. Slowly, he turned back, eyes soft and filled with something so strong and unspoken it was heartwarming. Then, with the gentlest tilt of his head, he held out his hand — an offering, like a promise.

"Let's go home together, my star." He had said sweetly, smiling brighter than ever.

And in that moment, Taehyun's entire world changed.

There was a reason why he would always seek Beomgyu out for comfort, why he felt so easily comfortable with the elder, why he needed him by his side no matter what happened. Why he would always study hard to make him proud, why he made sure to attend every event he participated in on time, why he was so easily influenced by him. Why the both of them knew each other so well, despite everything.

There was a reason why only the both of them understood every want and need they had. Noticing the smallest things within each other that others did not notice.

There was a reason why his heart, mind, and soul only began to focus on Beomgyu. Why the elder had managed to so easily tear down his walls and waltz into his life like some sort of free show.

There was a reason why his admiration for Beomgyu began to change.

Because in that moment, in the rain, his admiration began to bloom into something stronger and better.

The way Beomgyu held out his hand, his gaze full of tenderness and warmth, his smile sweet and encouraging, the words he said that shot straight to his damn heart — why in Taehyun's eyes the features that he held felt so ethereal.

It finally made him realize why his heart was so set on being with Beomgyu forever.

It all made sense now.

His admiration that was once so strong, so overwhelming, had morphed into love.

In their second year of high school, in the midst of the rain, with the world passing by and with newfound tender emotions...

Taehyun had fallen in love with Beomgyu.

Two and a half years had passed by in the blink of an eye, and it was now their final year of high school, the year where everything changes.

Well, not everything.

Even though it's been two and a half years, Taehyun's feelings for Beomgyu hasn't changed one bit — if anything, they only grew stronger day by day to the point it was becoming overwhelming and such.

It grew to a point where Taehyun wanted to do anything to hear compliments, he wanted to do anything to see the light shine within the elders eyes. Which is why he started to wake up earlier to pretty himself up, changing his closet and style in a way that was similar yet different from the elders, doing anything he could to make his appearance absolutely wonderful in his eyes.

And ninety percent of the time, it works! Oh gosh, how his heart flutters up so much whenever he sees Beomgyu staring at him or when he would compliment him!

But that wasn't the only thing that changed, no no no. What was really messing with his heart the most was the change within Beomgyu, the elder not only became more sweeter and kind as the years pass by, but he also became more handsome and beautiful as he slowly grows up more.

It was really messing with his heart.

But it's been two years and a half years, he's the one person who understands Beomgyu inside and out — the one who knows everything he likes and dislikes, the pet peeves that he has and the weird little kinks that he enjoys.

There were no secrets between them at all, they trusted one another with their entire hearts! And nothing about that will change.

Well... besides the fact that Taehyun has no idea whether Beomgyu likes someone else or not.

Relationships, love interests, ideal types — those were the topics that they never really discussed much about between each other. Sure, Beomgyu has had his fair share of confessions here and there, but they were never around Taehyun for him to witness. It wasn't like it worked out anyway, he always heard that Beomgyu rejected them all.

Taehyun also had his fair share of confessions, all to which he rejected because... his heart obviously belongs to someone else. But whenever he would tell Beomgyu about the confessions, the elder would become strangely quiet, which made him worry. Maybe he wasn't comfortable with the idea of dating or such because of school.

So between the two of them, relationships with others were something they never really had to talk about. But gosh, does Taehyun wish he knew whether Beomgyu had an interest in someone or not.

Huening Kai, his sweet best friend, had told him countless times that he should just confess to Beomgyu (yes, Taehyun actually did tell someone about his hopeless pining on the elder!), there was nothing that could go wrong if he did confess.

Hahaha. Nothing.

WRONG!!!!

There's so many things that could go wrong if he confessions! Many things like a rejection, if he got rejected by Beomgyu — he would actually sob, puke, transfer schools, move to a different country, and never show his damn face again!

There was also the possibility of ruining his friendship with the elder, he has never felt so happy being in a close bonded friendship with someone that they've built up for years, and ruining it all because of his feelings? That's not... that's not right!

There was also the possibility of Beomgyu liking someone else, that the elder actually has an interest on someone who isn't him, and that breaks his heart to even think about. So confessing is way out of the picture, as badly as Taehyun wants to make his feelings known, he knew it was safer to play the waiting game — waiting for his feelings to fade away (spoiler alert: they don't!).

Being in love with the elder and unable to properly showcase it does hurt sometimes, it was better that way. Nothing else will change about it, and he's certain his feelings won't fade away anytime soon until something happens. Like a miracle, gosh please let a miracle happen, please let this boy be his.

But anyways, moving on from the whole storm of emotions that he was going through, it was time for him to fully focus on the present and not his damn feelings.

Kinda.

Two weeks ago, it was a teary goodbye when Beomgyu had been selected to go overseas on an exchange student program. Even though it was two weeks, it was still two weeks, and Taehyun felt devastated. He has never been away from the elder for that long, it was embarrassing, but he was quite attached to him no matter what he says.

Beomgyu had held him in his arms in a tight hug which definitely didn't make Taehyun go crazy, whispering sweet words and promises in his ears to calm him down since he knew the younger would overthink everything like replacing him with a new person or permanently moving overseas without him. Embarrassing enough, those were the things that went through his head.

He had promised to make sure he called him every single night until he comes back home to him, and that promise made Taehyun's heart an absolute mess.

All because Beomgyu stayed true to his words.

Despite the drastic time zone difference, Beomgyu always found loopholes or a small chunk of time where their times aligned properly — not too late, not too early. He would call Taehyun every single night and ask about his day, what he did, and how he's feeling, and it just made him fall deeper in love with Beomgyu.

The quiet nights where he would be on call with the elder, nothing but the soft melodic sound of his sweet voice spewing out nonsense. He would listen every time though, he was grateful for Beomgyu being so talkative because he just loved listening to the elders voice.

He also loved staring at him, how the elder would always prop the camera up somewhere where his face would be seen, and he would just sit and stare the entire time.

Even though it was hard not having Beomgyu physically there for him, he still tried his best, and that's all Taehyun could ever ask for.

Gosh, he's so down bad, why can't Beomgyu be his already?

Two weeks had passed painfully slowly, but finally, the first day of spring break had arrived. After what felt like an eternity of draining assessments and tedious assignments, it was time for a well-earned break. And that meant one thing — more time with Beomgyu, who was finally back from his overseas exchange trip!!

Taehyun definitely wasn't counting down the days, no no no, he definitely didn't wake up early this morning and pretty himself up the best he could, went out to the store to buy Beomgyu's favorite snacks and such, all because he was returning home after two weeks of staying overseas. He definitely didn't do all that.

Breathe, Taehyun, breathe. He thought, nervously picking at the ends of his sweater as he stood in front of the familiar door he always visited. Just knock, it's not like he's a stranger, he's just—

"My star!"

Taehyun's eyes widened as his head snapped up, the door suddenly swinging open revealing the boy he dearly missed so much — but holy shit, did his breath and heart stop instantly right then and there.

Two weeks. It had only been two weeks, but somehow, Beomgyu looked even more breathtaking than he remembered. There had to be something in the air overseas — some kind of magic — because seeing him now, standing there in just a simple white button-up and black pants that hugged him just right, it felt like seeing him for the first time all over again.

His long, dark brown hair framed his face perfectly, drawing attention to the delicate features Taehyun adored — the soft curve of his lips, the gentle slope of his nose, the warmth in his eyes that shimmered like stars. And that smile... so sweet and effortless, had sent his heart into a frantic race, leaving him lightheaded and weak in the knees.

The soft glow of the golden afternoon sun shone down upon the elder like a goddamn dream, making him look absolutely ethereal in Taehyun's eyes, his heart was racing so much that he was sure he was nearly drooling at this point.

It was embarrassing at this point, forcing himself to snap back into reality as he immediately wiped his mouth when he realized he was in fact drooling just a bit. His face began to flush a deep heated shade of red as he looked away in embarrassment, avoiding the elders eyes.

"H-Hey, Gyu—"

Just before he could say anything else, he suddenly felt a hand wrap around his wrist and suddenly pulling him forward — causing a warmth to envelope him unexpectedly.

His eyes widened when Beomgyu had wrapped his arms around him tightly, one of his hands wrapping around his waist and one resting on his back tightly in such a comforting embrace, it was like the elder had been waiting for this moment to happen, as if he had been waiting for him.

Taehyun barely had time to process what was happening, his mind loading slower than usual as his brain began to turn fuzzy when that familiar scent had hit him: strawberry and vanilla. It made his heart completely betray him, beating erratically in his chest as something warm spread through him.

It was just two weeks, two whole weeks he went without the elder, it shouldn't have felt this long. But... standing here, being held like this, it made him realize just how much he had ached for this. For Beomgyu.

Beomgyu let out a quiet sigh, like a relieved breath as he leaned his head down and rested it on Taehyun's shoulder. His grip tightening around him for a second, like he was testing to see if this moment was truly real.

"I missed you so much," He whispered, his voice was low, nearly vulnerable, as if the words carried something more, something unspoken. "It feels so good having you in my arms again, Tyun."

Taehyun's breath hitched, hearing the elders low voice so close in his ear after so long made his stomach twist and turn in ways it shouldn't. So with a defeated sigh, he gently dropped the plastic bag onto the ground and placed his hands onto the elders shirt — his fingers curling into the fabric to anchor himself as his senses began to melt.

His throat felt tight, it was becoming difficult to properly breathe with how overwhelmed he felt by the way Beomgyu held him — like he was something precious, something he didn't want to let go of.

And honestly? He's not complaining, he missed him so much, that he would let the elder do anything he would like to him.

Words began to bubble up in his throat, lingering on the tip of his tongue, unsure of what to even say in this moment. He was a bit terrified that his messed up brain would admit that he had been counting down the days, that he had spent nights rereading their conversations as a form of comfort that he was here, that he had woken up every morning waiting for this moment.

That he... he held so much love for him within his heart so desperately, so strong, that he never wants the elder gone for so long once again.

But instead, he chose the easier way out.

"I missed you too, Gyu." He replied, soft and gentle.

That wasn't enough, those words would never be enough to describe his feelings.

A soft, serene smile, grew on Beomgyu's face as he pulled back, just enough for their faces to be inches apart. His eyes began to slowly trace every feature that he had missed to much, taking in the sight.

God, the way he looked at him — soft, unguarded, full of devotion and admiration, it made Taehyun's heart a racing mess and his mind a fuzzy disaster.

"I can tell," Beomgyu spoke up, a slight teasing tone laced in his words, his fingers brushed against Taehyun's wrist as he glanced down at his outfit. "You look so pretty today, Tyun. Tell me, did you get ready for just for me or what?"

Completely amused by those words, Taehyun let out a soft scoff, rolling his eyes. Lately, Beomgyu has been nothing but entirely teasing, he's unsure why the elder suddenly became this way but maybe it was just him being a menace like he always was.

But there was no doubt that his words always managed to do something to his heart, but he knew it was just... friendly banter.

"Who says I got ready for you, idiot?" Taehyun replied, tilting his head as he smiled teasingly. "What if I just wanted to look good today? Or for someone else?"

The smile on Beomgyu's face faltered slightly, a flash of... irritation washing over his face before he quickly straightened up, shaking his head as he let out a strained laugh. "That's... well..." He paused for a moment, his tone more soft. "...did you?"

Taehyun's eyes widened slightly, his smile faltering and all the teasing remarks had instantly faded away in that moment. Was he... was he really asking him if he actually got ready for someone else...? That was strange, it was the first time he had seen him act this way.

But with a soft smile, Taehyun nudged the elders shoulder teasingly. "Stop acting like a big baby, I swear I didn't. I just wanted to look nice today since it's... the first day of break after all!" Wow, great lie there Kang, you should've just said that you wanted to look pretty for him.

Like an instant flip of a light switch, the smile that grew on Beomgyu's face was nearly blinding. The elder immediately wrapped his hand around his wrist and dragged him inside, making sure to pick up the plastic bag that was temporarily abandoned before he closed the door eagerly.

"We have so much to catch up on," Beomgyu said, dragging him upstairs to his room, Taehyun guesses his parents were out of town today. "You wouldn't believe the amount of crazy events that happened when I was gone overseas!"

"Really?" Taehyun replied, clearly amused as they rushed down the hallway to the elders room. "With the amount of crazy events, I'm surprised that you didn't get arrested at all over there."

"Me? Arrested?" Beomgyu gasped out, clearly offended but amused by the younger's words. "As if! I would never get myself arrested, that's just stupid! I wouldn't want that on my record! But anyways..."

A small, breathy laugh, escaped Taehyun as the elder began to ramble on and on. This was it, this is what he missed the most during those two empty weeks. The days where he would sit back and listen to every bizarre story that he had told. Admiring the way his eyes sparkled when he did, how his smile never once faltered.

Moments like this, he cherished the most. Lord, whoever Beomgyu's future spouse is in the future (please let it be him), please make sure they never let this part of him die.

"It was so fun, Taehyun, you definitely have to do the exchange program soon!" Beomgyu beamed, gently letting his wrist go, unaware of the small frown that formed on the younger's face when he did so. "I met so many great people, and my exchange student? He's so great!"

Taehyun pursed his lips tightly, a bit uncomfortable hearing the constant praises of others, but he had no choice but to listen closely as his grip around the plastic bag tightened. "I think it's too late for me to even get into the exchange program, but I think I'm content staying here."

"Maybe, maybe, but it was so fun! Gosh, you should've seen the pretty landscape! It was so breathtaking, but honestly? With you there with me, it would've been ten times better."

Taehyun felt his mouth go dry at what the elder had just said, his eyes widening before an instant flush spread across his face. Beomgyu shouldn't say things like that, he shouldn't. Because if he did, he was certain that he would throw out every caution and warning signs that alerted in his head just to confess his love to him.

But gosh, does he wish he knew what Beomgyu truly thought about him. Does the elder see him as just a friend or something more?

He's yearning for him, desperately wanting him in ways he couldn't say out loud, and it was messing with his head and heart.

Maybe he should finally do something, maybe give a hint or a nudge to show the elder that his admiration and love for him went beyond platonic "bro" actions. But... how?

What if Beomgyu does know he has a crush on him?

Oh god.

What if he does know and he's pretending to be nice so he won't ruin their friendship?

Oh god. oh god. SHIT.

"Gyu..." Taehyun muttered under his breath, allowing the elder to drag him inside the room. "Do you think— what the fuck."

Before Taehyun could even finish his sentence and ask the elder what he truly thought about him, he suddenly froze in his tracks when he saw a literal abomination apocalypse in front of him — what the fuck?

"Huh?" Beomgyu tilted his head, staring at him for a moment after noticing his entire tone and expression changed. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Taehyun slowly glanced over towards the elder before looking back over towards his bed. His mouth began to open and close, unsure of what to say at the horrific sight that was in front of him... no, no way, what the hell?

"Gyu..." He started off slowly, wondering if he was seeing things or not. "Why... why the hell are there so many damn... penguins on your bed?!"

Beomgyu tilted his head, confused for a brief moment before he followed his line of sight, his eyes landing on his bed where a bunch of stuffed penguins laid on — varying in different colors and sizes which seemed absolutely bizarre. Some of them were the same brand but others were fluffy, and it literally took up all of his bed.

"Oh!" Beomgyu began to laugh loudly, walking over towards his bed. "Don't mind this, it's not much but—"

"Not much?!" Taehyun repeated, his voice cracking from how baffled he was. "There's like over... fifty penguins on your bed! Why the hell are there so many penguins on your bed? They weren't there two weeks ago!"

The laugh that Beomgyu let out was different than the laugh he had heard earlier, it was more softer and tender — and his gaze... oh god, his gaze was entirely different than before as well. When he held one of the penguins in his hands and took a moment to stare at it, Taehyun's heart dropped down to his stomach when he recognized some of the emotions in the elders eyes.

Softness. Admiration. Affection.

It was the way Beomgyu usually looked at him. Not at some damn penguin!

A wave of bitterness began to wash over Taehyun for a split moment when he glanced at the whole army of penguins on the elders bed. This was honestly something he would see inside of Huening Kai's room, not Beomgyu's, and it was really really irritating him!

"I received all of these when I was overseas," Beomgyu explained, his smile bright and serene as he shook the penguin a little, cuteness aggression taking over him for a moment. "I guess I didn't realize how many I really had until someone said it! They're so cute, aren't they?"

No. They were not cute.

It took a minute to process all of the words that he had just heard, and for a second, his mind was blank until the word received repeated in his mind. Holy shit, someone gave all of these penguins to Beomgyu.

Someone who wasn't him.

And he accepted them all?!

Taehyun could feel his eye start to twitch, his blood boiling underneath his skin at the realization that... that these were gifts.

Now, there were a lot of things he could handle, a lot! Especially when it came down to Beomgyu, he was patient when the elder would scream loudly at two in the morning while playing games with Soobin when he slept over, he was patient with his ridiculous habit of using his phone until it hit one percent, he was patient with the elders ability to talk on and on to the workers at cafes when they went out together.

But this...?

This was absolutely testing him.

"Y-You're saying that... that you..." Taehyun started, pausing for a moment when he realized how strained his tone was. "...you received all of this... from someone?" He gestured towards the... abomination all over his bed. "F-From who?! Why?! And why penguins out of all things!"

Beomgyu blinked at him, a bit startled by the younger's words — noticing the slight panic in his tone. "Is everything okay? You're getting a little worked up about this—"

"I'M NOT GETTING WORKED UP!" Taehyun exclaimed a bit too loudly, his voice cracking again which made him instantly flush in embarrassment, clearing his throat. "I-I just... It was unexpected and I...I'm curious?"

I'm angry because you accepted gifts from someone else who wasn't me! Someone I don't even know!

Normally, Taehyun wouldn't even bat an eye if Beomgyu received gifts from others, but for some reason this was really pissing him off. Seriously, he didn't have to accept fifty goddamn penguins to bring back home!

Fifty is far too much for a normal person!!!

Beomgyu raised a brow at that response, slowly sitting down on the edge of his bed as he glanced down at the penguin in his hands (it should be Taehyun in his hands, but whatever!). "I dunno, I guess I have a new obsession with penguins."

What.

A new what.

Horrified wouldn't be the word to describe what he felt at the moment, maybe he felt appalled or... or affrighted... maybe even a bit hysterical. Okay, maybe he felt all of those emotions at once, oh he's about to fucking lose it.

Taehyun stared at the elder, unsure of what to say or even process in that very moment. This shouldn't bother him, not at all, but a new obsession? No, no no no no! That wasn't right! He knew everything about Beomgyu, everything!

From the weirdest pet peeve (hating when people cut sandwiches unevenly) to his favorite time of the day (sunset, because the sky looked prettier) and down to his favorite character (chococat). But... but penguins?!

Penguins had never been on that list, not at all! Not in the three or four-ish years that they had known each other! Penguins had never been his main interest until... now!

His heart started racing, faster than before. This was new information, information that he didn't know about beforehand. Oh gosh, don't tell him... in those two weeks that Beomgyu was gone... did he... develop...

No. No. No! His stomach started to twist at the thought of the elder being in a secret relationship with him not knowing, but god did it feel like his entire existence felt like it was being questioned!

This was so not like him, no. Taehyun wasn't the jealous type at all, he would never be bothered by this sort of thing. But... but this was pissing him off so bad! Someone gave penguins to Beomgyu, so many of them, and it's someone he doesn't even know!

They made the elder have admiration in his eyes, admiration that should be for him!

Who...? Who corrupted his best friend slash the love of his life slash his husband who doesn't know he's his husband with a sudden... sudden unprompted love for penguins?! Did they lock him in a room and play Pingu for hours straight? This is ridiculous!

"Tyun?" He heard Beomgyu call out for him, forcing him to snap back into reality as his fists clenched tightly unknowingly. "Is everything okay? You've been standing there... staring at the penguins... do you want one?"

Like hell do I want one of those cursed objects! Taehyun scowled slightly, the idea of even taking one of those god forsaken things home made him angry! "Oh, no... sorry. I was just uhm... who gave them to you?"

Oblivious to the strain in the younger's voice, Beomgyu smiled softly as he turned to look at the penguins. "Yeonjun did! You know? The exchanges student I was with when I went overseas?"

That answer made Taehyun's entire world flip upside down.

Yeonjun.

That Yeonjun.

The name echoed in his mind over and over again like a damn horror movie sound effect, never once stopping to let him breathe.

He felt his nails dig into his palm, his heart pounding heavier and heavier as if he had just ran a marathon. Yeonjun? The same Yeonjun that Beomgyu had casually introduced to him before? The same Yeonjun he spent overseas with? The same Yeonjun that he thought he was fucking chill with?! The Yeonjun— what the hell even was he to Beomgyu now?!

No. No this is straight up betrayal or something! When he had met Yeonjun, the elder was so kind and nice, keeping a good conversation with him whenever Beomgyu called — but now the elders true colors were being exposed.

He was trying to serenade and swoon his best friend slash love of his life slash husband over with... with penguins!

Oh, how his world had shattered right then and there.

Taehyun's vision began to blur, panic creeping in as his mind had too many thoughts swirling all together at once, he felt sick to his stomach, unsure of what to even say at this point.

"So..." He began, his voice barely above a whisper as his words shook slightly. "You... you like the penguins...?"

Beomgyu tilted his head, blinking for a couple seconds before he shrugged and leaned back onto the bed (save him, save him god save him, cause lord does his lap look so inviting—). "I mean, yeah, they're nice and cute."

Nice... and cute.

That reply made Taehyun's eye twitch slightly, forcing him to swallow the heaviness that built up in his throat as he crossed his arms for some sort of grounding — his nails digging into his skin.

"Oh..." He strained out, irritation boiled within him more than ever, oh god he was not acting like himself — is he having an out of body experience? "That's... cool! What about Yeonjun?"

Beomgyu tilted his head, even more confused as to why Taehyun was suddenly acting so strange... more strange than usual, but nonetheless he just shrugged and gave his answer. "He's nice too."

huh.

nice.

Taehyun felt his entire senses CRASH.

His brain? Yep, a complete blank blur now. He couldn't breathe, couldn't even think!

Because in Beomgyu's eyes... he thought that Yeonjun was nice, that all the gifts he received from him were nice and cute.

...

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!

Taehyun wanted to cry, this was the first step of a love story in the making and he didn't like it at all! What kind of "nice" was he even talking about?! He's about to fucking lose it!

Was it the "nice" as in, "oh he's a cool guy" type of nice?

Or... or nice as in... "Oh, I think I want to hold his hand, maybe get married with him, and live in a house full of penguins and diamonds with him!" type of nice?

Nope, he doesn't even want to think about that. He's just so angry right now though! This was Choi Beomgyu, the boy who he should know inside and out, over here telling him that he has a new obsession and that he received all of these gifts from someone who wasn't Taehyun?

It didn't help that the elder was completely and utterly oblivious to the fact that Taehyun was currently experiencing the worst emotional crisis of his entire life right in front of him! Only yawning softly as he leaned back onto the demonic piles of penguins, maintaining eye contact with the younger who stayed frozen in his spot.

"Anyways," Beomgyu sighed, all light and casual as if he didn't just casually rip a part of Taehyun's heart from out of his body. "Let's watch a movie together! I missed you a lot, you know. I want to hold you in my arms again!"

Oh.

Okay.

So that's how it's going to be.

Such a low fucking blow!

Taehyun could already feel his brain, which had earned him so many high scoring assessment marks and academic achievements, begin to fucking melt at this entire thing. His heart, seizing up as if someone had ripped his chest open and began to squeeze it tightly, this entire situation had made his world fucking tilt.

No, no, no! The thought of Yeonjun and Beomgyu being together made him so fucking sick to his stomach.

He doesn't want to be the best man at their wedding.

"Hey, Tyun?"

Even though Beomgyu was calling out for him, he couldn't bring himself to respond, the thought of watching Beomgyu marry someone else who isn't him in the future made him so sick. He could feel his face heating up so fast, maybe he would spontaneously combust right then and there.

He tried forming words, something to say to reply to the elder, but his body had decided to completely betray him right then and there, instead of playing it cool or respond like a normal human being, he did the absolute worst possible thing ever!

Right as he was about to speak, he suddenly choked on air.

Forcing himself to let out a strained noise.

A noise that could only be described as something between a strangled cat playing a broken kazoo.

A noise he had never once in his entire life, in the seventeen years of living, had he made before.

The silence that followed after was absolutely horrifying, only the sound of Taehyun's erratic breathing echoed out as the both of them stared at each other without any words being spoken after he had let out that strange noise.

Beomgyu stared at him.

Taehyun stared back.

Neither of them moved, or dared to say anything.

It wasn't until Beomgyu had tilted his head slightly, a playful yet confused smile grew on his pretty face. "What the hell was that? Are you okay, Tyun-ah?"

Taehyun had no answer, no reply to that question. He could only feel his soul actively trying to exit his body and head straight downwards from where he stood. All the worst possible scenarios playing in his head as he instantly felt himself start to panic.

Was he too late to confess his feelings? He knew there was a possibility Beomgyu only saw him as a friend (or worse, a little brother.), but now that reality was hitting him hard that there was a chance that something was happening between him and Yeonjun — he felt himself start to panic.

So without even thinking, his mouth moved without his permission, causing him to take a step back. "I-I have to go!"

"Huh?" Beomgyu immediately shot up from his spot, staring at him in disbelief — absolutely confused and dazed now. "Wh-What?! You just got here, Tyun! Where are you—"

"Away!"

"— Huh? What do you mean away? Wait, don't leave—"

"I have to go!"

Before Beomgyu could open his mouth to say something else, Taehyun — already deep into his fight or flight response — had spun around so fast he had lost his balance, tripping over absolutely nothing, and slammed himself directly into the doorframe with a sickening loud thud.

Beomgyu winced after seeing that happened, a worried expression flushing over his face as he immediately tried to rush over towards him. "Taehyun! Are you okay? Darling just calm down—"

"I said I'm fine!" Taehyun exclaimed, his voice high and embarrassed as he let out a garbled noise of what it seemed to be pure suffering. "I-I have to go!"

"Taehyun!—"

Recovering just enough to use his senses, Taehyun had flung himself out of the room at full speed and down the stairs, ignoring the elders confused calls as he practically ran out the house like some cartoon character being chased by some bad guy.

He couldn't do this. Nope, he couldn't do this at all.

His heart, his precious feelings, his love for Beomgyu — it all began to feel sickening when he thought about what had just happened.

Penguins.

Yeonjun.

Penguins.

Yeonjun.

Penguins....

Taehyun felt sick to his stomach, it was only a matter of time until he finds out that Yeonjun and Beomgyu were dating, a matter of time until he finds out that his feelings weren't reciprocated at all! And he couldn't do it. He could. not. do. it!

The entire thing made his heart ache so much, he wanted to be the one for Beomgyu! This new obsession? Absolute bullshit.

That's it.

He needed an immediate intervention. A helpful source that'll encourage him in the right path, because god, he doesn't even know what he should do with his hurricane storm of feelings right now!

There was only one person he could unfortunately turn to during a time like this.

Huening Kai.

And even though he knew that damn idiot was definitely going to laugh in his face for the first few minutes when he tells him about this, he knew he would be helpful.

Because if he loses Beomgyu to someone else, he's going to bury himself in a hole forever and after.

˚₊‧ ꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

knock! knock! knockknocknknockknock—

"Hello? Wait, Taehyu— OW!"

"Oh shit!" Taehyun gasped when his fist immediately came in contact with Huening Kai's chest instead of the door, wincing slightly as he took a step back. "Sorry, Kai! I didn't mean to hit you, but uhm... are you busy right now?"

Huening Kai raised an eyebrow, obviously confused and concerned as to why Taehyun was suddenly his door instead of Beomgyu's door. He had been rambling nonstop for the past week about how he's going to go straight to the elders house when he arrives back.

"I'm not really doing anything..." Huening Kai replied, his tone a bit wary when he noticed how anxious Taehyun seemed. "Why? Is everything—"

"You won't fucking believe what just happened, Kai!" Taehyun burst out angrily, pushing past the male who yelped, startled by the sudden action as Taehyun stormed inside the house. "I-I went over to Beomgyu hyung's and- and it was horrible!"

"Wait, Taehyun—"

Taehyun ignored his best friends cries, storming further inside and over to the living room, his blood boiling over — he needed to get all of this out of his system or else he'll absolutely lose it, maybe even die right then and there if it all comes down to it.

Beomgyu. Penguins. Yeonjun. All nice and cute.

It was all too much.

"Tyun," Huening Kai called out, closing the door as he followed the male to the living room, a bit worried because he looked like a mess.. either Taehyun had just committed a crime or witnessed one. "Is everything okay? Did Beomgyu do or say something?"

Taehyun spun around and nearly tripped on his own footing as he did, turning to look at Huening Kai while he felt like an absolute wreck. His hair was a mess, some ends sticking up in random places while his breathing was erratic, his chest moving up and down as if he had just ran a marathon of some sort. And his eyes, red rimmed and wild, as if he was on the verge of crying or screaming, maybe both?

It was a bit scary... Taehyun, who is usually the most calmest and composed person he's ever met, freaking out like this over something that Beomgyu did... oh no, wait. Don't tell him... did they stop being friends?!

"Beomgyu did- did everything!" Taehyun exclaimed, his voice cracking as he threw his hands into the air. "It's a literal crisis, an emergency code red!"

"What?—"

"Do you know," Taehyun interrupted, pointing a shaky finger towards him, his voice trembling as if he were about to burst into tears. "That... that Beomgyu has a new obsession?"

Huening Kai blinked, wondering if he had really heard that sentence right. It wasn't until he noticed the full on seriousness expressed all over Taehyun's tone and body language, making his jaw drop slightly. "W-Wait! You're telling me that this whole entire thing is because of a random obsession?"

"It's not just some random obsession!" Taehyun cried out, feeling his entire world crashing down when he thought about how happy Beomgyu was. "It's worse, so much worse!"

A slight frown grew on Huening Kai's face, the male shifted slightly, unsure of what to do or even say in this moment with the limited context he was given, and for a split second, he had glanced over towards the dining room before back at Taehyun who was definitely on the verge of breaking down in tears or something.

Yeah, this was definitely weird. He was freaking out because Beomgyu had a new obsession with something? What's different? Beomgyu always gained a new, random, obsession during this time of the year.

Huening Kai squinted, a bit taken aback, but he cleared his throat. "You're saying that this obsession is worse than when he got obsessed with collecting Likitung and Lickilicky Pokémon cards?"

"Yes!" Taehyun cried out, cringing at the memory of when Beomgyu had a strange obsession with that damn pokémon that had a tongue bigger than its body. "It's worse than that! That's at least... tame!"

"Uh huh... sure," The latter replied, a bit skeptical of this entire thing. "So you're saying this is entirely worse than when he obsessed over popping all of our pimples when he saw them?"

Taehyun groaned loudly, covering his face as he flopped backwards onto the couch, nodding his head — trying his best to ignore that god awful phase! He swore he had acne scars because of Beomgyu always popping his pimples when he got them. "Yes, it's worse than that, as well!"

A soft whistle escaped Huening Kai, the male puckering his lips as he took another glance towards the dining room, as if something keeps distracting him. "Worse than the time he—"

"Yes! Hyuka! Worse than every weird ass fucking obsession that he's ever had!" He cried even louder, throwing his hands up in the air as he grabbed onto a pillow and hugged it tightly, it was official. He was spiraling because of heartache. "This obsession is so much worse than before, and hyung has fallen into a deep dark abyss that I cannot pull him out of! This time, he's... he's..."

"He's obsessed with...?"

Before he could answer, he suddenly paused, a choked out sob escaping from him as he buried his face into the pillow, unaware of how Huening Kai was really considering on calling his parents to calm him down or not — because this was just straight up scary. But after a few seconds of dryly shedding dramatic tears, he took a deep breath and slowly removed the pillow from his face.

And then, with teary eyes and a pathetic pout, all of the pain and suffering swirling within his heart, he finally said it.

"He's obsessed with... penguins."

...huh?

Huening Kai stared at him. He just stared at him with a blank expression, as if what he had just heard was absolute bullshit. And for a moment, neither of them said anything, only the faint sound of heavy breathing echoed out between them as he stood there, processing everything.

But when it all clicked, Huening Kai's blank expression morphed into one full of disbelief and concern — his eyes squinting slightly as his mouth gaped open, absolutely speechless.

This entire thing was because of... penguins?

"Uhm," Huening Kai spoke up after a brief moment, glancing back over towards the dining room before back at his best friend. "You're telling me this whole thing is just about... penguins?"

"YES!" Taehyun exclaimed loudly, instantly standing up which made the other flinch — wow, he really looked hysterical right now. "They're all over his bed! A whole army of them, and they're ruining my love life!"

Worry wasn't even the right word to describe how Huening Kai felt right now, witnessing his best friend literally lose the last bit of sanity that he had all because of some damn penguins? Wow, going two weeks without someone really does something to a motherfucker.

"Like... real penguins?" He replied, unsure of what else to say, god this was so weird. "Because that sounds kind of illegal—"

"What? No! Stuffed penguins, idiot!" Taehyun groaned, rubbing his hands on his face as if what he said was any better than what Huening Kai had just assumed. "He has an entire bed full of them! Different sizes, different colors — and when I asked him about it, he had this weird, soft gaze, when he did! That gaze made me feel so sick! He used to look at me and only me in that way, not some damn stupid stuffed aquatic creature that slip and slides!"

Okay, so he was really losing it.

Huening Kai scratched the back of his neck, very worried for conditions of his best friend's mental health at the moment. Man, this was the first day of spring break and it's already a disaster. "I-I don't get it, Tyun. It's just penguins, you're making it seem like a big deal—"

"Because it is a big deal, Hyuka!" Taehyun cried out, throwing a poor defenseless couch pillow at the wall from how distressed he was. "I know everything about Beomgyu, everything! His favorite time of the day, his weird pet peeves and habits, what type of stupid jokes makes him laugh the hardest, but never — not even once — has he ever mentioned he liked... penguins!"

"...Oh... uhm," Huening Kai began to become more awkward than before, taking occasional glances towards the dining room as if he were worried about something. "I mean, things appear out of no where? But where did all of those penguin plushies come from?"

When he asked that question, Taehyun had gone dead silent, staring at him with a blank expression, the sudden shift kinda terrified him.

But, after around five silent long seconds, an excruciating pause, a scowl began to shift on Taehyun's face as he looked down at the ground, muttering under his breath. "Yeonjun."

"...Who?—"

"Yeonjun! Choi Yeonjun!" Taehyun shouted even louder, flinging forward as he grabbed onto his best friend's shoulders for some sort of grounding, staring at him like a mad man. "That stupidly handsome exchange student he was hanging out with overseas! Apparently he was the one that gave all of those damn ugly penguins to Beomgyu!"

"Ohhh, that Yeonjun," Huening Kai muttered under his breath, getting a small grasp of the situation now. He remembers Beomgyu introducing Yeonjun to them whenever he would call Taehyun, a nice guy indeed! "But I don't see the issue? It's just penguins, don't tell me you think Beomgyu is now... what? Secretly in love with him?"

Taehyun let out a noise that was somewhere between a sob and a pterodactyl like screech (he never knew his voice could go that high!), leaning forward as he buried his face into Huening Kai's chest, absolutely devastated.

"I dont have to think, Hyuka! I know he's in love with Yeonjun now!" He practically sobbed, this was such an embarrassing moment for him. "If he wasn't, then he wouldn't accept all of those damn penguins!"

"Okay, Tyun. That's kind of a stretch, but you need to really calm down because Soobin is—"

Taehyun shook his head, pushing himself off of his best friend, all of the words floating right above his head. He was far too deep into his devastation, heartbreak, betrayal, to even think about anything right now!

Beomgyu was his life long crush, and sure he wasn't exactly sure if the elder did hold romantic feelings for him or not, but it's always been him and Beomgyu against the damn world! He's his anchor in life, the reason he stays on top of everything, he's so academically smart but this...? This was testing everything he learned in school!

"It's so over for me, Hyuka," He whined, dragging the male over towards the dining room so they could go into the kitchen so he could drown his sorrows out in juice or something, walking backwards carefully. "Do you know how bad this is? Especially for my heart?!"

"Wait, Taehyun—"

"I'm gonna have to sit back in five years and watch Yeonjun and Beomgyu get married! They're going to have a cute little wedding with a penguin themed cake and I-I'll have to sit there and clap like an idiot!" Taehyun cried out, the thought of Beomgyu marrying someone who isn't him made him want to rip his face off. "I'm going to be the bitter, heartbroken, best man who watched the love of his life dance the night away while I cry in the bathroom! I can't do this!"

"What the hell? Okay, no. Taehyun, you're losing it, come on! But please, Bin is—"

"Oh my god," Taehyun based, pausing in his tracks, staring up at Huening Kai in absolute horror when another damn thought came through. "W-What if they have a house filled with penguins? What if they have a family portrait with penguins?! No! That can't happen! I'm supposed to be with Gyu!"

Huening Kai winced, wow, he was really overthinking this all right now, and without Beomgyu to calm him down, Taehyun was just going to continue to spiral. For a moment, he was stunned, opening his mouth to tell him that he was being fucking insane, but he decided to be a bit nice.

"Come on, Tyun," He tried again with a patient, calm, approach. "You know that won't happen, but anyways you should really reconsider what you're saying because Bin is—"

"Reconsider what I'm saying?!" Taehyun repeated, struck with pure disbelief as his voice cracked. "No! I'm not reconsidering anything because of this! I have every right to be mad! I've liked Beomgyu for the past three years and all of a sudden this goofy somebody appears out of no where and swoops in and steals his heart?! No! You know what? Matter of fact, I'm fucking in love with Beom—"

"You're in love with Beomgyu?"

. . .

Taehyun's breath hitched as his eyes slowly started to widen when a new, familiar voice, broke through his panic. His heart dropping down and straight out of his ass when he slowly turned around towards the source of the voice, all of the lungs in his gut felt like it was being punched out when he saw him.

Choi Soobin.

Huening Kai's boyfriend.

His and Beomgyu's best friend.

oh no.

oh no. oh no. oh no. OH NO.

"I never knew you liked Beomgyu," Soobin continued on, as if he wasn't giving Taehyun major whip lash right now. "That's... kinda crazy, this whole thing is actually crazy."

Taehyun felt his goddamn soul leave his body.

There's no fucking way. There was Soobin, sitting politely at the damn dining table with a half eaten plate of food in front of him, oh god. Had he been there this entire time?

Holy shit.

He's been here this entire time.

Taehyun never told Soobin about his crush on Beomgyu, he had sworn to never tell him since Soobin was closest to the elder. But now... now he... he heard everything.

He's so fucked.

The last thin thread that held all of Taehyun's patience together had snapped in that very moment. His face flushed a bright shade of red as he snapped his head back towards Huening Kai who looked sympathetic yet amused at what had just happened — but Taehyun? He was infuriated.

"Huening Kai!" Taehyun exclaimed loudly in pure utter betrayal, grabbing the male by the collar. "You- You let me embarrass myself in front of Soobin?! Why didn't you tell me he was here?! He doesn't even know I like Beomgyu— what the fuck?!"

Huening Kai yelped loudly when he was pulled forward, raising his hands in both defense and surrender as he glanced over towards his boyfriend for some sort of help. "I-I tried telling you, I swear! But you interrupted me like, a billion times! Plus, he was here before you! I thought you'd know!"

"I obviously didn't know that he would be here if I'm reacting like this!"

"I'm sorry!"

Taehyun groaned loudly, letting go of Huening Kai before he looked over back towards Soobin who was just smiling awkwardly — great, now another person knows about his pathetic crush on Beomgyu and how he's literally losing the elder to some penguin brainwashing loving maniac!

This was the worst!

He felt like fully spiraling now, locking himself inside of his room to cry his entire guts and soul out. "I can't do this right now! Yes, Soobin hyung, I love Beomgyu! But it's all useless because he's going to marry Yeonjun in the future!"

"Oh uhm," Soobin awkwardly started, glancing at Huening Kai who just shrugged, witnessing this entire thing was really something. "I-I think you should just calm down, you never know! You're just overthinking it, I'm sure Beomgyu likes—"

Taehyun cried loudly, not wanting to hear the end of that goddamn sentence. "Calm down?! Beomgyu doesn't like me like that! We all know he doesn't, so don't try to sugarcoat everything!"

"I-I really wasn't Taehyun—"

Nope, he didn't want to hear anything else. He's already too far deep into his emotions, first he finds out that Beomgyu has been receiving gifts from a future husband and now Soobin knows that he likes the elder! This day has not been going well for him at all!

Why couldn't Beomgyu be more obvious? Why couldn't he just show signs that he likes him back! It's so hard to recognize any romance in his actions because he treats everyone else this way! Man, fuck this!

"Okay, okay," Huening Kai butted in when he saw Taehyun's mouth open, ready to spew out even more bullshit. "Let's calm down, for real this time. if you're so mad about this entire thing, about Beomgyu receiving gifts, then why don't you just one up those gifts?"

Taehyun paused, the new idea and suggestion actually processing in his brain. "...One up the gifts?"

"Mhm!" Huening Kai beamed brightly, smiling widely knowing that the younger was taking his suggestion into consideration. "Like, maybe find something that means more than penguins! You can always find something to showcase your feelings instead of verbally saying them out loud!"

Taehyun fell silent, hearing out the suggestion closely. He was right, he could find a gift that speaks his heart and soul, that speaks his feelings so clearly. He's been in love with Beomgyu for years now, and he's always wanted to confess, he just didn't know how and he was terrified to ruin something.

But now...? It didn't seem too bad.

"Plus, you don't even know if Beomgyu and Yeonjun like each other like that," Soobin added in, standing up from his seat as he walked over towards the two, staying close to his sweet boyfriend. "Friends get each other gifts all the time, it doesn't mean anything more."

Taehyun scoffed loudly, scowling just a little. "Seriously?! You and Hyuka gave each other gifts all of the time, now look where you two are! Disgustingly in love!"

"Okay, well... that's different—"

"No it isn't!—"

"Anyways!" Huening Kai cut in, quickly grabbing Taehyun by the shoulders before he could ramble on and blow up once again. "Take what I said into consideration! Beomgyu hyung adores you, realize that! You have to one up every single penguin that he has, and I know you will! And maybe confess your feelings too while at it!"

Taehyun pursed his lips tightly, he wasn't so sure if he could get the confession part of the plan up and going — but he was a bit confident on finding a perfect gift for Beomgyu. Something to convey his feelings.

Yeah, maybe he should try that... he still has time.

Maybe he won't get rejected, and cry, maybe die.

"By the way, are you going to answer your phone?"

Taehyun's attention spiked up when he heard Soobin ask that, his eyes widening when he heard the faint sound of buzzing and the soft vibrations echoing out from the phone in his pocket, immediately causing him to grab the device and turn it on — his breath hitching at the mantra of messages that exploded through.

BG : tyun, where are you?

BG : are you going to come back? pls come back sweetheart

BG : did I say something wrong?

BG: hello?? answer please :(

BG : please ANSWERPLSPLSPSPLSPLSPLS

[view all 205 messages]

Oh, okay.

So maybe he might've overreacted just a little.

With a small sigh, Taehyun couldn't help but smile at the messages, his heart fluttering and his stomach filling with butterflies — god, he loves Beomgyu so much he's going insane, he just wishes he knew if those feelings were reciprocated or not.

"I think I'm going to head back to Gyu's now," Taehyun said, turning his phone off and slipping it back in his pocket, feeling a bit calmer than before. "But I'll definitely think of a way to one up all those gifts. I-I won't lose him to someone else!"

"That's certainly the spirit!" Huening Kai said excitedly, patting his shoulder in an encouraging manner. "Just... try not to... freak out over the smallest inconvenience alright?"

Taehyun bit back a scoff. Him? Freaking out over a minor inconvenience? That's not like him at all! He's the calmest person ever, and he knows how to maintain his emotions!

"Yeah, yeah... I'll see you guys later."

As he made his way out of the house, waving goodbye to his friends, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash through him.

How in the fucking world is he able to one up all those penguin gifts? They had Beomgyu wrapped around their stupid flippers, Yeonjun had the elder wrapped around his finger. His heart was aching at the thought of Beomgyu being with someone else.

No. No he has to try.

This is his feelings, his love, and he won't let it go undone.

But what the hell even one ups fifty penguins?

Taehyun was suffering.

No, scratch that, he was abso-fucking-lutely miserable at the moment.

When he arrived back to the elders house, he was swarmed with apologizes and pretty pouts, which made him feel a bit guilty for just walking out on Beomgyu like that, especially since the two of them hadn't seen each other physically in two weeks.

So as an apology, he agreed to watch a random ass movie that Beomgyu wanted to watch.

Which is how he found himself currently on the couch, lying on top of the elder with his arms wrapped around him and his stupid warm body pressed against his own. He should be over the moon, absolutely happy, that he was cuddling his most favorite person in the entire world right now, feeling his sweet warmth and soft hands on his body again — but no.

All he could think about was those stupid penguins and that damn stupid Yeonjun.

He just wanted a night with his hyung, with the boy who made him feel so happy — a quiet night like this where he could just listen to the calming rhythm of the elders heartbeat with the muffled audio of some random movie in the background. His senses fuzzy and drunk on euphoria having him this close again.

It was always like this. They always spent night together like this to debrief, holding each other tight and feeling each other's warmth. It was always like this.

And usually, he would be calm and content, but tonight? He was on the brink of losing it.

The random movie that Beomgyu had picked, something about spies or explosions or fairies — whatever it was — had become nothing but white noise. Taehyun tried his best, he really did try his best to focus on everything but his mind kept straying elsewhere. Every single thing that happened today weighted down on him hard.

Beomgyu. Love. Penguins. Yeonjun. Unrequited feelings. Huening Kai's words.

It all frustrated him so much! Especially when he thought more about what Huening Kai had told him, the helpful suggestion of 'one-up all of the gifts Yeonjun got Beomgyu' was a set motion.

But... how...?

Gift giving was something he struggled in, he would rather show his affection through action and such — he was horrible with his words and gifts. But Yeonjun had already defeated him in those categories, he had given Beomgyu an entire army of stuffed penguins. What was he supposed to do now? Buy him the moon and stars? Rearrange the cosmos and constellations to spell out the words 'i love you' to him?

Taehyun couldn't help but feel so bitter, he felt his thoughts spiraling further the longer he thought about this — he knew Beomgyu inside and out, he's the closest one to his heart — but how is he able to confess his feelings without acting like a complete idiot?

What does he do if he's rejected...?

Before he could think further about that horrific outcome, he suddenly felt Beomgyu shift from under him, his arms tightening around his waist as he practically pulled him closer as if he were some sort of stuff animal. It made his entire senses go haywire as he suddenly froze, feeling his face heat up against his damn will.

This wasn't fair. No, this wasn't fair at all.

He was supposed to brainstorm ways to win Beomgyu's heart with gifts and all, to finally see whether his enduring love for the elder was reciprocated or not. But here he was, his body and heart completely betraying his mind as he melted further into the elders embrace.

It's been two long weeks without Beomgyu, and he never realized how badly he needed him until now.

Wait. No. Focus, damn it! Focus!

He was supposed to come up with the most brilliant plan on how to overthrow Yeonjun's penguin agenda, not hopelessly pine and melt in Beomgyu's embrace! But... god. It was so hard to do so when the elder was like... this... with him.

He was so warm... so loving... so unfairly comfortable.

Taehyun felt like crying, purely out of frustration or sadness, he wasn't so sure. But he felt defeated when he unconsciously leaned further into the elders embrace, only to have Beomgyu hum happily at the action and squeeze him even tighter than before, causing his heartbeat to fucking skyrocket.

This was torture. This was torture on the damn soul and heart.

Why couldn't Beomgyu just give him a sign? Any type of sign to let him know that he truly liked him more than a friend, that he loves him more than just the platonic actions show? He'd take anything, literally anything, know that he has a chance — a lingering touch, a wistful expression, a dramatic love confession in the damn rain.

But no. Instead of a romantic confession in the rain where they dance and live happily ever after, here he was cuddling him like it was the most normal thing in the world while he had fifty stuffed penguins up in his room from someone who wasn't him.

The thought of it all made his eye twitch.

Slowly moving his head, he tilted his gaze up and instantly made eye contact with the penguin that was closest to them, chilling on the floor in front of them. A big, pink, fluffy one, watching them like some smug little minion of Yeonjun's. He hated it. He hated these damn penguins. All of them.

Every time he sees one, all he could think about was the love story that was possibility happening between Beomgyu and Yeonjun, the love story that he so desperately wanted to ruin. All of these penguins were a declaration of love towards the elder and he hated every single bit of it all!

Looking back over towards Beomgyu who had his eyes focused on the TV, his stomach tightened at how pretty the elder looked in the dull light. He quickly snapped himself out of that daze though, his heart racing. He wanted answers, when did this whole entire thing start? Does Beomgyu have feelings for Yeonjun?

Before he could even stop himself, the words poured out almost instantaneously. "Hyung, what do you think about Yeonjun?"

Beomgyu turned to look at him, clearly caught off guard by the question and clearly half asleep. Tilting his head, he made a questioning noise. "Huh?"

Taehyun's jaw clenched tightly, sitting up slightly as the elders arms fell loosely around his waist, looking down at him with a half irritated expression. He was trying so hard not to sound like he wanted to punch a pillow (or him), but the thoughts that kept suffocating him were driving him crazy.

"Yeonjun," He repeated. "What do you think about him?"

Beomgyu stared at him for a long second, clearly not comprehending why this was such an urgent matter. His thumb absentmindedly rubbed small circles on Taehyun's waist, and he looked seconds away from passing out.

"Yeonjun?" He hummed, his tone clearly drowsy. "Like I said earlier, he's nice."

Taehyun felt his stomach sink at those words.

Beomgyu then yawned, tilting his head back as he stared at the younger with hooded, sleepy eyes, the sight making Taehyun's stomach twist in ways unknown. "And I guess he's a good friend as well, he's enjoyable to be around with."

Right then and there, Taehyun's heart shattered within an instant.

The softness in his tone, the fondness, the admiration. It was all too much for him to handle anymore, hearing Beomgyu talk about someone like this made him want to sob.

All of this came down to one thing, the answers, the replies, the gifts.

Beomgyu likes Yeonjun.

Yeonjun likes Beomgyu.

fuck. fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

Yeonjun and Beomgyu were going to date. They were going to get married in the future, and then they were going to move into a house in Antarctica with penguins and all, and Taehyun was going to have to live with it for the rest of his life. Drowning in his unrequited love and feelings, he's so...

He was doomed.

He was so fucking doomed.

Taehyun scowled just a little, ignoring the way Beomgyu gently rubbed at his thigh in a comforting manner. Nope, this was it, he's doomed. The elder is in love with Yeonjun and it's all because of that stupid penguin obsession fault!

Turning his head, he glared at the stupid penguin next to them, his scowl deepening as he felt a wave of anger wash through him.

How is he able to compete with Yeonjun? The boy had already swooped in and nearly won Beomgyu's heart with all of these penguins! How in the world is he able to win Beomgyu's heart, something better than—

wait a minute.

The gears inside of his head began to twist and turn as a new idea began to form. With the supporting help of Huening Kai's suggestion from earlier echoing out in his head, he began to think of the most ridiculous idea he ever thought of in his entire existence.

What if...

He gifted Beomgyu an alive penguin...?

Okay. Wait. That sounds really ridiculous but it... it makes sense!

Beomgyu had an obsession with penguins, and what's better than some dumb stuffed penguins? That's right, a real penguin!

If he managed to gift Beomgyu a real penguin, a live penguin that they could care for like happy little parents, then the elder would love him more than Yeonjun. He would swoop in and steal Beomgyu's heart back and he can brag it in everyone's faces!

"Tyun?"

Taehyun blinked a couple of times, coming back to reality when he glanced down and saw Beomgyu staring up at him with droopy eyes, his breathing slowing down, and it was clear that he was falling asleep.

"Lay back down, my star," The elder muttered, pulling him back down against his chest almost easily. "It's been a long day, and I finally have you here with me, let's get some rest."

"O-Oh," Taehyun couldn't help but stutter, the sweet words shooting right into his damn heart, thanking every star above that the elder couldn't see how red his face was at the moment. "Okay, let's get some rest."

Beomgyu hummed contently, holding him closer as his eyes fluttered shut and his breathing finally began to slow down. With the comfort of Taehyun's body warmth against his own, sleeping had never come so easier than before.

But Taehyun was far from tired, he was wide awake.

A live penguin, for Beomgyu.

That's it. That's his plan, he's going to make sure that he wins Beomgyu's heart with a live penguin.

But how the hell is he supposed to achieve that...? Where would he get a live penguin from?

Well, he has time to plan that out later, he has time to beat Yeonjun in this heart game, but for now he's going to bask in the loving warmth of having Beomgyu around his body once again.

Man, he really wants to punch that penguin.

˚₊‧ ꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

The next morning came by fast, with the beautiful golden sun shining through the curtains, reflecting a golden hue onto every surface and the melodic sounds of birds chirping and soaring through the spring air — it was all a daydream, a sign of a beautiful day.

Well. it was a beautiful day, but not for Taehyun.

Instead of waking up all sunshine and rainbows, feeling like he had just ascended to the highest heavens above, he woke up feeling like an absolute train wreck. Both his heart and head were aching so much he literally felt like ripping open his own chest to pull his heart out to numb the pain.

The thought of Yeonjun and Beomgyu possibly happening drove him so insane. The goal to make the elder know that his unsaid feelings were true and very much real, that the love he had for him was stronger than everything he's felt. That he would choose Beomgyu over some silly college assessment any day.

But nope, instead of announcing his feelings, here he was absolutely terrified and angry that his love will go untold. That he will never tell the story of how he fell in love with Beomgyu under the rain and that he had loved him since they were fifteen.

It was only a matter of time until he attends a wedding with a big banner that says "congrats to the groom & bride, choi yeonjun and choi beomgyu" with themed penguins everywhere. He cannot let that happen.

Taehyun sighed tiredly, rubbing his eyes as he leaned back onto the bed (when in the world did he get on the bed?), lying there stiffly as he stared at the ceiling with a defeated gaze, deep in thought about everything. Beomgyu, however, was comfortably latched onto him like a damn koala, his head resting on Taehyun's stomach as he scrolled through his phone, basking in the calm serenity the morning had to offer.

Usually, he would be over the moon being in a position like this. Having the elder close to his body while they just relax during the morning hours, still taking their sweet time to wake up and all — but he couldn't focus on that at all. He couldn't think about how warm Beomgyu was, how nice he smelled, or how unreasonably soft his hair was.

Nope, he couldn't focus on all of those favorite features of his at all.

He was focusing on something much more important.

The plan of trying to gift Beomgyu a live penguin.

Oh gosh, was he really doing this?

Because, realistically, in his most of the time logical brain and proper thought process, there was a voice that was screaming at him that this whole idea and plan was absolutely insane.

How would he even do it? Walk into a zoo and just... ask politely? Wait, do zoos have penguin rentals? Would he have to bribe someone to let him keep a penguin...?

But what if they won't let him rent a penguin? What if he... has to steal one? Would the penguins bite or love him? That thought was absolutely terrifying! Because what if his plan fails and he's caught in the middle of his 'penguin-stealing-heist' mission. He couldn't go to jail, not before he at least had a chance to confess and get rejected properly by the love of his life! Beomgyu wouldn't want to marry a literal felon!

Maybe... maybe this was a bad idea, there's no absolute way he could ever pull something so ridiculous off, something so stupid that not even him as a person could ever do this.

He has to be smart about this, he has to think logically; think about all of the other ways to confess his—

bzzt!

Just before he could reconsider this entire thing and think of a better, legal, idea that wouldn't place him behind bars and have a felony record on his case — Beomgyu's phone suddenly buzzed loudly, cutting the peaceful silence.

Now, Taehyun was never the type to be nosy, he always respected others privacy's, but this was difficult. It was different, and with Beomgyu lying on his chest he knew that he shouldn't look.

Except... he was absolutely looking.

And he saw it.

CYJ : Hey! Are you ready for our amazing, spectacular, wonderful date on Friday?

Taehyun felt every little thread within him snap in that very moment.

The world all around him went silent, the golden rays of the morning sun suddenly felt too hot on his skin, and everything else became a blurry or muffled mess. He felt his heart shatter into multiple tiny microscopic pieces that were impossible to piece back together.

no. no nonononononono. it can't be true. it can't be right.

Beomgyu... had a date... with Yeonjun?

No, that can't be right. It can't be the same Yeonjun who had single handedly infiltrated Beomgyu's heart with an army of stuffed penguins and swooned him over when they were overseas together, it can't be him.

But his entire world came crashing down when he realized that it was the same Yeonjun who ruined his entire love life.

The worst part of it all?

Beomgyu had smiled.

Like, full on smiled with teeth and crinkly eyes type of smile.

That's it. That's it! This was officially his breaking point.

All of his doubts and reconsiderations about his bizarre plan? Yeah, flew right out the fucking window at this very moment. He's had enough of this, he needed to one up everything Yeonjun has to offer right now before the love of his life is taken away from him.

The operation "give Beomgyu a live penguin plan" was back on.

This was a fight for love, an operation that had to go so well. The thought of Beomgyu leaving him for someone else made his fists clench tightly, glancing around the room as he glared at the army of stuffed penguins scattered all over the floor after he had kicked them off in his sleep. He glared at them hard, as if they all had personally ruined his entire life. (they did.)

It was a bit embarrassing at this point, Taehyun barely felt like himself, but this entire thing was messing with his head! It was all peace and rainbows before Yeonjun came into the picture, and he never had an issue with the elder up until now! The way his stomach twisted with that sickening deep pit feeling when he thought about him and Beomgyu being together, it was too much!

So, now determined, and bit too eager with his plan — Taehyun huffed loudly and whipped his phone out, angrily texting Huening Kai that he was coming over and that he should be ready in thirty minutes, that they were going out somewhere. And he didn't even bother seeing the males response, he just knew Huening Kai would come with him anyway.

Beomgyu hummed softly, looking up from his phone and over towards Taehyun who was typing up a damn storm. "Hey, Tyun. Do you want to get lunch with me? We can go to that cafe you like, the one that sells
all of those strawberry chocolate—"

Before Beomgyu could finish his sentence, Taehyun had abruptly sat up, shaking the elder off of him before practically throwing himself off the bed and onto his feet, immediate goosebumps rising on his skin from how cold it was inside.

"H-Huh?" He stuttered out, taken aback as the blanket was thrown on top of him, making him throw it off and scramble up onto his feet. "Hyun, what's happening?—"

"I'm leaving."

Beomgyu blinked a couple of times, tilting his head in pure confusion as to what the sudden switch up was. For a moment, he stood there confused, watching Taehyun walk around the room and gather his things so quickly, it was like he was in a life or death situation, putting them into the small duffle bag he had his mom bring over before finally snapping back into reality.

"W-Wait, what?!" Beomgyu said, clearly shocked as he began following the younger around like a lost, sad, anxious puppy. "Why are you leaving? Did I do something? We're supposed to spend all of break together!"

"I'm heading out." Taehyun replied, his voice shaky as he slipped his sweater on. Beomgyu's words were doing so much to his heart, but he knew it was all platonic. "You didn't do anything, hyung. I just have something to do."

"So suddenly? Where are you even going?"

"Like I said, out."

"But where?"

"Somewhere."

"For what...?"

"Things."

Beomgyu frowned at all of those replies, his brows furrowing in pure disappointment as he followed Taehyun down the stairs who was acting absolutely strange, completely out of character for him. "It isn't that important, right? Can't you stay a little longer, please? I haven't seen you in weeks."

Taehyun turned to look at the elder, his breath hitching and anger slightly simmering down when he saw how adorable he looked. Even when just woken up, Beomgyu still looked absolutely beautiful. But that wasn't the point — the point right now is that he needs to meet up with Huening Kai and make this operation successful.

"I'm sorry, hyung," He replied, completely oblivious to the bright neon signs in front of them. Instead, he merely patted the elders head, smiling softly. "I'll see you later."

"Tyun!—"

Refusing to look back (because if he did, he was certain he would abandon all mission plans and just drag the elder to the room to hug him all day), Taehyun made his way out of the house as his heart began to race, his thoughts a scrambled mess and his heart was pounding rapidly with frustration.

No matter what it takes, he's determined to bring a live penguin to Beomgyu and confess to him using it. He's not going to confess normally, no no no, he needed to prove that he loves the elder more than Choi Yeonjun.

So first step ahead, he has to visit the zoo with Huening Kai to map out the entire area.

This was an operation to show Beomgyu who his true love really was, and he was determined to win.

"Taehyun, do not tell me that you dragged me out of the house just so we can walk around the zoo like total fucking idiots."

Taehyun glanced up from his phone and looked over towards Huening Kai who was staring at him with an irritation scowl, causing him to scoff softly as he turned his attention back towards his phone and the giraffe enclosure in front of them.

"Don't be so bitchy, Hyuka," He muttered, looking up and over towards a camera which was perched on a lamppost. "It's not that big of a deal! Plus, don't you want to spend time with me? Your amazing best friend?"

Huening Kai gawked at him in pure disbelief — wondering what the hell has been going through Taehyun's head for the past two days. Man, all he wanted to do was spend time with his lovely boyfriend, but he had to cancel all plans (they didn't even have plans) so he could attend some last minute field trip with his best friend.

He didn't expect them to go to a fucking zoo, though.

"You know I love spending time with you," Huening Kai countered, slowly looking over at some giraffe that was eating a carrot — cringing at the long tongue that slithered around it, okay. ew. "But aren't you supposed to be spending time with Beomgyu? Maybe plan out your big plan to 'one-up' all of Yeonjun's gifts?"

Taehyun bit the inside of his cheek, clicking softly as he typed out a few more words onto his phone before turning it off, bringing his attention back onto his friend. "What do you mean? This is the plan, my plan to one up every gift is this."

For a moment, Huening Kai was confused. They were at the zoo, literally walking around looking at random animals and walking around random routes. Did his ultimate plan involve the zoo or something? Bringing Beomgyu here and confessing to him in front of the lions or something?

It wasn't until the two of them began walking down the path, down towards the artic section of the zoo, where the polar bears and other Arctic animals were being held. Only confusion and questioning thoughts swirled in his head until he noticed it, he noticed how Taehyun was glancing around — not at the animals, but at something else.

The cameras.

"Wait..." Huening Kai spoke up after a moment, his eyes widening as if he had grasped a bit of realization on what was happening. "Tyun, don't tell me... are you planning on doing something absolutely dumb?"

There was only silence for a few seconds, as if the male had to think about his answer, but when he soon figured out on how to respond to that question, he slowly turned his head and stared at him with an unreadable expression.

"I wouldn't call it dumb," He started off, his tone low as he glanced back up towards the lampposts where he saw more security cameras, so there's fifteen on the east side of the zoo. "But you know how Gyu is obsessed with those stuffed penguins, right?"

"...yeah?"

"Well, because he's so obsessed with those damn penguins and loves them so much, I've been thinking about how to one up all of those gifts," Taehyun continued on, unaware of the slightly concerned expression growing on his friends face. "So I thought: hey, why not I gift him a live penguin instead?"

The silence that followed after was absolutely devastating, not even a small peep or gasp echoed out when he finished his sentence. Instead, Huening Kai froze in his tracks, not caring if they were in the middle of the pathway and other people behind them nearly bumped into him — he just froze, and stared at Taehyun as if he had just murdered someone or something.

Taehyun tilted his head, unsure as to why the male had suddenly stopped. "Why are you—"

"Kang Taehyun!" Huening Kai screeched, a bit too loudly which caused others passing by to glance at them weirdly, but he didn't care. "Wh-What?! You're joking, right? You have to be joking! Do you- what the- that's illegal! That's a felony!"

"Oh my god, shut up!" Taehyun hissed loudly, covering the males mouth which was sooooo fucking loud, glancing around at the onlookers. "It's not that big of a deal—"

Huening Kai immediately grabbed onto the males wrist and brought it away from his mouth, shaking his head as his expression was a full blown one mixed with horror and disbelief. "Not that big of a deal?! Taehyun, you're planning a literal crime for the name of love!"

"Stop! You're so loud!"

Before Huening Kai could blab his loud mouth and fumble his plans before he could even get it started, Taehyun grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to a secluded area near the peacock sanctuary, groaning loudly as he looked around making sure no security guards heard them.

The moment they were alone, he immediately let go of his wrist and wiped his hands cleaned, already feeling a thin layer of cold anxious sweat. "Listen! I just thought that I would win his heart if I borrow a live penguin for a moment, and what better place to get one than the zoo?"

Huening Kai couldn't believe what he was hearing right now, he absolutely couldn't. This was Kang Taehyun, one of the honorary students at their school, one of the top students and the boy who achieved high scholarships and other honor awards. There's no way that right now, standing in front of him, was the same Kang Taehyun, because this one was literally planning a whole heist and felony to win the heart of some boy that he can easily confess to!

"Taehyun, if you're caught, that's literally on your record forever!" Huening Kai spewed out, his voice a tone higher than usual — this was really fucked up. "You have a bright future, come on! You can't really be doing this because of Yeonjun! There are other ways to confess to Beomgyu, like actually confessing with words and not crimes...?"

"That's easy for you to say!" Taehyun snapped, hissing bitterly under his breath as he pointed an accusing finger towards him. "How did you confess to Soobin again? Let me think, oh yeah! Chocolate fucking strawberries spelling out 'will you date me?', do you know how easy that is? Fourteen strawberries won Soobin's heart!"

"Yes! That's a normal confession, not a crime! You can always just give Beomgyu flowers and confess your love—"

"No I can't do that!" Taehyun cried out, grabbing his own hair as he looked away — absolutely devastated, which was kinda pathetic. "Beomgyu deserves something grand, something amazing! He deserves the entire moon and stars, I need something that shows him I love him more than anything, but with Yeonjun in the way, I can't do it!"

"Have you... like... ever confirmed that Yeonjun really does like Beomgyu? Or have you been thriving off of the hypothesis of him liking him?" Huening Kai asked warily, watching Taehyun start to pace around anxiously, well here comes his little habit. "Are you sure they're not just friends? Friends get each other gifts all of the time!"

"I know Yeonjun likes Beomgyu because I saw him asking Gyu about some date they'll have on Friday!" He replied, nearly about to sob loudly at the memory, that damn text message from earlier was haunting him. "That's not normal, it's only a matter of time until I attend a fucking wedding or see their honeymoon on Instagram or something!"

Huening Kai pursed his lips tightly, judging the male just a little bit watching him full on spiral like this — talk about pent up anger or something... man, love does crazy shit to a person. "A honeymoon? Instagram posts? Okay, Tyun... you're going crazy, come on, calm down—"

"I am calm, Huening Kai!" Taehyun snapped, his words far from a calm tone, his eyes were blown wide open making him look hysterical. "But we both know how horrible I am at... at words, especially romance! I don't know if Beomgyu hyung likes me or not, I'm terrified to make a move until I see any type of signs! I can't get rejected, but I can't lose the friendship either, I can't lose him."

Huening Kai felt a bit guilty when he heard how Taehyun's tone had weakened near the end of his sentence, so with a deep sigh, he looked around before grabbing him by the wrist — throwing him off guard as he walked over towards a bench sat the both of them down, holding onto his shoulders.

"Wow. Alright, Taehyun. Listen to me," He said, forcing him to look straight into his eyes. "You don't have to plan a whole criminal heist just to win Beomgyu's heart, we both know that hyung is grateful for literally anything he receives — and if he doesn't reciprocate your feelings, who cares? If he really cares about your friendship and cares about you, then nothing will change between you both even if he rejects you."

"B-But... Yeonjun and—"

"No, no, you're overthinking it all," Huening Kai interjected before he could spiral further into the ridiculous thought of Yeonjun and Beomgyu getting married or something. "Trust me, you have to be honest with him with words! Nothing goes better than healthy communication and..."

Huening Kai paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about something, something that he knew about. Something he hadn't told Taehyun. "...Maybe there is a chance he likes you back."

Taehyun felt defeated hearing those words. Sure, maybe he was just being a little overdramatic and assuming the worst out of this entire thing, but he couldn't help it. He had silently loved Beomgyu for years, be it romantically or platonically, but now that there was someone new... a sudden change, happening in their lives, he couldn't help but feel so panicked.

What would their future look like together? Would he really have a chance if he confessed properly like a real person?

But what would he say...? He's always been so good with words, but when it came down to his own emotions he was an absolute wreck, he doesn't know how to verbally express his love to someone.

A soft sigh escaped him, glancing down towards his phone where his notes were opened, they had spent a few hours at the zoo and he's certain he has ninety percent of the whole area mapped out on his notes — from the location of the cameras to the best area to enter in without anyone noticing, now that he really thinks about it, this was ridiculous.

"When did you realize Soobin hyung liked you back...?" Taehyun suddenly asked, turning to look over towards Huening Kai.

Taken aback, Huening Kai's eyes widened slightly before shaking his head, a soft smile growing on his face. "I didn't, we both know this. I had no idea if I'd get rejected or not, but I took a leap of faith," He paused, a smile twitching on his lips as his voice softened. "Something you should do, take that leap of faith — not a leap of crime."

...maybe that was the right thing to do.

Instead of acting like a total idiot, mapping out this crazy heist, risking the potential consequences of getting yelled at by his parents and Beomgyu, he could man up and confess to the elder properly; love letter and all.

But gosh, does he become so infuriated whenever he thought about those damn penguins.

With a small smile, he brushed that anger aside and glanced over towards his best friend. "Thanks, Hyuka. I really do appreciate it... I'll.. try my best to relay my feelings to him."

Huening Kai let out a noise between a squeal or a gasp, he wasn't sure, but he was quickly engulfed in a deep hug while the male ruffled his head excitedly. "See? No illegal activities have to be done in order to win that hyung's heart!"

Taehyun groaned softly, his face heating up as he pushed his best friend off of him, feeling flustered and embarrassed from the very obvious affection happening. But... he couldn't help but feel a little bit good, maybe he does have a chance, maybe he doesn't have to compete against penguins at all.

"Oh, and Taehyun?" Huening Kai spoke up, gaining his attention. "Please don't be dumb with this."

A small scoff escaped him, rolling his eyes playfully as he nudged his best friend. "Me? Dumb? I'm never dumb, we both know this!"

"I know but..." Huening Kai paused, deciding not to finish his sentence. "You know what? Never mind, let's go visit more animals, we didn't pay thirty dollars each for these damn tickets to not see them."

Taehyun hissed in a pained breath, wincing at how half of his allowance was now gone because of these damn overpriced zoo tickets, so with a quick nod of his head — they both stood up and began walking towards the arctic section of the area.

However, what Huening Kai said lingered in his mind: please don't be dumb about this.

Even though he was an obvious mess at the moment, he knew that his plans... whatever they were... they were thought out carefully!

Any plans he makes, they're never dumb!

˚₊‧ ꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

This plan was entirely fucking dumb.

It's so dumb. It's so so so dumb, what the fuck was he doing.

Taehyun breathed out anxiously, his eyes wide and worried as he stood outside the back entrance of the zoo, staring at the tall fence in front of him like it was a monster of some sort.

What was he doing? Oh god, what was he doing? It was two in the morning, he should be at home or at Beomgyu's sleeping right now, but nope. Here he was, about to commit a damn crime.

He anxiously began to pick at the skin on his thumb, his fingernails digging into the flesh as he tried to mentally talk himself down from the completely insane plan that was still somehow on the table, why was he doing this? Huening Kai literally convinced him not to do it.

And he did listen! He swore he did listen to his best friend and he was set on just confessing like a real, normal, human being would... but when he came back over to Beomgyu's house, he had caught the elder in the middle of making a giant gift bag for Yeonjun — apparently it had all of his favorite noodle, snacks, and drink brands along with a stuff animal in it.

The sight made him absolutely sick to his stomach, and the plan was back on.

He's stealing a damn penguin — okay, no, wait. He's borrowing a penguin.

What the hell am I doing? He thought, dragging a hand down his face and soothed out his whole black outfit. I'm about to commit fucking theft, a crime! All because of Yeonjun! Should I blame Yeonjun if I get arrested? I could go home, sleep this off, and listen to Hyuka, confess like a normal person!

Yeah... yeah that seems like the better option.

But then again... Another thought came to mind, making him contemplate everything. I could get this penguin, showcase it to Gyu, and win his heart! It'll be happily ever after for the both of us, that sounds even better!

All of his thoughts were crashing down on him hard, a voice in the back of his brain was just screaming at him to reconsider and think of all of the consequences! His parents would be so disappointed in him, they think he's at Beomgyu's house right now, if only they knew that their precious son was about to become the world worst named criminal ever.

But then — like a curse — Yeonjun's stupid fucking text flashed back into his mind, the words echoing out like a haunting ghost. It made him so pissed off, the gift bag, the date offers, he was running out of time and it was only a matter of time until he's standing by the damn alter, not walking down towards it!

Taehyun clenched his fists, his blood boiling over as he threw all of his morals and smarts out the farthest window. He was going to get this damn penguin, whether Yeonjun likes it or not.

This was so pathetic, he hasn't even seen Yeonjun in person at all. But that doesn't matter! What matters now, was that he was going to win Beomgyu's heart with an adorable penguin they'll raise together, maybe name it 'noot noot' or something.

Focus, Kang! Time to focus. He breathed in deeply, calming his anxiety. It was now or never, he can't turn back now. Not when the love of his life was on the line!

Taehyun looked around for a moment near the fenced gate, looking for any way he could squeeze through the gaps — though it was a bit of a struggle because one: it was dark as hell. And two: he didn't have his damn glasses on, it was a blurry mess.

But then, like an angel sending him a heavenly message, he spotted a tree near the fence that had a large branch leaning over the top of it, feeling his burnt out light bulb go off as he rushed over towards it — staring at it for a second until he grabbed onto a lower branch that seemed sturdy enough, pulling himself up with ease.

It took him a minute, going up branch from branch until he reached the big one that was hanging over the top of the fence, especially since it was dark and his vision was fucked (he's pretty sure he touched a big thick caterpillar or something), he finally made it onto the big branch, this was it. He's really doing this, he's breaking into a zoo.

Taehyun held onto the branch with his entire life, taking a moment to catch his breath before he slowly stood up on top of it, balancing his weight as he slowly edged towards the edge of the branch, mentally preparing himself before he finally felt confident enough. Then, on the count of three, he took a leap of faith.

A loud gasp escaped him as he hopped over the fence, his eyes widening for a moment thinking everything was going well!

That was... until his foot suddenly got stuck on a hidden branch, causing his leap to falter — causing him to nearly scream when he stumbled over and landed face first directly into the damn dirt on the other side of the fence, his senses screaming in pain.

"Ow, ow ow ow ow!" Taehyun cried out, sitting up as he rubbed his damn cheek where it hurt the most. No fucking way, did I just bruise my damn cheek? No! that's one evidence of the fucking crime I'm committing!

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to stand back up, there was no time for self pity and tears. He had a penguin to borrow and he wasn't going to let some bruise stop him.

Taehyun squinted slightly, looking around the area that was dimly illuminated by the dull white lampposts, groaning softly when he realized that he had to walk to the arctic enclosure which was fine minutes away. Quickly taking his phone out, he double checked which areas had the least cameras, the west side, before taking off.

What was supposed to be a five minute walk turned into a solid ten minute one as he wandered aimlessly, avoiding all the cameras like the damn plague, wondering where all the security guards were at before he walked down a familiar path — and that's when he saw it, the arctic building. Oh sweet penguins, come home to papa.

Taehyun held back a small victory cheer, quickly approaching the building before realizing that the glass doors might be locked. Oh god, he really doesn't want to break in, he was already trespassing, but destruction to a public building? He's definitely going to get sent to prison, now how in the world is he— what the fuck, it's unlocked?

A shocked expression washed over his face when he gently pulled on the glass door and realized that it had opened with absolute ease — maybe the more practical part of his own self sense should've known that it was strange, but his adrenaline was running high and he was on a time limit.

Brushing off the new discovery, he quickly entered the arctic building and slowly closed the glass door before he turned towards the area and rushed over towards the penguin sanctuary, his eyes widening in pure awe when he saw the familiar glass fence.

There they were.

The penguins.

All of the penguins were fast asleep on the large rocks, huddled together in an absolutely adorable pile, and for a moment it was a sight he wanted to take a picture of — but nope, he can cuddle with one at home with Beomgyu when time comes!

Looking around, Taehyun glanced towards a plant that was near the glass barrier, taking a deep breath as he slowly approached it and used it as a lift, groaning softly as he leaped over the glass fence and stumbled onto the rocky platform — chills running down his body from how cold it was.

Alright. Alright. Taehyun breathed out, about to panic that he was actually doing this. Oh god he's about to commit a crime. Just grab one and go, run out of here, change both of your identities. This will be worth it, all for Beomgyu.

He squeezed his eyes shut, calming his anxiety before he opened them once again, glancing over towards a penguin that was sleeping adorably near a rock. Slowly raising his hands as he began to approach it, slowly... slowly... slowly!

Right as he was about one more step away from grabbing it, the penguin had shifted in its sleep, and as soon as he was about to reach out — the penguins eyes had snapped open and it immediately looked up towards Taehyun, before letting out a loud screeching noise that made him flinch back.

What the fuck.

Did this penguin just fucking honk at him?!

Taehyun froze, his heart dropping down to the farthest pit in his stomach when he realized what was happening, the weird ass honk had echoed out and bounced off every walls, it could gain attention from guards!

"H-Hey!" Taehyun stuttered out, panicked as he tried to reach out for the penguin once again, but it was slippery — avoiding him like the plague as it honked loudly. "No! No shut up! Shut up! Let me kidnap you, what the hell?!"

Just as he was about to launch forward and grab it, it honked once more, but this time louder. Suddenly, all of the penguins were now wide awake, the once adorable penguin pile shuffled into a strange formation as if they were ready to lineup for battle. One by one, they all stared at him before a mantra of honks echoed out within the building, causing him to yelp loudly as he covered his ears, unaware that they were charging at him with full speed.

"No! No! Stop!" Taehyun cried out before he hissed in pain when he felt one fucking peck his damn leg — causing him to jump back. "Stop it! I'm here for a friendly visit- ow! Ow! Quit it! Ow! I just wanted to give one of you a new home— OW!"

Taehyun began to panic, hard. His plan of easily sneaking into the damn zoo and steal a penguin was instantly ruined! His panic started to rise as he felt the assault on his legs never ending, taking a wild step back before he suddenly felt himself trip on something, and in slow motion, his eyes widened.

Shit.

SPLASH!

Ice cold water enveloped him like an unwelcoming blanket as Taehyun fell straight into the deep pool with a loud echoey splash, causing him to shriek loudly at the piercing sensation, instantly swimming back up to the surface and breathing loudly when he broke through, his eyes widening when he wiped the water off of his face and saw all the penguins surrounding the edge, staring at him like prey.

"What the fuck?!" He cried out, immediately disgusted that he fell inside of a penguin bathtub, that's it. He officially hates penguins. "Fuck you, stupid ass creatures! I just wanted to give you a new home!"

Taehyun coughed loudly, trying to climb out but his soaked clothes clung to him like a sickening virus. His pride and joy in his heart had sunk low, about to punch a damn penguin before a flashlight suddenly beamed brightly from behind him, cutting through the darkness.

oh no.

oh no. oh no. oh nonononono.

FUCK.

"Hey, you!" A deep voice boomed from behind him, causing him to freeze in horror when he realized that the loud honks had attracted a security guard. "What the...? How did you get inside the zoo?! How did you get in the damn penguin enclosure? Get out, now!"

He felt like crying.

He's doomed, he's so fucking doomed and screwed, his future is ruined. He ruined his future for the name of love.

But his panicked mind wasn't processing anything right, so with a slow turn, Taehyun glanced over towards the security guard, squinting slightly at the bright light before he let out an awkward laugh. "Uhm... I uh... lost my pet parrot?"

"In... the penguin enclosure?"

"...yes?"

The security guard raised an eyebrow, obliviously not believing that ridiculous excuse, so with a low groan, he shook his head. "Goddamnit, come on kid. Get out of the damn pool."

Taehyun let out a sound between a sob and a defeated sigh, slowly getting out of the penguin pool as the security guard began to haul him out of the building, muttering under his breath about how the paper work will be absolutely insane — but all he wanted to do, was sob.

Those damn penguins ruined his life!

He failed, he's going to jail, he's going to have this on his record forever.

And he's going to lose Beomgyu.

He's so fucked.

tap. tap. tap.

The faint sounds of small tapping noises echoed out in the room, a bit too loud for comfort. Taehyun sighed softly, anxiously looking around as his leg bounced up and down at such a quick pace it was starting to ache.

When the security guard had dragged him away, he was embarrassingly forced to sit on some random bench while the security guard called the police to take him away — it was so fucking embarrassing, having to explain over and over again that he was at the zoo trying to find his pet parrot, and they didn't believe him!

But he's not going to tell them that the real reason he broke into the zoo was to steal a penguin for a boy he's head over heels for.

So now... here he was... at the police station inside a very empty and quiet interrogation room. The white bricks that surrounded him and yellow fluorescent light illuminating from above made his heart start to hurt. And all he could do was tap his fingers on the metal table and shake his leg, waiting for someone to walk inside.

Mom's going to kill me, dad's going to kill me. Taehyun groaned, already feeling extremely guilty that his parents, so sweet and amazing, had raised a total emotional dumbass. If they find out about this, which they might, they're going to kill me! I can't explain that I'm in the police station because of... my feelings for Beomgyu! Ughhh! They'll tell all the aunties and uncles at family reunions too!

Taehyun covered his face with his hands, mentally beating himself up to death over this entire ordeal. He should've been spending his spring break with Beomgyu, he should've been spending time with the elder after not seeing him for weeks, but instead, here he was... spending his break in an interrogation room about to be sent to jail for penguin theft!

He's never made dumb decisions before, all of the choices or decisions he had to ever make in his life had always been carefully planned and thought out — so why... why was he an absolute mess when it came down to his emotions?

Beomgyu's going to hate him now. He doesn't even want to tell the elder what had happened, and he's absolutely certain he's going to lose him if he does find out that the entire reason he did this was all because he wanted to one up all those damn penguins that won his heart.

I should've confessed like a normal person, probably copy Huening Kai's way of confessing to Soobin... there's nothing wrong with a cute little strawberry chocolate confession. He pondered, leaning back into the chair and staring blankly at the lights. But I just wanted something grand for hyung, I want to show him I love him most. He's done so much for me, is it wrong to do something more back?

Beomgyu has his entire heart, but does Taehyun have his heart in return...?

It was terrifying him, there are days where he has a slight gut feeling that the elder might be showing signs that the feelings Taehyun felt were certainly reciprocated, but then... everyone around him says Beomgyu has always treated others like that, that he's just another person in his life only with the 'honorary' best friend title.

Fuck. I'm supposed to be an honorary student, now here I am, stuck in jail. Taehyun huffed, wanting to just ram his head into a damn wall. I'm about to kiss all my college acceptance letters, scholarships, and education goodbye! But why did those penguins have to be assholes? They're the evil ones here!

click.

Taehyun's head shot up when he heard the door click open, his eyes widening as a big buff dude walked inside with a clipboard and a bag of pretzels, smiling warmly towards him when they made eye contact.

"Hey! Sorry for the long wait, we had to have a discussion with the security guard who found you for a moment," The big buff dude said, walking over towards the other side of the table and taking a seat. "I brought some pretzels for you though, you must be hungry! Would you like some?"

Taehyun eyed the bag of pretzels, for a moment, he was about to reject the request until he felt his stomach rumble just a little, making him frown as he unfortunately accepted the bag. Man, he should've ate before stealing a penguin, or maybe it was the nerves making him hungry... he's not sure.

"Alright, we're going to keep this short, brief, and simple, so we won't waste each others time," The policeman said, looking at some papers on the clipboard in front of him. "You can call me Mingyu, and I assume you're Kang Taehyun?"

"Uhm... yeah."

"Perfect! Please let me know if this information is right," Mingyu beamed brightly, flipping the page. "Kang Taehyun, born on the fifth of February, sixteen years old, and attends Ito Academy?"

"I-I'm actually... uhm... seventeen."

Mingyu glanced up at him, raising a brow for a moment. "My apologies, but seventeen and already in an interrogation room? I mean, youth is always amazing! The age where everyone becomes... a troublemaker."

Taehyun grimaced slightly, awkwardly taking another bite of his pretzels. He didn't want to be a troublemaker, he doesn't even want that title near him! It's not his fault that jealousy had drove him insane, all he wanted to do was make his best friend happy, win his heart, and skip off into the sunset together with him!

"Alright," Mingyu said, placing the clipboard down and fully placed his attention on the male. "Tell me, Mr. Kang, why in the world were you at the zoo at two in the morning, in the penguin enclosure? Be honest."

A bright shade of red began to flush on Taehyun's face, making him purse his lips tightly as the question hung in the air as if it was some sort of bad curse. There's no way that he can do this, he cannot tell this policeman that this entire thing was so he can steal a penguin for the love of his life because said love of his life was being swoon by someone who wasn't him.

He can't tell him that he did this whole thing out of jealousy! He's never going to live it down, this was the most stupidest thing he's ever done in his entire life!

"I... uh..." Think of something, think of something! "Like I said before... I was looking for my pet... parrot?"

Mingyu tilted his head, clearly unconvinced by the poor excuse. "A parrot. In the penguin enclosure. At two in the morning?"

"Uhm, yes?" This was so bad, he's so fucking screwed. "My parrot— uh, Toto, he flew away from me... and went to go find a... penguin lover?"

The parrot part was real, but it wasn't exactly his parrot. It was a story Beomgyu told him long time ago that when he was younger, he had been gifted a parrot for his birthday and named it Toto, but then... just a week later, he had left the door open and Toto had flew away, never to be seen again.

Sad story, but great excuse!

Mingyu was silent for a moment, only staring at him as if he were waiting for anything else, but after a moment, a long exasperated sigh escaped the male. "Alright, kid. Listen, it's way too late to deal with this, and it's clear you're not going to fess up, so the best we can do — since you're a minor — is have you wait in the waiting cell until your parents get here."

A bucket of cold water had been poured down upon Taehyun when he heard those words, his heart dropping down to his stomach. He knew that his parents were going to be informed soon, but he didn't expect it to be now! No, no no no! He absolutely has no excuse if they ask why their precious son was in jail!

If they knew that their amazing, spectacular, intelligent son had committed the most dumbest heist on Earth all because he wanted to make their future son-in-law official, things could go south, very. very. quickly.

"We also confiscated your phone for the time being," Mingyu continued on, when he really shouldn't. "Taking precautions and such, you're lucky that your phone still works! Let this be a lesson not to break into a zoo at two in the morning, yeah?"

Taehyun opened his mouth to say something, anything, to get him out of this situation. But all that came out was a strained breath of air, feeling absolutely defeated now that the consequences of his stupid actions were coming to life.

Great. Now he's going to be known as the world's worst criminal.

It didn't help that his body was absolutely aching, his legs were numb, his damp clothes stuck to his body uncomfortably, and he smelled like fish and chlorine water. This was the worst way to spend the third day of his spring break week.

With no other questions, Mingyu finished off the interrogation and helped him up, who easily complied and followed the policeman down the hallway over towards a waiting cell that was in a surprisingly clean condition.

This was so humiliating, Taehyun doesn't even want to think about how he was slowly walking into the waiting cell, standing in the center as he turned to face Mingyu who closed the bar door and locked it, smiling at him kindly.

"We'll get you once your parents arrive."

With that, Mingyu had walked away, the sounds of his footsteps fading softly, and once he was finally gone — that's when the tears started flowing.

Taehyun held back a loud hiccup as he sunk onto the floor, pathetic tiny tears flowed down his face as he tried his best to hold back the urge to just scream loudly until his vocal cords burst. He's so stupid, he's so stupid!

Beomgyu's going to hate him, Huening Kai and Soobin are going to make fun of him, and Yeonjun will win this entire thing!

He just wanted to do something grand and amazing to confess to Beomgyu who deserved the entire world, but nope, here he was stuck inside some jail cell waiting for his parents at the ass crack of night time.

idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot!

Now he has to wait for forever, wait forever to hear his parents scream at him for doing something so dumb.

But hey... at least Mingyu let him keep his pretzels!

˚₊‧ ꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Five years.

It's been five years since he last saw Beomgyu.

Five long years and he fumbled everything! Beomgyu was probably living with Yeonjun, happily married with an even bigger family of penguins, making fun of Taehyun who was a certified penguin stealer now, and it was so embarrassing!

This sucks!

Alright, he's being over dramatic. It hasn't been five years, but it certainly felt like it. If anything, it's only been thirty damn minutes since he was put inside of the waiting cell.

With each passing minute, it felt like a year longer, and he was growing increasingly bored at the moment. Not even the whole bowl full of pretzels that Mingyu had given him kept him busy anymore! Where were his parents? He was certain that they would come speeding if they found out that their son was in jail—

wait.

What if they... abandoned him...?

Taehyun's breath hitched when he realized that the possibility of his parents abandoning him wasn't exactly zero. It happened before when he was younger, a small little kid who got lost in the store and lost his sweet mother who scolded him an hour later, that if he wanders away one more time, she would abandon him.

But this is far worse than just wandering off in a store, he literally committed a felony. What if his parents now hated him?! What if they're going to find a new son and name him something like 'Kang Hyuntae' and never think about him again?!

Taehyun's eyes started to water at the thought of that, his chest was tight and heavy and his brain was fuzzy and practically melted by how much he's been overthinking without a damn break.

This was his biggest weakness — his anxiety and overwhelming thoughts, without a solid ground or something to distract him with, he starts to spiral and that's exactly what's happening now.

He was thinking about all the bad things that were bound to happen, his mistake, his regrets, the unrequited love that he did this for — it was overwhelming him to a point that it was a struggle to hold back his tears, his eyes aching from how badly he's been silently crying.

Maybe he should've let Yeonjun won, he's already far behind anyway. Maybe he should've manned up and finally confess his love instead of waiting last minute, then things like this would be different.

Does Beomgyu love him like that though? Does the elder hold the same strong passion, devotion, and admiration that Taehyun had held for him ever since he laid eyes on him? Those feelings just grew day by day.

He should've said something sooner, now Beomgyu was going to leave him to attend a college overseas with Yeonjun, he was going to live happily ever after and—

"Where is he?! Where is Kang Taehyun? Bring me him right fucking now!"

Taehyun paused, his eyes widened as time seemed to stop when a familiar, deep, honey-like voice cut through his thoughts with eased. His brows furrowed slightly, wondering if he was hearing things, or officially going insane, but it wasn't until that loud voice had boomed again.

"Sir, please calm—"

"No! Where the hell is he?! Bring him to me now! Did you guys lock him up? Get him out! He has anxiety, isolating him isn't going to do any good you assholes!"

"Sir!—"

What the fuck.

No. no nonononnonononono!

What the fuck was Beomgyu doing here?!

Taehyun instantly began to panic, he was the one person, THE ONE PERSON, that he doesn't want around at the moment, especially in a situation like this! Oh no, oh no! He would rather face his parents instead, not the boy who made him want to do all of this, he's so ruined!

Now he has to say goodbye to precious years of friendship and admiration, and officially plan on becoming someone's best man and not groom.

Beomgyu's voice began to become muffled, his tone filled with anger and worry which made Taehyun's heart drop. After a few seconds, he began to tune out the elders voice (even though he didn't want to), feeling his anxiety increasing by a tenfold when all of his heavy thoughts become heavier and lunatic.

His anxiety was so bad, the world and entire blur, he hadn't noticed the sound of footsteps approaching his cell until a gentle tap on the bars made him come back to reality, his head snapping over towards where the sound came from and saw Mingyu smiling at him brightly.

"Well, we aren't really supposed to do this," Mingyu said, walking over towards the door and unlocking it. "But it's late at night, and we really don't want to deal with screaming and shouting right now, so we're letting you off the hook — please go calm your friend down, he's very loud."

Taehyun gawked at him in pure shock, unsure if he was hearing the words correctly. "W-Wait, you're letting me go, just like that? Don't you have to... like... put this on my record or something? Ruin my future?"

"Would you like for me to put it on your record?" Mingyu asked, watching the male shake his head. "That's a shit ton of paper work to do, and with your little friend bursting in here at three in the morning, I'd rather not deal with that. Come on, get up, time to go home. Just don't do it again, okay?"

Taehyun wasted no time scrambling onto his feet, making sure to give Mingyu the empty bowl back before he was lead down the hallway and out into the main area where the bickering became louder — and there he was, the love of his life pacing around the lobby like a madman.

It took only two seconds for Beomgyu to notice Taehyun's presence, and the moment he did, the elder paused in his steps as his head snapped up towards where he stood, causing Taehyun's face to flush a dark shade of red and his heart to go absolutely crazy at the sight of the boy who had his heart.

But he couldn't help but feel his heart break slightly.

Beomgyu, although still beautiful, looked absolutely exhausted. His hair was a mess, strands pointed in every direction and his sweater was a crinkled mess, his sweatpants seemed to be worn the wrong way and the shoes he had on were two different matches. There were dark circles around the males eyes and he looked completely out of it as if he had... just woke up.

That's when missing puzzle pieces started to piece together once again, and the realization that dawned upon him made Taehyun feel sick to his damn stomach.

Beomgyu had woken up and came to the station. Because of him. He ruined his sleep.

Someone kill him now.

"Tyun!" Beomgyu exclaimed loudly, rushing over towards the younger and pushed Mingyu away who grunted loudly, but he could give less than two shits, only running up to Taehyun and grabbing him by the shoulders. "Why the hell are you here?! Do you know how worried I was? Tell me why I woke up at three in the morning, receiving a call from your parents asking why you were at the police station?! Do you know the awful excuse I made to get them to not panic?!"

Oh. So that's what happened.

A part of Taehyun, the selfish part, was absolutely giddy and excited that his parents trusted Beomgyu enough to ask him about what the hell he was doing, thinking that their precious son was still at his house. But the other half felt absolutely devastated and guilty, he had caused all of this! He made Beomgyu wake up from his precious sleep, come down to the station at three in the morning, and absolutely panic!

He doesn't know whether he should cry or laugh.

"I can't do this right now," Beomgyu muttered under his breath, moving his hands away from his shoulder — causing Taehyun's heart to ache, he wanted more warmth. "Come on! We're going home, I can't believe this shit right now. I would've expected Huening Kai to be the one in jail, not you!"

Taehyun snorted slightly at that, but he couldn't help but feel his senses go absolutely numb when he felt Beomgyu's hand wrap around his own, something about this moment, about the elder being here just for him, made his heart a racing mess.

But it was obvious Beomgyu was angry. At him.

So he's kinda fucked.

"We don't need to sign any papers or anything, right?" Beomgyu asked Mingyu who shook his head. "Good then we're leaving—"

"Wait!" Mingyu gasped, as if he had just realized something. Just before the two of them could take off, he opened his pocket and pulled out Taehyun's phone handing it to him. "Hey, kid? Next time, add your parents to your emergency contact list. We only found the name 'Beomgyu' on there, anyways, be safe and don't make dumb decisions next time!"

Taehyun's face flushed in horror when Mingyu had exposed him, his mouth opened to say the plethora of curse words that began to built up within his throat, but before he could spew them all out, he was suddenly being tugged and dragged out of the police station, making him yelp loudly.

"G-Gyu!" He stuttered, looking back over towards the elder who seemed blinded by worry and anger, but not gonna lie... he's kinda... fine when angry. "It was just a small accident—"

"Not. Another. Word." Beomgyu angrily snapped, causing Taehyun to instantly shut his damn mouth, his stomach twisting in ways it shouldn't.

But he couldn't help but feel so worried, did he ruin their friendship? What was going to happen to the both to them now? Will he have to shove his feelings down the farthest drain, never to be seen again or what? This makes him want to cry so bad, he hates seeing Beomgyu angry — especially at him, which rarely ever happens!

Taehyun allowed himself to be dragged down the stairs, across the sidewalk, and over towards Beomgyu's car, his eyes widening when he realized that it had begun to rain just a little bit, but before he could spew out another half assed apology, the passenger door suddenly opened and he was shoved inside without a moment to breathe.

"Beomgyu—" SLAM!

Taehyun flinched when the elder had slammed the door closed, standing outside for a moment before he stormed on over towards the drivers side and got in, grumbling curse words under his breath which made him just shrink into the seat pathetically, he was starting to wish it was either Soobin or Huening Kai to get him now.

Great! This was the worst day ever, and now the love of his life hates him.

And... he's about to experience was about to be the most awkward car ride of his entire life.

The car ride back home was awkward.

Usually, when he would go on a car ride anywhere with Beomgyu, there was no awkwardness at all between them. Just them, the car, and the faint sound of music playing in the background — and usually, Beomgyu would be the one talking the entire time to fill that void.

But now? It was just silence, pure utter silence that made Taehyun positive that the elder could hear his loud racing heartbeat thudding in the background — that he could hear his thoughts screaming at him on loop like some sort of broken record.

You're an idiot, Kang! He held back a groan, tears brimming in his eyes once more when he realized how much of a wreck he looked when he caught glimpse of himself on the wing mirrors. You could've just written a love letter, or serenade him with a guitar, Gyu likes music! But nope, you had to try to steal a fucking penguin all because of what... jealousy?

You know what.

Yes. He is fucking jealous.

He's spent days trying to deny the fact that he did all of this out of jealousy, but now he couldn't deny it anymore. This whole plan and dumb heist was motivated by that jealousy and anger that boiled within him whenever he thought about Yeonjun stealing Beomgyu away from him.

But he couldn't help but be angry! He's known Beomgyu for years now, he knows what the elder loves and hates, what motivates him or what discourages him, he's been there for Beomgyu through the hardest points of his life and lifted him up during the brightest ones. He knows every little habit, every little detail, every little thing about the elder and it makes him upset!

He's held so much love for him in silence, and the fact that someone — in just two weeks — could easily steal Beomgyu's heart made him feel so... angry. It made him panic, knowing that he was in a losing game against time and love, that his love wasn't reciprocated at all.

And it hurts, knowing that all he'll ever be to Beomgyu is just the honorary best friend.

Taehyun bit down on the bottom of his lip, trying to hold back all of the tears that built up in his eyes and trying his best to ignore the heaviness that weighed down on his heart. This is it, isn't it? Beomgyu hates him now.

Speaking of Beomgyu, he couldn't help but take a small glance towards the elders direction, noticing how Beomgyu was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as some sort of distraction while his eyes stayed locked on the rainy road ahead. His expression was blank and emotionless, but the slight curve on his brows told enough.

He was pissed off. At him.

Taehyun wanted to cry, not only was Beomgyu ever so pissed off at him, but here he was inside of the elders car. Soaked, smelling vaguely of fish, and mentally preparing to write his own obituary.

He was dying of second hand embarrassment at this point. His parents had called Beomgyu late at night while the elder was probably in one of his bear hibernation sleep modes, asking about Taehyun who was apparently in jail? Which was all true, and now he's probably mad at the fact he was woken up because of that!

Why did he have to be such a dumbass about his feelings? He should've just... went for it, take a leap of faith! Huening Kai was right, he shouldn't have been so dumb, and it was only mere luck that he was let off with a warning because if he had 'certified penguin stealer' on his record forever... he might just cry, die, melt, all in that order.

It took around fifteen more dreadful minutes to arrive at Beomgyu's house, and he's grateful that the elders parents were still asleep, because coming home at nearly four in the morning was not a good look on them.

As Beomgyu pulled into the drive way, he parked the car and turned it off, and Taehyun honestly thought that they would just get out and walk inside and never speak about this again — but instead, they just... sat there... they just sat there in the car, in silence, with only the soft tapping of the rain in the background.

Why are we sitting here? He began to slowly panic, glancing over towards Beomgyu in the corner of his eye, noticing how the elder was just sitting there, leaning back into his seat with only one hand on the wheel. Oh god, is he mad at me? He's definitely mad at me. We wouldn't be sitting here in silence if he wasn't, you ruined everything Kang! Great! Now future hubby hates you and you're about to witness a marriage between him and someone who's not you!

He knew that he could just open the door and walk out at anytime, but he didn't want to go inside alone. He doesn't want to go inside the house and suffocate in that dreadful feeling where he knew Beomgyu was mad at him — and the elders presence was comforting despite it all, so he just sat there and... waited.

It wasn't until after five long minutes, Beomgyu finally broke the silence, his voice low. "So..." He started off, glancing at him. "Why were you in jail at three in the morning?"

Taehyun felt his breath get caught in his throat, the world around him becoming disoriented when that question was asked. He doesn't want to answer it at all, he doesn't even want to face Beomgyu because of how ashamed he was of his actions. So instead, he stared straight ahead, pretending he didn't hear him.

Maybe if I ignore him, he'll forget all about what happened tonight.

"Taehyun," Beomgyu said again, his tone dropping down an octave which made him feel like he just got punched to the gut. "Why the hell were you in jail?"

Taehyun froze, panic bubbling in his chest — his lips started to tremble and eyes began to blur with even more tears as he tried his best to keep his computer, but when he took one glance towards Beomgyu and saw the angry expression all over his face, he felt himself break in that very moment.

Before he could even stop himself, tell himself to just make another excuse, he began sobbing loudly like a child who lost his balloon at a theme park — causing the elder to flinch at the sudden outburst.

"I-I wanted to get you a real penguin!" He blurted without even thinking, hiccuping between words as his voice cracked. "I-I thought- I thought it would be grand and romantic, okay?!"

Beomgyu stared at him in shock, the words a bit difficult to hear between sobs, but when he processed what he was talking about, his jaw dropped. "Wait... a penguin?"

Taehyun felt his face heat up in embarrassment now that the truth was officially out, and the tears weren't stopping at all, this was so humiliating! "Yes! A fucking penguin! Ever since Yeonjun entered your life and bought you all of those penguins, when you admitted to having a new obsession with them, my life just turned upside down okay?!"

"Wh-What?—"

"I thought it was going to be fine, it would be a phase," Taehyun continued on, not allowing Beomgyu to put a word in. "But then you said that all the gifts were nice, that you liked them and I panicked! When I saw Yeonjun's text on your phone, I just knew you guys were secretly in love with each other!"

"In love?" Beomgyu muttered, absolutely confused. "Sweetheart, no—"

"And I was jealous, okay?!" Taehyun croaked out, the tears becoming more intense and his composure an absolute wreck as he sobbed even louder. "I panicked! I thought that if I got you a real penguin, that you wouldn't love him anymore! But at first I wasn't going to do it until I saw that stupid gift basket you were making him! I don't want you to be with Yeonjun!"

"Baby—"

"But it all went downhill! The next thing I knew, I was knee deep in a penguin enclosure getting my ass kicked by fucking birds!" Taehyun wailed loudly, covering his face which was about to explode into flames from how embarrassed he was. Maybe he should just go home. "Then I was stuck in that shady police station with just pretzels to hold onto!"

Beomgyu's jaw dropped, his eyes widened at the unexpected explanation, never in his entire life would he think Taehyun out of all people. "You... you tried to steal a penguin, from the zoo... for me?"

"Yes!" Taehyun replied, his voice cracking as he threw his hands in the air. "Now I smell like fish water, my pride is absolutely shattered, and I'm officially a criminal! And what?! I did this all because I'm in love with you?! That I'm jealous that I don't want you to be with anyone else but me—"

A horrified gasp escaped him when he realized what he had just said, his eyes widening in horror as he immediately clasped a hand over his mouth, the words haunting him when the silence that followed after was absolute gut wrenching.

No. no. no! This isn't how he wanted to confess his feelings, but now here he was! Ruining everything because of his anxiety and panic attack! He just exposed that this whole entire situation was motivated because he was stupidly in love with Beomgyu!

Taehyun was horrified, he didn't even want to meet Beomgyu's eyes right now after what happened. This was it, there it was! Four years of precious friendship down the drain because of his feelings.

"Taehyun—"

Before Beomgyu could even say anything, Taehyun shrieked loudly and immediately opened the car door — his eyes widening when he noticed that the rain had gotten heavier, but that didn't matter to him.

Ignoring Beomgyu's desperate calls, he got out of the car and slammed it shut, his house was only a ten minute walk from Beomgyu's — so if he sprinted right now it would take him around five minutes or so, which meant that he needed to leave now before he's confronted with a harsh rejection.

I can't believe I confessed like that. I can't believe it. Taehyun thought, letting out a loud sob as he immediately ran down the driveway and onto the street, it was a bit difficult for him to even see anything from how misty it was outside. I ruined everything! Absolutely everything! I should've acted normal, I should've kept my mouth shut!

Tears began to brim his eyes once more, or were they raindrops? He wasn't sure at this point, all he could focus on was the uncomfortable sensation of his wet clothes sticking to him and the heavy rain pouring down upon him. The dread and pain in both his heart and stomach were twisting in ways that were impossible to ignore.

"Taehyun!"

This is it... I ruined everything.

"Tae, wait!"

Our friendship? Gone. Those penguins? Fucking won! I'm screwed, I ruined everything.

"...Hyun!"

Now Yeonjun's won, they're going to have a cute little penguin themed wedding and I'm—

"Kang Taehyun!"

Before those heavy, unforgiving thoughts could pull Taehyun down farther into the pit of shame and anger — a hand had suddenly wrapped around his wrist and forced him to spin around, causing him to yelp loudly when he faced Beomgyu who looked absolutely hysterical underneath the white light of the street lamp above.

"G-Gyu," Taehyun's voice cracked, he doesn't even want to see his own reflection, all he knew was that his eyes were certainly red and teary and that he was a mess. "What are you—"

"I don't like Yeonjun hyung."

...huh?

All of a sudden, the world around them became a huge blur, and all the air within Taehyun's lungs seemed to disappear — making him choke out a confused noise when Beomgyu had said those words.

I don't like Yeonjun hyung.

"Wh-What...?"

Beomgyu took a deep breath, as if he were trying to calm his breathing down, and the hand that was wrapped around Taehyun's wrist was now gone — but instead, he had moved his hands and gently cupped the younger's face who was frozen like a damn statue.

"I said, I don't like Yeonjun hyung, not in a romantic way," The elder said, his thumb gently wiping the tear or rain drops away from his eye which made him melt. "I've only ever viewed him as a friend, I swear."

Taehyun wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or not, that the pressure and stress of earlier events made him officially go insane, but when he shakily brought a hand up towards the hands on his face and wrapped one around Beomgyu's wrist, he absolutely broke.

"B-But what about the penguins? All of those gifts? N-No friends just get someone fifty penguins without other intentions!"

The elder was silent for a moment, his expression absolutely unreadable until a small shy smile grew on his lips, and he looked away for a moment before turning back to face him again.

"Do you really want to know the reason why he's giving me all those damn penguins?" Beomgyu asked, earning a small hesitant nod from the younger before he continued on. "The whole entire reason he kept giving me those penguins was because they... reminded me of you."

what.

Taehyun's eyes widened after hearing that, his instincts telling him to run away and never look back — but even as he tried to take a step back, the hands that were on his face didn't allow him to move at all, the only thing he could do was stare at Beomgyu as if he had said something absolutely ridiculous.

"They... reminded you... of me?"

"Mhm," Beomgyu hummed, a bit embarrassed bringing his hands away from the younger's face and using one to push his wet bangs out of his eyes. "When I went overseas, I had told Yeonjun that penguins reminded me of you when we were watching Pingu. They're cute, adorable, small, a bit terrifying, just like you."

Taehyun felt his mouth go dry and his heart going absolutely crazy at the words, for a moment, he wanted to interrupt Beomgyu to make him stop talking because he was certain he couldn't handle this, but he was frozen, unable to form any thoughts or words of any sort.

"So then, like a damn menace, Yeonjun told me that he would give me penguins every day until I... confess to you," Beomgyu continued on, hesitating on the last bit of that sentence before his face began to flush, either from the cold rain outside or the new feelings coming to light. "And... and I honestly was going to confess to you, but you've been so busy! I guess I know the reason now, huh?"

holy shit.

holy shit holy shit holy shit.

Taehyun's eyes widened, wider than they've ever gone before when he heard those words: until I confess to you. He was certain he was actually hearing things wrong, but when he realized that everything that's happening now, was in fact real, the last little threads that were barely holding him together had snapped loudly within him, causing him to gasp loudly as he covered his mouth.

If... If Beomgyu really meant what he said, if he wasn't hearing things, that meant... that meant...

...Beomgyu... likes him.. back?

Taehyun started to feel dizzy, his legs shaking and becoming weak that he nearly fell face first from how numb his entire body was — but Beomgyu seemed to have noticed right away and wrapped his hands around his waist, holding him up with a worried expression.

"Hey, are you?—"

"But what about the text message?!" Taehyun blurted out, a part of him still in denial that this was really happening. "A-And the gift bag? Are you sure you're just not saying all of this to make me feel better? B-Because I understand! You don't have to do this!"

Beomgyu stared at him, an expression full of shock and a bit of offense because of what he said. So with a small smile, he shook his head, small little droplets flying everywhere from the action because of how soaked the both of them were.

"Tyun, you're an absolute idiot," He said, a small lighthearted chuckle escaping him as he pulled the younger closer. "My absolute idiot, did you forget? Yeonjun is coming to Seoul for his part of the exchange program on Friday, that's when we're going to meet up and he always teases saying it's a 'date' when it's really not, and the gift basket was a welcome basket since it'll be his first time here! I wanted him to feel comfortable!"

All of it started to piece together in his head, the realization and embarrassment crashed down on him like a damn semi truck that this entire time all of the things that were happening between Yeonjun and Beomgyu were all... platonic.

That he had... embarrassingly.. threw the whole situation out of order and was a bit too dramatic.

"W-Wait," Taehyun muttered softly, staring up at Beomgyu who held the most softest, loving gaze ever, it was doing things to him. "Does that mean you... you don't like Yeonjun...?"

"I don't like Yeonjun."

"...A-And that means you... like me?"

"I like you, a lot, Taehyun."

"As in... like like me, you like like me? Not- not in a platonic way, no friend zone or brother zoning m-me right?" Taehyun asked shakily, feeling absolutely lightheaded at the new discovery that was making him feel so euphoric.

Beomgyu smiled widely, moving his hands up so he was cupping Taehyun's face again — the rain becoming lighter around them. "I like like you, Tyun. Unless you want me to say that I love you instead, because I certainly do love you more than anything."

Taehyun wanted to cry right then and there, everything felt so unreal. There was no way that he was actually hearing those words coming out of Beomgyu's mouth, that he's really expericing this moment that he always dreamt about, he thought it was something he would ever dream or wish for.

But no... here he was, hearing the boy he had loved for years, confess to him that he likes him back.

Oh shit, he's going to fucking cry.

"I've liked you since the beginning," Beomgyu confessed, completely unaware of the emotional meltdown he was causing in Taehyun. "It's always been you in my heart, the moment I laid eyes on that pretty face of yours, I knew I just had to make you mine somehow."

Taehyun's breathing became irregular, his eyes started to water up more than before as his heart melted into a soft mess — his stomach twisting in ways he couldn't explain. It felt unreal, all of it felt unreal.

"That day when I spilled acid on your paper?," Beomgyu shakily admitted, his face flushing a bright shade of red. "It... uh, it was kind of on purpose. Well, actually, it was an accident, but I didn't really mind because it gave me an excuse to talk to you. Everyone says I'm confident, but, god, Tyun, you make me feel like an awkward, nervous wreck."

Taehyun felt like he couldn't breathe, the cold rain and newfound feelings were messing with his senses and he wanted to just break down right then and there. This entire time, Beomgyu has liked him back, longer than he has. This whole entire time, it wasn't Yeonjun or anyone else who had his heart, it was him this entire damn time.

It all started clicking into place — the cuddling sessions, the stupidly long hours spent together doing nothing but existing in each other's space, the lingering glances, and the soft words no normal friends would say to each other. How did he not see it? How did he miss all the signs?

But he wasn't just anyone to him, he was everything to him and his heart.

"I like you, Kang Taehyun," Beomgyu said, announcing proud and confidentially with a huge smile on his face, taking a step forward. "I've always liked you. Not Yeonjun, not some dumb penguins, it's always been you in my heart. I'm an idiot for never confessing sooner, and honestly? I'm flattered you really went out of your way to steal a penguin just for me. I'm sorry for making you so anxious and not communicating proper—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Taehyun suddenly grabbed the collar of Beomgyu's soaked shirt and yanked him forward, crashing their lips together in a desperate, messy way. It was uncoordinated and a bit too wet from the rain, but that doesn't matter.

Beomgyu froze for half a second, processing the new sensations happening before he practically melted into the kiss. His eyes fluttering closed as he tilted his head slightly, his hands finding their way around the younger's waist and pulled him closer, reciprocating that same desperate passion.

The rain around them continued to pour down, but neither of them cared. The world around them was an absolute blur as they could only focus on each other, the sensation of having one another close and their lips desperately moving against one another as all the unsaid feelings came to light — their hearts finally intertwining after unspoken years of admiration and passion.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes until they finally broke apart, breathless and blinking through the rain, dizzy on that euphoric high until Beomgyu began to laugh softly, resting his forehead against Taehyun's. "So... I guess that means you like me back?"

"You idiot!" Taehyun laughed softly, the sadness and chaos that he felt earlier now gone, replaced with an overwhelming sense of joy that this moment, the moment he dreamt so long about, was really happening. "I wouldn't have tried stealing a penguin if I didn't love you back! I was a whole fucking mess you know?"

"That explains a lot though, I honestly thought you were mad at me or something," Beomgyu said, his expression full of tenderness and warmth as he cupped the younger's face, wiping away some rain drops. "But to know this entire time, you were just jealous of some penguins? I think I fell more in love with you."

Taehyun felt his face heat up, he still couldn't believe that this entire time he was oblivious to the damn signs. Beomgyu likes- no, he loves him back! He really does love him back and that this entire time there was no point on stealing penguins! Gosh, he couldn't help but laugh at how this moment even came to be.

"Ah, I'm a bit disappointed though," Beomgyu muttered, causing Taehyun to freeze. "I wanted to ask you out properly, take you on a date to your favorite cafe or something, show you how much I love you... but..."

"D-Do you remember in our second year of high school when I came to you crying after I scored low on m-my assessment?" Taehyun suddenly spoke up, cutting the elder off who was shocked but nodded instantly. "I-I... when I came to you... you treated me so well, so lovingly, you comforted me in the rain. That's the day I fell in love with you."

Beomgyu's eyes widened for a moment, and the way his hand twitched underneath Taehyun's warmth made his reaction all worth it. "So that means... you fell in love with me in the rain, and I confessed to you in the rain... so..."

"So that means that this," Taehyun pointed between the both of them then the rain. "Is perfect, I want nothing more than to be with you, Beomgyu hyung. I-I love you."

Beomgyu was silent for a moment, but after a brief pause, the smile that broke on his face was brighter than any smile he's seen before. And before Taehyun could even react, Beomgyu had cheered loudly and wrapped his arms around his waist, lifting him off of the ground and hugging him tightly, spinning them around in a childish, loving way.

"G-Gyu!" Taehyun yelped, completely caught off guard as he wrapped his hands around the elders shoulders, staring down at him with wide eyes and a smile. "Hey! Put me down! We're going to fall!"

"Put you down?! Hell no!" Beomgyu said, his voice loud and full of excitement. "How can I let you go? Now that I know you love me back, I want nothing more than to keep you all to myself! I love you so much, Tyun-ah!"

Taehyun squealed, his arms instinctively wrapping around Beomgyu's shoulders as they spun again. He was soaked to the bone, dizzy, and a complete emotional wreck — but none of that mattered. What mattered was that they were finally here, confessing feelings that had been bottled up for so long.

He didn't think he could ever be this happy.

After a few more spins (and a near-death slip), Beomgyu finally slowed down, breathless but grinning like a fool. His hands lingered on Taehyun's waist as he caught his breath, resting his forehead against the younger's, basking in the little warmth he could feel.

"So..." Beomgyu spoke up after a minute, staring into his eyes which held nothing but passion, admiration, and love. "Does this mean I can officially call you mine? Have you as my own? Make you my boyfriend?"

The new title made Taehyun's heart practically explode — his breath getting caught in his throat, but before he could say anything else, he slowly leaned in and pressed another warm, loving kiss, onto the elders lips, muttering softly against them. "Only if you'll have me, then yes, you can call me yours and I'll call you mine."

Beomgyu lit up like the world's happiest human, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he pressed another kiss to Taehyun's lips — this time slower, sweeter, filled with nothing but warmth and future unspoken promises.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Beomgyu whispering 'i love you' over and over under his breath while pressing kisses all over Taehyun's face, leaving a tingly, ticklish feeling all over as the both of them laughed loudly.

The rain usually makes people gray, upset, or sad. But for them? Being underneath the rain brought nothing but happiness and serenity for the two of them. Each drop of love pouring onto them heavily, to the point they could've escape.

"Well then, my sweet beautiful boyfriend," Beomgyu soon pulled away, intertwining their hands together — that's when Taehyun started to notice how the elder was slightly shaking. "As much as I want to keep kissing you out here, why don't we go inside? It's kind of really fucking cold, so let's go inside and warm up! I'll even make that tea you really like!"

Taehyun glanced down at their intertwined hands, his stomach bubbling up with fuzziness at the new boyfriend title. It still felt unreal that this whole moment was truly happening, that he wasn't going insane and dreaming of this moment because of heartache and fear — but no, this was real. They were real, and their love was real.

So with a bright smile, the cold finally dawning upon him which made him shiver, he nodded his head. "Let's go home, Gyu."

Without a second to spare, Beomgyu smiled widely and held onto his hand tighter, and in that moment the both of them took off, running towards the house as the elder pulled him along. Their shoes splashed through puddles as the rain poured down on them, small droplets hitting their skin like needles.

But that didn't matter, what mattered most was the loud sweet laughter spilling from their lips, echoing into the night like music only they could hear. As the elder tightened his grip, the world blurred around them in streaks of rain and streetlights, the warmth between their palms made their hearts flutter.

And Taehyun? He was over the fucking moon that this was truly real.

He didn't have to worry about penguins, about Yeonjun (who probably had no idea that Taehyun has one sided beef with him), or anything else that could ruin his relationship with Beomgyu now.

He didn't have to worry, and he certainly will flex on Huening Kai that his awesome plan worked. He won't have to cry thinking about a penguin themed wedding between Beomgyu and Yeonjun, because now it was going to be Taehyun at the altar!

Because Beomgyu was now his, belonging to him only in his heart and soul.

Even though he slightly regretted not confessing like a normal penguin, he couldn't help but be so happy that his feelings for the elder was reciprocated, even if it took a bit of a crime, heist, jail time, and illegal activities to make it this far.

But what can he say? Love makes people do crazy things.

Now here he was, enjoying the moment and the future that was waiting for him and his now lovable boyfriend.

Operation: success!

˚₊‧ ꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚