Chapter Text
series of tapping noises echo inside the dimly lit room. the sun had still barely risen at the time, coloring the sky in a drowsy blue that enters through the thin curtains. taehyun stirs awake at the noise, peeling an eye open as his vision adjusts to his environment and a lazy smile creeps on his lips at the first person he sees.
"good morning hyung." he croaks, yawning.
yeonjun was squinting on his phone with a frown, yet his expression immediately changes upon hearing taehyun's voice. he placed his phone down on his chest and turned to the younger with a tender gaze, brushing away the red strands that fall on his forehead.
"good morning beautiful." the older boy whispers, "i'm sorry. did i wake you?"
"kind of . . ." taehyun drones, scooting closer to nuzzle on yeonjun's neck. "did something came up?" he asks, sensing some agitation from the way the older almost glares on his phone earlier.
yeonjun hums in affirmation, "it's my doctor. he moved the appointment today because he suddenly had some other schedules for the rest of the week." he says, yawning in between. "i can't join you for the convention today."
"it's okay hyung, we can go some other time. this is more important; gyu-hyung and i'll accompany you later." taehyun decides, knowing very well that his other boyfriend would agree. beomgyu's always caring and worried over their hyung's well-being anyway. "help me for breakfast?"
the blond oldest knew arguing was pointless so he only smiles fondly, lifting the blankets slightly to reveal a sleeping beomgyu on his other side, arms wrapped around yeonjun's midsection in a bear grip. he had always been a sleep-cuddler, always aching to have something in his arms as he sleeps - in this case, yeonjun's warm body. taehyun giggles at the adorable sight of his long-time crush - now boyfriend - as he leans in and gives a peck on top of beomgyu's head.
"such a baby." he mutters, making yeonjun chuckle. taehyun then leans toward yeonjun and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.
"i love you." yeonjun says the moment he pulled away, and his heart somersaulted in his chest.
"i love you." he replies, before jumping out of beomgyu's bed and moving to the kitchen.
as taehyun starts to wash the rice for their breakfast, already accustomed to living in his boyfriends' apartment, he thinks back to the previous couple of months.
it had been almost one year since they've started dating. almost a year since their emotional confession. in specifics, it had been ten months since the start of their perfect sunsets. and taehyun had never been more happy than he is now.
there was always a price for happiness however. as although he'd been friends with the older two the moment he entered university, it was still a different topic if he started dating the both of them. the choi yeonjun and the choi beomgyu, one of the most famous couples in campus. yeonjun, known as the good-looking yet reserved boy and ace of third-year performing arts; and beomgyu, known as the pretty yet friendly boy and prodigy of second-year music. two boys who easily had the university wrapped around their fingers, yet here they were. it was already a huge deal when they dated each other, but with another in the mix, the whole school was in chaos.
kang taehyun was also popular, per se, a first-year arts student with incredible looks and overflowing talent. just maybe not much compared to the older two, but a lot of students know him for being friends with the couple. it wasn't a big deal for him at first, still blending with the crowd and not being put in the spotlight. but when he started dating them, there were always looks and stares directed at him, and it makes him uncomfortable.
he didn't like the attention, especially if its sour looks and disgusted glares. it makes him shrink onto himself; arms wrapped around his figure and head hung low. it was like the demons in his head were alive in the form of gossiping students down the hall. and he was stuck in the middle, feet firmly planted on the floor as the murmurs rang into his ears.
that exact scenario happened one time; during the first day back in university after that summer break, the start of the second semester. everyone had already known the new relationship since the two older weren't exactly subtle in their social media accounts, proudly sharing photos of the three of them during their outing and dates. it made pride blossom in taehyun's chest, but it was quickly replaced by fear when they arrived at school. people were crowding around the halls and entrances, waiting for them to arrive to see if the posts were actually true. and when the confirmation hit them like a truck, they couldn't believe it. taehyun still vaguely remembers the shameful stares and judgmental gazes especially sent his way, his insecurity eating him up from the pits of his stomach, and his anxiety messing up his brain. and he reaches a shaky hand on yeonjun's shirt as he tries to hide himself behind the taller boy's figure.
"baby? what's wrong?" yeonjun asks, worried and shocked at the younger boy's sudden action.
beomgyu was quick to put an arm around taehyun's waist and they stopped walking. taehyun was trembling in his hold, breathing becoming ragged.
"hey. breathe, baby. breathe for me, hm?" he said, pulling the younger in his embrace, letting him breathe in the comforting scent of lavender as he rubs his back. him and yeonjun exchanged glances and that's when they realized all the eyes that were watching them.
looking back at each other, they concluded on what was going on with their youngest boyfriend. the two of them were used to the attention, but not taehyun. so they did what they had to do;
all the students collectively averted their gazes, running inside the nearest building or walking away from them as they gave a sharp and cold glare to each student around. beomgyu and yeonjun are usually nice and sweet boys; but once pissed, they could be rude and intimidating. that one glare was enough to send shivers down their spines, signalling them to stop looking and mind their own fucking business.
when taehyun remembers that incident, he could only think that those stares and glares were worth it. his boyfriends' reassurances accompanied by kisses were enough to drown the demons away, and then there was peace.
a pair of arms were suddenly wrapped around his middle along with a head resting on his shoulder, pulling him out of his reminiscing.
"g'morning hyunnie." beomgyu rasps lowly, voice still heavy with sleep. for the personification of the sun, he sure doesn't like to be up early.
taehyun smiles, "good morning pretty." he replies, carding his fingers through beomgyu's black locks.
the older boy hums, tightening his grip on the younger and naps on the latter's shoulder. taehyun chuckles at that; yeonjun does too as he settles beside them, proceeding to help with making their breakfast.
"gyu, baby, i love you but i can't finish here properly." taehyun says, giggling when beomgyu whines but lets go of him nonetheless. he hears the older trudging to the center island lazily, and he shakes his head fondly. is he really older than me?
yeonjun and him moves in the kitchen with practised ease, a clear result of being comfortable around each other and doing things together. they managed to make the kimchi fried rice and fried eggs and settle it down on the table. by then, beomgyu had already put down their plates and utensils. they work flawlessly well together that you'd think their minds are actually connected to one another.
"my boyfriends are such husband materials." beomgyu coos from where he sits, chin resting on his hands above the table as he looks at them dreamily. "i'd love to marry you someday."
"shut up." yeonjun retorts, but he's blushing.
"please stop talking." taehyun adds, flustered.
they're whipped and they know it. beomgyu laughs at their reaction.
"aw look you even have matching red faces." he continues to tease like the little shit that he is, "remember when you hated each other?"
they tortured him with tickles after.
~
yes, as funny as it may seem because they're dating now, but taehyun and yeonjun hated each other before they even met formally.
their only connection was beomgyu. and he was the sole reason why.
it was mentioned before that taehyun hated yeonjun because the older was dating beomgyu, who he was in love with. but why did yeonjun hated taehyun?
like how taehyun disliked the sea for reaching the sun, yeonjun disliked the clouds for being the sun's company.
he hated taehyun because he was the person beomgyu spent most of his life with. he was the best friend beomgyu talked so fondly of. he was the boy beomgyu was crushing on for years.
and hell, yeonjun was jealous.
he didn't like the feeling at all. it's like there's a storm starting to rage in his chest and enveloping his heart in its ruthless waves. the clouds were the primary reason that the sea is in panic, and he hated them for it.
but when he saw him that day in his boyfriend's house during the summer, he started to doubt himself.
taehyun is beautiful, innocently looking at him with those big round eyes underneath the fringes of his brown hair (even if he was glaring at him the whole time they were left alone in beomgyu's living room). taehyun is smart, from his snarky remarks and random facts when they hang-out all that time in summer (which he should've hated though since beomgyu's attention was divided).
yeonjun hated it. he hated the conflicted feeling he was starting to experience. he hated how adorable taehyun is; how his voice is soothing; how his presence is comforting.
he hated taehyun.
but at the same time, he knows he didn't.
and it irks yeonjun to his very core. because he knows that he's very much in love with beomgyu. but why is he starting to have feelings for his boyfriend's best friend?
gathering his courage, yeonjun voiced out this problem to his boyfriend. he didn't want to hide anything from him, and even if he's scared, he knows that beomgyu would try to understand whatever it is he was experiencing.
what he didn't expect was for beomgyu to smile brightly at him. those pink lips stretched into a wide grin and eyes sparkling with joy. and somehow, yeonjun's nerves was eased.
"you like taehyunnie? like like him?" beomgyu exclaims, practically buzzing on their couch. yeonjun nods tentatively, "holy shit. what do you think if we make him our boyfriend?"
the suggestion made yeonjun's heart twirl with excitement. and the blush on his cheeks were enough of an answer to beomgyu's question.
that's when they started flirting with the now red-haired boy. wooing him until the youngest would realize their feelings.
as yeonjun looks at the results of his tests and the doctor's assessments in his hands, a smile slowly forms in his lips. his boyfriends helped improve his condition greatly, and he would always be thankful that they're always there for him.
(although there's a forming dread that they could also be the reason for his heart's failure because he loves them a lot, he brushes it aside, knowing very well that beomgyu and taehyun wouldn't hurt him.)
when he came out of the doctor's office, the two younger boys immediately stands up and asks him about the appointment, to which he answered;
"doctor min said that my heart's been in a great condition lately." yeonjun says, and his boyfriends were visibly relieved. "my heart rate's normal, blood flow's exceptional. he advised for me to continue with what i do and reminded me for my emotional tendencies. but overall, it's good!"
"that's great news jjuni! i'm so proud of you." beomgyu muses, lightly squeezing on yeonjun's cheeks.
taehyun nods, "as a reward, you can have all the caffeine you want." he jokes, earning a glare from beomgyu. arms up in mock surrender, "i'm kidding! only decaf." beomgyu was still glaring. "fine! tea."
beomgyu then smiled sweetly at the last option and taehyun wraps an arm around the slightly taller boy's shoulder, teasing that he was stricter than yeonjun's mother.
yeonjun laughs at their antics as they made their way towards the exit of the hospital. but a voice called.
"beomgyu?"
the said boy turned to the caller, as well as his boyfriends.
"ryujin!"
beomgyu greets the girl with a hug and he spins her around as they giggle. taehyun and yeonjun only watched them.
"what the hell, i missed you! you haven't visited since like, forever." ryujin said, slapping on beomgyu's arm.
"i've been busy! you know me ryu." the raven-haired boy laughs, "oh. and i want you to meet someone." he says, pointing to the two other boys. "you already know yeonjun. and the other one's taehyun. my two boyfriends."
ryujin's eyes widen at the news, "no way!" she exclaims, shaking taehyun's hands. "how did you get two boyfriends and i have none!"
"what were you expecting when you're gay as fuck?" beomgyu teases.
"fair enough. yeji's being hard-to-get." ryujin sulks, "but anyway, the kids also miss you, dummy! why don't you visit them?"
"right now?" beomgyu asks, turning to his boyfriends who nodded in approval. "well then, lead the way dumbass."
yeonjun and taehyun only followed the two friends as they walk towards the patients' lobby. as soon as they enter, some kids shrieked with happiness and ran towards beomgyu and ryujin, pulling them further inside.
the room was more homely compared to the rest of the sickeningly white walls of the hospital. there are picture frames hanging on the walls, colored carpets, shelves full of books, a television, and tons of seating areas. there weren't only kids there however, there were also teens, adults, and old people peacefully resting about. ryujin ushered the two boys to sit on one of the couches as beomgyu was pulled by the kids to play.
"the kids love hyung, huh?" taehyun mutters, fondly watching as beomgyu pretends to be a monster.
yeonjun chuckles, a sense of nostalgia lingering in his skin. "everyone here loves beomgyu."
"this is where you've met, right?" taehyun asks, to which yeonjun hums affirmatively.
taehyun remembers that time on the beach on their summer outing when yeonjun told him how he and beomgyu had met. the two of them were left on the sand as they watch the sunset, with beomgyu and hueningkai carrying a larger soobin towards the water.
beomgyu had told him about it too, of course, but listening to yeonjun's point of view has its certain charm. and based from the raven-haired, the two had met at this exact hospital he volunteered at during his first month in seoul.
(beomgyu had been doing that a lot back in daegu; volunteering to hospitals, children centers, and animal shelters to take care of sick patients. he even brings taehyun sometimes and they would go do some charity work together. that was one of the things taehyun admired of his best friend; he was so full of life. a ball of energy that radiates towards people who needed light the most, giving them sparks of hope that gradually grow until passion fire up their systems.
it was another reason why he referred to beomgyu as the sun.)
when he saw yeonjun back then, he thought he was really handsome, and he wanted to be friends. but yeonjun was a tough nut to crack even for beomgyu. the latter notices that the former was closed off, only orbiting around his best friend soobin so he doesn't push. he still offered friendship even if it was from a distance, and the older slowly, but surely opened up to him as days pass by.
as for yeonjun, he didn't mean to fall in love with beomgyu in the first place, because he knows of its consequences on his condition. and although beomgyu was so beautiful inside and out, yeonjun held himself back.
for loving someone too much can kill him if he wasn't careful. and he just knows there was something else about that bright-eyed boy that would make him smitten. and he was afraid to take the risk.
but beomgyu's gravity was strong. his light was so bright it erased the storm in his heart. his warmth was so comforting that he can't stop reaching for it.
and before he knew it, he was already on the verge of falling.
he appreciated the younger being there for him despite setting up a distance between them; he appreciated how patient beomgyu was with his sensitivity; he appreciated beomgyu going out of his way to take care of him, despite barely knowing each other.
beomgyu knows of his condition from the very start, since it was the reason they had met; a volunteer and a patient. yet he still decides that yeonjun was worth the risk.
but yeonjun was still afraid.
at that point, he already likes beomgyu and has admitted it to himself. liking beomgyu was the easy part after all; what's difficult is he knows he could be a burden for his illness, and he didn't want beomgyu to suffer for it.
yet as he gazes into beomgyu's starry orbs that one night after their dance practice, he was left speechless and mesmerized. beomgyu's presence seeped away all his worries and left him with warmth, with an assurance that everything will be okay, and with a promise that he'll stay.
soobin didn't even try to stop him, and he was overprotective as well. because he knew beomgyu wouldn't ever hurt his best friend.
but it was yeonjun desperately trying to stop himself.
he didn't succeed, obviously. prevention only led him to bounce back, getting closer and closer every single time. he falls in love more with each day he spent with beomgyu. until it became unbearable that yeonjun feels like it'll hurt more if the other wasn't with him: the way he was supposed to, the way he was meant to.
yeonjun almost had a heart attack when he confessed and he means it in the most literal sense. and he almost died when beomgyu actually returned the feelings.
the once storm in his heart ceased to exist as the sun's rays peeked out from the heavens. the sun's warmth wrapped him in a comforting embrace. the sun's light made the sea shine. and beomgyu kissed him as the sun sets over the sea.
yeonjun definitely thinks he was worth the risk.
and ever since then, yeonjun started to glow. everyone could see that the quiet second-year boy was now brighter and livelier than before. smiling often, laughing along the passing jokes in his classes.
like taehyun, beomgyu was yeonjun's first love; the center of his universe, the light that brightened up his days.
it took him a while, but he opened up his doors and welcomed him whole-heartedly in the chambers of his fragile heart.
and although his heart is bursting from the millions of feelings in his chest that sometimes it hurts, he never regretted loving him, loving them.
"hyung, look!" taehyun tugs on his arm and he turns.
ryujin was handing beomgyu a guitar and beomgyu was refusing, saying that he wasn't prepared. but the other patients also joined in on encouraging him, telling that they missed listening to beomgyu play. beomgyu couldn't turn down the offer so he reluctantly gripped on the guitar and scratched his head, earning cheers and laughter from his audience.
taehyun and yeonjun found their boyfriend adorable and they cheered as a support. beomgyu turned to them and gave the puppiest eyes and pouty lips he had ever gave and the two were goners, already knowing what the other wants.
so they stood next to him as he strums on the guitar, and they started singing the calm song of paper hearts. yeonjun's and taehyun's voices were soothing and beautifully mixed with the melodies beomgyu played. and they made a great team as the patients relax on their seats and lightly sways along.
yeonjun thinks his heart is also made of paper, easily crumpled and ripped. but as he remembers who has its other pieces, he knows its in good hands.