Work Text:
It was finally Summer.
It's been a whole season after Yunho first met with the love of his life, the Duke's cousin, Yeosang.
Since the day they ran away to the garden from the last ball, both young men knew that they have to hide the desire they had for each other.
They couldn't walk like a couple.
They couldn't do anything any other couples do since society told them not to.
And so,
They improvised.
For the last two seasons, Yunho has been meeting with Yeosang with the intention of courting him, but society would see them as an ordinary bond between two friends.
They would walk together to watch the opera together, eat together, drink together, hunt, horse riding, basically any gentlemen activity they could do.
Another privilege of having a same-gender partner is that you could do anything together without worrying to get judged by society for being inappropriate.
The only thing that they couldn't do was dance with each other.
Yunho and Yeosang were out on their horse ride routine when they stopped by an old abandoned garden.
It was an old property owned by the latest Duke of Darlington that died around two decades ago. Both young men jumped off of their horses and started to wander around the abandoned property.
It was a big garden. The last Duke or Darlington was known as a person who loves gardening. He built the garden with his own hands.
“My Lord, look—”
Yeosang pointed his fingers at a greenhouse that was on the other side of the garden. They walked closer to it and were amazed by the beauty of the greenhouse. Even though it was long abandoned but it was truly a remarkable art done by the Duke.
They both got inside the greenhouse, it has a corner where people could get their afternoon tea while admiring the flowers. It was now filled with wildflowers but it was still beautiful.
Yunho was looking around when his eyes stopped at Yeosang, who at that time was closing his eyes while enjoying the sunlight on his face.
Ethereal.
Yunho couldn't think of any words more fitting than that. Without thinking twice, Yunho offered him his hand which only earned a confused look from the other young men.
“Sir Yeosang, would you do me the honor of having the first dance with me?”
Yeosang was bewildered, his eyes as wide as an owl. But in the end, he would still take the hand of his loved ones.
“It was an honor, My Lord.”
He said as he imitated the curtsy his sister once taught.
Yunho then put his hand on Yeosang's waist as the other was holding his hand and guiding him on the dance floor. It was like a dream come true since he could never do this at the usual ball.
There was no song, only them looking into each other's eyes as Yunho guided each movement of their dance.
As a man, Yeosang was taught to be the one who should always guide the others on the dance floor. He was taught to lead. But this moment, as he's looking right into Yunho's eyes, he thought that it wasn't so bad to be the one who's guided. To not be the one who leads all the time.
They're dancing to their hearts' content. It's like time stopped for them.
How both of them wished that things would be as easy. How they wished that the time just stopped forever for them to be together.
Finally, they stopped. Slowly, as if the music was also starting to fade. But their eyes never left each other.
It was Yunho who moved his hand first and start caressing Yeosang's cheek.
So soft, so pretty, how can a person be this enormously beautiful?
It was also Yunho who couldn't hold himself anymore and started to lean closer to then capture the softest of the lips of his love.
Surprised could be seen from Yeosang's eyes, but he was more relieved because then he could feel his arms starting to encircle the Viscount's neck.
They're savoring the moment.
Their moment.
Back in the city, they can only be seen as a close friend.
But here, they are what they are.
They are timeless