Chapter Text
Even though Taeui woke up late , as soon as he sat in his airplane seat, sleep overcame him.
The flight from Berlin to Amsterdam wasn’t long, but he spent it asleep next to Ilay until he felt a hand brushing through his hair.
“Already tired, hmm?”
Ilay whispered, trying not to disturb Taeui’s sleep.
“But unfortunately, we’ve arrived, and you still have a long way to go. You really have no ability to adapt,” Ilay said teasingly, pinching and rubbing Taeui’s cheek.
“Hmph… ugh, I’m not tired, just sleepy,” Taeui grumbled at the soft hand pinching him.
As soon as they landed at Amsterdam Airport, they met Alan, with his usual annoying smile, and Mark.
“Tay!” Mark approached, wrapping his arm around Taeui’s shoulder, while Alan simply smiled broadly at him.
“Oh, Taeui, did you come again with Rick this time? Try not to get sick on the way to Alaska—it’ll be hard to take care of you~”
Does he think Ilay brought along a child or something?
Taeui frowned, hearing the sharp mockery. He might not have any special power to boast about in front of these beasts, but he was still a man and could endure long trips.
Ilay had a mission in one of Alaska’s cities. Since it wasn’t dangerous, he brought Taeui along as usual. Normally, Ilay would finish the task and leave Taeui at a hotel to enjoy the city on his own.
While waiting for their next flight from Amsterdam to Anchorage, Ilay handed him a cold beer, and Taeui smiled in thanks.
Finally, it was time for their long flight to Anchorage. Taeui sat in his seat, feeling heavier than usual—a sensation he had felt since yesterday but ignored, assuming it was just mild fatigue that would pass.
As the plane flew over the Atlantic, drowsiness gradually crept over him. Ilay was reading a book beside him, occasionally glancing at him, while Mark and Alan talked nonsense as usual, annoying Taeui.
The dim light cast faint shadows on the passengers’ faces. The comfortable seat (because Ilay only booked first class) made him want to sleep even more.
His eyes gradually grew heavy, and he finally succumbed to a fragmented sleep, drifting between light awareness and accumulating drowsiness while the long flight to Anchorage hadn’t even reached halfway.
Taeui spent most of the flight asleep, only waking when Ilay nudged him for lunch.
“You’ll get sick if you skip meals,” Ilay said.
“Oh Where’s our captain? Have I finally lost my mind?" he muttered, glancing at Riek while gently nudging Taeui and urging him to eat..
Taeui ignored the annoying men and ate.
Even though the food was delicious, he couldn’t finish it.
“Finish your food,” Ilay commanded, raising an eyebrow at Taeui’s plate, which wasn’t even half eaten.
When Taeui was younger, he used to get sick all the time. Even though he had grown into excellent health and rarely falls ill now, the fact that he had been weak remained firmly rooted in Ilay’s mind.
That’s why he paid extra attention to Taeui’s well-being: forbidding him from drinking too much beer—even though Taeui complained endlessly and once even ended up crying—never yielding.
He wouldn’t let Taeui keep his hair wet after a shower, go out in the rain, or stay up too late.
Thanks to Ilay’s overprotective care, Taeui only got sick seldom, and it seemed that this trip would be one of the rare occasions when Taeui actually fell ill.
“Feeling unwell?” Ilay tapped his tongue, staring at Taeui, who looked a little pale.
“If you were tired, you should’ve told me earlier—I would’ve let you stay home,” Ilay sighed, tossing a blanket over him and handing his tray to the flight attendant.
Taeui leaned back into the seat, covered by the blanket.
“Just rest,” Ilay said.
“I’m not sick. I just feel heavy,” Taeui muttered, closing his eyes again.
“Has he really fallen ill? This trip is really tough on him. Rick, you’re a monster who rarely gets sick, but Tay is normal—it’s natural for him to be worn out by long flights,” Alan said, smiling without any trace of guilt.
“When we land, we still have four hours by car. Can he handle it?” Mark asked, glancing at Rick’s frown, who in turn stared at Taeui.
Taeui woke up roughly three hours before landing, feeling better. Alan and Mark were asleep in the adjacent seats.
He raised his eyes to Ilay beside him, who was fully awake, reading the same book. Ilay noticed Taeui’s gaze and looked up.
“You’re awake. Feeling okay?” Ilay removed his glasses and touched Taeui’s forehead—no fever.
Taeui yawned, relaxing under Ilay’s warm hand on his forehead, though his cheeks were slightly flushed.
“Hmm… I feel better than before. I told you it was just mild fatigue… By the way, when will we land?”
“About three more hours… Are you hungry? You haven’t eaten yet.”
“Since you mention it, yes, I am,” Taeui said.
This time, he finished his food, and tea helped calm his previously unsettled stomach.
“Ilay, aren’t you going to sleep yet? Sleep—I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
“No, I’ve been busy watching the fool collapse from the long flight,” Ilay said.
“I told you it was just mild fatigue! I didn’t collapse!” Taeui raised his voice slightly, embarrassed, his face heating up.
“Alright, alright,” Ilay smiled teasingly, crossing his hands and closing his eyes slightly.
During the next two hours while Ilay napped, Taeui couldn’t take his eyes off Ilay’s peaceful face—so calm, so gentle. It was crazy to describe Ilay as kind, but he truly looked gentle while asleep, his face serene.
They woke around landing, and Alan kept teasing Taeui about being weak while Tay shot murderous glares but ignored him.
Once in Anchorage, they booked three hotel rooms. Taeui didn’t complain when Ilay pulled him to their shared room.
"Ilay insisted they shower together, claiming he was afraid something might happen to Taeui if he left him alone—a flimsy excuse, of course. Ilay enjoyed embarrassing Taeui while washing his hair."
.
Taeui thought Ilay would suggest relieving stress with some exercise (which in reality meant sex), but Ilay didn’t. He simply helped him shower, changed his clothes, and encouraged him to nap.
Even though Taeui had slept most of the flight, exhaustion from the time change and all the hassle made him collapse into sleep directly in Ilay’s arms on the big bed.
They landed in Alaska at 11 a.m., stayed at the hotel until around 4 p.m., napped, ate, then prepared for a four-hour car ride.
As soon as Taeui heard about the car ride, his face went pale—he was sure he’d get motion sickness.
By the afternoon, he was still weak and hadn’t eaten well. Ilay frowned at Taeui’s half-eaten plate.
Alan drove calmly, unlike his usual reckless self, with Mark talking nonsense and holding a beer.
He tossed two beers to Taeui and Ilay. Taeui’s eyes lit up at the cold beer. Alaska’s summer was mild, but the sun was hot, and he craved something cold.
“You’re giving alcohol to someone sick? Tay, don’t drink” Ilay scowled, snatching it from him.
“The beer isn’t alcohol!” Taeui fumed, trying to protest, but Ilay took it away.
“You’re not drinking it,” Ilay said, tossing both cans out the window in front of Taeui, who watched helplessly.
Mark and Alan burst out laughing.
Taeui drank the cold water Ilay handed him in silence.
About an hour into the drive, Taeui’s nausea returned. He fidgeted, breaking out in a cold sweat on his temples.
He tried to look out the window, hoping to shake the dizziness, but it didn’t help.
Ilay noticed Taeui’s sudden silence. “Feeling sick again?” he asked gently. Taeui, who usually denied being ill, this time nodded.
Ilay sighed, giving him motion sickness pills and a water bottle. Taeui leaned against the car door.
The next hour dragged painfully. The winding roads of Alaska tested Taeui’s patience. His nausea didn’t subside, only worsening with each turn. His muscles tensed under his heavy body.
Ilay sat beside him, placing a hand on his back occasionally, soothing silently without many words, never leaving him alone. Alan and Mark noticed and quieted down. Taeui closed his eyes, sinking into himself, resisting everything around him.
Eventually, he couldn’t endure the dizziness and nausea any longer. He clutched his stomach, but the vomiting sensation surged inside him.
Ilay noticed Taeui’s distress. “Alan, stop the car.”
Alan pulled over. Taeui trembled violently, holding his stomach, his face pale as snow.
Ilay immediately sat beside him, holding his shoulders gently. “Don’t worry… just relax, I’m here.”
Ilay opened the car door and helped Taeui out. Taeui swayed,
“hic—“
then shivered as he vomited, Ilay supporting him from behind. Mark and Alan watched silently, worried but helpless.
“Calm down, it’s okay,” Ilay said, soothing him as his body shook violently with each retch.
After a few minutes, the nausea eased. Taeui regained shallow breaths but remained weak, leaning against Ilay.
Ilay placed his hands behind his back and under his knees, lifting him carefully back into the car.
He wet a towel with warm water, wiping Taeui’s mouth gently.
Taeui expected mockery from Ilay but found none. Ilay cared for him with all his usual tenderness.
After vomiting, Taeui shivered violently, his body feeling extremely heavy. His forehead burned, cheeks flushed red as if he were on fire, heart racing despite sitting still.
“Drink something?” Ilay whispered, offering a small water bottle to ease his stomach.
Taeui trembled, struggling to breathe slowly. His hands shook so badly he could barely lift the bottle.
Ilay noticed immediately. He placed his hand on Taeui’s forehead, sighing. “Tay… your temperature is high.”
He held him gently from behind, removed Taeui’s light summer shirt that was soiled, replacing it with his own, slightly larger, shirt, and slowly gave him water. Every touch was meant to ease his weakness. Taeui’s breathing gradually steadied, but his body still felt fragile, completely drained from the long journey.
Ilay placed his hand over Taeui’s eyes. Taeui closed them again, feeling heavier than ever—not just fatigue, but fragility and vulnerability. With Ilay beside him, though, it all felt less terrifying.
They spent the rest of the drive in silence. Taeui felt embarrassed about any intimacy with Ilay in front of others, but in his state, he buried his face in Ilay’s chest, leaning on him for the remainder of the trip.
They arrived at a simple rural house, greeted by an elderly woman known to Alan. If Taeui were well, Ilay would have left him at a hotel, but in his condition, leaving him alone was impossible. Ilay considered abandoning the mission but Alan pleaded, saying it was for an important client and suggested leaving Taeui under the elderly woman’s care.
“My goodness, Alan~ you’ve grown up,” she said.
“Aunt Ban!” Alan greeted her, embracing her. The normally crazy man seemed entirely normal greeting her.
The woman noticed the flushed and sweating Taeui nestled in Ilay’s arms. “Oh my, is your friend alright?” she gasped.
“Alan! You should’ve told me you were bringing friends so I could prepare a proper meal! One of them is sick, what a troublesome boy,” she complained, leading them to a room so Ilay could let Taeui lie down.
“Oh my, what a poor boy, his temperature’s so high… what’s your name, young man?” she asked, looking at Ilay, whose eyebrows were furrowed while speaking to Taeui, who was panting on the bed.
“Riegrow,” Ilay replied. The woman seemed to expect another name, but Ilay said nothing else.
“You’re such a gental man, worried about your friend… don’t worry, go eat with your friends. I’ll take care of him,” she said.
“No, it’s fine. I’m not hungry. I’ll stay,” Ilay replied calmly, not taking his eyes off Taeui.
After an hour, they had to leave for their mission, expected to last three days. But Rick, burning with aggression since leaving the inn, insisted on finishing the mission in one day.
Mark was truly afraid of this monster. Even Alan, whose smile never left his face, had a look that screamed, “I’m scared.”
The mission was relatively simple—they had to reach a secret hideout of a dangerous local gang in a remote suburb. The gang held crucial information about smuggling, weapons, and drugs. They had to capture the gang leader and force him to reveal the locations of the deals.
Rick stormed the place recklessly. Once he found the hideout, Alan and Mark followed, and he crushed everyone mercilessly, determined to finish it quickly.
By the end of the second day, everything was done. The mission, meant to take 72 hours, was finished in 24 by Rick.
“Love can really change even the worst criminals,” Mark said to Alan, staring at Rick, who had removed his bloodied gloves and quickly showered, eager to return to Taeui, who was unconscious.
They returned around midnight. The elderly woman was still awake.
“My goodness, you returned so quickly… don’t worry, Riegrow , The boy’s temperature has gone down noticeably. He even woke up earlier, took his medicine, ate, and is back to sleep,” she said, seeing the silver-haired man rush to Taeui’s room.
Ilay went quietly to Taeui’s room. The boy was curled up, covered by a blanket, with a cold compress on his forehead. Ilay adjusted it gently.
“Oh… Ilay..?” Taeui whispered in a low voice, seeing Ilay’s slender fingers brushing through his hair.
“You’re awake?”
“Hmm… yeah. I thought it would take longer,” a small whimper escaped Taeui as he tried to focus on Ilay’s face.
“It ended quickly. I had to come back for you,” Ilay smiled, explaining why he returned early.
He ran his hand over Taeui’s face, caressing him here and there, until he slipped his finger into Taeui’s mouth. Taeui accepted it quietly, his warm mouth closing around it as he pressed lightly with his teeth and sucked on it slowly. It seemed Taeui didn’t even realize what he was doing, having already closed his eyes.
Ilay let out a soft laugh, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought you… the trip was hard on you.”