Work Text:
The sun had already set completely. The two band members and the small group of staff were in one of the two suites the hotel had provided. Leehan and Taesan were in their rooms—which they found very spacious and comfortable—getting ready for bed, since they were set to catch an early morning flight back to Korea.
In that spacious room, two people were packing up the homes they had used that very morning, while the other three were focused on their phone calls, informing their coworkers of what had happened or trying to book another flight
But it was pointless because they had all been canceled.
When they gave up, they sighed—knowing that as soon as they returned to Korea, they would have a lot of work to do (though a few of them managed a faint smile)—and decided to tell Leehan and Taesan.
One of the team members was going to go tell them while the others were leaving the suite, and as the young man walked down the hallway leading to the rooms, he ran into Taesan.
Before going to bed, Taesan had decided to get a glass of water (also to see if the staff had already left), and as he was leaving his room, he ran into a member of the team.
“Oh, I was looking for you,” Taesan nodded, encouraging him to continue. “Our flight back to Korea was canceled. We tried to find another one, but that didn’t work out either, so we’ll wait until tomorrow. You can let Leehan know; we’re leaving now.”
The band member nodded again, and the staff member left after saying goodbye.
Taesan stood still until he heard the door close.
Then he turned on his heel and went back to the room where he would sleep.
As soon as he arrived, he ran to where he had put something he wanted to give Leehan, heading to a nightstand where there was a medium-sized red gift bag.
He held it carefully and left her room, feeling him heart begin to beat rapidly.
When he arrived at his roommate's room, he stopped in front of the door and let out a long sigh; he gathered his courage and knocked on the door.
On the other side of the door, Leehan was about to lie down on the soft bed. After hearing the door open and close (he thought it was the staff), he felt a little down because he couldn't find the T-shirt he wanted.
And then, there was a soft knock on the other side of the door. He assumed it was his partner.
He walked over to the door and opened it, coming face to face with his friend, Taesan, who gave him a shy smile. Then he noticed that Taesan was holding a gift bag.
“Hi, can I come in?” Taesan asked, feeling his hands get sweaty.
Leehan nodded and stepped away from the door to let his companion in, curious about what was inside the medium-sized bag.
When Taesan entered the room and sat down on the soft bed, Leehan closed the door.
“Did they leave already?” asked the redhead as he sat down at the other end of the bed.
“Yes, they left already.”
There was a moment of silence. Taesan started looking everywhere except at the redhead, while Leehan waited patiently for his partner to speak.
Taesan cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
“Here, this is for you,” Taesan placed the medium-sized bag in front of the redhead, and they made eye contact. Leehan noticed the other guy’s ears turn red.
Leehan reached out to take the bag, causing his hand to brush against Taesan's.
Taesan quickly let go of the bag when his partner took the medium-sized one.
The redhead looked at him and then at the bag in his hands, suspiciously; he opened it and then raised his right hand to cover his mouth, feeling something strange in his chest—but it wasn't uncomfortable; on the contrary, it was... warm—and he looked at his companion.
Taesan couldn't help but let out a little chuckle.
Leehan pulled a shirt out of the bag—it wasn't just any shirt; it was the shirt he wanted—and a grateful smile spread across his face.
“But when…” He cut himself off when he remembered that hours ago, when they left the restaurant (the staff had left earlier), Taesan had said he was going to get something; he hadn’t said anything else and had just walked off. “Was it after we left the restaurant?”
Taesan nodded up and down with a smile.
“Thank you.”
Just as he was about to answer, Taesan felt his friend put his arms around his shoulders; a few seconds later, he returned the hug.
Leehan slowly pulled away from the embrace, got out of bed, and—without a second thought—took off the pajama shirt he was wearing to put on the one he’d been given.
Taesan looked away from his companion, stood up, and began walking toward the balcony on the right side of the room; he stepped out onto the balcony, took a deep breath, and could now breathe normally again.
He rested his elbows on the railing and closed his eyes, feeling the cool air on his face.
After a few seconds, he heard the glass door open. “All set!” Leehan exclaimed as he stepped out onto the balcony.
Taesan turned around to look at his partner, noticing how perfectly the shirt fit him.
He tilted his head, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
Leehan began walking until he reached his companion's side and rested his elbows on the railing.
From there, you could see the Eiffel Tower perfectly lit up, with the city still awake, the lights of the buildings, cars, and streetlamps (and if you looked up, you could see a few stars).
They settled into a comfortable silence as they enjoyed the view.
“Thanks again,” murmured the redhead, his eyes fixed on the bag of gummy candies in his hands. He wasn’t just saying it because of the T-shirt; now it was also because of the dolphin-shaped gummies he’d found in the bag under the shirt.
Taesan, not knowing what to say (or how to say it), looked at him and smiled, showing his teeth; he simply gave him a gentle nudge with his shoulder, his elbows still resting on the railing.
When he felt a gentle nudge on his arm, he looked up from his gummy candies and gave his friend a mischievous smile; then he decided to give him a little nudge of his own, but not as hard.
Taesan just burst out laughing. Leehan, caught up in his friend's laughter, smiled as he opened the bag of gummy candies and then ate one.
He held out the bag to Taesan, wanting to share it with him, and the boy happily accepted one of the gummies.
Silence fell for a few seconds as they both enjoyed each other's company, eating jelly beans and gazing at the city and the stars.
Then, a few minutes later, Taesan's eyes lit up (an idea had occurred to him).
“Let's go out,” he blurted out out of the blue, glancing at his pajamas. “Let's get changed first,” he said as he walked into the bedroom.
“Huh? ‘Let's go out’? Where?” I asked, confused, as I followed his friend.
“Yeah, why not? The staff is probably already asleep, and we should take advantage of the fact that there aren’t any flights, right?” He shrugged as he headed toward the door.
Leehan sighed. “All right, but we won’t be long, okay?”
“Okay!” was all he said before leaving his roommate’s room and closing the door behind him.
Seven minutes later, Taesan opened the apartment door, looking both ways; in front was the apartment where the staff members were.
Not seeing anyone, the boy followed his companion and they started walking toward the elevator. Leehan was behind Taesan and smiled tenderly.
As soon as they entered the elevator and the doors closed, both of them caught their breath as if they had been holding it since they left. Both were nervous (or maybe it was the adrenaline from escaping).
Several seconds passed and the doors opened. They stepped out, pretending to be calm, looked at the hotel staff, and noticed that the receptionists were busy with calls, attending to customers (or talking among themselves), so they began to walk a little faster.
When they crossed the hotel doors, they let out a sigh of relief. They took out a face mask they had kept in their coats and put it on while walking down the sidewalk, distancing themselves (not too much) from the hotel. Until Taesan stopped, his puzzled companion also stopped.
Taesan took out a black hat and approached Leehan (who was a bit confused by his companion's approach, but did not back away) the boy gently placed the hat on him.
When he finished putting the hat on him, they made eye contact for a few seconds, Taesan looked away with a nervous laugh, (on the other hand, Leehan felt his heart start to beat faster, his face getting hot, and he lowered his head).
Taesan directed his gaze to the other side of the street and saw a small flower stand, and an idea came to him. His companion, (with his head tilted), the boy showed a mischievous smile, tipped his hat over Leehan's eyes and, without waiting any longer, ran toward that flower stand.
The boy approached the small stand where they sold roses (which was about to close) and pulled down his face mask. He realized that the owner was an older person because of his gray hair.
“Good evening,” the old man greeted him in French, stopping what he was doing as he saw him approach.
“Um... Nights?” the boy stammered, not quite sure of the language, trying to remember a few phrases.
The old man immediately realized that the young man wasn't from around here and decided to speak to him in English (which he had learned from some of the customers). “I speak English, too. Is there a particular bouquet you're interested in?” he asked kindly.
The boy smiled. “I could you give me just one red rose, please?” he asked, a little nervously.
The old man nodded and took the red rose. “Is it for your partner?” he asked, and began to wrap the rose.
Taesan was lost in thought for a few seconds (so much so that he didn't even notice that the older person had picked up a blue rose). “It's for the person I like,” he finally replied.
The old man nodded again, not wanting to ask another question (though he actually did want to), finished wrapping the two roses in white paper, and handed them to the boy.
Taesan took the roses. “Thank you. How much is that be?” he asked as he pulled some bills out of his coat pocket.
The old man shook his head. “It’s okay, no need,” the boy said, looking at the rose. When he realized there were two flowers—one red and one blue—he wanted to ask. “Good luck with the boy you like,” he said, smiling as he said goodbye to the boy.
Taesan smiled gratefully and nodded; he turned to go back to Leehan, but stopped short, and his smile faded as he mulled over the old man’s words. How did he know it was a boy? Had he seen them?... It was obvious he had seen them, since they were standing almost right in front of him. He wanted to hit himself mentally.
He turned his head slightly and saw the old man gathering up his things to finally close up shop.
He decided to continue on his way and looked both ways before crossing the street. He took a closer look at the flowers. “Maybe the blue rose is because of my hair color?” He ran his fingers through a strand of his dyed blue hair.
When he approached Leehan, who was standing with his arms crossed but with an amused expression on his face, he stood in front of him with a nervous smile and held out the two roses, waiting for him to take them and apologizing for leaving so suddenly.
Leehan looked at the two roses, then at Taesan with a shy smile, and felt the heat rise to her face (she was mentally grateful that she was wearing a face mask so her partner wouldn’t see that her cheeks were flushed). He thought the color of the roses was a reflection of the shades of her dyed hair and Taesan’s, let out a nervous yet amused laugh, and then reached out to take the roses.
He opened his mouth to try to ask, but he was interrupted.
“Actually, I only asked for a red rose, but the florist gave me a blue one too—maybe because of the color of my hair,” he explained, pointing to him hair.
Leehan burst out laughing again, then started walking alongside his friend and lightly touched his arm.
The other boy understood and followed him, starting to walk beside him—but not before putting his face mask back on.
They began to wander silently through the streets of Paris, listening to the chirping of crickets and a faint buzz (and music) in the distance, with no particular destination in mind, as the yellow, almost orange light from the streetlamps illuminated the streets and the few people passing by.
Taesan noticed from time to time how their hands brushed against each other; he took a deep breath and steeled himself. When their hands touched again “by accident,” Taesan felt his heart pounding, and with his little finger, he took his partner’s. He took his little finger.
Leehan was a little surprised, but he didn't let on and tried to ignore the fact that his heart was racing.
A few minutes later, they were still holding hands by their pinkies, and Leehan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and noticed that his friend's ears were red.
Realizing that Leehan hadn't walked away, he couldn't help but smile happily.
Taesan was startled when he felt Leehan clasp his hands; he turned his head, and his eyes met his partner’s. He immediately looked away and stared straight ahead, his heart beating faster and faster.
Leehan looked at his companion and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, filled with amusement and tenderness.
When Taesan heard his friend laughing, he felt a wave of heat wash over his face, causing him to lower his head.
Until Leehan noticed something. There was a park across the street, so he started heading toward it (not without first looking both ways), gently pulling his friend’s hand; Taesan didn’t resist—he just let himself be led.
As the minutes passed, they remained in their own world, their hands clasped together, listening to the sounds around them, enjoying each other’s company, without saying a word.
When they arrived at the park, they realized there were trees all around them, the Eiffel Tower was lit up right in front of them, and there was no one else there but the two of them (and the occasional cat). So they decided to take off their face masks and breathe normally again (minus one).
Not far from where they were standing, there was a bench under the light of a streetlamp. Leehan gently tugged on his companion’s hand again and walked toward the bench.
Leehan was walking a few steps ahead; he turned his head slightly and smiled at Taesan, showing his teeth—it was a sincere smile. A warm one. One he had only ever shown him. Then he looked straight ahead again, almost reaching the bench.
With that, Taesan gathered his courage to tell him.
The boy stopped and gently pulled his companion's hand, causing him to stop as well.
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘮𝘪𝘯.
Leehan turned his head, confused by his friend’s sudden action, but just as he was about to ask…
“There’s something I want—and need—to tell you,” Taesan said first, closing his eyes as a note of nervousness crept into his voice.
Leehan tilted his head and nodded, listening carefully to what his companion wanted to tell him.
Taesan opened his eyes, meeting his partner's gaze, feeling his heart pound “I like you, Donghyun...” he blurted out, his voice steady.
Those words took Leehan by surprise; his heart began to race, but he said nothing and waited for his partner to finish speaking.
“At first I tried to convince myself that it was just because we were friends, bu-but then…” He looked down at him clasped hands, then at the roses Leehan was holding in his other hand, and a slight, nervous smile played on him lips.
When he realized that Leehan hadn't let go of him, that gave him the strength to continue: "This feeling inside me just keeps growing... It might sound a little corny, but there aren't any better words to describe it. I can’t explain it, so I’ll just say it…” He brought his other hand to his heart (thinking that, if he remained silent, perhaps they could hear his heartbeat).
“I’m crush on you. You’re my favorite sight; you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’m in love. I fell in love with you” I look up, meeting Leehan’s eyes, which are shining “My heart beats fast when I think of you–”
Taesan cut himself off when he noticed that Leehan was moving closer, which made him even more nervous.
The redhead wrapped his arms around him in a hug; Taesan was a little surprised by the sudden gesture, but he hugged him back.
A few heartbeats later, the redhead broke the embrace and leaned toward his partner's face. For a moment, Taesan held his breath.
Leehan moved closer, and Taesan closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against his partner’s, closing his eyes with a warm smile.
After a few seconds, Leehan pulled away—though he didn't move far from his partner's face—opening his eyes and flashing a genuine smile.
Taesan opened his eyes when he realized his friend had walked away, smiling (and with red ears).
Leehan brought one of his hands (since he was holding the roses in the other) close to his partner’s face, touching his cheeks, and smiled amusedly (at the idea that had just occurred to him). The boy leaned in toward Taesan’s face and gently pressed his nose against his partner’s.
Taesan stood still; he felt he could die (fall asleep) in peace, his hands trembling slightly, though not out of fear. He returned his companion’s gesture.
“Does that answer your question?” Leehan asked, stepping back slightly and letting out an amused laugh.
The boy thought she was referring to the Eskimo kiss, and just as he was about to answer, Leehan kissed him on the forehead—a quick, tender kiss.
He began to feel a wave of heat wash over his face, and as his heart began to race again, the air escaped him, along with his words.
He did the first thing that came to mind: he walked over to his partner and buried his face in his neck and shoulder, trying to hide how flushed he was, but Leehan had already noticed.
The redhead let out an amused laugh, feeling touched by Taesan’s gesture, and brought his right hand—his left was holding the roses—to his companion’s head, stroking his hair tenderly and affectionately.
...
Both were in comfortable silence, sitting on that bench, under the light of the lamp that was nearby. Taesan had his arm over Leehan's shoulders. They no longer felt cold; it was just the two of them in their world.
Maybe Donghyun hadn't spoken about his feelings, but just the gesture of staying by his side (and kissing him) was more than enough for Dongmin to know that his feelings were reciprocated.
Leehan had his gaze fixed ahead, admiring the Eiffel Tower lit up with lights, with a slight smile.
Taesan couldn't take his eyes off his partner, trying to hide his emotion, pressing his lips together to suppress a silly smile.
"Mon soleil" Taesan affectionately let the nickname slip in French.
The redhead, upon hearing it, although he didn't know much of the language, understood more or less what he said, laughed nervously, feeling his face burn, and rested his head on the boy's shoulder (who had just confessed his feelings a few minutes ago), taking his hand and intertwining it with his.
Taesan's heart started beating fast again, the boy, unable to contain his smile of excitement, gently rested his head against the boy he loved. Closing his eyes, enjoying the moment.
...
After about four days of what happened in Paris, they had come to an agreement to pretend that nothing had happened (for a while). The other members of the group didn't ask anything, but they knew something had happened and decided not to mention anything until they did.
But Taesan couldn't help but feel very happy being with him, regardless of the cameras. He couldn't stop looking at him, with a silly smile.
Leehan tried, but it was useless when Taesan looked at him with a smile.
While among their fans, only one question lingered: "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴?"