Chapter Text
to his own dismay, yeonjun finds his road trip being brutally thrown off course— evident by the fact that he's kneeling down a slate of asphalt, palms firmly placed on his knees as he leans forward to stare blankly at the tire of his own car. a couple feet away from the black-haired boy stands taehyun, who is engaged on a phone call with the service company. the redhead is visibly chewing at his lip as he repeats his explanation that no, their engine was not starting, and yes, they’d like help as soon as possible.
if there's something to be grateful for, taehyun manages to find it while on that phone call, because the younger boy promptly thanks every force of nature out there for not stranding two of them on the side of a highway; that would have been a disaster. their reality isn't much better though, with their car deciding to just not start up after they meant to depart a convenience store that they had quickly stopped at to buy some snacks, hoping to tide themselves over for the last couple of hours left in their drive. when taehyun goes to load their bags of food into the backseat, yeonjun is hopping back into the driver’s seat, swiftly putting his keys in the ignition and attempting to start the car. the engine never hums to life though. instead, on each one of yeonjun’s attempts, the car seems to just light up with a fighting spirit for a brief moment before it goes silent once again.
“fuck,” yeonjun groans, turning to the shorter boy. “hyun, it’s not starting.”
taehyun, from where he’s standing outside of the car, raises an eyebrow. “it’s not?”
“no, and— fuck— i don’t know what’s wrong, the gas is filled and everything, and i just got it checked out like a month ago,” yeonjun rants, running a hand through his slightly grown out hair as he immediately runs through the thousands of things that could be wrong with his car. “god dammit, why won’t it—”
“easy now,” taehyun chides, coming over to stand by the passenger’s door. “it’s okay. we’ll just call someone, and they can figure it out.”
“we’re going to be late—” yeonjun groans, recalling kai’s pointed lecture that none of them better be late or else. it now seemed nothing but painfully ironic to the older boy.
“it’s okay,” taehyun repeats, reaching through the window to take yeonjun’s hand. “come on, get out of the car. we’ll wait here,” he prompts. yeonjun, sighing, gently pushes at his driver’s side door with the heel of his boot. he wordlessly follows taehyun towards the trunk of the car, which taehyun instantly climbs on top of. as the younger boy settles himself up there, he scrolls through his phone's contact list and dials up triple a, the company yeonjun’s dad was under. after staring at the tires for a few moments, yeonjun pushes himself up into a squatting position, the soles of his boots digging into the tiny rocky littering the lot that they’re parked in. he looks up at taehyun’s hunched figure, who is sitting on top of the silver honda with his lips pursed as he speaks softly to the customer service agent on the other end of the line.
“no, no. it’s fine. thank you so much... yes, we’ll be waiting... ah, you too. take care, bye,” the short redhead speaks in clipped phrases as he finishes the call, hanging up his phone with a sigh.
“okay, so they’re kind of backed up right now— you know, first weekend of summer and everything. apparently someone should be here within the next half of an hour, so we have to just wait until then,” taehyun relays the information to his frowning boyfriend. “oh, don’t be like that jun, it’s really not that bad. hyuka and them will understand. hopefully they’ll be able to figure out what’s wrong with the car really quickly and then we can be on our way. i’ll call kai after we get help.”
yeonjun merely nods in agreement, climbing up to sit on the trunk beside his boyfriend as he grumbles about leaving his toolbox back at home, for it would certainly come in handy for this unexpected dilemma of theirs. it ends up being a twenty minute wait, time which the two of them spend scrolling through their phones. yeonjun eventually hops on a game of 2048 and taehyun watches from behind, delicately resting his chin on yeonjun’s shoulder. yeonjun gives taehyun’s hair a quick ruffling before placing his free hand back on his phone screen, swiping away at the little blocks as they pop up. when taehyun steals his phone, wanting to play himself, yeonjun gasps in mock offense to which the younger boy merely sticks out his tongue.
(“do not beat my high score, oh my god,” yeonjun warns his boyfriend.
“no promises,” taehyun sing-songs, immediately delving into a game of his own. yeonjun talks animatedly for the entire duration of the round as a means of distraction, trying to get the younger boy to mess up, but taehyun’s resolve holds strong.
taehyun’s score is a mere five hundred points below yeonjun’s highest when the game finishes. yeonjun snatches the phone back, but taehyun pouts and makes grabby hands at the device.
“no,” yeonjun asserts, but the redhead just makes his eyes go wider, and yeonjun is caving before he can even think. “stop that, you know i’m weak for that. you look like a kitten..." the older boy pauses, thinking his options over. "gosh, fine— here, just take it. one more round and that’s it. i can not risk my dignity.”
“thanks, jun~” taehyun exclaims, tone teasing. there’s a wide grin on the younger boy's face as he is handed his boyfriend's phone once again. when taehyun still fails to match yeonjun’s high score, he regretfully gives the phone back to its rightful owner. yeonjun, ever one to be dramatic, glances up to the sky and mouths a “thank you” for his victory.)
eventually, two extremely nice ladies from the service company approach them with a kit of tools. initially, the plan is to use jumper cables to attempt to get their battery up and running once again. however, whatever is wrong with the car clearly runs a bit deeper, because it refuses to start despite their best efforts. the silver honda merely sputters a few times before immediately dying back down.
“i think we have to take this into the shop,” the taller of the two women informs them after shuffling through her entire toolbox, searching for anything that would be of use to them. yeonjun lets his head fall onto the back of taehyun’s neck from where he’s standing behind his boyfriend, an action full of exasperation— not at anyone in particular, just in light of the unfortunate situation as a whole— for all of their efforts to get the car fixed quickly and be on time had been in vain. the two women evidently appear sympathetic to yeonjun and taehyun's slight feelings of distress. “i’m sorry kids, but our mechanics will have to work on this. we can tow your car, though, and you can ride in ours with us. the shop is only a six minute drive away.”
at that, taehyun sticks out his hand for yeonjun to hold, which the older boy easily complies with (yeonjun thinks he sees the women smile at one another once the two of them link their hands from his peripheral vision, but he’s not entirely sure). taehyun and yeonjun settle into the backseat of the service company’s pickup truck as the two employees work together to hook up their tiny silver car so it can pulled behind them. on the drive over to the mechanic, the employees inquire about the lives of the two college students now sitting inside of their truck. taehyun does most of the talking, explaining how they were on their way to a lake house for the weekend to celebrate the end of their school year. upon further questioning, yeonjun learns that the shorter of the two women was a performing arts major just like him, so they begin to delve into a conversation about some of their favorite musicals (yeonjun’s a big fan of wicked— he’s seen it twice on broadway— while the woman named sarah was particularly fond of hamilton). they’re at the repair shop before they know it, and upon clambering out of the pickup truck, taehyun approaches the counter and retrieves the necessary information from the workers that they need, including a few documents that he pawns off for yeonjun to fill out. yeonjun makes a call to his parents, whose car insurance he is thankfully still under. taehyun and yeonjun are able to quickly sort and hand in all of the required forms, but based on the crowd of people in the waiting room, neither of them have much hope. their fears are confirmed when the man at the front desk informs them that it would be at least an hour, probably leaning towards two, until their car could even be seen. the employee reassures the couple that the mechanics will call them when they’re needed, so yeonjun and taehyun briefly thank the workers before departing the tiny shop. yeonjun huffs out a sigh once the glass door shuts behind them, pulling up beomgyu’s contact and immediately putting his phone on speaker.
“yeonjun? hyun? are you guys almost here?” beomgyu answers after a few rings, tone giddy. in the background, huening kai shouts a hello of his own.
“sorry gyu, but we’re definitely going to be late. our car is in the shop and won’t be checked for another few hours,” yeonjun informs the younger boy.
“wait, give me a second, i can't really hear you over all the rustling," beomgyu starts to say, and yeonjun hears some brief shuffling from the other end. after a few seconds, the younger boy uncovers the receiver. "hi, sorry, i'm back. you said that you're going to be late?"
yeonjun quickly re-explains what happened on their end, earning a gasp from beomgyu. "oh god, don’t worry about it guys! kai and i just got here, so you're not missing much. soobin should be here within the next hour, so when he arrives, we can get some of the basic things sorted out without you two. kai is just unpacking all of the food right now.”
“tell him i said hi,” taehyun interjects from where he’s standing at yeonjun’s side, instinctively snaking his arm around the oldest’s. yeonjun easily pulls his boyfriend into his side with his free hand, pressing a kiss to taehyun's forehead.
“kai, love, taehyun says hi! come over here,” gyu exclaims, muffling the speaker as he yells for his boyfriend. “okay, but is your car okay? do you think you can get here tonight or are you guys going to just get a hotel room?”
yeonjun turns to taehyun, who merely shrugs. “you’re the one driving,” he mouths. “it’s your decision, jun.”
“we’ll be there by midnight,” yeonjun answers. “we don’t know what’s wrong, but as long as the car's running in a few hours, we’ll get there. we’re maybe an hour and a half away, if there is no traffic that is, but i think we can manage.”
“i’m here,” kai proclaims, suddenly sounding a lot closer to the phone than he did when beomgyu first picked up. “what’s up?” the youngest asks, to which beomgyu quickly fills his boyfriend in on the situation.
“that sucks,” kai says, and both yeonjun and taehyun can hear his pout through his voice.
“kai, bub? we’ll be there soon, i promise,” yeonjun says, to which taehyun firmly nods, even if the other party can’t see him.
“okay, stay safe you guys. no rush, but also, please hurry. i can’t take being alone with gyu for much long— hey! stop hitting me!” kai giggles from the other end of the line.
“you know you love me,” beomgyu teases. yeonjun wouldn’t be surprised if the blonde was pinching the cheeks of his younger boyfriend. “okay, we’ll send our love to soobin for you two when he gets here! drive safe, and have fun— really, because you'll probably be stuck with the worst bedroom up here. we’ll see you soon.”
“bye guys!” kai exclaims, and yeonjun and taehyun both say their goodbyes last before the line clicks dead. yeonjun pockets his phone, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, before turning to his boyfriend, a new smile on his face.
“okay, so what can we do around this town?” yeonjun smiles, looping his arm tighter through taehyun's. the older boy tries to embrace the situation; if he couldn't be at the lake, yeonjun was certainly glad to find himself in a charming little town with his boyfriend and a few hours open for them to spend however they pleased. taehyun looks pleased at the spark of enthusiasm.
“well, the guy at the counter said that main street is right over there,” taehyun says, pointing across the intersection to a street where there’s a plethora of tiny storefronts. “you hungry?”
yeonjun, never one to deny the opportunity at getting food, checks the time and nods. “yeah, it’s already seven-thirty and we haven’t gotten dinner yet. might as well,” he shrugs.
“okay. what do you want?” taehyun asks, maintaining his iron grip on yeonjun's hand as he all but pulls the older boy across the street, dropping it once they've reached the sidewalk.
“you're letting me decide? who are you?” yeonjun teases. the older boy almost begins to pout, but begrudgingly accepts the loss of contact as taehyun pulls out his phone.
taehyun matches yeonjun's grin. “you’re the one driving, it’s the least i could do.”
“okay," the older boy softens at taehyun's considerate gesture. "let’s go see if there’s ramen around here,” yeonjun says, voice fond as he watches taehyun muss with his hair with the help of his phone camera, which he uses as a mirror. “you look good, hyun. don’t worry so much,” yeonjun admonishes, but taehyun merely sulks in a childlike manner as he fails to flatten out one particular unruly piece of his red hair. the younger boy had just dyed his hair, and while he wasn’t necessarily self conscious of it— in fact, taehyun loved the vibrant color of his hair— it just took some getting used to. outside of calling taehyun a strawberry head a few times (with love, of course), yeonjun always made sure to praise his boyfriend’s new look.
the two of them eventually come across a tiny ramen joint a few blocks away via google maps. they place their to-go orders at the front counter before moving to stand in a short line that has formed amongst the other patrons, all waiting for their food. a few people stare at their conjoined hands for far longer than necessary, but neither yeonjun nor taehyun are too phased after a year and a half of dating. one of the girls at the register inquires about their journey— apparently this town was so tiny that practically every other customer was a regular, so when she didn’t recognize the two boys, she decided to strike up a conversation— and informs them that there’s a beach just a little further down the street if they need a nice place to relax. yeonjun and taehyun thank her warmly, and upon getting their food, decide to follow her suggestion. they take the ten minute walk down to the local beach, strolling through the village's winding residential roads until they spot their intended destination. there's actually a park that borders said beach, so the couple decides to settle down on a bench overlooking the waterfront while they begin to eat their dinner. it’s nearing eight fifteen at that point, so the sun is a good ways to setting, but there are a few street lights placed throughout the lawn, including one right above their bench, that help the two boys see what they’re doing as they shuffle through the bag of food. taehyun lays out napkins and breaks the single-use silverware out of its packaging, handing yeonjun a pair of chopsticks in exchange for his own food. they eat in relative silence for a while, but yeonjun finishes his meal first, and spends the rest of the time taking photos of taehyun while he’s finishing his meal. the younger boy narrows his eyes at the camera as he sips at the broth, so in the photo yeonjun takes, all that’s visible is taehyun's grumpy eyes and cherry-colored hair behind the cup of ramen he’s eating from. it immediately becomes yeonjun’s new lockscreen.
“i hate you,” taehyun whines when he finally puts down his food.
“you really don’t,” yeonjun snickers, showing him the photo. taehyun just whines again, louder this time, but yeonjun stretches out to distract the redhead. the older boy lays his head right in taehyun’s lap, to which the younger boy rolls his eyes fondly, but begins to stroke his boyfriend's hair instinctively.
“you’re such a baby,” taehyun states, carding his fingers through yeonjun’s jet black locks. “but you’re my baby, so, i guess it’s okay.”
“you know it—” yeonjun winks in response. “i’m sorry though about the car. i wish we would have just taken yours,” he mentions solemnly.
“it’s okay, jun, you couldn’t have known that this would happen. your car is newer and has the better stereo system anyway, we were bound to take it. plus, this hasn't turned out too bad. i mean, this park is nice.”
“and?” yeonjun prompts, a wide grin on his face. taehyun huffs, fake exasperation written all over his features.
“and i get to have more alone time with you, my lovely boyfriend," taehyun gives in, jokingly tapping yeonjun on the nose. "gosh, do not let all of this praise go to your head.”
“i think it already has, hyun.”
“unfortunately i have to agree,” the redhead sighs. “you want to go down to the water?”
“and get sand in my boots? i’d rather die,” yeonjun groans, tone completely serious. taehyun scoffs despite the evident mirth shining in his eyes.
“then take them off, you doofus,” taehyun teases, gently guiding yeonjun into a sitting position before standing up himself. the younger boy holds out both of his hands, ready to pull yeonjun up. “come on. at least come stand nearby.”
“fine, fine, i’ll risk my shoes for you,” yeonjun yields, letting his boyfriend help him rise to his feet.
“oh, what a true romantic you are, choi.”
“i’m such a keeper, i know,” yeonjun snarks back, but the soft smile gracing its way across the older boy's lips contrasts the sharp tone of his voice. “let’s go. i’ll race you to the water once we take these things off,” yeonjun finishes, lifting up the heel of one of his boots.
upon the conclusion of the race, taehyun declares himself the victor after yeonjun had purposefully ran straight into him, an action that the older boy thought would merely slow the redhead down. however, due to the bumpy nature of the sand, taehyun had fallen straight down. yeonjun immediately looks remorseful upon seeing taehyun fail and sink to the ground, but the giggling younger boy had soon managed to pull his boyfriend down as well with a swift tug to yeonjun's wrist. yeonjun falls right on top of taehyun, who just chuckles even louder at this. in this position, the older boy can feel taehyun's laughter vibrate through his entire body due to the close proximity of their chests. the two of them soon turn towards one another, locking eyes.
“hi,” the redhead mumbles, lips curving into a big smile.
“pretty,” is all yeonjun says as a response at first. the black-haired boy soon begins to look slightly sheepish as he apologizes to his boyfriend. “sorry for knocking you down, hyun. i didn’t think you’d actually fall.”
“it’s okay, but i did get hurt, so i think you know what that means.”
“wait, where?” yeonjun’s eyes subtly widen as they dart around the face of the younger boy, who merely grins wider.
“on my lips.”
it then dawns on yeonjun what exactly taehyun is looking for. “you fell on your back, taehyun,” he deadpans.
“you make this so difficult,” the shorter boy sighs. “kiss me?”
“well why didn’t you just ask sooner?” the black-haired boy teases, but instantly closes the gap between them, pressing their lips together. yeonjun is holding himself up by his palms, which are planted in the sand, as kisses taehyun on the floor of this remote beach. it’s both bizarre and painstakingly cheesy but so perfect at the same time. taehyun’s shiny, pink lips are incredibly soft against yeonjun’s own slightly chapped ones, and the younger boy surges forward to deepen the kiss. yeonjun begins to graze his teeth gently against taehyun’s bottom lip, but a resounding boom in the distance startles the two boys, forcing them apart.
“what the—” yeonjun asks, casting a glance over his shoulder and spotting something shooting up in the sky.
“fireworks,” taehyun breathes out from where he’s laying, quickly moving to sit up and watch them. “whoa.”
the first of the fireworks explodes in the air, sending a smattering of orange-colored light shooting in every direction until the gunpowder fizzles out, falling to the surface of the ocean. there’s another crash, and the couple watches someone on a tiny island in the middle of the water spark the fuse that propels the next firework into the air. yeonjun feels taehyun clutching at his arm again; the younger boy wasn’t very fond of loud noises, but he didn’t seem too fearful of these fireworks since he could see where they were coming from and knew when to anticipate them. the older boy lets the redhead lean into his chest, and the two of them sit there for what must be twenty or thirty minutes just watching the show before them, a time in which it darkens considerably. the rest of the world seems to pale around the two boyfriends, who are sitting on the sand of this dimly lit beach with fireworks igniting in the air around them, exploding in a galaxy of multicolored sparkles.
“i don’t think i’ve ever been this close to them before,” yeonjun says, awe written in his eyes as he stares across the water, anticipating the next firework.
“me either,” taehyun agrees. “i hate to say it, but i’m kind of glad your car broke down. these are pretty,” the redhead says, snapping a few photos with his phone. “maybe i’ll paint these later.”
“you should. show it to me when you’re finished?”
“of course,” taehyun smiles easily. “you brought me here, so you deserve it.”
“doesn’t that mean that i am your muse?” yeonjun questions with a large smile, wrapping his arm around taehyun’s smaller frame to pull the boy closer.
“you always have been,” taehyun answers good-naturedly, starry eyes reflecting the last of the fireworks that are being set off. it goes dark soon after that, but neither of them are in any rush to get back to the mechanic, so they sit under the pitch black sky for a couple more minutes. by that point, the moon is the only source illuminating the sky, and it shines down on the small ocean waves, which are still quietly crashing against the shore. it’s almost heavenly, how peaceful the beach is in those moments, but when taehyun turns to connect their lips for a second time, yeonjun swears the fireworks start going off once again. it’s nowhere near their first kiss, but the passion still lights something in yeonjun on fire. yeonjun likens the pounding of his heart to the rush of energy that occurs when a firework is shot into the sky, and the soft giggle taehyun lets out might as well share the intensity of the sound of a firework exploding, because yeonjun’s sensations are numb to everything except the pretty redhead kissing light back into his world. taehyun breathes color back into yeonjun’s life, which never comes close to being dull with the younger boy around.