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Taeui's idea of a date had rapidly evolved from the moment he had his first child. Actually, it had changed ever since he met Ilay, but that wasn't the point. Now, when he thought of a "date," it was them getting a day off to reorganize the kitchen because they really needed to.
So when his children suddenly sidled up to him with a mischievous glint in their eyes, yammering on about a date, Taeui's heart skipped the middleman and waltzed out the door. See, in case you don't know, his children, though there were only two, could be tyrannical when they put their heads together. It was quite disturbing.
Either way, the proposition was greeted with more than just hesitation, even as they both cuddled up to him with stars in their eyes.
Apparently, they had planned out a whole date for him and Ilay, complete with the restaurant booking and tickets to the orchestra, which really was the sweetest thing, but it was slightly concerning, as the last time they had planned something together, it resulted in someone's hair catching fire.
"Don't look at us like that. I know you're thinking about the hair incident. That was not my fault, that was your mate's fault," his eldest muttered, with a bland expression.
Taeui let out a soft laugh at his almost sulky face, reaching out to card his fingers through the light strands. The fawn frowned but faithfully leaned into the touch, humming in contentment. Well…his son was 19. Surely any date planned by him couldn't be that bad. And besides, it was to one of Taeui's favorite restaurants, so at least that was something…
"Don't worry, appa! We trained papa really well, you're gonna have so much fun," Yohan reassured, smiling brightly.
"And, uh, this isn't another excuse to eat all the ice cream, right, Jinnie?
Jin yawned, flopping onto the bed with a umph noise. His antlers inadvertently hooked onto the knitted blanket, tearing the beige threads. As soon as he sprawled out, Yohan took the opportunity to shift into his little cub form and curl up on top of him.
"Maybe. It's not like it was my fault, he wanted to do it," Jin shrugged, tapping Yohan's head.
"Is that so?"
Both of them turned their head to the addition in the room, where Ilay had just walked in, throwing his coat to the side while simultaneously loosening his tie.
"If that's your reasoning, then I expect to see you taking care of him when he's throwing up his guts the next day," Ilay chimed in, before stepping closer to plant a gentle kiss on the crown of Taeui's head.
Taeui smiled at the familiar cologne filling his senses as Ilay leaned in, with his nose brushing against the jugular of his mate.
"Hello there, my darling," Ilay whispered, warm breath caressing Taeui's ear.
He settled himself beside Taeui, though in the next moment, he pulled Taeui into his arms, where he was now sitting in Ilay's lap. Taeui was startled into a sheepish smile when his eyes landed back onto his son's displeased gaze.
"Ew. Anyways. You ought to leave at 6. The restaurant reservation is at 6:30, and then the orchestra tickets are for the 8 o'clock showing," Jin informed in that usual deadpan voice of his, throwing an envelope at Taeui.
It flailed and dropped in the way paper always did, landing in the space between them.
"They might ask for the physical tickets, so take those with you just in case." His impassive expression shifted into one of exasperation, and with knitted eyebrows set above his visuvianite eyes, he continued. "Please behave, father, it's really so bothersome trying to mollify the theatre hall director each time. I'm not going to even try if he comes to me complaining that a certain couple was off doing unsavory things in the gallery."
Taeui couldn't help the humiliated flush that sparked through his body at being scolded by his own son. In his absolute defence, he had no choice but to acquiesce when Ilay insisted they wouldn't be seen or heard, before dropping to his knees and giving Taeui one of the most unforgettable, mind-consuming blowjobs ever.
A low chuckle resounded from the perpetrator, and Taeui could feel the distinct sensation of Ilay's smile floating somewhere above his head.
"Yes, yes, whatever you say, little Bambi," he complied, raising a hand in defeat.
Jin's doubtful frown elicited a laugh from both of them, but he couldn't object as the eyes of the panther cub snoozing away on his stomach fluttered open. Yohan clambered off his brother to huddle close to Ilay, pleased with the snow leopard's natural warmth, judging from his soft purr.
As a tender kiss was pressed to his neck, the arm slung around his waist moved to stroke the fur of his son's head.
"Ugh, can't wait to be away from this," Jin mumbled, springing up to shuffle out of the room.
Taeui had a dilemma.
He had nothing to wear.
Sure, he was rich, but what good was being rich when your husband refused to buy you any nice clothing?
Taeui didn't even know why! The last time he had bought himself a shirt for a formal dinner, Ilay had ripped it in half, with innocent pearl buttons flying everywhere.
Now here he was, with his entire closet on the floor, clothes strewn around the room on chairs and other unassuming pieces of furniture. Taeui ran his fingers through his hair, frustratedly. With a frantic glance at the clock, he was once again reminded that there was less than half an hour for him to find something to wear.
"Whoa, it looks like a fashion enterprise threw up in here," a flat voice remarked.
Taeui spun around to find his stupid fawn son standing in the doorway with a disgustingly familiar aloof demeanour.
"God, help me out a little, Jin, there's nothing good to wear!" Taeui exclaimed, tossing a sad button-up to the side.
Hyeon Jin stepped into the room, mindful of the stray pair of trousers or ties lying about.
"You're asking me like I know anything about clothes. The only reason I dress decently is because of Niko, and you know that. He's literally the one who picked out your last outfit. Just call him again," Jin supplied, somewhat helpfully.
Hmm, that was true. Jin's mate was probably the best person to go to about any form of beauty qualms.
Taeui glanced around, fishing out his phone from the pile of clothes on the bed.
"Okay, fine, but can you help me put these back…?" He meekly requested, shuddering at the sheer amount of clothes he had managed to take out.
With a light scoff, his son began to fold clothes, while Taeui scrolled through his contact list for Niko's.
"Ah, here we go," he muttered to himself, holding the phone up to his ear.
Niko's cheery voice connected immediately, his mild Russian lilt brightening the greeting.
[Mr. Taeui? Is something wrong? Why are you calling me?]
"I need your help," Taeui abashedly admitted. "I don't really have anything to wear on my date with Ilay. Could you—"
[—Come over and dress you up again? Yay! I love doing this!! I'll bring everything, and be there in 5!]
Before Taeui could protest or insist on anything otherwise, Niko had hung up, causing Taeui to sigh at the wolf's enthusiasm.
"Lemme guess. He's coming over now."
Taeui didn't even bother replying and merely picked up a pair of pants to fold. To be honest, he didn't know whether to be scared or grateful, considering that once, Niko had dressed him up in leather mini shorts and a crop top (which wasn't even that bad…Taeui thought he looked cute…until Ilay came back and didn't leave him be for the entire night).
Not even 7 minutes after that call did the doorbell ring, to which Taeui raised an eyebrow, glancing out the window to see Niko excitedly waving up at him, holding around 5 different bags in his arms.
"I'll get it!!" Hyeon Jin blurted out, tripping over himself to get out of the room.
Taeui smiled at his eagerness, unable to help the amusement that always struck him when he saw his son blushing and stumbling in the presence of his mate.
"I, uh- ahem, I mean…I'll get the door. Wouldn't want to bother anyone, you know," he backtracked, giving Taeui an awkward thumbs up.
He wasn't ashamed to admit that he would've teased him endlessly if the fawn hadn't bolted out the door to go downstairs. But, he couldn't exactly say anything, if you took into account his own mate.
When Jin came back up, it was with Niko standing beside him.
"Hi! Oh god, I'm so excited, c'mon, c'mon, wear these," he instructed, shoving a stack of clothes in Taeui's hands. "After that, I'll do your hair and makeup!"
As Taeui silently walked into the bathroom, he inspected the clothes and was delighted to see that Niko really did choose well.
Once he finished dressing, his reflection presented the soft hue of his skin glowing beneath the silk wrap blouse and the straight-legged pleated pants. Slipped in between the clothes was a gold chain belt, which was now wrapped around his waist, loosely hanging in arches. Somehow, Niko had also snuck in a few accessories, a ring here and there, alongside a long, thin necklace.
He smiled a shy smile to himself in the mirror, with a dim buzz awakening in his bones as he thought of Ilay's reaction.
NO! Don't think like that, Jeong Taeui! He might really eat you up if you do!
"Aw, you're so pretty, Mr. Taeui," Niko admired, clasping his hands together. "Why, I really wonder why you dress like you're homeless half the time…"
Taeui opened his mouth to object, but shut it at the sight of his son's unamused face. Well, that was unnecessary.
"I brought you boots as well, now hurry up and sit down, Jin'll do your hair while I do your makeup."
Honestly, it was a wonder that they managed to finish on time.
Ilay lingered by the door of the car, coat in his arms, ready to leave.
"Papa!"
At the sound of his youngest, Ilay turned around to find him running up to him with a box in his hands.
"Spatzi…why are you outside? It's cold, you shouldn't be out here in just your overalls," Ilay chastised lightly, lifting up the cub into his arms and hugging him close.
Docile grey eyes gazed back into his own, a childish excitement shimmering away below the surface.
"Hyung wanted me to give this to you. He said "Tell that snow leopard that if he wants to go back to a hotel instead of the house, then he'd better give it to appa right after the orchestra and not open it at ALL.""
Ilay pressed his lips together in a thin line at Yohan's, or rather, Hyeon Jin's words, before pocketing the box. He was not in the mood to get on his son's bad side tonight, and from the implication of his words, he would happily shut up and obey if it meant he'd get a piece of that ass (Taeussy gets him every time).
"Thanks, spatzi," Ilay murmured, brushing back the stray strands covering his son's forehead.
"No problem," the child chirped back as he threw his arms around Ilay for a goodbye hug.
"Make sure you're good, and obey your hyung while we're gone, okay?"
Yohan nodded with a bright smile, and Ilay's heart faltered at the way he was so much like his beloved mate.
"Ilay, I'm ready," Taeui called out, hurriedly locking the door. "Oh, Yohannie, you're here. Here, take the keys and make sure you lock the door once you're back inside."
If you asked Ilay, on a scale of 1-10, how much he was absolutely in love with Taeui, he would say a scale is a degrading measurement of love. But, occasionally, there were these moments where Taeui looked so fucking sexy that, on a scale of 1-10, he was probably horny.
Wait, what?
Fuck, no, well, that was a horrible explanation.
But it didn't exactly matter to Ilay as his eyes landed on his gorgeous mate all dolled up just for him.
Judging from the very energetic mutt waving coming from their bedroom window, his son's mate must've been the one to work such a miracle. Ilay would excuse the fact that he had the nerve to step foot into their house due to the way Taeui's blouses glimmered beneath the dusky sunlight, and how his honeyed skin glowed as though it was begging to be ravished.
There was nothing like the sound of boots clacking on concrete as he approached Ilay with a fond smile.
Surely, they could just stay home…fuck…Ilay could already imagine what positions he'd have Taeui in, sobbing in ecstasy for Ilay to keep going and ruin him.
"C'mon, Yohan, go inside to your hyung, your father, and I are leaving now," Taeui gently instructed, stroking the cub's cheek.
Well…he supposed that could wait. It wasn't every day that he got Taeui all to himself.
Yohan nodded, and after Ilay lowered him to the ground, he ran along, turning back once to wave goodbye to them.
"Love you, and have fun!"
Ilay and Taeui responded respectively with their goodbyes and shifted their gazes up to their other son at the window. Though they couldn't see him properly, they heard him distantly call out, "If you need me to book a hotel, just give me a text!!"
Which was followed by a sharp hiss from Niko, who appeared to be scolding him.
"A hotel sounds like a wonderful idea, don't you think?" Ilay commented thoughtfully.
"God, just get in the car, will you…"
"Urgh, finally they're gone," Jin groaned aloud, taking a -196 out of the fridge. He offered another can up to Niko, who shook his head no.
"You shouldn't talk that way about your parents, they're your blood for goodness's sake," Niko muttered as he settled down on the sofa. "Where's the little panther?"
"How would I know? Am I my brother's keeper?" He snarked mockingly, sprawling out beside his mate.
The wolf raised an eyebrow at his reply, cuddling up to the deer.
"No. But you are his hyung. You need to take better care of him, at least before your parents kill you when they find that little penguin in the bushes again."
Before Jin could retort, a muffled yowl caught their attention, eliciting frowns from both of them.
Jin raised an eyebrow as he threw a pillow to the side, only to find the panther cub hidden below it.
"Found him," he said dryly, tossing the pillow back into its place and reaching for the remote.
"Ya! Don't suffocate him, you were told to take care of him, oh my gosh, I have to do all the work around here…"
Niko reached over and gently lifted the cub into his arms, cooing as the panther purred before curling up into his arms.
"So, how long do you think it's going to take for my father to fuck up?"
Shaking his head to himself, Niko muttered, "It'd be a gift from god if he hasn't already."
Taeui's gaze was fixated on the sharp side profile of his mate, observing his stone-like features with shy reservation. If he could, he might've reached out and traced the almost statuesque image. Though they were set in a cold, impassive expression, Ilay's entire mien screamed charismatic, as though he could seduce you into having a homicide fetish (the fetish being your own homicide).
Either way, maybe it was the thrill of going on a real date after such a long time, or merely Taeui's own heat approaching, but something about the way Ilay looked had him squirming in his seat.
"If you keep doing that, I really might just drive us to the nearest hotel, my darling," Ilay chuckled, sparing Taeui a single, lewd glance.
He knew he didn't even need to bother with a mirror to know his face was bright red.
Taeui let out a mortified squeak, opting to reply with silence and turn away to gaze out the window. Even so, his eyes unfortunately landed back onto Ilay, where they stayed for the entirety of the drive. It was only when Ilay spoke up again, softly and reminscently, that he moved them.
"Hyeon Jin has grown up so much already," he murmured in this bittersweet tone that was quite dissonant to his otherwise aloof body language.
Taeui hummed, allowing a fond smile to grace his lips at the thought of his eldest.
"God, I remember when he would eat straight out of the sugar jar in the middle of the night. In the morning, we'd find him asleep on the floor with the spoon still in his hand," he whispered, as if the memory was a wisp that could dissipate with the slightest touch.
"Doesn't he still do that…?"
Taeui scoffed and glared at Ilay for a fleeting moment. "Not the point."
"I was thinking more along the lines of when we first saw him getting Yohan ready for kindergarten," Ilay remarked, tapping the steering wheel with his index finger.
Right, Taeui remembered that. Jin was 13, and Yohan was 3, so he was just starting kindergarten. He wasn't exactly sure why, but Hyeon Jin had woken up earlier to get the little cub ready for his first day. When Taeui had walked past their room, Jin was brushing Yohan's hair and reassuring him that he would love kindergarten.
He had paused then, observing them through the sliver of a gap at the door. It seemed his youngest was nervous about his first day, and as Hyeon Jin took the time to dress him and pack his bag, it was a subtle form of affection that reminded him so much of Ilay. Who, as if sensing he was thinking about him, had appeared behind him, sliding a robust arm around his waist and resting his chin on Taeui's head.
"The cub really is a carbon copy of you," he had murmured. Taeui could tell solely from the lightness of his tone that he was watching Hyeon Jin closely, perhaps amused by his son's quiet diligence.
"Now then, little penguin. If someone comes up to you, make sure you smile and be nice, okay? And eat all of your food, I want to see the box empty when I come back. Whenever you're scared, hold onto your plushie, and if it's ever really bad, ask your teacher if you can call appa," Jin had instructed gently as he finished off tying Yohan's shoes.
"Hyung…Hyung, I don't want to go! I'm scared, I don't want to leave you and appa," had cried out Yohan, who clung to the fawn, with tears welling up in his eyes.
Taeui had frowned at this, reaching forward to push the door open and step in, if it hadn't been for Ilay's hand obstructing his movement.
"Leave them be. If you go in now, he's gonna bat his big brown eyes at you and make you postpone his admission again," Ilay suggested softly, soothingly rubbing Taeui's hand. "Let's go make breakfast; we'll need to leave soon."
When Taeui had acquiesced, his reservation was riddled with maternal anxiety, and it was at that point that he had realised that perhaps his fawn had grown up further beyond the years than he ever knew.
"Yeah…" Taeui mumbled, as a wave of melancholy washed over him.
Presumably noticing the fall in mood, Ilay laughed, and with a pleasant voice—the one he'd adopt when talking to Yohan—asked, "What, is all this reminiscing of when they got along making you feel nostalgic?"
"I mean, they still do, there's just a lot more verbal abuse now."
Ilay chuckled, running his fingers through the loose strands of his hair. His hand fell into his lap, stabilizing the wheel with only his fingers as he leaned his other arm along the window.
"So I've seen. As far as I'm aware, I was never the kind of child to speak vulgarities, so really, those are your genes," he added, with a sly smile.
Taeui scowled as he leaned over to slap Ilay on the head.
"Fuck you, you son of a bi— yeah, okay, I can hear it…"
His gaze grew crestfallen at the realisation, wondering if the moments when profanities would pour out of Hyeon Jin's mouth in response to Yohan's badgering were actually his fault all along.
"I still can't even imagine you as a child," Taeui mumbled, tilting his body in Ilay's direction to slide his hand onto his lap and thread their fingers together. When Ilay shot him a brief yet entertained smile, he shied away from his eyes.
Before that smug snow leopard could say anything, he hurriedly continued, in a hapless attempt to stray the topic.
"…—Anyway, do you think they've killed each other yet?"
As Ilay's expression grew exasperated, Taeui was certain that he had as little hope for their sons' relationship as he did. Ah, well, hopefully Niko was keeping them in check.
Niko was trying to keep those two idiots in check.
But, somehow, Yohan was crying profusely in his arms, and Jin had that ridiculously pleased smirk on his face while cooking.
"God, what did you do now!? I left you two alone for five minutes!"
Jin offered him a pitying glance, not taking his focus off the cooking. "I didn't say anything, I simply said I was going to cook myself food, and when he asked for it, I told him to make it himself."
Well…to be fair…that was pretty tame for Hyeon Jin. The deer could be quite mean when he wanted to. In fact, Niko thought he had once seen him dangle the cub out the window after he broke his fountain pen, whispering, "Maybe with a few broken bones, you'll understand how I feel."
If you were to ask Niko what the worst part of all of it was, that Yohan just stayed there, limply, with a petulant pout on his face as he muttered back, "Sorry, hyung," like his life wasn't being threatened in that moment.
Then again, Niko also caught them cuddling while watching My Neighbour Totoro exactly 20 minutes after that incident. And then! Like the cherry on top, when he mentioned it to Mr. Tay, he just SHRUGGED and said (and he quotes!), "Oh, so they worked it out. Mmm, that's good, you don't need to worry about them, sweetheart, they're fine."
Was this normal…?
"Niko hyung! Scold him, scold him," Yohan exclaimed, pointing at his brother like he was about to scream bloody murder.
"Why are you taking his side?! You're my lover! I'm the one whose credit card you max out on your shopping sprees!"
Jin waved the spatula around, emphasizing each word of his.
"No!!! I don't care, you're mean and stupid, stupid hyung," Yohan complained, thrashing in Niko's arms. "I'm gonna eat all your donuts in the middle of the night!"
Oh, god. Oh no. Why'd he mention his food? Surely this situation is rectifiable— surely…?!
Jin let out a soft, calculated sigh, placing down the spatula with ease. As soon as he turned off the stove, Niko felt the temperature of the room drop by a degree. It seemed Yohan recognized this, too, as he stiffened and buried his face into Niko's neck.
"Aha. Is that so? Don't be shy, Yohannie, say it again," Jin said slowly, with a frosty smile blooming on his otherwise bored lips.
Niko laughed a high, nervous laugh before flashing Jin an affectionate grin.
"…C'mon, baby…He didn't mean that, he's just a kid."
And when Jin untied his apron and threw it behind him, it was safe to say that his instincts kicked in, and he turned tail and ran.
When they reached, the sun had fully sunk into the earth, leaving behind distant traces of amber glowing on the horizon. As Ilay opened the door, extending his hand for him, Taeui was fully convinced that things had gone too smoothly so far. No calls, no texts, no private updates from Niko panicking over a broken coffee machine.
"What's on your mind, darling?"
Taeui took Ilay's hand with a grateful smile, soaking up the warmth of it.
"Don't you think it's suspicious that everything's going okay so far? I mean, not to jinx it or anything," Taeui explained tentatively, his eyes creasing in concern.
"They're brothers, not serial killers; they'll be fine. Besides, though I hate to admit it, that mangy mutt is decent at keeping them in check—"
Drrrrrr. Drrrrrr. Drrrrr.
Taeui frowned, fumbling around in his pockets for his vibrating phone. He let out a soft 'ah' noise and flipped it only to find Niko's contact being the one calling.
"Niko? Is everything okay?" Taeui inquired curiously while a dark premonition ate away at the bottom of his gut.
[Hi, Mr Tay!] Niko began breathlessly. [I- uh, haha, well, what's your definition of fine…? And more importantly, how do I unhook deer antlers from a chandelier and panther claws from drapes…ha ha….ha…..]
Oh lord.
Taeui groaned, massaging his temples. His frustration elicited an expression of perplexity from Ilay, causing him to switch the call to speakerphone.
"Okay, uh, for Jin's antlers, try to untangle chains, and if it's too hard, just cut them. There are wire-cutters in the chest of drawers opposite the bookshelf. And for the drapes, just take them down, it's alright," Taeui guided between vexed groans.
[Okay.. got it! I'll text you about how it goes! And, uhm, maybe buy Jin some donuts on your way back. Anyway, love you, have fun, and bye!]
"Hmm? Uh, yeah, love you, too, kiddo, bye…"
The call ended with a sharp click, and so did Taeui's tranquil date night.
"I jinxed it, didn't I?" He mumbled, throwing himself into Ilay's arms and burying his face into his chest. "God, we can't get anything."
As Ilay chuckled, the sound reverberated right through him, somehow mollifying the tension in his chest.
"Relax, darling. Just focus for now," he whispered, pressing a kiss to Taeui's claim mark.
"On what? On our sons burning down our house?" Taeui moaned, rubbing his cheek against Ilay's crisp shirt.
"On us," Ilay corrected, brushing back Taeui's styled hair to press another kiss to his forehead. "And the restaurant right behind us. Let's go now, it's 6:30 on the dot."
With that, Ilay guided his mate past the door and to their reserved table.
"Ilay, what if they actually kill each other this time…"
"I highly doubt that Yohan has the guts to kill his brother, realistically speaking."
Ilay scanned the menu, flipping through it lightly before placing it down and resting his head on his hand to gaze at Taeui.
"I don't appreciate how cavalier you're being about this," Taeui deadpanned, flicking Ilay on the head. "Those are our children. Our babies. Don't you ever think about how Jinnie would slip and fall on the tiles when he was young as a fawn? Or how Yohan would sit on your shoulder and nuzzle your neck? Actually, he still does that, he's such a small cub…but anyway, the point is you need to care!"
"I do care. But Hyeon Jin's 19 now. He's been in university for the past two years, and Yohan's already in grade four."
Ilay slid his hand forward, interlocking it with Taeui's.
"They're growing up, Taeui. Unfortunately, not so much physically regarding Yohan, but they are. So just…leave them be—"
Drrrrrr. Drrrrrr. Drrrrrr.
"Oh, Lord."
Taeui held the phone up to his ear with a wince, only to be greeted by screaming.
[Uhm. Mr. Tay. I'm really sorry to bother you on your date, but Jin threw Yohan's plushie out the window, and it landed in the pool, so I was wondering where the net was.] Niko asked sheepishly, groaning softly when Yohan began yowling in his panther form.
"God, Niko, don't even bother with it. I left Absinthe in your room's mini fridge…lock yourself in there and…cry….that's- that's what I do," Taeui mumbled.
[That sounds great, to be honest. I'll just seduce Jin into shutting up, and then do that. Thanks, and have a great date! Tell father-in-law I said hi!]
"Yep. Have fun with all that."
Taeui dropped his head onto the table and grumbled, "He said hi…"
The dinner went surprisingly smoothly, enough so that Taeui had deluded himself into thinking his woes had tided, and all was well.
He smiled up at Ilay as they strolled back to the car, remarking, "That was quite nice, the liquor there is so good."
Ilay heaved a burdened sigh, though it seemed, for the most part, imperceptible; Taeui was well aware that he thought otherwise. It was probably due to Ilay being the designated driver for the day, which was a miracle and a half to convince, and they didn't exactly have a proclivity for nausea-inducing rides. So, there he was, a bit tipsy, while his mate was stone cold sober. Oh, did he mention he had a few drinks? Because he did. That was most likely why Taeui's previous apprehension vanished.
"I'm beginning to think Hyeon Jin simply wanted to get you drunk and out of the house so he could traumatize his brother," Ilay muttered, opening the car door for Taeui.
"I'm not- drunk—ow!"
Mid-protest, Taeui had managed to bang his head on the rim of the car, where now a red, aching bruise was already forming.
Ilay tsked at him before cradling his jaw in his hands to observe the area.
"Not drunk, you say?" He teased softly, blowing on the bruise to ease the searing sensation. Contrary to his mocking words, Ilay's tail wrapped around Taeui's in a soothing motion, while a hand moved up to toy with his ears.
Taeui puffed out his cheeks to petulantly retort, "No. The car was in my way."
"Yes, I'm sorry, the car was in your way. You're so right. Unfortunately, I can't exactly move the car out of your way, so perhaps we should just skip the orchestra, hmm?"
"No! No, no, the car and I are best friends now. Thanks, car," Taeui hurriedly exclaimed, ducking into the car and plopping down on his seat. From there, he gave Ilay an awkward thumbs-up as he patted the car seat.
Presumably not bothering to justify Taeui's tipsy behaviour with a response, Ilay crossed over to the other side, sliding into the driver's seat.
"Well, then, the tickets are for 8, and it takes about 15 minutes to get there, so would you like anything else to eat?" Ilay offered, clicking the heater knob halfway.
"Ugh, I'll throw up if I eat any more," Taeui groaned, slumping back into his seat. "Do you really have to turn the heater up? It's so hot in here…"
Taeui tugged at his blouse, rolling the sleeves up to cool down a little.
It was probably the temperature change, but it was a bit surprising that for a man who ran hot, Ilay wanted the heater on.
"I'll actually strip if you leave the heater on," he bemoaned, squirming about restlessly. "And then I'll go skinny dipping in the nearest lake. Do you want that?"
Taeui reached out and flicked the knob down completely, shooting Ilay a crooked smile.
"If you want me to strip, you have to take me to a hotel first—" As Taeui ran his fingers along Ilay's bicep, giving it a squeeze, the car swerved violently, causing him to be thrown back into his seat. "Ugh, what the hell, you're gonna make me throw up if you drive like that."
"I'll pull over right now and fuck you brainless if you keep talking like that, my darling," Ilay murmured in a gravelly tone.
Perhaps egged on by liquid courage, Taeui grinned, leaning back in to press a kiss to Ilay's clenched jaw.
"What's stopping you?"
When Ilay let out a dark chuckle, finger ready to switch on his indicator, the haunting vibration of Drrrr. Drrrrr. Drrrr. interrupted him.
"Ugh, fuck me," Taeui complained, tempted to throw his damn phone out the window.
"Don't tempt me."
After nipping at Ilay's cheek, Taeui answered his phone.
[Appaaaaaa] whined a high, young voice. Taeui frowned, pulling his phone away to confirm that it was Niko calling him.
"Yohan? Why do you have your hyung's phone?"
[He ran away from me! He's in his room, and I think he's crying. It's not my fault! It's all Hyeon Jin hyung's fault. Hyung keeps being mean!]
"Yohannie. Did you bother your hyung again…?
[…..no……]
"Spatzi, you can't annoy your brother and be surprised when he's mean back."
[I didn't mean to!] Yohan began to cry, hiccuping and stammering. [I didn't mean to drop his pen, but then he was really mean about it, and I just want everything to go back to normal!]
"You dropped his pen? Which one? The 585 noblesse Montblanc? You have got to be kidding me, Yohan. You know that's a discontinued edition!"
[I knowwww, but appa, I said sorry, and I'm all alone and I don't want to be.]
"Just- okay, do you know where he is?"
[In the lounge]
"Alright, pass the phone to him, Yohannie.
Post-instruction, shuffling and scuffling noises could be heard, presumably Yohan stumbling down and into the lounge room. Distantly, Taeui could make out the soft crackling of the fireplace.
[Appa? You stupid penguin, why do you have Niko's phone?]
Before they could continue arguing, Taeui hastily stepped in.
"Look, Jinnie, I don't care what happened; you pulled his hair, he pulled yours. Just stop fighting already, for heaven's sake, you're 19!"
[I stopped fighting. He's just crying because he's sensitive.]
"Little Bambi, if he's crying, you're supposed to do something about it."
[Fine. Fine! But I'm not booking no hotel for you guys! Say goodbye to your own private pool and skyline view!]
Just as Jin hung up, they could hear him muttering for Yohan to come sit next to him, meaning that there should be peace for the rest of the night. (Hopefully).
"Excellent. Now, where were we?" Ilay asked lightly, ready to switch into the left lane and pull over.
"We were going to the orchestra. Save all of that for tonight," Taeui replied amusedly, giving Ilay a gentle pinch to the arm.
Taeui laughed softly when Ilay frowned, disgruntled with his reply, opting to lean in and whisper, "If you're good, though, I'll blow you."
Ilay never realised that one day, far ahead in the future—a vision blurred by heat haze—that he thought would be riddled with blood and bullets, he would stand over an exhausted panther holding the smallest, quietest fawn in his arms. Moreover, he had never thought that his hands, those of pure alabaster, would suppress their bellicose strength to the point where they trembled as his mate passed the child into them.
Having a child was something so- so, well, out of his league, that if you told a 22-year-old Ilay he would be awake at 3 AM cradling his baby in his arms, trying to get him to go to sleep, he might've just killed you then and there for the sheer audacity of implying he would settle down. Then again, life then was so fucking boring that it might've been appealing.
He remembered that night when his precious fawn had cooed softly, curling up into his arms as if they would shield him from the horrors of the world. God, the irony of it. A man who killed dozens for simply irritating him, now had sworn an oath to himself to ensure a single scratch never found its way onto his child.
When he really thought about it, though he would deny it as Taeui asked, those times when Hyeon Jin would stumble over to him, slipping and stumbling on the tiles as he always would in his fawn form, elicited an irrevocable melancholy within him. He remembered laughing as the fawn would finally end up right in front of him, fluffy tail twitching in excitement.
Then Hyeon Jin would shift and gaze up at Ilay like he was everything to him with those wide, vesuvianite eyes.
Those years were the very halcyon days Ilay had thought he'd never see.
They passed slowly, languidly—like a mellifluous dulcet, until the stream ended, and they found their lives at another standstill. The presence of another child.
Ilay's breath had hitched imperceptibly, seeing the ultrasound for the first time. It had completely caught in his lungs when he saw, really saw, the child. The panther cub was the smallest thing he had ever seen, and Ilay genuinely thought that the slightest touch might've broken him.
Even Hyeon Jin had smiled a tender, fond smile and stroked the child's cheek with loving reverence.
Really, there was so much about his life that had changed, with him being part of it, that Ilay couldn't keep track anymore. All he knew was that it was solely because of a single man.
His beautiful mate.
Jeong Taeui, though considered a mortifying thought, was everything to him. So much so that Ilay would've killed himself, child or no child, to stay by his side. (However, if he mentioned this to Taeui, it wouldn't end well.)
At first, Ilay's 'love' for him was suffocating, clawing at his lungs and chest until he couldn't breathe from the raw intensity with which it held him. But then, with every sweet smile and bright laugh, it had softened into something else—it was just as violent, just as willing to kill and fight, but softer, nonetheless. Now, as he held his mate in his arms at night, his heart would tighten with adoration, helpless to the proliferating roses of love.
Somehow, this whirlwind of a sweetheart had eradicated the acedia that had composed his life.
I love you so much I can't breathe.
I love you to the point where I can't live without you.
You've ruined me.
Absolutely and completely ruined me.
Their trip to the orchestra ended with more than just an instrumental climax, as Ilay and Taeui partook in their usual unsavory activities in the gallery.
More importantly than that, it was phone call-free, which was honestly the biggest triumph they had had that night.
Now, as they walked back to the car, Taeui was certain the rest of the night would be perfect.
"You've certainly improved," Ilay observed smoothly, with a content glint in his cold, ashen eyes.
"Thanks—Hey, wait, what?!"
Taeui stuttered, tripping over himself to catch up with Ilay's lengthy strides.
"It's a compliment," Ilay explained, though with that smug look on his face, it certainly didn't sound like one.
Even so, Taeui reserved himself to silence, fidgeting with his phone in his pocket. He glanced at the snow leopard, wondering how his life had sunk so low.
"You know, I— Agh, what?"
As Taeui was about to speak, a white leather box was thrust in front of his face.
"A gift. I think."
The box was small, just slightly larger than a ring box, and when he took it into his own hands, it was light.
"You think? Well, that's comforting…" Taeui muttered, flicking the lid open.
Immediately, the crisp glint of aquamarine and sapphire sparked to life under the overhead lights. At first, Taeui hadn't a clue as to what the item was, but as he slid it out and held it up, it suddenly clicked in his mind.
These were cuff links.
Cuff links with his sons' birthstones set into them.
Taeui's breath hitched in delight, and he whipped around to stare at Ilay, utterly dumbfounded.
"There's no way you thought of this. It was Jin, wasn't it? I refuse to believe it was you," he stammered out, cheeks growing redder and redder with each moment.
Ilay let out a chuckle, deftly plucking one of the cuff links out of his fingers to hold it below the light.
"How rude. It was, in fact, my idea. Jin simply executed it," he clarified, pleased with his son's craftsmanship.
Wow, Ilay being thoughtful.
That was kinda…hot.
Taeui gazed at the cuff links for another moment before delicately placing them back into the box. Once the box was in his pocket, he threw his arms around Ilay and kissed him feverishly.
He pressed into him, driving deeper and deeper until he found himself breathless with love.
Even as his phone buzzed in his pocket, shifting the jewelry box as well, Taeui paid no mind to it, tightening his grip on Ilay.
"So then, my darling…is it home or someplace else tonight?" Ilay teased, whispering the question between the space of their shared breath.
"Why are you even asking me, you stupid snow leopard?"
Side:
When Niko staggered downstairs from his guest bedroom in the manor, he was drunker than ever, and the floor was spinning so wildly that he thought it would collapse in on itself.
Curiously, it had gone silent, meaning someone was dead or peace had been made.
Now…where was that lounge room…? There were so many fucking rooms in the goddamn house, and one too many corridors.
Finally, as he fell face-first into the first lounge-adjacent room he found, when he had gazed up, he could see the familiar antlers of his mate.
Thank fuck, he was too drunk for all this walking.
"J-Jinnie? Are you- ugh, god, my head, alive?" He asked tentatively, crawling up to the sofa.
Niko heaved a sigh of relief as he made it onto the sofa, staring at the sight that greeted him. Ah, maybe he was too drunk to see as well…
Hyeon Jin was fast asleep, and in his arms was the little panther cub, curled up into a tight ball of black fur.
Another babysitting job done well, he thought to himself, fumbling for his phone to snap a photo.
"Let's see….hope you're having fun…everyone's alive here….and send!"