𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗥$ (Shangri-La) - Taegyu✔️

XVI The Lost 2

The drive continued in silence, coated with quiet sobs. With swollen eyes and a red nose, Felix offered to drive so Han could take some rest as well. It was the way they looked after each other instinctually.

The rubber tires ground through a bumpy road, the whole van was jolting together with the boys.

That only made Taehyun cling onto Beomgyu even more, arms rounding him, gripping his shirt while weeping, burying his face in the crook of the older's neck, sucking up all warmth from him.

His previous carer- Yeonjun was fatigued from grieving and fell asleep on the floor, spooned by Hueningkai's giant physique.

Beomgyu hugged the boy tighter, he had never seen Taehyun in such vulnerable state. Not only his van, the quiet confidence in him was all together burnt to ashes.

In front of him, it wasn't the cheeky fighter but a boy carrying a broken heart.

Beomgyu felt his heart clenched at every hitch in Taehyun's breath, probably the most devastated scene he could have come across in his life.

Another blink, tears inundated through his eyelashes despite he knew nothing about Kim Namjoon, Beomgyu felt like knives gashing through his heart.

How brutal, the man of their hope was killed right before them, it was seconds, just a little bit, they were so close to having him yet losing him, to be separated from the one they loved for a life time.

Kim Namjoon was not only their mentor but a fatherly figure. Without him, could they fight the wicked realm on their own?

"I-it's me, it's my fault..." Taehyun mumbled on his neck weakly, lamentation seeping into his voice.

"No, it's them. You tried so hard, don't account yourself for the evils..." Beomgyu consoled him with the best of he could. Just the thought of being a Celestian disgusted himself.

A thunder slashed through the sky of gloom, followed by a beastly roar that resembled a demon's snicker.

Their custodian- the sun completely abandoned the boys in their darkness.

Under flickers of lightning, the shade of buildings from the Celestian city emerged into a monster of compounds, or a huge and dark illusion of demon's lair that stored all their unwanted fears.

Crystal pins of rain began to storm over their van, ceaseless cries faded into the tempestuous night.

├┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┤

Minho opened the gate for them, the van slowly moved in between the concrete doors.

Needed not to question a bit, from their expressions, a missing van and absence of Mr Kim, Minho could tell what happened.

The kids dashed on their little legs, joining the rhythm of rain to distribute umbrellas to their hyungs.

"Mr Kim? Where is Mr Kim?" Sunoo asked innocently, tugging the corner of Han's shirt while stretching his neck to take a gander at the van.

He immediately understood something went wrong when his Hannie hyung cried into Minho's arms, "We tried..."

Alas, most of the kids were not mature, even Han didn't know how to handle them at the moment. They'd better tell them the truth when they were ready, but they weren't ready, hell knows when would they finally accept Namjoon's death.

With their heads hung low, everyone left the van except Taehyun and Beomgyu. The older thanked Minho for giving him an umbrella and reassured the rest he would take care of Taehyun.

The boys dispersed, Beomgyu spread the umbrella as he leaped into the rain, silently concerning the only boy stayed behind- he waited.

After a while, Taehyun finally made a move from his seat, but he didn't take shelter under Beomgyu's umbrella and instead, exposed himself in the bitterly cold rain, tolerating those chilly drops inflicted his skin.

Eyes closed, he tilted up to feel the liquid patting his face, drizzling, carrying his own tears down the pool of ripples and disappeared under his feet.

He just wanted to stand there as if time had frozen for him so he needed not to move on from the lost.

"Hey, you'll catch a cold..."

Swiftly, the droplets stinging him was filtered out, he opened his eyes- Beomgyu was holding the umbrella to cover both of them.

"Leave me alone..." Taehyun said emotionlessly, stepping out and retrieved his highly-damaged skateboard from the van, hoping there was something he could salvage.

Nonetheless, the deck was all scratched with bumps and even holes of bullet shooting through, layer of paint was shaved to reveal the wood material, turning his favorite gear to kaput.

He wailed in anger, hurling the skateboard to the ground, attempted to smash it but failed. On second attempt, he was refrained by the older boy grabbing his wrist, "You'll regret it!"

He looked up to see the other boy had so much worries in his eyes, he understood Beomgyu was there to help but whatever, the man was not coming back, as well as his van, a place he used to stay all time and preserved memories with Mr Kim was one step to heaven before him.

Last but not least, the skateboard allowed him to go on every dauntless adventure was defected but still in his hold.

Beomgyu was right, he would regret losing it too.

As the younger boy calmed down a bit, Beomgyu dragged him into the residential building by force, not like he didn't know how stubborn Taehyun was.

├┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┤

Once they arrived Beomgyu's room, the older dried the younger with a towel, tousling his drenched hair while Taehyun was like a soulless puppet sitting on his bed.

Fishing out new clothes for both of them from the drawers, suddenly Beomgyu remembered the piece of paper in his pocket. He snatched it out immediately, blowing it a bit and fortunately, it wasn't that soaky.

"He wanted to give you this." Beomgyu showed the paper to Taehyun. It gained his interest but he shook his head, not sure if he should read it now.

Beomgyu sighed and placed the paper on the table so that the younger could claim it when he was in his right mind.

He returned to collect the clothes he left aside just now, the sound of glasses shattered alarmed him.

"Tae, are you oka-" He turned around, gasped as Taehyun tried to pick up pieces of glasses from a photo frame he dropped.

"No- No- No- Don't use your hands!" Beomgyu couldn't help but freaked out at the younger's state, pulling him away from possible danger.

It was the framed photo with Namjoon that laid on the floor, the only treasury Taehyun managed to retrieve before the van was lost. He had been keeping it safe in the pocket but slipped it in his daze.

As Namjoon's face crooked in the broken glasses, Taehyun was on verge again, he couldn't hold the outburst of tears.

Was he always that fragile?

Only when he was fighting the greatest chaos in his life.

And Beomgyu was not letting him face it alone.

He took a deep breath, mustered up all his encourage, "Use me."

Taehyun looked up in confusion. That confusion was immediately withdrawn when Beomgyu leaned in and connected their lips.