COLOR RUSH || TAEGYU

CHAPTER VI

It had been a week since Taehyun had fainted in the science lab. They had gotten closer since, and Taehyun was getting more comfortable with Soobin and Huening Kai. The four ate outside together everyday during lunch. Taehyun was slowly starting to open up more to Beomgyu while the older teased and flirted playfully with him, calling him pretty boy every second he could. Taehyun pretended to hate it, but Beomgyu knew he was just too stubborn to admit that he liked it. He also wasn't ashamed to admit that he liked how the younger blushed at every compliment Beomgyu gave him.

In Beomgyu's eyes, Taehyun deserved more than just the moon and the stars. He deserved the entire galaxy. He found himself adoring every little thing the younger did, whether it was he was talking to his brother over the phone in a gentle voice, hearing him laugh or even just seeing him brush his hair out of his face.

The older had also been fulfilling his promise of teaching Taehyun everything he knew about colors. Taehyun still tended to faint after being exposed to Beomgyu's face, but he was slowly making progress. He was beginning to regain consciousness sooner than before. He no longer had headaches after his vision faded back to grey. They were trying to build up Taehyun's exposure to see how long he could last while seeing Beomgyu's face, but Beomgyu insisted that they wouldn't do it more than three times a week.

Beomgyu had been hesitant about the idea at first since he had never taken his mask off in front of Taehyun for more than a few seconds except for when he had shown him the sunset. He was afraid of causing more side effects that would hurt the younger.

"I'll be fine," Taehyun insisted. "Besides, last time I got to eight minutes just fine."

Today, they were trying to get to ten.

Currently, they were on the school rooftop. It was one of their favorite places and one of the only places they could be alone when they weren't in class. Taehyun wasn't ready to meet outside of school yet, and Beomgyu accepted that the younger needed time. Beomgyu carefully removed his mask, never tiring of seeing Taehyun's eyes swim with color. After a moment, Taehyun passed out and quickly after doing so his nose started to bleed. Beomgyu instantly began to panic.

"No! No, no, no, no-"

He carefully held the boy in his lap and tilted forward his head ever so slightly, afraid that the younger would fall back and choke on his own blood. He held the bridge of Taehyun's nose and caught the blood trickling out with his free hand. Red stained his hands. But just as quickly as it happened, Taehyun came to.

"W-What-"

"Sit up slowly and lean forward," Beomgyu began. "Breathe through your mouth."

Taehyun did as he asked. Without letting go of him, Beomgyu managed to get his bag and get a packet of tissues, which he handed to Taehyun. The younger took one and held it up to his nose. A few minutes later, the bleeding stopped. Beomgyu rinsed his hands with a bottle of water he had in his backpack, a sick feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

"Beomgyu-"

"Are you hurting anywhere?" the older asked quietly, his face deathly pale.

Taehyun shook his head, instantly seeing how terrified Beomgyu was.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault. It just happened, Beom."

"How do we know that?" he asked, his voice trembling. "There's barely any information out there about Monos. What if-"

"Choi Beomgyu. Listen to me." Taehyun's voice was dead serious. He gently took the older's face in his hands and turned it so Beomgyu was looking at him. "Nothing is going to happen to me. You're not going to lose me. And I'm not going to lose you."

This was one of those moments when Taehyun acted possessively without meaning to or without catching himself. Beomgyu's breathing hitched as the younger looked deeply into his eyes and ran a gentle hand through his hair, sweeping stray locks out of the older's face.

He loved it when Taehyun looked at him this way... like he was the only person in the entire world... like he was his entire world.

Taehyun was already attractive when he couldn't see color, with his warm coffee brown eyes, but when he could... when his eyes were full of rainbows and endless color... he was ethereal.

Beomgyu managed a weak smile and turned the younger around so he was sitting next to him and pointed out at the view.

"I know you need to look at my face to see colors, but you won't be able to learn anything if you keep staring," he teased. "Now... tell me what colors you can see."

He saw the way red painted the younger's cheeks and grinned. Still flustered, Taehyun made himself comfortable by leaning his head against the older's shoulder.

"That sign over there. It's dark green. And I can see... a navy blue car in the parking lot."

As Beomgyu listened, he felt a sense of pride swell up in his heart. He felt so proud of Taehyun for being able to learn so quickly. He really was catching on fast. When it was time, he put his mask back on.

"You did a good job, pretty boy. Let's go on a date today," he suggested, ruffling the boy's hair. "I want to treat you."

"That sounds like fun– wait, a date?"

Taehyun knew Beomgyu loved to tease him about dating since they were Mono and Probe, but he had always been joking.

Or had he?

A date?

A real date?

Was he ready for that?

"What did you have in mind?"

The words were out of his mouth before he could think about what he had said.

Beomgyu hummed for a moment before answering. "Where you become the flowers," he said wistfully. "And where the flowers become you."

Taehyun had no idea what he was saying, but he liked it when his Probe spoke so passionately. Beomgyu's voice was like music to his ears.

Taehyun found himself smiling at his own thoughts.

My Probe.

As they walked, Taehyun couldn't stop wondering what Beomgyu was planning. The older was always full of ideas and surprises.

Beomgyu was hyper with excitement, the tickets in his jacket pocket practically burning through the material as they approached a museum. Taehyun had never been in one. Since he had never been able to see color before, he had found it pointless and had no interest in them.

He saw the cute puppy-like confusion in the younger's eyes that he found so heart achingly endearing.

"What are we doing here?"

Beomgyu's eyes twinkled as he took the tickets out of his pocket and showed them to Taehyun. The younger was instantly intrigued once he had read the tickets, his eyes never leaving Beomgyu's as they sparkled in anticipation.

Media art exhibit.

"To play with color."