THIRD

The sudden splash of water brought Dongyoung to reality and Taeil had actually attacked him a bit too hard that it made him sneeze and the elder went worried. "Omo! Are you okay? I'm sorry. I didn't know it would hit too hard. Please Doyoung say something." Dongyoung chuckled at seeing Taeil getting panicked for the first time since they met. "Yes. Hey, you'll get cold. It's getting too late. We should get going." "Okay but you are all fine right?" Taeil asked again worriedly and Dongyoung giggled. "Two hundred percent." They both dried themselves up a bit through towels Dongyoung had in his car and soon the younger dropped the elder by the motel. "Will I see you tomorrow?" Taeil asked, pouting. "Do you not have to start your work from tomorrow?" Dongyoung asked to which Taeil responded an, "Oh no, and yes." "Okay I'll call you then. Here, enter all the numbers I can dial to contact you!" The younger smiled and shook his head but did as asked nonetheless. They both exchanged the numbers and bid their goodbyes but a sudden question hit Dongyoung right when Taeil was about to exit. "Taeil," The said man looked at him and raised his brow. "Yes?" Dongyoung hesitated a bit before asking, "Are we still best friends?" "Well of course we are. But, I won't mind being something more than that, Doie." Taeil said and kissed Dongyoung's cheek and exited the car. Leaving a blushed and dumbfounded Dongyoung sitting and caressing the cheek that was just kissed by the moon of his dreams. ______ "Owhh… And do you remember that river we used to play through all day? And then I always suggested climbing on the trees there but you were always worried if I'd fall when you were the actual one losing the balance." Dongyoung smiled embarrassingly and shook his head. The other man was laughing lightly on the other line of the phone after remembering their old memories. Those sounds of laughter felt as if they were some verses from some soothing lullaby. Dongyoung could hear them all day to release his stress until he fell asleep peacefully. "Hello… Hello? Doie, are you there?" The said man startled as the voice called out. He was too lost in his dreamland that he didn't even realize that he kind of made the other talking to himself. He felt even more embarrassed. "Ahh… I'm sorry, Taeil. I was just…" "Lost in Thoughts?" Taeil completed his sentence from the other line. Well, he was lost but not exactly in thoughts. Only if Taeil knew. "Kind of." Dongyoung answered. The elder giggled on the other line. "See, you're still the little Doie I knew! I still get you!" Dongyoung chuckled. "You always got me." "Oh really? Then why are you not right next to me? I miss you…" Dongyoung could imagine Taeil pouting like a puppy while saying that. "But, didn't we meet like yesterday?" "Yes. But it's been hours and it feels like it's been forever, Doie." The younger smiled and went a little red at the tone and phrases the elder was trading. "Olay, okay. Well, I'm always with you, Taeil. You just have to feel it through your heart." "Mhmm…" Taeil just muffled on the other line making the latter frown. "Taeil?" Dongyoung asked to which he received, "Nothing. Just trying to feel you through heart." Taeil exclaimed and they both started laughing. The younger male was about to add another sentence but a thud of the door interrupted him. "Taeil, I'll call you back." He told the latter to which latter just whined disapprovingly but he disconnected the lone nonetheless. Dongyoung slowly made his way downstairs to check if from where the voice came from and who was the sudden visitor. And how the freak did they get the key to his house? He looked around to get a better view only to be pulled in a hug forcefully. "Doyoungie Hyung! I missed you big bro!" Dongyoung startled but sighed in relief after facing the person. "Jungwoo-ah, you scared me." He hugged back the younger. "Anyways, why did you come yourself? Why didn't you call me to pick you up? How was your journey? And how are you?" "Big bro, calm down." Jungwoo stopped his brother's ramble. "I'm all fine. And I just thought that I could come by myself which was right since I'm here in front of you. You are already loaded with work, Hyung. Please less your work and stress. And tell me did you miss me?" The elder smiled apologetically for his previous rant and ruffled the younger's hair lightly. "You know that I miss you every time. This house was so dull without. I'm glad you finally came back." Jungwoo giggled and hugged his brother once again. "I love you big bro!" "Love you more. Now get freshed and I'll get you some warm meals. It must be a long flight." Jungwoo nodded to Dongyoung and went to get freshed as quickly as he could so that the siblings could have their chilling bro moment after a while. ______ Soon the night came and Jungwoo went already for sleeping while Dongyoung didn't miss his regular night call with the man he… Loved? "What? So you guys talked about almost everything but you didn't tell him about me? How come." "I kind of forget, Taeil. I'm sorry… Should I go to his room, wake him up and tell him?" The elder started laughing lightly on the other line. "Aish, I was joking. It's actually good. I'm gonna surprise him tomorrow at work. Well, how was your day with Woo-ah after days? You seemed to be missing him so much all this time." "Yes. Ahh… I'm so glad he found whatever treasure he was looking for. I just want to see him happy and full of himself." "And I want the same for you, Doie." Taeil said which made Dongyoung silent and blushing like a tomato. The silence stayed until Taeil started. "I know you're again lost in thoughts and I hope you'd also get lost in sweet dreams. Good night, Doie." And the line went disconnected. Dongyoung was still stunned. Taeil's words and charms just melt his heart so badly in a good way and he couldn't even process that. He was surely going to get lost in dreams. ______ "Some new books will be delivered and…" The woman started checking in her iPad to get more tasks which needed to be informed. "That is all. The rest are just your usual duties so yeah." She smiles at the person after listing the updates. The latter smiled back and nodded noting the information. "Thanks, Miss Wendy. I'll get them in place with the staffs so by tomorrow, they'll be on their respective shelves." "Alright then. I think we are all set. So, I'm leaving and take care, Taeil." She exclaimed and Taeil again nodded at her as she started to make her way to exit but only stopping after a few steps. "Oh and I forgot to inform you, today, one of our existing librarians, Mr. Jungwoo Kim will be arriving after a break. So, please be nice to him. He kind of likes to fool around in the middle but he's really a nice guy." "I actually think he's more than just nice and I'd rather take care of him like a hyung than just being nice." Taeil responded to which the woman frowned a little in confusion but still nodded as she exited. After the woman's departure Taeil looked over everything one last time before making himself comfortable by the reception counter and continuing reading the book he was currently interested in. He was just about to turn another page and start a new chapter when he heard the ring of door opening and the sound of rushed footsteps that soon reached him. "Sorry I got a little late, Miss Wendy. Had a tiring day yesterday so yea-" The visitor stopped his speech as soon as he saw the unknown man there, who smiled at him welcomingly. "Well, good morning to you, too. Mr. Jungwoo Kim. And, sorry for disappointing but I happened to be a man." One thing was sure for Jungwoo. He was not disappointed at all. Not especially after seeing the small, adorable toddler-like man in front of him. And man… Was he not too delicate and fluffy to be a man? He seemed like a little munchkin which Jungwoo could keep inside his pocket. Untouchable, safe and secure from the entire world. And the giant man himself didn't know why but, he actually liked the idea of keeping the latter to himself and himself , only. "Hello? Are you here or do you also get lost in thoughts like your big bro?" Jungwoo blinked and he could see the man waving his hands in front of him as if he was checking his vision. Jungwoo looked at the man's hands and he would lie if he wouldn't say that they seemed like an infant's little hands. He could hold both of his palms just in his one palm. He cleared his throat and started speaking, "I… Uhh…" Only to realize a certain thing in the middle. "Wait, how do you know about my brother?" The latter chuckled. "You should ask yourself how he knows me." The shorter said making the taller pout in confusion. The shorter man went nearer to Jungwoo and started pinching his cheek playfully. "Ahh Woo-ah! You just became a fine tall man but you're still the little puppy woo I knew years ago!" Jungwoo did expect the hands to be soft but he really didn't think that they'd feel like cotton candy onto his cheeks. "It's me, Woo-ah. Your big brother's bestie, your another big brother from another mother, Moontie." The taller man started processing and it finally rant the bells. "Taeil Hyung?" "Yes. Ahh… At Least you remembered. I thought I got erased from your memory like, entirely. And, and, and, just look at this fine man… You've really grown a lot." "Yeah… Hyung. And you…" "Me?" Taeil laughed a little while pointing to himself. "I've grown a little less." The shorter man again started laughing at his own joke. Jungwoo couldn't help but admire the fullness of the moon. Well, the elder wasn't wrong and he said that he grew less. But that actually was really adorable since his features matched his aura. His adorable laugh melted Jungwoo's heart. He could listen to his laugh all day. "Aish, don't get lost again. Anyways, you've also become a bibliophile huh?" "Not that big one, Hyung…" Jungwoo said while smiling sheepishly. Taeil shook his head and grabbed Jungwoo's hand pulling him and leading the way. "Oh come on! I've many recommendations and we both can enjoy them together, Woo-ah." Jungwoo let Taeil take him wherever he wanted. He couldn't think of much after hearing Taeil say "we" and "together". He just met the older but he already felt his heart feeling the way it never did. Falling in a way which never happened before.