Hello, my dears!

I know I haven't updated in what feels like centuries, but please enjoy!

This is also the last chapter!

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~ring ring~

C'mon, the restaurant should be closed now, so pick-

~click~ "Hello?"

Ten felt his mood - which had already been better - lift just from the sound of Taeyong's voice, and he filed that revelation away to examine later; on the phone wasn't the time for emotional soul-searching. Instead, he just smiled.

"Hey there. I just wanted to thank you for dinner. It was - as always - absolutely amazing. My client loved it, too."

There was the softest hint of a chuckle on the other end of the line - Ten could see the expression he knew the chef was making at that moment, and it was wonderful - and Taeyong's voice came back over the line.

"Well, I'm glad. You're not going to end up starving yourself again if I have anything to say about it." There was a pause. "Did it go okay?"

"Yeah! It was all a case of overbearing manager; we managed to shake the stifling mama hen off for a couple of hours and get some good recording in, and given the results she couldn't very well say it wasn't working. I called the label execs and they're going to make sure she stays out of the studio for the rest of the sessions - which, thanks to you, should be a lot smoother and go a lot more quickly. I might even be able to make it in tomorrow or the next day for dinner!"

"I didn't do anything, really." Taeyong's laugh was soft, and Ten really wished he was there in person to see it. "But if it means you'll be coming in sooner, I'm glad. It was a slow night."

"You did do something, but I'm not going to argue with you." The silver-haired laughed. "And I'm sorry I wasn't there to liven up the evening. I'll text you the next time I think I'll be able to come in. Deal?"

"Deal. And, uh... well, you don't have to wait until then to text, you know, if you don't want to..."

Taeyong sounded a bit nervous, and Ten couldn't stop grinning.

"Don't worry, I won't. And, well... I have a little confession to make."

"...oh?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded hesitant, and Ten took a deep breath.

"I called you my boyfriend earlier when she asked who made the food. I hope that's okay. I really don't want it to be a lie."

He waited, as there was a moment of dead silence from Taeyong; suddenly, the redhead man was stuttering, and Ten couldn't stop grinning.

"I, uh, well, uuh n-n-no, of course that's- that's fine, if that's... yeah. If you're okay with that, I mean, yeah. Uh. I really-" There was a faint beeping in the background, and Taeyong sounded relieved. "I really have to go, but I hope- I hope you can come by soon."

The silver-haired, whose smile was so big he was surprised he could actually speak, laughed. "All right. Good night, Taeyong. I look forward to seeing you soon."

When the call was over, he stared at his phone for several minutes.

I'm so head-over-heels for this dork. It's nice to know he feels the same way, at least a little bit.

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A couple of weeks later, Ten stopped by the restaurant late one evening only to find that there was already a closed sign on the door; frowning, he was about to turn away when he saw, in the dimly-lit interior, Taeyong sitting at the bar, looking depressed. Putting his hand on the door, he shook it gently, trying to get his boyfriend's attention.

Taeyong looked up, startled; when he saw the silver-haired standing outside, he walked over, unlocking the door. "Hey. Sorry. Come on in. I didn't know you were coming by tonight, so..."

"No, it's fine. I should have texted you, but I got out of work earlier than I expected. What's wrong, though?" Ten followed Taeyong back over to the bar, waiting for a moment as he turned up the lights a bit.

"Just... I don't think it's working out."

"-wait, what? You don't think what's working out?" A panicked feeling immediately flooded Ten's chest, but at his voice, Taeyong looked up, an alarmed expression on his face.

"Oh! No, not that, not... us... but... this." He gestured to the restaurant.

He'd been losing customers steadily, between his lack of early advertisements and new restaurants opening up in the area for spring; he'd even made a few changes - brought in a piano, had music on some nights, started taking out ads in the papers - but it hadn't seemed to work. The few reviews the restaurant got weren't bad, but they weren't stellar.

The chef sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

"Hey, no, it's okay." Ten took a seat next to him as Taeyong pushed over a folded newspaper, one of the circulars that was published in the shopping areas about the nearby restaurants and stores.

The silver-haired skimmed it, shaking his head; it mentioned Taeyong's amazing special recipes, but noted that the rest of the menu was merely 'okay'.

"That's bullshit, for one, but for the other... those are your personal recipes"

"I know." Taeyong sighed.

Sighing, he sank his head into his hands, and Ten slid his stool closer, running a hand soothingly up the redhead man's back before gently rubbing his shoulder.

"Hey. Why'd you start this restaurant in the first place?"

Taeyong looked up at him. "I told you. I wanted a chance to develop my own recipes so that I could publish a cookbook."

"Yep." Ten nodded at this. "You started it as a vehicle to create, not because you wanted a restaurant, or because you wanted it to be successful. It's been some time, you know; do you think you have enough recipes?"

The chef was about to shake his head, but then he paused, thinking. "I... might. I mean... I don't know, but... I don't know. Maybe I should just focus on my book."

He looked lost and frustrated, and Ten just wanted to see him smile. Sliding his arm around Taeyong's shoulders, he was happy to see that his boyfriend didn't even hesitate to lean in, resting against the silver-haired's side; taking a deep breath, Ten leaned over to catch Taeyong's eye.

"Hey. You'll figure it out, you know? We'll figure it out. This restaurant isn't your end goal, and people love your one-off dishes. Your book will be amazing, just like your food."

Taeyong gave him a small smile, but then sighed again. "You know, you're really the only one that orders that any more, though. It's so rare for anybody else to."

"Well, I love your cooking." Ten paused, looking at Taeyong, and bit his lip. "You know..." He realised that he'd lowered his voice, and took a deep breath. "It's not the only thing I love."

As Taeyong, looking stunned, stared up at him with a wide-eyed expression, Ten stood up from the stool.

"Hey, come here." He held out his hand; when his boyfriend took it, the silver-haired led him over to the piano, where he took a seat.

Touching a few keys, he made sure the instrument was still in tune before thinking for a moment. Taeyong, meanwhile, stood next to the piano with the same wide-eyed look of uncertainty; there was an undercurrent of hope to it, and it gave Ten courage.

Putting his hands to the keys, he started to play a slow, sweet little tune; he'd been toying with it for the last few days, and while it wasn't complete, he liked it. Smiling up at Taeyong, he softly sang a few lines about falling in love, making up the words as he went.

As he sang, Taeyong grew more and more flustered. Finally, Ten stopped, smiling, and turned to his boyfriend.

"That's about you, you know."

Taeyong's face was bright red, and he had a hand over his face, trying to hide it, but he looked so happy, and Ten reached out, standing up as he pulled Taeyong close. He hesitated just for a moment, to give the redhead man a chance to pull away or ask him to stop, but the look on Taeyong's face was so wonderful that he couldn't help himself. Sliding a hand up to cup the back of his boyfriend's head, he pulled Taeyong in for a kiss.

Ten pulled him closer, pausing to catch his breath and taking the chance to trail kisses up his boyfriend's jaw; as he did, Taeyong held onto him, eyes closed as he panted softly.

"I really love you, Ten."

Hearing the words directly from Taeyong - before he'd even said them himself - made the silver-haired's eyes widen; he felt himself turning a little pink himself as he smiled, gently placing his forehead against Taeyong's.

"I love you, too. And hearing that... makes me so happy."

Taeyong was following his lips with his eyes, and the expression made Ten so hungry that he leaned in for another kiss; this one was deep and sweet, and after a while, Taeyong pulled back, his voice rough.

"My apartment is upstairs. Come up?"

He didn't have to ask twice.

Ten didn't even have a chance to look around the apartment; Taeyong was already pulling him down the hall and through a door, sliding his hands into the silver-haired's back pockets to tug him close, and Ten started to kiss and suck at Taeyong's throat, and the noise his boyfriend was making at this was amazing, and the silver-haired never, ever wanted it to stop.

The End

Not Edited

Friday, March 13, 2020

Song Recommendation:

"Cry Baby" by Janis Joplin