Description: There is an awful storm going on so Taeyong takes shelter underneath an old bridge where he finds Yuta who happens to be homeless and very emotionally damaged due to his recent misfortune.

(Fluff, slight angst)
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It was a cold autumn day. All of the leaves had already fallen from the tree branches, piling up on the ground and causing everyone who was to step on them to listen to the crunchy sound they would make.

Not only was it cold but it was also raining. The sky was a mixture of grey and white with an occasional lightning piercing through the clouds and hitting the ground somewhere very far away.

Everyone was hurrying up to get back to their homes as soon as possible but there was this one boy who was really struggling with that.

Taeyong had gone to take a little stroll outside and he had unfortunately forgotten to bring an umbrella with him so he was now trying to find shelter which could help him stay dry until the rain stops.

He had managed to get pretty far away from his home and there was just no way to return now that this horrible storm was happening.

Luckily for him, he spotted a bridge underneath one of the lonely roads in the distance at the end of the town, immediately running towards it as fast as he could so he could hide underneath it.

It was so wet and muddy everywhere that he almost tripped a few times. He eventually managed to reach the bridge safely and take cover underneath it.

It was definitely way dryer there but it was still very cold and also kind of eerie for some reason because there was no one around.

Taeyong was all on his own right now, stuck underneath a bridge and waiting for the storm to end while also praying he doesn't catch a cold from the horrible weather.

He basically felt trapped now and he didn't know how long the storm was going to go on for so he really had no choice but to stay hidden there and hope for the best.

"How did this even happen? The weather cast said that it was supposed to be sunny today.."

Taeyong let out a sigh as he pressed his back against the cold bridge wall and stared down at his now mud stained shoes.

He had decided to rest until it stops raining but then he suddenly heard a strange noise coming from just a few meters away from him.

Taeyong immediately flinched and looked around, trying to spot what the source of the noise was.

He couldn't see anything so he just assumed it was a stray cat or a bird but then he heard the noise again and it sounded louder than the first time.

It didn't even sound like an animal because an animal would've made way less of a noise than whatever this was supposed to be.

"H-huh? Is anyone there? Hello?"

Taeyong then started carefully searching through all of the trash that was actually thrown underneath the bridge, expecting to see something or someone because there was no way it was the wind that was making all of that noise.

"Please show yourself. I am here with no bad intentions. I am just hiding from the rain.. uhh.. hello?"

The area under the bridge was pretty spacious so Taeyong had to take quite the look through all of the old boxes and other types of junk that was thrown underneath here.

He didn't expect this place to be so dirty but he genuinely had no other choice for a hiding spot from the storm right now.

After a few more minutes of searching, Taeyong was finally ready to give up and go back to where he was previously resting at but then he heard a noise again and also saw one of the boxes move.

This genuinely gave him the creeps and made him think that whoever or whatever that was, it was probably here to kill him.

Taeyong didn't know what to do so he just stayed still, hoping for the mysterious being to show itself first so Taeyong could decide if he should run away or stay.

The box eventually moved again and a head peaked from it, looking like it was someone who was around Taeyong's age.

The Korean didn't expect to see anyone else over here so that definitely scared him and almost caused him to fall in all of the mud.

"Aaagh! Who are you?! Have you been spying on me this entire time?!"

The stranger got even more scared than Taeyong and immediately hid themselves again, causing Taeyong to receive mixed feelings about this.

A few minutes passed and the Korean still didn't know who this was or what they wanted from him but the fact that they never even said a word made him even more concerned.

While Taeyong was still trying to collect himself from earlier he actually heard someone crying, realising that it was probably the stranger since it was coming from their direction.

Now Taeyong felt bad, thinking that he was the reason the unknown person was now distressed and scared.

He couldn't just leave them cry like this.

Taeyong was a kind person so he carefully made his way to where all of the old boxes were thrown at and carefully peaked over the one the stranger was hiding behind.

That's when Taeyong realised that it was a boy.

He was looking absolutely horrible: old rags with countless holes were covering his body as best as they could, there was dirt all over them and they didn't even look like they were clothes to begin with.

He was also drenched, probably from the rain, and was looking extremely unhealthy, his ribs showing from one of those holes which were exposing his body.

"Are you okay? Do you need help?"

Taeyong tried to initiate contact but the other flinched and moved back, running to another box and hiding behind it instead.

"I just wanted to see if you are okay.. I am sorry for shouting at you earlier. I just got scared because I didn't expect anyone else to also be hiding under here.. there is a huge empty field right next to the bridge so I assumed I was probably the only one here.."

Taeyong saw that the stranger wasn't responding once again so he went over to the box he was hiding behind right now and tried to get some sort of a reaction at least.

"I am so sorry once again.. m-my name is Taeyong. What is yours? Are you sure you don't need help? You are going to get sick with these clothes you're wearing.. you need to be warm.."

Taeyong didn't know what to do anymore so he carefully touched the top of the stranger's head in order to gain his attention but that unfortunately made him freak out even more and continue crying while he was trying to find another hiding spot.

"No, no! I promise that I won't hurt you! I.. I just worry for you.. please don't be afraid. I don't bite, I promise.. please just let me help."

The boy sniffled quietly as he faced Taeyong for the first time now, giving him an opportunity to study his face a bit.

He had very big beautiful eyes, overgrown dark brown hair and dirt stains all over his cheeks.

"H-hello.. oh, you are so cu- uhh, I meant.. S-see? There is nothing to be afraid of. I am also hiding from the rain just like you.. so that's already one thing we have in common."

It didn't look like the unknown boy wanted to talk so Taeyong really felt horrible, thinking this was all his fault because of the shouting he had done earlier.

That was probably why the stranger didn't even want to come near him.

"I am really sorry.. I am sorry for disturbing you like this. I am just.. agh.. such an idiot. I always mess everything up.."

Taeyong sighed as he hid his face with his hands in disappointment.

In that moment, the stranger actually moved closer to him and eventually got up from the ground, his legs shaking really badly, looking like they were struggling to hold his weight up.

Taeyong heard the noise so he uncovered his face again only to be greeted with the unknown boy who was now standing in front of him with a horrible posture, looking like he was a 70 years old grandpa instead of someone who was around Taeyong's age.

"Oh.. uh.. hello? Are you okay? You look like you are struggling.. can I help you in any way?"

Taeyong once again tried talking to the stranger who finally gave him a response but it was definitely not what he was expecting at all.

"P-please leave my home.. I don't like it when s-strangers come here.. they scare m-me a lot.. please leave.."

Taeyong's eyes widened at the sight of the other who was basically trying to kick him out but in the nicest way possible just because he was scared of him.

"I.. uh.. your home? But we are underneath a.."

Taeyong didn't feel like finishing that sentence when he noticed how distressed the other looked, already on the verge of tears once again.

So this was his home? This horrible, filthy and very dark place which basically looked like a junkyard and somewhere where rats and other types of rodents would live?

"I have nowhere else to go.. I came here because I wanted to shelter myself from the storm. I was going to leave as soon as it stops raining.. I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear .."

"T-then you can stay but please leave as soon as-as it stops raining.. I don't like people c-coming here.."

"Why is that? Did any of them do something to you? I promise that I would never hurt you.. please don't be afraid of me."

"I... I don't know if I can trust you.. n-not after what happened l-last time.".

"Last time? What happened last time..?"

The stranger's lip suddenly started to quiver, his eyes beginning to get wet once again. It didn't take him that long until he started crying once again, this time way harder than earlier.

Taeyong felt like he messed this up by asking him so he had to find a way to fix the situation now.

"No, no! Please don't cry! I am sorry for asking.. I-I didn't mean to! Please.. it's going to be okay.."

The other whimpered as he looked at Taeyong with his now completely wet and red eyes.

"No it won't! Nothing will be o-okay! You are g-going to leave me once it-it stops raining.. just like-like him! No one cares about m-me, the strange pauper who lives u-underneath the bridge with all of the rats and roaches... n-no one cares about me.."

Taeyong was taken aback by the stranger's words, his heart now hurting as he was listening to him sharing some of his tragic backstory.

"You-you are going to abandon m-me and I will continue living here because I have n-nowhere else to go.. n-no one wants me.. no one even wants to keep m-me company.. so I have to live here and h-hide from everyone. Hide from the world because I am not l-like the others and because I am no wanted.."

"No, no, no.. please don't talk like that. This is all absolutely false.. you deserve to live happily just like all of us.. you don't deserve to be here.. who told you all of these lies?"

"H-he told m-me.."

"Who is he? He has no rights to talk to you like that, whoever that is."

"He.. he was m-my boyfriend.. we lived together but one day I came home and-and I caught him being with-with someone else.. so when he saw m-me he kicked me out of the house.. "

"..It was his house we lived in and-and.. he told me that I should get out.. I didn't have any money to go anywhere else.. and-and no one wanted to hire me to work for them e-either so I was forced to run away and.. this is the place I managed to reach before it all went b-black.. I don't remember w-what happened after that"

Taeyong was completely speechless and shocked, feeling extremely pissed off that all of this had to happen to this seemingly innocent boy who was struggling to live under such horrible conditions.

No one deserved this ever happening to them.

The only person Taeyong could think of who probably deserved this was the boy's ex who was clearly a monster if he had the audacity to do this to the one he loved.

The unknown boy then fell on the ground as he continued crying and crying, the loud sound of the storm almost covering his heartbreaking sobs.

Taeyong carefully kneeled down next to him and tried to make him look at him by holding his cold and shaky hand.

"He was an asshole.. he never deserved you in the first place if he did such horrible things to you. No one has the right to hurt their lover like this.."

"I.. I've lived here for 6 months now.. I don't even r-remember how he looks like a-anymore.. it's been so long and.. and no one ever came to look for me.. so I thought that I was unwanted by everyone."

That's when Taeyong stared noticing how this place actually looked underneath all of the trash covered surface.

There was one bigger cardboard box that was put on its side and was covered with an old blanket, looking somewhat like a hiding place of a stray animal.

There was some old candles that were inside it but they were not lit up because of the humidity of the air.

Taeyong also spotted some pieces of paper stuck on the bridge wall that had something drawn on them but it was unfortunately difficult to see what it was since the ink had dried awhile ago.

There was also some cans and cartons of food on the ground which looked like they had expired a long time ago since there was literally a dozen of roaches circling around them.

It overall looked horrible and literally unliveable, making Taeyong wonder how has the stranger even survived for this long.

"I.. I don't know what to say.. I don't even know how you are still alive. These conditions are just unsuitable for living.. I-I need to help you-"

Taeyong carefully reached with his hand for the stranger one once again but this time he flinched away in fear as he almost fell amidst all of the trash.

"N-no! I don't trust you! Y-you are going to do the same thing h-he did! That's why Yuta can't trust a-anyone anymore.."

The Korean pouted, seeing how difficult this was going to be. The only good thing that came out of this whole thing was that he finally learned the stranger's name.

Now that Taeyong thought about it, he found his name sounding very cute and fitting.

"I would never do what he did, Yuta.. I am not like that. I am unable to hurt you because.. because it's just so wrong to do this to someone so fragile and someone who clearly needs help.."

Yuta turned the other way as he eventually got on all fours and crawled into the old and dirty cardboard box he called home.

He tried to ignore Taeyong's presence, hoping he would leave but he wasn't going anywhere so Yuta felt even more stressed now.

The worst part was that even if he didn't trust Taeyong, he actually still had some hope left that someone was going to come and save him and that was all because he was way too naive.

That was also the reason why his boyfriend had taken advantage of him, seeing that he was so nice and thinking he could play with his feelings like that.

"Yuta, please.. I will take you to my home and give you food, water and warm clothes.. I just can't leave you here.. winter is coming and I am afraid that you.. that you won't be able to make it if I don't help you out."

The Japanese heard how Taeyong's voice had started cracking slightly, sounding way sadder and way more worried than earlier.

Yuta eventually turned his head around and saw the now crying Taeyong who was holding his hand out for Yuta to hold but the Japanese had way too much fear in his heart to trust him, seeing what happened last time when he was so devoted to someone he thought that loved him back.

"I can't do it.. I-I don't want to b-be hurt anymore.. just please leave me alone.. I will be o-okay.. winter doesn't scare me. I will make it somehow.."

"No, Yuta.. you won't. You will die if you don't come with me.. and I am not willing to let that happen. I will take you home and.. give you everything that idiot failed to give you.."

Yuta now thought about his situation, realising that he was probably going to die from hypothermia if he doesn't go with Taeyong.

He was going to die here with all of the rats and bugs and no one was ever going to find him because absolutely no one ever came down here, nor did they know this place existed in the first place.

Yuta had to make this decision now but he was just so afraid of trusting Taeyong, fearing that the outcome might turn out the same as last time.

While he was still debating wether he should follow him or not, he didn't even realise how tears had started dripping down his dirty face once again.

He was reliving all of those horrible memories in his head right now, remembering how his ex kicked him out of the house and never even gave him a singular dime so he could at least buy himself some food.

Taeyong noticed the younger's very evident affliction on his face so he carefully stooped down and reached for Yuta's head with his hand, lightly patting him just to show him that he was going to help him for real.

Yuta couldn't hold it anymore so he just started sobbing loudly now as his hands eventually moved to Taeyong's shoulders and held onto them for support, the elder now holding him in his arms while the younger was crying his eyes out.

Taeyong didn't even care that he was now entirely covered in dirt and mud because of Yuta, all he cared about was the boy who seemingly needed help and who he was ready to shelter in the comfort of his own home because he wanted to save him.

There was just some sort of a connection he felt with him ever since they exchanged looks and even more so when Yuta told Taeyong everything about his situation.

"It's okay, it's okay. Don't think about that horrible guy anymore. I am here now and I promise that I will take you home where it's very warm and nice and I will.. I will give you everything that guy failed to give you while You were together.."

"B-but.. you barely even know m-me.. and-and I look disgusting.. why would you even want t-to help someone like m-me?"

"Because.. because everyone deserves to live a happy life. And you deserve it way more than anyone else right now. I am ready to do anything if that means that I will be seeing you smiling and being healthy."

Yuta finally made eye contact with Taeyong, the weather magically starting to get clear once the two looked at each other.

"And-and you won't do what he did t-to me? You won't abandon m-me?"

"I would never do such a thing. I will make sure you are the happiest ever and I will give you all of my.. all of my love because you deserve it more than anyone else."

Yuta felt his face heat up when he heard the word 'love'.

A word that meant absolutely nothing to him ever since he got abandoned, a word he didn't believe in anymore and a word he never thought he would believe in ever again.

But there was something in Taeyong which was causing him to realise that he's been searching for love in the wrong place this entire time.

Maybe his ex kicking him out was supposed to happen because if it never did, then he would've never met with Taeyong who looked like he was ready to do anything and even more than that for Yuta, only 5 minutes after meeting with him for the first time.

"So.. so I can trust you? I can trust you that you will never do what-what he did?"

"You can trust me. I will do my absolute best to make you feel like you are wanted.. because you definitely are."

Feeling absolutely speechless, Yuta didn't even realise how Taeyong had stood up and picked him up, holding his skinnier and smaller frame in his arms now.

Both of them looked at the now finally bright blue sky and the sun which had finally showed itself through the clouds.

Taeyong looked at Yuta one more time before he stepped out on the huge field and headed towards the town while holding his now most precious person carefully in his arms and smiling brightly.

It's been so long since Yuta has been at the town and has made any sort of a contact with another human being so he was definitely nervous but the fact that he was not going alone and had someone with him now was putting his heart at ease.

He was finally feeling like his life was going to be put back together, piece by piece. Everything was finally going to be okay and that was all thanks to this random boy who had decided to hide from the rain right where Yuta had been stuck at for months.

~~~

When the two finally arrived at Taeyong's apartment, Yuta felt like crying yet again because the picture of how a normal house looks like had been erased from his memories completely so seeing all of this after such a long time made him feel so emotional.

Taeyong helped cleaning Yuta up and also gave him new warm clothes, food, water and was ready to give him all of his love so he knew how important he truly was.

In Taeyong's mind, he was supposed to meet Yuta today and that's exactly why his legs had taken him underneath that horrible bridge. He was supposed to meet this boy.

And for Yuta, his countless hours of suffering and grief were a test he had to go through in order to find the one who truly loves him and was going to save him from his eternal pain.

It was destiny for them to meet. The rain had helped save two lives at the same time by bringing them together and making them realise they needed each other more than anything else in order to continue living happily.

"Yuta, I love you.."

"I love you too Yongie.. so much."

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3921 words

I wanted to thank You all so much for 1K reads on this book! I would've never thought that this book would even get more than 100 reads so I truly am speechless and beyond thankful to all of You for reading my stories! I also really hope You enjoyed this slightly longer story. I don't know how I came up with this idea but I just started writing and decided to see where my brain will take me from there <3