Astronomy (of Us)

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Loverboy by A-Wall
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Sapnap wanted to ask Karl where they were going, he did, but as he knew well, the wind would be too loud. They were back on his motorcycle, Sapnap's calloused hands wrapped tight around the grips on the handlebars, eyes attentive to the rare traffic that infiltrated the daydream. He'd become better at controlling his movements— therefore the bike— since Karl started tagging along. 

It used to be that Sapnap was only responsible for himself, but it wasn't like that anymore. The travels comprised of him bolting as far away from his problems as he could weren't as interesting. Now, it was him and Karl, with only Sapnap to keep them safe. Sapnap liked the feeling.

When the couple came up on another desolate intersection, Sapnap felt taps on his left flank, Karl's fingertip lifting and falling thrice against his ribs. They'd figured it out before they left, Sapnap picking Karl up on the same block they'd kissed at days ago. Karl had a place in mind to take them, but refused to even touch the motorcycle beside sitting on it; he couldn't verbally give directions over the snaps of wind that Rothels loved to let loose, so he was tapping against Sapnap's torso whenever they needed to turn.

Smoothly, Sapnap turned the bike left. As trees began to clear, the road coming out to something less forested than the previous streets that twisted through dense wilderness, Karl nuzzled into Sapnap. Hazel-strung hair tickled Sapnap's nape and adoration seeped through to his bone marrow.

Karl had his arms wrapped greedily around Sapnap's abdomen, claiming him, holding him close. Sapnap enjoyed it, he liked how many times Karl's body made contact with his. Their lock was shattered now, the wall down, and Karl wouldn't let go— not that Sapnap minded.

They'd spent almost every night in Sapnap's room, with most of their puzzle's pieces falling into place. They'd lie beside each other on Sapnap's mattress, hands clasped and fingers intertwined, or they'd burrow under the comforter like children, giggling and using one of their phones for a flashlight. 

There, Sapnap's face looked nice enough to cast a spell under the bleached, harsh light. Gazing at him under the blankets, legs crossed or knees against their chests, Karl found new details he liked. It happened every single time. Sapnap wasn't the kind of boy to bore with his appearance, at least to Karl, whose heart felt like it was swelling to the point of combustion whenever they pressed their lips together.

The road Sapnap had been following came to an end, opening up into a parking lot with a board full of notes and rules of the park along with advertisements of nearby businesses. He pulled into a spot, pleased at how Karl didn't recede his presence from Sapnap's shoulder blade and neck when the motorcycle halted.

"Jacobs, where did you lead us?" Sapnap teased, voice airy and affectionate. Karl already found himself lost to the sugar-laden way Sapnap said any syllable of his name. He was tasting stardust whenever it happened, swirls delightfully blurring across his vision when he got flustered from it.

Karl slowly retreated from pressing the front of his body close to Sapnap's back. He sighed and stood, gazing over a rickety fence that looked like something out of a traumatic memory or a nostalgic film. He stretched his arms above his head, didn't reply, and started walking away without making sure his boyfriend was dismounting and trotting in his footsteps.

The boy's Vans made contact with the crumbling, faded asphalt as he followed the fence. He wanted to slide his fingers along it, to feel the old wood and rusty nails beneath the pads of his digits, but doing that would result in actually needing Band-Aids. Karl stopped at the overlook, a steep, arrogant cliff that yearned for him to fall. The parking lot behind him had become the same wood as the fence, Karl taking in every detail and happily getting lost in his head.