forever won't wait

chasing butterflies

Small flakes of snow drifted down, landing on the tip of the boy's nose. He shivered imperceptibly, zipping his jacket up a little more and tugging the hood over his head. The city street was nearly empty, the time and weather enough to keep most inside for the night.

He knew that he couldn't keep walking forever. At some point, he's simply be too tired, too cold, too hungry to continue and he'd then have a choice: find somewhere to stay or risk sleeping on the street and freezing to death. He turned down an alley as the light flurry turned to slush, and then rain. The boy sighed and slumped to the ground under the awning of a quiet apartment building.

Fifteen minutes passed. He had just begun to nod off when a hand shook his shoulder, jolting him awake. Inquisitive eyes framed by deep hair stared at-no, through-him.

"What are you doing out here?", the person crouching by him asked. The boy, still not recovering from his sudden wakening, couldn't manage to muster up an answer.

"Oh well, doesn't matter anyway. Hey, I was about to go grab a coffee, want to come with? I'll pay. By the way, what's your name? I'm Taehyung, but you can just call me Tae if you'd like. You're really quiet, aren't you?"

The boy shrugged, but was secretly enjoying the fact that someone was filling the silence of the night. "I'm Jungkook."

Taehyung nodded, rolling the name a few times around in his mouth. He registered the way that Jungkook walked, trailing slightly behind him, shoulders hunched the slightest bit. He kept his head tilted slightly towards Tae, as if it helped him to hear him better. His eyes darted from side to side every so often, giving off the slightest hint that he was just waiting for someone to jump out at him, or he was always looking for an escape route, just in case.

As they reached the street corner, Taehyung turned to look Jungkook straight in the eyes. "We're here", he said, flashing a brilliant smile.

"...here?", Jungkook questioned, glancing around him. The little shops lining the street were all dark, neon signs turned off, closed signs barring their doors. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, feeling a little suspicious. Chances are, he'd been lured into some sex trafficking deal or maybe he was about to be robbed for the little he had. Panic began to bubble up in his chest, and he slowly began to back away. He was close to the same height as Taehyung, and he'd been on the streets for a while now.

Carefully, he calculated his chances of winning a fight with him.

It was impossible to see just how muscular he was under his puffy winter jacket, but he didn't seem to be too out of shape. Jungkook himself wasn't in the best of condition, but he'd held his own against those more powerful than he before. If he got a running start...

Taehyung seemed to notice his change in mood, and laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. It's a little place upstairs, and I have a feeling that you'll fit right in."

That did little to ease Jungkook's mind. Tae's explanation, whether he truly had good intentions or otherwise, was still shady as shit, and Jungkook wanted no part of it. As soon as Tae had turned his back, Jungkook took his chances and ran.