Looping Hearts

Chapter 19 - The arrival

 It was a piercing thunderclap and a torrential rain that woke them up in a jump on the morning of their second day. Taehyung and Jimin quickly got up in the semi-darkness – it was still very early – and quickly picked up their belongings before taking the road again. Taehyung had torn off the bark of a tree and was trying to hover it over their heads to protect them from the rain. But the wind, which almost forced them to walk at 90° to make any progression, made his task very complicated. It was with immense relief that the two men found a shelter in a small cavity that had formed at the foot of some kind of cliff. The space was way too small and narrow to be called a cave, but big enough to allow them to take refuge for a moment. They eventually sat there for three hours, taking advantage of this stop to eat and rest a little longer before they could leave once the storm was over. It did not calm down, however, so the two men hit the road again anyway. They had to move forward.

It was exhausted and completely out of energy that Jimin and Taehyung found a shelter for the night while it was still light. Jimin, intrigued, slipped into the opening. He had never seen anything like this before. Taehyung, he, on the other hand, had his little idea.

« - I think it's a bear's den. » He said a little later as they were preparing their little nest for the night.

« - A bear? That big hairy thing you showed me? »

« - I think, yes. » Taehyung replied with a smile. « It's surprising that it wasn't destroyed though. »

« - All the better for us. » Jimin laughed.

That night the two men stripped off completely, unwilling to sleep in their soaked clothes, which they had put by the fire they had made at the entrance. Despite their apparent embarrassment about their nudity, Taehyung and Jimin laid down early in each other's arms, far too exhausted to be too self-conscious about it. And it was the first time since several consecutive days that they slept so well. Neither the wind nor the rain was able reach them, and the heat from the fire at the entrance, as well as their own body heat inside, remained trapped in the underground shelter, wrapping them both with a sweet and invigorating cloud of warmth.

Taehyung was the first one to open his eyes early in the morning, still comfortably wrapped in Jimin's arms around him. He did not move right away as he took some time to appreciate the warmth that enveloped him, then ended up raising his head in the direction of his lover's before smiling as he discovered his mouth slightly opened. He looked so relaxed, so calm, so serene... He straightened up a little to see his face better and carefully removed the few strands of red hair that fell in front of his closed eyes. This movement was enough for Jimin to mumble weakly before closing his mouth, which made Taehyung smile even more. Feeling soft, he rested his forehead against his and closed his eyes for long minutes, feeling his closeness, his skin against his, his warmth, his regular breathing, and even the beating of his heart. A feeling of well-being and a surge of love came to life deep down inside his stomach before it quickly dispersed in the rest of his body through all his veins, just like the flight of crazy butterflies. Letting himself being swept away by the emotions and sensations he felt, Taehyung slightly moved his head back before placing his lips against Jimin's surprisingly soft forehead. He remained this way a few seconds with closed eyes, simply enjoying being able to embrace the man he loved... Until the latter mumbled and wriggled in his sleep again. His eyebrows furrowed and his eyes began to move under his closed eyelids. Feeling he was about to wake up, Taehyung quickly moved away to regain his original position against his chest and close his eyes again. It was a fraction of a second later that Jimin opened his eyes. He woke up slowly and looked at his lover. A warm smile stretched his lips, and he tightened his grip around his body to feel him a little better against himself. He dropped his nose into Taehyung's hair as he took a deep breath and exhaled of well-being. With his free hand, the one that was not under his sleeping friend, Jimin gently stroked his dark hair with his fingertips, looking at his face with adoration. Then, still very gently, he also came to place his lips against his forehead, closing his eyes with pleasure. A smile quickly appeared on Taehyung's lips as he opened his eyes, waiting for Jimin to notice he was awake and widen his eyes.