𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨

𝚝𝚠𝚘

chapter two ʕᴥ· ʔ

"it's like when i feel

lonely that's when you

start acting choosy"

it is falling into winter where taehyung sits. the streets are filled with crisp autumn leaves tumbling to the wet cement underneath their tree like a dance that has been orchestrated for years. his small coat does little to keep him warm, making his body erupt into tiny shivers, rubbing his hands together to form as much heat as he could receive. he knows his life before was far from pleasant but at least he had shelter; at least he didn't spend every second begging strangers so he could survive one day; at least being warm wasn't a lot to ask for. everything is different now. he supposes that in some ways it is better like this. his internal organs aren't suffering from his father's obsession with crafting beer and his nose isn't congested with his mothers smoke from her fifth cigarette that day.

the boy runs his gloved fingers together before standing on shaking limbs. his whole body is numb from sitting down on his cold bed for so long and from squeezing in on himself to make a little warm taehyung-shaped-ball. he knows that nothing can be done if he is not doing anything about it. he may have his struggles but he is far from dense, or gullible; this world may have a lot of headaches to offer him but he refuses to back down from a decent challenge. he won't admit it in the light of day but he is quite competitive. he can take anyone on in a problem and if the world wants to have a go at him then bring it on.

he zips up his sad excuse of a coat and makes his way out of the comfort of his alley. the pedestrians are all holding onto someone they love as they giggle about how cold it is and the christmas lights already hung up even though it is only november. taehyung will admit that the scenery is quite beautiful but he has more crucial things to worry about like not catching pneumonia and dying.

taehyung has always been a smaller boy; his arms are practically miniature twigs attached to a human body, his tummy is soft yet thin and his thighs are long and lean. he has a beautiful build with attractive proportions but everything faltered the moment he was kicked to the outdoors. he is thinner than he should be and his jawline went from being soft to dangerously chiseled. he tries not to look too long at himself in the mirror anymore. his own image is a reminder of how bad he has it, but no, he does not want to pity himself. this is just the way some lives turn out and that does not mean that this is his end; he refuses to accept this as his end.

he already knows where he is going when he turns onto the main street, sticking close to buildings to feel the heat tumbling off of them from their windows and cracks in the doors. his fingertips trace the lines of bricks, ghosting over window panels and colorful lights. his brown eyes have a childlike glow when he comes across a particularly appealing glowing lantern with a pretty reindeer, flowers surrounding it with fake snow tumbling down on top. the lights from the lantern appear in his pupils as he smiles softly before continuing to his route to the bookshop.