✔️ 𝐈𝐧𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 | 𝐓𝐚𝐞𝐠𝐠𝐮𝐤

Chapter Eleven.

Taehyung/Jeongguk

"Where are we going?" Taehyung giggled.

Jeongguk had appeared 30 minutes earlier with a home-cooked meal in tow. Taehyung, as he told Jeongguk, had never had better kimchi stew. He ate the delectable meal in anticipation as to what Jeongguk was going to do next, but the younger had refused to explain. When they finished their food, he swept Taehyung up in his arms and that was that.

Jeongguk was now carrying Taehyung bridal style, and he made him cover his eyes so he couldn't see where they were headed.

"I can totally see you peaking! Stop cheating or I'm taking you back to your room."

Taehyung pouted and made sure his fingers were adducted as tightly as possible. "Fine!"

Jeongguk peered down at the boy in his arms to check that his fingers were tightly closed. Satisfied, he continued walking.

He was surprised by how light Taehyung was, as the older felt light as a feather in his arms. Of course, he could easily feel how little muscle Taehyung had as well. He felt as if he were only skin and bones.

After a couple minutes more of walking in silence, Jeongguk stopped. Taehyung opened his fingers ever so slightly so he could see where they were, but he shut them tightly again when Jeongguk looked down at him.

"I'm gonna have to set you down for a second, Tae," Jeongguk breathed. Taehyung nodded and kept his hands pressed on his face as he felt his body gently hit the cold ground.

He heard Jeongguk's footsteps as he walked around him, and with the squeal of rusty door hinges, Taehyung knew exactly where they were. A blast of cool evening air and the scent of the city told him he was correct. Still, he kept his eyes closed, allowing Jeongguk to pick him up again and carry him outside.

"Now, open your eyes," Jeongguk said quietly, setting Taehyung down on a bench.

Taehyung could never have prepared himself for what he saw now.

He was on the roof of the hospital, the compact buildings around him extending themselves to scrape the colorful sky. He gasped as he looked around, his twinkling eyes awestruck by the beautiful city.

First, he noticed the city-scape and the way it glistened against the setting sun. Thousands of windows caught and reflected the light of the sun as it kissed the horizon, shining its last bit of light through the shimmering city haze. Beyond the sun, the sky was fading in a breathtaking ombre; black sapphire shifted to marigold, then to fuchsia, and finally, a stunning shade of saffron.

The air around Taehyung felt like velvet, enveloping him in it's soft, rich embrace. Petrichor hung in the air— from the afternoon's gentle drizzle— and it danced on Taehyung's cheeks and tongue until it found it's way inside his nose. He inhaled deeply, allowing the cool night air to overtake every inch of his body.

"Thank you," Taehyung said softly. Jeongguk sat next to him, resting his hand on Taehyung's good leg.

"Of course," Jeongguk replied, even softer still. "You know, we met on a balcony not too different from this one."

Taehyung chuckled lightly. "Yeah, we did." That night felt like it was worlds away now. Everything felt so different, yet he knew it wasn't. "I wish I could feel like this forever."

"Like what?"

"Like everything is finally right in the world. Like I'm not being controlled, as if I'm a puppet in someone's cruel game."

Jeongguk smiled sadly before directing his gaze towards Taehyung. "I know how you feel."

Taehyung smiled ever so slightly. Even though Jeongguk was barely touching him, he felt as if nobody could hurt him. Not Seokjin, not those people who had attacked him.

"You know earlier when you said you could kiss me?" Jeongguk ventured.

He opened his mouth to continue his thought, but he didn't have the chance to. Taehyung, in a matter of seconds, smashed his lips against Jeongguk's.

Jeongguk was taken aback for a moment, but it took no time at all for him to realize what was happening. Kim Taehyung, the soft and delicate Kim Taehyung, the same Kim Taehyung who had a dark past and people who were out to hurt him, was kissing him.

Kim Taehyung... the boy with the soft blonde hair and glowing skin, the boy who liked pastel colors and wearing cashmere sweaters.

The same Kim Taehyung who, he now knew, felt the exact same way about him.

Jeongguk's heart exploded as if a million fireworks had been set off in his chest, and the love that radiated from within him was the blaze that dared to light up the night, the hate, and the fear.

On their rooftop, in their infinitely small corner of the world, everything was perfect.

The two boys, with pasts so complex and terrifying, fell deeply for each other under the protection of the glistening stars.