moonbeams.

XIV. DESIRE IN YOUR EYES

death is hunting us down but we keep it chasing our feet.

Taehyung walked into the art supply shop wearing his bright smile happy as ever, sea foam eyes sparkling with upmost positivity and a soft aura that made him calm and collected. Jeongguk had never saw the artist this way before, and his own bunny grin appeared at the very sight of a truly positive Taehyung.

"You're very happy today." Jeongguk pointed out, even noticing how the artist's clothes were lighter shades and his hands were speckled with pink paint.

"I am indeed." Taehyung nodded and placed his desired items on the counter, running his hand through freshly dyed dark green bangs with a tanned hand. Every time he came in here, he was always in either a sensual mood or an angsty one.

Now he was smiling broadly and didn't have a snappy reply to anything he said.

"Taehyung, why yellow paintbrushes?" Jeongguk asked as he placed the brushes and pots of pastel paints into a plastic bag, the other giving a light chuckle.

"Because yellow is a happy colour. Now let me buy my shit and leave, please and thank you." He wasn't being harsh; Jeongguk knew from the spark of playfulness in his softened eyes and a smirk tugging at the raspberry lips.

"Feisty today aren't we?" Jeongguk giggled, handing over the bag as he received the money in return. As he was about to hand over the change, Taehyung shook his head and refused to take it.

"Keep it."

Jeongguk frowned. "But I know you're struggling as it is, and this is too much change for-"

"If you come over tonight, you can make up for it." Taehyung smirked well and proper this time, not holding back on the cockiness woven in his words, the hint of humour from previous chuckles and the shock on the younger's youthful face.

"Uhm, I-I'd love to." A light pink hue dusted over clear cheeks, nimble fingers putting the change in the till while Taehyung unexpectedly pecked the left rosy cheek.

"See you tonight guk."

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When Jeongguk walked into the studio, the whole place was dark. Moonlight flooded the floors, being the only source of light for Jeongguk to use, his brows furrowing in confusion. Why are the lights off but the door unlocked?

"Jeongguk! In here!" The brunet looked over to the glass door to see a waving and grinning Taehyung, two bottles in his hands as the street lamps from outside illuminated his tanned form.

What Jeongguk noticed on his walk to the door, was that the portrait of the artist's mother was gone.

Taehyung opened the door as the younger got closer, said male looking at the artist with question swimming in maple eyes and brows knitted together. "Tae, where'd the painting go?"

He didn't answer. Handing Jeongguk a beer by its sweaty neck, he grabbed the wrist of the confused boy and lead him over to a set of fire-escape stairs. They walked up, moonbeams glimmering against tanned flesh, pink and white paint crawling up his wrists more dull-toned.

"I thought a rooftop picnic kinda thing would be nice." Taehyung shrugged, popping the caps off both the beers as Jeongguk stood in awe.

The view of the city was perfect, the noises of a bustling night heard from the roof and the stars above probably could too. Taehyung sat them both down on a yellow blanket, the soft material soothing underneath the younger's finfertips along with the slightly-course feel of a certain artist's palm.

Jeongguk sipped at the cheap alcohol, scrunching his nose up slightly at the chemical-like taste. But it was quite the addictive substance, from how it burned his throats just enough as to not be painful, to how it didn't make him feel tipsy because it wasn't strong like the stuff he was normally offered at parties.

"The painting..." Taehyung started, swirling the liquid in the green bottle and stared at his hands, anywhere to not meet Jeongguk's caring gaze. "Yoongi and I painted over it. He spoke truth to me and he told me that getting rid of the damn thing would relieve something in me."

"Oh..." Did I not do a good enough job myself?

"We burned it afterwards. It felt like...like I was getting rid of her from my life. For good." The artist smiled with tears of happiness pooling his sea foam irises, his paint-stroked hand lifting the glass bottle to his soft lips. They weren't even cracked anymore.

"That's good, Tae. That's really good and I'm proud of you." I wish I could've helped him.

Taehyung set the bottle down and glanced at the navy horizon, fingers skimming across the blanket to reach for a certain younger's other hand for a source of comfort. And plainly because he just wanted to.

"I know it seems weird of me to say this Jeongguk," The elder looked at him. The moonlight accentuated the sharp cheekbones, the dip of his cupid's bow, the honey shade of his shimmering orbs. A bubbling sensation rose in both of them, a feeling that Jeongguk was so close to losing against and Taehyung contemplated so hard on whether to act on that feeling or not. "But there's just...something about you...that I feel myself wanting more of."

I want to kiss him, I do.

It's not like the others. It's not lust anymore.

It's pure need.

"Taehyung I-" His eyes widened from the feel of raspberry lips against his rouge ones, a sweet unknown taste swirling with the sharp hit of beer, large tanned hands tracing upwards to the dip of his waist.

Bliss ran through his buzzing veins, fire dancing along his entire nervous system as his eyes fluttered shut. His hand grazed along the elder's arm to his cheek, cupping his jaw to steady himself and pull the other closer.

"I-really-like you," Kisses interrupted each word but Jeongguk knew what he was saying, and smiled as Taehyung continued his heavenly actions. "And-I-know-you probably-don't feel-the-same, but..."

Jeongguk pulled their lips apart fully, resting his forehead against the elder's as his chest heaved with heavy intakes of air and his heart stammered trying to beat at a regular pace. "Shut up. Just shut up and kiss me goddamnit."

Taehyung smirked. "Gladly."

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