SPACE ;; TAEGGUK

thirty one

;;

jeongguk fell asleep
past the gates of the
airport.

head lolling
forward and back
in the rickety taxi journey
through the bustling
city of brussels, it's
boisterous traffic
and people out
on the streets,
nightlife flourishing all
around. buildings
stood vast and towering,
silent, watching giants
above their heads, lit
up with a glistening array
of spectrum lights, flooding
the centre in a whirlwind
of colour, the gardens
spilling over with flowers
of all shapes and hues,
each with their
own place, their own
part to play that together
created a masterpiece.

the older inhaled
the smell, the feeling of
being somewhere so
foreign from home.

he loved it. this freedom.

alone with the boy at his side.

taehyung watched,
reminiscent of the
last time he'd been here.
he could still smell the
fresh laven bread from
the bakery he'd visited
with his friends, the
sweet smell of chocolate
that wafted under their
noses, the crisp waffles
that he'd sank his teeth
into so long ago that it
seemed only yesterday
that he was exploring the
landmarks of this beautiful
country, photographing
every stone of the cobbled
meandering pavements
beneath his feet.

it was glorious.

he didn't dare wake him.

he never would, depsite how
much he wanted jeongguk
to see the beauty outside.
he'd let the teen sleep for an
eternity if he wanted
to. he never intended to
disturb him looking
so comfortable like that.
his fresh, flushed face,
his parted lips, his tiny
double chin that appeared
when he ducked his head
a little too low. even the
subtle trickle of drool
that gathered at the
side of his mouth, taehyung
adored it all. every inch.

there wasn't a part of
him that he wasn't fond
of. and even if there was,
he looked past it all, his
flaws had nothing to grasp
onto and were soon buried
beneath his admiration for
him.

every now and then,
the smaller's head
would dip to the
side and brush taehyung's
shoulder; the man felt
his heart leap in his chest
at the brush of his hair
against his neck, savoring
it for a split second before
the boy stirred and removed
it as quickly as it had been
carefully placed. his small
hand lay still on his lap,
fingers brushing taehyung's
thigh as the man looked
out at the city, at the buildings,
ignoring everything that
he felt in the pit of his chest.

he tired to take his mind
off of him. it seemed unachievable,
impossible, even.

the night
sky shone bright with the light
of a million stars, holes punctured
into an inky tarpaulin pulled
overhead that allowed a trickle of
the sun's rays to escape through the
weakened cracks in the bleak
ceiling- concentration was
required to see them, they were
nearly drowned with the flood
of pigments spilling from the
city that held so much warmth
and psychedelic colour.