Wings, that pushed through air with grace. Chatter, from observers witnessing the winged creatures that roamed the glass dome, absorbing sunlight and embracing their captive freedom.

Lips, that gazed toward his own.

It took Taehyung seconds to process the younger's words. Words that had changed his perspective in what it was that had the boy acting oddly different. Somehow, the Jeongguk in front of him was the one he always knew. And yet, oddly enough he felt as though he were meeting him for the first time.

Within that moment of hesitation, Jeongguk only seemed to draw himself nearer. Closer, closer. As if their breaths couldn't intertwine enough. Though Taehyung knew, the boy was only trying to grant both their wish. It was in their gaze and how they held their breaths. His and Jeongguk's lips were ones that were eager. Lips that wanted to reach each other.

But before they could connect, Taehyung had taken two steps back.

"You... You're telling me you knew this whole time?" He spoke the words with a tone of disbelief, one that Jeongguk himself wasn't so shocked to hear. He had just confessed to his motives, after all.

"Knew...? About what, exactly? Because if we're being honest here what I know about you is absolutely nothing." Jeongguk's response was solid. Honest to his true feelings.

But somehow it wasn't enough.

"You mean to tell me-," Taehyung inhaled an exasperated breath, "All that shit I did to you, what I.... said to you was for nothing?"

The boy raised a brow. "For nothing?"

"Yes, I mean you're—!" Another frustrated breath. "You're in danger around me. Constantly. I did what was best for you, Jeon, I—"

"What was best for me...?" Jeongguk took the two steps forward to close in the distance between them. "How can you say that? I already experienced being held at gunpoint next to you—"

Taehyung quickly cut in. "And that's just it! How the fuck can you say it's not dangerous for you being around me?"

Jeongguk looked off to the side and reached a hand up, running it through his hair, brows contorting in a growing frustration. He then sighed softly and calmly answered the man. "That Acre guy already saw my face, Taehyung. I've already been around Bangtan members for too long, even before I knew of all this. You, Yerin, Hoseok-hyung... If that's the case, doesn't it make sense for me to be safer around you guys than when I'm far away...?"

Taehyung scoffed out a laugh. "How the fuck does that make any sense?"

The boy only stared at him with a gentle look, an indistinct smile on his lips. "It makes sense," he spoke. "It's too late, I mean, they already know me. It's more dangerous for me not to be in Bangtan's protection. Besides..." He took another stride forwards. "I feel safer around you than I do by myself... You make me feel safe." Jeongguk reached up to hold Taehyung's face into his kind hands again, but before his palm could touch the man's cheeks the older took two more step backwards.

"You're not making any sense." Taehyung's words were dry. Jeongguk blinked back at him bluntly. "You should be scared at the thought of involving yourself any further."

"Scared...?" Jeongguk gave a short laugh. "Maybe. But between the two of us, I sure am not the one that's scared, Taehyung."

The man narrowed his eyes.

"Look at you," Jeongguk continued, moving to walk closer towards the other again, all while Taehyung simultaneously retreated from him. "You're scared to even let me touch you, because you know. You know that if I do, you'd give into me... don't you?"

It went on like that for a few more seconds. The more steps Jeongguk took towards him, the more steps Taehyung withdrew. That is, of course, until the man's back hit a rough surface, and he was backed up against one of the garden's tall tree trunks.

He let out a ragged breath. Jeongguk now stood directly in front of him, his shining eyes gazing at him in great strength. Taehyung maintained the tense eye contact, gaze flickering towards the boy's lips.

"I'm scared I'll hurt you..." he whispered eventually, hands falling behind him to touch the jagged texture of lumber bark.

Jeongguk smiled gently. "You can't hurt me, hyung. Not anymore."

Once again the younger reached his hands up to hold Taehyung's perfectly sculpted face.

This time they connected.

Jeongguk's palms were warm over his cheeks, Taehyung could immediately feel his racing heart begin to calm itself.

"Despite what people say about you... I know you have a gentle soul, Tae..." He spoke the words in a quietly tender voice, as though if he were to raise his voice any louder Taehyung would slip from his grasp. "I want to give you the chance... to prove that to me."

Taehyung's eyes fell shut, fingers reaching to secure themselves at the younger's waist. "A gentle soul...?" His deep voice slipped from his lips. Jeongguk's lashes fluttered at the sound. "You couldn't be any more wrong."

Without much of any warning, the two men's lips then connected, a gaspy breath emitting from one of them. Jeongguk's hips pressed eagerly against Taehyung's, rubbing his body up on his. He could feel the older's strong grip on his waist, keeping him in place as their tongues began to entice each other to a dance.

Jeongguk felt light. His entire body, as though he were floating. Around him existed nothing and everything, all at once. Taehyung's touch was the only thing that kept him gripping to reality. Reminded him that, yes, he was still on earth, standing on a fantasy-like garden kissing a pretty man.

His hand slipped to the side of Taehyung's neck, caressing the skin gently before he dug his finger's into the back of the man's hair and tugged on some strands. The action alone earned him a grunt from Taehyung, one that rumbled down Jeongguk's every sense. At the sound, Jeongguk replied with a whiny moan, which Taehyung reacted to by gently pushing the boy away, their lips disconnecting with remnants of each other's saliva.

"Shit..." Taehyung whispered, a complex pressure pressing at his chest. He couldn't tell what it was he was feeling, but he didn't like the confusion that had bathed him without warning. Feelings, that came from the boy's lips.

He hesitantly turned to look over at the boy, and when their eyes met, both men's lips tugged into amused grins at the same time.

Suddenly the two were laughing out loud, fingers pointed at each other while they cackled in curt giggles, breaking free of the tense atmosphere they had surrounded themselves in not long ago.

"Hyung, there's—... t-there's a butterfly on your head!" Jeongguk laughed loudly, index finger pointed directly at Taehyung, who was mimicking the same pose towards the younger.

"There's one on yours, too," Taehyung grinned, "The dumb looking fucker with the eye wings."

Upon hearing that, Jeongguk squealed, bouncing up to scare the bug on his head. Which had worked, because the poor butterfly was quick to fly away at the sudden movement. The boy then inhaled ragged breaths before looking up at the insect over Taehyung's head.

"No fair... yours is pretty," he exhaled, a cute pout on his lips.

Taehyung continued to stare at him with a lingering smile. "How does it look like?"

Jeongguk let out another laugh, eyes now on the man in front of him. "Well it's... purple. Dark. A black lining on the wings. Uh.. It has some white spots going in a line at the center. It's actually kind of pretty. Reminds me of you, a little."

Taehyung listened in silence, picturing the kind of butterfly that was supposedly resting on him.

"It seems like it really likes you. Hasn't flinched from you moving not even once," Jeongguk added, and watched as the man quietly chuckled.

"I suppose that's because I, for one, haven't freaked out and jumped all over the place just to get it away from me."

Jeongguk frowned. "I got spooked, okay? Not all of us are Disney princes that attract all the pretty animals."

Taehyung bit his lip, as if to hold back his laugh, then inched closer towards the younger.

"You should really..." his large hands cupped the younger's pretty face, "...stop being so fucking adorable. I may just give in to you."

Jeongguk gave him a bunny-like smile, his endearing teeth showing as he bumped their noses together lightly.

"Then, give in to me."

And as Taehyung reconnected their lips, thumb guiding Jeongguk's head up towards him, a means to match his height, the boy knew that Taehyung, indeed, had unfastened the high walls he had built up to keep others out.

Just for him.

※ ※

Jeongguk woke up with teeth nibbling over the side of his neck. He grunted softly, eyes heavy, his blurred vision struggling to adjust to the brightness filling his surroundings. He blinked repeatedly, head falling to the side to meet a cushioned pillow.

"Good morning," a husky voice seeped into his ear, sending bolts of electricity across his skin, the hairs on his arms rising.

He quickly turned to see Taehyung's sharp dark eyes looking at him, and Jeongguk's heart nearly pumped out of his chest.

"W-Wh—... H-Hey, 'morning, um... Where are we...?"

Taehyung chuckled, dipped his head towards the younger and placed a kiss to his neck.

"My bed."

Jeongguk's big eyes widened, eyes scurrying to look around the familiar bedroom. And that's when the memories flooded back into him at once. How they had decided on retreating to Taehyung's apartment, supposedly to continue working on their project, a plan that had quickly gone astray the minute they let themselves taste each other once.

Once became twice, which then became thrice, and suddenly Jeongguk had now awakened to the aftermath of it all.

"Did-... W-Were we drunk?" he asked in a quiet voice, causing the older to laugh once more.

"No, darling. You're just in a sleepy state right now."

Jeongguk blinked repeatedly and slowly nodded. Truthfully, he didn't remember alcohol being in the equation last night, but he did remember a vague feeling of being drunk in lust. Taehyung often had that effect on him.

"What... What time is it..?" Jeongguk yawned out, only to feel strong hands grip at his sides. When he looked up, Taehyung was suddenly towering over him, his long bangs shielding his eyes while he lowered his head over Jeongguk's belly. The boy watched as Taehyung then proceeded to press light kisses all across his stomach, causing him to giggle quietly. "Hey, that-... that tickles a little..."

"Yeah?" came Taehyung's deep voice, followed by a loud kissing sound of the man's lips smacking over his skin.

Jeongguk replied in more giggling, his hands moving to hold the male's broad shoulders. "S-Stop..." he whined, giving weak attempts at pushing the other away.

Taehyung merely ignored him, and continued to kiss down his belly button and to his pelvis. Jeongguk's laughs came to a halt, a warmth suddenly beginning to sprout on his lower region.

"Tae..." he spoke in his whiny tone again, and he wasn't sure if he had hallucinated it, but a handsome smile appeared on the man's lips.

"Fuck. Say my name like that again, baby."

Jeongguk's cheeks became rosy, an embarrassed hue of red adorning his skin.

"W-What? N-No..."

Taehyung's smirk only grew at the response. "No?"

He kissed on the boy's inner thigh, dangerously close to his crotch, all while one hand rubbed on the other thigh in excruciatingly slow circle motions. Jeongguk failed terribly at holding back his breath.

"T-Tae..." he whined loudly.

"Mm," the man responded. "Again."

He lifted the boy's legs up, guiding them apart to straddle his head, then dipped lowered to smooch over Jeongguk's perky hole.

He inhaled sharply. "Tae...!"

"Mhm?" came Taehyung's grunt. And suddenly the man felt desperate hands digging into his long strands, clinging to them helplessly as they guided him closer. Taehyung's nose pressed over Jeongguk's taint, and he quickly darted his tongue out to lick over the boy's entrance.

Jeongguk's breaths became shaky, his hole fluttering as Taehyung's saliva coated it thoroughly. "M-My god, Taehyung..." he moaned, "Please..."

"Please what, baby?"

Jeongguk's thighs trembled, cock springing up and resting over his stomach while Taehyung's tongue boldly explored inside him. He shut his eyes tightly, occasional moans slipping from his throat as he lost track of how much time had passed him by. Though at some point, he forced himself to open his eyes, where he was met with the sight of Taehyung's sweaty bangs now clinging to his forehead, giving him clear view of his sharp eyes that were fixated on him while he ate him out skillfully.

Beads of semen gathered at his tip, but before he could release them Taehyung suddenly pulled back and sat up on his knees, causing Jeongguk's eyes to widen once he spotted the man's hard erection moving towards his quivering entrance.

Taehyung's gaze remained firmly spectating him, almost as if to ask with his eyes for permission. Jeongguk licked his lips slowly and nodded in silence, bringing his knees up to invite the man inside him.

The older gripped his thighs roughly, a seductive groan leaving his lips as he gently penetrated Jeongguk, basking in the way the boy's walls welcomed him, gripped his erection almost immediately. Taehyung pushed in all the way, then let his hands fall at either side of Jeongguk's head upon the mattress while he hovered over him.

It was then that he noticed the way Jeongguk's eyes were shut tightly.

"Hm?" he moaned out softly, almost as if to check in on him. By now Jeongguk was already aware of Taehyung's small sounds during sex and what they meant. So he knew exactly what the man had just asked him, and how to reply.

"Mhm..." the boy grunted out, eyes fluttering open to smile up at him. To assure him, without words.

Taehyung, too, knew what it meant.

Knew what an 'I'm alright, please keep going,' sounded like by now.

So he did.

He kept going, his hips bucking back only to push forwards, scraping pleasure into the boy's senses which presented itself towards Taehyung in ragged whimpers.

"Shh, baby..." The man kissed down his jawline, over his chin, let his breaths press over Jeongguk's lips while they exchanged pleasured grunts. "I'll take good care of you."

All the feelings of regret, the 'I'm sorry's he never got to say. He hoped Jeongguk could feel it in the way he caressed him gently, kissed his lips tenderly, fucked deep into him with precise and delicate movements.

He hoped that the boy could feel it in his body, how it was Taehyung felt towards him in that moment.

How we wished they could stay like this.

Always.

✱