Boy By The Sea • taekook

Sixteen

When they finally get home, Taehyung's lips are ruddy and swollen from all the biting. As Jeongguk pushes him into bed, he can't help but to pause and take in the sight. Taehyung's hair is fanned out prettily on the white cotton sheets, his breath hot and heavy, yearning for him, needing him so desperately.

He makes Taehyung touch himself, and savour the strings of moans and whimpers that fall out of him. When he finally fills Taehyung from behind, the moves are slow and delirious for both of them. Taehyung does earn the reward eventually, hard and overstimulated, rutting himself into his hand and snapping under the firm and reassuring touches. Jeongguk then waits, feeling the throbbing of his member within him. Wait, until he feels the tremble slows and stops on Taehyung, and his breath is shallow and even again, arching his back prettily and eyeing him with desire in his gaze. When Jeongguk finally comes, the relief is heady and dizzying. He lays there, collapsed, and feels all his muscles loosen. Taehyung has an indulgent little grin on his face, cupping Jeongguk's cheeks with both hands and kissing him gently before sauntering away to grab towels to clean both of them up.

They stay in bed and talk about everything and nothing, until Taehyung's hooded lids droop and lashes flutter. His face is serene in a deep slumber, cheeks still flushed and hands grasping onto Jeongguk's arm possessively. When Jeongguk retracts himself slowly away, Taehyung whines in his sleep with knitted brows and makes Jeongguk grin.

By the time Jeongguk is washed up and dressed to step out for a jog, the sun is hanging low, and misty haze shrouds the horizon, where the sky meets the ocean. Jeongguk feels the lightness in his steps, as he pushes into the sandy beach and picks up in speed. He inhales the salty air filled with the scent of the sea, and lets his mind wander back to all the issues that plague his mind. Troubles that he never shares with Taehyung - business concerns, the stress in Yoongi's voice every time he picks up the phone, dreams that come back to haunt him still from time to time.

Jeongguk revels in the sensation of pushing his muscles to exhaustion, building sprints into the long jog to ramp up the response from his body. Those precious moments when his body fires back alarmingly in pain, and lung gasping for air. The physical response to the demand of the jog always makes him feel so exquisitely alive, sharp sensations that drown out all the muddled thoughts on his mind, cleansing and anchoring him to life.

By the time he's back at the front door, his muscles are contently fatigued and mind at peace with solutions for a few issues at work. The sky is darker and tinted in rosy and golden tones. And right by the front door, seated next to a few bright fuchsia blooms that have fallen from the tall begonia plant, is a furry little thing that gives him pause.

A white kitten, with black and yellow calico spots on its tiny back, meows at him timidly.

Jeongguk inches towards him, surprised, and kneels down to whisper, "are you lost?"

The kitten responds with another meow and meets his eyes, not moving away. Jeongguk reaches out his hand and feels the tiny furry head nuzzle into his fingers.

"Where's home?" He asks again. The kitten looks at him with ember orbs, and moves closer and leans into his leg, rubbing onto him in long strokes.

Jeongguk sighs slowly, and reaches in to pick up the kitten. It's so small, fitting right between his two cupped hands. No collar on its neck or markings on its ears. There's sand and mud in the speckled fur, and the tiny body shivers. But when Jeongguk brings him up closer to look at him, the kitten stares right into him with shining unabashed eyes.

Jeongguk doesn't think about fate much. But for a few precious moments in life, he feels it, the sensation that certain people and events, are fated to be.

The kitten sits in his cupped hand close to his chest, as he makes his way through the door and towards the bedroom. He kneels onto bed and reaches towards Taehyung, who is asleep and clutching onto a pillow tightly.

From Jeongguk's hand, the kitten looks onto Taehyung and meows timidly. Taehyung stirs and grasps onto the pillow tighter.

The kitten eyes Jeongguk, who stares back hesitantly. Then it slowly dips its tiny paws onto the bed, cautiously but eventually making its way towards Taehyung after scratching behind its ear.

"Meow." The kitten licks Taehyung's hand by the pillow, Jeongguk feels the corner of his mouth curl up. Taehyung's lids flutter and as his eyes open, his gaze zooms onto the kitten in surprise, watching it begin to paw his finger lightly.

"What-" his voice is laced with sleep, but the surprise in his tone is unmistakable. He pushes himself up with one arm and eyes Jeongguk groggily, "is that-a kitty?"

Jeongguk watches amused, as Taehyung's gaze softens and his hand reaches in to touch the kitten. It's so tiny, the head just big enough for Taehyung to scratch lightly, but the motion produces a purr right away, as the kitten leans its whole body into his hand longingly.

"It was at the front door. We can ask around to see if it has a home, but for now there's milk in the fridge?" Jeongguk offers.

Taehyung's eyes are filled with tenderness as he reaches out to touch the kitten more, "poor thing, must be starving..."

It takes them another hour to feed the kitten, wipe it with warm wet towels, and make a bed for it with blankets. He turns out to be a boy, no more than a few weeks old if Jeongguk has to guess, and mellow under Taehyung's touch. Taehyung sits next to the makeshift cat bed, and watches as the kitten doze off, curled up in a tiny little ball.

Jeongguk glances at him and comments, "I'll call all the vets close by and report this, but if we don't find an owner..."

Taehyung strokes the kitten's back slowly with one finger, voice laced with longing, "if we don't find an owner..."

Jeongguk eyes him and clears his throats before continuing, "would you want to keep him?"

The words linger in the air, tantalizing. Taehyung bites his lips, his head tilted in a nervous tic, voice hesitant, "can I? I know you don't like clutters and mess, I'd understand if you don't want to..."

He gazes onto Jeongguk timidly, not daring to hope. Jeongguk's heart softens. He finds a spot on the floor next to Taehyung, and sits down, " maybe we can take care of him together, yeah?"

Taehyung's breath hitches, and a pretty smile blooms on his face, making Jeongguk feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, "oh Gukkie-I've always wanted-oh god, never had a chance-" he chokes up on the words and buries his face into him, voice a grateful whisper now, "thank you."

Jeongguk doesn't tell him that he's never thought of having a pet, never felt anything towards an animal - they seem distant, detached, belonging to someone else. Commitment to an animal, or to another person, is  something he's always shied away from. But watching Taehyung with the kitten makes him soft and content, unable to say no.

He looks onto the little fur ball that's quickly becoming a part of his responsibilities and hums with trepidation. It's so tiny, what's the worst it can do, right.

Jeongguk drapes his arm around Taehyung and comments, "if we do keep him, what do you wanna name him?"

"Oh... I don't know, he's so sweet and mellow. I'm just...so happy." Taehyung's grin is spreading, his voice dripping with joy, and he leans into Jeongguk.

"Chim Chim."

Taehyung looks up and meets his eyes. Jeongguk clears his throat and tries to keep his voice even, "Jimin mentioned before that was Solar's nickname for him, and it always made him think of home when he heard it..."

His voice trails off, as Taehyung's eyes widen slowly, with all the bittersweet memories flooding back between the two of them. Quietly Taehyung nods, then he looks away and blinks hard, before Jeongguk catches the mist in his eyes.

"Chim Chim..." Taehyung whispers and strokes the kitten's back softly, "did you come back for me? Were you worried? I'll take care of you this time 'round, ok? You're home now."

Jeongguk thumbs the tears away from Taehyung's face and holds onto him, reassuring him wordlessly. They sit together on the floor, leaning into each other as the kitten sleeps peacefully curled up in the folded blanket.