the spaces in betweenㅣtaeyong

23 ; almosts and what ifs

"Dohyeong!"

I turned my head to see my grandma, walking towards me with a smile. "Hi," I waved, returning her smile eagerly.

It went on like that, exchanging hugs and conversing with family members I hadn't seen in a while. Even though there weren't many people there, I still had a lot to catch up on, it seemed.

"You're very close with your family," Taeyong said this when I went in the kitchen to get plates for dinner.

I nodded, responding softly, "I always have been."

Sooner or later, I was sat down at the dinner table, my immediate family and close relatives filling the other seats around me. I was an only child, but I was really close with a few of my cousins, despite our age difference. It was a pair of twins, a boy and girl both around fourteen. They sat a few seats away from me, arguing softly amongst themselves about something that most likely didn't matter much.

I was sort of quiet while everyone else talked as dinner was eaten, not knowing what to say or where to butt in. My aunt and uncle were talking about New Years while my cousins, the twins, argued about how they would open the gifts under the tree. My age was in a weird place when it came to my family since I was too young to drink with the adults, but also still too old to be considered a child. It was like a never-ending limbo of discussions of life after school and helping a said cousin with 9th-grade math problems.

But, it was still fun, so I just smiled and laughed along, truly trying to enjoy myself.

And it only went on to be more and more fun as the time passed. I tried my best to join in on what everyone was talking about, and everyone, thankfully, seemed to accept it with open arms. I opened presents from my grandparents under their tree, holding up the new laptop case I'd gotten when everyone wanted to see. I'd had such a great time, so later, when it was time to go home, I was exhausted.

I knew that Taeyong knew that I was tired, but I didn't think he understood to the extent. My stomach was full, and I was so drowsy from laughing so much that I didn't think I could even walk in a straight line without stumbling over my own feet. The pyjamas that I'd changed into, maybe the softest ones that I'd ever owned, definitely didn't help, either

"Dohyeong?" I picked my head up to see my mom, looking over at me from the kitchen as she teased me, "Are you tired?"

I just nodded, looking back down as I ignored her poke.

She just seemed to laugh at my reaction, her footsteps going away to the entryway, where everyone else was gathered to talk before they left. I let out a quiet sigh as I stretched my legs out, my chin digging into my chest as I unintentionally let my eyes flutter closed. My grandparent's couch had never been the most comfortable, but right now, I could probably fall asleep anywhere.

It was almost like my body was airy now, nothing but exhaustion flowing idly through my bones I felt myself begin to drift off. But, I awoke again a bit when I felt an arm sneak around my shoulders, their hand resting lightly on my neck as they pulled me into their shoulder.

I opened my eyes and slightly tilted my head up, getting a short view of the angel's face before my eyes unintentionally closed again. I felt that it was a completely different situation than normal, but if anything, Taeyong was closer to a friend than a guardian angel at this point, and I didn't really find any reason to mind. So, I reached out my hand and placed it on his knee, mumbling out a short and quiet 'thank you'.

At first, I wasn't sure if he had heard me, but when I felt his arm shift so his hand could squeeze my shoulder, I knew he had.

Around an hour later, I sat down in my bed, too exhausted to even think. And for a moment, I just stared at the wall, not finding any good reason to move. My tired brain was too focused on the lights outside my window to notice Taeyong sitting down next to me.