ENEMIES WITH BENEFITS-Taekook

22

He gave up, at last, and took the cigar and brought it to his lips and took a long drag. He felt like gagging. But Taehyung never gagged. If Taehyung could do it, so could do he. Right?

Wrong.

Jeongguk went in to a coughing fit, when the smoke hit his throat. He was gripping the railing for dear life as he wheezed. Taehyung held him as Jeongguk coughed for almost a minute. How embarrassing is that?

Tears were blurring his eye sight. When he was finally done with the gagging, he looked up at Taehyung, who helped him stand up from his current bent position. His cheeks were burning from embarrassment. When he met Taehyung's gaze, he saw that Taehyung was trying not to laugh.

"What?!" Jeongguk croaked out.

Taehyung started laughing his ass off. Loud and bubbly laughter erupting from him as his whole figure shook as he bent down and clutched his stomach. Jeongguk was downright embarrassed. But he couldn't help but smile at Taehyung's reaction. He had never seen the older laugh so much. It made Jeongguk happy.

"I'm so sorry" Taehyung wheezed. And then continued to laugh.

"I didn't mean to laugh" Taehyung said, gasping for breath and trying to control his laughter.

Jeongguk crossed his arms against his chest and waited for the older to stop laughing. After what seemed like a minute or so, the laughter died down. Taehyung stood up straight, facing Jeongguk and wiped off his tears.

"I'm sorry. It's just you're such a baby" A giggle. "Haven't you ever smoked before?"

"No" Jeongguk snapped. "Unlike you, I have better things to do than waste my time burning my lungs"

Taehyung chuckled. "Okay, bunny" He hugged Jeongguk from the back and planted a kiss on top of his head. "Don't worry" Taehyung whispered. "I won't tell anyone"

"Fuck off" Jeongguk tried to sound annoyed.

Taehyung chuckled again. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's comfort.

"Angel, Look" Taehyung's said and pointed towards the sky.

The night was cloudless. Many stars gleamed above them.

"Come" Taehyung said, unwrapping his arms from Jeongguk. "Let's go upstairs. We can get a better view up there"

Taehyung went inside and Jeongguk followed. Taehyung bolted out of his room, heading to the stairs.

The rooftop was a vast space. You can get a 3600 view of the sky from there. Jeongguk had never been up here. The place was empty except for the daybed in the middle of the space and a table and wooden chairs.

Jeongguk gazed at the midnight blue canvas above him, mesmerized. The velvet sky was filled with yellow and white shining particles. There were lighter patches, clusters of faint and bold light, the constellations altered according to the time of year. These were the same stars that greeted the ancients, the same ones that would be there in millions of years.

The milky spectacles twirled and danced along the pitch black curtain draped over the sky, in various patterns. Jeongguk tilted his head, eyes more open than they could be in the fullness of day, not looking at one star but taking in the whole cosmos spread above him.

"Beautiful" Jeongguk whispered.

"Isn't it? Stargazing is one of my favorite things to do" Taehyung said from beside Jeongguk. He took a seat on the tiled floor. Jeongguk followed action.

The two men stared at the vast sky above them. The moon hung in a curved shape and hazy beneath an eclipse of blazing stars. Staring in to the cosmos made Jeongguk wonder if they were really alone. How they might not be alone in this universe.