Taehyung

Taaehyung woke up the next morning not in the least disoriented. When he felt the warm, slumbering body next to his, he knew exactly who it was.

Ewon.

He smiled and cuddled close, draping an arm over Ewon's body. They'd had a handful more times the night before, interrupted only by showers and a trip out of the cabin to get dinner. Ewon had mentioned something about wanting to burn through as many of his condoms as he could before the trip was over, and Taehyung was only too happy to help.

Four down, eight to go. It was a tall order, but Taehyung thought that if they really tried,  they might be able to work their way through them.

He settled down once he was curled up against Ewon's side. Ewon murmured something in his sleep and pushed back against him. Taehyung figured he was having nice dreams - the way he pressed back made Taehyung think that he was imagining what they'd been up to the night before.

Minx.

Taehyung lazily ran his hand up and down Ewon's side. He didn't want to wake him - not exactly - but if Ewon happened to wake up while he was  his soft skin, Taehyung wouldn't be upset. He was more than a little enthralled with his new partner.

Enthralled, or something more?

He let go of that thought and focused on the moment. It was the last full day of the cruise, and he didn't want to waste it getting wrapped up in the details. There was time to put a label on what he felt later. Right now, his time was best spent devoted to Ewon.

Taehyung cleared his throat, then pushed his face against Ewon's back and breathed in his scent. Sweat, exertion, and the masculine notes that Taehyung had come to associate with him. It was so different from sleeping with a woman...but Taehyung thought he preferred it this way. The night before, he hadn't been afraid to give Ewon everything he could. He hadn't had to watch his step and worry that he was putting too much of his weight down, or that he was being disrespectful, or that he'd made a wrong move. Ewon had taken everything, and he'd loved it.

Taehyung had loved it, too.

His fingers traced slow circles against Ewon's hip, then moved down his thigh and came back up. He kept his touch innocent. Until Ewon was conscious, he wasn't going to touch him ually...but once Ewon woke up? Taehyung didn't know if he could keep his hands away.

"Mm." Ewon mumbled. He stretched out like a cat in the sun, his body taut, and his arms over his head. His hands folded awkwardly against the headboard "Morning..."

"Good morning."

"You...mm...you feel really nice against me like that."

"Do I?" Taehyung let his hand continue tracing its pattern. He kissed the back of Ewon's head "Well, I guess I'll keep going, then. If I keep doing this, maybe we can start on number five..."

"Oh, ." Ewon laughed softly. He looked over his shoulder at Taehyung "You want my again? I'm never going to be able to walk if you keep this up."

"I mean, that might not be such a bad thing. It means that you'll get to stay in bed...and then I can keep ing you. Win win, right?"

"We haven't even had breakfast yet." Ewon objected, but his protestation seemed weak. He wiggled his against Taehyung's lap "I've barely even woken up."

"Nothing wakes you up like ."

"Or coffee." Ewon rolled over. He draped his arm over Taehyung's side and kissed him chastely "I know that you're probably ready to go...and I mean, you're starting to make me ...but we should wait. We spent ourselves hard yesterday. We might want to take it easier today." 

"We could make love instead, like we did late last night, right before we fell asleep." Taehyung suggested. He returned Ewon's kiss "Slow, gentle, and just...mmm. Making each other moan, reading each other's bodies, finding all your sweet spots."

Ewon's fingertips started to trace the same path that Taehyung's had. Taehyung shivered. His touch was electric "You mean you didn't learn them yesterday? You had so many chances..."

"By the time we got the must--hard out of our systems, I was too tired to pay attention. All I knew was that I wanted to hear you moan, and I did whatever made you make the best noises."

"How sweet of you."

"I aim to please." Taehyung kissed the top of Ewon's nose "So did you actually want coffee and breakfast, or is that just something you said to try to play coy? Because sometimes, I'm really dense - you have to say what you mean, or I'm probably not going to pick up on your nuance, and I'm going to make a fool of myself."

Ewon laughed "Yes, I want breakfast. No, that doesn't mean I don't want ...but this morning I'm really hungry."

"I wonder why." Taehyung said with a grin.

"Shut up. You know why." Ewon said playfully. He rolled away from him and stood. Or, at least, he tried to. When he put his weight on his feet, he stumbled and staggered a few paces until he caught himself on the wall. Taehyung laughed "Not funny!"

"I think it's plenty funny." Taehyyung said. He sat up slowly, watching Ewon test his wobbling legs "We got a solid, what, eight? Nine? Hours of sleep. So the fact that you're still weak in the knees is a testament to my sheer awesomeness."

Ewon made a face. He hobbled over to the bathroom "I'm showering quickly before breakfast. Do you want to go back to your room to shower, or do you want to try to fit into the little shower stall with me again?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"No." Ewon said, chuckling "But I figured it'd be more polite if we talked about it before you made your way into the bathroom and pinned me against the wall."

"See? You know exactly what to expect." Taehyung winked "Now, why don't you go run the water and get it warmed up for us? I'll be in there in a second."

"I'm sure you will be." Ewon shot him a little look, then disappeared into the bathroom. Taehyung heard the water start to run. He remained on the bed just a little while longer, grinning at nothing. He felt amazing. The cruise he'd been nervous about taking had turned into one of the best experiences of his life, and it was all because of Ewon. 

And if it hadn't been for their chance encounter in the hall, none of this would have happened.

Taehyung let himself marvel at the fact that their paths had crossed at all. He wondered what would have happened if Ewon decided to wait for the elevator instead of taking the stairs, or if he'd been too shy to return Taehyung's attentions. There were so many ways that they might not have met, or talked, or got to know one another, and Taehyung felt beyond blessed that none of them had happened, and that the odds had come up in his favor.

In their favor.

He got up, stretched, then headed to the bathroom. On his way, he grabbed the condoms and the lube, just in case. Ewon said he wanted coffee and breakfast first, but there'd been times when they'd discussed going to dinner for hours before they were able to pull themselves away from each other. Taehyung figured that he'd rather be safe than sorry.

He closed the bathroom door behind him and prepared for a fantastic morning.

The sixth and final day of the cruise passed exactly like Taehyung thought it would. After a much longer time spent in the shower than either of them had anticipated, and two more condoms down, they found a quiet spot to sit down for breakfast, and enjoyed quiet conversation over coffee and pancakes. Once they were full and their coffees were drained, they walked the ship and continued their conversation until the course of their day brought them back to Ewon's room.

Another few condoms bit the dust.

Taehyung laid on Ewon's bed, , in the darkness. It had to be close to eleven at night. Tomorrow, they'd dock back in Florida, and the cruise would come to an end. Their time together was running out.

He was aware that Ewon was awake beside him. Every now and then, Ewon would squirm, or roll over, or find Taehyung through the darkness and snuggle up to him. Taehyung didn't mind that he didn't want to talk. They'd both agreed after their last that it was probably a good idea if they tried to get to sleep. But sleep didn't seem appealing right now.

Taehyung didn't want tomorrow to come.

He had a good head on his shoulders. He knew that it wasn't the end if he didn't want it to be. But he also knew that, no matter how hard he fought, that things would never be the same again. He would lose Ewon. They would go their separate ways, and eventually, the way they felt about each other would change. Taehyung felt like if he avoided sleep, tomorrow would never come, even though he knew that notion was preposterous. Time would march on with or without him.

With or without Ewon.

He sighed. He'd tried to mask the noise, but it was quiet in Ewon's cabin.

"What's wrong?" Ewon asked.

"I think you already know."

Ewon ran a hand over his chest, his skin reassuringly. He set his lips on Taehyung's arm, near his shoulder, and spoke in a hushed tone "I know."

But now that the topic had been breached, Taehyung didn't think he could stop. His heart hurt too much to keep it all in "I don't want tomorrow to come. I don't want for this to end. I keep lying here, thinking that if only I stay awake, nothing will change...that the world will let us have the time together that we want, and that everything will be okay."

"You know it can't be that easy." Ewon murmured. He pressed his lips to Taehyung's arm "Nothing is ever that easy. Do you remember what you told me, when I pulled away because I was afraid of the pain?"

"But that was a few days ago. Tomorrow we dock for the final time, and the cruise ends. What then?" Taehyung couldn't recall being so hung up about something for a long time. He stared through the darkness at the ceiling. 

"We're at the part now where we can start worrying about pain. We don't even have twenty-four hours left..."

"Taehyung?" Ewon paused. Taehyung felt him frown against his shoulder "I know that you're scared about what's going to happen...because I am, too. I hear the same pain I feel in your voice, and I understand. But all we have left is this night. Just one last night to remember each other by. Can we forget about everything else right now? Can we forget about what's going to happen tomorrow, and the unpredictability of the future, and focus on the right now? The now where our bodies are sharing the same bed, where I'm touching you, and you're touching me, and where we can cuddle up and find strength in each other, even if it's just for a little while longer?"

Taehyung smiled sadly. He closed his eyes "Yeah. I think we can do that."

"Then let's do it. No thinking about tomorrow. Not for right now. We'll worry about it when it comes, okay?"

"Okay."

They spent the rest of the night cuddled up together, appreciating what it felt like to be together on the last night they had at each other's sides.