* â° Â Â Â Â THIS FEELING IS WHAT THEY MUST HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WHEN THEY SPOKE OF RAPTURE,  eden thinks, because here in this moment it feels as though heâs transcended the sorrows of earth ââ it feels as though heâs been transported into the graces of heaven. bliss floods every one of edenâs senses, and here in sihyunâs warmth, so willingly, eden drowns. â i do believe his mouth is heaven, his kisses falling over me like stars, â eden recites with gentle smile, pressing the ridge of his jawline into the soft and waiting warmth of sihyunâs lips ââ and he focuses on this tender point of contact, letting it ground him where he lays as his mind begins to wander. â you know ââ when i was a young boy, i feared iâd never make it into heaven. â he tells sihyun ; voice soft, soft, soft, as the divulgence leaves his lips. â i was taught that someone like me ââ people like us ââ we wouldnât be welcome there. every night i dreamt of fire, and how it burned. iâd wake up drenched in sweat and tears. â and itâs a poignant sadness that eden is disclosing, laying the truth bare in soft glow of the peaceful morning ; but eden doesnât feel sad as he speaks, he doesnât feel anything but the warmth of sihyunâs lips on his skin. â but then you came along and told me you wanted me ââ you came along and when i told you that i was broken, you said youâd love every piece. â and from the way eden speaks, it becomes clear that heâs been turning these words over in his mind since the day sihyun spoke them ââ â and now, i think weâre in heaven. heaven is every day with you. âÂ
     and itâs a beautiful view, up here in heaven ââ amongst the clouds, the sun warm against edenâs skin ; his eyes drinking in and pouring over the sight of all the dips and curves of the man laid down beneath him. then he hums, as if in contemplation ; a smile upon his lips which trail a line of slow kisses from sihyunâs cheek to his lips.  â the verdict is ââ â eden begins, hues pooled with warmth and affection as his lips hover over the plush tiers of sihyunâs, â that as sweet and delicious as you undoubtedly are ââ you are not a dessert, youâre my boyfriend. my human boyfriend, whom i love very much. â eden laughs ââ â but donât think youâre safe just yet ââ i still want to devour you all the same. â he teases as he catches sihyunâs lower lip between his teeth, tugging gently before he soothes the bite over with the press of a kiss.Â
To listen to Eden recite poetry on a beautiful morning, the sun shining upon them from the window of his bedroom, making everything glow golden feels like a dream heâd give anything not to wake up from. He supposes he wonât ever really believe this is his life now, will always think it some elaborate alternate reality his mind has conjured up. âYouâre the brightest star yourself. The sun. You shine brighter than anything in the universe,â he mumbles against soft skin, lips trailing over the jawline, one hand coming up to run through Edenâs silky hair as if they are unable to go without touching him for even a second. When Eden speaks again, Sihyunâs lips pause on their path, rather just resting againstâ his loveâs skin while he listens to him speak. The words that come out make his heart clench and there is an anger inside of him, something humming dangerously that only comes to life when he thinks about how unfair the world has been to Eden. Itâs something he wonât ever be able to forgive but now his anger is not whatâs important. He listens to Edenâs words, plays them over and over again in his mind as his fingers dive in between soft strands, hoping the touch soothes the sadness the words are sure to bring about even if just a bit.
âThe world has been so unkind to you, my love. Telling you lies and engraving them deep within you when it shouldâve been kissing your cheeks with the beautiful truth of it all,â he whispers, once again tracing his lips over Edenâs skin. âIâm sorry they lied to you. Iâm sorry they didnât tell you that a soul as beautiful and bright as yours, that glows with an unimaginable warmth was made in heaven and so how could it belong anywhere but there?â And then a breath escapes him all at once as he realizes that Eden knows what Sihyun does as well. That this is the heaven theyâve been looking for, the one they deserve. âWhen I die I donât want to be anywhere else except for floating around in the memories we made together. That is heaven for me. Anywhere with you, any second with you. Thatâs what paradise is to me.â
Paradise, to Sihyun, is this: Eden, sun-kissed and gorgeous perched atop him, eyes trailing over every part of Sihyunâs body and Sihyun has never felt as beautiful as he does now. Once again, his body buzzes with the warmth that comes from the love they share. âI think youâve done incredible scientific research, Mr. Lovegrove. Groundbreaking work, Iâd say,â he teases, chin tipping up just an inch to brush his lips against Edenâs for a second. âOh,â is all he can say before his boyfriend tugs his lips between his teeth and Sihyun is lost to the desire to kiss this man once again. One hand resting against Edenâs hip, the other cradled against the side of his face as he brings him closer, his own head tilting up to follow his boyfriendâs lips, wanting nothing more than to drown in his kisses.