"Tae we're eating," Jungkook shakes the blond with childish enthusiasm. Taehyung's eyes open and reveal the brunette smiling down at him.

"Do you always sleep naked?" The younger boy asks with his brows furrowed. Taehyung flushes and yanks the cover up before he realized that he fell asleep wearing his loose white shirt with black jeans.

"Nice try," Taehyung says dryly and sits up. He finds the bed empty and there is no trace of Jimin. The blond feels a sense of disappointment at not seeing Jimin. Jungkook grins mischievously at Taehyung who frowns in response.

"I scared you huh?" He asks Taehyung who huffs but doesn't deny it. Taehyung tries to sidestep the brunette but Jungkook doesn't move.

"You don't need to change," he says but Taehyung rolls his eyes.

"I feel weird if I start my day in yesterday's clothes," he explains and heads over to where he and Jimin share a large black dresser. His clothes are on the right side and Jimin's are on the left. Taehyung pops open the first drawer which contains underwear and socks. He selects a pair of each and then moves on to pick a bright teal v-neck shirt and a pair of black shorts. He grabs a sun hat from on top of the dresser and heads to the bathroom. He brushes his teeth and hair and washes his face before he and Jungkook head down to breakfast.

Jungkook skips down the hall, whistling a happy song as Taehyung follows behind him. The house is lit brightly by the sunlight which streams in the stained windows, casting blue and pink hues across the floor. Jungkook reaches the stairs and slides down on the railing. Taehyung can't say he's too surprised by the brunettes childish enthusiasm and he finds himself smiling after the boy.

"Jungkook watch it," a voice hisses at the bottom of the stairs and Taehyung finds Suga carrying a large bowl of fruit to their outdoor dining table. The raven haired boy wears an unamused frown but Jungkook appears unfazed by his hostility.

"Good Morning Suga," Taehyung calls down to him. Suga finally notices the blond who stands at the top of the stairs. Taehyung can see the dark circles under Suga's eyes from the top of the stairs and he attributes his lack of sleep to his cold behavior.

"You should really get more sleep hyung," Jungkook tells the older boy who scowls at him in return.

"I sleep all the time," Suga argues crossly.

"You ready for the beach?" A soft voice asks close to Taehyung's ear and the blond nearly jumps out of his skin. He knows that this soft voice belongs to Jimin. Taehyung turns slowly and sure enough, Jimin stands mere inches away with faint smile gracing his full lips.

"Hi," Taehyung says breathlessly and Jimin smiles fondly at him, moving a little closer. He wraps his arms around Taehyung's neck, forcing Taehyung's head to rest on his shoulder.

"I hope you slept well," Jimin murmurs and Taehyung blushes, thankful that the shorter boy can't see his face.

"Yes....I did," he says, unsure of exactly how to respond. No one has ever really asked about his sleep before. Jimin ruffles his hair and removes his arms from Taehyung's neck, much to Taehyung's disappointment.

"Come on, let's eat fast, I can't wait to get to the beach," Jimin says, winking at the blond before he walks down the stairs. Taehyung's cheeks turn the color of tulips and his lips are unknowingly curved into a small smile. He walks down the stairs to where Jungkook and Suga still stand, engaged in a conversation about sleep habits. Jungkook pulls away from Suga with a frown as he loops his arms with Taehyung's and together they walk outside.

The sky is blue with few clouds and it is already very balmy this early in the morning. Taehyung actually doesn't know what time it is to be exact but he assumes that it is around 8. Namjoon and Jin already sit at the heads of the table, both dressed in satin pajamas. Suga and J-hope have just sat down and Jungkook, Jimin, and Taehyung still stand near the table.

"Come sit," Jin orders and Jungkook and Taehyung waste no time to sit down while Jimin still lingers by the door. His eyes follow Taehyung's every movement and he smiles fondly at him. He finally takes a step towards his seat once Taehyung is sitting. Now that all the boys are seated, Jin announces that they can begin eating.

Taehyung quickly spots his purple bowls and plates and is swift to pick them up. He has a large bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and strawberries on top. A small plate holds eggs and a strip of ham. Yogurt sits in a tiny little bowl with what looks to be chia seeds on top. Taehyung marvels at the large amount of food he has. He only eats breakfast if he has enough time so this is a huge change for him.

He glances over at Jungkook's food which has a large portion of ham and no oatmeal. Jimin's has what looks to be a quiche on his plate. Taehyung grabs his spoon and begins eating his oatmeal which is done perfectly. The blond comes to realize that Jin is probably the best chef he's ever come across.

"The food is very good," Namjoon says, almost reading Taehyung's mind. Jin smiles at the boys like a proud mother would.

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it," Jin says humbly and Taehyung smiles. Jin's food is so good and his friendly personality makes it taste even better.

"Oh Jungkook, the accompanist you wanted said he can come here around 4 this afternoon," Jin informs the young brunette who breaks into a wide grin.

"Oh yay I'm so excited!!" Jungkook exclaims "I hope he likes the songs I made," he adds as an afterthought.

"He will, you're an amazing song writer," J-hope encourages the younger boy with a smile.

"I've never worked with my own accompanist before though," Jungkook mutters. Taehyung can sense the anxiety that the other boy is feeling.

"This is a great opportunity, just do your best and have fun," Jimin comforts the brunette from Taehyung's left side.

"I'll try!!" He vows and shovels more ham into his mouth.

The rest of the boys finish breakfast within the next half an hour, leaving the dishes to be washed by Namjoon and Jin. Jimin and Taehyung head to the kitchen to pack a lunch for the beach while Jungkook sprints upstairs to go change into his bathing suit.

"Grab towels!!" Jimin shouts at the brunette but Jungkook doesn't respond.

"Ugh I'll go get them, do you mind finishing the lunch?" Jimin asks Taehyung who is in the middle of washing lettuce leaves and carrots.

"Sure," he answers as Jimin runs away to go help Jungkook.

Taehyung is left with the ingredients for a good salad but he has no idea how to assemble them. He has never been strong at cooking so he looks forlornly at the condiments and vegetables.

"Here let me help you, but pay attention," Jin says, coming over from where he was washing the dishes to help the younger boy.

"Ok," Taehyung mumbles as Jin rolls up his sleeves. He grabs a cucumber and begins slicing it into thin circles and the does the same with zucchini. He pushes pale pink hair out of his eyes as he begins mixing olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette and cayenne pepper into a dressing of some sort. He grabs the dark green lettuce that Taehyung washed and adds that to a large container where he puts strawberries, apple slices, cucumbers, zucchini, walnuts, and blue cheese on top of the lettuce. He pours the dressing into a separate container and places that into the large cloth bag that jimin provided. Jin grabs three small oatmeal cookies from the pantry and puts them in another container before adding them to the bag.

"Here," Jin says, handing Taehyung the heavy bag.

"Thank you," the blond says and Jin nods with a smile.

"If you ever want to learn how to cook just let me know," the older boy offers and Taehyung nods, knowing that he will ask him many times.

"I will definitely take you up on that offer," he says, blushing.

"Considering you can't make a salad, it's probably a good idea," Jin laughs and heads back over to where Namjoon stands with his arms crossed and a crooked smile on his lips.

Taehyung drops the bag at the base of the stairs and heads up to his room to change into a swim suit. Jimin stands in the middle of the room without a scrap of clothes on, deciding which swimsuit to wear. Taehyung blushes and almost falls over as he stumbles out of their room.

"Taehyung?" Jimin calls from the room and Taehyung prays that he won't come out of their room.

"Sorry I didn't mean to..I just came for...well you know my trunks," Taehyung struggles to put together words as he hears Jimin's footsteps coming closer.

"Haha go ahead, I'm not going to prevent you from getting your bathing suit," Jimin chuckles, standing in the doorway. Taehyung is expecting him to be naked but instead the silver haired boy stands dressed in deep maroon swim trunks. He blinks a couple times before heading towards the dresser. He pulls on a pair of pale blue swim trunks with white stripes. He puts back on his woven sun hat and a loose fitting white shirt. He grabs a large carrying container filled with paint. Then he grabs two canvases and an easel. Taehyung plans on painting the beach during the day and during a sunset. Jimin walks back into the room and tucks a guitar in a case.

"You're bringing a guitar to the beach?" Taehyung asks, his head tilted.

"Yup, it's actually my favorite place to play," he explains as he latches the case closed and grabs the leather handle. Taehyung nods and grabs his things, heading out of their room.

Jungkook stands at the bottom of the stairs with their bag of food in his hands and a smile on his face. He also wears a sun hat but his is black to match his black and white spotted swim trunks. His chest is bare and Taehyung can't help but notice how brawny the young boy is for his age. He has a soft appearance with a well defined body that Taehyung wasn't expecting.

"Aw we're both wearing hats that's so cute!!!" Jungkook giggles happily as they older boys carefully climb down the stairs, their arms full.

"Here," Jungkook says and grabs the large easel from Taehyung's arms.

The boys head to the door but before they can exit the house, Jin comes running after them.

"Don't forget sunscreen!!" He screeches as he runs up to Jungkook, handing him a large bottle of sunscreen.

"Uh..thanks," Jungkook mutters, grabbing the bottle from Jin's hands.

"I want you to stay healthy so please apply this, ok?" Jin orders them and the younger boys all nod.

                     ************

Taehyung adds a pale blue to the curve of the wave and tilts his head to admire his painting. He's been working on it for the last hour and it doesn't look like much more than a solid block of blue with a yellow orb tucked carefully behind large, puffy clouds. Miles of sand stretch to the blue and Taehyung actually begins to appreciate the angle he took with this landscape. He focused more on the clouds than the ocean. Jungkook is standing calf-deep in the clear blue water and Taehyung can just barely make him out from where he stands. The blond hasn't ventured towards the water because he wants to finish the base of his painting while the sun is still high in the sky.

Jimin is lounging in the sand, watching Jungkook play in the water with eyes half open. The sun feels amazing against his skin and he can't help but stretch like a cat. He's lying on a light blue towel with his back facing the sun, eyes fixed on the brunette with acute interest. He likes to watch Jungkook; his body moves with a sort of vibrancy of life that Jimin truly admires.

Jimin watches as Jungkook stands bravely by the ocean, willing the waves to come up and touch him, but before the blue tendrils reach his feet, he dances away with a laugh. It's a child's game that he is playing but Jimin admires it none the less. He decides that he is missing youth, the thing that Jungkook has so much of.

"Hyung, come play with me!!" Jungkook calls over to Jimin, his voice barely heard over the crash of waves against the white sand.

"No thanks, why don't you get Taehyung to come play with you?" Jimin suggests, yawning as he shifts onto his side. He can see Jungkook's smile from here and he pushes the feeling of jealousy down. Jungkook and Taehyung get along well, he should be happy about that.

Jungkook scampers across the beach, kicking up white sand as he makes his way to where Taehyung stands painting.

"Taehyung please come in the water with me, you've been painting forever," Jungkook whines and Taehyung's eyes widen as he puts down his brush.

"Oh ya, sorry to keep you waiting," he apologizes and wipes his brush off with a paper towel.

"No need to be sorry," Jungkook says with a laugh as he grabs Taehyung's hand, barely giving the blond enough time to set down his brushes and paints.

Jungkook pulls Taehyung across the sand and together they reach Jimin. They stop suddenly, pushing sand onto Jimin's towel.

"Hey watch it," the older boy snaps.

"Oh calm down Hyung, it's just sand," Jungkook argues, beginning to yank Jimin off the towel. Jimin lets the brunette pull him to his feet and stretches. Taehyung tries not to stare as Jimin's muscles ripple fluidly under his tight tan skin.

"Sit," Jimin orders, turning to Taehyung. Taehyung raises a brow but sits on the towel without a word. Jimin bends over him to grab the large bottle of sunscreen out of his bag and Taehyung feels his lips form a frown.

"That's ok I can do it myself," Taehyung says, trying to get back up, but Jimin pushes him back down with a gentle hand to his shoulder.

"Just let me, ok?" Jimin says softly and begins spreading the lotion into his palms. The pungent scent of coconuts fills Taehyung's nose but he doesn't hate it. The smell reminds him of the pies that his family used to make on Sunday afternoons. Taehyung pulls his white shirt over his head and flushes as Jungkook looks at his bare skin.

Jimin begins spreading the lotion over Taehyung's back and he tries not to wince at how skinny the younger boy is.  While he has muscles, he can see the blond boy's ribs sticking out of his skin. Jimin runs his fingers down Taehyung's prominent spine, feeling each individual divot. He can see why Jin is so adamant about feeding the blond more calories than the rest of the boys in the house. 

Jungkook dots Taehyung's nose with sunscreen and giggles as the blond struggles to see the white dot. Taehyung rubs the sunscreen into his face as Jimin finishes his back.

"Now get your arms," Jimin tells Taehyung as though the younger boy has never applied sunscreen before. Taehyung coats his arms in the coconut scented sunscreen and then the boys head towards the waves.

"It's cold," Jungkook tells the other two with a wicked smile.

"Nothing I can't handle," Jimin says arrogantly and they all plunge into the icy blue waves.

                          *********

Jimin unlatches the case and grins when he sees the beige guitar.

"Play us a waltz!" Jungkook requests from his seat next to Taehyung. The two share a blanket while Jimin sits on a large rock with his pick in his mouth and guitar in hand. Taehyung shivers as cold water droplets run over his arms and lips. Jungkook shifts closer, wanting to warm the small boy up. 

"A waltz? Let me see what I can do," Jimin answers, tuning his guitar before he strums.

A Spanish sounding song erupts from the steel strings and Taehyung smiles, recognizing the piece. Jimin played this for him last night as he fell asleep. The silver haired boy winks at the blond and he blushes. Jungkook hums the song softly under his breath, clearly recognizing this as well. Even while Jungkook is just humming, Taehyung can tell that the brunette has an amazing voice.

"Come here," Jungkook says, pulling Taehyung up and off the blanket.

"What are you doing?" Taehyung asks nervously as Jungkook places his right hand on the blond's slim waist. Jungkook clasps his left hand with Taehyung's right hand and instructs him to put his other hand on his waist.

"One two three, one two three," Jungkook counts, dancing a waltz in the sand. Taehyung struggles to anticipate Jungkook's direction changes so he steps on the brunette's feet.

"Right, left, forward and then backward," jungkook informs the blond. This time they move in sync with each other and Taehyung begins to enjoy himself. Jungkook smiles at him and he smiles back. The pair dances across the sand with animation in their movement and Jimin can't help but frown a little.

"Jungkook it's nearly 4, aren't you meeting with that accompanist at 4?" Jimin calls over to the brunette. Jungkook instantly pulls away from Taehyung and begins running to grab his towel and white bag.

"Thank you hyung!!!" He calls as he dashes back towards the house. Jimin stops playing and Taehyung comes over to stand near him.

"I hope he does well," Taehyung muses, watching the younger boy run across the white sand.

"He'll be fine, he's got a certain charm that I'm sure the accompanist can't resist," Jimin says but Taehyung can tell that he's talking from past experience.

"Are you and Jungkook.... close?" Taehyung asks, coming to sit on the rock next to Jimin.

Jimin looks over at the blond who looks so small and cold, with his hair wet and dripping, and his arms covered with goosebumps. Jimin smiles softly at Taehyung.

"Yes we are. Our families have been really close for a while now and we pushed each other to become better artists and better people," Jimin says with his eyes fixed on the ocean.

"That's so nice, you get along really well ," Taehyung says, looking at his hands.

"You guys do too you know, I haven't seen Jungkook this happy in a long time," Jimin says, turning his gaze to Taehyung who doesn't return his look. Taehyung finds it hard to imagine Jungkook not being happy or full of life.

"That's good, he's such a nice person," the blond responds quietly, thoughts of the two childhood friends running through his mind.

"You are too," Jimin says and Taehyung blushes, shaking his head.

"No, you so rarely find someone who is really good. Apples can look nice on the outside but be rotten and deteriorated on the inside," Taehyung says almost sadly and Jimin turns to face the younger boy.

"Taehyung I may not know you well but I do know this: you're not a rotten apple, you're human. We all are. Mistakes don't make us bad people," Jimin tells him, trying to comfort the blond, but Taehyung keeps shaking his head.

"I should finish my painting," he tells Jimin and hops off the rock, heading towards his easel. Jimin sighs in frustration and picks back up his guitar.

The pair do this for hours, Taehyung carefully painting beautiful images on his canvas and Jimin playing sad songs on the guitar.