chapter sixteen ;; boyz with fun
jeongguk's perspective
°☆.。.:*・°☆

The car ride with Taehyung was short and sweet, a relaxing layer of silence enclosed the two of us. I was still quiet tired, so I had immense gratitude that Taehyung found no need to talk. It would've been difficult to hold a conversation with me anyways. If it's any time before ten in the morning, I'm like a walking corpse. The current time was nine twenty, and I was dreading a tiny bit to not fall asleep in his car. The blasting heat in my face from the well-working vents reminded me of my comforter, which is why I was curled into a small ball for most of the time, that is until I saw the rest of the group sitting around a bench near our parking spot and got a bit excited, just like a puppy going out for the first time.

Taehyung laughs fondly once he sees my face brighten, looking over at me with a pleased expression while pulling the keys out. They loudly jangled against the three keychains that he had on them, although I never got a good enough view to see what it was. They were all white and identical, that's all I knew. My eyes glance over at the keychains for a moment, trying to get a better view but failing. There was a distinct shape to them, though: wings- angel wings. My still tinted and glossy lips from the cherry chapstick slightly turn into a frown, the curiosity I once had growing even more, but I know now's not the time to ask.

"Hey, Jeongguk," Taehyung says to grab my attention away from the keys that he was putting into his pocket along with his phone, "are your lips," he squints his eyes a bit, bringing his face closer to mine and making me lean back a bit out of perturbation, "pink?" Taehyung opens his eyes fully again to look up at me, awaiting an answer.

"Um," I bring my sleeve up to my mouth, getting ready to wipe off the chapstick residue before correctly answering, "it's chapstick. I- I didn't realize that it tinted my lips." I lie and bring my sleeve up to my lips before Taehyung places his hand onto my arm, stopping my actions.

"It looks fine." he smiles and backs away, allowing me to sit up again and put my arm down, "Don't worry about it. I was just wondering, that's all."

I nod and rub my lips together, slightly moving them to feel the smoothness. Taehyung turns and opens up the car door, and that's when I grab for my phone with the mesmerizing glitter-in-water case and open my own door, sliding out of the comfy seat and feeling the pavement under my feet. Taehyung closes the door for me, and I squeak at the loud slam, not realizing that he was right there to close it for me. He lets out a lovely cackle at my reaction, and with my eyes still wide in shock, a lanky arm wraps around my shoulders, pulling me towards him while we walk over to the awaiting group.

They were all energetic. Well, Hoseok and Namjoon were specifically rambunctious. Namjoon was currently running after Hoseok, who was screaming like a banshee. It was far too hard to keep up with, Hoseok was fast and Namjoon was fast too. The whole thing reminded me of a crazy car chase, like the ones in action movies, minus the destruction of street signs that are replaced by me almost getting toppled over by Hoseok who shouted a quick sorry before running again. Namjoon continues to shout loud profanities in front of children and ignores the scoldings earned by many mothers who storm away in disgrace.

"What the hell happened between them?" Taehyung asks Seokjin for me, who sends an annoyed stare before returning the same one towards the boys, continuing to run at full speed. I didn't even realize that people could run so fast for such a long time.

"We were joking around, one thing led to another, and Hoseok kissed my cheek to be funny...Namjoon didn't find it to be so funny." The mood instantly turns lighter once Seokjin explains our situation, dare I say making it much more enjoyable to watch now.

"Their shouting's annoying." Yoongi mumbles from the wooden bench he occupies.

"Namjoon, I'm sorry!" Hoseok laughs while speeding past me again, automatically going into Taehyung's side in order to not be de-grounded by him again.

"I'm still gonna kill you!" Namjoon shouts after and continues to run, both of their paces noticeably beginning to deteriorate.

"You guys can't run forever." Seokjin loudly complains, "Stop being children and get back over here, the both of you." He orders, making me giggle at the situation, earning loving looks from both Seokjin and Taehyung. I felt like a baby in that moment but in a good way.

Hoseok stops running, slowly turning into a jog before finally stopping with a heaving chest. He bends down, placing his hands on his knees in defeat. A loud grunt sounds from him, followed by more panting, "I'm gonna throw up. Yoongi, save me, I'm dying."

Yoongi groans, "Save yourself."

Suddenly, a fast Namjoon hurls himself onto an unsuspecting Hoseok, the both of them tumbling to the ground in a heap of shouting and protests, and Namjoon kicks the latter in the leg while they're both on the ground. I laugh at them, feeling a type of satisfaction from seeing Hoseok fall, "This is karma for trying to trip me!" I shout at Hoseok with my hands cupped around my mouth while he struggles to stand up, still heaving.

"Sh-Shut up." I hear him mumble and strugglingly stand up, only to be shoved down by Namjoon. Finally, Taehyung loudly laughs, throwing his head back with jubilance.

"Kim Namjoon, I know your parents and I'm not afraid to call them!" Seokjin warns with a stern tone, not pleased by their roughhousing. He turns towards Taehyung and I with a look of defeat, "Why can't they be more like you two? At least the both of you are actually calm and not like wild horses running wild." I burry my face slightly into Taehyung's chest at Seokjin's comment, a blush creeping onto my face.

Eventually, the two boys sluggishly walk back over to the rest of us, telling proper greetings towards Taehyung and I with wide smiles which we both return, "Taehyung," I mumble as we all begin to walk down a path through the woods, "I'm really cold."

Chills run throughout my body, and my face has already turned numb with frost. My oversized sleeves were already bunched into fists in an attempt to keep my hands warm the best I can. Ultimately, I was regretting my idea of wearing skinny jeans since they weren't nearly as thick as my usual and comfy sweatpants. A wind blows through the tall trees, rustling thin leaves and creating sounds of them swaying around. I groan at the extra chill, getting closer to Taehyung's side for more of his body warmth that my own body craves more than anything right now.

"You're really that cold?" He asks with furrowed eyebrows, looking down at me and pulling my hood up before wrapping his arm around my shoulders. I'm sure that he'd wrap his arm around my waist instead, but that was too uncomfortable for the both of us due to height difference. He begins to move up and down, running his hand along my arm to create heat out of friction.

"I always get cold easily." I comment, looking up at him before back at the people walking in front of us.

They were all happily chatting as a whole while Taehyung and I strayed towards the back. I catch Yoongi casting short glances towards the two of us before somewhat animatedly talking about something with Seokjin as Namjoon and Hoseok talk about something else.

Namjoon had already earned a smack to the arm by Seokjin for discipline, and Hoseok won a flick in the forehead for kissing his cheek in the first place. Seokjin didn't necessarily enjoy the gesture in the first place and was glad that Namjoon had chased after him.

"You should've worn a jacket."

"Really, over a hoodie?"

"Whatever makes you feel better." I nod to his words, regretting that I didn't in fact take a jacket and instead leaning my head onto Taehyung's shoulder the best I can, although it's nearly impossible without me being on my tiptoes, so I give up after a minute of trying, earning a warm laugh.

"What are we looking for?" I ask, confused about where we were heading.

They all seemed to have a destination in mind, but I was secluded from knowing. I wasn't complaining about being here, though; the scenery was beautiful and you could hear nature taking place all around. Pixie's that fly in my imagination make way into real life, sort of. Little mushroom houses pop up here and there, imaginations run wild at the sight, possibly a family of fairies live in these small homes.

Dragonflies zoom through the air with a buzz, scaring me at first by their large size but soon remembering that they're harmless. Life doesn't stop at the edge of winter beginning when it comes to the forest. It continues to bloom and grow the further you're from a man made path, and we were currently deep into the brush. It felt like heaven on earth, even though my whole body felt like a popsicle.

"To the mushroom circle." Seokjin smiles while his hand is clutched around Namjoon, their arms purposefully swinging together, dimples showing and eyes turning into crescents.

"What's the mushroom circle?" I whisper to Taehyung, afraid of sounding stupid in front of the others.

"Last year, we all found a mushroom circle in these woods. It has those typical red mushrooms with white spots formed into a perfect circle...usually, it indicates fairies."

I can't help but frown, the folklore tales I used to read when I was little resurfacing, "You mean a pixie ring? Th-Those are dangerous and hazardous places." My fingers grasp around Taehyung's jacket sleeve, pulling down on the fabric to get his full attention, "What if something bad happens?" A whine rings within my voice, turning into a little kid who's afraid to go to school on the first day.

Taehyung looks down at me with a reassuring smile, intertwining his fingers with mine to console my trepidations, "Don't worry." He says in a subdued tone, looking directly into my fearful eyes, "I've already done research, and it says that they sometimes can be a place of good fortune. I can promise you that this place doesn't bring bad things, okay?"

I nod and keep my mouth shut, upset with myself that I always end up sounding like a baby. It bothered me, the way I worried over stupid things. Who even gets anxious over a damn ring of mushrooms? My lips form a grimace at my own behavior, beginning to feel the light touch of Taehyung's thumb running across the back of my hand. I don't dare to look up at him, afraid of meeting a stare that'll make my knees weak.

The circle looms into view, and Taehyung's grip around my hand tightens in a way to ease the misgivings I had that are slowly disappearing with each step we get closer. It's just mushrooms after all, but Taehyung's patient, and he allows me to have these stupid episodes that didn't really need to happen. All of the boys begin to speak, and my hand slowly slips from Taehyung's while I walk to the center of the circle.

My body collapses onto the ground, and the lush green grass acting as a mattress for my frail skeleton of a body pillows my fall. A pink tint shows across my face, eyes fluttering close and cherry lips parting. A light escapes through cracks in between trees, creating organic patterns and shapes of yellow against my paled skin. The morning dew still sits on the untouched ground, and the smell of night does all it can to cling onto the air. With my arms extending out at both sides, feeling myself slowly becoming at one with everything, I adore the relaxation of mornings like this.

I deeply breathe in through my nose, and exhale out of my mouth, imaging the oxygen going through my body in a second, exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide in order to keep me alive and living like this, "Are you comfortable?" Taehyung asks with a ludic timbre, sitting next to me on the cold ground. I let out a breathy laugh through my nose, a crooked smile that shows teeth inaugurating onto my face although my eyes stay closed, "You look like you're about to pass out."

"Mmm," I hum as a response, not into the mood to talk, afraid that if I make too much noise the birds that were finally chirping a frothy and sweet tune would corrupt at the disruption. My eyes open and discover the ones I claim as possibly friends are also laying around in a formed circle, our heads close together with bodies pouring out.

Me, Taehyung, Yoongi, Hoseok, Namjoon, Seokjin.

"What should we do after this?" Hoseok asks, making his head tilt so that he can get a better view of us, an excited look plastered onto his skin.

"Jeongguk wanted ice cream." Says Taehyung.

"We don't have to go though." I quickly follow after, feeling bad for contradicting any other plans they had in play.

"Ice cream sounds nice." Namjoon smiles, "What about you?" He lovingly asks and nudges Seokjin's arm.

"I'll go for ice cream if Jeongguk really wants to." Seokjin says with a kind smile, turning his head and looking at me, a giggle escaping my lips.

"Okay." I say.

"Ice cream it is then." Hoseok speaks and jumps up from the ground, Yoongi groaning at the idea of getting up from his comfy spot in the grass, and I snuggle into Taehyung's inviting warmth, desiring sleep.

"It's only ten, we can stay here for a while longer." Seokjin sadly explains to Hoseok who was already smiling down at us with exuberance, only to frown and roll his eyes.

"But I want to do something."

Taehyung quickly jumps up, causing me to fall off of his side, my head falling onto the ground from where it was comfortably placed onto his shoulder, "I'll climb the tree with you." He tests, prepared to sprint any moment.

Hoseok is running in an instant, Taehyung in front of him by only a little bit. A frown forms, and my thumbnail picks at the rest of them, sad to not have Taehyung with me anymore. I understand that these are his close friends, his true friends, but it hurt me only a little bit to be left on the ground, fumbling with strands of lush grass surrounding my body that remains to lay on a cloud of green.

Taehyung was currently loudly laughing with Hoseok for struggling to climb higher and higher, his objective being to scale the whole tree, to the very top. Taehyung decided that it was too much of a scare for him and chose to stay three branches up from the starting. The bark looks rough, bare with falling leaves that tumble to the ground with lightweight, reminding me of myself, slowly falling and falling. Yoongi decided to station himself underneath the minimal shade of the tree, staring up at the two children with a pleased stature.

Suddenly, another being plops down next to mine, making sure to keep a comfortable distance while my eyes lazily remain on Taehyung's pink leather jacket. The pillow for the side of my head was my upper arm as I was in a relaxed fetal position. The person next to me had his legs close to his chest and arms for his support that extended behind.

"Are you jealous?" Seokjin sounds, looking down at me with curious eyes. He said it so nonchalantly that it caught me off guard, unbelievably so, "You don't need to answer me." He continues once I don't respond, "I already know that you are." Seokjin says so matter-of-factly.

"H-How do you know?" I stutter out.

He lets out a light laugh, moving his eyes over to where Namjoon now stands, beckoning Hoseok to get down before he hurts himself from climbing so high and breaking a branch or something, "It's obvious, Jeongguk." He glances back down at me for a second before back over to where he was looking before, "You're pouting."

That's when I realize my lower lip noticeably pushing out from my upper one, instantly sucking it back in with the revelation, "No I'm not."

"Aw, you're adorable, trying to hide your little crush." Seokjin coos, and I push his leg in a heap of fluster while he lets out a jolly sound, "Your face is turning so red."

"Stop it, I'm going to explode." I mumble under my breath, and Seokjin places his hand onto my back, patting it slightly.

"Don't get so worked up about it. It's no big deal." He reassuringly says, "It's cute, if anything."

"But Taehyung likes girls." I quietly say, hearing the 'I'm just a boy' as a mantra, upset and no longer fretting over the truth around Seokjin.

He snorts, "Taehyung is very much into both genders."

"How do you know?"

"I've seen his search history."

"Oh...oh." My face and neck go completely red.

----

"Boys, ice cream time!" Seokjin shouts from the ground with Namjoon at his side.

Taehyung has recently convinced me to climb the tree with him since he saw my pitiful face while up on it himself. I could tell that he felt bad for abandoning me and was making up for it by helping me up to his branch and pulling me into his chest. I was currently leaning into him with his front to my back, although his legs comfortably fell from both sides of the bough. Taehyung's arms were limply resting around my waist and landing nicely into my lap where I played with his fingers in silence. The disturbance of our peace was unwanted, so I lean my head back and put it onto his shoulder, eyes closed in content.

"I don't want to move."

Taehyung laughs down at me, "But it's for ice cream."

"Ice cream can wait."

He sighs, "I don't even know how we're expected to get down, and I know that you'll need help."

"I can get down just fine." I jokingly shoot with an underlying tone of hurt, not enjoying the downgrade and low expectations of Taehyung.

We ended up both somehow getting down together, and I purposefully avoided getting help from Taehyung, at least I tried to get away from it as much as possible, until I my foot slipped and I tumbled down from a somewhat high branch, thankfully being caught by Taehyung and Hoseok who were already on the ground and nervously spotting me the whole time. Seokjin says that he about had a heart attack when I fell and made sure that I was alright while Taehyung and Hoseok carefully put my feet onto the ground as a pungent dizzy spell drives its way into my unsuspecting brain.

"Are you okay?" Taehyung worryingly asks as I slightly stumble to the side and almost fall over, earning a tight grip of his arm to be wrapped around me for support.

"Y-Yeah," My voice strugglingly speaks. I bring my hands to my face and push my palms into my eyes as my vision was turning black while my hearing begins to fuzz a tiny bit, "It's starting to...go away." I take my hands away from my face and look up to the sky, blinking my eyes rapidly until my vision properly returned, and this light feeling that I was about to pass out any moment finally left. We all began to cautiously walk out of the heavily natured area once my episode finally died out.

----

We had all bought our ice cream, mine being vanilla with rainbow sprinkles in a cone. Taehyung got plain chocolate. Seokjin got a vanilla ice cream bar covered in a chocolate shell and peanuts. Yoongi got strawberry with chocolate sprinkles that didn't taste like chocolate at all. Hoseok got rainbow sherbet, and Namjoon settled with a watermelon popsicle as he couldn't pick a flavor and had Seokjin pick for him.

All of us were walking close together in a long row, trailing over towards the railroad tracks that were a block away. None of us had realized how long we actually spent at the park, not until we left the covered area to a beautiful twilight that almost left me in tears at the sight of oranges mixing with pink and purple and Taehyung's comforting arm still around me.

"Taehyung," Hoseok loudly shouts with excitement, running over to an abandoned building on our journey and picking out a skateboard from the rubble. My face screws up in disapproval as Yoongi sets off an unamused and blank stare while blinking, "look at what I found."

Taehyung's face lights up in an instant, leaving my side and jogging over towards Hoseok who was happily holding onto the black and red skateboard with one hand, the both of them trying their best not to drop his ice cream in the process. He takes the skateboard away from Hoseok, brightly smiling over at me, "Have you ever ridden one before?"

I slowly shake my head, taking a lick out of my ice cream that used to be a perfect swirl but now just a flattened mound. All of the sprinkles were gone, already eaten off in a pleasant taste of nothingness, yet there was still something so great about rainbow sprinkles that I didn't understand.

"Even I have." Seokjin comments over his shoulder with a playful grin.

"Shall we teach Jeongguk how to ride a skateboard?" Taehyung says with a mischievous smile, using his finger to push up the circular sunglasses he definitely didn't need to be wearing. It was already dawning towards nighttime more than afternoon.

"I- I don't know-"

"Oh come on," Hoseok says, putting his arm around my shoulders and drawing me into his side, "it'll be fun." His naturally loud voice continues with persuasion.

"What if I fall?"

"Then I'll catch you." Taehyung says on the beat, walking over towards me with the board in hand, pushing it towards me to showcase it, "I learned how to ride in twenty minutes."

"Well, yeah, you can actually keep your balance."

He lightly laughs at me, "Whatever you say..." Taehyung puts the board down onto the ground with a walking start, hopping onto the with ease and pumping with his foot, looking over his shoulder towards me again, "C'mon, you'll be fine. Trust me."

----

It felt like some kind of trust exercise as Taehyung's hands are currently and tightly clasped onto my small waist. My knees wobble with uneasiness as my feet are currently placed onto the board that was slowly moving with Taehyung's walking speed. All of us were in an empty parking lot, and the moon was already shining down on us, saying hello with outstretched beams.

Namjoon used the flashlight on his phone to help light the area as well as Hoseok, both of them sitting on Seokjin's truck hood while Yoongi sleeps in the truck bed with a warm blanket. Apparently, he was up really late last night from working hard on a project and practically pulled an all-nighter.

Seokjin was undeniably obsessed with taking photos of us with the polaroid he got from Namjoon a while ago, the color being baby pink. It was an extremely cute camera, and I knew that I wanted one in white or pastel blue.

The skateboard almost falls from under my feet once Taehyung hurries his pace, causing his fingers to dig into my hipbones while his eyes were trained on my feet in concentration. My white converse were like beacons against the dark ground and skateboard. A sudden flash awakens, and I jolt, falling off of the board that continued to slowly roll away. I was extremely thankful for Taehyung spotting me or else I'd be on the ground right now.

"Seokjin." Taehyung hisses over at him, helping me stand upright again.

"Sorry." Seokjins says back with a guilty smile, taking out the newly printed picture and beginning to shake it.

"Don't shake it!" I shout at him whilst Taehyung wraps both his arms around my waist, foot on the board to keep it steady and helping me up again on the wobbly platform, "Shaking it messes up the photo, don't you know that?"

"Well, I do now." He says and stops shaking the photo that continues to slowly form, patiently staring down and watching it.

"I think that's enough skateboarding for tonight." I say towards Taehyung. It's weird to finally be his height. It's almost threatening to be this close so suddenly.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," I lightly smile at him while twisting my gauges around. We'd been going at it for a solid forty-five minutes and we weren't getting anywhere. I was in no mood to continue since I was barely making any progress.

"M'kay." He sighs, looking at his phone screen before helping me down safely, "Guys, I think we should leave. We still have school tomorrow after all."

Everyone nods to Taehyung's words. I wanted to sit in Seokjin's truck bed while we all went to our houses, "Seokjin and I will take your car." Namjoon tells Taehyung while Seokjin is already opening up the passenger door and sliding inside, "Hoseok's gonna drive while the rest of you sit in the back of Seokjin's truck."

"Sounds good." Taehyung says, noticing my excited smile.

----

The wind was loud and fleeting across the skin, tousling my hair around and surely forming extreme knots all throughout the blackness. Taehyung had his arm draped around my form, and Yoongi's head was comfortably placed onto my left one. He wasn't sleeping, but he was comfortable, so I allowed him to stay where he was, "Y'know," Yoongi begins so that only I can hear him over the whistling wind, "I'm glad that you came along." He sincerely says, looking up at the sky.

"Why is that?" I turn my head towards him with scrunched eyebrows and a quirked mouth, "I'm just Jeongguk, I barely even talk to begin with."

"Yeah, but, I don't think you realize the impact you have on Taehyung." He begins to explain, allowing a small silence to fall before continuing, "I've never seen him smile so much, even when he was with Seoyun. I've never liked her, but you..." Yoongi looks over at me with a light smile, "you're pretty cool, I guess."

I look down at Yoongi with a true, gracious smile, "Thanks...but I'm not dating Taehyung."

Yoongi shrugs his shoulders before looking back out to where the road was currently flashing by, "Eugh, this is getting too sappy. Go and cuddle with Tae or something." He grimaces and removes his head from my shoulder, making sure to send a light smile to show that he's just joking around before returning back to napping.

Taehyung brings me closer to his side once Yoongi's head leaves my shoulder, allowing me to rest my head into his chest. His body warmth engulfed me and allowed me to get somewhat comfortable while the wind continued to roar throughout. I curled up into his side, basically turning into a ball, which I seemed to do quiet often. I felt my eyes slowly drop off, accepting the darkness that was bound to bring more nightmares than peaceful dreams like it always did.

----

whOA this is so long. i purposely made it uber long to say thank you for 2k cuS HOLY CRAP THIS GOT2K TYYY!! (hehe got2. ya get it, ya get- yea u get it, sorry i'm weird.)

i rly wanted to do an update w all of the guys together (minus jimin tho lmao i h8 myself for making him so rude hhh). lots of random crap happened which just adds to the fluff. sometimes, i feel like this story has tooooo muchh fluff but it's what i'm gd @ writing soz.

i also rly wanted to appreciate boyz with fun aka one of my fave bts songs like it's so gd y don't more ppl like it cmOn tae's raspy bit fuckss mee uppp.

songs --

•boyz with fun by bangtan boys
•sweet n sour by waterbed