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"Okay, okay. Sorry I took so long, but Mr. Choi didn't want me to go to playtime before I finished eating my snack." Taehyung plops down onto the soft, green grass just left of the daisies and directly in front of the tulips and clovers. Of course his teacher would hold him back on the day of the most important meeting of the week.
Seeing how the flowers’ petals open happily towards him, however, he smiles brightly, missing teeth and all, and takes a deep breath.
"Okay, well, like I said yesterday, we gotta do something about the trees. They keep losing their leaves and they're really sad. I asked mama if we had enough tape to put them back, but she said that we didn't, so that's out. If you guys got anything else, lemme know. We gotta work fast," Taehyung's words get caught on his gapped teeth and come out lisped, but as he looks at his flower friends, he knows that they understand. Tucking his legs under his butt and adjusting his skirt so that his underwear doesn't show, Taehyung listens to the flowers, their petals swaying in the gentle wind. The tulips usually come up with the best ideas, but today they're oddly silent, and it makes Taehyung uneasy.
“Don’t worry too much, okay? I don’t want your leaves to start coming off too, so don’t think too hard. I’m sure mama can help me when I get home,” Taehyung chirps brightly in an attempt to calm his flowers down. He knows that they want to help, but he also knows that they like to worry unnecessarily about a lot of things. Sure, the trees needed to get their leaves back before they got cold, but Taehyung couldn’t risk losing his flower friends, too. Without them, he’d have no one left.
“In the meantime,” Taehyung glances around him quickly before taking out a ziplock bag of dirt from his pocket, “I brought snacks! They’re not for me, but I figured you would want some.” Gently, he takes a handful out and first sprinkles it around the tulips, then the daisies. “Mama said that this kinda dirt is the best for plant friends! She said that this’ll help you grow big and strong-- just like me!”
Once his bag is empty, Taehyung takes his time petting each one of the flowers and flashing them a boxy grin that makes his chubby cheeks sore. His mama knows everything about plants and she said that flowers grow best when people smile at them, so Taehyung makes sure to give them plenty of grins. He doesn’t want his flower friends to be sad or to think he doesn’t love them when in fact, it’s the exact opposite.
He’s about to ask the flowers if they want to play hide and seek when a ball smacks him in the back of the head. His body jerks forward harshly, but thankfully he’s able to stop himself before he crushes his flower friends. His head is throbbing almost instantly and his hand touches the back of it gingerly, tears springing to his eyes.
Before he starts crying, a shadow comes over him and blocks his flowers from the sun, and Taehyung watches as they shy away in fear. He turns to see what has his friends so scared, and makes eye contact with a boy with a kickball tucked under his armpit and a nasty grin on his face.
“Aw, is the flower boy hurt? Do we need to tell your mommy?” The boy sneers at Taehyung, his knees covered in dirt and left shoe untied, and Taehyung sniffles. It’s Jaebum, a bully who has smelly breath and Pororo lunch box, and who has picked on Taehyung ever since he first wore his favourite pink jacket on the first day of school.
Instead of responding, Taehyung turns around, willing himself not to cry, but failing. He feels hot, wet tears drip down his cheeks and hopes that his flower friends can’t see him.
“He’s crying- Taehyungie is crying!” Jaebum’s voice is mocking as he yells out to the rest of the kids that have piled around the scene, and Taehyung can’t stop the fresh onslaught of tears. “You’re such a freakin’ crybaby.”
Taehyung flinches at the bad word, his hands bunching in his skirt and heart stuttering. He’s been called a crybaby before, but it never seems to get easier hearing it, even after his mama told him that being a crybaby wasn’t anything to be ashamed of. It feels like someone’s squeezing his stomach, like after he eats too fast, and Taehyung doesn’t like it.
“If you like the flowers so much, why don’t you get closer?” Taehyung’s eyes fly open and he barely has time to catch himself as Jaebum turns him around and pushes him back down. Usually, the bully just calls him names and leaves; he never actually touches Taehyung, but today is different. His grubby hands are pressed against Taehyung’s back, his fingers digging into the soft white shirt and staining it.
“Stop! You’re gonna hurt them!” Taehyung cries out, tears and snot dripping off his face and onto his flower friends as Jaebum continues pushing down.
Laughing, Jaebum shoves Taehyung harder, “I’m not gonna hurt them. They’re just some stupid flowers. Who cares?”
Panic starts welling up in his chest, suffocating him and forcing air from his lungs. Taehyung knows that if Jaebum keeps pushing him, he’s gonna fall and crush his friends. He thinks of the soft, colorful petals being destroyed beneath him, because of him, and starts crying harder. If his flower friends get hurt, he’s gonna be all alone. He won’t have anyone left to play with or talk to, no one else to tell his secrets to and give his smiles to. For the first time since they bloomed his way, Taehyung was going to be alone .
He hates being alone.
“Why don’t you just leave him alone, stupid face.” Jaebum stops pushing, and Taehyung looks back at the boy who took attention off of him. He knows his name, Jungkook, and he knows that he’s younger, but Taehyung wasn’t his friend. It confuses him for a moment because why would he call a bully names for someone who he hasn’t even talked to before.
“What are you going to do about it? You’re only 6,” Jaebum turns his body completely to sneer at Jungkook who’s stood with his feet apart and hands on his hips, looking like a superhero.
“I’m gonna beat up your face, that’s what,” Jungkook sniffs, all confidence and fearless bravado. Taehyung doesn’t think that he’s ever seen someone so brave and cool.
"Jungkookie, that’s not nice,” A voice cuts in and Taehyung recognizes the boy walking up as Jimin. He looks kind of familiar, his soft, black hair drooping just like his brown eyes. He looks considerably softer than Jungkook- prettier.
“He was not nice first,” Jungkook pouts, crossing his arms and stomping his foot.
Jimin pats his arm and looks at Jaebum, “That’s okay. He’s just being mean because Jinyoung moved away and his daddy doesn’t let him have sweets.”
Jaebum sputters and Taehyung watches as his cheeks flush with red. The anger on his face scares Taehyung, but Jimin seems to be unaffected. His eyes are cold, like when his daddy gets really mad but doesn’t want to yell. It’s like Jimin’s keeping all his ugly feelings inside, but he’s still smiling. Taehyung doesn’t think he’s ever seen someone so scary.
“Take that back!” Jaebum yells, voice cracking and hands balling into fists. Taehyung watches as Jungkook scowls and steps forward in front of Jimin, arm thrown out in front of him protectively.
“Why? Am I wrong?” Jimin asks, blinking owlishly and tilting his head.
“Yes, you are! Jinyoung didn’t move away and I can eat whatever I want, stupid!” Jaebum yells back, and runs forward to push Jimin, but before he can, Jungkook shoves him away. Jaebum falls to the ground, angry tears in his eyes, and Jungkook pounces, fists flying.
Taehyung can’t keep up with the two boys as they fight, his eyes tearing up and body shaking. He doesn’t mean to cry again, but the tears just keep coming. He hates fighting.
“Hey,” He doesn’t notice him until he says something, but now Jimin’s crouching beside him, a pretty smile on his face, “You don’t have to cry anymore. Jungkookie’s got it now.”
“B-But,” Taehyung sniffles and wipes his nose on the back of his hand, “They’re gonna get hurt.” Jimin looks back over at the fighting boys and shrugs when he turns his attention to Taehyung.
“Maybe, but it’s okay as long as you’re okay- and your flowers, too, of course.” When Jimin smiles this time, his eyes curve upwards and Taehyung stares in awe. His face feels warm, like when he smiles good morning to the sun, but he isn’t facing it right now. Could it be… Jimin?
“Y-Yeah, they’re okay… He didn’t hurt them,” Taehyung mumbles, quiet and shy. Jimin was probably going to think that he was weird, too. Everyone always called him names for talking to the flowers and trees and animals; they say that he was stupid for thinking that they could talk back to him.
But they’re wrong. Taehyung never thought that they could talk back, that’s not why he made friends with them. He talked with them because no one else did. The plants, the animals- they all bloomed and lived happily, smiling at the sun and showing their pretty colors, but they were lonely. Taehyung could tell because he was lonely, too. He wore pretty things and smiled at people just like the flowers did, but no one ever talked to him. He played and made sure to be nice to everyone just like the animals did, but no one ever played him.
He didn’t talk to the flowers and trees and animals because he thought they were gonna talk back to him; he talked to them because he knew they were lonely just like him and he didn’t want anyone to be sad like that.
“That’s good! I’m glad.” This time, when Jimin smiles, Taehyung shies away, tucking his legs under him tighter and pulling his skirt closer. “I like your skirt, by the way.” Taehyung looks up to see Jimin smiling still, no meanness on his face.
“Really?”
“Yep. It’s a nice color. It looks pretty on you.”
Taehyung stares at a smiling Jimin and wonders how he can feel so much like the sun.
They’re interrupted when two teachers run over to Jaebum and Jungkook, taking them away while scolding them, but before they’re completely out of sight, Jungkook flashes a smile and a thumbs up.
After his tears dry, Taehyung introduces Jimin to his flower friends, beaming when they sway their petals in a greeting. They’re grateful, he can tell, and he tells Jimin that. Jimin says they’re welcome and Taehyung’s never felt this happy before.
Recess ends quickly after that, and Taehyung has to fight back tears as they line up to go inside. He’s usually sad when he has to leave his flowers for the day, but now, he has to leave Jimin, too, and it hurts more than he understands. He’s always been alone before, why is it different now?
“Taehyung!” Jimin calls across from a few lines over, even though it isn’t allowed, “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? And I’ll bring Jungkookie with me!” Even through all the kids, Taehyung can see Jimin’s smile and his curved eyes and it makes him feel less sad.
The teacher snaps at them to stop talking and face forward, and they do, but Taehyung’s cheeks hurt from his happiness. They don’t stop hurting all day, even as he eats his dinner and tells his mama about the brave superhero and pretty sun who saved him and his flowers.
“Taehyung? Why are you awake?” Jimin pads into the dim living room, his plush bathrobe wrapped snuggly around his body and his face soft with sleep. When he sits down on the couch, Taehyung hums and continues looking forward. “Jungkook woke me up with all the tossing he was doing because you weren’t there.”
“I’m just remembering some stuff, Jiminie. I’ll go to bed in a little bit,” Taehyung says, voice low and warm. The fireplace flickers in the corner of his vision.
“Okay, but don’t stay up too long. We still have to go grocery shopping tomorrow and then swing by the cleaners and then we gotta-”
“I know,” Taehyung interrupts, eyes crinkling with fondness, “I know, Jimin. I’ll come back to bed soon.” Jimin sighs, but there’s no annoyance in his tone, just gentle love. “I’m just saying good night, that’s all.”
Soft lips press against his temple before Jimin leaves, his warmth lingering even as the bedroom door closes. Taehyung sits there for a little longer, the silence of night holding him in a comfortable embrace. When he decides that it’s getting too late to be awake, Taehyung puts out the fire, snuffing it with ashes; he then walks to the window, looking at the moon and the stars, the trees and the grass, the world outside. Once he’s done, he turns off the light by the couch where he had been sitting.
Sleep is starting to call his name, as well as the warm bed that holds both his lovers, but he has one last thing to do.
Carefully, Taehyung walks over to where he had been staring earlier, a gorgeous, delicate tulip standing proudly in its hand painted vase. It had been a one year anniversary gift from Jimin and Jungkook. Taehyung gently pets its petals, fingers caressing it lovingly, and he smiles his boxy smile until his cheeks are sore.
“Goodnight, friend.”
Taehyung turns and walks to his room, falling into bed easily and smiling when Jimin kisses him and Jungkook wraps his arms around his chest. He didn’t see his flower friend waving its petals to say goodnight, but he doesn’t need to anymore.
Not when he has his own personal superhero and sun making sure he’s never lonely again.