Work Text:
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Jeon Jungkook meets Kim Taehyung on a sunny Thursday afternoon, somewhere along the river, where he seemed to be fishing a hat out of the water.
~
He had been running; zigzagging through trees and treading on stone and soil around the sunlit park. Now he finds himself slowing down on the patch of grass under the big oak tree, just short of the riverbank, the wind knocked out of him, his feet aching.
It takes him a moment to realize that he is not alone; another figure is there, crouched by the water. Jungkook moves forward slightly and cranes his neck from his spot under the tree, but it does no good to clarify the scene before him, so he walks to the river bank and roots himself a few feet beside the crouched stranger.
The said stranger, who, Jungkook notices, is wearing too many layers for this time in the summer, does not look at him, his hands and eyes both busy with what looks like a hat being plucked from the river and plopped onto the muddy grass, but he acknowledges Jungkook's presence just the same: "Yes, it's exactly what it looks like."
Jungkook's brows move of their own accord, furrowing - and so does his mouth, opening just a smidge to let the laughter escape. He is surprised at his own reaction, and he looks wildly around him to see if anyone else is in the vicinity to catch it. Right, he's just been running from people, that's why he's ended up here, on the riverbanks, with a strange man and his strange hat.
When Jungkook looks back, the man with too many layers and the dripping wet hat is now standing, facing him.
The first thing Jungkook notices are his eyes. Hard-set but not unkind, dark and intense despite the brilliant light reflected by the nearby water. His eyebrows are so well defined, they could've been etched there by a master painter, who got charcoal buried under his fingernails and smudged against his palms, but is content because his work of art is perfect. And his eyelashes, well. Jungkook's not one for poetry, but he swears those eyelashes are where flowers bloom.
(Whatever that means).
(He learns, later on, that it means they flutter when Kim Taehyung's eyelids close against Jungkook's lips in the dark and then they shine against the golden sunlight that streams through the bedroom window).
The man - Jungkook can see he's wearing a floral polo shirt tucked into neat slacks, finished off with a long brown coat - frenetically wipes down his right hand on his clothes and holds it out. "Kim Taehyung."
It takes Jungkook a split second more to realize he's the other end of that introduction, and he blinks rapidly and takes Kim Taehyung's outstretched hand quickly. His palm is soft and warm, despite his long, slender fingers, bony and a bit cold from the water. "Jeon Jungkook."
Kim Taehyung shakes the wet, misshapen article of clothing, clutched by his other hand, spraying the ground and their shoes. "What were you running from?"
"College boys," Jungkook answers, blinking. "What is that?"
"Oh this?" Taehyung looks down at the limp piece of cloth, as if only noticing it for the first time. "It's my beret."
"Beret?"
"It's a kind of hat."
So Jungkook is right; it is, indeed, a hat. And Taehyung was right, earlier; it was what it looked like - a man fishing out a hat from the river. But - "What's it doing in the water?"
Kim Taehyung's eyebrows meet in the middle, his head tipping slightly to the side, as if Jungkook spoke gibberish. It makes Jungkook feel self-conscious. He scratches at the scar on his cheek.
Finally Taehyung answers, but in a tone of voice that sounds like he is unsure himself, "It fell."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
A pause.
"Why were you running from college boys?"
Jungkook smiles. "I threw a rock at one of the boys' car windows."
Taehyung's eyebrows shoot up, but Jungkook can see his curiosity is piqued.
Jungkook continues: "They're assholes. One of them tried to break my camera. I was just walking along the hallway." He shrugs.
Taehyung frowns even as his eyebrows remain high on his forehead, and he nods slowly. Jungkook thinks he looks impressed. "I'm impressed," Taehyung replies.
Jungkook chuckles.
"So you're a college boy too, huh?" Taehyung says, hanging his beret on a tree branch and sitting down near the roots. Jungkook finds himself following the motion without question. He also notices belatedly how deep Taehyung's voice is.
(How old is this guy?)
(Not much older, Jungkook learns shortly after. But infinitesimally more mature in some ways, even if he is also extremely child-like in others).
Jungkook nods. "I go to the University over there," he says, jerking his thumb at the general direction behind him.
Taehyung turns to look where he pointed, even if from this angle he probably won't see much. Jungkook giggles at his enthusiasm.
"How about you?" Jungkook continues. Taehyung's eyes snap back to him, and they're filled with a quiet mischief Jungkook can't particularly name, like Taehyung knows a secret that revealed itself to him and him only; his mouth quirks up.
"Sort of. I take classes at the community college a couple of blocks from here."
"What classes?"
"Oh you know, units here and there. Electives, mostly. Though I've got a few Art ones that I really need - "
Jungkook's eyes widen, his mouth twitching up one side. "You're an artist?"
Taehyung smiles, clearly pleased at this inquiry, revealing a solid set of pearly whites. His eyes crinkle into crescent moons. Jungkook stares just a little bit too long with too little speech.
(Is he really the artist? With the way his well-shaped nose perfectly meets his philtrum, which slopes down onto dark, downturned lips, Jungkook swears he's been plucked from clay and shaped by an artist's perfectionist dreams).
"Yeah, sort of," Taehyung replies softly, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks, and Jungkook feels like he opened a stained glass window and peered into the illuminated room in Kim Taehyung's dwellings.
Suddenly, the park is secondary to Jungkook's awareness, like it's a paper-park with paper-trees and paper-people; the only reference point to reality in that split second is Kim Taehyung.
The stomping of shoes against hot cement jumbled together with discordant, angry voices growing louder startles him back to the physical world. Jungkook twists around, and he sees three figures getting larger and nearer by the second.
"I guess that's the college boys," Taehyung comments, standing up and dusting his pants.
"Shit." Jungkook jumps up, hurriedly swatting his clothes.
"Go hide behind the tree!"
"What?"
"You can't outrun them now, just -" Taehyung shoves him behind the trunk, obscuring what is probably left visible of Jungkook by awkwardly leaning on the side of the tree and whipping out his phone, seemingly casually scrolling through it. Jungkook holds his face in his palm. They're both going to get their asses whooped.
Jungkook peeks thru the spaces where the trunk spreads out into branches, palms flat on the rough bark; he feels every rough edge and crevice. His nerves tingle and his heart thuds against his chest.
The three figures approach Taehyung, who casually looks up from his phone with eyes slightly wide and mouth slackened like he has no clue what's going on. Jungkook fights the urge to snicker.
Jungkook crouches down lower from his spot behind the tree. He hears more than he sees, at this point. "Have you seen this guy?" He surmises they're showing Taehyung a photo of him on their phones. Losers.
There's no reply from Taehyung for a few seconds, only a low humming as if he was pulling from the delicate threads of memory just who this guy in the photo was. Then he gasps, slow and soft, and Jungkook slaps his hand against his mouth, swallowing down a giggle.
"Yeah, actually I have. Why, is he a criminal?"
Jungkook risks a peek; one of the guys, a tall, gangly one with spiky hair, makes a face at his friend, a shorter guy with brown hair in a Yankees cap. On this, Jungkook can't blame him. Ninety percent of the things Kim Taehyung has said or done from this morning up to this point has been on the stranger side of things.
The third of them, a burly one with greasy, jet-black hair scratches his head. "Yeah, sort of. He owes us."
"Oh?" Taehyung inquires, and from this low, sideways angle behind the tree Jungkook can just make out the intrigued expression he makes, eyes big and mouth in the perfect shape of an O. Jungkook should probably be worried right now about getting beat up, but all he can think about is how good Kim Taehyung is at acting.
"Yeah, have you seen him?" Yankees asks impatiently.
Taehyung clears his throat ceremoniously, crossing his arms. "Actually, I have."
Jungkook's eyes widen in panic, blood rushing to his ears. A second later, a pang of betrayal pushes at his chest. Here he thought he was making a connection with this guy, but suddenly he's being given up to the douchebags? Jungkook bites his lower lip, wondering if he should make a run for it. He's a fast runner, definitely, so he knows they can't catch him if he makes a beeline for the other end of the park and out onto the street so suddenly.
He's already made the decision to dash when Taehyung's deep voice carries over to his side of the tree: "He passed by about a minute ago. You'll still catch him if you run for it."
What? Jungkook's brain, fogged with adrenaline and the summer mid-morning heat, is not processing the turn of events. He dares a peek and moves from a crouch to a low squat. The sun beats on his back and perspiration trickles from his hairline down to his chin, despite the cool breeze.
Spiky says, "That's not helpful, we don't know where he is or where he's going."
"Yeah, but I do. I'll tell you if you give me ten thousand won," Taehyung replies. Jungkook freezes in his awkward half-standing position.
The three dudes make teetering noises, unimpressed, but Jungkook can tell they're about to give in, lest they lose the boy that broke their car.
Finally, Greaseball - obviously the leader - makes a 'tch' noise and grudgingly hands over the bills.
They talk some more, Taehyung making vague gestures in a certain direction. Jungkook keeps low below the branches now, not risking it. A few more seconds later and he hears footsteps retreat.
"Boo." Jungkook looks up - and finds himself face to face with Taehyung. Too close; he can count the moles on his face, can see the speckled brown in his irises. Taehyung smiles, damn him. Jungkook swallows.
Taheyung grabs his arm, and electricity crackles where his skin meets Taehyung's. Taehyung pulls him up and straightens his clothes, and Jungkook has no more words at this point.
Taehyung also has the audacity to dust off Jungkook's clothes, running his hands lightly on the front of his shirt, his sleeves. Jungkook stares.
Taehyung stands square before him and smiles. Jungkook swallows. Taehyung raises his perfectly sculpted brow. "Well? Don't just stand there looking unimpressed."
Still, Jungkook says nothing. Taehyung clucks his tongue and rolls his eyes, but he wears an amused expression. He puts a hand on his hip and holds his other hand out, palm up to the sky. "What do you think of my acting skills?"
Finally Jungkook lands back to reality. He blinks, repeatedly, then smiles, one side of his mouth quirking up. "That was really good."
Taehyung bows, then laughs, a deep, hearty laugh that throws Jungkook off balance.
Taehyung pats his breast pocket, pulling out the bills he wormed out of the three Stooges earlier. He hands Jungkook five thousand Won. "Here, the spoils of victory."
Jungkook must've just stood there, because - "Is standing and staring into space ninety percent of what you do all the time?"
Jungkook scratches his head. "I'm sorry. It's just. What a morning."
"Yeah, and sweltering hot, too!" Taehyung says, grabbing his soggy beret from the tree branch.
"That's because you're dressed for winter."
"Oh, now he speaks, sharp-tongued." But Taehyung takes off his long brown coat anyway.
Jungkook chuckles. Taehyung smiles at him. "How about we get some ice cream?"
"Sounds good."
~