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They were definitely not going the right way.
Tai had accepted that about five minutes ago—right around the time their little arrows on the treasure map disappeared right off the worn parchment.
“This is on you, by the way,” Tai said, pushing past a large branch, hair barely brushing by the gnarly twigs. “If we’re lost, I’m blaming you.”
“We’re not lost,” Rejoice replied, tilting the map to the left and to the right in confusion as they kept walking through the thick jungle.
“Mhmm. So tell me why there’s no path around us!?”
“I know where we are.”
“You absolutely don’t.”
“I do. Trust me, I’ve seen that tree before!”
“Then, do tell, where are we?”
“Right where we need to be!” Rejoice exclaimed as he gestured towards a dead end. “Wait…I swear it was here before.”
Tai sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I—”
Rejoice shoved Tai through the dense leaves—
—and they both stopped.
“...oh,” Tai croaked out, surveying the newly opened land surrounding him.
The world just erupted beneath them, sky growing tenfold as the brilliant blue enveloped them in its warm embrace.
A huge field stretched out in front of them, filled with sunflowers— tall, bright, all glowing under the late afternoon sun like the whole meadow had been dipped in gold and painted with light.
For once, Tai didn’t have anything to whine about.
“Okay,” he admitted. “That’s actually pretty cool Rejoice—” He glanced over, but Rejoice was already gone.
“You’re kidding.”
Tai watched as Rejoice took off into the field, sprinting straight towards the seemingly millions of sunflowers, pushing through their stalks and collapsing into a heap of yellow.
Tai snorted. “So subtle. Begging me for weeks to do a ‘treasure hunt’ only to take me here.”
He followed the path Rejoice had haphazardly carved into the field, brushing his hands against the stems as he walked. The flowers were taller than he expected—some of them nearly at eye level—and they swayed slightly as he passed, the soft rustling filling the air.
Up ahead, Rejoice started to sit up, reaching towards all the sunflowers near him.
Tai crossed his arms, watching him.
“You’re so obvious,” he muttered.
“What are you talking about?” Rejoice shot back immediately, plucking off a petal from the sunflower in his hands.
“Nothing.”
“Then don’t say it like that.”
Tai just grinned and kept walking until he was a few steps behind him. “You like these sunflowers a lot.”
“Can’t a guy just like flowers without being judged?”
Tai bumped his shoulder lightly as he passed him. “Relax, man. I’m not judging you for having a favorite plant.”
Rejoice stayed silent, continuing to rip off all the petals from his sunflower, and then wound his arm back.
Tai didn’t even get a warning this time.
WHAP.
The head of a flower hit the side of his head, the hard seeds prickling against his skin.
Tai slowly turned, brushing off all the petals that were currently tangled in his hair.
Rejoice blinked at him, still holding the stem, and then started slowly scooching away from Tai.
“You hit me,” Tai said, already spotting the nearest flower out of the corner of his eye.
“No shit, Sherlock,” Rejoice laughed. “Are you just gonna take it?”
Tai’s grin spread instantly. “Oh, so it’s like that?”
Rejoice took one step back. “Wait—”
Too late.
Tai lunged, ripping the sunflower he had been eyeing out of the ground, and charged at Rejoice.
Rejoice yelped and bolted, immediately breaking into a dash through the field. Sunflowers whipped across the sides of his face as he pushed past them, laughing the entire time he ran.
“You’re dead!” Tai shouted, chasing after him, brandishing the sunflower like a sword.
“You started it!”
“You assaulted me with a plant!”
“You were being annoying!” Rejoice called over his shoulder.
“Am I always annoying?”
“Yes! It's about time you realized!!”
Tai gained on him for about three seconds before Rejoice veered sharply to the side,disappearing into a thicker patch of flowers. Tai followed and immediately lost sight of him.
“Oh, we’re playing that game,” Tai muttered, trampling back from yet another dead end.
A sunflower flew out of nowhere and smacked him in the shoulder.
Tai spun around and grabbed the nearest one, throwing it back in the general direction it came from.
“Wow!” Rejoice’s voice called from somewhere to the left. “You have terrible aim!”
“Shut up!”
Tai pushed through the flowers—seriously, how many of these things were there—trying to track Rejoice down, but everything looked the same.
Another sunflower hit him. This time in the back.
“Oh my G—”
Tai pivoted, finally catching a glimpse of movement—Rejoice’s shawl adorned with silly little among us’s fluttering behind him as he ducked behind a cluster of tall flowers, trying to hide his giggles.
Tai charged forwards, holding the flower like a lance as he drew closer to him.
Rejoice tried to run again, but he tripped and Tai caught up, grabbing his sleeve and tackling him sideways into the flowers.
They both went down in a mess of bent stems and crushed petals, laughing uncontrollably as Tai started raining hits on Rejoice with a bright green weapon.
“Got you,” Tai said, breathless, still smacking Rejoice with his flower stalk.
“You literally cheated,” Rejoice shot back, trying (and failing) to push him off.
“There are no rules, and you hit me first!”
Rejoice huffed, but he was still laughing trying to shove Tai off from on top of him. Tai eventually rolled off, flopping onto his back beside him, as they lay in the middle of the vast field of sunflowers.
They both stared up at the sky, the sun dipping lower, light filtering through the gaps between the flowers.
It was quiet, save for their raggedy breathing, still a little uneven from running.
“…you’re still obsessed with these things,” Tai said after a moment.
Rejoice groaned. “I’m not obsessed.”
“You attacked me over them.”
“I attacked you because you wouldn’t shut up.”
“Same thing.”
Rejoice turned his head, glaring at him—but there was no real bite to it anymore.
Tai grinned back.
A beat.
Then Rejoice reached over, grabbed a slightly crushed sunflower from the ground—
—and tucked it behind Tai’s ear.
“So unbelievable,” Tai said, readjusting the flower so it stayed in place.
“Mmhm.”
Tai snorted, then sat up, brushing off his shirt. “C’mon.”
Rejoice frowned slightly. “Where—”
Tai grabbed his wrist and pulled.
Rejoice barely had time to react before he was yanked to his feet.
“We’re not done yet,” Tai said, already grinning again.
Tai stood up, brushing the petals off his lap, then tore through the forest of stalks and flowers.
Rejoice stood there for half a second—
and then followed.
And soon enough, they were right back at it again—running in messy circles, throwing flowers they still couldn’t aim to save their lives, laughing too loud, leaving a trail of scattered sunflowers in their wake.