Bird of Paradise • taekook

Nine

He's forgotten how humbling the ocean waves can be. Pretty foamy things that cascade walls of crystalline azure from a distance, yet when he's in the midst of it, when the salty fluid teases in his throat, and the current slapping against his back, making him dizzy, the worst thing he can do is to resist, to fight back.

Taehyung coughs to rid of the water in his throat, and pushes against the sides of the board to propel his torso upward. On the back of his mind, the motion practiced on shore flickers by like ghosts. Pull up, push feet from underneath... So simple, yet his body responds awkwardly to the desire for success, tumbling and crashing into nothing each time.

He's sure to fall again, it's probably been a good half hour already, trying over and over, paddling back and forth. His arms are sore, legs wobbly before even getting back on the board. Maybe he should just give up, the physical things were never his forte-

"You're thinking too much again." A voice pipes up from next to him. Taehyung turns to see Jungkook swimming languidly, one hand resting lightly on the edge of Taehyung's board.

"Hmm?"

"Don't think, just do." Jungkook's wet hair bobbles in the gentle waves, tiny beads of water on his dark skin gleaming in the sun, "Pull up and trust that the waves will take you to shore."

Taehyung wants to scoff, to tell him it's easy for him to say these things, but as always, the warmth in Jungkook's voice gives him pause. Lying on the surfboard, with soaked hair drooping over his forehead like a wet dog, he tilts his head backwards and meets Jungkook's gaze, "Maybe I just suck at surfing, maybe it's just not for me..."

Jungkook's head bops along the azure waves, one hand resting by the edge of Taehyung's board, "It's not just you though, right now."

"Huh?"

Jungkook gives his board a teasing shake, "Of course surfing is not for everyone. But that's what I'm here for. You're not alone on this, in fact, you have the best teacher in Halaina. And I'm telling you that you can do this, we can do this." He smiles, and nudges his head decisively.

Something with Taehyung stirs at the words, something hidden in the recess that he hasn't dared to remember. Biting his lips, he turns back to face shore, and hears Jungkook add, "Here comes another tide, try again, Tae. Trust the wave, and trust me."

The waves are surging beneath him again, flapping, swelling, like a shapeless monster trying to throw him off its saddle. Instead of tensing up his shoulders and resisting the dizzying movement, Taehyung surrenders and relaxes his limbs. Ebb, flow, up, down, he rises with the wave, and as it crests under him in a million splattering beads, Taehyung pulls himself up on the board, legs shaking, hands pushing out instinctually to balance himself.

The waves splash and wobble under his feet, and the reflection of the sun from the water makes him squint, but Taehyung takes a breath and tries to become one with the motion, with  it all.

Trust. Not alone.

He half anticipates the inevitable fall again, when his clumsy body finally gets rejected by the watery element, face slamming into the salty water, eyes filled with the clamour of the sea. But something is different this time. His feet are a little steadier, his body softer, more malleable.

Who knew having noodle legs could be a good thing. Taehyung chuckles inwardly at the thought, and gives the wave full reign to take him for as far as it wants.

Before he knows it, the sandy beach flashes ahead, and the water underneath turns shallow. Taehyung aims for hopping off the board coolly, and lands on a stumble where his face almost eats sand. He breaks the fall with palms on the beach, and finally allows his sore limbs to relax.

"Told ya you could do it." Taehyung looks up, and sees the silhouette standing next to him, tanned torso casting a comforting shadow on him. Jungkook's face is dark and framed by the blinding sun, warm gaze unwavering.

Taehyung grins, all toothy and spent, as peace seeps into every tired cell of his being.