Bird of Paradise • taekook

Fourteen

It's an unassuming Saturday, Taehyung sits outside of the house, with Jin next to him, keeping him company. Jungkook finished early and is inside the shop cleaning up with Namjoon. Taehyung can hear their voices ebbing in and out, mixed with the occasional laughter.

The ocean is calm, December on the island makes him wish for mulled wine by a bonfire.

"I heard the town council is reviewing the developer's revised proposal." Taehyung asks.

"Ugh." Jin fidgets with the zipper of his thick hoodie, "I don't know why they're allowed to resubmit over and over. The answer will always be no - no we're not building yet another golf course, especially not next to Olowalu. What's next? Cut down the banyan tree for an outlet mall? Tear out the old town hall for a condo building? I swear soon there will be no place left for me to exist on my own island."

"But you know the town council people, right?"

"Of course, half of them I grew up with, the other half are in a relationship with someone we know. Halaina is not a big town, everyone relies on everyone else to survive."

"Then you can talk to them? Surely they want to protect their homes too."

A long sigh, Jin scrunches his face to the phantom stench before responding, "Greed, it hides wherever people are, unavoidable. Greed for control, for more power, for things that don't belong to them."

Taehyung turns silent and rubs on the ring on his finger absently, feeling the polished surface of the orange stone.

Jin turns to look back at the surf shop. The door and windows in the front are open, Taehyung sees Namjoon sitting inside with a stack of unopened bills on the desk, scribbling away in one of his little notebooks.

Jin's gaze stays on Namjoon when he continues, "We'll figure it out, I know we'll be here until the end, together, the rest is just details. A home is a home, no matter what."

Taehyung is quiet for a beat, but eventually he speaks up, "There are ways to go about it in addition to talking to council."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, at the most basic level, you can do petitions, news articles, make sure the voice of the community is heard and documented."

"Hmm."

"Then, if you want more, you can study the developer, figure out their source of funding, restrictions and limitations, to remind the council and add conditions to the development as it is being approved."

Jin's staring at him now with focus, but Taehyung continues, unhurried, one hand carding through his overgrown hair to push it off his forehead, "Of course, if you're really determined, if hypothetically, you cannot afford to see this development go through at any cost, then there are always ways to dig deeper. Developers, politicians, they're all people after all. People have secrets and fears they keep to themselves."

Jin arches a brow at him, "Who are you and what did you do to Taehyung, because this doesn't sound like you at all."

Taehyung blinks, and smiles sheepishly at him, "Sorry, I was- I don't know, just thinking about some other stuff... Sorry."

"You're always thinking about some other stuff. That's your problem, too much thinking." Jin waves his hand at him vaguely, "Go for a swim, walk to town, stop thinking and sounding so weird please. Geez, we need to rinse all the dark stuff out of you, I swear." He pauses for a beat, before adding, "But maybe a petition is a good idea. So, do I walk around with a piece of paper and get everyone to sign it?"

"Um, sure, you can. But these things are usually done much faster online. You can actually whip up a little digital campaign with almost no cost."

"Online you say, hmm. Like, on a computer?" Jin makes a face, and they both chuckle. Jin adds with a dramatic sigh, "Well, computers and I don't see eye to eye, so I'll need your help on that. I'm more of a, whatcha call it, spells and incense kinda guy."

Taehyung blinks at him, "I don't think that's a common type, but sure. It's really easy, all digital things are very black and white. Almost soothingly logical."

A loud rattle from behind them, followed by Jungkook's causal voice, mixed with laughter. Taehyung looks back with curled lips, trying to see what ruckus they're causing. A thought flashes across his mind, something he tries hard to remember but fails, "Taehyung said you have a story for everything..."

"Hmm?"

"Say..." Taehyung eyes the riot of blooms behind the house, all orange and blue amidst thick stalks of dark green leaves, "Is there a story about those flowers back there?"

Jin follows his gaze, "Oh. Manu palekaiko, bird of paradise. They're common on the island, very hardy, can live through any storm. Rumor is they grow well here because they are Lono's favorite. You know Lono, the god of agriculture, the one with the big head piece and the scary face?" Jin furrows his brows and lines both his hands on top of his head like the comb of a rooster, drawing a giggle out of Taehyung.

Jin continues, "For Makahiki celebration, I usually dry those flowers and grind them up to be added to the incense. It makes the altar smell lovely for days. You can do the offering ceremony with me next year? It's a very festive time, peaceful, I think you would like it."

Jin's eyes gleam gently under the lattice of shadow from his brimmed straw hat, and Taehyung doesn't have the heart to say no, "Maybe, if I'm around..."

Jin stares at him and pauses, before flitting his gaze towards the ring Taehyung's fidgeting with, "You know, there's indeed a meaning to bird of paradise. When people leave the island, they always take a bloom of it with them, because the flower looks like a bird taking flight."

"Oh? So it's to ensure a safe journey?"

The light in Jin's eyes swirls and flickers, "Not quite. We are all destined for certain journeys in life, some of them we must complete alone. But the flower is not meant for us to fly far and away, no, it's to remind us to come home safely when the journey is completed. Freedom, with the contentment of belonging, that's what it means."

Taehyung's throat dries, and there's a sudden heaviness in his chest, making it hard to respond.

Jin leans in, a faint scent radianting from his looming frame, sweet and ancient like the blinding sun hidden behind clouds, "You picked the ring, remember, my weary little drifter. Why are you so afraid of it then? Open up a little, and let it in."

Taehyung gulps - the riot of burning blooms, the waves that swell and crest endlessly, a click of the phone that severs the only kindred he's ever accepted, and the reassuring weight of a sun-darkened arm sinking into his solitude - everything clashes on his mind messily between Jin's cryptic glance. And that's when he hears it, the familiar rhythmic spinning of metal blades in the distance, stirring up the thick air with each suffocating rotation.

Swish, swish, swish.

The trees rustle frantically, like that night they braced for the tropical rain. Next to him, Jin pushes himself up from the chair with squared shoulders, his gaze darkening, "I was hoping this wouldn't happen."