Bird of Paradise • taekook

Fifteen

The helicopter is heading directly towards them from the northern shoreline, an obnoxious metal bird that rattles and spreads chaos along its path. A phantom bitterness creeps into Taehyung's mouth by reflex, reminding him of the countless times he's sat in the tight interior of the 72A Lakota, hands white-knuckling over the seatbelt subconsciously as dark landscapes rolled past underneath.

He sucks in a deep breath to calm his wayward heart, but his feet are drawn towards the chaos, towards the inevitable, as if he's back to the days before Halaina - plastic half grin frozen on his pale face, twitching and willing to retract into his shell at the slightest signal of distress.

An arm loops through his, Taehyung turns to see Jin standing next to him, the usually warm gaze fixated on the helicopter that's now flying lower to the beach clearing close to them, "It's ok, we're here. We'll keep you safe."

Taehyung wants to ask how much Jin knows. What does your divinity tell you about my future, what do you see? But the words don't form, instead, a weary gasp is pushed out of his parched throat. Taehyung looks back at the shop, and feels a clench on his heart when he spots Jungkook walking towards them. Taehyung gives Jin's arm a reassuring squeeze before pulling himself away and towards the helicopter.

The wind hits his face with each whirl, making him squint. Sand billows all around the helicopter as it shudders into a landing away from the waves. Taehyung shields his eyes and nose with one hand, and keeps walking. There's a sharp silhouette in the stinging plume of beige, hopping out of the cabin with one swift leap, like a ghost cutting through a dream.

Faded green t-shirt, perpetual short crew cut, head tilted high, back straight and always in perfect posture. When Hoseok's eyes meet his, there's a glint of fondness that seeps into Taehyung's mind, no matter how quickly he averts his gaze. Hoseok's arm reaches around his shoulder and ends in a rough half embrace, before retracting just as abruptly.

The rhythmic spinning finally slows behind them, and the familiar sound of the crashing waves returns as dust settles. Hoseok speaks next to him, voice casual, "Wow, the sand. Reminds me so much of the dunes outside of Najaf, got into all my clothes everyday."

Dramatic as usual. Taehyung rolls his eyes and responds, "You know, my phone still works. You could've just called."

A chuckle, "I'm very much aware that you get a lot of interesting calls on your phone. Which is why I decided it's a nice day to visit the NSA office on Maui, take their heli crew for a spin." A pause for effect, then Hoseok leans towards him and curls his lips into a toothy grin, "Wait, you do remember there's military presence on the island, right? Or all the vacation vibe has conveniently clouded your memory."

A booming voice sounds before Taehyung can respond, "I knew we should've kept a shotgun at the shop for trespassers." Jin strides directly towards Hoseok, and Jungkook and Namjoon are trailing right behind him.

Hoseok glances at Jin thoughtfully, and responds, "No such thing as trespassing when it comes to national security. Regardless, it is-" he flicks his gaze all over Jin one more time, "-well, quite the occasion to meet you. Some people in my line of work swear by the power of your kind..."

Jin scoffs, "My Kind, as you so discriminatingly put it, does not act kindly to those that threaten the safety of the locals."

"Pretty obvious I'm not here for the locals, no?" Hoseok shrugs, "Just visiting a friend that's on vacation."

Jin shakes off Namjoon's hand tugging at his shirt from behind, words spewing out at an urgent pace, "Visiting? Does visiting require you to land a military helicopter on private property? Guess what, I don't need to be a shaman to know YOUR KIND. There's always a righteous reason that you guys hide behind, something big and flashy to fuel your ego." Jin pushes out a fuming exhale, "I recommend you get off the island before we kick you off!"

Taehyung swears the clouds darken and a gust of cold wind blows as Jin's words drop resolutely. Hoseok's expression stiffen, but before he can respond, Jungkook steps up and blocks between the two of them. He turns to Jin and whispers, "Kua'ana, please, let him speak. We don't even know his name or what he's here for."

Jin groans and snaps back, "There's only one reason someone like him is here. How can you not see it, or maybe you just don't want to? He's getting Taehyung out of here, he's probably the reason why Taehyung has been so unsettled this whole time."

Jungkook blinks and looks towards Taehyung. Something in his gaze makes Taehyung frown, something undeservedly trusting.

Hoseok chuckles, "I think you're underestimating Taehyung's power. He can work from literally anywhere in US, after all, he is one of our most valuable assets." His black combat boots dig into the weed speckled sand casually, "Let me introduce myself so you can judge me properly: Jung Hoseok, former Delta Force, now managing a crew for equally patriotic reasons, including our lovely Taehyung." His teeth positively gleam through the open mouth grin, like a jungle cat yawning in the sun. It makes Taehyung think of the rumours he's heard about Hoseok, some he has verified with whatever bits of data are allowed to be kept on record.

Taehyung is rarely in the frontline where open fire is required. Somehow, not being physically in the midst of suffering affords him some shreds of superficial grace. Easier on the soul. But Hoseok is the opposite. Taehyung has witnessed those moments before, when they are in discussion of a particularly dangerous extraction, or reviewing satellite videos of a battle front in real time. That glow in the crinkled brown eyes, an anxious tap of the fingers as his jawlines stiffen, Hoseok yearns for the field, reminisces of it incessantly. The rumor is he was the delta force operator with one of the highest numbers of recorded missions completed, because the violence and tension only fueled him, made him wanting more.

"You said it's up to Taehyung, that you're just visiting. Then let's hear what he thinks." Jungkook's voice snaps Taehyung out of his meandering thoughts. He steps up to stand next to Taehyung, arms touching.

"Um..." Taehyung stammers.

Namjoon peeks through from behind Jin, and smiles at Taehyung encouragingly, "It's ok, Tae, we respect your decision. If you are ok with him being here, then we will gladly step away. But if you'd rather he leaves, then don't be afraid to speak up. We're all here for you."

Taehyung's gaze flits past Jungkook next to him, "It's fine, I can manage. I'm- we are- it's not a big deal."

Hoseok arches his brows victoriously, "See? No problem at all. Well, now that I'm no longer getting kicked off the island, I'll go hang out at the old town hotel for a bit. You know, get a room, have a drink on the porch, all the usual boring stuff tourists do around here." He elbows Taehyung not so subtly, "Come find me when you have time. No rush."

Taehyung is silent. Jungkook has retracted back towards Jin and Namjoon, taking the radiant heat of his skin with him. It all suddenly feels so surreal, the landed helicopter in the distance against an uncertain grey sky, Jungkook's downcast gaze, and the wind that gusts erratically, making him shiver.