UNDER HIS SPELL { taekook }

二 ; ５８

It didn't feel real, almost. The way the steady wind had swept over his skin, tapped it with a chilly embrace, awakened him to the buildings and the ground beneath his feet. The world around him.

And the full moon, even, seemed to shine at a high luminescent opacity Jeongguk hadn't known could be achieved. Of course, he'd look at the night sky in leisure before. Countless times in his life, surely. But ever since he met the man walking beside him now, it was painfully evident that his own lenses now viewed the world in a different light. Perceived it in a more intricate mindset.

Jeongguk was sure that if he were to have a conversation with the him from a year ago, he'd think of himself to be outright naive.

Because in a short span of months, he's changed.

Though he wasn't sure if this change was a good thing or a bad thing, Jeongguk thought himself to be content with where he was in life. With this change came things that he'd learned about the world. Newfound knowledge. Knowledge he knew that meant little in the greater scheme of things, for he still had much to learn about the things he didn't know. Which was a lot of things.

Even so, learning about the things he didn't yet know was exciting to him. Scary still, but exciting.

Those were words he could use to perfectly describe how he felt walking beside V now, the alter who was to escort him back home safely, yet the two hadn't spoken much words since their stroll had begun.

In fact, Jeongguk's observant eyes took good note of the way the man was walking in great leisure, a drag in his step. If he were to judge on who was fronting just on the way Taehyung was walking, V certainly wouldn't have been his first guess.

But before he could play detective on that note, a greater realization hit him in an instant.

"Are we, um..." Jeongguk spoke up in a timid volume. "Are you not taking me h-home right now?"

Taehyung's hands were dug casually to his pockets, and the boy barely heard the quiet chuckle that left his lips.

"Not yet. I'm taking you somewhere."

Jeongguk's brows rose, his gaze wavering toward the less familiar surrounding area around him. "Oh... Well, I'm a little tired so I was.. hoping to just go straight home tonight."

"Hmph. Boring," Taehyung nearly scoffed. "It's a weekend now. I'll show you how to have real fun."

The boy's jaw lowered. "I wanted to-... Uhm, I was thinking of checking up on Jimin too, so um.."

Before he could add more to his point, the older skid his feet toward him and stopped, dark eyes settling over the young one.

"Enough, Jeon. You're coming with me."

Jeongguk blinked up at him, his raised brows slowly furrowing closer together. At the sudden proximity, he caught a whiff of a particularly strong scent mixing with Taehyung's usual musk.

The boy's lips parted. "Were you... s-smoking weed before picking me up..?"

Taehyung merely blinked back at him, then turned to continue their walk down the pavement.

Jeongguk continued. "You're high right now.. aren't you?"

"Why, would you like me to get you a blunt?"

The younger refrained from scoffing, and settled on lowering his head before shaking it. He decided not to give a verbal response—wasn't sure what he could or couldn't say that would give him less of a difficult time with the older. So he obediently followed him, a lulled silence settling between them again while their feet carried them across the textured pavement.