Hilde | Kim Taehyung fanfiction ✓

taehyung

30

"And better, you'll be rid of me." 

Taehyung was taken aback by how easily he had uttered those words, even though deep down, he wished for the opposite. He reluctantly withdrew his hands from her and let them fall to his sides, feeling a pang of disappointment as Arya nodded in response to his comment.

"Yeah, I guess I will," she replied quietly. "I'll finally get you out of my hair."

He placed a comforting hand on the small of her back, guiding her towards the boarding gate, masking any hint of dismay he felt at her words.

Once on board, after the gate agent had checked their tickets and IDs, they settled into their seats. Taehyung noticed Arya's legs shaking and bouncing as she buckled her seatbelt. Leaning towards her, he whispered in her ear, "Are you trying to cause turbulence even before we're in the sky?"

Arya turned to him, their faces unexpectedly close, noses almost touching. Her eyes widened with surprise, and her nervousness was evident; he grinned as she did not pull back. "Turbulence?" she whispered back. "Does it happen often?"

"Yeah, sometimes," Taehyung replied with a teasing smirk. "Mainly when it's cloudy and rainy. Today's pretty sunny, though. If there's any turbulence at all, it won't last long. Are you scared?"

"A little, maybe," Arya admitted uncertainly. His smirk only widened when he realized that she was not scared of getting to Idyllwild and meeting Novikov, but of flying.

"First time?" Taehyung asked.

She nodded hesitantly.

"You're in for the worst six hours of your life then," he joked.

"Six?" Arya nearly exclaimed, drawing a few annoyed glances from nearby passengers. She quickly apologized with a raised hand before turning back to Taehyung. "Is it really a six-hour flight?"

"And thirty minutes," Taehyung added, settling into his seat.

"Thirty minutes?" Arya squeaked, drawing more disapproving looks. "I apologize," she muttered, her cheeks turning red as she covered her face with her hands.

"You'll survive," Taehyung assured her, closing his eyes. "Do you know how many planes fly every day?"

"I don't know, a lot?" Arya replied.

"Exactly. And you really think our plane will be the one to crash?"

Taehyung opened his eyes and turned to look at Arya when she didn't reply. She was staring out the window, watching the ground crew load luggage into the cargo hold of the plane. He imagined from her perspective they must have looked like tiny ants.

Suddenly, Arya turned to face Taehyung, her newly short hair swirling around. "Can we exchange seats? I don't want to see what will be outside when we're in the sky."

Taehyung felt his heart rate quicken slightly and his expression softened at Arya's tone. In just a few hours, he had seen Arya transition from being witty, fearless, and uncompromising to feeling unease over things like flying or simply finishing what she started. He couldn't fault her for the constant change in attitude, especially since she was going through something major in her life and he saw much of his younger self in her.

Nodding, Taehyung unbuckled his seatbelt and swapped seats with Arya. "Better?" he asked as she fastened her seatbelt. He smiled to himself slightly when she nodded, looking noticeably less nervous.

A few minutes later, the plane began to taxi, causing the seats to vibrate. Taehyung glanced over at Arya to gauge her reaction. He noticed her eyes squeezing shut and her body tensing, fists clenched. Searching for something to distract her, he blurted out, "What's your favorite movie?" Arya didn't seem like she heard him, so he cleared his throat and got a little closer to her ear to repeat his question. "Do you have a favorite movie?"

Arya seemed startled at first, perhaps not expecting him to be so close and whispering in her ear. Slowly opening her eyes, she met his gaze, sending a shiver down his spine. "That sounds like something Ghostface would ask his victims," she replied.

Taehyung scoffed at her comment, trying to hide his smile with his hand. "Ghostface? Is that where your mind goes first?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm kind of into slasher flicks," Arya whispered, her shoulders close to her ears and hands still in tight fists.

"I guessed you did the night I first met you," Taehyung responded casually.

"The night you first met me?" Arya echoed, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Why are you talking about it like we met years ago?" Her smile was subtle but noticeable to Taehyung.

"Because I feel like I've known you for years. I think in these four days, you've shown every single side and emotion you have in your repertoire."

"I don't even know if I should take that well or not," Arya replied, her smile widening a touch. Taehyung observed her body relaxing slightly, her hands loosening as she settled more comfortably into her seat.

"You still haven't told me what your favorite movie is."

"Scream, Hush, Ready or Not, You're Next, Us. There are so many, I can't just pick one."

"If you had to pick one of these movies to watch for the rest of your life, which one would it be?" Taehyung turned towards her, genuinely interested.

After a moment of consideration, Arya answered, "Ready or Not. I love horror comedy. Add slasher to the mix and you better believe I'm watching it," she said enthusiastically.

"Never heard of that movie before. We could watch it one day, once all this is over," Taehyung suggested casually, slipping in the subtle proposition.

Arya met his gaze unwaveringly, her response coming effortlessly. "It's a date."