FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT| JJENINII

10

"This..." Jennie wheezed, bracing herself by bending over to take a deep breath. "...was not what I expected."

"I'm honestly impressed you're still surviving in those heels." Taehyung commented as he stood beside her, hand clutching her purse which she had finally surrendered to him with a barely-concealed groan of frustration.

"I better have incredible calves after all this." She muttered as she stood back up, unconsciously grabbing his forearm to continue walking.

Taehyung simply shook his head, a smile forming at her angry lashings. Especially when he was almost certain she'd be cursing him for it later.

The thought made the corners of his mouth twitch into a smile he had to quickly suppress when she turned to face him again. "Just curious—what did you think Hobbiton was?"

"I don't know! When I googled it the hills seemed a lot more manageable. Smaller." She huffed as he raised an eyebrow.

"You know it's not a cardinal rule for you to wear heels everywhere we go." He pointed out, glancing at her meticulously calculating every step she took.

"It may not be a cardinal rule, but it is my cardinal rule. Especially around you." She remarked rather pointedly.

Taehyung was taken aback, hearing of this for the first time during their entire trip. "What's that supposed to mean? I don't force you to wear those 3-inch monsters."

"Not by words, but every paparazzi photo reminds me that if I want to look a decent height beside you and your giraffe height, then heels it is." She sighed, finally coming to a stop at the next photo-spot.

"I'm not even that tall." He defended as she shrugged.

"That's practically a skyscraper to me. I'm 5'4 on a good day." She said as she emphasized her point by motioning to herself.

"That's just you being short, Jen." He teased while sidestepping to avoid her playful yet not-so-playful jab at his side.

"Alright, Mr. I'm-Not-Even-That-Tall," Jennie said, her tone laced with mockery as she planted her hands on her hips. "Let's get this next photo over with before I spontaneously combust."

Taehyung chuckled. "Spontaneously combust? Is that a thing that happens when you walk too much in heels?"

"It's a thing that happens when you walk too much, period," she corrected, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "But I imagine the heels make it worse."

He shook his head and handed her the purse. "You sure you don't want to change into something more comfortable? We've still got a long way to go."

Jennie eyed him, suspicious. "You really want me to walk around in flats next to you? Think of the pictures."

Taehyung rolled his eyes, though the smile remained. "I don't care about the pictures, Jennie. I care about you not killing me when your feet finally give out."

She let out a small laugh, the kind that made the tension between them dissolve, if only for a moment. "Maybe you should worry about yourself. I haven't decided yet if I'll kill you or not."

"Great. I'll be on high alert then," he quipped, glancing around at the quiet hills of Hobbiton. They were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by greenery that seemed to stretch on forever.

The rolling hills, dotted with hobbit holes and vibrant flowers, felt like something out of a dream, almost too picturesque to be real.

The air was cooler here, shaded by towering trees, with soft sunlight filtering through the branches, casting golden streaks over the path.