Where Were You? - A BTS Fanfic

Chapter 5: Starry Sky

"Are you okay?" the boy had asked.

She had been sitting on the swings, crying, for over an hour already, and the sunset had long since faded into tones of dark blue and black.

Now, she looked up from her place of despair to see the most beautiful boy she had ever come across. Stunned, she gave no answer to his question except for the sniffles and hiccups.

He cautiously approached the figure, as if she was an animal that would flee at the first sign of danger. Slowly, he made his way to the swing next to hers, gently seating himself on it.

"Come on," he whispered. "Swing with me."

She turned to look at him then, tears still brimming in her eyes. She looked so broken, so hopeless.

It surprised him to see anyone that sad.

"Swing with me," he repeated, a smile gracing his features. "It'll help you feel better, I promise."

She stared at him a bit longer before casting her eyes downwards once again.

Then, slowly, ever slowly, she began to dig her feet into the sand and kick, propelling her little body forward and back.

Mirroring her actions, the boy began to do the same. Soon, the pair became a giggling mess of mirth.

Back and forward, higher and higher. The girl felt as if she could reach out and touch that beautiful blanket of night, a canvas of starry sky.

They stayed that way for a long time, content in their little, contemporary bubble of safety.

Content to feel the type of innocence that children should have.

----

"Hey," the girl started. "I should probably be getting home now." A frown adorned her face as she said this. 

Her tears had long since dried with the night breeze, and the boy was elated that he had been able to be the cause of someone's happiness.

"Oh, yeah." he mused. "Your parents are probably worried about you."

When no reply came, he glanced over at her, only to see an expression of sadness and pain on her face.

"Your parents are worried about you...right?" he tentatively asked.

She opened her mouth, only to close it again after a moment of silence. Her veil of calm suddenly crumpled into a mask of despair.

"They don't care about each other anymore," she said. "How are they supposed to find room in their hearts for someone like me, too?" She folded into herself on the sand, just like a flimsy piece of paper.

He stood there before her, just a little boy with a life that was seemingly perfect compared to hers. How could he understand that kind of life, that heartbreak, that loneliness? It just wasn't feasible to him.

But he could comfort her.

He knelt down beside her, wrapping his little arms around her. Her skin was smooth and ice-cold, as if the very life had been sucked out of her.

He squeezed her firmly, resting his head on top of hers. "If they won't care about you, then I will." he said resolutely. "Come on, I'll take you home. That way, I can visit you a lot more from now on, too."

He awkwardly swiveled around to face her, his arms still around her figure. When he came face to face with her, he offered her a huge smile, complete with teeth and all. She giggled at his absurd behavior.

"Fine," she consented. "Take me home, you crazy alien."

And so they journeyed down that lonely street, with the stars in the sky as their guide.

----

Her house was literally hell on earth.

Just as she was about to place her hand on the doorknob, a frustrated scream of rage could be heard from within. She immediately flinched back.

The clang of a dish hitting the floor followed, along with a slur of hushed whispers and the breaking of beer bottles.

The pair stood on the porch, frozen in shock.

A few beats of silence followed until she broke it with a few whispers. "I don't want to go in yet." she mumbled brokenly. "Not yet." She looked at him then with a pleading gaze.

He glanced at her. "Let's just stay put here for a while." he offered. "This grass looks plenty nice."

He turned towards her lawn, only to see deserted patches of burnt yellow amidst piles of dirt.

"Uhhh." He turned back to face her. "Let's just sit on the porch railings then."

She nodded in silence, a rare grin gracing her features, and they both hauled themselves up onto the white railings.

After a few beats, he suddenly said, "Look up."

She averted her eyes skyward and was greeted with twinkling lights.

"You know, sometimes, people are like stars," he mused. "They light the way for others, but are surrounded by darkness themselves."

She looked back at him. "Are you surrounded in darkness then?" she inquired.

He squinted at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked back.

She only looked back up. "You lit my way." she simply stated. "So are you like a star, too?"

Those words brushed something deep within him, and he smiled softly. "I don't light anyone's way," he whispered, swinging his feet. "But you lit mine."

It was now her turn to be confused. "How?" she inquired with a frown.

"You make me realize what I have." he said with a soft smile. "You make me know how lucky I am to be living the way I do."

A few more beats of silence followed as they stared at the starry sky.

Then she murmured, "You never told me your name."

He then hooked his arm with hers, leaning into her shivering frame. "Kim Taehyung." he mumbled. "Taehyung. But you can just call me Tae, 'kay?"

She offered him a sweet, crooked smile. "'Kay."

"Now, what's yours?" he said.

She waited for a few seconds before responding. "Lee Eun Bi. Eun Bi. But you can call me Eun." she stated, mirroring his words with a grin.

He laughed, and it was the most carefree sound she had ever heard. He slipped off of her railing and landed on the dirt of her lawn.

"I guess I'll see you around, Eun." he smiled. "Until later then, hmm?"

"Until later," she responded. "Bye bye, Tae."

She watched as he walked down to the end of her street, laughing as he turned back to wave one last time.

When he went out of sight, she approached her door once again, opened it, and entered.

----

[A/N]: I feel like that ended too abruptly. :C

And like, I probably should've told you guys about that semi-hiatus. Sorry about that btw.

So yea. Uhm. Bye~~ :DD

*whispers* let me be obsessed with Jungkook's new cover okay?

Seriously though, it's so beautiful.

*cries bc of how jamless I am compared to BTS*