"Jungkook-ah," groaned Min Yoongi, hands tucked in his pockets, "are you almost done with your shoot?"
Jungkook glanced toward his older friend, which earned him plenty of scoldings from the camera crew. The flashes continued on for what felt like hours to Yoongi before the director finally moved on to his next objective: find Taehyung, who was hiding with Jimin behind a row of shrubs.
"Want to take a walk?" Yoongi asked Jungkook, who looked disoriented and dazed from all the camera shutters.
"Hm? Oh, sure. How about the woods?" the younger suggested. The other boy nodded, and they began to trek off between the trees. As they walked, the auburn leaves crunched beneath the soles of their shoes. Fall had just begun. The mercurial weather brought the occasional chill. But Yoongi still wiped his forehead of sweat when they emerged from the forest.
The two boys stood in front of a sun-worn dock adorned with old, rickety boats on one side, the other edge completely open to the bluish water. Jungkook tugged off his boots as soon as he saw the lake and tossed them into the sand. "Don't run! Slow down!" Yoongi yelled. He wasn't concerned about Jungkook's well-being; it was more that he had to keep up with the younger's boundless energy. "You'll get splinters!"
Jungkook laughed, hearing his elder nag him, and slid his feet into the water as he rolled up his pant legs. "Ah, I got my cuff wet! I'll never hear the end of it when we get back," he joked, but some sincerity was still left in his voice.
A misty breeze was blowing off the lake. Yoongi's shiny cheeks glowed in the falling sunlight while he wandered down to the dock. He pushed at the heels of his shoes until they slipped off, then joined the other boy at the edge of the walk.
For a while, the only sounds were those of the leaves rustling in the wind, the water lapping at the wooden posts, and the seagulls scraping at the canvas cover of a boat. This tranquil state was suddenly broken by a cold splash of water.
Yoongi cleared the water from his eyes with a flick of his hands, then glared at Jungkook, the source of the splash. "Sorry, hyung. The water must really like you, though. It's clearly attracted to--"
Jungkook was interrupted by another spatter of water. It ran down his chin and onto his collar. "Oh, now they'll really have my head!" the younger shouted, tugging at his soaked shirt.
Silent chuckles moved Yoongi's shoulders up and down as he watched Jungkook desperately try to dry his chin. His laughing was traded off to the other boy when he was caught by a wave of lake water. In a frenzy, Jungkook kept kicking more and more up onto the dock.
"Okay, okay, leave some for the fish!" Yoongi laughed and ducked away from the torrent of water droplets.
The splashing stopped. Both boys, ecstatic and out of breath, pulled themselves up to their feet and adjusted their shirt sleeves. Jungkook panted, "We -- oh, geez, that's drenched. We should head back now."
Yoongi agreed, squatting back down to tie on his shoes. Still full of energy somehow, Jungkook charged toward one of the boats, sending seagulls flying in every direction. He halted and turned to the next flock of birds, continuing his game until the older boy finished lacing up his boots.
Before they went on their way, both boys stopped for a moment to take in the sun as it lowered in the sky. The bottom of the orb had yet to even touch down on the horizon, but the sky had already begun to shift to its red evening hue.
Jungkook nudged Yoongi's shoulder, pretending to push him into the lake. "It'd be a shame if someone fell in," he winked.
"If that someone's you, I'll have to remind you that you're wearing about three million won right now. I'll attend your funeral if you're still going through with that plan, though," Yoongi rambled on, really just stalling so they wouldn't have to return to the shoot.
The younger one nudged his elder again, a little harder this time, then gasped as Yoongi nearly lost his balance. But Jungkook's proud smile returned as his friend regained his stance. "Knees are a little weak there, huh?" Jungkook giggled.
Yoongi just shook his head and started walking the length of the dock toward the woods. He heard the splashing of footsteps along the dock behind him, then felt Jungkook's hand grip his shoulder. The younger thrusted Yoongi toward the side of the walk and quickly jerked him back.
When he saw the older boy's looming expression, Jungkook started to dart back to the sand. Yoongi, slow but determined, shot toward Jungkook and nearly caught him, but the younger predicted his attack and dodged.
Hopping away from Yoongi, Jungkook dangerously neared the edge of the dock. His feet lost grip in the puddles that pooled along the wood planks.
Yoongi heard it before it could register. The calling of startled gulls. The crack of Jungkook's skull against the dock. The splash of the lake.
And before Yoongi could think, he was jumping in after him.
The water was cold. It was strong and thick. Yoongi's clothes weighed him down, tugged him back. He lifted his chin above the water and coughed.
He still felt Jungkook's arm against his shoulder. Struggling, the older boy groped around for some kind of hold on his friend. He managed to wrap one arm under Jungkook's armpit and up to his neck. And with all his remaining energy, Yoongi pushed toward the bank.
The water seemed to be never-ending, deep like a trench, and it pulled like quicksand; the longer Yoongi struggled against it, the more he felt himself fall under.
Forward. Forward, he thought. He just had to push himself forward.
Jungkook felt heavier with every passing second, and every passing second felt longer and longer.
The air mixed with water until Yoongi could no longer tell which was which. Was he breathing water? He couldn't even tell if he was breathing anymore.
He became more and more desperate with every stroke forward. His chin was barely above the surface of the lake, yet he still clawed at the water, above and below, hoping for some sign of where he was. Then the toe of his shoe hit something. The bottom.
Yoongi shrieked, trying to get a foothold on the rocks at the bottom of the lake. He tugged Jungkook behind him. The rocks got taller and taller. Yoongi kept dragging and dragging. His shoulders were above the water. His chest. His waist. His knees. His friend.
They were out of the lake.
Yoongi's head was full of water. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. Coughing and hacking, he doubled over on the beach next to Jungkook.
Jungkook. He'd nearly forgotten. How did he forget?
Raspy breaths sneaking from his lips, Yoongi crawled over to Jungkook's limp body.
Was he...dead?
YOU ARE READING
To Sink Like a Stone
Fanfiction...and to hit rock bottom. Yoongi didn't mean for anything to happen. He just wanted to go for a walk. He didn't mean to hurt Jungkook. Jungkook didn't think anything would happen. He just wanted to play around. He didn't mean to scare Yoongi.
