TAEKOOK | HOPE

• 26 fool in love

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After a few more minutes spent observing the slowly brightening sky, they make their way back up to the house to help Namjoon clean up his cut and locate a Band-Aid. Jeongguk has a brief fantasy of crawling back into his bed and catching another few hours of sleep - or, more pressingly, dragging Taehyung off somewhere to talk about and/or do a lot more of what just happened - but then Taehyung says he's hungry and they set to work making breakfast instead. Seokjin surfaces shortly thereafter, probably triggered by some sort of sixth sense that Namjoon is trying to do something in the kitchen, and the others trail in one by one not long after that. Aside from Taehyung, they're all still kind of jet lagged, which has lent itself to some unusual sleep schedules these past few days.

They spend the day on the beach, setting up a fortress of multicolored umbrellas, beach towels, and foldable chairs. Within the first hour, they've gone through two full tubes of sunscreen, but occasional patches of clouds and a cool breeze temper the heat, not to mention the ocean itself. To keep themselves entertained, they go boogie boarding, engage in a rousing match of beach volleyball, and build sandcastles, which, naturally, turns into a fierce and volatile competition. Jeongguk teams up with Taehyung, which he is embarrassingly pleased about, but Taehyung keeps brushing his hand and shooting him these cute little smiles, so Jeongguk decides it's okay. Even if he feels like a fucking lovestruck fifteen year old all over again.

Their sandcastle doesn't win, probably because they get too sidetracked building a courtyard for Yeontan and forget to fortify the left tower (it collapses halfway through Yoongi's appraisal), but Jeongguk thinks it has flair. No one else's castle has sea shell replicas of Tata and Cooky in the front yard, after all.

It's a really fun day, but the one downside is that it doesn't allow Jeongguk a single moment alone with Taehyung. Every time they try to sneak off, whether for a swim or back to the house to grab something, someone else always ends up joining. Jeongguk feels like he's going insane, his stomach a jumbled mix of nerves and anticipation, and he just has so many questions. Like, for starters, what does this mean and what do you want and mostly, mostly, can we do that again? He's trying not to get ahead of himself, doesn't want to get his hopes up, but shit. He's freaking out.

They cook dinner at home that night, spreading out their feast across the big glass table on the patio. Jimin lights some candles, Hoseok wheels out a cooler full of beers, and they have a proper family dinner while they watch the sky slowly fade to dark. You can see the stars here, a smattering of diamond pinpricks above them, and the moon bathes the beach and the ocean in a pale glow. It's tremendously peaceful, being in this beautiful place surrounded by his six best friends, and the warm buzz of the beer makes Jeongguk feel loose and happy. It's helping a lot with the whole Taehyung-induced nervous breakdown situation.

Seokjin calls it a night first, followed by Jimin and Hoseok, then Namjoon, and finally, Yoongi. Each time one of them gets up, Jeongguk feels a flutter of nerves and forces himself not to immediately look at Taehyung. He's waiting them out at this point, and his suspicion that Taehyung is doing the same has him practically vibrating with nervous energy.

"You coming, Tae?" Yoongi asks, standing up and stretching his arms over his head. He's wearing a black hoodie that makes him practically blend in with the darkness and casts shadows over his face.

Jeongguk's stomach clenches, then loosens when Taehyung shakes his head. "Gonna stay out for a little while longer."

Yoongi nods, casting a look at Jeongguk that's a little too knowing for his liking. "'Kay. Night."