kicks ✓ || namgi || k.th

003: elephant

chapter 3: elephant
location: fort wayne, indiana, day 2

"I can't believe we're doing this," Yoongi pouted as the seven of them entered the zoo together.

"Well, at least we have face masks," Namjoon said with a pat on Yoongi's shoulder.

"Yeah, and as long as Taehyung is with us, we'll be fine!" Hoseok said as he skipped ahead of the others.

Yoongi sighed. That was true. Taehyung always had a knack for knowing when trouble would show up. One time he stuck his head in Yoongi's classroom just in time to wake him up before the dean walked in. Another time, he had stopped Jimin from getting hit by a bus. And Namjoon had always lost his Walkmans until Taehyung showed up to gently remind him where he had placed them.

"As long as you keep your eyes peeled," Yoongi said. "We have to all stick together, then, when we're out in public like this."

"I agree," Seokjin said. "Always at least follow the buddy rule. Nobody goes anywhere alone. And if you see the police, don't run away. Get out of their sight, and THEN run."

"I really wish we had walkie talkies or something," Jungkook said with a frown.

"We'll be okay," Namjoon said. "We always are. Now, let's forget about the police and the world we left behind, for just a little bit. Hobi, what's on our plate today?"

Hobi pouted. "There aren't any elephants at this zoo. But there's a dome with birds and butterflies!"

They walked through the zoo as a group, looking every which way. Hobi decided, since he held the map, that he was leading, and took them to a flamingo exhibit. He then tried to pose like the flamingos, Jungkook joining him. The other boys laughed so hard that Yoongi wished he had a camera.

Then, they made their way to the bird dome. Seokjin let everybody in through two separate doors as they looked around in awe. It seemed to be so peaceful. Maybe Hoseok was right. Maybe they needed this as a breather after their hectic escape from New York City.

It didn't explain how they had ended up a thousand miles away. But nobody cared at the moment, and that was what mattered.

Yoongi stopped in front of a huge blue butterfly, watching it unfold its wings. There was something about it that was just so calming. If he ever returned to a piano, he was certain he would write a piece about this very butterfly, this very moment.

Jungkook, meanwhile, made friends with a bird that was white in the front and brown in the back with a black beak. The bird sat on his head and decided Jungkook's hair was a suitable nest. He didn't mind, and even walked around proudly with this thrush on his head, until it was time to leave and a zookeeper had to collect the bird.

When they were hungry, they went for ice cream. Namjoon and Hoseok did their best to remember everybody's orders, then ran over to get the ice cream.

Out of the seven, Namjoon, Hoseok, and Jungkook were fluent in English; Taehyung and Jimin were okay at the language, while Yoongi and Seokjin were somehow still horrendous. Their vocabulary was okay, but their accents made it impossible for anybody to actually understand them.

They returned with seven orders of ice cream. "This is pretty good," Jimin said. "I like this simple flavor."

"What is this?" Yoongi asked as Namjoon gave him a drink. "I wanted ice cream."

"It's a milkshake," Namjoon said. "I don't know if you'll like it or not, but sip on it."

Yoongi did. "What is this?" he asked again.

"It's coffee flavored." Namjoon smiled at him. "I knew you would like it."

Yoongi felt embarrassed, but he drank the entire thing.