kicks ✓ || namgi || k.th

009: haunted

chapter 9: haunted
location: chandler, arizona, day 2

"All right, Jungkook," Namjoon said as he pulled into the parking lot. "Is this cactus-y enough for you?"

Jungkook grinned as he got out of the big purple van. "This is perfection."

They had arrived at a local park. But, of course, a park in Arizona meant brush instead of trees, local watering holes instead of rivers, and mountains in the distance. The sky was as blue as it could possibly get, and for once, it wasn't blazing hot.

The boys all paired up to wander around the park. Seokjin and Jungkook stayed in front, where there were a collection of different sizes of cacti. "What made you need to see a cactus, Kookie?" Seokjin asked with a shake of his head.

"Well," Jungkook said with a smile, "I just wanted to see...everything, really." As the youngest of the group, Jungkook knew the least about America. "I wish I had someplace to write it down."

"Well, tell you what. Next gift shop we see, I'm gonna make Namjoon buy you a pen and a notebook. Then you can write down everything as it happens! Just...uh...keep it in the van when we're out and about. That way if we get caught, the police don't have it."

"Okay. Can I sit on the cactus?"

"Jungkookie, this is not one of your smartest moments. Do you want to be a cactus butt?"

Jimin and Taehyung took to one of the trails to birdwatch. "Between the two of us, we should be able to understand this guide," Jimin said as he unfolded a brochure. There were many different birds listed, with little diagrams of what they should look like.

"We don't have binoculars, so we'll have to just do our best," Jimin said again as he led Taehyung down the trail. "Do you see any birds?"

Taehyung kept his eyes open, toward the shrubs and small trees around him. This area was so much different than Korea, and way different than the metropolis he had called home for two years. It felt like he was on a long vacation, discovering so much to see about the world. He took a deep breath. He wished, in this moment, that he could play his saxophone, he was that happy. But it would have to wait. Someday, he would have another one, and play for the boys and be happy.

Jimin turned a corner, and Taehyung caught a flash of color behind some tall grasses. When he pushed them aside, he saw the other side of the path. There was a girl there, with long brown hair and a simple blue dress on. She had a pair of binoculars and was watching the flowers in front of her. Taehyung noticed that there were two hummingbirds, flirting about the flowers.

"Taehyung!"

Taehyung turned from the path. "Be right there!" he yelled to Jimin. But when he peeked back through the grass, both the girl and the hummingbirds were gone.

"It's such a shame that we have to have a license to fish," Hoseok said as he sat by the small lake on the premises.

"Well, at least we can watch the fish," Yoongi said. He leaned over and stuck his finger in the water, swirling it around and scaring the fish away.

"You mean terrorize the fish," Hoseok said with a laugh.

Namjoon sat nearby, close enough to be part of the buddy system but far enough that he could be in his own head. He stared up at the cloudless sky, secretly on cloud nine. Gone were all the expectations of being a chaebol heir, as long as nobody recognized the tattoos on his hands. Even if he was just alone with his thoughts, this was much better.

He jumped as he heard a splash. Sure enough, Yoongi had fallen in the water, and was now standing waist-deep in the water. Hoseok was laughing, pulling him out. Namjoon got up from his spot, reverie interrupted. "What about terrorizing those fish, Yoongs?"

Yoongi stuck out his tongue. "This is gross, man. Can I get out of these clothes?"

Namjoon froze.

"Probably not until we get to where we're going next," Hoseok said.

"Let's round everybody up," Namjoon said. "And Yoongi, you'll just have to suffer until then. Unless you want to strip in the back of the van."

Yoongi made a face. "No thanks, man."