SAVE ME ||A Kim Taehyung Fanfiction||

⫣8⫦ The Fall

Taehyung was right.

I let out a scream as I go down, feeling weightless as I plummet off the cliff like a stone.

Wind tears at my hair, raising the skirt of my school uniform that I still haven't changed out of and then I already hit the surface.

I barely notice any pain.
I know it must be there, but my body is filled with so much adrenaline, I feel nothing but strength and razor sharp-focus.

Cold, refreshing water surrounds me and on instinct I swim upwards.

I've always been a good swimmer and have no troubles holding my breath.

I see the light of the sun reflecting from the surface I'm swimming towards, and for a moment, everything is quiet- peaceful.
Part of me doesn't want to come back up, but then my lungs protest in pain as they demanded for air.

With two powerful kicks, I push upwards and break the surface.

I suck in a deep breath, trying to process what I've just done as I paddle against the weight of my wet clothes.

"You Okay?" I hear a voice next to me and turn, surprised to see RM swimming close to me.

I nod, unable to form words yet.

"Come on. We gotta swim this way."

As if in trance I swim after RM, who's clearly been waiting to pull me up to the surface if I hadn't managed on my own.

That fact alone should let me know just how dangerous this had been.
I could have died!

I make it to the others and grab on to J-Hopes outstretched hand as he pulls me out of the water and onto the little island.

I plump to the stone floor, my body shaking almost violently- clearly an after-effect of the adrenaline that's now leaving my body.

I can tell that the others are all watching me, waiting for me to do something.
I'm waiting myself, still feeling numb or just too overwhelmed.

And then I looked up at the cliff- at the height of it and see Taehyung standing there, grinning and waving down at me.

The truth of what I did finally hits me.

And then I laugh.
I can't keep it in.
I laugh loud and clear, my body rattling with it and I know I will never be the same- not when I just found out what life is really about.

My laughter finally dies down and I become aware of six pairs of eyes staring at me with surprised expressions.

"What?" I ask, wondering if they think I've gone crazy.

Okay, correction: I'm definitely crazy.
But so are they.

Jin is the first to speak, shooting me a happy but still astonished grin.

"We gave it a fifty-fifty chance that you would actually jump."

"But we definitely didn't expect you to like it this much," Suga continues.
But they don't look like they minded- at all.

"I didn't know either," I confess, still feeling a little crazy.
Feeling undefeatable and wild.
I want to do it again!

They let out a round of chuckles and I get the overwhelming notion, that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Is this what happiness feels like?
This moment right now, that I will never be able to forget again?

I smile to myself, before I hear the sharp inhale from RM and my head snaps towards him.

"Shit. He's doing it again" he curses loudly and gone is the smile.
Replaced by a hard set line of his lips and... is that worry flashing in his eyes?

I follow his gaze, up to the edge of the cliff where Taehyung is still standing, now all by himself.

It takes me a few seconds to understand what's so strange about the picture.
But when I finally get it, all thoughts leave my head.
His is standing tall- but with his back facing the drop below.

"Is he going to jump backwards?"

I look back down and make out the concern in their eyes.
It's Jimin, shaking his head silently, who speaks, his voice jittery and afraid.

"No. He's not going to jump at all. He's going to let himself fall."

I look back up at the boy now whipping on the edge, his broad shoulders the only thing we can see as he spreads his arms wide- an angel before the fall.

"Wait, what do you mean? He is just going to let himself fall? What if he lands on his head?"

I look at the others in shock.
Why don't they look surprised?
Worried, yes, but there is no surprise there.

RM shots Jungkook a sharp look.

"Get ready," he only says to him and I watch as Jungkook gets up and in position to jump into the water.

My hysteria reaches a height.

"Why is he doing that? Does he want to fucking die?"

"Let's hope not," is all Suga says, not looking at me, but at his friend on the cliff.

As if in slow motion, my eyes jump back to Taehyung, standing at the top as he lets himself fall backwards.

I scream his name, but it's too late as he goes over the edge.

He tumbles through the air, his clothes and hair getting tousled by the on slaughter of air.

It's nothing like my jump.

It feels like I'm watching him fall for ages, as if the universe itself wanted to punish me for being stupid and naive.

He falls and falls, drawing closer to the surface, his body tumbling wildly.

In the last second, he manages to direct the fall, bringing his feet beneath him.
Not perfectly straight, but nowhere near his head, water splashing around his impact point.

There is a collective loosening of breaths and the boy's shoulders slump in relieve.

Taehyung breaks the surface then, whipping his hair like a wet dog, and I see the smile playing on his lips.
A big, fat smile.
Like he hadn't just played with his life.

"What the hell?" I whisper, more to myself than to anyone else, but RM still looks my way.

"He does that sometimes- and trust me, it doesn't always end this harmless."

Taehyung is still swimming towards us, out of earshot.

"Why?" I breath out, still too shocked to do anything else.

A sad look crosses his features- so unlike the bad boy or the goofy guy I've seen before.

"Because deep down, we're all fucked up- broken, Taehyung maybe more than any of us."

Before I can ask more, Taehyung heaves himself up the little island, and I can't help but notice that his arms are shaking, even as he shoots us all a grin.

"Pretty good this time, right?"

None of the others answer, only commenting with a growl and I only gape at him with an open mouth.
I can still see him falling... tumbling through the air...

It's Suga who finally breaks the silence.

"We should head back- I really need a fucking drink!"

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The drink I want after this chapter: