ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴇʟsᴇ || ᴍ.ʏɢ + ᴘ.ᴊᴍ ✔️

chapter twenty-one .

He had been acting strange ever since the incident with Yoongi being pulled under the water. And Jungkook knew the reason, too. He knew that Taehyung blamed himself for having asked Yoongi to get the Frisbee. That realization had struck Tae the moment that wave hit. After that, for the rest of the day, something was different about him. Like a part of him had been pulled under the water too.

"Hey, Jungkook, d'you want to go to the festival with me?"

Jungkook stared at him in disbelief. "You're not going with Jimin?"

"No. I don't think that's the best idea for either of us right now."

Both boys turned their heads to look at Jimin, who was sitting on the far end of the beach next to Yoongi, appearing rather despondent even from a distance. Tae and Jungkook had seen how hard Jimin cried earlier, and how tightly he hugged the boy, as though he was genuinely terrified of letting go. He needed time. And with how crappy he was feeling right now, Taehyung was more than willing to give him that time.

"So do you want to or not?"

"Uh, s-sure, I'll go. What about Hoseok, though?"

Tae looked over his shoulder. "I think he already went up to the pier," he said. "Might've found some other friends. I don't know. Are you uncomfortable with just going with me or something?"

"What? I didn't say that."

"Well, then, let's go already."

It was so obvious he was upset. Jungkook didn't know if Tae were simply doing a poor job of hiding it or if he weren't trying to hide it at all. Either way, Jungkook didn't like how it made him feel. He didn't like seeing Taehyung upset, and he wasn't sure of how to cheer him up in this situation. Right now he was Jungkook. Not Rosa. Meaning he couldn't simply pick up their conversation where they left off, and it was highly unlikely Taehyung would come out and talk about his problems to him. After all, he and Jungkook weren't all that close. Not like him and Rosa, anyway.

They ended up going to the pier together where the festival was being held, as per Taehyung's request. And they spent the evening roaming aimlessly, stopping at various places only when Tae's feet would wander and lead him over to a food stand or one of those shooting or ring-toss games that he insisted were rigged every time he lost. Jungkook tried not to laugh at him, but he sometimes he couldn't help it. Taehyung was adorable. Even when grumpy or depressed, the boy's childish actions made him an easy target for teasing remarks, though Jungkook did hold back as much as he could to avoid upsetting the boy more than he already was.

Unfortunately his condition didn't get better with time, as Jungkook had hoped it would. Taehyung was distracted. More than a few things seemed to be weighing on his mind, and it showed like vibrant colors on the boy's face. It eventually became unbearable to Jungkook. He couldn't stay silent.

"Taehyung."

"What is it? I'm in the middle of this game. If I get all the rings around the pin, I can win the cute little alien plushie."

"Taehyung, this is the seventh time you're playing. You're gonna end up spending all your money."

"So be it then. This is how I'm coping."

Jungkook frowned. He took hold of Taehyung's arm and gaze it a squeeze to get the boy's attention. Tae turned to look at him. His sad eyes nearly broke Jungkook's heart in an instant.

"You need to do something."

Tae blinked but said nothing.

"You're gonna hate yourself if you avoid him for the rest of the night."