✔️ Cruise ➳ jungkook

🚢 13 🚢

Tentatively, Jungkook poked Taehyung's shoulder, and the older boy shifted, turning over with a moan. It was only when Jungkook shook him a bit more urgently did Taehyung stir, drawling out something unintelligible.

"Heyyyyyyyyy hot stuff, wanna dance around fire hydrants with me?"

Chaerin and Jungkook looked at each other simultaneously, baffled.

"Well, he looks like he enjoyed himself last night," said Jungkook, earning him an eye roll from Chaerin.

"He's like this even when he's awake." She proceeded to jab at Taehyung's nose repeatedly.

After Chaerin's persistent efforts, Taehyung finally sat up, ogling his sister and Jungkook sleepily.

"Are you the fairies that have come to free me from human slavery?" he mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Where the hell were you last night? I was so worried!" Chaerin yelled in exasperation.

"I was with Ferdinand," replied Taehyung deliriously. She buried her face in her hands and groaned, embarrassed for the sake of her brother. Meanwhile, Jungkook's face was a mixture of horror and disgust.

"Who the hell is Ferdinand!?"

As if on cue, a fondue-face seagull magically flew out from underneath the seats of the lifeboat with a loud squabble, startling both Chaerin and Jungkook.

"What the- " Jungkook began.

"Bye Ferdinand! Last night was great for me too!" yelled Taehyung with a smile.

"That," Chaerin said, pointing to the seagull. "We call them fondue-faces cause em well...their face..." her voice slowly grew quieter, too embarrassed to complete her explanation as to the unusual name designated to the creature.

Before she knew it Jungkook threw his head back and debilitated into unrestrained laughter, his voice ringing contagiously like someone had suddenly turned the volume up. Chaerin felt the corner of her lips arch upwards because seriously she wished she could have that laugh on repeat for a week.

"They're black-faced seagulls!" Jungkook wheezed, slapping his thigh. "The locals call them 'laughing seagulls', I've no clue why."

"I don't care, they're always going to be 'fondue-faces' to me."

Chaerin chortled softly, and eventually they fell silent. Jungkook gazed contently at her. Red colored his cheeks, his hair rumpled and wild as he nibbled on his bottom lip. She stared back, transfixed, and for a while the sunlight enclosed them in a little shimmering bubble of their own, everything else fading into white noise.

(Too preoccupied with each other, they failed to notice that Taehyung had slumped forwards and dozed off again.)

A loud blast from the ship's horn startled them, breaking the spell that kept their eyes locked onto each other with mystery and wonder. Stockholm loomed in the distance, the nearly symmetrical buildings towering majestically. As they watched the Mariella steer into the harbor, the view came into focus like a high-definition movie.

Seagulls wheeled overhead, pitching towards the water to try and catch the fish lurking near the surface. The harbor bustled with life, boats and yachts bobbed in the water in time to the waves, tethered to brilliant red buoys. Across the water, the pier-side amusement park glimmered in the light, and as the roller coaster approached its peak, Chaerin could hear the peals of euphoric shouts echoing in his ears.

Standing side by side, they soaked up the warmth of the day, golden rays criss-crossing behind their figures. Chaerin felt all trace of awkwardness ebb away, and a bold surge of courage made her reach for Jungkook's hand. The tall boy twitched, but he eventually reciprocated by enclosing her hand in his own. It felt so natural, the way their fingers intertwined and slotted together perfectly.

They remained just like that, holding hands, eyes exploring the new world ashore, content in their little world before the loudspeaker boomed, announcing the time to disembark.

"Oh dear," lamented Chaerin as she glanced over her shoulder, finally noticing that Taehyung had nodded off to sleep again. "I should wake my bro up and take him back to our room to get our stuff."

Jungkook squeezed their interlocked hands reassuringly. "l need my sleeping bag back too, let's go."

"So... Where're you heading to? Tae-oppa and I are hopping on a train to Copenhagen." Reluctantly letting go, Chaerin gazed at the tall boy surreptitiously beneath her lashes. 

Jungkook looked at her with an expression of mirth and affection before breaking into a genuine smile.

"...I think I'll go wherever you guys are going. I mean," his hand went to the back of his neck, "If that's okay with you."

Chaerin allowed herself some time to admire the faint blush coloring Jungkook's cheeks. And when he flushed even harder at her probing gaze, she couldn't help but grin broadly in return.

"I think I can cruise with that."

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ITS NOT OVER YET! PLEASE PROCEED TO NEXT CHAPTER FOR AN AWESOME, MULTIMEDIA EPILOGUE! Make sure you have an internet connection as the next part are all pictures and the like!