Boy By The Sea • taekook

Twenty

As they step outside of the rental house, the sun caresses Taehyung's skin with its warmth, and snaps him out of the jittery he's felt all morning.

Despite the balmy summer air, he has decided on an oversized long sleeve shirt. The threads by the edge of the sleeves are frayed, bringing him comfort as he fidgets with them in his palm. Taehyung loops his hand through Jeongguk's arm and glances at him nervously.

"Ready?" Jeongguk's voice is gentle, the firmness of his arm reassuring. Taehyung nods, and they start to walk down the street.

It's a pretty residential area west of downtown Ventura, with scarlet begonia branches draping over brick walls and the sound of crashing waves in the backdrop. Taehyung leans into Jeongguk as they stroll slowly, eyes darting around, not knowing what he's looking for.

The vacation was always his idea - with Jeongguk away more and more to New York, it seemed like a lovely thing to look forward to. Just the two of them, off to some idyllic corner in the world for a week, Jeongguk all to himself.

But as expected, Jeongguk couldn't make a week. But a weekend getaway was still doable, and when they sat around tossing out cities they could visit, he mentioned a name that gave Taehyung pause.

"Maybe Ventura? You could show me around?"

Taehyung was caught off guard and stunned into silence.

Ventura, the place he hasn't been back to since grandma passed away. And there's a reason why.

But he couldn't say no to Jeongguk. Somehow, the ideas seemed harmless when he brought it up, with tenderness gleaming in his eyes. It's only a few hours away, they will just walk around town, visit a few wineries closeby, and of course he will find a rental that can accommodate Chim Chim. They will all be together. Jeongguk even promised no work during the day.

It all seemed so easy, until last night when they finally made the drive from LA to here. It was already too dark to see much of the town, and once they got to the rental house, Taehyung kept himself busy with settling Chim Chim in, and opted for staying in with fast food takeout.

There was a looming nervousness within him. The air felt stagnant in the house, and he wished the darkness outside would last forever. Taehyung popped a few pills before sleep. It helped, the night was blissfully devoid of dreams, broken and fragmented bits of images that he always try to forget come morning time.

But morning did arrive, and here he is, clutching onto Jeongguk and walking into memories he's too afraid to unlock, unsure what he will face at every new turn.

"You ok?" Jeongguk gives his hand a quick squeeze, looking laid back in a soft black hoodie.

"Yeah. I'm good." Taehyung responds, lower lip worrying between his teeth. "Everything seems kinda familiar, but nothing stands out yet."

"We'll head towards the marina. Just a short walk, maybe grab some food. If you don't like it, we can go back and hang out at the house." Jeongguk smiles at him. The shining sun behind him casts a luminous glow on loose strands of his hair.

Taehyung nods, leaning his head into Jeongguk's shoulder just a little, "been so long, I wonder if I'll remember anything at all."

"The last time was when you were ten?"

"Yeah..." Taehyung agrees, "well the last year was blurry, just bits of memories of the hospital visits, and a neighbor staying with me at home, now that I think about it."

Funny how memory works. Sometimes they are locked away for decades, until finally one day you reach for them, and try to piece together the broken fragments scattered about, making sense of things your younger self weren't able to comprehend.