Chapter Text
Namjoon's sudden huff of disbelieving laughter pierced Jin's tension like a needle to a balloon, and he turned to look at the younger questioningly, wondering if the man was finally having that break from sanity that Jin was sure he was long overdue as the leader of their motley bunch.
Joon shrugged helplessly, laughter escaping again despite his attempts to stifle it as he gestured toward their current problem child.
And how on earth was Jin supposed to stay mad at that?
Tae had curled into himself, his bandaged hand carefully cradled to his chest, its problematic partner on the sofa arm-rest beside his head. Closed eyes fluttered, shifting lashes haphazardly across the delicate skin beneath; bruised and sunken. He twitched, face pinched with uneasiness, his lips parted to waft almost panting puffs into the room.
Taehyung looked... utterly drained. Like he'd already been scraped raw, and here they were, asking for more.
Seokjin felt guilt bite at his conscience. He was the oldest; he should have seen, have realized that Taehyung was too exhausted to expect reasonable, logical behavior. That his growing argumentative, stubborn brattiness was beyond his current ability to curb. He should have realized and acted accordingly. Instead, he'd let things escalate until they were on the precipice of losing control of the situation, of allowing it to devolve into something that would linger, sour, for weeks to come.
None of this was Taehyung's fault either.
Tae hadn't been deliberately endangering himself or doing anything particularly wrong or foolish even. He'd just been- being Taehyung, in all his imaginative, creative, innocent brilliance. Certainly, nothing he deserved to be 'punished' for.
Dropping to his knees in front of Taehyung's curled position, Jin spoke quietly "Well, that's certainly one way to check out of an argument, TaeTae-" reaching out to gently shake-
Taehyung startled awake so severely he nearly concussed himself against the coffee table, throwing his arm out with a frightened shriek to wrap around Jin in a stranglehold, his free hand fisting into the back of the older's sweater.
"Don't move- Don't move, Please, please stop- " the mumbled chant was barely audible, muffled against fabric and flesh.
Jin was suddenly having visions of Tae wrapped around a swaying tree-limb, eyes clenched tightly shut against the vertigo-inducing drop as he begged the wind to stop the movement, terrified that he'd fall.
For hours.
Jin had forgotten, for a moment, in the shock of Taehyung's utter disrespect, that he wasn't dealing with his usual cheeky, mischievous dongsaeng who occasionally liked to push his limits just to confirm where they were. Taehyung, who was somewhat wild, more than slightly imaginative, and often far too stubborn for his own good, but could accept correction and advice when given.
This Taehyung was overly-emotional and distressed, hurting and exhausted to the point of irrationality. Jin couldn't treat him like Tae was being difficult deliberately...because he wasn't.
Jin needed to hug him.
Tae? Tae-baby? It Jin-hyung. You're okay- you're not moving. Just breathe with me. That's it. You're okay. " He murmured, long fingers carding through Tae's mess of matted hair as best he could.
"Hyung?" Namjoon questioned, and Jin glanced up at the younger crouched at his right, Namjoon smoothing lines of warmth down Taehyung's quivering shoulders-
Jin didn't get a chance to answer, Taehyung pushing himself upright shakily, gingerly holding his hand out-
Jin lunged forward at the sight of bright red blood curling its way down Taehyungs wrists in a delicate spiderweb of morbid lacework.
"Jaenjang, Tae! Lead with this next time, baby-" Namjoon hissed, grabbing the paper towel to start mopping up the blood. He let out a sigh of relief almost immediately, Jin's pale, worried face prompting him to speak, "It's okay, Hyung - he just must have put a little too much pressure in it. The bleedings pretty light."
Dropping his gaze back to the hand in his grasp- and the bowl of water only centimeters away. Namjoon glanced briefly at Jin, eyes indicating what he was about to do, seeking approval.
Jin looked down, taking in Taehyung's flushed tear-stained face, the blood-stained paper towel held firm against his hand, and the lateness of the evening. Of Taehyung's irrational, unreasonable behavior.
He nodded.
Namjoon guided Taehyung's hand into the waiting water.
Taehyung sucked in a gasping choking breath, yanking instinctively, futilely, against Namjoon grasp, eyes going wide with unexpected shock at the sudden betrayal.
"Yah! I said-", Taehyung's breath caught on the furious snarl, choking on a poorly suppressed sob, teeth biting down on his trembling lower lip before his entire face just crumpled.
Jin bodily lifted the younger straight into his embrace, Namjoon helping to move them sideways, so Tae was draped across his lap, feet on the couch between the older two.
Jin pressed his thumb against Tae's lower lip, "Don't bite sweetheart-You'll hurt yourself. I know, It hurts-It's okay if you want to cry-"
Taehyung shook him away angrily, bringing his bandaged hand up to stifle his hiccupping gasps as Namjoon carefully washed the blood away to be able to see the jagged-edged cut.
Inspecting the injury, Namjoon reached for the tweezers, as he spoke, "The fresh bleed helped wash some of the debris out- there's just a few that need a little help. I'll be as fast as I can, TaeTae-"
Namjoon pressed in with the tweezers, and Taehyung keened low in his throat as the biting pain of the salt and probing combined against his raw torn flesh. He tensed, rigid, as he wavered between scalding upset and a sudden overwhelming need to just-
He turned, curling into Jin's warm, comforting presence.
True to his word, Namjoon worked fast, and as gently as possible to extract the few pieces of foreign matter, noticing that while most were the expected natural foresty substances, one was a tiny shard of glass.
Despite the care Namjoon took, Taehyung whimpered throughout; his shuddering gasps audible, despite having pressed his flushed face into Jin's chest. His already bandaged hand wafted uselessly between himself and Jin, clearly wanting to grasp something for stability but unable to do so.
Jin squeezed him tighter to make up for it, rocking slowly until Namjoon finally pulled the last piece of tape tight, sticking the bandage down with relieved finality.
Brushing the surplus supplies aside, Namjoon scooted further forward and dropped off the edge of the table onto his knees as he spoke, "All done TaeTae. You were so good, so brave-" he leaned forward to wrap his arms around Tae from behind.
Taehyung whined tearfully, shrugging Namjoon's hand off his back, curling tighter into Jin's embrace, the rejection obvious.
Namjoon looked crushed, even as he tried again, " Shh, hey- Hyung just wants to-"
"Joon-ah- " Jin interrupted, freeing a hand from Taehyung's waist to reach out brushing down the side of Namjoon's face, squeezing the nape of his neck gently as he continued softly, "Don't take it personally; he's just in pain and stupidly over-tired-"
Namjoon shook his head, unconvinced. He couldn't exactly blame Taehyung for not welcoming his affection with open arms - he'd pushed the kid into tears.
Namjoon, face still pinched with hurt slowly pulled back, one hand coming up to curl into Jin's for comfort as he nodded, "It's- It's okay if you don't like me very much at the moment, I understand. Just- -I'm so sorry I hurt you- That I-" Namjoon's voice broke, and he pulled away dejectedly. But he forced the sentiment out, needing Tae to understand," I - Hyung loves you, Taehyungie- that's why. "
Namjoon sighed, standing slowly, "I'm going to go and get the others-"
Fumbling arms wrapped loosely around his waist, and Namjoon stilled, one hand curled around Tae's shoulders, the other cradling the back of his head where Tae's face was pressed against his hip, the younger slipping forward off Jin's lap to land on his knees on the carpet.
Namjoon barely noticed Jin stand, the older's relief almost as palpable as his 'I told you so' face when Namjoon spared him a glance. Jin gestured silently to the kitchen with a raised eyebrow, and Namjoon waved him away with a reassuring nod.
Taehyung shifting slightly dragged his full attention back down.
Audible shame almost silenced the youngers choked voice, "I'm sorry, hyung- I'm- I was being a brat. I'm not- I don't- -I'm s-sorry- "
Taehyung sounded on the verge of tears, and Namjoon didn't think he could stand to be the cause of any more of them tonight. He carefully pulled Tae upright as he spoke, "Shh- hey, hey TaeTae- deep breaths for me. Good boy."
Namjoon turned them, slowly dropping onto the couch, and pulling Tae up and into his lap as he continued, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have done that when you had already said no. I just- you're already exhausted, baby- I just wanted to take care of you. Hyung's sorry."
Taehyung was shaking his head, the slight unnatural warmth of his skin leeching into Namjoon's stomach through his sweater, "I don't - Don't feel bad, you didn't do anything wrong. I let you- I was- I gave you my hand, I was- "
Namjoon suddenly remembered Taehyung tentatively placing his bleeding hand in his own earlier- "Then- You'd- You'd already decided to let me clean it?" Namjoon looked confused, "Then why did you-"
"...Because it hurt! And you didn't even warn me- I was- You scared me!" Taehyung whined, pulling back slightly to peer up accusingly.
Namjoon bit back a small smile, "Aigoo- I'm sorry TaeTae, Hyung's sorry."
Taehyung shrugged one shoulder, murmuring "-'ts okay. I wouldn't make you drive all the way back just because I'm a baby-
"Hey, hey- no! That's not what it was about, at all! Aish, TaeTae- I completely get not wanting someone poking and prodding at your hand again. It must hurt like a-"- Namjoon glanced at the kitchen door and lowered his voice a little, just to be on the safe side as he popped the word with conviction- "motherfucker."
Taehyung giggled, his own eyes skating toward the kitchen as well as if expecting Jin to suddenly come flying out to seek retribution against Namjoon's filthy mouth. Knowing Tae, the little shit was probably hoping that was exactly what would happen.
In honesty, the word was a lot crasser than Namjoon usually used, than any of them used, even in instances of general anger, but it was definitely worth the potential scolding just to see the reemergence of playful Taehyung giggling like he was in on some fantastical secret.
Also, the fact that it was likely true. Namjoon had fallen from his bicycle when he was 13 or 14 and had skinned his palms and knees spectacularly. The wounds had been a disgusting mess of torn flesh, blood, dirt and gravel as well as a myriad of other interlopers from the well-used path.
The subsequent (and repeated over the next several days) cleaning of the wounds with warm salty water had been exponentially more painful than the initial accident.
Namjoon had been there. He got it.
So no, he didn't think Taehyung was weak or any such nonsense for not wanting anyone, with or without tweezers and salty water, anywhere near his hands.
Namjoon actually thought Tehyung had handled the entire process very well. Something within him decided it would be prudent to tell the younger as much. "I mean it. You were really brave. Much tougher than I would have been. I'm pretty sure I'd have hightailed it out the door and back up the tree-" he joked.
"Naw, you're getting old and slow. Jin would have just had Kookie sit on you. " Taehyung giggled again, although it was more of a guffaw through the jaw cracking yawn that escaped.
"I'll have Kookie sit on you, monster! " Namjoon snarked back, and realizing he'd presented himself with the perfect opportunity, he (very gently and with great care) dragged Taehyung off the couch by his ankle, wrestling the younger into the waiting nest of ill-appropriated softness, shouting to be heard over Tae's uncontrollable giggling, "Kookie! Jungkook? Yah! Kook-ah!"
Jungkook poked his head into the room, more wary than worried (Between Tae's giggling and Namjoon's 'teasing hyung' voice, Jungkook didn't have much cause for concern), he raised an eyebrow at their antics, asking -"Hyung?"
Namjoon grinned, "Come sit on this Tae-brat while I go eat something- before Jin hyung finishes everything."
"Yah! Kim Namjoon, I heard that! " Jin's voice floated in from the kitchen, "Just for that I'm eating the last roll!"
Namjoon shuffled frantically, gesturing Jungkook closer, "Quickly, Kookie! "at the same time Jimin, curious, appeared at Jungkook's shoulder.
"Why does Tae need to be sat on, he doesn't look like he's moving much," Kookie asked, throwing an arm over Jimin's shoulder, likely just because he could.
Namjoon glanced down to where Tae was sprawled out beneath his hands, the kid already looking half asleep, despite the dopey grin on his face as he watched their byplay. Much better.
But also, point. Taehyung wasn't going anywhere soon. Namjoon looked back up at Jimin, "Principle of the matter. Besides, since when do either of you turn down a chance to snuggle TaeTae?"
"Uh, Never?" Kookie answered, throwing himself forward into the nest, rolling into Tae's side and throwing an arm and leg across his youngest hyung, essentially pinning him. Namjoon noted with satisfaction that the younger had been intensely aware of Taehyung's hands, and very gentle in this instance of what could devolve, on occasion, into incredibly violent displays of affection."
Namjoon rolled back on his heels, gesturing Jimin to join them, asking with a sudden thought, "Have you two finished eating? Do I need to send something in here?"
As he slipped into the nest on Tae's free side, Jimin nodded, replying "We finished a while ago. And don't worry, hyung, there's still plenty of rolls. Jin made sure to save you some."
He hadn't been worried, but Jimin was such a sweetheart that Namjoon couldn't help ruffling his peach-colored mop of hair, smiling his thanks as he turned to the recipient (victim) of their affection. Softening his voice, Namjoon asked, "What about you TaeTae, hungry?"
Tae shook his head minutely, "I'm okay, hyung. I'm not very hungry."
Namjoon was hopeful that he could coax the younger into dinner, given that he hadn't eaten for so long. "Are you sure Tae? You haven't eaten since this morning. Something light in your stomach might even make you feel better."
"I don't think I can-" Tae mumbled-
Namjoon wasn't going to push the issue. Not tonight. Not when they'd only just managed to get Tae settled. He carded a hand through the singer's hair, his smile accepting and reassuring, "Shh- that's fine. No big deal, baby. Tomorrow will be soon enough. But you can wake me up anytime later if you get hungry, okay?"
Taehyung nodded, relaxing back into the soft blankets, and Namjoon stood slowly, leaving the maknaes to it as he rounded the couch towards the kitchen-
"Can I have chips, Namjoon-hyung?" Kookie suddenly piped up, having scuttled upward, so his head popped into view over the back of the couch.
"Maybe," Namjoon replied non-committedly, grinning when Jimin promptly dragged the maknae back down into the waiting pillow nest and popped up in his place.
"Cherry Coke?" Jimin begged, eyes wide in a mockingly desperate attempt to look pathetic and adorable. It worked all too well.
"Perhaps?" Namjoon shrugged.
Jimin shrieked, flopping back dramatically, drilling Kookie into the mattress at the center of the nest.
"Um. Is there any triple chocolate ice-cream left, hyung?" Tae's disembodied voice called suddenly.
Well done, Kookie.
"…There might be." Namjoon hedged, grinning as Yoongi suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway with the requested items.
"Hyung!?" Jimin whined, and Namjoon shook himself, "Yes, yes, alright. Stuff yourselves with junk food. Don't get crumbs through the bed. Put a movie on; we'll all be out in a few minutes".
Confident that Min Yoongi could deal with anything the maknae line could throw at him, Namjoon hurried into the kitchen to make sure Jin hadn't eaten the last roll.
Blinking blearily and shifting slightly, Yoongi fought for full wakefulness. The all-encompassing soft warmth that surrounded him served as a reminder of their current sleeping arrangements, which led to, why? It came back incrementally; Taehyung. Missing. Tree. Hurt. Argument. Ice-cream. Snuggling. Sleep.
His eyes caught movement to his left, and he followed the gently coiling shadows that late evening moonlight cast through half-drawn curtains, washing the room with an almost hypnotic ambiance.
Even while slipping unresisting back into sleep, Yoongi vaguely wondered what woken him.
Then he caught it again, the unmistakable soft buzz of voices to the far left of the room. Although the words faded into vague murmuring by the time it reached his ears, Yoongi easily recognized the two owners.
Usually, it would take more than the supposedly witty banter of their maknae brats to wake him (Yoongi had become very immune to their shenanigans, very quickly). Some combination of the tense culmination of the evening earlier, their extremely close sleeping quarters (seriously, someone's toes were tucked up behind his knee) and the fact that one of them was hurt, must have still had him slightly on edge.
Now that he was aware of it, the buzzing was just annoying enough that Yoongi knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep while it continued. It was late- a quick glance at the glowing numbers on the coffee table told him it was actually early and he sighed inaudibly.
2 am was no time for Jimin and Kookie to be doing... whatever it was they were doing. Giggling and sniggering at each other, hunched tightly together, their silhouette forming a misshapen humanoid figure with way too many limbs and two heads. Whatever it was, it was mischief, and Yoongi Wasn't. In. The. Mood.
He rolled up onto one elbow, mouth opening, intent on telling the pair to go back to sleep in no uncertain terms. A hand caught his shoulder, and Jin's near silent breath of voice hushed him from slightly above, followed by a whispered request, "Leave them be, Yoongi-yah."
Yoongi sat up slowly, turning slightly to allow the light from the window to pass his own body and illuminate Jin beside him. He raised an eyebrow when his eyes adjusted to let him make out Taehyung sprawled across Jin's lap; head tucked up under the older's jaw. Jin was running his long-fingered hands in smooth sweeps down over Tae's shoulders.
Something had happened while he'd been asleep, Yoongi was sure of it. Namjoon had rescued Tae's half-eaten bowl of ice cream from its perilous slide from his lap less than ten minutes into the movie, and Taehyung had still been curled up, asleep, between Jimin and Jungkookie when they'd all succumbed to sleep barely a half hour later.
Taehyung was now curled into Jin, and the other two troublemakers were on the other side of the pillow nest, on the far side of both Namjoon and Hoseok.
He raised a questioning eyebrow at Jin, and after a quick glance to ensure they weren't disturbing their rest of the rap line, the older leaned closer to explain quietly, "Tae had a nightmare. Yah! Calm down; he's fine now. But he gave Jiminie and Kookie a huge fright. They were unsettled, so I said they could watch something quietly for a few minutes until they calmed down. Sorry, they woke you."
Yoongi waved the apology away, quietly answering as he reached out to stroke Tae's hair, (neatened -ish, courtesy of Jimin and Kookie during their movie earlier) "It's fine. I'm just surprised I didn't wake when Tae-"
"He wasn't very loud, just- upsetting. " Jin replied, glancing across to where he could just make out Kookie stifling his laughter by biting down on Jimin's pajama sleeve. "What are they watching that's so funny anyway?"
Yoongi realized it was a question directed to him, as if Jin expected that he should know the answer. He glanced back to the younger duo, focusing on the phone that Jimin was holding- "Oh." he broke into sniggers himself, and had to bring a hand up to stifle the noise unless he wanted to be responsible for waking the other two.
Catching Jin's incredulous raised brows, Yoongi waved his hands and hastened to explain, "Its the phone from earlier. You asked about it when you first brought Tae out of the bathroom-"
Jin nodded his understanding, comprehension dawn as he remembered.
Yoongi nodded and continued, "It's Tae's phone- Jimin found it at the base of the tree. He- Taehyung- God, hyung- He recorded himself!" He sniggered again, amused just remembering the few minutes he'd watched earlier.
Jin looked slightly non-plussed, "Recorded himself? Recorded what?"
"His- his adventure- He- Jin- Jin-hyung-" Yoongi almost couldn't get the words out, and Jin was already smiling despite having no idea what was so funny.
Yoongi took a deep breath. "Hyung. Put it this way; the opening scene is Tae, toast in hand, running down the front path with a wide shot of the cottage disappearing into the distance behind him, shouting "I'm going on an adventure!". It devolves from there. "
Jimin was all but convulsing across the room, his gasping laughter loud enough that one of them really should say something (they weren't going to), and Yoongi unconsciously rose up to his knees to try and see the screen over Jungkook's shoulder.
Even from this distance, Yoongi could make out the grin on Taehyung's face against the blue-sky backdrop. Whatever the younger was currently up to on-screen seemed disjointed and jolting, as he disappeared from the frame every few seconds, only to appear an instant again later.
Yoongi inched closer as if he might be able to hear the sound if he got near enough, despite the headphones the younger two were sharing that was providing them their grade-A entertainment of the evening.
In the video, Tae stilled, and then the image suddenly zoomed out, and Yoongi figured that Taehyung had attached a selfie stick just as the camera panned out even further and swiveled, to show and a fantastic panorama of treetops and crystal clear blue sky, with dark mountains disappearing into clouds in the distance.
Yoongi realized what was happening and lunged, throwing himself across Namjoon and Hobi in his haste to get to the two younger members. Ignoring both the other rappers startled exclamations at being thrust into wakefulness, as well as Jin's surprised hiss, Yoongi curled himself over Jimin's back and plucked the phone cleanly from his hand.
He hit the power button, instantly darkening the screen.
"Hyung!?"
"Yoongi-yah!"
"Yoongi-hyung!?"
Yoongi turned, opening his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Jin's insistent deadly "Cross me if you dare" voice, "Quiet! I swear if you lot wake Tae..."
The noise immediately dropped off, and Yoongi's gaze, along with five others, darted to where Tae twitched minutely, snuffled softly and flipped himself over with a grunt. He didn't wake.
Yoongi breathed a sigh of relief but winced when he realized that the noise drew every set of eyes to him instead.
Uh.
He took a deep breath, and then quickly explained, "Sorry, Kook-ah, Jiminie, I didn't mean to scare you. I just didn't think you, or any of us really, are ready to watch TaeTae fall and hurt himself- "
Jimin was the first to realize what Yoongi meant, and his eyes widened with a glance to Kookie, ever the protective hyung toward his two dongsaeng. No way he'd want Kookie to watch that. He wouldn't want to watch it himself.
"Thank you Hyung- I hadn't realized. I didn't think about what was-" Jimin replied. Pulling a blanket from the pile to wrap around his shoulders, the younger shivered and Yoongi didn't blame him.
His own mind was running rampant, imagining Taehyung's panicked cry, and the camera dropping wildly, before tumbling toward the ground. The upward shot showing Tae slipping from the branch he was perched on and slamming into the one below-
Yoongi pulled Jimin closer, slipping the phone into his pocket, "I'll delete the end. The rest though? Comedic gold. Definitely something for ARMY. Maybe on his birthday?"
"You'd better get it off there before he thinks to ask about his phone though. Otherwise, you'll never see it again," Jungkook interjected, curling into Yoongi's other side, and Yoongi slumped, pulling the both of them back down against the soft cushioning of their makeshift bed.
"I'll get it in the morning, but - It's Tae. He'd probably upload it himself." Yoongi replied, grinning when he heard a snort of amusement from behind him. Glancing over his shoulder at the culprit, Yoongi asked, "Speaking of morning, Joon-ah- what's the plan? Are his hands-"
Namjoon turned towards him slightly; voice pitched low, still heavy with sleep as he replied, "I'll check them in the morning for redness or swelling, but I think they'll be okay. If we soak again and re-dress them tomorrow night, and then we head home sometime around lunch the day after we should have enough dressings and things."
"He's gonna love that." Hobi injected from his mostly hidden position at Namjoon's back, and Yoongi couldn't help but agree. From what they'd overheard in the kitchen earlier, Taehyung wasn't exactly an enthusiastic participant in this hand-soaking business.
A hesitant shift against his side drew his attention down; as still and quiet as they'd been, he'd assumed both the younger two had drifted back to sleep. Kookie was out like a lightbulb (as was only to be expected), but Jimin was peering up at him through the darkness.
The sudden quietness and Hobi's observation seemed enough to prompt the younger to speak. Propping himself up on Yoongi's stomach he questioned tentatively "Jin-hyung, is- Did- -are you and Namjoon-hyung mad at TaeTae? "
Yoongi shifted his attention to Jin as the older glanced up, slightly confused, asking, "What-? -Oh, for before, when you guys were in the kitchen?"
Jimin nodded quickly, hurrying to explain- "Yeah- He was- He was really rude. Really. And he was cursing- But, he didn't mean it! He was just-"
No, not explain, Yoongi thought with a small smile, but rather to jump to his best friend's defense.
Jin seemed to think so too, as he was quick to reassure, "Oh- sweetheart, no- Tae's not in any trouble. Joon-ah and I realized that he was just tired and hurting. It's okay; you don't have to worry about that".
Jimin breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing and Yoongi wrapped an arm around his shoulders, drawing him closer. It was rather adorable how protective Jiminie was of Tae, but he was very thankful that Tae was every bit as good a friend to Jimin. The two deserved each other.
Namjoon shifted slightly closer, likely so he didn't have to speak so loudly to be heard, before adding his own reassurance, "TaeTae already apologized to me- and I know he didn't mean it. Like Jin-hyung said, it was all just too much after such an exhausting, scary day. Once he's had a decent night's sleep, I'm sure he'll be in a better mood."
Hoseok's face, pale in the moonlight, popped up over Namjoon's shoulder, his chin hooked over his age-mate's bicep. His words were only slightly garbled when he tried to speak without bothering to lift his head, "Oh, he'll definitely be in a good mood in the morning- Joon promised him Ice-cream for breakfast, remember.'
Yoongi snorted; he hadn't known that. Judging by Jin's sudden grimace, the older had also forgotten his alleged promise when he'd agreed to ice cream for dinner earlier.
But Daegu boys gotta stick together- " A promise is a promise, hyung-" Yoongi singsonged, "Ice-cream for dinner, ice-cream for breakfast... you're just begging to be dealing with sugar-induced hyper-Tae tomorrow night."
Very obviously contemplating the reality of being caught by his promise and the inevitable truth of Taehyung bouncing off the walls into the near future, Jin sighed. He tugged the closest blanket back into place, the tips of his fingers settling against the warm skin under the edge of the blue material.
Yoongi sniggered.
"Oh, hush you, or I'll put you on Tae-watch by yourself for the next two days." Jin scolded, having caught the smirk, and Yoongi raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What do you mean? I'm happy to keep an eye on-" He started but was propelled into silenced by Jin's somewhat unexpectedly wicked grin.
The older glanced about the rest of the group, "You all heard that- Yoongi volunteered to make sure Tae doesn't use his hands and keeps his bandages clean and dry for the next two- "
Yoongi stilled, horrified.
Forest surrounded them. With mud and frogs and small trickling streams. Glorious masses of decaying autumn leaves and shiny rocks half embedded in the earth. Finger-staining moss grew on tree's, and snails left slime trails just begging for curious imaginations to touch.
And Yoongi was meant to keep Taehyung clean?
Their Taehyung?
Yoongi rolled onto his side with an incredibly believable snore, ignoring Jin's "Yeah, that's what I thought" amidst mocking sniggers from Joon and Hobi.
Yoongi ignored them; he knew when a tactical retreat was called for.