[♫]

It was one of Taehyung’s random suggestions one day when they were all lounging around at a park, not really meant to be taken seriously. Just a casual, “Hey, it’d be fun if we went on a road trip together!”

Jimin and Hoseok had agreed readily, breezily, barely shifting from their positions in the grass. The rest of the guys smiled and hummed noncommittally. It wasn’t until Namjoon spoke up—”That’s actually not a bad idea”—that they all started thinking about it seriously.

“This is our last break together, all seven of us,” Jungkook said thoughtfully, sitting up on the bench.

Taehyung nodded eagerly, rolling over in the grass. “Yeah! And, y’know, it’d be like one last hurrah, for old times’ sake. After Jin-hyung and and Yoongi-hyung graduate and start working, they’ll be too busy for us young ones.”

Yoongi kicked him halfheartedly from his seat on the table. “Are you including yourself in there? ‘Cause you have white hair already.”

“Just one!” Taehyung groaned indignantly. “I told you, it was just one, and it was because of stress, not because of old age!”

Jungkook snickered. “Heh. You’re all old compared to me.”

The other boys rolled their eyes in unison.

“Anyways, back to the plan!” Taehyung interrupted, sitting up in the grass and grimacing at a stain on his shirt. “Jin-hyung can drive ‘cause he keeps tryna show off his driving skills”—Seokjin glared at him mildly—”and Namjoon-hyung can be the photographer, like always. Yoongi-hyung and Hoseok-hyung can figure out where we’re going, and Jimin and I will be in charge of food!”

“You’re just gonna get a bunch of unhealthy snacks!” Namjoon protested, throwing a leaf at him. Taehyung responded with a cheeky thumbs-up.

“I don’t have to do anything but show up?” Jungkook grinned and laid back down. “Sweet. I like this plan.”

“Kids these days.” Hoseok shook his head hopelessly. “So entitled.”

Jungkook snorted and lunged at him, and soon it’s an all-out wrestling match. Seokjin, as always, silently came out on top.

A week later and they’re all restless with excitement, sleeping over at Seokjin’s apartment—the girls are holding their own slumber party and Hoseok’s place—so they can leave immediately in the morning. The food has been bought (enough for a heart attack), the route planned (roughly—very roughly), the pick-up truck filled (with gas and snacks), and the money rationed (thrice, because Namjoon is paranoid). Taehyung and Hoseok literally cannot keep still, and soon Jimin and Jungkook are dragged into their loud pacing.

It should be noted that it is three in the morning and they’re set to leave in less than six hours.

“Sit your asses down and go to sleep,” Namjoon finally commands, eye twitching in annoyance from his sleeping bag.

Yoongi looks peacefully asleep, but they all know him well enough to recognize that he’s actually pissed as because he can’t sleep (re: pacing) and trying not to do something about it. Seokjin doesn’t even pretend; his eyes are open, drowsy, and absently trailing the troublemakers.

Grumbling—at least until Yoongi cracks open one very awake eye—the three youngest plus Hoseok finally slink into their sleeping bags and try to get some rest.

Namjoon’s unassuming alarm goes off five hours later, at 8:30, the quiet beats of a calm rap song blending into the silence. It is quickly followed by the soothing notes of a piano, courtesy of Yoongi, and Seokjin’s favorite melody: the crashing of waves. At precisely 8:35, Taehyung’s phone blares with his most recent favorite song, a hard-hitting hip hop number, and everyone groans in tired but expectant annoyance, including Taehyung himself, loud enough to almost drown out Jimin’s poppy dance tune and Jungkook’s smooth R&B.

Still, none of them are prepared for the bright and victorious sound of ten trumpets piercing their ears and startling them into screaming wakefulness.

“Hoseok, what the ,” Yoongi groused, sitting up slowly and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glares at his laughing friend with near murderous intent. There is little to no effect.

“Didn’t you say you stopped using that alarm?” Jimin whines into his pillow, his hands over his ears and his voice muffled. Taehyung and Jungkook grunt in agreement.

Hoseok gives in to one last snort before jumping to his feet and exclaiming, “Yeah, but it’s the only one that actually wakes me up! I’m gonna pee, don’t follow me! Someone make food!”

He flounces off to the bathroom, pointedly ignoring Yoongi’s stare, and Seokjin heaves a sigh before getting up and walking to his kitchen. Namjoon dutifully follows him.

Yoongi reluctantly stands and casually kicks at the three bodies still bent into their pillows. “Get up now. You can sleep on the truck.”

Jungkook groans and rises with painstaking slowness, tugging and Taehyung and Jimin’s shirts as he goes. “When are we leaving?”

Yoongi walks into the kitchen without looking back. “In ten minutes.”

A flurry of clothes and bitter coffee and toasted bread later, they’re all packed into the truck, Seokjin in the driver’s seat, Namjoon in the passenger, Hoseok and Yoongi in the back, and the youngest in the cargo bed with the food. At 9:06, six minutes later than they’d planned to leave, much to Namjoon’s chagrin, Seokjin puts the car into drive and they head off.

Their ultimate destination is Goraebul Beach in Yeongdeok, which is approximately 200 kilometers from Seoul and would normally only take a couple hours to drive, so it’s really more of a day-trip than an honest-to-goodness road trip, but Hoseok and Yoongi have planned several stops for food and fun, so they won’t be home till late at night.

Seokjin drives with a small smile on his face as Namjoon puts his camera to good use and the rest of the boys joke loudly and shove each other around. It’s a gorgeous day, warm but not stifling, and the sun is bright, and the wind is mild.

They stop at several delicious restaurants—more than initially planned because Jungkook and Taehyung are insatiable—and once at a gas station. By the time they arrive at the beach, it’s late afternoon and the sky is golden, on the verge of sunset. The sand is nearly empty, given that it’s a Wednesday in August and people are just getting off work, so Seokjin parks on the sand, much closer to the water’s edge than he would normally dare. Namjoon is the first one out, eager to take more pictures, followed by a yawning Yoongi. Hoseok shakes himself awake and goes around back to wake up the young ones, who had apparently eaten and played to exhaustion.

Still, they’re excited to finally be at the beach and bound energetically through the sand, immediately tossing off their shoes and socks. They build lopsided sand castles which quickly devolves into a sand fight, and Hoseok watches on with a grin, content for once to remain on the sidelines. Seokjin joins him, staring at the kids and the blurry horizon and the falling sun. The sky turns pink and orange and beautiful; Namjoon and Yoongi’s silhouettes against the sparkling water are stark and comforting.

They’re all together, the seven of them, just being, and here, at this beach, watching the waves and listening to Seokjin’s favorite song—here, suspended in a strange sense of timelessness, both poignant and anticipatory, the future and past both so close and so far, living and loving and waiting and ready—

Namjoon sneakily snaps a picture of Yoongi enjoying the cool ocean breeze; Taehyung shoves sand down the backs of Jungkook and Jimin’s shirts and sprints away laughing when they chase after him indignantly; Hoseok nudges Seokjin’s arm and grins, snickering when Seokjin rolls his eyes.

Life’s good, huh?

Yeah. It is.

—they are happy.

notes: this is not nearly as long as i thought it was lmao.

finally done! really sorry it took so long; i just haven't found the time. if you wanna hear all my excuses, see the author's note in the newest chapter of the great advantage of being alive haha.

so like i said i had planned for this to be longer, but i was honestly too lazy to detail every stop of their trip + make it interesting + make it flow well lolol. i hope, however, that the mood i intended for this chapter really came across: something of nostalgia, warmth, spontaneity, and just you know boys being boys and having fun. let me know how i did on that count! ;)

i hope you enjoyed this! i'm actually thinking about reopening requests because, believe it or not, actually writing makes me write more, cuz i get in the mood, ya know. in the mood for love let me know if this is a good idea? that is, if any of you actually have requests? lol

i actually spent time figuring out what beach they went to in the prologue (not that it was much of a struggle i mean i just watched the making film lmao pretty entertaining) and i'm preeeeeeetty sure it's goraebul beach, yeongdeok, gyeonsangbuk-do. ;) yes i did actual ~research~ for this chapter haha for the sake of accuracy ("accuracy").

!!!! omg but they actually filmed a lot of the beachy looking scenes at a tidal flat in incheon lmaoooo x'D jin really did get to show off his driving skills though haha

also i love sam kim and "seattle" is one of my favorites. it's so emotional and like you can literally HEAR the homesickness. beautiful. take a listen if you like slow, soft, and acoustic! and if you #stantalent because let me tell you

anyway, enjoy! and again, let me know if you think reopening requests will be a fruitful endeavor!

skyblaze208 OUT!

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