#18/46 - “Ready or not, here I come!”/”You know, we could just leave and not look back.”

TaeJin

Word Count: 646

“10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1”

The countdown could be heard across the freshly mown yard.

“Ready or not, here I come!” These words followed by an infectious giggle rang even louder.

Taehyung squeezed Seokjin’s hand as he heard the words that started the game of hide and seek, his neighborhood friends would always play on the weekends. It had become a type of tradition but it never got old. They always had fun and Min Yoongi always seemed to cheat but for some reason no one called him out on it. Or, well, sometimes they did but it just ended with the person who argued being ‘It’ anyway.

Seokjin turned his head towards Taehyung’s only to meet a few leaves tickling just underneath his nose. How they had managed to work their way into this bush together, he didn’t know but here they were.

“Found you, Hobi-yah!” That infectious giggle rang out too close to the two boys in the bush and this time it was Seokjin who squeezed the other's hand.

“Yah! Park Jimin, I am your hyung!”

Taehyung began to snicker, he could just picture Hoseok stomping his foot into the ground, hands on his hip and his best friend Jimin just grinning up at the older boy with his puffy cheeks without a care in the world. Seokjin reached over with his other hand and covered the younger's mouth, a sharp but still quiet,

“Shh!”

Sounded right next to Taehyung’s ear and made him shiver. He wanted to laugh again, it had tickled but he heeded his hyung’s warning. His eyes spoke an apology that he couldn’t voice aloud in fear of being found. Once the footsteps faded away and they could hear Jimin calling out that he found another, Seokjin let go of Taehyung’s mouth.

“Hyoseokkie, gotcha!”

his lips, Taehyung turned towards his hyung,

“I think we’re going to win this time.” He whispered excitedly, boxy grin stretching over his face. Seokjin nodded but played with the fingers his other hand was holding.

“You know, we could just leave and not look back…” He trailed off softly, eyes only holding Taehyung’s for a brief moment before shyly staring at the branches in front of him. He was too old at 14 to be playing hide and seek but he had a soft spot for the fluffy black haired bowl cut boy next to him. He always had such a smile that could warm his soul like no other. It was an odd feeling and Seokjin wasn’t quite sure what it all meant but he knew he liked it.

“But hyung, the ga- Oh! Can we go to your tree house?!”

Watching as the younger cocked his head to the side floppy, over excited smile directed towards Seokjin made this funny thing happen in his stomach. He found himself nodding before his mind could really catch up with his body.

“Yeah, yeah we can go to the tree house. Come on.” He tugged on Taehyung’s hand and then crawled out of the bush. Dusting off his pants while still crouching he held out a hand to the younger. Taehyung took it as he rose to his feet as well.

“Yah! Kim Taehyung I found you! Don’t even try to-”

Entwining their fingers, Taehyung’s laughter broke across the yard and he yanked on Seokjin’s had as he began to run away from Jimin and towards the direction of the tree house he had always wanted to visit but had never been allowed in just yet.

“Yah! Come back here Tae! We’re not playing chase.”

“Run Seokjin hyung! Jiminie is really fast.”

And run he did, his stomach churning and his heart swelling with emotions he had never experienced before and was a little scared to explore. Taehyung’s smile though, his smile erased all his fears in an instant.