#honors algebra ii | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

justasparkwritings · 2 years

Text

August {II} Salt Air Pt. 2

PreviousL Salt Air Pt. 1

Pairing: Kim Taehyung x Reader

Genre: Fluff

Rating: PG13

Warnings: Kissing

Word Count: 4.5K

Summary: History builds as your relationship with Taehyung continues to grow.

Notes: Look, I love a summer romp starring Kim Taehyung. Sue me.

Listen:

Tag List: @4ksj, @jagiya, @ot7nem, @knjkitten, @teamtardis-notdead

Tag List

Master List

9 Summers Ago

EJ was right: you would kiss Taehyung and effectively give him your kissing virginity.

It happened during his second summer at Lake Augusta, and your sixteenth. You were fresh from your first year in high school, and after helping your moms unpack, Seokjin and Namjoon did most of it, you waited patiently for EJ to show up from her shift at Pirate’s Treasure Chest. You started at The Confectioners Corner the next day, with the closing shift, the worst one. However, you were hoping you’d be seeing Taehyung not only in the ice cream section of the store, but on your dock at 9PM tonight. After you left last summer, you had mailed him a letter with your address and asking him to write you back so you could have his. What started off as a few occasional postcards became long letters.

Y/N,

I already hate high school. My schedule is terrible. I have PE right after lunch, followed by math. Math to end the day? Who thought that was the best idea for a kid who hates math? By the time I’m solving for X I don’t know if it’s supposed to come before or after Y. (I hope you liked that bad joke). I start with English, another terrible subject to begin the day with. I’m too tired to discuss Cry, The Beloved Country at 8AM. I did make a new friend, his name is Jimin. We have almost the same schedule, except he’s in Algebra II and I’m in Honors Algebra I. He’s really funny and I like spending time with him.

What’s your new schedule? Are you and EJ in the same classes?

Taehyung

Tae,

I’m sorry your schedule sucks. Thankfully I start the day with PE and have math before lunch. Our schedule rotates, so besides having PE first, everything moves every day. It’s kind of confusing, but I like it. I like the variety and not having the same classes at the same time every day. Isn’t PE the absolute worst?

EJ and I are in different classes, I mean we’re taking all the same ones but in a different order and with mostly different teachers. Plus she’s taking French and I’m taking Spanish. We’re in different home rooms too, which blows but everyone has the same lunch so that’s good. She wants to join a bunch of clubs, but she always is going to swim competitively and I’m going out for volleyball. I don’t think I’ll get it, but maybe I’ll land on the freshman team.

Are your siblings doing okay? Alex is thrilled we don’t go to the same school. He says I ruin his street cred, or whatever. He’s too cool for me apparently.

I’m trying to decide who high school me is going to be… I haven’t landed on it yet. Have you?

Y/N

The letters go on and on, almost a year’s worth, all leading you to your Adirondack chairs on your dock, at 9PM on August 1st.

“So, how does it feel to be a rising sophomore?” A deep voice said from behind you. You stood up, turning quickly to find the boy it belonged to. Taehyung. In the flesh. Definitely taller than when you saw him last summer, and his voice, when had it gotten so low?

“Tae!” You called, not thinking too much and pulling him into a hug. Those butterflies that had started last summer were there again, this time seemingly bigger than before. Or at least you can feel them ten times stronger than you could last August. He hugs you back, and you’re both silently grateful that Seokjin and Namjoon aren’t on the dock screaming at you. Your moms are still sitting on the porch, but they surely can’t tell you’re blushing in the dark, can they?

“Y/N,” he said.

“I missed you.”

“We write letters every week,” he laughed.

“I know, but that’s not the same.”

“No,” Taehyung said. “I missed you too.”

“Are you excited for the rest of summer?” You asked, sitting in your chair.

“Am I excited to scoop ice cream almost every day, you mean?” He asked.

“Yes, that.”

“Depends, do we work together?”

“I think we do, most if not every day.”

“Then yeah, I’m excited,” Taehyung said.

You stared at him, bashfully glancing from his eyes to his lips. Why did you want to kiss him so badly? You had gone to every dance of freshman year with EJ and a handful of dates – all middle school boys that you knew. They were fine, but no one stayed in your mind like Taehyung did. His weekly letters, the scrawl of his writing, what he and Jimin got into every day… What did these other boys have that Taehyung didn’t? Proximity? Yes, for sure, but it didn’t matter. You had spent last summer getting to know Taehyung, welcoming him into your circle, this summer you’d continue being best friends.

“Apparently there’s too much gossip for EJ to tell me at once so she’s breaking it down daily.”

“I can’t imagine that much has happened in the two months she’s been here.”

“Oh, you don’t even know. She’s been gathering it from Seokjin and Namjoon’s friends too. Hoseok is apparently hot this summer.”

“Is he hotter this summer than last?” Taehyung realizes after he’s said it that he doesn’t actually know Hoseok. “Who is Hoseok?”

“Hoseok is Seokjin and Namjoon’s best friend, he comes up sometimes in July to stay with them. Supposedly, this summer he made quite a name for himself. His hair is all shaggy and long, according to EJ he’s hotter than when he came over after school every day.”

“Every day?”

“Yeah, best friends or whatever.”

“So, Hoseok’s gone?” Taehyung’s question was more for himself than you.

“Yep, breaking hearts as he went.”

“Did you turn what’s his name down?” Taehyung asked, referencing the one time you’d been asked out by this guy, Jake, who was a sophomore and scared off by Namjoon.

“No, Namjoon got to him before I could reject him.”

“Do they ever let you just, be?”

“No,” you said. “Not since I was born.”

“But they’re not out here tonight?”

“No, they don’t come out here at night to star gaze. They have a telescope for that.”

“Of course, they did,” Taehyung commented.

“I think I should go in and go to bed. We open The Confectioners Corner tomorrow.”

“Oh, damnit I forgot,” Taehyung groaned as he too stood up.

Together you began walking back down the dock and towards your cabin, and you noticed that your moms were not in fact on the porch watching like you thought they’d be. Taehyung must’ve noticed too, because he started walking a little slower, stepping a little closer to you. It was on the beach, under the stars, when you turned to leave that he stopped you.

“I uh, this might be kind of crazy,” he said, eyes never wavering from you. “But I’ve been thinking about it since last summer… and I wanted to ask if uh, I could kiss you?”

“What?” You asked, staring at him dumbfounded.

“Yeah, if I could?”

“You want to kiss me?” You repeated, still confused by his request. Had he been feeling butterflies too?

“Yeah, if you’re into it or cool with it.” Taehyung said.

“I, yes, yeah, um, you can. I might be bad at it.”

He laughed. “You’ve seen too many rom-coms if you think I’m going to be good at it.”

You blushed at that, you had in fact seen too many romcoms and all told you that this was going to be a moment, the moment…

Taehyung shuffled closer, and you mimicked his movements, stepping closer until your bare feet touched, and you giggled first. Your hand flew to your lips to muffle the sound as Taehyung’s toes wiggled against yours. He stopped his motions, instead opting to tilt your jaw up towards him with two fingers. Your eyes sobered, staring directly into his. In your mind EJ’s voice was loud and clear…. GOODBYE KISSING VIRGINITY. Taehyung leaned in; eyes drifting shut as you did the same. His lips, soft and chapped in the way teenage boys are always, found yours.

“GOODBYE KISSING VIRGINITY!” EJ yelled the next morning into the void as you biked with her, home from the mini golf course. She couldn’t stop laughing, grateful that you had finally joined her in the land of kissing and making out. EJ had given away her kissing virginity in a game of spin the bottle during camp in 6th grade. She’d since kissed no less than 8 people, four boys and three girls and one non-binary on her quest to decide, definitively, who kissed better. Thus far it was inconclusive, and you were beginning to wonder if EJ just like kissing people, all people, any people.

“Someone’s going to hear you!” You called after her. She started peddling slower, letting you catch up with her.

“I don’t care.”

“I do,”

“What, you don’t want all of Augusta to know you’re macking on the beach?”

“I really would prefer if they didn’t know that, EJ.”

“Sorry, I’m just so excited. So are you two like, a thing?”

“What? No!”

“Really? Because kissing kind of makes you like… a couple.”

“Considering it was the first time he ever showed any romantic interest in me, I don’t really think I can agree to being a couple.”

“That wasn’t the first time he’s shown romantic interest in you.”

“Yeah, it was.”

“No, Y/N, dude’s been crushing since he first laid eyes on you last summer.”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

“Oh it’s for sure true. Why do you think Seokjin and Namjoon won’t leave you two alone?”

“I, I don’t know.”

You did know, it was the same reason they always stayed around you and bugged you: they’re overprotective. They care about you nearly as much as EJ and have been raised to treat you like their little sister. But that didn’t explain why they still did. You and EJ are growing up, you’re going to be sophomores in high school, haven’t you learned to handle yourselves? EJ certainly has, and yet they keep lingering and watching you.

“It’s because they don’t trust the other Kim,” EJ lowered her voice to be menacing and dark, before picking up her speed and peddling across the cross walk with lightning speed. You chased after her, but after a few blocks slowed down. There was no rush to get to your houses, what was waiting? Your book – that’s for sure. Taehyung was working a double shift so he could take a night off to watch his siblings while his parents had their anniversary dinner, so you were totally free of that particular, kissing, distraction.

8 Summers Ago

Taehyung waited all year to kiss you again. He waited through more letters, more postcards from your spring break and fall break travels. He was patient with his birthday gift and your Christmas present sent perfectly wrapped… He was totally fine with it all… but kissing you, for longer than he had that first night… that’s all he wanted.

No – Taehyung didn’t get to kiss you again that summer. Every moment was packed with other people, and Seokjin and Namjoon refused to give you two any privacy once EJ’s loose lips sunk your new ship. Not that you and Taehyung were dating… no, no, still just best friends, but very clearly the feelings between you were more than that. And thus, Taehyung went from being a cool buddy to a threat, at least in the eyes of the two guys who decided they were your older brothers.

So, he didn’t kiss you goodbye, even when you were going to live apart for the next eleven months.

You came up to the cabin late on August 1, luckily your mama had come up with Alex and you were getting your license so all you had to do was drive your mom up with you. Mama and Alex brought the groceries a few days ago, allowing you to come in, unpack, shower and go to bed. Except that’s not what you did. Instead, you bounded down the dock to greet the even taller, honeyed skin man with soft black hair.

“Tae!” You whispered, wrapping your arms around him. The year had been good to you both, pulling you slowly out of awkward puberty into somewhat functional adolescence. Your limbs fit your bodies a bit better than last summer, and so did Taehyung’s. His strong arms held you, comfortably and you felt him nuzzle into your neck.

“Hi,” he said softly, chuckling as he held you. “I missed you.”

“Our weekly phone calls weren’t enough?” You laughed too, listening to it echo into the dark night.

“They were, but you know it’s not the same.”

“It isn’t.”

“Can I –

“Can you?”

“Can I kiss you?” He asked.

“Yes,” you said, with no hesitation in your voice.

Taehyung leaned in, more confidently than he had last summer, and kissed you.

“So, there’s a rumor going around,” Clara, the new manager of The Confectioners Corner said the next day. She sat down next to you at the picnic tables behind ‘the mall’ aka the row of stores. It was a weird nickname, the space between what was Twix and is now Butterfly all the way down to the well, corner where Confectioners met Madras Plaid and Cola & Craigs. The picnic tables were new since last summer and were honestly the perfect place to sit and gossip.

“Oh yeah?” You asked, sipping your water and staring at her.

“Yeah, apparently your little working buddy dumped someone back home so that he could freely date you this summer,” she said.

“Oh yeah?” You repeated. It sounded like a gossip EJ would tell you during your gossip sessions if your work schedules allowed.

“Yeah. So, is it true?”

You knew it wasn’t. If Taehyung had been dating, he would’ve said something in your weekly calls or the letters you still sent back and forth. But he never mentioned anyone besides you.

“No, it isn’t true.”

“So, you two aren’t a thing?” Clara asked.

“Not that I know of.”

“Ugh, what a bummer!” Clara said. “With Seokjin and Namjoon gone, the drama has like totally dried up. It fucking sucks. No one is interesting this summer. Well, except, you know.”

“I know?”

“EJ, obviously.”

“EJ? What did she do?”

“Oh my god, you don’t know?” she leaned in closer, her blue eyes lighting up with excitement. “That EJ slept with Greg, and they’ve been doing it in the office of Pirates Treasure Chest and in her empty house like, all summer.”

You burst into laughter, unable to hold back. You hated that a rumor about you and your somewhat, innocent, relationship with Taehyung was out there. But at least it wasn’t as bad or blatantly false as this. EJ would never date Greg. Wasn’t he with Whitney? And besides, EJ’s been dating some guy named Yoongi and falling madly in love. If she’s giving her virginity to anyone, it’s going to be him.

“I can tell you that’s not true, but you know EJ would love to know there’s a rumor about her spreading around town.”

“Okay, I’ll keep spreading it then. Oh, and speaking of your little love buddy,” Clara’s voice became serious. “You two are getting split up. He’s going to work candy.”

“It’s because he got hot,” Alicia said, coming up and sitting down next to Clara. “He got hot, so he has to be in the front of the store.”

“How Abercrombie of you,” you commented.

“Seriously, you better lock him down before someone else snatches him up,” Clara said as she rose. “You two clock in in five, you’re both on ice cream.”

Working with Alicia wasn’t the same as working with Taehyung. For one, she doesn’t get your jokes. Another reason, she hates music, and a third, she isn’t one of your two best friends. The best part of this job was working with Taehyung, spending endless hours together, laughing and joking, seeing who could scoop the ice cream faster, making short conversation with customers in order to talk to each other sooner. It was so fun, this? Torture.

“Have I told you about homecoming?” Alicia asked. Alicia lived in Lake Augusta and only went into the city once… maybe twice a year for special occasions. Her entire life is the Lake, and everyone and everything in it. She had become a huge gossiper in the last two summers, taking the place as the college girls moved on to life outside of Lake Augusta. But Alicia’s parents had grown up here, gone to high school here and even college nearby. They wanted their kids to be lifers, which felt absolutely insane to you. How could they exist in a town of five thousand for the entire year? How could they go to high school with the same people they went to every other grade with? Insane, or at least that’s what your moms said whenever the conversation of these lifers came up.

“No, but I think the whole tradition should be put to sleep,” you said, paraphrasing a Gilmore Girls quote.

“I can’t wait, this year I get to be on homecoming court, and isn’t htat amazing? I hope I win.”

“Who else would?”

“Laurel,” Alicia spit.

Ah, Laurel Draven, the youngest of the Draven family and heir to the entire resort fortune. She absolutely would win if she ran.

“I thought she cut off all her hair and was going through a punk phase?” You asked.

“That was so freshman year. She’s now all Sweet Valley High and Barbie gone wild,” Alicia said.

“Barbie gone wild?” You repeated.

“Yeah like, Margot Robbie and Ashely Olsen.”

“Oh,” you laughed. “That’s insane.”

“She changed and who knows, she has new friends that are not mine.”

“Okay,” you turned to help the newest customer.

Taehyung strolled in then, whistling some jazz standard he was into at the moment, it was always changing and shifting. He winked as he walked past you, into the back room to grab his apron and clock in. He looked cute, so cute, in his loose jeans and faded Coca-Cola t-shirt. He rolled up the sleeves himself, pinned them too with a single stitch. He was so proud of himself. He wrote an entire letter about it.

“Hey,” he said, sneaking up behind you.

“Hi,” you said, knowing full well Alicia was watching and listening.

“Do you want to hang out later?” He asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

“My place?”

“Okay,” you nodded, blushing softly.

“You’re too cute,” he said and winked again.

Since he’d kissed you last summer, swimming and playing in the water felt… weird. Like all you’d be doing is staring at him shirtless, mind wandering to the more PG13 items you’d like to do with him… and not on the fact that you’re both still kids, teens at that, and playing in the water is really fun. And now, it feels weird… Is he just staring at you? Are you just staring at him? So you’ve taken to wearing one pieces and hanging out mostly clothed on land. Often playing games with Alex, or your moms, taking care of Tae’s younger siblings too.

The blush recedes and is replaced by the hard work of scooping ice cream for hungry customers.

“You know he totally likes you.”

“Who?” You asked, having handed another waffle cone to Connor Daniels and his pack of friends.

“Taehyung, who else?”

“Tons of guys come here every day.”

“Yeah, but who else stares at you from the candy counter?” Alicia asked.

“He does not,” you said, glancing quickly to Taehyung, who was not in fact staring at you.

“He does.”

“Who are you dating? Why are you harassing me, shouldn’t you be going on and on about whoever it is you’re with?”

“I’m not with anyone,” Alicia said, the hurt in her voice mimicking the sour and despondent note in her voice.

“I’m sorry,” you offered.

“It’s whatever. I think Adam is going to take me to homecoming so, I still win.”

Win? You didn’t ask, because really what could she say that you wanted to know? Nothing. Alicia’s life and yours… while they intersected during the summer, you truly hoped she wouldn’t be in your life forever.

“So, you’re going to make out,” EJ said as she carefully French braided your hair.

“I don’t know.”

“I hope you do, it’s so fun,” she smiled as she tied one braid down and prepared your next strands of hair.

“I know you and Yoongi love it –

“Everyone who makes out and does it well loves it,” EJ interjected.

“But I’ve never –

“I know,” EJ said.

“So, who knows. Maybe he has made out with someone during the year and I’m just, number two.”

“You really think, the guy who gave you his first kiss and took yours, would want to make out with someone else?” EJ asked, eyes staring back at you from the mirror.

“I don’t know.”

“Stop doubting yourself, Y/N. You know he likes you and you like him.”

“Whatever. How is Yoongi managing without you?”

“Ugh, it’s torture. I miss him every day.”

“Hasn’t he come up here twice already?” You asked.

“Yeah, but that’s not enough! He’s got the cutest smile, and it’s all gummy and cute… I could stare at it for hours.”

“You’re in love.”

“I know! Isn’t it wonderful?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never been in it.”

“Then what have you and Taehyung been doing for two summers now?”

“It isn’t summers, it’s just August.”

“And the letters, and the phone calls,” she listed.

“Okay I get how it seems. But we’re not pledging our love to each other in the letters or anything.”

“I know, I’ve read some of them.”

“Exactly, you know what they’re like.”

“So you’re dating?” EJ was trying to grasp straws and find some meaning in what she viewed as the full relationship you and Taehyung were having, but you still remained skeptical.

“I don’t know.”

“You’re killing me smalls,” she said and tied off the last of your braid.

Taehyung’s house, the newest on this part of the shore, was mostly glass on the lakeside, and looked like a house out of Crazy Rich Asians: white with black trim, expensive brick work as the driveway, and a fancy car waiting to be driven. Taehyung’s parents were going to a benefit in the next town over, and his siblings were at their respective friends houses around the lake. Which meant just the two of you would be in his palatial lake home. There’s a gym/Pilates studio, a film room and a game room with an expandable table and one-hundred board games. Not to mention the lake toys and impressive boat resting above the water. Everyone wanted to come to the new Kim’s house, and you were lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time there.

“So, I thought we could eat dinner, and watch a movie?”

“Or five episodes of TV?” You suggested.

“Yeah, before your parents want you home. Did you tell them mine are home?”

“They didn’t ask.” You said.

“Oh,” He shrugged.

“I think they assume we’re not going to – you know.”

“Yeah, which is the correct assumption –

“Yeah, totally is. I think they trust us?” You said quickly, trying to skate over the awkwardness.

“Okay, good. I’m glad they do. I think we’re trustworthy.”

“Me too.”

“Eomma made a bunch of Korean food if you want, no kimchi for you, or we could order a pizza?” Taehyung suggested.

“I love your mom’s cooking!” You said and made your way to the industrial, chef’s grade fridge perfect for his mom’s expert cooking. Inside you found everything waiting in plastic containers, stickers with the dishes names in Taehyung’s eomma’s perfect handwriting. There were his favorites, gimpbap, kimchi, tteokbokki and black noodles. You took them all out and Taehyung watched as you made part of a plate, full of items that were going in the microwave.

“Careful, it’s really powerful,” he reminded you as he moved to make a plate for himself.

“Thanks,” you said.

As you sat down at the counter, plates piled high with food, Taehyung stared at his with hungry eyes.

“Have you thought about college?” He asked, mouth full of food.

“Yes, my moms won’t let me forget about college.”

“What are you thinking?”

“They want me to go Ivy.” You tell him.

“Ivy?”

You nod. “Yeah, like if I’m going to go out of state then I need to make it count.”

“That’s insane.”

“They’re not always rational, but what am I going to do? Argue?”

“You could.” He agreed.

“I don’t mind, my grades are excellent, I have good extra curriculars and I guess I’ll have to do moderately well on my SATs and ACTs, but I think I can do it.” You said to him.

“I think you can, too,” Taehyung said.

“What about you?”

“California. USC, UCLA, UC Berkley… I want to study film and art,” Taehyung told you. He hadn’t yet divulged this information to his parents, but it’s all he’s been thinking about for college. “Maybe LMU or the art institute.”

“What about New York?” You asked.

“I’ve thought about it, but it’d be nice to be in the sun for a long time, uninterrupted.”

“I get it,” you said.

“But you don’t want to go to California?”

“Only if I get into Stanford.”

“I see,” he said.

You stared at your empty plates, unsure what to do next.

“Movie?”

“Or we can watch Psych and talk the whole time?” You suggested.

“Much better idea,” Taehyung loaded the dishwasher, and you helped put the dishes away before following him to the movie room.

The nerves of a first kiss are beaten out by the nerves of the first make out. Where do your hands go? What does your body do? What the hell are you supposed to feel? All wrapped up in the desire for more, and yet, the boundary line glares blaringly at you. you only want to go so far; this is only your first time kissing someone like this… touching him like his…. His hands tentatively on your waist, yours tentatively resting on his chest… this is new … this is something.

“And then what?” EJ asked the next day.

“And then we watched an episode of Psych and I went home.” You told her.

“Only one episode?”

“Well, we started kissing during one and then by the time we stopped it was maybe another one… or two...”

“Oh my god!” EJ squealed.

“I know!”

“How was it?”

“Perfect,” you said blushing aggressively.

Next: August III

#justasparkwritings #august #clubzerooclock #bangtanarmynet #networkbangtan #kpopccc #Kim taehyung x reader #Kim taehyung x you #taehyung x reader #taehyung x you #folklore #folkloresaga #taehyung angst #taehyung fluff #end of summer #lost in the memory

19 notes · View notes