▃ 1962, July 13th, 9:15 PM

The moon was high in the sky, soft waves crashing along the shoreline of the beach. The reflective moon-rays shone off of the water, casting a blue/grey glow over the beachgoers.

Some were still out swimming, couples laughing and splashing each other in the frigid saltwater.

The rest were all around or inside Kim's Diner, the local surfer hangout.

Jungkook meanwhile, one of the surfers, was standing on the wrap around porch of the diner, leaning against a wooden beam as he stared out at the mesmerising ocean.

Lately he was feeling down, losing his energetic spark. The rest of the surfers noticed, trying to cheer him up but it was no use.

He decided it was some type of evanescent depression, hopefully it would go away in a week or two.

He sighed, deciding his time of peace and tranquility was finished as he turned and entered the diner.

Immediately as he stepped inside, he could hear the chatter of all the surfers and hear the sizzling of burgers and fish on a grill.

His friends were all scattered out from table to table, laughing and sipping on soda as upbeat beach music played from the jukebox.

"Jungkook! Nice of you to finally join us!!" Yugyeom said with a laugh, getting up from his seat and clapping the boy on the back, leading him over to his table.

"Sorry everyone, had to get some fresh air." He smiled sympathetically, sitting down in an empty chair. Jinyoung handed him a bottle of orange soda, still cold. He silently thanked his friend, sipping on the carbonated drink.

Suddenly the harsh rips of revving motorcycles were heard outside, everyone immediately recognising the sound.

"Bikers..." Namjoon grumbled, standing up.

The rest of the surfers all stood up as well, watching the door in anticipation. Jungkook stayed sitting, staring down at his soda.

He heard the familiar creak of the swinging doors, footsteps, and the light sizzle of a cigarette being put out.

Jungkook slowly peered up, seeing a group of leather jackets, red accessories, cocky smirks.

His eyes landed on their 'leader,' seeing him standing there with his hands resting in his pockets.

His long chocolate hair was swept back in waves, a red bandana holding it out of his face. A cigarette hung from the corner of his mouth, his dark eyes scanning the room.

"What are you doing here?" Namjoon asked angrily, looking him up and down.

"What do you mean? This is public property. I have every right to be here, just like you." The biker replied, his voice sultry and deep.

"Well we don't want you here, you're not welcome." Namjoon said.

"I don't want you here either but do you see me complainin?" The biker asked, chuckling to himself. His index and middle finger came up, taking the cigarette from his lips as he exhaled a cloud of smoke, some of it blowing into Namjoon's face.

"No smoking allowed in here, young man." Seokjin, the owner of the diner, spoke up from the kitchen window.

"Sorry bout that, sir." The biker responded, putting his cigarette out in an ashtray nearby.

The other bikers behind him were looking around, observing the crowd.

The leader of their gang, (also known as Kim Taehyung,) sighed and took off his biker gloves, shoving them in his pocket.

"If you'd excuse us, we'd like to pass by and find a place to sit." Taehyung said, making a small shooing motion with his hand.

Namjoon just scoffed, about to step up to him and say something else but Jimin grabbed his shoulder, shaking his head.

The gesture meant something along the lines of, "He's not worth your time and energy."

Jungkook looked back down at his soda, swirling the bottle around and watching the orange liquid inside slosh around.

The bikers scattered around the diner, sitting on the outer booths while the surfers took the tables in the middle.

Jungkook's friends sat back down in front of him, sighing deeply as they continued eating the basket of fries in the middle of their table.

"I can't believe them, they think they own the place." Yugyeom muttered.

"Yeah, coming in here with those rude attitudes and polluting the air with their smoke and nasty motorcycle fuel stench." Jinyoung pitched in.

Jungkook looked up at them both, eyes darting between the two.

"I... I don't think they're that bad." He said quietly.

He was always sort of soft spoken, not very outgoing and never speaking up. He only spoke when absolutely necessary, it was too tiring to always keep conversation. Besides, no one really noticed or minded anyways, so he thought it was better for everyone if he stayed quiet.

His friends looked at him like he just kicked their puppy.

"What did you just say?" Jinyoung asked.

"I mean... they're human just like us, they should be welcome in here any time. All they want is a place to hang out and eat, like us." Jungkook said, blushing a bit from the sudden attention.

Yugyeom just laughed, shaking his head. "You can't be serious." He said.

Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows, looking down. It was clear they didn't agree with him, that their opinions won't be changed as easily as he thought.

It was better to just keep quiet. To follow in their footsteps, so he won't be outcast or judged.

"Y-Yeah, I'm not. Just playing with you guys." He said, looking up as he chuckled awkwardly.

They laughed along with him, going back to some useless banter as Jungkook's forced smile quickly faded into that of a frown.

He excused himself, getting up to go to the bathroom.

As he passed by the line of booths, he felt a certain pair of eyes on him. He ignored it for now, entering the men's bathroom.

The bathroom was quite nautical, with light blue walls, lifebouys, and anchors hanging from the walls as well as pieces of old nets and boats.

He kind of liked the style, going over to the sink and sighing. He looked at himself in the mirror, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. He turned on the sink, cupping his hands and filling them with cold water before splashing his face.

When he stood up straight again, there was a presence behind him. He gasped, jumping and quickly spinning around only to see Kim Taehyung, the biker, leaning against the wall.

"Sorry, didn't mean to spook ya." He chuckled, grabbing one side of his jacket and extending it outward, pulling a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket.

Jungkook watched with curiosity as he lit the thin stick, putting the lighter away and taking a long drag.

"Um... there's no smoking in the diner..." Jungkook mumbled.

"It's the men's bathroom, bunny. No one will know." He said, pulling the cigarette away from his lips as he exhaled a puff of smoke.

Jungkook blushed, surprised by the nickname.

"What are you doing in here anyway, bunny? Your nightly hygiene routine?" Taehyung asked with a playful smirk.

"N-No, I just uh... needed something to wake me up." He murmured, grabbing a paper towel and drying off his face.

The biker only nodded, honey brown eyes lingering on the surfer.

Jungkook turned, leaning against the sink and staring at the floor.

"So are we just gonna stand in here doing nothing?" Taehyung asked with a low chuckle.

Jungkook laughed shyly, shrugging. "Yes, I believe so. I don't really want to be out there at the moment." He said softly.

"Yeah, I don't either. Too much going on." He murmured.

Jungkook laughed again to himself, tracing his finger along a small chip on the edge of the porcelain sink.

"What?" Taehyung asked curiously when he heard Jungkook's dry laugh.

"Who knew a biker and surfer had something in common?" Jungkook mumbled, looking up and making eye contact with the man across from him.

"Well, we're no different. Yet apparently our hobbies separate us now." Taehyung sighed, taking another drag out of his cigarette.

Jungkook bit his lip, nodding slowly before looking down again. There was a long stretch of silent, only the faint thumping of music and the soft exhales of Taehyung being heard.

"Wanna try?"

He lifted gaze, seeing Taehyung hold out the cigarette for him.

Jungkook wasn't afraid to admit that he had wanted to try smoking, whenever the bikers would do it, it looked so damn attractive. Not that he'd ever tell them.

"S-Sure." He said softly.

Taehyung raised a perfect eyebrow, watching as Jungkook took the cigarette from his hand.

"Wait you actually want to try? Wow. You really are different from the other surfers." He chuckled to himself, stepping closer to the boy.

Jungkook observed the small object in his hand, seeing a small swirl of smoke floating up from the end of it, orange embers flickering inside the cigarette.

He put it up to his lips, Taehyung's dark eyes on his face as he watched him, intrigued.

Jungkook inhaled, surprised that it was sweet. It must have been flavoured. He breathed in the toxic smoke, coughing a bit.

Puffs of smoke came out of his mouth and nose as he coughed, feeling a dry burning sensation in his throat. "Oh, fuck." He croaked, Taehyung's chuckles filling the small bathroom.

"Be careful there, bunny. It takes some getting used to." Taehyung explained, a playful smile on his smooth lips.

"Why are you calling me that?" Jungkook asked, attempting to take another drag of the cigarette, inhaling the sweet smoke again.

"Why not?" He asked.

"It's kind of odd." Jungkook said, voice a bit raspy as he exhaled some smoke, controlling his cough this time.

"Well, you remind me of a bunny. And you're cute. So why not give you a cute nickname?" He asked, grinning.

Jungkook blushed again, staring up at the long haired man. "C-Cute? But I'm a guy." He muttered.

"What's being a guy got to do with it? You can still be cute." Taehyung smirked, watching as Jungkook took one more drag before he took the cigarette from Jungkook's hand, putting it back in his own mouth.

"B-But you're a guy. That's not... it's not right." Jungkook said quietly, trying to convince Taehyung but at the same time, himself.

Taehyung just laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, bunny. You've got lots to discover. And just to let you know, there's nothing wrong with a guy liking a guy." He said, winking. He then leaned closer to Jungkook, trapping the boy between himself and the sink.

The surfer gasped, staring up at him with wide eyes.

Taehyung turned on the sink behind him, putting out the cigarette and dropping it into the trash bin before backing away, leaving the bathroom.

Jungkook let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, staring at the door, almost in a trance.

Little did Jungkook know, he would be seeing a lot more of that certain long haired biker.

❍

new book! lemme know what you think and if i should continue it!!

nat ♡