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»»» lana del rey - brooklyn baby

8:22PM

"Run!"

Cassandra's words were followed by a vibrant laugh. Somehow taking the part of a starting shot as both of them began running through the water curtains. Past colourful lampions and empty alleys.
It had been sunny all day long but out of nowhere big, dark gray clouds had gathered above them. Turning the already darker becoming sky even darker. Rain pouring down, wetting them and everything else. Creating little, shiny puddles. The reflections of the lights on the asphalt and the blurry seeming cherry blossoms along the river making the streets look like watercolour paintings.
They didn't have anything to cover themselves. Water splashing loudly with every heavy step they took. Feeling their clothes getting more and more soaked as they were rushing down that park. Water running down the back of their necks, skin cold. However, they still managed to laugh somehow. A sense of being carefree kids again overtaking them. The smell of adventure in the air.

"Cassandra, wait!"
Taehyung's abrupt words made her stop dead in her tracks. She looked over her shoulder, seeing him glancing up at the sky. Streaks of wet hair laying flat on his forehead. Drops rolling down his cheeks and neck. The view of it making her bite back a smile as she walked up to him. "Is anything there?"
He closed his eyes. His lips tucking into a light smile, the feeling of the rain drops gently hitting his face somehow satisfying. "No," he eventually said when opening his eyes and glancing down at her. Seeing her also staring up to the gray sky. Mascara slowly flowing down her eyes along with the heavy rain drops, smudging the skin under her eyes. Her long curls stuck on her clothes and body.
"We should go," she smiled then, "Otherwise we'll get sick. And you can't get sick."
He nodded, suddenly feeling cold. So they started running again.

The side-street they had accidently turned in seemed endless with no sight of an exit. The asphalt becoming slippery. And Cassandra's almost non-existent stamina couldn't keep up anymore either. Not with Taehyung's at least who seemed to be ten steps ahead of her. Of course, she internally groaned. After all, he was trained for 3-hour-long concerts.

Between an apartment building and a small shop which seemed having closed already, they eventually stopped. Breaths heavy as they found a tree with a bench underneath it. The wooden bench being somewhat moist due to humidity but the tree, along with some canopies from the buildings, was shielding them from the worse getting rain. Besides, they were exhausted and needed some rest so they sat down nonetheless. Cassandra's chubby cheeks pink as she was out of breath by now.
Taehyung took a deep breath, leaning back. It was then when he realised how vivid and shiny the colours around them had become.
"Isn't everything just so much prettier when it rains?" Cassandra seemed to had noticed as well, her delicate voice breaking through the loud noise surrounding them.
"I don't know. Isn't it prettier when the sun shines?"
"It depends. I surely don't like rain in winter," she giggled, making him also crack a small laugh. "Me neither. But I like this weather right now. You're right, it makes everything look beautiful."
They listened to the soothing pit-a-pat of the rain drops hitting the canopies and leaves. The light of the buildings sparkling in the puddles. It was peaceful.
Taehyung felt a light pain in his chest, trying shaking it off. Maybe it was just the coldness of his soaked clothes stuck on his skin.

"We're such losers," Cassandra sighed half-jokingly, "We should've looked up the weather forecast.. Though I don't regret it. It's fun."
"It kind of makes you feel alive."
Her eyes widened at his words, glancing up to him. Even in the semi-darkness she could still recognise all his features. Big water drops dropping down from his strands of hair. His cheeks red due to the coldness and the run. Lips slightly parted and his chest rising and falling. Taking long and deep breaths. And this look on his face again. This glance. Like he was philosophising about everything and nothing. Small glimpses of light reflected in his dark eyes. And Cassandra realised, they had something melancholic on them. Like they were capturing the melancholy of the atmosphere.
She felt her breath heavier, averting her eyes from him. Instead she focused on the surroundings. The rain calming her.
"Do you think we'd have had so much fun if we met in a different city? A different country? If I visited you in Korea? Or you visited me in Europe?"
He frowned, her question puzzling him a little. "Sure. Why not?"
It was one of the rare times his reply came straight away, without him having to think much about it. Simply because he didn't have to. And it astonished her.
"You're so sure about it," she giggled. He simply shrugged, licking over his lightly chapped lips. "I don't see why it'd be different in another place. I'd always have fun with you, no matter what. Or where."
Her lips parted at his words and she bit back a smile. She would lie if she said it wasn't flattering to hear that. "How can you always find the right words to say?" she blurted out then. Her voice just loud enough to be heard over the rain.
He laughed under his breath, shaking his head. Finding her words nonsense. "I'm not good with words."
"You are though. Don't underestimate yourself. Your words are simple, yet always get to the core. They always.. hit something inside me."
He looked up at her and for what felt like the first time ever, she didn't feel intimidated by his intense stare. She usually found it hard speaking her mind but with him it was different. She wanted him to know what she was thinking. As she wanted to know what he was thinking.
"And is that good?"
His deep voice made her swallow. For some reason she felt her cheeks warm. She was blushing. "Yes."

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"I found the right one for you. Look!"
Taehyung bursted out laughing when seeing her holding up a Shinchan plushie. "It's cute," he grinned as she was squishing it in front of his face. "It really is," she giggled, "I think I'll get it."
"What about this one?" Taehyung picked up another plushie then. Seeing her eyes widening in excitement.
"I have to get it!" the girl squealed when seeing him holding a Detective Conan plushie in front of his face. His eyes then catching something else behind another shelf, dropping it. "Cassandra, look at those!" His voice filled with equally much excitement. Their childlike spirit from before returning with all those toys around them.

It had stopped raining quite some time ago. His hair had dried, opposite to hers that was too long and still slightly damp. And as they had been looking for the next metro station to get back and change into dry clothes, Taehyung had spotted this toyshop filled with anime merchandise and plushies. It was like heaven to them. And since they had been slightly freezing, their bodies had sought for a bit warmth.
"It's so cute--" She dragged the last word, cooing. He grinned at her reaction to the cat plushie. Wiggling its arms, he meowed making her giggle. He lowered the plushie then to tug down his face mask. Trying to mimic its expression. It was hilarious. She covered her mouth with both hands as she was trying to contain her laughter. It wasn't easy to stay quiet with someone like Taehyung. He tended to do such random funny things out of the blue a lot. Catching her off-guard most of the times. "Stop being so adorable!" 

He abruptly stopped his imitation, brows rising along with a mischievous look on his eyes. "I'm adorable?" he grinned with his boxy smile. Making him only more adorable to her.
Cassandra bit the inside of her cheek, embarrassed she had really said it out loud. However, they were friends after all, not strangers. So she didn't see a reason to lie. "Yeah, you are. Especially when you grin like that," she admitted, pointing at his face.
"You're adorable, too, you know," he mumbled, smiling to himself while putting the kitten plushie back. The girl didn't respond, only blushed and went on with looking through the other pile of plushies.
"Do you know a Pokémon called Blubella?" she suddenly asked then, going to another pile. He followed her, thinking for a moment. "I don't know. How does it look like?" "Like a flower. It's green with two red flowers on its head. It's really cute." He nodded, watching out for such a plushie. "I didn't know you like Pokémon," he stated then, arching a brow at her.
"I watched it as a kid. I also have a Pikachu plushie. My mum got it for me when I was little." He smiled, looking around the other shelves. "I liked it lot as a kid, too. Still do." They continued searching between plushies in silence, with no success. Cassandra eventually dragged a sigh, letting the Hello Kitty plushie she was holding fall back to the others. She gave up. "They don't have it. Let's go."

She seemed disappointed almost sad as she made her way out. Not giving him any time to protest, he ran after her. Both stuffing their hands into their jackets' pockets as they walked down the street. Past big stores and restaurants. The atmosphere was still cold. She sneezed. "You're the one catching a cold," he said with a worried look. She simply shrugged, absently staring down at the pavement. Something seemed definitely off. She was quiet. Too quiet. He remembered her words from one of their first nights there and indeed, she wasn't good in hiding her upsetness.
"You look sad. Is it because of the Pokémon?"
Clenching her jaw, she pursed her lips. Taehyung took it as a 'yes'. Though he didn't understood why. Internally sighing, he was contemplating asking her further or dropping it. Waiting for her to tell him if she wanted to. But it looked like she was contemplating something herself. It was one of those things again. Those things she didn't easily talk about. At least not with anyone. They turned into another street and she eventually gave in. After all, it didn't seem fair leaving him wondering for an explanation of her strange behaviour.
"I used to have one as a child. A Blubella. I don't remember it very well, I was too little. But I remember it was bigger than me." A sad smile spread over her features before frowning. "One day it disappeared. My father probably threw it away."
Taehyung looked at her bewildered. "Why-"
"I don't know."
He just nodded. Understanding now why she didn't want to talk about it. She rarely mentioned her dad and when she did, it was about upsetting things like this. Even if he himself couldn't relate to any of these as his dad was something like a role model to him, it still upset him.
"I've been looking for one for years," she explained further, "But I never succeeded."
And there it was again. The same feeling when seeing her cry. He hated it. "I'm gonna find you one," he said then. She shook her head. Staring at him for a moment before letting out a dry laugh. "It's alright. You don't have to." "I know." His voice stern, yet a soft smile spread over his features. "Okay."
Two tiny water drops fell on their skin then. Two turning into five. And five turning into ten. It began raining again.

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