marching band!taehyung
saxophonist!taehyung x color guard!reader
a/n: majority of this is from my own experience
Taehyung had been into the saxophone since he was little
he wasn’t a prodigy; he took classes in school but he was far from the best
It took a while to even make a sound, but he didn’t let that bring him down
sure, Taehyung wished he could be first saxophone by his middle school performance, but he wasn’t there to be the best; Taehyung just loved playing saxophone
So when he was picking classes for high school, his eyes gravitated towards band
Marching band was necessary if you took the class, but Taehyung didn’t mind—maybe because he didn’t know what it was
So Summer rolled around and that meant one thing: band camp
It was odd; he woke up early for once in a long time, and his eyes widened in awe as the band field came into view, tens of teens with instruments mingling upon the field
Taehyung was excited; these were his people
You, on the other hand, did not meet him until your junior year
you had joined freshman year with him, but you had been more on the shyer side, and you mostly stuck to the other color guard girls
But now, you were a vet; you had felt like you had been doing this all your life when you came back for band camp the third year.
You hated the heat, you hated the long hours, you hated the attitude the newbies gave you, and you hated relearning how to march
The band directors only really cared for the band, leaving color guard to trail behind and follow along
It was tedious; waiting for the “ready, set , march!” before marching in step and resetting instantly if even one person was off
Thankfully, color guard could go inside to learn moves with a flag
But, alas, you’d always have to come back outside to try them out in your sets, which you’d have to help the newbies find
A week passes before you can begin going through the beginning of the show
And you’re annoyed; you’re tired and bored from working on the show for hours already and resetting hundreds of time after a 16 count
So you might have been a little lazy, a little reckless as you entered your set within a circle of saxophones to do your toss
It’s successful, and you raise your flag and turn, prepared to flee from the circle to reach your next set within an 8 count—
And your flag slams down on the shoulder’s of an unsuspecting saxophone. You’re instantly awake and you try to stammer an apology as you continue moving to your set, but the boy only gives you a tight smile past his wince. The show must go on
You cringe but continue. After the director calls for you to relax, you turn to go apologize directly, but the boy is talking in a large group so you sigh and decide to wait as you go on a water break
And it kills you when you redo the set because now the boy gives you a wide berth, and you can’t help but feel embarrassed rather than thankful
And as the sets progress, you find yourself at the back of the field, nearly alone
You sigh; this was going to be boring
That was, until the boy you smacked strongly with a large metal pole found his set on the yard-line beside you
your eyes trailed up to the sky, and you questioned what you did in a past life before you brought your gaze back down to find him smiling at you
And his smile was so bright and genuine that you found it even harder to look right at him as you flushed
God his smile was even brighter than the sun for Christ’s sake, so where could you look without going blind, really?
“Um, I’m sorry for hitting you with my flag, again.” you brought a hand up to scratch the back of your sweaty neck
He laughed, causing his wet and wild hair to shake from behind his headband. “It’s really no problem! There was no where for you to go between us. Did I give you enough room?”
“Uh, yeah! Yeah; thank you.” And he smiled again and it was contagious enough to raise the corners of your lips too
A friendship began to bloom between the both of you as you continued to find sets beside each other as the year progressed, from the beginner to the ballad to the closer; for nearly all 10 minutes of the show, you were never farther than three football yards.
You spent much of your time (when not being forced to repeat sets for hours at a time) talking the day away and cloudwatching. You’d both lay down, heads beside each other but bodies opposing, and point out what you’d see, question the theme of life, and discuss trivial matters like how you were going to eat your whole fridge after practice ended
He’d always laugh at that and you couldn’t help but feel a warm and fuzzy explosion in your chest at his happiness, and a hint of pride that you caused it.
You and Taehyung also spent some of your freetime on the field showing each other how to use your crafts
He had let you try and play the saxophone once but you were so bad that he started to die laughing, causing the other band people to look at you funny
And you had tried to show him how to use the flag, but he instantly got caught up in its silk that you both decided with a smile that maybe you shouldn’t even let him attempt a toss
As the hot days of summer simmered into the early days of school, you went into competition season as good friends.
Times were good! You’d smile at each other in the hallway but once school ended and you both changed, you were inseparable as you marched to the band field.
Things were starting to get serious as the week came down to your first competition: your band director called you all to the band tower and gave an encouraging yet warning speech about being serious and at the top of your game. You were not just playing now; you were competing
You had taken a deep breath as nerves began to set it; that was, before you felt Taehyung gently take your hand in his and squeeze
Your breath hitched as you glanced over to meet his gaze and reassuring smile, but now your nerves were kicking in for an entirely different reason
You shot a grin back but before anything else could be done, your band director dismissed you to go home
You didn’t get to ask any questions as Taehyung said goodbye to you, and you didn’t have the guts to say anything else the next day
Your first competition rolled around and you overall let yourself enjoy it; after all, you knew how it went down
Your band showed up early to the band field to practice, ate a quick pre-made lunch, and then you all filed onto the buses.
Bus-rides were long, so many of the guard girls took naps or played on their phones in lounge wear; you and your friends chose to play cards in your small junction of four seats to pass the time.
When you were within 30 minutes of the competition school, you all would pull out your bags and begin working on your hair and makeup, which was never easy; many girls would grow frustrated trying to do their eyeliner and it was common to see mirrors and bobby-pins being passed numerous times around the bus.
Once you arrived and you all received your arm bands, you had around two hours to get food and see other performances before you had to be back at the bus fully dressed and ready to practice.
Instantly after you came down the bus steps, Taehyung bounced beside you with a grin and a skip in his step. “Ready to go?”
You smiled in amusement. “Go where?”
He grabbed your hand and pulled you along before replying, “To get food, of course!” You couldn’t help the laugh and blush that came forth from your lips and upon your cheeks
And it was fun; you both stayed in the long line to buy some nachos before sharing them as you sat in the bleachers to watch show after show, some better than others
It was always so exciting to see what other bands had come up with that year, but there was always a nervous energy that would twist itself in your stomach as you began to compare your band to theirs
Taehyung would always bump your shoulder to get you out of your thoughts though, because Taehyung knew; he would give you a radiant yet gentle smile and you were instantly fine
You both had pushed your time a little too much to watch one more show, so you only had five minutes to dress. He rushed you back to your bus and you hurried on to get your uniform as he trailed back to get on his hat and gloves.
The other girls teased and rushed you and you whipped your head around; you didn’t have time to go up to the school now to change, especially if there was a line...
“Do you think I can change here?”
Another vet eyed you for a second before shrugging, “I don’t see why not.”
And so you ducked behind the seat and began to strip
You had changed partially and gotten your uniform up your legs, but as you began to pull it up over your torso, you saw Taehyung’s head pop up over the rail for the stairs
He hadn’t looked up just yet, still adjusting his gloves as he said, “Hey, director said he’s ready for us now—(y/n), oh my God, I’m so sorry!” And Taehyung nearly tumbled down the stairs onto the asphalt with how quickly he rushed off the bus, his face a matching shade of red to yours
The girls around you stared in shock for a second before laughing loudly, beginning to tease you ferociously. You scowled and ignored your blush as you yanked the uniform up all the way
As you made your way off the bus and gathered up your flags, Taehyung fell into step with you quietly. “I thought you were inside changing.”
You didn’t meet his eye but shrugged; you didn’t want to make it awkward. “There wasn’t enough time; sorry for not warning you.”
“No! No, I’m sorry for not warning you that I was coming on the bus.”
You just laughed and shook your head. “You just said you didn’t know I was on the bus,” You looked over at him and bumped his shoulder. “It’s okay, really!” He still seemed to feel bad and embarrassed, but he managed a smile and it seemed to instantly fall behind you
You two separated as your band practiced for 30 minutes before your performance. You took a deep breath and met Taehyung’s encouraging bright smile as you stepped upon the field.
Once the music started, your mind went blank. Performing became muscle memory and yet it was all you focused on. Keep your head up, smile, keep in time, move here, fully extend, and breathe and toss—!
And the show was over. Your breathing was irregular as you stayed still for a few moments before you rushed to pick up any flags on the field around you, eventually falling into line as you exited the field
Everyone changed and got a snack before you all went back to the other side of the field with the other bands for judging. You weren’t able to sit with Taehyung since you had to sit with your sections, but you shot him a bright smile when your band got third. Not bad for your first competition!
You gushed about it to him all the way to your bus, where you and the other guard girls cheered and celebrated all the ride home.
Band season went by like a whirlwind from that point on. It was fun, it was taxing, and it was busy. There was a systematic schedule you had stuck to, and you had to do a doubletake when you realized that it was nearly the end of October.
And with that thought it sent a painful shock throughout your heart that you were nearly out of time with spending band with Taehyung.
Well, it wasn’t like you were losing him—you were still friends and still had next year and winter guard season coming up—but the near-constant time spent with Taehyung had been the highlight of band.
You tried to ignore it as you made your way to your final competition. Practice started as normal; early, hot, and taxing. But the whole band didn’t dare complain, because you were all working hard; you all knew it was your final competitions, and you all wanted to give it your best.
Taehyung hadn’t mentioned how little you’d see each other once band was over, but you could tell he was thinking about it by his constant glances on the field.
You don’t get a chance to talk until you get off the bus at the state championship, and even then, Taehyung doesn’t act any different: you have fun, but you don’t talk seriously. But if you were honest, you don’t think you could handle that emotional turmoil on top of your nerves for the competition.
You and the rest of the band try to focus on practicing and working hard, and the reality of the situation doesn’t hit you till you’re preparing to enter the field.
The whole band is readying to enter their marching on set and mingling and while you’re trying to discuss flag placements with the girl beside you, Taehyung pops up beside you, breathless.
He hesitates at your startled expression but he puts his hands up as he speaks in a rush. “Look, I’m just going to say it because I’m already so nervous, and I don’t think I can wait till after the show—”
You contort your brows but present a smile. “Taehyung? What—?”
“—And I know this is probably terrible timing for you and me because I don’t even know how you’re going to react and I really hope this doesn’t mess you up during the show but—”
“Taehyung—”
“—I really like you!”
And you freeze. You blink and stare up into Taehyung’s bright and fearful eyes with your own shocked and amazed ones, unable to speak.
Before you can accept and return his feelings, the band begins to march. Taehyung jumps up (nervous from just confessing and being late) and leaves you quickly to make it to his set without losing points
You also quickly ready yourself, but your mind is spinning
And thank God color guard relied on muscle memory or you would’ve been screwed. Though you were focused on the show and your movements, part of you was very, very dizzy and far-away. If anything, it thankfully kept your nerves away.
This time as the show ended, you were still pumped full of adrenaline as you marched off the field and once you set down your flags, you instantly turned in Taehyung’s direction and stalked up to him.
He instantly flushed at your narrowed gaze, ready to apologize for liking you and confessing at the worst possible time that he probably messed you up—
Until you yanked him down by the collar to press your lips to his
His eyes widened before he kissed back, and now he was the one left feeling dizzy as you pulled away
“How dare—” you hissed, a firm grim still kept on his shirt, “—you tell me you like me without letting me tell you it back?”
And Taehyung flushed as your fake anger burst into a beautiful and wide smile as you pulled him in for anther kiss. This time, he managed to clear his throat with a matching smile and roaring blush, “Glad you could return the favor.”
And though you two were teased to death from the entire band (apparently the saxophone section had known for months), you both found it easy to ignore them as you gazed upon each other
You two were beyond happy, and you didn’t think you could be anymore-so until your band was announced to have received first place
Your band surged to life in gasps and cheers, and Taehyung held your face between your kiss as he laughed in disbelief before he picked you up and twirled you around by your waist
He lowered you back down to kiss you passionately and happily, and you knew high school couldn’t get better than this
You’d have to remember to thank your mom for nagging you to join band
