"Taehyung-ah!" his father called out from the front of the line at the milk-bottle throwing game, "Taehyung-ah, I knocked them down! Come help me pick a prize!"

 

Taehyung rushed up to his dad's side, "Appa! No way, you actually won?! I haven't been able to win at any of the carnival games yet!" Taehyung laughed loudly at how his dad smiled bashfully.

 

"I have no idea how I did it but I knocked the bottles down and this woman here says I get to pick out a prize," his father's eyes light up and Taehyung smiles wide as he turns to look at the arrangement of prizes they could choose from.

 

"Which one do you want, Taehyung-ah?" his father asks. Taehyung shakes his head, "No, dad, you won. You should pick something for mom or something, not for me."

 

His father throws his arms around Taehyung's shoulders, "Aww, you know your mom won't have any need for a plushie, but you like them so I say you pick!"

 

Taehyung wasn't sure what to say, but because his dad was doing this for him, he decides to concede.

 

"Alright, dad," Taehyung says, "but only because you said so."

 

His dad smiles brightly and Taehyung smiles back. He loved hanging out with his dad. It was wasn't often the man got to be home nowadays. He worked at Samsung and was probably one of the few high up employees who didn't live on the premises. Instead, because of Taehyung and his mother, his father would come home from work every night, even if it was late to see them. He would walk into Taehyung's room when he thought he was asleep and would bend over, whispering 'goodnight, son' into his ear and kissed his hair. He would then go back to his room to snuggle up with his wife.

 

Taehyung never told his father that he actually stayed up for him every night, waiting until he saw his dad's car pull up into the driveway before turning out all the lights and slipping into bed to pretend to sleep. Others might have thought it was strange for Taehyung to want to stay up for his father, but if he didn't he would literally never see his father. His father worked long hours in order to pay for him to go to his high school in Gangnam. It was known to churn out some of the countries best and brightest, therefore Taehyung's father wanted nothing but the best for him. Even when Taehyung had told him that he thought he might want to go into music after he graduated, his father had supported him and told him that he could continue to go to this school and then afterwards he could apply to any and every music program that this school's reputation was bound to get him into.

 

Taehyung's father always tried to go to the school functions Taehyung asked him to, but he was often times too busy. It was only lucky that today's school carnival happened to fall on a workers holiday that Taehyung could convince his father to come with him. His mother was here too, but she had gone over to the amphitheater where they were playing live music. His mother loved the orchestra, especially the saxophone. Taehyung learned it for her and whenever his father heard him practicing he always thanked him. When he would ask the man why he always thanked him, he would say 'because it always puts a smile on your mom's face.'

 

But his dad had agreed to come to the arcade and game portion of the carnival and help him play some games. The two had joined together in hopes that their combined efforts would allow them to win the prize. If Taehyung was being honest, he really wanted that giant stuffed Kermit the Frog. It was really cute and Taehyung just wanted to snuggle with it.

 

So when, by some miracle, his father won a game before he did and then offered for him to choose the prize, he was secretly overjoyed. The Kermit was one of the prize options here! He picked it out and the woman grabbed ahold of it, handing it off to his father who took it with a deep bow and a smile towards the woman. He then turned and handed it to Taehyung, patting his head.

 

"Can you call your mother and have her come meet you here?" his father asked, "I'm going to go to the parking lot to bring the car around. We need to get going in a few."

 

Taehyung nods his head, pulling his phone out and texting his mom real quick, "Okay, dad, we'll wait here."

 

His dad smiled and patted him on the shoulder. He was about to turn and leave when Taehyung called out for him again.

 

"Hey, dad?" Taehyung called out to him. His father paused, turning around with his eyebrow quirked, "Thanks for coming today...I've been missing you. So has mom."

 

His father's face melts and he gives him a saddened look. The older man walks back towards him and wraps him up in his arms in a tight hug, "I'm sorry, son. I know I haven't been able to be there for you and your mom as much in the recent years, what with the promotions and--"

 

Taehyung cuts him off, "It's okay, dad. I know why things are the way they are. I'm just saying...I'm happy that you were able to come today. I had a lot of fun."

 

His dad smiles at him, patting the side of his face, "Thank you for being so understanding, Taehyung-ah."

 

Taehyung struggles, smiling softly, "I know you do what you do because you love me and mom."

 

His father nods, "I do. I love you both so much, Taehyung-ah." 

 

Taehyung beams at the man.

 

"I love you too, dad." Taehyung hugs his dad tight before he pulls away.

 

"I'll be right back," his father says as he walks off to head towards the parking lot. Taehyung's family was one of the few that attended this high school that didn't have their own chauffeur, so Taehyung's father actually had to be the one to go and get the car and bring it around for them.

 

As he watched his father's retreating figure, he didn't notice the pair of eyes watching him from the other end of the carnival.

 

~~~~~

 

Jungkook smiled as he saw Taehyung out of the corner of his eye hug his father and then leave. Jungkook turned his body to the side trying not to be obvious with the fact that he was staring so shamelessly at Taehyung. He couldn't help it. The boy was beautiful with his soft looking hair and his warm tan cheeks.

 

Taehyung turned his head in Jungkook's direction and the boy flipped his , scurrying like a mouse towards cheese away from the place where he was currently standing, ducking to hide behind a wall that was being used as a prop for one of the shows that they had earlier for the carnival.

 

He poked his head out slightly from behind the cardboard cutout wall he was hiding behind, looking to see if Taehyung was still looking in his direction. Jungkook breathed out a sigh of relief; the coast was clear. Taehyung wasn't looking towards him anymore. But then again, Jungkook didn't know if he should be happy about that. If anything, it just meant that Taehyung still didn't notice him.

 

Jungkook had been Taehyung's classmate for a long time. Taehyung had been in all his classes throughout middle school and he had developed...well...a massive crush on the boy. Taehyung was bright and happy. He had a large beautiful smile with shining white teeth. His eyes were beautiful and sparkled with a joyous light whenever someone said or did something funny or when he saw a small baby or an animal.

 

Jungkook remembered the one time he saw Taehyung find a bunny on the playground. The boy had squealed so loudly and when people had run over to check on him, they found him cuddling the bunny and feeding it grass. When it was time to go back inside, the bunny even followed him inside. It was one of the coolest things Jungkook had ever seen in his life.

 

Jungkook hadn't know when exactly he developed his crush on Taehyung, but he was sure that it developed gradually every time he heard the boy laugh or raise his hand to answer a question. Taehyung always sat at the front with his friends, who all enjoyed being around him because he was funny and smart. Jungkook always sat at the back. He didn't like being at the front, it brought unnecessary attention to himself that he really didn't want. But that meant that Jungkook rarely got to speak to Taehyung. Hell, he didn't even know if Taehyung knew his name. Jungkook faded into the background that much.

 

But it was okay. Jungkook was okay with just watching Taehyung from afar. He always felt his mood improving whenever he looked at the boy, so unconsciously it had become a habit for him to just stare at the boy whenever he wasn't doing anything else. This habit had transferred over into high school, where he found out that oddly enough, he and Taehyung would be attending the same school. Jungkook had felt overjoyed but at the same time, he felt scared less.

 

The class sizes in the high school were a lot smaller than they were at their middle school and Jungkook felt worried about what might happen should Taehyung actually talk to him, or you know, learn of his existence. Jungkook was sure that the two of them would make it about two sentences into a conversation before Jungkook would accidentally say something stupid and Taehyung would look at him weirdly and that would be the end of that.

 

No. That was exactly the opposite of what he wanted. He wanted Taehyung to live in blissful ignorance of him if that's what it took to make sure that Jungkook didn't ruin any chance he never had anyway. He sighed. He hated when he got like this. He always got really sappy and cheesy whenever he thought about Taehyung, but he couldn't help it. The boy made Jungkook's stomach flip over and turn in circles.

 

Jungkook had been scared out of his mind when he finally realized that the feelings harbored for the boy were more than just an intense longing in his chest to be near the smiley boy and be his friend. When Jungkook had discovered that he wanted to actually hold Taehyung's hand and hug him and touch his cheeks and maybe even touch his mouth with his own, it felt like he had discovered a defect in himself. He had turned to his older brother who diagnosed him easily enough.

 

"You totally have a crush on that Taehyung kid," his hyung had told him. Jungkook stared blankly.

 

"What's a crush?" he asked with a dumb confused look on his face.

 

"It's when you have romantic feelings for another person and you want to be their boyfriend," his hyung explained. Jungkook continued to stare at him.

 

"Boyfriend?"

 

His hyung groaned, "Dear lord, this is going to be so annoying."

 

So Jungkook's hyung had told him all about what a boyfriend was and what a crush was and the more he talked about it, the more Jungkook realized he did, in fact, have a crush on Taehyung. But unlike what his brother said, he didn't want Taehyung to know. Whenever he thought about the possibility of Taehyung figuring it out, he felt like throwing up; it caused him so much anxiety.

 

Nevertheless, his heart shaped balloon crush hadn't deflated by the time they got to high school. In fact, it blew up even bigger. If Jungkook thought Taehyung was outgoing and lively in middle school, then high school was one hell of a game changer. The boy became downright charming, making friends with most of the people in the class right away. The boys all wanted to be friends with him and the girls all had crushes on him. 

 

Taehyung had even said hi to him a couple of times and asked his name. Jungkook had stuttered the whole time, taking a whole ten minutes trying to figure out how to tell Taehyung his own god damn name. Once he finally got it out, Taehyung was gracious and smiled. Jungkook tried to ignore the fact that even though they were a part of the same middle school, Taehyung still hadn't recognized him. But Jungkook forgave him. How could Taehyung not win anyone over when he looked at them with such honest kindness in his eyes?

 

Well, there was one person for sure who didn't take an instant liking to Taehyung. Mrs. Lee.

 

Their teacher did not like the fact that Taehyung had a bit of prankster side to him, not to mention he was a bid loud when he shouted out his answers or when he talked to anyone else in general. She would shush him and Taehyung would listen for a moment, but then he would go back to his work and then something would distract him and he would start being loud again. Mrs. Lee couldn't stand it.

 

Jungkook was almost the complete opposite of Taehyung. He was quiet and studious. Didn't say much and when he did, it was soft and almost monotonous. Mrs. Lee loved him. Sure, it helped that Jungkook was also insanely intelligent and got high scores on every subject--except English...he scored 4/100 on every test and there was just no escaping that.

 

Once again, it was like the two were on opposite sides of the planet. Taehyung sat closer to the front with his friends and Jungkook sat in the back, as far away from the others in the classroom as he could. He preferred to keep to himself, to be quite honest. The only person who Jungkook would let talk to him for longer than a period of 5 minutes was Taehyung. But it wasn't like the boy was beating down his door to talk to him.

 

So Jungkook just sat in the back of the classroom and watched the happy jubilant boy from afar. And on days like today where the first year class got to invite their families to their high schools annual carnival, Jungkook didn't bother to ask his mom. She was a neurosurgeon and was often times extremely busy. When she was home, it was a rare day and the woman often used it to rest. So that left Jungkook with his older brother. But the boy was in university, where he lived on campus and he didn't have time to come with Jungkook to the carnival anyway, so Jungkook just went by himself. It wasn't like he minded. Besides, now he could roam free wherever he wanted and could watch Taehyung from afar in peace.

 

When Jungkook sees a tall woman walk up and stand besides Taehyung, he realizes that must be his mother. She was beautiful. Taehyung looked a lot like her, as did he look like the man Jungkook assumed to be Taehyung's father, who had walked away a short while ago. The pair smiled and walked together towards the pick up spot where cars could go to pick up those who didn't want to wait downstairs in the underground parking lot.

 

Jungkook looked down at his watch. It was getting close to the time he had promised his mother he would get home by. Besides, he had done everything he wanted to at the carnival (watch Taehyung plays games and eat food with his mother and father) and there was nothing else really for him to do anymore (since Taehyung was getting ready to leave) so Jungkook decided he might as well head over to where the pick up area was. It was getting dark and he knew by the time he made it home, the sky would be completely clouded over with the nighttime air. There was a bus that stopped somewhere around the corner and he could catch it pretty easily since he lived pretty close to where the school was situated.

 

As Jungkook walked off, he spotted Taehyung and his mother getting into a nice looking car driven by the man who Jungkook now knew was Taehyung's father. The woman got in and leaned over to give her husband a quick kiss on the lips. Taehyung smiled brightly as he got in the backseat. His father had turned around and told him something funny and Jungkook smiled when he saw Taehyung laugh loudly, throwing his head back so far it hit the headrest.

 

Jungkook watched the happily family drive off in their car. He had no way of knowing what was awaiting Taehyung and his family when they crossed the red light intersection that was coming up on their right.

 

~~~~~~~

 

The only thing Taehyung remembers seeing illuminated in the dark sky was a blinding white headlights that shone directly into his eyes right before he whited out. He woke up to the sound of beeping and a steady heartbeat. Looking around the room, it was blindingly white and the air was stale and stank of bleach. There was a strong pounding in his head and with every throb Taehyung felt more and more nauseous. His left eye felt heavy and his entire body felt so sore.

 

The beeping just got louder and louder until he turned to his side and saw his mother curled up on the side of his bed, holding onto his hand. Taehyung's eyebrows scrunched in confusion when he noticed his mom but instead of confusion, he felt something more powerful. He suddenly felt his heart rate go up and the beeping increase in tempo as his mother awoke and rubbed her eyes. When she locked eyes with Taehyung, a huge wave of relief laced with something else washed over Taehyung's body as his mother gasped and broke into sobs.

 

"Thank god!" she sobbed, taking him into her arms. She buried her face into his neck as her body shook with skull racking sobs. Taehyung's breathing increased, his exhales coming out in short pants. He felt like his stomach had concaved in and his head became cloudy. He didn't know what this feeling was and it scared the out of him. He felt like some sort of machete had been stuck into his heart and twisted and twisted, raw and rusty until his blood surged out in thick bursts. His head was jumbled up with so many different feelings all at the same time.

 

How was it that he felt relieved and in such pain all at the same time? He didn't know what the hell was happening. Why was he in the hospital and why was his mother crying so desperately and why did Taehyung feel like his body had frozen over in shock?

 

His mother pulled back and looked into his eyes and that's when he remembered. His father had been driving home with his mother in the front seat and him in the backseat. They had put on some trot music, a family favorite that always made them feel happy. They were singing along and moving their bodies to the beat. It was nighttime and while there were still quite a lot of cars out, no one would have suspected that when they turned left across the intersection, a drunk driver would speed through the red light and hit them dead on.

 

Taehyung felt it deep in his heart. He didn't know how he knew but he could feel it coming off his mother in waves; the grief. Taehyung gasped. No.

 

No, no, no. No!

 

Why did he feel such a mixture of relief and grief? They should be feeling only relief; he was alive! But that meant...something must have happened to--

 

"D-Dad...?" Taehyung's voice cracked from the dryness in his mouth and the lump in his throat. His face contorted in pain, his brow scrunching and his mouth wobbling when his mother couldn't look him in the eye and answer.

 

A burst of the worst pain Taehyung had ever felt in his life ran through his body and chest lurched in an involuntary gag. His body had gone numb but the pain in his heart multiplied ten fold when his mother shook her head no and buried her face into his shoulder again, sobbing her heart out.

 

Taehyung couldn't breathe. He didn't feel like he was feeling anything at all but at the same time he was feeling everything. He could feel what his mother was feeling so strongly that it pulsated out of her and hit him like gusts of painful, stinging wind. Taehyung knew that he felt the same in his heart. He felt the lose of his father so deep it felt like someone was slitting every vein in his body open at the same time. But something was wrong, it was something that felt foreign. He felt not only the lose of his father, but the lose of a husband.

 

He felt a strong feeling of love, of feminine romantic type love, all shattering into nothing as his mother sobbed into his shoulder, cradling him in her arms. Taehyung felt the lose of his father in his heart, but his mother felt it in her soul. That was her life partner, the love of her life, her lover, her protector, her best friend. Taehyung felt all of this coming at him and he knew that whatever it was that he was feeling, it wasn't his own feelings....it was his mother's.

 

Suddenly he felt scared. Why was he feeling like this and why did he suddenly want to push his mother away?  Instead, he was paralyzed, and he just lied there as this onslaught of foreign feelings washed over his body as his mother cried.

 

Maybe 45 minutes later a doctor came in and Taehyung had to sit up to get checked. That was rather hard to do seeing as the moment he tried to sit up he was almost knocked down again by a crippling sense of pity coming from the doctor. Taehyung didn't know how he knew it but he could feel it so strongly and so potently and it made his head hurt. His mother was hovering over him while the doctor checked him over and he could feel her nervous anxiety over him and her overwhelming grief still.

 

Taehyung just wanted to leave. He didn't want to be around anyone else anymore. So his mother checked him out and they made to leave. On the way out Taehyung passed dozens of patients. He passed a woman mourning for the lose of her husband. He passed a kid with cancer and her parents. The kid was scared out of her mind and it made Taehyung feel scared but at the same time her parents were so overcome with guilt and shame and fear of losing their daughter that the rush of those emotions almost caused him to faint on the spot. Thankfully, his mother was holding onto his shoulders so when he swayed she didn't really feel the difference.

 

They past a group of nurses, chatting and gabbing without a care in the world. He felt sadness, restlessness, longing, satisfaction and jealousy all shooting at him like bullets to the brain. Taehyung brought his hands up to cover his ears. He didn't know why he did this, but all he knew was that the self-comforting gesture helped him calm him down slightly. They passed a bored security guard and a frightened girl before they finally made it to their car. Taehyung could still feel the pulses of sadness coming from his mother but he did his best to shut her out, lying to the farthest side of the car.

 

They drove home in silence and when they got home, his mother gave him one last hug and a kiss on the forehead. Taehyung couldn't bare to look at his house, and all the places his dad used to walk around. He hurried to his room. He just wanted to fall asleep and forget everything. Once he finally made it to his room, the strange feelings he had felt all day around his mother slowly dissipated. It didn't do much to help him as now he was left alone with his own crippling feelings of grief.

 

He cried himself to sleep that night and as he shut his eyes, the foundation concrete bricks started to be placed around his heart as a wall slowly started to form.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

It had been a good week since Jungkook had seen Taehyung come to school. By now, the teachers had been informed of what happened and they had told the class as well. Taehyung's family had gotten into a car accident. Jungkook had been seized with the most horrifying nauseating fear but then Mrs. Lee clarified that Taehyung and his mother were alright, but his father, unfortunately, had passed away. Jungkook felt his heart break for Taehyung. He knew what it was like to lose a father and he wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially not on Taehyung.

 

Jungkook missed him. This was the longest he had ever gone without seeing the boy's bright smiling face in class. The classroom had since lost all it's color and all Jungkook could see was grey that radiated from the empty desk at the front of the class where Taehyung used to sit. Jungkook began to wonder if Taehyung was ever going to come back to school. Would he have transferred? No, Jungkook doubted he would. But what would come of him? Surely, it would take a great while to start feeling up to coming back to school. On Monday, Mrs. Lee had been absent as she went to attend Taehyung's father's funeral. She had come back on Tuesday and told the class that Taehyung would be coming back to school the next week. Jungkook had felt relieved but sad all at the same time. He didn't know if he could handle seeing Taehyung so crestfallen.

 

Sure enough, when the boy walked into class the next monday morning, there was no color radiating from him and his smile was nowhere to be found. He seemed to flinch away from everyone in the class who seemed to come up to him and try to offer their condolences. In fact, he had apparently even asked the teacher if he could switch desks so he could sit in the back. Jungkook had been especially surprised when the boy came and sat down next to him. Taehyung didn't look at him, instead placed his head down on his desk and blocked his ears and his eyes from view. Jungkook watched him with pain in his heart. It hurt him a lot to see Taehyung looking so sad and in pain.

 

No one else tried to talk to him throughout the entire morning class period and neither did Jungkook. But oh, how he wanted to reach forward and touch the boy. Jungkook wanted to place his hand to the back of Taehyung's hair and it softly until the boy felt so comfortable that he fell asleep.

 

Taehyung lifted his head and looked up and over at Jungkook. Jungkook jerked and moved back as far away from him as their desks would allow. Yet, he couldn't tear his eyes away from Taehyung's. The boy stared at him strongly, tilting his head and scrunching his brow in concentration and confusion as he looked deeply at Jungkook. Jungkook felt afraid. He felt slightly uncomfortable having Taehyung size him up like this. The boy hadn't really ever had a proper conversation with him before and in these moments it felt like Taehyung was finally seeing him for the first time.

 

Taehyung seemed to be searching for something in him, but what that was, Jungkook didn't know. If anything, he was searching for something in Taehyung too. That lost spark of color that used to make the boy glow with life that Jungkook severely missed in moments like these, when Taehyung was finally paying attention to him.

 

Jungkook suddenly felt guilty about his crush on Taehyung. He felt like he was taking advantage of the boy and his vulnerabilities. Obviously, Taehyung was in a rough place these days and as much as Jungkook wanted to talk to the boy and maybe hold his hand and...other things, that wasn't what Taehyung wanted or needed right now. What he needed was somebody who wouldn't look at him like he was something out of the ordinary. Even though he was. Taehyung was the most extraordinary person on the planet in Jungkook's eyes. Jungkook used to be able to see the reflections of a thousand suns in Taehyung's glowing born irises, but now all those stars had died and all that was left over was the explosive, destructive emptiness.

 

Taehyung's eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth like he was going to say something to Jungkook, but just as he was about to do that, the bell rang. Taehyung turned his head to look at the clock and then he picked up his bag and he ran out of the classroom faster than Jungkook knew was possible. He couldn't help the disappointment he felt when he watched Taehyung's retreating figure run away in the opposite direction of their classroom.

 

~~~~~

 

Taehyung hid in the bathroom stalls on the fourth floor. These were the stalls that most people didn't use since this level only had the library and the music rooms. Not many students used those rooms either. Taehyung relished in the fact that he was finally alone. He thought after being in partial isolation for the better part of the week since he had left the hospital, that he would have felt a little better and a little less like a festering wound open for bacterial invasion. But no.

 

He had stayed holed up in his room the entire week, trying to figure out what had happened to him and why exactly he could feel other's emotions all of a sudden. He knew they weren't his. His emotions had a different taste. Yes, he meant what he was saying. Whenever he felt something for himself he felt a taste of a distinct flavor. He could feel it on the back of his tongue, tasting almost too sweet. But when he encountered his mother and felt her own pain and anguish, the taste on Taehyung's throat turned sour. The moment he left his house he felt a rush of different feelings that he couldn't name. He felt pulled in so many different directions and going to school hadn't really helped in any way. When that happened his throat always felt dry and yet when he would touch his tongue it wasn't.

 

Going to school made it worse. When he had set foot onto the campus, he could feel the pity already. It wasn't just the feeling of someone staring at you, watching you with barely concealed sympathy. No, Taehyung could see it radiating from them. The clear waves of emotions attacked him from all angels and it gave Taehyung a blistering migraine. When he opened the door to his classroom, it got even worse. People who he had considered friends all charged at him, saying how sorry they were and asking if he was okay. What he felt from them was even worse than the pity. He felt like a circus freak who lost his father, as the taste of their feelings turned bitter in his mouth. He wanted to spit it all out.

 

He felt pity. He felt morbid fascination. But most of all he felt discomfort and apprehension and the taste in Taehyung's mouth almost made him want to gag. He hadn't given anyone a response to any of the questions they were asking, instead he asked Mrs.Lee if he could switch his seat to the back and the woman, feeling pity and guilt oddly enough, had agreed. He had gone to sit next to the quietest boy in class.

 

His name was Jungkook, if he remembered correctly. He remembered introducing himself to the boy during the first week of school. The boy looked at him like Taehyung's presence scared the living daylights out of him and Taehyung would be lying if he said he didn't feel a little uncomfortable. The boy stuttered over his name when introducing himself but the more Taehyung looked at him, the more familiar he looked. Nevertheless, Taehyung forgot about the quiet boy who always stayed in the back and minded his own business.

 

 Now that he was going to sit next to him, Taehyung did feel a little bad that he had been so uninterested in the boy, but these recent days Taehyung hadn't really been feeling his own emotions so strongly anymore. With thousands and thousands of the receivers in his mind taking in the millions of emotions that floated through people's hearts every day, Taehyung had begun to feel exhausted trying to feel anything for himself.

 

So he let himself fall into default mode. No longer loud and rambunctious, but quiet and calm. No longer bright and happy and smiling, but grey and defeated with a numb expression permanently etched onto his stone cold face. That was why when he sat down next to Jungkook and put his head in his makeshift bed that his arms had made for him on his desk, he expected to feel that same bitter pity rolling off the boy. But instead of a bitter and revolting taste, Taehyung felt something else.

 

Taehyung felt something warm seeping into skin. It started small, maybe from the back of his head and it spread throughout the rest of his body. Taehyung could taste it. Honey. Thick, warm and sugary on his tongue. It settled there and the as Taehyung tasted it, he knew exactly what that feeling was. Empathy.

 

Not sympathy, the horrible bitter pity; the absolutely disheartening discomfort that all of the other students, his teacher and even people he thought were friends felt. He felt no compassion from any of them. He felt nothing but condescension and revulsion from everyone else. But not this boy. He felt an undertone of sadness, of understanding, but he also felt something more. He felt...desire.

 

A strong desire for to take Taehyung's pain away. But that didn't make sense. This boy, this Jungkook, wanted to take Taehyung's pain away? Did he even know what that meant? Yes. Yes he did, Taehyung could feel it. He felt...adoration...such sweet adoration and so many lovely feelings all at once. It was so shocking to his system, to go from such disgusting aftertastes to the succulent scent of honey, that Taehyung lifted his head to stare at the boy in surprise.

 

Maintaining eye contact with the boy seemed to magnify the feelings. He felt a tender sort of feeling beckoning to him through the boy's eyes. He...he could actually see a reflection of himself in this boy's eyes and it was...beautiful. The image this boy had of him in his feelings...it was beyond anything Taehyung had ever felt before. He saw himself reflected so clearly in this boys eyes. He saw vibrant colors, shimmering with light that bounced off his hair. He felt an invigorating sense of joy when he looked at himself through this boy's eyes.

 

This boy that Taehyung barely knew...looked at him like he was the most ethereal creature on the Earth...as if he deserved the world. It was the sweetest most wonderful flavor Taehyung had ever tasted and to be frank, it scared him. It scared him to feel such adoration coming off this boy like a warm palm caressing his cheeks and his hair, running over his eyelids and over his lips, the electric heat causing his skin to bristle. The feeling was too overstimulating. He needed to get out of here, but he found that the more he tried to break eye contact with Jungkook, the harder it got for his resolve to actually do just that.

 

But then the bell rang, snapping Taehyung out of his mystified wondrous spell that this boy's eyes had him locked in. He jerked his head to look at the clock and saw that it was lunch. He didn't even give the boy one last look, instead choosing to bolt as fast as he could out the door and to the nearest empty bathroom.

 

And Taehyung felt better in the bathroom. He could no longer feel the strong emotions coming off random people, instead he felt the calming sensation of nothingness. The isolation calmed him down and lowered the rate of his pulsating heart. Taehyung relished in the blissful emptiness for a good moment, before he jolted when the door to the bathroom slammed open. Taehyung cowered away, his breath stopping as he made sure that any noise he might've been making involuntary was silenced.

 

Taehyung heard grumbling and harsh breathing. He heard the faucet being in a hurry and the sound of water being splashed onto a face. Immediately, Taehyung was assaulted with the most ugly feelings he had ever felt in his entire life. He felt the bleak hopelessness seeping from the person at the sinks all the way into the toilets. Taehyung felt the desolate vines of the most raw and terrifying pain, as they reached out for him and forced their way down his throat, making him have to cover his mouth to bite back the vicious gag that jolted in his throat. 

 

Whoever this was, he felt the boy was scared out of his mind. The fear was deep and subconscious but it ran like poisoned sludge through every blood vessel in this boy's body.

 

The most terrible fear. But not of another person or of a situation. No, this fear wasn't a reacting emotion to an external stimulus. It was deep-rooted and so indisputably internal that Taehyung could see that whoever this person was, they hated the cards they had been dealt and more than anything they feared themselves. They feared what they were capable of because what they were capable of...it was powerful. 

 

It was massive and all-encompassing and it took all of Taehyung's strength to not let the feelings this boy felt cripple him and cause him to pass out on the floor. He felt like vomiting, the vertigo causing his head to spin, but even more the feelings this boy radiated were so cold he felt like he had eaten a large scoop of ice cream too fast and now his brain was freezing. Nausea and a brain freeze at the same time. Definitely not the most pleasant feeling ever.

 

Taehyung needed to escape but there was no where for him to go. Where could he go where these feelings would disappear? He couldn't go out and risk whoever this person was knowing Taehyung had been hiding in here the whole time. But he was on the verge of tears and was ready to collapse at any second. The suffocating dark clouds that radiated throughout the whole room stung his eyes and made every breath painful. It made every pulse of the blood in his veins feel like hammer to his oversensitive wrists. He couldn't take one more second of this. He was going to throw up right that very moment if didn't just get the  out.

 

And then Taehyung hears the door swing open and the boy finally leaves. Taehyung collapses onto the covered toilet and gasps, breathing in the clean fresh air deeply. He could finally breathe and his head had stopped spinning. Oh, what sweet relief. He never wanted to feel that again. He bolts out of the bathroom as fast as he can, pushing the doors open and out of his way so haphazardly that he doesn't register that there could be people he might run into.

 

And that's exactly what he does. Taehyung runs straight smack into someone. And a large someone at that. Everything happens so fast that when Taehyung goes flying backwards he almost doesn't register the feeling of shock and fright that the other person felt. When Taehyung finds himself on the ground, his feels like it's been shot to hell, and then suddenly some guy's face is in his.

 

"Oh my god, are you okay? I'm so sorry! You came out of nowhere and I didn't see you, I swear!" the mysterious boy with wide eyes and big lips says all at once. His hair was light brown and shaggy. He had a kind face to him, good looking, but his looks weren't really what Taehyung noticed the most about him.

 

This boy, whoever he was, had a weird sort of flowing energy about him. Taehyung felt a million colors, a million different distinct tastes coming of this boy and even though whatever that was should have caused Taehyung some sort of disorientation, instead it made Taehyung feel calm. Taehyung looked up at the boy and when he did, said boy gasped.

 

"You...you're...can you feel me?" the boy asked, his mouth open wide with shock. Taehyung was so confused and he wasn't even sure if the confusion he was feeling was his own or that of the boy in front of him. The boy's words were more than confusing, however, because they set Taehyung off into a downward spiral of fear. How did this boy know he could feel him?

 

Taehyung was so frightened that he didn't take the time to stop and chat with this boy, instead he shot up off the ground and takes off into a sprint in the other direction.

 

"Wait!" the boy calls out after him, but Taehyung ignores him, running like hell to the one other place he could think of in this moment where he might be able to be alone. The roof. His feet don't stop until he has made it all the way up to the roof, the bright sun reflecting on his hair and the strong wind blowing it annoyingly in his face.

 

Taehyung lets himself hunch over, hands on his knees, so that he could catch his breath.

 

That was close, he thinks, too damn close.

 

Apparently not close enough. As soon as Taehyung allows himself to slow his roll, he feels it again. The millions and millions of colors and tastes, reaching for him, like hands in the air. They seize Taehyung's frame, whispering to him that they aren't going to hurt him, they just want to talk. Taehyung doesn't believe them. How can he trust the feelings coming off this man?

 

He's about to make another break for it when the door to the roof opens and the man of a million colors is before him once again. ! Taehyung thinks as suddenly he starts to feel an odd sense of calm. This is not right. No, this isn't right. He's not supposed to be feeling the calm right now, something is happening.

 

Taehyung was unsure what to do. This boy standing in front of him was bigger than him, in both stature and feeling and Taehyung wanted to whimper away, leave as fast as he can. He should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

 

"Wait," the boy says, "I know this is scary for you--" understatement "--but I think I can help you."

 

That causes Taehyung to stop. Help me? Taehyung laughs.

 

"I don't need help," he tells the man, hoping that saying the words out loud to someone else would allow him to feel like it was true himself, "I don't know why you are talking about or why you followed me."

 

"Oh yeah?" the boy asks, "You really think you don't need my help?" Taehyung nods. "Then you mean to tell me that you aren't feeling everyone's emotions in combination with your own being enhanced tenfold and they aren't overwhelming your system and crippling you?"

 

Taehyung's jaw drops to the floor. How the actual hell?

 

"I have a similar gift," the boy says, "I am Bestowed like you are."

 

Bestowed?

 

What the ?

 

"Ummm," Taehyung mutters at the boy he was certain was now crazy, "I don't know what you are--"

 

"You can cut the crap, I can see bright and clear in your aura that you can feel everything I am and what I am feeling is annoyance at you refusing to accept it," the boy snarks. Taehyung shuts up, realizing that he really could feel his annoyance, but it wasn't to that much of an extreme. Really, it was just some slight frustration at Taehyung and his refusals. But--wait a minute...did he just say something about auras?

 

The boy quirks a smile, "Well, it seems you are beginning to accept it."

 

"I'm so confused," Taehyung couldn't help but let out all at once in an exasperated voice.

 

"Mmm, as you should be," the boy says, "these abilities are never Bestowed at the best or most convenient times. But they can't be helped. You are first and foremost Bestowed and if you want, I can help you as much as I can."

 

Taehyung stares at this boy who he barely knew. He sounded like a mad man. "Who are you?"

The boy seems to realize that he never introduced himself, "Right. My name is Kim Seokjin and I'm a third year. You can call me Jin-hyung, if you'd like."

 

Taehyung stares at the boy, Seokjin...or Jin, as he wished to be called. There was no way what he could be saying could be...true, could it? Taehyung used to believe in things more wild than this, so why was he being so skeptical right now? Oh, right. Because when the actually happens to you, then your threshold for the strange and extraordinary shrinks by a lot.

 

"I'm Kim Taehyung--"

 

"I know."

 

"You know?"

 

Jin nods, "Unfortunately, you and your family were in the newspaper. I'm sorry to hear about your father."

 

Taehyung can't help the brick that falls from his heart to his stomach. In all this new craziness he almost forgot about all the old craziness that lead to this.

 

"Oh." Taehyung barely manages to retch out. Jin takes a step forward to him and Taehyung unconsciously takes one back.

 

"I can explain everything to you," Jin says, "I can tell you all about the community of the Bestowed. I could tell you about how there are so many others like you out there right now, living in secret so that ordinary humans do not come to know about us."

 

Taehyung's mind was swimming. Not only with emotions this time, but by confusing thoughts. Half his mind was telling him that this was the craziest he had ever heard in his entire life (and that was saying something) and the other half of his mind was jumping with the excited prospect of what this could mean for him.

 

But seriously, weren't super powers supposed to be cooler than this? Why couldn't he have gotten like super strength and agility or something?

 

"I see auras," Jin tells him without having to be asked. "The colors that represent ones personality, spirit and--like you--their emotions. In a way, our powers are very similar."

 

"What color am I?" Taehyung asks despite himself.

 

"You have a mixture of a million different colors," Jin says, "but your strongest color is orange I would say. Makes sense. And then of course, the ring of white around your aura. That's the marker that represents the metaphysical and largely spiritual qualities that all Bestowed have. That was how I could tell that you were Bestowed. You have the ring of white, just like all Bestowed."

 

Taehyung's mind was officially blown.

 

"And you know a bunch of people like this?" Taehyung asks. Jin shrugs.

 

"I know a few, but most of them are associated with my family and not me personally," Jin answers. Taehyung studies this boy's face. Now that he thought about it, he kinda did look familiar. In Taehyung's fright, he hadn't really gotten a good look a this boy, but now that he knew his name and was apparently a part of the same magical community of wizards like Harry Potter (he was going to write a strongly written letter to the headmaster asking where the hell his letter was, because come on! he actually has powers now!), he took a moment to study him.

 

Kim Seokjin. Third year.

 

Oh wait.

 

"Are you the one who's friends with Kim Namjoon?" Taehyung asks, "the smartest guy in the school?"

 

Jin looks surprised, "Yeah. How'd you know?"

 

"I've seen you around actually," Taehyung says, "I guess I just forgot since you basically just jumped me out of nowhere."

 

"Well, you are talking it pretty well," Jin says, "most people freak out right about now."

 

"It's been a dream of mine since I was younger to shoot rainbows out of my , so I guess in a way my dream has finally come true," Taehyung deadpans.

 

"I mean, I can help you find a way to control your powers," Jin says, "We can tell--"

 

Suddenly, Taehyung realizes something and he seizes in fear once again.

 

"Wait!" Taehyung stops him, "No, no, you can't tell anybody about me!"

 

"But--"

 

"No!" Taehyung says, standing his ground, "I don't want anyone else to know about this."

 

"Taehyung, I'm not going to tell anyone about your powers," Jin reassures him, "Besides it's against some laws to tell non-Bestowed people about us."

 

"Really?" Taehyung asks, slightly relieved. Jin nods.

 

"So even Namjoon doesn't know about your powers?" Taehyung asks, not really believing that Jin would not tell his best friend.

 

Taehyung could feel that Jin was uncomfortable at the mention of Namjoon. Slightly hostile, almost protective, trying to block out any direct feelings about him. Strange, Taehyung thinks.

 

"Only Bestowed know about other Bestowed," Jin says, voice just the slightest bit strained, "and only if that Bestowed wishes to tell others. Some Bestowed with powers that are particularly easy to hide can fool almost everyone, even other Bestowed, for years if they so wished."

 

Taehyung almost wants to prod further but decides against it, deciding to accept Jin's answer.

 

"So, you won't tell anybody?" Taehyung asks.

 

Jin nods, "Not unless you gave me permission, no."

 

"How do I know I can trust you?" Taehyung asks.

 

"Can't you feel it?" Jin asks, staring him down with that knowing look. Taehyung gulps. He's right. He can feel that Jin really won't tell and that little tidbit makes him feel a million times better. Taehyung shakes his head. He couldn't believe he was accepting this boy's explanation so easily. Maybe it was because Taehyung was so desperate for an answer to what was happening to him that he would take anything. But really, Taehyung had always been the type to believe in magic and the unbelievable.

 

Taehyung sets his shoulders.

 

"Tell me more about the Bestowed."

 

Jin smiles and for a moment Taehyung thinks that maybe he had gotten himself in way over his head.

 

***********

 

"Alright class," their teacher calls out to everyone in the room. Taehyung had come back in from that informative lunch and sat back down in his seat next to the boy who did his best to avoid his eyes. Taehyung didn't know whether to be frustrated or relieved, so instead he settled with feeling as little as he could.

 

"We're pairing up for a group project," their teacher and Taehyung felt Jungkook beside him groan with mortification. He's afraid that's he going to be paired with someone he doesn't want to be. Taehyung felt that on a spiritual level. He used to really look forward to working with other people on projects, but now he just wanted to be left alone. He didn't want to do the project at all, yet alone in groups.

 

"So everyone please pick a partner," Mrs. Lee instructs, "We will be doing a duet poem for our poetry lesson. You can spin the poem however you like, as long as it is appropriate. You can set it to music, make a video, do a dance, or just simply write, anything is fine but you must express one general theme for the poem."

 

Taehyung really really doesn't want to do this project. When everyone gets up to choose their partners, Taehyung stays still. Next to him, Jungkook doesn't move either. Taehyung feels the anxiety spike in the other boy. He feels the dread, the frustration and...confusion? Oh. Jungkook was confused as to why Taehyung wasn't getting up to search for a partner. Apparently, he wasn't the only one.

 

"Mr. Kim, Mr. Jeon, are the both of you partners?" Mrs. Lee asks. Jungkook's panic sky rockets.

 

"Do you mind if I work alone?" Taehyung asks their teacher. Taehyung kind of felt bad for throwing Jungkook under the partner bus, especially when he feels the disappointment--and was that hurt?--coming from the boy.

 

"No, Mr. Kim, this is a partner project. Everyone has a partner now, so you and Mr. Jeon can work together," Mrs. Lee doesn't even let either of the boys give a rebuttal but walks away, making their partnership final.

 

Taehyung stares at the wall for a good long time. He only stirs when he feels the Jungkook start to feel something strange. Was that...pity? Yes. It was. But it wasn't for the reason Taehyung would have thought. The boy felt sorry for Taehyung, not because of the reasons that most people did nowadays, but he felt sorry because he felt like Taehyung was upset for being forced to work with him. He knew this because there was a distinct difference between how pity felt towards one who they didn't care about, and pity towards one who they did care about. The pity of his classmates felt like swallowing stale bread with lice in it. The pity from Jungkook just felt entirely different.

 

Taehyung couldn't stop himself before words were flowing out of his mouth, "Hey, Jungkook, is it?" Why was he asking this? He already knew Jungkook's name. "Sorry about that. It's not that I don't want to work with you, I just--"

 

Why didn't he want to work with anyone?

 

"...I understand..."Jungkook's voice comes out softly, the boy risking barely a glance towards him.

 

Do you really?

 

"If I had the option, I would choose to work alone too," Jungkook says. Lies. Taehyung could feel how much Jungkook wanted to work with him. But at the same time, the boy was scared out of his mind. Taehyung....scared him? No, it wasn't fear...it was nerves.

 

Oh.

 

"I'm Taehyung," he introduces, even though he knows damn well that Jungkook already knows who he is.

 

"I know," Jungkook says simply. "So...what do you want to do for the project?"

 

Taehyung thinks for a moment. He really doesn't want to do the project but he knows that in the end he's going to have to do something. Might as well choose something bearable. "I don't really know."

 

At this point, Mrs. Lee commands everyone's attention again, stating that if they needed more time to discuss with their partners, they could do that on their own time outside of school. Taehyung feels Jungkook shrink into himself. Shame...no, no...burden. Jungkook felt like he was being a burden.

 

Damn it, Taehyung really didn't want this kid to feel like that. He tries not to think about why he cares so much about what this boy was feeling, and instead just barrels on with his usual antics, speaking before thinking.

 

"'I guess we can discuss at one of our houses after school today," Taehyung says, hoping that somehow Jungkook would stop feeling like he was annoying. Jungkook turns to him, and Taehyung could finally see kind of the side of his face.

 

"You can come over to my house," Jungkook suddenly offers, "I mean, if you want."

 

Taehyung nods his head, "Sounds good to me." The relief he feels from Jungkook makes him feel a minuscule better. This boy...why did he care so much about what he felt? He had spent the last week avoiding everyone, including his own mother, because then he wouldn't have to feel their emotions. He was already so close to falling off a cliff, just being in class right now. He could feel the emotions of everyone in the room, right as they felt it.

 

He felt it when Mrs. Lee got annoyed with two other students misbehaving and then felt her turn giddy when she went to check her phone and saw a text from what Taehyung assumed was her boyfriend. He felt the collective apathy from many of his classmates about the assignment. He could feel the random small emotions from everyone as well. One girl was upset because her friend chose someone else to be her partner instead of her. Another girl was smug.  Another boy was feeling arousal because this girl was wearing her skirt really short today--

 

Okay, nope that was enough of that.

 

Taehyung had been doing his best to block out everyone's emotions all day long. And so far he'd felt as if he'd done a pretty good job of it.

 

But this Jungkook boy. He was the only one whose emotions did not overwhelm Taehyung or make him feel like he wanted to run and slam his head into the door to block out the millions of feelings inside of his head. Maybe it was because all the emotions the boy was feeling were actually directed at him. No, it couldn't be that. He couldn't feel it that strongly anymore seeing as most of his classmates were distracted and not thinking about him, but when they had been pitying him this morning, he had not appreciated it.

 

Maybe it was because in the sea of pity Taehyung was drowning in, Jungkook's positive view of him, protective and caring, provided him a life boat. Taehyung wasn't too sure how he felt about that. He didn't know Jungkook that well and yet he was affecting him so. Not just because his emotions were unusual from everybody else, but because there was something about him that drew Taehyung to him. He wasn't sure what it was. Yeah, Jungkook was good looking that was for sure, but Taehyung was sure it wasn't that. There was something about Jungkook....something off. Something familiar. Taehyung could feel it in the undercurrent of his skin, it was a thin layer of something that Taehyung couldn't quite put his finger on. It made him curious. Curious about Jungkook and who he was.

 

So, even though Taehyung really had wanted to work by himself initially, there was something nagging at him, telling him that working with Jungkook would be better. So he readily agreed to go to the boy's house after school. Despite everything, he tries his hardest to block out all the rest of the feelings from everyone for the rest of the day. It's hard and he could still feel Jungkook and all of his colorful emotions. They were all very similar but the boy radiated something, that same thing from earlier, and Taehyung was just so antsy. He wanted to find out everything about this mysterious boy.

 

There were some limitations to his power he was beginning to find. He couldn't read people's minds to know exactly why they were feeling a certain way but he could make his own inferences from what he saw with his eyes. That was how he had been able to figure out everyone else. But with Jungkook, he did nothing outwardly, just felt his feelings and left them to react in his mind, never once showing on his face. He was pretty brilliant at hiding his feelings. Not one ever showed on his face or reflected in his actions.

 

Except for embarrassment. Taehyung found that out when the boy turned to look up at him, feeling the boy's eyes on him, and they made eye contact. Taehyung held his gaze, not backing down, but Jungkook's face had turned red and Taehyung felt a blast of embarrassment mixing with anxiety and nerves. He felt protectiveness...over what? A secret? Probably. He felt fondness. Over what? Him? 

 

Oh.

 

He decides to stop trying so hard to read Jungkook right now. He could save that for after school.

 

That turns out to be harder than he expected. Taehyung learnt more and more things about his powers as the day went on. He was confused as to why he hadn't caught onto these things earlier, but he figured it was because when you locked yourself away in isolation, the only emotions you could experiment with were your own. Now, he was trapped in a classroom filled with around 30 people, all feeling different things. Jin hadn't been able to tell Taehyung much, seeing as the bell had rung signalling the end of the break. Taehyung wondered if he should find a way to stay in contact with this person, since he seemed to know so much. They had swapped numbers, despite the odd feeling in Taehyung's gut and went on with their days.

 

Being around so many people taught him that he experienced other's feelings in more ways than one. For one, he could see them and taste them. He could see the colors surrounding people when they felt a certain way and if a particular feeling was rather strong, he could feel the taste on the back of his tongue. For two, he could feel it on his skin. Most of the time, he felt it on the inside, screwing with his mind, but sometimes he felt certain emotions physically. Like pain. It wasn't really an emotion, but there were emotions that reacted to pain. Like sadness, anxiety, hurt, depression, anger. Sometimes he could feel it prickling on his skin. Sometimes it was a cool sensation, turning to ice and sometimes it was a warm sensation, turning into fire.

 

Now he was learning that emotions could have sounds too. Take Jungkook for example. The longer Taehyung sat next to him, the louder his emotions got. They were practically screaming at him, a siren telling him that whatever Jungkook was feeling. It was causing him a lot of inner turmoil. He wondered if anyone felt any good emotions would they sound different. Would he hear singing in his head when people were in love? Would he hear the sounds of weeping in his head when someone was sad? Would he hear the screams as parts of them died on the inside?

 

The only one of the five main senses that he hadn't experienced so far was smell....and he would prefer to keep it that way. He didn't want to smell anyone's fear or worse, like arousal. He shudders, dear god, no.

 

The day ended in a blur of feelings but the only one Taehyung felt was relief as people filed out of the room taking their emotions with them. Jungkook had started to get up and Taehyung turned to him.

 

"Hey, do you want to start our project today?" Taehyung asked out of nowhere. Sure, they could've waited until tomorrow or some other day later in the week, but Taehyung wanted to get the project out of the way. He also wanted to talk to this Jungkook boy, but that was an emotion he wanted to keep on the down low.

 

Jungkook is surprised, "Uh. Yeah. Sure."

 

Taehyung smiles and watches as the simple action, both soothes and unnerves Jungkook. Taehyung almost wanted to laugh. Almost. Jungkook's reactions to everything he did was amusing, but at the same time, he felt a bit uncomfortable knowing how this boy felt about him. But then again, knowing made him feel good. He had never known someone who looked at him and felt the same things that Jungkook did.

 

Taehyung ignored the nagging feeling in the back of his head that told him this was a bad idea.

 

**********

 

As Jungkook opened his front door to let the both of them in, Taehyung took in the view of the inside of Jungkook's house. It was clean but lived in. The house wasn't large by any means, but the residue of a family made with love lingered in the air, almost making Taehyung sneeze. Jungkook shows him around, and Taehyung isn't ashamed to admit that he was mostly watching Jungkook the whole time. Okay, he was sort of paying attention to the tour. Like 90% Jungkook, 10% tour of his house.

 

That was why when all of sudden, Jungkook's nerves shot through the roof, Taehyung was taken aback. He snapped out of his daze and took in his surroundings. They were upstairs, standing in front of a door to what Taehyung could only assume was Jungkook's room.

 

Oh.

 

He could see why Jungkook was nervous all of a sudden. Jungkook's parents weren't home and they were by themselves, alone in Jungkook's house and now suddenly Taehyung was feeling nervous. Why did he feel nervous? He had no reason to be nervous. It was just Jungkook's room. Sure the boy was interesting and Taehyung found him utterly fascinating but he didn't share the same feelings as Jungkook. He barely knew the boy, having literally spoken to him for the first time ever earlier that day. So he had no reason to be nervous. Yet he was.

 

Could it possibly be Jungkook's feelings having an influence on him? The thought made him feel weird. He didn't like the thought of anyone's feelings influencing him. He was already receptive enough when it came to other people, and he did not want his own personal feelings to be even more blurred than they already were. Taehyung did his best to swallow these nerves he felt coming off Jungkook and influencing him. 

 

"Um," Jungkook gulps, "Do you want to go in? We can work on our project in here."

 

Taehyung looks at him. Jungkook must've sensed his hesitance because he quickly suggested, "Or we could work in the living room! Whatever you want. I just figured since--"

 

"Your room is fine," Taehyung says. He didn't want the boy getting anymore flustered than he already was. It was causing his own stomach to flare and Taehyung didn't like it.

 

"O-Okay," Jungkook says and opens the door. He leads Taehyung into the room and Taehyung takes the space in. There was a full sized bed in the middle of the room, with a dark blue comforter and black pillows. Walking further in, Taehyung looks around, seeing Jungkook's decorations. He had a multitude of things all crammed on the walls and dressers. To his right was a poster of Iron Man, a poster of Big Bang, a poster of Sailor Moon and a bunch of smaller posters of random American artists. On the wall around the side of this wall was a large speaker system set up, and a huge CD case.

 

"CDs?" Taehyung asked, the surprise evident in his voice. Jungkook rubbed the back of his neck, feeling lame. Taheyung chuckled.

 

"Yeah..." Jungkook says, "I used to collect them and even though nobody has them anymore I wanted to keep them."

 

Taehyung can't help but laugh at Jungkook's embarrassed face. "I think that's cool. It's like...not as pretentious as owning a vinyl collection but vintage enough for this day and time."

 

Jungkook cracks a smile, the skin around his eyes crinkling and his mouth raising to the side, showing off large white teeth. Taehyung is suddenly stuck by stars and he has to turn away as fast as he can, clearing his throat. Damn, he knew the boy liked him, but did he really have to look at Taehyung like that. It made him feel strange things. Things he wasn't too sure he was comfortable with.

 

Instead, Taehyung turns his attention to the CD set. The first CD he sees has him nearly falling on the floor.

 

"No way! N'Sync?!" Taehyung tries to hold back a laugh, but when he feels the protectiveness in Jungkook flare at the idea of his precious band being made fun of, Taehyung can't help but let a giggle or two escape.

 

"Hey! They were a revolutionary global guy group, okay? And they have good music! It's classic!" Jungkook argues, Taehyung wants to laugh too but he can't knowing his own dirty little secret.

 

"Hey, I'm not judging," Taehyung says in his defense, "I used to be obsessed with the Jonas Brothers."

 

Jungkook makes a face, "Oh god. Who was your fave?"

 

"Nick."

 

"You are so basic."

 

"Hey! At least I wasn't in love with Justin Timberlake!" Taehyung argues back, "Talk about being a basic ."

 

"Watch yourself, Justin Timberlake brought y back and the world owes him for that." Jungkook cracks, his face borderline serious to the point that Taehyung might've believed him, if he didn't feel the playfulness in the air in cherry pie all around them.

 

Taehyung can't help but to fall back onto Jungkook's bed, taking a seat and laughing as he takes in the rest of the younger's room. He had a bunch of drawings littering the wall on the other side of the room as well as a guitar. This piques Taehyung's interest.

 

"You're an artist?" Taehyung asks. The previous carefree nature Jungkook had momentarily took over suddenly flips like a switch and the shy boy Taehyung had met earlier was back.

 

"Um...not really." Jungkook says, "I like to draw but I'm not that good. And I play the guitar but just barely."

 

Taehyung was still impressed. "I am a saxophone star," Taehyung says in English, feeling like showing off, feeling slightly inferior to the talented boy besides him.

 

"Huh?" Jungkook asks, with a cute confused face. The boy obviously didn't understand English.

 

Obviously, Taehyung didn't either because the boy asks, "Did you just say you are a 'y star'?"

 

Taehyung nearly spits up, "No! No! Saxophone!"

 

"Oh," Jungkook stops, smiling a little, "Uh. My bad."

 

Taehyung couldn't take it anymore. He cracks up, falling over the side of Jungkook's bed, his back hitting the softness beneath him. He in small breaths as the puffs of sound ring out of his mouth and bounce off the walls of Jungkook's room. He clutches his stomach, almost missing the fond feeling coming from Jungkook on the other side of the room, who was also laughing along with him, his large teeth escaping out of his mouth as he smiles.

 

Taehyung was lost in the feeling of laughing, basking in the endorphins released, that he almost forgets where he was and why he was there. When he finally calms down, he wipes the tears of laughter that had been running down his face. He looks back to where the guitar was sitting in its holder. He then looks to Jungkook.

 

"Will you play something for me?" Taehyung finds himself asking. Taehyung is seized with Jungkook's emotions at the same time as the fear of embarrassment and humiliation causes him to stop smiling and take on that same pink faced shy face. Damn it, Taehyung thinks, it's like every other thing I say causes him to shrink back into himself.

 

Jungkook looks back to Taehyung, "I don't really know that many songs..."

 

"That's okay," Taehyung reassures him, "Just play whatever you know."

 

Jungkook looks unsure, but after a few moments of fidgeting, he decides ultimately to pick up the guitar and sit down on the chair on the other side of his room. He places the guitar over his lap and tests the strings, making sure it was in tune. After a few moments, he positions his hands above the chords and starts to strum.

 

As Taehyung would come to find out rather soon, people's emotions changed drastically upon listening to or playing music. Jungkook's fingers float over the chords like wisps of clouds floating over the sun. Taehyung saw shooting stars behind his eyes, all encapsulated by the most regal of royal blues. The sun was gone but the light of the sky did not dim as Jungkook opened his mouth to sing.

 

"Remember the way you made me feel," he sang all in one breath. As if releasing reflective glass into the air, Taehyung saw nothing but the two of them in Jungkook's room as music, enchanting as the night sky as the sun rises, reflected in his eyes.

 

"Such young love, but something in me knew that it was real. Frozen in my head," Jungkook continued to sing, letting his face overflow with something addictive, something overpowering to the point where Taehyung felt like his mind was slipping away from him, drunk on Jungkook's voice and the melancholy taste of the musical feelings in the air.

 

"Pictures I'm living through for now, trying to remember all the good times. Our life was cutting through so loud, memories are playing in my dull mind," Taehyung didn't know if Jungkook noticed, but he was starting to sway, as if everything he was feeling was being trudged up by the storm of emotion in his head. Taehyung could feel the tornado of turquoise teardrops and shining silver stars that whipped about in Jungkook's head. He could feel the tornado moving from Jungkook's heart in through the chords of the guitar, like a harness, before they shot out to encapsulate Taehyung fully and completely.

 

"I hate this part, paper hearts, and I hold the piece of yours. Don't think I would just forget about it....hoping that you won't forget about it," Jungkook continued on to a stream of vocalizations, endless and enchanting like a river flowing from his vocal chords into Taehyung's mind, wiping him clean of anything and everything he might have been thinking of. The river does not cease to flow, as Jungkook continues to sing the rest of the song.

 

"And I just can't reach out to tell you," Jungkook's face flinches as his voice suddenly starts to strangle. Like a stab to the gut, Taehyung listens as the blade continues to slice into him, "That I, always wonder what your up to....Pictures I'm living through for now, trying to remember all the good times. Our life was cutting through so loud, memories are playing in my dull mind."

 

"I hate this part," Taehyung inhaled in time with every note Jungkook's voice accentuated, the energy filling Taehyung up to the brink before slipping away like the rising and falling waves of the tide. "Paper hearts, and I hold the piece of yours. Don't think I would just forget about it, no, no, hoping that you won't forget."

 

"I live through pictures as if I was right there by your side," Taehyung didn't know it was possible to suddenly feel like he was a leaf in the breeze, glowing honey gold as the rays of the sun bounced off his petals and back out into the world. He felt like he wasn't attached to his body anymore, his soul belonging to the wind that didn't care whatsoever how badly he was shaking. It picked up and sliced through him, forcing him to contort this way and that. There was no end in sight, just floating--ripping apart at the seems as everything Jungkook felt surged into Taehyung's heart.

 

"But you'll be good without me and if I could just give it some time," Taehyung had finally been set down, but now he was bleeding. The translucent liquid seeping out of him once the knife that was the ground beneath him sliced into his sides. Jungkook's eyes were closed, but his heart was open and Taehyung had been foolish enough to step inside as if the hole were a doorway. Little did he know that once he took a step forward, there was nowhere for his feet to land and instead of walking, he was free falling. "I'll be alright...but, but, but, oh oh, oh ooh hoo ooh, Goodbye love, you flew right by love."

 

Taehyung desperately tried to ground himself, his hands seeking purchase in Jungkook's sheets from where he sat on his bed, but in that moment Taehyung was sure he was no longer watching just a boy sing, he was watching a boy pour his heart out onto the instrument and if it had been anybody else, maybe Taehyung would've mistaken the pain on Jungkook's face as one longing for an unrequited love.

 

But Taehyung was not anybody else. He was himself, the Taehyung who was still getting used to feeling the emotions of others, and was still trying his hardest to get used to Jungkook. Who knows, maybe he would never get used to him.

 

But from what he could feel emanating so strongly from everything that was Jungkook, it was that this was not about something as frail and ever changing as romantic love. This was something deeper, a type of love that Taehyung had once felt for the man who raised him, the one who taught him the values and unending mysteries of life.

 

It was then, after Jungkook had finished playing the guitar did Taehyung realize that the reason the felt so drawn to this boy wasn't because of anything mysterious or ambiguous. Jungkook could understand Taehyung because he has felt the same pain as he had. That was it. There was nothing more to it.

 

Yet, the dam had exploded and the water poured forward and Taehyung wanted nothing more than to ask him. Taehyung wanted the connection, reaching out to him like a siren on the rocks of the deep waters of the sea; he wanted it so much, it scared him.

 

So he held himself back, not saying a word until Jungkook coughed awkwardly and the spell between them, where neither of their eyes could leave the others, was broken.

 

Jungkook had lost all anxiety when he played. It was like...he gave up. Felt free, even though the lyrics brought him pain. He felt nothing but freedom and peace and that was something Taehyung desperately wanted to feel again. Taehyung had found it refreshing, like a cool drink of water, and he didn't want Jungkook to slip back into the uncomfortable atmosphere the younger always seemed to have around him. He knew he had to say something.

 

"You...you really like to sing, huh Jungkookie?" Taehyung asks, not even realizing he accidentally let a familiar nickname slip out, until the boy's face flared red and something akin to embarrassment mixed with attraction seeped out of every pour of Jungkook's skin.

 

"Y-Yes," Jungkook answers, "I....I love it." Jungkook looks deeply at Taehyung as if he were a painting with two coats, one that covered the other. The outer layer was what everyone else saw and called beautiful, immaculate, awe-inspiring, but the inner layer revealed another picture entirely. Taehyung felt as if Jungkook's eyes were hands, reaching forward and erasing the outer layer, leaving behind only his inner most private thoughts and feelings.

 

And for some reason, Taehyung was okay with letting Jungkook see it.

 

As long as he never found out what exactly it meant.

 

In the end, the pair decide that they will choose a topic and then go home and write their own lyrics about it. They had decided it would be a good idea to compose a melody to go along with it together as well. They agreed that they will come back together later and choose which lyrics they liked from each and then brainstorm to find a way to put the lyrics together. That or they could think of some lyrics together as well. It wasn't until they discussed which topic they were going to write about that things got a little strange.

 

"I really liked the song you sang," Taehyung says, "I think maybe we could write something similar."

 

Taehyung expects Jungkook to try and deny his real reasons for singing the song, claiming that he was okay about writing about the cliche of romantic love, as it was most likely what everyone else in their class would be doing as well.

 

"You mean about missing someone who's gone now?" Jungkook asks bluntly, looking at Taehyung's face as if he could read his mind. Taehyung almost shivers. The way Jungkook put it most certainly didn't sound like they were on the same page. This conversation starts to feel like it was about to hit a nerve that Taehyung wasn't about ready to deal with so instead of elaborating further he just answers.

 

"Yeah, sure, okay, whatever," Taehyung rushes out, feeling antsy as he feels Jungkook's curiosity start to reach for him again, as if touching him could help him to understand.

 

Well would you look at that? It was time for Taehyung to go home.

 

The pair are walking down the stairs in Jungkook's house, Taehyung's backpack slung over his shoulders, when the front door opens and a tall woman with a beautiful slender face walks in. The woman looks like an older female version of Jungkook and Taehyung could immediately tell that this woman was Jungkook's mother.

 

"Hi, honey~" Jungkook's mother says upon walking in and lying eyes upon the pair who were now at the bottom of the stairs, "Oh! Who's this?"

 

The embarrassment radiating off of Jungkook was almost funny. "Uh, Mom, this is my f-fr...Taehyung. He's my project partner."

 

His mother is equally amused at Jungkook's reaction, "Well, Taehyung, it's nice to meet you. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

 

Jungkook flares with anxiety, scared that Taehyung would find it weird. But in all honesty, Taehyung didn't mind.

 

"Uh...if it's okay with you, Jungkook," Taehyung says, looking back to the boy. The boy stares at him, his words drowning in his throat, but his affirmative clear in his eyes. He just nods, making a few strangled gurgling noises that make Taehyung feel a burning in his chest. What was this kid doing to him?

 

"Great!" Jungkook's mother says, "You boys just relax here and I'll go whip up something real quick." And just as soon as the woman showed up, she disappeared in a flurry, heading off into the kitchen. Taehyung looks back at Jungkook and almost laughs at the cute look on the boy's face. Almost.

 

Dinner is ready soon enough and the both of them shuffle awkwardly into the dining room. It's a small table, set up for a family of four and Jungkook's mother settles into one seat, and Jungkook in the other. Taehyung sits next to Jungkook, their arms brushing, and tickling Taehyung's arm. There was a fourth plate set up in the empty seat.

 

Looking at the large amount of food in front of them, Taehyung understood why Jungkook was so surprised all of a sudden. There was a lot of food in front of them. Too much for three people. Jungkook's mother beamed at the two of them.

 

"Jungkookie doesn't ever bring friends home so I went all out!" Jungkook's mother says happily, "I'm so happy to meet you, Taehyung, so I hope you enjoy the meal!"

 

Taehyung blinks, taking in the woman's overjoyed face. Taehyung could feel something else lingering underneath it. A pulsating...something that was always there. It was familiar but Taehyung couldn't quite put his finger on it. Taehyung was more distracted by the burning mortification coming from Jungkook. It was actually...cute.

 

"Let's just eat," Jungkook murmurs under his breath. Jungkook's mother claps her hands with an exclamation about digging when something suddenly occurs to Taehyung.

 

"Aren't we waiting for somebody?" Taehyung asks, pointedly looking at the fourth empty seat to the right of Jungkook's mother. The atmosphere takes an immediate turn. For an air that used to be light with nerves and happy pride, the speed in which the other shoe drops almost gives Taehyung whiplash. Jungkook stiffens beside him, his skin turning cold as if the life had been sapped out of him and his skin was nothing but that of a cadaver's.

 

He now knows what the lingering feeling he got from Jungkook's mother was...it was similar to Taehyung's own mother. Except, Jungkook's mother was more muted--aged--as though living through years and years of separation.

 

, Taehyung chastises himself, when the are you going to learn to control your big fat mouth?

 

Taehyung had just been handed the final piece of the puzzle and now the bigger picture was clear.

 

The similar feelings Jungkook had to the one's Taehyung had been experiencing, and now with that almost nauseating grief coming from his mother, made Taehyung finally realize why Jungkook seemed to be the only one who understood him.

 

Taehyung keeps his mouth shut and nobody says anything. They just quietly start to eat, as Jungkook's mother quietly mutters, "No. We aren't waiting for anyone anymore."

 

He wants to smack himself in the face and maybe grab one of the noodles on his plate and strangle himself with it. He'd just ed up his first impression with Jungkook's mother.

 

Wait. Why did he care so much that he might've just affected Jungkook's mother's perception of him? Why did he feel so embarrassed and guilty right now?

 

But then a miracle happens.

 

"Mom," Jungkook says suddenly, "do you want to hear about the new song I learned on the guitar?"

 

And then he goes straight into explaining and his mother's face lights up again, as if Taehyung had never said anything in the first place. The atmosphere changes yet again, like a snap of fingers in the air, and just like that, the almost suffocating grief radiating from both Jungkook and his mother is pushed away.

 

Taehyung looks to Jungkook. The boy had done his best to comfort his mother despite his own discomfort. Sure, he had used a distraction, but wasn't that what everyone did to combat unpleasant feelings? Taehyung knows that what he did. Yet, seeing Jungkook take on the responsibility and then watching as the two chatted, and then roped Taehyung into the conversation throughout the meal, Taehyung realized that Jungkook's mother meant a lot to him.

 

It made Taehyung's chest ache, thinking about his own mother. Throughout the conversation, Taehyung's mind was pulled back and forth between learning about Jungkook and his mother and thinking about his own parents. He tried not to think about his dad because he knew that that wasn't the best idea right now, but instead he thought about his mother. He wondered what she was doing right now, seeing as Taehyung was here.

 

Taehyung felt guilt wrap its fingers around Taehyung's heart and squeeze. Sure, he had just lost his father, but Taehyung's mother had lost someone equally important to her. While Taehyung had holed himself up in his room, overcome with a million smothering emotions, many of which did not belong to him, Taehyung's mother had been forced to deal with her own heartache by herself.

 

Taehyung was torn between rushing home to apologize and beg on his knees for his mother to forgive him and wanting to stay rooted to the spot, not wanting to leave this comforting bubble of lovely ambiance that was his conversation with Jungkook and his mother. His mother seemed to have taken a liking to him, despite his careless comment earlier.

 

He felt some fondness towards himself drifting from her and settling into the bottom of Taehyung's stomach. Something akin to that of a warm hug extended from the woman and caressed Jungkook's face. The intense familial love, storgic in a way, wrapped around Jungkook's entire frame like a cradle and before Taehyung knew it, it started to amplify, spreading towards Taehyung himself. Taehyung felt it start at his fingertips before it grasped onto his whole hand altogether, with a whisper in the wind that Taehyung was too shocked to completely understand.

 

It wasn't until much later that Taehyung realized the words that were whispered like a feather in the wind.

 

Welcome to the family.

 

*************

 

It was a few days later, at school, when Taehyung and Jungkook made plans to go check out the music rooms that were on their campus. The two had agreed that they wanted to actually turn their lyrical poem into a song, and to do that, they needed some equipment to help them. Jungkook had told him that he had started working on some lyrics and Taehyung was  impressed, seeing as he was procrastinating to the max, immensely afraid of what writing those words down would do to his head.

 

They had been talking here and there in class and he had learned that Jungkook was really just a normal boy. Taehyung, well he used to consider himself normal. Despite how irritated he always used to get when his old friends used to call him an alien or 4D, he always insisted he was normal. Because he was! He was just a normal boy...

 

But he wasn't anymore. To the eye, he hadn't changed at all, he was still Kim Taehyung, with the large brown eyes and the Kermit the Frog backpack.

 

But in reality, everything had changed.

 

Taehyung wasn't normal anymore. His family had been destroyed as had his life, and now he had these weird powers like a freak. And if anything, his drastic change in behavior and dropping all of his old friends did nothing to stop them from calling him weird. He was still Kim Taehyung the Alien. Kim Taehyung the 4D abnormality.

 

But now he was Kim Taehyung, the 4D Alien with no friends and a dead father.

 

All except for Jungkook.

 

Jungkook hadn't once mentioned his father to him, or asked if he was okay, or how he was holding up. Jungkook had not once ever called him an Alien or made him feel like someone who wasn't natural.

 

Instead, Jungkook was kind. He asked Taehyung about himself and what he liked. They found out they both shared a love for anime, especially Haikyuu!! and One Piece. Taehyung found out that Jungkook also liked to dance and although he flat out refused to show him, he told him that he liked hip hop dance the most. Without knowing it, when he went home that day, and was fooling around on his laptop, he had ended up searching hip hop dance covers and imagining Jungkook being the one dancing to them.

 

Before Taehyung had left to go home that night he had stayed over for dinner, they had exchanged telephone numbers. There was radio silence from Jungkook's end, of course, the boy too shy to send him a message first. So Taehyung had taken a leap of faith first, wanting the younger to become comfortable with him, that way he wouldn't have to be on edge with Jungkook's emotions seeping into him every time he was around the younger.

 

And what did he send? Well, the answer to that was quite predictable.

 

To: Jeon Jungkookie

From: Kim TaeTae

To: Jeon Jungkookie

From: Kim TaeTae

Yes. I turned myself into a meme. Marvel upon my beauty. •̀.̫•́✧

 

Little did he know but that had been exactly what Jungkook needed to break out of his shell.

 

To: Kim TaeTae

From: Jeon Jungkookie

LOL omfg u r messing with the wrong meme lord. (￣ー￣)ﾆﾔﾘ

To: Kim TaeTae

From: Jeon Jungkookie

 

To: Jeon Jungkookie

From: Kim TaeTae

Holy , r u wearing a police uniform?! (@_@)

To: Kim TaeTae

From: Jeon Jungkookie

IT WAS HALLOWEEN OKAY! (ーー;)

To: Kim TaeTae

From: Jeon Jungkookie

And I had no idea I was being recorded. (_ _;)

 

Taehyung had snorted. That was the biggest pile of bull he had ever heard. He didn't know how he knew but this kid was the biggest dork he had ever met, and that included himself.

 

To: Jeon Jungkookie

From: Kim TaeTae

That's not even a meme! It's just a derp~ 

To: Kim TaeTae

From: Jeon Jungkookie

Excuse you. My face is the meme. ٩(๑`^´๑)۶

To: Kim TaeTae

From: Jeon Jungkookie

To: Kim TaeTae

From: Jeon Jungkookie

U happy now?!

To: Jeon Jungkookie

From: Kim TaeTae

Extremely

 

And without even realizing it, Taehyung had felt quite happy that night. Their conversation had lasted up to and past midnight and they had talked about so many different things and by the end of the night when Taehyung had fallen asleep and their conversation was inevitably cut short.

 

But the next day, Taehyung had talked to Jungkook in class, and the boy seemed to be becoming more comfortable around him. His nerves still flared and it sometimes made Taehyung dizzy but for the most part, the both of them had seemed to settle into something. Something...nice.

 

But today was the day they decided to go to the music rooms and that's why they were currently on the third floor headed towards the rooms that not many people in this school of rich nerds used. Most people here were here to study strictly for the college entrance exams, regardless of what exactly they wanted to do in the future. For most of them, some being chaebols and others being descendants of famous people, they were getting ready to go into whatever family business in the future. And then there were the scholarships or people who got in with specific connections.

 

Taehyung was here because his dad had a connection to his company that allowed him to afford to send him here. Or least--he had.

 

Jungkook on the other hand was here because his mother was close friends with a woman on the school board. He was almost like a legacy. The woman on the school board was his mother's childhood best friend and she had been able to get him into the school with quite a discount on the price.

 

But there were very few people here in the music program. It was rather sad and you would think that with all the people whose parents were singers or musicians or something that the program would be pretty popular. But apparently, most people who were trying to get into a school for a music program would go to a school that was easier and more cheaper to go to.

 

Still, Taehyung quite liked the music department of this school. It was small, granted, but it was fully equipped with a mini recording studio and several computers with all of the latest music creation programs. There was even a dance studio that was used by the dance/physical education classes for the most part. But there was the occasional dancer who liked to use the room for practicing.

 

To get to the music rooms you had to go through the dance studio, therefore during their break, Jungkook and Taehyung made their way over.

 

They had been talking about what their plans were for the type of melody they wanted to create. Just as they were about to open the door to enter the music, the door swung open and a short guy with blonde hair and a vicious scowl strides through the door, almost running the pair of them over.

 

The guy seemed startled by the sudden appearance and Taehyung jumps back at the immediate stench of stress fills his nostrils, clouding his mind. There's a dark cloud surrounding the guy, like a man on a war path, and Taehyung could've sworn for a moment that he had felt this before somewhere.

 

The look of intense animosity on the boy's face is completely contradictory with what Taehyung actually felt coming from him.

 

Fear.

 

Suddenly, Taehyung thought about the time he almost choked and vomited to death in the boy's bathroom. There had been someone else in there, someone whose thoughts and feelings caused such a downward spiral of dismal darkness in Taehyung's head that he had almost straight up passed out.

 

The feelings weren't anywhere near as intense this time around, but they were still the same feelings. Taehyung just knew it.

 

But more than that, there was something else that Taehyung felt coming from this boy. Like an invisible brick wall pushing at him, he's forced to take a step back. Jungkook does the same thing, the overwhelming aura of this boy who couldn't be more than a year or two older than them more than the two were expecting.

 

Almost like a repulsion, Taehyung felt compelled to take even more steps back, give the boy all the space he didn't even have to say a word to demand. He can feel Jungkook beside him, confused and intimidated and Taehyung tries to fix the situation.

 

"Uh--sorry, we were--"

 

The boy doesn't say a word. He doesn't look at them and just leaves. The door behind him--to one of the music rooms with the fully equipped programs--swings shut as the boy walks out of the room and disappears through the studio before Jungkook or Taehyung could say a word otherwise.

 

"That..." Jungkook starts, as confused as Taehyung.

 

"...was weird." Taehyung finishes for him. Jungkook nods. The Dark Cloud Boy (as Taehyung was now going to start referring to him as) stayed at the back of Taehyung's mind throughout his whole session with Jungkook.

 

The two were able to work on a good portion of the song, and Taehyung found that Jungkook was actually really good at producing melodies as well. Neither of them had finished their lyrics but Jungkook had informed him that his were coming along. They had another few weeks before the project was due so neither of them were really in a rush.

 

Nevertheless, the two of them started to become closer in terms of becoming friends. They still texted a lot and Taehyung found that being with Jungkook helped him to forget how much he missed his dad. It hurt like a to think about it, but when Taehyung was feeling particularly low, he would start texting Jungkook and the boy would end up making him smile and...he would just feel better.

 

They had started to hang out a lot more often at school and afterwards as well. They would talk to each other in class, making their teacher irritated and shush them and they would go to eat lunch together as well. Taehyung learned things like the fact that Jungkook seriously hated carrots and that whenever he spoke the younger's mouth always quirked up to the side like his words were too big for his mouth. His teeth were really white and for some reason Taehyung really enjoyed staring at them.

 

The more time he spent with Jungkook, the lesser the boy's feelings of fierce infatuation with him affected him. Taehyung didn't know if it was because the feelings were fading away or because Taehyung was just getting used to it. Or maybe it was neither of those things. Maybe Jungkook's feelings for him were changing...morphing into something else. Taehyung couldn't put his finger on it but he could taste it in the air whenever Jungkook looked at him.

 

One second, Taehyung would feel like burying himself alive to escape everything and the next minute he would taste honey and feel the wisp of a cloud his face and the crushing feelings of anxiety would lessen significantly.

 

Jungkook was a genuinely good person and Taehyung enjoyed being around him. He felt comfortable. But even still there was slight feeling of unease in his heart that he couldn't comprehend for the life of him.

 

This was particularly apparent when one day, out of nowhere, Taehyung invited Jungkook over to his house after school.

 

Taehyung felt so jittery walking home with Jungkook, suddenly freaking out if he had cleaned his room that morning. No! There were probably clothes all over his floor. And what about all the trash he probably had lying around? ! Maybe Taehyung could sneakily make his way to his room before Jungkook noticed and clean up a bit?

 

Taehyung was a ninja. That would totally work. Totally.

 

When they get to Taehyung's house, they walk up the steps and enter in through the front door. Taehyung's house was not really anything special. Just a regular house. But even still when they stepped inside, Taehyung could feel Jungkook's marvel at being here and told him that his house was beautiful. Taehyung shooed the compliment away. It was nothing really. His mother just had a thing for interior design. She hadn't been all too enthusiastic about it as of recently, which was to be expected, but the house was still pristine.

 

"Taehyung-ah?" his mother's voice calls out, "Taehyung-ah, are you home?"

 

"Yeah, Mom, it's me," he responds as his mother rounds the hall and steps out into the area where Jungkook and Taehyung were currently standing. His mothers surprise pulsates his way but he ignores it. She obviously wasn't expecting him to bring home someone, not after the way that he had practically become a recluse.

 

His mother puts on a smile. That same fake one she used when all of their relatives and random people Taehyung had never met before who came to the funeral tried to console them. It was the fake 'I'm fine' face. Taehyung couldn't bear to watch his mother put on the fake smile whilst on the inside her pain flared. There was a mixture of relief somewhere in there, but Taehyung didn't dwell on it.

 

"This is my friend, Jungkook," Taehyung introduces rather quickly, "Why don't you introduce yourselves and I'm just gonna run up to my room real quick and--"

 

Taehyung zooms off, leaving Jungkook and his mother in the living room alone. He knew that was probably a move, but it was either buy some time by making Jungkook introduce himself or let Jungkook see his nasty disgusting room. He would take the awkward introductions any day.

 

Besides, his mother liked Jungkook. He could feel it.

 

******

 

Jungkook stood awkwardly in the living room, trying not to stare at the woman who was Taehyung's mother. He was going to ing kill Taehyung for throwing him under the bus and putting him in such an awkward position.

 

"So you're Taehyung's friend?" Taehyung's mother asks, "I've never seen you around before."

 

Jungkook looks up at her, bowing slightly, keeping his head down, "Uh...I guess I'm kind of, a new friend?"

 

His mother nods, "Well, as long as you got him to clean his room, then I'm plenty happy."

 

The words coming out of Taehyung's mothers mouth sounded innocent enough, but anyone could tell just by listening to her tone and the way quirked up in a sad little half smile, that there was a lot more meaning to that statement than just the surface.

 

Jungkook knew what she meant but he had nothing to say in response. His eyes flickered back and forth between the wall and the woman standing in front of him. She and Taehyung shared the same eyes and as Jungkook had come to notice recently, they shared the exact same sad smile. It made Jungkook's chest ache and wished he could see if Taehyung and his mother shared the same happy smile. Did Taehyung's mother have the same boxy smile that spread across their entire faces when they threw their head back and laughed?

 

Or did Taehyung inherit it from his father? That, Jungkook would never know.

 

"You should go join him upstairs," his mother's voice breaks Jungkook out of his trance, "He should've had a enough time to clean by now."

 

Jungkook laughs awkwardly, bowing yet again, "It was nice to meet you."

 

She smiles at him, genuinely this time and maybe Taehyung did inherit part of his smile from her. "It's nice to meet you too, Jungkook. I hope to see you around more often."

 

Jungkook bows again and hurries up the stairs, almost taking them two steps at a time. By the time he makes it to what he thinks is Taehyung's room, the older has swung the door open.

 

"Ah, Jungkookie, perfect timing!" Taehyung ushers him in, "Come on in, come on in."

 

Jungkook walks in, taking the room in. He stops.

 

This is what Taehyung considered clean?

 

There were piles of dirty clothes in the corner and a bunch of stuff flung all over his desk. There was nothing on the floor though and the bed was haphazardly made, so maybe in some books this might be considered a "clean" room. Even still, the room was so completely Taehyung.

 

The boy literally had a huge lion wall paper with the backboard of his bed in front of it. He even has a lion plushy along with a Kermit the frog plushy and about a million other plushies lining his bed. Taehyung's saxophone lies on its stand in the corner and Taehyung must've seen him staring because he lets out a little half chuckle.

 

"I'm in the band," he tells Jungkook.

 

"I know," the response from him comes way too fast and it was at that moment that he knew, he ed up. His crush on Taehyung was going to be so ing obvious now, . Okay, okay, no. Poker face. Blank poker face. That was what he needed right now. He prayed that his face didn't betray him and that he actually looked like it was no big deal, rather than looking like he was constipated or something.

 

But Taehyung just chuckles, and the sound sends a wave of relaxation over Jungkook's shoulder, pushing them down and letting the pressure fizzle out. The corner of Jungkook's mouth turns up. He didn't really need to be so nervous around Taehyung anymore, the two had managed to become friends somewhat in the short amount of time they had been working together for this project, but even still. Something about Taehyung made Jungkook's stomach twist in an equally nauseating and pleasant feeling. It was hard to resist wanting to throw up in Taehyung's presence. But the inside of his stomach was something that Jungkook really didn't want Taehyung to see right now. Or ever.

 

"Did you want to compare lyrics?" Taehyung asks. Jungkook tells him yes and together the two of them set themselves up on the carpet in front of Taehyung's bed. His backpack is by his side as he rummages through it, searching for his notebook. Taehyung gathers his own stuff and for a moment the two of them just sit there, waiting for the other to take the plunge and read their lyrics first. It was like exposing a part of their soul and they were just playing a game of chicken.

 

Eventually, Jungkook speaks up, "Okay, this is really awkward."

 

Taehyung laughs, "Yeah, I know. It's just lyrics but like--"

 

"It's more than that," Jungkook answers for him. Taehyung looks up at him, and Jungkook swears that the boy was looking right through him. Jungkook's mouth goes dry and he has to flick his tongue out and swallow a few times in order to gather his bearings. Taehyung's eyes follow every movement he makes and Jungkook is pretty sure he is being roasted alive. "Um, maybe we could just switch?"

 

"Hmmm?"

 

"Switch notebooks?" Jungkook clarifies, "You can read what I wrote and I can read what you wrote and that way we spare each other the embarrassment of having them read out loud, just in case they're--"

 

"In case they're horrible and need to be burned with fire?" Taehyung suggests. Jungkook's spirit picks up a little and he agrees wholeheartedly with a smile sent to Taehyung in turn.

 

"Good idea," Taehyung says as he hands over his notebook to Jungkook and he does the same. "No laughing, okay?"

 

Jungkook shakes his head, "Of course not."

 

Taehyung nods at him, in solidarity, and Jungkook misses the way it takes Taehyung a few moments longer to look down at the lyrics then it does for Jungkook.

 

The first thing Jungkook notices looking down at the paper is Taehyung's handwriting. It's sloppy and seemingly rushed, but the ink is swirled around in sharp increments, the words blending together. Jungkook didn't realize it was possible to grow fond of someone's handwriting. It was almost like Jungkook could see everything Taehyung was, simply by looking at his handwriting. It was completely him. Written in scratchy, beautiful calligraphy.

 

Jungkook's mind drifts away from the handwriting and sets to read what the actual lyrics were saying.

 

Isn't it strange that you can be someone today

Tomorrow can take that away from you

And isn't it strange that you can care for someone so

You hold on tight just to let go

Oh no,

Did you let go?

 

Just let me be

To walk alone on empty streets

And all the things that you might say

Will carry me on

 

And change is all that we are looking for

We have it all, but still we want more

Oh no,

I worry about the blame

For all the years that I lived for me

I found that nothing could please me

Till I gave it away

 

Just let me be

To walk alone on empty streets

And all the things that you might say

Will carry me on

 

I could change

Just show me where to put my faith

Well I'm a fake, but aren't we all?

Yeah, aren't we all?

 

"Taehyung?" Jungkook looks up, meeting eyes with the boy on the other side of him.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Can you....do you...do you have a melody for this already?" Jungkook asks him. 

 

Taehyung's eyes furrow in confusion, "Yeah, I do but why? Is something wrong?"

 

"No, no!" Jungkook is quick to tell him, "Nothing's wrong, I just...Well, I just--"

 

"Yes?"

 

"I was wondering if you could sing it? For me?" the atmosphere in the room was locked in ice for a good solid minute. Jungkook could cut the tension with a knife, but unfortunately (or fortunately) he didn't have a knife on him.

 

Taehyung finally breaks the silence, "I guess I could? Since you sang me that song the other day. It's only fair that I sing for you, right?"

 

Jungkook lets out an internal sigh of relief. He kept cutting it too close here. There was a very fine line he was trying to walk and any minute now Jungkook felt like he was gonna pitch forward and tumble straight over it.

 

When Taehyung opens his mouth to sing, Jungkook is pretty sure his eyes glaze over as he loses himself in the deep baritone that was Taehyung's voice. Everything about it was smooth and gentle and hearing the lyrics fall from Taehyung's lips just solidified everything that Jungkook already knew to be true.

 

There assignment was to write about missing someone, and from the lyrics Taehyung had wrote, maybe that statement didn't come off so clearly. But in Jungkook's head, the lyrics made perfect sense. It wasn't just about how losing someone you loved made you feel, it was the aftermath and having to try to live without them. Or maybe even there was something else behind his lyrics that meant something entirely different.

 

When Taehyung finally stopped singing, he was the one who looked nervous for a change.

 

"You have a beautiful voice," Jungkook tells him honestly, resting his hand on his chin and smiling sweetly at him.

 

Taehyung glances down and Jungkook swears that he sees a dash of pink on his cheeks but he quickly had to snap himself out of that delusion.

 

"Not as good as your voice," Taehyung tells him. Jungkook shakes his head, "You have something raw in your voice, Tae, something so deep and soulful and it's not hard to notice."

 

The expression on Taehyung's face was something Jungkook had never seen on him. He didn't know what to make of it, so he ignored it and continued on. He took a deep breath, "That...that was about your dad...wasn't it? You and your dad."

 

If Jungkook had expected Taehyung to tense up or maybe burst into tears, it most certainly didn't happen. The only thing Taehyung did was let out a long sigh, before nodding and letting out a tiny 'yeah'.

 

Jungkook nods his head, looking down at the patterns of the carpet. He runs his fingers along it, feeling the grainy texture under his hand. It was grounding and reminded him that he was still living here in the present.

 

"I get it," Jungkook mumbles lowly. He doesn't look Taehyung in the eye, but he knows that the older boy was looking at him again. He could feel the eyes glued to his face.

 

"Jungkook..." Taehyung says slowly. He still couldn't get used to the way his name sounded coming out of Taehyung's mouth. It sounded like what it felt like to finally lay your head down on your pillow after a long exhausting day. "When I came to your house that time...I said something about your dad. Both you and your mom--especially your mom--you, well, I didn't know-"

 

"It's okay," Jungkook tells him, "It's not your fault. It's not something I exactly announce to everyone I meet."

 

Taehyung sits back on his legs. He looks like he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to ask his next question, "Your dad...did--did he...?"

 

Usually when Jungkook was forced to think about this stuff again, he would feel an overwhelming sense of despair. A kind of stifling hopelessness that picked at his core with a pickax and left millions of cracks all over his spine. The kind that forced him to hunch over in order to avoid the dull throbbing.

 

But this was Taehyung. Taehyung who knew exactly what it was like to lose someone. Taehyung who knew exactly what it was like to lose a part of yourself because the person you looked up to, the person who raised you and loved you the most, was suddenly gone. Jungkook still felt the dull throb in his lower back, but knowing that it was Taehyung who was asking didn't make him feel as sick as usual.

 

"Yeah," Jungkook tells him, "Yeah...he died. When I was six."

 

"Oh." Taehyung says, short and scared. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"

 

"It's okay," Jungkook tells him again, and honestly it was. He was unsure what brought it on, but he found he actually wanted to tell Taehyung. He wanted to tell him and make him see that he knew exactly what he was going through. "I can relate to the words you wrote and...and I get it."

 

"H-how...?"

 

Jungkook knew this was going to be coming next, but still saying the words felt like a knife being slowly dragged across his abdomen. "He had a pretty bad case of manic depression. It came and went in cycles but really nothing they could do made it better. Medication helped but it didn't cure him. I don't think anything really could at that point. He overdosed on sleeping pills shortly after my sixth birthday."

 

Taehyung's face was pointed towards the ground, his back slumped, "Do you miss him?" he asks in a creaky voice.

 

"This all happened when I was really young. I didn't even know what had happened other than that I kept asking my mom when my dad was coming home from work. You can probably tell that I probably made it worse for her," Jungkook tells him. "I never really knew my dad. Most of my memories of him are gone but...sometimes I feel like I can still feel something lingering. Something that I used to feel when he was with me."

 

"Usually, I feel kind of...well...empty about it," Jungkook tells him honestly, "but other times it feels so horrible that I doubt I could even stand. I had no real attachment to the man growing up, I didn't get to know him and for the longest time I thought that all I was missing was the thought of him. Of what our relationship could have been. But then other times, I just know...I remember something small, like playing with him or sitting on his shoulders or something...and I know that I didn't really lose him. Not really."

 

Taehyung was watching him with such an enraptured face, that if Jungkook didn't know any better, he would have thought that maybe he was watching an engaging movie instead. His mouth was hanging open, watching him in such a daze that Jungkook vaguely wondered if he had zoned out. If it weren't for the wrinkle on his brow, and his slightly misty eyes.

 

It was now or never, Jungkook thinks. He takes the dive, "What was your dad like?"

 

Taehyung's mouth snaps shut and his face visibly falls. Jungkook knew that it might've been too early to bring this up, but if he didn't now, he probably wouldn't ever get the chance.

 

Taehyung stares off to the side, a melancholy smile popping up on his face, "My dad was the best...he was the kindest person I had ever known and taught me everything I know about life..."

 

Taehyung seemed to be struggling with getting the words out, stuttering and being unable to completely push out the words. Jungkook waited patiently for him to get out everything he wanted to say.

 

"Sometimes it's just so overwhelming, you know?" Taehyung says, messing with his hands and Jungkook doesn't answer, knowing that it was a rhetorical question, "The feelings...I can feel them everywhere I go and they don't go away. I don't want to feel all these feelings anymore. They're too much."

 

Something in Taehyung's voice tells Jungkook that he was talking about something more, something deeper than what Jungkook could understand. Jungkook wanted to understand. He wanted to know what Taehyung felt. He wanted to feel him too.

 

"I've never met your dad," Jungkook starts, "But from knowing you, I can tell that he must've been an amazing, amazing person. Taehyung, your dad never wanted to leave you. Your dad loved you with all of his heart till his dying breath. No one deserves what happened to you, but especially not someone as beautiful as you."

 

Jungkook couldn't control his lips anymore. Everything that he had ever kept locked away in the cages in his mind were starting to fly out and Jungkook was powerless to stop himself, "You have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known and you care so deeply. You more than anyone should never had had to feel that kind of pain."

 

Jungkook had ran out of breath from speaking so fast and when he stops, he has to take a moment to let his lungs catch up with his brain. He didn't know how it happened, but apparently somewhere in the middle of their conversation, Taehyung and Jungkook had started scooting closer to each other to the point where their knees were touching. They sat with their legs folded, but Jungkook could feel the heat of Taehyung's leg against his own through his jeans.

 

Jungkook's heart was beating so fast, Taehyung was so close. He was so close and he was so warm and Jungkook could feel his stomach clawing at him uncomfortably. He didn't like the uncomfortably tense feeling in his center, it wasn't supposed to feel like this, it almost hurt to be so close and yet so far but then--

 

Taehyung leans forward and presses his lips ever so lightly to Jungkook's. It lasts for about 5 agonizing seconds before Taehyung pulls away, taking his softness with him. Jungkook's jaw drops, his eyes searching Taehyung's frantically. How fast the uncomfortable feeling switched to a strong burst of heat that melted his entire body into the floor.

 

He was pretty sure that he was dreaming at this point. There was no way that that had just happened. No possible way that Kim Taehyung had just kissed him. No possible way that something he had been dreaming about since he had first laid eyes on Taehyung had just happened. His lips were so soft....

 

Taehyung was in just as much shock as Jungkook was. He didn't know what made him do it. He didn't know what compelled him to just move forward and press his lips gently to Jungkook's. It had been a spur of the moment decision. Actually, in all honesty, it was a decision at all. He just felt like he needed to kiss Jungkook...he needed to tell him in some way...tell him....something.

 

Taehyung didn't know what was happening to him. Taehyung felt himself pulled into Jungkook more and more with each passing second and he didn't know what to do because he was about 80% sure that these feelings weren't his. The pulsating heat coming from Jungkook was so strong. Taehyung could feel himself being pulled into Jungkook's gravity, floating closer until he was sure there was no turning back.

 

And there was no turning back anymore. It was already past the point of no return.

 

"What--" Jungkook's voice cracks, "Uh, what--what was that for?"

 

Taehyung was absolutely terrified. He had no one idea what to say right now. He could feel Jungkook's feelings washing over him and it was confusing him. He didn't know if this knot in his stomach was because of his own feelings or because of the intensity of Jungkook's. He had let himself be vulnerable, let himself talk about his dad for what seemed like the first time in forever. He hadn't expected Jungkook to go off on a rant that made an unexpected amount of affection flare in his chest and pulled him forward.

 

He hadn't expected just how much Jungkook felt for him. Taehyung was scared less because now he was pretty sure that he maybe felt the same way. But he had no idea if what he felt was just being influenced by Jungkook and whatever he felt wasn't actually his own feelings. It felt like he was being ripped apart at the seams and he had no way of sewing himself back together.

 

"Uh....I think both of these lyrics are good. We can just combine them and create a melody and then we can be done with the project," Taehyung speaks so quickly, even he had trouble catching it all.

 

"What?" Jungkook asks, his confusion pulling at Taehyung, begging him to answer his question, "Taehyung, you--"

 

"I think it would be best if you went home," Taehyung blurts. Jungkook was shocked into silence, lurching back as far away from Taehyung as possible. Taehyung was losing his breath, he was inhaling too fast. His veins were turning to ice and the sure force of the hurt Jungkook was feeling almost knocked him over.

 

Jungkook struggles to his feet, not saying anything just as Taehyung doesn't. He quickly packs up his things into his backpack and was about to leave, when he turns around.

 

Taehyung seizes when he's hit with the tender worry coming off Jungkook. No, no, please leave this was too confusing. This was too damn confusing.

 

"Taehyung, I--"

 

"Please leave," Taehyung cuts him off, feeling instantly terrible for being so horrible to Jungkook, but he couldn't be here right now. He couldn't have Jungkook here and making him think he felt things that weren't real. He had enough of that from everyone else. He had enough of feeling how in pain his mother felt. He had enough of feeling who much his classmates and so called friends pitied him. He had enough of feeling so many random different emotions from so many different people.

 

He had enough of dealing with other people's feelings. He just wanted to feel his own. Or none at all.

 

**********

 

The next day in class, Taehyung had an extremely hard time fighting off the urge to look at Jungkook. They sat right next to each other and it was hard not to speak to him. Jungkook wasn't making it any easier, because now not only was Jungkook feeling hurt, he also felt guilty and confused. He didn't even know why he felt guilty but he still felt it to the point where Taehyung had to bite his tongue to keep him from saying anything too rash.

 

Because at this point he was ready to fling himself at Jungkook and cry and apologize and beg him to forgive him.

 

He didn't know what he felt anymore. The feelings still lingered even after Jungkook had left and being around him all day at school made things so much worse. Taehyung had gotten used to hanging out with Jungkook, talking with him and laughing with him and feeling just overall better.

 

But how much of that was even real?

 

How could anything Taehyung feels be real anymore? He was just a sponge, soaking in other people's feelings. He wasn't sure he had felt anything real since the day his father died.

 

It would be best if he just avoided other people. Or rather, avoided one person in particular.

 

He couldn't believe he had done that. How could he have been so stupid and impulsive? It wasn't his fault that Jungkook's emotions called to him like a siren at sea and dragged him down into the suffocating waters below.

 

He felt like he was suffocating but even not talking to Jungkook was working. He had no other choice.

 

The days ends swiftly without Taehyung saying a word to anybody and when the next day goes by just the same as before and the next day, the stronger Taehyung began to feel the weight of Jungkook's crushing emotions. The boy was making an active effort to avoid him; respecting Taehyung's wishes but he simply just couldn't control his emotions.

 

The whole entire day all Taehyung could feel was Jungkook. Could feel him on his fingertips and on his tongue. Could smell him in his nose and hear him in his ears. It was a crushing weight in his chest and it wouldn't let up no matter how hard Taehyung tried to get rid of them.

 

And the worst part was that he didn't want to get rid of them. Even though he tried to shake the thoughts out of his head that gathered and clumped together, he couldn't. Thoughts of how nice it felt to hang out with Jungkook. Thoughts of how much fun he had talking to the boy. Thoughts of how much he enjoyed their kiss.

 

The last thought had been one that was damn near impossible to get out of his head.

 

Taehyung now found himself focusing quite a lot on Jungkook's mouth. He would be in class, trying so hard to pay attention to whatever boring lecture their teacher was talking about, but then his eyes would drift to the person sitting next to him. Jungkook wasn't the type to sit up straight. Just like how Taehyung used to do, Jungkook would drape himself over the desk, arms hanging off the side and head lolling to the side. It gave Taehyung a full view of his face, and honestly, it was distracting.

 

But even still, neither of them said a word to each other. Even though Jungkook's call to him was so strong, the boy still never tried to go past looking at him. He always seemed to move his mouth, like he was on the verge of saying something, but at the last second he would close it and turn away.

 

Taehyung didn't know if he was disappointed or relieved by that.

 

In the end, by Friday they had lasted a whole week with nothing but radio silence.

 

Taehyung worked diligently on his lyrics, emailing the rest of them to Jungkook who responds with a simple 'They're great. Here are mine.'

 

Every time Taehyung read Jungkook's lyrics, the worse he felt about the whole situation. He had been the one to kiss the younger. It was his fault this was all happening. It had been a moment of weakness, he had essentially been drunk on the feelings, but even still.

 

He hated that he missed Jungkook.

 

He sent back more of his own lyrics and together, they managed to create a whole song with a mixture of their lyrics. It seemed kind of half-assed in Taehyung's opinion, but in all honesty what was he expecting? Jungkook had opened up to him about his own past because he thought that he had found a kindred spirit in Taehyung. Taehyung had, admittedly, felt the same about him. But then he had thrown that back in his face.

 

Vulnerability was such a fragile and destructibility thing. In less than a moment, it could cause the worst of scars to form.

 

They had one more week to work on their project before the poetry chapter ended and they had to turn in their completed work. Jungkook had been working on a melody with his guitar. When he had opened the file to listen to it, he hadn't expected to hear such a beautiful melody. Nor had he expected Jungkook to be singing vocals with it.

 

It was their song. It wasn't the best song, but it was theirs.

 

Taehyung had cried hard on his bed after the mp3 finished and yet all he sent back to Jungkook as feedback was "It's good."

 

Taehyung hated himself for what he was doing, but what else was he supposed to do?

 

He felt so guilty and all he wanted to do was go to Jungkook and apologize but he couldn't. He couldn't go up to him and explain everything. It was too outrageous even for himself. He couldn't tell Jungkook that he could feel everyone's emotions. He couldn't tell Jungkook that he knew how he felt about him.

 

More than being scared that Jungkook would think of him as a freak, he was afraid that Jungkook would feel betrayed that Taehyung had played with his feelings. And he had. He had known Jungkook's feelings from the very start and he had still gone along with him. He had befriended him and hung out with him and talked to him and opened up to him. Taehyung had taken everything he knew and used it against him. It wasn't intentional, but he had still done it.

 

There was no taking that back.

 

Yet, he felt it gnawing away at him. Tearing him up inside the way no other feelings he had ever been exposed to had ever done. The line was so blurred and Taehyung was sure he had gone blind. How much of what he was feeling was his guilt and how much was Jungkook's? How much of what he was feeling was the result of the people around him and how much came from him? He couldn't even trust he own feelings anymore.

 

He didn't know what to do. He just felt so alone, like no one would understand what he was going through. No one.

 

No one...except Kim Seokjin.

 

The upperclassman who had seen him, who had seen his aura and had known exactly what he was. He was...what was it again?

 

Bestowed. He was Bestowed. Kim Seokjin had a gift just like Taehyung did and Kim Seokjin had told him that there were others like him who had gifts as well.

 

Kim Seokjin would have his answers. He just had to.

 

He was Taehyung's last hope.

 

The next week, Taehyung had spent his breaks looking for Seokjin. He looked up on the third year floor where they had originally met. He looked up on the roof, in the library, in the cafeteria. Seokjin was nowhere to be found. It was like he had up and disappeared into a puff of smoke.

 

Taehyung didn't know where he could find Seokjin, but he did know where he could find Kim Seokjin's best friend.

 

Kim Namjoon was student body president and by no means of coincidence, the smartest kid in their school. He was well known but he really only had one friend. The one who Taehyung was currently on a desperate mission to find. Taehyung didn't know where Seokjin and Namjoon normally hung out, but he did know that there were student council meetings every Wednesday in the third floor lounge.

 

Taehyung figured that if he could get to Namjoon, then he could get to Seokjin. Easy as that.

 

And yet, by the time Wednesday had rolled around, Taehyung ran into unexpected difficulties.

 

He waited outside of the lounge for the meeting to end. He didn't know how long these things usually lasted but he had waited probably a good two and a half hours before the doors finally opened and the rest of the student council filed out. Namjoon didn't.

 

Taehyung's only choice was to go in and try to see if he could find him on his own. Walking inside, he found that the room was empty. No one was there. He was about to give up and try to go look for Namjoon within the crowd of people who had left earlier but then there was a movement in the corner of his eye.

 

Namjoon steps out from behind a separate door on the other side of the room and looks surprised when he sees Taehyung standing there.

 

"Uh," Namjoon mutters out, "Hey."

 

"Hi," Taehyung says, not sure how to approach the subject.

 

"Meeting's over," Namjoon tells him, "I think everyone's gone home."

 

Taehyung shakes his head, "No, yeah, I know."

 

"Oh."

 

"I was looking for you, actually," Taehyung decides to just come out and say.

 

Namjoon raises an eyebrow in surprise. Mixed with curiosity and a bit of hesitance, Namjoon asks, "Oh? Why were you looking for me?"

 

"You're Kim Seokjin's best friend right?" Taehyung asks.

 

Protectiveness, Taehyung feels coming from Namjoon; distrust and reluctance as well. Whoever Seokjin was to Namjoon, obviously he wasn't going to reveal his location to Taehyung so easily.

 

"Yeah?" Namjoon confirms although it comes out as more of a question, "I am....uh, why? Are you looking for him?"

 

Taehyung nods, "Yes, I need to talk to him. Do you know where he is?"

 

Namjoon shifts on his left foot, hands pushing into the coat pockets of his uniform, "Depends..."

 

"On?"

 

"On why you want to know where he is," Namjoon finishes. He was still reluctant, that much was plain and clear. Seokjin had said that Namjoon didn't know of his power and yet based off the strong feelings of protectiveness coming from Namjoon, he must have some inkling.

 

He didn't know what to say to Namjoon though. It was kind of urgent, but he couldn't tell that to the older. He couldn't give him no reason or he would never find Jin at this rate.

 

He decided that the best way to go was the partially honest route, "Uh...a few weeks ago I ran into him...when I was in a really bad place and...and he helped me through it."

 

Namjoon watched him silently as Taehyung spoke on, "I was hoping to find him because I figured that maybe...maybe I could talk to him again."

 

Taehyung didn't know if his excuse would be good enough for Namjoon but the older's hostility had deflated a bit and instead there was something reaching for him, a soothing hand; a pat on the back. Taehyung momentarily wondered if Namjoon knew who he was. It wouldn't be a surprise. Everyone knew him: Kim Taehyung with the dead father. It had been everywhere in the news. There was no way that Namjoon didn't know.

 

And yet, despite that he didn't say a word or try to give a him a pitying look. Instead, he looked down at the ground and nodded, "In the library there's a secret nook hidden behind the mythology section."

 

Taehyung looks up, eyes slightly wide in knowing that Namjoon had given in to his request so easily, "Jin usually likes to hang out there during his free time. He's probably there right now."

 

Taehyung gives a full 90 degree bow to Namjoon, "Thank you, sunbae."

 

Namjoon shakes his head, "No need to thank me. Just tell Jin I said hi for me, would you? Also tell him not to murder me for giving away his hiding spot."

 

Taehyung chuckles because Namjoon laughs.

 

"Thank you again." Namjoon just nods. Taehyung was about to turn around and leave when he is stopped at the door.

 

"Oh and Taehyung, was it?" Namjoon calls out. Taehyung turns around, nodding. Namjoon crosses his arms in a contemplative fashion, "Good luck. That is, with everything. Yeah."

 

Taehyung actually gives him a genuine smile this time, before he nods once more and leaves the room. He heads for the library, steps quick as the anxiety presses into his stomach.

 

When he gets to the large set of double doors, he pushes them open. He takes in the walls of books surrounding him from every area and walks fast through them. He searches through all the sections that he glances at the names of before continuing forward.

 

It isn't until moments later that he finally finds the section he was looking for.

 

Mythology.

 

It was a small section, all the way in the farthest most empty corner of the library. Taehyung wondered if even the librarian ever went back here. He lets his hand glide over the spines of the books as he turns the corner. 

 

There, surrounded by three large walls of books was a small niche with two large cushioned chairs and a table in the center. Sitting in one of those chairs was none other than they very person Taehyung was looking for.

 

"Hyung," Taehyung's voice cracks as he looks to Jin.

 

"Oh! Taehyung!" Jin's head pops up before suddenly his lips turn down, "What's wrong? You don't look too well. Did something happen?"

 

Taehyung takes staggering steps forward, until he reaches the empty chair on the other side of where Jin was sitting. He plops down into the chair with a pained groan. 

 

"I'm not okay, hyung" Taehyung tells him, his voice gravelly with fatigue, "I can't take this anymore. Please tell me there is a way to get rid of these powers. Please."

 

Jin's concern washes over him like a gut wrenching pull to his insides.

 

"I don't know what's going on right now," Jin starts, "But I'm sorry to tell you there's no way to permanently block our Bestowed abilities. There are ways to suppress it but that takes a vast amount of mental and psychological strength that not many people in our community posses."

 

Taehyung groans, "I can't take this anymore, Jin hyung, it's too much."

 

Jin's hand comes up to rest on his shoulder, "Abilities like yours and mine can't be gotten rid of. They can only be managed."

 

A desperate need for camaraderie suddenly passes over Taehyung and reaches for Jin, seeking the knowledge that he wasn't alone in how much pain he was feeling because of this.

 

"How does it feel have your powers?" Taehyung asks, looking to just feel like he wasn't a freak among freaks,"Are the auras overbearing?"

 

Jin lets out a sigh, contemplating for a long moment before he speaks.

 

"My powers allow me to see who people really are," he tells Taehyung, "They allow me to see how people's emotions and their reactions to certain situations affect who they are. You...well, I can see how much the tragedies in your life have affected you. I can also see how that same sadness has affected your friend, Jungkook was it? I can see just how much you two affect each other."

 

Taehyung's heartbeat picks up at the mention of the younger man. He hadn't realized that Jin had known about his friendship with the other boy.

 

"Auras are defined by emotions," Jin says, "They are fluid yet have a certain permanence to them."

 

Morbid curiosity washes over Taehyung and he opens his mouth and asks, "What is your view of my aura like?"

 

Jin gives him a confused look, "Didn't I already tell you? It's a millions different colors but with a more solid orange--"

 

"No, that's not what I meant," Taehyung interrupts, "You told me that auras are more than just colors. They have different textures and shapes and all of it has different meanings, different interpretations. What is my aura like?"

 

Taehyung just wanted to know how twisted and disturbed his aura was. 

 

"You actually have an exceptionally strong aura, Taehyung," Jin says.

 

Taehyung snorts, "I don't feel very strong."

 

"Well then you must be really trying to suppress your emotions," Jin says with a bite, "because not only is your aura exceptionally strong but you have two exceptionally strong auras."

 

Taehyung's head snaps up in Jin's direction. "What? Two?"

 

Jin nods with a slight chuckle, "There are two auras around you. It's quite remarkable. I've never seen anything like it. The strongest color in your original aura is a very vibrant orange. That color represents the vitality and excitement of a normally positive person who is very sociable and creative. This aura is the one with the ring of white around it, the one that marks that of the Bestowed."

 

Taehyung stares at Jin with his mouth hanging wide open. 

 

"Your second aura I think developed more thoroughly after your abilities manifested," Jin muses, "You must've had the second aura all this time but it was lying dormant. You were adaptable, able to mold yourself to whatever situation you were in and become what it required of you. You could still pick up on the emotions of others but just in a more muted way. When your Bestowed abilities manifested, your second aura suddenly burst forth with life with all those different colors--all those other feelings."

 

Jin laughs, "Like now, your second aura is very pink. Probably my influence."

 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Taehyung asks with an unsure voice. This was exactly what he was afraid of. He knew it. He knew it. These emotions weren't his. He would never be able to feel for himself again.

 

 "Why can I separate my emotions from those of other people?" Taehyung was about to cry. He places his elbows on his knees and leans his face into his hands. He runs his calloused hands across his eyes.

 

Jin stares at him so hard that Taehyung could feel the heat of his gaze boring into his back.

 

"Taehyung what are you talking about?" Jin asks, "You think you can't separate your emotions from others?"

 

Taehyung nods.

 

"Taehyung, your auras are not one and the same," Jin says, "Your original aura is separated from the second aura by the ring of white. None of the colors of the second aura seep into your first aura. They are separated."

 

What? Taehyung was so confused. He just wanted Jin to tell it to him straight.

 

"Think about it, you can feel my emotions right now and the emotions of probably everyone in the library correct?" Jin asks. Taehyung thinks about it. He could feel the librarians irritation and the boredness and stress of several other patrons.

 

Taehyung nods, "Yes, but--"

 

"Focus more," Jin instructs, "Can you feel Jungkook from here? He should be downstairs in your classroom. Can you feel his emotions?"

 

Jungkook? Taehyung focuses, thinking about the boy. Taehyung remembers how the boy had felt upon them being chosen to be partners. He remembers how he had felt when Taehyung had kissed him in his room, the way his emotions reached for him, encompassing him and his face. He remembered the pain he had felt when Taehyung had cut off all contact with him.

 

But he couldn't feel him right now. 

 

In fact, he had no idea where Jungkook was--or even if he was still in the classroom--Taehyung couldn't feel what Jungkook was feeling right now at all.

 

"I can't feel him," Taehyung whispers out, absolutely shocked.

 

Jin nods, "Exactly. Because you are in the general vicinity with me and the people in this library you can feel us. You can feel what we're feeling at this very moment. But as soon as you are no longer near us you can't feel us at all.  You may feel like what the other person is feeling is what your feeling in the moment, but as soon as they are gone, the effects shouldn't last at all."

 

Taehyung stares at the ground, eyes completely wide and breath stopped short in his throat. That meant that everything he had been feeling whenever Jungkook was near wasn't just him feeling Jungkook's emotions. Every time they talked and Jungkook would smile at him and Taehyung would smile back and butterflies would erupt in his stomach.

 

Every time his heart would soar whenever a new text would come into his phone and notify him that Jungkook had sent something to him. Every time they would huddle together in class and whisper little funny comments to each other and he would feel so elated.

 

When Jungkook had opened his heart to him about his father and Taehyung had told him everything he was feeling about his own father. All those times Taehyung felt so close to Jungkook and that there was something there that he just couldn't put his finger on. 

 

Those were his own feelings.

 

He had been wrong this whole time.

 

His feelings were real.

 

"So that's what this is about," Jin says with a understanding voice, "You have feelings for that Jungkook kid."

 

Taehyung's head snaps up at the mention of the younger man. "What are talking about?"

 

Jin gives a small sympathetic smile, "Auras are fickle, just like humans. But they don't lie.  Auras reach out for the auras of others that they are especially connected to. I saw you and Jungkook at lunch a few times over the past few weeks. It was interesting to see your auras connection growing stronger. But now...that tether looks very weak. Is that what brought this all about?"

 

Taehyung's throat was parched as he thought about the meaning behind Jin's words, "You can see Jungkook's aura?"

 

Jin nods, "It's very interesting as well. The boy definitely has strong feelings for you. His aura reaches for you even when you two aren't anywhere near each other. It's quite a shame looking at it now. It seems to be withering."

 

"What it seems like you are forgetting Taehyung, is that human emotions are often naturally influenced by the emotions of others," Jin says, "We're humans. We're social creatures. It is very possible that sometimes two people can feel the same emotions at the same time in response to a certain situation or stimuli."

 

Tears were pooling in Taehyung's eyes by now. It was all his fault. He had had something really good going on with Jungkook and he had ed it all up. He was the one who got scared and ruined everything. He was the one who kissed Jungkook and then broke Jungkook's heart and ran away without even an explanation.

 

"Aigoo," Jin mutters, "Something bad must've happened for you to suddenly become so upset."

 

Taehyung quickly stands up, "I need to go. I need to see him. I need to talk to him right now."

 

He was about to take a step forward to leave when he is bombarded with another thought. What would he tell Jungkook? 'Sorry, I thought you were manipulating my feelings but turns out I do actually feel the same'? No, that wouldn't work. 'Hi, I have powers and I can feel your emotions--'

 

No, Taehyung didn't have an adequate explanation. Anything he could say to Jungkook wouldn't make sense and he couldn't just lie to him.

 

Then he gets an idea.

 

His face breaks out into a smile. The happiest and most real one he had felt since he was burdened with these stupid abilities.

 

He turns around and flings himself at Jin, "Thank you so much, hyung."

 

Jin pats him on the back, "Anytime, Taehyung. If you have any more questions about your powers, I'm sure my home library has more information."

 

Taehyung nods, promising he will take Jin up on his offer should the situation arise.

 

"Oh and by the way," Jin says, stopping Taehyung in his tracks. He turns back around to look at Jin, "Tell Namjoon to stop giving away my secret spots or I'm gonna start giving away his secrets."

 

Taehyung laughs kindly. "You should probably tell him that yourself."

 

Jin chuckles back, "You're probably right." He smiles, "Good luck with everything, Taehyung. I hope you find your happiness."

 

And with that Jin goes back to reading the book that he had set aside and Taehyung leaves the library with a hopeful spring in his step.

 

All that was left was to put his plan into action. Hopefully, it would work. It was his last chance.

 

*****

 

Taehyung knew it was a bad idea to change the topic of their song but he didn't know what else to do. He had written up an entirely knew song and sent it to Jungkook. The boy's response was confusing, seemingly stifled like he didn't know if he should say what he wanted to.

 

Jungkook had then sent him a melody. He said that it was melody he was working on for a long time and he thought that those lyrics might go pretty okay with it. Taehyung had listened to it and agreed.

 

They decided that they would perform it live for the class and sing a duet. Taehyung could tell by Jungkook's texts that he was feeling a little awkward with the sudden change in plans but Taehyung just hoped that when the time came that Jungkook would understand what he was trying to say.

 

Soon enough, the time came where it was time to present their projects to the class.

 

Several people went first, some just reading their poems out, some had a video presentation along with it. Only one other person had made a song so far and that had been really strange. It was about depression but instead of something that maybe might've been meaningful it was instead all about death and suffering and if Taehyung was being honest it was very off-putting.

 

Turns out they were the last ones to present their projects.

 

They walked up to the front of the class.

 

"So," their teacher started, "What is the theme of your poem?"

 

Jungkook was about to open his mouth to say something but then he looks to Taehyung, not exactly sure what to say. Taehyung takes the lead.

 

"It's about life and all the bad things it throws at you," Taehyung answers their teacher before turning to Jungkook to say the last part , "and maybe sometimes there's someone else there you knows exactly how you feel. Better than even you do."

 

Their teacher gives them a strange look but nods, "How are you going to present your poem to the class?"

 

Jungkook walks forward, "This is a recording of the backtrack instrumentals. We're going to be singing the lyrics," Jungkook hands their teacher a copy of their lyrics. Their teacher stands up and places the CD inside the player.

 

She presses play and the soft guitar that Jungkook recorded himself playing starts to filter through the air slowly.

 

Taehyung starts the song off, let his voice lightly drift out, "So, here you are now, nowhere to turn, it's just the same old yesterday. 

 

The soft melodic acoustic guitar thrums in Taehyung's veins, "You made a promise to yourself that you were never gonna be this way. And the only thing that you've ever known is to run so you keep on driving faster into the sun~"

 

Taehyung knows that anyone listening to the words would think they were talking about their fathers or maybe someone else. Taehyung was fine to let them think whatever they wanted. The only person Taehyung needed to get his message across to was Jungkook.

 

Taehyung sings the first chorus, "But everybody needs somebody sometimes. Yeah, everybody needs somebody sometimes~"

 

Jungkook picks up the next part,  singing his part high and letting his lips wrap around the words prettily. Taehyung always loved listening to Jungkook sing and now here he was hearing him sing a song that Taehyung had wrote the lyrics for and Jungkook had wrote the melody. It was their song. Taehyung hoped Jungkook got the message.

 

Jungkook takes a deep breath and picks up where Taehyung leaves off, "You don't have to find your own way out. You've got a voice; let it be heard."

 

Jungkook's voice was always so raw and filled with emotion. Taehyung couldn't help but lose himself entirely listening to it,"Just when it feels you're on a dead-end road there's always somewhere left to turn. So don't give up now, You're so close to a brand new day, yes, you are..." 

 

Jungkook's voice picks up at the end and Taehyung basks in the rush of tingly sensations he feels over his skin. He wills himself not to cry but the only way he can do is it by closing his eyes," And if you just can bare to be alone, then I'll stay~"

 

"Cause everybody needs somebody sometimes~" Jungkook sings.

 

Taehyung joins in on the harmonization, letting his emotions take over the words, "Yeah everybody needs somebody sometimes~"

 

They let their harmonization reach a crescendo as they sing together, the guitar back instrument strumming the passionate tune of the bridge. This was the whole reason they decided to record the guitar and not bring it to class. They knew that somehow they would need to have their hands free when this part came. Taehyung extends his hand to Jungkook, turning to look at each other. Taehyung couldn't describe how good it felt when Jungkook reached to him and clasped his hand in his. "Well, maybe I've been too caught up to see what you've been going through..."

 

Jungkook picks up on the last line and continues on next for his solo, "All that I can say is that I'm here now~Ooh~Hoohoo ohhh~yeah~"

 

Taehyung closes his eyes as he lets the emotions wash over him, willing his voice not to crack. the guitar slows down, the melody back it's original soothing strum, "And everybody needs somebody sometimes."

 

Jungkook turns even more to him, hand reaching out to hold Taehyung's and he accepts. He could taste the forgiveness on his tongue, and it almost makes him want to cry. Instead he pushes through to sing the last parts of the song. The guitar picks back up and now there's an added layer of drums that Jungkook had added, "Yeah, everybody needs somebody sometimes..."

 

"Eveybody needs somebody sometimes~" They sing to each other. Hands squeezing one last time.

 

"Everybody needs somebody sometimes~" Taehyung sings. "Oh ooh~Yeah~"

 

They turn back towards the front for their last harmonization of the last line together, "You know they do, Everybody needs somebody sometimes~"

 

"Everybody needs somebody sometimes~"

 

When the soft guitar strums the outro and finally the song comes to an end, the silence is deafening before the entire class erupts into enthusiastic applause.  Their teacher says that they did a really good job and they go back to their seats.

 

When they sit side by side, Jungkook turns his face towards with an anticipating look. Taehyung could feel the hope building up inside the younger and it makes Taehyung smile. The smile relaxes Jungkook considerably, as he takes it as a good sign.

 

Taehyung pulls his phone out and hides it under his table. He types out a message to Jungkook.

 

To: Jeon Jungkookie

From: Kim TaeTae

I need to talk to you after school. I have some explaining to do. 

 

Jungkook reads the message quietly and turns to look at Taehyung, giving him a nod.

 

To: Kim TaeTae

From: Jeon Jungkookie

So do I.

 

They leave it at that for now and they go about the rest of the class not saying anything. They were the last people to present for the day before the bell rung to announce that they could go home. Together, they pack up and walk home together. Taehyung suggests to him that they should go to Jungkook's house and together they head off that way.

 

Jungkook's mother was not home this time around so immediately they head back up to his room.

 

There, Taehyung sets his backpack down. 

 

"So," Jungkook starts nervously. Taehyung feels how much Jungkook wants him to forgive him. He can feel it in the air and all around them and it makes him smile internally.

 

"So," Taehyung repeats, waiting for a moment just in case Jungkook says anything else. He should've known he wasn't going to though, seeing as Taehyung had been the one to initiate all of this is. So he speaks,  "I want to say I'm sorry."

 

Jungkook's eyes snap to him, "What?"

 

"I'm sorry," Taehyung repeats, "About what happened last time. At my house. I just--" Taehyung didn't know how to explain it, "--I got scared."

 

Jungkook wrings his hands, looking back and forth between Taehyung and the floor. Taehyung watches him chew on his bottom lip. "Scared of me?"

 

Guilt. Guilt and shame is what Taehyung feels coming from Jungkook. The younger felt like he had been forcing his feelings on him. This was exactly what Taehyung had thought initially too, but now he realizes how much of an idiot he was. Why would he think that Jungkook would be like that? He was a good person, a kind soul. 

 

Taehyung shakes his head animatedly, "No, no! I was scared of--well...I was scared of my feelings, to be quite ing honest."

 

Jungkook was surprised. Taehyung was as well. 

 

But at least now he could tell the difference between what Jungkook was feeling and what he himself was feeling. He didn't know how he could've ever doubted it. Jungkook's feelings had such a unique signature. Tasted like fresh strawberries and smelled like wind after a cleansing rain. His feelings always felt soft when Taehyung felt them, like being tickled with feathers and then being caressed by warm sunbeams.

 

"I was scared...and confused," Taehyung confused, "I thought that maybe what I was feeling was being influenced by your feelings for me--"

 

Taehyung immediately feels the ice water that was drenched all over Jungkook. ! Taehyung realizes. He wasn't supposed to tell Jungkook that he knew about his crush on him.

 

Jungkook looked mortifying embarrassed, "You...you knew about my crush on you?"

 

Taehyung groans internally. He hadn't meant to reveal that and now he had to deal with consequences. 

 

He nods slowly, "Yeah...I figured it out pretty soon."

 

Jungkook coughs awkwardly, "Oh. Guess I wasn't as subtle as I thought I was."

 

Taehyung actually laughs and it seems to cut some of the tension in the air. 

 

"It was cute," Taehyung says with a bright smile, "It felt nice, you know? The attention and knowing someone felt that way about me..."

 

Jungkook was quiet for a little bit, fiddling with the zipper of his hoodie. "I've liked you since middle school, you know?"

 

Taehyung blanches. No, he did not  know that. 

 

"Really?" Taehyung almost coos at the younger, but decides against it at the last minute deciding it would probably be a bad idea. Instead an irrepressible smile blooms across his face.

 

Jungkook's face grows red and Taehyung swallows the 'awww' on his tongue. Jungkook really was too cute.

 

He nods, "Ever since you found that bunny on the playground and snuck it home with you in your backpack."

 

Taehyung gasps, remembering instantly, "Carrotcake!"

 

Fond memories of playing with that bunny with his mother and father come to mind. That grey and white rabbit had been his favorite pet he had ever had. 

 

He feels the adoration light up in Jungkook's chest and he looks towards him, "What?" he asks with a laugh.

 

Jungkook shakes his head, a dreamy smile making its way onto his lips, "Nothing, it's just--well, your eyes lit up just now just like they did all those years ago when you found the bunny. His name was Carrotcake?"

 

Taehyung stares at Jungkook, smile growing brighter and brighter. He was filled with such a pleasant feeling, remembering his old bunny and seeing for himself the loving thought process Jungkook had about him.

 

"Carrotcake was the best bunny on the planet," Taehyung laughs heartily, and tries not to let his sad nostalgia of what happened to his bunny dampen his mood, "He lives on the moon now."

 

He had gotten sick and his father had taken him from Taehyung's hands. "The best hospitals for bunnies are on the moon Taehyung," his father had told him. So even though Taehyung never saw Carrotcake again, he knew that he was happy on the moon with all his bunny friends. Taehyung thought about maybe if his father visited Carrotcake on his way to where he went.

 

Jungkook's happiness fades a little, but Taehyung immediately feels that Jungkook understands what he meant, "We should get you another bunny."

 

"What?" Taehyung asks.

 

Jungkook nods, "We should go find another bunny. I saw a bunch in the windows in the town pet shop. You wanna go?"

 

Taehyung grins, "Like...a date?"

 

Jungkook gets shy again, and Taehyung decides it was well past time that they got comfortable around each other. After all, if Taehyung had anything to say about it, they would be seeing each other a lot more often for a long long time.

 

Taehyung marches up to Jungkook and plants a large peck on his lips. He pulls away after a second.

 

Jungkook's mouth had dropped open and Taehyung giggles again, bringing his hand down to slip into Jungkook's. 

 

"I promise I won't run away this time," Taehyung tells him honestly. The happiness in Jungkook skyrockets and a large bright grin breaks out over his face.

 

Jungkook's grip on Taehyung's hand strengthens and he turns to march out of his house with a giggling Taehyung behind him.

 

"Come on," he says cheerily, "Let's go get you a bun."

 

Taehyung smiles to himself. He's already got himself a bunny and he was right there holding his hand.

 

 

Exactly a year and a half later:

Jungkook steps off the subway, shoving his way through the masses of people and immediately heading for the stairs. The elevator was broken so he knew that there was no way he could use that today. 

 

He was on his way to dance practice, having just made plans to meet up with Taehyung afterwards. He was lucky he had left his stuff at the studio so that he didn't have to drag them along the subway ride, up the stairs and out into the street. That would've been annoying and would've made him break out into a disgusting sweat before he even started dancing. 

 

That wasn't what he needed right now.

 

He's about to start the perilous journey up when he notices something out of the corner of his eye. It was the small guy with the four suitcases. Jungkook had seen him on the subway. People had gotten slightly irritated with him because he had taken up a lot of space but it hadn't really mattered to Jungkook seeing as the boy hadn't bothered him. He had a seat and therefore none of his space was taken up.

 

But now the boy looked like he needed help, staring up at the staircase with a look of horror and defeat on his face.

 

Jungkook was close to just shrugging and turning back to walking up the stairs but then he stopped. He remembered last weekend when he and Taehyung had been on a date in Hongdae. There had been an old woman who was walking with a large rolling bag and two rowdy young children, probably grandchildren, by her side.

 

Taehyung had stopped Jungkook in the middle of what he was saying and dragged him over to the grandmother. He had offered to help her with carrying her bag and escorting her and her grandchildren up the stairs, seeing as this station's elevator was jam packed with people and ran super slowly. 

 

Taehyung had grabbed ahold of the woman's large bag and threw it around his shoulder. In his other hand, he grabbed one of the children's hands, a grandson. Jungkook, on the other hand, held the hand of the granddaughter and offered his arm for the grandma to use as support while walking up the stairs.

 

The grandma had been so grateful to them that she wanted to repay them but Taehyung had waved it off, stating that it was no problem at all especially for a family as cute as them. They waved goodbye to them and then continued off on their date.

 

Jungkook smiled thinking about how selfless his boyfriend of almost two years was. He had just wanted to be a good Samaritan. Now looking at this helpless guy still standing in front of the massive staircase, Jungkook felt compelled to do what Taehyung would've surely done in this situation.

 

He strides forward, putting on his nicest smile and taps on the guy's shoulder. The guy whirls around like Jungkook had tapped him with a knife instead of a finger.

 

"Whoa!" Jungkook takes a step back with his hands up in the air, "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

 

"Uh..." is all the boy says and that's when Jungkook takes in his appearance. He was much shorter than him, but he had a handsome face. Hair was dyed a lighter shade of brown and his style was impeccable. Even Jungkook had to give him credit for it. The guy looked to be around the same age as him, maybe older, Jungkook wasn't sure.

 

Still he asks with a smile, "Do you need some help with those bags?"

 

The guy shrugs him off, "No, that's okay. I can carry them up myself."

 

He tries to take ahold of two suitcases in his small hands and Jungkook raises an eyebrow. Was this guy seriously about to try to carry up four massive suitcases on his own?

 

"Are you sure?" Jungkook tries again, "There are five flights of stairs here and the elevator that's on the other side of the terminal is shut down for repairs."

 

The boy sighs dejectedly, running his hands over his face. Jungkook wonders if maybe he's been having a bad day and this was all just the cherry on top of everything. He wouldn't be surprised seeing as it looked like the boy was moving houses or something.

 

"How about this," Jungkook suggests, "I can carry two and you can carry the other two?"

 

The guy looks back to him, giving him a look like he was trying to figure out if he was trust worthy or not. Jungkook understood, there were a lot of weirdos in this world. He waits for the guy to give him permission before doing anything.

 

"Okay," he finally answers, pointing at two of the smallest suitcases he had, "You take those two."

 

The boy honestly looks like he was about to keel over and faint. There was no way he could carry the bigger suitcases, regardless of how strong he was. He makes to grab the larger ones but Jungkook has a better idea. He swoops forward, grabbing the two larger suitcases, "I got these."

 

He starts his way up the stairs before the boy can say anything to change his mind or make them switch. Jungkook didn't have to turn around to know that he left the smaller boy in the dust by the time he makes it up to the top of the stairs.

 

Looking behind him, he sees the other guy struggling with carrying the other two suitcases up the stairs. Jungkook was about to go back down and carry those suitcases up too but then thinks maybe getting the guy something to drink so he doesn't pass out would be a better idea. 

 

So Jungkook walks over to the small vending machine on the side and slips in a 500 won coin, pressing the lemonade option and lets it fall into the pit before sticking his hand in and picking it up. When he walks back over to the entrance to the stairs, he sees the boy standing there looking a little freaked so he quickly taps on the boy's shoulder again to announce his presence.

 

He holds the small can of lemonade soda out to him when he turns around to meet his eyes. "Here. You should drink this."

 

The boy accepts it with a shaking hand. "...Thanks."

 

"No problem," Jungkook says with a smile, wiping the small bit of sweat he had worked up on his hands on his pants. He then taps the two suitcases to his left. 

 

Then Jungkook remembers that he's gonna be late for dance practice. He was gonna get reamed if he didn't hurry. He gives the guy an apologetic smile before saying, "I gotta go now but get home safely okay?"

 

The boy nods and Jungkook gives him a bright smile before turning around and walking off in the other direction. 

 

He hopes he made Taehyung proud.

 

****

 

Jungkook looks at the clock on his phone with a frown. Taehyung was late. Again.

 

How was it that Taehyung managed to be late to class on the first day? 

To: Tae <3

From: Kookie ^^

Tae, where the hell are you?

 

The reply takes a few moments.

 

To: Kookie ^^

From: Tae <3

Baby Bun pooped all over her cage, Kookie, what do you want me to do just let her sit in her own filth?!

 

Jungkook has to suppress a smile. Okay, maybe Taehyung did have a reason for being late. But still, it was already 10 minutes into class.

 

It's 10 minutes later and Jungkook begins to wonder if Taehyung was going to miss first period all together.

 

That's when the door bursts open and scares the living out of everyone in the entire classroom.

 

Taehyung glides into the room with a smaller boy being yanked behind in his grasp. Jungkook's jaw drops. What poor soul did Taehyung just drag into his schemes to excuse being late this time? Poor bastard, he was. Taehyung's excuses never worked.

 

"So sorry we're late Teach," Taehyung beams like he hadn't just been cleaning up bunny 10 minutes ago, "there was a lot of traffic and--"

 

He yanks the boy he has trapped in his grip forward by the wrist. 

 

"--this guy can attest to that, right?" Jungkook lets out a disbelieving laugh as Taehyung places his arm around the boys shoulders like they were best friends since diapers. Jungkook doubted he even knew the poor guy's name.

 

"Is that right?" their teacher asks with a fake smile. The boy looks like a deer in the headlights and Taehyung just nods with a large smile--the one Jungkook knew as his 'believe my bull or I will  refuse to kiss you for a month' smile. Except for anyone other than Jungkook, it was a 'believe my bull or I will cry like a baby on your porch for two weeks straight'.

 

But like Jungkook mentioned earlier, their teacher never  bought what Taehyung was selling. Jungkook wondered when the older boy would finally get that through his pretty head.

 

"Well then Mr. Kim, would you care to introduce your friend?"

 

Taehyung looks stricken, like he had forgotten all about the part that he had dragged some random guy into his scheme. Come on, Tae, Jungkook thinks, you should've thought this through.

 

"Huh?"

 

"Your friend," their teacher says, "I've never seen him in my class. What's his name?"

 

"Uh..." Taehyung stutters, looking back to the boy who looks like he's about to his pants just like Taehyung's bunny had this morning.

 

"Lee--...?" Taehyung starts to question but the boy shakes his head. Jungkook snickers. Who did they think they were fooling?

 

"Kim..." the boy shakes his head again, "Yoo...Park...?"

 

Taehyung seemed to get his family name right with his little guessing game and the boy nods, trying to be discreet. It maybe might've worked if Taehyung didn't make his plot so transparent.

 

"Park! His name is Park--...Jae?" Taehyung starts his guessing game all over again and their teacher looked straight up done with his . Jungkook stifles a loud laugh behind a cough and his hand.

 

"Kim Taehyung sit down, you obviously haven't grasped that this a new student. You're late because you can't understand the concept of time and you tried to drag a new student into covering for you. Nice try, but not good enough."

 

"But--"

 

The teacher snaps her fingers and Taehyung's face falls as he makes his way to his seat right in front of Jungkook. Jungkook gives him a 'really, Tae?' look and Taehyung just shrugs it off. 

 

Jungkook turns his attention back to the front of the room, finally focusing on the new kid now that his boyfriend was done making a spectacle of himself like usual.

 

"I'm very sorry about Mr. Kim, now would you care to introduce yourself to the class?" the teacher asks. Jungkook looks closely at the boy and that's when it hits him.

 

It's that guy from the subway! The guy with the luggage!

 

The boy stutters his introduction.

 

Park Jimin is his name. Interesting. That was a nice name, Jungkook thinks. The boy looks nice albeit a little nervous.

 

"Where are you from?"

 

"B-Busan."

 

Hey! Jungkook was from Busan too! Wow, Jungkook was liking this Jimin kid a lot already.

 

"Why did you transfer to this school?" Man, their teacher was really making Jimin go through the whole interview process, huh? for him. Jungkook hated public speaking too and he felt bad for Jimin being put on the spot like that.

 

"I-I-I came h-here...bec-cau...uh," Jimin looked like he couldn't answer the question. His face turns pale, just like it had a few days ago when Jungkook had seen him in the subway. His face was sickly pale and he looked like he had just seen a ghost. He stops talking altogether and Jungkook worries that he might get sick.

 

Their teacher decides to have mercy and allows him to sit. And what do you know, she sits him right next Jungkook.

 

Jungkook smiles and taps Jimin on the shoulder as he whispers, "Hey luggage boy, I didn't know you were from Busan. I'm from Busan too. So that's why you had so many bags."

 

Jimin's head turns to look at him and the recognition in his eyes tells Jungkook that he remembered him.

 

"Subway guy?" 

 

Jungkook laughs, "The name's Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook."

 

He holds his hand out to Jimin to shake.

 

"Jimin," he says.

 

Jungkook smiles again. He hoped that somehow they could all be friends, especially when Taehyung overhears them and turns around.

 

"I know," Jungkook says with a wide grin, trying to get his piece in before Taehyung jumps in with his own introductions. "Nice to finally know your name, Jimin."

 

*******

 

Taehyung absolutely loved Jimin. Anyone who went along with schemes, no questions asked was a Bro in his books. Jungkook had long since stopped going along with his plans. Said that "I don't want to get expelled" Yeah, right. He found the small boy wandering the halls looking lost as hell and Taehyung, the Glorious Savior he was, was quick to help the poor boy out. 

 

Of course, Jimin also happened to be helping him in return. He had tried to pass him off to the teacher as someone to corroborate his traffic story with when in reality it was because his dumb bunny didn't know where her poopy place was. 

 

It was no bother to Taehyung, really. He knew Baby Bun didn't mean it. She was still a baby and was being trained but she was friendly and Taehyung knew she loved him and Jungkook well enough. Over the months that had passed, Taehyung had learned to reel in his powers and even extend them past humans. He could feel animals emotions as well and it made raising Baby Bun that much easier.

 

That and so many puppies ran up to him on the street now, it was actually Heaven.

 

Poor Jiminie just happened to be the one Taehyung needed to rope into his scheme. He was good natured about it and went along with it and even tried to help him out and Taehyung appreciated it. Really, he did. Jimin was a true Bro.

 

Only thing was, Bro was awfully quiet. Like, even quieter than Jungkook had been when he had first met him. Taehyung knew right off the bat that he was tired and depressed, he had missed it when Jimin had been filled with frustration and confusion upon their first meeting in the hallway. When they made it into the classroom, Jimin was filled with surprise and more confusion, but those immediate emotions stopped Taehyung from feeling his overall emotions, the ones that didn't just come and go momentarily.

 

Like Jin could see emotions flare like colors inside someones aura, ebbing up and then fading when their emotions changed, Taehyung could feel the overlying emotions that made up a persons overall disposition as well. It was hard to miss when someone felt one particular emotion majority of the time.

 

And something was off with Jimin. 

 

He recognized this feeling on him. It was awfully similar to how Taehyung had felt when his father had first died. Except on Jimin, he felt a lot of extraneous guilt. This was something he was going to have to look into, because there was no way this was going to be easy to figure out. Jimin seemed like the private type and Taehyung knew (from experience) that those types were always difficult to figure out.

 

So, Taehyung invited him to sit and each lunch with him and Jungkook. He should've known that Jimin wouldn't have been a fan of the interrogation disguised as a 'get to know you' but it was the only way to gauge what he was working with concerning this new student. He looked interesting enough, and underneath it all Taehyung could feel the lingering bit of happiness, fun times, and hope.

 

The only way to figure out how to access those parts of Jimin was to get to know him. The only way to do that was to hang out with him and ask him questions. 

 

But after a moment, Taehyung started to feel a familiar constricting in his chest and he knew Jimin was becoming uncomfortable with them so he quickly put a stop to the onslaught of questions from him. Jungkook was still asking questions, trying to get to know him. 

 

Jungkook told him that Jimin was the boy he helped in the subway and that he liked the boy, so Taehyung understood why Jungkook was so engaged in this conversation when usually he wasn't one to try to make new friends very easily at all.

 

Then two figures walked up to their table. Namjoon and Jin. Taehyung and Jungkook smiled amiably at them and greeted them warmly. Namjoon was his usual self, but Jin was acting weird.

 

Namjoon had met Jimin earlier that morning it seemed (Apparently he had an unusual sense of style! Maybe Taehyung could sway him into the Fashionably Shredded Shirt lifestyle) and once again, Jin was being oddly quiet.

 

It was so unlike their oldest. He was a kind person, usually the first to reach a helpful hand out to another person, but all he was doing now was staring at Jimin like something was wrong with him.

 

Tuning himself into Jin's feelings, Taehyung picks up on nothing but confusion. Confusion and concern and a nervousness? What was he nervous about? Anticipation? Did he see something in Jimin that Taehyung didn't?

 

Namjoon just continued chatting on happily with Jungkook who tried to get Taehyung and Jimin into the conversation, but Taehyung was too busy watching Jin and Jimin. The later it seemed was more concerned with someone else, his eye catching something in the distance as he turns around.

 

"Hey, who's that?" Jimin asks, pointing to a boy with orange hair walking out of the cafeteria. Taehyung knew who that was. Min Yoongi. The boy with the darkest emotions Taehyung had ever felt before. The one whose entire self felt like being pulled into a soul black hole.

 

Taehyung sensed fascination. Something in Jimin reached out to Yoongi, as if being in. Taehyung narrowed his eyes between them. This was an interesting development.

 

"Who? Yoongi?" Namjoon asks. 

 

"That's Min Yoongi," Jungkook tells Jimin, "He's a fourth year."

 

"He doesn't really talk to people," Taehyung feels the need to tell him. It was true. Yoongi didn't talk to people. He was the most solitary person in this entire school. He never hung out with anybody and he always ate lunch alone somewhere outside of the cafeteria. Taehyung didn't have anything against the older boy, but being around him drained him so much that Taehyung usually avoiding going near him. Plus, it seemed like he wanted be alone. 

 

Still, Taehyung knew better than anyone else how emotions could be deceiving.

 

"He's harmless. I've had classes with him since freshman year. He doesn't cause or anything. He mostly just likes keeping to himself," Namjoon says, mostly for Jimin's benefit seeing as the rest of them already knew as much.

 

Sparing another glance at the place where Yoongi just was, Taehyung feels a prickle of guilt--his own guilt and some worming its way in from someone else. His eyes flicker to Jin, who still hasn't said a word. Taehyung wondered if Jin knew what was up with Yoongi. Was his aura as dark as his feelings? Had Jin ever gotten close enough to really see Yoongi's aura?

 

But above all else, Taehyung could smell it in the air. Jimin's curiosity. He was fascinated with Min Yoongi, maybe thinking he had found a kindred spirit. The thought was a bit concerning for Taehyung, but maybe he was worrying for nothing. After all, that was the most interest Taehyung has ever felt anyone feel towards Yoongi in a long while. Maybe it would be good for the both of them. There was certainly something Jimin was hiding and Taehyung wanted to know what. But maybe, like Yoongi, these things were best left unforced.

 

The next day Jimin came to school feeling a million times worse. Taehyung had almost gagged on the cloud of pain that surrounded him. He had walked into the classroom to find Jimin laying his face down in his arms on the table. To the unsuspecting eye, he might've looked like he was taking a quick nap, but to Taehyung, he knew that something horrible had happened to Jimin and he was not taking it well at all.

 

Taehyung knew that if he had come across Jimin any time last year when he first got his ability, that being in Jimin's presence would've made him pass out. Anyone with such intense feelings of pain like this would transfer into Taehyung's body, setting his every pain nerve on fire like he was being stabbed with a million knives and he would keel over in less than a minute.

 

Lucky he'd learned how to shield those powerful emotions away from himself, and it didn't hurt him as badly as it used to. Of course that didn't stop his knowledge of knowing just how Jimin felt. Taehyung could feel it so strongly now, he knew that taste. That taste of guilt and grief like sulfur in the air. away all the light in the room, like a black hole, Jimin looked drained. Like a ghost, sickly pale.

 

Jimin was not okay right now and Taehyung needed to do something to snap him out of his thoughts. It was the only way his swirling cloud of suffocating dust would disappear. Jungkook had entered the classroom right behind him, seeing as they had walked to school together that day, but upon seeing Jimin he stopped.

 

They walked up to him, Taehyung trying not to gasp at the lack of air surrounding him.

 

"Jimin?" Jungkook tries to get his attention.

 

His head snaps up and just as Taehyung predicted, Jimin looks like he'd died and come back and wished that he had stayed dead.

 

He knew it was useless but he still felt the need to ask ,"Hey, are you okay? Your eyes look really bloodshot."

 

That was an understatement. His eyes looked satin red and puffy from crying. , this really wasn't good. Taehyung didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to comfort the boy, especially if he didn't know what happened. His face was shiny with damp tears but he wipes them away before either of them could comment on them.

 

"Huh? I'm fine. Just tired." That was the end of that. Jungkook and Taehyung exchange a look, but Jimin pointedly ignores them, not saying anything else.

 

They both tried to get through to Jimin that day, even inviting him to lunch but their offer was declined. Jimin, more than anything, wanted to be alone right now. That much Taehyung could guess, no abilities needed. 

 

He excuses himself and walks away.

 

Taehyung and Jungkook sit by themselves at lunch. Jungkook was staring at his sandwich, looking like he was torn between a rock and a hard place.

 

"Do you think Jimin is okay?" he asks.

 

Taehyung shakes his head, "I know he's not okay."

 

"What's wrong with him, do you think?"

 

"I'm not sure," Taehyung says, that much was true, "But something really serious must of happened to him."

 

"He almost reminds me of--" Jungkook stops himself. He glances at Taehyung for a split second before going back to his food. The split second was all Taehyung needed to catch the flash of guilt and regret in Jungkook.

 

"Reminds you of who?" Taehyung asks.

 

Jungkook sighs, resigned, "He almost reminds me of you. How you were when your dad first died."

 

It had been a little over a year and a half since that happened, but it still sliced into his flesh like a butcher knife whenever he was reminded. Jungkook hated reminding him because he knew how it felt, Taehyung knew it too, but that didn't stop them from talking about it from time to time. Hell, talking about it was better than keeping it all bottled up inside. It was something he didn't want to go through ever again.

 

So he pats Jungkook's hand, silently letting him know he was forgiven for bringing it up unannounced. Besides, Jungkook actually had a good point. Jimin did remind Taehyung of how he had acted when he first lost his father. And yet, somehow Jimin was taking it much much worse.

 

"You don't think, maybe Jimin lost someone recently too?" Jungkook asks.

 

Taehyung nods, "I'm betting he did lose someone. Someone really close too."

 

He was 99% sure it was a member of his family too. Taehyung hadn't been around death and grieving that often, but he knew there was a stark difference between familial grief and romantic grief. They were both born of love, but there was a distinctly different taste to them both. Taehyung had been training himself (along with Jin's help) to distinguish each of them.

 

Jimin's grief was familial, but there was also something a little bit different mixed in. It wasn't romantic, definitely platonic (border line platonic?), but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something was up, and with each taste of Jimin's feelings, Taehyung just found himself wanting to know more and more.

 

The only person who could possibly know as much about Jimin without actually asking him was Jin.

 

Taehyung knew what he had to do.

 

******

 

"Hey hyung," Taehyung sits down on the library chair across from Jin, "How's it going?"

 

Jin narrows his eyes at him. "What are you up to, Tae?"

 

Taehyung gasps and places a hand on his chest, "Excuse me? I'm not up to anything! What ever made you think that?"

 

Jin snickers at him and gives him an Are you kidding me? look, "Your aura is yellow, meaning your in pursuit of knowledge to satisfy your curiosity. So, that means you are here to ask me something. What is it?"

 

Taehyung drops his false pretense, "Do you know what's up with Jimin?"

 

Jin raises an eyebrow and Taehyung feels his astonishment through the air. So he was right! Something was up with Jimin and Jin knew what it was.

 

"What makes you think I know anything about Jimin?" Jin asks, glancing down to read his book again.

 

"You're almost about as good as me at reading people," Taehyung starts, "Plus, when you first saw Jimin you didn't say a word to him--rude by the way--and just stared at him like a weirdo. I know you were curious about something regarding him. You were focusing on him so hard I thought you were gonna pop a lung."

 

Jin actually laughs, "Always the keen observer, aren't we Tae?"

 

Taehyung nods with a smile, "Obviously. So. Spill. What do you know about Jimin?"

 

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

 

"It wouldn't be right."

 

"So, just snooping around and asking others is 'right'?" Jin asks, "You have a skewed sense of right and wrong."

 

"Right, wrong; potato, potahto," Taehyung sing songs, "You and me have always learned things about others without having to ask. I know that something happened to Jimin and you are awfully fascinated with him. That's not a coincidence. So. Spill."

 

Jin rolls his eyes, "He's Bestowed."

 

Taehyung's jaw drops. He hadn't been expecting that at all.

 

"Are you serious?" Taehyung's eyes widen, "Why did you tell me that? What happened to your policy of absolute confidentiality?"

 

"Jimin didn't ask me not to tell anybody," Jin shrugs. Taehyung shakes his head. Talk about a skewed sense of right and wrong, "Unlike you and Namjoon who swore me to absolute secrecy with the exception of each other. Jimin didn't tell me not to tell anyone."

 

"Well, what if he just hasn't gotten around to it yet?" Taehyung asks, still dumbstruck but also a little bit irritated on Jimin's behalf, "And you just went and spilled the beans without him wanting you to!"

 

Jin rolls his eyes again, "Taehyung, just two seconds ago you were begging me to tell you all of Park Jimin's secrets. Now you're acting like I just told you I stole his ity and was spreading it around school. Calm down. It's not a crime to tell other Bestowed, as long as you don't go telling anyone else and neither does he."

 

He knew that was a jab at him and how he had been told on multiple occasions that he couldn't tell Jungkook what he was. It was a conflicting thought because some part of him wanted to tell Jungkook, but another part of him was terrified. He didn't want Jungkook to look at him like he was a freak and he knew that what he could do was indeed freakish. He knew Jungkook would think that whatever they had between them was a lie, a result of Taehyung's abilities and Taehyung was scared that it would ruin this good thing they had going on. So, in a way, the ban against telling non-bestowed about their abilities was a blessing in disguise. Or at least a curse disguised as a blessing disguised as a curse.

 

Taehyung wanted to argue farther, but knew it was useless. Instead he changes the subject, "Does he know? That he's Bestowed?"

 

Jin nods, "Yes. We talked about it yesterday."

 

"Seriously? How'd he take it?" Taehyung's curiosity was increased tenfold. 

 

"About as well as you took it when you first found out," he says.

 

"So, not well."

 

"Eh, he handled it pretty decently, I suppose."

 

"Wait," Taehyung stops, "That means that something happened to him to trigger it, right? He must've lost somebody like I did. Is that why he turned into a black hole of misery?"

 

Jin shrugs, "It's very possible. But Taehyung, these things are personal you know."

 

"I know," he nods, "It's just--I don't know, something about him...it's...it's just--"

 

"I know what you mean," Jin gives him a small smile, "I think he might have more answers than I can give about that for now. So maybe it's in your best interest to befriend him after all."

 

"I was already planning on it," Taehyung makes sure to point out. He didn't want Jin thinking he was only interested in the boy because of his abilities. "Does he know much about his own abilities? Do you know what they are?"

 

Jin sighs, running a hand over his face, "I don't think he knows much of anything. I've volunteered to help him"--of course he did, Taehyung thinks-- "but everything else is up to him to share. Let's just say that he's going to have a lot on his plate this year."

 

Taehyung groans. He knew that feeling all too well. 

 

Guess this was gonna be one hell of an interesting year.

 

******

To: Tae <3

From: Kookie ^^

Those auditions are coming up soon.

To: Kookie ^^

From: Tae <3

Awesomesauce!!!! Ur finally going to audition??? Ur gonna slay!

To: Tae <3

From: Kookie ^^

Yeah, Tae, that's the thing.

I think u should audition with me.

To: Kookie ^^

From: Tae <3

Say what now?

To: Tae <3

From: Kookie ^^

I really think u should audition with me. U have an amazing voice and ur actually a pretty good dancer. Please, Tae? Huh? Huh?

To: Kookie ^^

From: Tae <3

I don't know, Kookie...

To: Tae <3

From: Kookie ^^

Okay, how about this

U just come with me to the audition for moral support and then if it feels right, u can audition 2.

To: Kookie ^^

From: Tae <3

*sigh* Alright, alright. I'll go with u. Gosh, ur so pushy.

To: Tae <3

From: Kookie

Yes! It'll be fine. I promise! Love u!

****

When Taehyung walks into the classroom, Jungkook is already in there. There weren't many people in here and Taehyung knew the nerd in Jungkook was why he was here super early and napping on the head of the desk. Taehyung takes his seat in front of him, but turns around and scoots up to where Jungkook was. He taps on the boys head, covered by his hoodie. It was against school dress code but Jungkook liked to keep a hoodie in his backpack just for emergencies.

 

Jungkook lifts his head, eyes tired.

 

"Morning, sleepy head," Taehyung hums, with a smile, swiping his finger over Jungkook's mouth. Jungkook takes that as a sign that he was drooling. He brings his hand up and wipes it only to see that Taehyung had tricked him.

 

He was disoriented and irritated at being woken up but he was content just seeing Taehyung and the irritated feeling quickly disappears. He gives Taehyung a lazy, eyes almost closed smile that wraps around Taehyung like a fluffy blanket snuggled around him.

 

"Hey," he leans his head back down on his arm resting on the desk. He brings his other hand up and lazily it along Taehyung's upper arm near his shoulder, "Since when do you get here so early?"

 

Taehyung shrugs, "Maybe I wanted to see you."

 

"Who, me?" Jungkook chuckles, "Why would you want to see lowly ol' me?"

 

"Hmmm," Taehyung taps his chin, moving closer to Jungkook's head lying face up on the desk, "Maybe I wanted to kiss my boyfriend good morning?"

 

Jungkook scrunches his nose, "You have a boyfriend? What? Is he ugly?"

 

"Extremely," Taehyung murmurs before he presses his mouth to Jungkook's and the younger opens up to him immediately. Taehyung's hand pushes past the sides of his hood and reaches around to cup the back of it, pulling him closer. Jungkook's lower arm reaches forward and touches his knee underneath the table and his other arm cups Taehyung's cheek as he opens his mouth. 

 

They move their lips in sync with each other and Taehyung lets himself float along the stream of light air and cool water around him. He felt drawn in impossibly closer to Jungkook, like two magnets constantly reaching for each other. His stomach felt nice and warm and tingly and it was a feeling Taehyung never got used to no matter how many times he felt it in Jungkook's presence.

 

When they finally pull away, Jungkook looks up at him with the same hooded eyes but this time he looked completely awake. He his lips and bites the lower one.

 

"Mmm," he murmurs, "Your boyfriend must be one lucky bastard."

 

Taehyung chuckles, brushing Jungkook's hair back, "You wouldn't believe."

 

Jungkook actually picks himself up and sits up straight. He seems to look around the room and notices that they were alone.

 

"Oh man, you really are here early," he says, placing his hand over Taehyung's as they just rest them on the table. "What's the occasion?"

 

Taehyung shrugs, "Not sure really. I just couldn't sleep last night. Woke up really early this morning, fed Baby Bun and then had nothing to do. No Sunday cartoons on on weekdays, you know."

 

Jungkook nods, "Is everything okay?" He presses his palm to Taehyung's face. He nods.

 

"Yeah, just the usual, you know." He shrugs. Jungkooks nods again. He pulls Taehyung's hand from the table and brings it to his mouth. He kisses the back of his hand and Taehyung smiles at him. "It's fine."

 

Jungkook changes the subject, "Jimin isn't here yet?"

 

Taehyung shakes his head, "No. Actually, Kookie, that was part of what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm worried about Jimin."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"I mean," Taehyung sighs, "I don't know. He looks...really depressed don't you think?

 

Jungkook nods a little, "I guess. I'm not sure. Taehyung, we just met him. We don't really know him like that."

 

Taehyung moves closer, touching Jungkook's knee, "Yes, but--but come on Jungkook. He looked way too sad to not have something going on."

 

Jungkook sighs, "I'm not arguing with you. I agree that something is up with him, but Taehyung he seems like a really private person."

 

"Yes, but we're all friends--"

 

"Taehyung," Jungkook takes both of his hands in his, "I'm just--I'm not sure if Jimin really wants to be friends with us."

 

Taehyung stares at him right in the eyes and he could immediately tell that Jungkook truly believed it. And why would he believe otherwise? He was just going off the way Jimin had treated them since they met. They had only really hung out a few times at lunch and in those times Jimin didn't really say much. 

 

Taehyung knew in Jimin's heart he was just going through some , but Taehyung didn't know how to tell Jungkook that. 

 

"Well, shouldn't we still try regardless?" The sides of Taehyung's mouth turn down. He leans closer to Jungkook but now he was pretty sure it was because he had lost any sort of energy he might've had. "After all, where would we be if you didn't try to be my friend."

 

"Yeah, but Taehyung--"

 

Neither of them see the figure coming up in front of them.

 

It's Jimin. The both of them jump away from each other, equally startled. Jimin sits down next to them without a word.

 

"Don't stop on my account, "Jimin says when he sees that neither of them were talking either.

 

Jungkook and Taehyung look at each other, sharing a loaded stare. Jimin seems to notice. His brows furrows and Jungkook sighs, turning to Jimin.

 

"I'm sorry about that," Jungkook says, "It's just that...well, we didn't think you wanted to be friends with us."

 

Taehyung feels Jimin's shock but he still couldn't stop his own guilt at the situation. "We figured we would just leave you alone."

 

Jimin's shock intensifies and Taehyung picks up on the overall shift in his mood. He felt...different. Something had shifted inside Jimin and Taehyung was so confused to the sudden change. Had something happened?

 

Jimin turns towards both of them and Taehyung felt like he could tell what Jimin was going to say next.

 

"I'm sorry I was so off putting these past couple of days," Jimin fidgets with his hands nervously. Taehyung could tell that whatever he was going to say was going to be hard for him to admit. "The truth is, I've gone through a lot recently. I---"

 

He pauses and Taehyung feels the stab of pain in his chest and he immediately knows who it's coming from. It's so palpable and familiar that Taehyung's eyes almost start watering. Oh god.

 

"The truth is I lost my family last month. My parents and my younger brother," Jimin blurts it out, his eyes starting to water, "I moved here from Busan not because my parents got a new job. I came here to live with my aunt because she's the only family I have left."

 

It hurts. Taehyung didn't know what to do.  His body felt heavy and everything seemed to be hitting him at once. Like an exposed nerve on a broken tooth, Taehyung felt like an idiot for not recognizing the pain on Jimin earlier.

 

"How did it happen?" he asks. He immediately wishes he hadn't. What a horrible thing to ask, and yet his morbid curiosity was tugging at his insides like a twisted game of tug-of-war and he was powerless to stop his mouth. It worked faster than his brain.

 

"Tae--" Jungkook seemed to be on the same page.

 

"It's okay," Jimin answers, to Taehyung's surprise, "this is actually the first time I've talked about it since it happened. It might be a good thing to finally talk about it. I think. It was a car accident." As an afterthought he adds, "You know how monsoon season is."

 

Taehyung feels the nausea rise in Jimin and he holds himself back from asking anymore when Jimin stops talking. He was simultaneously trying not to focus on Jimin's feelings and trying to get more in tuned to him at the same time. The grief was too strong and Taehyung couldn't feel that right now. He was still sensitive to familial grief. It always reminded him of his own and brought him to his knees.

 

"Thank you for telling us," Taehyung says suddenly. Jimin looks up at him. Taehyung doesn't know why he was saying this, but he goes on.

 

 "Um," Taehyung bites his bottom lip, "my dad died last year...I was really close to him and it was really rough for a long time. I didn't talk to anyone for a while. But then I met Kookie here and he helped me out. He helped me see that I shouldn't dwell on the pain. I should try to be happy as much as I possibly can. Otherwise I might as well be dead too."

 

Taehyung knows that Jimin had not been expecting him to say that. It was clear as day on his face.  But wasn't clear on his face, but was to Taehyung was that in that very moment Jimin started to feel connected to him. To them. He feels it clearly now that he was focusing on it.

 

Jimin empathized with him. And he was started to feel something almost like kinship towards them. It was oddly strong and it left Taehyung's mind reeling. How did this feeling show up so suddenly? Taehyung couldn't detect it on him before but now he could. 

 

"If you want," Jungkook says, "we'll be your friends....and we'll help you out as much as we can."

 

Taehyung smiles. He knew he could always count on Jungkook to do exactly the right thing at that moment.

 

"Besides," Taehyung adds, breaking the tension and trying to change the mood, "your face is too cute and your cheeks are too chubby to be frowning all the time."

 

Unable to stop himself, Taehyung reaches over them and grabs Jimin's cheeks between his hands and squishes them. Jimin was soft and his light laugh that comes out fills Taehyung with a certain hope. Jungkook bumps his shoulder with Jimin and the newest among them gives them both the most genuine smile either of them had either seen him.

 

He looked like an angel. Taehyung hoped that he could make Jimin smile a lot more often in the future.

 

******

 

Taehyung couldn't believe they were actually at a club right now. He'd wanted to go to a karaoke bar but Namjoon had stepped in and suggested they go to a club to see this rapper who was supposed to be amazing. Taehyung wasn't complaining. He loved rappers! He'd always held such respect for rappers because it wasn't an easy craft to master. Taehyung knew. He'd tried. And failed.

 

He knew Namjoon was a pretty good rapper and if someone else had beaten him, he wanted to see who. Namjoon wasn't participating this time around but apparently the guy who beat him was. Jimin had seemed eager to go too. Taehyung couldn't say no after that. 

 

Taehyung and Jungkook went to the club separately from everyone else. He was pretty sure Jin and Namjoon were picking up Jimin in Jin's car and the two of them were left outside of the club to wait in line and save a spot for them.

 

Taehyung, honestly, was super bored. There was nothing to do just standing in line and they could hear the music from the inside. Taehyung bounced in place, moving his body to the rhythm.  Sometime later, not even sure why it came to mind, he notices that the two moles on his arm kinda looked like an elephant when he pinched them together.

 

"Look Jungkook, I have an elephant on my arm!" 

 

Jungkook laughed and amused him but somehow this was the greatest discovery to him since string cheese.

 

"I'm telling you Kookie, it's an elephant," Taehyung smiles and practically jumps on Jungkook, grabbing out for his arm, "You probably have one somewhere too, let me look!"

 

Jungkook pulls away, feeling awkward but still playfully indulging him. "I don't. And if I do, it's probably on my leg or something."

 

"Where on your leg?" Taehyung asks, "Upper leg or lower leg? Show me!"

 

Taehyung actually moves to duck down and look, but Jungkook pulls him back up, "Yah! Tae!"

 

"Come on, Kookie, please show me your elephant!"

 

Namjoon jumps in out of absolutely nowhere and says, "Um, please don't whip anything out in public please. I don't feel like seeing anyone's elephant right now."

 

"NO, HYUNG THAT'S NOT WHAT HE MEANT!" Jungkook nearly screeches, his face horrified and a little red and behind him Namjoon, Jin and Jimin all start to laugh.

 

Instead of indulging Namjoon in his erted talk and trying his best to draw the attention away from Jungkook's flustered self, Taehyung ignores them all. He focuses back on the moles on his arm.

 

"See, that's my elephant," Taehyung explains to Jimin who was feeling awkward, "Jungkook has an elephant on his leg too but he won't show me."

 

"I'm sure he would just love to show you his elephant," Namjoon mumbles so low that most of them couldn't hear him. Jungkook and Jin did however and Jungkook buries his face in his hands at the same time Jin smacks him on the arm and calls him a ert.

 

Soon after they head inside, Taehyung felt oddly stiff. He wondered if it was because Jungkook's mind was so focused on the words Namjoon had said earlier. Jungkook had turned red and he'd been flustered from the outside but nobody else but Taehyung could tell that he was actually nervous. 

 

As a personal rule, Taehyung often tried not to focus too much on Jungkook's emotions. He gave him privacy whenever he could because he knew how invasive it was to always be aware of everything Jungkook was feeling. With mundane feelings, Taehyung tried his best to tune Jungkook out. But sometimes, Jungkook's feelings were just too strong to ignore.

 

He was too connected to Jungkook to ignore him entirely, especially not when his feelings were screaming so loud it hurt Taehyung's eardrums. 

 

What Taehyung was feeling from Jungkook was an odd mixture of nerves and...desire? But what was he desiring, Taehyung didn't understand. Jungkook turns and looks at him, giving him a nervous smile but at the same time looking his entire body up and down with appreciative eyes. Attraction. He--oh.

 

Oh. 

 

See, Taehyung and Jungkook had been together for almost a year and a half now and things were going great. To be honest, he'd never been happier in his life despite his constant struggle to go on every day missing his dad. Jungkook made it that much easier. He made the days that started off bleak look just that much brighter and Taehyung was beyond grateful to have him in his life.

 

They'd never gone beyond intense making out. Taehyung's mom was often working and so was Jungkook's, so whenever Jungkook came over they were usually alone. Despite being together, they didn't really do much expect hang out like normal friends. They played video games and sometimes they played their insturments or watched tv or walked to the burger shop a little down the street.  Once they cooked together because his mom wasn't coming home till really late. But sometimes they would be at home sitting close together on the couch or side by side on one of their beds and the air would get intense around them and they were powerless to stop the gravity pulling them together. 

 

When that happened Taehyung found himself losing all his cares. He just kissed Jungkook's lips, sometimes lying on top of him, sometimes underneath him, sometimes sitting up just grasping each other's arms and hips. Jungkook would kiss under his chin and all the way to his ear and Taehyung would just gasp and let the feelings take over him. He didn't bother trying to distinguish whose emotions were whose in those moments. He knew they were practically the same. Felt one and the same. It was one of the few times Taehyung felt completely still and at rest.

 

They would be moving together, but inside himself, he felt like for once he wasn't constantly trying to juggle one familiar set of emotions and a whole other set of unfamiliar ones. When he was kissing Jungkook, holding each other in their arms and just pressing themselves together so close that there was not even a inch of space left between them, his world seemed to calm. 

 

Taehyung could feel Jungkook wanting him right now. But this was somehow different from those times. Usually, after a while they would both calm down, having gone no further than passionate kissing and they would go back to just being with each other and hanging around. They'd never done anything remotely ual with each other. But now, he could feel the thought growing steadily in the younger, making him stare at Taehyung with intense eyes and the sweet aroma of arousal drifting in the air from Jungkook to Taehyung. 

 

Since when had the smell of arousal make his stomach erupt into butterflies? Since when did Jungkook's eyes on him suddenly make him feel hot all over. It was a strange feeling of need inside him and it was making Taehyung feel weird. Not, the bad kind of weird but just, strange. He was no stranger to desire, but he'd never once felt such strong desire towards another person before. One that was even beyond just a purely physical connection.

 

They were both slightly distracted when the rappers came onstage. The adrenaline pumping through nearly everyone in the club, felt like a shot of energy through his bloodstream. Everyone felt on top of the world, especially when a rapper named Zelo battled Suga. Suga was the rapper they had come to see, according to Namjoon and Taehyung had to say that he didn't disappoint. In fact, he went so hard that Taehyung almost felt his spirit lifting out of his body--it was so intense. The song that Suga rapped quickly became Taehyung's new favorite and he was already feeling so out of his mind that when Jungkook mentioned that Suga looked familiar and was actually Min Yoongi, the school loner, Taehyung had no cares in the world. If Yoongi was Suga, then he was amazing in his book.

 

A dance battle began as well and this amazing dancer wowed the crowd with his sharp moves. It was almost mesmerizing. Taehyung only wished he could dance like that, and after a while he saw Jimin talking to Yoongi. Ohohoho, interesting. Every time Taehyung saw Jimin look at Yoongi, Jimin's interest skyrocketed, as did his heart rate. Taehyung wondered if the boy had a crush on the mysterious lonesome rapper. Taehyung was shocked that Yoongi was even talking to him.

 

It didn't really matter to him because he was just so excited. His adrenaline was running on high and he wasn't thinking straight. He felt like he had been drinking a million different flavors of emotional cocktails and if his words weren't slurring before they were now. Taehyung drags Jungkook up to the pair of shy boys speaking to each other.

 

"Hi, Yoongi-sunbae!" Taehyung squeals, "Your song was awesome--oh, it seems like you met Jimin-ah here. He asked us about you on his first day here."

 

Jimin and Jungkook smack Taehyung across the shoulder at the same time. Yoongi just looks at Jimin and smirks with a hint of glee in his eyes while Jimin just looks down in shame. Taehyung was basking in it. He could feel the attraction buzzing in the air and it was making him delirious. Jimin and Yoongi definitely had a thing for each other, which almost made Taehyung giggle. It was so strong already and Taehyung didn't get it. They barely knew each other and yet their every emotion seemed to be bouncing off each other. It was odd, but so fascinating.

 

Jungkook introduces himself and Taehyung. Yoongi bows at them and introduces himself as well. He asks them, too, if they could kindly keep what he does here a secret from everyone else at school. He doesn't want it getting out to everyone. He was unsettled. Taehyung didn't understand why he was unsettled. 

 

Taehyung thought that was a little bit weird. But he could understand wanting to keep some things hidden, some things private. They all agreed and were about to move on to another topic when suddenly another song comes on.

 

"Jiminie!" Taehyung shouts, "You should go do the dance circle thing like that other guy did!"

 

"Yeah, Jimin!" Jungkook adds enthusiastically, "You haven't shown us how you dance yet, so go show us your moves!"

 

Jimin's anxiety shot up and Taehyung breifly wondered if maybe he should retract his statement. He didn't want to force the boy to do something he didn't want to do.

 

But then Yoongi whispers something to Jimin, so low that Taehyung couldn't hear. All Taehyung knew was that Yoongi had a huge wall up around him. He felt no major emotions coming from him at all except for two, curiosity and something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Coming from Yoongi, it wasn't just aimed towards Jimin like his captivation, but something aimed at him and Jungkook as well. It was strange and Taehyung didn't know what to make of it.

 

He was desperately trying to get a read on Yoongi--this being the first time he's ever had enough time and been close enough to do so--but he kept hitting a sort of mental block. It was malleable, pressing out but then being shoved back in, like something was yanking it back. Taehyung tried to block everyone else out and focus on Yoongi, but it was difficult, especially in a place like this.

 

Whatever it is that Yoongi was holding back breaks free for only the shortest of seconds, but then it's pulled back so instantly that it almost cracked. Taehyung had felt it, the insane amount of struggle battling in Yoongi. Intense fear that once Taehyung tasted for only a moment, but now could smell it on him at every turn. 

 

Jungkook is the one who ends up pushing for Jimin to go and dance and eventually, Jimin does. Taehyung was absolutely blown away by Jimin's dance ability. The boy was a ing machine on the dance floor and yet he moved with this impossible grace. 

 

His attention was diverted and he lost track of the hold he had on Yoongi.  He wondered if he would ever have a chance to talk to the orange haired rapper ever again.

 

~~~~~

 

Taehyung ends up bailing on him for the auditions. Jungkook tried to hide his disappointment. He didn't want to guilt trip Taehyung into doing something with him, if it really wasn't something he wanted to do. 

 

He asked him to come with him for support, saying he didn't have to audition, but Taehyung had said that if he went he'd be tempted. Jungkook didn't understand why Taehyung was so against auditioning if something inside him actually wanted to. It didn't make sense.

 

Nevertheless, he didn't push his boyfriend. Taehyung had his reasons. Jungkook knew that even though they had been dating this long, Taehyung still had some secrets. Even though Jungkook had long since known that he was completely and utterly in love with him, he didn't know everything about Taehyung. He had come to accept it. Taehyung had his reasons and boundaries and Jungkook had to respect those. 

 

It hurt, especially seeing as Jungkook desperately wanted to be closer to Taehyung. He was his own private sun in the middle of a cloudy sky, but that meant that sometimes Jungkook had to look away and give him his space. Still, he knew that in the long run he didn't care as long as Taehyung still loved him and wanted to be with him. If there was one thing he was sure of it was despite Taehyung's secrets, he held equally as strong feelings for him. Jungkook didn't know how he knew it, but he knew it.

 

So, he goes to the auditions alone. He texts Taehyung the entire time and he does his best to calm him. Taehyung always had this comforting presence. Jungkook didn't know how he did it. Somehow he just always knew how he was feeling and he would know exactly what to do to make him feel better. Sometimes, that was just sitting with him in silence and breathing together. Sometimes, it was kissing him senseless until they were both breathing hard but Jungkook felt immensely better.

 

He ignores all the other people here to audition. Most of them are standing, stretching or doing vocal exercises. Jungkook would, but he was nervous as and he had already done as much as he could to warm up before coming here.

 

By the time he was called in, he was completely on edge. But then he got another text from Taehyung moments before he entered the room.

 

To: Kookie ^^

From: Tae <3

You got this, baby. Knock 'em dead. I love you.

 

Just reading that and hearing Taehyung's voice in his head lessens the tension in his shoulders. He rolls them once, cracks his neck to the side and takes two deep breaths. He goes inside and heads to the middle of the makeshift stage. He bows to the judges. Off to the side are a few other people who he doesn't know, but he's pretty sure they aren't judges. Maybe they were trainees? Even if they weren't the judges, he knew they were still going to be judging him.

 

Might as well give them a show.

 

After he finishes, the room is quiet and no one says a word. Jungkook starts to panic, thinking he'd ed up but then one of the younger people watching from the sidelines starts to clap and suddenly they're all clapping.

 

The judges clear their throats and tell him that they'll let him know whether he was accepted or not within the next couple of weeks. As he walking out, the dancer who'd started the round of applause comes up to him.

 

"Nice job, kid," the man with the familiar face says. Had Jungkook seen him somewhere before? "You'll get in for sure."

 

He says it with such conviction, like he knew for absolute certain and it makes Jungkook's excitement shoot from his very fingertips. The boy then walks away and goes back to where he was watching the other auditions. Jungkook leaves the company with a huge smile on his face. 

 

He couldn't wait to tell Taehyung.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Jimin hangs out with them a lot more often now. Taehyung was happy that they were all becoming closer friends. The more Jimin hung out with them, the easier it was to pick up on his feelings. 

 

Jimin didn't like to talk that much about what was going on with him, but Taehyung knew it had something to do with his bestowed abilities. He had been so stressed when he had first gotten his and he knew that Jimin must be struggling too. He wished that he could reach out to the boy, but Taehyung couldn't tell him about his own abilities. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, but it was imperative that Jungkook not find out.

 

Taehyung didn't know what the Bestowed community was like. According to Jin, they were just a group of old people, some of who lived with each other but most lived scattered around the country and they all kept track of every Bestowed person in their area. The area which consisted of everyone in the country. Apparently, there really weren't that many bestowed people to begin with and a large amount of them lived in Seoul. There was another branch that lived on the countryside and they communicated usually. But they were strict, according to Jin. 

 

Non-Bestowed people who knew about the Bestowed were few. Only a few as far as he knew. They were specially chosen, haven been from a parent or both who was Bestowed but didn't actually become Bestowed themselves. Being Bestowed was not a genetic thing, like Taehyung initially thought. Jin had confused him entirely.

 

Jin happened to come from a long line of Bestowed because apparently most Bestowed people didn't like to marry non-bestowed people. It meant having to hide themselves and their secrets and they didn't want that. Because of that, Bestowed couples were common. If they had children, they were not automatically born Bestowed but they had a higher likelihood of becoming one. They knew of the community and what it was, but the children were only Bestowed if they were chosen. It wasn't an automatic blood lineage thing like Taehyung had thought.

 

Jin's parents had become Bestowed long before they met each other. When they got married, they had his older brother and he hadn't become Bestowed until he was 24 years old. Jin, on the other hand, became one when he was just six years old. Taehyung didn't know much about what happened to Jin or his family, but he did say that sometimes being aware of their potential abilities made them more susceptible to getting them. According to him, sometimes children got their bestowed abilities during puberty. Taehyung thought that was a bit far fetched, but whatever.

 

Still, there were children born to Bestowed parents who never got any abilities. They were the only ones who were allowed to know of the community. And they kept tabs on everyone. Taehyung hated this paranoid feeling that he had that if he even so much as whispered a word to Jungkook, that something bad would happen. 

 

Jin had said that they were strict enforcers but there was really not much they could do once the human found out. Still, Taehyung was worried. The Bestowed weren't the only reason why he knew he couldn't tell Jungkook about him. 

 

Jungkook would lose all trust in him if he found out. He would never be open around him anymore. He would constantly be suspicious of Taehyung trying to read his emotions and even if he said he wouldn't Taehyung knew that sometime in the future, the younger boy would grow to resent Taehyung's abilities. 

 

This was the reason most Bestowed married other people with abilities. There was no need to hide, nor was their fear of judgement or an imbalanced power dynamic. 

 

Taehyung worried over this every day.  He wondered if he would ever truly be able to be completely honest with Jungkook. That was all he ever wanted.

 

One day, Jimin invites Yoongi to sit with them at lunch. Taehyung watches Jimin get up and go over to Yoongi in the lunch line and practically give him mooney puppy dog eyes to get him to come eat with them. 

 

As Yoongi comes closer, the apprehension becomes more palpable. Yoongi wasn't the slightest bit comfortable and Taehyung guessed he could understand him. This was probably his first time eating lunch with another person at this school. And he wasn't eating it with one person, like Jimin, but with all of them. Five new people to get used to.

 

Taehyung feels Yoongi's bashfulness when they start to compliment him on his rapping the other night, and it would be cute if his face hadn't have just been the picture of placid.

 

The others chat happily, bringing him into the conversation every now and then. Yoongi almost smiles when he comes to find out that he and Namjoon seem to have a lot to talk about because Namjoon continues to ask him questions about his rapping and Yoongi finds out that Namjoon is into rapping as well. That seems to help put him at ease. 

 

Things seem to be going relatively okay until Namjoon mentions the annual class trip to Busan. Jimin immediately seemed uncomfortable and Taehyung knew why. Jimin was from Busan and that was where his family died. It was understandable that he didn't want to go back. Even still, Jimin's reaction was nothing compared to Yoongi's when Namjoon asked if he would be joining them.

 

The attack comes quickly. A dark sickening sinking feeling in his stomach that Taehyung initially confuses with nausea. Taehyung immediately stops eating. It inches over to him, seeping through the air like a toxic gas that only he was breathing in. That's when Taehyung feels the pain prickling in his fingers and toes. Almost along every part of his skin.

 

What the hell was happening?

 

He looks up at Yoongi across the table.

 

Yoongi was the boy from the bathroom a few years ago. The boy whose emotions were so horrid that Taehyung had to run out of the bathroom before he threw up and passed out from the sure force of it all. 

 

It felt the same now. The same pain, the same burning itch for something to burst. The gooey substance was fighting harder than ever before to keep the tentacles from reaching and breaking out. Yoongi was fighting for control right now and Taehyung was helpless to do nothing but sit and watch it unfold.

 

The pure unadulterated fear was so overwhelming, Taehyung started to feel himself get dizzy. He wasn't sure when he stopped breathing. He couldn't even speak, his wind pipe was blocked.

 

"Yoongi," Jimin's voice breaks through the air and immediately snaps Yoongi out of whatever panicked trance he was in. Taehyung's concentration snaps too and his eyes lock onto their conjoined hands. 

 

"Hey, are you okay man?" It's Namjoon who asks this and Yoongi momentarily unlocks his gaze from Jimin's. He clears his throat. Taehyung's eyes find their way to Jin's and the older gives him a look.

 

"Um, yeah, I'm fine--just, yeah, sorry," Yoongi answers meekly. Yoongi lifts his gaze up and spots the heated stare of Jin sitting right across from him. He gives him a hard stare.

 

In the end, both Jimin and Yoongi decide to go on the trip with them, both only saying yes so the other would go. Yoongi's lame excuse about his roommate didn't even deter them, Taehyung telling him to just invite him along since they could actually take guests. It looked like they were going to meet a new person. 

 

Despite Yoongi's hesitations an his thoughts that his scholarship student status would mess up the plan, they still agreed.

 

Taehyung decided to keep his eye on Yoongi from here on out. His emotions were way too volatile. Jin had noticed too. He had a brief thought. Was it possible that Yoongi was Bestowed? He very well could be and the bleak intense emotions he felt were caused by his ability. 

 

But if Yoongi was really Bestowed then that meant that nearly everyone in their group was also Bestowed. Jin, Namjoon, Jimin, Yoongi and him. That meant that Jungkook was the only non-bestowed left. The thought caused a sinking feeling in his stomach.

 

He was not only lying to him about his own ability but about the abilities of every single one of their friends too. 

 

Taehyung was beginning to think that he'd never find any peace over this situation. Maybe telling him would be the best thing for everybody. Just see how he reacts and then go from there. But then again, Taehyung was selfish. He would do anything if it meant not losing Jungkook.

 

But not telling him the truth would be worse. Now that it was most likely that all of them had abilities, that meant it would be harder to keep them from Jungkook. If someone slipped and Jungkook found out, not only would he be in hot water but he would be furious at Taehyung for not telling him, for lying to him. 

 

Either way, Jungkook was going to hate him for lying all this time. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place and he was pretty sure it would be better if the rock just smashed him against the hard place until he was completely crushed.

 

When the weekend finally rolls around and they head off to Busan, that's when the interesting things started to happen.

 

Starting with Yoongi's roommate and apparent best friend, Jung Hoseok.

 

The rest of them are already there by the time Yoongi and Hoseok stroll up. Taehyung recognizes him as the dancer from the club. 

 

"Hi, everyone! I'm Jung Hoseok, Yoongi's roommate and BFF for life," Hoseok introduces himself with his usual wide grin, even throwing in a comical V pose in the air. Yoongi groans. Taehyung smiles widely. Oh boy, Hoseok was his kind of guy!

 

Jimin tells the group how Hoseok is a dancer and a rapper as well, and this gains the interest of both Jungkook and Namjoon in turn. Taehyung takes an instant liking to the guy. He was funny and lively and his emotions were clear as day.

 

His curiosity tasted like cotton candy. His joviality tasted like sweet strawberries. He swept Taehyung in and it was impossible not to like him.

 

His calculation, on the other hand, was a surprise. His eyes trailed over every single one of them, studying them intensely and then flickering over to Yoongi as if communicating something with his eyes. 

 

Taehyung looked to Yoongi. More and more was he becoming convinced that Yoongi was Bestowed. He wasn't sure what exactly his ability was, but there had to be something. Just like how Taehyung had had an inkling with Jimin, it was the same with Yoongi except stronger. Yoongi's emotions were stronger than Jimin's if that was even possible. Yoongi was packing a lot more disturbance behind his mask than any of them could tell.

 

Hoseok's eyes land on him and he smiles. 

 

Don't react. I see you have  abilities as well. You're an empath, I see. And a powerful one too. It's nice to meet you, Taehyung.

 

Taehyung's eyes widen. Hoseok's voice was in his head. Holy . How was he doing this?

 

I'm a telepath. I can read minds and project my own thoughts. Seems like almost every single one of us here is Bestowed. Except Jungkook and Namjoon.

 

Taehyung's eyes widen even more but he quickly rearranges his face, sure to make sure no one notices anything weird with him.

 

You're bestowed too?

 

Hoseok nods but it almost looks like he's nodding to something Namjoon's said to him. Taehyung somehow knows it for him though.

 

We're both Bestowed. Hoseok smiles at him, but it seems like not all of us know about you. 

 

Please don't tell anyone, Taehyung begs in his head, knowing Hoseok would hear him. Don't tell Jungkook.

 

He doesn't know if Hoseok could tell just how terrified he was right now, but he somehow felt like Telepaths might be just as perceptive as he was. His eyes flicker to Jungkook's face and he thinks about everything he would lose if Jungkook found out. 

 

He would lose Jungkook and at this point, Jungkook practically was his everything.

 

I see.  Hoseok crosses his arms. Your boyfriend is non-bestowed. You can't really tell him anything. That must be hard.

 

Taehyung nods and he forces his eyes not to water. It was so ing hard not to tell him. Half of him was constantly pushing at him to just tell Jungkook and get it over with. The other half was a coward and terrified.

 

Hoseok's eyes flicker back and forth between him and Jungkook and then he looks over to Yoongi and Jin and Namjoon and Jimin. Taehyung wondered if he was reading all of their minds too. Perhaps even having conversations with them? The man seemed to be taking in so much information at one time. How did he not just completely short-circuit?

 

Hoseok looks back at him as if hearing him and gives him a wink. Taehyung smiles back, feeling just a little bit more relaxed around Hoseok. For some reason, he knew deep inside him that Hoseok wasn't going to tell Jungkook. Or maybe it was the integrity he felt radiating from the older boy like the suns rays shining down on plants. 

 

Hoseok seems to go back to focusing on Yoongi and, Jimin? Taehyung eyes them. Hoseok raises an eyebrow in Yoongi's direction and the older gives him a dirty look. That's what finally cements it in Taehyung's head. Yoongi had to be bestowed if he knew of Hoseok's ability. 

 

Taehyung focuses on Yoongi. The older is anxious, but that wasn't anything surprising to Taehyung anymore. He was getting better at not letting other people's emotions affect him. It used to be the hardest thing for him but he'd practiced hard and somehow he'd gotten the hang of it. 

 

The more familiar Taehyung was with the person and their emotions, the easier it was to keep their emotions separate. The longer time he spent in Yoongi's presence, the easier it was to stop his crippling feelings from affecting him too much.

 

Yet today the anxiety seemed to be about something else. Taehyung looked back and forth between Jimin and Yoongi. The two were gravitating towards each other even more and Jimin was looking at Yoongi with stars in his eyes. Yoongi was doing a better job at masking his own thoughts but it was clear as day to Taehyung that the older was resisting to reach out and touch Jimin's hand or his face or anything. The older was craving Jimin and somehow Taehyung knew that something had shifted between them and their feelings for each other had gotten stronger. Taehyung wondered if either of them had confessed to the other yet. Based on the nervous air around the both of them, Taehyung guessed that the answer was a big fat no.

 

Despite the smile Jimin had on his face, his entire being was laced with confusion and guilt. Taehyung was so curious. He almost wished he had Hoseok's power so he could know just why everyone felt the way they did.

 

Maybe the two of them could become an unstoppable duo if they combined their abilities.

 

When they finally reached the beach, the group of them set off for the water. Taehyung lets himself let loose and tries his best to put the thoughts of fear away from his mind. This was his chance to really have some fun and relax with his boyfriend and that's what he wanted to do.

 

They quickly change in their little bungalow and sprint out to the beach. Jin, Namjoon and Yoongi hang back and lounge on the chairs, the old geezers. The rest of them dive into the water.

 

"Oh Ho-ho-holy !" Taehyung stutters as he pops out of the water, "It's freezing!"

 

Jungkook laughs and splashes him with water right in his face. "Yah!"

 

He takes off in a sprint in the other direction but the water slows him down. Taehyung laughs and runs after him. Somehow Jimin becomes Jungkook's next victim. He completely picks Jimin up bridal style and throws him into the water with a shriek. Hoseok laughs loudly and Jungkook sets his sights on him. Taehyung laughs at the terrified look on Hoseok's face. 

 

He screams his head off as Jungkook chases him through the water. They play a game of chicken and Hoseok and Jimin lose. Taehyung and Jungkook do their secret handshake as their victory dance and the others roll their eyes and laugh at them. They start to make sandcastles on the beach, like little children. He was having a great time already.

 

He only stops playing when he feels the sudden surge in panic from behind him. Yoongi's entire body was stiff and drenched with sweat. It seemed everyone noticed the exact moment something went wrong, for all eyes were on their small hyung. 

 

Hoseok immediately gets up and goes over to him, saying something that makes Yoongi shake his head. Jimin had shot straight to his feet, looking right at Yoongi. He was debating whether or not to go to him, that much was clear. The panic increases in Yoongi and he takes off down the beach and back into their bungalow to everyone's shock. Jungkook looks at him in confusion.

 

"What just happened?"

 

Taehyung shakes his head, knowing he's lying, "I have no idea."

 

He had some idea, but with Jimin here, Taehyung felt pretty confident that Yoongi was in good hands.

 

*****

 

Later that night, Taehyung and Jungkook get ready for bed. They were sharing a room with each other. There were three rooms in the bungalow. Namjoon and Jin had taken one, despite Jin's complaints that Namjoon snored like a wood chipper. Yoongi and Hoseok had taken the other room and Jimin had yielded the third room to him and Jungkook in favor of the couch.

 

They had gotten ready using the single bathroom in the entire bungalow and by the time Taehyung was finished, Jungkook was already lying in bed reading a manhwa on his phone.

 

Taehyung gets into the bed and snuggles up against Jungkook's side. Jungkook was entirely engrossed in his manhwa and Taehyung also felt like just kicking back and relaxing. Maybe he would read his own manhwa on his phone. He pulls it out and starts back up where he left off.

 

Later on, some hours later into the night with the lights turned off and no noise in the rest of the house with the rest of the guys retiring to their room, Jungkook puts his phone down. He turns to Taehyung who just hums in response . He was almost done with this chapter.

 

Jungkook ends up pushing the phone out of his hand and wraps an arm around his middle. Taehyung acquiesces to Jungkook's whining command to pay attention to him and he puts his phone away. 

 

"You're so annoying," Taehyung mutters and then readjusts his pillow behind him and then lays half on it and half on Jungkook, wrapping his own arm around Jungkook's waist. He kisses the skin of Jungkook's arm that rests near his head. This wasn't the first time they had slept together in the same bed, but it was their first time in a place that wasn't one of their rooms. It almost felt like a little vacation for them and Taehyung was loving it. He could hear the ocean from their room and it was soothing in the dark of the night. 

 

He wasn't even sure what time it was anymore. He didn't want to look at his phone anymore but he was sure it was sometime after midnight. Jungkook pulls him closer to his chest and kisses his chin.

 

"Mmmm," Taehyung murmurs out, content. Jungkook doesn't really say anything in particular back, but kisses his chin again and his neck. Taehyung arches his neck with a sigh and lets Jungkook along the sensitive skin underneath. Jungkook pushes himself up father and his one hand goes to stretch around his waist. His fingers push up along his shirt and Taehyung shivers when the burning warmth of Jungkook's fingers meet the cool skin of his waist.

 

The air was hot around them and when Jungkook moves his lips up to kiss Taehyung's lips, he was powerless to resist the desire between them. He opens his mouth, welcoming Jungkook's sly and searching tongue. His lips press into his, kissing him slowly and sensually and Taehyung completely loses himself in it.

 

Jungkook inches himself on top of Taehyung agonizing slowly and he welcomes the pressure on top of him. It felt good having Jungkook on top of him and he wrapped his arms tightly around Jungkook's waist, wanting to just squeeze him tight and never let him go.

 

The only sounds in the room were the sounds of Taehyung's blood pumping to the rhythm of his pulse and the faint sounds of lips smacking against each other, especially as their kisses got more frenzied. Taehyung found himself arching up into Jungkook's touch, spreading his legs to allow the younger to make himself more comfortable in his lap. 

 

Jungkook's other hand comes up to cup his face and spreads up through his hair, making Taehyung purr. Jungkook does the thing he knows Taehyung likes and scratches lightly over his scalp, leaving just the tiniest bit of sting there that felt more pleasurable than painful. Jungkook used to do this a lot in public but Taehyung had to ask him not to because it made him weak in the knees and he would probably pounce on the younger right there in the middle of the busy street or on the packed bus. Jungkook usually said something cheesy at times like this and Taehyung would have to practically shove him in front of a bus to get him to stop saying embarrassing things.

 

But at times like these, the scratches were beyond welcome. It made Taehyung's toes curl and the feeling makes his knees lock up so he has to raise them on either side of Jungkook's slender waist.

 

Jungkook detaches from his lips with a low growl in his chest and Taehyung feels something raw stir in his stomach. He feels himself lifting off the pillow, pushing himself closer and closer to Jungkook, seeking out his heat so desperately that his mind goes completely blank of every feeling except the pure love and desire that they were both spilling into and over each other.

 

But even more than the desire, there was a taste behind each of Jungkook's kisses that left his mind spinning with something much deeper than anything physical.

 

Taehyung could feel it so strongly now. Jungkook was so in love with him. So much so that it was actually making tears prickle in his shut eyes. He needed to see Jungkook right now. He opens his eyes and see's Jungkook's face hovering over his and kissing him deeply. 

 

Taehyung loved him so much. Jungkook was so in love with him and it was killing him knowing this and knowing that he was hiding such a huge part of who he was from him. Taehyung had never wanted to tell Jungkook everything more than he did in that very moment.

 

He was disgusted with himself. Why did he have this stupid ability if it meant he had to hide himself from the one he loved? He hated it. 

 

As if sensing Taehyung's discomfort by his sudden lack of movement, Jungkook stops kissing him and pulls away.

 

"Tae?" Jungkook whispers, touching his cheek lightly, "Are you okay, baby?"

 

Taehyung swallows around the painful lump in his throat. His vision was starting to get glassy and he could feel the words on the tip of his tongue. He was going to do it. He couldn't hold back anymore. It was just too much for him. He was throwing the consequences to the wind, he was going to tell Jungkook everything.

 

His mouth was open and the words were caught in his throat, "I-I-"

 

He felt paralyzed underneath him, and Jungkook looking at him with such concern, his touch so gentle. Taehyung was seriously going to start sobbing. He couldn't believe that he allowed this to happen.

 

"Tae?"

 

Taehyung swallows again, "Jungkook, I--"

 

A loud slamming startles them both apart. From outside their room they hear a loud voice yelling throughout the bungalow and telling them to wake up.

 

Jungkook and Taehyung both sat up with a start. What the hell was going on? They rush out of the room and find Yoongi half carrying in Jimin's limp body with the help from Jin.

 

"What the hell happened?" Jungkook asks as both of them rush forward to help.

 

"Jimin fainted on the beach," Yoongi tells them, his worry rushing out of him in intense bursts of breath. " We need to take him to the hospital! Somebody call a--"

 

Jin butts in, "Yoongi, stop! Take a deep breath. Let's put Jimin on the couch first."

 

Yoongi is reluctant to let go of Jimin, but he does in the end, when Jin and Namjoon forcefully take him and lay him on the couch. Hoseok stands behind Yoongi, his face pale and worried. 

 

"We don't have time for this! We need to get him to the hospital!"

 

"Yoongi, he's probably just fainted from exhaustion or from being in the hospital all day," Jin tries to reason with him.

 

"That's bull and you know it!"

 

Taehyung freezes. Oh . What was Yoongi saying? The older boy was so on edge, his emotions were flying everywhere. Taehyung was surprised he hadn't had a breakdown yet seeing as every time Yoongi so much as lost focus his head would swarm with bleak nothingness.

 

Jin gives him a hard look and Taehyung was certain he was trying to communicate something without saying it out loud. "You're overreacting. You know why it is that Jimin fainted so let's not be rash. We should wait till morning and he'll probably wake up naturally."

 

"It's not that Jin, I'm serious. He doesn't just faint out of nowhere, that's not how it works--"

 

"When you're emotionally exhausted of course that's how it works!" Jin argues back, "You aren't an expert on Jimin's condition so really all of us need to just calm down and think about this rationally."

 

Yoongi is eerily quiet. He's internally seething. To the eye, it would just seem like Yoongi's face had gone entirely blank, but in reality, the boy was doing everything possible not to beat Jin's and force them to help him take Jimin to the hospital.

 

"W-Will he be okay?" Jungkook asks from beside him. Taehyung reaches out to take his hand like an instinctive reflex.

 

Jin nods, sighing at Yoongi's rigid form and rubbing his temples, "I have faith that he'll wake up tomorrow morning and be just fine."

 

His words don't seem to appease anyone but slowly they start going back to their rooms. Hoseok disappears after whispering something in Yoongi's ear. Namjoon and Jin go back into their room and soon Jungkook and Taehyung are the only ones left out in the living room with Yoongi and the unconscious Jimin.

 

Yoongi was staring at Jimin's form. With every beat of his heart, the fear increased. Yoongi was scared out of his mind and Taehyung could feel that Yoongi did not believe this was just a part of his Bestowed abilities. Taehyung still didn't know what they were but Jin and Yoongi must've since they both seemed so sure that something more than "fainting" was up with Jimin.

 

"Will you be okay, hyung?" Jungkook asks Yoongi. The orange haired man's attention turns to them for the first time that evening.

 

Yoongi gives a stiff nod of his head, "I hope so. Thanks."

 

Jungkook nods, knowing that was probably the best he was going to get out of their quiet hyung. Jungkook goes back into the room first, trying to tug Taehyung along. He stops him and tells him he'll be there in a minute.

 

Taehyung goes into the kitchen and fills a glass with water. He goes over to the couch where Jimin was resting, eyes moving back and forth so fast under his eyelids. Yoongi was watching him intently, a hand loosely brushing over his skin.

 

Taehyung sets the water down on the foot table beside them. Yoongi glances at it and then him and then nods in thanks. 

 

"Jimin's tough," Taehyung says, looking at Jimin instead of Yoongi who he knew was now looking at him with confusion. "He's survived much worse than this. He's not a victim, he's a survivor just like the rest of us."

 

This time he does look in Yoongi's eyes. Taehyung never realized just how loud Yoongi's eyes spoke.

 

"He'll make it through this." Taehyung reaches out and smooths Jimin's bangs away from his face, "And when he does, he'll have you to thank."

 

With that Taehyung turns around and heads back into his room.

 

Yoongi stayed in the living, trying desperately to believe him.

 

******

 

Jimin doesn't wake up the next morning.

 

"I ing told you something was wrong!" Yoongi yells at Jin. Hoseok takes a strong hold on his arm and pulls him back.

 

"This is not the time to be blaming people!"

 

"He's not ing waking up!" Yoongi yells in frustration, "We've tried everything! Shaking him, loud noises, slapping him, pouring water! Nothing is working!"

 

"We'll we didn't slap him very hard now did we?" Jungkook mutters under his breathe but it goes ignored.

 

"Okay, but at least he's still breathing, see!" Namjoon points out. "He's not dying."

 

"Oh yeah? And how do you know that?"

 

"Something's wrong with him, Yoongi's right," Hoseok says. "I don't think exhaustion would knock him out for this long. Especially not when we've tried all these methods to wake him up."

 

"Some people can sleep for days, right?" Jungkook asks, "That's possible, right? What if he's just sleeping?"

 

"Once again," Yoongi points out, "He should've woken up with any of those physical stimulants. You know who doesn't wake up? People in ing comas!"

 

Jungkook gasps, "You don't think he's in a coma, do you?"

 

"I'm not a doctor!"

 

"We need to take him to the hospital," Taehyung says, "We don't know what's going on with him, but we can't risk it being something major."

 

All eyes were on Jin now, asking him to disagree.

 

"We can't take him to a regular hospital," Jin sighs in frustration.

 

"Why not?" Jungkook asks.

 

"We just can't," Jin says, "They won't know what to do with him."

 

"What are you even saying?"

 

"Jin's right," Yoongi states and the eyes are all startled that Yoongi agreed with Jin at all, after all the yelling that had been going on. "He can't go to a regular hospital, so what do you propose we do?"

 

Jin thinks for a moment, "I think I know just the place but I have to make some calls."

 

They all end up going to this weird looking clinic on the other side of Busan. The school was reluctant to let them go by themselves but Jin had already contacted Jimin's aunt and she was going to try to come down that day. They check Jimin in and they all end up waiting in the lobby for any news from the nurses. After several hours of waiting on pins and needles, they come in and tell them that Jimin was stable but he wasn't waking up. They were officially diagnosing him as comatose.

 

It was almost the end of the day before any of them were allowed in to see Jimin. They were really only supposed to be allowed in two at a time but Jin apparently knew the head of staff and pulled some strings. 

 

The all sat there and waited and prayed that Jimin would wake up. For the first time, everyone in the room were feeling the exact same emotions. It was getting late and visiting hours were almost over. Jimin's aunt hadn't been able to make it down that day because of work and the traffic but she was heading out early tomorrow and hopefully she would make it there soon.

 

Everyone was just hoping for Jimin to wake up.

 

Jin graciously paid for two rooms for everyone to sleep in for the night. It was restless and fitful but the next morning they all got up and went back to the hospital at the start of visiting hours and sat in Jimin's little room, waiting for him to wake up.

 

Jungkook was sitting in the chair and Taehyung was sitting in his lap, cuddling into his larger frame. Namjoon was standing nervously by the door, alone and Jin was speaking quietly with Hoseok about something. Yoongi was sitting right by Jimin's bedside holding onto his hand. He hadn't left that spot since they got here.

 

The room felt so empty despite so many of them being there. Nobody was really talking to each other, all enraptured in their own thoughts. Hoseok was staring at Jimin with a focused look on his face. Was he trying to read his thoughts? Judging by the slight frustration he saw there, Taehyung was safe to assume that he was unsuccessful. What kind of mind barrier had Jimin put up that blocked all of them? 

 

Taehyung couldn't feel any emotions from Jimin at all. Had he been dreaming, Taehyung would've been able to feel his emotions during that. Something like happiness or even fear if it was nightmare. But he felt nothing from him. The only thing that convinced Taehyung that Jimin was still even alive was that his eyes were moving back and forth and his breathing was steady. Other than that, it was like Jimin's soul had disappeared entirely and all Taehyung could feel was an empty vessel.

 

Suddenly, there's a gasp from the bed. Chaos follows.

 

"He's awake!"

 

"He's opening his eyes!"

 

"I can't believe he was able to block me out...that's so strange," Hoseok says with a murmur.

 

"Guys shut up, you're gonna make the nurses come in," Namjoon comments from near the doorway. They were all freaking out and trying to get as close to Jimin as possible. To truly see if he was really awake.

 

Jimin's eyes were glassy, and his brow was furrowed and he looked like he was seeing something that wasn't there. He was so confused. So confused and dizzy and scared. Taehyung takes a step back. What the was happening?

 

Sparks were flying everywhere and a sharp scent of lemon was filling the air, mixing in with the disgusting sterile smell. Yoongi was shocked speechless and he cupped Jimin's face.

 

"Guys, you all need to be quiet right now! There are too many voices right now, it's overstimulating him. Guys, shut up!" Hoseok shouts to the boys who were all talking loudly, the sounds echoing in the sterile hospital room.

 

"Shut up!"Jimin yells, startling them all. 

 

"Jimin?" it came as a whisper from Yoongi. Jimin blinked a little bit as he looked around. Jimin was overwhelmed and his feelings were shifting so fast like a photo book being flipped through at top speed.

 

"Yoongi, something is wrong," came Hoseok's voice from his side, "something is different with Jimin."

 

"What do you mean?" Jungkook asks, "The doctor's said he should be fine as soon as he wakes up and now he's awake."

 

"That's not what I'm talking about Jungkook," Hoseok tried to explain. He looks at Yoongi and Taehyung senses why he was hesitating. He couldn't reveal anything about their bestowed abilities.

 

"But--" Jungkook starts to say.

 

"What's going on?" Jimin asks, trying to sit up but fails, falling back down unceremoniously. Jin was standing right next to him, caught him and eased him back down onto the pillow.

 

Jimin placed his hand onto his head, hissing in pain, "Ahh, my head..."

 

Yoongi shifted back to Jimin's side instantly, grabbing his hand, "Are you okay?"

 

"It's so loud," Jimin mumbles, rubbing his ears.

 

"We need to get everybody out of here," Hoseok says, "There's too many people and some of us--" he glances up towards Jin, "--need to talk about some things."

 

"What's happening?" Jimin questions, his voice rising in pitch "Why didn't it work? Why am I still here?"

 

"Jimin, you went to sleep that day at the beach and we couldn't wake you up," Taehyung says, hoping to help soothe some of the dizzying confusion in Jimin's head, "you were unresponsive for days so we had to take you to the hospital."

 

"He said I would go back," Jimin now had tears gathering in his eyes and Yoongi watched with a heavy heart. Something was happening and they didn't know what, "He said we would switch back!"

 

"Jimin?" Yoongi asks in confusion, fear rising in him, "What are you talking about? Have you not switched back yet?"

 

Switched back? What the hell were they talking about? Did this have something to do with Jimin's bestowed abilities? What kind of powers did he have that could've done this?

 

"Yoongi, we really need to talk--" Hoseok starts.

 

"Jin," Namjoon sighs, sounding absolutely done with this entire thing, "you three should really just tell them."

 

Taehyung had sat down, feeling a little dizzy and Jungkook had gone over to sit with him and took his hand in his. Now the two looked up and over to the other four standing around the room.

 

"Tell us what?" Jungkook asks. Oh god, Taehyung thinks, he can't be talking about what Taehyung thinks he is...right?

 

Hoseok was staring at Namjoon like he was just seeing him for the first time.

 

"Why can't I read you?" Hoseok takes a step forward to him, "Why can't I hear anything from your head? I heard you before, so why can't I hear you now?"

 

Hoseok didn't know Namjoon was Bestowed? Taehyung had been so certain that Hoseok had read in his mind or someone's mind that Namjoon was bestowed.

 

"Don't bother trying," Jin says, "you won't be able to hear or see anything. Not unless he lets you."

 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jungkook questions, "What are you guys hiding from us?"

 

"Nothing!" Hoseok tries to say. Taehyung felt the fear grip his throat like a vice. This wasn't happening. It couldn't all be revealed without Taehyung having a chance to explain!

 

"And here I thought we were all friends," Jungkook says in a hurt voice. 

 

A knife stabs straight through his chest, cracking the bones in his ribs and piercing his heart. It hurts so badly that Taehyung gasps softly and shoots his arm out to grab onto Jungkook's.

 

"Kookie..." Oh god, it was happening. Jungkook was going to hate and resent him forever. Oh , no no no he couldn't lose Jungkook. He couldn't lose him. He couldn't!

 

He begged for time to stop. He begged for everyone to just stop and rewind everything to the very beginning when he first met Jungkook. He wished he could have told him right from the get-go and lost him then. That way, he wouldn't have to deal with any of the pain of having fallen in love with him and losing him like this.

 

"What, Tae? It's true," Jungkook says. Yoongi turns away and focuses back on Jimin, who had grabbed his hand. It was shaking and cold with a sheen of sweat. They talk closely together and Taheyung tried his best to block out the whirlwind of emotions coming from both of them.

 

They were still fighting and Taehyung was trying his best to block everything out.

 

"Enough!" Yoongi yells as he turns around and stops the loud arguing that had been happening between the four other boys.

 

"Hoseok, I know you saw what I just saw," Yoongi starts, "and I need you to help me figure out what's wrong so we can help Jimin."

 

What? Yoongi had seen something? When he blanked out just a moment ago? What--could Yoongi see futures? Was that what his ability was? That was...Taehyung didn't even know how to describe it. 

 

"We can't do that while these three are in the room, Yoongi," Hoseok argues, "It's against the rules, they're non-bestowed!"

 

Taehyung stills. Three? It hits him then. Hoseok was still trying to protect Taehyung's secret. He wasn't letting anyone else know that he was Bestowed. The only people who knew were Jin and Namjoon (who Hoseok didn't know was Bestowed) and now Hoseok. Yoongi didn't know, Jimin didn't know and neither did Jungkook. Hoseok was going to keep his secret. 

 

Taehyung didn't know what to feel about anything anymore.

 

"Actually," Namjoon stops, stepping forward, "I am."

 

Taehyung's jaw drops. Yoongi stops. Hoseok freezes and Jin releases a frustrated sigh. Jungkook just look confused.

 

"How is that possible?" Hoseok starts, "I can't read your mind."

 

"What?" Jungkook says so loudly it makes Taehyung flinch. "Read minds?"

 

Hoseok ignores him, "I could read your mind the other day at the beach, but now I can't. How is that possible?"

 

"He has perception manipulation," Jin explains finally, so nonchalant that Taehyung was astounded. Wasn't he always the one preaching not revealing their powers to non-bestowed? Why was he acting so blase about it now?

 

 "He can change anyone's physical and mental perception of him. I couldn't read his aura when I first met him because he hid it from me. It wasn't until the day he accidentally slipped up when he were working on a project together that I figured it out. He can counteract powers like ours. "

 

"Even mine?" Yoongi asks in shock. Jin nods.

 

"Wait, wait, wait," Jungkook stands up, and Taehyung's hands start to shake as he keeps them balled up together. "What the hell are you guys talking about? Mind reading? Perception manipulation? Aura reading? What the hell!"

 

"Jungkook," Taehyung stands up and tries to tug on Jungkook's hand, but it goes unnoticed.

 

"Hoseok, it's already out there," Yoongi sighs, "we should just tell them. Majority of us here are Bestowed anyway."

 

"What?"

 

"Bestowed," Jin starts, "There is a community of individuals in this world that possess special powers, although many of us prefer to live separately rather than all together. Usually the powers are triggered by a strong emotional upheaval occurring in one's life. Hoseok is a minder reader. Yoongi is a shadow manipulator. Namjoon has perception manipulation. I read aura's, and Jimin is a reality hopper."

 

Jungkook looks at them in shock. Taehyung's hit with the reality of the utter shock, confusion, and denial in Jungkook. He struggled to breath as Jungkook said, "This isn't real...you guys are playing a prank on us."

 

"Actually, we're not," and with that Hoseok looks at Jungkook and pushes a thought into Jungkook's mind. The look of shock upon his face intensifies. He gasps.

 

Taehyung's eyes widen. He didn't know what Hoseok just said to him but it must've been something so shocking that it made everything in Jungkook freeze. Jungkook confusion melts away slightly, but the disbelief and the distress were still heavily building.

 

"I can also push thoughts into other's minds," Hoseok clarifies.

 

"It's real..." Jungkook breathes, absolutely stunned, "Can you believe it, Tae?"

 

What? He didn't understand. Why was Jungkook acting like this? Why did he believe so easily? He was just accepting it? Just like that? He wasn't scared or resentful or mad? Did he know about Taehyung? If he did, why wasn't he saying anything? Did Hoseok tell him about him? He said he wouldn't, but had he? Just to make Jungkook shut up? What was going on? 

 

He felt like crying. Instead he shakes his head, but doesn't say another word. He avoids eye contact with everyone, especially Jungkook and moves to sit down stiffly in the chair. Nobody says anything about it because Jimin starts to moan sharply, the pain so startling that it forces Taehyung to grit his teeth at the sudden headache building in his temple.

 

Jungkook jumps up, "Somebody get the nurse!"

 

"No!" Yoongi pushes him back down,"This isn't medical, it has to do with his powers."

 

"Right now two versions of Jimin are trapped in his head and it's causing him intense mental pain," Hoseok explains, "so painful that it's becoming physical. Two minds weren't meant to exist in one head."

 

What?! Taehyung thinks, Two minds? How was that even possible? Jimin was a reality hopper according to Jin-- which by the way, what the ?--but to have two sets of him trapped in his head? Was that why all of Jimin's emotions were attacking him at twice their normal strength?

 

Jimin screams loudly again and Taehyung gasps as pained tears spring up in his eyes. His pain was so sickeningly crushing.

 

Jin was back at Jimin's side, wiping away tears of frustration and worry from his eyes as he tried to calm Jimin down.

 

"Damn it," he curses, "I told him not to stay in that universe for too long. I told him he didn't know how to control his powers and this is what happens!"

 

"Do you have any idea how to reverse the process?" Namjoon asks, addressing the question towards Yoongi and Hoseok.

 

"I think I might," Hoseok says, turning towards Jin, "How does he usually travel back and forth between realities?"

 

"By falling asleep," Jin explains, "when one of his selves is unconscious in one universe, the other is awake. He travels back when that self goes to sleep again. Like you said, both of them are not meant to be awake at the same time."

 

"Then I know what we have to do," Hoseok states, "we have to get Jimin to fall unconscious now. That might reverse the process and set everyone back in their right body in the right universe."

 

"Can we knock him out with hospital drugs?" Jungkook suggests. Taehyung stares at him with utter bewilderment. How was he taking this so easily?

 

Jin shakes his head, "This body is buzzing. It's on overdrive. Any drugs would be ineffective. He's on an overdose of stimulation from two different universes."

 

"So, you're saying we have to knock Jimin out in the other universe?" Namjoon asks. Jin and Hoseok nod.

 

"He's in a lot of pain in the other universe," Yoongi informs them, "they can't help him. They don't know what to do."

 

"Do we have any connection to the other universe besides Jimin? Hoseok? Yoongi?" Jungkook suggests. Jungkook had just accepted everything. Taehyung was still in a state of astonishment and he doesn't move nor does he say anything to anyone.

 

"I can only see what's going on in Jimin's mind and by extension into the other world," Hoseok tells the room, "I can only see that universe, but I have no influence over what happens there."

 

"Yoongi?"

 

"What?" Yoongi snaps back. Hoseok and Jin look at him knowingly.

 

"What?" Yoongi flashes, "Even if I did have a connection to the other world, there's nothing I can do to help Jimin. I'm too dangerous!"

 

"Yoongi, you know that's not true," Hoseok counters, "I saw what he said to you. He needs you to help him."

 

"Yoongi, you're the only one who can do this," Jin adds, his voice soft and full of support. Yoongi was absolutely panic stricken and Taehyung couldn't take anymore of these extreme feelings being hurdled at him.

 

"I'll hurt him," Yoongi's voice comes out in a soft whimper, his resolve dissolving with each breath he takes.

 

A hand snags his, and suddenly all eyes in the room are resting upon Jimin who had managed to become somewhat lucid while everyone else was focused on other things.

 

"You can do it, Yoongi," Jimin voices, his breathing harsh, "You won't hurt us."

 

"Jimin--" It's too late, Jimin scrunches his face in pain yet again, turning to clutch onto Jin, shuddering in agonizing pain.

 

"Jimin?!" Yoongi calls out, trying to reach out to the boy. Hoseok holds him back.

 

"Yoongi," Hoseok starts, "You don't have to manipulate anyone's shadow. You just have to get to your counterpart and somehow give him the idea to knock Jimin out."

 

"How am I supposed to do that, Hoseok?" Yoongi demands, "I've never been able to manipulate anyone in that world before. He doesn't even know I can visit his mind!"

 

"You're gonna have to try, okay," Hoseok takes hold of both his hands and pulls him into a hug, "You already have an idea of how to get through to the other side, and the key is sitting right there in that bed."

 

After a moment of hesitation, Yoongi just nods and goes to the bedside, sitting right beside Jimin and wrapping one arm around the boy's shoulders and bringing him into his side. Jin gets up and leaves the side of the bed to go stand beside Namjoon. 

 

Taehyung and Jungkook are silent in the corner and Hoseok stands at the foot of the bed watching in silence. Yoongi takes a deep breath and wraps his other arm around Jimin and turns his body, racking with shivers to face him.

 

He watches Yoongi lean forward and press his forehead to Jimin's and then--somehow any feeling from Yoongi slips out. The vines from Yoongi's mind extend forward and latch onto Jimin and Taehyung watches with wide eyes.

 

He doesn't know how much time passes before with Yoongi and Jimin's eyes closed and faces pressed together. But then somehow both of them end up breathing back to life and simultaneously passing out. 

 

"," Jin curses as he gets up to check the both of them. "They're both unconscious."

 

"Did it work?" Namjoon asks, asking the one question that was on everyone's mind.

 

Nobody answers. Nobody knew except Yoongi and Jimin when they woke up. It's a few hours later of absolute silence that one of them stirs. Jimin.

 

This somehow wakes Yoongi up as well. 

 

"Jimin?" Yoongi called out.

 

"A-A-pp-a..ah" Jimin chokes out, clutching his chest, tears filling in his eyes. 

 

Taehyung feels it burn in his gut. Not again, he thinks, please not again.

 

"Jimin?!" Yoongi was at his side in a instant, "Jimin, are you okay? Breathe!"

 

"What's happening?!" Jin was by their side in an instant, his hands on Jimin's shoulders soothingly, but it was doing nothing but making Jimin feel worse.

 

Guilt. Shame. Fear. Absolute crippling grief. Jimin was having a panic attack and Taehyung felt himself helpless to do nothing but drown in Jimin's pain. He clutches the hospital chair arms. 

 

It swirls around him, more intense than anything Taehyung had ever felt in his life. He tried desperately to block out the feelings. 

 

It's not your feelings, Taehyung. He repeats it to himself, It's Jimin's feelings. It's not your feelings. It's not your ing feelings. Get a grip!

 

He whimpers. Jimin was feeling so horribly about everything. He was reliving losing his family, Taehyung just knew it. The feelings were so god damn familiar that they sliced into him like a knife through warm butter. It hurt so badly. It felt just like how he had felt when he lost his dad. He couldn't do this, no. No, he couldn't be in here anymore.

 

"He's having a panic attack," Hoseok calls to the rest of the room, who had gathered around Jimin in hopes of trying to see what was wrong with him, "He's back but he's remembering everything. , you guys, he's not breathing!"

 

"Jimin!" Jin grabbed a hold of his shoulders, trying desperately to help him, "Jimin, look at me, you need to breathe."

 

Taehyung wasn't breathing anymore either. He was starting to hyperventilate just like Jimin was. His lungs were filled with smoke, like he was caught trapped inside a burning building with no escape but to jump through the flames.

 

On the other side of the room, far away from everyone else, Taehyung had molded himself into the furthest corner away from Jimin. He couldn't breathe. His eyes were on the verge of tears as he tried desperately to will away the millions of different feelings that were attacking him from all sides.

 

Go away! He screamed in his head, Stop! Stop!

 

"Tae?" Jungkook asks worriedly, momentarily distracted and moving away from Jimin. He bounds up to Taehyung and takes his face between his palms, "Tae, what's the matter?"

 

And then Jimin lets out the most horrifyingly heartbreaking sob Taehyung had ever heard in his life and Taehyung could feel his heart shattering into a million tiny little pieces.

 

The tears fall down his face and as he takes in the alarmed look on Jungkook's face, he knows he's done for.

 

"I have to get out of here," Taehyung manages to splutter out, as he flings Jungkook's hands off him. He books it out the door and down the hall as fast as he can. He had to get as far away from Jimin as possible. There was too much going on and there was only so much Taehyung could take. He couldn't handle Jimin's feelings, and Yoongi's feelings and Jungkook at the same time. It was too ing much. He was going to ing lose it if he stayed in that room any longer.

 

"Tae!" Jungkook called as he ran after him, leaving the room to the other boys who were busy with something else.

 

Taehyung runs at top speed, moving his legs as fast as he could. He didn't even know where he was but he didn't care. The farther away he got from people, the better he felt. The more like he could actually think without wanting to rip his brain from his head.

 

He's still running, but he could hear someone calling from behind him.

 

"Taehyung!" 

 

Taehyung flinches. No, he couldn't talk to Jungkook right now. He was going to lose it. He couldn't, not while he was so ed up, drowning in an ocean of different emotions. He couldn't even think straight at this point, it felt like his brain was frying and his system was shutting down.

 

"Taehyung!" Jungkook catches up to him. He grabs his hand and stops him from moving any further. He turns him around.

 

"No, no," Taehyung felt drunk, his words were almost slurred and he stumbles slightly. He didn't know he could feel wasted off negative emotions. He'd felt this before with energetic emotions, but never so much with draining emotions. Maybe it was like when someone lost too much blood, they became delirious. Taehyung felt delirious with pain.

 

"I don't want to feel anymore," his words come out an incoherent garble. "I just don't want to feel!"

 

"Taehyung what are you talking about?" Jungkook asks, voice breaking, "You're scaring me."

 

Taehyung knew he was. He could feel it. He could feel just how badly he was scaring Jungkook but he was powerless to change it. He didn't want to know what Jungkook was feeling all the time! He didn't want to feel what anyone felt anymore! Emotions were a curse and Taehyung was damned to hell to always feel all of them.

 

"Go away, please!" Taehyung realizes he's sobbing, "I can't handle this!"

 

Taehyung yanks his arm out of Jungkook's hand and takes off down the street. Jungkook doesn't follow him.

 

He finds a park that no little kids were playing on. It was empty and looked almost abandoned, like it was falling apart and no one had bothered to fix it up and just left it there. He goes and sits on the park bench and tries to ignore the lingering drowning feeling in his chest.

 

He shoves his hands into his hair using his nails to claw at his scalp. Sometimes physical pain grounded him. He didn't know how long he sat there, rocking back and forth and crying and trying his damnedest to get rid of all the feelings inside him.

 

Maybe it was an hour later, or maybe two, but someone walks up to him on the park bench. Taehyung grips his eyes shut as Jungkook kneels in front of him. He had just started to feel less overpowered with feelings.

 

He'd managed to push away and dissociate from Jimin's feelings but his own were still bothering him. 

 

"What's wrong?" Jungkook asks so gently, despite the worry he felt.

 

Taehyung had managed to stop crying right before Jungkook came up to him. Now the tears were back.

 

Jungkook quickly sits on the bench beside him and wraps him up in his arms. Jungkook was so worried, so scared for him. He loved him so much and Taehyung was so horrible. Why did he love him? Why him? Why? He didn't understand.

 

He cries into Jungkook's shoulder. His voice comes out muddled with sniffles and congestion, "I can't, I-I can't--"

 

"You can't what?" Jungkook asks, voice so reassuring that Taehyung just wants to punch himself in the face. God, why was Jungkook so good to him when he had done nothing but lie to him?

 

"I can't t-tell you," Taehyung cries into Jungkook's shoulder. "I-I want to tell you so buh-badly but I'm so s-scared."

 

"Tae," Jungkook clutches him so close, rubbing his back and his head, "You can tell me anything. I love you. What's wrong? Tell me please?"

 

Taehyung shakes his head, sniffling and shutting his eyes to block out the world. "I l-lied to you. You're gonna h-hate me, please don't hate me!"

 

He feels Jungkook swallow down the hurt inside him. It just makes Taehyung feel worse. 

 

"What is it?"

 

"I lied to you for so long," he cries so hard it hurts his chest. Yet nothing could hurt more than the pain he felt coming from Jungkook. "I wanted to tell you for so long--since we met, but I couldn't! It was against the rules and I was scared about your reaction but it doesn't even matter anymore because you already know about everyone else and I'm still lying to you and I don't give a about the rules anymore but it's too ing late!"

 

"Taehyung, I don't understand!" Jungkook pulls away, embracing his face gently between his hand, and wiping his tears away as he hiccups, "What are you talking about?"

 

Taehyung blinks more tears away, "I've been hiding the truth from you for so long not that I feel like if I tell you the truth now, you'll hate me forever. You'll feel so betrayed."

 

Jungkook's mouth opens but no noise comes out of his throat. Taehyung crumbles.

 

"I can't lose you," he tells him through the gut wrenching sobs, "I didn't want to lose you. I couldn't lose you. You mean the ing world to me and if I told you, I was going to lose you and I couldn't handle it."

 

"Taehyung..."

 

"You were the only one who ever knew how I felt," Taehyung stops sobbing, taking deep breaths so he could just get the words out, "You made me feel loved and like my emotions were my own. You helped me so much when my dad died but then I gained this horrible secret and it was eating me alive inside keeping it from you all this time."

 

Gaining some courage, Jungkook speaks up, "Taehyung, I love you. I love you so ing much, okay, don't you know that? I would never ever abandon you. You can tell me anything, baby. I'm not going to leave."

 

Taehyung could feel that he meant it.

 

"Do you love me, Tae?" Jungkook was so vulnerable and so open and Taehyung couldn't understand how he could be so open without feeling like fleeing for the hills.

 

Taehyung nods slowly and it seems to be all Jungkook needs.

 

"No matter what it is that you've hid from me," Jungkook starts slowly, cautiously, "I can't promise that I won't be hurt by it or that I won't be upset, but I know that I can't think of anything you could possibly tell me that would make me stop loving you. I don't know if it's just because I've been so madly in love with you for almost half my life; or because I know that no matter what it is that you didn't mean to hurt me. You couldn't. You're the most beautiful person on the inside that I've ever met. I think it's practically impossible for me to ever hate you."

 

He gives a low pained chuckle at the end and Taehyung was left so breathless by the love that it melted away all the fear and self-loathing and misery he'd been feeling for so long. He felt better; braver. He hoped to God that maybe after this, he wouldn't have to live in pain anymore.

 

So Taehyung tells him everything. 

 

Jungkook sits back and listens with wide eyes and an open mouth and Taehyung makes it through the whole story without crying. He feels Jungkook's hurt but it isn't at all what Taehyung expects. 

 

"I'm so sorry," Taehyung hates that he was still crying, "I never meant to hurt you."

 

"I'm just--" Jungkook takes a deep breath, "I'm just hurt that you felt like you couldn't tell me. That you felt like I would hate you for something you can't control."

 

Taehyung hiccups. 

 

"How did you manage to keep it a secret from the others?" Jungkook asks.

 

"Jin was the first one to find out," Taehyung explains, "He knew what I was before even I did. Namjoon found out because of Jin. They kept it a secret at my request."

 

"Does anyone else know?" Jungkook asks cautiously and Taehyung knows that he wants to know how many people knew before him. 

 

"Hoseok found out when I first met him," Taehyung says, "He read my mind and he agreed to keep it a secret because I told him I wanted to find a way to tell you on my own. Neither Yoongi nor Jimin know and I'm not sure if I want to tell them just yet. They seem to have their own drama going on. Lost in their own little world--literally."

 

Jungkook nods and some of his stress was alleviated. At least he wasn't the only one left in the dark. He wasn't the last one to find out.

 

"I don't want people to be uncomfortable around me," Taehyung tells him, "When people know, they try to control their emotions. They try to hide everything and it does more harm than good."

 

"You can really feel every emotion someone else does?" Jungkook asks, still in awe over the whole thing.

 

Taehyung nods, "If I'm within a reasonable distance, I can feel everything."

 

"Is that why it messes you up so much to be around large groups of people who were all freaking out like everyone else was back there?"

 

"Yeah." He sighs, "God, I can't tell you how much it hurt to feel Jimin and Yoongi's emotions at the same time. I hope they're okay. It was really bad."

 

Jungkook holds him close, "You can tell them on your own time."

 

"Jungkook," Taehyung calls out. 

 

"Yes?"

 

"Please don't try to hide from me," he begs so quietly. Jungkook turns his head to look at him.

 

"Look, Tae, I'm not saying that it's not going to be hard to get used to," Jungkook tells him, "I'm gonna have to get used to everyone's abilities, but I promise to try my best not to hide everything from you. I don't want to hide anything from you."

 

Taehyung hugs him close, "I tried my best to keep out from snooping in your feelings. I wanted you to have those to yourself, but sometimes they got so powerful it was too hard to ignore."

 

Jungkook nods, kissing the side of his face, "I understand."

 

Taehyung sniffs, "Do you?"

 

Jungkook nods, "If not, then I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to."

 

Jungkook kisses him then and Taehyung lets himself sink deeper into the feeling. It felt so good. So so good to just feel Jungkook without having to feel guilty for what he could do and lying to him about it. When everyone else found out about his powers, it wasn't really that much of a comforting feeling. The only person he truly cared about knowing his powers, was sitting here kissing him and still loving him despite all Taehyung had done to hurt him.

 

He didn't know what he had done in his past life to deserve Jungkook, but he was so infinitely grateful anyway.

 

****

 

By the time they got back to Seoul, everyone was dead tired. Taehyung and Jungkook went back to Taehyung's house while everyone else went home. Yoongi stayed at Jimin's place and Taehyung was happy because those two really needed to talk it out.

 

Jungkook was about to go back to his own house when Taehyung stops him. "Actually, do you want to stay over? It's late already."

 

Jungkook's surprise tasted like bubblegum and Taehyung felt reassured knowing that Jungkook wasn't hiding his feelings from him. He was taken aback and also flustered and nervous. Taehyung stifled his giggle.

 

Jungkook agrees when Taehyung tells him that his mom was still away on a business trip and lets Taehyung lead him upstairs. As soon as Taehyung closes the door to his bedroom, he turns around and pounces on Jungkook. He kisses him soundly and pushes him back towards his bed. Jungkook's desire burns brightly, unbridled and unhinged. Taehyung lets his tongue lap up the taste of ambrosia on his lips.

 

He kisses down Jungkook's neck and to his chest. He removes his shirt and kisses all over his chest until Jungkook forces Taehyung's shirt over his head and throws it to the other side of the room. They reattach themselves together by the lips and fall back over onto his bed.

 

Taehyung couldn't even describe the all-consuming feelings he felt that night, lying with Jungkook and feeling him everywhere. He felt everything around him and inside him, moving and pulsating and loving him. He didn't know at what point did he completely let himself go and feel nothing but a single emotion pumping through his veins to that steady rhythm. 

 

They were patient with each other, experimenting with what felt good and what they were comfortable with. They moved slowly, taking their time and just let things happen naturally. It was the best night of Taehyung's life. He'd never felt so safe.

 

Afterwards they fall asleep and Taehyung woke up the next morning with his mouth pressed to the side of Jungkook's neck and his arms wrapped around his chest, legs twisted together. Jungkook was sleeping peacefully and Taehyung watched his face, counting his eyelashes until he woke up.

 

He looked beautiful. Everything felt so blissful and Taehyung hadn't known a pleasure like this could exist in this world.

 

"Can you feel how much I love you right now?" Jungkook murmurs to him tiredly, with his eyes half closed in that sluggish way that Taehyung loved.

 

He kisses Jungkook's chest and then moves back to move closer to him and look into his eyes with a smile, "It's the most wonderful feeling I've ever felt in my entire life. And last night was heaven."

 

Jungkook giggles and then rolls over to attack Taehyung's mouth again.

 

They get ready later that morning and were going to head off to the school. Jimin had texted Taehyung, asking him and Jungkook to come meet them there. Taehyung figured they were finally going to tell everyone what had happened yesterday.

 

They were about to leave when Jungkook checks his email on his phone. He gasps, startling Taehyung.

 

"What?" He asks, "What happened?"

 

"I got in."

 

"What?"

 

"I'm a trainee!" Jungkook screams and Taehyung stops. He then launches himself at Jungkook and he catches him round the waist. 

 

They scream together, words of praises from Taehyung and Jungkook's relief and joy fill him up with happiness.

 

"I knew you could do it baby!" Taehyung smiles as he wraps his legs tighter around Jungkook's midsection. 

 

Jungkook laughs and kisses him as they walk out of his room. They end up making out the entire time until they hit the door and are forced to walk like normal people.

 

When they got to the school, they met everyone down in the old basement classrooms that nobody used anymore. 

 

When they walk in, they're slightly late and it seemed like they were interrupting something important. They had stopped to get food for everyone because it was almost lunch and neither of them wanted to miss a meal.

 

Whatever it was they were talking about, they stop and eat. Afterwards they go around and explain their abilities. Jungkook was extremely interested in this part.

 

"First off, I will explain about our...abilities," Jin says, "I will explain mine first and then I'll give the others a chance to explain theirs. Please know that it actually against the law of our kind to tell these secrets to people who are not Bestowed. You must guard this knowledge with your life and if you tell anyone, there will be dire consequences."

 

Jungkook and Taehyung share a look. Taehyung still felt weird knowing that Jungkook was the only one among them that wasn't Bestowed. At least Yoongi and Jimin didn't know about Taehyung yet either. He didn't know yet if he was going to be revealing it today or not.

 

After Jin explains about the Bestowed world and about his ability to see auras, Namjoon explains about his ability.

 

Namjoon sits up slightly in his chair, "I got my powers when I was 16. As you all know my ability is perception manipulation. But it's only in regards to myself. Basically, I can make myself look like the hottest person on the planet in everyone's eyes but I can't make you think the weather is different or something is there when it's not." Namjoon adds, "I can also make myself invisible but that takes a lot of concentration because I have to change multiple people's perceptions at one time. And that's about it for explaining my power."

 

Jungkook whistled low. He was impressed.

 

Hoseok clears his throat, glancing at Yoongi, "I got my powers at eleven, a little before I met Yoongi."

 

"Wait, you guys knew each other that long?" Taehyung blurts. Hoseok nods.

 

"We kind of.." he glances at Yoongi, knowing full well that they shouldn't get too much into the details of their sob story past, "...grew up together."

 

Taehyung was surprised by this but he guessed it made sense. How the two of them seemed so comfortable around each other.

 

"Anyways," Hoseok starts again, "I can read minds. And when I choose I can project my own thoughts and memories into other people's minds. I, however, cannot manipulate anyone's mind. If you hear my voice in your head you will know automatically that it is me. In the same vein, my mind can't be controlled."

 

"So basically, you are impervious to Yoongi's power," Jin says in summary.

 

"So, wait, what exactly is Yoongi's power?" Jungkook asks.

 

Jimin speaks up, "I think I should explain my power first. It'll help with explaining Yoongi's."

 

"I came into my power really recently. Like...right when I moved here it started and I had no idea what was happening, I thought it was all just crazy dreams, but then people I had never met before like Hoseok started showing up" Jimin starts, " luckily Jin explained to me all about the Bestowed and I learned that this place that I thought was a dream...was actually an alternate reality."

 

"I can't really control my ability. I end up hopping back and forth in between these realms whenever I fall asleep. I've been trying to find a way to control when and how long I travel over but so far it's been....really complicated," Jimin explains looking around at the room, "I learned from Jin that I have the ability to take someone with me when I reality hop and I managed to do it once but I have no idea how."

 

"So it seems you have your memories back," Hoseok comments.

 

Jimin nods, "Yeah, Yoongi gave them back to me last night."

 

"And it didn't cause any other complications?" Jin asks, raising his eyebrows.

 

Jimin's lip twitches and he rings hands together.

 

"Well, as you know, the reason I was in so much pain the other day was because I had the mind of the other version of me inside my head at the same time that I was there," Jimin says.

 

"That's why you were convulsing so badly?" Namjoon questions. Jimin nods.

 

"But then last night, I went back..." Jimin says slowly, "...and it happened again."

 

"Did you have another attack?" Taehyung asks, concerned.

 

Jimin shakes his head, "That's the thing, I was fine. Yoongi was there, he can attest to that."

 

Yoongi fidgets uncomfortably.

 

"I don't know what that means for me, but at least I'm not stealing his body anymore," Jimin looks relieved saying these words, "My dad is okay. He's the hospital under critical care but he didn't die. It's not really looking too good for him at the moment but at least I don't have that on my conscience anymore."

 

"You know," Jin interrupts, "There is a technique you can try that I've read has worked for reality hoppers in the past. Before you go to sleep, you concentrate on just how much time you want to have passed until you go there. It seems to me like you might have enough emotional balance at this point to at least try."

 

Jimin nods, telling Jin that he would try that for sure that night.

 

"But what does Yoongi have to do with any of this?" Jungkook asks suddenly, still confused about some parts of this conversation. Jimin blushes slightly, avoiding looking over to the side where Yoongi was sitting.

 

"He saved me," he says quietly, "when I was in so much pain and so close to just collapsing, he used his powers to save me."

 

Now everyone's eyes were on him, and Yoongi wasn't feeling too good. Taehyung found himself leaning closer in anticipation to hear what Yoongi had to say.

 

"I have shadow manipulation. Had it since I was 12. I can use my shadow to control anyone else's and in turn control your mind. I can control and manipulate your actions, thoughts and memories. Except Hoseok. My powers are extremely dangerous and the only way I can control them is by not using them at all," Yoongi explains to the deadly silent room, "Because my shadow is present in every reality throughout time, I can also see glimpses of the other universe in which Jimin mentioned he travels back and forth from. I see sporadic glimpses of the things currently happening there and when I sleep I can also see more vivid details and even snippets of their future. But those have started to change ever since Jimin got his powers and started effecting that universe. Now that future is changing and I just take the punches as they come."

 

"Like Jimin mentioned before," Yoongi continues, "he could take someone over to the other realm with him. I think he manage to take me without much conscious effort because I already had an idea of how to get there and what I had to do to make it happen. When he had that panic attack the other morning I just...let my shadow take his memories..." Yoongi was looking down now, desperately wanting to not be there at the moment, but he knew he had to get everything out. It was now or never, "but I managed to give them back."

 

The room was silent for the longest time. Everyone seemed to be processing the new information they had just learned. No one breaks the silence until Taehyung asks in a quiet voice.

 

"What's this other universe like?"

 

He wanted to know what the other versions of them were like. Were they very similar? Or were they total opposites? He still couldn't believe all of this was happening without him having a single clue. He knew that they had been having these intense emotions for a reason, and now that the knew why, it all made so much more sense.

 

"You are all there," Jimin says, "We are a part of a band call Bangtan Seonyeondan or BTS. We are pretty popular internationally and getting there domestically."

 

Jimin turns to his right where Hoseok was sitting, "You are our lead dancer and a rapper."

 

He goes down the line explaining how Yoongi was their talented producer and rapper, Jungkook was a multi-talented maknae, Taehyung was their soulful singer, and Jin was their oldest hyung with a beautiful voice.

 

He turned to Namjoon who was sitting on his other side, "And you are our leader and one of our three amazing rappers. Big Hit brought us together."

 

"Whoa..." Jungkook sits up straighter and Namjoon's eyes widen, "Did you just say Big Hit? As in Big Hit Entertainment? That's an actual company in this world. This can't be a coincidence."

 

"It's not," Hoseok says, "Yoongi and I are currently trainees there. I am training as a dancer and rapper, like Jimin said and Yoongi is an amazing lyricist, composer and rapper, he's learning everything else right now. We've known about this universe for years and surprisingly enough...our interests line up pretty similarly."

 

Taehyung smacks Jungkook's thigh, "Aren't you gonna tell them?"

 

"Tell us what?" Jin asks.

 

Hoseok's face lights up with recognition, most likely having read Jungkook's mind, "I knew I recognized you!"

 

"What are you talking about?" Jimin asks.

"He got an email this morning from Big Hit Entertainment," Taehyung starts to explain.

 

"I passed my audition," Jungkook tells them, "I'm officially a trainee there starting today."

 

Every jaw dropped except for Hoseok who was smiling as wide as humanly possible and clapping like a seal on steroids.

 

"You actually auditioned?" Namjoon asks in shock.

 

Jungkook nods enthusiastically, "Tae was supposed to audition with me but he chickened out last minute--" he turns to Taehyung, "--You are gonna audition next time. This is a sign that you are obviously going to get in."

 

"I can't believe you auditioned," Namjoon mumbles under his breath. Jin turns to him.

 

"Namjoon-ah," he says, "Wasn't that the company you told me you wanted to audition for?"

 

Now the attention was on the blond man next to Jimin.

 

"I..." Namjoon swallows, "Okay, I had actually planned on auditioning the other day but I stopped myself because I felt like wanting to do this...becoming an idol would bring shame to the world we come from," he looks to Yoongi, "as an underground rapper."

 

"Honestly..." Yoongi starts, "I just wanted people to hear my voice and to hear my music. And...I had hoped that by doing this I could create a link between the underground and popular music. I didn't like the reality of living as a starving artist while other versions of myself were living large in another world doing what I couldn't make happen for myself."

 

He glances at Hoseok, "It was easier when Hoseok auditioned to just tell myself it was now or never and audition. And I'm really thankful I did because I took my own future into my own hands and I know, regardless of what happens in the other universe, I know that this...this is mine."

 

Things were finally starting to line up for Taehyung, for everyone it seemed. Taehyung didn't really see a reason why he shouldn't audition if that was what was something that was already proven successful in another dimension.

 

"Well, there's no way I can't audition now," Taehyung grins jumping up and running over to Namjoon, and attaching him to his side in a awkwardly cute hug, "Will you audition with me, hyung?"

 

"Well...I..." Namjoon looks over to Jin. Taehyung follows his line of vision.

 

He gasps and stands up, "Jin and Jimin have to audition too!"

 

"What?" Jin splutters, "I can't audition, there's no way I would get in."

 

"Oh come on, hyung," Jungkook argues, "You were the one just preaching about finding happiness and emotional stability."

 

"And if the rest of us audition and we get in then we can take the same name as Bangtan and then we can have our own band!" Taehyung bounces up and down, looking back and forth between all of them. He was actually completely and totally in love with this idea now. 

 

Yoongi looks towards Jimin who looks like he was seriously considering it.

 

Jin sighs. "I'm up for it if you two are," he says looking at Namjoon and Jimin.

 

Namjoon finally gives in and it's up to Jimin to make the final decision. After a few moments of consideration Jimin speaks up.

 

"I'm in."

 

****

 

Later on, Jimin confides in them that he was no longer going to be going over to the BTS alternate universe. It was a hard decision for him, Taehyung could tell but his reasons for not going back and effecting their future were noble and selfless. 

 

Taehyung knew that maybe that was better for Jimin. When Jimin also told them that he and Yoongi were together, Taehyung laughed so loud and Jungkook groaned.

 

"What's the matter?" Jimin asks.

 

Taehyung laughs, "Jungkookie and I had a bet and I won!" He smiles as Jungkook hands him a ten, "Thanks, boo."

 

"Shush."

 

It was around this time that Taehyung decided to tell Jimin about his own power. To say that Jimin was surprised was an understatement. He had asked if Jungkook was also hiding a power, but alas, Jungkook was still a regular old human. Jungkook was a great sport about it though. Jimin told Yoongi and the older was somehow less surprised. He simply raised an eyebrow at Taehyung, and Taehyung had chuckled back nervously at him.

 

In the end, they did all end up auditioning. Not all of them did right away, seeing as they were still in school, but sometime around the end of the year they had all ended up passing the audition processes and were official trainees. Taehyung wasn't surprised about this at all anymore. He had began to learn that if something was meant it happen, it would happen regardless.

 

Soon after they were all accepted, they moved into a dorm set up by the company. It was actually really fun getting to live with all of his friends. It helped to protect Jungkook too, who was officially known to the bestowed community as an ally who wouldn't reveal the secret. Jungkook and Taehyung as well as Jimin and Yoongi both have to hide their official relationships from the company, but it doesn't actually end up being that hard.

 

They end up training for about a year and half and around the day of their graduation, they were getting ready to debut as BTS. Taehyung loved the name, especially because now he heard all the stories Jimin and Yoongi told them about the other universe. 

 

Jin and Namjoon had long since graduated but Taehyung was super excited for his own graduation. Once they did, they could officially move into the dorms. At this point in time, only their hyungs were living in the dorm and he, Jungkook and Jimin were impatient to join them.

 

After their graduation, they all went out to eat and Taehyung had done something really stupid.

 

He was anxious to go eat, and the cross light was slow enough for them to cross if they moved quickly. And then there was that poor stupid puppy in the middle of the street. Looking back on it, he had been so so stupid. But he always had a soft spot for animals--especially puppies who were always so pure--and when he realized the puppy was about to get run over, he couldn't help but try to save it.

 

He'd miscalculated the distance of the crosswalk and the speed of the cars horribly. He felt a whirlwind of adrenaline, intense terror, and then everything around him seemed to slow as a sudden gust of wind hit him in the face. One second he'd had the cars coming at him at top speed but then the next second he blinked and he was safe on the other side of the street with Jungkook holding him.

 

Taehyung was in a state of complete shock when Jin said that Jungkook now had a ring of white around his aura. Jungkook couldn't be...he couldn't be Bestowed?

 

It didn't make sense to Taehyung. Why now? Sure, the sight of him almost getting hit by a car would be enough to traumatize someone, but was it enough to trigger a Bestowed ability?

 

They had all mistakenly thought Jungkook's power to be agility. He'd moved so quickly and dodged through all the cars and scooped him up and deposited him on the other side, all without breaking a sweat. Namjoon had suggested it, but Jin was quick to shut that down.

 

"Namjoon, this isn't the damn X-men," he states, "those kinds of powers don't exist among the Bestowed."

 

"Then what's his ability?" Taehyung asks.

 

"He has a temporal power, most likely," Jin says, "Just like Jimin. Accept I think it might also be a perception based power as well."

 

"How can you tell?" Jimin asks. 

 

They had all gone back to the dorm to figure this out after eating. They'd all been buzzing to talk about what had happened to them earlier, but the company wasn't aware of any of their powers and they were going to make sure it stayed that way.

 

"Well, his aura is rippling. This doesn't usually happen unless the power itself is malleable; bendable at the users will," Jin says.

 

"So what does that mean?" Jungkook asks, "I can control time?"

 

"Not exactly," Jin says, "According to the books in my family library, your power might actually just be Time Frame Creation."

 

"....Again," Yoongi says, "What does that mean?"

 

"Well, it's just a theory for now. We won't know for certain until Jungkook uses his abilities again and we can test more thoroughly."

 

"So if it is this temporal power," Hoseok speaks up, "then what can he do?"

 

"Essentially, it means that he can create a pocket in time around him. Usually, the distance is based upon how large he consciously works to make it. In this case of saving Taehyung, it was probably only large enough to encase the road and the cars. Once inside the pocket of time, he basically should be able to choose how fast time works."

 

They all stare at him blankly. "If my calculations are correct then when Jungkook did this, he slowed down the cars within the frame and speed himself up while he was running in order to reach Taehyung and get him to the other side. Once there, his concentration dropped and the time pocket disappeared."

 

"So...he can temporarily manipulate time around him?" Namjoon asks. 

 

Jin nods. "I think so."

 

Jungkook zones out,  having a hard time understanding all of this and just trying to reshape everything in his head into an explanation that made sense to him.

 

"That means he can't like go back in time like a time machine or stop time forever right?" Jimin asks.

 

Jin shrugs, "He definitely can't time travel, but if he learned to control his powers, I'm sure if he wanted to he could stop time within the pocket for as long as he wanted to. He could stop it, or slow it down or speed it up. It's all up to him."

 

Everyone sat in stunned silence. 

 

"How come the maknae gets the coolest powers?" Hoseok asks.

 

"This is so much better than agility," Namjoon says. "Wow."

 

Jungkook turns to Taehyung. The uncertainty is there. Unease about all of the power he was suddenly given. Fear of not being able to control it or hurting someone.  Taehyung wonders if maybe Jungkook was always on the cusp of becoming Bestowed. He was a strong person, Taehyung knew that, but Jungkook had been dealing with hardships his whole life having lost his father at such a young age. Taehyung wondered if maybe that had anything to do with it. He wasn't sure and he didn't know if they would ever find out.

 

Yoongi was looking at Jungkook with a contemplative expression on his face, "Hey Jin, is this also a rare power?"

 

Jin nods, "Extremely. Almost as rare as shadow manipulation."

 

Yoongi and Jungkook look at each other. Taehyung knows that the two of them are probably going to be one of each other's greatest supporters. 

 

"Don't worry, Jungkookie," Taehyung squeezes his hand, "We all have to work to control our abilities. But we're in this together."

 

"Yeah, we'll all help you," Jimin tells him, "You aren't alone in this."

 

Taehyung feels Jungkook relax and it's then that Taehyung realizes that Jungkook's not the odd man out anymore. They were all part of this community and maybe this was what they all really needed. 

 

Things were working out just fine.

 

*****

Exactly three years later:

 

"Guys, have you read this billboard article?" Namjoon comes into the room and shows them the article on his tablet, "HwaYangYeonHwa: Young Forever reached number three on the billboard top 200 list!"

 

"No way," Yoongi comes over and swipes the tablet from Namjoon's hands as he loosens his tie, "How in the hell...?"

 

Hoseok cheers, "Hyung, I told you it was gonna happen but did you listen to me? No."

 

"I can't believe this!" Jimin hangs of one of Jin's shoulders, "We haven't even had the tour yet."

 

"It's gonna be sold out, I'm telling you," Jungkook says, "HwaYangYeonHwa Onstage was already sold out but now that we're going to the Olympic Gymnastics Stadium for the Onstage Epilogue. That venue was already sold out, so just wait till everywhere else sells out too."

 

"How did we even get here from the seven sad kids with superpowers?" Taehyung asks, "I still can't believe it."

 

Jimin goes over to Yoongi and plops down in his lap without a care, "Have you seen anything from the other universe in a while?"

 

Yoongi nods, "Yeah. They're on a different path than us right now but their future is just as bright, possibly even brighter than it is right now."

 

Jimin smiles, "I'm happy to hear it."

 

Taehyung smiles at the conversation. According to Yoongi, the lot of them were pretty happy in the other universe right now and it made him happy to hear because they were doing equally as well in this universe as well.

 

"It's as if the worlds aligned, huh hyung?" Taehyung asks, "and all the stars in the skies?"

 

Yoongi shoos him away, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. We did good."

 

"We did fantastic," Jungkook comes and pushes Taehyung slightly so that they could sit side by side. Jin comes out of the kitchen with the chicken and beer they just ordered as a celebration for their first win of the comeback tonight and the announcement of their success on the world charts.

 

Yoongi sighs, "Man, this dorm is so different compared to the one we used to live in."

 

Jimin nods, "Yeah, but it's still nice. More spacious."

 

"Are you two ever planning on moving out?" Hoseok asks, "You know, getting your own place?"

 

They both shake their heads.

 

"I don't really think we need to," Yoongi says, "I mean, we're all here, we have our separate rooms. What else do we need?"

 

"And they're sound proof, thank god," Jin interjects. All eyes turn to him.

 

"What?" Jin asks, "It's 'cause Namjoon snores like a bear and I need my beauty sleep."

 

"Uh huh, sure."

 

"Besides," Jimin says, "I like it here. I like being with all of you. You guys are my family."

 

All of them knew how true that statement was.

 

"You all are my longest friends," Yoongi says, "You're closer to me than family."

 

Taehyung knew that both Jimin and Yoongi meant every word they were saying. They were happy with each other and they were happy with the rest of them. Taehyung felt the same way. He and Jungkook were going on five years strong together and not one day went by when Taehyung wasn't grateful to have Jungkook in his life.

 

Jungkook squeezes his hand, leaning over and giving him a kiss. Nobody says a word about it, as they eat around the kitchen table, with the TV on in the distance. They were all used to it. Jungkook and Taehyung were kind of bad at keeping their displays of affection confined to just their room. Yoongi and Jimin did a better job of it. They were the kings of subtlety. 

 

Jin turns the TV on to the channel that was airing the performance they had just recorded that night. Taehyung remembers how in that very moment he had felt so many emotions coming from the crowd and coming from s and he had actually allowed himself to feel them entirely. No longer did he have to constantly fight to separate his feelings from everyone else. He'd learned to go with the ebb and flow of human emotions and in doing so, he'd learned how to peacefully control his power. 

 

He loved it now. He loved being able to share the emotions of a fan when they came up to him and told him how much they loved him. He loved being able to feel the adrenaline rush when he was performing in front of a massive crowd and everyone there was screaming their name.

 

He loved knowing just when Yoongi was feeling affectionate and would end up praising everyone. He loved knowing when Namjoon was feeling sad and he could go to him and make him feel better. He loved knowing when Jin was in the playful mood and he and Jungkook would go and horse around with him. He loved knowing when Hoseok was honestly scared to death by the heights or by an animal or a ghost so he could go to him and comfort him. He loved knowing when Jimin was missing his family because it meant that they could sit together and talk and share their hearts with each other, completely honest and sincere.

 

He loved being able to feel all the unbridled emotions of love surrounding him and Jungkook. When Jungkook would hold his hand or when he would stop the world around them in the middle of their first win and kiss him senseless in front of millions knowing that they were actually moving at the speed of the Earth spinning slowly and no one would never know. Where Namjoon and Hoseok were off hugging and smiling, Jin was clapping and bowing and smiling to everyone and Yoongi was holding the most valuable trophy in his one hand, and the other hand pressed into Jimin's lower back. 

 

Taehyung and Jungkook would be in their own little world were the kisses and laughter would bubble on their lips and they would stay there frozen in time for as long as they wanted, with the confetti floating down like feathers around them. There was no sound but the sounds of their hearts beating together and no words needed other than the words that lit their souls on fire.

 

Congratulations to our number 1 artist, BTS!