He wasn’t really the type to party.  Jimin had dragged him into the crowd of sweaty freshman and potential talent scouts after their set, and that was despite the fact he’d made it clear he wanted to go home straight after.  But It wasn’t like anyone would care if he got enough sleep.  His parents were rarely around, choosing to spend their time with childlike middle-aged friends and tons of booze.  He hated hanging around clubs out of fear that he might run into them someday or worse, that he’d have to acknowledge them if that ever happened.

Jimin wasn’t having it though.  He insisted that Jungkook stick around, being the face of the band, the main singer, so to speak.  Jimin sang too but his real specialty was to pluck the strings of a guitar from time to time.

They were by the bar shooting down shots of gin, courtesy of Namjoon’s charm, which led to a few girls buying them drinks.  Jungkook sat quietly, rejecting the advances of any female that thought he could be seduced by their charms— and they happened to be very charming.  When the fourth girl walked away, Jimin seemed to decide he’d had enough.

“You could have scored with any one of those girls,” he pointed out.  “I thought you weren’t waiting around for your soulmate?”

Jungkook gave him an exasperated look.  “I’m not.  I just don’t do hookups.”

“You’re too lonely, my friend,” Jimin chuckled, shaking his head.  “Maybe a one night stand would do you good.”

Jungkook made a face that only made Jimin laugh at him harder.  He really only had a total of three friends who also happened to be his bandmates.  Therefore, he really only talked to three people on a daily basis.  None of them were his soulmate and he thanked the heavens for that everyday.  Being stuck with Jimin, Yoongi, or Namjoon for the rest of his life would be a nightmare.

At that moment, Namjoon chose to sidle up to them and raise his drink, ruffling their hair.  Jungkook leaned back, wrinkling his nose.

“Today was the day boys.  We’ve been booked every weekend at this place for the next few months,” Namjoon cheered, holding his drink in the air.  He was already a bit drunk from the alcohol he’d gotten a couple of older women to buy for him.  In fact, they were all a little bit drunk at this point.

He perked up, trying to downplay his elation at the news.  After all, he was Jeon Jungkook, the brooding loner of the band.  He was the one that was cold and aloof compared to the warm personas of his friends.  He exaggerated it a bit for the droves of classmates that were enthusiastic about having a real band around the campus.  He knew for a fact Yoongi was a “ the world” type of person but around the fans, he became the poster child for love and cooperation.

“Hey, I think it’s time we take this guy home,” Yoongi appeared, throwing Namjoon’s arm around his shoulders.  Their friend’s protests could probably be heard a world away at that point. 

Jungkook sighed and set down his glass.  He knew that the band’s keyboardist would hate causing a scene if he were sober.  It was in everyone’s best interests that they all get home so he followed behind Yoongi and Jimin as they dragged Namjoon out of the club. 

“You!  It’s the freak that moved here last week!” Namjoon slurred.

Jungkook looked up to observe the boy passing by the club, shocked by how rude Namjoon’s comment was.  There was nothing freakish about the boy at all.  If anything he was very attractive, complete with strong, angular jawline and a pair of expressive eyes.  The only thing odd about him was his obviously dyed hair, a shade a light brown bangs fell over them, concealing the emotion behind them. 

Namjoon decided to regurgitate his dinner and in the few seconds Jungkook tore his eyes away from the boy, his friend had tripped over his shoelaces and right into his friends sending them all towards the pavement.  

Poor Namjoon was left to wallow in his own vomit.  Luckily, the others had avoided the blown chunks on the ground.

---

Jungkook woke with a start, realizing that he'd slept through five hits of the snooze button and he was going to be late for school if he didn't get to the bus in the next five minutes.  He jumped out of bed, shoving all his notebooks into his bag and then proceeded to spray obnoxious amounts of cologne all over his body considering he didn't have enough time to take a shower.  He was going to have to wear the same clothes as the night before as well.  He raced out of his house without bothering to check if his parents had made it home last night.

The bus was just pulling up at the stop when he arrive, out of breath and still half asleep whilst trying to ignore the pounding in his head.  It was definitely going to be the last time he would ever let Jimin convince him to drink alcohol and stay out late on a school night.  

It wasn't that he particularly cared about school.  After all, the band was doing well with bookings now and everyone in the tri-country area knew their music well enough that Jungkook wouldn't be surprised if they got signed a few years down the road.  Jungkook's reasoning with having to go to school was very simple; it was required of children his age so he was going to make the most of it.  What was the point of going to school to waste time?  That only ended up wasting time and there was much more to life than that.  Plus, the teachers there knew things that he didn't and it never hurt to know things.

He sat down and was immediately bombarded with questions from two girls in the seat next to him about the gig they had last night.  Rumor had it that Yoongi had streaked through the streets at midnight and Namjoon had gotten faced.  Jungkook politely replied that the only truth to the rumors was about Namjoon.  He didn't particularly like the way these girls were looking at him, like he was a piece of meat they wanted to eat up like a Thanksgiving dinner.

"Don't you girls have something better to do?" a deep voice cut in.  "Or someone?"

They had the decency to look embarrassed and quieted down.  Jungkook turned his head to see one of the upperclassmen from his school facing him.  He was in the senior class, known for being the prime example of a good student and star athlete.  Kim Seokjin, or more commonly known as Jin, was on a lollipop in the way Jungkook's freshman aged classmates would be, glaring at the two girls that had harassed him.

Jungkook gave him a polite nod as if to say he acknowledged what Jin had done for him and he was thankful for it.  He expected Jin to just nod back but that wasn't the case.  The senior moved his things and plopped down next to Jungkook on the bus seat. 

"You're Jeon Jungkook," Jin said to him.

"Yeah.  I am," he replied.

"You're in that band with Kim Namjoon, aren't you?  You two must be friends."

"Yeah."

"I need to talk to your friend," Jin said, his eyes flashing with anger.  "He's been avoiding me."

This was a surprise to Jungkook.  Namjoon had never mentioned anything about every interacting with Kim Seokjin out of all people.  He couldn't imagine why anyone would want to avoid the school's golden boy but Namjoon had never been a sane person to begin with.  He gave Jin a questioning glance to indicate he had no knowledge of what was going on.

"He's my soulmate," Jin explained.  "There have been little signs here and there for a while now so I didn't know for sure, but I felt it last night when I touched my stone.  I felt incredibly drunk and I had a hangover this morning.  I'm completely sure about it now."

Jungkook gaped in disbelief.  "Are you serious?"

Jin nodded.  "He's been avoiding me.  I think he's confused because, well, I'm a guy.  He's a guy.  It's a lot to take in for someone that takes pride in being a womanizer."

Jungkook didn't doubt it.  He'd heard all the  stories Namjoon told and how he could beat a like no girl had ever felt before.  For his friend to suddenly find out his soulmate was not a girl had to have been a shock and therefore probably led him to a state of denial.  He would have given Jin the advice to not give up just because Namjoon was being a little but he didn't think he had to say it.  Jin seemed determined to do whatever it took to win over his soulmate's heart.

"I'll see what I can do," Jungkook offered.  "Maybe come to our show this weekend at Infire?  We've been booked to play there every weekend for the next couple of months."

Jin nodded and nodded towards the girls.  "Thanks dude.  If you ever need any help with leeches, let me know."

---

The red haired boy was practically the devil.  He'd been pushed around by Jimin and his sophomore friends as if he were some stupid freshman they could mess around with.  Okay, he was a stupid freshman, but that didn't mean they could mess around with him.  It was just rude.  On Jimin's orders, Jungkook sat on the benches outside next to one of Jimin's friends, Yook Sungjae.  His other friend Sanghyuk (affectionately addressed as Hyuk) and a girl named Seulgi completed Jimin's inner social circle.  Apart from the band, Jimin actually had friends, the kind that were genuine and enjoyed his company.  

He just didn't like hanging around them.  Jungkook was a loner and not because he was an outcast but because he preferred being alone.  Talking to people and pretending to be interested in their lives was tiring.  He'd prefer not to do it.

"Did you hear about Namjoon hyung?" Jimin asked.  "Kim Seokjin is going around saying they're soulmates."

"That's bull.  The golden boy just wants to do something rebellious and he's trying to drag down Namjoon with him," Hyuk sneered.  Seulgi frowned and pinched him in the side.

"It could be true," she said.  "We don't know for sure."

"Don't tell me you buy into that soulmate bull," Hyuk countered.

Seulgi blushed.  "I've met my soulmate.  I know it's not bull."

Hyuk rolled his eyes at that but it was Sungjae that perked up and flailed around, causing Jungkook to almost drop the notebook he was scribbling lyrics into.  He scowled in Jimin's direction as an indication that he should keep his friends in line.  Jimin smiled apologetically and turned back to the conversation they were having.

"What's it like?" Sungjae asked, eagerly.  "Most people don't meet their soulmates until they're middle aged.  How did you meet yours?"

Seulgi sighed.  "We were just little kids that met on the playground one time and I didn't know what soul stones meant back then so I never cared why mine changed color until I was older.  He'd moved away by the time I started asking around about him.  But I know his name and I hope he comes back soon."

"At least you know his name."  Sungjae grumbled like he was disappointed by how anticlimatic the story was.  "The rest of us only have their feelings to rely on."

"It's a curse," Jungkook spoke up.

They all jumped, clearly not having expected him to say something.  He looked at them blankly as they looked back at him with curiousity, especially Jimin, who was definitely going to give him grief when they were alone later about speaking up about his soulmate.

"What do you mean?" Seulgi asked.

"To feel every emotion or physical sensation of the person you know you're going to love for the rest of your life.  It's a curse.  All it does it make you curious about who they are and why they're feeling the way they do, wondering if you're ever going to meet them and tell them that it's going to be okay as long as you're there.  It's enough to make anyone insane," Jungkook spat, furiously scratching out all the lyrics he'd written in the past ten minutes.

He ripped out the page and threw it at Jimin.  He wasn't going to sit there and listen to them glorify the idea of soulmates anymore so he got up and walked away before he really did go insane if he wasn't halfway there already.  They let him go without much protest knowing that he could get moody sometimes and rightly figured he needed some time to himself. 

A boy wearing a beanie and a pair of oversized headphones passed by along his way as he stormed away from Jimin and his friends and made brief eye contact with him.  He nodded at Jungkook in greeting and then glanced down at his mp3 player to press a button. 

Jungkook found himself underneath the school's maple tree laying on his back, staring up at the sky.  Spring was upon them.  He could feel it from the soft breeze and the warm air along with with sunny skies.  Yet no matter how beautiful it was, Jungkook couldn't keep his mind off the coldness that spread through him when his fingers touched the soul stone that was lodged in his belly button.  Everyone had one and while he knew he should have been thankful his hadn't fallen out yet, which indicated his soulmate was still very much alive, he resented it.  He wanted to hate his soulmate for what he was put through every time he touched the damn thing.

Pain creeped up along his limbs and suffocated him to the point where he could barely move.  Some days he felt like he was being choked to death while other days had him clutching his arms as if the cold steel of a blade was cutting through the flesh of his arms.  Jungkook didn't know how anyone could go through so much pain and still have the will to live.  He usually woke up every morning and checked his stone to make sure his soulmate hadn't gotten fed up and killed themselves.  Every day the stone was still there in his belly button, shining brightly with its aqua blue color.

He sat up, removing his fingers from the stone and with shaky fingers he began to write the poetry of his soulmate's sufferings.  Every song he'd ever written was about his soulmate.  All the pain and anger came from whoever it was and Jungkook wrote it into the words he would eventually sing on stage for the world to hear.  The world needed to hear it as far as Jungkook was concerned.  As much as he resented whoever he or she was, his soulmate deserved to let out all that pain.

You see the world in black and blue
And I feel your colors like they're mine
I want to hold you in my arms
If you were with me you'd be fine
Nice to know you don't care how I feel
That your pain overcomes my love

Your selfish suffering drowns me
Deep in an ocean of aqua

He got stuck when he couldn't think of any word that rhymed with aqua.  Jungkook lifted his shirt to look at his stone for some inspiration and then he paled.

"."

---

"You're telling me you met your soulmate?" Jimin asked, trying not to laugh.  "And you have no idea who it is."

Jungkook flipped him off, literally shoving the middle finger into his face.  " you.  This isn't funny.  What the am I supposed to do about this?"

Jimin bit his lip, clearly not understanding how panicked Jungkook was.  "Okay fine, I'll be serious.  Let me see it."

Jungkook kept his face straight as he lifted up the shirt for Jimin to see.  What was once a bright aqua blue stone was now a silvery white with gold streaks.  He couldn't deny that it was a beautiful color but it still didn't change the fact that he had ing met his soulmate and he didn't know who it was.  He'd actually met the person he was destined to be with his whole life, the one that felt so much pain to the point where Jungkook wanted to take the pain for himself at times.

"Do you want me to help you track them down?" Jimin asked, suddenly very serious.

Jungkook was about to burst with impatience at his friend's stupidity.  "This person is my soulmate.  I will kill you if you don't help me find them."

Jimin's smile was blinding.  "Perfect.  So who did you look at or talk to today you don't normally look at or talk to?"

The first person that came to mind was Kim Seokjin but that was out the question since the guy was convinced Namjoon was his soulmate, evidenced by the hangover he'd had this morning.  He had a brief moment of panic thinking that Seokjin could be mistaken about who his soulmate was but then he thought about it again and realized it was impossible.  Their stones would have changed color at the same time.  Since Seokjin had known he had a soulmate for a while, it couldn't be him.  He wracked his brain to remember who he'd come across since last night.

"The hot guy passing by the club last night," Jungkook murmured, his mind racing through everything that had happened to him recently.  "The girls on the bus.  The boy with the headphones."

"So they're people that go to school with us?" Jimin asked, excitedly.  "That narrows it down nicely.  If we look through the yearbook do you think you could point them out?"

"Yes."  Jungkook croaked, his throat dry with the realization that this was actually happening.  He was on the hunt for his soulmate.

Jimin didn't actually have a yearbook so the two of them made plans to meet up at the library the next day during their free period and investigate the potential candidates for his soulmate.  In the meantime, he asked Jimin to keep it quiet and it wasn't that he didn't want his friends to know.  He just wasn't quite ready to face having a soulmate in public because of what it meant.  To most people, a soulmate was a good thing but to Jungkook it was something different.  His soulmate meant having to feel the darkest thoughts and pain that made him wish for death.

He hoped that he'd find his other half soon.  He had a lot to say when he did.

---

Rehearsals happened in Yoongi's garage everyday right after school without fail.  He could remember the first time he saw Yoongi and Jimin playing around with their instruments as he passed by while taking a walk around the block.  Jimin was playing a riff on his guitar and Yoongi was pounding down on an old drum set that had been passed down to him when his uncle died.  They sounded like back then and it was another few weeks before they'd cornered down Namjoon after learning the school's legendary playboy could play the piano.  They'd saved up for a keyboard and with their daily practices they began to actually sound decent with Namjoon and Yoongi doing most of the composing.

It was only luck for them that Jimin happened to be casual friends with Jungkook and noticed that his poetry could be used for lyrics and he didn't have a bad voice and so he somehow found himself being a part of the garage sessions instead of just watching them on his daily walks.  

He used to walk to shake off the sensations of touching his stone but now he sang those feelings away.  In a way, he was thankful that being Yoongi's neighbor had led him to be in a band.  He was still a loner but he wasn't as lonely anymore and he was able to relieve his stress in a somewhat healthy way.

He needed to sing and feel the deep vibrations of the speakers pounding in sync with his heartbeat.  He wanted to hear the crash of the symbols, the blaring notes of the guitar and the electronic sounds from the keyboard to calm him.  However Yoongi seemed to have other plans for the evening.

"We have a gig at Park Chanyeol's house."  Yoongi cheered as if this were the biggest news he'd ever recieved.

Jungkook wasn't too keen on the idea.  Park Chanyeol was the definition of a meathead jock and had once humiliated him when he was in the third grade.  He wasn't a jerk anymore but he was the type of guy that cared way too much about his muscles and having the prettiest girl at school on his arm.  Yet everyone knew why he was throwing a party that night.  Chanyeol's longtime girlfriend had moved to Japan, allowing him to to finally be with his soulmate, who was some girl that Jungkook didn't know at a different school.

Jungkook didn't know why that was cause for celebration because it was clear that Chanyeol had liked Tiffany enough to not hurt her feelings immediately by breaking up with her the minute he met his soulmate, but then again popular people did very odd things.  Still, Yoongi was right about this being a pretty big news.  The band played alternative rock and punk rock, two genres of music that popular people didn't customarily listen too.  Either they were walking into a trap or this party was going to be a classic MTV music video rager.

Jimin and Namjoon cheered along with Yoongi and the next thing he knew, they were packed into the beat up van that Namjoon had begged his parents for.  Everyone had chipped in to buy the thing, even Jungkook who had swiped some bills from his drunken parents, who were still under the impression they'd gotten robbed on the streets in their inebriated states.  They couldn't even complain to the police because they couldn't remember what had happened.

He put the soulmate business in the back of his mind when they got to the party and started setting up their equipment.  Park Chanyeol was all friendly-like with the band while Jungkook kept to himself doing vocal exercises.  The place was packed with his schoolmates and even some older kids from the local community college.  He needed to make sure his voice didn't crack during this set or he'd lose his image.

Right before it was time to play, Jimin attacked him with some eyeliner to complete their look.

---

Seokjin was around which had Namjoon all over the place when the band was done playing.  The music selection had switched over to a DJ and Chanyeol had told them to enjoy the party instead of just packing up and leaving.  They packed up first out of paranoia that their instruments would be damaged.  No one had enough money to be able to replace them even with the generous payment Chanyeol had given them.

Yoongi had dragged Jimin off somewhere to get a drink and Namjoon was too busy avoiding his soulmate to hang out with him.  His friends were very inconsiderate especially when they knew he hated parties.  A bunch of girls were following him around everywhere he went as he moved around the house and he was getting fed up with it.  He decided to hang out in one of the many bathrooms, hoping that at least one of them was empty.

He managed to lose the gaggle of girls as he practically rushed up the stairs and ran into the door he saw which was actually a bathroom to his surprise.  He locked the door from the inside and slumped to the ground with a loud sigh.  Jungkook was just about to relax when a loud moan sounded out into the room.  There was somebody in the bathroom with him.

There was a another moan and a banging coming from the bathtub.  Jungkook sprang up and drew back the shower curtain and then drew a sharp breath.  It was the boy from last night, the one that had been walking by the club that Namjoon had called a freak.  There was duct tape over his mouth and both his hand and feet were tied up with rope.  His clothes were soaking wet and he was looking up at Jungkook in terror, as if he were afraid of what might be done to him next.

Needless to say, Jungkook was furious.  He gripped the end of the duct tape and held the boy's head still, ignoring the way the boy flinched away from him.  He took a deep breath.  "This might hurt just a little."

The boy softened and nodded slightly then squeezed his eyes shut.  Jungkook ripped off the duct tape quickly in one swift motion and then started to work on untying the rope.  The boy gasped taking in deep breaths of air like he hadn't been able to breathe properly in a while.  He took out his anger on the ropes that were binding the boy and even though his hands shook he was able to untie the first set of ropes.

"Who the did this to you?" Jungkook spat out.

The boy shook his head and with a raspy voice answered him back.  "Doesn't matter."

Jungkook blinked.  "Does this happen a lot?"

The boy shrugged.  "Only when they're bored."

"Who are they?" Jungkook demanded.  He was done with the ropes by now.

"I told you that it doesn't matter," the boy said, angrily.  "Why would you care anyway?"

"I don't like bullies," he answered.  "I don't like people that sit back and accept getting bullied either."

"Then you have no reason to talk to me again.  Just go."

Jungkook hesitated.  He had no reason to stay but he couldn't just leave the boy in this state.  He'd done his part and saved him from what had been done but he didn't want to leave just yet.  He was a little curious just as he had been when Namjoon had called this boy a freak last night.  He wanted to know why this boy was a target for the world's cruelty.

"What's your name?" Jungkook asked.

"Taehyung," the boy replied, as he climbed out of the bathtub.  

He stood just inches away from Jungkook, rendering him breathless.  He didn't know if Taehyung knew it but his eyes were the prettiest shade of brown the universe had created.  He'd never seen eyes like that before or the emotions surfacing in them.  He already had taken note of how attractive Taehyung was but seeing him up close like this was another story.  If either one of them allowed it, Jungkook would be able to feel how strong that jawline was, the smooth skin underneath his fingertips.  Or the feel of his dark brown hair tangled in his hands as he pulled Taehyung closer and kissed his soft lips until they were swollen.

He didn't realize he had actually been kissing the guy until Taehyung pulled away from him.  "What the hell do you think you're doing?  I have a soulmate."

Determined to not be embarrassed and live up to his image he spoke with intention of seeming like an .  "I don't give a  about soulmates.  That whole fate and destiny thing is complete crap."

"Okay, that's your problem but don't come onto me just because you have soulmate issues"  Taehyung said, jabbing his finger into Jungkook's chest.  "Besides, you don't even know me.  I mean, I know who you are because everyone knows who you are, but you just met me.  People can't just going around kissing whoever they see at first sight."

"It's just kissing, and besides, a friend of mine has been saying I need a good one night stand."

 Jungkook didn't actually want a one night stand.  There was an itch developing on the back of his hand telling him to run away now but a much larger part of him was telling the universe to go itself.  He just found his soulmate and now he was hitting on some random guy.  It didn't matter that Taehyung was on the list of potential soulmates because he wanted to get proper revenge and if it ended up not being the boy in front of him, the better.  Jungkook suffered because his other half did and that's why he hated his soulmate.  His hatred was unreasonable and he knew that so it was the tiny bit of conscience left in him that made him decide to reveal the truth.

"What makes you think I'd be up for that?"

"My stone changed color today and I hate my soulmate so I don't care if you are up for it or not.  I just need to get rid of some stress.  If it's not you then I'll find someone else."  

This was a complete bluff but it was best to be a jerk than to let his pride get wounded.

"You're a ."  Taehyung instantly stepped back from him and crossed his arms over his chest.  He seemed angry for some reason.

He was surprised by the reaction.  He could have sworn Taehyung was into him, and soulmate or not, people never rejected Jungkook.  "I've been told that many times."

"Your soulmate is supposed to be your other half," Taehyung said.  "I feel sorry for whoever it is.  They get a sorry excuse for a life partner."

Jungkook was shoved to the side as Taehyung stalked out of the bathroom.  He scoffed at the incredulity of the situation.  He'd just gotten rejected by someone that could possibly be his soulmate.  He was definitely going to cross that boy off the list.  Now he just had to track down the boy with the headphones and the two girls from the bus.  He spun on his heel so he could find his friends and go home only to find Taehyung right outside the door curled up in a ball.  

"Are you going to be okay, Taehyung?" Jungkook sighed.

Taehyung blinked up at him, tears escaping from his eyelids.  It was very clear he wasn't going to be okay so he made his decision on the spot.  He held out a hand to the boy and gripped his arm w