Two weeks later

Jimin's head dropped and shot back up abruptly, waking him up from his semi-sleep. His classmate turned his head to him and chuckled. Jimin groaned, frustrated of being shaken. It took him a couple of seconds to remember that he was in the middle of a history of music class, the most boring of all. Not that it wasn’t instructive but the boy felt like the intensive study of His Greatness Beethoven’s eventful life came a bit too close to worship. Was it really mandatory to study every single one of his anger and why it inspired him a new composition? Jimin didn’t think so. Especially when said worth-to-idolater symphonies were detailed, dissected and dismounted every single lesson he attended this year. Seriously, the world gifted Mankind so many talented composers it was almost disrespectful to brush them off. Jimin would have liked to study say, the Mendelssohn siblings for example. He loved their compositions very much. And the poor deaf old man might have wished to lay ten feet underground peacefully. Well not that he could hear his name being quoted by his greatest fan, Mr. Yoon, he was dead and deaf. And so since centuries. But since, Jimin was fed up of hearing the mid-fifties lean and upright teacher endlessly argue why ‘Ludwig Van Beethoven’ deserved post mortem Grammies. Argue as in effortlessly convincing himself since no student in their sane mind on that campus would have dared to question Beethoven’s greatness in front of this teacher.

Hence Jimin’s demotivation to follow the lesson. This added to the fact that he did not sleep very well that night and you had an extremely grumpy Jimin with whom it was highly advised not to argue.

He ruffled his hair and tried to focus back on the lesson but without much determination.

Three minutes later, his gaze was directed outside, lingering on the white sky and the top of the trees moving with the wind.

The rest of the lesson passed without him paying any attention. When the bell eventually rang, signalling the liberating lunch break, Jimin threw everything in his bag carelessly and was the first to leave the room.

He made his way through the ever-growing crowd of students to the cafeteria where he met Jungkook and Taehyung in front of the door. All three of them bought their respective lunches and walked to a table in an empty corner or the wide and noisy room.

Jimin plumped himself on his seat with a groan and ruffled his hair making a couple of strands stand out in odd places.

"What’s wrong?" Asked Jungkook. In a swift mode, he poked his straw though the tiny foil opening of his pineapple juice and sipped a large gulp.

"Dunno. Lessons seemed even more boring than usual and I haven't eaten meat for over a day, it's putting me into a disastrous mood."

"Why didn't you buy a chicken sandwich?" V replied.

"Because this is not what I call meat! I need a bloody steak, and I know you do too! How can you let yourself eat all those grass when you could have some blood?!"

"Jimin you know we can't on full moon days, especially you."

"What does that mean? I thought you were on my side Jungkook. So you also think I am some kind of beast?" The young man leaned back on his chair, arms folded on his chest with an expression of defiance towards his best friend. But the younger needed more to feel impressed.

"Don't make me say what I didn't. I am only saying that we are all more receptive to blood these days and you know for a fact that you become uncontrollable when you eat meat these times of the month."

Jimin opened his mouth to reply but Taehyung cut them.

"Can we just stop with that? I don't want people to notice us and you are not helping."

Jimin glanced at the jam packed cafeteria where groups of friends were eating noisily. The queue for the cash desk was growing and people were struggling to find free seats. Luckily, the weather allowed the students to take their lunch outside on the grass of the nearby park.

Jimin groaned, annoyed.

"Aren't you eating?"

"Nah I'm not hungry. You can have my cookie if that's what you want."

Taehyung literally jumped on the dessert, stars gleaming in his dark eyes which made Jungkook shake his head with a laugh. Even Jimin failed to refrain a smile. It felt nice. Taehyung had that bright personality that put everyone in a cheerful mood around him. He was never mad for a long time and nobody could ever be mad at him either. He was just too sincere, too joyful for that, as if his mood was contagious. Even when he was calm, his friends felt relaxed too. If Taehyung had an aura, thought Jungkook, it would definitely be purple. That bright yet soft purple that everyone loves.

“Jungkook would you help me with our math homework? Asked Jimin. I understand nothing of functions and graphs.”

“Sure, I finished mine anyway. Show me.”

Jimin pulled out his paper from his black backpack and pointed at his roommate the parts where he needed help. Which was, to be fairly honest, most of the assignment.

Jungkook at languages but it was his only weakness. He managed to get his way through basically every subject, sport or art but one thing he naturally mastered, over everything else, was sciences. Jungkook’s vampire asset had always been sciences.

---

‘Hyung!’ Jungkook called out for Namjoon who was waiting in front of the school, bag at his feet. The student looked up from his phone to spot Jimin and Jungkook making their ways towards him among the students leaving the university.

‘How about we cut through the park today? The weather is too good not to enjoy it.’ His suggestion approved, the trio headed to their flat. The Sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky lightly warming their faces. Summer was getting closer, and summer break with it. Everyone seemed naturally happier and with the finals approaching, the mood was getting hectic in the corridors of the campus.

‘Where is Hoseok’ Jimin asked Namjoon. He pushed the short gate preventing any child from running out of the public park. It made a small creaking noise and all three stepped in one by one, making their way on the gravelled path.

‘He stayed at the studio, I think he is creating a new choreo. And he told me earlier that he wanted to work out at the gym.’

‘He was planning on working out? Jungkook exclaimed, smashing his palm on his forehead, I should have stayed I love working out with hyung. And he wanted to show me some short choreos for a long time now.’ Finished the disappointed boy.

‘V told me you have a major choir exam coming up, you should study instead?’ Jimin reminded him.

Jungkook scoffed.

‘I know them well already and I finished my rhythm.

‘You can never be done studying rhythm Kook, reasoned Namjoon, it’s like a language, the mo-‘

‘The more you train the more you learn but it never ends. I know hyung but it’s boring!’

Namjoon smiled. Whiney Jungkook was his soft spot.

The stepped into a large alley. Bordered by imposing sycamores, their wide deep green leaves prevented the sun from blinding the passers-by. However, as it was already 5 the Sun was casting his rays almost horizontally in between each trunks, drawing long rectangular patched of gold on the light pebbles screeching under their feet. Here and there parents were sitting on the benches places between each tree, bags on the floor, chatting in small pair about their ongoing day as children were running on the grass extending on both sides of the alleyway.

‘And how is our little genius doing with his contest by the way?’

‘He is training hard, I helped him transfer Maracas to the soundproofed studio before we left. I think he is going to train for a good couple of hours before going home.’

‘Why does he need to exercise so much? We all know he will win anyway, he is one of the best saxophone player I have ever met.’

‘One of them Jungkook. He will compete against the elite of the country, although he starts with an ace thanks to his vampire nature he still has to perfect his technique. And I think it helps him canalize his energy. He will probably come home with J-Hope.’

A small girl with pigtails and overalls almost ran into them when trying to escape her friend, presumably. She quickly apologized between two heavy breaths, and continued her run to the other side of the alley with a high pitch squeal when she spotted the little boy catching up on her. The three students smiled amused and a few meters went by silently.

Although cutting through the park lengthened their trip home, it was always gladly that they took it when the atmosphere was so pleasant. Jimin was casting glances here and there, perhaps exercising his eye at the variety of colours composing the landscape for a future watercolour and Jungkook was mindlessly humming a song.

‘Isn’t it a song from Suga’s new album?’ Namjoon pointed out.

‘Yep it is! Confirmed the youngest boy. I love it so much, the beat is so catchy. I am really proud of hyung his album is going to do even better than the first one I think.’

‘I think so too, approved Jimin, swinging his bag as they walked. He is so proud of it!’

‘We are all so proud of it!’ ensured Namjoon ‘He told me just yesterday that he met a music producer who was willing to listen to his recent productions thanks to Jin. I hope it helps his career take off.’

The moment he finished his sentence a big dog burst out of nowhere chasing after bunches of sparrows, sending toddlers running everywhere laughing hysterically. It stopped right in front of the trio, happily wiggling his curved tail, tongue out and breath loud which made the boys laugh together. Jungkook crouched down to run his fingers in the long cream fur of its back in delight.

‘Chan come back here!’ A girl shouted behind them. Jungkook, Jimin and Namjoon whipped around. A young girl, about the same age as them, was running towards them, a leash in her hand.

‘Hey I know her!’ each boy exclaimed at the same time.