Jungkook gasped as the ache in the back of his head suddenly throbbed with pain, causing his vision to go black for a few seconds. The boy frowned in confusion as the black faded but the pulsating in his head continued. He stood up and grabbed his bag, eyes searching for the mysterious force that was stabbing his chest and beating his head. Something, Jungkook had no idea what, led his feet out the door. The teen blindly staggered through the halls, smashing into bodies and murmuring apologies. The black had settled back into his vision, leaving him blind and relying on the strange instinct that had suddenly appeared within him.

            Somehow, the brunette found himself at the top of the stairs. He pressed his forehead against the cold brick of the wall and squeezed his eyes shut. The headache had escalated to intense migraine, like someone was stabbing him in the temple and ripping his skull open. Jungkook opened his eyes and took a shaky breath. What the hell was happening?

            He looked towards the stairs and, through his darkened vision, saw a person, leaning against the bar of the stairs. Jungkook’s breath hitched and his chest suddenly convulsed. His heart hurt. What was this feeling? His vision cleared and he was left staring at this stranger, whose appearance made him feel something strange.

            “Oh my god…” The soft exclamation left Jungkook’s lips. His throat was dry, he couldn’t breathe, his brain couldn’t take this, what is happening….

            The stranger snapped his head around, his eyes filled with the same pain and confusion as Jungkook’s. Their eyes met and Jungkook’s vision blurred. Oh why was he so dizzy, wait the floor is moving, what the hell, oh my god, someone tell me what is going on…

            Jungkook woke with something cold pressed against his forehead and a purple bruise beginning to form. He sat up and immediately regretted the decision. Heat ran to his head. Apparently, the migraine hadn’t completely faded. He was feeling decidedly nauseous and decided to return to a horizontal position. The school nurse approached the bed where Jungkook was groaning and feeling self-pity, alerted to his consciousness by his loud and wordless complaining.

            She grinned at him. “Oh, Jeon Jungkook, correct? I’m glad you’re awake, your parents have been called and will be picking you up shortly. It’s your first day, right? I’m so sorry it had to be cut short like this!” The chatty nurse beamed at the boy, who wasn’t feeling quite as bubbly as she was, and returned to her desk.

            Jungkook suddenly remembered the stranger he had knocked down, wincing at the memory. “Uh…” He started hesitantly. “There was another person…?”

            The woman looked up. “Oh, yes. He’s over there.” She pointed to Jungkook’s right. “He took a hard blow to the head; he’s not awake yet.”

            Jungkook looked to his right and saw a tuft of orange hair poking out from the sterile white hospital sheets. Nice hair. The teen rolled back over to his back, looking up towards the ceiling. He stayed like that for a few minutes, tracing the outlines of the tiles with his eyes and trying to ignore the throbbing in his head.

            “Hello, this is Seoul Public High School’s infirmary. Yes, I’m looking for Kim Taehyung’s guardians?” She paused for a moment. “He fell down the stairs and hit his head. Yes, please come as soon as possible. Thank you. Goodbye,” the nurse hung up the phone.

            A couple moments later, a tall man and woman hesitantly opened the door. Jungkook turned over and looked towards the door. He sat up and waved at the, smiling sheepishly.

            “Uh, hi mom, dad.”

            The nurse looked up from her paperwork and stood, smiling warmly. “Hello!” she chirped. “ Jeon-ssi, please sign here and Jungkook is free to go.” She handed the couple a clipboard and pen.

            The door re-opened and a woman entered. “Hello? Is this the infirmary?”

            The nurse beamed brightly. “Yes, Kim-ssi, correct? Taehyung is just over there, he’s not conscious yet. We can wake him up for you to bring him home or you can wait with him here.”

            Jungkook’s parents turned to the woman and gave her a strange sort of expectant look. The woman nodded at them and smiled. Jungkook watched the exchange, confused.

            “Oh, Jungkook’s parents can take him with them when they leave. I need to get back to work, I’m really sorry,” the woman said. “We’re family friends.”

            The nurse looked slightly hesitant, but nodded nonetheless and instructed Jungkook’s parents to sign both of them out. The woman smiled and excused herself, leaving quietly. Jungkook narrowed his eyes at his parents. The Jeon family didn’t do family friends. Sure, the couple was friendly enough with the neighbors and their co-workers back in Busan, but Jungkook had never heard of them going out for dinner with friends, or inviting someone over. Plus, even if they did have friends in Busan, they were in Seoul now. And suddenly Taehyung’s mother was alright with them taking her son? Something was going on.

            Jeon Jungsoo, Jungkook’s father, handed the clipboard back to the woman. “Will Jungkook and Taehyung be alright?”

            “Jungkook should be fine. Taehyung hit his head pretty hard, but I don’t suspect a concussion. Some rest should perk them right up,” The nurse replied, looking down at the clipboard. “Okay, great! You’re free to go, I’ll go wake Taehyung.”

            Jungsoo walked over to his son and helped him out of bed. Jungkook clenched his jaw against the pain in his head. Taehyung joined Jungkook and his parents a couple moments later, looking drowsy and thoroughly confused as to why he was going with Jungkook’s parents and not his own. Jungkook shrugged as he gave him a questioning look.

            Twenty minutes and an awkward car ride later, Jungkook and Taehyung were seated on a couch opposite from Jungkook’s parents. Jungkook shifted his body weight away from the other teen and looked down at his knees, feeling uncomfortable. Jungsoo looked downright serious, and Minjee, Jungkook’s mother, was wringing her hands nervously.

            “So, Jungkook, Taehyung,” Jungsoo began cautiously. “You two must be wondering what happened today.”

            Taehyung glanced at Jungkook, who was staring at his knees like he’d never seen them before, and decided to answer for the both of them. “Yes, sir.”

            “Uh…” Jungsoo looked to Minjee pleadingly. She looked away. Jungsoo sighed. “Okay, well, I need to tell you something. Something I should’ve told Jungkook a long time ago.”

            The boy dragged his eyes away from his knees to meet his father’s. “What? What is it?”

            The man seemed to be struggling to put his thoughts into words. Jungsoo pressed his lips into a thing line, his forehead furrowing as he thought. Finally, the man sighed and began to speak. “Well, long story short, your great-grandfather was a pure-blooded werewolf.”

            Jungkook froze. Of all things, he hadn’t expected this. His usually solemn and straightforward father joking about something as ridiculous as this, the teen felt a laugh start to build in his throat. Taehyung looked at Jungsoo incredulously, looking to Jungkook to see his reaction. When he saw the other teen’s amused expression, Taehyung relaxed.

            Jungsoo frowned at his son’s reaction. “Jungkook, I’m not joking. His name was Jeon Jungmin. His mate was a human woman. My father, your grandfather, was half-werewolf. He never showed any signs, and married a human woman, never finding his mate. He didn’t tell me either, until he was old and dying and I had already married.”

            The man met Jungkook’s eyes, taking in the swirl of confusion, disbelief, and shock. “Never let him meet his mate,” the man stated.

            “That’s what my father told me. As part-werewolves, our human blood is dominant and almost nothing can awake the lupine side. In fact, the only way I know of is by laying eyes on your mate,” Jungsoo shifted his gaze to Taehyung. “But that’s already happened.”