Chapter Text
“Jeon Jungkook what the actual hell -”
“ Hyung not so loud!”
“No way in Hell do you have any goddamn idea how confused I am-”
“ Tae -”
“And you're running around here- flying around here what the fuck?!”
“..... I kinda have... powers.. …”
“No shit you do! Put me down right this instant so I can kick your muscled-”
Jungkook wasn't entirely sure how everything had spiraled so quickly: one moment he was saving his crush, the next he was recognized and being threatened by the very same person.
In all fairness, the day had begun rather uneventfully, with Seokjin waking him up with a bucket of water to the face.
“Wakey wakey, my tough Kookie.” Wiping water off his face, Jungkook squinted at his brother, who was standing in the doorway, grinning cockily. A bucket hovered just above his face, seemingly ringing with Seokjin's laughter. Frowning, Jungkook reached up, snatching the offending object mid-air and crushing it in one hand.
“What did I tell you about using your abilities for petty shit?” Seokjin scolded, finally crossing into the room and hovering the bucket out of Jungkook's hand, smoothing it back into shape. Jungkook blinked up at him blearily, flopping back over with a groan.
Despite his considerable telepathic abilities, Seokjin had never felt the need to create an illusion over his face; faced with the cruel reality that was his brother's face, Jungkook had no choice but to close his eyes and succumb to the kinder realm of dreams.
“While I'm flattered you’ve finally recognized my beauty, your dramatic ass needs to get out of bed and off to school if you intend on graduating.” Given Seokjin's equally formidable telekinetic abilities that would ensure a physical removal and his very nosy tendencies hyung should he think about resistance, Jungkook rolled off the bed, hitting the floor with a thud. Unsure if he'd dented the floor-
“You did. Get up immediately so I can fix it.” With another sigh, Jungkook pushed up off the floor and ambled towards the bathroom. Catching sight of the clock, he rushed toward the bathroom, wishing for once that his power was super speed as opposed to super strength. Instead, one broken toothbrush and a ripped sock later, he was out the door and halfway down the street, Seokjin’s warnings of flying will get you caught, don’t fucking do it ringing in his ears (literally, Seokjin had no mercy when it came to revealing his powers).
The moment before the bell rang, the door to his photography class was in view, and he was debating putting the extra power into hauling it towards the door when something collided with him.
More on instinct than anything else, he froze in place, willing himself not to succumb to Newton’s third law. Instead, a mass of limbs collapsed against his chest, mop of silver hair sprawling onto the floor with a variety of colorful curses Jungkook had only heard Seokjin use when his food was burning.
“Oh my god, I’m so sor-”
“Shit, fuck what the hell-”
Jungkook clamped his mouth shut, surprised and a little awed by the stranger in front of him. If he wasn’t a little afraid of the range of Seokjin’s telepathy, he would wager this was the most handsome man in the world, with a deep voice to match. That very same deep voice was, apparently, cursing him out, and he wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that.
“Uh. About all that, before,” The stranger shifted uncomfortably, and Jungkook was offering his hand before he could fully register what was happening. The stranger blinked at it, then at him for a moment before taking it and swinging upright and-he was tall , probably as tall as Seokjin and definitely taller than Jungkook.
“It-it’s fine. Happens, right?” Jungkook offered, mildly proud he hadn’t stumbled over his words. The strangers blinked down at him, and he mildly panicked at the thought of something on his face why didn’t Seokjin wake him sooner-
“Yeah. You’ve got a leaf in your hair.” The stranger said, reaching and plucking it out before Jungkook could register what was happening.
“Thank you?” His hesitant statement was met with a smile like a thousand suns, all packaged in a neat little box. Nobody should be able to smile with both rows of teeth without looking manic, and yet.
Jungkook was startled out of his reverie by the bell, and the realization he had not, in fact, entered the classroom.
“Ah, shit. See you around, maybe?” Jungkook offered, bypassing the stranger in favor of entering the classroom. Unfortunately, the stranger’s reply was swept away in the stream of students, and Jungkook resigned himself to doodling him all class period, hopefully getting him out of mind before Seokjin could read about it.
The professor entered the class a few minutes later, and Jungkook was just beginning to regret not staying with the stranger a little longer when, as if summoned, the man himself walked through the door.
“And this is Kim Taehyung, he’s graduating this year and agreed to be my TA for the semester. If any of you need help with your next assignment, by all means ask him.” The professor waved a hand towards the stranger, Taehyung, a hot name for a hot face , who inclined his head towards the students.
“Ah, I’m Kim Taehyung, nice to meet you guys.” Jungkook squinted at Taehyung’s reintroduction; at some point, he had procured a headband, which, while criminally hot, seemed to have a leaf sticking out of it. The very same leaf that had been plucked from his own hair, apparently.
Jungkook buried his face into his notebook throughout the lecture, sketching a few sneaky drawings of Taehyung’s side profile, which, what the fuck , and partially paying attention to the professor. Finally, the class was up, and Taehyung was thoroughly mobbed by a variety of students, to the point where Jungkook gave up trying to talk to him.
Regardless, it was time for his job.
His unofficial first day at his future campus, tagging along with Seokjin during his second year, Jungkook had gotten lost. As a young high school student surrounded by unfamiliar people, he had very much been on the verge of panicking. By chance, he ended up wandering into a lecture, held, remarkably, by a first year student by the name of Kim Namjoon. Jungkook was entranced, and oddly reassured by the subject matter, despite it being of a controversial subject matter.
Seokjin had found him before he could talk with the lecturer, scolding him telepathically all the way home, but Jungkook was determined to locate the charismatic speaker once more. Three years later, his own first year, he had all but forgotten about it, until he stumbled yet again into a lecture, this time by a somehow more intimidating Kim Namjoon, now in his final year of college.
This time, he had managed to strike up a conversation, and had more or less idolized the dimpled nerd since then. They had lapsed contact since Namjoon’s graduation and when Jungkook had applied for an internship at BH Enquirer for his photography class, he was thoroughly surprised to find Namjoon as Assignment Editor at that very newspaper.
And, once his internship was up, Namjoon was the one who encouraged him to pursue writing, and helped him apply for the reporter position (Seokjin had given him all kinds of shit about the cliche of it all) that he was currently running late for.
Cursing, Jungkook avoided another pedestrian, wishing with all his literal might that he could just fly. Although, it wasn’t his fault there was a police blockade just along his usual route, going for blocks and redirecting traffic towards the only alternate route that went towards the office, complete with a number of crosswalks.
And while getting hit by a car wouldn’t actually do anything, Seokjin would certainly murder him for making the headlines instead of writing them.
“Sorry, sorry I’m late, the traffic was horrible -” Jungkook blurted, rushing into the boardroom. Namjoon gave him a bemused look, and he realized a good amount of his coworkers had yet to show. Yoongi was outright smirking at him, a rare show of emotion from the stoic Production Specialist.
“That is actually why we’re meeting, Jungkookie.” Namjoon raised an eyebrow, gesturing towards the board, with a number of papers pinned to it.
“The police are unsure of exactly what happened, but somehow four entire blocks have been flooded. I hope you brought your rain boots, I’m assigning this case to you.” Nodding furiously, Jungkook began to gather his materials, running through a mental checklist of what he needed to enter the scene.
“Oh, and it seems like most of our photographers have been assigned other duties, so I’m giving you our newest hire.” Namjoon added, poking his head out of the door to call for someone. Jungkook stared after him, turning his head at Yoongi’s snicker.
“Think you can handle him, kid?” Jungkook frowned, unsure what he meant, when Namjoon returned to the room, dimples pressed deep into his cheeks as he ruffled the hair on a very familiar head.
“Jungkookie, this is my brother Taehyung. I think he’s...two years older? That sounds about right. Tae, this is Jeon Jungkook, the reporter you’ll be assisting today.” Jungkook gulped as Taehyung turned his dark eyes onto him, relaxing slightly when Taehyung beamed.
“We’ve met! I didn’t know you were a reporter, thought you’d be a photographer yourself.” Taehyung said conversationally, walking up to Jungkook, who resisted shrinking against the wall. Yoongi was in full fits, Namjoon giving him a concerned look.
“It’s...one of my interests. But I like writing too.” Jungkook managed, still not quite looking Taehyung in the eyes. Was this aura just something that ran in the family?
“That’s neat! Hey, so we should get going, right? I’ve got my camera and my get into jail free card-”
“He means his credentials, under no circumstances do you let him near a prison.” Namjoon interupted, giving Taehyung a pointed look. Jungkook glanced between them, and inadvertently caught Namjoon’s eye.
“You may be wondering if this is nepotism-scratch that, by your face you’re wondering what nepotism is-long story short I’m not the one who hired him, just the fool who mentioned a job was open.” Namjoon sighed exasperatedly, reminding Jungkook of Seokjin.
Making a mental note to hug his brother when he got home, Jungkook managed a nod at Taehyung, exiting the room as swiftly as possible.
Taehyung was a surprisingly engaging conversation partner, despite the topic of conversation being the photography lecture Jungkook had admittedly paid very little attention to.
“Ah, don’t worry, I’m a bit scatterbrained so I get that. If you need any help, you can always ask your favorite hyung!” Taehyung declared, thumbing at his own chest. Jungkook watched, holding back a laugh.
“You know I have an actual brother, right? And I’ve known Namjoon-hyung for longer.” He couldn’t hold back anymore after Taehyung turned to him, an expression of betrayal on his face that only became more exaggerated as he continued laughing. Jungkook smiled as he wiped away stray tears; maybe he had just a little bit of a crush.
It became more apparent that Jungkook really should’ve brought rain boots as they approached the crime scene. The police set up at the roadblock were wearing an assortment of waterproof apparel, standing out brightly against the curious crowd. Pushing his way to the front, Jungkook managed to get beyond the block and to the detective assigned to the case.
“Jeon Jungkook, reporting for the BH Enquirer. What can you tell me about the crime scene?” He asked, notepad at the ready. The detective gave him a look, sighing as he surveyed the scene.
“Firstly, nice to meet you, I’m Detective Jung Hoseok. And I can’t tell you anything about a crime scene, because we’re not sure it is one.” Detective Jung continued, mouth turned in a frown. Jungkook frowned as well, surveying the scene.
The amount of water was alarming, enough to carry a variety of small objects along the road, and making it impossible for most vehicles to enter safely. However, it could just as easily be a burst pipe, or something of the non-criminal variety. But something nagged at Jungkook-Seokjin had assured him a spider sense was both copyrighted and not in his hero repertoire-that there was something more to it.
The flash of a camera blinded him, and he blinked off the glare to see Taehyung smiling at him and Detective Jung,
“Sorry, you two were making the same face, it was kinda funny.” Taehyung explained, turning the camera towards them. Contrary to expectations, Detective Jung let out a loud laugh, smiling at the photo and clapping Jungkook on the back.
“I was wondering what Namjoonie was up to, sending kids, but it looks like you two have this under control.” He said cheerfully, winking at Jungkook while turning towards an approaching figure.
Jungkook was partially confused, partially insulted, when he realized his notebook was open in view, complete with every theory he had come up with since arrival. Hopefully that was what the detective was talking about.
“Detective, I got signs of a break in just down the-Taehyung?!” The newcomer was cut off abruptly by Taehyung, who had released some kind of screech, wrapping his arms around the shorter figure until only a tuft of blond hair poked out from the police-issue windbreaker.
“Jiminie the roommate of my soul, you didn’t tell me you’d be here?” Taehyung was obviously very attached to this newcomer, and not shy about showing it.
“I’m a cop, what did you expect? Actually, what the hell are you doing here, I thought your new job was as a-oh. You’re here for the BH Enquirer, aren’t you?” The roommate of Taehyung’s soul concluded grimly, glaring at Taehyung upon his release. Taehyung beamed, and was about to speak again when Detective Jung coughed.
“As much as I’d like you to catch up with your roommate here, Probie Park, you had some information for me?” Detective Jung said, one eyebrow raised. Probie Park, the roommate of Taehyung’s soul blushed (adorably, curse him), shoving at Taehyung before clearing his throat.
“Yes, sir. We have evidence of several burst water mains along the four blocks, especially centered around the middle two. Reasons and means are unclear, but the area will continue to become flooded if we don’t divert the water somewhere. I can take you to the site?” Jungkook had been writing furiously, half-nodding before Detective Jung could give the ok. The four of them made their way as far as they could, before Probie Park, roommate of Taehyung’s soul and savior of my shoes thank you Chim ushered them towards an all-terrain vehicle, built for marshy areas.
“So, I figure you’re a little curious how I know your boss?” Detective Jung asked, bumping against his elbow. Taehyung had insisted on shotgun while Probie Park (in all honesty Jungkook just hadn’t figured out his full name yet) drove them, putting the detective in the back with Jungkook.
“I mean, it would explain why you’re being nice to us. Most cops don’t like reporters.” Jungkook blurted, somewhat impulsively. Luckily, Detective Jung just laughed.
“Most of my coworkers would say you’ve got it backwards, there. Namjoon and I were friends back in college, hard to find someone the same age when you both skipped a year. He runs a clean ship, I trust anyone he sends. Mostly.” Detective Jung winked at him before continuing.
“Jimin up front is my intern, probie, whatever you’d like to call it. Roomies with Taehyung, I’ve heard him call them platonic soulmates one too many times not to recognize the man even if Namjoon didn’t bring him up every other day.” Now that Detective Jung mentioned it, Namjoon did bring up his younger brother rather frequently, but due to the odd nature of the exasperating actions, Jungkook had assumed the brother in question was younger than even him.
“We’re here, sir.” They disembarked cautiously, ending up knee deep in murky water, staring into what appeared to be a deep pit in the ground.
“That’s the water main. Can’t make out what exactly caused this impact, thanks to all this water…” Jimin murmured, pointing as Taehyung snapped photos.
Jungkoko squinted, leaning forwards even as Detective Jung offered words of caution. Seokjin would be able to move the water, he and his brother would need to pay this site another visit, later in the night.
“Gee, I guess Golden Boy would be a big help right about now.” Jungkook startled so badly he nearly lost his pen, gaping as Taehyung smiled at him almost conspiratorially. Detective Jung snorted behind him, shaking his head.
“As if. We don’t need a Superman knock-off running around here trying to fix our problems for us. Not to mention, your own brother doesn’t think he exists.” He added, eyeing Taehyung, who had rather childishly opted to stick his tongue out at the detective as Jimin snickered behind him.
“Besides, what idiot could possibly think it was a good idea to run around in a costume at night, scaring off bad guys like a two-bit Batman? We’ve got cops for a reason.” The detective continued resolutely. The idiot in question gulped, attempting to put his attention on surveying the water damage.
If he was particularly quiet on the drive back, nobody mentioned it.
At the age of ten, when he had broken a table on the anniversary of his mother’s death, Seokjin, only fifteen himself, had sat him down and explained that their father had abilities. Not quite like what Seokjin had, not what Jungkook had apparently inherited either, but enough to drive him somewhere dark, leaving the two of them alone.
Seokjin, in his newfound telepathic capacity, had managed to cover up a turbulent, incident plagued youth as they both struggled to get their powers under control. And it was a problem for both of them; Jungkook couldn’t count the number of times he had woken to his brother begging for the voices in his head to stop, stop for once -but eventually, they managed, living in the extra residence of an unknown maternal uncle of Seokjin’s. Even when he suddenly developed telekinesis, Seokjin had managed to keep a calm head, quickly putting them to use for chores and other such multi-tasking while he kept an eye on Jungkook.
All that ended when his brother went to college; suddenly, Jungkook had to find another outlet for his powers, and fast, because he no longer had a telepath with mind-erasing abilities handy should he accidentally be spotted launching himself off the roof to test his flying abilities (or bandage his bird-related injuries). Naturally, as a young, troubled teenager, the idea of running around in a hoodie and cheap mask beating up thugs on the street appealed to him greatly.
Seokjin had laughed in his face when he found out, laughed until he cried and then just cried, sobbing against a bruised Jungkook (his invulnerability came with frequent visits to the gym, possibly tied to his muscle mass) who had just single-handedly taken down the local crime syndicate. Though his brother refused to explain why, he had eventually agreed to support Jungkook in his nightly activities, provided they didn’t interfere with his academics or livelihood.
And so, Jungkook had established himself as an urban legend of sorts, known to a variety of criminal underlife as someone to be feared, and to the general populace as “Golden Boy”, an embarrassing nickname he really wished hadn’t ever crossed into the public sphere.
It seemed Taehyung was a fan of his, as the photographer hadn’t stopped talking about him after parting from Detective Jung and Park Jimin. Jungkook found he really didn’t mind, and was mildly impressed by the amount of detail he knew about a variety of incidents, much of which hadn’t been released to the public.Taehyung must’ve caught something in his gaze, and stopped almost embarrassedly.
“Sorry about the rambling. I found out about this guy, like, a month ago and I’ve been trying to convince Namjoon-hyung to cover him for a while, but he says unless I can prove he’s an actual person he won’t dedicate any resources to it, so I’m a one man act.” Jungkook was just about to ask how exactly Taehyung went about data gathering when they reached BH Enquirer headquarters, and were intercepted by Yoongi, with both headphones plugged in.
“Both of my headphone are in because I don’t particularly care what you have to say right now. Kid, give me your notes and go home, you’re free. Brat, Namjoon wants your ass in his office, hurry it up.” Yoongi nodded at Jungkook before jerking his thumb behind him, inclining his head towards Taehyung, who squawked at the address but left anyways, calling a loud goodbye behind him.
“Good night, Yoongi-hyung.” Jungkook murmured, setting his copied notes (his notepad was an actual mess and Namjoon required him to re-copy all notes more legibly by default) in the Production Manager’s hands, grinning at Yoongi’s soft smile.
Ever since he had gotten drunk after being hired as an official reporter and accidentally called the older man instead of Seokjin, the office grouch had developed a soft spot for him. Jungkook couldn’t remember what exactly he had said, and was somewhat afraid, but equally afraid to ask Seokjin to check for him, and decided to leave it as is.
“Hyung, I’m home!” Jungkook announced, entering the apartment he shared with Seokjin. Because he was in his second year, he had gotten permission to live with his brother since it was so close by, and admittedly had missed it while living in dorms.
“Kitchen!” Was the only reply. Humming, Jungkook slipped off his shoes and made his way over, depositing his bag and leaning against the doorframe. Seokjin was hovering over the stove, while a spoon seemingly stirred a batch of batter by itself and a knife flashed beside him, neatly chopping vegetables.
“So what do you think?” Jungkook prompted, knowing full well Seokjin had read his thoughts about the crime scene. Pursing his lips, Seokjin ignored him in favor of checking the oven, stepping back to let a tray of cookies float themselves onto free counter space.
“I think you should say what you want out loud.” Seokjin insisted, one eyebrow raised disapprovingly. Jungkook immediately felt guilty; as convenient as his brother’s ability was, he didn’t exactly have a way of turning it off.
“Oh Kookie. It’s fine, I’m used to it, I’d just like to have an actual conversation for once, even if I know what you’re going to say.” Seokjin cooed, stepping closer with one freshly baked cookie following close behind. Once the cookie was safely deposited in Jungkook’s mouth, his brother turned back to dinner with a sigh.
“Alright, I’ll come look at the site with you. Absolutely no touching the ground, I’ve seen that water, and I don’t want to know where it’s been.” Jungkook rolled his eyes; for all his scolding about powers, Seokjin was most likely to use them in any given situation.
“Let’s eat first, then we’ll discuss how you wrongfully accused me of being a hypocrite.” Seokjin said cheekily, sending all ingredients in the kitchen into a flurry. Jungkook groaned, resolving to think of nothing but annoying earworm songs just so that Seokjin would get them stuck in his head.
An hour and a half later, the joke was on him as Seokjin, newly clothed in a black hoodie, hummed along to a particularly irritating tune while they made their way over the rooftops. While Jungkook’s powers of flight were as innate as his super-strength, Seokjin’s required active use of his telekinesis, and he preferred a slower pace to help his concentration. Eventually, they made it to the site, peering down from their vantage just above the water.
With a wave from Seokjin, the water parted, revealing crumbling stones and a thoroughly burst pipe. Seokin eyes it pensively as Jungkook drifted for a closer look.
“Kookie, put your fists up against the hold for a moment. Yeah, right about there.” Seokjin instructed, waiting until Jungkook had his fist centered. Slowly, the metal bent back into place, curving into nearly a perfect impact point before returning to their warped positions.
“Whoever did this, did it with their bare hands. Someone...someone like us.” Seokjin murmured worriedly, returning the water once Jungkook was clear.
“Do...do you know who?” Jungkook asked, regretting it when Seokjin gave him a sad look.
“I have some ideas. Are you coming back with me, or…?” Seokjin asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes when Jungkook shook his head. If he was already out, might as well patrol; his brother knew that even before he did.
He had set up a loose rotation schedule, focusing on one district a night even as he cased all of them. Tonight was one of the more violent districts, and he cracked his knuckles in preparations. Seokjin used to insist he wear wraps and multiple layers, but once his invulnerability kicked in, the only thing he wore was a black hoodie and a face mask, opting to sweep his hair to the side instead of his usual bangs. Seokjin complained he looked more like a criminal than the ones he tried to stop, but the look kept him from being recognized, so it stuck through the years.
A shout from up ahead caught his attention; dropping to the nearest roof, he peered over the edge to find two men in a scuffle, the much larger one attempting to grab a bag from the other. Sighing, Jungkook rose up and stepped off the ledge, plummeting directly between the two.
Swatting at the attacker’s arm, he managed to recover the bag and plant a kick square in their chest, wincing when he felt something give. The first few times he had used his martial arts experience and aimed for the face, he had broken the other’s jaw, giving him a fierce reputation and nightmares for a week. Now, though less likely to outright destroy someone, he kept it contained to a fractured rib or two.
Wounded, the would-be assailant clutched at his stomach and ran as fast as he could, cursing for a good amount of the way. Jungkook watched until he was satisfied they were far enough before turning around.
Usually, the victim would have run off as well, or, like one case, straight up fainted. Usually, the victim was a complete stranger. Usually, the victim didn’t down at him with astonishment and wonder and gratitude in their brown eyes. Usually, the victim wasn’t Kim Taehyung .
“You’re Golden Boy?” Taehyung’s voice was ragged, but full of excitement, and Jungkook was more than a little worried about staring into his eyes for too long.
“I...uh, I don’t really like that name.” Jungkook coughed, attempting to distort his own voice in what Seokjin liked to call Batman and Smeagol’s love child’s voice. He was staunchly avoiding looking at Taehyung, and was startled when the photographer stepped closer, squinting at him.
Taehyung’s eyes widened, and his jaw fell open in a silent gasp. At that moment, Jungkook heard commotion from behind him and turned to find the man from before had returned, with a number of friends, none of which appeared too friendly to Jungkook. Acting quickly, he scooped up a stunned Taehyung and launched himself into the sky.