Chapter Text
It’s 6 p.m. on a Wednesday, and Jungkook is hungry like the wolf. Quite literally at that. By now, he’s already spaced out on whatever Netflix show Taehyung’s hooked on—and tried to force him to binge—and the only thing he’s been able to think of is how to make his stomach stop rumbling. Honestly, if Taehyung hadn’t given him the stink eye long enough for him to feel uncomfortable, he would’ve just stayed there for who knows how much longer. Blame the lack of energy, but he’s really been out of it lately. Most people think that being a werewolf is this full-on, always energetic sort of thing, but the reality is more like… brief bursts of energy followed by a lot of exhaustion. He doesn’t even turn that much either; being in his human form is much more convenient, but whenever he feels the urge, it is more liberating than anything else could be.
He’s glad Taehyung understands that, especially when he provides him with enough food and cushions for him to crash, but sometimes he really wishes he could just exist on his own. He’s never been big on the whole “pack” thing; he’s too introverted to enjoy spending that much time surrounded by that many near-strangers, but the few werewolf friends he has do make it worthwhile.
And, well… Taehyung might not be a werewolf himself, but he’s honestly much more like one than any of the actual ones he knows. Maybe that just means he’s a furry; he can’t really judge.
“What do we have here…?” Jungkook mumbles. He opens the fridge without really thinking, already envisioning leftovers. Heck, he’s so hungry he’d take days-old Tupperware mysteries.
But once he actually focuses on the inside of that pretty little white fridge…
Blood.
There is so much blood.
“Why the fuck is there blood in here?!” Jungkook dramatically yells, slamming the door close like it’ll make the sight vanish from existence.
“Huh?” Taehyung mutters back.
"Taehyung," Jungkook slowly starts out, "Why the fuck?" He breathes through his nose. Calm down, Jungkook. "Please tell me, why in the world did you fill your fridge with blood?"
Taehyung looks at him like he's a figment of his imagination for a moment, drowsy eyes and messy hair, bare minimum effort to look his way by turning his head just a little bit.
He's lucky Jungkook's been really into meditation lately because if it weren't for the breathing exercises, he'd just be imagining every possible way of taking him out right now. Patience truly is a skill.
Thankfully, by the time Jungkook's managed to avoid committing murder, Taehyung's soul returns to his body long enough to grasp what in the world he'd just been asked.
"Oh, you mean the blood packs?"
Jungkook blinks. Once. Twice.
"Blood packs?"
Taehyung fully turns to him now, with a huge boxy smile and shining eyes. Jungkook would find him cute if he weren't so confused by this conversation.
"Yeah, blood packs." He snorts. "Did you forget who I'm friends with?" he asks, not really waiting for an answer. "I'm a great host, Jungkookie, and I'd like to provide for all of my esteemed guests."
"Esteemed guests?" Jungkook snorts. "I swear you have the weirdest phrasings sometimes..."
Taehyung completely ignores the jab and continues his explanation. "Mini comes over sometimes without having fed, and I just can't have that, you know? What kind of person would let their soulmate starve like that? Certainly not me."
Of course.
"Mini would be...?" Jungkook asks, more out of fear of confirming what he already suspects than genuine curiosity.
"Park Jimin, twinkle in my eye, vampire of my heart, of course."
"Yes, of course." Jungkook deadpans.
"I don't like your tone." Taehyung replies, eyes squinted.
"Yeah, well, I don't like that you have—" He gags, completely unable to finish his statement. He barely catches himself quick enough to cover his mouth with his hand, clenching both his jaw tight and his eyes closed to keep that all inside. He does not need to puke on top of having an empty stomach.
Deep breaths, Jungkook.
"I don't even get why you'd be friends with someone like that." He finally manages to choke out.
Taehyung rolls his eyes, extremely dramatically at that.
"Are you being a cliché right now? Hating vampires and all that?"
"No," Jungkook hisses. "I just don't like him."
Taehyung rolls his eyes even harder; it genuinely looks like it hurts.
"You two would make great friends, please.”
Jungkook snorts. Him and Jimin? Yeah, sure.
"Never in a million years, Tae."
+++
A few days later, halfway across the city, the very same lonesome vampire runs to get his meal for the day. The forest is cold and humid, but outside of being an annoyance, it doesn’t phase him much.
It’s really nothing new for Jimin, running with the wind on his face and the force of his speed knocking back remaining raindrops from the leaves and onto him. The rush isn’t new either; the hunt’s always been exciting.
He doesn’t usually allow himself to get blood straight from its source, but this is one of those rare occasions where he’ll get exactly what he yearns for.
He’s in hunting mode, his mind blank of anything but heartbeats and bloodstreams. There’s a couple of rabbits nearby, he can find those no problem, but they’d hardly sate his thirst. There’s a bigger animal around, one that’s farther than the radius he’d set for himself. Luckily—for him, certainly not for the poor animal—he’s hungry enough to ignore the boundaries he set just for this meal.
He sighs, out of habit rather than necessity, and continues on his path, propelling himself on a tree trunk and reveling in the crunch it makes beneath his boots. He might as well be flying, and he loves it.
Until he doesn’t.
Until whatever that animal is in the forest becomes the least of his worries, and a much more tasty heartbeat enters his zone. It’s warm, cozy, homey, and it smells familiar. His mouth waters just thinking about that sweet blood on his mouth, down his throat, coating his face and fingers.
All he sees is red, and he rushes towards it without an ounce of logic.
He needs to feed; he’s so, so hungry, and whatever this thing is just made a horrible mistake.
He thinks he hears his name being called, but he can’t grasp it past the hazy fog in his mind.
All he hears is eat, drink, feed, kill.
He can taste it; he can taste it, he can taste it.
“Park Jimin.” A booming voice echoes, then. And it freezes him on the spot, still just as blind to his surroundings, fangs extended and ready to feed, spit dripping down his chin.
“Hoseok-hyung, I told you it was a bad idea to come around right now.” The voice says. “I don’t know why you thought he’d be able to help.”
It’s so difficult to snap himself back to reality that it hurts. He blinks probably more than a vampire would in an entire lifetime, maybe even more than a human. His eyes hurt, but he can’t fucking focus.
He can feel their stares on him, most likely drowning in judgment, and he doesn’t blame them. He’s been trying so hard to keep it together, and they just had to get there at the worst possible time.
The green of the trees is the first thing that comes back to him, then the cool humidity, and then the faces that accompanied those betraying heartbeats.
Jimin knows that if he were human still, he’d be blushing with shame right now. Sadly, the most he can pull to show regret now is to look down and struggle to get his fangs back in.
“I’m sorry,” Jimin mumbles, “I didn’t realize you were here.”
Hoseok’s quick to retort, “No, don’t. We shouldn’t have shown up unannounced, Yoongi-hyung told us you were feeding; this was dumb.”
“Yes, super dumb. We don’t need his help, hyung.” Jungkook added.
Jimin really wishes he knew why the werewolf hates him so much, but it’s not like he finds him quite that likable either.
“What’s going on? What was so urgent?” Jimin still pushes through.
Jungkook and Hoseok stare at each other at that, entirely too long not to be suspicious.
Hoseok opens his mouth to speak, but before he can get a word in, Jungkook lifts a hand to cut him off.
“Nothing. Can we not come into the forest?” Jungkook snaps.
“What?” Jimin scoffs. Now, this is getting annoying. “Just tell me why you’re here, Jungkook. I don’t have time for this.”
“Do I need a reason? Sorry, I wasn’t aware that this was your territory. Since when do you own this forest?”
“I don’t.” Jimin spits.
“Really? I thought vampires were rich.”
Jimin narrows his eyes. “I’ve been a vampire for five years; how rich do you think I could get?”
Jimin can just feel that snappy little eyebrow raise from Jungkook, the rush of his heart as he prepares another annoying comeback, and he’s ready to snap back even harder. But then, a louder, human heartbeat stops his train of thought, and the voice that follows freezes it altogether.
“Can you two stop? We are here for a reason.” Hoseok says, glaring at Jungkook.
Jungkook clears his throat, and his whole body sags. “Taehyung’s been kidnapped.”
Jimin just wants to laugh. Like sure, that sounds plausible. Sure. They're just fucking with him.
"Okay." It's the most he can get out short of telling Jungkook to shut up. "And what do you expect me to do? Can't you track his scent or whatever?"
Jungkook stares at him for so long that he has to force himself not to look away and let him win. It's infuriating just how he can do that. Despite his nature, Jungkook's eyes usually look much softer than his demeanor lets on. But that's not the case when he's looking at Jimin. And right now, especially, they look cold and judgmental, and he just yearns to look away. And yet, at the same time... he can't. Even if he wanted to, he can't.
Jungkook smirks, and if Jimin needed to breathe, all air would escape him.
"Right... So, here’s the thing: I can’t smell him anywhere, and also, it doesn’t work like that. I’m not trained for that shit. Do I look like one of those police dogs?”
Jimin licks his lips, annoyed to all hell. The nerve of this guy to talk like this to a hyung, to him of all people.
"Okay." He manages. "So, how did you even find out he was kidnapped, then?"
Jungkook rolls his eyes at that. He doesn't mutter the word "finally," but he's thinking it so loud he might as well have. On the sidelines, Hoseok looks back and forward between them like he's regretting every life choice leading up to this moment.
"Kim Taehyung is in our grasp. If you want to find him..." The distorted audio plays out from Jungkook's phone. It's typical, too much so if you asked Jimin.
So, he sighs. "Okay, this all sounds fake, but on the off chance that he’s actually in danger... I’ll look for him."
"Great," Jungkook replies. "Let's work together, then."
"What?" Jimin says, taking a step back like the words alone are a slap to the face. "No, I don’t need you for that; you clearly couldn’t do it on your own, so how are you going to help me?"
Jungkook isn't really a fan of that, and before either of them know it, they're back at bickering like little kids. Not that either of them would admit that's what they're doing.
"I'm clearly the superior option here; I've been a werewolf all my life; I know how this shit works."
"Oh yeah, wolfie? Then why did you come asking for my help, huh? The newbie vampire is really that much better than the 'experienced' wolf? Get real, Jungkook; you're talking out of your ass."
"You'd know about ass; that's all you are."
"Are you saying you've been staring at my ass?"
Jungkook turns red as a tomato at that, immediately sputtering to get words out but failing miserably every time he tries.
"N-no! I'm saying you are an ass, you ass."
"It's nice, isn't it? Bet it makes you so angry that you could never have it."
Jungkook growls.
"I'll show you, you little—"
"Children!" A deep, booming voice quiets them.
Min Yoongi struts towards them through the trees like the most graceful grandpa they've ever seen. The first time Jungkook met him, he couldn't believe this was actually a vampire, but Yoongi's living proof that you can act like you're eighty and still look twenty-five forever.
"Yoongi-hyung, I'm glad you're here," Jimin starts like he wasn't just scolded for having a childish argument. "Taehyung's been kidnapped, and I need your help."
Yoongi stares at him for all three seconds, like he's processing, and then just, "Okay, I'll ask around." Then, he turns towards the only human between them. "Hoseok, what are you doing here? Go home." Then, he turns back to the other two children. "And you two... just search for him, all right? I don't know... you know him best, and you're both... yeah. Let's just do that. Okay? Okay."
Before either of them can get a word in or argue against it, Yoongi flees the scene exactly the way he came: entirely too fast for someone that bends every limb way too much when he runs.
+++
The sun finally sets and thus begins Jimin’s search for the day. It’s already been over seventy-two hours since Jungkook interrupted his meal to tell him that Taehyung had been kidnapped, and none of it has gotten any better. On the one hand, he still hasn’t fed… and on the other, Taehyung is still missing.
It doesn’t help that he’s currently sitting in Jungkook’s car with some indie song playing on the radio (or is it from his phone?). Jimin really wishes he could say the sound is comforting to him; it sure looks like it is for Jungkook. The werewolf is just slapping the steering wheel every now and then to the sound of the acoustic guitar, and it's grating on Jimin's nerves. He thinks the song playing is in French, but it could be English… UGH, who cares? He's so annoyed he's shaking, and no amount of breathing exercises seem to work. As much as he doesn’t need to breathe as a vampire, he’d be lying if he said he doesn’t do it. Not breathing involves not smelling anything and feeling like he’s genuinely dead. He doesn’t really like that.
It’s not like he’s trying to appear human; he just… doesn’t want to be a vampire. Is that dangerous? He sure hopes not.
For the last three days, he and Jungkook have been searching on their own for Taehyung. He looked for him within the city while Jungkook searched the forests nearby. Admittedly, it wasn’t really fun to do it on his own, and it was also extremely frustrating to know that he’d be starting his search right around sunset and Jungkook could continue all 24 hours without pause. But hey, at least this time, he didn’t cry about his doomed future; that’s progress.
And now… well...
Awkward is not really enough to describe the air between them in the car. Jungkook's driving is smooth and quiet, but no amount of gentle turns can make the silence between them comfortable, and somehow the music only seems to accentuate it. If only Jungkook could stop trying to steal glances at Jimin, then maybe they could pretend they're not even in the same place together.
Jimin swallows around the discomfort and braves a little peek back at Jungkook.
Jungkook smirks right back at him. Ugh.
"You know, when I envisioned this sort of thing, I kind of imagined us running around, not… being locked inside a metal box with you, unable to do anything but smell you," Jimin says.
Jungkook snorts. "Please, I bet I’m the best smelling werewolf you’ve ever met. Prove me wrong."
Jimin clenches his teeth but doesn’t say anything. How annoying, again.
Jungkook mumbles, "I knew it."
It takes no thinking in the slightest, but far more courage than Jimin would be willing to express, to try and change the topic before Jungkook accomplishes some sort of miracle and gets him to blush despite the impossibility of it.
"Where are you driving us now, anyway?" Jimin finally asks.
Jungkook looks his way for a moment, almost long enough for Jimin to tell him to look ahead, and then just grins.
"It took you fifteen minutes to ask?"
Jimin sighs. "Shut up, just answer the question."
Jungkook's smile doesn't seem to be getting any smaller, but the wheels in his brain are spinning faster than the speed of light. For the last three days, he’s been replaying that god-forsaken audio far too many times, and truth be told, there’s something about it that still bothers him. Jimin had only listened to it a couple of times, so he probably hasn’t reached this same point of discomfort regarding it, but… There was only one thing about the "kidnapping" audio that caught his attention, and he'll be damned if he says it out loud without confirming whether or not Jimin caught it too.
“Okay, this might be a longshot, but… Would you be okay with me playing the audio again?” Jungkook asks.
“While driving?”
“You can just grab my phone, or I’ll park.”
He can see Jimin from the corner of his eye, and it looks to him like he’s just having a staring contest with Jungkook’s phone. He hadn’t really been paying attention to him until now, much more dedicated to vibing with whatever indie playlist his Spotify decided to go for, but now that he’s turned down the volume a bit to talk, he feels a little weird.
Why is Jimin not calling him “wolfie” or calling his music trash or his car or really anything else? His comment about them being stuck together inside was so far from his usual arsenal of jabs that he feels a little bad about pushing his buttons to begin with.
But before he can really say anything to figure out where Jimin's mind is—not like he cares, either—he hears the audio play out. He hasn't parked the car yet, and he doesn't know how Jimin managed to unlock his phone, but aside from the audio, he's just as transfixed as before.
It takes a couple of plays, but soon enough, Jimin taps the screen and murmurs, "Water."
Jungkook hums, grateful that he was able to park before this conversation took place. "Yes, you hear it too, then?"
Jimin nods.
"I thought I was imagining it," Jungkook says. "But if you hear it too, then I think it's worth checking it out."
That makes Jimin's head snap up, staring daggers at Jungkook. "You'd heard it before?"
Jungkook shrugs. "I mean, I guess."
Jimin puts Jungkook's phone back in the glove compartment hard enough for Jungkook to flinch.
“Would you be more careful? It’s a new pho—”
“Why did you wait until now to look into this?” Jimin says, glaring at Jungkook. It’s quite intimidating, honestly.
“Well,” Jungkook replies, shrugging. “I… Honestly?” His whole train of thought stops as he takes off his seatbelt and turns towards Jimin. “I thought that’d be too obvious, you know? If we just found him on day one, he’d probably get mad that we made it boring.”
Jimin feels like TV static is coursing through his veins, everything’s white noise, and he wants to shove Jungkook’s face into the concrete. Quite odd for him to feel so intensely now; he thought vampires were supposed to be the zen beings while werewolves were the passionate ones, but… Jungkook has been proving time and time again that he has no idea how any of this works. And as he continues to stare at Jungkook’s smug, carefree expression, he just lets it all happen. He doesn’t say a word, he doesn’t even move, but he feels so much. The anger is blinding, but much more than that is worry. The idea that this man had spent the last three days fucking around when Jimin was actively looking for his potentially endangered friend is... a lot.
“Just drive, Jungkook,” he finally says. He feels exhausted, drained, but he has no time to process any of this. Hell, for all he knows, Jungkook is right. For all he knows, Taehyung is just pranking them, and he’s an idiot for worrying, but… the mere idea that he could be in danger is terrifying.
+++
It doesn't take them much longer before they reach the river, but their interest lies around it. Jungkook parks on the first warehouse they drive by, working on luck alone and his superb hearing to try and guess if that's the place where Taehyung could be at.
"You did hear the water in the background, right? Or were you just acting like a smarty-pants because you didn't want to look like the baby vampire you are?" Jungkook asks as he closes his door.
Jimin slams his own door so hard it's a miracle the glass from the window doesn't break off. Without another word, he walks towards the building, leaving Jungkook behind, staring at his back.
If Jungkook stays behind a little longer than he should just to admire the view, well... don't tell Jimin that.
The place seems abandoned, though, and no amount of enhanced hearing or smelling seems to be helping them much.
Jimin runs fast and far, from one corner to the other, lifting up what seems to be all the dust in the world but obviously completely unbothered by it. Whereas, Jungkook stands by the entrance, sneezing his life out. This really will get them nowhere, he knew it as soon as he stepped inside, but Jimin seems so determined he just can't tell him to stop. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think he’s worried about the vampire… impossible.
So, of course, to take his mind off all of that, he should have a little fun with this.
While Jimin's back is to him, he sneakily walks around the building. This should be entertaining, at least. He's been swallowing dust long enough to know how long it takes Jimin to do a full turn, so he does a little countdown and, on the dot, pops up right in front of him and yells as loud as he can.
Jimin just stands there, staring at him like a marble statue.
It's uncomfortable.
"I'm a vampire, Jungkook," he deadpans, "I could hear you tiptoeing around the building by your heartbeat alone."
Jungkook makes an O shape with his lips and awkwardly just... stands there. He really doesn't know why he ever thought that could work; it's just...
"Why are you even here, Jungkook?” Jimin asks, exasperated.
“What do you—”
“You said it before; you think Taehyung’s pranking us, so why are you even here? Why are you wasting your time?” Jimin interrupts.
Jungkook takes a step back, eyes trailing over Jimin's body like this is the first time he's really looked at him all day (well, night). He could very much feel the worry oozing out of him, but he really doesn't understand where it's even coming from; he's the one that didn't take things seriously when he brought it up in the forest.
"Stop staring at me and answer my question," Jimin spits out.
Jungkook sighs.
"I'm just trying to get a read on you," he starts, "I don't get you, Jimin. Why are you so worried all of a sudden?"
Jimin narrows his eyes at him, crossing his arms as if he's putting up every single defense mechanism he can conjure up. It'd be cute if it weren't so frustrating.
"I'm—"
"No, now let me talk," Jungkook interrupts, "When I came to you three days ago, you didn't even want to listen to the recording. Hell, you didn't believe a word I said, and yet here you are here today, just being just as irritating as I knew you would be, acting like you're the only one that gives a shit about Tae when you know full well that that's not the case." He chuckles, humorless. "If this is part of your vampire puberty again, spare me, will you?"
It's like something audibly snaps. In a flash, Jimin is on him, fist aiming for Jungkook's face. But Jungkook is faster, practiced in combat against supernatural beings, and he easily dodges before grabbing Jimin's wrist and spinning him around. Jimin struggles, pulling and grunting as he tries to get him off, but Jungkook's grip is strong, and he easily keeps Jimin's hands tightly held behind his back.
"Stop. Squirming." Jungkook mutters through clenched teeth.
"Let me fucking go!" Jimin growls back.
"Not until you calm down."
"Why..." Jimin starts but immediately gives up. His shoulders sag, but Jungkook's been in far too many fights to know not to let go so quickly, so he keeps his hold steady and just observes. Jimin's breathing gets deeper and deeper, and his jerking against Jungkook becomes less and less frequent.
Jungkook should probably release him now, but deep, burning anger courses through his veins right then, and he finds himself tightening his grasp instead. Jimin gasps then, it has to hurt, but his entire tantrum has gotten Jungkook to think about the one thing he's been trying to avoid all week. If Taehyung really is in danger, then it's on Jimin. Before Jimin, Taehyung lived a normal, human life. Sure, he was friends with Jungkook, but he didn't even know he was a werewolf, and he would never have. He would have continued on with his life safely; none of this would've happened.
"Jungkook!" Jimin yells choked up.
Jungkook completely lets go at that, guilty and furious all at once.
Jimin, on the other hand, falls down on his knees; he'd likely been pulling out of his grasp and just fell as soon as he released him. The vampire turns to Jungkook, eyes red, glistening with unshed tears.
"Sorry," Jungkook whispers, unable to meet Jimin's gaze any longer. Instead, he watches his feet as he stands up in front of him, as he takes a couple of steps closer until Jungkook's completely unable to stare down anymore.
"I haven't fed in almost a whole week," Jimin starts weakly; a tear rolls down his face as he talks, and Jungkook feels all the more guilty for it. "It hurts, and I'm exhausted, but—"
"I'm sorry," Jungkook says again, more clearly this time. "I can catch something for you—"
"Don't." Jimin cuts him off, sniffling. "I'll feed once we find him, I—"
"No, stop. You'll kill yourself like that, Jimin. You can't think clearly like this, and you're asking way too much from yourself when you're barely a fledgling," Jungkook says.
"I'm—"
"No, you're not fine. What if Taehyung really is pulling a prank on us? What if he's just chilling at some hotel, and then he finds out that you were out here starving yourself because you got so worried?" Jungkook starts, crossing his arms. "Or worse, what if he really is in danger and we need to fight someone, and you're on the brink of losing control of yourself and end up feeding off Tae? Do you realize how dangerous this is?"
Jimin opens and closes his mouth like he wants to protest, but in the end...he just sighs. His eyes are wide and sad like he's trying to keep the tears at bay after getting scolded by a parent. It makes it really hard not to hug him; how could he be so adorable in such a situation? The way he pouts... Jungkook has to mentally slap himself to remember why they're even there in the first place.
"Let's get back in the car; I'll drive us to Tae's place. I know he has a bunch of blood packs for you in his fridge."
Jungkook doesn't really wait for Jimin to agree; he just turns towards where he parked and starts walking. He kind of feels like those heroes walking away from explosions, except there's no explosion going on, and he hasn't murdered any bad guys. Still cool, though.
He's not even surprised when he rings the doors open with his key from afar and spots Jimin already getting to the passenger seat. Okay, so maybe he was thinking about the action movie scenario too much. If he didn't notice him run past, it's fine.
As Jungkook closes the door shut behind him and fastens his seatbelt, he spares Jimin another glance. The vampire's staring down at his lap, fingers intertwined. He looks so small, so unlike the murderous creature that he is.
"I'm really sorry I held on so tight, you know? It must have hurt; I'm sorry," Jungkook says softly.
Jimin shakes his head at that, shoulders lifting like he wants to shrug at the same time but doesn't have the energy to commit fully. "'S fine," he mumbles.
It's really not. Not to Jungkook, at least. There's still that voice in the back of his head telling him that Jimin deserves the worst, but now that he's not filled with werewolf fury, he pushes those thoughts away.
"He means the world to me too, you know?" Jungkook says.
That gets Jimin to finally lift his head, looking back at Jungkook through the strands of unruly hair falling on his face. There are questions in his eyes, and Jungkook thinks he can almost hear them without needing to actually hear him talk.
"It's gonna be okay," Jungkook says softly. Their eyes are glued to each other, far too many thoughts going through their heads.
And then, gently, Jungkook reaches out and rests a hand on Jimin's knee. He's beyond shocked that he's not immediately shaken off, so much so that he squeezes on the spot a little bit, comfortingly, a little smile forming from the corners of his lips. He's just staring at Jimin's pants now, but the burning pressure of Jimin's gaze on him forces him to look back up at him.
"We'll find him," Jungkook whispers. He's not sure why, but even that volume seems so loud; the silence is so loud.
And Jimin's lips part with a little breath, shining eyes still stuck on Jungkook's. He looks down at Jungkook's hand on his knee and then gives a barely noticeable nod, one no human would be able to catch.
By the time he looks up, there's a little smile on his face that takes Jungkook's breath away.
"Thank you," Jimin whispers.
+++
Needless to say, Jungkook waits outside while Jimin rushes into Taehyung's place to get “his” blood. Ever since that little moment they had earlier, they haven't said a word, merely listened to Jungkook's music, but it's not as painful as it was before. Or, at least, that's the hope. Jimin seemed a little too eager to rush upstairs and away from Jungkook, but maybe that had more to do with the thirst than actually needing to be away from him.
Jungkook tries not to think and bumps up the volume of his stereo. He can't make out any of the lyrics, but the music's pleasant enough, and he can just picture himself dancing to it, away from any and all concerns plaguing his mind.
He really doesn't want that voice in his head to get any louder; he needs to keep it quiet if he wants to stay focused. And besides, he's really trying here. He knows Taehyung would get upset if he heard he and Jimin had a falling out and much more if he knew it was because of him, so he needs to keep it together, keep his mouth shut and get his thoughts in order.
It feels like no time, and also all the time in the world, has passed when a rosy-cheeked Jimin knocks on the passenger seat window to be let in. He looks so cute.
"Oh, thank you," Jimin mumbles back.
Jungkook doesn't even have the presence of mind to blush at the fact that he called Jimin cute out loud; he just scratches the back of his neck and chuckles.
"How was the... blood?" Jungkook braves to ask.
Jimin snorts, fastening his seatbelt already. "It's not real blood, you know."
"What?" Jungkook asks. "What is it, then?"
Seemingly without thought—unlikely on account of being...a vampire—Jimin dusts off his slacks of imaginary dirt and then sighs. "It's artificial blood. I don't know what's in it, but it's more than enough to keep me from dying, so I don't question it."
Jungkook turns the key in the ignition, far too many questions in his head to ask, but just the same complete emptiness that leaves him dizzy. He's tired; that's what it is. It's already close to 10 p.m., and he's been up since dawn, so there's no surprise there, but he really needs a pick-me-up now.
"Where are we going now?" Jimin asks as if reading his lost mind.
Jungkook stops at the first red light and ponders for all three seconds. Surely, it's the best idea to just say the first thing that comes to mind.
"Let's just go to Namjoon's bar," he says. Maybe he's thinking of his burgers; sue him; werewolves get hungry too.
Jimin doesn't really question him or argue, which Jungkook is more than eternally grateful for, even though he'd love to know why.
+++
Namjoon's bar—aptly named "The Wolvez"—is a cozy dive bar, seemingly stuck in time at some point between the '70s and the '80s even though it first opened by the beginning of the century. Jungkook still remembers the first time he went there, freshly eighteen—twenty by Korean standards—and ready to drink his weight in alcohol. It obviously ended poorly, but he still looks back on it fondly, especially because he kind of owes Namjoon his life. He really had been an idiot thinking that being a werewolf would exempt him from a killer hangover.
He really doesn't know if Jimin's been there before, though, and by how slow he's walking towards the entrance, Jungkook's thinking that maybe Taehyung didn't risk going to the wolf bar with his vampire friend. Not that vampires aren't welcome there, all downworlders are, but Jimin's still so fresh into this world... so is Taehyung, honestly, but the bar is welcoming enough that they'd eaten there together before.
Jungkook takes the initiative and walks past Jimin to open the door, and it squeaks a bit as he closes it behind them. He'll have to let Namjoon know again; those hinges are starting to look disgusting.
The bar, though... Soft rock music is playing in the background, and despite the fact that the bar looks pretty full, it still comes across as home-y rather than suffocating. The smell of delicious grilled goods permeates the air and mixes in perfectly with Namjoon's craft beers. Jungkook salivates at it all, but just one spare look at his vampire companion tells him the feeling is not mutual.
Jimin is frozen on the spot, clenched jaw and panicked eyes surveying the whole place, looking for a point of escape other than the main entrance.
"Hey," Jungkook says, interrupting his train of thought. "Why don't we ask around if anyone's seen him?"
Jimin doesn't even move his head to look at Jungkook as he talks, merely looks at him with his eyes wide like he's playing a game of green light, red light, and he doesn't want to get caught.
"Or..." Jungkook starts, detecting he might need to offer a second option. "We could just ask around together."
At that, Jimin gives a barely perceptible nod, and Jungkook sighs in relief.
"Okay, let's start on that side," he says, pointing at the right side of the room, right by where a jukebox stands.
Once again, Jimin gives him a little nod, and off they go. Jimin walks so close behind him that Jungkook has to suppress the desire to coo; a little more, and Jimin will be pulling on his sleeves like he's scared of crossing the road on his own.
+++
By the time they finish "clearing" all the tables, to a cacophony of "never heard of him," "who?" and every possible variation of those phrases, Jimin and Jungkook dejectedly walk towards the bar.
Jungkook's stomach is now growling like it's trying to eat itself, but he feels so defeated as he sits by the nearest stool that he doesn't even think about eating anymore. Jimin, right beside him, seems to be suffering from the very same fate, albeit without hunger.
"You two doing okay?" Namjoon asks from the other side of the bar, amused beyond belief. "I've never seen you hanging out before."
Jungkook wonders if that means Namjoon's met Jimin before, but he doesn't get a chance to say anything before he hears the vampire speak.
"Taehyung's missing; he’s been for days," Jimin says. "He's been kidnapped."
Jungkook nods in agreement, but he notices the furrow in Namjoon's brow and the way he immediately crosses his arms at Jimin's words.
Namjoon seems to be thinking very dedicatedly about something, biting on his lip as he stares both of them down, and then he just sighs.
"Taehyung was here last night," he reveals.
It's like a bomb goes off.
Jimin screeches something like a "what," but it could honestly be any similar-sounding word. It's just pure frustration, and much as Jungkook stays seated and quiet, on the inside, he is screaming his lungs out.
"He just came right as I was closing, told me he needed to drink in the back because 'someone was after him,'" Namjoon continues, "I didn't really buy it, but I still gave him his drink... I'm guessing you two are that someone," he concludes. "He probably just didn't want any of the patrons to see him so that they wouldn't tell you shit."
Jimin scoffs, eyes shining as he looks away.
"I knew it," he mumbles.
Without another word, Jimin stands up from his stool and walks out of the bar, beelining the entrance as fast as he can.
Jungkook stays put for a moment, thinking over things, over whether he should feel relieved, enraged, or all of the above.
Still, he doesn't linger too long on that and just decides to chase after Jimin.
Luckily for him, he can still see him walking outside when he crosses the threshold, albeit farther away than he imagined he would be. It takes a bit of literal chasing, but within a block, he catches up to him and grabs his arm to stop him.
"What?" Jimin immediately says, turning towards him. "We know he’s okay; he’s gonna show up eventually."
"I don't know... I have a bad feeling about this," Jungkook replies.
Jimin narrows his eyes at him. "Were you in on this with him?"
Jungkook takes a step back at that; Jimin's words feel like a slap to the face. How dare he?
"What? No. Why would I willingly spend time with you otherwise?" he spits back.
Jimin flinches at that, visibly recoiling as he takes a step back of his own. "Right," he mumbles.
Immediately, Jungkook feels like garbage. Sure, Jimin just slapped him across the face with his question, but he may have taken it way too far in retaliation.
"I mean, I don’t… you don’t suck… Well, you suck blood, but I mean that you’re okay..." he tries, instead. "No, that’s… You’re a nice guy,” he finishes, cringing at himself.
The corners of Jimin's lips turn upwards just a tiny bit, but there's still a prevalent frown on his face as he swallows, looking down at his shoes. "Cool. You don't have to spend time with me anymore, then."
"No, no, no, come on. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that; I just meant that, in the past, that would’ve been the case, you know?" Jungkook tries.
"So what? Do you like me now? After hanging out for a few hours? Please, you barely know anything more about me than you did before this happened," Jimin rebuttals.
"Okay, I may not know your favorite color or your birthday, but I do know you’re like…okay when you're not pissed, and, and, and…" he trails off, looking Jimin up and down in search of something more positive to say than the absolute surface level he just gave. In all honesty, Jimin's been... a little difficult to deal with in the time they've spent together, but he's not even remotely as insufferable as he'd made him out to be in his mind. He can't exactly say that he likes him, that'd be too much at this point, but he is... tolerable. And, if anything, he is so breathtakingly gorgeous. Even when he's standing right in front of Jungkook, staring daggers at him, wearing the most casual v-neck white shirt and black slacks, Chelsea boots too... and with his silky black hair and perfect porcelain vampire skin... Just picturing a drop of sweat dripping down the line of Jimin's pecs...
"And you want to fuck me, I get it," Jimin says, interrupting his train of thought. Busted.
Jungkook feels like his entire body turns to flames at the accusation, burning shame coursing through his veins. "I wasn't going to say that!" he yells.
"You’re literally checking me out while you talk; what else were you thinking of saying?" Jimin asks, crossing his arms.
"I don't know, okay?" Jungkook blurts out. "I said that out of reflex, spending time with you is not that bad."
"Cool."
"I'm really sorry, Jimin—"
"Don't be. You're right; we don't know each other. It's fine, I'm not your biggest fan either, and you know what? That's fine because now we don't have to spend time with each other anymore."
Jimin seems calm, cool, collected, but Jungkook has doubts. For how little time they've spent together, the one thing that's constantly come up to the forefront of his thoughts is that for a vampire, Jimin is insanely human. Yes, that might be a consequence of being so young into this lifestyle, but Jungkook has a feeling that's not all there is to it. The way Jimin had gotten so upset earlier when Jungkook tried to scare him, and now too when he said that stupid comment...
"Okay, so where are you going now?" Jungkook asks.
"What's it to you?" Jimin asks back.
"I just wanna know what vampire life is like, you know?"
Jimin narrows his eyes at him. "Look it up, then."
"No, you tell me."
Jimin takes a deep breath then, clearly trying to rein his anger in, but Jungkook would be lying if he said he doesn't enjoy pushing his buttons.
"Jungkook, I really don't have the time for this," Jimin finally says, "If that's all, let's just go our separate ways."
"So," Jungkook starts. This is really going to be his last try at cracking Jimin here, he swears. "You really just blindly believe what Namjoon said, then."
Jimin crosses his arms like a reflex at that, eyes widening just enough for Jungkook to catch onto it. Got you.
"You don't, do you? That's why you're in such a rush," Jungkook continues, smug. "He said Tae told him he was 'hiding from someone,' and you're thinking that someone isn't us, aren't you?"
Jimin won't look at him, his gaze completely focused on the road beside them, but Jungkook can see the way he's pulling on the sleeves on his shirt like he's gonna rip them off at any moment, and he knows he hit the nail on the head.
"I'm just really wanting to rest," Jimin says through clenched teeth. "That's it."
Jungkook snorts, please. "You really can't lie, can you?"
Jimin closes his eyes then, trying to get out of this, trying to keep Jungkook out. He really doesn't understand how he caught on so fast to his tells, but he doesn't want him to see any more.
"Jimi—"
"Fine!" Jimin yells, exasperated. "Fine. You caught me, okay?" Jimin's fuming. "If he’s really in danger, then I want to find him, and if he’s not, I’ll beat him up myself. You're not helping me at all; all you do is waste my time."
Jungkook shakes his head at that, an empty smile on his face as he takes in Jimin's words.
"Wow, here I thought you were actually decent, but I guess I was wrong, huh? I'm wasting your time?" Jungkook starts, taking a step closer to him. "I'm the one that convinced you to feed, I'm the one that came to you with the news, and I'm the one that led us to every single piece of information we have on him." He takes another step, now they're only a breath away from each other, but Jimin stays still in place. "And yet I'm still your punching bag; I'm still the 'useless one.' Tell me, Jimin, how did Taehyung get involved with supernatural beings again?" Jungkook's fuming, and he should know this is a low blow, but the voice has gotten louder than anything else, and the explosive anger of the moment gets him to say the worst.
Jimin's eyes get impossibly wider with every word Jungkook says, and by the time he's finished, Jungkook can see the slight tremor on his chin, and he knows he fucked up.
Still, Jimin stays rooted on the spot, like he's frozen in time by the hit of Jungkook's words.
"You blame me," he mutters; it's not a question. "That's okay because I blame me too." He audibly swallows. "But I know you've never liked me. I remember how you looked at me that first time I showed up at Tae's place as a newborn vampire. I remember the way you left so fast, and..." Now, he's the one to take the last remaining step between them, now pressing against Jungkook's chest, looking up into his eyes no matter how blurry his vision gets. "You're an asshole, Jeon Jungkook," he says, teary-eyed like he's saying the most heartfelt thing, "I could've easily found him on my own by now, and I could've fed before you showed up and ruined my hunt. And all those clues you 'helped' with? Please, all you did was play an audio that you ignored for days before you even dared to let me listen to again."
Jungkook's holding his breath, hanging onto Jimin's every word. It's like he's hypnotized; he can't look away, but what hurts the most is that... he's right.
"You blame me because you're too much of a coward to admit that you actually blame yourself too. I'm closer to him now than you are, and that makes you jealous too, doesn't it?" Jimin's voice has gotten raspier, the iris of his eyes so red that Jungkook would be terrified was he human. "So, why don't we stop wasting our time and look for Tae on our own? You'll never have to 'willingly' spend time with me again, huh?"
Jungkook takes a deep breath, and the expansion of his chest pushes up against Jimin's, and he can't think. He should be offended, angry, guilty... all of the above. And yet, he can't think to save his life. He sees Jimin's fangs protruding from his perfectly kissable lips, and he can't think.
"Stop staring at me," Jimin grumbles.
"Make me," Jungkook whispers. He really isn't thinking in the slightest.
And so he gets as he deserves: Jimin pushes him so hard he falls back on his ass to the floor.
"Consider it done," Jimin says, rolling his eyes.
Jungkook should at least feel some level of aggression or upset, but all he feels is even more turned on. Jimin's looking down on him like he's a piece of trash blocking his way, and he just finds that hot.
Jimin doesn't exactly seem to be on the same page, though.
"Why are you breathing so heavily now?" Jimin asks, disgust seeping through his features.
Jungkook gulps. He should really feel embarrassed. He should. But there's one thing that stops him from falling into utter mortification, and it's the very same that got him there in the first place: Jimin. He's still standing there, looking at him, despite the fact that he just gave every possible reason why he shouldn't and then pushed him away to top it all off.
Jimin looks like he's put off, but then... Why hasn't he left? Why won't he look away even?
Jungkook stands up without really thinking of anything other than that, dusting off his pants like he cares if they even get dirty, and through it all, he doesn't break eye contact, and neither does Jimin.
Jimin gulps, and Jungkook follows the movement like he wants to track it with his tongue. Maybe next time.
"Stop," Jimin whispers. But all it does is drive Jungkook further into horny jail. He's not blind, he can see Jimin's eyes staring at his lips before he dramatically looks away, and he can also see how despite everything Jimin's said to him, he hasn't moved an inch from his spot since he pushed him.
"I think Tae would be really happy if he heard that his two best friends now get along so well," he croaks. They'd both probably find it sarcastic were they not getting completely lost in the moment. It doesn't help that Jungkook's voice has gotten so hoarse now. If they weren't so close, he doubts Jimin would be able to hear much... well, if he were a human, that is. "So, let's make a pact," Jungkook continues, "Let's get along for his sake, find him." He grins. "What do you think?"
Jimin's dazed, and now it's not because of feeding—or lack thereof—he doesn't even remember the last time he's been this close to someone that wasn't Taehyung. He hadn't really been with anyone since the attack that got him turned. And here Jungkook is, with his delicious-smelling blood, impossibly warm against his chest, his heartbeat making him feel like his heart itself started working again. Jungkook literally just told him that he blames him for Taehyung's—possible—kidnapping, and yet here he is wondering what it'd be like to have his lips on him.
"Okay," Jimin barely manages to mumble.
He just really needs to clear his head, step away from the werewolf and give him an even longer list of reasons why they shouldn't, but before he gets a chance to, Jungkook starts leaning closer, and Jimin just closes his eyes without another thought. For half a second, he wonders if this neediness comes from somewhere, but he feels it too intensely to question it much.
Jungkook's heartbeat is getting quicker, he knows he's so close, and his minty, warm breath finally touches Jimin's mouth. Just a little more, he wants to taste his tongue; he wants to bite and nibble and—
Ring ring ring, the sound cuts through them like a hot knife through butter.
Jimin's mind is too hazy to figure out what the sound is right away, but as Jungkook moves back from him and drops his hands from his hips—when did he get them there?!—Jimin seems to regain some form of consciousness as he blindly reaches for his back pant pocket for his phone. He looks at the caller ID for a whole millisecond before he picks up Yoongi's call.
"Jimin, are you with Jungkook right now?" his voice comes out from the speaker.
"Yes?" Jimin replies.
"You both need to get here."