Chapter Text
"lt's Jeon, not JuNg ... " he muttered under his breath. He slowly turned around and looked for the source of the mysteries voices. But he couldn’t see anyone else on the sidewalk. Why on earth was he hallucinating someone butchering his name? Jungkook sighed and decided to just ignore the spooky whisper – as always. He had to hurry anyway otherwise he would be late for class. Again. But suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around, his arms already raised in defense. His hallucinations usually didn't touch him. If that was even a possibility. He didn’t expect to see this: worried eyes inspected him. A Stranger was definitely a better option than whatever his brain was able to conjure.
A handsome stranger.
"Are you alright?“, with a soothing deep voice.
He gulped, as he recognized the man as a fellow student. "Yeah, yeah ... l'm fine .. just thought someone was calling ... my name ... but there was ...", Jungkook could feel his cheeks redden, "no one." Great. Not awkward. At all. Handsome gifted him with a boxy smile nonetheless. "If you tell me your name I can call you from now on." Jungkook just looked at him dumbfounded. Was he even real? Was he flirting? What was going on?
"I am Kim Taehyung by the way.", he bowed lightly before he resumed to watch the man in front of him expectantly. "Jeo-Jeon Jungkook.“, he also bowed und forced his face muscles to form a polite smile. "Nice to meet you! You go to Omelas, right?", Taehyung started chatting like they were old friends. Jungkook just nodded, still speechless. Without asking he hooked their arms together and dragged Jungkook along.
"We have photography together, don’t we? I am pretty sure I saw you there. Loved your photos. Are you always so shy? Ah nevermind. I am sorry I talk so casual, how old are you?" lt took Jungkook a moment to realize that the bubbling had stopped with a question. "Ah I am ... ", he actually had no idea how old he was. Wasn't that strange? But he didn't know much about himself after all. The only information he had were from an ID. At least he assumed it was his according to the picture, it was definitely a possibility. And definitely better than nothing.
"I was born 97." Taehyungs face lit up like he just won the lottery. Suspicious, was the first thought that came to his mind. "Brilliant! I am older! I am your hyung then!" Jungkook found the never ending questions and chatting actually quite endearing. He soon found himself warming up to Taehyung, feeling like a normal student and forgetting what a hopeless case he really was. Hyung, as he insisted he wanted to be called, was actually a third semester, while it was Jungkooks first year. They both studied Performing Arts and loved painting and gaming. He was glad that Taehyung guided the conversation to their shared lectures and hobbies. Jungkook preferred talking about music, dance and apparently so did his hyung.
For someone who didn't know his parents, the place where he was born (Busan, according to the ID card), his siblings (if he even had any that is) … A simple conversation like this was usually really stressful. And depressing. Pure luck and money worth of four months of rent brought him a fake graduation certificate with decent marks. Coincidence and a simple karaoke night at a restaurant brought him a scholarship. Funny, he had just looked for a place to eat not to sing, but this was a different story entirely. For some reason he had always been at the right place at the right time. So in some sense, he could consider himself quite lucky.
But he couldn't tell all this to a person he just met. And one he would most likely just see in the one class they shared. Even though he hoped he would be able to talk to Taehyung more. Casually. Like friends. Even though they had a few similarities, they were also completely different. The social butterfly Taehyung and the shy outsider Jungkook. What a strange pair. Jungkook didn't have many friends or friends at all, actually he had no one. At least no one he knew off. This was also the longest conversation he ever had. But then again he could only recall a single year of his life.
"So you are human, right?" Jungkook knitted his eyebrows together. A common question in a world where humans, vampires, werewolf, gods, angels and who knew what else lived together. Mostly peacefully. It usually were humans who wanted a world that was strictly divided in humans and non-humans. But those were just a minority. At least Jungkook found himself hoping so. The only thing he agreed 100 percent with his ID card was the answer to this question."Yes, I am human. You?“ Jungkook glanced hesitant at his Hyung. He felt a bit uneasy asking this question. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but it left a bitter taste on his tongue. “What do you think?" he asked with a playful smirk on his face.
For some reason Jungkook thought of the feeling love. Love in return. Revenge? He felt dizziness clouding his thoughts. Without thinking he answered: "I think you are magical." He definitely had angel vibes, Jungkook thought, or alien vibes (but those didn’t exist … right?). For the first time this day it wasn't him who was stunned. "Once I know you better I might tell you, Jungkookie." He answered finally and sounded surprisingly sincere. The playful flirting gone.
Jungkook suddenly found himself dreading the campus. He didn’t want to part from his new Hyung. Who knew if they would ever talk again. But at the moment they came to a halt, Taehyung handed him his phone. "Put your number in. So I can reach out to my new dongsaeng!" He grinned – playful Taehyung was back, seemingly more comfortable with this persona of his. Jungkook thanked the gods that he had bought a phone a few weeks ago, and had indeed a number to give to his new friend. He observed Taehyung typing away on his phone which resulted in a loud ping-sound coming from Jungskooks black backpack.
"Call or text me whenever." He said casually before hugging Jungkook quick and tight. "See you around!, and again Jungkook stood there stunned. Staring after his hyung. "Yeah, see you ... " he mumbled, before he finally came back to his senses and hurried off to his first class of the day.
Classes went by slowly. The whispers in his ear had grown louder since Taehyung had left. He could almost make out words. That was new. And a bit concerning. At least this was his last class for the day. Sometimes he wondered if he was schizophrenic and actually belonged in a hospital. Maybe he had ran away from one? Sooner or later they were going to find him, right? If they were or at least someone was looking for him. But then again, it's been already a year ...
A voice he knew was real, suddenly reached his ears, calling out for him, "There you are! Why are you always sitting in the back? That's my best friend and soulmate, Jiminie.“ Jungkook turned around and instantly wondered if Taehyung only knew handsome people. “Considering Tae never talks so freely to strangers, but rather silently stares at them, you either passed his vibe check …“, he made a dramatic pause, eying Jungkook closely, “…or you bewitched him!“ Jungkook stumbled awkwardly to his feet to bow. "Nice to meet you! No I didn't ... I don't even know how ... ", but the man with the angelic voice just laughed. "Relax, I was just joking.", Then Jimin bowed as well.
The two sat down next to him. In content silence they started to pull out their laptops. Both smiling, like they were communicating without words. And maybe they were. "Are you in your third year as well?", Jungkook asked. They were in fact the only third years that took a first year class which seemed a bit odd. Out of the ordinary in an otherwise very generic world. "Yes, Taetae and I do everything together. We are not only best friends. We are soulmates, you know.", Jimin grinned and winked at Jungkook, who just blinked owlish at the shorter man. Of course. Just like a fucking idiot.
Jungkook could actually feel the connection between these two. Like a constant comfortable buzzing. Maybe their souls were truly bound to be together. He hadn't noticed that he had zoned out, until Taehyung had carefully placed a hand on his arm, "You good?" He slowly blinked and came back to reality, two concerned faces right in front of him. He watched Taehyung eying his own hand warily, before he answered, "Ah, sorry I just zoned out ... for a moment." The trio laughed awkwardly in an attempt to get rid of the strange tension. Luckily the Professor chose to finally arrive and successfully saved Jungkook from embarrassing himself further. But this class was definitely different.
He usually paid attention and made plenty of notes. But not on this day. Jimin and Taehyung kept distracting him, asking questions, talking about all the times they had been kicked out of classes. Turned out they were exactly as mischievous as they looked. For some reason he found that more fascinating than worrisome. “That is also why we have to take photography this semester.", Jimin giggled, and that was by far the cutest thing Jungkook had ever heard. “You guys are lucky he didn't get a heart attack. Otherwise you would have been charged for murder." Jungkook cringed the second the last word had passed his lips. But Taehyung started to laugh wholeheartedly, which gained them a stern look from the Professor.
"I tell you the costumes weren't that scary. Seriously, the man was overreacting. I show you all the pictures.“, Jimin explained. "I hit a nerve there, huh.", Jungkook mumbled and made the other two giggle again. This class for a change went by fast and the only thing he took away from it was that Jimin loved to dance and sing, and even took ballet classes. He instantly hoped there would be an opportunity to watch him dance. He actually was dying to, but didn't want to overstep any boundaries. He just knew this man for barely two hours. He also learned to better not mess with him, considering the way he pranked innocent Professors and Students, if the stories were true.
Jungkook learnt also something about himself. He wished he had a bond with someone like Taehyung and Jimin had with each other. They knew everything about the other, finished each others sentences and communicated with only their eyes. He felt envious. And lonely. For some odd reason he found them trustworthy. Probably because he didn't know anyone else. In the end he just wanted to trust them. He chose to do so. They both where very magical, he decided.
For the next weeks and months he fell into a routine. He kept bumping into Taehyung halfway to campus. Then they met Jimin right before class at one of Omelas dance studios. As it turned out Jimin was completely and utterly insane. He went to practice every morning before class. Every. Fucking. Morning. The passion and amount of hard work was inspiring and scary at the same time. Even tough the two were always up to something, Jungkook had discovered that they were unbelievably hardworking. More than anyone he knew. Even though he didn't knew many people ... but none of the other students had ever put more effort in anything than absolutely necessary.
They spent most breaks and free periods together. And became really good friends. It felt weird to finally have someone to talk to, he decided. But it also made him giddy with happiness. He hadn't laughed this much in a year, in comparison to just an hour with these two. "Ah, stop calling me Jimin-ssi! You say hyung to him too!", Jimin screeched. They were on their way home, after a long day – the whole weekend in front of them.
"It's because it annoys you so much, Jimin-ssi.“, he said with a wide grin. He scrunched his nose in a useless attempt to stop himself from giggling. He loved teasing his two hyungs, especially Jimin. With a force, Jungkook didn't know the shorter man possessed, he tackled him. Clinging to his side, caging him in a very forceful side hug. "Why Jungkook-ah are you torturing me like this?", Jimin was actually wailing, "Why!" The trio laughed, the shorter still clinging to Jungkook like he was his lifeline. But he couldn't say that he minded. They had become quite comfortable around each other. It gave him a warmth he didn’t knew before. It felt like his skin had always itched for more human or non-human contact.
Suddenly they fell silent. A very rare occurrence. Slightly worrisome. Jungkook watched them silently conversing with their eyes. By know he was used to their telepathy. Sometimes he thought he was able to read their expressions just as well. "What is it?", he asked, distress clear in his voice. Jimin hugged him even tighter and the feeling of dread increased immediately. Was something wrong? They had come to a halt at the street next to the graveyard. The place were he had met Taehyung for the first time, the place were they parted ways almost everyday. Also the place were the whispers were louder than anywhere else.
"Do you want to hang out at our place tomorrow?", Taehyung asked, fidgeting nervously. Jungkook opened his mouth but no sound came out. The surprise was probably written all over his face. Thats the last thing he thought he would hear. Thankfully, Jimin felt the need to add more information: "Our friends want to meet you too. As you know, we are like a big family …“ Taehyung, as he did so often continued, “and we talk so much about you, that they are curious, you know. So we thought we could all hang out ..."
Jungkook knew that they lived together with their four best friends. That thought alone made him shy. More people to meet. More people who could potentially ask about all the things he didn't know about himself. Questions he had avoided, more or less graceful the past weeks. They also seemed to be rich, when their expensive clothes, bags and shoes were anything to go by. So he was hesitant for many reasons. Jungkook worked his ass off at a restaurant, that was in the same building as his one room, run down apartment. He didn’t wear fancy clothes or possessed much. He felt a bit ... ashamed? Maybe. Those feelings were all new to him.
But looking at Taehyungs hopeful expression he couldn't help it. He nodded slowly, "Yeah … eh sure?", he felt Jimin gripping his shoulders tightly. "Yes? You sure? Yes!", he laughed loudly and washed all the tension away and with that all of his worries. "Should I bring anything.“, he asked after the laughter had transformed into happy smiles. "No! You are our guest, don't worry about a thing!", Taehyung assured him immediately. "I force Jinnie und Yoongi hyung to cook for us!" Jimin smiled mischievously. He couldn't stop giggling while the two were counting all the things they wanted to show and feed him. They were the embodiment of over excited puppies.
"Whatever you scheming, this will never fit in one day.“, he finally said. Both man in front of him gasped. "You are right!", Jimin, dramatic as ever, sounded shocked. "That just means you have to visit us more often!", was Taehyungs solution, which was followed by a praise from his soulmate, "You are right! Jungkook has to hang out with us all the time!“ That moment seemed so surreal to Jungkook that he was sure they had planned that outcome all along. Probably even practiced their dialogue, considering their artistic efforts. All actors would be jobless if these two were to pursue a career.
Squinting his eyes he scanned his friends warily. “So, this worked out great for you.“ That just gained him some giggles, but Jimin was quick to distract, "I'll be at the dance studio tomorrow. I text you when I am done and we meet here?“
"Yeah, sure.", was his answer before his Hyungs turned around and walked away. Every step they took further away from him the whispers grew louder. The second his Hyungs where out of sight, for the very first time he thought he heard one word clearly.
The word he always thought were meant to sound like his name. But it wasn't Jeon, he was certain, their were calling for someone young …