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Jimin is sitting quietly in class, minding his own business of not paying attention to the math teacher, when he hears it: a quiet whisper that seems to echo between his ears. He glances to his left, to see Taehyung staring intently at the teacher, trying to grasp the concept that Jimin desperately should pay attention to.
But the whisper is distracting, seemingly bouncing around in his skull and he can’t quite make out the words. They seem jumbled, like a mesh of words, and Jimin throws a look over his shoulder to see if Namjoo and Hyewon are gossiping again. But they’re both turned towards the teacher, mouth’s closed, and Namjoo nods her head slightly in greeting when they make eye contact.
The whispering seems to die out and Jimin is confused, but lets it go because Taehyung is elbowing him, making Jimin turn back around to come face to face with their teacher.
“Sorry,” he automatically mumbles, taking his pencil in hand in an attempt to convince himself to focus.
Beside him Taehyung snickers.
-
“What has you so distracted?” Taehyung asks once they’re sitting at a lunch table, trays resting in front of them.
Jungkook is sitting across from them, stuffing his sandwich in his mouth and disgustingly asks, “When is he not distracted?”
“Please don’t talk with your mouth full you’re so gross,” Jimin complains, wrinkling his nose.
Cute.
Jimin halts in his action of picking up a chip, looking up at both of his friends.
“What?” he asks, glancing between the two of them.
“What?” Taehyung echoes, as Jungkook chews noisily, his eyebrow raised.
“You didn’t…? Never mind,” Jimin mumbles, shaking his head, munching noisily on his chips.
“Are you okay?” Taehyung asks, eyebrows furrowing in concern, “You’ve been out of it today.”
“I don’t know, I’ve just felt weird today,” Jimin shrugs and now Jungkook looks concerned, “I… I don’t know how to explain it? I keep hearing things?”
“Hearing things?” Jungkook asks, though he looks a lot less freaked than Jimin feels.
“Yeah, I don’t know, I just… like in math,” Jimin turns to Taehyung, who nods in encouragement for him to keep going, “I just thought I was hearing… someone whisper? Something, but I don’t know what just… something?”
His friends nod, slowly, like what he’s saying is normal.
“A-And then a few minutes ago I thought I heard someone whisper cute? I don’t know.”
Taehyung and Jungkook exchange looks, before nodding at each other.
“Did I miss something?” Jimin is super confused because what aren’t they telling him.
“Don’t worry about it hyung, we’ll talk once school lets out, at my house, okay?”
It’ll be okay.
Jimin’s head is reeling.
-
If someone were to ask Jimin what he learned in biology and literature and history that day, he wouldn’t have been able to answer. He was distracted, by random snippets of conversations that weren’t actually said.
I wish Taeyeon unnie understood how I felt!
Why the fuck do I need to know this, I’m just going to join an idol company.
I wonder what’s for dinner tonight…
Most of the time the words jumble together and make Jimin’s head spin, but sometimes full sentences make their way through the haze.
Sitting on Jungkook’s bed the haze is not as thick, it’s just a light buzzing behind his eyes as he stares at his two friends across from him, whispering conspiratorially between themselves. He wants to ask what they’re talking about, if they’re talking about him, but his head hurts and he feels groggy and his eyes are heavy, but then both of his friends are turning towards him.
“Jimin hyung,” Jungkook starts, reaching a hand out to Jimin, “It’s alright. Taehyung hyung is going to try something, don’t panic okay?”
Jimin nods, feeling the pressure behind his eyes increase, and then.
Jimin, can you hear me?
“What the fuck! What the fuck what the fuck what-”
Taehyung is staring right at him, mouth set in a straight line, and Jimin could hear him talking in his head.
“Oh my God, I just- you just- oh my God!”
Jungkook stands up, hands held out in a placating manner as Jimin pulls at his hair, eyes wide and breath coming in short pants.
“Jimin hyung, breathe, it’s okay, it’s okay.”
It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.
He can hear Jungkook saying it and also hear Jungkook saying it and he feels close to tears.
“If you think saying it out loud and in my head is helping in calming me down you’re dead wrong!” Jimin sobs, feeling the pressure well, like a humidity bubble about to pop right before a storm.
All words stop, in words and in thoughts, and Jimin breathes a small sigh of relief as the pressure relaxes and the knot coiling in his stomach unwinds a little. He takes a moment in the silence to breathe through his nose, long calming breaths that help to ease some of the panic.
“Okay,” he sighs, finally looking up at his friends, “Okay. So, I can… I can hear what you guys are thinking? Fuck this is crazy, okay, okay. How are you two so calm I can… I can hear what you’re thinking oh my God.”
They give him a few more seconds to breathe before Taehyung drops the bombshell on him, “I can teleport.”
“What the fuck.”
“And I can shape shift.”
“What the fuck.”
Jimin stares at his best friends and they stare back, before Jimin sighs, wondering how his life has come to this, “Alright. What do I do?”
-
Practice is their grand solution. Practice how to block out thoughts, how to filter through them in a crowd, how to control his power. He practices on them mostly, trying to pick through their quick and jumbled thoughts to decipher what they’re saying. They bombard him at the same time, thoughts running a mile a minute as they flit from math to food to traveling to dreams, trying to overstimulate him.
The first few days are terrible: his head is constantly pounding, the pressure is constant behind his eyes and he gets almost no sleep because of it, and he keeps hearing really weird things from Jungkook.
Jimin hyung looks so cute when he concentrates.
Jimin hyung’s lips look exceptionally pink today.
Jimin hyung, Jimin hyung, Jimin hyung.
He can’t look the younger boy in the eyes because the thoughts that he keeps hearing are too personal and he’s invading where he shouldn’t. Granted, he shouldn’t be able to hear anyone’s thoughts at all, but given that he can he wants to try and stay out of thoughts that are definitely not meant for him in the slightest, even if they are about him. He especially doesn’t want to get his hopes up.
“Hyung!”
Jimin snaps his eyes up to see Jungkook staring at him, fringe falling slightly into his face. Jimin blushes and instantly looks away and he can hear Jungkook’s thoughts racing, though he’s trying not to tune in.
“Everything okay?” the younger boy finally asks and Jimin nods, afraid to open his mouth.
Hyung.
“Stop that,” Jimin scolds, frowning as he looks back up, “We are literally in the same room so physically talk to me.”
“It got your attention,” Jungkook shrugs, leaning back in his seat and homework forgotten, “Seriously, you okay? How’s practice coming?”
Jimin makes a face, “Well, I was able to step into the mall the other day without wanting to bash my head in so there’s that.”
Jungkook snorts and shakes his head, dropping his pencil to rub at his face.
“Hey…” Jimin starts softly, once the silence has stretched between them, “Why did you and Taehyung wait so long to tell me about your powers?” Jimin has definitely made progress because he can say the word “powers” now without cringing, like it was a foul word rolling off the tip of his tongue.
Jungkook looks up him, pushing his hair off his face before resting his head on his fist, “We just figured why -worry you? I guess that’s a good word, worry- when it was something you would never have to deal with. Taehyung got his teleportation under control pretty quick but… it took me a while to learn how to stop spontaneously turning into a cat.”
Jimin laughs at that, imagining a white cat with black paws, or maybe a calico, which prompts him to ask, “What color was your fur?”
“Imagine like… Ginger, from neko atsume.”
“Ginger is my favorite! There actually was a cat that used to visit… me…” Jimin narrows his eyes as Jungkook lowers his own, purposefully avoiding the older boy’s eyes, “Jungkook… don’t tell me… was that cat you?”
“I didn’t know where to go!” Jungkook argues, cheeks tinting pink, smoothing his shirt down in a way that Jimin knows Jungkook does when he’s embarrassed, “It was the first time I had ever transformed and I was scared and all my cat brain could think about was you.”
Jimin flushes, heart thudding in his chest, as he squeals, “Jungkook, I called you “Kitty kitty!” I let you sleep on my bed for three weeks!
“I know! I know! I just… I got it under control, obviously, but your bed was just so nice and I… I’m sorry. I hope you’re not mad…”
“Of course not Jungkookie,” Jimin placates, “Just… surprised.”
Jungkook glances up at him, cheeks still painted pink, and there’s something: something that crackles in the air between them and Jimin can’t look away.
“Hyung…” Jungkook starts, thumbs twiddling, “Jimin hyung…”
Jimin stays quiet, letting Jungkook get out whatever it is he needed to get out.
Hyung I like you.
Jimin gasps, leaning back, away from Jungkook, but he leans back too far and the chair tips over.
“Hyung!” Jungkook shouts, rushing around the table to kneel by his side, but Jimin scrambles away from him.
He can see the hurt in Jungkook’s eyes but he’s panicking, looking at his friend, his best friend who just confessed, the best friend he likes who has just confessed to him.
“Jimin hyung, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t-” Jungkook closes his eyes for a brief moment, before opening them to look at him, “I shouldn’t have told you, I’m sorry.”
Jimin shakes his head, “No, no it-it’s fine. I-I need to go though, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m-”
Jimin is physically shaking as he packs his stuff up, avoiding Jungkook’s gaze who is steadfastly staring at him.
“I-I-I-” Jimin glances up, only to tear his eyes away again and rush out the door.
-
“Do you need me to come over?” Taehyung asks, voice crackling from the bad reception that Taehyung’s basement gets, where his room is.
Jimin is crying into the phone, head thumping and pressure increasing behind his eyes as he hears his brother running numbers through his head, trying to do homework, and his mom bitching in her head as she talks to his grandmother on the phone.
“C-Could you?” Jimin asks, trying to get the shaking in his voice under control.
“Be right there.”
Jimin has just ended the call and raised his eyes to wipe at his eyes when he sees Taehyung materialize right in front of his eyes, making him yelp.
“Goddammit Taehyung!” he shouts, throwing a pillow at his best friend, “I am never going to get over that.”
Taehyung’s laughing, the sound bouncing off the walls and settling Jimin’s nerves, the sound familiar and comforting. He takes a seat on Jimin’s bed, slinging an arm around his shoulder and pulling Jimin to him.
“What happened?” Taehyung asks, voice uncharacteristically serious as he smooths Jimin’s hair, “Well, I know what happened, but what happens now?”
“I-I don’t know?” Jimin sniffles, rubbing his face in Taehyung’s shirt and hearing him think gross which earns his best friend a punch in the arm.
“Fuck I forgot,” Taehyung grumbles, rubbing at the sore spot, “But he just… told you? Flat out?”
“Well, he thought it? God I didn’t even realize I was tuned in and then I heard it and then I just, I just freaked. I… I’ve liked him for a long time and I just wasn’t ready? What the fuck is wrong with me? I’ve dreamt about this moment for years and then I ran away.”
Taehyung sighs, rubbing a hand up and down Jimin’s arm, “I mean I don’t blame you. He just kinda sprung it on you and I don’t blame you for freaking out. But yeah, running away was a little extreme.”
Jimin nods slowly, rubbing a hand over his face, “Do you remember that cat that used to come visit me? I would bring him food and bring him into my room even though my mom would have killed me and let him sleep on my bed?”
“Yeah it was Jungkook.”
“He told you?! That brat, how long have you known?”
“He told me like a day after he got his transformations under control, like three days after he started visiting you.”
“Three days?! He visited for three weeks!”
Taehyung laughs, knocking their heads together, “I know, trust me, he gave me a play-by-play. But anyway, what are you going to do?”
Jimin looks down at his hands, palms up and thoughts racing, “I don’t know. But I’ll figure something out.”
-
Jimin has no idea what he’s going to do since Jungkook won’t even look at him, skipping lunch and disappearing into crowds when Jimin spots him in the hallway. Jungkook and Taehyung even got into a fight, when Taehyung cornered the youngest and Jungkook had refused to talk about it, apparently turning into a mouse and scurrying away which was a little dramatic if you ask Jimin but whatever. Jimin is at his wit ends, feeling that familiar pressure behind his eyes as he sits in class and tries to think. He glares at the girl sitting beside him in history, running through her notes, and all he can think is shut up!
To his surprise her eyes widen and she stops thinking, seemingly confused as to what she just heard and Jimin has a breakthrough. He never even stopped to think about the fact that if he could hear what other people were thinking, he could make them hear what he was thinking.
He runs his hands through his hair, breathing out through his nose and thinks really, really hard.
Jungkook…? Can you hear me?
How is he supposed to know Jungkook is the one who hears him? That he isn’t broadcasting to some random man sitting in a cubicle?
God Jungkook, I hope this is you. I… I don’t know what to say. I keep thinking about what happened, that day at your house and I just… I want you to know that I… God this is so lame to do it like this but I feel the same way? No, I do, no questioning tone about it, I feel the same way and I was just so nervous because I’ve liked you for so long and I didn’t think what was happening was real and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just left you like that. Is there any way we could like… talk? Please?
There’s nothing, even though Jimin is searching really hard for Jungkook somewhere, but either Jungkook is being extra spacey today or he’s mad enough that he doesn’t want to talk to Jimin at all, thoughts closed off. The latter hurts too much to think about.
-
Jimin is sitting on his back porch, book sitting open on his knees and eyes scanning the page even though he’s not retaining anything. All he can think of is Jungkook, probably sitting at home and definitely ignoring him and he’s so upset. He doesn’t know what else to do to get Jungkook to talk to him, to at least look at him.
“Mreow.”
Jimin startles, turning slightly to see a little ginger cat sitting a few feet away from him, ears tipped in black like only they had been dipped in paint, watching him warily. Jimin laughs, though it’s more of a sigh out of his nose, and closes his book.
“Hey kitty kitty,” he teases and Jungkook flicks his tail in slight annoyance, “… It’s good to see you.”
Jungkook stretches, yawning slightly, before making his way up the steps to sit beside Jimin, looking up at him expectantly.
“Really? I haven’t talked to you in a week weeks and our first proper conversation is going to be when you’re a cat?” Jimin rolls his eyes as Jungkook plops down beside him, turning onto his back so his stomach is showing. Jimin narrows his eyes, “Is this a trick? Are you going to lull me into a false sense of security and then attack me when I pet you?”
Jungkook stares up at him and then Jimin hears the low rumble in his chest, the beginning of a purr. Jimin laughs and hesitantly places a hand on Jungkook’s tummy, rubbing lightly over his fur. Jungkook erupts into louder purrs, eyes closing in contentment and ears twitching. They’re quiet for a few moments, Jimin petting Jungkook lightly all over, from the tips of his ears to the end of his tail.
“I’m sorry,” Jimin says softly and he can feel Jungkook go slightly rigid under him, eyes opening as his tail starts to thump. Jimin retracts his hand and stares down at his palms while Jungkook rolls over, laying on his paws, “I shouldn’t have ran away from you, I should have stayed and talked to you and everything would have been fine. I probably would have kissed you, to be quite honest, and we’d probably be upstairs in my room right now like, making out or whatever.”
Jungkook makes a sound, and if a cat could laugh that’s what Jimin thinks it would sound like. He looks up from his palms when he feels a slight tugging on his pants, and he sees Jungkook’s paw on his leg, digging his claws lightly into Jimin’s leg. Once they make eye contact Jungkook gets up and heads to the sliding glass door, pawing and meowing lightly at it.
“Oh, I guess we’re done talking,” Jimin huffs, standing up and heading for the door.
He gets a meow in return and Jimin rolls his eyes as he opens the door for Jungkook to go through.
“My mom is going to flip shit if she sees you,” Jimin mumbles and Jungkook responds by running up the stairs.
Jimin rubs at his face, following slowly up after the ginger cat. He sees Jungkook at his closed door, batting a paw under it and rattling it.
“Slow your roll,” he scolds, before reaching the door and opening it, Jungkook immediately going in and jumping up on his bed.
Jimin enters his room and closes the door slowly behind him, taking a deep breath when he hears the door latch, and when he turns back around human Jungkook is sitting on his bed, elbows on his knees and head in his hands as he stares at Jimin. The sight has his heart jumping into his throat.
“So, for some reason, one day in class I had a thought that maybe you liked me?” Jungkook has a teasing smile on his face, straightening up and leaning back on Jimin’s bed.
“You are infuriating,” Jimin seethes, “But… I’m assuming my message got across?”
Jungkook nods, teasing smile morphing into a nicer, shyer one. He pats a hand on the bed, signaling for Jimin to sit beside him, which the older boy does with only slight hesitation.
“I really am sorry,” Jimin offers, perched on the edge of the bed like he’s ready to flee if something goes wrong.
Jungkook shakes his head and holds his hand with his palm up in an offering, “Hyung it’s okay. I semi-understand, I mean, I never would have bolted if you had told me but-”
“Trust me, I know I fucked up,” Jimin slowly slides his hand into Jungkook’s, unsure if that’s what the other was offering, but then Jungkook is tightening his fingers around Jimin’s and subsequently tightening his hold on Jimin’s heart, “But… are we okay? Now?”
Jungkook purses his lips, putting on an over exaggerated thinking face, complete with a finger tapping his chin and his head cocked to the side, “I seem to recall hearing something about making out or whatever?”
Jimin’s face heats up as Jungkook laughs and he uses the leverage the other boy has given him to pull him closer, muttering out an, “God you’re a little shit.”
But then they’re kissing, Jungkook’s free hand coming up to frame Jimin’s face as Jimin’s free hand clutches at Jungkook’s sweater and it’s honestly all Jimin has ever dreamed about. Jungkook is warm, his mouth pressed into a small smile as his lips slide against Jimin’s, mouth opening slightly to let his teeth pull at Jimin’s bottom lip. Jimin can feel a tightening in his stomach as Jungkook pushes closer and he hates that the younger boy is just a teensy bit taller than him, just a teensy bit broader than him because it feels like Jungkook is looming over him and he can’t handle it. He whines a little as Jungkook pulls back, panting together for a second, eyes opening for a split second to look at each other before Jungkook surges forward, dropping Jimin’s hand so both of his own can cradle Jimin’s face, to tilt it back and take over, mouth opening again except wider, letting his tongue come out to play.
Jimin is drowning and it’s glorious and he never wants to come up for air, wants to die kissing Jungkook and smelling Jungkook and grasping at Jungkook’s incredibly cute sweater that he’ll probably steal at some point.
“Wait, wait wait,” Jimin pants, breaking away from the kiss only to have Jungkook trail his lips down his jaw, littering kisses along the way, “I have-” he gasps as Jungkook bites lightly at his skin and he swears it’s not human teeth he feels, “I have a serious question.”
Jungkook hums against his neck, one hand slipping down from Jimin’s face to run down his torso, eliciting a shudder from Jimin, to land on his thigh, hitching Jimin’s leg up so Jungkook can settle more comfortably on top of Jimin. When did they lay down?
“Listen, this is serious.”
“I’m listening hyung.”
“What happens to your clothes when you transform?” Jimin asks, hand gripping at Jungkook’s hair as Jungkook’s teeth, definitely not human, nip at his collarbones, “Do they like, disappear? I mean, obviously, because when you transformed on my bed you were definitely not naked-”
Jungkook huffs out a laugh against his neck and Jimin feels his skin bristle at the feeling, stomach turning summersaults as Jungkook finally halts in his assault, pulling back to look at Jimin with twinkling eyes.
“Way to ruin the mood hyung,” Jungkook shakes his head, but makes no move to roll off Jimin and Jimin is not complaining.
“It’s a serious question!”
Jungkook leans in, eyes darkening slightly as a smirk pulls at the corner of his lips, “You have a serious question about me being naked?”
Jungkook swallows whatever retort Jimin has to offer and yeah, Jimin is definitely not complaining.