Chapter Text
Jeon Jungkook had never known the smell of blood until now. It was overwhelming; heavy and metallic as it settled in the back of his throat. His breath came out staggered, as if it were being pushed out of him by an invisible force. He had just wanted sleep. That was all he wanted. Instead, he sat naked on the lithe form of another man. A glittering of moonlight drew his attention to where his hand sat, clutching the hilt of a steak knife. The knife in question had been wedged into the flesh of the other mans chest, blood drenching the surrounding area. Jungkook swallowed hard as he took in the full scene in front of him. Dead eyes staring up at the ceiling. Clusters of gore covering pale skin. It was a nightmare.
Slowly, Jungkook pried his hand from the knife. It had sat long enough for the blood to become sticky, coaxing his hand to stay where it was. But Jungkook knew he couldn’t stay. Not after what he had done. He shivered while lifting himself off the dead man’s body, the mixed smell of sweat and blood swelling in the air as he moves. The floor beneath him trembled as he stumbled to the bathroom, quickly turning the tap on. For a moment he could only stare into the sink as the water flowed into the drain. He knew that by looking up he would only condemn himself to an overflow of disgust. Yet, he glanced up anyway. The reflection that gazed back at him sent shovers down his spine. Deep, hollowed eyes framed by a ghostly white face. His chin was chattering despite the warmth within the room.
Shame coiled in his chest as he looked down at the sink, shoving his red, sticky hands into the water. A slight gasp left his lips at the intense heat of the water; it was almost too hot for him to handle. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to reduce the temperature, wanting the pain to ground himself. His mind was racing, thoughts loud and unintelligible. Minutes passed with his hands moving under the scalding water. Eventually the red had washed away, leaving pink raw skin in it’s wake. Flicking off the water, he absent-mindedly dried his hands on a nearby towel. Looking back at the room, the silhouette of the dead man seemed to taunt him.
Look at me.
Look at what you’ve done.
Jungkook groaned, grabbing his head unconsciously.
You’re sick. You’re a monster.
You are repulsive.
“Stop it. I’m sorry.” Jungkook gasped, “I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to. Please.”
Disgusting. Repulsive.
“Fuck-” Jungkook sobbed, stumbling out of the bathroom. As quickly as he could, he gathered his belongings from around the room. Slipping on his clothes as he went. Before he knew it, he was pulling on his hoodie and running out the front door, flying down the stairs and into the night air. Tonight, he would leave it all behind. He wouldn’t look back. He wouldn’t spare another glance at the body cloaked in red. And he wouldn’t feel the vacant eyes as they followed him out the door.
Tonight, Jungkook would keep running.
***
Min Yoongi has known the smell of blood for over 500 years. Once, it had been his sole desire. The only thing that got him from one day to the next. Its heavy, metallic scent had a way of pulling saliva into his mouth even now. Which is why, as he sits on a rickety chair in front of a random convenience store, he notices the scent of blood immediately. A man, cloaked in black, stumbles out of the dark street towards the convenience store. Yoongi’s eyes focus on him from a distance, noticing the heavy drags of breath the man takes as he gets closer. The smell of blood is drifting from him, rich but muted. Yoongi looks down at the ramen he was in the middle of eating, taking another bite as the man yanks open the front door and heads inside. Looking back up, he spies on the man through the glass next to him. His hunched figure meanders through the brightly lit store, filling his arms with a variety of junk food and drinks.
A minute later, he had paid and was exiting the store. Yoongi took a dep breath as he walked past him, taking in the bloody smell. It was faint enough that no other human would be able to smell it, yet it was fresh enough that it was piquing Yoongi’s curiosity. Saliva was slowly pooling into his mouth at the scent, so he took another bite of the ramen in front of him. Smelling blood on a human wasn’t unusual. People often had some minor injury that let the smell seep from it’s fleshy confines. Really, it was more common for women to walk around smelling strongly of fresh blood. It was rare for a man to smell as strongly of blood as the man in front of him did. But he did. Yoongi wanted to know why.
The other man had taken a seat on the kerb, rifling through his haul of snacks. Yoongi remained silent, not wanting to draw attention to himself too soon. Yoongi continued to eat as the man unwrapped a sausage, taking a bite. As he’s chewing, he looks down to the side again, grabbing a yellow carton of milk from his pile. It’s as he looks up that he slightly tilts his head, making momentary eye contact with Yoongi underneath his bucket hat. It’s obvious that Yoongi was staring at the other man, and he feels slightly embarrassed to have been caught. Yet, he can’t look away.
Some god must be on his side in this moment, as a gust of wind blows through the street. It’s strong enough that it pulls a ₩5,000 note from the other’s pocket, causing it to flutter close to Yoongi’s feet. Yoongi nearly laughs at the convenience of it. Quickly, he catches the flyaway note with a sandaled foot. Picking it up, he looks at the man on the kerb and clears his throat. He turns, and Yoongi nearly laughs again. He is absurdly beautiful. Big brown eyes stare at him, highlighted by the sorrow that lines the man’s face. Yoongi takes note of a scar on his cheek, and a small splatter of blood right at his hairline. Why would a kid as innocent looking as this be covered in the scent of blood? The kid continues to stare at him, blinking slowly, an inquisitive arch forming in his brows.
“Uh,” Yoongi cleared his throat, extending the hand that holds the orange note between two fingers, “You dropped this.”
The kid was nearly unresponsive, as if Yoongi’s words were incomprehensible. Another slow blink. Then, after Yoongi begins to think that something might really be wrong with the other man, he reaches his hand out.
“Thanks.” He muttered, with no sign of moving. Yoongi’s eyebrow raised involuntarily at the other man’s choice to remain seated. If Seokjin were here, he’d be yelling at the kid to come grab the money himself. But he’s not.
The chair scrapes harshly across the ground as Yoongi stands up. Yoongi knows he looks unthreatening. Sandal clad feet and clothes so baggy it made him look smaller than he was. All of it topped off with a backwards cap, to keep his hair from his face. His feet shuffle across the pavement as he approaches the sitting man, placing the note in his outstretched hand. Quickly, the kid stuffs the money back into his pocket before returning to the food in front of him. Yoongi doesn’t walk away, taking a moment to study the other man.
Lines of red trace his fingernails. Darkened by the oxygen, but bright enough to be less than an hour old. His pulse is accelerated. It’s out of place on a man who seems relaxed as he chews on his food. He takes another bite, drawing Yoongi’s attention to his face. His forehead is pale, beaded with moisture. His eyes glazed as he stares straight ahead. To put it simply, this kid looks fucked.
“Hey, kid. You look like shit.” Yoongi grumbled. Slowly, he moves a few paces away from the man, taking a seat on the kerb. Luckily enough, his words seem to have penetrated the fog the kid was in. He looked over to Yoongi, face less zombified.
“Tch, you should see the other guy.” He replied, nose slightly scrunched. Yoongi didn’t think he could get any paler. But a second after he spoke, what little colour he had in his face steadily disappeared. His eyes scrunched as he swung his head back down to his legs, hand rubbing aggressively against his mouth. Perhaps he was trying to put the words back in there. Yoongi feels for the kid, his filter was pretty garbage too.
“If he looks any worse than you, I don’t think I wanna see him.” Yoongi huffed out a laugh. The kid looked back at him; face dressed in shock. So, Yoongi does the only thing he can think of to express himself as non-threatening. Reaching into the pocket of his baggy shorts, he pulls out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He grabs two out, extending one to the kid. “Here, they help me relax.”
This time, instead of meeting Yoongi’s hand with a straight face, his eyes widen almost imperceptibly. The boy hesitates before gathering his snacks into his lap, shuffling closer to Yoongi on the kerb and grabbing the smoke. His gratitude comes as a whispered, “Thanks.”
Yoongi flicks on the lighter once the kid puts the cigarette between his lips, extending his arm so the kid can reach the flame. His big brown eyes briefly glance up at Yoongi as he braces his hand on the pavement and leans forward, inhaling slightly as the cigarette meets the flame. Yoongi pulls away to light his own cigarette, pulling deeply. He’s grateful that despite his inherent inhumanness, he can still feel the buzz of nicotine in his system. All drugs technically work for him; they just wear off extremely fast as his body is in a constant state of rapid regeneration.
After a few moments of silence, he looks back at the kid. He has continued drinking his flavoured milk, taking turns between sipping and inhaling. Yoongi’s gaze must draw his attention as he looks back at him, mid swig of milk.
“What’s your name, kid?” Yoongi asks, exhaling a lungful of smoke.
“Jungkook,” He says, before raising an eyebrow, “And I’m not a kid, I’m twenty-three.”
“Right,” Yoongi smirked, “Well, sorry, Jungkook.”
Jungkook grunts, taking another sip of his drink before taking another pull from the smoke. “Well? What’s your name?” He asks, looking back at Yoongi.
Yoongi can’t help but laugh at the kid’s audacity. He appears so unsuspecting, yet his words have the potential to cut of he wants. “It’s Yoongi. Min Yoongi. And really, sorry for calling ‘kid’.”
“Ah, I don’t know. It’s fine.” Jungkook replies, aggressively rubbing his face with his hands. “Sorry, my head is everywhere right now,”
“No stress,” Yoongi acknowledged, eyeing the cigarette that sticks out precariously between Jungkook’s fingers, “Do you wanna talk about it?”
“No. I don’t know. You’re a stranger. I think I’m losing my mind.” Jungkook mumbled.
“Mm, that’s fine.”
“I can’t talk about it. But I fucked up.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’m so fucked.”
“Mm…”
“Fuck,” Jungkook heaved, curling forward. “I’m so fucked, what the fuck. I don’t know. I don’t know.”
Yoongi watched the kid as he leans forward, hands still clutching his face as shudders wrack through his body. Yoongi had seen this plenty of times before in humans. When they realise something that they can’t comprehend. On instinct, he reaches out and plucks the cigarette from Jungkook’s hand, smothering it on the ground. Then, he quickly pulls whatever snacks he could from Jungkook’s lap. It was just in time, as Jungkook suddenly hunches further forward, hands moving into his hair as his body curls in on itself. The sound of liquid splattering on cement came soon after. Yoongi tried not to look, but his eyes drifted down towards the movement of the splashing fluid. It was all yellow and clumped, droplets landing on Jungkook’s black boots.
Yoongi’s hand hovered over the younger’s back. He couldn’t decide whether he should touch the kid. Jungkook seemed to be balancing on the edge of an unknown cliff, and the touch of a stranger could either save him or send him over. It wasn’t worth the risk, so he continued hovering his hand just inches from the kid’s back. After a few more spasms, followed by the splattering of his stomach contents, Jungkook finally began to unclench. He wiped at his mouth mutely, staring vacantly at the ground before him. Yoongi could only guess what he was seeing behind those eyes.
The night air blanketing the two was still. Only the humming of the convenience store behind them broke the silence. Yoongi pulled his hand away from Jungkook, absently picking at a loose strand of thread sticking out of his sandal strap. Despite his reservation towards humans- well, all social beings- Yoongi always found that he became quickly endeared by those he deemed harmless. Yet, this was a peculiar situation. Jungkook had obviously done something horribly wrong in the eyes of a human. But the morals of an undying monster were much more flexible than those who expect to die and be judged as either good or bad. So, maybe Jungkook had done something disgustingly vile. Something unforgivable. Yoongi doubted it could be any worse than the things he’d done throughout his impossibly long existence. He turned his eyes back to the kid, who was still staring blankly into the road. Yep, definitely harmless.
“You good?” Yoongi queries, staring at Jungkook.
He receives a grunt in reply.
God, this was awkward. Yoongi didn’t know where to go from here. He wanted to help him, but he was a stranger. The chances of him doing something and making it worse were high, and he didn’t want Jungkook to hurt any more than he already was. He looked down at the splattered vomit between the younger’s feet; the smell was starting to get to him. He stood with a grumbled, “Be right back, kid.”, and shuffled into the convenience store, grabbing two bottles of water.
When he made it back to Jungkook, the kid seemed a bit more animated. Blinking slowly and glancing around slightly. Yoongi’s footsteps seemed to make him tense up, turning to look at the elder approaching.
“Oh… I thought you left.” Jungkook whispered absently. If Yoongi were anyone else, he doubted he would have heard it.
“Nope, still here. Sorry.” Came Yoongi’s huffed reply as he rounded the kid and crouched in front of him. He cracked open one of the water bottles in his hands passing it to Jungkook. “Here. Wash your mouth out or something.”
“Ah, Thanks.” Jungkook grabbed the bottle, first pressing it lightly against his forehead before taking a sip. Yoongi watched him for a second before continuing with his task. Opening the second bottle, he began to methodically wash the vomit from the asphalt into the gutter. Jungkook seemed to instinctively lift his feet from the ground as the water flowed beneath him. It wasn’t long before the yellow bile had been washed away enough so that the smell had dispersed. Jungkook seemed to be improving slowly, colour returning to his cheeks. Pulse slowing to a normal rate. Yoongi gathered the empty bottle and any remaining rubbish from the kid’s earlier snacks, disposing them in a nearby trash bin.
Once again, Yoongi sat next to Jungkook. A bit closer this time. He glanced towards Jungkook. “Sorry, that cigarette probably pushed you over the edge.”
The younger managed a slight huff of laughter, “Mm. I don’t know, I think I was already there. If anything, it made it easier.” He turned to Yoongi. “You apologize a lot, y’know?”
“Do I? Sorry. Another habit, I guess.” Yoongi replied, voice quiet.
“Growing up, my mother would always tell me off for apologising too much.” Jungkook retorted.
“Well, bad habit, then.” He said, smiling at the kid. Jungkook smiled back.
“It’s okay, Yoongi-ssi.” Jungkook turned back to the road. “I don’t really mind, I just noticed.”
Yoongi hummed in reply, returning to pick at his sandal. Silence enveloped the two once more. It wasn’t strange or awkward. Yoongi just wanted to give the younger a bit more space. Jungkook didn’t seem to mind either, surveying the snacks between the two. He grabbed a packet of tteokbokki chips, tearing open the packet before holding it out to Yoongi.
“Want some?” Jungkook inquired with a tilted head.
Belatedly, Yoongi reached into the packet, pulling out a small handful of the macaroni shaped snack. “I don’t even know how you can still eat after that.” Yoongi grumbled.
Jungkook’s eyes widened, glancing between Yoongi and the bright red bag he held in his hand. “Huh? Is it bad?” He pulled the packet closer, observing the details on the back.
“Well, not bad. Most people I know can’t eat for a while after stomach expulsion. I don’t know, something to do with needing to let it settle.” Yoongi huffs out amusedly.
“Oh, well I guess that makes sense.” Jungkook nods as he pops a chip into his mouth, his next words come out mumbled as he speaks around the food. “But my stomach is empty now… So, I’m hungry.”
“You should eat something that’ll actually fill you up, if you’re hungry.” Yoongi grumbles. Jungkook deliberated Yoongi’s words for a moment, glancing at the elder. “Yeah, I’m fine here though.”
Yoongi pulled out another cigarette, taking a long pull once it’d been lit. After a few puffs, which were accompanied by the sound of Jungkook’s crunching, he turned his body to fully face the other man. He took another drag as he looked at Jungkook. He was young. His hair sat just at his chin, curled and messy. Yoongi imagined that his hair would be much longer if it weren’t for the curls that held it up. His profile was made up of soft curves, only broken by the angularity of his jaw. He looked as innocent as anyone could look. Still, Yoongi wondered what had happened to the kid for him to be sitting in front of Yoongi like this.
It didn’t take much of Yoongi staring for Jungkook to turn to him, eyebrows raised in question. Yoongi bit the bullet.
“Kid, I gotta know. Honestly, you okay?” He asked, aiming to be as casual yet serious as possible. He didn’t want to spook the kid. Yet, as soon as the words left his mouth, Jungkook’s expression shuttered. Again, it seemed as if a memory was playing itself behind his eyes. Yoongi pushed. “If something’s wrong, I might be able to help. You just gotta tell me what happened.”
A crunch echoed down the empty street as Jungkook tightened his grip on the chips. His jaw seemed to clench and unclench as he struggled with his own thoughts.
“Yoongi-ssi- I don’t-,” Jungkook began. “I can’t tell you, and I don’t think you can help. I’m sorry. You’ve been really kind, and I appreciate it. But I’m sorry for wasting your time and kindness. I’m really sorry.”
“Hey.” Yoongi chances a light nudge on the other’s knee. “Look who’s saying too many sorry’s now. And it’s not wasted, not on you, kid. It’s fine.”
Jungkook nodded, blinking rapidly. “Yeah, okay. Sorry- I mean- thank you.”
“It’s fine.” Yoongi repeats. Suddenly, Jungkook stands up. It’s a clunky, jagged movement as he remembers how to use his legs again. Quickly, he begins to gather the left-over snacks, shoving them into his hoodie pocket. Yoongi watched it all play out as he took a final drag from his cigarette, tamping it out on the cement beside him. Eventually, Jungkook straightened, looking down at the elder man still sitting on the kerb.
“I- Uh- I think I should go home now.” Jungkook mumbles.
Yoongi stands, a slow and controlled movement. His place on the kerb gave him a few extra inches next to Jungkook, making his eyes level with the younger. The night seemed to be catching up to the kid, his hands shaking as small tremors start to roll through his body. “Will you be okay getting back alone? I can walk with you. If you want.” Yoongi says, staring into Jungkook’s wide but dull eyes.
“Ah, no,” Jungkook breathes out, shaking his head. “I’ll be fine.”
“Sure.” Yoongi is quick to respond.
Jungkook clenches a hand before shoving it in the pocket that he’d previously stuffed with snacks. The crunch of wrappers echoes in the space between them. The smell of blood continued to surround the two, but it had begun to sour as it further oxygenated. Yoongi couldn’t help but scrunch his nose once he noticed the turn of the smell.
“Well, thanks… Yoongi-ssi.” Jungkook murmurs, lowering his head in a quick bow. “Goodbye.”
Jungkook glances one final time at Yoongi before turning on his heel, walking down the street in the opposite direction from where he came. The thud of footsteps becoming quieter and quieter as darkness slowly enveloped Jungkook’s hunched figure. Yoongi couldn’t look away, compelled to stare after the younger man as he went. Impulsively, he dug out another cigarette from his pocket, bending his head towards his cupped hand. The light of the flame was bright enough that it obscured the retreating figure from view, and when he raised his head, the figure had disappeared. Smoke billowed from Yoongi’s mouth as he stood in place, staring into the dark and contemplating the events of the night. After a few beats he seemed to have come to a decision, turning in the direction which Jungkook came from. Just as the night had swallowed Jungkook, it too swallowed Yoongi.