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The strong gush of water hitting Yoongi in the chest sends him flying through the air—thank the gods Taehyung has the power of flight, or else he would've made a painful impact on the ground. He holds onto Taehyung's arms keeping him from the ground as they watch the chaos from above. Fire is coming from all directions, thanks to that brat Jungkook. And Jimin isn't helping either, despite his consistent conjures of water to overcome the heat.
"Isn't your boyfriend on my team?" Yoongi asks, craning his neck to look up at Taehyung. "Why's he attacking his squad leader?" His words seem to make the younger stifle a small laughter, making Yoongi frown and pinch Taehyung on the forearm.
Big mistake on his part because Taehyung is the only thing keeping him from kissing the ground, and the sharp pain that sends jolts through Taehyung's skin almost makes him let go of Yoongi, as to which Yoongi actually squeaks.
"You say 'squad leader'," Taehyung grunts, slowly descending from the skies, careful not to harm Yoongi once they land. "But then again, you're up against my brother." Yoongi whispers a small thank you when he feels for the ground. Ah, safety.
"It's no problem, Yoongi-ssi. We may be on different teams, but I'm responsible for Jimin's mistakes." All of a sudden, his eyes turn darker, and Yoongi unintentionally gulps in his fear. "But if my brother wants you hurt, then I'll gladly oblige." He says before taking off, leaving Yoongi in the forested area of the arena and heading off to where the battle is commencing.
Yoongi heaves a sigh, clutching at his chest. His heartbeat is slowing down at least. And he should be used to Taehyung's empty threats. But he knows in his heart that he should still be cautious. Although Taehyung's a mischievous but kind flier, he's invisible once he's in the air. With his speed, even Hoseok wouldn't be able to keep up with him, even in cheetah form. Yoongi may be exaggerating, since Hoseok can transform into the fastest animal in the world, but Taehyung is a clever one. Even more clever than Jimin, and that's saying something.
"Yoongi, where the hell are you?" He hears Taemin's voice in his head, making him flinch from the sudden invasion of his thoughts. He swears, if Taemin wasn't his friend and teammate, he would've long kicked his— "Thanks for thinking about me, but seriously, we're getting destroyed out here. At least be here when we lose, man."
"Because losing as a team is better?" He scoffs, but Taemin doesn't reply. Yoongi realizes why when he hears the familiar voice screaming out in pain from the other side of the arena, where Namjoon is most definitely camping out. He picks up his feet and rushes to the said area, carrying himself with all the strength he has left from his third showdown with the Kims. Mostly Namjoon. They may be friends or whatever, but inside the arena, he's a Kim. And the Kims always end up on the villain team. But Yoongi is on the hero team. And even though he's on the hero team, the spectators are cheering for the opposite. He rolls his eyes when he recognizes the faces from the watching crowd.
There's the '92 and '97 liners. Jungkook's and Seokjin's groups of friends. Yoongi would see his friends among the rows of people if all of them weren't in the same arena as him. It doesn't matter though. The only people he needs cheering for him is himself and his teammates. And speaking of his teammates...
Yoongi gasps at the sight. The hero team had the upper hand at the start of the game, but clearly the villains are superior. With fire, telekinesis, flight and hemokinesis on their side, they're the stronger team. After all, water, superhuman strength, shape-shifting and telepathic abilities can only do so much damage. And this is coming from someone with the power of strength. That's Yoongi.
"Yoongi-ssi! How nice of you to join us!" Namjoon speaks before Yoongi can address Seokjin, who's sitting comfortably on a log while aiding Jungkook with his wounds. It's only a bruise, Yoongi scoffs in his thoughts, but he catches Taemin scoffing from the sidelines while hugging a tree from his back. How easy it is to capture the kid who can only read minds and manipulate people's feelings—sadly, Taemin hasn't mastered that skill yet. He's happy just reading Yoongi's pathetic thoughts.
Yoongi doesn't indulge Namjoon in his theatrics and goes for Jimin, who Taehyung tied to a tree next to Namjoon. Still, Yoongi's strong, not fast. Namjoon catches him before he could come within 6 feet of Jimin. He can't control his own movements now, and it's not the first time Namjoon has made him his own little puppet to play with. "What do you want me to do with him, hyung?" His face loses color when he hears Namjoon direct the question to Seokjin. Yoongi can't look elsewhere besides Namjoon's profile, but he can see the way Seokjin shrugs from the corner of his eye.
"Just keep him stranded in the air until the professor says 'game over'." Seokjin orders in the quietest voice, not even looking up to glance at Namjoon or boast about another victory to Yoongi. It's odd. Yoongi doesn't know Seokjin well, but he knows there's something off about him. "Kookie needs stitches. Please make sure to bring him to the hospital wing after the game is over. I need to tend to some business after this. Thanks." The words rush out of Seokjin when the buzzer goes off, indicating game over, and he practically runs out of the arena. Once Namjoon settles him back down on the ground, and as the arena has started to go back to its original layout of an empty white space, Yoongi looks at the spectators and notices that Seokjin's friends have bolted too. The recognizable watchers go inside the arena to help Jungkook and converse with the heroes and villains, but Yoongi can't seem to stop thinking about how Seokjin just left like that. Not acknowledging his presence with his usual arrogant bearings.
"Woah, Yoongs," Taemin comes up to him with a weird look on his face. "You keep thinking about Kim Seokjin that way and I might think you're in love with him." But Yoongi's silence makes him drop his smile and places a hand on his shoulder before backing away. "I'll... leave you to your thoughts." And his thoughts are left to his own. His eyes are still gazing at the exit of the arena.
He must be the most popular guy in the arena, since he obviously can't be left alone on his own as Jimin comes running to him, Hoseok and Taehyung trailing him from behind. His brows furrow a bit when he sees Taehyung whispering something to Jimin before leaving to be with his own squad. It doesn't matter, but Yoongi can't help but notice any peculiarity for the day.
"Hyung, your evil eye is showing. What happened between you and Taemin-hyung?" Jimin teases, clinging onto Yoongi's arm and Hoseok constricting the other. He doesn't bother with it though, he's fond of them enough to ignore the annoying feeling he gets sometimes.
"Nothing. We've no problem." He answers with the most monotonous tone, clearly not interested.
Hoseok blows out a breath of disbelief, slightly relieving the smell of a dog. "Hoseok-hyung, wolf stench..." Jimin murmurs, clipping his nose with two fingers as he waves off the smell.
The older shyly apologizes and covers his mouth with a free hand while talking, "Is this about you and Kim Seokjin again? You know, you've been digging this empty grave for years yet has it ever occurred to you that his brothers are Jimin's boyfriend and your actual friend?"
It's not about that. "It's not about that." Yoongi finally breaks eye contact with the open door, turning his head to the two. He's mentally prepared to voice out his concerns about everyone else's behavior in the opposing team, but he catches the glint in Taehyung's eyes, making him lose all the assurance he felt from before. So, he just shrugs and brushes off the dirt from his suit. "Just... it's not about that. Let's just... go wash up." He says and heads out of the arena, not caring whether or not his friends are following him.
Yoongi shoves his hands deep into his pockets as the cold wind of the season hits his face with a startle, almost taking him aback, but he trudges on forward, ignoring the snowflakes falling from the sky. He looks up in delight, expecting Jimin to be pleased with the weather. But the nice feeling subsides when Professor Heechul calls his name out. "Min Yoongi-ssi!"
"You did great out there today—"
"Heechul-hyung, don't even start." Yoongi says in a low voice, feeling embarrassed in front of his favorite mentor yet again. If Heechul didn't have a soft spot for Yoongi, he would've for sure been kicked out of the training program for future superheroes. Surprisingly, Heechul believes in Yoongi's strength. But all the other professors have been belittling Yoongi's capabilities, sending him lower into his own grave of anxieties. "I lost again. You shouldn't dote on me so much."
Heechul only waves it off dismissively, scoffing as if it's the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. "It's not a problem. At least, it's not going to be anymore. With the new teams for next semester and all." He says so nonchalantly like it means nothing at all to Yoongi. It's too casual. He almost misses it.
"W-what? Changing teams? What?" Yoongi's eyes bulge out in shock, even his bare hands have come out of the warmth of his pockets to grab at Heechul's shoulders.
Heechul only laughs as Yoongi shakes him back and forth. It's not a new thing to see this particular student acting all gallant with a well-known professor of the academy. Even as other students pass by, they only roll their eyes at the two or just completely disregard their presence. It's kind of nice knowing that there's a professor out there like him, because Heechul also possesses the power of superhuman strength. It was overwhelming as a freshman all those years ago to witness their professor juggling weights with ease, and Heechul perfectly portrayed the character of being the laid-back teacher. But just like other mentors, he still has his serious moments. This is not one of those moments.
"I shouldn't be telling you this but," Heechul leans in, using Yoongi's shoulders as support for his weight while playing out an exaggerated whisper. "Seokjin-ssi came to the faculty last week, saying how he wants to reshuffle the members for each team next semester. And the good news just came in today, that it's been approved. That's why Seokjin-ssi was quick to leave earlier without bragging or anything."
The professor between the two pulls away and gives Yoongi a quirky smile, wiggling his eyebrows in an interesting fashion. Yoongi doesn't know why but... he finds it all ridiculous. Heechul could be messing with him, for all he knows. And everyone is pretty much aware of how much he and Seokjin hate each other's guts—not just because of their different social circles, but because Seokjin keeps rubbing that shit in his face. Like he's better than him.
Yoongi opts to look at Heechul incredulously. "You're not serious." He looks at him dead in the eyes, not moving another muscle. "Why would he want to change the members of his team when he has his dream team? His brothers and his pet in one group, it's like, the perfect setup for him. Why would he sabotage that?" Yoongi doesn't mean to say too much, but it bothers him so much. He could end up being teammates with him. And he can't even stand being within 2 feet from Kim Seokjin.
"I'm serious, all right. I don't joke about these things, Yoongi." Heechul's face loses all teasing expressions, wearing an unfamiliar gaze Yoongi's not comfortable with. "You'll see. After break, you'll be surprised to find that your seats in class have been rearranged."
"But it's so unfair—"
"What's unfair is that you keep getting bad grades, Yoongi." He cuts Yoongi off, pointing his finger at him. "And Seokjin wants things to be fair for once. Don't you think that's very... heroic of him?" And he straight up laughs in Yoongi's face, hooking his arm around Yoongi's neck, strangling him a bit, and brings him into a choking hug. "Besides, you could end up liking each other." He whispers into Yoongi's ear before escaping as he runs to the faculty office, shouting, "I have to grade some papers! I'll see you in a week, Yoongi-ssi!" And with his head facing Yoongi, he almost runs into a student, who he quickly apologizes to before running away. Yoongi manages to chuckle under his breath at the sight. Because all of a sudden, he can't breathe with the thought of having Kim Seokjin getting closer to him than before.
//
He thoughtlessly carries on, aiming for the showers. Managing to step forward without tripping over air. Yoongi's mind is clouded with thoughts about what next semester would mean to him. There's a huge possibility that he would end up with a Kim. It'd be worse if he didn't end up with Namjoon on his team. Having Taehyung on his side would feel awkward. He's acquainted with the kid—of course, he is by now at least on a first name basis with him since they've saved each other's asses more times than Yoongi can count (Taehyung saves him more, actually). But he thinks they would get along? He won't do as well with Seokjin though. They're what he would call a constant discourse of their differences. Just a whole bunch of menacing glares and offhanded insults. It's always been that way, ever since Yoongi lost to Seokjin years ago when they were still trainees for team leadership.
Yoongi tries, he really tries to get his mind off of his enemy, but it's too soon a relieving afterthought when he bumps into the man himself. Oh, great. Just when he gets to the showers, he meets a very underdressed Kim Seokjin, the only thing covering his body is the (pink) towel wrapped around his waist. "Min." Seokjin greets, taking just a single glance at the newly arrival, as he keeps at drying his hair off with another towel.
"Kim." Yoongi says back, ignoring the way his cheeks are burning profusely with the color red, along with the fast beating of his heart. No, he shouldn't let his mind drift off to Seokjin's well sculpted body as he makes his way to his locker. He shouldn't even look back when he hears Seokjin taking off the towel hanging from his hips. He shouldn't let perverted thoughts of his rival creep into his mind while mindlessly shuffling his hands into his locker, making it difficult to find his own towel when it's just there. When he turns, towel in hand, Seokjin is just standing there with a smirk on his face, hands on his hips in a smug way, not even caring how his crotch looks so tight with his underwear of choice. No, no, that's right. Seokjin is still, by Yoongi's definition, naked. Not a measly pair of undergarments can hide what Seokjin has with that much male bravado.
Seokjin just keeps eye contact with Yoongi, and when the latter doesn't utter a word, he scoffs, looking sideways while crossing his arms. "Okay, look, I know we were never on good terms." He starts, and Yoongi stares at his lips instead. His very... interesting lips. "But you've probably heard the news from Heechul-ssi. And really, I just want to end things on a good note before I graduate."
"A good note? W-what do you mean?" Yoongi questions, looking at Seokjin weirdly, fists clenching into the towel he's clutching. "I get that you would want to make peace before you leave but... changing the teams is sort of... out of the box, isn't it? Aren't you content?"
Seokjin looks like he's pondering the thought over while glancing at the ceiling, but he shrugs and turns his back on Yoongi, proceeding to dress himself with casual wear. "I don't want to depend on the same people every time. My brothers and Jungkook would want to experience new things. The same for me." Once he's worn his jeans and shirt, he turns back to Yoongi and grins, his front teeth showing in a snarky manner. "Besides, you always lose and it's not even fun anymore when the victory is the same every time." He says and sticks his tongue out at Yoongi, slinging his wet towel on the bench. That's the Kim Seokjin he knows.
"You wish, Kim." Yoongi narrows his eyes at him, grunting an apathetic sound while walking away from Seokjin and his annoying windshield wiper laugh and off to shower. Why did Heechul even think Seokjin is the slightest bit heroic? The bastard is as evil as his ancestors. Especially when his power is blood-bending? Shouldn't that shit be illegal? He twists to turn on the shower too strongly and the handle comes off. Yoongi moans out his frustrations and leans his forehead on the wall.
"Is Min Yoongi in here? Because I can hear someone thinking about Kim Seokjin again." He turns his head so fast, only to see Taemin with a crappy grin on his face. Yoongi glares at him while wrapping his naked body with his towel, stepping out of the shower and eyeing Taemin.
"You're a fucking pervert, Lee. How did you manage to get into my hero team?"
Taemin just gasps like the histrionic weirdo he is. He would make good friends with Namjoon. "Yoongi, I'm offended! Also, shouldn't I be asking how you became squad leader? With you and your dirty mouth?" It's high time for him to smirk again, wiping the fake expression off of his face. Yoongi doesn't answer him and moves to another shower with a functioning shower handle. "You just have to admit to yourself that you like him and you won't destroy any more school property, Yoongi!" He hears Taemin call out before the sounds of his retreating footsteps resonate throughout the enclosed walls, letting Yoongi breathe a sigh of relief.
Why does his friends assume he's in love with Seokjin when he's hated the man for years? Isn't it obvious enough when he scowls at the leaderboards every time he sees his name in second place, trailing after the glorious Kim Seokjin? After all, he would never associate the word 'glorious' with someone so preposterous. Seokjin's achievements say otherwise, but that's only because Yoongi can't look past his narcissistic countenance when he keeps making faces at Yoongi after every game they play—which always favors Seokjin and his team. It's always unfair.
Now thinking about it, maybe the 'changing of team members' thing isn't so bad. Sure, he'll miss Jimin's and Hoseok's loyalty. Maybe even Taemin's too. But he has to admit to himself that he's gotten weary of playing the same game the same way for years. A change of pace would be nice. And having the benefit of different superpowers with different strengths is a nice afterthought. He'll never voice it out to anyone, but he has Seokjin to thank for that.
//
The week goes by too quickly. Yoongi hasn't shaved, his hair's dying with the amount of hair dye he puts it through (his hair is fashioning a mint color now), and he didn't even had the chance to dress himself up nicely for the day he's been looking forward to—Reshuffle Day. It's stupid to call it that but the professors seem to like it. Especially Jiyong and Youngbae, with their idiotic power as 'The Tandem' among the faculty, they're sure to be the ones to come up with the name. Or maybe even Jaebeom, if Yoongi's really considering all the youthful professors. Talking about professors, he sees all of them lined up in front when he enters the arena. Of course, Heechul winks at him. So weird...
"Min Yoongi-ssi, you've finally arrived. Please take a seat." One of the oldest mentors, Jung Hyunchul (Yoongi likes to call him Taiji for some reason), looks at him with expectant eyes, nodding to the rest of the class, where Seokjin and the others are sitting with too much silence surrounding them. But Seokjin's looking at him with crinkled eyes, a smile teasing to stretch on his stupid, pink lips. Yoongi doesn't imitate any look for Seokjin and just sits beside him, since there are no more vacant seats left—no, Yoongi never meant to sit next to him, shut up.
"Since you're all here, shall we begin with the announcement?" Shihyuk starts with an all-too-enthusiastic tone. Is every professor excited about this? What exactly did Seokjin tell them? "As you all know, today will be dedicated to the reshuffling of team members and we've decided to let you all spend the rest of the day acquainting yourselves well with your new teams." With the announcement finally out, everyone's chattering up with each other, even Seokjin's trying to strike up a 'friendly' conversation with Yoongi, but he just opts to ignore him and listen intently. "Now, now, settle down." Suran butts in, silencing them all with her literal sonic voice. Their attentions have been caught again by the professors as they're stringing up a board with their names on it. Four columns with empty boxes, two labeled with 'Villains' and the rest with 'Heroes'.
"Let's start with a villain team, shall we?" Seunghyun says while swinging his hips back and forth playfully, like he's entertaining them on a game show. Okay, Choi Seunghyun can act off sometimes, but he's really weird. Very chipper. Yoongi's guessing he's trying to heal the painful moment—yes, Yoongi just did a pun. Okay, first of all, his puns aren't that ba— "The first villain team, to be led by senior squad leader, Lee Jaehwan!" Everyone claps at the mention of Jaehwan's name. It's not a surprise though. Jaehwan, despite being a theatrical asshole like the Kims, is one of the best leaders among the villain ensembles, even compared to the previous ones with the academy's alumni and alumnae. He stands up and waves like he's a celebrity, making some of them laugh, while crying 'thank you's.
"Rival hero team's leader for Jaehwan's," Yoongi can practically hear the drum roll before Seunghyun continues, "congratulations, Lee Junghwan!" That's peculiar. Aren't the squad leaders just being repeated? What changed? Oh, right, the members. As much as Yoongi would like to get into detail with how Seunghyun announced each member's names like a host, he just wants to skip to the part when his name has been called. Although the new setups are interesting themselves...
Lee Jaehwan (Villain Team)
1) Kim Junmyeon
2) Park Chanyeol
3) Park Jinyoung
4) Byun Baekhyun
5) Lee Taemin
Lee Junghwan (Hero Team)
1) Kunpimook Bhuwakul BamBam
2) Im Jaebum
3) Kim Jongdae
4) Kim Jongin
5) Oh Sehun
There have been some comments here and there. A lot of complaints concerning the shifts from villain-hero and hero-villain. Yoongi just scoffs at them, it's not like not all of them are going to be heroes once they graduate. Or do they like acting as villains that much? Whatever. It's none of Yoongi's business. If he turns out to be a villain, then that's great. If he's going on a hero team, then that's great too. He's never going to let a single word define him. "...Min Yoongi!" Seunghyun's voice rings out again, and now everyone's looking at him. Is he a leader again? But no, he only looks up to see his name on the Villain Team—with Jungkook as the squad leader. In a quick second, he stands up with clenched fists and speaks out in the roughest voice he can manage. "A freshman as squad leader, Seunghyun-ssaem?" He questions, blood boiling underneath his skin while glaring daggers at Jungkook in the corner, who doesn't seem to be too concerned with the position he's been given as he's just laid back, staring at Seokjin beside Yoongi. "Seonsaeng-nims, I'm pretty sure, with all of the senior and junior previous squad leaders left, Jungkook-ssi doesn't deserve to stand as a leader for a whole team while lacking experience." "Yoongi-ssi. We're all aware of Jeon Jungkook-ssi's position among the multiple students who have experienced leadership," Heechul's the one to converse with Yoongi, as the other professors don't want to talk to him as much, with how debatable their choice has become. Yoongi just thinks it's all bullshit. Jeon didn't even go through any sort of training he, Seokjin and Kyungsoo went through just to become qualified to lead. At least, nothing he's aware of. Until... "but you'd be surprised to know that he's recently finished an advanced training with Sandara-ssi." Heechul finishes, looking over to Sandara, who nods and affirms the claim. It all makes sense now. No one else has the power to manipulate electric and fire, but Park Sandara is closer to being the perfect mentor to Jungkook when her power is atmokinesis—which is controlling the weather, including lightning. Yoongi shuts up and sits back down, glancing at Jungkook again, only to see him with a glum expression, eyes still focused on Seokjin, but Seokjin maintains eye contact with Yoongi while consoling him. "I'm sorry if you don't like Kookie being our squad leader. But I hope you'll accept it sooner. Who knows? We might have fun together." Seokjin whispers, smiling at Yoongi with the first genuine expression Yoongi's seen that has been reserved for him only. Maybe being teammates with Seokjin won't be so bad—even if their leader is Jeon Jung-fucking-kook.
//
Jeon Jungkook (Villain Team)
1) Min Yoongi
2) Kim Seokjin
3) Do Kyungsoo
4) Park Jimin
5) Mark Tuan
Jung Hoseok (Hero Team)
1) Kim Yugyeom
2) Kim Namjoon
3) Kim Taehyung
4) Jackson Wang
5) Choi Youngjae
//