Archive of Our Own

Work Text

“Home is not where you are from,

it is where you belong.

Some of us travel the whole world to find it.

Others, find it in a person.”

-Beau Taplin, The Explorers

The Past

October 13th, 1833

Bordeaux, France

Far out into the country, deep into the woods and trees, stands a great manor surrounded by the most beautiful garden. Blooming with the yellowest daffodils to the whitest carnations, but perhaps it was best known for its red roses, no other place had red roses as magnificent as the ones in the Zoo. That’s what people called this manor that belonged to Joel Goldschmidt: The Zoo.Joel Goldschmidt was a renowned and respected researcher who spent his days working away in his manor, a place too big and grand for just himself, but he preferred to keep it that way. He didn’t like many people seeing his work until it was completely finished. Even now he feels hesitant about sharing all his findings with his young assistant, Amshel Goldsmith as they work in his office together, studying Joel’s current discovery.“What did you say you were going to call it?” Amshel asks for almost the millionth time and Joel tries hard not to roll his eyes. He regrets taking on such a young, annoying assistant.“I haven’t decided yet, Amshel,” Joel says, voice clearly annoyed, but he keeps his eyes strained on the mummy that lies in front of him on his operating table.Joel focused his research on the evolution of beings which lead to him often traveling around the world for any signs to further his research, and recently his findings took him to Korea where he found a peculiar mummy. It was a creature unlike any other; over seven-feet-tall with leathery skin stretched over a hard, bony carcass, almost resembling a large bat, but with its terrifying fangs and claws and long limbs, it resembled much more of a monster.Joel wanted to understand what type of animal or species this creature was, and at first, he feared his research may be limited when he noticed the creature was dead and this was only a mummy of what once was. But to his fortune, he discovered three very important things about the mummy, starting with the fact that it was female.Amshel knocks on one of the cocoons that lay on the desk before them and listens to the hard echo that bounces back. “It’s as hard as rock, how are we ever going to open it up and find out what’s inside?”And the two other important things: she was pregnant with two cocoon eggs.The large cocoons are as dark as her skin, hard as her bones too, and won’t open or crack despite all their attempts to see what creatures sleep inside them. Joel worries if the babies of the creature are dead too, but he doesn’t want to give up quite yet.Joel takes his scalpel and begins using it to try to cut open one of the eggs. He tries holding the cocoon steady enough to pierce through it, but it shakes under his hold as he applies more pressure to the point he loses his grip on the scalpel and accidentally cuts his finger. He pulls his hand away, wincing at the pain and ignoring Amshel’s pleads of asking if he’s alright, but something catches his eye suddenly. The blood from his hand lies on the cocoon for a second, but then is quickly soaks inside as fast as cloth soaks up water. The cocoon begins to shake on its own and Joel can only gape at it. The other egg remains unbothered, but the one that consumed the blood is now cracking open and soon the sounds of a baby crying fill the air.Joel can’t bring himself to move. He just sits there, staring at the opened cocoon that holds something that cries and sounds much like any human baby. Amshel seems frozen at his side as well, but eventually, Joel forces himself to move forward and peer inside the cocoon to find nothing he was expecting. He thought the offspring would resemble something of its mother, but there inside the cocoon lies a perfectly looking baby. A round peachy face cries and little hands that reach out for something. Joel quickly takes the baby and begins cradling it in his arms.“Joel…it’s human,” Amshel whispers in disbelief.Joel tries soothing the baby, noticing it’s a boy with bright red eyes. “I don’t think so…I think he just looks like one.”“W-what about the other? We should open it up too.”The researcher hums in response, never taking his eyes away from the baby that now stares back at him calmly. The baby begins playing with his fingers, specifically the one he cut, and Joel brings his finger closer to the baby’s mouth and watches as he takes his finger and begins sucking on the cut, drinking his blood like it would drink milk. Joel simply smiles at him.He sits back in his chair, still holding the baby, letting him drink the blood from his finger. “Amshel, go ahead and give the other blood. I’m going to focus on this little one.”“Y-yes, sir.” Amshel quickly grabs the scalpel and begins cutting his hand to feed the other cocoon. He says timidly, afraid of Joel’s reaction, “I never knew you liked children.”Joel studies his features, trying to see any signs of inhumanness, but he’s met with nothing but a beautiful baby in his arms. “I’ve never really cared for them before…but this is just fascinating.” Joel pulls his finger back to brush his small button nose. “I think I know what I’m going to call him.”

Five Years Later

Jimin runs through the manor’s gardens, chasing after a pretty blue butterfly he spotted. It keeps fluttering above him and Jimin giggles as he tries reaching for it; he doesn’t want to hurt it, he just wants to look at it closely. Too busy in his quest to grab the butterfly, he loses his footing and trips onto the pavement, scraping his knees in the fall. He feels his knees stinging from the pain and when he sits up to look at the damage, seeing nothing but blood collect at his knees, he begins to cry.Joel, who was also sitting in the garden reading a book, must have heard his cries because he soon appears in front of Jimin. He sighs at the sight of the crying boy, “Jimin, what did I tell you about running around in the gardens?”Jimin hiccups while wiping away his tears. “To n-not to.”“Exactly, I told you not to run and you did exactly that.” Joel crouches down in front of him, reaching forward to caress his cheek. He could never stay mad at him for too long. “Now, now, that’s enough. You’re perfectly fine, you’re not even hurt.”Jimin cries out, “I hurt my knees!”“Really? Well I don’t see anything.”Jimin opens his eyes to see his knees are perfectly fine. No blood in sight and his skin is completely healed, as if the fall and scrape never even happened.Joel smiles at him and offers his hand. “See? You’re all healed. Now let’s get back.”Sometimes Jimin forgets how fast he heals from wounds, he always expects the pain or wound to stay longer, but it never does. Now he takes his guardian’s hand and stands back up to begins their way back to the courtyard.“Joel, I’m hungry,” Jimin says, frowning.“Lunch isn’t for another hour.”“But I’m hungry,” he insists, pout deepening.“Oh alright, I’ll tell the cooks to get started.” Joel gives in, way too easily. But that was something Joel usually did because as strict as he tried to be with Jimin, in the end, he always tried to give Jimin everything he wanted. Jimin is his precious child after all.
Jimin and Joel enter the dining hall to find Amshel drawing in his notebook at the table. “You two are rather early today,” Amshel says to them.“I could say the same to you. How long were you taking care of it?” Joel questions as they walk to take their places at the grand table that is far too big for just three people. But in this manor, all the servants and staff worked for Joel, who had Jimin as his adopted child, and Amshel as his research partner. Jimin sometimes wish there was more to their little family.“As long as was needed,” Amshel replies curtly. Jimin doesn’t really understand what Amshel and Joel study, but it must be important since they always talk about it.Jimin waits patiently at the table, waiting for the staff to bring out the food, but he’s growing hungrier by the minute and the two men won’t stop talking about boring work things that make no sense to him. When the two get carried away in their usual bickering, Jimin slips away from his chair and quickly sneaks past the door that leads to the kitchen.He opens it to find workers bustling through the kitchen, preparing their lunch and most likely tonight’s dinner, talking loudly amongst themselves, and not even noticing the small child has even entered the kitchen. He hopes they still don’t notice so he can steal a piece of bread or two.Jimin begins creeping through in search for bread when he overhears two cooks conversing loudly. “Did I tell you I found a new job in the city?”“Yes, you did, lucky bastard. I wish I could get out of here.”“Just keep searching. No one should have to work for that fucking Goldschmidt. He pays well, but there’s no way I’m working for that monster he calls a child.”“Oh, come on, Jimin isn’t that bratty.”“Bratty? More like beastly. You don’t know about the things I’ve seen. The boy can’t get hurt, heals from any wound and if you saw where his medicine came from, you’d run too.”“I’ve heard the rumors. What scares me more are the rumors about…well, you know.”“I don’t know if they’re true, but I don’t care to find out. I’m getting the hell out of here before things get worse around here.”I’m not a monster. Jimin wants to shout back at that worker, maybe call him a monster too and see how he feels about it. He no longer feels hungry, just sick and angry and scared because he didn’t understand anything they were talking about it, but it involved him and that scares him. Before anyone can notice him, he rushes for the door that leads him outside. He doesn’t want to go back to the dining hall, he wants to run and run until all this anger and fear goes away.
Once he’s outside, he begins searching for a place to hide, fearing Joel may come after him but he wants to be alone right now. He decides to hide in the stables is the best option and quickly makes a run for the stables. Jimin wants to be alone, but he also wants to see the animals, he’s always loved them but they never seem to feel the same. When he enters the stables, he’s met with the animals’ immediate resistance as they begin barking and growling at his presence. He wants to cry all over again. People, animals, everyone hates him. He doesn’t know why the servants always act weary around him or why animals get so riled up at his being, but it makes the pit in his stomach ache and he wishes he could just disappear.Instead, Jimin turns on his heel and runs towards the one place Joel always forbids him on entering—the woods.Jimin runs deep into the woods until he’s out of breath, and from there he continues walking inside it. He doesn’t know where he’s walking to, he just wants to get away. Jimin has never ventured into the woods, Joel says it’s too dangerous, but right now he’s just surrounded by mountain high trees and the sound of birds chirping above him.Eventually when his feet grow tired enough, he sits and rests his head against a tree. He’s never run away from home before, but he wonders how far he could get. He knows the city is far from the Zoo, but he wonders if he walks far enough, maybe he could reach it. Jimin’s never been to the city or really anywhere outside Zoo, and he knows there’s more places and people in the world, he learns about them through the books Joel reads to him. Although he loves the Zoo and Joel, he can’t help but wonder what other places would be like and what playing with other children would be like. Jimin’s never met anyone his age and he wonders if things would be different, if they would be more fun if he could play with another child and not himself all the time.After running so much, tiredness consumes his body and before he even realizes, Jimin falls asleep soundly against the tree, alone and lost in the woods.He dreams of seeing the city with Joel and Amshel, seeing buildings and people who have only lived in his imagination and have not come to life. He plays with other children and no one is afraid of him, people and animals love him, and he feels happier than he ever has. It’s all so good and he never wants it to end, but the sound of a growl startles him awake and he finds himself still sitting in the now darken forest.Panic seeps in as he realizes he must have been asleep for hours for the sun to already set and leave him in the darkness of the woods. He stands up and begins looking around for signs of anything. He can make out the outline of trees and bushes, but really, it’s too dark to see anything, and he wants to cry for the third time. How will he ever get home?Jimin is about to cry out for help, maybe Joel will hear him again, but the growl comes back, louder and grittier than before. He freezes in place and slowly looks around to find the source of the growling. When he hears the growl behind him, he turns around to see the shadow of a large dark figure looming above in a tree, with two bright yellow eyes shining down on him.Jimin screams as loud as he can. The thing screeches back.Jimin doesn’t waste a second longer and begins running away, anything to get away from whatever sits in that tree. As he runs for his life, he hears the screeching above him and he looks up to see the creature flying in the sky above him, with large dark, bat wings. Jimin doesn’t know what to do, he keeps running, but now he’s screaming with tears burning into his eyes. He doesn’t want to die, he just wants to go home.He tries his hardest to run without hitting into trees or tripping over bushes and branches, he can still hear the thing growling in the sky and he thinks he might have woken up into a nightmare. He doesn’t have the time to notice the figure in front of him that he runs into, causing him to fall back on the ground.“Jimin, there you are!” He hears a familiar voice say and he looks up to see Amshel peering down at him, holding a lit lamp.“A-Amshel!” He shouts, panting and tears streaming down his face. Amshel sighs in relief and picks Jimin up off the ground, holding him in one arm and the lamp in the other. Jimin quickly buries his face in the crook of his neck. “Amshel, there’s a monster here!”“A what?”“A monster!” He cries into his neck and he can’t keep himself from shaking.He feels Amshel’s body shake with laughter as he says in disbelief, “What are you talking about? There’s no such things as monsters.”Jimin lifts his face back up, bringing his eyes to look back into the sky to see nothing but the tips of trees and a few stars shining in the dark blue sky.“B-but…” he mumbles as Amshel begins walking away with him.“Come on, we need to get back to the Zoo. We have a whole search party looking for you and Joel is furious.”Jimin can’t even bring himself to fear Joel’s wrath because he can’t tear his eyes away from the night sky, not seeing any sign of the monster that was there just moments ago. He takes a sweeping look through the whole forest and sees nothing but the same trees and bushes.
Jimin sits in his bed, already bathed and dressed for bed as Joel angrily lectures at the side about everything he did wrong today and how he never listens.“Jimin, do you have any idea how dangerous that was? How many times have I told you not to go into the forest?”“A lot of times.”“Exactly. So, what could have possibly been going through your mind to run into the forest like that?”He doesn’t respond right away, he keeps his eyes glued to the cup of medicine in his hand. The one he always takes before bed.“Jimin, answer me.”“Am I…a monster?”“…What?” Joel blankly stares at him and Jimin shifts uncomfortably in his bed. He says, “Some cooks in the kitchen said I was a monster. They said I was beastly…is that true?”Joel blinks, but he quickly shakes his head. “No, Jimin, that isn’t true. Is that—is that why you ran into the forest?”Jimin chews on his lip, still staring into the cup that is filled with the dark red medicine. “I just wanted to get away…I didn’t think I would get that far. I didn’t mean to fall asleep and get lost. I’m sorry, Joel.” Tears break into his eyes once more and Joel quickly comes to sit beside him on the bed, gathering him into his arms for an embrace.  “It’s okay, I’m not angry, I was just worried. I tell you not to go into the forest for a reason, it’s dangerous, Jimin, and I don’t want you to get hurt. It would break my heart if anything happened to you.”Jimin rests against Joel’s chest, still gripping the cup, but easing into Joel’s arms, knowing he’s safe and loved. He whispers softly, “You never told me there are monsters in the forest.”Joel quickly pulls away for a bit to look at Jimin properly. “What are you talking about?”Panic seizes him again, he doesn’t want Joel not to believe him too. “When I was in the woods, I saw a monster. It was big and had wings and bright eyes—”“That must have been a dream, Jimin. There’s no such things as monsters.”“But Joel—”“No, buts. That’s enough for today. Now drink your medicine and go to sleep, it’s been a long day.”Jimin still fumbles with the cup, avoiding his guardian’s eyes. “What’s in my medicine, Joel? Like where does it come from?”“It doesn’t matter. It’s just medicine to make you better.” He simply states.“Am I sick?”“No, but this medicine improves your health over all.”“But they said—”“It doesn’t matter what they said, Jimin, I’m going to make sure they’re properly punished at once. You won’t ever have to worry about hearing them say foolish things again. Now, please, drink your medicine.”Jimin nods and brings the cup to his lips. Tasting the bitter, yet sweet medicine that always smells so good, but tastes even better. To be honest, Jimin is glad he takes his medicine. It always makes him feel better; it gives him energy and make his whole body sing with happiness. He almost craves it sometimes.After he finishes drinking it, wishing there was more, Joel takes the cup from him and kisses his forehead. “Rest now, Jimin.”He helps the boy tuck himself in bed and returns to stand in the doorway, watching as Jimin closes his eyes. Jimin hopes he continues his amazing dream from before and doesn’t dream of the monster he saw. He knows that cook was wrong because he’s seen a monster now and Jimin looks nothing like one, he may take medicine and never listen, but he isn’t a monster for it. He tries to forget about that man’s cruel words and about the creature he saw today and dream of better things and better days.
❧

Present Day

An Undisclosed Location in England

December 6th,1871

The sound of the train’s horn shakes him awake, and Jimin finds his head leaning against the train’s window, finding the sight of vast land passing them by, covered in a blanket of snow.  “It’s been awhile since we’ve been in the countryside, hasn’t it?” Jungkook comments in the seat beside him.Jimin turns to see Jungkook perfectly awake, holding an opened newspaper he seems to be in the middle of reading. Jungkook, his loyal chevalier, or some would say servant, who is always by his side. He’s the kindest person Jimin knows, the most precious and endearing, the keeper of Jimin’s heart, but also the one who causes him the most pain.“How long have I been asleep?” He asks, clearing his messy mind and wiping a bit of drool at the side of his mouth. Gross.“An hour…or two.”Jimin keeps falling asleep everywhere and he knows that’s not a good sign, but he’s going to ignore it for now. “Sorry about that, I hope you haven’t been too bored.”Jungkook simply shrugs in response. “Not really. I’ve been catching up on some news,” he lifts up the paper in his hands, “There’s an entire article over the attacks that are happening in this village we’re going to.”Jimin leans over to look at the article, finding a headline that reads: Animal Attacks Leave Village Shaken.“Horrible title.”“Yes, the article isn’t great either, but it says they’ve had a total of three attacks leaving all three villagers dead. The townspeople seem to think it may be wolves in the woods or some other animal.” Jungkook explains as he closes the newspaper.Jimin stretches his arms and neck, feeling sore from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position for so long. “Yes, and? We know all of this, we came all the way out here to the middle of nowhere with all of this in mind.”“I know, but we just heard it from word of mouth, but this really confirms that the attacks are happening and we’re not traveling all this way for nothing.”Jimin shrugs this time and goes back to staring out the window, watching miles of snow past them by. “It’s what we do, Jungkook. We hear of monster attacks, chase them down, kill them, not find him, and continue. It’s our way of life now.”He feels Jungkook staring holes into the back of his head, but he can’t bring himself to turn around and meet his eye. Preferring to choose the cowardly way of looking out the window.“You know…this doesn’t always have to be our life. Once we stop him, we can go back to enjoying ourselves. Doing things that we want to do and things we said we always wanted to do…don’t you agree?”Jimin bites his lip so hard it could draw blood. He can’t bring himself to tell Jungkook, no, he doesn’t agree. Because once they find him and end all this madness, he’s going to leave and finally set Jungkook free. But now isn’t the time for that conversation.Instead, he says, “How about we focus on the task at hand first? We’ll worry about all of that later, I mean, we don’t even know if we’ll find him here. We may just be dealing with another chiropteran he left behind.”He hears the newspaper crinkle, mostly likely Jungkook clutching it tighter in frustration, but he simply replies, “Of course, Jimin.”They sit the rest of the train ride in silence.
Once the train finally reaches their stop, the two begin gathering their things. They don’t carry much as they often travel from town to town, country to country, but they usually carry at least one bag filled with their clothing and money, and a large cello case. It may seem strange that two young men carry nothing but their minimum belongings and a cello, but the cello was a dear item of Jungkook’s that he could never part with, and inside the case, he held an important item of Jimin’s that he could never part with even if he wanted to.Jimin and Jungkook walk out of the train station, greeting the cold, snowy morning of the countryside. Jimin pulls his coat tighter on himself, his coat isn’t really suited for this type of weather, but he’ll have to deal with it.Jungkook must notice him shivering because he quickly asks, “Are you cold? Do you want my coat?” Jimin doesn’t think Jungkook actually wants to give up his coat, but there’s something in his blood that compels him to help Jimin in any and every way possible. It’s just the way of a chevalier, to serve and protect their masters no matter what, and that leaves an even colder feeling in Jimin’s chest.“I’m fine, you should stay warm too. Now come on, let’s get going, we don’t know how far the village is.” Jimin answers and starts making his way out of the station, feeling Jungkook following close behind.They see several people getting in automobiles and waiting for others to get to their destination, but Jimin and Jungkook simply head in the direction of the town rumored to have “animal” attacks. With Jimin holding their bag and the cello slung over Jungkook’s shoulder, they make their way into the forest, in hopes of finding something more than animals.
After what feels like hours, walking through endless trees and bushes, reminding him too much of home, they finally spot the village and it’s bigger than Jimin expected. There’s nothing exceptional about the town; it has houses and buildings, a few pubs, a school, and he can even spot a large church at the back of town, its tower stands high in the sky like an over-seeing statue. Only one thing truly captures his attention, besides a few stragglers hurrying through the streets—it’s practically empty.“It’s like a ghost town,” Jungkook comments under his breath.“I suppose the animal attacks really do have the village shaken.”Jungkook has the decency to snort.They wonder around the town for a bit, mostly observing but also looking for a hostel to stay in for the time being. They’ve been traveling for days now and would really appreciate a nice shower and bed, and with the luck of some passerby explaining where the only hostel in town is, they make their way to their home for the next few days.
“Oh, hello! What can I help you two boys with today?” The old man behind the counter greets them eagerly. By the looks of the empty hostel, he must be excited to finally have guests.Jimin approaches the counter with Jungkook still close behind, and begins, “We were hoping you had a room for two for the night.” The elder smiles brightly at them, he has kind eyes that almost remind Jimin of someone he used to know. “Well of course! I’ll take it you’ll be needing two beds?”“One bed is just fine.” Jungkook says absentmindedly.Jimin’s cheeks burn red and the man stares back at them incredulously, but he quickly shakes it off, plastering a fake smile on his face. “I-I’ll see what I can do.”And with that, he turns around to search for a key for their room. Jimin uses this opportunity to smack Jungkook’s arm who winces at the hit, but he still sees remnants of a sly smile on the Jungkook’s lips.“So, tell me, boys, what brings you two into our quaint little town?” the man states, still searching among the wall of keys, “Not that there’s anything wrong with us, I’ve been living here all my life, I’m proud to call it home. But it’s rare to have visitors, especially these days, and from such young folks too.”Before Jimin can answer, the door to the hostel suddenly slams open with the sound of a giggle and barking chiming in. He turns his attention to see a young girl skipping inside with her dog by her side, she seems happy as most children do, but she quickly gets startled when her dog begins growling at Jimin and falls to the floor.Jimin can only stare as the girl crouches into a sitting position, gripping her now scraped knee and whimpering out a cry at the sight of blood already showing. The dog is barking and growling threateningly at Jimin, but he doesn’t pay it any mind, only focusing on the potency of blood now reaching his nose. His gums burn at the need for his fangs to come out, his mouth watering and his tongue thick in his mouth, it has been so long since he’s tasted human blood and his body craves it more than anything—“Jimin,” Jungkook’s voice shakes him out of his crazed thoughts.He feels Jungkook’s hand on his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze to help ease his racing heart. He doesn’t even notice the old man came to help the injured girl get back up, asking why she came over here when she knows she’s not supposed to be out alone, telling her dog to calm down already.“The key,” he hears the man say suddenly, and Jimin has to ask, “I’m sorry, what?”“The key, I left it on the counter. You can take it and go to your room already, it’s on the second floor to the left, room 201,” the hostel owner explains.Jungkook takes the key and thanks the other man.“I would help with your things and take you to your room myself, but this little lady here needs my help first. She just wanted to pay me a visit, but she goes and gets hurt like this,” the man shakes his head while leading the girl to the back of the counter, probably to help bandage up her wound. He throws one more glance at them, “Now you two also be careful on your visit here, you hear? We’ve had a few accidents.”Jimin watches the man wrap a bandage around the girl’s bleeding knee, trying to ignore her howling dog. “What kind of accidents, sir?”“Just a few animal accidents, nothing too terrible, but it’s probably best to stay out of the forest during your stay here. We don’t know what kind of animals we have in there.”
Jimin must hold back a groan when he sees the one bed in their room, but Jungkook seems pleased with himself as he begins to set their things down. He feels a sharp pain in his head suddenly and winces; the insistent barking and smell of blood must have gotten to him more than he thought.“Are you alright? Maybe you should rest.” Jungkook suggests as soon as he notices his discomfort.He shakes his head, “No, I’m fine. I just need a shower.”Jimin enters the bathroom and closes the door as gently as he can, leaning against it and letting out a deep breath he hadn’t even realize he was holding.
So tired. So hungry.
He raises his hands to see them shaking with the veins popping out and searing blue. He needs to feed and rest, time is running thin and he is still not sure if he is even in this town—he’s grasping at straws now.Without wasting another second, Jimin rushes to the shower and turns the shower nob around, letting the hot water spray on his face. He thinks he hears a voice outside the door, but he just keeps turning the nob, feeling the burning water scald his skin and wash away all the pain inside him.The door slams open with a panicked Jungkook standing on the other side.“Jimin!”He rushes through the steaming fog now filling the bathroom to the unmoving man in the shower. Jungkook reaches for him and jerks his hand back in a hiss, the water too scolding for him to touch. He doesn’t even hesitate to reach over carefully and lower the temperature of the water. Jimin just stares.“Jimin,” Jungkook’s eyes fix hard on his as he begins, “What are you doing? I was calling out to tell you that you forgot a change of clothes. You’ll burn yourself with water this hot.”“I’ll heal.”“Not if you don’t feed and rest. Which you haven’t, when was the last time you ate?” Jungkook steps inside the shower, beginning to get soaked as well and Jimin takes a step back.Confusion washes over Jungkook’s features, making him ask, “What are you afraid of? It’s just me.”
Me. I’m afraid that I’m running out of time.
“I’ll smell your blood if you get any closer. Just keep your distance.” Jimin holds a hand over his nose and Jungkook lets out a soft chuckle.“That’s okay. I’m used to it. Come on, Jimin, you need to feed. And take off these clothes, they’re all wet now.” Jungkook is berating him like he’s his mother. He should know his place. A servant shouldn’t tell his master what to do.Jungkook is about to reach for him, but Jimin pushes him against the wall, whispers warmly against his ear, “Should you really be trying to tell me what to do? You know how much I hate that.”He grips his shirt tightly and begins to tug at the sleeve, exposing his sharp shoulder, and he brings his eyes to meet Jungkook’s. The shower is still raining softly on them, the water is freezing now, but neither can bother to care when their gazes are locked on one another. Jimin stands so close to his servant that he can feel his breath on him, the scent of Jungkook fills his senses and Jimin wants to scream.
Bite him. Suck him dry.
“Jimin? What are you waiting for?” Jungkook says softly to him.Concern and worry cloud his big, dark eyes, and Jimin hates that he’s the cause of it. There were once days when Jimin brought nothing but happiness to those eyes, but that was a long time ago. This is their life now. They both shake with coldness and fear in the shower over what their life has become. Jimin is just a hungry monster who is growing weaker, and Jungkook is being the good obedient chevalier that he was made to be.Jimin leans in closer, mouthing quietly to Jungkook’s neck, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”His fangs come out with a growl and he bites deeply into the flesh of his chevalier. He thinks he feels Jungkook’s hands clawing at his back, trying to hold back cries, but all he can focus on is devouring as much blood as possible from him. His bitter warm blood is almost perfect, but Jungkook isn’t human anymore, so it can only taste so good, but it’s enough to satisfy his hunger. For now.Soon enough, Jimin rips his fangs out and pulls away to see Jungkook wincing at the pain. He already misses his warm body, feverish to the touch. If it had been long since Jimin last fed, it had been even longer for Jimin to have Jungkook’s hands on his body. Just the thought of it already sets a fire ablaze inside him.Licking his lips to not let any drops go to waste, Jimin breathes, “Take your clothes off.”Jungkook rubs at his sore neck which is already beginning to heal. His hooded eyes grow darker at the command, “Yes, Jimin.”He obeys his master and takes his shirt off quickly and then moves to rid himself of his pants. Jimin follows suit, not wanting to waste any more time without Jungkook’s hands on him. Within seconds, Jimin finds himself in Jungkook’s arms, their mouths attached to one another, hands roaming each other’s warm, flushed naked bodies, and the kind of hunger that can only be satisfied through exchanging body heat.Jimin has always thought Jungkook’s blood tasted good, but nothing compares to the taste of his lips. Soft and delicate and murmuring his name like a mantra as Jungkook’s lips move to suck and graze his neck, and Jimin can only mewl in response, holding him by the shoulder with one hand and the other running through his dark, wet hair.He wants to pull Jungkook closer, close is never close enough, but guilt and uncertainty begins to seep into his feverish thoughts. Does Jungkook really want this or is it just the chevalier inside him that obeys so willingly? Chevaliers would do anything to please their masters, and after the years, Jimin has lost sense on where the servant began in Jungkook and where it ended. There was once a time when Jungkook would have done anything for Jimin, no blood contract needed, but it had been a long time since Jungkook loved Jimin like that. It had been a long time since Jungkook had free will, but that’s what Jimin did to him, that is what he took from him, and just the thought of it could almost bring tears to his eyes—except Jimin has forgotten how to cry. He’s forgotten how to do a lot of things, like how to love Jungkook like he deserves.“Jimin,” Jungkook whispers against his lips, his hands rest low on his hips, eyes completely blown and panting like he was held underwater for too long. Maybe they have been, they’re completely soaked standing in the cold, shivering shower. “Jimin, what do you want?”What did Jimin want? He wants to end things, once and for all. Find him and put an end to this cursed life and set Jungkook free. He wants to stop being the cause of Jungkook’s misery and for him to find the happiness he deserves, but when he stands engulfed in Jungkook’s arms and meets his piercing eyes, the only words he can summon are selfish ones.“I want you to hold me.”Jungkook tightens his hold of him and kisses him deeply. Jimin breathes him in like his life depends on it. He knows it’s selfish to ask such things of Jungkook, but he can’t help himself. Not when Jungkook tastes and feels this good and not when Jimin has already accepted himself for the monster that he is.
❧

The Past

October 13th, 1849

Jimin’s Sixteenth Birthday

“Ow! Watch it!” Jimin complains to the servant fitting his suit who has poked him nearly three times now with the sewing needle. He stands before the full-size 3 part-mirror, trying on the new suit Joel bought him for his birthday, but of course a servant must adjust the pants size length—Jimin just keeps growing these days.Jimin views his reflection and judges how he looks now that he’s another year old. Still the same dark hair, puffy lips, round cheeks, and down-casted dark red eyes. He doesn’t really like the way he looks, maybe next year that will change too.The door to the study opens and soon Joel’s voice is calling out to him. “Jimin, how is everything coming along?”Jimin pouts at his guardian, “The suit doesn’t fit right, and the servant keeps stabbing me.” At that, the servant quickly let’s go of his pants and pulls back the needle like it burned him.Joel doesn’t seem amused. “Don’t be difficult. The suit looks fine.”Jimin continues pouting, he knows he can make Joel crack.Joel’s lips quirk up a bit, “Come on, now, don’t pout. It’s your birthday, you should be excited.”Jimin frowns.A grin spreads across Joel’s face. He’s become older over the years, less strict and more of a push-over, but he still has those kind eyes that Jimin loves so dearly. “What if I told you I have another surprise for you?”Now light comes back to Jimin’s eyes. “A surprise? What is it?”“Well if I told you, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise now, would it?”“Oh, but Joel, at least give me a hint!”The man chuckles, “You’ll just have to wait until your birthday dinner to find out.” He bids them a goodbye and retreats away, most likely back to his studies.Joel is always working on his studies these days with Amshel. They always work on important, secretive things that they claim Jimin would never understand, but Jimin thinks he could probably try if only they gave him a chance.Jimin decides to focus on the surprise for later and wonders what Joel could have possibly gotten him. Over the past years, Joel has showered Jimin with the best riches and gifts, giving him everything he believed he deserved. He’s already gotten a new expensive suit, a new fencing sword, more books for his collection, and the finest jewelry. What more could he give? But Jimin knows Joel always loves to spoil him on his birthday. Always.
Because today is his birthday after all, Jimin doesn’t have any math, science, history, music, fencing, art, or literature lessons; lessons that usually preoccupied most of his day with all the many tutors Joel assigns him. His guardian wants him to be just as educated and well-versed as him, and most days he appreciates them, but days like today he’s happy to be free of any responsibilities. He can do absolutely whatever he wants.And so Jimin finds himself wondering around the gardens, alone and with a clouded mind.Jimin is finally sixteen, and yet he’s still never stepped foot out of the zoo and part of him still craves to see the world, or at least meet people who aren’t Joel and Amshel and servants and tutors. He has so much at the touch of his fingertips, but his world feels so small.He wants to keep wallowing in his self-pity, but he remembers there is one person who is unlike anybody else in the Zoo. A secret somebody that nobody knows Jimin visits nearly every day. A boy he discovered only a year ago but has taken a special place in his heart and life.
Jimin rushes across the Zoo to get to the far abandoned tower at the back of the manor. He can’t believe he was so consumed in his own thoughts that he almost forgot to visit him.  Once he reaches the top of the tower, he walks inside the long halls, covered in wild flowers that grow from the cracks of the stones. He knows he’s close once the walls are only decorated in blue roses. Blue roses only grow in this tower and near his room. Jimin hurries as he hears his singing growing louder, he could hear him singing when he approached the tower because his voice always carried outside his little window for the world to hear. The boy has a voice worthy of angels, strong like the wind, but as graceful as the moon, and Jimin could never hear enough.Unbeknownst that Jimin stands just outside his door, he continues singing deeply a song Jimin has never heard before, but quickly becomes his new favorite. He sings in a foreign language, sounding much like an opera singer, but there’s no music, just his voice in this empty, abandoned tower.“It’s me! You sound amazing as always!” Jimin exclaims as he beats at the old wooden door, also covered in budding blue roses.The singing ends abruptly and there’s a pause, but only for a moment before he hears his deep, soft voice say, “You’re back.”Jimin smiles even though the other can’t see it. “I am. Guess what today is!”“What?”“It’s my birthday!”Another pause. “Oh, what was that thing you said the other day to say during birthdays?”Jimin giggles, “Happy birthday?”“Yes, happy birthday, Jimin.” He smiles happily in return to his dear friend who he has never seen.He encountered him just a year ago while exploring the Zoo one day when he heard his magnificent singing. He discovered the boy was kept in this tower for his own safety by Joel, but mostly Amshel was the one to visit him to give him food and teach him things. The boy says he doesn’t have much inside his room besides a bed and a window, and that he’s lived in solitude his entire life. Jimin wanted to ask Joel about him, but the boy insisted he mustn’t or they both would be in trouble. Usually, Jimin would just do what he wanted, but his dear friend had begged him to keep their secret visits between them, so he found it hard to disobey. It was hard though because Jimin worries how anyone can live like this, if this can even be considered living.“Thank you…you know, I never know what to call you. You always tell me you don’t have a name, but what if I gave you one?”The boy doesn’t respond, but Jimin takes the moment to contemplate possible names for his secret friend. “I was reading a book recently where there was a boy named Taehyung who loved to sing just like you. Would you like being named, Taehyung?”“…Taehyung… Okay,” he says like he’s tasting the name on his lips, but Jimin just smiles in rejoice.“Taehyung it is—oh! And since you don’t have a birthday either, why don’t we make today your birthday as well? The day you got your name, and this way, we’ll share a birthday.”Taehyung remains silent at first and Jimin worries if he’s overstepped his boundaries. Taehyung was always sensitive, he wasn’t used to talking to people for long periods of time, sometimes he would just grow quiet and Jimin would have to leave. But soon enough, he hears a quiet, strained voice like he is holding back tears, “Okay.”“Happy birthday, Taehyung.”“Thank you, Jimin.”
It’s nearly sundown before Jimin returns to the dining hall for his birthday dinner. He arrives to find the table already beautifully set and assorted with far too much food for three people. It looks like the usual grand presentation for birthdays, but what confuses him is the setting of a fourth plate. Did Joel invite a friend over?He doesn’t have much time to contemplate it when he hears the doors opening behind him. Quickly, he turns around and smooths down his suit once more, and meets the eyes of Joel and Amshel and—a boy?Joel and Amshel walk on either side of the young boy, he couldn’t be more than 14 years old, and his two guardians lead the boy to him.“Jimin, this is my surprise for you. This is Jungkook.” Joel says, smiling at him kindly.Jimin stares at Jungkook who stares back with lifeless eyes. He’s much shorter than all of them, and his features are delicate like a painting. A round face full of youth, thin pouting lips, and large doe eyes; he’s a beautiful young boy, but he seems like he wants to be anywhere but here right now.Jimin clears his throat to ask, “Is he a new servant?”Joel chuckles almost too loudly and tightens his grip on Jungkook’s shoulder, and he notices Amshel’s mouth almost tugging into a smirk, but it disappears as he answers. “Think of him as more of a friend.”“Yes, a friend, just for you.” Joel adds on and gently urges Jungkook to move forward. Jimin can’t tear his eyes away from the miserable boy, he wonders if he can even speak. He just wants to know why Joel would give him a “friend.” Wasn’t Joel always the one to say Jimin didn’t need friends?
After a few more minutes of the awkward encounter, they fortunately moved to the table to begin dinner. Jungkook has yet to utter a single word as he sits across from Jimin. He keeps stealing glances at the boy, trying to understand his “surprise.” A million questions about the boy running through his head, but he finds himself too scared to ask right now.“How do you find the food, Jimin?” Joel asks him from the head of the table. Jimin nods absentmindedly, he’s barely touched his food. “It’s delicious.”“And Jungkook? I bet you’ve never had food this good before.” Joel questions with a mouth full of food.Jungkook barely spares him a glance. He uses his fork to push the food around his plate, and Jimin is sure he hasn’t even taken a bite yet. Jimin is almost convinced the boy is mute until he opens his mouth, mumbling ever so softly, “It’s good.”Jimin’s eyes swerve back to Joel who seems satisfied with the response as he continues eating happily, and Amshel barely seems to care as usual. Frustration begins to seep in. Why is Jimin the only one with a problem about this? Joel gave him a boy as a gift, and where did he even come from? Did Jungkook not have a family? Will he be living with them for now on? What did all this mean, and why does Joel and Amshel never tell him anything?He feels like his mind could implode with unanswered questions, and he knows it’s pointless to ask, and it makes him feel even more upset, like he’s still a child.An irritating clinking interrupts his deafening thoughts when he notices Jungkook trying to cut his large piece of chicken with a fork. And maybe Joel is the source of his irritation, but at this moment, it’s much easier to take it on others.“You’re supposed to use a fork and knife. Putting the food in your mouth might help too.” He sneers at the young boy.Jungkook immediately raises his head and glowers back with an anger he didn’t see before. He sets his fork down with another clank and mutters, “Well I’m not hungry anymore.”Anger rises in Jimin. No one has ever talked back to him before. “You know, it’s rude to refuse the food your host offers you.”The boy glares back in matching fury, “I don’t care. You’re eating and you’re plenty rude.”His words snap something in Jimin that make him slam his fork and knife down and stand abruptly from the table. He turns to Joel and shouts, “What kind of—gift is this, Joel?! You brought a little brat to be my friend, but I never asked for this. Just take him back from wherever you found him!”Without another thought, Jimin rushes out of the dining hall, ignoring Joel’s pleading calls to come back, and fighting back burning tears. Jimin has always been lonely and he’s always desired friends and to be around people who his own age, but he just doesn’t understand why the sudden change and why Joel would “gift” him a friend. Joel is supposed to love him more than anyone, be the person he’s supposed to trust the most, so why does he feel so lied to right now? None of it made sense, and even though today is his birthday, meaning Jimin is another year older, he still feels as lost and helpless as that day in the forest.
❧

Present Day

Jimin wakes up to the sound of the door opening. He turns in the bed to see Jungkook trying to enter their hostel room stealthily, but when their eyes meet, the boy smiles shyly, “Sorry, I was trying not to wake you.”Jimin sits up and rubs the sleep out of his eyes, “Where did you go? And how long have I been asleep?”Jungkook joins Jimin on the bed, sitting on the edge beside him.  “Well, after you fell asleep from our shower, I decided to talk to Thomas—that’s the man who owns the hostel—and told him all about the “friend” we’re looking for who we believe came to this town. He invited us to come with him to the town’s tavern tonight to find out more information and talk to more of the locals, but I did meet a few of them already and asked about the accidents that’s been happening.”“Why didn’t you wake me up if you’re going to talk to them?”Jungkook shrugs, “You seem exhausted, I wanted to let you rest.”Jimin bites his lip, “I don’t need rest. I need to find Taehyung.”He barely ever mentions his name these days, never needs to, they both know exactly who they’re looking for, but the name he gave still sends shivers down his spine.“What are you talking about not needing rest, you practically passed out after we…just what’s gotten into you?” His eyes fill with concern and Jimin just wants to apologize. He wants to tell him about every worry clouding his mind, to feel Jungkook’s arms around him again, making him feel safe and cared for, but he keeps these desires to himself.“It’s just…we’ve wasted enough time, we can’t afford to waste more.”Suddenly he feels Jungkook’s hand on top of his, he looks up to meet his sweet eyes and hears him say, “We’re going to find him, Jimin. Don’t worry about that…but I’m worried about you, you don’t seem to be feeling well lately.”Jimin swallows dryly. “I’m fine. We’ve just been traveling for so long, blindingly chasing stories of monster attacks and trying to find the source of it, and now we’re finally here and—” “And you’re afraid? That we still can’t find him, that we still can’t stop him?” Jungkook tightens his hold on Jimin’s hand and Jimin squeezes back.His voice comes out barely audible, “I just don’t want more people to get hurt.”“They won’t, Jimin. I talked to some people here, and the “animals” they’ve described that’s attacking their people sound just like Chiropterans. The last attack was just a few days ago, I’m sure Taehyung is behind this and that he’s still here. I know it.”“What if he’s not or what if he’s already left—what if I can’t stop him?”Jungkook leans in and stares intensely into Jimin’s eyes and Jimin feels the air escape his lungs. “Then you’ll keep searching and trying until you do, and I’m going to be by your side for every step of the way.”Jimin laces their fingers together with one hand, the other playing with the necklace that hangs around his neck, the one with a single silver ring on it, “Just like you promised?”Jungkook’s eyes crinkle as he smiles heartedly, “Just like I pinky promised.”
❧

The Past

His instructor’s fencing sword meets his with a clink, and Jimin needs to think fast, be quick on his feet, he’s been losing to the instructor for the past hour and he needs a win. He aims his sword to hit the other from below, but suddenly he feels his instructor’s sword jab him in his chest. Jimin sighs in defeat. He loves fencing but he’s been performing horrible lately. It couldn’t get worse than this.“You should learn to focus more and not get lost in that head of yours.” A voice calls out to him and Jimin turns to see Amshel approaching him.Never mind. It can get worse.Jimin takes off his fencing mask and the instructor takes that as a cue to leave them. He walks away to the refreshments that stand a few feet away in the garden they’re practicing in. Amshel walks up to him with a small smile stuck on his lips and Jimin can only dread what he wants from him. It’s not as if Jimin disliked Amshel, but Joel was the guardian who cared and looked after him, Amshel always just watched from the sides, always leaving Jimin with unpleasant feelings whenever he was around.“I can focus just fine, Amshel. I’m just tired right now.”“That’s not what I saw. I could tell you were overthinking every single move, you let the instructor beat you every time. He’s not even that good.”Jimin tries not to roll his eyes. “Is there something you needed from me, Amshel?”“Well I wanted to check on how you and your little friend were doing, but…” his eyes follow further into the garden where the gardener and Jungkook work on the roses bushes just a few yards away, “You two never seem to be together. He’s either doing some sort of servant duty or you’re busy with your lessons.”Jimin shrugs, “I don’t know why you expected anything more. I have no wish to befriend that boy and he seems to feel the same.”Amshel looks at him questionably, “Have you even given him a chance?”He grows more irritated, “And why should I? You gave him to me with no explanation. You and Joel kept telling me my whole life I didn’t need friends, what changed?”“Joel and I have been talking for a while and we’ve both come to agree that friends would be good for you, Jimin. It’s not good to keep you busy all day with all these lessons, sometimes, it’s good just to have someone to talk to.”Jimin watches him carefully, trying to detect the truth from the lies he just heard. He used to never think Joel or Amshel could lie to him about anything, but ever since he met Taehyung, he wonders just how much they keep from him. He fears if this is all about Taehyung, and if they’ve discovered their secret meetings and are trying to put an end to it by bringing him a new “friend.”He shakes his head at the older man, “I don’t need anyone like that. I’ve been just fine by myself, and I’ll continue to do just fine. I especially don’t need companionship from a rude brat like him.” He gestures to the boy tending the flowers, and soon Jungkook looks in their direction, most likely overhearing his comment. Jimin simply walks away from all of them to go back inside. He’s had enough for today.
After changing back to his usual dress shirt and pants, Jimin relaxes himself by hiding away in the library, his favorite place in the whole manor.Jimin could get lost in reading books for hours. If he can’t leave the Zoo to see the world, he could experience it through books. They took him to worlds he could only dream of, they made him feel happy, safe, and content.Jimin is enjoying his book thoroughly when he hears the doors to the library open. He looks to find the boy he wants to see the least, Jungkook pushing a cart inside and towards Jimin’s direction. He tries to hold back a groan.The young boy struggles to push the cart, the wheels seem to be jammed, but he’s trying hard to make sure the tea and snacks on the cart don’t topple over. Jimin could get up and help him, but he finds his book much more interesting at the moment.Jungkook has been staying with them for almost a week now. The two can’t stand each other. Jungkook’s temper and stubbornness is almost as bad as Jimin’s and leads to them bickering within seconds of being in the same room. Which is unfortunate because although Jungkook was supposed to be a “friend,” he has been put to work like a servant and is ordered to bring anything and everything to Jimin. Now they end up in the same places more often than not.Jimin knows it’s childish to feud with the boy when his real problem lies with Joel and Amshel, but he just can’t help it when Jungkook acts so disrespectful to him. He’s never met anyone so blunt and irritating before, but he supposes there’s a first for everything.Eventually, Jungkook gets the cart to move again as he rolls it beside Jimin’s chair. Jimin can tell he’s pouring his tea and preparing his snacks, but he just keeps his eyes focused on the book.“Your tea and biscuits are ready.” The boy mumbles grumpily.Jimin hums while flipping the page, “I’m not hungry.”Jungkook clicks his tongue and says through gritted teeth, “I was ordered to bring you this, so just take it already.”Now Jimin brings his attention to the cart to find a cup of tea steaming with heat, fresh biscuits, and pink roses lying in a delicate vase. “Why did you bring me flowers?”Jungkook seems to find the floor more interesting to glare at, “When I was outside earlier with the gardener, he told me to bring them to you, he said you liked roses.”Jimin does like roses, in fact, roses are his favorite. But he still feels annoyed.He looks away and begins reading again, “I like red roses. Not pink ones.”Jimin doesn’t need to see Jungkook’s face to know he must be fuming. He keeps his eyes fixed on the pages, waiting for Jungkook to leave so he can drink his tea and eat his snacks alone. He turns the page over a little too fast and the paper cuts his finger. Jimin hisses at the sting of the cut, seeing some blood already appear.He hears Jungkook’s voice say with concern, “Are you okay?”Jimin sighs and licks up the blood. “Yes, just a little cut.” He looks back at his finger, seeing the wound already heal and feeling relieved at the sight. He’s taken aback when he hears the other boy gasp suddenly.“H-how did you do that?” Jungkook gapes at him with big eyes.Jimin feels confused at his shock. “How did I do what? It was just a small cut.”“But—but it healed so fast, that’s not possible.”Uneasiness seeps into him, he remembered servants used to panic like Jungkook until Joel told them to stop. He said this is normal, that there is nothing wrong with him, that it is perfectly fine that Jimin heals within seconds. Jimin doesn’t like how Jungkook is staring at him right now, it’s making him feel uncomfortable and wrong.“Why does it matter how fast it heals? Quit staring at me already. What are you even still standing there for? You did your job, so go.”Jungkook’s eyes grow more serious, his face becoming red with anger, and grits his teeth again and lets out shakily, “I was just asking you a question. Why are you always so mean to me about everything? I’m just trying to do my job.”Jimin closes his book down and leans in to scorn at the boy. “I don’t care if this is your job. You’re not needed, Joel and Amshel brought you here by mistake. I don’t want you here, it’s as simple as that.” Jimin doesn’t need a friend, he has Taehyung, and he doesn’t need more servants, he has enough.He expects Jungkook to retort something back like he always does, but he just stands there. Face red and biting his lip raw and clenching his fists tightly, Jimin almost thinks he might try to hit him, but instead, tears are forming in his round eyes.
Oh.
“Y-you think I want to be here either?” he chokes out through tears. “My—my parents brought us to this country and sold me to those guys for money…and it’s scary being here alone, I never wanted to come here—you think I really want to be here serving your spoiled…ass!”Before Jimin can say something, Jungkook wipes at his eyes furiously and rushes out of the library. Jimin stares after the doors slamming shut, regret washing over him.
“Taehyung…I think I’ve really hurt Jungkook’s feelings,” Jimin says to his friend as he stands outside his locked door, away from the rest of the world. He leans against the old wooden door, trying to mind the blue roses that decorate it.“Who’s Jungkook?” Taehyung asks.“I told you, the boy Joel and Amshel brought.”Taehyung just simply says, “I thought you said didn’t like the boy they brought. Why do you care if you’ve hurt his feelings?”“Well I didn’t like the fact that they told me my whole life I didn’t need friends or anyone besides them, but then they brought me a child out of nowhere to keep me company and…” Jimin struggles to explain himself, “I don’t know. I was just upset about how they always keep things from me, and I took it out on Jungkook and now I think I took things too far. You know, his parents sold him to them for money, I mean what kind of parents do that to a child? And he cried, Taehyung, I—I’ve never made someone cry before.”Another pause, longer than the last and Jimin worries if he’s even going to answer. “…Maybe he deserves it?”“What?!” Jimin snaps at him. “What do you mean maybe he deserves it? He’s just fourteen, he doesn’t deserve any of this.”“I-I’m sorry, forget I said that I just…I thought you didn’t like him for a reason. You said he was annoying and rude, you said you didn’t need another friend, you said I was your friend,” he sputters out, growing quieter by the word and sympathy rises in Jimin.“Oh, Taehyung, of course you’re my friend. You’re always going to be my friend. And yes, Jungkook was annoying, but—but that’s no reason to be horrible to him. He doesn’t have anyone else. I think I should be his friend too.”When silence fills the air between them, Jimin moves quickly to add, “But that doesn’t mean I won’t stop being your friend too, I’ll spend time with both of you. I promise.”It takes some moments, but eventually Taehyung utters, “Okay.”
Jimin sits in the parlor practicing the cello when Jungkook enters inside with another cart filled with tea and snacks. No roses this time.He pushes the cart towards him and begins setting down the cup of tea and plate of biscuits as Jimin continues playing softly, but instead of staying, he turns around to leave and Jimin calls his name to stop him in his tracks. “Jungkook.”The boy freezes and turns around, a confused look on his face.Jimin swallows, setting the cello and the bow to the side, trying to gain courage. “I uh…I wanted to apologize to you.”Jungkook blinks and then says softly, “You know how to do that?”Instead of growing irritated, Jimin just chuckles, “Yes, I do. And I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have been so horrible to you all this time, it wasn’t right of me.”The young boy just stares back with his big beady eyes, seemingly not satisfied with the apology so Jimin sighs and continues. “To tell you the truth, I haven’t really been that angry with you, I was really upset with Amshel and Joel for other reasons…and I took it out on you, and that wasn’t fair of me to do. I didn’t know your past, I didn’t even try to learn. I shouldn’t have pushed you away and treated you like that when I had no idea how much you’ve been hurting.” Jimin couldn’t hold his gaze for any longer and let his eyes drop to the floor, awaiting for the other boy to respond. Half expecting him to just turn around and leave.“I-I’m not hurting,” he replies. Jimin looks up to see Jungkook’s eyes wet with unshed tears and he melts at the sight. He immediately gets up and walks towards Jungkook, reaching for his small face to wipe away the tears.“Then why are you crying?” Jimin asks.“I—I’m not c-crying,” he sobs out and Jimin pulls him into his arms, holding him gently and letting Jungkook bury his face into the crook of his neck. He feels his neck getting wet and Jungkook shaking from the sobs, but he just holds him tighter, petting his hair and rubbing soothing circles onto his back.“You know, if I had known you were such a crybaby, I wouldn’t have been so mean,” Jimin cheekily says with a grin on his face.Jungkook makes a muffled wine into his neck, “’m not!” And cries harder.Jimin now sees this boy for who he really is. Just a scared boy who was abandoned by his parents, hating the situation he was stuck in, but afraid to do anything about it. Jimin can understand that, he doesn’t have parents either, he is beginning to hate the situation he lives in, and he is terrified to try to do anything about it. Until then, he wants to befriend Jungkook, not because Joel or Amshel wants him to, but because he wants to be there for Jungkook when no one else will be.
❧

Present Day

The tavern is busier than Jimin expected. It seems like every adult in the town is inside here, piano music bustling, glasses clinking, and everyone drinking to their hearts’ content, not caring about any dangers that may lay waiting outside the tavern’s door.Jimin sits with Jungkook and Thomas at a small table at the side of the pub, talking amongst themselves.“Another round for you lads?” a waiter asks as he approaches them, beer pitcher already ready in his hand.Thomas smiles gleefully. “Sure! This one is on me, boys.”As the waiter begins to serve them, Jimin says, “Thank you, Thomas, you’ve really shown us great hospitality.”Thomas shakes his head and waves his hand. “Oh, don’t thank me, it’s what anyone would do. Tell me, boy, are you always this serious?”“Most of the time,” Jungkook murmurs from behind his glass and Jimin has half of mind to smack him. Thomas just laughs.“You know, I don’t think you mentioned, but where are you boys from?”Jimin is about to answer when he hesitates. He doesn’t like to talk about the Zoo or even think about it. He doesn’t like to think about home either. He and Jungkook have been traveling for so long it’s becoming harder to think about where they started, what they escaped, and what they left behind.“France.” Jungkook quickly answers, nothing more and nothing less. He must have sensed Jimin’s panic and he’s grateful for it. Simply taking another sip of his drink, wishing it was something more bitter and warm.“And tell me, what’s in that big case of yours you always lug around?” Thomas gestures to Jungkook’s cello and Jimin answers this time, “It’s a cello. Jungkook is a wonderful player.”Jungkook’s cheek flush a bit at the comment and Jimin can’t believe he still gets flustered at his compliments even after so many years. It makes his own face feel a bit warm.“A cello player? How wonderful! Why don’t you play us something?” Thomas insists, but Jungkook shakes his head quickly.“He’s right, you know, we shouldn’t get too distracted. After all, we came here to find out more about our friend.” Jimin takes out the only drawing he has of Taehyung and hands it over to the older man. “Have you ever seen anyone that looks like this in town?”Thomas begins studying the drawing and Jimin continues describing to him about the color of his hair and eyes, and how deep his voice is.But soon enough he shakes his head, “No, I can’t say I have. I think I would remember seeing someone this beautiful as the one you got in your drawing. How long did you say he was missing for?”“For quite some time,” Jimin replies solemnly.“And what makes you think he came here to this little town?”
Because your people are dying from chiropteran attacks.
Jimin shrugs, “Because I know him. He would like this town very much.”Thomas nods at that and hands back the drawing, “Well I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help to you two, but I’m sure if you ask anyone in here they’ll be happy to try to help too.”Jimin and Jungkook thank him again and both decide to begin questioning the people around the tavern.
“Never seen him, but I wish I have.” A woman, a little tipsy based on her slurring and glazed eyes, tells Jimin as he holds the drawing up for her. He nods, not trying to let the disappointment seep in yet, and continues on to his next questions.“And what can you tell me about the attacks that’s been happening?”Her brows furrow at the question. “What about them?”“I mean, word of the attacks has been traveling fast and far, and I suppose I’m just trying to get a better understanding of what’s happening in this town.” He explains, but her face grows even more sour.“I think you ask too many questions for newcomer who’s supposed to look for his friend.” She slurs out and takes another drink of her glass. Jimin wants to press further, but then he feels someone tugging at his arm. He turns around to see Jungkook trying to pull him away when he whispers, “Come on, she’s drunk, she can’t help us.” Jimin just nods and follows after him.They go back to their previous table, Thomas gone now, but they sit tiredly after almost an hour of asking people if they’ve seen Taehyung or will talk about the attacks. No one has ever seen anyone even remotely resembling Taehyung and everyone refused to talk about the attacks too. Jimin can feel the dirty glares from the people inside who are beginning to not trust the newcomers who ask too many questions.“You said you talked to some people earlier, how did you get them to open up to you?” He asks his chevalier who begins pursing his lips nervously. Oh no. “Well, you see…when I said I talked to some people—I may have spoken to some children I found playing outside.” He clarifies and Jimin feels his brain short circuit.“…Children?”“I know what you’re thinking, but look, these people are clearly scared of whatever’s happening, they refuse to open up about it, but children talk much more openly. They basically don’t shut up really. They told me lots of things like gossip about the town and how many dogs they have—”Jimin doesn’t let him finish when he groans into his hands, “You expect me to believe children?”Jungkook shrugs innocently. “Well we were children once. And it’s not like they all lie, some of them must be telling the truth. More than these drunk bunch I’d imagine.”Jimin’s eyes lift to find Jungkook’s pretty doe eyes staring back at him. Sometimes Jungkook is just too good. He sees good in the world, he sees good in people, and he even sees good in Jimin and the very thought leaves a weight in his chest. Jimin doesn’t deserve to be the end of his loving gaze.“We should explore the forest. I’m sure we’ll find something here.” He says, burying his guilty thoughts.“But we don’t know these woods, it could be dangerous.”Jimin shrugs this time. “So? Since when have we cared if something was dangerous, we can handle it, actually, it’s what we should have done when we first got here instead of wasting our time in this bar.”Jimin takes one last sweeping look across the bar, readying himself to go into the dark cold winter night that waits for them outside. He’s about to stand up when a familiar song begins playing and it has him frozen in place, taking him back in time.“I haven’t heard this song in such a long time…I guess tonight doesn’t have to be a complete waste of time. Jimin, may I have this dance?” He hears Jungkook ask, and he turns back to see the same eagerly boy he fell in love with all those years ago and his heart burns.Jimin bites his lips, ignoring the sting building in his eyes. “I haven’t danced in a long time.”Jungkook smiles, eyes glistening too. “It’s okay, I haven’t either. But we can enjoy it, and then we’ll go out after, let’s just…dance to our song, okay?”His mind tells him to say no, that they came here on a mission and shouldn’t be distracted by such trivial things like dancing, but when Jungkook gazes at him with his sparkling eyes and that fond smile, looking happier than he has in a long time, who is he to deny him anything? Jimin has always had a soft spot for Jungkook’s smile, even more for his laugh.Jimin doesn’t answer verbally, he just places his hand in Jungkook’s, lets him take the lead of bringing them to the dance floor. Several of other couples have already partnered up, swinging to the music and getting lost to the sweet song.Once they’ve found a spot, Jungkook places his hands on Jimin’s hips just like he used to, so Jimin wraps his arms around Jungkook’s neck in return. Jungkook is a little taller than Jimin, but when they stand this close, the difference hardly matters as their eyes meet up perfectly and they begin swaying to their song.Jimin senses the stares from others around them, it must seem strange for two men to be dancing like this but neither of them care. He rests his head on Jungkook’s shoulder and closes his eyes, savoring this moment. Is it selfish to be happy right now? Jimin shouldn’t be doing this, there are thousand things he should be doing instead, but he just wants to stay in Jungkook’s arms and dance like they used to.He feels Jungkook’s lips brush against his ear and whisper, “I wish things could always be like this.”Jimin shakes his head softly and whispers back, “They can’t.”“And why not?”
Because I won’t be here for much longer.
He’s about to open his mouth when they hear a sudden scream. The whole pub comes to an abrupt halt, music stopping and people growing quiet, and they all turn their attention to the door of the tavern. The scream came from outside, but no one dares to make a move.Jimin peers up to Jungkook who gives him a troubled look. He knows Jungkook wants to keep their conversation going more than anything, but now is not the time. He utters, “We should go.”
They rush outside to find a crowd already circling around the body. The boys push them to better see what happen and freeze when they see who lies dead in the snow. Jimin’s chest tightens in pain as he stares at the young girl who passed by them just earlier today with her dog, lying lifeless, drained of almost all of her blood.Jimin thinks he hears the people beginning to scream and panic, someone especially sounds hysterical, maybe her parent, but Jimin focuses on the trail of leftover blood and footprints that was left behind. It leads directly into the woods a few yards away and Jimin can recognize those footprints anywhere. He knows what a chiropteran kill looks like.He turns away from the horrific scene and begins pulling Jungkook back out of the crowd. He swallows the lump in his throat and tells him, “Open your case and get my sword out, we’re going into the woods.”
❧

The Past

“Here, read this one too.” Jimin comments as he tosses another book to Jungkook who barely catches it on time.After Jimin’s apology, the two spent the next week together getting to know each other. They often found themselves eating meals together, walking and exploring the Zoo together, and spending hours in the library where Jimin tried his best to show Jungkook the wonderful world of books. Except Jungkook didn’t seem to feel the same way.“Oh, and this one too!” Jimin pulls another book from its shelf and is about to toss it to the boy when he shouts, “I-it’s okay, I think I have enough.”Jimin begins to pout. Jungkook is just holding a small stack of about five books, Jimin could easily finish those in mere days. “But you said you always get bored being here, these books will keep you busy.”“Yeah, busy for years. I can’t finish all of these.”Jimin laughs, “Busy for years? You can read faster than that.”Jungkook shakes his head, “I can’t.”“But you said you could read.”“Yes, a little.”Jimin tries recalling their previous conversations, when Jungkook told him about his home life, and how he never really went to school, always helping his parents in their work and around the house because he was the oldest of many children, and how his mother tried her best to teach him to read and write. Maybe he did say he knew just a little. Jimin steps away from the shelf and walks closer to Jungkook. “Alright, well I suppose you do have enough books for now. How about we go sit and read our books?”Jungkook shuffles his feet, avoids meeting his eyes, “Could we maybe—I don’t know, do something else?”Jimin questions why he seems so nervous, the boy used to have never a problem with disagreeing with everything he says, but he realizes he’s making an effort to get along, and Jimin needs to do the same.He nods, “Of course. What do you want to do, Jungkook?”His eyes light up with surprise and the ends of his mouth quirk up to almost a smile, “Um, could you maybe teach me the cello?”Jimin smiles. “You want to learn the cello?”Jungkook’s cheeks blossom to a light pink and he looks away again. “I’ve always liked music, but I could never learn much of it because I didn’t have an instrument, but you have a cello and it seems—nice.”Jimin chuckles at that. “It is nice. You know, I’m actually not that fond of the cello. Joel makes me learn it because he says I have to, but I think it’s better suited for someone who wants to play it.” He moves to take the books away from Jungkook and begins putting them back on the shelf. “Come on, let’s go to the parlor so you can start your lessons.”Jungkook’s lip turn up in a small smile, there’s no teeth, but it’s probably the happiest Jimin has seen him since he arrived.
They walk the long halls of the manor to get to the parlor, passing a number of rooms in the process, not minding a single one until they hear some familiar voices.“I told you bringing him that boy would be a good idea. The two are inseparable now.” Joel announces to someone.Both Jimin and Jungkook freeze in their steps. They notice the door to Joel’s office is cracked open and exchanged confused looks.“I never said bringing him would be a bad idea, I just thought it would be wiser to wait until they were older, the boy is far too young to be a chevalier. It would be better to be using this time to find Jimin a mate rather than a chevalier.” Amshel replies.Jimin’s heart drops to his stomach. A what?Joel replies, sounding more irritated than before, “I wouldn’t worry too much about looking for a mate for him. I mean do we even want him reproducing?”“Well I want to learn more about them, and it’s hard when you’re studying just two of them, maybe more of them wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”“We have the others.”Amshel laughs at that comment. “No, those are different. I want to study more of the kings and queens. Don’t you, Joel?”“…I suppose.”Jimin feels like he can’t breathe. What are they even talking about? Chevaliers, mates, kings and queens, and the others? What does Jimin have to do with them and their study, what does Jungkook have to do with this? His mind is half ready to collapse within itself and the other half ready to barge into their office to demand answers, but then he suddenly feels a tug on his hand.He looks up to see Jungkook tugging his hand gently and he whispers, “Come on, let’s go.” Jimin just nods and follows Jungkook’s lead.
Once they get to the parlor, Jimin stands in the middle of the room, trying to remember why they even came here in the first place. Jungkook stands behind him, and decides to speak up first, “Jimin…did you understand what Joel and Amshel were talking about?”Jimin stares at his shoes and shakes his head. “No. I didn’t understand any of it.”“Are you going to ask them?”Jimin wants to. He really does. “No.”“Why not?”“Because even if I did, they wouldn’t tell me the truth. They never do.”Jungkook moves to stand in front of him and tries to meet his eyes. “Have they lied to you before?”Jimin thinks about how they never told him about Taehyung, how they refuse to tell the truth about Jungkook, and how they insist Jimin’s healing abilities are normal. Jungkook never brought it back up again, but with everything happening lately, Jimin’s begun reconsidering just how normal it is to heal as fast as he does.He can’t bring himself to form words, but he nods. Jungkook seems to think carefully about his next few words before he says, “Can I tell you a secret, Jimin?”Jimin’s eyes shoot back up. “Of course, you can tell me anything.”Jungkook licks his dry lips nervously. “I think I saw a monster my first night here.”“…What?”“Listen,” Jungkook begins, “When they brought me here, I came by carriage and I saw something in the woods …something not human.”Jimin thinks of the night he spent in the forest, of the flying creature he saw, the one that haunted his dreams for years after, but Joel always insisted none of it was real.“It was big and dark and huge, and I—I’ve never seen anything like it. When I tried asking anyone about it here, they denied it, said I was just seeing things. But I saw it, Jimin, it was some sort of monster. What if that’s what they were talking about? The things they study, maybe it’s some monster in the woods.” Jungkook looks at him pleadingly, eyes begging to believed. And Jimin wants to believe, but he’s afraid to acknowledge his own fears.“But that’s not possible, monsters aren’t real, Jungkook.”Jungkook drops his gaze to the floor, and his voice sounds even quieter than before. “So tell me…why do they call this place the Zoo?”“I don’t know,” he answers, “Maybe there are animals here, ones we’ve never seen before and Joel and Amshel want to study them. Maybe that’s what you saw.”Jungkook contemplates this for a bit and then nods. “Maybe…do you ever get scared of being here?”Jimin quickly shakes his head. “No, of course not, this is my home. And you don’t have to be scared either.” Jimin reaches for his hand and takes it gently into his own, “No harm will come to you. I’ll make sure of it.”Jungkook’s eyes stare back at him hopefully, “Promise?”Jimin smiles and interlocks their pinkies together, “Pinky promise.”Suddenly a huge smile grows on Jungkook’s face, he’s never seen him smile so bright before, his eyes and nose crinkle, and he shows all his big teeth, looking impossibly cute and endearing. The boy just says, “Pinky promises? How old are you?”“Shut up, I’m older than you.” Jimin argues back, face a bit warm now. Jungkook just laughs, and Jimin decides he likes Jungkook’s laugh. It’s loud and high and makes Jimin want to laugh too.
Jimin always ends his days by drinking his medicine. He sits in his bed, usually reading a book, and drinks a cup of red medicine. It’s a nightly routine, really, but it always seems to make him feel better.He takes a sip of the substance and hums at the delicious taste, but this time, he isn’t alone. Joel sits in a chair beside his bed and tries to talk to him, but Jimin isn’t really in the mood for talking.“How are you, Jimin? I haven’t really seen you these past few days, you’re always with that Jungkook.” Joel says.“Isn’t that what you wanted me to do? Spend time with my new friend.”“Don’t be cheeky,” he warns, “But of course I do. I just wanted to check in on how you’re doing, are you alright? You seem a bit down.”Jimin watches the man who raised him. He’s known and trusted this man his whole life, but lately, he feels like a stranger.“You would never lie to me, would you, Joel?” He asks sheepishly.Joel cocks his head to the side, “What do you mean?”“I mean…you would never keep things from me? Lie to me about why things are the way they are or not tell me about things I should know about.”Joel leans forward to caress Jimin’s cheek with his hand like he always does when he wants to comfort him. “Oh, Jimin, I would never. You know how much you mean to me, I tell you everything you need to know. Just what brought this about?”Jimin stares at the man who’s lying to him, his hand feels gross on his face, and he sort of wants to scream.A knock at the door interrupts their conversation, and when they both turn to see who it is, they see a shy Jungkook peeking through the crack of the door.Joel laughs softly and moves to grab Jimin’s now empty cup, he kisses the top of Jimin’s head and he tries hard not to recoil from the affection. The man wishes him a goodnight and leaves, allowing Jungkook to enter the room and close the door behind him.“Jungkookie,” Jimin begins, pushing away all the horrible feelings Joel left behind, “What brings you here?”The boy seems to blush at the nickname as he shifts his feet awkwardly in place, “I, uh just—can I ask you something?”Jimin laughs, “You didn’t answer my question first, but it’s fine. What is it?”Jungkook steps closer to his bed, standing by the end of it and meeting his eyes. “I’ve seen you drink it before, so I wanted to know, why do you take medicine every night? Are you sick?”The anxiousness rises again in Jimin, but he swallows it down and answers, “No, I’m not sick. I’m just…Joel says they’re good for me, so I have to.”Jungkook nods, his slightly furrowed brows say he’s still confused.“Does that scare you?” Jimin asks him. Jungkook feared the monster he saw and seemed to fear the strangeness and mystery of the Zoo, but did he also fear the boy he was supposed to befriend?Jungkook’s eyes grow large at the question and he shakes his head fervently, “No! You could never scare me, Jimin. Never.”Warmth floods his chest and Jimin feels his eyes burn. Everyone and everything feared him; servants, animals, even himself at times feared Jimin, but Jungkook didn’t, and that meant more to him than he expected.“Good,” Jimin smiles softly at him, “now what brings you here, Jungkookie?”Jungkook seems to grow nervous again at the question, “Well you see, I was having trouble sleeping and I…” He trails off, looking everywhere in the room that isn’t Jimin and he tries not to snort.“Did you have a nightmare or something?”“N-no.”Jimin does snort this time. “Shut up!” Jungkook barks at him.Instead of teasing him more, he opens his covers to make room for Jungkook. Jimin looks at him and grins. “Are you coming in or not?”Jungkook’s mouth drops and he stammers out, “I-I—that’s not what I—”“Or would you rather sleep alone and have another nightmare?”Jungkook quickly gets on the bed and crawls towards the space beside Jimin. He laughs at the boy’s earnestness, and watches him get comfortable under the blankets, but Jungkook turn on his side away from him.Jimin stares at his backside, sees the tip of his ears red in embarrassment and he has to resist cooing. It’s strange how at first, he wanted to hate this boy, but now they’re sharing a bed, needing each other’s company. Jimin wants to keep spending time with him, trying to find the things that make him laugh and smile, teach him the cello, show him all his favorite books, and maybe even introduce him to Taehyung. He knows Taehyung doesn’t want him to tell anyone about him, but Jimin knows he can trust Jungkook. He thinks Jungkook would really like Taehyung’s singing.Jungkook shivers a bit beside him and Jimin questions worryingly, “Are you cold?”“A bit.”He hesitates for a moment, but then he carefully wraps one arm around the boy in front of him. At first, Jungkook tenses up, but then he relaxes into the touch and sighs in relief. Jimin buries his face into Jungkook’s neck and holds him gently, relishing in one another’s warmth and comfort, and falling into a peaceful sleep.
❧

Present Day

It’s impossibly dark in the woods as Jimin and Jungkook begin to explore it. The light from the town helps a bit, but the further they venture into it, the harder it gets to see.Jimin holds his sword ready in his hand, it’s a specially made katana sword with engravings along the sides of it. He sometimes wonders if there’s any other sword like this in the world. Jungkook follows close behind, watching his back and holding onto the knife he always carries. They walk carefully, hearing the snow crunch beneath their feet, surrounded by an eerily quiet forest with almost no sign of life.Jimin whispers, “Something’s not right. If a chiropteran was here, we would have been able to hear it by now. It’s a beast, it can’t be this stealthy at night.”“Should we split up? To cover more ground?”Jimin hesitates at the suggestion. He knows Jungkook can take care of himself, but in the end, it’s only Jimin who can kill the chiropteran. Before he can give his answer, they hear some voices and bustling somewhere behind them, and they stop to listen.“I think the townspeople have come in here.” Jungkook comments and Jimin agrees. “It’s too dangerous for them, you go get them out of here and I’ll keep searching.”Jungkook obeys and starts heading towards the direction of the voices, leaving Jimin to stand alone in the dark, clenching nothing but his sword in hands. He keeps walking, feeling his teeth chatter from the cold. Temperatures like these usually don’t affect him, but with how close it’s coming, his body is growing weaker and it’s only a matter of time now.His eyes are checking every corner, listening carefully, smelling the air for a sign of anything, but—nothing. He’s really starting to think this chiropteran got away after all, he should be able to detect it by now. He almost wants to go check how Jungkook is doing with the townspeople when he hears the single crack of a twig.Jimin turns around swinging his sword in the direction of the disturbance, ready to attack when he’s suddenly met with the figure of a man.Familiar old eyes stare back at him, and Jimin quickly realizes it’s Thomas, raising his hands in defense and a scared look on his face. He says softly, “Easy there, boy, it’s just me.”Jimin lowers his sword slowly and exhales a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He tries calming his heart down from the scare before he says, “Thomas, what are you doing out here?”“A bunch of us, men decided to go out searching for…whatever did that to that poor young girl out there. These attacks are just getting worse, we can’t keep letting them happen.”“You’re right, but it’s too dangerous for you all. It would be better if you went back—” a familiar scent hits his nose and his next few words get caught in his throat. Jimin sweeps his eyes over Thomas, it’s dark and it’s hard to make out his details but his clothes look darker than he remembers, and he smells different than he remembers.“Thomas,” Jimin begins, clenching his sword tighter, “how did you manage to come out this far so fast?”“What do you mean? I just came out with everyone else. I’m a fast walker, you know, I may be old but I’m quick on my feet.” He rapidly explains, words tripping after one another and Jimin curses himself for being so foolish.The smell of blood pervades his senses and Jimin has to hold back a growl. He readies his sword, pressing his thumb into the base of his sword, letting his blood fill the indented engravings in the sword. After all, only his blood can kill a chiropteran.“J-Jimin,” Thomas chokes out, “What are you doing?”Without another word, Jimin charges at the man, taking one big swing at him. His sword meets resistance as Thomas defends himself with his forearm, eyes glowing yellow and teeth snarling back at him. Jimin’s somewhat amazed Taehyung has learned how to make chiropterans take human shape, but he mostly feels angry about it.Jimin dashes back and seizes the moment to charge forward and strike his sword again.
Thump!
He hears something fall to the ground and lets his gaze fall to see Thomas’s dismembered human hand lying on the ground. He brings his eyes back up to find Thomas shaking in the snow, gripping his handless arm, and Jimin almost thinks he’s in pain. But then Thomas lifts his head, he’s not shaking from the wound or cold, he’s shaking from laughter as he stares back at Jimin with gleaming eyes and teeth bared.“Taehyung was right about you,” he hisses, “You really hate our kind.”Jimin presses his hand deeper into his sword, biting back a cry from the pain, but letting more blood seep into his weapon. He says through gritted teeth, “What’s good about you lot? All you do is kill. You’re pests.”“You just don’t get it yet, even though you’re one of us.” He growls before his bones start cracking abnormally, skin stretching until it breaks, revealing that dark leathery skin beneath the surface, growing almost double in size, and re-growing a claw in place of his missing hand. Jimin gapes at the chiropteran standing before him. A part of him is terrified, always have been of them, but he pushes those fears down, and runs forward to kill the monster.He doesn’t succeed in another hit when the chiropteran hits him instead, sending him flying back. His head smacks into a tree and he slumps against it, reeling from the pain and pressure, the back of his head throbs from the wound, but he doesn’t have time to dwell on it when he suddenly feels claws scrape at his arm. He cries out in pain and loses grip on his sword, he can barely hear it fall on the snow when claws start wrapping around his throat, gripping tightly and blocking his airway. Jimin scratches at the beast’s arms but to no avail, its claws just tightens its grasp, his lungs are burning, and tears are welling up in his eyes as he stares into the chilling eyes of the chiropteran.That is until a knife flies into one of its eyes and it shrieks out in pain. The chiropteran loosens its hold on Jimin enough to drop him and he collapses to the ground. With one hand rubbing at his sore neck, he tries to regain his breath, and reaches for his sword again. He doesn’t need to check who’s come to his rescue. Jungkook is his chevalier, it’s in his being to serve and protect his master, Jimin, but for some reason it still leaves a warm feeling in his chest.  The chiropteran is too distracted getting the knife out of its eye that it doesn’t see Jungkook coming up from behind, stabbing its side with another knife and the air fills with its groan. Jimin makes sure his sword has enough blood before he takes his next move. The chiropteran is blindly swinging its claws, aiming to hit Jungkook, but Jimin runs forward and pierces his sword through its chest. He hears it cry out in pain, but he doesn’t stop, he just drives the sword deeper, dragging it down to cut him open—but it doesn’t bleed. Once Jimin’s blood has poisoned it, the chiropteran’s blood begins to crystallize.Jimin pulls out his sword and watches the chiropteran roaring out in pain, its entire body crystallizing until it begins to crack and crumble away. Both boys stare at what was once a blood-sucking monster, but now came crumbling down like stones, and soon fades away into the air and snow, leaving barely traces behind.Because the chiropterans were made from Taehyung’s blood, Jimin’s blood is poison to it, always making it crystallize and fade away into the nothingness it came from. Jimin wish he understood why, but that’s just the way things are in their world.“Jimin!” Jungkook calls out before rushing up to him, trying to check if he was okay. All the blood on him belongs to himself, he’s still bleeding from the wound on his arm, from the cuts on his hands, and they’re not healing like they usually do. Jimin feels Jungkook grasping his arms to inspect his wounds, but he’s barely taken his eyes away from where the monster just stood.“Jimin, why aren’t you healing? Are you okay? Jimin, answer me.”He brings his eyes back to meet big ones of concern, and his heart aches a bit at the sight, but the pain in his arm and hands ache more, and teeth throb with the need to bite into something. Jungkook’s neck looks heavenly right about now.“Jimin!” Jungkook shouts again. This time in his face, but Jimin doesn’t say anything, he lunges forward and lets his fangs come out and sinks them into Jungkook’s warm flesh. Jungkook loses his balance from the pounce and drops his cello to the side, falling down to the ground and Jimin falls with him. Jungkook squirms under him, panting heavily as Jimin bites hard into him, sucking as much blood as he can. He’s hungry and crazed and needs blood more than anything, and he thinks he feels Jungkook’s hands tugging at his back, but he just pulls his teeth out to sink them onto the other side of his neck. Jungkook whines and winces at the pain. Jimin licks at any leftover blood seeping out of him, he wants everything of Jungkook, he wants it all, especially when he tastes this good.He's about to dive into the crook of his neck for more when he hears a small whimper. “S-stop, I—I can’t regenerate that fast.”Jimin lifts his eyes to see Jungkook’s face scrunched in pain, he’s gone pale, and he’s covered in blood from his neck to his chest and even the snow around him is tainted red. He’s a bloodied mess and the image of the dead young girl flashes across his mind.
Even though you’re one of us.
Jimin gasps and pulls himself off his chevalier. He scrambles to sit back on the snow and his body shakes from the realization of what’s he just done. He never drinks from Jungkook without his permission, he never goes as far as to have Jungkook beg him to stop. He knows how to control himself. But as he stares at Jungkook sitting up, still wincing from the pain of the bite marks, he isn’t too sure anymore. He really was running out of time.Jungkook reaches his hand forward. “Jimin—”Jimin scoots back, afraid. “Don’t touch me.”Shock and hurt wash over the other’s face as he begins to say, “Why are you so afraid? It’s just me.”
It’s me! I’m afraid of myself.
“I’m sorry,” he chokes out, “I didn’t mean to—I-I don’t know what came over me.”Jungkook’s eyes grow serious as he stares him down. Fear lingers in Jimin’s throat as he hears Jungkook respond, “Jimin…I think I know what’s happening to you.”Jungkook doesn’t get another word out because Jimin gets up and begins running away from him. He runs and doesn’t turn back, not even when he hears Jungkook calling and chasing after him. He’s a coward, he knows. But he can’t face the inevitable truth right now. He can’t look Jungkook in the eye and hurt him with this.Not again.
❧

The Past

October 13th, 1851

Jimin’s Eighteenth Birthday

Jimin waits for the servant to finish measuring his height against the wall. He knows it’s a thing mostly for children, but he wants to prove to Jungkook that he grew this year, so he can stop teasing him.After she finishes drawing the line where his head rests against the wall, he looks at her expectedly. “Well?”She shrugs nonchalantly, “It’s a bit taller than last year.”Jimin quickly turns around and sees the new line barely sketched above the previous one.“Not what you were expecting?” A voice says behind him and Jimin turns to see Amshel waiting in the doorway of his bedroom. He tries to hold back a sigh.“I could have sworn I grew taller, but I guess not.”“You’re getting older, Jimin, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve reached your max height.”Jimin tries to hold back a groan this time. “This can’t be my max height…”Amshel chuckles and walks inside his room. “What’s wrong with your height? I think you’re a perfectly fine size,” he pauses as he steps right in front of Jimin and stares down at him, “Or are you upset that Jungkook is already taller than you?”Heat floods his face at the truth of his question. When Jungkook first came here, he was much smaller than Jimin, but for the past two years, his height has surpassed him, and he never lets Jimin forget it.“Why would I care about Jungkook’s height? I’m glad he’s grown bigger after being such a little thing when he was younger.”Amshel’s mouth quirks up to almost a smirk. “He’s also become very handsome, don’t you think?”Jimin blinks. “You’re allowed to think that.” He moves to gather his things at a side table, barely noticing the servant leaving his room, and hopes the man will leave him alone already. “Is there anything else I can help you with, Amshel?”“Well I did come to say two things to you. First,” his voice says right behind Jimin, “I noticed some things in my office have been misplaced. You wouldn’t happen to be trying to look at my work, have you?”Jimin turns around to face him. “No, I would never touch your stuff without asking first…Perhaps it one of the staff.”Amshel hums, still watching him with those calm, observing eyes of his. “And secondly—happy birthday, Jimin.” A small smile on his face and Jimin forces himself to smile back. “Thank you, Amshel.”“Don’t forget about the dinner later tonight, Joel has gone the extra mile on this one. He wants this to be the best birthday yet for you.”The boy nods, “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world.” As if Jimin had any other choice.
The deep, soulful melody of a cello playing fills Jimin’s ears as he approaches the parlor. He almost wants to stay outside the door as to not interrupt Jungkook’s playing, but he also wants to see his dear friend on such a special day.He opens the doors as gently as he can and sees Jungkook sitting and playing the cello, his eyes closed while he feels the music flow through him. Jimin has spent the last two years teaching Jungkook all sorts of things, but more than anything, he’s taught him everything he knows about the cello, and the boy has proven to be an excellent student by practicing and improving endlessly to make such absolutely beautiful music.Jungkook slows his playing to a halt and opens his eyes to see Jimin. His eyes crinkle when he smiles brightly at the boy at the door. “I was waiting for you, Jiminie, took you long enough.”Jimin’s heart swells at the sight. Jungkook is absolutely beautiful. He’s no longer the small frowning boy who first came to the Zoo, he’s grown into a beautiful, bright young man. His cheeks are still round, and his eyes and teeth are still big, but he’s grown taller and his features are maturing and Jimin wonders where his little friend went.He walks closer to him and begins, “I would have come sooner if it hadn’t been for Amshel coming to talk to me.”Jungkook sets the cello and bow down and starts standing up. “What did he want?”“He wanted to wish me a happy birthday.”“Oh, that’s nice.”“And to ask why his things were misplaced in his office.”Jungkook’s eyes grow twice as big as he begins to panic. “B-but I put everything back.”Jimin shoves his shoulder. “Well obviously you didn’t put them back correctly. I knew I should have been there with you, but no, you insisted you could do it yourself!”“You were busy visiting that Taehyung, I was just trying to save you some time!” He argues, and Jimin knows he’s right, but he’s worried. Amshel is too sharp to fool, he’ll figure out Jungkook and Jimin’s plans sooner or later. Then Joel is next.Jimin sighs, “It’s fine. What’s done is done. We just—we just have to be more careful next time.” Jungkook nods in agreement, and Jimin continues, “Well, what did you find out?”Jungkook starts chewing on his lip and shifting his feet in place. A habit he does when he’s nervous.“What is it? Just tell me.” Jimin says more impatiently.“Can we talk about it later? I was hoping I could give you your birthday gift first.” Jungkook pleads and Jimin doesn’t feel like arguing, especially when Jungkook looks at him with such excited eyes.A tiny grin grows on his lips, “You got me a birthday gift?”Jungkook rolls his eyes. “Yes, why are you acting so smug and surprised about it?”“Last year you just made me lunch, so I’m surprised you went as far as to get me a gift.”“It was a picnic not just a lunch!” And Jimin laughs at his insistence, but Jungkook continues, “And this year my gift is even better than a picnic—which was amazing—but this is even better. Trust me.”Jimin lifts an eyebrow. “Oh, is it?” He scans the room for signs of anything. “Where is it?”“It’s not here, we have to go to it.”“We do?”Jungkook nods proudly, “We better start moving or we’ll get there too late.” The boy starts walking past him when Jimin grasps his arm to get his attention, “Wait, how long will it take? I need to visit Taehyung today too and wish him a happy birthday.”Jungkook bites his lip again. “Can’t it wait until after? I’m sure Taehyung can wait, I mean he probably doesn’t even know what day it is today—ow!” He shouts after Jimin hits his shoulder, hard this time.“Don’t even joke like that! You know how hard Taehyung has it.” He scolds him and Jungkook rubs at his shoulder, frowning.“I’m sorry, it’s just…you visit him every day and that’s okay, I’m glad he has you, but I just really wanted to show you my gift and I got a little too excited. Sorry, Jimin.”Jungkook looks like a kicked puppy and it’s hard for Jimin not to give into him right away. Jungkook has spoken to Taehyung a few times, Jimin introduce him when Taehyung said he was ready to meet him, but the two didn’t seem to get along as well as Jimin hoped. He wanted his two most important people to like each other, but it seemed they preferred to spend time with Jimin on their own time. So Jimin made his best efforts to keep his promise of visiting Taehyung once a day and then spending almost all the rest of his time with Jungkook.The two never tire of each other, in fact, they almost can’t get enough of each other. Jungkook spends his nights sleeping in Jimin’s bed more often than not. Jimin always reads his favorite books to Jungkook in the garden they both have grown to adore so much. They keep each other company, they share their utmost personal secrets and fears and desires, and they know how to make each laugh like no other. Jimin and Jungkook feel at home whenever they’re by each other’s side, filling a place in their hearts they never knew needed filling.Jimin brushes some hair out of the boy’s eyes. “It’s okay, I’m not mad. Just…understand that Taehyung is an important friend of mine,” he looks into Jungkook’s sparkling, waiting eyes and he caves before even realizes it, “But you’re important too, so—let’s go to your gift first. I can see Taehyung after.”A brilliant smile blooms on Jungkook’s face and Jimin knows he made the right choice. Seeing Jungkook happy always makes everything worth it.
“Where exactly are you taking me?” Jimin calls out to Jungkook who is walking a few steps ahead of him. Jungkook looks back and grins, “You’ll see, just trust me!”Jimin begins worrying his lip, looking around at their surroundings as they further into the forest. He’s never strayed this far from the manor before, and though no one noticed them taking leave, he still fears the possible consequences they may face. Joel has always forbidden straying too far from the Zoo, and he’s always feared the supposed animals that live in the forest that make it so dangerous—according to Joel.Pushing away any doubts, he rushes forward to catch up to Jungkook’s side and questions him. “Do you even know where we’re going?”“Is there really no trust in this friendship?”Jimin shoves his shoulder but laughs anyway. “I’m being serious, we could get in serious trouble if we’re gone for too long or worse, we could be hurt by an animal.”Jungkook turns around and begins walking backwards so he can face Jimin, grinning, “Oh no, what will Joel do to us, send us to bed without supper?” Jimin laughs again, telling him to shut up.“Tell me, Jimin, are you afraid of the monsters that live in the forest?”Jimin pouts, “I thought we agreed that there are no monsters.”Jungkook shrugs, avoiding his eye while he turns back around, “You never know. Anything’s possible.”It’s a beautiful day with the sun shining down on them as they walk side by side. Jimin watches Jungkook from the side of his eye, admires the way the sunlight brightens his features, especially his dark eyes. Jungkook notices him staring before he can look away and already cracks another grin, asking, “Something on my face?”Jimin tears his gaze away shyly. “Yes, there’s a leaf in your hair,” he lies.Luckily, Jungkook believes it as he reaches to pat his hair, checking for a leaf and Jimin holds back a giggle.He hears Jungkook sigh, but then he announces, “Have I ever told you I really like your eye color?”“Oh, thank you… What brought this on?”“It just came to mind when I noticed you staring,” he teases and Jimin rolls his eyes, but Jungkook continues, “Being out here lets the sun really brighten your eyes, and well…before you, I’ve never seen anyone with your eye color. At first glance, it looks like your eyes are just a dark brown, but when the light hits it just right, you can really see how red they are.”Jimin doesn’t need to see a mirror to know he’s blushing. Jungkook is the type to tease constantly, but it’s rare for him to compliment him so genuinely, it leaves his cheeks warm and his heart racing.“W-what’s so special about red eyes? I’m sure plenty of people have them.”Jungkook shakes his head, still staring at Jimin. “No, they don’t. I think you’re special in that aspect, Jimin.”He doesn’t know how to respond to that, but then Jungkook adds, “You’re also especially small.”Jungkook has to run forward to avoid Jimin’s hit.Jimin’s never found his eyes to be particularly special, but then again, he’s not quite sure what is considered normal in the real world when his entire world revolves around the Zoo and the people in it—which isn’t many. It’s strange to think about, but his mind doesn’t wonder any further, not wanting to think about what’s normal and why Jungkook likes his eyes so much.
After almost an hour of walking, a lot of complaining (mostly from Jimin), and the sun beating down on their backs, leaving them sweaty and parched, Jimin finally spots something that isn’t just more trees. Jungkook notices it too and smiles at him. “We’re here.”He sees something blue in the distance, but it’s covered by a particularly large tree and its branches. Jungkook speeds up to pull a large branch out of the way and reveal and magnificent pond ahead of them. “I bet you never knew this was so close to you all this time.”Jimin gapes at the sight. He’s never seen a body of water in person, only read about them in books. The water sparkles under the sun, surrounded by lushest green trees, and is unlike anything he’s ever seen.“Happy birthday, Jimin.”He brings his eyes to look at the boy smiling fondly at him. Jungkook stares at him like he’s an angel to be adored and he doesn’t feel deserving to be at the end of that kind of gaze.Jimin tries to summon out words but all that comes out is a whisper, “Kook, this is…this is too much. How did you even find this?”Jungkook looks away shyly, “It’s not that big of a deal. I found it a few weeks ago while you were seeing Taehyung. I walked a little too far, and found this…it made me think of you. You’re always the one teaching and showing me things, taking care of me, and I wanted to do the same for once.”Jimin’s eyes dart back and forth from the pond to Jungkook and his heart won’t stop beating rapidly. “But I don’t even know how to swim.”Jungkook simply grins at him. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you.”
Water splashes back at Jimin as he watches Jungkook jump inside the pond, wearing nothing but his undergarments. Jungkook pops his head out from the water, shaking the water out of his hair like a wet dog and Jimin laughs at it. Jungkook giggles back at him, “Come on already!”Jimin has already undressed down to his underwear too, but he’s nervous. What if he drowns?“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re okay,” Jungkook reminds him and Jimin nods. As long as Jungkook is there, he’ll always be okay.First, he dips his toe to feel how cold it is, then he steps his whole foot inside the water. Jungkook gives him little encouragements as he walks inside the pond, submerging his body into the water. All the way until it reaches his shoulders. Jungkook moves to float in front of him, a wide smile still plastered on his face. “How does it feel?”Jimin’s feet still touch the ground and that makes him feel secure. “It’s like a big bath.”Jungkook laughs. “You’re such a kid sometimes. It’s so cute.”“Shut up. I’m older than you, brat.”Jungkook reaches for his hand under the water and grasps both his hands. “Want me to show you how to float?”He agrees and Jungkook pulls him gently further into the water. Jimin begins to panic when his feet can’t reach the ground anymore, but Jungkook quickly tells him not to worry. “It’s okay, relax your body.” He doesn’t let go of his hands and Jimin squeezes them tighter, but Jungkook smiles a little wryly, “Jimin, the best way to float is if you lie down.”Jimin shakes his head. “I can’t do that.”“Yes, you can. Come on, I won’t let go of you until then. Let’s just start with lying down.”He trusts Jungkook to help him start lying down. Still holding Jungkook’s hands, Jimin lies on his back and stares up at the sky, trying to calm his racing heart. The sky has never felt so big as it does now while he floats below it, feeling the water go in his ears, and Jungkook’s warm presence by his side. Jimin closes his eyes and eases into the moment. He wants to remember this, how the sun and water feel on his skin, how exhilarating this all feels, how perfect everything is. “Look, you’re doing it. You’re floating perfectly,” says Jungkook, and he can hear the smile in his voice. “I’m going to let go now, okay?”“O-okay.”And Jungkook does let go, and Jimin opens his eyes to still see the blue sky hanging above him and Jungkook waiting patiently by his side. Jimin asks, “Who taught you how to swim, Kook?”Jungkook pauses for a moment, but then answers, “My father.”“…Do you miss him?”He shakes his head. “I used to. When I first came here, I missed him and my mother and my siblings. But knowing how they sold me like that… Well now I just miss my siblings.”Jungkook rarely talks about his past these days, but Jimin often worries how his life now belongs at the Zoo with Jimin. He used to have a family, a home, a chance at a normal life before he came here, but then he was deprived of it by being sold off like a slave to be somebody’s “friend.” Does he ever wish things were different?Almost like reading his mind, Jungkook quickly adds, “Not that I’m upset about the ways things turned out—I-I’m glad that of all the places they could have sold me to, this one brought me to you.”Jimin sits up and quickly sinks back inside the water, he kicks his feet softly to stay afloat and stares back at Jungkook, heart singing at the words he just heard. Before he can even open his mouth, Jungkook hurriedly turns away and descends deeper in the water.“A-anyway, now that you know how to float, let’s focus on the actual swimming lessons,” Jungkook insists.Jimin stares at his backside, still wanting to continue the conversation, but then he notices Jungkook’s redden ears and sighs fondly. “If I drown, I’ll make sure to come back as a ghost to haunt you.”Jungkook laughs at that.
They lose track of time while being in the pond. Jungkook tries his best to teach Jimin how to swim, but the best he accomplishes is a doggy-paddle. They spend most of the time playing around, splashing water at one another, pushing the other underwater, and lazily floating around, basking in the sun’s warmth.Jimin’s favorite moment was when Jungkook picked Jimin up like he weighed nothing—water tends to do that—but he spun them around, laughing at Jimin’s insistence to put him down. He knew his face must have been bright red and he felt so embarrassed, but he also felt good being in his arms, and based off Jungkook’s endearing grin, he seemed to feel the same.Now they lie on the grass beside the water, drying out and talking softly amongst themselves. Jimin asks, “Have you ever been to the beach?”Jungkook rests on his arms folded behind his head, eyes closed and breathes out, “I lived near the beach, so I went often.”Jimin sighs. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. I’ve barely experienced anything in life, I’m eighteen years old already and I’ve never even seen a beach!”“Well let’s go to the beach.”He snorts. “How? Steal a horse and carriage?”“There’s an idea.”If Jimin had any energy left, he would hit Jungkook. But he just runs a hand through his wet hair. “I’m serious, Kookie…I want to see the world. I want to travel and meet people and experience real things. And not just always read about them in books.” Jimin reaches for Jungkook’s hand by his side and gently interlaces their fingers together. “We could go together. You could play the cello for crowds and I’ll open a book shop or maybe I’ll fence competitively. And we could go see your siblings, so you can see them again.”Jimin lifts his eyes to meet Jungkook’s widened ones. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”Jungkook purses his mouth together and squeezes his hand, saying earnestly, “I would love to do that.”A smile grows on Jimin’s face, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “But Joel would never let us—he’d never let me leave the Zoo…I don’t even know why.”Suddenly Jungkook sits up, still holding his hand, but nervously stammers out, “T-that’s what I wanted to wait to tell you about, Jimin, uh—about the things I found in Amshel’s office.”Jimin now sits up and takes his hand away from the other’s, not missing Jungkook’s frown at the loss. “What exactly did you find?” he questions.For years Jimin refused to question why things were the way they were. Just accepting whatever lies Joel or Amshel told him so he could continue living in ignorant bliss, but he’s had enough of living in falsehoods. He and Jungkook have begun searching around the Zoo for any signs of answers, starting with scavenging through Amshel and soon Joel’s office to find out what kind of secrets they’ve been hiding.“He had all this research and lot of writings and I really didn’t know where to start with it all,” he says, chewing on his lip, “but I read something he seemed to be working on. It was some report over…chiropterans.”Jimin blinks. “What the hell is that?”He shrugs. “He described it as some sort of species that feeds off blood.”“Like a vampire?”“Sort of, but he attached a drawing to it and it looked like a—a monster. It was big and bat-like and it reminded me of…of the monster I saw two years ago.” He looks away from Jimin and the memories flood back to him. When Jungkook insisted on seeing a monster that Jimin refused to believe in because he was too scared to.“Where do these...chiropterans come from?”“It said from the blood of the chiropteran king.”Jimin raises his eyebrows in disbelief. “There’s a king?”Jungkook rubs at the back of his neck. “That’s the thing…I kept reading and it talked about a line of the chiropteran royalty, and how from there were two kings that came from one queen before them.”More memories of the conversation they once overheard from Joel and Amshel are haunting him, but Jimin pushes past them to better understand what’s happening now. “And what do the kings and queen look like?”“There weren’t any drawings of them.” He answers, still not meeting his eyes.Jimin nods, taking in all the information, and thinking about some vampiric monster species that may really exist and that his two guardians have been studying this whole time…but what does that have to do with Jimin?“Why did you wait to tell me all of this?” He stares at Jungkook, waiting for him to meet his eyes but he doesn’t. He just responds, “Because it made me think about some things and…Jimin, do you ever wonder what’s in your medicine every night? I mean, isn’t it red and thick like—”“N-no, it isn’t! It’s just a little red and—” he freezes up on the next words he was going to shout, doubt dawning on him. His blood always tasted different than the medicine in his cups, he thought that’s what all blood is supposed to taste like. Maybe that’s also not normal.“…I’m not one of those monsters.” He whispers desperately.Jungkook quickly reaches forward to grab his hand and shake his head. “I’m not saying you are, it’s just, don’t you find it a little strange that there are supposedly two kings and the only people in the Zoo are Joel, Amshel, the servants, me and…you and Taehyung.”Jimin brings his eyes back up and questions, “Why do you say it’s Taehyung too?”Jungkook shrugs, “I don’t know. It was just a guess since he is locked away.”“But I’m not.”“No, you’re not. And I don’t know why things are the way they are around the Zoo, but we’re going to find out, Jimin. I think we just found the beginning of the answers, but we can keep searching—only if you want to, of course.”Jimin watches Jungkook tenderly caress his hands with his thumbs. It’s all too much to take in. He knows he doesn’t have a normal life, he’s always suspected he wasn’t a normal person, but to think he wasn’t human at all. That he could be a king of chiropterans—whatever the hell that meant.“I don’t want to be a monster, Jungkook.” He whispers, hoping he can hear him.But soon enough, a hand caresses his face and he close his eyes, melting into the touch. Jungkook whispers back, “You’re not, Jimin, you’re…”Jimin opens his eyes to see a troubled-looking Jungkook, his brows are furrowed and he’s pursing his lips. “I’m what?”“C-close your eyes again.”Jimin lets out a chuckle but does so anyway. He’s waiting, and he almost thinks Jungkook won’t do anything, but then he feels a warm breath against his ear and he shudders. Jungkook’s lips brush against his ear as he whispers, “You’re beautiful, Jimin.”  Then he presses a chaste kiss against his cheekbone, and Jimin swears his heart could burst right now.When he opens his eyes, Jungkook is biting his lip nervously, looking down at the ground and Jimin lets his fingers touch the traces of Jungkook’s mouth on his cheek. He feels like he’s floating on air now and every part of him is buzzing from the remnants of the cheek kiss. Jimin almost wonders how much he could feel from a real kiss on his lips, like the ones he always reads in books, but before he can let his mind wonder too far, he reaches forward and cups Jungkook’s face in his own hand, making his eyes widen.Jimin smiles at him. “Thank you, Jungkookie.”
Hand in hand, and a blush dusting both their cheeks, Jimin and Jungkook walk together through the forest to get back to the manor. They had lost track of time in their deep conversations and once they noticed the sun setting, they hurried to make their way back home before it became too dark.Jungkook’s hand feels big and warm in Jimin’s and he has fleeting thought on how he wants to hold his hand for the rest of his life, but he quickly pushes it away because of the implications of that is just too overwhelming.He feels Jungkook give his hand a squeeze and it brings his attention to his friend who is already smiling softly at him. “Did you enjoy today?”Jimin doesn’t even fight the smile that creeps up on his face. “Of course, I did. Thank you for today, Kook, really.”Even in the dimming light, Jimin can see Jungkook’s deepening blush as he turns his face away shyly. He mumbles, “I’m just happy you liked it.”They continue walking through the forest, speeding up a little now the sky has completely darkened and it’s much harder to see, but as long as they have each other, they know they’ll be alright.Jimin is grateful Jungkook seems to remember the way better than he does, but this is his second trip back after all. He’s about to ask him how much longer when a certain scent hits his nose. Jimin smells the new potency in the air and recognizes it as blood, probably animal blood—was an animal hurt?“Is something wrong?” Jungkook asks as Jimin peers around, trying to find the injured animal.“Don’t you smell that blood?”“No.”Jimin is about to reply when he hears a branch breaking; the rumble of a low growl; the odor of blood growing more pungent. He tightens his grip on the Jungkook’s hand, “Jungkookie… We should run.”“What—”He hears the growl growing louder and he begins pulling Jungkook with him as he makes a run for it. “Hurry!”Jungkook doesn’t ask any more questions and runs with him; they quickly chase through bushes and roots and try their hardest to get back to the manor as fast as possible, never letting go of each other’s hands.“T-the chiropteran!” Jungkook suddenly shouts and Jimin looks to the direction that Jungkook is shouting at. Above them flying high in the sky, Jimin sees the cause of all his nightmares from childhood: a chiropteran.The same large, dark, and volatile creature with its bony wings spread out and flying through the night sky. Jimin feels his blood run cold. They are real.Jimin tries running faster, but soon the monster sweeps down and lands in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. Both boys stare at the creature before them; gleaming yellow eyes rest on its hideous, horrific face as the beast towers over them. When it roars viciously in their faces, they can only quiver in fear. They don’t even get the chance to run away because the chiropteran hits both with its claw and sends them flying into a nearby tree. Jungkook slumps against the tree, hurt and bleeding on his arm and chest from the slash the monster gave him, but Jimin feels a piercing pain in his abdomen.Jungkook opens his eyes, widening in a panic. “Jimin!” he screams as he stares at Jimin’s wound.Jimin looks down to see a tree branch piercing right through his body, impaling him on the bottom of the tree. He can barely recognize the full extent of his pain due to his shock, his fear, and Jungkook’s screaming. He tries removing himself from the large branch, but it leaves his body burning and aching as he screams in his suffering. He feels hands on him and he opens his eyes to find a crying Jungkook before him, trying his best to help him.Jimin swallows down his pain, and chokes out, “J-Jungkook, I need you—you to help pull me out of this thing.”Jungkook can’t tear his eyes away from the wound, whimpering under his breath as if the pain were his own. “Y-you—"“I’ll heal, now help me,” he repeats and Jungkook quickly nods his head, moving to grab his arms.Jungkook grips them tightly and looks deeply into his eyes. “Ready?”“Do it alrea—” Jimin gasps as Jungkook pulls his body forward, feeling the branch pulled out of him, leaving the hole inside him throbbing. Jungkook doesn’t have time to catch Jimin as falls forward because the chiropteran quickly comes behind him and grabs him, holding him in his claws. Jimin lies on the ground, trying to regain his breath as his body attempts healing his lesion, but when he sees his friend trapped by the chiropteran, he forgets all about his pain and without another thought, lunges forward back to the branch now covered in his blood. It’s rather thick, but thin enough for him to break off. Using his foot and both hands, Jimin breaks off the branch and holds it like he would a sword, the chiropteran is sniffing Jungkook as he squirms in its hold, and snarls loudly to bare its large fangs.Jimin doesn’t even think about what’s he doing; he just hears his heartbeat in his ears, smells blood in the air, and has every part of his body screaming to save Jungkook. He charges forward and plunges the branch into the chiropteran’s abdomen. It screeches out in pain, dropping Jungkook to the floor. Jimin stands there, hands still gripping the branch, shaking and panting as the monster begins to crystallize.Jungkook coughs violently and struggles to breathe, but he says, “W-what’s happening to it?”Jimin watches the entire chiropteran turn to stone, its last screams dying in its throat, and just moments later, fading away into nothing but dust.The bloodied branch dropping to the ground is what shakes Jimin out of his stupor. He sees the branch lying on the ground, right where the monster just stood, but nothing else left but their adrenaline, injuries, and fear.
“What were you two thinking going into the woods like that?!” Joel screams at them.Jimin and Jungkook stand in their bloodied clothes in the dining hall, being berated by Joel, Amshel watching from the sides, and servants uncomfortably standing by the side of an uneaten feast. “Why do you think I forbid you for going into the forest! You two could have died, do you even understand that!” Joel yells, red in the face, and Jimin thinks he’s never seen him this angry before. But he’s never felt as angry before either.“So, you know what did this to us?” Jimin says calmly, but he feels ready to explode.Joel’s eyes widen, but he only responds, “I just want to know what you two were even doing there in the first place. You two should have never left the Zoo.”Jimin scoffs. “That’s right. Because things would be so much simpler if we just stayed and played nicely in the Zoo all day, so you can stare and parade us all you want!”Joel blinks. “What are you talking about?”“Jimin—” Jungkook begins, but Jimin ignores him, taking another step closer to Joel.“I never knew why you had all these stupid rules about never leaving the manor, saying it was for my safety. It’s not. It’s for you, so you can keep your animals out there, and the rest locked in your cage.” Jimin spits at the man who raised him since birth. The man who treated him like his precious child, his precious study, his precious monster.“Jimin, what are you talking—”“You know exactly what I’m talking about! And you’re going to finally tell me the truth, no more telling me these things aren’t real or that it’s only my imagination or that I’m normal! What. Am. I.” Jimin stares directly into his eyes, and Joel almost looks frightened, but then he turns away, simply shaking his head.“Enough nonsense for today. Go clean yourself up and go to bed.”Amshel intervenes and says, “Joel, he’s old enough to understand, don’t you think—”“No! I said we’re not talking about this. He knows what he needs to know, he doesn’t need to know anything else.” Joel counters back angry and Jimin screams at him, “Yes, I do! I deserve to know if I’m just like one of those monsters out there. Tell me the truth already!”Joel turns to him and shouts, “No, you’re nothing like them! But you’re just as dangerous! You would never be accepted out there, you’d be a threat to everyone so it’s better if you’d just stay here.”His guardian is panting after screaming his lungs out, and his eyes fill with panic after he realizes what he just said, after seeing the devastated look on Jimin’s face.“Jimin, I—” Joel begins, but Jimin cuts him off, voice barely audible, “I’m not…I’m not dangerous, I would never hurt someone.”Jimin doesn’t give anyone else the chance to speak before he rushes out the dining hall, ignoring their pleading calls. He thinks he hears Jungkook trying to come after him, but he just keeps running and running until he can be with the only person who might understand him right now.
Jimin approaches Taehyung’s locked door carefully. He feels tired, defeated, but if there is anyone who would understand what being trapped and locked away for “safety” is like, it would be Taehyung.He knocks subtly, praying the other boy is in the mood to talk. “Taehyung,” he simply says.He’s met with silence for a bit, he almost thinks Taehyung must have fallen asleep, but eventually he hears, “Go away, Jimin.”His heart sinks. “W-why?”“You forgot about me today.”“No, I didn’t, I came all the way over here because I didn’t forget about you.”“Yes, you did. Today’s our birthday and you didn’t visit me all day, you were spending all day with that Jungkook. You’re just forgetting me because you have him now.” He sounds hurt, voice cracking at parts and Jimin’s chest tightens at the guilt.He shakes his head even though the other can’t see it. “That’s not true. Jungkook was just showing me his birthday gift, but we lost track of time. I would never forget about you, Taehyung.”Another pause, but then he says so quietly, Jimin strains to hear, “You like Jungkook better than me.”“No, I—I like you two differently. Jungkook is so important to me, so precious, but you, Taehyung, you’re…you’ve always been there for me.” he says against the door, “You were my first friend, the person just like me. Because you’re trapped in there and I’m trapped out here, and we’ve always been able to understand each other like no other. Nothing could replace that, nothing is better than that.”“…I wish I could see you, Jimin.” Taehyung says softly, and Jimin closes his eyes, resting his head against the flower covered door.“Me too, Taehyung, me too.”“Amshel says you’re short.”Jimin’s racing thoughts come to a halt. “What?”“That’s what he says.”“No, what…Amshel knows about us?”Jimin waits until Taehyung finally responds, “He noticed from the beginning. He says you always disappeared and I seemed different once you started visiting.”He swallows a lump in his throat, heart beat picking up. “Why didn’t you tell me? Does Joel know too—why haven’t they said anything or tried to stop it?” “…Amshel says Joel doesn’t notice because his head is too far up his ass. He told me he didn’t care as long as you didn’t let me out.”Jimin scoots closer to the door, trying to get as close as possible to the boy on the other side. “And why not? Why do they keep you locked in this tower and never let you out?”“…They say I’m dangerous. That things are better if I just stay in here.”Jimin quietly hits the door with his fist. Anger and frustration fester inside him, all this time he thought Joel and Amshel treated him like their own child, but now he knows he and Taehyung were only tamed animals for them to watch. Nothing more, nothing less.“What else has Amshel told you?” He questions the trapped boy. Clearly, Amshel is more honest with Taehyung than Joel has ever been with Jimin, perhaps he has the answers Jimin seeks.“I don’t know…Amshel visits me at least once a day, always has. He talks to me, teaches me things, sings for me. Not like Joel, he rarely comes and when he does, he’s just horrible.”“Like what? What has Joel done to you?” He pleads, worrying his lip.“…Sometimes he yells at me if I talk too much or he hears me sing. Sometimes he makes sure I don’t eat or have medicine for days…other times he just cuts me and takes my blood. He says it’s all for his study.” He explains slowly, voice low and strained.Jimin’s heart aches for his friend. Learning that Joel, his beloved guardian, could hurt and abuse Taehyung like this is almost too much. The fact that he kept him locked away all this time was cruel enough but learning the extent of the abuse truly shows Joel’s sadistic side, his inhumane side.“I’m so sorry, Taehyung,” he whispers to his friend.Jimin doesn’t know how long Joel and Amshel have kept him here, but it’s been long enough—for the both of them. He’s sick of being confined to the Zoo for their vile study, of burdening Jungkook from having a real life, and of letting Taehyung rot away in this horrific tower. He must do something.“Listen,” he begins steadily, “What if I told you I could get you out of there? Would you want that?”“…What?”“If I found a way to get you out of this tower, away from here, free to see the world, would you want that?” He insists, hoping Taehyung agrees.He doesn’t answer for some time, seeming like he needs to process it all and even fathom the idea of freedom. Eventually Jimin hears, “I do…but, how could we? They said I’m never supposed to leave.”Jimin rips a blue rose off the door and leans into the door, swearing, “I promise you, Taehyung, I’m going to find a way to free you out of there. To free all of us, you, me, Jungkook, we’re going to leave the Zoo. Understand?”A pause. “Yes.”“Taehyung, you can’t tell anyone about this. Not Joel or Amshel, nobody must know about this. I don’t know how long it will take, but I’ll make it happen. Okay?”“…Okay.”
❧

Present Day

Jimin tries slamming the door to their hostel room shut, but Jungkook follows closely behind, grabbing the door before it can close, shouting at his master, “Stop ignoring me and talk to me!”“There’s nothing to talk about!” Jimin insists desperately, still refusing to turn around and look at Jungkook.He runs his hands through his hair feeling frustrated as Jungkook sets the cello and sword down, closing the door behind them, like it matters that anybody in this empty hostel can hear their argument. He knows this conversation was bound to happen, but he wishes he had more time, he’s not ready to face the truth of his upcoming fate.“Jimin, look at me.” Jungkook states, voice almost too steady.Shaking his head frantically, Jimin whispers, “Stop trying to tell me what to do…you know how I hate that.”He hears Jungkook take in a deep, shaky breath before he says, “I just want us to talk properly. You’re going into slumber soon, so we need to talk now before it’s too late.”And there it is.The inevitable truth that Jimin will soon fall into slumber like he did many years ago. In the past, his body had grown weaker, more animalistic in his hunger, drained and tired constantly until he finally fell into a deep sleep for which he did not wake up for another ten years. Ten years. Jimin doesn’t know why he slept for so long, but he’s only been in slumber once, leaving Jungkook alone to watch over his body for ten years. He can’t put him through that again, he can’t bear to leave him alone all over again.Jimin finally turns around to look at him, and Jungkook looks calm, tired, and older somehow even though his body hasn’t changed since the day he was turned into his chevalier. Perhaps it’s the tiredness in his eyes that give away his age because although they may technically be around the same age, Jimin slept for ten years of them, while Jungkook lived through every one of them. He felt all those years more than Jimin ever could, and it leaves a burning ache in his chest at the guilt of burdening the one person he loves in this world.“We need to get you somewhere safe, so your body can rest and sleep peacefully and I can watch over you until you wake up.” Jungkook declares solemnly.“I’m not going anywhere until I find Taehyung first,” he argues, knowing the fight between them is just starting.“Jimin,” he says impatiently, “the last time you were constantly sleeping and feeding like crazy, you went into slumber so quickly. This isn’t something you can push off, it’s going to happen sooner than later.”“I’m fine. I’m not going into slumber yet, I can keep things under control until I stop Taehyung.”Jungkook stares deeply into his eyes, his gaze never faltering and Jimin dreads what he’ll say next. “So, what happens after you stop him and go into slumber for say, another ten years? What happens after you wake up then?”“We don’t know if I’ll sleep for ten years again, maybe it was just that time and this time will be different.”“But what if it’s not?”Jimin feels his eyes stinging and his heartbeat pounding in his ears, but he can’t hold back the words from falling off his lips. “Then it doesn’t matter to you! Taehyung will be stopped, and I’ll be asleep, and you can live your life because you shouldn’t wait around for me.”Hurt washes over Jungkook’s face and Jimin already regrets every word, but he knows he needs to say it. Jungkook opens his mouth, his face a bit red and his eyes glisten a little, but he grits his teeth and says, “I’ve had a feeling that’s what you been hiding. You never want to talk about what happens after we stop chasing monsters, about us finally going home… Is that what you really want? For me to abandon you once you’re asleep? You want to end things between us after everything we’ve been through, after the promise we made to each other!”He’s practically shouting by the end of it and Jimin bites his lip, digging his nails into the palm of his hand, hard enough to draw blood. Jimin just wants to give Jungkook his freedom back. Why can’t he understand that?“Your job is to serve me, and once all this madness is over, I’ll be asleep, I’ll have no purpose, you’ll have nothing to serve. So yes, I want you to go and live your life. Not wait around for me to wake up like last time. Neither of us know how long I’ll be gone this time, it’s not fair to you, and I just think it would be best if you went your own way.”Jungkook steps closer to him, tears in his big eyes. “You don’t like me telling you what to do, so please don’t tell me what I should do either. Do you really think I can just walk away from the one person I love? I don’t care how long I have to wait, I’m not leaving you—”“You’re just attached to me because you’re my chevalier, I’m your King, it’s in your blood to serve me. But I don’t want this relationship anymore, it’s nothing but a master and servant relationship. There’s no real love here anymore!” he cries.Jungkook’s face falls and Jimin feels his heart sink to the floor. There’s no going back now.“What are you saying…you don’t love me anymore?” Jungkook whispers, tears rolling down his cheeks. He looks like a hurt, innocent child, and Jimin must fight every part of him screaming to pull Jungkook into his arms and take it all back.
I love you. I love you more than anything, and that’s why I need to do this.
He buries down the words deep into his heart, blinking away his own tears. “I’m saying that after we finish what we came here to do…I’ll go to sleep, and I want you to go live the life you’ve always wanted to live. I’m ending this master-servant relationship…” He quickly wipes away a tear fighting desperately to spill out. “I never meant to turn you into my chevalier, and it’s always been my biggest regret. You think your devotion to me is love, but it’s just the chevalier in you. It’s been too long, what we once had in is the past now, so please, let’s stop pretending there’s any real love here anymore.”A silence falls between them. Jimin can’t tear his eyes away from Jungkook who stares back hard, tears silently flooding down his beautiful, delicate face.“…You know, Jimin…I don’t blame you for making me your chevalier. In fact, I was always happy that if anybody was going to be with you all these years, it was me. And I know it’s in our being to worship our King…but if you really think the love I have for you isn’t genuine, then—I-I can’t stay by your side. You may have stopped loving me, but I never did. But I won’t burden you. You don’t have to feel guilty anymore. I’ll go, just like you want, but please understand…I love you. I always will.”Jimin feels his heart caught in his throat as he looks at the man whose heart he just broke. He never meant to hurt him, he wants what’s best for Jungkook, and Jimin is not the best he could have. Seeing his pained face makes him want to tell him the truth, tell him all about how he truly loves him, but he thinks he deserves a better life than the one he is bound to with Jimin. The words die on his tongue as soon as Jungkook gives him one last hurt look, before he turns around and walks out the door. Finally leaving his side forever.He gapes at the open door, the emptiness and eerie silence of the hostel surrounding him, and his drowning thoughts flooding out like a broken dam.This is for the best.He tells himself before he falls to the ground, crying harder than he has for years. The memory of Jungkook’s devasted face bleeds into his eyes as he cries for everything he’s lost now. Jimin is alone, without a home, without the love of his life, and it’s what he wanted, but he just never knew it would pain him this much. He grips his silver ring on the chain around his neck tightly, choking on his sobs, and wondering why it all had to come to this.
❧

The Past

October 13th, 1853

Jimin’s Twentieth Birthday

It’s a particularly warm morning when Jimin wakes up in his bed, feeling an arm draped around his waist and a soft breath on the back of his neck. He sighs contently, remembering how he fell asleep alone last night, but now that’s not the case. He pulls Jungkook’s arm tighter around him and closes his eyes to hopefully get a few more minutes of sleep.Jungkook presses himself closer, brushing his lips softly against his neck and sending a shiver down Jimin’s spine.“I know you’re awake, Kook,” Jimin whispers.He makes an exaggerated groaning noise into his neck and Jimin can only laugh. He turns around to face Jungkook, seeing his beautiful, sleepy face, eyes still not fully open and a small pout on his thin lips. Jimin uses his hand to brush some hair lightly out of Jungkook’s eyes, admiring every part of him like a work of art. Especially the mole under his bottom lip, fighting back the urge to lean forward and kiss it.Instead, Jimin asks softly, “When did you come here? I didn’t even feel you sneak into my bed.”Jungkook begins drawing soothing circles on his back and he melts into the touch, finding a way to sneak closer to him. Jungkook opens his eyes lazily and mumbles, “I came around midnight, but you were completely passed out.”“Why do you keep coming into my bed anyway? Aren’t you old enough to sleep in your own?” Jimin teases, a grin playing on his lips.Jungkook’s cheeks grow into a pretty tint of pink as he frowns at him. “Your bed is just…comfier.”Jimin snorts. “Comfier?”“Y-yes. I sleep better in your bed and if you hate it so much, then just kick me out next time.” He quickly explains, his blush deepening.“You think I hate it?” Jimin questions, still smiling from ear to ear.Jungkook stares seriously into his eyes for a moment, but then the corners of his mouth turn up into a small grin, “No, I think you love it more than you’ll ever admit.” Then the hand of his back slip underneath his shirt and begin tickling him as much as possible.Jimin tries pushing him away in a fit of laughter. Jungkook now has both his hands on him, tickling him on his sides and stomach, and laughing earnestly with the other. Jimin feels lighter than air; so happy in this one moment that he thinks he may never stop smiling and laughing and loving the boy above him. Jungkook has become many things to him over the years, his friend, his home, and the person he is very much in love with. He wants to tell him every secret of his heart, but he’s afraid of ruining such a perfect moment like this. Even though a part of him senses Jungkook might feel the same, his insecurities always get the better of him.They’re too busy in their playfulness and laughter to notice the bedroom door opening, they only stop when they hear a voice, “What are you two doing?”They both freeze, laughter dying in seconds, and Jungkook quickly removes himself from hovering over Jimin and moves back to his spot on the bed. Jimin feels cold already from the loss, but he’s too busy finding Joel’s scorning eye as he stands in the doorway. He feels embarrassed from being caught in such an intimate position, but he feels even more worried about Joel’s discerning look.“Aren’t you old enough to sleep in your own bed, Jungkook?” Joel says, no humor in his voice. And Jimin almost wants to roll his eyes at how much he and Joel sound alike sometimes. He knows the man raised him, but he doesn’t want anything to do with him anymore.“I-I—” Jungkook tries to find some explanation, but Jimin saves him from the trouble.“Is there something you need from me, Joel?” he asks.Joel brings his eyes from Jungkook to Jimin and answers dryly, “I wanted to let you know that I’ll be busy today in the city for work, so I won’t be able to attend your birthday dinner. I apologize for that, but there’s nothing I can do about it, my hands are tied.”Jimin isn’t surprised. Ever since Joel has published a book over all his recent research and findings, he’s been busy in the city for signings, dinners, and lectures over his brilliant work. And with things being as strained as they are ever since that birthday two years ago, their relationship has never been the same. Joel is colder to Jimin, easily gets upset at him, and has grown increasingly disapproving of the closeness between he and Jungkook. It’s ironic since he was the one to bring Jungkook, but now he seems to regret it more than ever.“It’s fine, I understand,” Jimin says. He’s actually looking forward to spending a birthday without Joel.“And Jungkook, you better hurry up and get dressed for work. Your ride is waiting for you already to take you to work, don’t keep it waiting for long.” Joel adds and then leaves, slamming the door shut.They both startle from the sound, but Jimin quickly shakes it off to turn back to Jungkook. “You work today?”“Yes, but not for too long. I’ll be back later so we can celebrate together,” Jungkook explains with a hopeful smile, but it doesn’t settle the uneasy feeling in Jimin’s stomach.For the past two years, Joel has put Jungkook to work. He must go into the city constantly to buy whatever food or items the Zoo may need; he has to do jobs here and there for Joel’s friends in the city. Joel constantly finds ways to get Jungkook out of the manor and away from Jimin—or at least it feels like he does.Jimin knows Joel’s larger problem lies with Jimin’s defiance; his inability to completely control him and keep him ignorant, but now he takes it out on Jungkook. As a punishment to Jimin, taking away the one person he needs more than anyone else in the world. He fears that one day Joel will take him away forever, send Jungkook somewhere else for good, and leave Jimin alone with a broken heart and an empty bed.“Hey,” Jungkook calls softly, pulling him out of his thoughts. Jungkook cards his fingers gently through Jimin’s hair. “I’m sorry I have to work today, but I promise I’m going to come back on time. I wouldn’t miss your birthday for anything in the world.”Jimin nods. “I know, don’t apologize, I understand. It’s just…never mind. Go on and get ready, I’ll see you later.”Jungkook looks into his eyes, probably sensing he’s holding back, but he doesn’t push him any further, and only leans forward to kiss him softly on the forehead. Jimin reels at the affection, wishing he could feel his lips on him forever, but then Jungkook gets up from the bed and leaves to go to work. Leaving Jimin to his worries and a lonely bed.
It’s a rather uneventful day. Jimin visits Taehyung for a bit and then spends most of the day in the library. He’s sitting in his usual chair and thinking on his escape plan which he’s been working on for the past two years, much to a lack of success. He’s come up with a thousand ways to try to escape with Jungkook and Taehyung, but none of them are solid, all have too much room for mistakes that they just can’t afford to make. Jimin needs a solid plan that guarantees their freedom, but he’s hit a rut recently. Mostly since he can’t stop reading Joel’s book that he discreetly stole from his office. The book is titled, Chiropterans: The Species of Blood and Gore. Jimin hates everything about it, especially the title.But he can’t stop reading it, it’s filled with almost every answer he’s been searching for all these years. Joel writes about the chiropteran mummy he discovered in Korea and studied and dissected. About the two cocoon eggs that hatched to reveal the next generation of its species, two pure-blooded king chiropterans that he decided to study separately, by raising one as a normal child, and the other locked away from normal contact. “A social experiment,” is what he calls it, to better understand their species. He never mentions their names once, always referring to them as The Red King and The Blue King, Jimin presumes he’s the red one because of his eyes and Taehyung must be the latter.He’s been stuck rereading a certain chapter over the Chevalier Theory, a theory Joel predicts that a king or queen chiropteran can create a higher level of chiropteran, one that can maintain a human appearance like the king or queen but is devoted to and serves their master to protect them at any costs.“If Joel sees you reading that, he’ll have your head.” Jimin hears a familiar voice announce suddenly and he almost drops his book. He looks up to see Amshel approaching him, not even hearing him enter the library before, and tries to hold back a sigh.“He won’t see me reading this, he’s not even home.”“Aren’t you worried I’ll tell him?” He asks, taking a seat on the couch beside Jimin.Jimin scoffs. “I know you won’t. You haven’t told him about my visits to Taehyung so why would you tell him about me reading his stupid book.”Amshel chuckles at that. “You think it’s stupid?”“It’s just…a lot to take in.” He admits. It’s not easy reading about your life as some experimental study for others to read about and enjoy.“I know, I wish you didn’t have to learn about it like this.” He says absentmindedly, taking the notepad and pencil left on the small table before them and beginning to draw in his seat.“So why didn’t you tell me about all of this? I know we were never close, but you were here all this time too. You helped him with this,” he shakes the book at him, “Don’t act like you’re so innocent in the situation you helped make.”Amshel stops drawing to bring his heavy eyes on him, mouth closed in a straight line, but then he opens it to say, “I’ve worked with Joel ever since I was merely his assistant. I wanted to study the creature he found and everything that came with it, that’s why I chose to watch over Taehyung. He’s the perfect control variable, I can study and control everything that happens to him. You, on the hand, you’ve become so unruly, so uncontainable…it’s not my fault Joel made you so human.”The book falls to the floor as Jimin gets up to pounce on Amshel, he freezes in his tracks when he sees Amshel staring up at him from his seat, a knowing smirk on his face, and reality settles in. Jimin’s heart and adrenaline are pounding, his gums are burning with the feel of something sharp in his mouth, and he wanted nothing more than to attack Amshel. He’s never wanted to hurt someone before.Amshel chuckles again, “Well, will you look at that—you do have fangs.”Jimin touches his teeth and feels two sharp teeth that he’s never felt before. He quickly goes back to his seat, trying to calm himself down as Amshel continues, “You really are just a chiropteran after all, Jimin—”“Shut up.” He bites back, wishing he could disappear.“You should hurry up and make Jungkook your chevalier already. He’s old enough now.” Amshel replies, returning to his drawing.Jimin looks back at him as his feels his fangs retreat back into his gums. “What is that? I was reading how a chevalier was made from the blue—from Taehyung, but I don’t understand what it is.”“Well,” Amshel doesn’t look up from his drawing, “Let’s say your species has a hierarchy. Obviously, you and Taehyung are at the top as pure-blooded chiropterans. The chiropteran beasts are at the bottom, and chevaliers would be in the middle.”“But how do you make them? In the book, it says you only made one chevalier. Is that true?”“Yes. We’ve made several rabid chiropterans from Taehyung’s blood, you know, the ones lose in the forest. But it’s much more difficult to make a chevalier. To make a chiropteran, you simply inject a human with a king’s blood, they’ll turn into a beast within minutes. A chevalier, on the other hand, requires more steps.”Jimin gawks at him. Amshel’s appearance has barely changed in years, Jimin can almost say he hasn’t aged a day, the same goes towards his personality, but right now, Jimin doesn’t know who this man is, but he terrifies him to his core.“You and Joel think we’re the dangerous ones…but just how many people have you killed for your so-called research?”Amshel looks up momentarily from his drawing, a small smile glued to his lips. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Jimin. Where do you think your medicine comes from?”
No.
Jimin wants the earth to swallow him whole. Recalling all the times the servants and staff seemed to fear working here, afraid of what could have happened to them, frightened of becoming one of their chiropterans or Jimin’s medicine. He feels like he can’t breathe anymore, but he still tells him, “You’re cruel, Amshel. You and Joel are so cruel.”“Oh, come on, Jimin. Don’t you want to know how to make a chevalier?”“No. I don’t know want to know what you could have possibly done to that poor person.”Amshel keeps drawing, the scribbling of his pencil fills the air. “Really? Not even if it means Jungkook could stay by your side?”Jimin’s stomach drops at that. “What do you mean?”“Well you can’t expect Jungkook to stay here with you forever. Joel and I brought him with the intentions of making him your chevalier, but Joel was foolish to get such a young boy who would have to wait to be turn into one. They stop aging once you turn them, but we successfully made a chevalier years ago and no longer need Jungkook. I wouldn’t be surprised if Joel got rid of him any day now, I mean, he’s never here anyway. He seems to enjoy spending him time in the city with real people doing real things, instead of playing with you all day. I’m sure he’s even found someone special in the city, that would explain why he keeps asking Joel to assign him jobs there.”Jimin shakes his head, refusing to agree with him. “No, that’s—that’s not true. Joel is the one sending him to work, J-Jungkook likes spending time with me, he told me so, he…” Doubt begins to consume. his mind. Is Jungkook really trying to leave him? Does he have someone else? Is Jimin really holding him back?Amshel’s scribbling slows down as he uses his pencil to shade the paper softly. “But you wouldn’t have to worry about any of that if he was your chevalier. He would stay loyal to you, he could live as long as you, and he would always be by your side,” he says.Jimin won’t lie, that does sound nice. The book says chiropterans are estimated to live for thousands of years but maintain a youthful adult appearance; Jimin would outlive Jungkook no matter what happens, Jungkook is human after all. He would never have to worry about Jungkook leaving, they could always be together, it sounds nice, but Jimin would never want to force Jungkook to become a chiropteran. To force him to be his servant and curse him to a life of monsters and immortality would be nothing short of cruelty, Jimin loves him too much to resort to that.Jimin stands up, picking up his book and watching Amshel finish up his drawing. “I couldn’t do that to Jungkook. I’d rather let him go before I turned him into a monster like me.”Amshel shakes his head. “You know, I’ve never thought of chiropterans as monsters. In fact, I find them very beautiful, don’t you?” He offers his drawing to Jimin who takes it silently. It’s a drawing of a beautiful young man’s face with large angular eyes and long lashes, a sturdy nose, defined lips, and dark hair that seems to reach his mid-neck. He might be the most beautiful person Jimin has ever set his eyes on and it’s only a drawing.“Who is this?” He asks without taking his eyes away from the paper in his hands.Amshel stands up too. “Keep it. You might see him one of these days.” And with that, he walks away, leaving Jimin alone with the drawing and his overflowing thoughts.
The night falls faster than Jimin expects, and now he waits in his room for Jungkook to come home. He finds himself pacing around the room, growing more anxious by the minute. Jungkook has never stayed out this late, why of all days is he late today?The phonograph in his room is playing some of his favorite piano songs, he set it earlier to calm himself down, but he can’t appreciate any of it while Amshel’s cursed words rake his brain endlessly. Was he right, will Jungkook really leave him after all?He doesn’t mind if Jungkook wants to leave. Jungkook has spent enough years in this prison, if he found his chance to escape, Jimin understands and wants nothing but the best for his friend. He only wants Jungkook to be happy, but he hopes…he would at least say goodbye.If he stays another minute in this room, Jimin might lose his mind. He makes a move towards the door, ripping it open to go get some fresh air, but he’s greeted by the very boy driving his nerves insane. Jungkook is standing there, fist raised to most likely knock on the door right before Jimin opened it. His eyebrows are raised, and his eyes are wide in shock, and he blinks nervously. “H-hey Jimin, perfect timing, right?”Relief washes over him, knowing Jungkook did come home and he hasn’t left him yet. He wants to pull him into his arms and never let go, but instead, his temper gets the best of him. “Perfect timing? Do you know how late it is? You said you weren’t going to work for that long, where have you been?”“I can explain,” he begins but Jimin doesn’t let him. He turns around to walk back inside his room, but Jungkook follows close behind. “Work just took longer than I thought, I tried coming home as soon as possible. I’m sorry.”Jungkook sounds earnest and Jimin knows he’s over reacting, but he can’t shake off the restlessness building inside of him. The insecurities he wants to desperately bury down find a way to spill out of him when he suddenly asks, “Do you ask Joel for the work he gives you?”“I, um,” Jungkook pauses, but then he confesses, “Yes, I do.”Jimin’s heart drops to his stomach.“Why?” Jimin asks, hating how his voice cracked a little. “I know you want to get away from here, but I thought we agreed to leave together when we escaped with Taehyung. Unless—unless you have something you really like doing in the city, maybe you have someone special you’re trying to see.”He can’t stop the words from rambling out of his mouth. Although he can deal with Jungkook leaving and he’d be happy if the other found someone who made him happy, but it still leaves a heavy weight in his chest knowing that it’s not him.He feels a hand placed on his shoulder gently and he turns around to see Jungkook gazing at him, a small smile on his pretty lips. “How could I ever have someone else when I have you.”Heat floods his face and his heart beats a bit faster. “Then why do you try to work so much?”Jungkook takes a step closer to him, reaching into his pocket. “I’ve been wanting to get you this for a while, but they’re quite expensive so I had to practically beg Joel to give me jobs to do in the city, so I could afford it. In the end, I still didn’t have enough so I spent forever bargaining with the man to sell it to me today.”He takes out a small box and peers shyly into Jimin’s eyes, “I didn’t mean to worry you so much. I wanted it to be a nice surprise because…well, just open it.”Jimin isn’t sure what’s happening anymore, but he takes the box gently from Jungkook’s now shaky hand. He opens it slowly to find a silver ring inside, glistening with beautiful engravings along the band. Jimin can’t do anything but gasp.Jungkook clears his throat, “I saw it a few months ago and thought of you, I mean, I thought you would like it because you always like jewelry. Anyway, it’s getting late, I should go—”“Jungkook.”“Y-yes?”“I love it.” Jimin smiles at him, watching Jungkook sigh in relief. Jimin chuckles, “Why are you so nervous? Do you really think I won’t love anything you give me?”“It’s not that, it’s just…I wanted to give this to you as a symbol of…my promise to you,” he mumbles, growing quieter by the word.Jimin gapes at him. “A promise for what?”Jungkook scrunches up his face, all confidence he had before gone. “It’s going to sound so embarrassing—”“Just tell me. Please.”“I just know how difficult things have been lately, and I haven’t been here as often, and our plan to escape is quite frankly terrifying—but no matter what happens, I’ll always stay by your side. Jimin, I promise I’m not going anywhere because for me…there’s only you.” His big, dark eyes glisten a little as he waits nervously for Jimin to respond.But Jimin can’t find the right words when his heart is ready to burst out of his chest. Jungkook looks at him like he holds the entire world in his hands, like he’s an angel sent from heaven itself. Jimin can’t even begin to understand why he gazes at him with such loving eyes, but his heart swells knowing Jungkook cares for Jimin for the person he is. He’s not being forced to stay by his side, he wants this as much as Jimin. And now his earlier worry has vanished into thin air because Jungkook knows how to speak to Jimin’s heart like no one else. Jimin wants to give him the world, but he’s sure Jungkook would beat him to it.
Jungkook is everything to me.
He quickly takes the ring from the box and slides it onto his ring finger without another word.“J-Jimin—”“I’m going to hold you to that promise,” he says, dropping the box and stepping closer, resting his forehead against hia, “And I promise I’m going to do everything that I can to make you happy. You’re the only one for me, Jungkook.”Jungkook gazes into his eyes, but Jimin’s gaze is glued to his lips. Jungkook soon follows suit and his hooded eyes grow dark as he says, “I could think of a few things right now that would make me happy.”Jimin leans in closer, feeling his warm breath against his mouth. “And what would that be, Jungkookie?”“Shouldn’t you know already? You promised to do everything to make me happy,” he teases, pulling his face a bit back. Jimin doesn’t let him go too far before he grips Jungkook’s collar, pulling him forward as he presses his lips against his, melting into the moment he’s dream about for far too long.Jungkook’s mouth parts when he gasps slowly, allowing Jimin to kiss him deeper. His thin soft lips feel heavenly against Jimin’s, he buries his hands into Jungkook’s hair, kissing him slow and gently because there’s no rush to this. He wants to convey all the love he feels for Jungkook through this, to show him just how much he adores him.Jimin eventually pulls away and Jungkook, eyes still closed, chases after his lips. Jimin’s giggle snaps him out of his daze. “Did that make you happy?”Jungkook stares back with a furious blush, his lips pinker than before. He sighs and pulls him into arms, wrapping them around his waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. “Of course it did,” he says gently.Jimin can’t stop smiling as he wraps his arms around Jungkook’s neck, beginning to sway with him to the song that the phonograph plays. He buries his face into the crook in Jungkook’s neck, giving it soft kisses on his sensitive skin, and soon Jungkook begins doing the same to his shoulder.“I’ve always liked this song,” Jungkook whispers against the crook of his neck and shoulder.Jimin hums, “Me too.”“It could be our song from now on.”“Has anyone ever told you you’re incredibly cheesy?”Jimin laughs when Jungkook playfully bites his neck but soothes it right after with a gentle kiss. Jimin knows he wants to feel Jungkook’s lips on him for the rest of his life. He’ll never love anyone more than he loves the boy in his arms right now, and just a few moments ago, that kind of thought terrified him, but not anymore. He doesn’t know if they can stay together forever, if Jungkook will be sent away or Jimin will outlive him, but it doesn’t matter because they’ve promised to stay by each other’s side for as long as possible.They’ve made many promises to each other over the years, but none is as important as this one, a promise of their hearts sealed over a single silver band. Jimin knows he’ll cherish it forever.
❧

Present Day

December 7th, 1871

Sunlight breaks through the window, brightening the room as the sun begins to rise. Jimin lies on his bed, exhausted from hours of crying, dirty from his blood-stained clothes, and hungry even though he fed last night. He really is running out of time, but he still has no idea where to find Taehyung. Thomas knew him so there’s no doubt that Taehyung turned him into a chiropteran, but he fears he’s already fled the town.Jimin wishes he understood why Taehyung is bent on raiding the world with chiropterans, for wanting to let hundreds die at the hands of their creatures. He knows that Taehyung is angry and sick from the tortuous life he was given, but Jimin thinks if he can just find him, he’ll find a way to make him stop. Jimin doesn’t want anyone else to die and he doesn’t want Taehyung to keep hurting people, especially when he knows how much he’s the one truly hurting.But he won’t accomplish anything if he keeps wasting away on the hostel bed, so eventually he finds the energy to get up and change into clean clothes. Jungkook only took his cello so Jimin must take their only bag and his sword in hand and leaves to finish what he started.
The early morning is a little warmer than at night, but Jimin pulls his coat tighter on him as he begins walking through the empty streets of the town. Not a single person in sight, but he doesn’t blame them after last night’s incident.He wonders if anybody will miss Thomas. He was a man who lived here all his life, he must have had a family and friends here, people knew him—that little girl knew him—but once Thomas was turned into a chiropteran, that proud man who called this town his home was gone. He hopes Thomas was the only chiropteran behind all the attacks, and that Taehyung hasn’t turned more people into them, but he can’t be sure for now.Some voices echo in the distance and Jimin observes the direction it’s coming from. A few townspeople are walking far ahead of him, dressed in all black and speaking in hushed voices. Footsteps clatter behind him and he turns around to see a young boy hurrying through the streets, dressed in black too, and rushing past Jimin. He remembers how Jungkook admitted he talked to the children to find out about the attacks in the town since he found children to be more truthful than the adults. Maybe he’s right.“Hey boy,” Jimin calls out to him, stopping him in his tracks as he turns around to peer at the stranger speaking to him. “Where are all of you going right now?”The boy scratches the back of his neck and shifts on his feet, reminding him of Jungkook’s nervous habit. “We’re all headed down to the church for the funeral because…”“It’s okay, I know.” Jimin picks up where he trailed off. “Is everyone in town at the church right now?”The boy shrugs. “They should be, but I did see a man go into the tavern back there. Usually people go to the tavern after the funeral, not before it.”“What did he look like?”“I don’t know. Dark hair. Old.”Jimin chuckles, “Thanks.”He lets the boy go back to heading to the church, and Jimin makes his way to the pub, not even sure who he’s hoping to see at this point.
The remains of blood are still coating the snow red where the girl’s body lay last night in front of the tavern. A reminder of who once was and it sends chills down Jimin’s spine. This girl died because of him. It’s her blood on his hands. He kicks the bloodied snow, hoping for it all just to melt away already, and he keeps kicking and kicking it until the sounds of a piano reach his ears. Dragging him back to reality to remind him what he came here to do.Jimin enters the pub, scanning the empty bar for anyone, and his eyes land on the single person playing the piano in the corner of the bar. Someone he hasn’t seen in years, but still haunts his nightmares to this day.“How the hell are you still alive?” Jimin sneers at him.The man stops playing and turns around to spare him his usual, condescending smile. Amshel hasn’t aged a day since he last saw him on that terrible night in the Zoo, he was foolish enough to think he died with everyone else.Amshel gets up from the piano, walking over to the bar counter. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Jimin? Come, have a drink with me.”Jimin has half a mind to pull his sword from its sheath and use it to kill him this instant. But he has so many things to ask him, he must push down his anger and go have a drink with this wicked man.He takes a seat at the counter, watching Amshel grab a bottle and cups from behind the counter like he owns the place. Amshel places two glasses between them and pours them what looks like whiskey. Then he sets the bottle down, leans against the counter, and grasps his glass to ask, “What should we drink to?”Jimin grips his glass tightly and raises it. “To every single person who has died at your hands.”Amshel chuckles. “At both our hands. Cheers.” They clink glasses and Jimin chugs down his drink, wincing at the burn of the alcohol going down his throat, but never taking his eyes away from the man before him.His old guardian opts for taking sips, playing gently with the glass in his hand. “I’m sure you have a million questions, you always do.”“Yes, I do. First off, how the hell are you still alive? I thought you and Joel both died in the fire.”“Joel did. I didn’t.”“How?”Amshel gives him a patronizing look. “Come now, Jimin, you’re smart enough to figure it out.”Jimin thinks for a moment. How Amshel still looks like the man in his thirties who raised him, how much he influenced Taehyung back then, and how he survived that night to be able to here right now.“The successful chevalier in the book…it was you.” Jimin sighs, cursing himself for not realizing sooner.Amshel only grins wider. “Took you long enough to figure out. Did you really think Taehyung was able to travel country to country turning people into chiropterans all by himself without any help?”“It took me a long time to even realize Taehyung was behind all the chiropteran attacks. How was I supposed to know you all survived the fire and that he would go on do this? But now knowing you were by his side, it all comes together. It makes sense now.”“What do you mean by that?” He asks, a smile still playing on his lips.Jimin leans in and says through his teeth, “It means you were always the one putting all those horrible ideas in his head. Joel was cruel to him, but you poisoned his mind. You filled him with ideas that I wanted to replace him with Jungkook, that humans were all horrible beings, you made him think hurting others was okay—that they deserve it!”“Isn’t it? If someone hurts you, don’t you have the right to hurt them back.”“The only ones who hurt him were you and Joel! Not the entire race of human beings.”“But wasn’t it humans who drove your species to almost extinction? They used to hunt chiropterans down, leaving only the mummy of your mother left. If it weren’t for Joel and me, you and Taehyung and all the rest of the chiropterans would no longer exist.”“And maybe that would have been for the best.” Jimin spits out. His heartbeat is pounding in his ears and he feels his fangs aching to resurface.Amshel simply shakes his head disapprovingly, taking another sip of his whiskey. “It’s a shame Joel raised you to be so ashamed of your own kind. Chiropterans are no different than any other species, they do what they need to do to survive. Humans kill animals, chiropterans kill humans, it’s just the hierarchy of the predator. Why are you fighting so hard against it?”Jimin squeezes his empty glass, hearing it crack under his fingers. “Because innocent people don’t deserve to die for those monsters.”Amshel rests his elbows on the counter, leaning closer to Jimin’s face. “Monsters that come from you. Monsters that are you. You’re no different from any of them just because you maintain a human appearance.”“I don’t kill people to feed.”“Oh right, you and Jungkook must feed on animals because you’re both so kind, is that it?” He mocks, but Jimin hates that he’s right. “You’ll never be strong enough with just animal blood. I bet you fall into an early slumber too because of it.”Jimin feels the floor sink below him. “What does that mean?”Amshel finishes his drink and sets the glass down quietly. “The more blood you use when fighting chiropterans and Taehyung uses to make them, it makes your bodies grow weaker. The kings aren’t made to give blood, they’re made to receive it. In order for your bodies to rest, it must go into slumber for however long it takes to replenish. Although we chiropterans can eat food and drink normally, your bodies will never be truly nourished without human blood. Animal blood suffices, but it won’t make you as strong, leaving your body weaker and in need to slumber much faster than it would if you drank human blood.”Jimin swallows nervously at the reminder of his upcoming slumber. “Does that mean Taehyung goes into slumber too?”“Yes, he went into it just a few years after the night at the Zoo. I was surprised he didn’t go into sooner considering how much blood we’ve taken from him.”“And how long did he sleep for?”“A long time. The same happened to you, right?”Jimin nods, “But I barely used my blood back then. I-I had to kill a few chiropterans, but it wasn’t that much—”“You used it to turn Jungkook into your chevalier. That takes a lot of strength out of a king.” He says nonchalantly. The weight in Jimin’s chest grows heavier and he feels like he can’t breathe.Amshel smiles at him, “I bet you blame yourself for everything. The fire, turning Jungkook, the chiropteran attacks…I’m sure you feel guilty for leaving poor Jungkook alone all those years during slumber. He must have been so lonely without you.”“Shut up—”“I bet you regret ever trying to leave the Zoo and for letting Taehyung out of his tower. If you never did any of that, so many lives could have been spared, especially Joel’s and Jungkook—”Jimin grabs him by the collar of his shirt, growling in his face with his fangs bared. “I said shut up. Quit running your mouth and just tell me where Taehyung is!”Amshel studies his eyes, not even phase by Jimin’s hold on him. “You really expect me to tell you where he is?”“Tell me or I’ll rip your throat out.” He snarls.“I thought you didn’t want to hurt anyone.”“I don’t want to hurt innocent humans, you’re not human anymore and you’re far from innocent.”Amshel grins wide enough to show his own fangs. “Then go ahead and do it, Jimin.”Jimin moves his hand to grip his neck and Amshel allows him, he digs his nails into his neck and feels another growl escape his throat. Amshel beams at him. He’s always wanted to see Jimin become unhinge, to give into his instincts, and be the monster he was born to be. As much as Jimin would love to get revenge on him after all the pain he’s caused him, he can’t let Amshel win like this. He needs to rise above him.He lets go of his throat and Amshel slumps back, laughing at him. “You’ve always been too weak for your own good.”“Just tell me where Taehyung is already. I know you know where he is, and I know you don’t care about what happens to him.”“What makes you say that? He is my king after all. I live to serve him.”Jimin looks into his beady eyes and says, “He’s just your key to our species. You don’t even see him as a person, yet you crave to be everything he is…. it’s pathetic.”And with that, Jimin grabs his sword and bag and walks out of the tavern. Never turning back to spare Amshel one last glance, he can’t afford to waste more time on such useless things.
❧

The Past

December 7th, 1855

Joel’s Birthday

The sunlight peeking through the window wakes Jimin up. They must have forgotten to close the curtains last night, and he knows he could get up and close the curtains now, but he’s not wearing any clothes and he’d rather stay warm in his bed on such a chilly morning.Jimin turns over to meet Jungkook’s naked back side and he smiles at the sight. How fortunate he has become to have this beautiful man lie in bed with him, to be able to call him mine. He scoots forward and drapes an arm around his thin waist, placing kisses on his bare shoulder and neck, reveling in the marks he left on his smooth skin, wishing Jungkook’s love bites could do the same to his. Jimin smiles to himself; he can’t believe how much Jungkook has grown over the years. He’s been taller than him, but his shoulders are broader now, he’s lean with muscle, his cheeks are more defined, and he looks more handsome than cute sometimes. But to Jimin, he’ll always be cute.Jimin also wishes he could say the same about this own appearance. He does look older, less roundness in his cheeks, but he thinks he hasn’t really changed much in the last two years. He wonders if this will be current state for now on since according to Joel’s book, chiropterans don’t age much past young adults.He presses another kiss against Jungkook’s neck and buries his face in the other’s dark hair sprayed against the pillow. He loves the way Jungkook smells, he smells like home.“Are you smelling me?” Jungkook mumbles, his voice heavy with sleep.Jimin begins rubbing soothing circles on his stomach. “Maybe.”“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about eating me.”“And what if I am?”“It really is always the ones you trust, huh.”Jimin laughs against his back and feels Jungkook shaking in his arms with laughter too. He wishes things could always be like this.Jungkook turns to face Jimin now, a soft smile already on his lips, and he brings one of his hands to smooth down Jimin’s back. “So…today’s the day.”Nervousness sits in Jimin’s stomach as he agrees with him.Jungkook smiles and lifts his hand to caress Jimin’s cheek. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine. We’ll go to Joel’s party, free Taehyung, and get the hell out of this place. By tomorrow morning, we’re going to be waking up somewhere far away from here.”Jimin strokes Jungkook’s neck with his thumb. “I know. It’s just crazy to think about…I’ve spent twenty-two years of my life in the Zoo. It’s hard to imagine a life outside of it.”“But you’ve dreamt about it long enough. It’s time to turn dreams into reality. We’re finally going to see the world.”Jimin closes his eyes and hums. He’s scared, but he’s so excited to start his life with Jungkook and Taehyung by his side. Although he may be losing the only place he’s known as home, he knows he’ll always feel at home with Jungkook by his side.“We can have sex in so many new places too,” Jungkook adds and Jimin shoves him in the chest. Jungkook just laughs.“Is that really the only thing on your mind right now!”Jungkook pulls his body against his again, resting his hands low on his waist, smiling lazily. “I can’t help it when you’re naked in front me, looking so beautiful.”He sighs, “You’re not as charming as you think.”Jungkook leans in close enough to feel his breath tickle his lips. “It seems to work on you just fine.”Jimin smiles and places a chaste kiss on his lips. “I know because I think it’s cute. Because I know,” he kisses his nose and cheek and closed eyes, “you’re shy at heart. But you’re so sincere and loving, that’s what I find the most charming.”Jungkook gazes back at him with flushed cheeks, and Jimin’s heart feels so full. “I love you,” Jungkook says softly, but so naturally.“I love you more,” Jimin returns.Their lips meet in a passionate kiss. They kiss like it’s their last, but it feels as enlightening and pure as their first.
Jimin leans against the rose-covered door of Taehyung’s locked door, listening to him sing and letting his voice take him away in a trance. He used to wonder where Taehyung learned to sing or even learn about music, but he once told him that Amshel would sing for him to help him go to sleep and he copies the songs he hears. He supposes Amshel cares for him in his own unique way, but not enough to let him out. To let him be free.When he finally finishes his song, Jimin says loud enough to be heard through the day, “Taehyung, today’s the day.”“…It’s true? This is my last day in this room?” Taehyung asks.“Yes.”“You’ll get the key and really let me out of here?”“Of course. Jungkook and I have been working on this for years, we have everything ready. We’re escaping during the party tonight, I’ll get the key and get you out of here. Jungkook will be waiting with the horse and carriage.”“Where will we go again?” Taehyung always needs the plans repeated, he’s always in disbelief that any of this is even possible.“We’re going to travel through the night into a far, far city away from here. From there we’ll keep traveling until we reach our destination,” Jimin explains with a faint smile on his face, “Jungkook has been saving up money for a long time and we’re going to buy a house by the beach. Then we’ll be free to go wherever we please.”“…So Jungkook is coming with us?”“Of course. He was always coming with us, why wouldn’t he?”“…I thought maybe he would change his mind. People always change their mind.”“Jungkook is the most trustworthy person I know. He hasn’t changed his mind, he’s going to stay with us, and we’re going to be right by your side. We’ll be a family,” Jimin insists, wondering if Taehyung has any idea that he and Jimin are even brothers. If he doesn’t, Jimin can’t wait to tell him.Taehyung pauses before asking, “What if we get caught?”Jimin shakes his head even if the other can’t see it. “We won’t. We’ve planned well enough to not let Joel or Amshel find us. I promise, Taehyung, we’re going to be okay.”A moment of silence, but then Taehyung says, “I hope so.”
Jimin is leaving the tower, just reaching the end of the stairs when the door opens before he can do it himself. Now Joel stares back at him in disbelief as Jimin feels the color drain from his face.“Jimin… What are you doing here?”He sighs, disappointed their plan has a setback already and the day is still young.
“I should have known you’ve been visiting him. Putting ideas into his head—y-you’re the reason he insists on being called by a name, aren’t you?” Joel accuses him from behind his desk.Jimin sits in his office with him, being scorn like he’s still a child, but now Joel seems exhausted. His hair has greyed, the wrinkles show in his face, what once was kind eyes now just seem sad and tired, and the years have truly caught up with him. Today’s his birthday and in the past, both he and Jimin would be excited to celebrate it together. They would have picnics in the garden or read their favorite books in the library. Jimin can’t lie to himself when he says he adored Joel as a child, a parent is everything in the eyes of a child. But Joel lied to him his whole life; he used him for his study, bought Jungkook, and abused Taehyung. Joel is a monster.“I did what you wouldn’t do.” Jimin replies, finality in his voice.“And what do you think that is?”“I treated him like he deserved…how can you be angry at me for visiting my brother and treating him like a person after you locked him in a tower to rot away for the sake of an experiment?” Jimin clarifies, already frustrated.Joel leans forward in his seat, confusion in his face. “How did you—”“Stop pretending I’m still a clueless child! Just talk to me, Joel. Tell me the truth already.”Joel looks him in the eye, searching for any traces of the child who once loved him blindly and unconditionally, but he finds nothing, and he just sighs and sits back in his chair. “I didn’t do anything wrong, Jimin,” he meekly states, voice cracking, “You both were babies, you both had a clean slate, it was a perfect opportunity to study. So, I separated you two and treated you both differently. It didn’t matter how I treated the other one—”“Taehyung.”“—How I treat Taehyung. He’s just a king chiropteran kept under controlled conditions. I didn’t think it mattered, he was like any other chiropteran we made. But with you it was another case…”Jimin doesn’t say a word. He waits for Joel to continue.“I treated you like you would to any child and…I never expected to love you like you were my own, but I did. There wasn’t some grand scheme to things when I treated you like my son. I was overprotective, I spoiled you, and I wanted to keep you from the truth because the less you knew, the more I could pretend you really were mine,” Joel confesses.Jimin studies him, trying to see if he is lying to him one last time. But all he sees is a defeated man, caught in his own web of lies, and hurt from the rejection of his own child.“…I would have still loved you, even if you told me the truth about who I am,” Jimin says. Joel’s eyes light up as their gazes meet, but Jimin continues, “But I can’t forgive you for what you’ve done to Taehyung. You stole his life from him before he even had a chance to have one.”“I understand,” Joel sighs, “to be honest with you, if I could do it all over again, I would do things differently.”“It’s never too late to try. You could start with letting Taehyung out.”Joel shakes his head. “I’m sure you’re attached, but he’s not like the rest of us. He’s never experienced anything outside that room, he wouldn’t be able to handle the real world. He’d be dangerous.”“You said the same thing to me, but you’re wrong. Taehyung isn’t dangerous, you’ve never taken the time to know him.”“You’re the one who doesn’t know him. I’m sure you’ve never even seen him. You don’t know what he’s capable of Jimin. If I could go back in time, I don’t think I would lock the boy up, but we can’t change our mistakes. It’s too late for that now.”Even now Joel makes pathetic excuses. Jimin runs his hand through his hair and sighs.“Don’t worry about Taehyung. He’ll be fine and I’ll—I’ll start treating him better…You just focus on wherever you and Jungkook are running away to.” Joel says and Jimin feels his blood run cold.Jimin stares at him in disbelief but Joel just sadly smiles at him. “What? You didn’t think I’d notice? Give me some credit, Jimin, I’m a researcher after all.”Maybe their plan wasn’t as good as they thought.“I started noticing it a while ago when Jungkook constantly asked for more and more jobs. The boy was desperate for money and I couldn’t understand why since he doesn’t have to pay for a thing while being here. But then I saw you one night studying a map. Then I thought about how private you two have become, always talking in secrets. And it all clicked. So, I wondered when you would do it, but knowing you, you would know to run away on a night I wouldn’t get the chance to notice right away. A night like tonight, with the party and everything.”Jimin isn’t sure what this means. Joel is giving him a small smile, but isn’t letting Jimin leave the Zoo his ultimate fear? “I-I don’t understand—”“I’m getting old, Jimin, and the more I age, the more I realize the mistakes I’ve made. And it was wrong of me to keep you only in the Zoo. It wasn’t to protect you or other people, it was to protect myself. I didn’t want anything to happen to you and I didn’t want to lose you…but it happened regardless.”He shakes his head in confusion. “Are you—are you giving me permission to leave?”Joel’s smile widens. “Letting go is hard, but it’s something I should have done a long time ago. Just please at least leave after the party, alright? I’d liked to spend one last night with you.”The air leaves Jimin’s lungs as tears reach the brim of his eyes. He can’t believe his ears. Joel knows of his plan to escape and he’s giving his blessing. He doesn’t have to worry about constantly watching over his shoulder, worrying when Joel will find him again. Joel is letting him freely fly away, and the reality of it makes his chest ache more than he expects. Even though he can never forgive Joel for his wrongdoings, a part of him will always be attached to the closest person he has to call a father.He wipes away a tear trying to escape his eye. “T-thank you, Joel.”“Anything for you, Jimin.”
Jimin retreats to his room, feeling like a shell of a person after his conversation with Joel. He opens it to find Jungkook already in his room, packing their things away excitedly into suitcases, and when he notices Jimin, he immediately beams at him.“Guess who successfully stole Amshel’s key to the tower?” Jungkook grins at him, holding up said key.Jimin approaches him slowly. “He always keeps it on his person. You really stole it right off him?”“I may or may not have slipped sleeping drops into his drink. He ought to be out for a few hours, at least well into the beginning of the party.”Jimin hums, his mind still elsewhere and Jungkook notices. His face becomes concerned as he asks, “Is everything alright? You seem down.”He purses his lips. “Everything’s fine. I just had a talk with Joel.”“Oh, what about?”“We talked about Taehyung, about why he raised us the way he did…and about our plan to leave tonight.”They key drops to the floor as Jungkook gapes at him in alarm. “W-what—”Jimin chuckles and reaches down to pick up the key. “There’s no need to panic. He gave us his blessing.”“What—”“He figured out our plans and he’s okay with it. He doesn’t know about Taehyung, so we’ll still have to secretly get him, but he won’t come after us. Well, maybe he will after he learns Taehyung is gone too, but he’s okay with me leaving. He’s letting me go.” Jimin explains, twirling the large dark key in his hand. His mind racing with every possible thought and fear, but mostly disbelief that any of this is really happening.“I see…and are you sure you’re okay?”He says yes, but he still moves closer to Jungkook, resting his head against his shoulder. Jungkook immediately wraps his arms around him, caressing his hair and whispering into his ear, “You know…we could run away, just the two of us. It could be safer, easier—”“Jungkook,” Jimin reprimands him. They’ve talked about this so many times, there’s no way they’re leaving Taehyung behind.Jungkook deflates, nodding solemnly. “Sorry. I know. It’s just—we have an even better chance of getting away now but I worry about how he’ll adapt to everything. It’ll make things more complicated.”Jimin looks him in the eye. “Things have always been complicated. And we’ve prepared for it all this time. We’re all leaving together, please.”Jungkook’s thumb brushes his cheek and he kisses his hair and Jimin sighs in relief. He understands why Jungkook is so anxious about it all, having second thoughts and doubts, and even Jimin himself is worried about the consequences they may face by bringing Taehyung, but he can’t let him live another day in that tower he calls a home. The biggest change of his life is coming, and it’s all so terrifying and exhilarating, but with Jungkook holding him as steady as an anchor, he knows they’re going to be alright. As long as they’re together, Jimin can breathe freely.
Joel was never the type for parties or balls, or even being surrounded by many people at one time, hence the manor deep into the forest. But after his recent accomplishments of all his work and research, several people wanted to throw a party in celebration of his birthday and work—and Joel actually agreed to it. Jimin stands before his mirror, adjusting the finest suit he owns, and dreading the people he’s about to encounter. People loved Joel’s book, but they wanted proof of chiropterans which Joel always refused to offer. Except now with this party, they were finally going to meet the famed Red King.He stares at his reflection and what stares back is a man with plump lips, soft cheeks, down-casted eyes, and black hair pushed back. Jimin likes the way he looks, he doesn’t see a boy pretending to be human or a vile monster, he just sees himself. And he’s grown to quite like it.“Ready?” A voice calls behind him. He turns around to see Jungkook stepping out of the bathroom, looking handsome in his dark suit, and smiling gently at him.Jimin smiles back. “About so. Do we have everything else prepared?”Jungkook nods, “We’re not bringing much, but our bags are packed and once we leave the party, you get Taehyung and I’ll put our things in the carriage and have it ready for us to leave.”Jimin used to think escaping the Zoo would take some grand master plan, but it’s actually become quite simple with the party happening. He always wondered how they could leave without anyone noticing, but when they heard the news of the party, he found their perfect opportunity. What was harder was gaining the resources, the money, and everything prepared for their life after the Zoo. Running away is easy, but finding a new home is hard. But now they’re ready for it.
The dining hall looks so different when Jimin and Jungkook enter it. The largest room in the manor that was always used for Joel, Amshel, Jimin, and Jungkook to eat in with nothing but a great table that was far too big for the four of them has now transformed into a beautiful ballroom. Illuminated by the grand chandelier, decorated with ribbons and ornaments, and filled with more people Jimin has ever seen in his life all dancing merrily to the music of a live orchestra. It’s the image of all the books he’s ever read about wonderful balls, it’s a sight to behold. He can’t believe it’s taken him twenty-two years to finally see it.Jimin spots Joel at the center of a crowd of people, all dying for the chance to speak with him, but he seems carried away with dictating most of the conversation. Typical Joel.  He keeps scanning the room for any signs of Amshel, hopefully the sleeping drops are still taking their effect because it would be much easier to disappear without his sharp eye noticing. He knows he has Joel’s permissions to leave, but he never gave his permission for Taehyung. So, they have to be careful.“We should go,” Jungkook whispers to him. He didn’t even want to come to the party, he wanted to leave as soon as possible, but Jimin insisted they show their faces since Joel insisted and it would look less suspicious.They’re watching everyone dancing and enjoying themselves from the sidelines along with other people without a dancing partner. Jimin wishes he could take Jungkook’s hand and dance with him, but two men dancing together would seem strange to other people, such a simple thing they had to keep behind closed doors.“I don’t want Joel to find out we’re also taking Taehyung, being here shows we have nothing to hide. Let’s just stay for a song or two, greet Joel and then we’ll leave.” Jimin says, never looking away from the scene in front of him. No one seems to see him as different or recognize that he’s not even human. He’s relieved that he can fit in among people, that he’ll be more than likely accepted into the world.Jungkook chews on his bottom lip and Jimin rubs his back, trying to calm his nerves. Then he feels a hand on his shoulder, and he turns to see Amshel right beside him, lightly grinning at him. “I’m so glad you two could make it,” he greets them.Jimin drops his hand and feels Jungkook stiffen as well. Perhaps Jungkook didn’t put enough sleeping drops.“How could we possibly miss this?” Jimin says, hoping he can’t hear the nervousness in his voice.Amshel smirks all too knowing at him. “Joel told me you two are finally leaving the nest. I almost thought you wouldn’t come here to even say goodbye.”“Well we did, it’s Joel’s birthday after all,” Jimin explains and Amshel tightens his grip on his shoulder.“Just be careful out there, Jimin. Believe it or not, there are even more dangerous things out there than well—you!” He laughs to himself and the two boys just stare, unamused.Jimin says, “Thank you, Amshel. We’ll keep that in mind.”Amshel reaches forward to shake Jungkook’s hand, wishing them the best of luck. He gives him one last look, a shining glint to his eyes, before turning away and returning to the crowd of people. Jimin feels chills run through his body. He doesn’t want to find out if Amshel has noticed his key is missing. He clears his throat, “You’re right, we should go. Now.”Jimin is about to make his way to the door when the music comes to a stop and the chattering dies down, and Joel is at the front of the room, raising a glass of champagne in the air. He announces, “I want to thank everyone for coming. I’ve never been a man who cared much for celebrating my birthday, but to have you all gathered here today to celebrate the birth of a flawed, old man does mean a lot.”Joel’s eyes catch Jimin and he feels time almost stop. Joel simply smiles, “This is all I could ever ask for…so thank you. Now let’s all celebrate to our heart’s content—cheers!”Everyone cheers and Jungkook gives Jimin’s hand a quick squeeze as he says for his ears only, “Go get Taehyung, I’ll be waiting by the stables.”Jimin smiles to himself. “Okay.”
It’s dark outside, but Jimin has made this trip to Taehyung’s tower so many times that he feels like he could sleepwalk to it. He reaches the top of it in no time and finds himself almost running through the corridor. Rushing past all the flowers and weeds growing along the stoned covered walls and pavement, and finally approaching the locked wooden door he’s been talking to for years. He admires the blue roses that only grow here, their vines and thorns and all for one last time. Then he knocks on the door, taking out the key from his pocket.“Taehyung, it’s time…I’m going to let you out, are you ready?” He says with a smile.“…You have the key?”“Yes, just like I said.”“…Okay.”Jimin doesn’t waste another moment. He grabs the large lock attached to the door and puts the key inside, unlocking it and letting the lock drop to the ground. He turns the stiff handle and opens the door, something he’s wanted to do for such a long time.The room is dark and only illuminated by the moonlight beaming from the single window, and there are a few rags and clothes here and there, but the only thing that truly stands out is the bed with one person sitting on it. Taehyung stares back at him with big scared eyes, the same ones Amshel drew in his drawing, but they’re even more beautiful in real life. His eyes are round and bluer than any rose on his door; his dark hair is long around his eyes and neck, parted lips, and he looks so thin in his old tattered clothes.Jimin’s heart almost stops. This is the brother who was taken away from him at birth, his first friend, the only other person in the world who is just like him.He tries smiling, feeling tears fill his eyes. “T-Taehyung…it’s me, Jimin.”Taehyung gapes at him, still not moving an inch from where he sits. “You really did come.”“Of course I did. I told you a million times I would,” he says, but he’s not bothered, not in the least. He feels so unbelievably happy right now.“I know…it’s just hard to believe. People say a lot of things they won’t do.”Jimin takes a careful step forward, as to not frighten the other boy. “They do, but I promised you. I’m here now, and we can leave together. You’ll never have to come back to this tower. We’ll be free together.”Taehyung holds his gaze, eyes glistening brightly even in the darkness. He nods lightly as he stands up from his bed. Jimin waits for Taehyung to slowly approach him. They stand a foot apart from each other and just stare. Jimin knows they must hurry and leave, but he’s waited so long to see the boy on the other side of the door. They study each other’s features and communicate through their eyes, sharing the secrets of their hearts that they locked away for too long.Taehyung is the first to speak. “You are kind of short,” he whispers softly.Jimin laughs and wipes a tear from his eye. “And you’re taller than I expected.”He smiles at his brother and then ever so carefully, walks forward and wraps his arms around him to give him a hug. Taehyung stiffens under his embrace, but Jimin keeps his arms and hands gentle enough to show he means no harm. He wonders if Taehyung has ever been hugged before. If he’s ever been given proper love. Soon enough, Taehyung relaxes under his hold and even brings his arms around Jimin to hug him back. Jimin tightens his embrace when he feels Taehyung shake a little, and he buries his face into his shoulder, breathing him in.Eventually Jimin tells him, “We have to go now. Before it gets too late.” Jimin lets go and offers his hand to him, “Shall we go?”Taehyung slowly places his larger hand in Jimin’s smaller one without another word. He lets Jimin lead him out of the only place he’s known home for all these years. Jimin closes and locks the door, and then takes Taehyung’s hand again to walk out of the tower, once and for all.
They don’t move as fast as Jimin would like, but it’s understandable. Taehyung is blown away by everything they pass. He gawks at the outside of the manor and of the garden, claiming he’s never seen anything so beautiful. His only view from his narrow window was of the forest, he’s never known so much existed just outside his tower. But Jimin keeps pulling his hand until they finally reach the stables on the other side of the Zoo during the darkness of the night.Jimin’s heart calms once he spots Jungkook waiting outside the stables with the horses and carriage they’re taking from Joel. They walk up to Jungkook who is leaning against the carriage, arms crossed, and biting his lip raw in anxiousness. Jimin simply smiles at him without ever letting go of Taehyung’s hand.“There you guys are! What took you so long?” Jungkook questions, clearly nervous.“We’ll be fine. But first things first, Jungkook, this is Taehyung,” Jimin says and turns to look at Taehyung, finding something unexpected. Taehyung is staring daggers into Jungkook.Jimin squeezes his hand, asking, “Is everything alright, Taehyung?”Taehyung doesn’t answer, he just fumes as he glares at Jungkook who tears his gaze away. Jungkook begins, “It’s fine, but can we please start moving? Everything is already in the carriage and ready to go—”“I thought I told you not to come with us,” Taehyung says to him and Jimin lets go of his hand.“Taehyung, what are you talking about?” Jimin asks, feeling a lump grow in his throat, and even heavier weight grow in his stomach.Taehyung glares at his lover, and says with the most disdain, “He visited me yesterday. To make sure I wouldn’t ruin your plan, I didn’t want to go if he was going to be here—”“I just wanted to make sure you were prepared for today, but you kept insisting I don’t come which is ridiculous because you knew I was going to be here since the beginning. I don’t know what changed yesterday, but now you’re just wasting all our time so can we please get in the carriage,” Jungkook spills, frustration in his voice.“I’m not going anywhere with a human,” Taehyung growls, blue eyes gleaming, fangs bearing.Jimin takes a step back from him. “I don’t know where this is coming from—”“How can you be so naïve, Jimin? After all humans have done to us—done to me!” Taehyung pleads, eyes as wide and hurt as a child’s.“Taehyung, I know what Joel did to you was cruel but not every human is like that. Once you get to know Jungkook you’ll see—”“No. You’re the one who can’t see, Jimin. Amshel warned me all about humans, they’re all the same!” Taehyung shouts, voice cracking at the last word.“Amshel is human too, he has no room to talk! He locked you up there along with Joel. He’s just as guilty,” Jimin argues, feeling desperate because Taehyung is being difficult at the worst possible timing.Jungkook throws his hands up, exasperated. “We’re wasting so much time. If you don’t want to come with us, that’s fine. Jimin, let’s go.”Music from the manor plays loud enough that they can hear the echoes of it all the way from here. Taehyung turns his attention to the direction of the manor. He says more calmly, “You said there’s a party going on inside there, right?”“Y-yes? What does that have to do with—Taehyung, you need to focus. We need to go now, alright? We can discuss this later—”“I bet they’re all having such a great time…celebrating that Joel. Thinking he’s so great. If only they knew…” Taehyung mutters.Jungkook turns away, shaking his head. “I’ve had enough. Jimin, please, can we go—”“One minute, please. Taehyung, what are you—” His words get caught in his throat as he watches Taehyung raise his hand, dark nails growing from his fingers long enough to be a claw.Taehyung’s eyes meet his as he says, “Humans are so cruel, Jimin. If you didn’t spend your whole life thinking you were one, you’d think so too. If you weren’t in love with this one, you’d know they really are all the same in the end.”Jungkook turns around fast, but not fast enough to avoid Taehyung lunging forward and stabbing his claw into Jungkook’s chest.Jimin’s heart completely stops.
No. Please no.
He witnesses Taehyung pushing Jungkook to the ground, driving his hand further into Jungkook’s chest. Jungkook can’t even scream, he just coughs up blood.
This can’t be happening.
Jimin charges forward and rips Taehyung off of Jungkook, throwing him aside as he picks up Jungkook’s head gently with his hand, wary of his injury. His chest is ripped open and gushing blood and Jimin feels tears already burning into his eyes. Jungkook is struggling to keep his eyes opens, he’s trying to breathe and speak, but he keeps choking on blood.Jimin caresses Jungkook’s face, tears falling down his face. “P-Please don’t speak, Kookie, it’s okay. You’re going to be okay…”Taehyung’s laughter bleeds into his ears. He looks over to see Taehyung lying on the ground next to them, and he just smiles at them. “He can’t survive that. Humans are weak.”“Why did you do that?!” he screams at his brother, feeling his own fangs break through. His blood is boiling and he’s seeing red.Taehyung stands up, licking the blood off his hand and grinning down at them. “I’ve never really liked him.”Jungkook coughs loudly and Jimin looks back down to find that Jungkook’s gone pale and lost so much blood. His once beautiful and bright eyes are dimming right before him and he can’t do anything to stop it. Jimin can’t breathe, this can’t be happening.
Please let this be a dream.
“J-Jungkook—” Jimin chokes on his own sobs, but then he feels Jungkook’s hand touching his face. His fingers stroke his face, leaving a trail of blood behind, but it’s his last touch before looking him in the eyes and letting his hand fall. The light fades from his eyes and Jungkook turns lifeless in his arms.“Jungkook…” Jimin’s breath hitches as he realizes the boy in his arms is gone.The love of his life is gone just like that. They were supposed to go far away from here, travel the world, live in a house by the beach, they were going to make all their dreams come true together—they’re supposed to be together but now Jungkook is gone. Jimin can’t even see anymore because his vision is blurred by tears. He cries out and buries his face into Jungkook’s neck, sobbing into him.Jungkook had more life in him than anybody; he had the kindest heart, the most thoughtful mind, his smile was brighter than a thousand suns, and he should be alive in his arms right now. He thinks his heart might actually be breaking into two. This isn’t right. This isn’t fair. Everything hurts.Jimin looks up to see Taehyung watching them with contempt written on his face. He says through gritted teeth, “Why did you do this… How could you do this to him?”“Because it’s what they deserve. I hope one day you’ll see. It has to be this way.”Jimin growls, “Jungkook didn’t deserve this. You didn’t have to kill him you fucking bastard—”“If you really cared enough, you could just bring him back,” Taehyung bites back.“What?!”Taehyung squints his eyes at him with scrutiny. “Don’t you know anything? If your blood always heals you, what makes you think it won’t do the same for him?”“That’s not—it’s not the same. It couldn’t possibly work the same,” Jimin says confused, almost trying to convince himself.Taehyung just scoffs. “I’ve done it before with my blood. But do what you want. I’m rather hungry so before I leave this place, I’m going to feed some more.” He begins walking past them and Jimin turns to watch him.“Where are you going?”Taehyung looks back at him over his shoulder, his blue eyes standing out in the darkness. “I’m going to go say hello to Joel and his party guests. I’m sure they’ll taste delicious.”Panic seizes inside him. “You can’t.”“And why not? Are you going to stop me…or are you going to bring your boy back?”Jimin looks back at Jungkook. If there’s even a chance of bringing him back, he’ll take it. He can’t leave him cold and pale and bloodied like this, he’ll do anything to change this.Taehyung chuckles lowly and continues walking away. “That’s what I thought.”Jimin smooths down his dark hair and caresses his cheek for a moment. His heart’s racing a mile a minute and his mind’s a mess. Will his blood really heal Jungkook and bring him back to life? Or will his blood have serious consequences and turn him into a chiropteran? Jimin knows chiropterans come from his blood, Amshel said humans who were injected with their blood would be turned into chiropterans. But that was for living humans, would it be different for somebody already dead?The sickening feeling in his stomach churns and the pounding in his head only grows louder with the more time he wastes. Without a second thought, Jimin bites his own hand, his fangs piercing the skin and sucking in as much blood as possible. When his mouth is full of the bitterness of blood, he leans in closer to Jungkook’s face, and presses his lips against his. He pushes the blood from his mouth into the other’s, ensuring the blood goes down his throat. A bloody kiss of death, filled with the hopes of life.Jungkook’s body jerks underneath him and Jimin pulls back. His eyes are still lifeless, and his mouth is covered in blood, but suddenly his body begins shaking uncontrollably and Jimin begins to panic.
What have I done?
As if he were having a seizure, Jungkook’s body shakes and jerks in the most disturbing ways and Jimin cries at what he’s done to his lover.
Please, please don’t be a chiropteran.
Jungkook’s body comes to a halt. His eyes falling close and his body going limp again in his arms. Jimin waits and fears the worst to come. He’s not shifting into a monster, but he’s not doing much of anything either. His chest is still ripped open with the fresh wound, he’s still impossibly pale and cold, and he feels so far away from Jimin even though he’s holding him in his arms. Jimin rests his head on his stomach, letting his tears soak the coat Jungkook was wearing.“I-I’m sorry, Kook…I’m so sorry for everything.” He whispers into his body, hoping that wherever he is, he can still hear him.He cries and cries until he can’t even feel a thing. His body shakes with sobs, but it feels so numb compared to the pain in his chest. Why couldn’t Taehyung rip out his heart too? It would hurt so much less.Jimin’s so caught up in his crying that he almost doesn’t feel the hand running through his hair. He freezes and slowly turns his face to find the owner of the hand. Nothing in this world can prepare him for the sight that he sees.Jungkook is awake and watching him with the same loving and adoring eyes that he stares at him during their mornings in bed together. His clothes are still dirtied but the gash in his chest is completely healed, like it never even happened. Jungkook brings his hand to wipe away Jimin’s tears, and says softly, “Please don’t cry…it breaks my heart to see you cry.”Jimin lets out another sob, grasping the hand on his cheek and kissing it. “I was crying for you. I thought I lost you.” “I guess it takes a lot more to get rid of me,” Jungkook replies, lips curling into a small smile.Jimin chuckles through his tears, “Shut up.”Jungkook sits up, groaning a bit and rubbing his back. “I have to be honest…I remember Taehyung stabbing me and then…nothing.”Jimin studies him, trying to spot any differences on the boy. He still looks the same, the color is even back in his face, his body warm again. Jungkook is alive.
But is he still human?
Jungkook licks his dry lips, and asks, “Jimin…I thought I was dying. What happened to me?”Jimin gazes into the eyes he’s grown to love so much in their roundness and innocence, searching for any change, but he’s still the same boy who owns his heart. Except Jimin doubts he brought him back to life without a price. He seems to have already done the very thing he swore to never do to Jungkook.Jimin is about to explain when Jungkook interrupts, “Oh my god—Jimin, look!” He points behind him and Jimin looks back to see the manor catching on fire.The stables are far away enough from the manor that the fire most likely can’t reach them, but it’s already burning one side of the grand house—the side with the dining hall in it. Taehyung must have found them.Jimin doesn’t feel panic or anger or sadness, he feels tired and defeated as he stares at the only home he’s ever known burn up in flames. Because of the boy he let out. Because of the mistakes he made. Maybe if he really didn’t try to leave, none of this would have happened.Jungkook tugs on his arm, worry in his voice. “J-Jimin, we need to go. Please. We can’t help them, it’s already…we can still save ourselves. Please, let’s go.”Jimin watches the fire engulf the manor into flames. He thinks about everybody inside it. He thinks about Joel, Amshel, and Taehyung. He doesn’t think about their suffering or their last moments, he just thinks about them as the people they were. As the only people he ever really knew, but he has to ask himself, did he ever really know Taehyung?Once the heat and smoke reach them, Jimin and Jungkook get up and seat themselves in the front of the carriage. As fast as they can, the two rides away on the single narrow path that leads away from the Zoo, never looking back. They ride away in silence as they further away from the burning manor, leaving behind everything and everyone they knew. They were no longer escaping a nightmare and heading into their dreams, they have woken up into a strange reality that seems as dark as the ashes that fall from the sky.
❧

Present Day

Snow is softly falling from the sky as Jimin walks through the empty streets of the simple town. The wind blows cold against his skin and his bones shake from the frosty air that surrounds him. His body aches and his mind pounds with indescribable pain, and he chews his bottom lip raw. Feeling beyond exhausted and weak, he’d be willing to lay in the snow and go to sleep forever. Jimin knows his slumber is near, it really is unavoidable at this point, but he must keep trying.He knows he’s nearing the church once he spots the tower rising high in the sky. Everybody in this town should be in the church right now, and he truly hopes that means everyone, including Taehyung. Because Jimin’s desperate and he can’t think clearly anymore. He’s tired of running and fighting, he just wants to find his brother and put an end to all of this.The church is by far the largest building he’s seen in the entire town. It’s almost entirely white with glass-stained windows that shine in the most magnificent shades of red and blue and yellow, and a large white cross placed above the doors to greet all that come. But much to Jimin’s surprise, everyone seems to be standing outside the church. They all seem to be gathered in the cemetery beside the church, lined with a brittle metal fence and a gate that won’t stop banging against the fence as the wind blows on it. The cemetery is filled with the many people of the town, but it’s also filled with the many gravestones of those who have passed, some who were here for a long time and others gone too soon. Just like the girl who lies in the coffin they’re lowering into the ground.Jimin pushes past the creaking gate and trudges inside, the crowd of people stand in the back of the cemetery, and he begins making his way towards them. Hearing the priest give some sort of prayer, several people crying, one woman in particularly who weeps the loudest, probably her mother. His heart aches for her and her loss, and he wants nothing more than to apologize. Jimin wishes he could apologize to everyone he’s wronged or hurt, but that would take far too long even for someone who lived as long as him.He wants to join the crowd, but a man standing farther away from the rest catches his eye—a man with a cello case by his side. Jimin can always spot him a million miles away, among a sea of faces, and in the darkest of nights, Jimin knows Jungkook like the back of his hand. His heart always sings the loudest when he’s in sight.He slowly walks up to his chevalier as Jungkook continues watching the funeral take place. Jimin stands beside him, just a foot apart and keeps his eyes fixed on the funeral as well. They don’t say anything at first, not until Jimin finally finds the courage to break the silence.“I thought you would have already left town.”Jungkook shifts in place, snow crunching beneath his feet, and Jimin hates that he makes him so nervous.“I was going to, but I wanted to pay my respects first.” He says, voice low as to not draw attention to their conversation.Jimin knows he has no right to ask, not after he was the one to push him away, but he can’t help but worry. “I understand if you don’t want to tell me, but I have to ask…where will you go after this?”Jungkook glances at him from the corner of his eye, but then looks back at the nightmare in front of them. “I was thinking of going back home. It’s been so long since we—I’ve been there, but if you wanted to go there for your…you know, then I can go somewhere else.”Jimin quickly shakes his head, “No, that’s alright. You should go there. That should be nice.”Some men begin shoveling dirt into the girl’s grave, and it tears at their hearts, watching them shower her coffin with the earth that will protect her from the rest of the world for now on.“Can I ask where you’ll be staying for your,” his voice lowers even further as if it’s some forbidden word, “slumber?”Jimin tries to keep his teeth from chattering, it’s far too cold and his body has become far too weak. “I-I don’t know yet. I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”Jungkook turns to look at him properly and Jimin refuses to meet his piercing gaze. Their fight keeps replaying over and over in his head and he wants to rip his mind apart to make it stop.“I know you don’t want my help, but you can’t just have your slumber anywhere, Jimin. You need to keep your body somewhere safe, somewhere people can’t bother you or you’ll get hurt…Please, if you want, I can take you to the house like last time. I won’t watch over you, but at least you’ll be somewhere safe.” Jungkook explains, voice soft with worry. Jimin’s chest tightens.“I can take care of myself, Jungkook.”“I know, but it’s silly not to take such a simple precaution for something like this.”Jimin grits his teeth, ignoring the pounding in his head. “I don’t care what happens to me in slumber. I’m sure I’ll deserve it anyway.”Jungkook’s breath hitches. “How could you say that? You know that’s not true.”They seem to finish burying the girl as the people begin to shuffle out of the cemetery, sniffling and wiping away tears for the tragedy that is sure to haunt this town for years to come. Jimin and Jungkook are left alone to stand among the gravestones, neither willing to walk away from each other first.Jungkook takes a few steps in front of him and Jimin almost thinks he’s leaving him a second time, but then he moves to stand before him and look him in the eyes. “I know you blame yourself for everything that’s happened, Jimin…so many people died in the fire, and so many people have died from chiropteran attacks, or from being turned into chiropterans, and it’s all been so hard. We’ve been fighting chiropterans for years now and yet it feels like we’ve done nothing because people are still dying…but that’s not your fault.“You never could have known what Taehyung was going to do once he left that tower. You didn’t know about the lies Amshel fed him, and about how much he disliked me because I never told you. I remember talking to him that day before we escaped, I just wanted to understand him better, to see how he was feeling for myself, but he pushed me away immediately. And I don’t blame him. If I was locked away in a tower for years and my only friend spent less time with me and more time with some human—I’d probably hate me too.”Jimin does chuckle at that and blinks away the need to cry again. He’s shed enough tears for this century.Jungkook continues, never tearing his eyes away, “You’re not responsible for what Taehyung did. Yes, you let him out, but you’re not him. You’re not his actions. You were young, and you wanted to save your brother, how could you have known it would turn out so wrong…and it’s okay you turned me into your chevalier—”Jimin takes a step back to walk away but Jungkook takes one forward, never stopping, “Did you forget you did it to save my life? You brought me back. Do you really regret that?”Jimin immediately looks back at him, tears stinging his eyes. “No, never!”Jungkook smiles lightly with glassy eyes of his own. “I know you didn’t mean to turn me into a chiropteran…but you saved my life, Jimin. I’ll always be grateful for that.”Tears escape from his eyes and Jimin can’t bring himself to stop them as he stares into Jungkook’s big, kind eyes. He lets out a deep shaky breath, “I just want to keep my promise to you…but I can’t make you happy anymore, Kook.”Jungkook smiles wider, eyes crinkling and his big teeth on display. “What are you talking about? Of course you make me happy. Every day we get to be together, I’m happy. You always know how to make me laugh, how to make me feel good, how to love me like nobody else. You know my heart, Jimin. Why are you doubting yourself so much now?”Jimin chokes out, “B-because I can’t bear to leave you again for another ten years or more. You shouldn’t have to wait around for me, it’s not fair to you.”“I’ve done it once. I can do it again,” he says with a shrug.Jimin runs a hand through his hair and cries, “How can you sound so calm about all of this? Won’t you be lonely?”“Well, yes, it was lonely last time. I missed you every day and each day I hoped was the day you woke up…it was hard, I won’t lie. But I’d do it again if it means I could be by your side when you wake up. I’m a little attached to you if you haven’t noticed,” Jungkook chuckles at the end, tears welling up in his already puffy eyes.Jimin rubs hard at his own eyes. “But even if you love me, a life with me is horrible. I won’t stop fighting this fight until I stop Taehyung. This can’t possibly be the life you wanted.”“You’re right, it’s not exactly what I imagined my life would be like, but if it means I can support you and help stop Taehyung then I’ll fight every step of the way. You don’t think I want to stop him too?”Jimin breathes in the cold air, letting it burn his already dry throat. His body aches in pain, but his heart aches even more. He wants to stop hurting, he’s reaching his breaking point. “I never want you to wonder what if…I never want you to feel like I forced you to take this path with me. You’ll always be the one for me, Jungkook…I just want you to be happy.”Jungkook stares at him with shining eyes. He looks as vulnerable as the day he first stepped into the Zoo, and Jimin wants nothing more than to gather him into his arms and never let go.“When I woke up as a chevalier, I did feel different. I felt more overprotective, attuned to your moods and feelings, and a constant need to be near you…and my love did grow for you, but not because I was your chevalier, but me, Jungkook found even more ways to fall in love you, Jimin. I don’t love you because you’re my king, I love you because you’re my home. Nothing makes sense in the world without you in it. You bring color into my life. You’re my everything, Jimin.”Jungkook always knows how to speak to Jimin’s heart like no one else. Jungkook has always seen Jimin for who he is, not the chiropteran or study experiment, but for the person he is. He fell in love with Jimin’s heart and soul, and Jimin couldn’t quite ask for more. Not when he is already far too gone for this boy who owns his heart, who always has.He doesn’t waste another second not to feel Jungkook’s arms around him and he rushes forward, dropping his sword and bag, and lunging himself on Jungkook who quickly pulls him into a tight embrace. Jimin buries his face into Jungkook’s neck who does the same to his, and he tries to stop crying as he tells Jungkook over and over again how sorry he is and much he loves him. Jungkook listens and shakes in his arms, burying his nose into the crook of Jimin’s neck, but he doesn’t stop telling him, not until Jungkook stops shaking and knows just how much Jimin loves him. But Jimin is sure he’ll never understand the full extent of it, some things are impossible to convey, like the beauty of a sunrise, the smell of fresh sea water, or the thousands of stars that seem to exist in Jungkook’s eyes. The stars that seem to shine just for Jimin.They stay lost in time within their embrace, never wanting to let go of each other again. Jimin finally feels like he can breathe again, and the pain in his body is replaced with a pleasant warmth as Jungkook holds him so tightly. He never wants this moment to end, but of course, all good things do. And soon the sound of the wind is accompanied with a beautiful singing voice. A voice he hasn’t heard in nearly fifty years, but he would be able to recognize it anywhere.Taehyung always sang loud enough for everyone, yet no one to hear. His deep, soulful voice bellows through the air, singing that nostalgic song Jimin used to hear when he visited the tower. Jimin slowly lifts his head from Jungkook’s neck, their sore eyes meeting silently as they share a knowing look.“It sounds like it’s coming from the church,” Jungkook says quietly, careful as if not to disturb the singing.“I’m sure he knew we were here the whole time. I bet he was just waiting for us.”“Then we better not keep him waiting too long, right?” Jungkook throws back, beginning to walk to the entrance of the church, but Jimin holds onto his arms, stopping him in his tracks.Jungkook peers back at him confused. “What is it? We’ve finally found him, let’s go.”Jimin shakes his head. “I need you to wait outside. I’m going inside alone.”“No, it’s too dangerous, I can’t let you—”“Last time it was just all three of us, things didn’t end well.” Jimin moves to pick up his sword again from the white, cold ground. “I think it will be much better if I talk to him alone.”Jungkook studies him and Jimin just waits patiently, sword ready in hand. “I’m going to wait right outside that door, and if I hear anything go wrong, I’m coming in.”Jimin can’t help but smile. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Jimin and Jungkook stand before the church’s front doors. Jimin’s body is tired and aching, but a fire brews inside him. He’s been chasing Taehyung for years now, ever since he first heard of a chiropteran attack, he’s been chasing the monster from the tower. His own flesh and blood. His brother. His dear friend.It’s taken all this time until now to finally find him, and they barely did at that. Taehyung is showing that he wants to be found now. He’s finally in control of things, and Jimin can’t lie to himself when that very thought terrifies him.Jungkook’s hand squeezes his shoulder and whispers lowly in his ear, “I’ll be right out here. Just call for me and I’ll come.”Jimin nods, unable to look back at him because his eyes are so trained on the door handles before him. He’s reminded of the day he let Taehyung out, and how excited he was to open the lock and door. How time changes all things.He doesn’t want to waste any more time, he’s wasted enough already, so with the last stroke of courage inside him, he pushes the doors of the church open and steps inside. The doors close behind him loudly, leaving behind his chevalier, and leaving him alone with the blue king. The church is dark, the only light comes from the windows at the side, but Jimin can so clearly see Taehyung’s back as he faces the altar, singing now quite softly to himself.Once the doors fully close, his singing comes to stop and Jimin can only hear the pounding of his blood vessels.“What took you so long, Jimin?” Taehyung asks, voice deep, but loud enough to echo off the walls.Jimin licks his dry lips, clenching his sword tighter in his hand as begins making his way down the aisle, to get closer to Taehyung. “I tried to get here as soon as I could. You didn’t make it easy.”Jimin didn’t even it make it half way through the aisle when Taehyung turned around, his blue eyes shining in the darkness, his dark hair more trimmed than he remembered, his clothes finer too, and a beautiful smile spreading across his face. “Well where’s the fun in that?”Just as he expected, Taehyung hasn’t aged a day, but the persona he carries is now different. He seems surer of himself, less of that lost, trapped tower boy who knew nothing of this world. His eyes gleam brightly, like he now knows all the secrets of the world and has no intention of sharing them. Taehyung is as beautiful as the devil, perhaps as cruel as one too.Jimin now stands just a few feet away from Taehyung. They stare at each other like it’s the first time they met. Maybe it really is their first meeting after all. They may be strangers after all this time, but they face each other as honestly as they can. No more secrets or lies, there’s nothing more to hide.Taehyung tilts his head, his fringe swooping to one side. “You seem different than I remember.”“As do you.”His younger brother’s eyes gloss over the sword in his hand. “Is that what you use to kill my chiropterans?”“Yes,” he answers, knuckles turning white as he grips the sword tightly.“That looks nice. I want a sword too,” he comments, a slight pout on his lips.“Taehyung,” Jimin grits through his teeth like the name burns his mouth, “I didn’t come all this way to make small talk.”His brows raise a bit, questioning, “Are you going to kill me too with that nice sword?”Jimin’s breath hitches. “No. I just wanted to talk to you.”Taehyung scoffs. “You followed me for years, so we could talk? Don’t take me for a fool anymore, Jimin, Amshel warned me about you already.”“Why must you always listen to him? He doesn’t care for you, he only cares for himself.”“Amshel was there for me since the beginning, he’s always been there for me when no one else would. Not even you.”Jimin stares into his piercing blue eyes, searching desperately for the boy he used to talk to for hours behind a rose covered door, but he’s only met back with the cold gaze of a stranger.“I never meant to make you feel abandoned,” he admits.Taehyung blinks. “What are you talking about?”“At the Zoo, I never meant to make you feel abandoned when I grew up and Jungkook came along. You were always so important to me, you—”“Don’t try to make this into more than this is, Jimin. I only wanted to see you today because you keep getting a little too close,” Taehyung walks closer to him, eyes darkening, “you used to be so bad at following me and Amshel, never fast enough to stop us. But now you’re always just one step behind, and you even went as far as to kill my perfect chiropteran, Thomas. That’s something I can’t forgive.”“I won’t let your monsters hurt innocent people,” he spits back at him.“What about my chiropterans you’re hurting—”“They’re monsters! Why can’t you see—”“Why can’t you see that they’re us!” Taehyung shouts, fangs already emerged and Jimin can’t tear his eyes away from him.Jimin feels like he can hardly breathe, but he keeps speaking. “…Because we can be different from them, Taehyung. Once you make a chiropteran, they can’t control their urges or hunger, they’re dangerous. But we’re different. We can control what we do. We don’t have to be like them.”“Well what if I want to be? Not everyone’s ashamed of who they are. Not like you.”Jimin stares hard into his eyes. They’re only standing a few inches apart now, but he feels trapped in place. “I don’t believe you’re proud of the things you’ve done.”Taehyung chuckles, “That’s your problem, Jimin. You always act like you know me when you don’t.”“You’re right. I don’t know who you are now. I don’t know anything about the Taehyung who exists outside of that tower, but I do know the one who lived in there for twenty-two years. And I know this isn’t him.”Taehyung is the first to break their gaze, taking a step back. “You don’t know anything. Just tell me what you want, Jimin.”Jimin steps forward, pleading, “I want you to stop this madness, Taehyung—” he just laughs loudly but Jimin continues, “you don’t need to keep doing what Amshel tells you to do. He doesn’t care about you, but I do, Taehyung. I really do. You’re my brother, and I want to help you.”Taehyung turns around, walking away and Jimin tries to follow. “You expect me to stop? After I’ve come so far?”“Just what are you trying to accomplish, Taehyung?”His younger brother stops before the altar, gently running his fingers across the fabric that lay across it. Jimin stands behind him, waiting for him to respond like he always does.“…I want a world with only our kind…that way, we’ll never be punished for it,” he says so quietly, Jimin strains to hear it.His heart cries out for Taehyung. Jimin grew up his whole life not knowing what he was, but Taehyung was punished for it every day. The pain he must live with must be unbearable, and Jimin can understand his anger and distrust towards humans, his need to embrace chiropterans, his wish to find solace in revenge. But he knows a world like that will only bring pain and destruction. He knows there’s a better way, a way that saves everyone, including Taehyung.Jimin carefully approaches him. Taehyung’s back is turned as he admires the altar fabric, and Jimin says softly to him, “I know that would seem nice. It would make you feel safe but bringing pain to others won’t heal the pain in your heart. A world full of chiropterans is a world full of pain, bloodshed, and death…and I know humans may seem like they deserve it, but they’re as innocent as you were. Don’t you want to take the chance to be better than your captors, to spare the innocent, and make a world where everyone, including you, go unpunished for the things they don’t deserve?”He watches Taehyung’s back hutch, he can almost hear the cogs moving inside Taehyung’s head. “…What makes you think all humans are innocent? You didn’t know Thomas, he was more wicked than what meets the eye. You have no idea of the atrocities he committed in this town.”Jimin grits his teeth, “Maybe he wasn’t, but what about that child that died at the hands of him? Because you turned him.”“Maybe I saved her from a life of pain.”“What about the life you stole from her! The one you stole from her family!” Jimin cries out, screaming at Taehyung’s tense back as he refuses to turn around, his nails now digging into the fabric.Taehyung says lowly, “Humans and chiropterans can’t coexist peacefully. They’ll hunt us down, punish us, they’ve done in the past and they’ll do it again. It’s either kill or be killed, Jimin. And I’m tired of being someone else’s prey.”Before Jimin can even retort, Taehyung turns around at lightening speed and claws at his chest. Jimin stumbles back, all air escaping his lungs as the gash begins to bleed, the pain seeping in.Taehyung scowls at him, blue eyes never shining brighter than before. “I won’t stop making chiropterans. I’m going to fill this world with our kind until we’re the superior beings, and I don’t care how many people have to die for it. Try to convince me all you want, but the only way you’ll stop me is with that sword of yours. So, I’ll tell you what I wanted to tell you for the past few years,” he takes a few steps forward, Jimin clutching at his chest as he begins to back away, “Stay away from me, Jimin, and let me be. Or I’ll kill you myself.”Jimin feels his blood run cold as he stares deep into his brother’s eyes and knows he means it. He means every word. His eyes sting, not from the pain of his wound, but from the pain of knowing he’s lost Taehyung forever. He can’t stop the words from spilling from his mouth, “Please, Taehyung…I don’t want to hurt you…there’s another way. If you just come with me, I’ll show you. We can have a better life.”Taehyung is close enough to almost feel his breath on his face. He stares down at him, with the same disdain on his face from that night at the Zoo. “I think it would be best if you left now, Jimin. I wouldn’t want you to regret it.”“Taehyung, I’m not leaving—” he chokes on his words as Taehyung drives his clawed hand inside his abdomen, leaving him frozen in pain.Taehyung twists his hand inside him and Jimin tries crying out in pain, but he can only taste blood in his mouth. “Let this serve as my last warning. Leave. Now.” Taehyung pulls out his hand steps back, his hand dripping in Jimin’s blood and leaving behind a tearing wound in its wake.Jimin shakes as his body burns in pain, but he lifts his eyes to meet Taehyung’s. All patience he had has disappeared into thin air, and all he can see is red now. He clenches his teeth, feeling his own fangs surface, and know his eyes must be shining in all its red glory. “I’m not leaving you again,” he chokes out and then removes his sword from its girth. He presses his thumb into the edge of the blade, letting the blood flow into the sword, and Taehyung watches in bewilderment. Jimin raises the sword towards him, “Stop this, Taehyung. Don’t make me use this on you too.”Taehyung gawks back in confusion and as a drop of blood drips off the tip of the sword, it all seems to click inside his head, and a wicked smile finds its way onto his face. “What are you waiting for, brother?” Both nails on his hands grow into long, sinister claws and Taehyung braces himself for the fight he’s been waiting for far too long now.Jimin readies his sword. He didn’t want things to come down to this. He just wanted to talk to Taehyung, but somewhere deep inside his heart, he always knew things would have to be settled with blood. The only thing their kind seem to understand.Jimin is the first to surge forward. It all happens so fast. His body and mind have grown so weak, it can hardly register anything happening right now. His arms move on muscle memory, but his heart cries at every attack he takes at his younger brother. Their fight flashes like a lightning strike, one second, he’s striking his sword at Taehyung and the next, he’s being thrown across the church. Taehyung’s claws slash at him, and Jimin’s sword grazes him back, but never deep enough for Taehyung to be poisoned with his blood. Once either of them consumes the other’s blood, they’ll turn to stone and dust like every other chiropteran. They were each other’s ends, but Jimin just wants to be Taehyung’s new beginning.If this was any other day, Jimin is sure he would have been able to defeat Taehyung. Although Taehyung is strong and powerful, he should not be able to compete with his claws alone against a weapon, but Jimin is far too weak to fight properly, perhaps his heart isn’t strong enough either. He finds himself lying on the ground, bleeding out and quivering in pain, and one of Taehyung’s hands gripped around his throat, the other holding his sword above his chest—ready to stab him.Jimin can barely keep his eyes open. He’s lost far too much blood, and he knows he can’t die from this, but his body is ready to give up and go to sleep for however long it takes. But as he stares into Taehyung’s ocean eyes, the sword slightly shaking in his hand as it drips a mix of the brothers’ blood. If he stabs him with that sword, it’s all over for Jimin. He wonders if he’ll really do it.He hardly hears the crying voice behind them. It sounds so much like his beloved Jungkook, begging for Taehyung to stop, but Jimin can’t be quite sure.“Stay back or I’ll put this through his heart. He’ll die in seconds,” Taehyung snarls out, looking somewhere behind them.Jimin tries to muster out, “J-Jungkook—”Taehyung tightens his grip around his neck. “Quiet. You’ve lost, Jimin, and in such a pathetic way too. You can’t even fight properly—”“Please, let him go! He needs to go into slumber, just let him go, Taehyung.”Taehyung looks at him with scrutiny. “Slumber, huh? No wonder you’re so weak. If you wanted to fight me, you should have come sooner so we could have settled it properly.”“N-no fight,” Jimin chokes out, his voice barely a whisper, “Wanted to save you.”For a moment, Taehyung’s eyes soften. He looks as vulnerable and as afraid as the boy he met in the tower. The one who was locked away in darkness for far too long. Jimin’s precious friend, his first friend. But it only lasts for a moment, and his eyes harden again, and that boy disappears as this man’s hold on the sword tightens.“Consider this an act of mercy, so listen carefully, Jimin…When you wake from slumber, stay out of my way. I’ll keep turning people into chiropterans, and if I hear of you killing my precious monsters, I won’t hesitate to kill you myself…Just go and live the life you always wanted with that chevalier of yours. And stop trying to save mine.”  He says soft enough only for Jimin to hear, but stern enough to show he means it.Jimin tries shaking his head. “I won’t ever stop trying to save you…you’re my brother. I love you.”Taehyung drops the sword to the ground and lets go of his throat. “Then you’re a fool, Jimin.” And with that, he stands and walks away, allowing Jungkook to rush forward, but he leaves them behind like a ghost in the night. Never looking back like he did that night so many years ago, but this time, Jimin wishes he stayed.He knows this is not the last time he’ll see Taehyung. Once he awakes from slumber, Jimin will begin his search again. For as long as Taehyung makes chiropterans, Jimin will keep chasing. He’s a monster chasing after monsters, trying to save them all from themselves, and he’ll keep doing if it means saving the most important one—his brother.Jimin feels Jungkook crouch down and gather him in his arms. He thinks Jungkook has never seen him look this hurt and defeated before, it must hurt him. Jimin wants to tell him that he can barely feel the pain in his body, only feeling exhausted beyond belief.Jungkook tries biting into his own hand so he can feed him blood, but Jimin gently pulls Jungkook’s hand away. “I-it’ll heal on its own. Just—just hold me, okay? I want you to be the last thing I see, and the first thing I wake up to.”Jimin forces his eyes to focus so he can look at Jungkook properly, and watch as tears pool into his sweet, big eyes.“Of course. I’m not leaving you, never again,” Jungkook promises, “I’ll take you home so you can rest easily. I’ll watch over you and I won’t let anything happen to you, my love. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”Jimin can’t fight the smile that spreads on his lips. “Always so good at keeping your promises,” he gathers all his strength to wipe away at the tears streaming down Jungkook’s face, “always such a crybaby, my Jungkookie. I love you so much… Thank you for everything.”“I love you more, Jimin.”Jungkook leans in to gently press a kiss against his sweet lips. When he pulls away, Jimin’s eyes are closed as he sleeps softly. Jimin has gone into slumber. And Jungkook can’t fight the sob that breaks out of him.He knows this isn’t goodbye, Jimin isn’t gone forever, but he doesn’t know how long Jimin will be asleep for. Although Jungkook is practically immortal, waiting can take such a long, lonely time. It pains him to let go for that long, but Jungkook would do it over and over again if it means he can be reunited with Jimin every time.Jungkook needs to take Jimin home so he can have a peaceful slumber, so he can wait for the day he wakes up. He notices the chain around his neck and takes it in between his fingers, finding the silver ring he gave him so many years ago, and his chest warms at the sight. He promised to always be with Jimin, and Jimin promised to always make him happy. And Jungkook couldn’t be happier.Jungkook kisses his forehead and caresses his cheek, whispering softly in hopes Jimin can hear him in his dreams, “I’ll always be yours, Jimin. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
❧

The Past

Barfleur, France

October 13th, 1857

Jimin’s Twenty-Fourth Birthday

Far out into the country, at the end of the coast where the earth meets the sea, lives a house that is rather small and filled with far too many books. Sometimes if you stand near enough to it, you can hear someone playing the cello beautifully like a faraway dream. Most people knew this house belonged to two young men who could be seen enjoying the beach often or leaving the house to travel for days on end, but Jimin and Jungkook consider this house to be their home. And it isn’t home because of the location or the things inside it, it’s home because this is where they can be together. They are each other’s home. They always were, and they always will be.With the moon high in the sky, and the cold settling into the night, Jimin and Jungkook find themselves snuggled on their couch, being warmed by the fireplace and looking lovingly into each other’s eyes.“I have something for you,” Jungkook began, a smile playing on his lips.Jimin smiles back. “Oh, do you? Is it because today is a particular day?”Jungkook raises his eyebrows, “What’s today?”Jimin laughs, shoving him lightly, but Jungkook continues, “Do you want to see it?”“No.”“Well that’s a shame because it’s really good. You’re going to love it.”Jimin watches him and Jungkook stares back, grinning and waiting until Jimin sighs exasperatedly. “Okay, I want to see it. Please show it to me already.”Jungkook smiles even wider, his eyes and nose crinkling in his win as he leans down to reach for something under the couch. “Since you insist, I had this especially made for you. I had to find something to top the cello you got me for my birthday—”“Birthdays are not competitions, Jungkook.”“—But if they were, I would be winning.” Jungkook beams at him and Jimin can’t help but smile at his precious love. What did he ever do to deserve him?Jungkook then pulls out a long box and hands it to him, his confidence beginning to waver as his voice becomes conscious, “I do hope you like it though. Happy birthday, Jimin.”Jimin takes the box carefully and opens it to find a long breath-taking sword inside with engravings along the blade, almost matching the engravings of the ring around his finger.“You got me…a weapon?”A blush engulfs Jungkook’s face as he sputters to explain, “R-remember when you said you wanted to pick up fencing again, but you also said you wished you could be like the heroes in the books you always read? I thought this way you could practice fencing, but with a real sword. You know, like the heroes do.”Jimin admires the sword in all its beauty and then looks up at Jungkook who sweats in nervousness now, he must be thinking how silly his gift must be, but Jimin couldn’t be more endeared. “You know, fencing and sword fighting are quite different.”Jungkook’s face turns beet red. “I—I’m realizing that now.”Jimin just smiles, “I love it.”“You do?”“Of course, I’ll love anything you give me, and this is so sweet. You always remember the littlest things I say. I absolutely love it, Kook.”Relief washes over Jungkook as he smiles too, “Oh, good. People said I was strange for trying to give you a sword for a gift.”“People just don’t understand us. I’ll try to practice with it where the neighbors can’t see.”Jungkook lights up a bit, “Can you teach me too?”“Of course.” Jimin sets the sword and the box down on the ground and scooches closer to the other on the couch. He brushes a strand of hair away from Jungkook’s eyes. “Thank you. You always make my birthdays so special,” he says.Jungkook preens at the praise, always happy to make Jimin happy. “That’s actually not the last of my gifts.”“Gifts?”A wide grin is plastered on his face as he reaches over again to pull something from beneath the couch, and Jimin laughs, “How much do you have hidden under there?”When Jungkook pops back up, he’s bearing a bouquet of red roses and Jimin feels his jaw drop. He hasn’t seen red roses in years, probably not since the Zoo, but here they are in full bloom in the middle of October.“H-how did you get these? It’s not even the right season for roses.”Jungkook wiggles his eyebrows. “I have my ways.”Jimin eyes search for Jungkook’s, and he stares at him so lovingly, and Jimin melts at the sight. “You remembered they’re my favorite.”“It’s like you said, I always remember the littlest things.”Jimin sighs, feeling like he might cry. “Can you stop being so perfect for one minute?”Jungkook smiles softly. “You, first.”Jimin can only beam.Sometimes in the dark of the night, when Jimin lies in bed with Jungkook and he’s left to nothing but the demons of his mind, he fears that Jungkook will grow to regret everything that has become of his life. If he will ever resent being forced to come to the Zoo, growing close and falling for Jimin, being turned into a chevalier, and losing the freedom he was once promised in life. Jimin never meant to make Jungkook his servant, to him, he will always be just the love of his life. But a small part of him is secretly happy that this way, they really can stay together forever, never fearing of one aging pass the other and losing them along the way.And at times like this, he knows Jungkook doesn’t regret the way things turned out. Maybe he’s just as secretly happy because he looks at Jimin like he puts the stars in the sky himself, even though Jimin is sure that title belongs to Jungkook.Jimin simply places his hands over the other’s as he holds the bouquet and kisses him sweetly. Jungkook tastes like heaven, he feels like home, and Jimin’s heart can rest easy knowing this boy will always be here for him. He’s so grateful Jungkook is by his side, he can’t imagine their life any other way.Although Jimin is a supposed king, he doesn’t feel like one when Jungkook is the ruler of his heart. He gave it to him a long time ago, and he’d give it to him a thousand times again.Wherever Jimin goes, Jungkook will follow. And Jimin will always be ready to welcome him with open arms and longing with love.
❧