Thread by @amethystjooonie

CITY OF ANGELS

Jimin, a guardian angel of Seoul, had only wanted to know why the boy with the purest laugh he'd ever heard was so sad and broken. But after saving him from death by an impossible feat,

#btsfic #jikook #jikookfic

he realized that a single touch of love is worth more than an immortal life

tw // suicide attempt, domestic abuse

Jimin was one of the most common forms of angels: the ones sent to a particular city to be its guardian. Everyday for hundreds of years he and his brethren would spread their wings with the coming of dawn and descend upon the city of Seoul,

their wing tips burning with the glow of sunrise. From there he would fly over the city, witnessing as it slowly blooms to life, hearing the sound of millions of heartbeats getting ready for the day. Then, the prayers would reach him. The mothers praying for their children,

students muttering desperately ahead of their exams, lovers sending the other off with a whisper to a higher power to keep them safe. Jimin would send all these words - said and unsaid - above. But he could not himself make them come true.

Jimin loved to stroll around the parks. Or float a few inches above the ground, to be exact. Humans could not see nor sense him. They would just walk through him But each time they do, a small part of themselves stayed. He would see a memory, or sniff a scent, something

that strongly defines the person. Angels were not allowed to be attached to humans, so most of the time they would dispel the essence away. And Jimin obeyed the rule as well.

Until him.

It had been an ordinary day. Jimin was floating at the edge of the Han River,

watching a family of ducks paddle past. He smiled in tickled amusement everytime a little duckling would try to waddle past its siblings, to show off to their mother. He would clear their path of any floatsam or garbage, guiding them towards the water.

That was when the boy smashed right through him.

And Jimin heard a sound ringing in the air. The purest, brightest laugh he'd ever heard, a manifestation of unbridled joy. Angels don't have beating hearts, but it stirred something deep inside him, so much so that he turned and

fluttered towards the boy. He had fallen down from his bike. Jimin could see the ugly red gash on his arm, the blood dripping on the cold pavement. The boy muttered a curse of annoyance and wrapped the injury with his scarf without much thought. He then hopped

on the bike and continued his way.

Jimin realized he was following the boy when they got to downtown, where the bustle of city life jolted him. He could see his fellow angels flying around, keeping divine order and decided it would not cause harm if he strayed away for a few

minutes.

He kept a close distance with the boy, hovering just behind him. He could see blood starting to stain the scarf and furrowed his brows in worry. But the boy himself paid no mind, instead turning a corner into a quiet alley.

Jimin's wings fluttered in suspicion as the boy parked his bike behind a dumpster, looking around behind him as if making sure he wasn't being followed before quickly ducking through an entrance that was spray painted all over with graffiti. Jimin wouldn't have known

it was a door if not for the small crack that allowed him to go through.

The angel made the rare decision to plant his feet on the ground, intently studying the door. He could just go through and find out what was behind it of course, and not a soul would notice him.

The boy didn't seem like a bad person. No evil could possess laughter as joy-inducing as the one he had heard. It reminded him of the heavenly music that were ever perpetual, a sound no human can hear, but that every angel would bask in. The Lord would not bestow

such a gift if the soul was corrupted.

So Jimin glided through the closed door as easy as if it was water. The inside was dimly lit, so he had to take a second to adjust to the change after the glaring sun outside. He could make out a few figures scattered across

a poorly equipped gym. There were weights and skipping ropes, all lying around a boxing ring.

'Hey, Jeon. You're late today,' a gruff voice called out.

The boy Jimin followed raised his good hand in apology. 'Sorry, hyung. Got into a little accident,' he said, showing

his scraped forearm. Jimin was a little surprise at how young he sounded, considering he was built like a grown man.

The older man frowned. 'That looks pretty bad. Shouldn't you patch it up? I'll get the kit.'

The boy started to make a sound of protest, but his companion had

already disappeared into another room. He sighed, plopping down and easing his backpack from his shoulders. He then changed from his regular clothes into a black tank top and shorts. Just then, the other man came back.

'You should be more careful, Jungkook. You're already in big trouble coming here. What if your parents know you've been skipping class? I can't be there for you all the time, you know,' he said as he tended to the wound.

'I'll be fine, Yoongi hyung. Now come on, you promised to show me the Fang Combo.'

The older man - Yoongi, only watched in silence as Jungkook geared up. He seemed to have more to say, but decided against it, only blowing the mint hair from his eyes in exasperation.

'You're a piece of work, Jeon,' he concluded.

For the next hour, Jimin watched in mute fascination as the two got into what he could only described as controlled violence. Yoongi would teach a series of move, correcting the younger's posture and technique, and the two

would go at it like alpha males. Jimin observed Jungkook as the minutes ticked by. The boy was fierce, his teeth almost gritted into a snarl as Yoongi deflected each of his punches, his top grew darker still with sweat. Jimin could sense a raw energy from him,

as palpable as the air around him. He realized he had not blinked for the last three minutes as Jungkook punched and dipped and tried to find a chink in Yoongi's defence.

'Jungkook calm down,' Yoongi said as they emerged from their water break. 'You're hitting blind.

Is there something you wanna talk to me about?'

'No,' the younger answered curtly, already in position.

'You know the rules. I won't fight you when you're angry.'

Jungkook straightened up. He's now /clearly/ angry. 'It's nothing, hyung. Can we just go back to it?'

'Did your old man gave you a hard time, again?'

Jungkook threw up his gloves. 'Fucking hell, hyung!'

'Hey. Language, smartass.'

'That's rich coming from you. Besides, when has he ever /not/ given me a hard time? Did you just met me today?'

'Hey, hey. Hey,' Yoongi walked over and cupped Jungkook's head in between his gloves. 'What do I always say?'

Jungkook let out a harsh breath. 'Don't fight if you know you can't win.'

'And?'

'Protect myself. That means no dumb shit.'

'Good. What else?'

Jungkook shifted on his feet. 'You'll always be there for me.'

Yoongi smirked, lightly tapping the younger's forehead. 'Nice to know that thing's still working. And you should go now. It's 6 o' clock.'

Jungkook flashed his eyes towards a clock on the wall and cursed.

He scrambled to take off his gloves and put back on his dishevelled clothes, shoving everything haphazardly inside his bag.

'Later hyung!' he yelled as he dashed madly towards the door.

Once again Jimin found himself following the boy as the latter dashed through

traffic on his bike, with kids coming home from school and parents picking them up.
He wondered why he was in such a hurry.

Jungkook continued riding on until he reached an apartment complex on the edge of town. The buildings were old and withered, cramped together

with barely any room in between. Suddenly the conversation Yoongi had with Jungkook started to make sense to him.

Jungkook parked his bike underneath one of the complex, but he didn't immediately go inside. Instead he held on to his bike handles with an iron grip,

as if steeling himself. Unbeknownst to himself, Jimin began to reach out a hand, and jolted it back when Jungkook's own released its hold on the bike. Wordlessly, he swung his bag over one shoulder and walked inside.

Jimin followed him on foot as the boy trudged each mouldy step up the building. Two sets of feet, but only Jungkook's echoed through the walls. Jimin couldn't rationalise with himself why he was doing this, why he was following a human up a place so heavy with the

stink of evil and despair he could suffocate from it. But his eyes landed once again on the spot where Jungkook had scraped himself, and knew that for the rest of his existence his laughter would always follow him.

Unless he knew more.

The younger finally stopped in front of an apartment unit. The front door was so littered with empty beer bottles that he had to steer around it. Jimin had a sinking feeling.

Jungkook announced his arrival, and no sooner had he closed the door than a tall, burly man appeared

from the kitchen.

'Back late today.'

Jungkook assumed a blank face. 'There was a lot of traffic.'

He tried to go past the man, but he stopped him with a grip on the shoulder.

'And why are you so sweaty? Got into fights again?'

Jungkook shook him off with one harsh

shift of his shoulder. 'It was hot today. Its been hot for weeks. I can't sweat now?'

The silence that hung between the two was so heavy Jimin felt it bog down his wings. Then, the man leaned closer, until even the angel can smell the putrid stench of alcohol on his breath.

'A smartass, eh?'

Somehow when this man uttered the word, it became ugly and menacing, so unlike the tone Yoongi had used earlier.

Before Jimin knew it, the man had yanked Jungkook's bag away from him, even with the younger's loud protests. He all but almost tore it open,

dumping the contents onto the floor. The boxing gears and gym clothes lay strewn pitifully.

Jungkook maintained a facade of outrage, but Jimin could see the hands he balled into fists were shaking.

'I'll give you one more chance, smartass. Where have you been?'

'That's none of your busi-'

It happened so fast. One minute Jungkook was beside him, the next he was flying, pinned to the wall by an arm to the neck, choking his air supply. Jimin stood frozen in horror as Jungkook clawed at the man's arm, gasping for air.

'It's my business when it's my money paying you through school. It's my fucking business when you live under my roof, eating the food I provide. So you answer my questions when I ask them,' he tightened his chokehold, so that Jungkook was making these horrible gagging noise.

The boy flopped onto the ground, wheezing for air.

'Get out of my sight,' the man spat, reaching for an unopened beer bottle on the table.

Jungkook stood there for a while, on all fours as he waited for his breathing returned to normal. He then gathered his belongings in a heap

and dashed towards his room, locking the door.

Jimin stood bolted on his spot, shockwaves running through his divine body as he tried to process what he had just seen. He's witnessed many, many things as he's spent his life on earth, but never violence on such a personal

level. It gave him an odd, uncomfortable feeling he knew humans called being sick.

He glanced at the room Jungkook disappeared in.

Should he go inside and make sure he's okay? Granted, he probably couldn't do anything, and Jungkook probably wouldn't like it if some invisible

divine being started snooping around him.

But he was so worried. Jimin didn't think it would be so bad if he was there. He wouldn't want to be left all alone after such an ordeal.

Tentatively, Jimin let himself inside. The room was brightly lit, as the windows faced the full

brunt of sunlight. There were old movie posters on the walls, overlapped with birthday cards that has to be at least dated five years ago. The room was small, barely squeezed in a bed, a dresser and a tiny desk. It wasn't hard for him to locate Jungkook, lying on

his back, one arm over his eyes to block out the glare.

At least, that was what Jimin thought, until he could see the tears silently making their way past his ear and onto the pillow. Jungkook's face itself didn't crack one bit.

'Oh dear,' Jimin breathed, sitting cross-legged

on the floor beside the bed, listening to the boy's ragged breath. He felt so helpless.

'It's okay,' he whispered after a while. Not knowing what else to say. 'It's alright.'

He raised a finger to wipe a falling tear, but it only went through him, as if he hadn't existed at all

-

A knock on the door startled Jimin, and he immediately got on his feet, determined to do something if it was the horrible man again.

But the voice on the other side was soft and sweet. 'Jungkookie, baby are you asleep?'

Jungkook sprung from his bed and unlocked the door.

Standing in front of him was a lady who had certain features of Jungkook's. Jimin could see where he got his eyes and mouth.

'Mama,' he said, pulling her in a tight hug.

The woman gave a surprised laugh. 'Oh honey. What is it?' she asked, lightly scratching the back of his head

Jungkook looked over her shoulder. 'Is he gone?' he asked quietly.

She answered in a similar tone. 'Yes, he's gone for his night shift. What is it, baby? Did he do something to you?'

Like autopilot, Jungkook shook his head. 'No. I didn't even see him today.'

His mother held him at arm's length, studying him. 'How are you today? How was school?'

'It's fine,' he answered, a little too quickly in Jimin's opinion. 'It's just... a hard day, you know,' he finished, sitting back on his bed.

'He would have been so proud of you, his strong boy,' she said, kissing his temple as she rubbed his shoulder.

Jungkook reached out for a picture frame on his desk. 'We would have been at the cabin in Busan today. If he was here.'

Jungkook's mother hummed in agreement,

tracing the edge of the picture. 'And you two would have been playing in the water all day until your skin wrinkled.'

Jungkook gave a breathy laugh. It was only a ghost of what Jimin had heard in his head earlier that day, but it made him lean in, wanting to hear more.

'Why don't you get some rest, Mama? It's late and you've been working all day.'

'What about you? Have you eaten?'

Jungkook nodded. 'I had some ramen earlier,' the lie went out so smoothly, as if its a script he'd recited a million times before.

She nodded. 'All right. Don't sleep too late. You have school tomorrow.'

He planted a kiss on her cheek. 'Good night, Mama.'

'Goodnight, love. I'll see you in the morning.'

She gave him a smile before closing the door.

As soon as she's gone, Jungkook's acting crumbled apart.

The smile he wore faded into a sad frown, his body hunched forward as if he was carrying a bag of stones on his back. He was still gripping the picture.

'Happy birthday, Dad,' he said, almost inaudible to even the angel's ears.

He walked over to his desk, gently placing the

picture back in its place. He stood there for a while. Jimin joined him, standing by his side as he studied the picture of a little boy sandwiched between his parents, toy shovel in one hand and a green bucket in the other, smiling so wide as both parents planted a kiss on each

of his cheeks.

Jimin glanced up to the Jungkook of today. He wondered when the smile gave way to the tight downturn of his lips. When did those eyes filled with what he swore were stars were washed away by an ocean of sorrow?

Jimin reached out a hand. Wanting to offer comfort.

Some semblance of peace. But Jungkook turned away, and his fingers grazed through his shoulder.

Jungkook clicked off the light, plunging the room into darkness, except for a hue of blue from the city lights outside.

'Goodnight, Jungkook,' Jimin told the air as the boy tucked

himself to sleep.

-

It must have been very late into the night, more appropriate to call it early morning when Jungkook awoke from sleep. Jimin had frozen from his pacing before realising the boy couldn't see him.

Jungkook sat very still, as if contemplating something

in his mind.

'Jungkook?' Jimin asked. Of course, it went unanswered.

The boy stirred, pulling his covers away and reaching for his bagpack. He began to stuff it with things: clothes, an extra sweater, a half-eaten chocolate bar. At the last minute he turned around,

staring at the picture on his desk. He took it and gently tucked it in the folds of his clothes. Quietly he began to dress himself, putting on his shoes and unlatched the window.

Jimin finally caught on. 'No, no, no. Jungkook, what are you doing?'

Jungkook pushed the window open painfully slow, owning to the loud creaks it would make at the slightest move. But he managed to crack it just enough to wiggle through, and he was off into the night.

Jimin wasted no time following him. He would have to be careful

not to be discovered by any of the night angels. His duties would only bound him to earth during daytime, and by sunset he was supposed to rise back above. This was the first time he had broken this law. He didn't know the consequences for it, since no angel had ever broken

it before. He only hoped he didn't have to find out.

Jungkook was bloody fast, and quiet on his two feet as he parkoured his way to the ground. Jimin imagined he was impossible to catch, even if his pursuer had wings.

Once he was clear on the ground, Jungkook seemed

more relaxed, steady his pace into a measured gait. He kept his eyes low, avoiding open streets or streetlights.

'Where are you going, Jungkook?' Jimin muttered, more to himself. They passed by a convenience store, the harsh lights spilling into the street,

forcing Jungkook to the other side. He kept on walking until-

Jimin fluttered his wings to a stop as Jungkook ceased in his steps. He looked around. There was nothing there except the convenience store and an old building next to it, surrounded by construction cranes.

The gravel crunched under Jungkook's shoes as he turned his body to face the building, eyes going up, up, up until it reached the top. As if hypnotised, he began to make his way towards the entrance, ignoring the yellow tape and 'Keep Away' signs.

-
Jimin was out of his mind with frustration, his attempts at turning the boy away all futile. He tried pulling at his clothes, screaming into his ears and even blowing him away with his wings. Still, Jungkook continued his climb up the building, determined to reach the top.

'This is crazy. This is insane. What is he doing? What am /l/ doing?' Jimin muttered crazedly to himself. But still he helplessly followed Jungkook. He couldn't leave the boy alone. If anything happened to him... he wouldn't ever forgive himself.

After about 30 minutes, Jungkook finally arrived at the rooftop. He didn't even look winded. It was expectedly abandoned, filled with construction dust and the occasional cigarette butt. Jimin was apprehensive. Not because he was scared, but there are other creatures

besides angels that humans couldn't see roaming around. Restless souls, evil spirits. Unlike angels they could make themselves known to humans, especially if said humans had entered their territory. Jimin hadn't seen them in many years, much less fought one.

The centuries of development had forced them deep into pockets of dwellings where they would be left alone.

Such as this one.

He circled cautiously around Jungkook, training his eyes closely and allowing his senses to heightened. But the night seemed to be occupied

by just the two of them - the lonely human and the lone angel, an unlikely duo.

Jungkook made his way to the edge, where the rusted bars that reached around his waist were the only barrier between him and the long plunge below.

Jungkook breathed in the sweet night air, and for the first time since Jimin followed him that day, a smile curved his lips. A soft, genuine one that made the dimples on his cheeks dip like the crescent moon. Jimin watched in quiet awe. He had seen many wondrous sights

in his lifetime. But he wasn't sure they could ever live up to what he was seeing.

And then, Jungkook began to sing.

It began as a quiet tune, almost carried away by the wind. But as his confidence picked up so did his voice. And oh, Jimin felt as if a pair of wings

had smacked him right across his face. Because his voice, his voice could rival that of a thousand angels, the ones who could produce the most remarkable sounds, serenading the heavens since time upon. Jimin didn't realize until he stopped singing that something wet was

on his face. He thought it had begun raining, but the dusty ground was bone dry.

The shock that went through his body when he brought a hand to his face and discovered it was his own tears was astronomical. So much so that he staggered back, hands shaking. Angels don't cry.

Angels never cry because they don't feel sadness or joy or any of these human emotions. At least not like humans do. They feel enough to survive, especially those duty bound on earth. Jimin didn't know he was even capable of producing tears. It was as if discovering he had grown

a horn on his head.

He looked up at Jungkook, eyes wide.

'What are you?'

Jungkook, quite oblivious to the distraught he had caused the angel, digged into his bag, producing the picture of his family. His singing had trickled to an easy humming.

'Dad, are you up there?

Can you hear me?'

Jimin's ears perked up, and he slowly made his way and stood beside him.

'I picked up boxing, just like you wanted me to. Mama didn't know, of course. She'll be too sad if she does. But Yoongi hyung's a good coach.

He's been getting these tattoos, you know. Really awesome. I'm gonna get some soon. Maybe I'd have just like the one you had on your arm. The butterfly.'

He pulled his hoodie tighter against the chill of the night. 'I hate living at home now.

Choi is a jerk. I don't care what he does to me. But he beats Mom up. She thought I didn't know, but she's lousy at hiding up the marks. At least she thinks he's never touched me. I can spare her that.'

The grip on the picture tightened.

'I miss you so much, Dad. It's so hard. Everyday is just me fighting for a reason to get out bed. I'm running out of them, Dad. I'm not sure how long I can hold on.'

Then suddenly, a burst of rage as Jungkook slammed his fist down on the bars.

'Why did you leave me?!

Why did you leave Mom and me to an asshole like Choi? Why didn't you /fight/?!'

The last word was hurled into the open air, full of fury and disappointment, scattering like ashes.

Jungkook bent down, hiding his face in between his arms as tears splattered onto the ground,

making patterns in the dust.

'It's just so unfair,' he sobbed. 'It's so unfair. Why did God take good people like you and leave the bad ones with the rest of us?'

Jimin turned away, the sorrow latching in him unbearable to the point of breaking. He clutched the place where

the pain hurts the most, the place on his chest where a beating heart would be if he were human.

When he turned back around, he found Jungkook had climbed onto the bars, arms spread to the winds.

-

'Jungkook, no!'

Jimin stretched out his hand, like he did when he wanted to touch Jungkook when he was gripping his bike handles too tightly, like when Jungkook was holding too much sorrow for one human when he was staring at his family picture. But now, now

Jimin had never wanted anything more than to be able to hold Jungkook, pull him away and never let go.

But of course, his hand went through him like a ghost.

'Jungkook, Jungkook listen to me,' he said, flying right in front of him. 'Don't do this, okay? This isn't right.'

The boy had closed his eyes, tears clinging on his lashes as he swayed like an unstrung puppet.

Jimin rushed forward, trying to wrap his hands around his body only to stumble through him.

'I'll come to you, Dad,' Jungkook whispered faintly. 'I'll come to you.'

'NO!' the angel screamed. He scrambled back to his feet. He clawed at the boy's clothes from behind, holding at nothing, wishing for everything.

Jimin was fully crying now, hands locked around Jungkook's middle as a last resort. He knew that if Jungkook did commit,

he wouldn't be able to do anything. He would go through him and through the air... until-

'Lord, please,' he pleaded through his tears. 'Spare this boy. Let me help him. Please save him. I will give you anything, my Lord.'

'Anything.'

-
Across the clear night sky, thunder rolled like a crashing wave, followed by a bright bolt of blue. Jungkook gasped, losing his footing, tipping forward.

Jimin closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Waiting to open his eyes to discover Jungkook was gone.

A weight pressed against his arms, and he felt a pair of hands grip them for balance. Jimin's eyes flew open.

Jungkook was looking back at him, face slack with shock. 'What-'

Jimin flapped his wings harder than he ever did, so hard that they both went tumbling back into

the safety of the dusty floor. Jimin landed with a hard hit on his back, groaning in pain. That was more force than he intended.

His wings had wrapped protectively around Jungkook, who was now squirming in his grip. The shock hit him all over again.

He was touching a human.

His wings fluttered with a mind of its own, bringing him to his feet. Jungkook tumbled to the ground in the process, coughing once the dirt smeared his face.

'You... You're-'

It was too much. Jungkook pointing at him with a shaking finger, eyes blown wide with a mixture

of fear and disbelief. Jimin could see himself. Could see him reflected in those star-filled eyes. Jungkook could see him, all in his true form.

'Wait!' the boy shouted after him. But he was gone, flown into the night with tears in his eyes and the faintest, quietest

beat in his chest.

-

Amidst all the chaos and confusion, a pair of eyes had been observing in the dark, glinting as the angel shot into the sky and disappeared from sight, the human dazed and confused, collecting his things and staggering out the building.

Interesting.

-

The blare of the alarm yanked him from sleep, eyes bruised and bloodshot from exhaustion. Groggily he reached for his phone to shut it off, then rolled over on his back, facing the blank white of the ceiling.

What the /fuck/ happened last night?

It was like his thoughts and memories had become blurry snapshots frozen in time. He remembered waking up, sneaking out his house to go to Yoongi's. White light spilling onto the street. Changing his mind. An unbelievably long climb of stairs.

Pain started pounding at his temple

from that point on, as if his brain was stopping him from remembering.

But he forced himself.

He remembered shots of the city his mind captured. That's right, he was looking up from the rooftop. Then the sky. As if someone had dripped blue ink on top of slick, black oil.

Then, nothing.

No, there was something else. Something more. He knew it in his heart. But the pain in his head combined with the numb of waking up proved too much. He heard the front door click open. Choi's home. That means he better get his ass up.

-
Jungkook had tuned out most of the lesson, foot tapping in tandem with his thoughts, that is, /fast/. He had been biting his nails into stubs for the last thirty minutes. His eyes wandered to the school courtyard outside. A white dove flipped its wings, landing expertly onto

the ground.

Wings-

'... this assignment goes into your finals score as well. Make sure you do your best with your partner.'

Jungkook only caught the tail end of that instruction, but know he's fucked. He completely forgot about how

they had to partner up for the class. They were told about it since a week ago. But as usual, Jungkook let it fly over his head. Now, he doesn't have the luxury of slacking off like last time. The 'my dad died' excuse apparently expired very fast.

'Hey there.'

Jungkook turned his head slightly to the side to find Kim Taehyung looking at him with that signature box smile of his. He never really talked to the guy. It wasn't personal, he barely talked to anyone from school. Mostly because he hardly attends.

Jungkook gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.

'You wanna partner up?'

He couldn't stop his eyebrow from raising in surprise. Kim Taehyung is leagues above him in terms of popularity. While he's the self-made social outcast, Taehyung was a natural people magnet.

Granted, that was thanks to his supernatural good looks, but also because he actually went out his way to not be a jerk. Jungkook remembered the times he would quietly slide his notes over to him when he would struggle to keep up with class.

'Are you... sure?' he asked apprehensively. 'I mean, you know what you're doing, right?'

He knew that wasn't the right thing to say. He was already desperate for a partner and it's not short of a miracle that not only someone volunteered to be his, it was /the/ Kim Taehyung.

'Well, the topic is about hidden heroes, right? We're supposed to interview people whose contributions were always overlooked in the community. Do you know anyone like that?'

It didn't take long for a face to pop up in his head, although he would probably get a knuckle

to the head for putting in his name without permission.

'I think I know someone like that,' he said.

'Dope! You can arrange for us to meet them then?'

Jungkook nodded.

'Alright, cool. Call me when it's settled. I'll bring the camera and mic.

Here's my number,' Taehyung said, scribbling on the edge of his notebook.

'I'll see you later, partner,' he flashed one of his infamous smile before bounding out the class.

Jungkook was still dumbfounded by the whole exchange, but one word rang clearly in his mind.

Partner.

tw // addiction

Jungkook made a beeline for Yoongi's. Its Friday so he would be home, sleeping it off after working all night at the bar. He lived in a trailer park near Jungkook's neighbourhood.

They actually first met about two years ago, when his dad had started getting really sick.

Jungkook had been upset all the time. He knew he was running out of time, and the fact that he couldn't do anything about it drove him to fights and truants with anyone who wants to. It just so happens that one day he got unlucky and messed with the wrong gang.

They beat him up bad. In an alleyway, slamming him across metal shutters until his lips split open and his body numbed with bruises. He was left there, swimming in and out of consciousness.

When he came to, it was in a trailer. Yoongi had blonde hair at the time.

Smoking at the end of the makeshift bed where he was lying, he took a deep drag as he crouched. Jungkook was reminded of that character in Death Note. That weird kid. They had similar built and posture, too. What was his name? L.

'The proverbial son lives,' the man drawled.

Jungkook tried to move, but it felt like lead in his veins instead of blood.

'Hold it, Rocky. You move, and all that patching up would be for nothing.'

Jungkook flopped his head back down, which at that point felt like a boulder.

'Where am I?' he rasped.

'Heaven,' Yoongi said with flourish, waving his arms. 'And I'm your guardian angel, that had surely saved you from imminent harm. You're welcome.'

He closed his eyes. Sarcastic bastard. He has no patience for that now.

Yoongi nudged his foot, making him hiss in pain.

'Now tell me, what kind of fucked up shit was going on through your head that you thought it was a brilliant idea to go provoke Vince and his boys?'

Jungkook glared. 'What makes you think I'm telling you anything?'

Yoongi shrugged. 'Nothing. But what makes you think people go to shrinks all the time?'

This time, Jungkook shrugged.

Yoongi leaned in. 'It's cause they're strangers. They don't judge. They listen. They tell you the "right" thing. They collect

their cheque. Fortunately for you, I'm not charging you anything. Which is more than you can ask for around these parts.'

Jungkook stayed quiet.

'For all it's worth, it'll make you feel much better.'

So Jungkook told him. It wasn't easy to begin. It wasn't just telling

him what happened, but once he started, he couldn't help but including how he felt. Seeing his father wasting away, his mother working more shifts a person could handle. The eviction notice from their landlord.

Yoongi listened to every word, not doing anything stupid like offering him a tissue when the waterworks started. Just... listened. At the end of it Jungkook felt almost euphoric, like he was coming down from a high. His body still felt awful, but the heaviness he's been carrying

in himself for so long had subsided. And for the first time in a long while he felt peace.

From then, he naturally stuck to Yoongi. The elder tried to brush him off, saying he didn't owe him anything. But Jungkook bribed him with food, seeing as the little

money he earned all went to fund his smoking addiction and his newfound love for tattoos. At first Yoongi treated him like something of a stray cat--someone who just happened to end up at his doorstep and was too helpless to get rid off. But from then on they always managed

through hard times with each other. Yoongi was there when his father passed away and when he and his mom moved in with Choi. Jungkook snuck him inside his room hundreds of times when his trailer got robbed or when he was thrown out of it because he couldn't pay rent in time.

Jungkook was the one who encouraged Yoongi to get his boxing license to coach. He had been dabbling in the sport for a while, had gotten good, even. He'd been dreaming to open up his own gym where he could teach. He finally got the license after months of trying.

But since he'd used all his money for the license, he had to start back from scratch for the gym. Fortunately Jungkook found him a really cheap one. Unfortunately that meant the place was pretty shitty, and his only student was Jungkook.

Jungkook dug in his pocket for the spare key to Yoongi's trailer. The elder would be too out of it to answer the door. Just as he thought, he was sprawled over on the bed, snoring lightly. The smell of tobacco that was a constant fixture hung in the air.

He helped himself to some water from the mini fridge, before settling down on Yoongi's huge stereo and picking up his old guitar. Yoongi plays sometimes. Said his dad had been in a band. The guitar was actually the only thing left of him Yoongi has.

Jungkook's awful attempt at playing eventually woke him up, face scrunching in annoyance at the screeching.

'What time is it?' he groaned.

'Late,' Jungkook replied. He pulled out his phone. 'Six thirty.'

'Then why the hell aren't you home? I'm not looking forward to

your stepdad's punches.'

Jungkook rolled his eyes. 'First of all he doesn't know you. Second of all it's Friday. He'll be out with his buddies tonight doing dumb shit. Won't be back till like, Monday morning.'

Yoongi reached for a cigarette and clicked on his lighter.

'Sounds like a happy family,' he puffed.

The younger made a face. 'Do you have to smoke? You just woke up. Go drink some water first at least.'

'I'm taking a smoke break,' the other replied matter-of-factly.

'Every waking hour of yours is one.'

'That's because you don't have enough of a concept of addiction to understand why I take smoke breaks.'

Yoongi took another long drag before gesturing for his guitar. 'What is it?'

'What's what?' Jungkook asked, handing the instrument over.

'You got something you wanna ask me,' he stated, tuning the guitar and testing it with a few plucks of the strings.

Jungkook shifted, placing his bag on his lap. 'There's this assignment I had to do. I need good marks too or else I wouldn't pass the class.'

'Solo? Or are you doing it with other people?'

'It's a partnered assignment,' he paused before continuing. 'I'm doing it with Kim Taehyung.'

Yoongi stopped plucking on his guitar. 'Where have I heard that name before?'

Jungkook sighed. 'Everyone's heard it, hyung.

He's the son of that famous actor. And his other dad is a fashion designer for, I don't know, Gucci or something.'

Yoongi whistled. 'And he's super hot too, isn't he? Damn, what witch doctor did you go to to make /that/ happen?'

'You're doing wonders for my self-esteem here, hyung,' he frowned. 'I didn't do anything. He sits next to me in class, but we never really talked. He just came up and said he wanted to partner up with me.'

'It's not your brain, that's for sure. He must have the hots for you then. Lucky. Don't forget me when you're rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.'

Jungkook rolled his eyes. 'Hyung, you're unbelievable. Anyway, that's not important. I wanna ask you to be our subject

for this assignment. I promised him I'd find someone. Will you do it?'

Yoongi groaned. 'You know how busy I am? I'm taking weekend shifts at the bar for the whole month.'

Jungkook placed his hands together. 'Please, hyung. I really need to pass this class to graduate. I can't repeat it again. I promise I'll make it up to you. Please... you're helping a future generation, here.'

'You are literally four years younger than me,' he sighed. 'Fine.

'But you owe me big time. Like /big/ time.'

'Alright, alright,' Jungkook acquiesced. 'I'll dedicate my first born to you or whatever it is you want,' he gave a wide grin. 'Thanks, hyung. You're the best.'

'Brat.'

-

Jimin had been flying all night.

Only two thoughts were clear in his head.

One: it's still very important that he stay out of sight of the other angels until daybreak. They would normally stay below the clouds, so to have a better view of the city.

So he took to the sky, up above the clouds, higher than the planes would go, until the stars were the size of diamonds and icicles formed at the tips of his fingers and wings.

It didn't bother him. In fact he embraced the cold. Angels don't have real need to breathe,

but Jimin took a deep gulp of icy air. And it calmed his frantic mind enough that he was able to think.

Two: Jungkook had seen him.

Not only seen him, but touched him as well. Lord, Jimin had him in his /arms/.

The skin there still carried an odd sensation.

A pulsating heat where cold dominated the rest of his body.

Jimin was on edge. He was sure he had violated a very strict rule. There would surely be punishment for him. Maybe that was what the lightning meant. He asked for too much. Now he will be struck down.

But something was out of place. He didn't /have/ the ability to make himself seen to humans. He made a prayer, and all of a sudden the ability manifested itself. Surely, it was by the Lord's permission that it happened. Surely, it was to enable him to help Jungkook.

As if on cue, the clouds that had been parading through the sky since the first lightning burst forth, pouring water from their bellies onto the scorched earth below.

All at once, prayer of thanks filled his ears. From so many lips, thanking God for the blessing.

Jimin looked towards the distant moon, barely visible in between the pregnant clouds. But still, he could see it.

A shadow of a smile.

-
As soon as dawn broke the next day Jimin headed towards the one place where he knew he could get help. The whole city looked different, a result of a good wash of rain. Everything seemed clearer. The air, the roads. It strengthened Jimin's conviction.

When he arrived, tourists were already crowding, taking advantage of good weather. But Jimin made it straight for the top of Namsan Tower. And just as he'd expected, Namjoon was there.

He was dressed in all black as opposed to the other angels' pristine white,

to signify himself as the overseer of the angels of Seoul. He used to be found at the top of the highest mountain in the region. But centuries of changing landscape meant the mountain was eventually tore down to make way for the city. Namsan Tower now stood in its place.

And so does Namjoon.

Jimin landed before him and gave a bow as a sign of respect.

'Jimin. How nice it is to see you.'

He doesn't know how old Namjoon was. He had existed long before Jimin was created. But other angels would sing nothing but praises when they

speak of him. One of the gentlest angels, wise beyond doubt, witness to every significant moment in human history imaginable. He offered Jimin a smile, and he thought it could rival entire galaxies.

'Beautiful day, isn't it?' the angel continued, gesturing to the space beside

him.

Jimin stood there, engulfed by his height.

'A blessing,' Jimin replied.

Namjoon smiled again. 'Indeed. The Lord must be pleased.'

'Is he?' Jimin asked before he could stop himself.

Namjoon peered down at him, not unkindly. 'Is there something on your mind?'

Jimin mulled the question in his thoughts.

'Why- why are we not allowed to communicate with humans?'

Jimin wouldn't called it surprise exactly, but there was curiosity in the older angel's face.

'What I meant was,' Jimin continued. 'We are guardians of this city.

And by extension its inhabitants. So why aren't we allowed to be more directly involved? You and I--all of us; we see so many evil and destruction happen everyday. And we could only /watch/, ' he looked up at Namjoon.' What is it that we're supposed to be guarding, then?'

Namjoon did not answer immediately.

'Have you ever seen a knitting up close?' he asked after taking a sweeping view of the city.

'I'm sorry?' Jimin asked, confused.

'There was an old lady who lived here a long time ago. Every morning she would pray, and her prayers would

reach me. They were not extraordinary prayers.

She prayed for her family. For their health. She prayed to be allowed to see the flowers bloom the coming spring. But her prayers tinged with sincerity I have never heard before . So one day I paid her a visit. She was sitting

beside a window, watching the flowers float down from their branches. In her hands were two strings of yarn interwoven such until it became a scarf. She spent hours on it, then left to tend to something in the kitchen. When she came back, she discovered the scarf had been

unravelled by her young granddaughter.

She did not do much. Only took one end and pulled and pulled until the whole thing came apart. Hours of labor come undone by just one action.'

'Our existence and the humans' existence are side by side, as is the two yarns. But the barrier

that exist between our kinds serve as a protection for both of us. Can you imagine what the humans would do if they can see and touch us? We guard the /essence/ of this world, to protect its most pivotal balance. We guard it against unseen forces that if left unchecked, could

unravel the fabric of the world. Once that happens, no amount of guardian angels could prevent the imminent doom.

'But sometimes,' Namjoon added, seeing Jimin's dark silence. 'Sometimes the Lord makes exceptions to those He has chosen, out of His divine wisdom. I'd like to

think of it as his own perfect chaos, for what is chaos and order if not two sides of the same coin?'

He held Jimin's arm gently. 'Whatever is troubling you, know that the Lord is by your side. So have courage.'