The Truth About Vampires (Bts vampire au)

A Thousand Memories

Jungkook feels like shit when he wakes up. The wound on his neck is freshly bandaged, though he doesn't know who did it. It's been two days and his hyungs are still hovering over him. The wound Jeohei's knife gave him is healing, although it's healing at the rate of a human's injury.

Seokjin says that if Jeohei was more powerful, he could've cursed the blade to inflict the wound over and over again. They're lucky it was a one time injury.

It feels good to be in pain. It makes Jungkook feel human again.

Jungkook looks to his right. He fell asleep in Seokjin's bed. It's mid-day and Jungkook shouldn't be awake. His sleep schedule is all over the place thanks to the pain keeping him up. He doesn't mind. He'll just watch Seokjin.

Not a single sound comes from Seokjin. If Jungkook couldn't see him, he might not even know the vampire was there.

Seokjin shoots up with a sharp inhale. It scares the shit out of Jungkook, but he looks to his hyung with worry. The expression on Seokjin's face is one Jungkook isn't used to. Fear. Uncertainty.

"Hyung?" Jungkook calls tentatively.

Seokjin whips his head to look at the younger. His shoulders sag after a long moment. Calmer. "Jungkook," he sighs. "Where are we?"

"Your room," Jungkook answers quietly. He's not sure how specific be needs to be. "In the mansion."

Seokjin inhales. "Right."

Jungkook thinks the oldest vampire looks a little lost. He's never seen Seokjin unsure of anything.

"What year is it again?" Seokjin asks. His ears blush red.

"Twenty-twenty."

Seokjin nods silently and looks around the room. Jungkook waits.

"Sorry. I forget where I am sometimes. When I am." Seokjin swings his legs over the edge of the couch and rests his feet on the floor. He reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Jungkook isn't sure what else to say. Isn't sure if Seokjin is just half asleep or if his mind is as old as he is. "My head is crammed full of so much. It's hard to add more all at once sometimes."

Jungkook can't grasp how much immortality must hurt. He won't know until he's lived long enough to cement ache in his soul.

Seokjin steadies himself. Always steady. The oldest has to be the unbreakable anchor. That's his job. It's the only thing that keeps him sane these days (decades).

"Were you dreaming?" Jungkook asks after a long pause.

"I always dream. Old memories mostly." Seokjin feels like an old memory more often than not. "We're running again. We always have to run."

"Is that what you were dreaming about?" Jungkook's throat is tight. He wants to cry for Seokjin -- for everything forced on him and the others.

"Yeah." Seokjin isn't someone who cries anymore. Not in front of people at least. "The most memorable experiences are the worst ones, no matter what species you are. I guess it's stress that brings up the past."

"I don't think it's possible to stop running," Jungkook admits. "If we live forever, it's impossible to stay in one place. Even if we didn't have to worry about all the trivial stuff. If we were the only people on the planet, we couldn't just sit on a rock forever. The rock would fall or erode. We'd have to move eventually."

Seokjin chuckles once softly (always softly). "Change is the only enemy I've ever been able to beat."

There's silence.