CHAPTER 3 - CHANGING

Jungkook woke up to a massive headache that felt like it came from a concussion. As a football player, he knew that feeling all too well. His phone was vibrating on his nightstand, so he snatched it and brought it to his ear. "Hello?" he said in his morning tone, rubbing his fingers across his temple.

"Hey Kook," Jackson's voice replied, "hungover from the party?"

"Only drink I had was yours. Oh yeah, meant to ask you, I thought you said you weren't going. What happened there?"

"Changed my mind last minute. Baekhyun told me he was going, so I went with him. Just wanted to call and see if you were alive. It's already 3 and Angelina's blowing up my phone asking me where you are."

Jungkook glanced at the clock, amazed that it actually was 3 o'clock in the afternoon. "Just woke up now, I promise I wasn't ignoring you or her. I'll text her now. See you soon."

He hung up without waiting for a response, noting that his roommate was out probably doing his girlfriend or something. Jungkook didn't care. He sent a quick text to Angelina before getting up. That was when he saw the sweat staining his sheets and body. What the hell...? Why was he sweating so much? Why did he have a massive headache?

Jungkook peered down at the spider bite and widened his eyes when he saw the purple tint it had, a white oval where the bite originally was. "The fuck...?" he mumbled, pressing down on the skin around it to feel how tense it was. It was pretty fucking tense to say the least.

He patted himself down with a towel and stripped his bed, throwing the sheets in his laundry bag along with his boxers. After he got fully changed, brushing his wavy, long hair, he grabbed the door handle. His hand turned the knob, opening the door, but when he tried to depart, he couldn't remove his hand from the thing.

Jungkook strained as he pulled and pulled, but his hand wouldn't come off. He slowed his movements, gently taking each finger off. With a blink, he stared at his hands and didn't see any noticeable difference. What the hell was going on with him? His body felt like it was on fire, burning from the inside. Did he really have to go out today? Did he really want to? He wasn't sure, but he had practice. Being a part of a division 1 football team made it that way. Practice at 5, he had to start his stretches and meet up with his friends to walk there together.

He departed his dorm after gathering his stuff, marching down campus and having many wave to him as he went. He waved back, but he didn't bother speaking to anyone. Jungkook kept going until he reached the indoor training facility, entering and rushing into the locker room. Meeting with his friends was the last concern of his right now. He peeked in the nearest mirror, noting how his face seemed to have lost weight. Jungkook was always a muscular man, but now his features appeared more defined. A more defined jawline and sharper cheekbones, his skin tingling as if... something was coming?

Jungkook turned in time for a man with dark hair to approach, him stopping upon seeing Jungkook. "Oh. Thought I was alone. My apologies," the stranger said, and in that moment, Jungkook realized that was the same man Angelina was eyeing at the party. A spike of jealousy hit his veins, but he bit it back.

"No worries. I don't think I've seen you here before. You're definitely not on the football team."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said, offering Jungkook his hand. Oh no. "Kim Taehyung. Sophomore." The name sounded familiar, but Jungkook was too preoccupied with his thoughts to put his finger on it.

Jungkook shook his hand albeit terrified. And his fear was well-placed. He couldn't let go of the man's hand, so he stuttered and distracted him. "J-Jeon Jungkook, backup quarterback. Freshman."

Taehyung smiled, attempting to let Jungkook's hand go. It still didn't work. Jungkook took a deep breath and calmed himself, begging his hand to stop sticking to everything. Taehyung gave him a strange look. "Um, I think this handshake is lasting a bit too long, freshie. Nervous?"

"I'm half gay, so when I see attractive men I panic," Jungkook said, pulling his hand away finally. "I have a girlfriend though, so like not like that, just like-"

"I get it, thanks for the compliment." 

God, Jungkook hated playing the dumb freshman card, but otherwise he'd seem even weirder if he had to explain he had no idea what was going on with his body. Jungkook nodded and Taehyung excused himself, Jungkook not bothering to wonder why he was in the locker room. After deeming it safe, he lifted up his shirt and blinked a few times. Okay, he always had abs, but this time they were even more defined than he remembered them being. He dropped the fabric and strode out of the area, going to his locker and opening it. Both his actual uniform and his practice uniform were in there, so he grabbed the practice one. Only problem: when he went to start maneuvering it on, it wouldn't come off his fingertips.

"Fucking dammit," he mumbled right in time for the sophomore to come back.

"Ah, practice uniform." He touched the fabric without asking Jungkook, him not protesting as he was too embarrassed right now. "Interesting, stretchy fabric, but it looks like it might break easily. In football that's not good." He pulled at it, pursing his lips. Taehyung noticed Jungkook's confusion and chuckled. "Right, this looks weird. Maybe you recognize me: Kim Taehyung from GQ?"

Jungkook's eyes nearly burst free from his head. "Wait - you're the hotshot that got an internship with GQ freshman year?" Taehyung nodded. "Ho-ly shit, that's where I recognized your name from. Your name was all the papers ever talked about. How the hell did you land that?"

"Outstanding creativity with my designs is what they said," he replied, giving Jungkook a boxy smile. "I'm writing a brief section on the football team for the school newspaper, I brought forth the idea that including more popular things like movies and fashion to the newspaper may make it more readable. Your coach allowed me to observe a couple of your practices so I can recount the connection between your uniforms and your practice style along with getting an update on the team." Tae ran a hand through his hair, and Jungkook nearly had a gay panic at that. "And I might have a featured section rating each player's ass. Yours is getting a 10, don't worry, Mr. Jeon."

Jungkook almost turned into the nerd and started stuttering, but he managed to maintain his confidence. "Should I feel violated?"

"That was mostly a joke, an excuse to flirt with you, but if you wanted me to take it back..."

"No thank you," Jungkook said with a smile, dizziness hitting him. He groaned and wobbled back. Finally the sticky grip he had stopped and the uniform fell to the ground.

"Did I make you swoon too hard?"

"Taehyung, you're hot and seem cool, but please stop talking. I feel awful." Jungkook held his head, rubbing the sides of his temple and leaning against the locker. He was lucky that his fingers didn't stick to himself. There was that, at least. "I don't know what's going on with me, I've had the worst headache ever since I woke up. I was drenched in sweat too. Any ideas?"

"I know a girl who's in the medical field, she may be able to help. Or you can just go to the health services like a normal person. I'll tell the coach the problem, don't come to practice today, you'll make it worse."

"I'm only at this college because I have a full-ride scholarship, I kind of need to practice, Mr. Kim."

Taehyung snickered and shook him off. "One day won't kill you. Your health is much more important. Go get it checked out, come back only if you feel better, and don't overwork yourself. Okay?"

Jungkook agreed and shut his locker, his fingertips threatening to stick again. This time he was getting more used to it. He wasn't sure how he did it, but he was able to control it and leaned away from the metal easily enough. Taehyung glanced at him with concern, but Jungkook didn't answer his gaze. Jungkook and Taehyung said their goodbyes and he ran out of the locker room as fast as he could, rushing into the nearest alleyway between buildings so he could get a moment alone.

Sidewalks were outside the alley, no people populating them. It wasn't uncommon for campus to reek of solitude. Everyone was either in class, staying in their dorms, eating, or getting ready for practices like football. Jungkook was thankful he got a second to process what was happening to him. The alley itself was just as lonely as the streets, a dumpster there, gravel underneath his feet. The ground was uneven, making him sink as he stepped closer to the wall of the office building in front of him. An office building for professors. It was like their mainframe; it was where they went when they needed a quiet place to get work done.

He heaved, staring up at the roof of the building. Could he...? Well, there was only one way to find out. Jungkook approached the brick walls, pressing his fingers against it. To his surprise, it felt like it stuck. Jungkook chuckled and placed one hand after the other, climbing up. When his feet lifted off the ground, he put them against the structure as well, propelling himself up more. Thanks to his new powers, Jungkook made it to the top and sighed when he did. A sigh of relief that he didn't fall to his death.

The sights from there were absolutely gorgeous. Jungkook stared in awe at the beauty radiating from the rays of the sun that glimmered on his face. He grinned, sitting on the ledge of the roof and observing the few students walking around. None noticed him, or if they did, they didn't say anything. Jungkook kept to himself, swinging his legs back and forth. For a moment, it was peaceful. His mind was racing with thoughts and theories, but for that brief time in the shine of the sun, he didn't indulge any of them.

When it was time for him to go back down, he did, hopping on the ground and wondering what else he could do. The bite on his hand was nearly faded, and that was when his eyes widened. He pulled out his phone and looked at himself in the camera, him almost jumping when he saw that the bruise Raven gave him was, like the bite, practically gone. Jungkook traced his fingers down his cheek and laughed. He smirked as he shoved his phone back in his pocket, letting it go without hesitation now since he had adjusted to his new powers.

This was gonna be fun.

~~~

After much debate, Jungkook decided to go football practice. In the middle of it, the coach already had him pulled off to the side, his hands placed on his hips. "Okay, you know I have to ask. Are you taking any performance enhancing drugs?" the coach asked.

Jungkook had enough sense to know not to be offended. Of course the coach was suspicious. Out of no where, Jungkook randomly started performing 10x better. Everyone was suspicious of him at this point.

"I understand why you'd think that, sir, but I can promise you I'm not. You have my permission to search me and my locker, even my side of my dorm room if that helps. I've been working out a lot on my own and focusing on the techniques you taught us. They've really helped." Give him a bit of an ego boost, that was Jungkook's plan. Doing it without being too on the nose.

The plan worked seeing as the coach smiled. "Good to hear it's been helping, but people may not buy your excuse like I do. Your throws have been amazing. Out of this world." He glanced around, making sure the others were still on the field practicing while they were on the sidelines. "Honestly, you're performing better than our starter. Now listen, I can't guarantee you anything. Quinton is a good quarterback. One of the best, but I may throw you in for a bit to see how you perform, keep you warm too. Maybe tomorrow at our game. That okay with you?"

"Of course," Jungkook said.

The coach pat him on the shoulder and made him go back to work. Right away, he showed off his new abilities, using his unlimited stamina and super strength to dodge tackles. He scored again. This is the 3rd time he had done it by himself. Normally that was rare, especially considering the yards he ran, but he was doing it like it was going out of style. A few eyebrows were starting to raise at his newfound abilities. He couldn't be tackled. That was how bad it got, he couldn't even get taken to the ground.

Jungkook wasn't dumb. He knew they were all assuming it was drugs. Did he care? No. Not at all. They could think whatever they wanted to think. He was an adult, he didn't need to be babied. Football was for the strongest. That was what he was now. Granted, he was pretty strong before, but now even more so. If they had a problem with that, they could always leave.

"You're oddly intimidating today," one of his teammates, Timothy, said.

"Or maybe you've underestimated me this whole time."

The conversation died there, Jungkook stretching out his muscles as to not get sore. He almost got stuck on the fabric of his uniform, but he managed to free himself before it became obvious. The idea that somehow he got special abilities hadn't really set in yet. What could his abilities do? Was there something he hadn't discovered yet, or was super strength and sticking to surfaces the only things? Not bad powers by any means, but he was still curious.

When practice ended two hours later, Jungkook found himself in the locker room showering. The muck from the day washed down the drain, his hair covering most of his eyesight. With a gulp, he placed his hand on the wall, feeling each crack in the terrain. He could feel the little grips of his fingers nestling into the cotton-colored bricks. The sensation had him recoiling. To his surprise, it worked. He was able to remove his hand without much thought.

Even when wet, the stickiness of his skin didn't fade away. Strange was far from the word to describe this. Strange wasn't in the ballpark. Maybe fascinating, but horrifying was a better word. To Jungkook, he decided on fascinating for the time being. There was nothing he could do about it, so he pushed the thoughts out of his brain.

The shower stopped, the towel draping around his body as droplets of water hopped out of his hair and onto the floor. He let himself dry off before tying the towel around his waist, departing the room and stopping in front of his locker. The metal door swung open, but no clothes were present. Not new ones, not old ones. The uniforms were missing too. Jungkook furrowed his brows and shifted, eyeing the three players who leaned against the wall. "Uh... can I help you?" he asked.

"If you're thinking about coming for my position, don't even bother," the quarterback, Quinton, said.

"Wasn't planning on it, buckaroo. I'm a freshman, but if you wanted to fight for it, I could probably kick your ass in this towel. Come on bud, drop the goons, let's go."

Quinton made a sound that was a mix of a chuckle and a snort, him stepping out from the center of his two friends and halting in front of Jungkook. And it was at that moment that Jungkook knew he fucked up. Quinton was at least a head taller than him, his frame making even Jungkook look weak by comparison. He didn't display his fear, but he felt it. The new abilities burned inside him, filling his veins with a fury he couldn't get anywhere else.

Then, every hair on the back of his neck stood up. He sensed something. Something bad. Like he was about to be punched-

'Punch'

Jungkook's back hit the lockers, a grunt sounding off from his throat. He had certainly taken punches before. Hell, he did yesterday at the party. Regardless, that hurt like a bitch. A big bitch at that. Quinton wound up again, Jungkook dodging the next one. The strength poured through him, hitting each cell and causing him to propel himself forward, attacking his opponent. He struck him in the jaw, Quinton nearly falling from the force of it.

A smirk littered his face, but the quarterback was far from finished yet. To Jungkook's surprise - and horror - Quinton gripped his towel and threw it off, leaving him exposed. Jungkook yelped, and the towel got thrown in his face. His vision was obscured, him fumbling back while clawing at the fabric concealing his view. But the pain came anyway. Quinton was able to beat him up, taking him to the ground and punching him over and over again. Jungkook threw up a defense, but it didn't matter to the older one.

When he was finished, Quinton jumped up and returned to his goons, shaking the blood off his knuckles. Jungkook panted and got to his feet despite the wobbling, wrapping the towel around him once again. He considered his options: he could try again, or he could flee.

He very obviously fled.

Quinton was much faster, catching up with him and stopping him from leaving just yet. "Not so fast, Jeon. Take this as a lesson. Don't go for my spot, and don't be a bitch and tell anyone about this. I have plenty of friends who can handle you. Next time don't talk shit if you can't put your money where your mouth is, got it, freshie?"

Jungkook answered by shoving his way past him, wiping blood off of his mouth and sauntering into the next area of the complex. He was in the hallway only in a towel, wondering how the fuck he'd get back to his dorm without raising any questions. This was mortally embarrassing. But not as embarrassing as bumping into another figure before he could leave the place.

The pain in his head shot up, him grunting. "Seriously?"

When the two parted from each other, Jungkook groaned at the sight of Park Jimin standing there. Jungkook would've expected the nerd to gawk at the sight of Jungkook's abs, but instead, he cowered away. He got a closer look at Jimin now, able to see exactly what he did to the weaker one. There were two bruises on his face from where he hit the table, a long gash on the side of his left cheek. No glasses still, but that was to be expected. Honestly, Jimin's face was half black and blue. No wonder why the dude whimpered when Jungkook threw him on the ground.

"Why the fuck are you here?" Jimin opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. "I'm not going to hurt you this time. Unless you deserve it. Now answer the question."

"Wow. You got your ass handed to you but you're still a dick," Jimin said, backing away from Jungkook.

"You were in the locker room?!"

"Ran out when I saw you fighting. I was taking a shortcut to the softball field, if you must know. Cutting across the football field-"

"Leads straight to the softball field, I'm not dumb, my girlfriend's a softball player. The question is, why the fuck are you going to the softball field? You don't have a girlfriend." He stayed quiet. Jungkook snorted. "Going to the game today? Why? You don't seem like a- oh." Jimin averted his gaze, Jungkook bursting out laughing. "Oh. My. God! You're going to see the redhead, aren't you? Isn't she on the team?"

"None of your business."

"Moving on fast I see. You like her already? She doesn't like you man, and she'd never like a man like you. Can't even kiss back for fuck's sake."

Jimin rolled his eyes. "Do you do anything other than bitch at other people? You literally got your ass handed to you. Act like an adult. Raven was right, should've listened to her."

"Oh I bet she'll get off on hearing that you think she was right. That's how women are, aren't they?"

"Sexist too? God, you're every asshole in the book."

"I know I'm an asshole, I won't hide that. At the end of the day I'm better than everyone, aren't I? I'm here on a full-ride scholarship, got a gorgeous girl, and got popularity. What more do I need to be better than you? I already got more game than you. I pull both guys and girls yet you can't even get a redhead nobody to fall for you." The hairs on his skin stood up again, but he ignored it completely. After the beat-up he got, he needed to bring someone down with him. He had a desire to have someone feel his pain, and Jimin was the closest one. "You think Raven will ever love you? Or better yet - how the hell are you in love with someone within only a week of knowing them, huh? Makes no sense to me. And you better do my astronomy homework, you still have to do that, little nerd. Forget the game, go do my homework for me-"

'Slap!'

Jungkook staggered back, holding his already-bruised face with his jaw wide open. His eyes fell on Jimin, the nerd's hand still in the air. "You talk too much," Jimin said, lowering his hand. Jungkook blinked a few times, setting his jaw and staring as if he were a goldfish. "Do your own damn homework, and don't act all tough when you get beat up in a locker room while you're in a towel. Good luck walking home in that, by the way."

Jimin walked by without another word or glance, Jungkook staring after him. His fingers clutched in and out of fists, his nails digging into his skin when they could. The nerd disappeared from view, leaving the football 'star' standing there. It felt like a scene out of a drama, and that made Jungkook shudder. He tightened the towel around his waist, swiveling his gaze to the door. He sighed, touching his numb face. He took a massive beating today. It hurt like hell, and those bruises would be there a while. The nerd stood up to him, which was quite a shocker, but an amusing one. Jungkook would get him back in astronomy sometime. They only had it twice a week, but Jungkook would find a way. So, he grinned despite the massive pain he was in. This was only the beginning.

But if only Jungkook knew that this moment marked the beginning of the end of his old life.