It started out as any other day.

Eight o'clock on a calm, autumn morning, Taehyung sitting at the kitchen table of his apartment minutes before he was to leave. His college was about a fifteen minute drive from the apartment complex, and the twenty-year-old music major always set it in his mind he had to be out of the building by 8:15 so that he could be comfortably early to his 9:00 class.

He stared down at his now empty coffee cup and sighed, running a lazy hand through his hair. "I'm bored," he thought aloud. His eyes drifted over to the door. Nothing was stopping him from leaving. And, realizing he had no point in staying, he slipped on his coat and left his apartment.

"Morning, Taehyung!"

The cheerful voice of one of his neighbors greeted him suddenly. Someone close to his age, a friendly boy who Taehyung hardly ever interacted with for the sole reason that he was afraid to. So he simply forced a smile, gave a tiny wave, and ducked around the corner to get to his car before an actual conversation could ensue.

He had become quite skillful in avoiding such things, though it tore at his own soul to know this.

Fifteen minutes later, Taehyung was pulling up to the campus. He popped open the driver's side door and stepped out, then took a moment to breathe.

It could be a good day if he just remained calm.

It could be a good day if Kim Taehyung just chose his steps carefully.

"Hey, Taehyung!"

Again, another person he didn't know well trying to talk with him, but this person he was acquainted with even less than his neighbor. Still he gave the same reaction - forced smile, tiny wave.

He was used to it. Used to the greetings, the looks sent by the individuals attracted by his handsome face. He tried to dress casually to avoid attention but it never worked.

"Taehyung! Just the person I was looking for!"

At the sensation of someone slapping an abrupt hand on his shoulder, Taehyung nearly jumped out of his skin, firing an immediate look of dismay over at the boy responsible.

"Relax, man, it's just me."

Seokjin. A boy from among many whom he shared classes with, but this one he recognized because the two sat near to each other on most days. But again, they weren't close, and Taehyung didn't consider them friends. He didn't have friends. At least not here.

"Why were you looking for me?" Taehyung asked, almost afraid of what the answer might be.

Seokjin beamed. "The homework," he chimed. "You did it, right?"

"I did..."

"Awesome! I totally did, too! And that's why I'm not here to ask you to share."

"...good."

"...pretty please?"

Rolling his eyes, Taehyung tried to shrug Seokjin off his shoulder, surprised to find it actually worked. But the boy still followed him.

"I'll treat you to lunch? Oh!" He snapped his fingers. "I know! How about you join my group and I tonight for karaoke? I'll buy you as much food as you want. And maybe I could even help you hook up with one of them, eh? Guy or girl, whichever way you swing, pal-"

"I'd rather not," Taehyung cut him off abruptly. Realizing he might have sounded a bit cold, he let out a deep sigh and reached into his bag to retrieve the assignment given to them yesterday. "Just take it, and make sure I get it before the start of class."

"Dude." Now with the papers in his hands, Seokjin's expression sparkled with joy. "Tae, you're a saint. I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

Just like that, he was gone. Taehyung considered himself a bit foolish for just letting the boy take his homework assignment, but deep down, he knew Seokjin would get it back to him. He wasn't his friend but Taehyung didn't consider him a bad person. At least from what he knew.

Twenty-five minutes till the start of class. Taehyung made his way to the classroom as discreetly as he could but as casually as he could at the same time. He just wanted to blend in. That's all he ever wanted to do.

Successfully he arrived with plenty of time to spare. Collapsing in his usual seat, Taehyung set his book bag beside him and internally prayed for Seokjin to get back soon. He suddenly recalled the boy stumbling into class seconds before the bell rang on numerous occasions...

"Uh, h-hey, Taehyung, right?"

Not again. Curse my bad luck.

Gradually Taehyung lifted his head, shifting a very hesitant glance over to the person who had just so softly addressed him - a boy, he found, with round, doe-like eyes, dark hair crowning his brow, a shy smile attempting to break through his quiet exterior. Taehyung recognized him, too. Just another face belonging to someone who happened to sit near him in class often.

"Yes?"

The doe-eyed boy nearly flinched at the response. "Sorry, I...hope I'm not disturbing you," he said timidly. Taehyung fought back the urge to roll his eyes.

"Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

"I was just..." The boy glanced at the seat right beside Taehyung. "Are you saving this for someone?"

"No."

"...is it okay if I sit here?"

"I don't know why you'd want to, but I honestly don't care." Taehyung looked away, clearly disinterested as his words expressed. "Go ahead."

So the boy slid quietly into the empty chair, offering a soft 'thank you' as he set down his things.

With the amount of empty chairs in the room Taehyung wouldn't deny being a bit annoyed that this person chose to sit by him. Then again, it didn't bother him that much. It was more so a matter of his paranoia turning away even the mere presence or idea of a potential friend.

Paranoia and Yoongi, who lived back in Daegu, were the only friends he knew, and believed he would ever know.

Before too long, the start of class approached and so did Seokjin, at lightning speed with Taehyung's homework assignment nearly spilling out of his hands. He slammed the papers down in front of the boy and proudly announced, "I've done it again. Incredible."

And again Taehyung just had to sigh.

He went through the class peacefully, as the professor spent most of the time talking and reviewing things concerning the previous night's assignment. Taehyung kept quiet, listened, and took notes as always. Just like a good student. Good student, everyday, average person.

He tapped his fingers anxiously, moments before the professor dismissed them.

Rising from his seat, Taehyung scooped up his book bag, failing to acknowledge the boy from earlier who had asked to sit next to him, now trying to get his attention. It was too late, though, and he missed him before Taehyung started to make his way out of the classroom.

His next class wasn't for another hour - a fairly long expanse of time, but not long enough that Taehyung liked to make the trip back to his apartment just to drive back fifteen minutes later. So although he wasn't fond of doing so the boy typically wandered around campus until it was time for him to go.

"Taehyung, hey, how's it going?"

Too many people spoke to him as though they were friends. And Taehyung didn't have it in him to ignore people, at least not most of the time, so again did he respond with his signature forced smile and wave. Usually it was enough. Usually.

"Taehyung, c'mere, come check this out!"

A loud whisper from the girl who addressed him scratched at his ears. He tried as subtly as he could to hint that he couldn't stop to see what she wanted him to see, but so abruptly did the girl extend her hand to seize Taehyung's forearm and draw him in towards the group of people clustered together.

Amidst the group there stood another girl, this one holding carefully on her arm a lizard of sorts, with its small, tannish head raised and seeming alert.

Taehyung flinched. "Uh-"

"It's a bearded dragon," said the first girl excitedly. "I never thought I really liked reptiles but isn't it adorable??"

Adorable? "I guess."

He really had no opinion on the creature. As a kid, Taehyung always liked going to the zoo, but in all honestly the reptile and amphibian exhibits bored him. All he could do was stare at the things and wonder if they would move.

"Do you wanna hold it?"

"Do I wanna what?"

"Hold it," the girl holding the lizard said with a smile. "I'm Jaeun, by the way. It doesn't bite, Taehyung, I promise. Just let it rest on your arm like this."

Even though he showed blatant hesitance at the idea, Taehyung soon found himself being handed the foot-long reptile - it seemed twice that size once it was actually on his arm, but he knew it was only his imagination.

The bearded dragon was a calm creature. Once placed on his forearm, it rested there, still and quiet. His nerves relaxed for a time.

"Cool, isn't it?"

"A little." He gestured for Jaeun to take it back, and so she placed her hands over the lizard's back and prepared to lift it.

It held tightly to Taehyung's arm - especially its front legs, which to the boy's horror he could feel digging into his skin. His panic switch flipped.

"Get it off, please, just get it off."

"Relax, Taehyung," Jaeun laughed, "he probably just likes you. Here, just stay still, I'll get him."

But Taehyung couldn't stay still. He could feel his arm shaking like crazy, he could see the reptile still clinging to him as if he were its last breath of oxygen, and he didn't like it, he didn't like it at all.

After a bit, Jaeun managed to safely get the back legs up in the air, but those front two still stayed.

"Just a second, Taehyung, I've almost-"

He couldn't bear it. Instinctively, Taehyung tore his arm away, out from under the lizard's grip, but as a result he received two scratches that were a bit deeper than he would have liked.

"Taehyung, are you-...w-what the-"

He didn't register it, until he looked down at his arm, and there he saw what the creature had done. Those scratches, seemingly small, were enough to allow blood to escape and meet the air.

Thick drops of a dark, purple shade.

They escaped the cuts and slid across bare skin.

Taehyung attempted to smear it away but more escaped. His frantic eyes shot up from his forearm and scanned the horrified faces of those around him.

"T-Taehyung, what...what the f-"

"Don't look at me..." He swallowed his breath, stumbling back a few steps and tragically tripping over his own feet. His whole body trembled. They saw. They saw. "Don't look at me!!"

In his state of borderline madness, Taehyung once again failed to notice the presence of that boy from earlier, who saw everything - that is, everything he needed to see.

He rushed up to Taehyung as quickly as he could and held out his hand to the fallen boy.

But Taehyung just swatted it away without even thinking, at the same time scrambling to get to his feet on his own.

He ran home.

Leaving his car, leaving behind that boy and all the others who had seen.

All his efforts to keep a quiet life, shattered in one day.

History repeats itself.

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end of chapter one.