Ubi Errat, Ibi Culpa Est

Where There's Mistakes, There's Guilt

At once, they took off their seatbelts and got out of the car so Macaria and Draven would see them and stop. Only after they did, did the two runners slow to a walk, still far away enough so Hoseok could take out his phone and see the time. And he realized that, if the trip over to the capital was three hours long in the car and they had only taken half of that time to meet, then these two had been running at the same speed as their car.

It was obviously impressive, but Hoseok still frowned as he looked back up to greet them.

- Hello, kids. - Yoongi greeted them like he usually did at home, but much more seriously than ever.

They stopped before the hood of the car and looked at the pair of them with a harsher and way more angered expression than they had ever seen. But it wasn't only that stare that left them momentarily speechless, now that they were right there before them, they could see physical changes as well.

Macaria's turquoise eyes -the eyes of his mother Maniai- were darker than usual, surrounded by skin with a purplish tint in a face paler than it had ever been. Draven had the same changes, his yellow eyes -Aureoluz's eyes- were gloomy and not at all bright and playful. They still looked beautiful in their own right, but it looked as if this war had taken more from them than they'd ever thought or dreaded. They were both dirty from hair to boots, wearing their all-black attire with their pants made of thick material and full of pockets of different sizes, their boots, fingerless gloves, and their simple, spandex shirt for better mobility. They had left their jackets and other things with Cadoc, Hoseok supposed. But they had also left a part of themselves in the fight that had left them with various different injuries and bruises on their arms and faces.

- What are you doing standing there? - Draven asked harshly, startling them a bit. They hadn't even greeted them back. - Move! - He commanded and he and his sister went to each side of the car to get on the back.

Hoseok and Yoongi were only a beat later to close their doors and put on their seatbelts due to the surprise at the sudden change in their demeanor, but then the car was back on and Yoongi was turning it back around.

Only now did Hoseok realize that the pair of them hadn't even taken a proper breakfast and that all that drove them was adrenaline. And he thought of the twins on the backseats who hadn't even put on their seatbelts and were turned to their respective windows to look outside, close enough to take their heads out, and which probably hadn't been able to have a proper meal or sleep since the beginning of the last week.

Should he ask how things are? Or should he accept their silence and go on with their plan? In the end, he chose the latter.

But Yoongi didn't.

- How are things over there? I would like to hear some details. - He wasn't being chatty nor making small talk, but his bluntness wasn't greeted enthusiastically.

- You know? - Macaria started. - I think it would be best if we just keep this important information to ourselves until we win this war. So you wouldn't get sidetracked from your studies, of course. - Her voice was oily and her words venomous.

As if she had swiped lemon to their wounds, Hoseok and Yoongi grimaced.

- We've already talked to Aloisia about that, no need to fight between us. - Hoseok tried to talk it out.

But Draven scoffed, entering his head to the car as well so he could answer.

- We have all the fucking right to want to fight. It's our brother, almost our second dad; our Garrett, you hear me? ¡You were supposed to be in control of everything–!

- No one can control Alex. No one. - Yoongi chimed in, getting angry as well. - Before you start blaming everything on us, think that we believed, just as you've always done this past three years, that Garrett had it under control, just like he'd told us all. -

- Oh, do not dare tell me he never grimaced or lowered his head at the mere mention of her. - Macaria grimaced with deep disappointment, still looking intently outside. - You should've–

- And what about you, huh? - Yoongi cut her off, his knuckles white because of how hard he was grabbing the steering wheel. - This relationship has been going on for three years, she has injured him, hurt him, locked him up in her room long enough to worry some Heads of Cores, and what did you do? Saw him lower his head and grimace at the mere mention of her and did nothing but tell him to leave her until Garrett promised you that it wasn't like that and that she was getting better at controlling her anger? Because we and everyone else did just the same, including her parents, Aureoluz, and Aloisia herself. So do not blame it all on us. We all made a mistake including you two. - He finished with a huff of breath and pursed lips.

Hoseok took a deep breath in the silence that ensued and tried to lift the heaviness for all their sakes.

- A mistake that we now have the ability to make right, together. -

After a moment or two had passed, Macaria muttered,

- What will happen to her when we catch her? - Her voice filled with the need for vengeance while strands of her wild, brown hair flowed with the wind.

- I suppose she'll be forced into seclusion. - Hoseok mused. - Somewhere deep underground close to cold water so her anger would be constantly forced to be neutral until she learns how to live with that restraint and she can do it on her own. -

- And then she'll just be left free? - Draven asked with an audible locked jaw.

- ...only if she doesn't kill him. - Hoseok muttered back. - A life for a life. - A chilling air entered the car and somehow stayed clung to their silence.

- "A life for a life." - Macaria muttered. - Arne's killer is still alive. -

The twins growled deeply and Hoseok could see thru the driving mirror that their eyes had changed to sharper focus, frowning deeply, each clutching the doors as if ready to leap out of them at the mere sight of their target.

The sight of Arne's hand holding the red rose, falling to the floor and dropping it in a pool of crimson, will always hunt Hoseok and Yoongi. Because, if Jungkook had appeared in their room just a moment before and they could've made sure he was The Rose, Arne wouldn't have had the need to make that desperate call and make himself a target. However, the twins must be feeling just as heavy, if not more.

Arne was a family friend of theirs but, most of all it had been their best friend, and the three of them, hand-picked by Cadoc himself to be the only ones in battle without having yet done their coming of age ritual; the only three underage warriors who were gifted enough to be considered full-flesh warriors, weren't able to stop his death, as gifted as they were. And now, Garrett, their older brother, friend, and protector in many ways was kidnapped.

On both occasions, they had been too far away to prevent it.

Hoseok took a deep, silent breath and tried again.

- What do you think should be our next move? - He asked the twins while looking out of his own window. - Driving all the way back to the university or stopping somewhere specific? I don't really know how a warrior hunts; the technicalities of it. -

- Well, it's just... - Draven muttered, concentrating. - We just hunt. I don't really know how to explain it. It had always come so easy that we barely even had classes, we were just pushed up and up in levels; I don't really know or remember technical names of anything at all, I just... do it. -

Must be difficult being gifted. Since everything comes so easy to them as if it was second nature, it would be hard to explain it or even realize that what they're doing takes years to master for someone else.

Just then, Macaria spoke up.

- We use our senses and memory to track down a specific individual by the changes in our surroundings. -

Hoseok blinked and thought about it.

- So like... the air tastes different or the... -

- Yes. Our vision looks for something amiss, our noses try to find the scent of freshly moved soil or freshly cut grass as well as the scent of rubber from shoes on the road. Maybe even some blood that's not animal. And that's when we taste. Everything we smell, we can taste it, so that's how we can make sure of the smell. We can also hear very far. We even feel the changes in the air. Sometimes it not only brings smells but temperatures as well. If the temperature is generally cold but we feel warmth flowing with the wind, that could mean there's a fire somewhere. But we only follow if we're sure that's what our target would do. -

- Simply speaking, - Draven cut in. - We hunt. Like animals. All those words she just said were so your too smart brain could understand, but that's just it. We use mostly our noses and eyes to track. If our feet are on the ground, we feel the vibrations. And that's why we were running at each side of the road just now, so we could feel if there were two other people running or stopping close by. But we felt, saw, and smelled nothing, so that means she's not past the line we met in. I also haven't seen anything new on this side. -

- Me neither. - Macaria answered. - Unless she was too far in; too far from the road... - Her voice got slower as she thought.

- You can track her from where we know she last stepped on the road. Close to Evanthe. - Yoongi decided and accelerated.

Hoseok raised his arm and held on to the door. He was only grateful that there were no other cars.

- Hey, I'm curious. - Macaria asked, one hand out of the window with her palm against the wind. - How does a Wise One hunt? -

- Nooo, I want to know how a Shadow hunts. - Draven asked, a bit more like his usual self. But still, not quite.

- I hunt with data and logic. - Hoseok answered. - So it would be really hard for me to find anyone in a short amount of time if they're in the wild and not in a city. I could use my intuition but... I don't know if my Core is healed already or not. -

- And I hunt by not hunting. We Shadows don't really hunt. - Yoongi answered. - We just follow people around without being seen, but we follow those who the Wisdom Core finds. We could find people on our own, but that would require using the Shadows, meaning that we would have to step inside Darkness itself, and it takes decades to master doing it without getting locked and turning to shadows yourself. It's a pretty risky Core, we're born with a threat connected to Darkness and we're expected not to follow it. -

After a moment, Draven spoke again.

- So... does that mean that, if you wanted to, you could find her by walking through shadows? Or talking to shadows? -

- If you're talking to shadows, you're talking to dead souls, and I've been told that it's very hard to find ones who could or would help you. By "using the shadows" I mean, to use the connection they have with Darkness to make myself a part of it just like they are without using and strengthening that small thread I have, which is exactly what takes us years to learn, so no, even if I wanted to, I haven't learned enough to do it without awful consequences. - He scoffed at himself.

- At least you finally found The Rose. - Draven muttered.

And, to Hoseok, it sounded more like "at least Arne didn't die for nothing" instead of what he probably meant which would be "at least you didn't leave because you wanted to but instead to help the tribe".

- How is he in real life? Is he the same as the pictures and videos dad showed us? - Macaria asked, still focused on the outside.

Yoongi scoffed.

- Not really. - Hoseok answered before he could say something offensive. - Well, you know the veil was keeping us from recognizing him, but we could somehow find his name recognizable enough to catch our attention so that's what led us to him. But I guess his face is indeed the same. Not so much the body, I think he's leaner in this lifetime. Well, a bit smaller in general; short and narrow. And I'm sorry to tell you but, today, he's nothing like he was when your dad met him. He's nothing like those pictures, he's nothing like those videos, he does paint and he does it well, but he doesn't sing or dance or likes to be the center of attention. He's barely even friendly, actually. -

- Wow... what a letdown. - Draven muttered, indeed a bit angry. - I've been hearing about this guy since I can remember and now you tell me he's short and grumpy? -

- How do you think I feel? - Yoongi shook his head.

- But he's with his mate already or...?- Macaria asked.

By how fast the car was going, they were getting closer now.

- Yes, he is. And he's also different from what your dad told you. - Hoseok answered, getting mentally ready for when they arrived at their destination.

- So he doesn't have any trace of his previous Core? -

- Not. At. All. - Yoongi answered with a mocking laugh. - He's a philosophy teacher who wears suits every day. -

- I am thoroughly disappointed and my day has been ruined. - Macaria gawked. - A teacher? A philosophy teacher? He went from being the hottest Lover Core to a philosophy teacher who wears suits? - She grunted, making Hoseok chuckle a bit. - I'd been dreaming of meeting these two heroes for years, I might actually cry. -

- How do you think I feel? - Draven agreed with the same disappointment.

- Don't steal my line, kid. - Yoongi grinned halfway.

- Stop the car! - Draven shouted.

And, once again, Hoseok had to hold on for dear life so he wouldn't be flattened against the windshield.

Even before the car went completely still, the twins had jumped out of Draven's window and started running. Hoseok and Yoongi followed suit, the former making sure that the latter had the keys in hand as they started running as well. The mood had changed so abruptly that Hoseok was feeling baffled still, and he ran without really feeling it.

However, once he saw that little crumpled shed hidden between the trees and the twins running straight to it, his blood ran cold. And slowly he remembered that he had made Yoongi stop right where the car was now parked, but they had gone on, believing that his intuition was faulty.

But it never was.

Draven broke open the door while Macaria jumped through the crumpled window and Hoseok and Yoongi sped up. But once they stopped on the threshold and looked inside, all they saw was the twins looking straight down at a wide stain of blood on the wooden floor. It was still damp.

No Alex. No Garrett.

Hoseok almost fell to his knees if it hadn't been for Yoongi's tight hold on his shoulder.

Macaria snarled, low and viciously, before the pair of them snapped their heads towards the back of the shed and, in a swift motion, using hands and feet, they propelled themselves towards the wall, breaking it down before taking off again, running deep into the woods in a straight line away from the road, running like animals, running and jumping over fallen trees, using hands and feet, following whatever trail their senses took them towards.

And Hoseok had all but one second of feeling... before cooling his expression and running behind them with Yoongi at his side.

It was twenty minutes till two in the afternoon and Taehyung and Jungkook were laying down where they had been on the couch. The latter held himself up with one elbow so he could gaze down at his lover and the other... gazed up at him with stars in his eyes.

They had woken up after a thirty-minute nap and Jungkook had immediately stopped Taehyung's lips with his own. He had seen the worry lines on his forehead and knew what had him worried, so he kissed him and told him just how much he'd loved every single second of it, and that they'd have to practice giving and receiving non-verbal stop commands for the next time. They'd laughed it off, but Jungkook could still see there was something Taehyung wanted to tell him but also didn't, so he told him to take them to the shower, leaving that conversation for later.

Their plastic plates from the teachers' lounge were empty of their spaghetti and their glasses empty of strawberry juice, but Jungkook could still see the heaviness in Taehyung's eyes.

So he sighed and finally gathered enough courage to ask,

- What is it? -

Taehyung gave him a soft smile while his thumb ran up and down the side of his waist.

- I have something to confess. -

Even his words carried too much weight.

Jungkook returned the soft smile.

- Confess it all and you'll be pardoned, my child. -

They both chuckled gently. But then, Taehyung averted his stare right when a line wrinkled his forehead.

- I've been feeling a bit... emotional, since last night. As if I was a teen all over again. And I can't lie and tell you that it didn't feel... sort of lonely when you... fell asleep– I... - He shook his head and stopped talking with the face of a man who regretted what he said.

But Jungkook was already guilt-ridden.

His eyes widened, his smile dropped, and his hand held his face at once.

- I didn't... I'm sorry, I–

- No, no, you were tired, you had all the right to fall asleep, you couldn't help it. - Taehyung cut in fast, shaking his head and looking straight at him; looking sorry. - That wasn't what I wanted to say. I wasn't planning on blaming you or anything, I'm just, like, giving you an example, or... -

- But you said you felt lonely. - Jungkook frowned with worry. His guilt couldn't be erased anymore. - I made you feel lonely. I won't do it again, I promise. - He shook his head, holding his face more securely with his hand. And Taehyung sighed deeply.

- Ok, that hadn't been what I intended... but I would be grateful if you reassured me a bit before falling asleep. -

- Of course, of course, I will. I'm sorry. - Jungkook leaned down and kissed him gently. - I'm sorry. - He whispered again before another gentle kiss.

- It's ok, my love. - Taehyung whispered back, and, after a moment, gently pushed him back up so they could see eye to eye. - Alright... Now to the heavy part. - Jungkook swallowed, stilling himself, ready to feel more guilt. - I... have a... sort of like a problem with–

- Me? -

- No! - Taehyung widened his eyes, holding him tighter, unable to believe Jungkook could even say such a thing.

- Sorry, sorry. - He shook his head and bit his lip inside his mouth, shutting himself up.

Taehyung frowned for a second longer and then finished.

- With power. -

Jungkook blinked and tilted his head.

- How? - He was genuinely confused, never having guessed such a thing.

- I haven't had a good relationship with "power" or "control". I don't usually have too much control over something, so, when I do have it, I don't know how to handle it. This is why I sometimes go overboard and do things that leave you too tired or that... like today, make you cry. So you could say that I can't control myself when I'm... in control. - He cringed at the redundancy and confusing explanation.

But Jungkook gave a little smile and tilted down his forehead to rest it against his.

- But you stop the moment I tell you to, don't you? So you can control yourself. -

- No, I... - Taehyung whispered back, trying to explain again. - I'm scared of doing something that you'll have to stop me from doing. And I don't like the idea of being so scared that I won't be able to let go and just be with you without having to ask you every ten seconds if I'm doing good or not. I don't want to be insecure but I don't want to feel like I'm entitled to just take you and bend you over either. And the thing is, I love you, in everything I do, every movement, every touch, every bite, every scratch, every hickey, but even so, I could be hurting you and not know it until you scream at me to stop. And then I'll be left wondering if you had been wanting to stop me for a while and if what I had been doing was good or just selfish. Leaving me with a sour taste in my mouth. -

Jungkook frowned a little. Indeed, whatever Taehyung said, he was at fault for some of it if not all of it.

- Is that why you ask if I like what you're doing? – He whispered.

- Yes. – Taehyung admitted. – It's not only because it sounds good when you say it. – And his arms held him tighter to himself, hugging him like... like he would to a teddy bear.

Jungkook had seen it many times before, the childish heart that never got to grow. But he'd never stop to think of all the bad consequences of it. He'd felt endearment whenever Taehyung would hide in his neck or hug him like he was now when instead he should've thought that it wasn't a soft spot in Taehyung's character, but maybe the pain of his past. He's been forced to be a grown-up, so he never had time to grow into it. It's been so long since he'd felt so much so truly for someone else that all his walls came down and he was left so bear that he couldn't feel brave, but lost. And Jungkook, with his own personal problems and needing a pillar to cling on to, never thought that Taehyung needed just as strong a pillar as well.

He doesn't only need reassuring, he needs healing.

The pair of them, Jungkook now realizes, are sheep in wolf's clothing.

Jungkook sighed, closed his eyes, and placed his palm over Taehyung's heart.

- We have too much luggage for this flight, don't you think? –

Just then, he felt Taehyung stiffen; his arms stilling, his chest tensing, his breath stopping for a second or two.

- What are you implying? – His voice was tense. His hands gripped him tighter.

And Jungkook cursed himself for how it had sounded, lifting his head to look him in the eyes.

He indeed looked worried.

- I'm just stating what is happening, I'm not trying to say anything else. – Even if... even if, deep down, he was.

Taehyung shook his head.

- This isn't luggage, I don't– I can stop it from being a problem. I was telling you this because I didn't want it to be a problem. -

Jungkook shook his head and held his face again. Then kissed him... and again... and again... until Taehyung's lips weren't tense or shaking; until his hands weren't gripping him tight enough to leave bruises; until he felt reassured enough to be let go. And Jungkook lifted himself again.

- I love you too much to leave if you don't want me to. And I need you too much to leave even if it might be best. –

Taehyung's eyes turned a bit sad as he looked directly into his heart and soul.

- If you leave, I'd feel lost. – He whispered.

Jungkook thought of that first night when they found each other in the meadow.

- If you leave, I'd crumble. – Jungkook admitted. Remembering how his life had been without knowing him and thinking it impossible to go back to that darkness after knowing such light.

He thought back on that first day when he held his face and saw the boy within, tilting his head for more with a smile so pure it caught his heart at once.

Taehyung sighed in defeat.

- I know why it would be best to leave. "If we can barely hold ourselves upright, how will we hold each other". But I've truly found healing in your love. I've felt strong when you need me and seen when you hear me. And that's helped me. You have helped me, my Angel. So, reason can say whatever it wants, we don't have to heal on our own to be better for each other, we can heal together. - He reached up a hand and held his wrist gently as hope shone in his eyes. - If that's what you want. -

Jungkook smiled, his chest filling with the same hope, the same love.

- Of course, that's what I want. – And he leaned down to lay over his chest, hugging him and being hugged as much as he could. – I want nothing more than to be happy and healthy with you forever. –

- Forever. – Taehyung sighed against the crown of his head. Sighing with relief and longing.

Jungkook knows this is the harder path. That two broken people trying to put each other together without really knowing how is a long and tedious process filled with bumps along the road. But that, so long as they love truly and their intentions are the best, then they can work it out.

They need the other so much that leaving will do more bad than good, so why even try it? They need the other so much that they're refusing to acknowledge that these are two blind people trusting the other to find the way, so why even try to be reasonable? They're better off doing what they've been doing all along: Putting all their eggs in one basket and healing with someone else instead of on their own. Refusing to learn how to clean their own wounds and, instead, stitching all their broken parts together. So long as they're not forced to be separated, they won't be ripped apart and their wounds won't be opened again. It's that simple.

...Jungkook knows this is the riskiest path. He even knows it's so unreasonable that it could be stupid. And he's more than aware of the blind eye he gives to all the red flags this raises.

They've lived through so much together in such a short amount of time that the heightened feelings, the fears, the shocks, the love, and the nights together, had all truly made them one. And he's aware that, when love turns so needy it blinds the eye from reason... It's an obsession.

He's aware of it. But he can't see it. So, he can't believe it.

It's nearly two in the afternoon already, why isn't he out yet?

Oliver tried to take a deep breath and get his stuff ready for the class he should be teaching in ten minutes, but the sight of the open door of his apartment leading straight to the elevator was keeping him worried.

All day he'd been feeling heavy and tired. For some odd reason, memories he had buried deeply came back to haunt him, and so, he'd been paying much more attention to his students than usual.

Throughout the morning, as he taught, he looked pointedly and talked slowly, explaining what he was trying to say so minutely and being so careful when answering them that he even had a couple of female students approaching his desk after class to ask if he was alright. The truth was that he wasn't, but he smiled at them nevertheless.

He was disturbed by those memories, disturbed by the memories of what had happened to his son. Making him gentler, softer, much more careful, and thoughtful to the point of not even leaving them possible homework. And he continued to pay attention even at lunch.

He would usually eat in his apartment, but, today, he simply took his stuff and went to the cafeteria, sitting on the last floor where he had seen a particularly gloomy boy go. He remembered later, after sitting down a table away, that this boy had been with Jungkook that first Sunday here. Him and the female friend he sat with. The other blond boy was new but that wasn't what caught his attention from the other gloomy faces around, it had been the subject of their discussion.

Right when he sat, they were talking about Jungkook. She had asked the other two if they'd heard from him and neither could answer her; the black-haired boy simply scoffed and said something about a toxic friendship and a mystery girl Jungkook had been surrounding himself with along with the "attacks" he's been having. Oliver had immediately worried about what he was hearing because he could remember the boy he had met all those months ago. The boy he had talked to and who had such interesting views and ways of phrasing his words that he found himself delighted to talk for hours on end. The boy he had found out wasn't like his father had somehow portrayed him to others. A good boy trapped behind gloomy eyes. And a smart boy trapped behind bad decisions.

Oliver's mind had been filled to the brim but the loudest of them all was that... Jungkook had always reminded him of his son. But now, he was reminding him so much of him that he was worried about whether he would have the same fate. The same end.

He couldn't let that happen, he couldn't be oblivious of the signs again. He couldn't make the same mistakes again. Today, he had seen so many gloomy eyes, so many dead eyes, and so many dull faces of young ones who should be filled with light and dreams, that he now felt deeply disturbed with the question of What if something was happening to them and they were getting closer to their limit every day? And if he does nothing to help them, wouldn't he be making the same mistakes as before?

He had arrived at his floor around an hour before now, needing to be alone and to think of a way to approach Jungkook so they could finally speak. When he heard it...

"¡Stop!"

He'd heard it clearly, and he'd stopped in his tracks; his hand freezing in its mindless job to take out his keys. And he looked up at the right side of the corridor, where Taehyung's door stayed shut.

It hadn't been because he was thinking of the boy. That had been Jungkook's voice without a doubt.

Oliver had taken a deep breath, filling up with bravery, and then walked fast but silently towards that door, ready to do whatever it took. So he first neared his ear to it, so he could hear what they were discussing and see if Jungkook needed help.

But all he heard was a very tiny and nearly undistinguished little "I'm sorry." And nothing more.

Absolutely nothing more. No steps, no books closing, no scratch of pen against paper or the typing of a laptop; no more words, no more sounds, only the rain falling outside. And even if Oliver had been ready to take down the door if necessary, fear overtook him, of what he might find at the other side. So, he stepped back and walked over to his own apartment where he had left the door open, and then sat at the head of his dining room table, with a clear view of the elevator as he attempted to work on his computer.

It hadn't been too long ago that he'd seen Taehyung leaving his apartment and taking the elevator to the main floor, and Oliver had taken the opportunity to try to open his door, but it was closed. He had even knocked, but no one answered, and no other sound came.

Jungkook hadn't walked out even as Taehyung walked back in with a brown bag in hand, and, from where he was right now, Oliver couldn't hear anything even if they were walking around and talking loudly. Only the rain kept him company as everything he knew about Taehyung contorted with the constant echo of that single shout "¡Stop!".

Why did it sound like a plea? Why did the apology come so softly? Why had there been no other sound afterward? And why didn't Jungkook's own friends know if he had been here or not?

The black-haired one said it was a toxic friendship, the one he had with Taehyung. But Oliver couldn't hear why he would call it that way. He couldn't even believe it, given how Jungkook himself had come back after he had a panic attack only so Taehyung could help him. Taehyung had been the one who allowed him to stay in his apartment, without a second thought he had told him that he would; without a second of hesitation, Jungkook had jumped into his chest once he saw Poppy. Jungkook had stayed late at night before, a few times at best, and Oliver can remember the exact moment when his eyes had gone blank when Evans had given him an order. But it had been Taehyung who took him back to his room, back to his friends.

Oliver didn't have enough information to make a judgment of Taehyung, everything he had known before today pointed out that he was a kind man who missed his family and helped his students however he can. But now he hears whispers of Jungkook's friendship with him being toxic by only one guy in a group of three while the other two seemed surprised that he would even think that way.

Maybe he was believing the words of a guy who was just generally angry today. But Oliver was so disturbed by the idea of turning a blind eye to a sign of help that he couldn't just close his laptop and leave his class without seeing Jungkook leaving to his own as well. He had screamed for a reason, and he had stayed silent for a reason as well, Oliver's just hoping it wasn't anything horrible like what had happened to his Jack.

Then, the sound of a door opening made him widen his eyes and he stood up, taking his things and stuffing them in his briefcase. He heard some mumbling, then silence, and he looked up but he couldn't see him near the elevator.

Hoping he wasn't taking the stairs, Oliver took his briefcase, suit jacket, and a market bag filled with things for his class, and took off to his own door. Thankfully, he saw the pair of them walking towards the elevator, so he stopped to regain his breath before finally stepping outside and closing his door.

The sound made them turn and they both smiled at him.

- Mr.—Oliver, hello. – Jungkook stumbled a little in his words. Always forgetting that he could call him by his name.

A knot in his stomach eased at the sight of that smile and he sighed.

- Hello, my boy. Taehyung. – He gave the man a nod, trying not to look so stiff, and Taehyung nodded back.

- Oliver. –

There... There was a bit of strangeness in Taehyung, he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Maybe the way he stood with his arms behind his back or the way he turned back around to the elevator as if he felt out of place.

Or maybe the fact that he wasn't wearing his suit jacket nor had his briefcase at hand and his own class started in less than five minutes.

- Taehyung, don't you have a class right now? – He frowned a bit, looking from one to the other in quick succession because he noted the way Jungkook had looked back at him as if worried as well.

- Yeah, yes, I'm just... - Taehyung turned from the elevator nearing their floor to him and then looked down at the floor before finally looking back up to Jungkook. – Well, I'll see you at four. – He muttered and then stepped towards his apartment.

But then Jungkook muttered.

- At four? - He looked worried about something else. As if he had only just remembered something.

Taehyung turned around halfway and frowned a little.

- Yes. Why? -

Oliver frowned at their exchange, not having enough input on what worried each of them, and, when the elevator arrived, he had to enter and push the button so the door wouldn't close.

I–... The letter–... - Jungkook was mumbling, cutting his words short. And Taehyung's eyes widened when he realized what he was trying to say.

However, now Oliver had his own question and he spoke up about it.

- Taehyung, didn't your class finish at five? - He knew because his own finished at that time.

Taehyung looked past Jungkook's shoulder and seemed confused for a moment before blinking and rolling his eyes with a half-smile, letting out a chuckle and pressing a hand to his forehead.

- Yes, of course. I nearly forgot. - Then he looked at Jungkook. - I said four because I got confused; you're the one who has a meeting at four, I'm sorry. We'll meet at five. -

Jungkook let out a chuckle as well, sounding more relieved than anything. It nearly seemed as though the tension of before had gone entirely. Nearly.

- Ok, then, see you at five. - Jungkook said and turned around to enter the elevator, the tiny chuckle still on the corner of his mouth.

Oliver saw Taehyung looking at Jungkook just a second longer before looking at him, giving him a nod of farewell, and turning towards his apartment with heavily tensed shoulders to lock the door behind himself.

He had shut it so quickly it was as if he didn't want him to look. And he had shut it as if he wasn't planning on stepping out any time soon.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jungkook's hand nearing his own to press the button to the main floor. And Oliver frowned a bit as he let go so the door could close.

- Aren't we waiting for him? –

Jungkook looked straight at that closed door without a smile until the elevator shut its own.

- No. – He sighed. – He needs a moment to grab his stuff, I guess. Otherwise, he wouldn't have closed the door. –

Oliver looked at him while he looked at the doors and felt that knot forming again at his strange silence. At that time, neither of them could stop speaking.

- Why do you look so tired, my boy? – He asked gently, fatherly. And saw him taking a deep breath, his eyebrows pulling in the middle as if the question hurt him somehow.

But then he shook his head and smiled down at the floor.

- It's nothing, really. –

...Jack used to answer just like that.

- Jungkook—

But the elevator doors opened and there were a couple of teachers walking from one side to the other and heading out to their own classes, so he shut his mouth. But even as they walked out, he didn't miss the way Jungkook looked apprehensively around. Maybe because he didn't want to see Evans.

But what happened between the two? Was Jungkook really afraid of people that resemble his father or just afraid of certain people that just so happen to resemble his father?

Whatever it was, Oliver speeded up a bit only so he could open the door for him. Jungkook gave a little grateful smile at the floor as he stepped out, and turned to say goodbye.

- Well, Oliver, I'll—

- Wait. – He put a palm up with a serious expression, silencing him up and stopping his feet from steeping any further. – Come here. – He tried to sound as gently as he could while still leaving no room for debate as he himself stepped to the side of the black doors. Jungkook followed, once again looking apprehensive as he frowned at the floor and up at him.

- ¿Yes? –

Should he be direct and ask him about what he heard or tell him again that he's here if he needs help? Neither sounded like a good idea. If he chose the first one, he might as well scare him away, and, if he chose the second one, Jungkook might never come to him just like his son never did, even if he needed help.

But Oliver looked right at him without saying a word for a long second and saw the tiredness deep beneath his eyes, saw the slightly tense way his shoulders rose up even if he tried to seem casual, and saw, right in the shadow where his coat covered his collarbones, a tint of yellow next to something he knew was purple. Right at the base of his neck.

It even seemed as though the light in his eyes was forced. As if he was trying so very hard to focus on the good side, the pretty sights, the flawless cover of something he refused to acknowledge.

Maybe... just maybe, this is more important than classes right now.

- Do you think you can allow yourself to miss your next class? I need to speak to you. – He said, honestly. Not showing his worry, but his own heaviness.

Jungkook saw that and his brows pulled in at the seriousness of the question. Because he wasn't only asking him if he could miss a class, he was also telling him that what they needed to speak about was so important that he would miss his own. But truthfully, if Jungkook left right now, his mind would've gone with him.

The boy nodded, looking him straight in the eyes; looking at him with the eyes of someone much wiser who is constantly pushed out of sight.

- Thank you. - Oliver nodded. - Just for a moment, I'll need you to accompany me so I can leave this with my students. – He gestured to the bag.

- Sure thing. – Jungkook gave him an encouraging smile and stepped aside.

And so, they walked silently to a classroom on the west side of the University, past the library and the Students' living area.

It was a quick mission. Oliver entered the large classroom, leaving Jungkook at the door, and changed the dynamics of the class just enough so he wouldn't have to be present.

He selected two people (a boy and a girl), to be the "presidents of the class", then divided the 32 students into groups of 4 and told them to select a "leader of the group". After that, he took out a stack of papers, previously divided, which each told a specific "offense" made by a philosopher, old and new. The idea was that two groups would share the same "offense" but while one was told to speak in its favor, the other had to speak against it, and the presidents of the class then had to decide which would win the argument with reasons of their own. The final result was that, when the presidents of the class gave their own argument in favor of the winner, the rest of the class who listened but didn't participate would decide with the number of votes whether they approved the president's decision or not, and, if the latter won the majority, then the case would have to be brought back up when the rest groups had they own time to argue.

It had sounded far easier in his head, so he did indeed have to write it down on the board along with some rules for this game.

By the time he had walked out of the classroom again, he found Jungkook looking directly up at the chandelier while leaning back against the wall. As if he had too many things in his mind, or, indeed, was trying to shut everything off.

- I'm sorry about that. I'd thought it was an easier game than what it ended up being. – He sighed as he walked closer to him. Jungkook snapped his head down at him and gave him an easy smile.

- Don't worry about it. I get it. – They started walking towards the closest exit to one of the gardens. – This morning, in Taehyung's class, he asked if they knew what a Socratic Dialogue was and none of them knew. – He let out a chuckle.

- I'm assuming you did. - Oliver smiled at him by his side.

- Of course, I did. – He laughed, looking back at him as if it was obvious that he should know about philosophy... because his own father was a philosophy teacher...

Oliver had to avert his eyes at the feeling of a lump rising in his throat. The sight of his own son with that tired face and easy smile was not making this particularly easy.

When they got to the double doors, each pushed one open, and the light of the sun was blinding to their chandelier-accustomed eyes. Oliver blinked as he stepped out, feeling the cold breeze and tiny droplets of rain hitting his face, and, when he could open them, he was amazed.

It was raining, but the sun was trying to shine through the gray clouds; gray clouds which seemed to stop not such a long way away.

- Have you seen anything like this? – He asked Jungkook.

- I... don't think so. No. –

Silently, he motioned the boy to sit on one of the garden benches situated beneath the roof of the open corridor. It was quite a large garden, the one they had ahead of them, and it ended a bit before it reached the far tree line, leading to the woods inside Evanthe.

Oliver sighed once he was comfortable and his briefcase lay on the floor beside him.

- I quite like these benches. – He commented, resting one ankle above the other in front of him. – They take away the pain in my back. –

And he stayed silent.

Just waiting for anything at all.

He might've waited for a whole minute or two before Jungkook finally spoke. His voice bear of any brave masks as he said softly,

- I feel like they've aggravated mine. –

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🌼Thank you for reading Chapter 66 <3<3<3

Your devoted writer,

Ela Shadow Rose 🥀

Go ahead with the next Chapter ->->->