Connected

21: Not An Empath

"You aren't going to tell us where you have been all this time?"

Hoseok spoke up first after Jeongguk had fallen asleep on the couch. His voice was a bit harsh and could be easily misunderstood as rude, but his facial expression betrayed just how worried he has been. "No note, no call— you didn't tell any of us that you were leaving and just left without even saying goodbye to your own son. Do you have any idea just how worried we were?" Tears were brimming in the Vampire's eyes at this point, but his voice was still stable. His emotions were too obvious to miss, easy to read for the all of them.

Yoongi could only sigh quietly. He was carefully playing with the youngest' hair and his eyes were on his sleeping face solely. It was such a calming sight, both relieving and cute.
"I guess it was hard," he says. "I'm sorry for leaving without saying anything."

"Yoongi, where have you been?" Seokjin then asks. The room silences and all eyes are on Yoongi expectantly. But the latter stays silent. He refuses to speak and keeps his attention on the younger one hidden against his chest. He feels warm, Yoongi notices. Warm, and he still breathes like a human being. The father can hear his son's heartbeat and for a little while, allows himself to believe that it is normal, allows himself to believe that Jeongguk is still human. Though, the worry keeps lingering around even now.

"So steady. He still... his heart still hasn't...—"

"No, it hasn't yet." Namjoon interrupts. He sighs and locks eyes with Jimin, urging him to say something, anything. "Jeongukkie has been in a rough position these days," the Empath speaks up. "The attacks are frequent but don't get worse, and don't get better either. And today... Jeongukkie fell from the stairs today. He is alright, it wasn't too bad. But— he fell because of something that has to do with you. He said that the two of you shared a body. Did you feel anything?"

Frowning, Yoongi is unsure what to focus on first. But Jimin's last words are interesting. So interesting, that he temporarily forgets about the 'fell from the stairs' matter. "We shared a body?" He asks, perplexed. "When was it?" He looks around, expectantly awaiting an answer.

"Some hours ago!" Taehyung exclaims. "He fell from the stairs, so we were really worried. When he woke up, he kind of immediately became all worried, saying that something was wrong with you. Jeonggukkie was ready to go look for you himself but then Jin hyung and Namjoon hyung asked for your location and went to look for you. He also knew that you arrived long before you actually arrived. Isn't it amazing?"

"Very," Seokjin said, slapping the back of his head. "It's so amazing that Ggukkie fell and hit his head!"

"That is not what I meant!" Taehyung defended himself as he rubbed the sore spot.

"Sharing a body, knowing someone's location... aren't those Empaths's abilities?" Yoongi asks. He locks eyes with Jimin, wanting him to answer his question. The Empath in question thinks about it only shortly before nodding once. "Yes, they are. But... those are rare gifts. Only real strong Vampires can do it, and even a smaller group has this ability in their branch. It's very much unheard of."

"Rare gifts of an Empath?" Taehyung thinks aloud. "Then— can you do it, too?"

"No, I can't. They're called rare for a reason, after all." Jimin answers the younger's question honestly. He thinks for a little while and then continues, "neither have I ever met someone who can. Both my parents are Empaths too, and they can't do it, either. Those abilities are more of a legend than actual gifts, really."