a/n: if you want to know where I've been, i posted my plan on my mb a couple of days ago ♡
[ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ]
"A top knot? Seriously?" Jungkook said, looking into the mirror with a stony look on his face.
I couldn't help but let out a nervous chuckle as I spotted his face of thunder. I'd certainly got my revenge after his endless teasing about my bird nest of hair.
"I think it's cute," I said, reaching up and flicking the bun at the top of his hair. He grabbed my hand and sent me a playful glare.
"You're going to regret this." He stalked towards me, a smug smile on his face. "Are you ticklish?"
"No!" I shouted too quickly and he laughed, not believing me in the slightest. I rushed to the bed and grabbed a pillow holding it like it was both a shield and my lifeline. "Back off you fiend."
I jumped on top the bed and prepared for attack and, just as he was going to start his pursuit, there was a knock at the door. Without waiting for a reply, Taehyung popped his head around the door.
"What's going on here?" He asked with a furrowed brow as he looked over the scene which lay before him. I wonder what he thought was happening with me, standing on the bed with a pillow in hand and Jungkook sniggering in the background.
"Don't tell me, I don't want to know. It's time to train." He sent a pointed look at Jungkook who nodded.
"We're coming." He held out a palm to help me from the bed and I took it, my chin turned upwards in a snobby but teasing manner. I felt his poke my side, making me jump.
"Come on, Princess." I couldn't help but shoot a glare into the back of his head as I could see his back rise and fall as he chuckled. I scoffed but couldn't help but feel light as I watched him having fun for the first time, in what felt like, forever.
~
"Nice hair," Hoseok whistled as we entered their makeshift training room.
When we had exited the old mansion, which I hadn't realised was so large, we strolled through the front yard and across the street. I had asked where on Earth we were going but Jungkook shushed me. I soon realised that we were being led to an abandoned building, like a large village hall or school lobby of sorts. The whole place looked dismal with its paint peeling walls and rusted window frames but, when we entered through the broken door, it wasn't as bad as it first seemed. The boys had transformed it into a place to practise their powers and work out by having an obvious clean up (I could smell the tang of bleach and cleaning products under my nose) and had put some gym equipment inside. The amount of effort that they'd put in to transforming the room was admirable.
I felt Jungkook bristle as he sent a mock look of anger towards Hoseok who guffawed again, turning towards Taehyung who appeared to be his training partner.
They were all stood in pairs, minus Jin and Namjoon who hung at the back of the room in a huddle, whispering to one another. I was surprised to see Namjoon there, if I was being honest. I knew he had to practise in order to be able to fling objects at will with his telekinesis but he didn't seem like the physical type. Jungkook saw me looking at the two boys and smiled.
"I'm going to train with Namjoon. Feel free to use any of the equipment." He pointed to the array of dumbbells and medicine balls and I swallowed anxiously. Sure, I could pick up a 5kg exercise ball but these things were huge. My noodle arms would snap before I even lifted those things an inch off the floor. He saw my worried look and tapped my head teasingly. "Or, you can talk to Jin."
"He doesn't train with you?" I asked, as Namjoon noticed us, murmured something in Jin's ear before proceeding to make his way over to us.
"He likes to exercise but," Jungkook paused. "Maybe you should ask him yourself."
I didn't have time to argue otherwise as Namjoon had made his way over to us and high-fived Jungkook. "Are you ready to train? Who knows, you might have lost your touch." I could tell Namjoon was only being playful but the excitement of being challenged resonated in Jungkook's eyes.
"You never know, I might surprise you."
Namjoon passed over some arm and knee pads which Jungkook dutifully slid on. Now that I looked closely, all the boys seemed to have some sort of protective gear on. The most noticeable was Jimin who wore a full body suit, similar to that of a fireman's. It made sense when I looked at his fighting partner and saw Yoongi staring him down with flames licking at his hands.
I didn't know how comfortable I felt sharing a room with Yoongi but I managed to extinguish my fear enough to sidle past him as I made my way over to Jin. As soon as I was out of his range and many metres away from the fire encompassing his hands, I let out a breath of relief before turning to the boy who Jungkook had advised me to talk to.
"Hello Jin," I said, bounding up next to him. He was stood at a table that was pushed against the wall and full of medical equipment. Being a scientist, I recognised most of the tools and leaned in to get a closer look at what Jin was working on. "What are you doing?"
He smiled fondly at me and lifted the object in his hands. It was a practise suture kit which medical students would use to practise stitches, for future reference, when they had wounded patients with open and deep wounds. Jin waved the object with a sheepish look of his face as he shrugged. "This is my training."
So, while the others learnt to control and utilise their powers to the best of their abilities, Jin practised his medical skills. I mean, I guess it made sense. Jin wasn't exactly buff and his enhancement wasn't the type that could be used as a defence or attack tactic in a battle. He was a healer which meant that he wasn't ever on the front line but waited on the sidelines, ensuring that none of his friends got fatally wounded and, if that did happened, he'd be waiting to successfully treat them. There was just one thing that was unclear to me.
"Why are you learning all this though? Can't you just heal them with your hands and be done with it?"
His soft lips stretched into a smile but it didn't quite reach his eyes. They were filled with pain and sadness and I could tell that he was feeling anchored down by whatever was bothering him. I went to reach out to him, to comfort him but he seemed to coil up and retract from my touch. He let out a tired sigh and rubbed a hand over his face as he breathed in and out, his breath mingling with the cool air and creating a curl of steam. His eyes scanned over the people in front of him from Jimin,with the small water spout he had created in his hands, to Hoseok who had made Taehyung smile dopily as he brought him in and out of a dream-like state.
"I'm not the same as the others," he admitted, lowering his gaze to the floor and glaring at the rotted wood panels. "When they brought me to MediHeal Laboratories, I was their shiny new toy. I was their first successful experiment after 310 failed attempts."
Of course, how could I forget that Jin was not only the oldest of the group but the first boy to face the torments of the laboratory? He was Test Subject 311 after all.
"When Jungkook came along and then Yoongi and then Jimin, they began to realised that I was flawed. Whilst the others grew more powerful with time, I became weaker. As time passes, I gradually grow more weary when I use my healing abilities. They've never been able to figure out why."
I paused and my mind flashed back to earlier that very same morning.
"I wish I could've healed you more but Hoseok forbid me, unfortunately. He said that I'd make myself ill."
That's what Jin had told me and I hadn't failed to notice the tell-tale signs of fatigue on his face. Plus, I still had a slight scratchy throat and was a little unsteady on my feet. If he had never-ending power, it would have only taken a click of his fingers to heal all those minor problems but he hadn't because, I realised, that he was growing weak with every scrap of energy he used.
He turned to me then, his eyes glassy with tears. "I'm scared that I'm useless. What do I do if one of my boys fatally injure themselves? It would kill me," he laughed, "literally kill me to heal them." He seemed broken-hearted but, as he looked at the others who aimlessly trained without realising the severity of our conversation, he smiled adoringly. He loved these boys. In a weird way, they were like his children.
"Don't worry," I said. "I'm sure it won't come to that."
"I'm really glad you're here Hayeon; you're good for Jungkook."
I bowed and thanked him, my heart thrumming in satisfaction.