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English
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BTS Fanfiction Archive, best boys, Donereadingyay, Othersff, BTS, Fine Fanfic
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Published:
2018-05-30
Completed:
2018-06-26
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41,138
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12/12
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699
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black versus blue

Summary:

Taehyung had always dreaded meeting his soulmate, unlike the rest of the world’s population. He always hid the words scrawled in black cursive on the inside of his right wrist and felt terror at the thought of them turning blue, of his soulmate speaking them.

And as he sprinted down the packed Seoul sidewalk, hot tears streaming down his cheeks and sobs choking his throat, he knew he'd been right.

Or was he?

Notes:

another multi-chapter ! this one is very much a work in progress so updates will NOT be as quick as LN&CS. thank you all so so much for your comments & kudos on my works, it makes me smile :)

much love to you all, hope you enjoy !! hope everyone is happy & healthy & loving life :) and feel free to come say hey on tumblr !

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Taehyung had always dreaded meeting his soulmate, unlike the rest of the world’s population. He always hid the words scrawled in black cursive on the inside of his right wrist and felt terror at the thought of them turning blue, of his soulmate speaking them.

And as he sprinted down the packed Seoul sidewalk, hot tears streaming down his cheeks and sobs choking his throat, he knew he had been right to to fear it.

-

People always looked at him strangely for his soulmate mark. After all, having Back off, freak scribbled on your arm where other people had Hello or How can I help you? or, if you were his best friend Jimin, You’re stupid hot, certainly makes a statement. Jimin commiserated with him sometimes, pouting that his future soulmate will call him stupid but Taehyung usually just smacks him gently upside the head because they both know that’s not what that comment means.

Taehyung was able to go days, months without thinking of the future interaction that was supposed to make him happy but would only break his heart. When he turned thirteen, he took to wearing multiple thin leather bracelets on his wrists, hiding the words. He was so sick of being called a freak, sick of being tormented. After all, if his future soulmate, the one person supposed to stick by his side and love him forever, called him a freak, he might as well be one.

So Taehyung didn't enjoy high school all that much. He stuck to his art, diving into his studies, practically living in the studio. If not for Jimin gently bullying him, constantly dragging him around in his wake, Tae probably would have died from the paint fumes by now.

Especially today, the start of their last week of high school. A group of classmates had gotten hold of his sketchbook that morning, tearing pages as two of them held him pinned against the wall, unable to protest. It was only after two teachers turned down the hallway, not even looking up, that Tae was able to wrestle his way free and snatch his book back. He ignored the calls of “Freak!” at his back and turned into the studio.

He hauled out a large piece of canvas that he was sure to catch hell for from his art teacher and snatched a set of spray paints from his cubby. He snapped a mask over his nose and mouth and threw a headband on his forehead to keep his deep brown hair out of his eyes, then selected the black paint.

Jimin found him there a couple hours later, out of breath and windswept from dance practice. His plain t-shirt and trackies were damp with sweat and he guzzled from a water bottle as if his life depended on it. He frowned over at Tae, then heaved a sigh, clicking off the ancient radio and waiting until Tae looked around at the sudden silence.

“Is it five already?” Tae’s eyes were dazed.

Jimin sighed and squeezed his friend’s shoulder, ignoring the paint flecks on Tae’s shirt and jeans. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I need coffee.”

“I want to finish this—”

“Tae,” interrupted Jimin, voice gentle. “It’s done. Come on.”

Taehyung sighed and wiped his hands on a clean rag, staring at his piece, before letting Jimin steer him from the room.

A large canvas decorated over and over and over again with the word FREAK in different sizes and colors stares after them.

-

The local coffee shop looked packed with high school students from five schools within the area. Taehyung hated the place, always had, but Jimin loved the cheap drinks and, unlike Taehyung, was actually quite popular with their classmates. It was the genuine beaming smile, the rounded cheeks that made his eyes disappear into crescents, the childlike enthusiasm and boundless energy.

Some days, when the teasing and bullying got really bad, Taehyung thought his life would be easier if he could keep Jimin to himself. There would be less interaction with the rest of the world. But he always shoved that nasty thought away, knowing he would easily turn his back on all society if not for his best friend.

They stood in line at the counter, Taehyung with his gaze fixed on his feet, Jimin chatting with three girls from their History class in line in front of them. They cast Taehyung wary glances and refused to say hi even when Jimin nudged at them all.

Jimin sighed when they move on. “They’re too pretty to be so bitchy.”

“It’s high school, Jiminie. Prettiness and bitchiness seem to go hand in hand.”

“It shouldn’t be that way,” said Jimin stubbornly.

“You shouldn’t put so much faith in people, you’re going to lose that wide-eyed innocence of yours.” Taehyung waved away the pout he got in response. “Sorry, I’m sorry, damn it. Ignore me, I’m in a mood.”

Jimin reached up to cross their six-inch height difference and slung an arm around Tae’s neck. “You’re always in a mood,” said Jimin cheerfully, both of them ignoring the boys who shouldered Taehyung on their way out. “It’s okay, Taetae, one more week and we’re off to SNU!”

Taehyung couldn’t wait.

They shuffled forward as the girls collected their orders and moved away, Jiminie paying for his cappuccino and Taehyung’s mocha before Tae could protest. They moved to the side to wait, idly looking at the crowd.

Taehyung’s eyes wandered, half-listening to Jimin’s gripes about new blisters on his heels from not breaking in his new shoes before dance practice that day.

Suddenly, his breath caught in his chest.

A pair of eyes were staring at him from across the café. Eyes belonging to a tall gangly boy whose body seemed stuck somewhere in puberty, all wide eyes and a large overbite and shaggy chestnut hair covered in a backwards snapback, matched with a tall clumsy body that hadn’t been grown into yet.

But the boy was gorgeous.

And shy, from the looks of things. The second their eyes met he looked down and blushed. He sat at the end of a booth next to four rowdy boys, all baseball players from the look of the gear stashed under the table. Taehyung didn’t recognize them so he figured they must be students at another high school.

“Who are you looking at?” came Jimin’s curious voice, muffled as if he were underwater.

“Nobody,” said Tae, breathless, finally looking away and staring at the ground. He felt like he’d just run a marathon, heart pounding, a drop of sweat running down his back.

What the hell?

“Okay. Well nobody is on his way over here.”

Taehyung whipped his head up, eyes wide, to see the gorgeous boy making his way through the crowd. It seemed like he was indeed on his way over, until his steps turned slightly and he merely went to a booth on the other side of the café, standing there greeting the occupants between Taehyung and the exit.

Taehyung blew out a breath and turned to accept his coffee. What was he thinking? That a boy that pretty would actually say hi to the town freak? In front of a coffee shop full of their peers, no less.

His knees were shaking. Even more so, when he catches sight of the FREAK scribbled on the side of his cup and the mocking laughs of the barristers behind the bar.

Jimin scoffed in disgust and wrapped an arm around Tae’s waist. “Come on, Taetae, let’s go home.”

Suddenly yearning for his bed and his dog and a cool, calm room, Taehyung nods, feeling apathetic as he let his friend steer him out. Their way to the exit took them by a booth full of Taehyung’s usual tormentors.

One boy stuck his foot out in Tae’s path, catching his boot and making Tae stumble. He yelped with surprise and, unbalanced, collided hard with someone’s shoulder, his mocha all but exploding at the impact. The hot coffee splattered everywhere and he yelped again, unable to catch his balance before falling to his hands and knees.

“Back off, freak,” spat a harsh voice.

“S-sorry…” Taehyung managed to mumble, knees barking with pain. He looks up to see who he collided with and instantly froze.

It was the gorgeous boy. His eyes were cold and suddenly mean as he winced in pain, holding his t-shirt soaked in hot coffee away from his body.

Of more immediate importance was the burning sensation on Taehyung’s right wrist, one untouched by the spilled coffee. He lunged to his feet and grappled with his leather bracelets, ignoring the stares as he rips them free and stares at the letters scrawled there.

The letters turned blue before his eyes.

The gorgeous boy let out a similar hiss and lifted his own wrist.

S-sorry was written there. In blue.

They stared at one another. The gorgeous boy looked to be in shock, his expression still twisted in a mean expression but his eyes suddenly lost in confusion.

The café took up the chant. “Freak, freak, freak…”

“His own soulmate thinks he’s a freak,” cackled a boy nearby.

Taehyung felt his eyes fill. He looked around at the crowd, a mess of jeering, laughing faces that blur together. He vaguely heard Jimin shouting at them all. Of more importance was the gorgeous boy, still staring at him, saying nothing and not moving an inch.

Taehyung felt his heart break, and he sprinted out of the café.

He ran down the sidewalk, tears overflowing, gasping in harsh breaths between sobs.

He always knew it would hurt, meeting his soulmate.

But he never knew it would tear his heart so completely in two.