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11
Shield 

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TAEHYUNG

Jisoo drops her knees onto the ground, and I rush to her side to support her.

"I'm so freaking tired," she chokes out, "No one likes me and no one wants to be friends with me."

"What? That's not true!"

"It is." She completely sits on the ground now, Dude purring softly at her side. "Just when I thought I should gather courage and make friends, it all goes downhill."

"What happened?" I ask, although I know exactly what she's talking about. Or at least I think I do.

"Li-like, for example, there's this kid named Taehyung," she sobs.

"Taehyung? Wow I've never heard of that name before. What a unique and unexpected name."

She disregards my stiffness and continues, "And I thought that I could be friends with him, but I think I messed up."

What? She didn't do anything to me, though.

"Why do you say that? I'm sure that's not true." I crouch down and help her balance by holding her arms.

"He made a joke and I almost snapped at him for it. It wasn't even that serious."

I rack my brain for all the things I could've said to make her snap. Was it something I said at my house? She's probably talking about when she grabbed my collar.

"He joked, or exaggerated, that his parents would beat him up if they saw me. I actually thought his parents beat him a-and when he told me he wasn't serious—" Jisoo chuckles sarcastically, as if she's the one at fault, "I almost lost it."

I still don't get it. She realizes this by my confused expression and elaborates further.

"My parents... they used to--" Her throat closes up and she doesn't finish her sentence.

It takes a moment, but something clicks in my head.

How she hates talking about her parents, how she avoids opening up to people, everything.

Oh my god.

"Were you..." I'm careful with my next words, "Beaten as a child?"

She only sobs harder as a response. I try to push hair out of her face but she slaps my hand away and practically headbutts my chest.

I fall back from the impact, but manage to wrap my arms around her.

"It was so hard to be strong for Jung--I mean, my brother, and I just--"

She's quivering in my arms, and I can smell her strawberry scented shampoo as she lets it all out.

"I just want to have someone to lean on but it's so scary to... to--"

Her breaths are shaky, and she doesn't look me in the eye with her head buried in my chest. She never continues, but she doesn't need to. I can't imagine how stressed she must be.

The cold, stoic, and somewhat sassy image I had of her is shattered, but replaced by one of a fearful and damaged girl.

I used to think that she isolates herself because she genuinely hates other people. But the girl in my arms right now isn't full of hate. She's scared. She's so scared but so strong.

I don't want her to push herself anymore. I want her to rely on me.

Frankly, I should've left as soon as I didn't feel the tug anymore, especially since I'm transformed, but I couldn't bring myself to leave her crying alone.

If she's hurt enough to break down in front of me, a literal stranger to her, then I will refuse to do anything but be by her side.

"On top of that, today Taehyung, I mean, someone said that he used to talk trash about me too. In fact, every--" She hiccups on her saliva, "everyone talks trash about me now. Everyone hates me. Right when I decided that I would try making friends."

She heard Jimin? I'm going to slap that bastard, after I slap myself for ever thinking that Jisoo was mean last month.

She's the farthest thing from that.

"I-I'm sorry. You don't... you shouldn't have to go through this." Are the only words I can find to say.

Her tears become cold little splotches of wetness on my shirt. It was raining earlier today so my butt is also soaked from the grass.

It's a good five minutes of her bawling in my arms. I know she has more on her plate but chooses to not say it, or maybe, she physically can't because she's crying so hard.

It's heartbreaking.

Her sobs eventually quiet down as I pat the back of her head in what I hope to be a comforting manner.

When she finally lifts her head from my chest, her eyes are puffy and her nose is red and runny. Frankly, she still looks gorgeous.

"Do you feel better?" I ask, since she seems to be at a loss for words. I brush hair from her tear-stained face, but this time, she doesn't slap my hand away.

"Yeah." Her voice is barely audible and I realize that she must be embarrassed.

"Look," I start, gathering all sincerity I can, "This is not your fault. To anyone who can't see your worth, they don't deserve you. If they believe petty lies over you, then they're the ones missing out, not you."

"You don't even know me. I'm not the nicest person in the world, y'know."

"It doesn't matter! That doesn't mean you don't have feelings!  Even though I might not know you well," I struggle to find a way to reassure her without revealing my identity, "I trust you."

She tilts her head in confusion.

"I trust that you're a good person. I just do." That's all I opt to say.

"You just... trust me?" She pulls away from the embrace and looks at me in disbelief.

"Yes."

"What if several people came here right now and told you that I'm a ruthless, cold-hearted bitch who bullies other people for fun? Would you trust me then?"

"Of course." I don't hesitate.

"What if it's a lot of people? Like, a whole school?"

"Even if no one else believes you, I always will."

"How--why are you being so nice to me?" 

"I'm not." I should've stood up for her earlier, if anything this is the least I can do. "But I guess it's just the superhero in me," I joke, before realizing the weight of my words.

I'm not supposed to let normal people know that I'm a superhero! Honestly, am I even a superhero at this point if I haven't even saved anyone?

"Figuratively! Not literally. Because real superheroes don't exist."

Jisoo is silent for a moment, probably figuring out what to say as I gulp in nervousness.

"Well, I think you're a real superhero," she says with a small smile, causing me to panic for a second.

"What?"

"You're like Anpanman."

"Who's that?"

"Anpanman is a comic superhero that's made out of bread," she explains, "He always helps people by feeding him parts of his body."

I internally sigh, relieved that she's just comparing me to a comic character. We're both sitting on the damp grass now, and she's stopped crying for the most part, although her voice is nasally from the snot.

"Are you saying that I'm flimsy like bread?"

"No no," she chuckles, "I'm saying that even though he doesn't have much, he always finds a way to help people," She looks at me for a breathtaking second,  "Just like you."

If only Jisoo knew how much those words actually mean to me.

During the shooting last week, I felt utterly useless. I had nightmares about that almost every day. I felt even worse when I almost targeted the wrong person literally like, ten minutes ago.

But with Jisoo's reassurance, I actually start to believe that I'm worthy of the "superhero" title.

JISOO

January 20th

I spring up from bed.

Was last night a dream?

No. It wasn't.

I know that because I'm in the same clothes from yesterday. After I came home, I practically passed out without even taking a shower.

Yes, I smell like crusty grass and my eyes are swollen from crying so hard but I feel giddy somehow. In the time span of an hour, V made me go from -10 to a solid 8. We parted after we talked about Anpanman because we were both starting to get sleepy.

It was probably the most awkward goodbye in the history of goodbyes. We didn't know if we should hug so we did that handshake/hug dance that everyone does in comedy movies and I think after that I ran away out of embarrassment.

That entire day is all a blur, honestly.

I was sobbing like there was no tomorrow, but I was actually relieved.  Someone was listening--truly listening to my troubles. This is especially profound because I wasn't transformed or under anonymity.

I showed him Jisoo's vulnerable side, not RC's. He let me do that without being scared.

When he said that he trusted me, I really wanted to believe him. I think I do, actually. I don't know for sure, though.

Am I confused still? Yes. Am I still mad at everyone in school? Yes. Do I still regret everything I do? Partially.

I don't regret talking to V, but I do regret a lot of other things, lashing out at Jin being the major thing.

I decide to shower before making breakfast since my dirty clothes smell nasty.

When I emerge from my room, fully dressed and more mentally prepared to face the hellhole that is school, a familiar broad-shouldered man is standing in the kitchen.

Sizzling sounds and aromas of bacon and eggs fill the kitchen as he hums a random tune. His signature pink apron and chef's hat is hard to miss in my otherwise bland kitchen.

"J-Jin?" Is he still here after all that I said to him?

He turns around, a beaming smile on his face.

"Good morning!" He runs up to me and stretches out his arms to engulf me in a warm hug.

"Why are you here?"

"Uh, why wouldn't I be?" He rolls his eyes, hurrying back to cook as I sit down. "There's a tainted leaf today. I didn't zap you yesterday since I wasn't sure."

"Yesterday?" I ask, ignoring my desire to know why he's acting like I didn't scream at him twelve hours ago.

"Yep, I talked to the other guardian about it, and apparently the person who's tainted is trying to fight it. Isn't that cool?" He starts plating the bacon and eggs, "Anyways, that's why I couldn't sense it very well."

Jin pushes the plate to me and hands me a glass of orange juice. I can only watch in shock because he's not acting the slightest bit affected from yesterday.

"So basically, when you get near the person today I'll zap you, okay? You can only defeat them by bringing them down mentally, since they aren't motivated to do physical harm. It might be tough since you might not be able to transform for a while, but you got this--"

"Aren't you mad at me?" I can't hold back my curiosity.

He laughs, "Mad at you for what?"

"You know... "

"I don't know, though. Enlighten me."

I can't tell if he's being funny or trying to get me to apologize.

"About yesterday. I'm sorry, okay?"

Jin looks at me and sighs, sitting down on the opposite side of the table.

"Jisoo, I'm not going to get mad at you for having feelings. You were on a breaking point for a while, and I know you didn't mean it. Remember, I have about a thousand years more emotional intelligence than you."

He smiles, radiating a balance of kindness and understanding.

There it is again. That longing in my chest. It's bittersweet, and I feel a weight being lifted off my shoulders.

"Thank you," I say, smiling as I bite into a piece of bacon.

"You're welcome! I love cooking so this is nothing."

I roll my eyes, "I meant for forgiving me."

"What, were you scared that I wouldn't?" He laughs, standing up to go do the dishes, "Did I possibly--" He holds up the frying pan, "Give you a fry-ght?"

I snort and roll my eyes at the lame joke. Or should I say, yolk?

He's rubbing off on me.

Nevertheless, breakfast is peaceful as it usually is again, and I find myself not dreading the day ahead of me as much. And all yolks aside, I legitimately have bigger fish to fry than petty high school drama.

For example, the tainted leaf.

___

Okay, just kidding.

Joy, the literal source of my high school drama, is the bigger fish I have to fry. She's the one who's tainted.

No wonder she was acting weird yesterday; she was trying to fight it off.

Honestly, that's pretty awesome of her.

My anger for her actions dissipate because I know she doesn't mean it. I blame the tainted leaf and The Sender.

I rub my wrist as I make my way to my desk, trying to brush off the pain from the zapping of the bracelet. I briefly notice an angry looking Taehyung talking to Jimin, while Jimin looks scared for his life.

Since I'm so concentrated on Joy, I don't see a foot outstretched in front of me. Suddenly, I'm free falling to the hard tile floor, and manage to barely save my nose from being broken.

Laughter erupts from around me, and I look up to see half the class staring at me. A brown-haired girl is the culprit, and she grins in triumph.

"It doesn't feel so good being on the receiving end, does it?" She snarls, people around her laughing at me. Joy watches from the corner without a visible reaction.

I stand up nonchalantly without a word, trying to ignore the throbbing on my knee. When I sit at my seat, I can feel glares from all around me. It's too early in the morning to deal with this. Thank goodness it's Friday.

When the teacher announces that class is starting, Joy and her underclassmen friends start leaving, although they don't forget to knock my pencil case down on the way.

It's nothing new, I tell myself. I don't need anyone.

During the lesson, I notice Taehyung glancing at me more than usual from the other side of the classroom. Usually, he just sleeps during class. I can't tell if he's glaring at me like the other students, or if I have something weird in my hair.

I try to push any thoughts of Taehyung or other students from my mind. Right now, I need to figure out how to get Joy's weakness. I recall what Jin told me while explaining the powers a few weeks ago.

"This may be a rare occurrence, but in the case of a psychologically tainted person, I recommend observing while un-transformed, and only transforming once you find out their weakness so you can take action."

"Weakness?"

"Yep. They become skilled in using emotional manipulation to get what they want but can't have. Find out what they want, and then take it away."

____

It's a little hard to focus throughout the day when the news of me bullying Joy went rapid fire. If my reputation was bad before, it's like I'm a villain to the entire school now.

Mean notes in lockers. People shoving my shoulder while walking past me. Snickers and suspicious whispers. It's lunchtime now, so everyone can assemble to form the "Jisoo Hate Club."

Rumors didn't bother me before, so I can't start getting hurt about it now. I can't start caring now.

What I do care about, is saving Joy.

She probably wants attention, so I have to take that from her somehow. I have to direct the spotlight somewhere else... but how? She already gets a lot of attention on a daily basis.

Or maybe, she wants people to like her? If her worst desire is manipulating others to think that I'm a bad person, maybe she just wants to be the victim?

That doesn't make sense either, since she's already well liked. Why would she have the desire to do something bad to get something, when she already has what she wants?

My pondering is cut short because someone yanks me back, preventing me from entering the classroom.

The air is knocked out of me because they pulled me from my collar.

In a blur of hands and hair, I'm slammed into a nearby locker. The protruding metal corner of an open locker digs into my arm.

Truthfully, I could see where they were trying to attack, but I didn't want to fight back.

It's a few girls, and one guy. They're all Joy's friends, or followers, I should say.

"I can't believe you have the audacity to bully Joy!" One girl snarls, grabbing a fistful of hair as my back presses against the locker. My arm especially hurts, the sharp pain resonating to my bones.

"As her friends, we want to give you a taste of your own medicine." Another girl, the brown-haired one from this morning, steps up to me, trying to be intimidating.

The only guy emerges from the back, glaring at me the most. I almost gasp when I recognize him.

He's the guy I rejected way back in the beginning of high school. I told him that he's not worth my time.

Oh god.

I remember being painfully conflicted, because that was when I started my "I don't care about anyone" mindset. I had to reject him because I wasn't ready to let anyone in my life. Heck, I'm still not quite ready.

But now I'm regretting it. He's not just glaring at me; he's trying to murder me with his eyes. Hate is radiating from every inch of his body.

"I'll go first," He growls, raising a threatening hand up in the air.

The girls step away, leading me to believe that he's really about to go ham.

Unwanted memories of the beatings I endured as a child come cascading back. The handprints that marked my back as I shielded Jungkook from the blows left a bigger print in my heart.

I don't make any move to defend myself. I must've hurt his feelings a lot back then but all I could care about was myself.

I always concoct the same justification for these situations.

I deserve this.

Wind brushes past my cheeks and I brace for pain, but it never comes.

When I peek my eyes open, I find Taehyung, of all people, standing beside me. His arm is outreached to block the fist, and he takes two steps forward so he's in front of me-- shielding me.

"Don't touch her."

Author's Note:

Dear, readers: i love u. so much.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!! I had a blast writing it and I'm aLSO making a special drabble after chapter 13 or 14! it'll be about Yoongi and Jin muahaha :))

THANK YOUUUU FOR READINGGGG!!!!!1

<3 lalalalala7fire