Chapter Text
"Taehyung! Hurry! We're going to be late!" Taehyung's best friend's voice snaps him out of his trance as he stares at the handsome carnivore.
"Sorry, Jiminie," Taehyung says as he catches up with Jimin.
"You foxes really are scatterbrained." Jimin sighs as they walk to their classroom together.
"I am pretty sure that you rabbits are worse." Taehyung rolls his eyes at his best friend's comment.
As the two 8th graders wait for their teacher, the carnivore that caught Taehyung's eye earlier walks in with his head down. Taehyung watches the larger male as he tries to catch a glance of his eyes. Earlier, Taehyung had caught a glimpse of the carnivore's dark, black eyes and could not seem to get enough. Taehyung watches the carnivore until the carnivore sits down and lays his head on the desk. When Taehyung could not catch a glimpse of those entrancing eyes, he sighed and pouted.
"What's wrong with you?" Jimin asks when he sees his friend's pout.
"Have you ever seen something so beautiful that you try to see it again but then can't?" Taehyung asks as he remembers those beautiful eyes.
"Not really," Jimin answers with a shrug of his shoulders.
When the teacher walks into the room, the buzz of the students silences, and they all face the front. "Alright, class. We have a new student joining us today. Jeon Jungkook, please stand up." She announces when she stands at the front of the class. Everyone looks around the room, trying to find the new student; however, Taehyung knows exactly where to look and watches the taller boy slowly stand up. Taehyung's breath softly hitches as he looks into the boy's beautiful black eyes. For Taehyung, everything seems to revolve around the other boy.
"Everyone, this is Jeon Jungkook. He is a Black Wolf and is classified as a dangerous carnivore." The room is filled with different sounds when the students hear their teacher's introduction of the new student. As Taehyung watches Jungkook, he notices how nervous the poor boy is as the students point and stare while talking about him. Taehyung watches as a silent tear falls from the terrified boy's downcast eyes, so he decides to cause a commotion that would draw all of his classmates' attention because tears do not suit those beautiful eyes.
"Mrs. Park! My stomach hurts!" Taehyung screams and dramatically falls to the floor. Being a dramatic arctic fox, he flops on the floor and rolls his eyes to the back of his head. The whole classroom fills with chaos as Jimin screams out for Taehyung, and the teacher runs over to him. All of the students with crushes on Taehyung begin panicking and screaming. The mice faint with terror while the skunks spray out of fear and shock.
Jungkook watches the commotion in awe when all of the suffocating attention is suddenly pulled from him and turns to the beautiful Arctic fox he saw earlier. He watches with worry as a stallion picks up the limp fox and runs to the nurse's office, with a worried bunny frantically following behind.
Once the classroom is calm, most of the students have already forgotten about the dangerous carnivore sitting in the back of the classroom. Jungkook tries to pay attention to the lecture, but his mind keeps wandering to the Arctic fox as he worries about him. He is grateful the attention is off of him, but he cannot help but worry for the little fox.
"Kim Taehyung. What were you trying to get out of this time?" Nurse Lee asks once the stallion leaves.
"Huh? My tummy really hurt." Taehyung pouts and rubs his stomach.
"Uh-huh. It's not exam season, so I am guessing that you weren't avoiding that." She smirks as she watches Taehyung's ears flatten and his tail swish as he tries to pull off his adorable pout.
"KIM TAEHYUNG!!! Are you serious?! You're completely fine?!" Jimin screams as his grey bunny ears twitch angrily.
"Noooo, it really hurt at that moment," Taehyung answers defensively with a dramatic whine.
Taehyung has learned over the years that an angry Jimin is terrifying. The next twenty minutes are filled with Jimin screaming at Taehyung about how Taehyung almost caused him a heart attack; however, Taehyung's mind fills with thoughts of the handsome wolf. His drifting thoughts drown out his friend's angered and worried rant.
"Have you ever wondered what carnivores look like underneath the muzzle?" Taehyung asks in a soft daze as he interrupts Jimin's rant.
"What?" Jimin asks as he pants out of breath from his screaming.
"Do you think the muzzles hurt?" Taehyung asks as he thinks about the muzzle Jungkook wears. Because Jungkook is classified as a dangerous carnivore, he wears a muzzle with three straps. Two of the straps wrap around the base of his head and snap together in the back, while the third runs vertically over his forehead and snaps together with the other two at the back of his head. The muzzle is made of leather and covers his nose and mouth, making breathing difficult.
"I, uhhh, never thought about those things. I'm sure they must be scary underneath the muzzle, or else the government wouldn't require them to wear one. I don't think the government would make them wear something that would hurt them, either. Why do you ask?" Jimin answers both of Taehyung's questions after thinking for a second.
"I've never seen a carnivore without a muzzle before, and the muzzles don't look very comfortable," Taehyung answers as he continues to think about Jungkook. The wolf hybrid's eyes were not the eyes of someone who meant anyone any harm. They were filled with pain, fear, and loneliness. Seeing those emotions in the wolf's beautiful eyes pulled on Taehyung's young heart.
"I don't really want to know what they look like underneath the muzzle because if I see what's underneath the muzzle, that means I'm about to be eaten." Jimin shudders at the thought of carnivores and the horrifying stories he grew up hearing.
Taehyung is quiet throughout the next classes as he thinks about Jimin's perspective and the fear the black wolf showed as he was being watched by the class. When it came time for lunch, Taehyung and Jimin ran to the cafeteria with the rest of the hungry students. The cafeteria has several food lines with different food to meet the dietary criteria for all of the students. The two boys split up as they go to their separate lines. Once they have their food, they meet up and start to eat.
"You know, it's not like when I eat chicken, I'm eating a hybrid. Carnivores don't eat hybrids either. They only eat animals." Taehyung says as he fiddles with his fried chicken.
"True, but carnivores are monitored to make sure they aren't violent against us weaker herbivores," Jimin answers as he eats his oatmeal and fruits. Taehyung does not respond as his thoughts continue to drift toward the new student.
As Taehyung eats, he looks around the cafeteria for Jungkook but does not see him anywhere. Jimin watches as Taehyung quickly devours his food and stands up. "Where are you going?" Jimin asks as he looks at Taehyung with curiosity.
"I'm going to get some fresh air. I'll see you in class later." Taehyung answers and quickly walks off.
Once Taehyung puts his dishes away, he begins to dash all over the school, looking for Jungkook. When he climbs the stairs toward the roof, he catches the scent of the carnivore. The moment he opens the door to the roof, the wolf panics and fumbles with his muzzle as he tries to put it back on. The wolf's hands tremble as he desperately tries to put his muzzle back on.
"It's okay. You don't have to put it on." Taehyung says as he puts his hands up to show he is not dangerous. Jungkook calms down when he realizes Taehyung's scent is not threatening or filled with fear. He watches as Taehyung walks over to him and gently takes the muzzle out of his trembling hand. "It was upside down." Taehyung smiles and hands it back to Jungkook.
"You're not scared of me?" Jungkook timidly asks.
"No, why would I be scared?" Taehyung softly responds as he admires the splendor of the young wolf standing in front of him. Jungkook is bigger than the other eighth graders, and his body is already showing muscle mass. His proud black ears stand proudly on his head while his strong, black tail falls elegantly behind him.
"Because of my classification," Jungkook quietly mutters as he becomes lost in Taehyung's enchanting blue eyes. Taehyung's body is slim and elegant as his cute, white ears poke out from underneath his white wavy hair. His snow-white tail gently swishes behind him as he stares up at the wolf in front of him with big, sparkling blue eyes.
"That's government gibberish trying to calm and control the fearful herbivores and their large population. Plus, you seem really shy and sweet." Taehyung answers as he fights the urge to pet Jungkook's ears.
"Sweet?" Jungkook asks, shocked because no one has ever called him sweet before.
"Yeah?" Taehyung answers, afraid he said the wrong thing.
"That's a first." Jungkook barely smiles and puts his muzzle in his pocket. Taehyung watches as Jungkook sits down and picks up his food.
"Can I sit next to you?" Taehyung asks as he really fights the urge to pet Jungkook's ears.
"Mhm."
Taehyung quickly sits down next to Jungkook and closes his eyes so he doesn't stare at the shy wolf as he eats. What Taehyung does not realize is the wolf is looking at him and admiring him. Jungkook watches as Taehyung stretches his head back and enjoys the warmth of the spring sun. The young wolf slowly eats as he admires the beautiful smile on the stunning fox. Sadly, Jungkook is rudely pulled out of his trance as the bell rings, telling them it is time to go to class. Taehyung watches quietly as Jungkook covers his beautiful face with the muzzle.
As they walk to class, Taehyung is pulled away by their classmates with a crush on him as they flirt and desperately try to get his attention. The Arctic fox lets them pull him away from Jungkook so that Jungkook is not overwhelmed by them.
During class, Taehyung's mind is distracted as he thinks about Jungkook. Jungkook is the most stunning person he has ever seen in his life. He is so gentle and shy. As the class goes on, Taehyung cannot stop wondering why carnivores are treated so horribly.
Taehyung's and Jungkook's eyes meet throughout the day, but neither of them is able to talk to each other. At the end of the day, Taehyung's older brother gets to the school perfectly on time to pick Taehyung up, not realizing that Taehyung was praying that he would be late for once.
"Jin hyung, you don't have to rush to pick me up all of the time," Taehyung says as he gets into the car.
"Of course I do! I always miss my little brother when I can't see him!" Seokjin dramatically answers.
Jungkook quietly watches as Taehyung gets into a car with another Arctic fox. He watches until he can no longer see the car carrying the ray of sunshine he met today. As Jungkook walks toward the orphanage specifically for carnivore orphans, he watches as herbivores scurry away from him as if he were going to eat them. He has never understood the mass fear because never once has a carnivore eaten an herbivore.
Jungkook's world dims as he walks into the crumbling building he grew up in. Screams from babies and yells from adults assault his sensitive ears as he walks in. He quickly makes his way to his room to escape the deafening sounds. However, when he walks in, he is met by the yells of his roommates as they fight over a pair of clothes. Jungkook quickly avoids them and curls up in his bed. He pulls his blanket over his head as he tries to escape the hell of his life. Tears roll down his cheeks as he longs for a different life.
"Jeon Jungkook!!! Where the fuck are you?!" Jungkook hears the caretaker scream in anger.
"I'm here." Jungkook timidly answers as he pulls the blanket down.
"Why aren't you stopping their fight, you waste of air?!!!" The caretaker screams as she grabs Jungkook by his hair and drags him down the stairs. Jungkook silently cries when his body screams in pain as his already broken ribs are knocked against every step.
To escape the pain, he runs to his new memories of his ray of sunshine. "Taehyung," Jungkook whispers as he is beaten by the boar hybrid.
When her anger is tamed, Jungkook is thrown into the tiny room with no windows. The young wolf cries out in pain as his broken body thuds on the cold concrete, and his broken ribs crack more. As Jungkook lies on the floor in excruciating pain, he tries to imagine a pain-free day. A day where he can run for hours without his muzzle as the sun shines down on him. As he gets lost in his imagination, Taehyung's sweet voice filters into his imaginary world. Little does Jungkook know, but an Arctic fox is thinking about him, wondering what Jungkook's life is like.
"Tae!!! Come on, little pup!!! It's time for dinner!" Seokjin calls for Taehyung once the food is ready.
Taehyung quickly runs out of his room to the kitchen, where he is wowed by the delicious smell of his hyung's cooking.
"Yummy!" Taehyung squeals as he looks at all of the food on the table.
"How was school?" Seokjin asks once they start eating.
"It was really good." Taehyung answers, wanting to tell his hyung about Jungkook, but he is afraid Seokjin will react negatively and be afraid that Taehyung will get hurt.
"That's good. How's Jimin?" Seokjin asks.
"He's good. How were your classes?" Taehyung asks his older brother, who is going to university and is in pre-med classes while working part-time, to support him and his growing brother.
"Oof, rough." Seokjin sighs and smiles.
"Do you have to work tonight?" Taehyung asks as he worries about his hyung.
"No, I'm going to study," Seokjin answers with a smile.
"Make sure to sleep," Taehyung says as he places more food on his hyung's plate.
"I will." Seokjin softly smiles and pats his little brother's head.
"Hyung, what do you think about carnivores?" Taehyung asks after a couple of minutes.
"Um, I'm not sure, really. I haven't met one before." Seokjin answers and wonders what is going on in his mischievous brother's mind. Taehyung goes silent after hearing his brother's answer. He decides he will not tell his older brother so that he can keep Jungkook safe. Seokjin watches Taehyung nervously as his little brother's face changes, clearly making a decision on something.
The rest of their evening goes by quietly as Taehyung and Seokjin do their homework. While Taehyung's evening goes by peacefully and comfortably, Jungkook's evening stays hell as he becomes hungry and shakes in the cold.
What did I do so wrong to deserve this life? I'm so tired. I just want one day of peace. I'm too tired. No! You won't think these thoughts! You will fight to have a peaceful life! Just keep going! It will be peaceful in four more years. Graduate high school and get a job. You've made it farther than most carnivores. When you go to school tomorrow, you can see Taehyung. Jungkook's thoughts flood his mind as he slowly blacks out from the pain.
Both boys are woken up differently. Taehyung is woken up by the gentle voice of his loving brother while Jungkook is kicked and yelled at. Taehyung is peacefully driven to school while Jungkook runs through the pain so he is not late to school.
When Taehyung reaches his classroom, he looks around for Jungkook but does not find him. Taehyung watches the clock nervously because he knows that if Jungkook is late, Jungkook will get into more trouble than any other student. As Taehyung frets, the energetic bunny beside him chatters away.
Right before the tardy bell rings, Jungkook walks into the classroom. As Jungkook looks around the classroom, his eyes meet Taehyung's as Taehyung looks at him with worry. Taehyung notices Jungkook is wearing the same clothes as yesterday, and he seems to be in pain. The fox watches as Jungkook winces when he walks to his desk.
When it is finally time for lunch, Taehyung bolts to the cafeteria, grabs his food, and bolts to the roof. Taehyung panics when he sees Jungkook curled up on the roof while whimpering in pain. "Jungkook!" Taehyung yells as he runs over to him. "What happened?" Taehyung asks as he feels tears sting his eyes.
"I-I'm okay." Jungkook pants as he tries to sit up.
Taehyung cries when he pulls the muzzle off of Jungkook and sees his lip is busted and dried blood on his chin. "Wh-What happened to you?" Taehyung's tears trickle down his face as he looks into Jungkook's pained eyes.
"N-Nothing," Jungkook answers and tries to smile for Taehyung.
"No, Jungkook. I know you're hurt. Let me take you to the school nurse." Taehyung frantically says as he tries to pick Jungkook up off of the ground.
"No, Taehyung," Jungkook says as he tries to pull out of Taehyung's grasp.
"Jungkook! You're hurt." Taehyung cries and pulls one more time.
"The nurse doesn't treat dangerous carnivores." Jungkook quietly mutters.
"What? Why?" Taehyung looks at Jungkook, shocked.
"She's a mouse. I'm sure she's beyond terrified of me." Jungkook smiles at Taehyung, trying to calm him down.
"That is so stupid! You're hurt! It's her job!" Taehyung cries as he sits next to Jungkook.
"No medical worker is required to help carnivores, let alone dangerous carnivores. They have the right to refuse help." Jungkook explains his sad reality to Taehyung.
"But you would never hurt her!" Taehyung sobs as he looks at the gentle black wolf sitting in front of him.
"It's okay, Taehyung." Jungkook whispers and gently pets Taehyung's head.
"No, it's not! You're hurt!" Taehyung continues to cry as he realizes how cruel Jungkook's world is.
Jungkook quietly watches the first person to ever cry for him. No one has ever cried because of his pain. "Don't cry, please?" Jungkook asks as he watches the small fox's ears droop and endless tears stream down his sad face.
Taehyung slowly stops as he looks at Jungkook. He quickly realizes that he cannot accomplish anything by crying, so he quickly stands up and runs off. Jungkook watches Taehyung, shocked. The wolf quietly waits for him, wondering what the little fox is doing.
After a few minutes, Taehyung comes running back onto the roof with a bag in his hands. When he sits down next to Jungkook, he begins to pull out different medical tools and gauze. "Lift your shirt," Taehyung mutters as he prepares everything. Jungkook quietly obeys while wondering what Taehyung is going to do. He watches as Taehyung takes a deep, shaky breath when the fox sees the wolf's bruised and cut body.
Silent tears stream down Taehyung's face as he fights the urge to cry. He did not expect Jungkook's body to be this broken. Taehyung carefully begins to clean Jungkook's cuts while Jungkook tries not to flinch in pain. As Taehyung cleans Jungkook, the bell indicating the end of lunch rings, but Taehyung ignores it and continues to care for Jungkook.
Once the cuts are disinfected and wrapped, he attends to Jungkook's face. He knows just from looking at Jungkook's body that Jungkook has broken ribs. The young fox knows that there is nothing he can do about the broken ribs, so more tears fall as his eyes swell from the crying.
"Where did you get all of this?" Jungkook quietly asks after a couple of quiet minutes.
"I stole it from the nurse's office," Taehyung answers quietly.
"You what?" Jungkook asks, shocked.
"Don't worry about it. I'm a fox. I won't get caught." Taehyung smiles as he finishes with Jungkook's lip.
"Okay, I won't," Jungkook answers with a smile.
They sit on the roof together for the rest of the day as they are lost in their thoughts. When the last bell of the day rings, they both stand up and collect their belongings.
"Jungkook, I'm going to become a doctor," Taehyung says as he picks up Jungkook's backpack.
"Really? Why?" Jungkook asks as he follows Taehyung to the door.
"So that all carnivores have someone to care for them. So that I can take care of you." Taehyung answers with a gentle smile.
Jungkook looks at Taehyung, stunned because Taehyung is the first person to ever tell him that they will take care of him. Taehyung smiles at Jungkook and fights the tears as he carefully puts Jungkook's muzzle on him. Taehyung loathes the muzzle because he feels like it locks Jungkook in his hell without a voice to cry for help.
As Taehyung looks at the beautiful wolf, he becomes more determined to protect him. The white fox will protect the black wolf.