noctivagant | park jimin | ✓

⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ chapter eight ⋆｡°☽° ｡⋆｡☁︎°｡⋆

Jimin knew there were many beautiful things in the universe. He understood a sensation of beauty was spurred in the hearts of many; when life bursts from the petals of a blossoming flower and when joy colors a child's laughter. Society named specific objects and situations beautiful all the time. It was natural for humans to categorize and relate beauty to their personal and shared experiences.

Beauty was represented by an object, yet did beauty itself exist?

Jimin thought so.

He believed beauty was an entity that existed somewhere beyond the reach of humanity. Someone must have known of this entity in the past, and in their attempt to name such a creature, they related its presence to things of the world to represent it.

While contemplating his newfound immortality, he thought of beauty once again.

The beach near the vampire's estate was pitch black as an endless midnight sky blanketed the world. Stars were spread across the sky in dazzling patterns and clusters of glitter. The vast ocean was illuminated by the milky glow of the moon. Tonight, it appeared that the moon was dripping its essence into the dark waters and melting across its surface.

Jimin breathed in the scent of the salty ocean, and was comforted by the lack of human presence. The world was fast asleep, and the night wanderers have left their home.

Namjoon trudged beside Jimin with a faraway look in his eyes. His dark hair was slightly messy and there was a tinge of fruity blood on his breath. He glanced at Jimin through the corner of his eye and smiled, if not a little awkwardly.

Their relationship was complicated to say the least, but that didn't mean Jimin had to hate him. After all, Namjoon had saved him from whatever lies beyond death, the cold void that awaited him. He never wanted to return to that place. Namjoon was struggling with the same doubts that Jimin was. They were fledglings, and Jimin wondered if they could come to an understanding of one another.

"What do you think of the coven?" Namjoon asked, being the first to speak since they left the house.

Jimin dragged his foot behind him to dig a trench, marking his path. "Everyone is so close with one another."

Namjoon's smile became warm with love. "We are. We're a young coven, I can only imagine how close we'll be in a few hundred years."

"It's amazing how you were all able to find each other," Jimin added.

"With Hoba and Jin being from the 1300s, Yoongi in London, Taehyung in Paris in the 20s, Jungkook and I from here... Yes, it is amazing how we were able to come together like this."

How do you become part of a coven? Jimin wondered to himself. He hesitated to ask Namjoon about it. He knew there was a vampire system between Sires and their fledgling, but he wasn't sure how enforced it was. Was Jimin to join the Bangtan coven? He had to ask at some point, but it felt too soon.

"It's like a family," Jimin said instead.

"It is." Namjoon stopped walking and turned to the sea. "We're getting close to the edge of the property. We should probably stop here."

Jimin stood beside Namjoon and watched the waves crawl up the sand. He tiptoed to the edge and looked out. There was a small fear that another stingray would attack him, despite the fact that he was immortal, that kept him from entering the water.

Namjoon kneeled down and ran his fingers through the sand. He created a fist and started to dig aimlessly. "Jungkook thinks it was fate that brought us together. He certainly is one of the romantics."

"Are you a romantic?" Jimin asked. He sat down beside Namjoon and faced the ocean. He dug into the sand and started to carve out a small gorge with the edge of his hand. The sand was smooth against his skin; it was satisfying.

Namjoon took his time in replying. "Sometimes. I spend a lot of time trying to understand things. That might be seen as overly logical, but the world can be beautiful."

"To understand the world is to understand what beauty is," Jimin said with a note of sentimentalism. "To know where the human eye is drawn to, to know love, to know why the plants grow in the way they do... it... it's hard to explain but..."

"I think I know what you mean. That is an interesting way to look at it."

"I think I would be a romantic," Jimin admitted with a slight nod.

Namjoon smiled and—, Jimin's heart skipped a beat. Dimples. They softened his face and brought forth a pretty smile. His eyes closed as he soaked in the atmosphere of the night. Namjoon continued, "I love taking walks at night. I especially love biking at night. I wish I could do it during the daytime, but that's not an option for me right now."

"Soon. When you're older."

Namjoon chuckled. "Older. Yes. You make it sound like we're kids."

He rolled his eyes but he knew what Namjoon meant. "When we're older," he added wistfully, "we'll be able to travel, right?"

"You want to travel?"

Jimin shrugged. "Doesn't everyone?"

"Not everyone. I don't think I would have moved if I didn't become a vampire. When I told my parents about this and how I would have to go with the coven, they said it would be good for me to get out of the house." Namjoon laughed lightheartedly, "To wander the world with vampires."

"To wander at night ," Jimin corrected.

"Night wanderers." Namjoon stopped digging into the sand and stared at the ocean. "It's such a pretty night. The moon is making a path on the water."

"A moon... road?"

"Something like that."

Jimin breathed in and realized his throat was dry again. His stomach twisted with momentary fear. Am I going to lose control? He reached into his pocket and pulled out the blood packet. Flipping it over in his hand, he studied it closely.

Namjoon raised his brow. "Thirsty?"

Jimin nodded.

"Go ahead and drink," Namjoon encouraged. "You shouldn't wait."

"When does this feeling go away?" Jimin asked in dread.

"I'm not sure. I'm still trying to figure that out." Namjoon took his packet and held it up to the moon. The red liquid was illuminated by the shine of the moon. "I guess we'll figure it out together."

Jimin was comforted by the kinship in his words. He wasn't alone anymore. He was surrounded by people who experienced the same things he is right now. They promised to help him and teach him their way of nocturnal life.

"Together," Jimin repeated while unscrewing the top of the packet.

Namjoon also removed the lid and held the packet to him. They hit the packets together like champagne glasses and smiled at each other.

"Cheers," Namjoon joked.

Jimin took a deep breath and braced himself. It's going to be okay. Then he drank from the packet without gagging on its smell. It was getting easier like Hobi said. He decided not to think about being quickly desensitized to drinking blood and focus on how he was in full control of his craving.

They drank blood in peaceful silence while staring up at the beautiful moon.

As Jimin finished, he thought of beauty once more and how strange it was.

If there was such a creature of beauty, would Jimin be able to find it in his time as an eternal being? Would there be a time when he too was turned into pure myth and phrase? There was nothing but time expanding from it; the possibilities of life were his for the taking under a starry night.

A night wanderer searching for meaning in himself, and understanding the world as it truly was meant to be.