Midas Touch ➸ Taekook

- Second -

One more day. It was the first thing Taehyung thought of when he woke up, for two years now. Unfortunately, he hadn't died in his sleep and would have to endure another day on this planet. It wasn't that he particularly wanted to die, but he didn't want to live either. He found himself in an in-between situation that prevented him from smiling.

The boy heaved himself out of bed, rubbing his eyes for a long time before heading for his wardrobe, from which he took some dark clothes that didn't show a single bit of his skin. When he was dressed, he went over to his dressing table, on which was a pair of gloves. He put them on too, and knew he wouldn't take them off for the rest of the day.

In two years, he'd learned a lot more about this strange power that seemed to inhabit him. About what he was. A mutant, people with abilities that affected their physical appearance to a greater or lesser extent. For Taehyung, his skin was completely toxic. It sucked the life energy and memories out of every living thing he touched, inflicting excruciating pain. If he touched them for too long, he could even kill them. And when it came to other mutants, he temporarily sucked out their powers. A destructive weapon he would have preferred to not have.

He met his gaze in the mirror, which stopped on his strange hair. The two locks that framed his face had turned white, another consequence of the appearance of his mutation. He had tried to dye them, to look a little more normal, but it hadn't worked. A few hours later, they were naturally white again. As if to remind him that his power was a curse he could never get rid of. So he wore long clothes and gloves, keeping people away from him.

He heard doors slamming, indicating that the other students were awake too. Oh yes, another thing that had changed in two years: he was now at the Xavier Institute, in a New York suburb. This was by far the safest place for mutants like him, a kind of public school that taught mutants to control their powers. He had joined a year earlier, under circumstances he would rather forget. Since then, he had felt like he was in survival mode every day.

He left his room with a closed face and, like the other students, went into the large kitchen of the manor house. The Institute was run by Charles Xavier, a mutant whose telepathic powers enabled him to spot mutants all over the world. He used them mainly to find the mutants who needed his help; those who belonged at the Institute. And Taehyung had to add that he was surprisingly wealthy. He'd heard he'd come into a large inheritance.

The kitchen was in total chaos. Around thirty teenagers were seated around the large table, on which cereals, milk, toast and many other things were laid out. Taehyung was already feeling dizzy, even though this was only a tiny fraction of the Institute's students. Others had already left for school, some were still asleep, or preferred to have breakfast in the dining room... In short, there were just over a hundred of them here, the youngest being around seven years old, while the eldest played the role of teacher, these teachers having also been students here when they were younger. Perhaps one day, Taehyung would even be one of them. After all, he had just turned eighteen, and in a few months, high school would be over for him too. And he had no idea what he would do next. Would he stay here? Or would he leave? Where would he go? Just thinking about it gave him anxiety attacks.

The young man poured himself a large bowl of milk, into which he poured some cereal, sitting down at a corner of the table to eat silently.

"Oh, hi Tae, you're up early today."

The boy turned and saw a tall, well-built man enter the kitchen. He looked to be in his thirties, his eyes covered by a pair of sunglasses, and he gave Taehyung a smile that revealed pretty dimples.

"Hi, Namjoon. Hm, I've been a light sleeper lately."

Insomnia, he wanted to correct, but he refrained. He found it hard to talk about his past, and his insomnia was directly linked to it. After all, today was the day. It's been two years since that famous accident.

"Don't hesitate to talk to Professor Xavier. He might be able to help."

He was sure he could. But Taehyung hated having someone in his head. His thoughts were his own, so if he had to sleep through insomnia to keep that privacy, then so be it. He was grateful enough to Professor Xavier for letting him stay here. He didn't need any more than that.

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

"Oh shit! Hey, come and see this!" exclaimed Hoseok, one of the students, who had settled down in front of the TV.

Namjoon and Taehyung exchanged confused glances before joining the small group that had gathered in front of the TV. They even managed to get to Hoseok, mainly because as a teacher, everyone got out of Namjoon's way.

"What's all this about?" he asked.

Hoseok turned towards them, waving quickly at Taehyung before looking serious again.

"See it yourself: a mutant exploded in the middle of Washington last night! Apparently, some men were harassing her, and in a panic, she unleashed her power..."

The room fell dead silent. According to the journalists, she hadn't survived. And she was fifteen. The images that followed made their blood run cold all the more: people manifesting in the streets, shouting that mutants were too dangerous to be allowed to roam free. They almost sanctified the attackers who had lost their lives in the explosion. This was what happened to mutants outside the Institute. A life of constant struggle, in a world that simply wanted to see them suffer and die. And of all of them, Taehyung had by far the worst power. He couldn't even imagine what would happen to him if the world found out about his existence.

"Come on, turn it off!" Namjoon interjected, snatching the remote control out of Hoseok's hands. "We've seen enough of this. And you've all got school, so go and get ready, the bus will be here any minute!"

The man turned off the TV, drawing grumbles and cries of protest, but all it took was one look of him for everyone to fall silent and finish their breakfast (well, not a real look, as you couldn't see his eyes through the red glasses, but everyone knew it was threatening).

Taehyung, who had suddenly lost his appetite, emptied his bowl into the bin before leaving the room. The corridors were still empty and quiet, which he particularly appreciated. He always left the kitchen a little before the others for exactly this reason.

However, when he arrived outside his room, he was surprised to find someone leaning against the wall. Someone he never thought he'd find there. Chris, his boyfriend. Well, it was complicated. They'd been 'dating' for about two months, but the boy didn't talk to Taehyung for a good week. He too was a mutant, and Taehyung had thought that because they were similar their relationship could work. But Chris's power wasn't as hard to carry as his, which hadn't helped bring them together.

"Chris?"

"Ah, Tae... I was looking for you..."

Taehyung frowned. The boy looked uncomfortable, his gaze shifty.

"What did you want to tell me?"

"Well, hum... you see, it's just that..."

"Chris, say what you have to say."

The teenager sighed.

"I want to break up with you, Tae. Your power... I can't... I... I want to be able to kiss my boyfriend, even hold his hand, but you... you won't even let me near you. At this point, we're more friends than we are lovers... So let's just stop here, and go back to being friends, okay?"

~🌻~

Here we go, the second chapter. Don't worry, Chris will not be a love interest for Tae, but he will have his importance🤗

Hope you liked and understood this chapter!!