Kill Our Way to Heaven (Jikook) ✔

Chapter 8

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 8
"ʟᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɢᴜᴀʀᴅ ᴅᴏᴡɴ"

Jungkook nervously twiddled with the cards in his hands. The edges of the paper had been folded over and curled up so many times due to his restless fingers that the words were hardly legible. He knew he didn't need the text, he had read it over so many times that the words were almost engraved in his memory. He just needed something to fall back on in case he lost track of where he was, which would undoubtedly happen.

Presentations always went either of two ways, one obviously desired way more than the other. Either muscle memory kicked in and he would be able to present perfectly, no flaws, no stutters, only a powerful message and a well-developed presentation; or his nerves would kick in faster and his mind would go haywire, the words on his cards not connecting in his brain.

Jungkook had always been a shy and introverted kid so presentations weren't really his forte, but he always managed to mess it up in a way beyond expectation. No words would come out of his mouth at all, only whimpers or stutters of the text he spent ages rehearsing but still couldn't remember. Even worse he would start shaking and hyperventilating. A panic attack in front of everyone, it was his worst fear and it had happened before. He knew it was about to happen again.

These last few days he had been under constant threat. His lungs had been constricting more and more as time went on. He was constantly on the brink of breaking down but he knew he couldn't afford to do that, not with an angel constantly watching him and demons following him around. Now with the stress put on him by his studies, it was all crashing down, and he didn't know how to stop it other than hold on and hope for the best.

"Are you alright?" a kind voice asked from beside him. Jungkook simply shook his head already feeling like his lungs were collapsing in on themselves.

Jimin was now invisible for everyone. He couldn't just show up in a class he wasn't allowed in, so now he was just sitting in the always empty seat beside Jungkook. The younger would be able to hear him, see him and touch him without anyone noticing, but whenever Jungkook would say something everyone would hear. Still even just looking at Jimin made him feel more at ease, even though to every else he was just spacing out.

"You'll be alright," Jimin spoke, putting his hand on Jungkook's shoulder reassuringly. It was only then that the elder realised how tense the human was. For a second he wondered if his lungs and heart were just as tight and how he was still breathing if that were the case.

Both of them got shaken out of their thoughts by the professor's voice. "Okay, next up is Jeon Jungkook," she stated, looking up from the list in her hand.

At that exact moment, Jungkook could feel his heart stop. His blood ran cold but he could still feel the heat on his face. It was probably as red as a tomato by now. He realised that he should probably stand up and start his presentation, so that was what he attempted. Only when he pushed himself off his chair did he realise how weak his legs were, almost falling back down from how badly they were shaking before he could stop himself.

"Good luck," Jimin whispered. He wasn't sure why he didn't just speak at a normal tone. Possibly because the human seemed so fragile, as if even the smallest sound waves could make him fall apart. To Jungkook it still sounded almost like a yell in the dead silence that ruled the classroom. His footsteps resonated like an earthquake, his breathing was like a hurricane and his mind seemed a combination of both.

When he finally stood in the front of the classroom he knew there was no way back, still, he couldn't find the way forward either. All he could do was look at the audience before him, their judgemental gazes drilling holes into his self-esteem. He waited, not even remembering where to start. He couldn't even remember what his presentation was about.