Lost Stars

Part One

Jungkook stands back as he realizes his friend is calling him, pulling his thoughts away from 'Water Lilies', his favorite painting, a Monet of course. He's pretty sure the museum clerk is sick of seeing him here so much, or at least this is what he can tell from her constant side eye when he scaned his members pass for the third time this week. Quickly he answers the call, rushing to the bathroom and turning on the faucet and the hand dryer to create as much noise as possible.
"Namjoon, hey- what's up" He grabs at the back of his neck as he feels his nerves settle as someone walks in speaking loudly to his friend.
"Kook, where are you?" Namjoon yells over the loud crowd he can hear in the distant background.
"What-I-I mean I am at some party, it's on the same block as ours, so I-I'll be there soon." Jungkook looks at himself in the mirror knowing he was not in party attire, much less 'down the block' from his frat.
"Come on man, this is our kick off party and you are seriously missing it. As a member of Pi-Kappa you are required to be at every party....." Namjoon realizes he might sound a little too harsh to the younger, "just- just get here okay, i'll save you one of your favorite strawberry beers even though they are disgusting!" Namjoon laughs into the phone and this eases Jungkook.
"Okay just give me a bit... I have a lead I am following." Jungkook makes up to buy him more time.
"A lead?" Namjoon scoofs, deciding to play with the younger brother, "oh come on, it better not be that one twink from the last party, what was his name....."
"Yoongi." Jungkook breaths out, still messaging his neck, mostly to calm himself down. He didn't know why he got so stressed out around Namjoon. He knew Jungkook and he knew about his life...his real life. Not the one that slings himself onto every person he could find, or the one that could out drink any Chad they ran into. He knew the artsy Jungkook, the one that went to museums for inspiration, and the one that spent late hours at parties only pretending to be drunk at most of them only to be able to go play piano and sing in the school music rooms afterwards. However, he still found himself trying to hide the fact that he was at a museum, he guesses it was a lot more deep rooted than he ever thought it was. Namjoon was understanding. When he broke down crying one night and confessed he was not who everyone thought he was. Everyone knew Jungkook's type....Jimin....Yoongi....even Lucus, who everyone found out about at last year's end of the year bash....damn Lucus and his conniving ass. What everyone didn't know was about Jungkook's double life. It left him feeling alone and isolated at times, but he loved them all the same. Pi Kappa was his family and even though he had been with four of the twenty-seven guys, he couldn't truly show this side of him. They were all amazing and Jungkook loved the party scene for the first two years of college, but after the end of the year bash, he got sick of hiding who he really was. But that did not matter in this moment, what mattered was tonights' party and how he was going to make this thirty minute drive from downtown at the museum, to the frat....in five minutes.
"I always liked him, I swear I just saw him wandering around here...." Junkooks breath hitched, "ehhhh probably not...probably some other blondie, just get your ass here!"
With that Namjoon hung up the phone and Jungkook couldn't help but laugh to himself as he picked up his bucket hat and slung his backpack on and headed for the entrance, taking one more peek at the Monet. Namjoon was far too drunk to realize Jungkook wasn't there in five minutes, Jungkook knew that.
"What's with the backpack, trying to steal some art?" the receptionist lady from before shot out to Jungkook as he passed by. He stopped just to say these words.
"Haven't you heard? I am Klark Kent by day and Superman by night." he winked, and then left.
"I guess this probably isn't the best place, eh- what the fuck it will do" Jungkook throws himself into his backseat to change into the party clothes he had stuffed in his backpack before making his trip over to the museum.
"What are you wearing tonight, I hope its' my favorite leather pants of yours."
"Jimin would you shut the fuck up I am trying to change."Jungkook struggled to get his skinny jeans on in such a cramped space. Even after him and Jimin broke things off, they remained friends. Really it was because they got along so well, and they weren't really 'together' per say, but rather just messed around from time to time. Now Jimin was one of his closest friends. Every now and then Jungkook remembers the night he met Jimin. Just a few months after he joined Pi Kappa two years ago. Jimin was in Phi Delta, and pretty much was the complete opposite of Jungkook. Jimin was a dance and contemporary art major, and loved all the delicate things of life. Jungkook was the complete opposite, at least he had considered himself to be at that time. It wasn't until one day when Jimin had stayed over and Jungkook had waited until he was asleep so he could go take a shower. As he began to sing, with the false sense of hope that the other was fast asleep and could not hear him, his voice bounced off the walls and into the next room. As he dried off and came out in his towel he ran into a Jimin with teary eyes and a puffy smile.
"You know you really are a crook Jungkook." Jimin punched him in his arm and then stared at the embarrassed boy next to him."I'm going to have to call you Kook for now on because it rhymes with crook and that's what you are! A crook! You really can melt a heart with your voice and you don't even know it." and then came the nickname everyone called him, Kook. He loved and hated it. It reminded him of his best friend and that special moment they had together. But then, it also reminded him that everything he showed to the people, his family, around him was a lie. Only Jimin and Namjoon knew the real him, and while he wanted it that way, he still yearns for a day that it did not have to be this way.
"What are you even doing anyway, I'm surprised you aren't at pike getting it on with some random guy by now." Jungkook said through the sleeve of his black tee, he had spent way too long just to get his pants on.
"Oh- I'm here." Jimin said breathlessly.
"Wait- Jimin, then why is it so quiet....and why are you breathing hard." Jungkook finally jumped into his front seat with a thud and picked up his phone to hear better.
"Hey uh- yeah--- ugh yeah here I'm a minuet—- yeah Kook I need to go." Jimin said, and then Jungkook became all aware of what was going on.
"I swear to--- if you're in my room again." and then the line hung up, and Jungkook just began to drive cause he needed to get the thought of Jimin on his bed with another person...again...out of his head.
Walking into the party he realized this was not one he was going to be able to fake drunk at like usual. He had hoped to go to the music rooms tonight and practice some, but he can't do that if he is drunk. His mission: to stay as sober as possible and drink as much water disguised as beer.
    "Koooook, I knew you would get here fast!" Namjoon throws his arm around Jungkook's neck and pulls him into a side hug as Jungkook checks his watch. It had been twenty-seven minutes since his call with Namjoon...he knew he wouldn't be able to tell.
    "Hey Joon, hey what's with the white button up? Trying to catch some classier people tonight?" Jungkook pulled at his collar and Namjoon backed away, eyeing him.
    "What I can't just dress-"
    "KOOK!" Whipping around Jungkook had just enough time to catch the culprit yelling his name.
    "Jimin!" Jungkook barely caught the silk black hair boy. Then he saw it, someone walking down the stairs wearing... "Jimin i'm going to kill you." Then Jimin ran off at his failed attempt to distract his best friend from seeing his hook up leaving the scene of his bed room.
    "I swear when are they not fighting and yelling." Seokjin had walked up to Namjoon and handed him a new beer as they both watched Jungkook chase Jimin into his room.
    "We might never see him again....poor guy" Namjoon cheersed Seokjin and they both talked for a while there and made sure no other scandals would occur tonight.
    Jimin was now pressed up against the wall and smirking at Jungkook.
    "Ohhh- Jungkook what are you trying to do, go back to how things used to be?" Jimin dragged his finger along Jungkook's exposed collar bone.
    "You only call me Jungkook when you know I am pissed." Jungkook let's go and walks off to sit in his gaming chair, swivelling around to face his window.
    "Oh come on Kook, why do you have to act like some emo boy, is wearing all black not enough for you." Jimin comes around and pokes at the younger's cheek and earns a smile.
    "Don't change the subject, I can't believe you used my room to have sex in...again! You know how long it took me to be able to sleep in here again." Jimin went over and sat on Jungkook's bed as he talked.
    "Okay first of all, I told you you could come and stay at my place for a couple of nights, but you wanted to take a trip and stay in that fancy hotel in New York and see those art exhibits anyway." Jimin analyzes Jungkook's face, he wasn't mad, ' plus we didn't even have sex, he was a super shy guy, we just hooked up for a little bit....we are from the same frat...he's a new guy and it would of been awkward to....anyway we didn't really do anything."
    "Whatever. Just one question, why was he wearing my favorite black hoodie? It was way too big for him anyway and-AND YOU KNOW THAT WAS MY FAVORITE!" Jungkook was pouting.
    "Come on you cutie," Jimin stood up and moved his friend towards the door, "in my defence I did not know that was your favorite, I'll just buy you a new one, but for right now let's just go have fun, you look like you could use it anyway."

It had been about two hours since the talk with Jimin, and Jungkook had successfully only had one drink, the strawberry beer Namjoon had saved for him. Successfully sober, yet irronically stupid, Jungkook agreed to be the DD for the frat that night. He just had to get through this last hour of taking drunk college students home. First group was four girls, they only lived down the block so he was happy.
"Can I play music?" one blonde had said and lazily placed her hand on Jungkook's upper thigh.
"Sure I don't care," Jungkook handed her the cord and she played music on shuffle. They all were supper nice girls and seemed not to be too drunk...maybe just too flirty. One of them had given Jungkook an unlit cigarette after leaving her lipstick print on it. It was cute, but not Jungkook's cup of tea. He told them to have a good night and then drove off to get the next group. Next was one of his frat brothers with someone he had recognized from another frat, they contined to have sex right behind a mortified Jungkook through a twenty minuet drive before Jungkook just sat in the car parked and had to cough loudly to get them to notice that they made it to their destination. It was a pretty up and down night, good drives and then bad drives, nice drunk people, then flirty and frisky girls, and then taking his frat brother on 'joy rides'. 
"Just remember...after this you can wash out all these horrid memories with some music," he said to himself, and then the door opened and revealed his last ride. His gut turned as Lucus joined with another familiar face. "Where to?" he said with a flat tone and Lucus leaned forward and whispered into his ear.
"You know.'
The drive was antagonizing and Jungkook tried to play music to drain out his thoughts. How could he bring this guy into his car.... and make him take him to Lucus's place. How embarrassing could this be. Yet, the other guy seemed pretty separate from Lucus, were they really 'together'?
"Hey you seem familiar, what's your name?" Jungkook quickly glances in the rear-view mirror to look at Lucus's victim.
"Uh-" he barely speaks.
"His name is Taehyung." Lucus speaks and Jungkook's back gets hot.
    'Thank you....Taehyung!" and then he looks in the mirror again and pieces the puzzle pieces together and realizes why this shy boy looked so familiar.
    "Uh- is something going on here?" Taehyung speaks up a little.
    "Just that you are going home with an asshole." Jungkook mumbles.
    "Oh yeah you would know Kook." Lucus spits back.
    "Don't use my nickname, we aren't like that anymore Lu." he spits back the former nickname of the other.
    "Anymore?" Taehyung sits up now and is not resting his head against the window.
    "It's nothing, he's nothing, at least he's not going to mean anything to you soon." Lucus slides over closer to Taehyung. Jungkook just rolls his eyes and decides this is not worth it, but the other speaks up.
    "Isn't that a little insensitive Lucus?" Taehyung says.
    "Insensitive? What are we in high school? Plus you don't know shit so just stay quiet.' Lucus throws his arm around the other.
    "Well I guess I must still be in highschool then, cause you sound like a dick." Taehyung opens the car door mid drive and Jungkook comes to a quick stop. Taehyung get's out and begins to walk away.
    "What are you doing?" Lucus says as Jungkook is stunned and doesn't know what to do. "Drive. If he doesn't want to be driven then he can walk...he clearly hasn't had anything to drink." Jungkook drives, Lucus's flat in down the street, he will just drive there and then turn around for this Taehyung guy.
    After he drops that asshole off he knew he had to find Taehyung, it started to rain and Jungkook started to feel horrible for leaving him. It's now been fifteen minutes and he cannot find him, and then turning around a corner he almost hits someone...Taehyung. He immediately walks around to the passenger side and Jungkook is expecting for him to get in but he doesn't. He just stands there. In the rain, as it soaks his clothes. Then he points down on the window and Jungkook realizes why he was standing there.
    "Oh!" He rolls down the window and Taehyung just stands there for a minute, and Jungkook is about to say something until Taehyung finally speaks.
    "You are an asshole, you know that!" Jungkook is taken a bit back from the sheer randomness of it and his words fall out of his mouth before he can stop them.
    "That's my sweatshirt, you know that!"