Red String 1

red string 1

“our connection is determined by a tiny invisible string”

summary: you figured it was too late for your string to solidify, used to the idea of finding someone on your own, who also never got their string. However, your string began to tug when you least expected it, to the last person or people you would have ever thought. 

genre: soulmate au, red string of fate au, poly au, 

pairing: BTS (Yoongi centered) x Reader 

status: ongoing (random updates)

warnings: slight yandere themes, smut, insecure reader, alcohol, talks of jealousy, soul bonds, mentions of past abuse,

chapter warnings: soul pain, first meetings, running away, mc didn’t really want a bond, cinderella-esque plot line, small panic attack, mc is cynical, allusions to past abusive relationship, 

I am not going to have a taglist for this fic. I will only be using the permanent taglist as its intended for all of my fics.

permanent taglist: @m1sss1mp​ @yourleftsock​ @skyys-universe​ @cryingpages​ @strxwbloody​  @drissteele​ @dustyinkpages​ @iamkookiesforyou​ @crushedblackroses​ @fluffy-canada-pancakes​ @blaaiissee​  @iiitsmaria​  @carolinexkpop​  @azazel-nyx​ @strawberry-moonpies​ @g-h-o-s-t-b-a-b-i​ @knjkitten​ @foreverweareyoung7​ @lachimolala22019​ @namuficxs​ @94z-93​ @kimgmzmc​ @thenaverse​ @dahliasbouqet​ @black-rose-29​ @tinyoonsblog​ @take-u-2-an0ther-w0r1d​ @stellauniverse​ @stupendouscookiehumanmug​ @tinyoonsblog​ @veronawrites​ @tatyhend​ @singukieee​ @m0v3m3ntsblog​ @exfolitae​ @butterymin​ @queen-in-the-shadows​ 

masterlist // part 2

———————————————–

Being in your twenties was weird. You went from being in a structured routine for twelve plus years, having to ask to go to the bathroom, to being on your own and having to make mistake after mistake until you get the hang of being an adult (even if you never actually figure it out).

Being in your twenties also meant something else to most of the world’s population. The tiny string of fate that was always thought of as a fantasy would solidify, only visible to you and the person or people on the other end. The string was supposed to lead you to your soulmate/s, but sometimes only served to be a reminder of what you couldn’t have.  

Some people are lucky enough to already be with their soulmates and receive their string when they meet them, even before their twentieth birthday. You were not so lucky.

Keep reading

Eleven

Master List

Synopsis: in a world where alphas, betas, and omegas live along side modern humans as second class citizens, you've fallen through the cracks of a society that wants to take everything wonderful from you. Luckily a timely encounter with the boys just might save your life.

Chapter summary: You get close with Jimin. Hobi teaches you about nesting.

Warnings: um, a super high likelihood of you dying of cuteness, crying, screaming, throwing up. A tiny bit of angst.

WC: 8k

"It's a nice house," you murmured when Yoongi stopped the car out front. 

Something quiet and grumbly started low in Yoongi's chest. "It wasn't our choice."

You looked over at him. "What do you mean?"

Jimin gave him a playfully disapproving look and then turned his eyes on you. "Hobi and Jin kind of…blindsided the rest of us with the move. Believe me when I say Yoongi and I really wanted to be there and wait for you to come like we hoped you would. But Hobi thought this house would have a perfect room for you, and at least in that way he was right. Are you ready to go inside?"

You looked up at Yoongi, but his expression betrayed no expectation. He would wait out here with you all night until you were ready to go in. But you swallowed and nodded. Might as well get it over with. "Is everyone home?"

"It looks like everyone but Jungkook," Jimin answered as he got out and held out a hand for you. 

"He must be mad at me," you said softly.

"Why would he be?" Jimin asked, genuinely unaware of your worry. 

"Because of last night." You hesitated on the sidewalk, waiting for Yoongi to come around the car before you went any closer. When he got to your side, he had your bag over one shoulder and his hand casually brushed yours away when you tried to reach for it.

"He's not mad. No one is. He was just doing his job," Yoongi told you with a reassuring hand on your shoulder. 

Jimin gave you an encouraging smile and led you up the steps to the front door. The door had been unlocked, but as soon as the three of you walked through you heard Yoongi shut it and turn deadbolt. You followed through the hallway back to the kitchen and living area until you saw Hoseok and Taehyung in the kitchen. The omega looked up and between the three of you expectantly, and when his eyes came to rest ultimately on you, you guessed that he was waiting for some information. 

"I guess I'm staying," you said quietly.

Hoseok put down the knife he was holding and started to come around the counter, but he stopped a few feet away and looked at Yoongi. "Permission to hug the shit out of your omega, alpha?"

Yoongi tried to suppress his smile, but it was evident in his sparkling eyes. "Sure. Be careful, she's very delicate."

"I am n–" Your protest was cut off by the bone crushing grip the other omega caught you in while the other three men around you laughed.

"I'm so happy you're staying. I missed you," he said quietly. The admission left you with an odd mixture of guilt and joy.

"I'll go put your bag in your room while you help Hobi with dinner," Yoongi said as your feet touched the ground again. You nodded obediently, and he rewarded you with a pat on the head.

"What are we making?" You asked, walking deeper into the kitchen.

"Do you like spaghetti?" Hobi asked and you nodded. Jimin joined Tae at one of the barstools and they watched their omegas attentively. "Then you can brown the meat and onions," he smiled.

Yoongi ascended the stairs, but instead of going straight to your room, he left your bag on the floor of the hallway and entered the pack's nest room. Namjoon and Jin must have gotten home just before your trio, because the two of them were both in the process of changing their work clothes for something more comfortable. Yoongi ran a finger over the back of one of the books on the nightstand by Joon's side of the bed. The man read two to three books a week, on a slow week, and he had the habit of turning the ones he completed on their covers in a separate stack. Today, there were two turned over next to another one laying face up.

"Do you want Y/N to take these to work with her tomorrow?" Yoongi asked nonchalantly. 

Namjoon looked over at him from the walk in closet between the bedroom and the bathroom. "If she doesn't mind," Namjoon shrugged.

"Where does she work?" Jin asked innocuously. Namjoon froze.

"Joon?" Yoongi prompted. The other alpha merely shook his head. "Jin?"

"I asked. How would I know?" The leader responded. 

"She works at the library, Jin," Yoongi explained. "How come Joon knows that and you don't? And more importantly, how come no one told me?"

Jin's eyes went wide and his mouth hung open. "I didn't know, Yoongi. I swear I didn't. I would have told you, if I did," he defended. Yoongi nodded, wanting to believe him. Both men turned toward the closet. "Joon?"

The youngest of them shrugged. "I have a better sense of smell than Jin does. Maybe that's why he didn't notice."

"Namjoon, don't beat around the bush. Why didn't you say anything? Even to me?" Jin's genuine confusion did the job of convincing Yoongi of his ignorance. 

Namjoon looked like a deer in the headlights as he struggled to come up with a reason. "I-I just…I don't know," he stuttered.

"Try again," Yoongi said, his face as stoney as his tone.

"You knew Yoongi was desperate to find her," Jin said when Namjoon continued to flounder.

"I was afraid that if they found her, Yoongi and Jimin would leave us for good," he said quietly.

Yoongi scoffed. "Please, if anything that only would have made you tell us sooner."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Namjoon fired back. 

"Keep your voice down," Yoongi growled quietly. "What I mean is, I'm sure you wouldn't miss a chance to get rid of me."

Namjoon looked genuinely wounded by that notion. "I don't know why you would think that, Yoongi, but it isn't true. I don't want you gone. I would never…"

Yoongi shook his head. "Maybe not. But that's not the reason you didn't say anything, is it?"

"Hobi–"

"Don't even! Hobi has wanted another omega more than any of us. Again," Yoongi ordered. 

"Just tell us the truth, Joon," Jin added, more softly. 

"Fine," Namjoon sighed. "I didn't want another omega distracting Jin!"

The man in question scrunched his face. "What do you mean?"

"I just…after the last year I wanted more of your attention, not less, okay? And things have been so much better recently for you and me. I didn't want to ruin it by bringing her into the mix. What if she gives you pups? What if she changes everything?"

"Namjoon, that isn't going to happen." Jin approached the other man in a soothing gesture. 

"Damn right it isn't," Yoongi interjected, stopping him in his tracks. "Both of you listen to me. Y/N is staying here for as long as she wants. If she chooses to go, then Jimin and I will go with her. I hope she'll choose to stay here, and we can be one big happy pack. But for now, she's my omega and she's Jimin's omega, and until she decides, until she asks for that to change, you'd better remember that. She's terrified that either of you could kill her without batting an eye, so I recommend you don't even look at her the wrong way. And as far as pups goes," Yoongi paused to stare Jin directly in the eyes, "I gave her my word that no one in the house would breed her, and if I catch you even thinking about it, there will be hell to pay. No one lays a hand on her without her explicit permission. Is that understood?"

The other two alphas only managed to nod sheepishly, but Yoongi felt assured he had made himself clear. Still, he stepped closer to Namjoon so he could speak directly to his face. "If you ever keep something important about her from me again, or if you ever try to get rid of her, I will never speak to you again."

"Yoongi," Jin's voice came out low and commanding, but gentle as he placed a hand on his chest, "don't say things you don't mean. I know you're angry and you want to protect her. I get that. I already told you I'll respect whatever you want to pursue with her, however you want. But you're still part of this pack, and Namjoon is still your packmate. Go take care of your girl and cool off for a bit."

Yoongi huffed and turned away to leave, but Namjoon's voice stopped him. "I'm sorry, hyung. If I had known she would get hurt…I should have told you."

Yoongi bit back another sharp remark and left the room. 

You should be doing that. 

"Tae and Jimin always do the dishes together," Hoseok told you as he watched you shift nervously at the edge of the kitchen. "It's one of their ways of spending time together."

You let out a soft whine, which had Yoongi's ears perking up. "Alphas don't do dishes," you whispered. 

Hobi scoffed. "Mine do. Who told you that?" When you didn't answer, he could only guess. "You'll get used to it. Our alphas aren't like others, I promise you that." When you peered up at him uncertainly, he took your hand and tugged you to the stairs. "Let's go get you settled in your room."

Yoongi hesitated as he watched the two of you head upstairs. He still didn't want to let you out of his sight. But he didn't want to hover, and he wanted to give you the chance to nest in peace with Hobi's help, if that's what you wanted. He resigned himself to sitting on the couch with Jin and Namjoon to watch TV.

In your new room, Hobi turned on several lamps with the click of a remote and you were able to take in the room in the soft light he had designed for you. The light greens and creamy whites combined for soothing vibes. 

"You took apart the nest," you observed softly after taking a look around the room. 

Hoseok went over to lift the lid on a chest at the end of the bed. "I thought you might want to do it yourself," he said when he revealed the blankets that were stored inside like treasures. 

You recoiled slightly at the thought of how badly you wanted them. "I'm no good at making nests."

Hobi frowned and walked closer to you. "Yoongi told me what happened last night. I don't think you're bad at it. I think you just need more practice in a safe environment. You'll always be safe to nest in my house, Y/N. In fact, it's strongly encouraged."

You knew he meant it, but you couldn't help feeling uneasy. "Don't you need these blankets?"

He shook his head. "We've gone tons. I could make each of them their own nest. But these should be enough for you. Besides, this one is yours," he said, lifting a light purple one off the top and holding it out to you.

"Mine?" You gripped the soft fabric under your fingers. It was softer than the one you had coveted last night at Kate's. 

He nodded. "It's the one Yoongi gave you last night, but you probably couldn't see it. He said it's a courting gift, or it was supposed to be but he wanted you to have it last night regardless. He'll definitely get you more though if you like it. Do you want pillows for nesting? You'll have to tell him. He'll get you anything you want."

"I don't really know," you mumbled. You wanted to start trying, but you couldn't bring yourself to do it. The voices in your head had been mostly quiet since your conversation with Yoongi and Jimin earlier. Not gone completely, just quiet, like whispers you can't make out when someone is talking about you behind your back. Then again, maybe it was just that Hoseok made you nervous in the way it was intimidating to be in the kitchen with a master chef. You had no idea where to start, and he was a pro. Would you do something silly and end up looking foolish to him? 

He'd never think so. Each nest should be whatever the omega who made it wanted. But he understood that it was intimate and maybe given your difficulties, him being there only made it harder for you. "I can leave, if that would help you feel more comfortable."

"Maybe," you breathed, afraid of being rude.

Hoseok smiled brightly, hoping to put you at ease. "Oh! Before I go," he moved to the other side of the room to the armoire. "You can hang your stuff in here or put it in the dresser. Make yourself at home. This is your home now."

Your bottom lip trembled so you bit down on it and took a deep breath through your nose. "Thanks, Hoseok."

He reached down to tousle your hair gently. "I'm glad you're here, pup. And you can call me Hobi." He offered you another shining smile before he left you on your own. 

You decided to unpack your things first, casting sideways glances at the blankets waiting to be arranged for comfort. The problem was, you didn't have much. One small bag of worn clothes that you'd bought at the second hand shop at True Life Ministry. You'd never tell anyone but most of it was found in the children's section. After you changed, there wasn't anything left to distract you from the task you had subtly been given. 

You did your best to recreate what you can remember from the previous two nests that Hobi had made for you. You'd slept better those two nights than any other time in your life. And if that was what Yoongi was used to sleeping in all the time, then it was the standard you'd have to aspire to.

Not that Yoongi would want to sleep in your nest. 

Maybe the voices were coming in a little louder than before. It wasn't so hard to let them in when you are alone and it was quiet. You were just debating with yourself about stuffing Yoongi's mustard yellow hoodie somewhere in the folds and wondering about pillows when a knock on the door pushed it from cracked open to just wide enough for Jimin's head to pop in.

"Hey, Y/N. Are you okay?"

You coughed and shoved the sweatshirt into the mess of blankets. "I'm fine. What's up?"

"I was hoping maybe you'd be interested in some cuddle time. Yoongi said not to push, and I don't want to overwhelm you on your first official day with us, but I think it would be nice." 

Yes yes yes

Did he know his smile was so charming? You cleared your throat. "Now?"

Jimin nodded. "We're about to watch a movie downstairs. There's a big chair in the living room. I think the two of us could get very cozy there. We'd be separated from the others."

You agreed, though he could see you were visibly nervous. You joined him at the door, but he didn't move. 

"You can bring your new blanket if you want," he offered softly. You agreed and grabbed the fluffy purple blanket you had been saving for the top of your nest before following him down to the living room. 

Downstairs, Hobi and Jin were cuddled up on a puffy leather loveseat. Namjoon and Yoongi sat at opposite ends of a long couch where Taehyung had taken advantage of Jimin's short absence to lay his head in Yoongi's lap while his feet stretched into Namjoon's. All five sets of eyes followed the two of you as you passed by the tv to get to the oversized chair on the other side of the room. Jimin sat down with just enough room to his side for you to sit, but you hesitated. Instead of waiting for you to figure it out, he simply grabbed you by the hips and pulled you down. 

"Jimin, behave yourself," Yoongi warned when you let out a surprised yelp.

"I am, hyung," Jimin grinned as he manhandled you into a comfortable position. You weren't quite sitting on him, but when he pulled your legs over his and your thighs were touching, you weren't exactly not sitting on him either. He helped you spread the blanket over your legs and wrapped an arm around your waist. Your chests were pressed together just barely. "Breathe," he whispered to you when he noticed you were holding in your breath. You did as he said, taking in his faint lavender scent as you breathed deep, and you felt yourself relax into him. You thought you would feel uncomfortable, but it was the opposite. You fit perfectly into him and he seemed perfectly content to have you there. 

For several minutes after the movie started, he simply let you rest there and get used to the closeness. Soon his thumb began to stroke softly where he held your side. You were facing the TV, so you couldn't see, as Jimin could, the way Yoongi watched the two of you with envy. Jimin knew what he was thinking as clearly as if he could read the alpha's mind. There was room enough on the chair for all three of you, if Yoongi were in the middle and the two of you on his lap. 

After about fifteen minutes, your focus was solidly on the plot unfolding on the screen, and although Jimin's thoughts had been almost completely on you, he could tell you were no longer thinking about the ways your bodies were touching. You seemed fully comfortable, and he decided he could push it a little further. He knew Yoongi disagreed by the dark stare and slight shake of his head that he gave, but Jimin was undeterred. He leaned into you, pressing his forehead to your temple to get closer to your scent. 

"Do you know you have such a nice scent, pup?" Jimin whispered into your ear, smiling when he felt the chill go down your spine. 

"I think it's just okay," you breathed back. Barely making a sound, you held completely still.

Jimin shook his head. "It's so fresh and crisp. But it's even nicer when you get warm and sweet." He snapped his teeth close to your scent gland, and to your surprise, you giggled.

"Jimin," Yoongi warned in a deep voice, not quite a growl, but very commanding. 

"Trust me, hyung," Jimin responded quietly. "You're alright, aren't you, pup?" 

Jimin's nose nudged at your ear, and you began to feel fuzzy and warm around the edges. As he nosed at your hairline with soft sniffs, you felt yourself go from relaxed to boneless. His lips unintentionally skimmed your jaw as you turned your head to look at Yoongi. 

"S'okay, alpha." Those little words and the deep dark look in your eyes were all the reassurance he needed. 

Jimin loved to sweeten his partners' scents. All it took was some careful touching, some gentle prodding to get them soft and warm. Doing it to Hobi was one of his favorite things to do before bed. To get Hobi all warm brown sugar sweet made the nest perfect for falling asleep. The omega always got particularly hazy when Jimin got his way, but it worked for the alphas, too. Taehyung especially got cute and giggly whenever he and Jimin cuddled and the beta got access to his neck. 

Now, he pressed his lips into the soft warm spot under your chin. It wasn't quite a kiss, but only because the intention was clearly not sexual. It was no less intimate though. You'd never known anything like this kind of touch. You knew, or instinctively trusted, that his actions were intended to soothe you. You let him nuzzle into your neck and smiled as you sank further into him. 

"You smell as sweet as apple pie, pup. Like pup pie," he cooed, and you giggled in unison. 

Yoongi deserved an award for the self-restraint he was showing in letting Jimin have you all to himself, but he wasn't alone. Hoseok also watched your every move while wanting to pick the two of you up together and plant you in his nest so that your warm apple scent could soak into every layer. 

"She almost smells as good as she did in heat," Taehyung remarked to Yoongi, which earned him a pinch on the side. 

Jimin settled a little, wrapping his arm around your legs and pulling you closer. He tucked your head under his and let you rest against his shoulder. "Do you feel happy?" He asked so only you could hear as he scent marked the top of your head. 

You hummed contentedly and nuzzled into him in response, and that's where you stayed until the end of the movie. 

"Time for bed, princess," Yoongi said softly with his hand on your shoulder. You hadn't quite fallen asleep, but you hadn't been paying much attention to the movie after Jimin had gotten you all gooey and warm. You blinked up at the alpha just as the lights came on and stung your eyes. "Do you need me to carry you upstairs?"

You were still too fuzzy to feel any real shame, but you denied his offer nonetheless. You accepted his hand to help you up and off of Jimin and found your legs a little shaky, but you insisted you could make it on your own. Slowly and carefully, you made your way up the stairs and went to brush your teeth while the others cleaned up downstairs. Yoongi met you in your room shortly after you emerged, holding your blanket. 

"Hobi said it was a courting gift," you said softly when you took it from him. 

Yoongi cleared his throat nervously. "Well, yeah, that's what I had wanted it to be. I didn't think it would be a good idea to bring it up last night though, and you needed it then, so…" he trailed off shyly. 

"I love it. Thank you." You stepped closer to him and reached on your tippy toes to kiss his cheek, but barely made his chin. "I'll definitely use it in the nest," you added to cover your awkwardness. 

"You made a nest?" He smiled. 

"I tried."

"It's great," he assured you. He couldn't tell you just how lovely it looked and how much he wanted to give it a try. Even if Jimin thought you could use a little push—even if he had been right—Yoongi wouldn't push his way in with you. He would court you properly and wait for you to set your boundaries. "I hope you sleep well and have sweet dreams," he said as he stepped in and gave you a hug with a subtle mark to the top of your head, so you'd feel at least a little claimed. "Goodnight, Y/N."

With that he left you on your own. You stood by the bed for several minutes, listening to the pack turn off lights and shuffle upstairs before you finally heard their bedroom door click closed. 

We told you he wouldn't want your stupid nest. 

With shaking hands, you grabbed the bottom of the blankets on your bed and pulled them onto the floor. 

It's really pathetic that you even tried. 

You pulled your purple blanket over your head to muffle the voices and sank to the ground beside the ruins and tried to keep your tears silent.

The house was quiet and still when Jungkook got home, but something about it felt off. After he removed his shoes, he checked each room on the first floor carefully for anything amiss before he ascended the stairs. He could hear Namjoon's snoring through the bedroom door and assumed all was well, but the light from your bedroom poured into the hall still. Within your room, he found your figure hunched on the floor, draped in soft lilac while multicolored mounds of fabric lay beside you. 

"Y/N?" He asked and you turned your head over your shoulder just long enough for him to see your red puffy face. "What happened? What's wrong?"

But you only hid your face from him, and he knew that whatever was wrong with you was beyond him. So he went to get Hoseok. 

The omega nearly jumped out of the nest when Jungkook grabbed his foot, but he didn't want to have to go over the other packmates to get to Hoseok in the very center. 

"What's the matter with you?" Hobi hissed when he recognized the person who intruded in his sleep was only Jungkook. 

"Sorry. I'm sorry, but there's something wrong with Y/N. I think she needs your help," Jungkook whispered back. 

"What's wrong?" Yoongi asked, his concern not disguised by the sleepiness in his voice. 

"I'm not sure. She was crying."

There was suddenly a lot of movement around the room as several packmates got up from the bed and tried to locate a decent amount of clothing. Hoseok led the way, but Yoongi wasn't far behind. Jungkook and Tae lingered closer to the door while the omega crouched down beside you and gently tugged the blanket down from your head. 

"What's the matter, pup? What happened to your nest?"

"Bad nest," you muttered, turning your face away from him. 

"No, sweetheart. I'm sure it was a fine nest. Would you like me to help you fix it?" He stroked softly down the back of your head to soothe you.

You shook your head vehemently. "No point. Nesting is bad. No one wants my stinking nest."

Hoseok felt his heart breaking at those words, so hideously wrong. "That's not true. You need a nest. It's very good. I'm sure your alpha–"

"Alpha hates it. Took one look and walked away," you muttered. 

Hoseok looked over his shoulder at your alpha, who appeared stunned. "That's not true. I didn't–I…" Yoongi took a step further into the room, but Hobi held up a hand to stop him. He sat fully on the floor and pulled you against him.

"Sweetheart, I'm sure he doesn't hate it. He would never. Did you ask him if he would like to come into your nest?" He wondered.

You scrunched up your face. "No."

"Ah," Hobi replied, understanding where you had gotten mixed up. "Then you see, he didn't reject it. You have a very good alpha. He has good manners. A good alpha knows they have to be invited into an omega's nest, at least the first time. I'm sure Yoongi would have loved to get in your sweet little nest, but you'll have to ask," he explained gently.

You looked over your shoulder at the man in question. "Do you want to sleep in my nest?" You asked abruptly. 

"O–" 

Hoseok redirected your attention with a hand on your cheek so you looked him in the eyes. "Not tonight, little one."

"But–"

"Shh," he soothed you while he wiped your cheeks. "He will say yes, anytime you ask. Don't worry. But I think I should teach you about nests from scratch. You don't know anything, right?" You shook your head shamefully, but he smiled at you. "I'll teach you everything I know about making nests and you'll be a pro. I promise. How is that?"

"Okay," you breathed tiredly. "You'll make me a good omega?"

"I think you'll be the best. Even better than me," he cooed.

"Nooo," you pouted, looking particularly puppish.

"Yes, you will. Look at you. So small and cute. You'll be so good. You just need to learn a few things."

"I'm kinda dumb," you whispered, and if you were a little quieter you might have heard the hearts around you break. 

Hobi shook his head. "Not at all. You've been taught too many wrong things, but that isn't your fault. You'll unlearn them soon, and everything will be okay," he promised as he wiped away the last tears. 

"Y/N, I'm so sorry," Yoongi stepped forward to apologize. You couldn't see just how much his heart was in your hands, but you looked from him to Hoseok, who shook his head slightly.

"It's okay, Yoongi. It wasn't your fault," you murmured.

"It wasn't yours, either," he frowned. "Can I at least give you a hug?"

This time when you looked at him, Hoseok nodded, and you rose to your feet, bones cracking after sitting crouched for so long. You shuffled closer to him, your safety blanket dragging the floor behind you. You were so cute it was almost enough to heal the hurt inside of him. He closed the distance and pulled you into his chest. You wrapped your arms tightly around him and nuzzled into his warmth.

"Remember to tell me when I upset you," he whispered after inhaling from the top of your head. You weren't as sweet as you had been earlier and he had half a mind to drag Jimin half asleep from the other room to make you so again.

"I'm sorry," you answered, realizing you hadn't done one of the few things he had asked of you. "Can we talk about it tomorrow?" You asked sleepily.

He kissed your forehead. "Of course, princess. You need to sleep. It's late. We'll fix it all tomorrow."

You nodded and he let you go, wandering back to Hoseok. The omega had been placing the nesting materials you had used before back in your bed, arranging and fluffing each one carefully. 

"I thought it would be easier if I did it for you one last time, since you must be exhausted," he said after everyone left the room. 

"I always sleep better in yours anyway."

"Have you ever slept in one of your own?"

You shrugged. "A couple times. I used to try. Before, with my old pack, but they didn't like it when I nested, so I stopped."

He fluffed the last blanket just right and gestured with his hand for you to get in. You settled yourself in the middle and let him tuck your blanket in around you. 

"Can I tell you a secret about nests?" Hoseok asked. You nodded eagerly, if tiredly. "Nests don't really matter to alphas." He smiled when you cocked your head in confusion. "They'll sleep in them…most of the time. But what alphas like is sleeping with omegas, they don't really care where. Nests are for omegas. It's about you feeling safe, not them. You're going to learn to make them for yourself, and when you've got it just how you want it, then you ask your alpha in."

"What if I don't feel safe? What if I can't get it right?" You yawned.

"You will," he assured you. "And when you do, Yoongi will get in without hesitation."

Hoseok stayed on the edge of the bed until you fell asleep, which didn't take more than a few minutes, and then he went back to his own nest. His alphas would get grumpy if he wasn't there all night, and he needed sleep, too. 

"Is she okay?" Yoongi asked as Hoseok shuffled back into his spot between Tae and Jin, except now it was Tae and Jungkook. 

"She's sleeping," Hobi answered. "It's a good thing you came to get me," he said to Jungkook. 

The beta cuddled closer. "It seemed like an omega problem." 

Hobi hummed. 

"I really was trying to do the right thing, Hobi. I didn't know that I'd hurt her," you said, his voice thick with emotion. 

"I know, Yoon. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I told you, hyung," Jimin mumbled, his head on Yoongi's chest. 

"Told me what?"

"You gotta push her boundaries a little more than you would because she doesn't see them."

Yoongi's silence was curious, but he said nothing. 

"He's right, Yoongi. She doesn't know any of the rules. It's good for you to be respectful and easy with her, but she can't appreciate it if she doesn't know why. She's kind of like a child, or maybe that's how we need to approach it. She's really like a pup who needs to be taught the right ways. There's so much to undo, but we can do it."

"Do you think we can make her happy?" Yoongi asked, and Jimin cuddled closer to comfort him. 

"Of course we can. She was happy earlier. We'll just teach her how to do that too," he mumbled before drifting back to sleep. 

You woke up early the next morning, before Jin, Namjoon and Jimin had left for work, and you helped Hobi make breakfast and lunches for them to take. You let Jimin get you smiley and sweet–not as much as the night before—before he demanded a scent mark to send him off "so everyone will know I have a sweet new omega."

Not long after, Yoongi came down to the kitchen for his first cup of coffee looking like he hadn't slept too much after you'd woken them up last night. You told him to sit at the table, to let you get his coffee for him, and seeing your eagerness to care for him, he couldn't refuse. He just couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch as you moved around the kitchen that you were still getting used to.

"Will you come sit with me?" He asked when you set a mug of steaming coffee in front of him. 

"I'll make you breakfast," you offered instead.

"In a minute," he argued and reached for your hand, which you gave him. You moved to sit in the chair beside him, but he pulled you to sit on his lap instead. "Can you sit here?" You nodded meekly, unable to meet his eyes as your cheeks heated. He sighed. "Jimin thinks I need to push your boundaries a little, the way he does." He dropped your hand, so it was clear you could get up if you wanted to. "But I don't want to act like that. I won't force closeness on you that you don't want, and that's why I didn't get in your nest when you didn't ask."

You turned in to face him and looked into his sincere eyes. "I know that now. I'm sorry for getting so upset. The truth is, I expected you to reject my nest, like the others did. My past alphas, they never wanted me to nest. They said it made me lazy and dirty. They would tear up my nests if I chose to sleep there instead of with them, and so I stopped trying. It's never been…easy or safe for me. I wanted to make a really nice nest for you, but Hobi said it's best if I learn to make them for myself before I let you in. Is that okay?"

Yoongi smiled, and tucked your hair behind your ear. "Hobi knows best when it comes to omegas, but I will wait as long as you want or need. I just want you to feel safe and happy. I hate that you were treated that way in the past, but I appreciate you telling me. You can rest assured that the moment you ask, whenever that is, I'll be there."

You smiled back at him cheerfully. "And I like the way Jimin treats me. He's right. I can use a little pushing. I liked what he did last night. I didn't know that was a thing I could have and I wouldn't have been able to ask for it. I don't know what's normal, Yoongi. I have all these–"

You stopped yourself abruptly, but that only made him curious. He wrapped an arm around your waist and held you securely. "All these what?"

You swallowed and looked into the narrow space between your bodies. His warmth radiated around you with a light orange blossom scent, like he was trying to soothe you on purpose. 

"I'm not crazy. I just–" you hesitated and he chuckled lightly, but waited patiently. "It's not like I'm hearing voices. I just hear…it's like people from my past, talking to me, telling me that things are right or wrong, but they're always against me. They tell me nesting is bad, they tell me not to trust you, they tell me I'll get hurt if I'm part of a pack. It's like they're trying to protect me and I've listened to them for so long. But now I don't think I trust them anymore. But they're still there."

Yoongi looked thoughtful for a moment. "Did they tell you to leave before?" You nodded. "What are they telling you now?"

"Nothing. They get quieter when I'm talking to you," you admitted.

His grip on you tightened the tiniest bit. "Then it's a good thing I'm here. Whenever you hear them, you can ask someone and we'll let you know if it's right or wrong. You don't have to figure it out alone anymore."

"Okay," you agreed softly. Unexpectedly, Yoongi pulled you tighter against him in a hug. After a moment of shock, you let your arms wrap around his shoulders and rubbed your cheek against his neck. "Do you still want breakfast?" You asked after a minute.

"I think we have some time before I drive you to work," he murmured into your hair, but didn't loosen his grip for you to move away. 

"Are you going to pick me up too?" You asked with a smile.

He sighed and pulled back. "I have to work. It's a long shift. I won't be home until morning. Would it be alright if Taehyung and Hobi pick you up?"

You tried not to pout your lips and nodded. "I'll make you some food for later in your shift, too," you told him before getting up to do just that. 

It was probably a good thing he wouldn't be home tonight, you decided after some consideration. It would give you lots of time and freedom to work with Hobi on your nesting without the temptation of having Yoongi in your nest, since it wouldn't be a possibility anyway.

You didn't know what you were expecting, but it wasn't Tae and Hobi pulling up in front of the library in a minivan. 

"Sorry we're late!" Tae called out the rolled down window.

"Have you been waiting very long?" Hobi asked, clearly worried. 

You shrugged as you approached and the door to the back slid open on its own. It was only like five minutes, but you would be lying if you said you hadn't spent most of that time wondering if they were going to leave you there. "It's fine."

Once you were in your seat and buckled in, Taehyung turned around to look at you seriously, pulling down his sunglasses so you could see his eyes. "Hey, Y/Nie."

"Hi, Tae," you responded, feeling flustered. You hadn't received such focused attention from him since the first time you met and it made your palms sweat and your heart beat fast.

"Can you do me a favor?" He asked. 

"I can try."

"It's nothing just…don't tell Yoongi we were late? It's just that neither Hobi or I have ever been to this library and we got a little lost. We didn't mean to worry you."

You sighed in relief and smiled. "There's nothing to tell," you agreed. 

"So, Y/N, how are you?" Hobi asked, turning to look at you as Tae put the car in drive. "You look tired. No offense."

"None taken. I'm exhausted actually," you admitted. 

"I can't imagine. You couldn't pay me enough to get a job," he groaned. 

"House work is…well, work. I'm cleaning all day too, it's just somewhere else."

"Yeah, but I can stop and take a nap whenever I want. And all the scents. Honestly, never mind all the strange alphas and betas, I just think saps smell so off. I couldn't be around it all day."

You frowned as you considered it. "I guess I've never really thought about it. I kind of learned to tune it out. Like, sense of smell is one of the things we have since we're young right? And it sets us apart from saps, so like, when I figured out that it wasn't normal, I learned to shut the hell up about it, yknow? And I guess I'm just so used to being around saps that I don't notice it as much."

Hoseok turned around again to look at you. "Y/N?"

"Yeah?" You'd gotten a little lost in your train of thought but he pulled you back. 

"There's nothing abnormal about our sense of smell."

You stared at him innocently, slowly blinking. "Right."

"I know you were raised with them, and they probably taught you that you were different, but it goes both ways. To us, they're different," Hoseok told you pointedly.

"Yeah. That makes sense." You felt tears warm your eyes, so you looked down at your knees. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Hobi reached a hand out to touch yours while you picked nervously at your fingers. "Hey, it's alright. I'm gonna teach you everything you need to know. It's a clean slate, Y/N. From now on, you're one of us."

But what if I'm no good at being one of you?

"Anyway, it's good that you're tired. The nesting will come more naturally that way," he said after turning to the front. 

"The nests I've been making for you have been meant for emotional comfort, because you needed that," Hobi explained as you stood in your bedroom. "It's okay if you want to keep sleeping that way. But if you want to get more comfortable and confident and eventually let Yoongi and Jimin sleep with you, you'll have to figure out how you want your nest on a day-to-day basis. Personally, I'm all about textures and scents, but you might find other things comforting."

You stared blankly at the bare mattress like a blank canvas before you. "Then where do I start?"

Hobi thought about it. He'd never actually taught someone to nest before. He couldn't say anyone had actually taught him, step-by-step. He'd just picked things up from the nests he had as a child and his own experimentation and then tried new things as his nest always seemed to expand for new packmates. "Well, I like to have a nice thick blanket or a comforter as a base. It gives you something to sort of…I don't know, wiggle into? But a future tip: Jimin is a furnace so it's best to avoid fleece when he's around, unless you want to be drenched in sweat."

"Mmm…won't you miss them in your nest, if they come over to mine?" You pondered shyly. 

Hobi patted your head. "Believe me, I have plenty of boys to keep me warm at night." He went into the chest at the foot of your bed and brought out a light blue comforter. "Here, give this a try."

You laid it over the bed and looked to Hobi for what's next. 

"This might be a personal preference, I don't really know, but this would be when I build a perimeter. The perimeter determines how big your nest is. It doesn't have to be defined, necessarily. You can just say, 'this whole bed is my nest, and that's the end of it.' But I think that's kind of the part that's most important to alphas if they're sleeping in the nest. They need to know what's inside and outside the nest and who can and can't pass through. Especially during heats and ruts. Even during your heat, Yoongi might get antsy about the security of your nest."

You blushed at the idea. 

Would Yoongi be coming into the nest by my next heat? 

It could happen anytime, since he made you go off the pills. 

They're bad for me. 

"Y/N?" 

"Uh, sorry. What would make a good perimeter?" You pushed your voices aside to focus. 

"Anything you want. I usually do bunched up blankets and things that have been scented by the boys, including clothes, especially if Jungkook or Yoongi is going to be out when we go to bed."

You twisted up a thinner blanket and arranged it near the edge of the bed, but Hobi could see your uncertainty. "Here's how I do it," he offered, and showed you his technique. 

"Why don't you get in and see how it feels?" He said after you had set your perimeter. You climbed into the middle and laid on your back, looking up at the popcorn ceiling. "How does it feel?"

You shouldn't be doing this. 

"Fine."

"Pup, there's no point in being vague or dishonest. It's your nest, not mine. Make it for your comfort. Take a minute and think about how it feels," he instructed. 

Empty. 

"It feels empty," you sighed. 

Hoseok nodded. "You can pull in the perimeter, and it probably won't feel so empty if someone else is with you. But honestly…"

"What?" You wondered when he hesitated. 

"I think you might just be a pillow girl," he shrugged. 

"A what?" 

"A pillow girl. I think you might just need lots of things to cuddle with. Lucky for you your tiny pack is very into that, but in the meantime, you need pillows."

"Tiny pack?" You questioned with a lifted brow. 

"Yeah. The three of you," he brought his thumb and forefinger close together. "Tiny."

"I mean, yeah I know I am, but they aren't," you defended. 

Hobi looked at you adoringly. "Sure, pup. You sit tight. I'm going to get some pillows." He rushed out of the room. You stayed in the nest and listened to his footsteps rush down the stairs and around the house. Eventually he came back and dumped several pillows on you.

"Sorry, I know they smell like the pack. But just test them out and if the feel is right we can wash them."

You felt the fabric under your fingertips and puffed up one of the pillows. "I don't want to take all your pillows."

He waved his hand at you. "Most of these are from the couches downstairs. Oh! Wait!"

He left again and you began arranging the pillows around you in an oval shape. Ones that smelled more like Yoongi, Jimin or Hoseok you put toward your head, while the others you put toward your feet. You already felt more comforted by them, less empty. You were about to start snuggling into them when Hobi returned.

"Here," he said, holding out two pillows. "They're Jimin and Yoongi's."

"But they need pillows."

"Give me yours and I'll replace them."

You frowned. "But then my scent will be in your nest…"

Hobi smiled. "Duh."

Your cheeks heated as you took the pillows and exchanged them for yours. He took them and hugged them to his chest as he watched you settle in. You wiggled around a bit, fluffing pillows and adjusting them just right. It didn't take long for Hobi to see that it was working. You made small rumbly noises and little chirps as you got everything perfect for you. Pretty soon it seemed you had forgotten he was there entirely as you rubbed your face into Yoongi's pillow and relaxed against the nest.

"That's a good lil pup. I'll make sure to tell your alpha you need pillows, not blankets. Rest for a little while," he said softly, not really wanting to disturb your peace. You smiled at him hazily before he left the room, and in minutes you fell asleep.

Permanent taglist: @lilacdreams-00   @wholockian1 @babycoffeefire @theatren3rd @bri-mal @jikooksgirl19 @jaiuneamesolitaiire @marvelfamily3000 @borahae-reads @yoongiigolden   @staerryminimini @valhallawhispers @m4gg13-g @i-have-no-life-charlie @pamzn

Taglist: @ellesalazar @rinkud @osakis-gf @scuzmunkie @queen-in-the-shadows @toughbook @btskzfav @chansbaybygirl @cryingpages @coralmusicblaze @alex--awesome--22 @singukieee @welcometomyworld13 @juju-227592 @bangtanflirt @wittyreader @nyrovieeie @welcome418 @guinhosletters @lifeistooshorttowasteyourtime @moon-cupcakes @passionandsuga @zvrjkb @m0v3m3ntsblog @kykyxstandler @writingwithmai @moocow778 @ladyalicesbookstore @yoonseokerist @deejay08 @momoasenthusiasticreader @littlestarstinyseven @bittersweetbaylee @im-sinking-in-mud @iloverubberduckiez-blog @someshinesomedont @kungsoonie @neverthefirstchoice @kameko-ko @sehun096rainbow

IT WAS THE MONSTERS: 1

SUMMARY: You were born with the ability to see and spot spirits and monsters. From vampires, to werewolves, demons, ghosts and ghouls. Now, as an adult, you use this “gift” to help your clients overcome their worst demons. The “gift” you had never really caused you trouble now that you’re an adult, but you guess some monsters don’t like psychics who interfere with their fun. 

RATING: 18+ (i am not a babysitter, you are in control of what you consume.)

PAIRING: ot7 x reader | poly!au

BOOK MENTIONS: Violence | Eventual Polyamory | Talks Of Reincarnation | Reader Is Too Stunned To Speak | Destruction Of Property | Paranormal Stuff | Gifted Reader | Inaccurate Description Of Demons & Spirits | Cursing | Terrible Therapists | Readers Left Eye Is Purple | Small Mention Of Jesus | Jimin & Tae Are Angry Boys | I Suck At Tagging Pls Help

A/N: I spent so much time procrastinating this sorry hotties. Only at least 1k word but It took so much out of me.

Second sight, passed on from the L/N bloodline from generation to generation. There was a sudden stunt in its flow for at least 8 of those generations, until you were born. Your mother complained throughout her pregnancy that she’d see visions of you in your past life but it was waved off. When you finally came into this world, your father says there was a flash of something in your eyes, a purple gleam that danced there as he held you.

At least, that's the story you get when you ask about your eye

Being that  you were the first in 200 years to be sighted, you had no one to teach you how to control such a “gift”, at least that's what others called it. Though there are many that call you blessed, you'd beg to differ. Growing up, this quirk always got you into trouble.

Playful spirits yanked at your puffs and pulled out your barrettes and often caused your silky pressed hair to frizz. Some monsters take their time to torture you by sitting in your closet or under your bed, lurking in the shadows. Middle school was definitely your worst era. You had random outbursts and twitches that caused people to push away from you. It wasn't even your fault, but what could you really say?

“It’s not me! it’s the monsters!” That's ridiculous really.

Your parents took you to therapy for it but you could see the deceitful demons sucking and clinging onto them, so that never helped you at all. They were so quick to throw you a bottle of pills that it eventually stopped working.

  As you get older, you learn to ignore it along with learning to be patient and more even tempered. During high school you were weird and lowkey, wearing huge black sunglasses from freshman to senior year. They helped block out your sight and question's about your eye.

You managed to make friends with a werewolf though he left unannounced in the middle of senior year.  You guess he shifted early and went away to his home where people like him roamed freely.

Graduating as a below-average person, you decided to say fuck college and open your own business.

A “palm reader” ,  “physic” , “witch”, “Woman Jesus”. There were many terms that your clients and random people called you. 

Your job was to find your client's demons and attack them. Any addiction, health issues, relationship problems. These were all caused by parasitic demons and they thrived off sucking the life out of regular people. You didn’t have the qualifications to banish anything by force, so you did help many people in a safer, smarter way with 3 easy steps. 

Identifying the demon. This wasn't hard for you, since you literally saw the demon sucking the life out of a person

Acknowledge them

Taming them

 The most common among all parasites are lust demons. 

Their job was to suck you completely dry and leave you broken. Most people were too far gone before you could save them, but the ones who weren’t you changed their lives greatly. One night while you were closing your shop, two men walked in, one short and blond, the other dark haired, and taller than the other. They were both dangerously handsome and the energy that came from them was hot, sensual, and angry. The blond stormed up to you hissing, eyes turning an unnatural shade of black. “So you’re the one putting us out of business?” 

Staring at his face, you could definitely tell this was one of the men disrupting the lives of so many men and women in this area. Most of your clients have complained about these two being a one-night stand at some club, then as days go on they invade their dreams, and every single thought. Jimin and Taehyung, the dynamic incubus duo. 

You’ve never had a demon come directly to you for butting into their affairs. You guessed these two were fearless, but fortunately the underworld had rules. If any entity killed someone on second sight, they’d be banished back to hell for eternity, and you're sure these two parasites have been around for a long time.” 

“ I’m sorry gentlemen, I'm not sure we’ve met?” You tilt your head, clenching your purse strap up on your arm. Taehyung scoffed, walking around your shop touching a few things every now and then, with a flick of the wrist, the shelf on the side of you tumbled to the ground. 

You squeak, moving out of the way, tripping and knocking over a display table filled with tarot cards. “You are the only one in this miserable town with real second sight.” 

While Jimin talked, Taehyung walked through your shop dropping shelf after shelf. 

“No screaming tongues, or holy water.” the crashing of shelves halted and only the thud of Jimin's boots coming towards you could be heard.  “Your banishing is less dramatic, more modern, effective and so you.” 

You jumped at the sound of your crystal ball shattering above your head, making you scream, as tiny shards of glass cut into your hands. “Y/N L/N, that is your name now?”  

When Taehyung spoke your name, the walls began to vibrate as did your body. 

“Ah taetae, I don't think this is our little princess, just a sad little human of no morals or knowledge”J imin appeared in front of you, bending down to you, hand burning into your skin as he lifted your chin up to meet his blood red eyes surveying your skin. “Though you still possess an untouchable beauty”

You were speechless, scared, and confused. They talked as if they knew you from another lifetime. You can't say you didn't believe it was possible, since you saw devious things every day, but it was still nerve-racking to hear. ''Maybe we should just keep you little princess, and bring back those old memories ”

 Your shop began to shake and tremble, all the shelves had fallen, glass shattering and books spinning around the three of you. 

Standing, he made himself very loud and clear, “Don’t let us hear your name again,” and for their grand finally the front windows of your shop shattered around you.  

TAGS: @tinymesblog @leilei-9 @starrlo0ver @uarmyhore @mageprincess @lachimolala22019

@eclecticranchzonkcookie @thedarkwinterrose@hey-syia  @djodjom  @scuzmunkie 1  @ilover ubberduckiez-blog  @jamlessstars @rinkud

forever&never | jeon jungkook

summary: the line between friendship and more has always been a little blurred for y/n and jungkook. this time it’s basically been erased completely and in its wake is a huge mess of miscommunicated intentions. and as much as you tried, you’ll never be just friends again.

➣ friends to lovers/idiots to lovers

➣ 11.6k words

➣ best friend!jk x girl best friend!reader [she/her pronouns]

warnings: smut. mild angst. pretty soft acctually. jealousy. lack of communication. make out. heavy petting. oral sėx [f and m]. blowjøb. breastplay. protection sėx. riding. missionary. ass slapping lol. light dirty. roughish. both experienced. teasing.

song inspo: all I want — brent faiyaz, [lovers or friends, that all depends on you] just friends — hayden james [it started off just a touch, innocent like friends] billie bossa nova — billie eilish [i’m not sentimental but there’s something bout the way you look tonight]

reupload

The room was dark, well mostly dark. His single large window aimed straight across his bed. A small rectangle of light laid on his covers just over the bump of the sleeping form next to him. She was tucked under the sheets deep in REM turned on her side and away from him.

He stared at the ceiling in thought, one hand under his head pointing his elbow out and the other was holding the bright device. It was buzzing quietly and the time was replaced by an image. There was a name on the screen with a dumb emoji and the picture was of you. It was of your face with drool down your cheek, mouth parted mid-snore, and Jungkook holding up a peace sign.

Every time he looked at how ugly you slept it made him laugh, so he slid the button across the screen and answered, “Hello?”

“Finally,” you said with a sigh, “I’ve been calling for like a whole minute.”

“Poor you,” he whispered, turning on his side and away from the person sleeping on the other end of his bed, “Now what do you want?”

“Come pretend to be my boyfriend and act like you’ve just caught me cheating,” you said as if it was the most simple request. He scoffed, “It’s midnight.”

“So? Fine, no jaw dropping performance” You stared at your reflection in the women’s restroom mirror. Girls crowded around you touching up their makeup, talking loudly, “But can you still pick me up? Pretty please?”

He groaned, louder than intended as he flipped back onto his back, still in thought. The person next to him stirred, a sound coming from their lips that had Jungkook’s eyes squeezing shut. Your end went silent and he could practically see the wheels turning in your head. After a long moment of silence you released an annoyed sounding sigh, “Fine whatever, I’ll just go home with this guy if you’re going to be lame. If something happens to me I want you to know it’s all your fault.”

The call ended and he laid there for a couple seconds in disbelief.

Drama queen.

He made himself comfortable in bed, distancing himself from the girl next to him. He took a big inhale and released as he felt his body attempt to fall asleep but there was something in the back of his mind.

You called him. No, like, you called him. He’s your friend and you felt safe enough to call him this late to get you out of a tough situation. Whatever, he thought as he turned on his side.

It’s midnight, and you called him because you’re somewhere you don’t want to be with someone you don’t want to be with. Plus, you already jinxed yourself and him. You said if something bad happens then it’s his fault and he can’t have that on his conscience. With a groan loud enough to wake the sleeping person next to him, he was up and blindly searching for clothes.

“What are you doing? Come back to bed,” the girl grumbled in her sleep as his pulled on some black sweats and a hoodie. He was already grabbing his things and heading to the door.

“I’ll be right back, go to sleep,” he whispered back before leaving. She’ll understand in the morning.

It didn’t take him long to get to the address you sent him. He offered to go in and get you but shortly after you were walking out of the bar in an outfit meant for a night out. He wasn’t even parked, his car was just stopped at the curb and he lowered his window for you to see him.

You shivered hugging your arms as you jogged as best as you could in heels. They clacked against the pavement as you crossed the street to him and he watched you go over to the passenger’s side. You stuck a trembling hand into the door handle and pulled only for it to not open. You did it again, slightly more frustrated as the cold began to really hit you.

“Open the fucking door,” you whined moving to the back door and yanking. Jungkook just smiled as he watched you struggle, “Say the magic word.”

“Please?”

“Wrong.”

“Jungkook!” You shouted out in annoyance and his grin only grew wider as he finally unlocked it. You yanked it open and immediate closed yourself in, running your hands over your exposed legs for warmth, “It is so cold out there, asshole.”

“Nobody told you not to wear a jacket,” Jungkook said, reaching into the backseat for the jacket that’s been sitting in his car for days. You took it from his hands as you said, “It would ruin my outfit.”

He looked over to see what you were wearing. A little green dress that complimented your skin tone and accentuated your legs. It rode up on your thigh when you sat down but he tried not to notice. You got yourself situated by the time the car got moving, “Thanks for picking me up.”

“Yeah well you got me worried when you decided to put the blame on me so fuck you for that,” he did a U-turn with only one hand on the steering wheel and his other arm rested on the window ledge. You smiled cheekily, “Muah, you’re the sweetest. Were you with anyone?”

“Um,” he thought about it. Obviously he had been with someone but he’s not sure if he should say it. Well, there’s no reason he shouldn’t. “Yeah, but she’s asleep.”

“Oh my god, you should’ve told me! I would’ve called Hobi or something,” you said but he just shrugged in response. You bit your lip, “Anyone you’re serious about?”

“I don’t know, it’s the second time I’ve met up with her,” he answered honestly, shifting his gaze to you to see your reaction. You just gave a nod before looking out the window. His eyes went back and forth from the road to you wanting to know what you were thinking.

He cleared his throat, “It’s probably not going to go anywhere. I think we’re both just having fun.”

By the time you arrived to the front of your apartment, Jungkook put his car in Park and turned to you, “Text me when you get inside.”

You waved him off barely even listening to what he was saying as you felt around for your keys. Jungkook flicked your forehead making you glare at him, “I’m waiting here till you text me you’re inside, got it?”

“Yes, yes, whatever, I’ll text you,” you told him opening the door and stepping out. You leaned down so you could still see inside and gave him a smile, “Thanks for picking me up, Kookie.”

“Don’t call me that,” he groaned as you rolled your eyes in response. When you finally shut his door and made it around the car, you let out a squeal as he suddenly honked the horn. You turned only from him to be holding up a middle finger against the window which you gladly gave back to him before disappearing inside the building.

Finally inside your apartment, you sent him a text telling him you’re still alive and went to bed.

There’s one thing you can’t explain and that is your friendship with Jeon Jungkook.

It was just a friendship, nothing more, nothing less. It was fun and lighthearted, no hidden feelings, nothing. Neither one of you have made a move on the other and if one did neither of you noticed. As far as you knew, he was just a friend. Everyone knows that’s all you two were and that’s what made you content.

To you, he was a great guy friend. He wards off drunk guys at the club, he gives his honest opinion, and honest just a good guy. What you have is a genuine friendship in your eyes. He flicks your forehead, calls you a bitch during matches, plays mature pranks on, basically treats you like one of the guys.

You met him in a pretty average, boring way. It was in class last semester when you had an assignment together. You found out you had a close mutual friend, Taehyung, and things just went from there. You befriended some of his friends like Jimin, and you were invited to a lot of things. It was only natural you’d get close to him as a friend.

So, as your friend, he was really doing you a favor. When you came back from the kitchen you were hoping to return to your seat. Clearly that didn’t happen as some girl sat there sandwiched between Jungkook and Namjoon trying to make conversation. At first you had full intentions on finding the next available place but something stopped you.

Jungkook didn’t even bother looking at you as he listened to the girl. He was aware of your presence anyway, and he brought an arm up to stop you. His arm was on your thighs and he was slowly pulling you back to him. It was all the push you needed to sit down on his leg turning your body to face the people sitting on the other couch.

“So who’d you say your roommate was again?” Jungkook asked the girl as his arm pulled away from you once you were seated. He rested it on the back of the couch now while the other held a beer. The girl looked at you watching you on your phone texting someone, completely ignoring your new seat.

“Um, Jieun,” the girl said and Jungkook nodded in acknowledgement. His eyes wandered away from her taking a peak at your phone screen. You were on Instagram with some guy in your DMs and he acted.

The hand holding the cold beer came down to your thigh pressing the cold can against you. You jumped at the feel pushing his hand away and turning to him.

“Aren’t you friends with a ‘Jieun’?” He asked drinking his beer. You gave a nod looking between the two and the girl looked you in the eye. It only last a little before her gaze was shifting away. You looked to Jungkook waiting for him to go on but he only pointed to the girl.

“That’s her roommate,” he said in a ‘matter-of-fact’ tone, slurring a little, “What’s your name again?”

You gave an unamused roll of your eyes at him before looking at her, “Yuna? I think Jieun’s told me that before.”

She smiled now, “Yeah.”

Jungkook tuned you out as you talked with Yuna and you moved over to his other leg to talk to her about some celebrity crush you shared. He got on his phone using your back as a shield and went through his notifications. He had plenty of messages but it took too much effort for him to answer right now. He was getting bored, and drunk, and not in the mood for social hour anymore.

After some time Yuna’s attention was called elsewhere and she left you with a smile and a wave goodbye. When she up you took the opportunity to finally get off Jungkook’s lap and sit back in your old seat. You kicked a leg over the other and slouched back in exhaustion, “Meeting new people is so tiring.”

“Aren’t you meeting someone new tomorrow?” Namjoon asked now that the person from outside their inner circle left. You looked at him, narrowing your eyes as he outed you in front of the others. His brows were furrowed in utter confusion still not understanding. You rolled your eyes staring forward, “I don’t know if I’m going to or not.”

“Are you gonna go see a guy?” Jungkook asked sitting up a little. Jimin looked between everyone before asking, “What’s his name? Do I know him?”

Namjoon’s eyes opened in realized, alright, so you only told him.

For clarification, you do have friends who aren’t male, but you mostly hang out with these guys. So naturally, you’ll confide in them for some stuff. You should’ve known Namjoon wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut so this is probably your fault. You didn’t even mean to tell anyone but you were talking with him on your way to class and it just sort of slipped out. Now everyone’s going to know why you didn’t want to go out for drinks tomorrow with the others.

“You don’t know him,” you said, but only more questions came. Jungkook was fully turned to you now , “How do you know him?”

“I don’t, he’s from Tinder,” You answered honestly and though you could tell he had more to say he let it go.

“Whatever, let's talk about the chick Jungkook is messing around with,” Taehyung said turning his attention to Jungkook now. He released an exasperated sigh and slumped back on the couch. He rolled his eyes, “It wasn’t anything serious. She got mad over something stupid and cut it off.”

‘Wasn’t she just over at your place last weekend?” You asked as you rose to your feet going for a different drink now. Jungkook just shrugged watching you. When he didn’t answer, you let it go, unaware of the his eyes followed your waistline and down.

Jimin chuckled, “Let me guess, you did something wrong?”

“Probably,” Jungkook tore his eyes off you when he couldn’t see you anymore and looked back to the others, “She got mad at me last weekend and we haven’t talked since.”

He wasn’t bothered by it, but it’s more the reason why that bothered him. He’s not usually a relationship guy but he could have a fling with someone for a while, a few weeks even and that’s what he had going on with this, Mina, girl. Right now he’s got nobody and he’s not in the mood to answer one of the dozen DMs in his inbox. “What happened last weekend?” Namjoon asked making Jungkook look up to see if you were coming back yet.

“Y/n called me super late on Saturday, she needed a ride,” Jungkook said and the others waited for him to keep going, “Mina was over and I told her I’d be right back but I guess she didn’t appreciate me leaving to getY/n.”

Jimin busts out laughing, “Well obviously, dumbass. You ditch a girl you most likely had just finished having sex with, to go take another girlfriend home.”

“It’s just Y/n though,” he said with furrowed brows making Taehyung groan. “Just Y/n? Yeah, that’s the problem. Y/n’s your friend, Mina probably thinks there’s something bet—“

“Shh,” Jungkook nodded his head just slightly to where you were starting to come back. He brushed his hair back looking at you now. You gave him a scowl probably thinking he was going to tease you about something before turning to plant your butt back down in the spot between him and Jungkook.

“What are we talking about?” You asked, your thigh pressed against his snuggly due to the tight space on the couch. He placed a hand down on your knee, “You.”

“Me?” Your brows furrowed looking at everyone else, ignoring the shake of your leg by his hand, slowing down and patting your thigh.

“Tell us the guy’s name. I just want to know if I know him,” Namjoon said, making you roll your eyes. “No.”

Jungkook wasn’t fully paying attention anymore, his eyes had drawn to the person across from him. Taehyung looked at him with an unamused expression that said, ‘seriously?’ which made Jungkook’s brows furrow. Taehyung’s eyes trailed to his hand and Jungkook looked down too.

Oh.

He moved his hand off your leg moving to lean further against the armrest to put some distance. Look, you’re his friend, it’s not his fault he’s kind of a touchy person. It’s also not his fault that you don’t seem to even bat an eye so it makes him do it more. He still doesn’t get why it’s such a big deal that he went to get you the night with Mina.

You’re like one of his best friends, that’s all.

When it comes to friends, you feel like you’ve stumbled upon a great selection of them. You’ve got your coworkers, your friends from school, and random strays you’ve collected on the way. Out of all them you can only think of three who could help you out right now.

You tried Sora at first, her opinion was always helpful and blunt, but she wouldn’t pick up.

You tried your coworker, Yoongi, he’s usually an ass but he’ll tell you one just so you leave him alone. That would have been helpful because you’re very indecisive.

Now you’re trying Jungkook, listening to the phone ring praying he’d answer because if he doesn’t, you think you might have a mental breakdown and call the whole night off. You’re this close to doing so.

The familiar beep of the FaceTime connecting came and Jungkook was in front of you. He was sitting on his usual black couch, and a large painting above his head. His hair had been clipped at the sides by small bobby pins, only leaving the pieces that fell over his face. His hair was getting longer so it was curling forward just under his ears. He looked kind of pretty right now, like he was going to go out.

“Where are you going?” You asked jumping right to it. He looked taken aback for a moment, nervously playing with his lip ring, “I’m gonna go out for drinks with someone.”

Your eyes narrowed, “Someone? That one girl you were messing with?”

His jaw clenched for a moment as he looked away, “Someone else.”

“Hm,” was all you said, dragging your eyes away from the silver necklace that sat on his pretty neck. “Do you have a minute because I need your help and if I don’t get it I’ll cry.”

He rolled his eyes as a smile began to form on his face checking the time, “I’ve got time, what happened? Aren’t you meeting that guy tonight?”

“Yes, that’s why I need your help, nobody else was answering,” you said, moving your phone to your desk so he could see all of you. On the screen, Jungkook was leaning forward watching you as you stepped away from your phone giving him a good view from head to toe. You looked at your reflection on the full body mirror you had on your door beginning to talk, “So I want to wear this skirt but I don’t know what to wear on top. Here I’ll show you the options.”

Jungkook nodded in response watching you pick up a cream colored knitted sweater that paired well with the skirt you had up. It looked warm enough and it made you look way more put together than your messy life actually was. He watched you put it over the simple tank you had on just so you wouldn’t be naked in front of him. He hummed, “That looks fine.”

“Okay, how about this one,” you turned your back to him, yanking the next item on and looking at yourself. It was a little on the short side and the shade of the shirt matched your complexion well. It also puts an emphasis on your chest while also looking good with the skirt. Jungkook felt something run down his body.

“Turn for me,” he said but his eyes were glued to the shortness of the skirt, tongue slowly swiping over his lip ring. Something about the way you looked was really capturing his attention. You did as told, turning so your front was facing the phone but your head was turned to the side still looking at yourself. “Wait, I actually look really good in this. Oh my god.”

Jungkook scratched at the back of his neck, “Yeah,” he cleared his throat awkwardly, “Let me see the next one.”

“You don’t like it?” You asked looking at him and he shrugged looking away, “Yeah but it’s not my first choice.”

How does he tell you, he really likes it but not for tonight. You looked unbelievably attractive and he can see you wearing that whenever you and him go out for drinks with the others. He can see himself placing his hand where that little sliver of exposed skin between your top and skirt would be. His finger would press against the lower part of your spine, just over where your tailbone will start. He could hear himself making an excuse to touch like having to pull you into his side when a drunk walked a little too close. He sees himself around you when you look this good.

He doesn’t want to picture another guy with you instead.

“No, this looks ugly,” you said finally wearing the last choice, “It looked better in my head. I think I’m going to wear the second one.”

“No,” Jungkook answered, making you look at him again, “Wear the first.”

“Really?” You asked, grabbing the first option you had, “You think this is better than the second?”

“I mean,” he leaned back on the couch, checking the time. He was already running late. “I mean you look good in all of them, I just think the first would… you know.”

“You don’t sound all that sure of the first one Kookie,” you tease. moving to sit in front of your friend. He rolled his eyes at that nickname. He seriously regrets telling you his childhood nickname.

“Alright, I like the second one more but I don’t want you wearing it tonight for some guy you just met,” Jungkook finally said.

Whatever, he’s just being honest but you didn’t get it. Part of you wondered what he meant and the other part felt like it knew. With curious eyes you said, “You think I look hot in it?”

He released a breathy laugh, messing up his hair, “Obviously. So, yeah, I don’t want you wearing that tonight. You don’t even know if the guy’s worth getting all pretty for, Y/n.”

“Ugh, okay—He’s here, oh my god I have to go,” you suddenly panicked looking around your bedroom, “I’m not even wearing shoes.”

“Be careful, bye,” he said, hanging up.

His phone sat on his toned chest as he sighed, he hopes you don’t wear his favorite outfit tonight. If you do choose to wear it or look that good in something, he’d like it to be for him.

Jungkook doesn’t like you, you’re his friend. A very good friend, a forever bestie, that’s all. You’re like one of the guys to him, he messes with you the same way he messes with Jin or Yoongi. He just likes to push your buttons because when you get annoyed, there’s this look in your eyes that makes him go crazy. It just makes you look so attractive but he would never go for you.

He’s not even interested in a serious relationship so it’d seem like such a waste to see where it could go with you. And okay if it just so happened to, you know, be great then maybe he would settle down in a relationship. That’s very unlikely—not like he’s been thinking about it. Not at all.

He especially doesn’t see you as anything other than a friend right now that you’re practically clinging to him, not even when his hand rests on your lower back wearing that outfit he liked the other night, all just for him. Your hand was on his chest, “You need to stop working out, you’re getting so big.”

With that, your hand trailed further down to where his abdomen was, going over the soft ridges of muscle toward his bellybutton. He held in a breath watching you with hazy eyes. He’s realizing now that it was a bad idea to come out for drinks with you and nobody else. Now you’re both a little tipsy and very touchy.

“You don’t like it?” He asked in a husky voice as he pulled you in just a little more when a group of girls walked by in search of the bar. You stumbled into him, “I do, that’s the problem. You’re looking too good.”

“That’s a real shame,” he chuckled breathlessly, licking his lips as he looked down at you with dark eyes, “You don’t want to find me attractive? Is it distracting?”

“Full of yourself? You know I think you’re attractive,” you giggled making him smile.

You’re his friend.

You’re just a friend.

You’re like a best friend.

He's not sure if he's the one who took the step forward but all he knew was that you two were moving closer. His hands were on your waist as his head dipped down to meet yours. Your mouth was on his in a second, hands cupping his cheeks as your lips met, hesitant at first before going all in.

It was messy, a little too eager for being a first kiss between you two. In his eyes, and maybe yours too, it had been a long time coming. His hands tightening their grip as he pressed you against him until your neck was angled so that you could kiss him despite your height difference. Your arms wrapped around his neck trying to pull yourself up to kiss him better and he eagerly granted you more access. It was a sight to be seen, the way his jaw moved so effortlessly in a kiss like he was hungry for your mouth, tongue licking along your bottom lip until your lips parted for him.

You let your tongue poke inside exploring the warmth of his mouth. His eyes fell shut deepening the kiss with his tongue and yours relishing in your make out. You kissed along the corners of his mouth, a hand flat on his shirt while you trailed down toward his jaw. He licked his dry lips when he felt the tender affections on the angle of his jaw as the hand over his t-shirt ran over his chest. He let his head fall back trying to catch his breath when you playfully nipped at skin, kissing away any pain and sucking lightly.

There was a small pause, pulling away to catch your breaths and this should have been a moment to reflect. You knew in the back of your mind that you and Jungkook have never kissed. Your friendship has been just that, a friendship, and not the kissing kind.

He always knew you were a great kisser. He had never kissed you before in the past but it's not like he didn't think about it. The few times he's seen you make out with a guy somewhere on campus or in the parking lot told him enough of that. He always walked past slightly annoyed but he always thought it was because he wasn’t getting any action. He didn’t think anything of the glare he’d send guys who approached you when you were out with friends. He must have misread it as being protective over his friend and not jealousy.

“Wanna get out of here?” He asked leaning in for a kiss, biting on your bottom lip as he tugged out making you sigh into it. You nodded in response and he smirked reaching down for your hand and led you toward the doors of the packed club.

The drive to your apartment was quiet aside from some music. Jungkook drove with his hand on your thigh, a firm grip on the soft flesh very close to where your skirt ended. He gave teasing strokes making you wiggle in your seat and without thinking you reached across the console and connected your lips with his neck for a quick moment making him bite into his bottom lip to concentrate on the road.

Once inside your apartment, you led him right to your room. Neither one of you were thinking about what this could mean, all you were thinking about was what it would be like to have him down between your legs. He sat on the edge of your bed pulling you down next to him and immediately connecting his lips with yours once more. There was a hint of a smile into the kiss as he deepened it, dipping his head low. His arm you'd been tracing made its way up to your face cupping your cheek keeping you close. You straightened your back hoping to get closer to him, your hands going to his thighs for support.

Just as you were moving closer to his groin area he reached for one of your wrists. Not stopping the kiss he pulled your hand away leading you to lay back on your bed. You followed his movements laying down as he effortlessly pushed you further up your sheets so he could hover over you. He kissed down your neck, sucking softly on a spot he felt you twitch at. Your hands tugged on his shirt and though it was a quick pace he sat up pulling the shirt off.

He yanked it off feeling your hands fly to his belt loop but he stopped you again. He was slightly out of breath as he spoke, "Y/n..."

He leaned over you trapping you under his hands which rested on either side of your head. “Take this off.” He motioned to your shirt which had been buttoned at the front and you brought your small hands to the top. He watched closely as you undid the first button slowly. Then the second, then the one just over your breasts which bulged through the opening making him lick his lips. You ran your finger teasingly down the valley between your breasts stopping at the next button and undoing it. His eyes were trained on what you were doing, letting his hips press down against yours.

Impatience coursed through his veins and with one hand he yanked on the last buttons pushing it off your shoulders making you lean up enough for him to take it off you the rest of the way. Now that it was out of the way he let his hand trail along your side and over your bra. His mouth left wet kisses down to your collarbone and between your breasts. You let out a sigh feeling his firm touch, big callous hands, from working out, touching the softness of your tits. You moved to unclip your bra, sliding it off. He left a gentle, teasing kiss on your right breast.

His hand cupped the breast kissing on the sides, "You gonna let me touch?”

His voice was airy as he let his tongue poke at your nipple. His thumb swiped over it feeling it begin to harden and let his other hand cup your other breast too. He repeated the actions a couple times letting his hair tickle your neck before his lips circled around the hardened bud, eyes locked on yours as he began to suck.

"That feels good," you whined, wriggling around a little for more. You have obviously never done this with him but his teasing pace was doing things to your body that you’re not used to feeling for him.

He looked up at you, tongue flicking your nipple as his other hand groped the flesh of your left breast. He didn't say anything but didn't move quicker. You wanted to rub your thighs together but with him laying between them it was hard to. Instead you ended up just trying to rut up against him.

When he pulled back a small string of saliva connected his bottom lip to your boob and before you could say anything he moved on to the other. You felt strange, getting so turned on with foreplay. You touched along his back wanting to feel more of him pushing your breasts in his face. He eagerly sucked on your nipples, coating them in spit that made you feel dirty in a good way. Once your nipples were as stiff as they could get he moved along down your stomach. He never once pulled his lips off your skin, not even when he tugged at the fabric of your little black skirt that hugged your ass so wonderfully that his eyes had been drawn to it all night. He yanked it down your legs sitting back again looking down at your wriggling body.

Below him you looked so pretty. Hair splayed across your bed sheets. Expression full of lust with darkened eyes. Exposed breasts moving with every pant of breath you took. Your frilly underwear that left little to imagination and with a smile he leaned forward to capture your lips with his again, “You’re so hot.”

“I know, I always feel your eyes on me,” you said between kisses as you let your tongue stick out past your lips for his to fondle.

A hand trailed down to the hem of your underwear. He relished every soft sound you let out, releasing his own sigh against your skin, "Because you like to wear those little skirts and dresses around me.”

You groaned letting your hips buck into him feeling the smallest hint of a bulge in his jeans. He grunted shortly, finally removing your underwear as he went back to your breasts hungrily latching onto a nipple again. He slid your right leg up until it was bent close to your stomach, exposing more of your wet pussy. Silky strings of arousal coated his fingers as he ran them between your folds and over your clit. At the hint of some stimulation you began to meet the efforts of his hands with a roll of your hips. Unable to keep himself from a taste he dropped to be faced with your cunt.

With a groan, he pushed his nose into the wet pussy and inhaled deeply. Some slick nipped at the tip of his nose. He just wanted to please you and make you feel good. He wanted to make you forget about any other guy and remember that if you want to dress like this he wants it to be for him. His mouth closed over the stiffened clit suddenly and he began to lick and suck you, feeling the outline of your slit get his chin wet. He was lost in his own world, hips rutting against the bed as his tongue worked to taste your raw essence.

You were the sweetest thing to ever grace his tongue. His thick tongue lapped at your juices, running through your slit and pushing into your warm hole. He was quite literally tongue fucking you with a hand to your chest groping your tits again. If he could suck on them while feasting on your pussy he'd be in heaven.

You were in ecstasy with his mouth slobbering all over your cunt making you fuck up into his face. He swirled over your sensitive bud using his other hand to spread out your soft folds. His tongue fucked into your pussy as far as he could go before feeling your walls clench around him. It only made the hand on your tits rougher groping more into his hand holding your hips anchored down to the bed as you began to shake.

"Koo—" you moaned softly hands in his soft dark hair keeping him in place. He stopped, still close enough to your pussy for his breath to hit your sensitive skin. He looked up, “How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?”

You rolled your eyes, “Shut up, Kookie,” with that you placed a hand over his head and led him back down to your pussy. Too distracted by the thought of making you cum on his tongue, he went back in. He focused on your clit, tongue flattening over it and shaking his head from side to side feeling your walls tighten. He repeated the action with more effort and then he felt it. Just under where he had been licking your little clitty, your release came. He kept going, feeling the slick coat his chin and drip further down your open legs before stopping it with his tongue so he could taste. He eased you through your orgasm with a hand stretched across your body letting your hips guide him in a rhythmic motion through your high. Jungkook pulled back a moment, swiping his tongue on his lip, licking a small drop off as caught your breath.

With an effort to lean up and kiss along your neck, you caught him off balance making him land on the bed instead. Quickly before he could try and stop you, you were yanking his Jean button open and tugging at the zipper. He hissed at the sudden friction of losing the thick layer of denim from his member. He let you slide them off, muscles tensing when he tried to lean up to kiss you.

You met him halfway, a messy tongue kiss mixed with the taste of your arousal and spit. Distracting him enough with the kiss you let your hand go over his bulge from his briefs.

His breath caught in his throat at the first feel of your palm over his cock. His eyes glazed over as you smiled seductively at him kissing the tip of his nose before letting your hand slide past the briefs and touching him directly. You start with a couple experimental strokes, his mouth drawn open in a silent moan, "Do you want me to stop?"

His brows are knitted together, a hand over your hair and the other fisted up to his forehead. He shook his head licking his lips, "I swear to God if you stop, I’ll…" his voice was hoarse, feeling you bring your face closer to his tip, licking it gently, tasting the bead of precum on your taste buds. “You’ll what?”

You flatten your tongue on the underside of his cock, a teasing long kitten lick from his base to his tip. You stopped at the head letting spit pool in your mouth and onto his cock keeping your eyes on his. Then, his eyes meet yours slowly and you swallow more of his length into your mouth. His eyes scrunched closed in pleasure, biting the back of his hand to stifle the loudest moan he's ever felt bubble up in his throat. It was something in the way you teased and looked him in the eyes while doing it.

He’s been with a handful of girls, he’s obviously experienced and these aren’t new sensations. But there’s something about having the girl he’s just friends with, with your mouth around his cock, that turned him on so damn much.

Holding the base of his cock with one hand, you begin to bob your head setting a good pace, with your other hand on his thigh keeping yourself from losing balance. Your eyes lock on the obvious muscles flexing under your touch. Your hand helps jerk the rest of him, your other hand coming up to massage his balls.

Jungkook watches the way his cock disappears into your mouth, the feeling of your mouth, your hands working other areas. It took everything in him to not let out everything and instead released shaky breaths and soft groans. He was close thanks to the way you released those pretty little moans when he had you in his mouth.

You press into him, hand on his thigh once more as your nose pressed into his pubic bone. You took steady breaths through your nose doing your best to relax your throat and flatten your tongue. You stayed still for a second, letting yourself get used to his cock so deep in your throat, jagged breaths in and out. Jungkook pants lightly, feeling the throb of his cock as his tip hits the back of your throat, “That’s it, breathe through your nose baby, take it.”

You roughly swallow around him, suppressing a gag as you resume to deep throat him, spit bubbles gathering around his length.

"Fucking hell," he groaned tossing his head back in bliss. Moans were pouring out of his mouth, his groan muffled into his hand, "I'm so—close."

His pants come quicker, more jagged and out of breath. His mouth hung open, hips almost locking from how hard his muscles flexed. With his cock twitching in your mouth Jungkook slowly comes down from his high, hand petting your hair. His eyes were hazy and his mouth dry. It felt like he couldn't move a muscle and yet he was yanking you off his cock and smashing your lips onto his. He could taste himself on you and with your aftertaste on his he wished to kiss more. He was still hard, probably in anticipation when rummaging was heard.

Jungkook pulled back to catch his breath letting you search for a condom tearing into it immediately.

He hissed in discomfort as he dragged his body into a sitting position, back pressed against your headboard. He let you slide the condom on his member watching it come back to life at its full hardness. His eyes locked on the spread of your legs moving to sit on his lap. Jungkook kept a hand at his base and the other on your waist while yours gripped his shoulders.

He watched closely as you lined yourself up watching the head enter. He quickly looked at you as your mouth drew open, sinking down on his length. He didn't push to move even if he really wanted to and instead let you adjust. He wanted this to be pleasurable to you too. He whispered softly, "I want to make you feel so good. Will you let me?"

"Jungkook," you whined at the first expert roll of his hips, digging his cock a little further into your walls. You ground your hips letting your head fall forward when he took a boob into his mouth fucking up into you.

He nipped at the bud playing with it as he looked up at you to the best of his ability. Your pouty lips moaning softly has him pulling away to kiss you again, "Say my name, don’t stop.”

He groped at your ass, spreading the soft cheeks apart and rammed into you when you threw your head back in a moan, "Jungkook, you feel so fucking good inside me.”

You returned to him feeling lightheaded holding his face in your arms forcing him to look at you as he bounced you on his cock. A hand on your ass and another on your tit letting you pull his face into you. Your already erect buds tightening as he pinched and pulled at them. He left wet, sloppy kisses over your throat, moving his hands to grip your waist harshly. Jungkook's nail dug into your soft flesh as he lifted your hips up and down on his cock.

"Just like that," he bit into his lip, staring down at the way your hips gained a more determined rhythm to get him off. You pulled on his hair making him look at you, "I'm gonna cum."

“Already?” He teased, “Am I fucking you good? Is my cock fucking you just right?”

“Stop talking,” you moaned against his lips dragging him into a kiss, “I’m gonna cum.”

“Already?” He kept going, “My dick that good?”

His eyes locked on yours as he felt your warm walls begin to tighten around him. A familiar ring of nerves clenching around his member as it sucked him into your folds. He wasn't going to last much longer either, “Your pussy is so damn good, Goddamn.”

His thrusted slower but still rough, chasing his own high with the sponginess of your spent walls that hugged his stiff dick deliciously, enough to make his lips dry.

When you didn't respond and he felt himself at his peak he added, "I won’t last much longer, fuck.”

He let you snuggle your face into his neck, a hand still on your jaw as his forehead rested on your shoulder. His other hand was forcing your hips up and down roughly.

It was like a wave washed over you, the final words to put you over the edge. Just like that you were releasing, biting back a euphoric moan as Jungkook hugged your sides talking you through it. In all your past hookups not once did they treat you so softly while tossing you around too. It made you want to show him other sides to you too.

When yours had calmed enough, the last squeeze of the ring was enough for him to let go into the condom. He grunted softly into your ear guiding your hips up and letting himself slip out. Your thighs shook as you crawled over to the side of the bed taking a moment to catch your breath.

“Fuck, you’re rough,” you groaned trying to get yourself off the bed feeling sore. He just lied back on your pillows with a lazy smirk still fondling his sensitive cock, “But you liked it.” He leaned forward, spanking your ass hard as you bent down to get a pair of panties.

“Ow!” You squealed throwing his underwear at him and he laughed, “Asshole.”

“Want me to do it again?”

Teasingly, you bent forward again and he connected his hand with your ass just as hard, squeezing in the process.

Was it normal to continue like it never happened? That’s what you and Jungkook were doing.

It’s been a few days since the night he fucked you so good you were sore the next day, and yet neither one of you have brought it up. You weren’t avoiding each other either so clearly you just didn’t care to talk about it.

Now, this doesn’t mean you’ve completely forgotten about it. It’s hard to when his hand is on your thigh under the desk.

“So I told him, ‘Babe, I’m not letting you touch my tits in public’ ugh, Jimin needs to chill, you know?” Sora ranted during a lecture making your brows furrow. You looked at her, “What are you talking about?”

“Ugh, you’re not even listening to me,” Sora groaned with a roll of her eyes before looking over at Jungkook, “Why so quiet, you dumb bitch.”

“Sora, one of these days I’m going to tell Jimin that you’re breaking up with him if you don’t stop being mean to me,” Jungkook spoke up as the others around you began gathering their things. She only rolled her eyes, waving him off, “He won’t believe you, he knows I’m dick whipped.”

You were gathering your things and stuffing them in your backpack as you stood up making him move his hand, “Hurry up or I’m leaving you two, I want chicken.”

“Eh, I’m not worried,” Jungkook said with a shrug even as he got up, “If you ditch me I’ll just pick you up and K.O you until you apologize.”

“Jeez, why so rough?” Sora asked, missing the way he sent you a wink at what she had just said.

Alright, you’ll be honest.

It hasn’t completely gone back to normal, there’s still an intense sexual attraction between you two but nobody knows what you two did.

You groaned, “If I don’t get food into my system right this instant I’m going to be the biggest bitch.”

“You already are.”

“Bitch,” you glared at Jungkook just as you got to the front of the lunch room.

“Jungkook!” You all paused at the door, turning around to stare at whoever had just called your friend. Jungkook froze looking at her, “Mina.”

“Hey, do you have a minute?” She asked looking over to Sora and then you. You swear she glared at you. Jungkook looked back, catching your eyes, seeing if you had anything to say but you didn’t. What were you even supposed to say? He focused on Mina again, “I’ve got time, what’s up?”

“Come on let’s eat, I have to go to work after,” you told Sora ready to leave. She gasped, “Are you working with that new guy? Is he hot?”

“Yeah.”

Jungkook tried not to turn and ask you who, choosing instead to walk away with Mina. It’s not like the two of you were dating anyway, he can talk to her, and you can think about whatever guy you want. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t even want a relationship.

Not at all.

So when you FaceTimed him the next night looking for help again, he agreed.

“So what’s this for?” Jungkook asked on the same couch he was on last time looking the same as then too. The other day Mina asked him out on a date but he doesn’t go on dates. He did get drinks with her but that was it, he wasn’t even in the mood for sex and he kept thinking about who that coworker of yours was.

“I’m going out with a friend for dinner,” you said looking at yourself in the mirror. Jungkook’s tongue poked against his cheek in annoyance, “A friend? And you’ve gotta go all out for dinner?”

“Obviously, I can’t look ugly.”

“Why?” He asked even though he knew it sounded immature. You rolled your eyes pulling down the front of your top to show more taste, “Because I don’t know who might see me, duh. So how does this look?”

“Going out with a guy?” He ignored your question. Once again, you rolled your eyes, “Yes Jungkook, he's a friend with a dick, just like you.”

He scoffed, looking taken back, “Whatever, you look fine.”

“You’re being no help right now, you’ve said that like three times,” you groaned in frustration because if you don’t find an outfit right now you’re going to tell Hoseok you can’t see him tonight and will just see him the next time you work together. He slumped back, “You’re making me help you look good for some random guy, what do you want me to say? You look fine.”

You glared at him through the screen, “Fine whatever, thanks for your help, go call Mina or something then.”

Without a goodbye you hung up on him leaving him sitting there in disbelief.

“Fucking—ugh!” He groaned loudly, tipping his head back annoyed. Fine, you want him talking to Mina? He will.

He’s being so annoying right now. It’s not like you’re asking him to do something he hasn’t done before. Besides, that’s what friends are for.

It’s not like you’re doing anything wrong either. You did have sex but that was over a week ago and neither one of you has brought it up. And yes, you’ve been extra touchy with each other but still, it has no meaning. You haven’t gone out of your way to see if having sex with your best friend was something serious or not and until he brings it up, you won’t either.

Of course the sucky part is watching him talk with other girls wondering if that night was just a one time thing for you two or not. You don’t want a relationship right now but you also don’t want to watch someone you’re sexually attracted to with someone else. Plus, why is he giving you so much attitude on FaceTime like you’re doing something wrong.

If he didn’t like the idea of you getting pretty to go hang out with a male friend of yours then he’s being stupid. You dress up to go out when you’re with him and he’s just a friend too. You’re not even lying when you say you’re just friends with the person you’re getting dinner with so why did he seem so offended?

Hoseok is literally a friend. He just started working at your job and you clicked right away. If Jungkook would just ask you instead of getting all pissy with you then you’d tell him. But, in reality, you don’t owe him any explanation for who you go see. So, him saying, ‘You’re making me help you look good for some random guy, what do you want me to say? You look fine’ is such bullshit. Like, he’s helped you before so clearly something upset him and he won’t even tell you what.

Listen, he doesn’t know what. He doesn’t think he’s looking for anything serious even though he really enjoyed the night he spent with you. One could say he could easily look for a friends with benefits relationship with you but he doesn’t want that either. In his opinion that could damage your friendship more than being in a relationship will.

Like, if you could just not entertain any other guy but him then he’ll do the same. You’ll still be friends but at least he’ll know that if the time comes his chances won’t be ruined by another guy in the picture. He won’t have a problem doing the same with you as long as it’s mutual. But if you’re going to go out for drinks with other guys than he can do the same with girls who are clearly interested in him.

But he can’t. He can’t stop his mind from thinking about you and it’s starting to mess with his mind. This is normal for friends, right?

No.

Not even in this friendly moment can he help himself. The others were around so he didn't think he should do or say anything but you looked so damn pretty. He was also sitting the furthest from you so it probably isn’t obvious, he hopes. He just doesn’t understand how things changed within him so much. Maybe he’s just finally realized how much he likes you and probably for a while now.

Obviously not to the extent of actually falling for you right off the bat but since the beginning he thought you were hot. He was always leaving small touches, he listens to you rant about your day, he tells you how pretty you look in basically anything, he kissed you and had sex with you and has yet to sleep with another girl since. He likes you a lot. Now how does he tell you so?

His love language is physical touch, not words of affirmation like you. This means, his way of showing interest or affection is by touch and he did a lot of that with you, always.

He’s not even trying to hide the fact that he’s been looking at you. It’s not like they didn’t know he’s always been close with you, they’ve seen him drag you into his lap, hand on thigh, all of it. Now do they know the extent he’s gone with you? No.

You obviously know he’s watching you, has been all night and it’s made you feel giddy. You still don’t know what’s going on between you and him but you do know that you want to kiss him again. So, you excused yourself to the bathroom sending him a small wink before leaving then when you got inside, you called him.

It was a little scheme and he picked up on it right away, “I’ll be back.”

“Who’s calling?” Sora asked, sitting on Jimin’s lap looking over to him. “None of your business,” Jungkook said ruffling her hair, making her hit him and Jimin laugh. He left down the hall looking at his phone and passing the guest bathroom, choosing instead to go to the one in Namjoon’s private one where he knew you’d be. He knocked lightly, turning the handle to catch you looking at yourself in the mirror.

He hasn’t brought up the other night on FaceTime because he knows he was being petty. He was just annoyed that he wasn’t the one going out with you. He smiled as he shut the door making sure to lock it, “You called?” A little pun because you obviously called and he ran right to you, like usual.

You faced him now, leaning back against the sink, “You make it very hard to concentrate when you’re watching me all the time.” You were teasing and he was stepping closer until his hands were on the counter behind you. There was a very short time before the others start to notice you’re both gone so he didn’t hesitate to close the distance between you even more, he dipped his head down until his lips were brushing over yours, waiting to see if you’d want this too.

You pressed yours against his giving him the go ahead to finally kiss you after weeks without doing so. His hands came down to your hips using no effort to lift you into the counter to have better access to your lips. You were on a time crunch so it was needy, messy, full of tongue. Jungkook was eager to feel you, trailing his mouth down your jaw, licking you with each kiss moving to your neck, hands grabbing at your shirt.

“Okay,” you sighed in disappointment, “I should probably go, Jungkook!”

“One more, one more,” he whispered, meeting your lips again, hand on your cheek before you were pulling away with a small laugh. He let you hop off the counter waiting inside the bathroom longer so that you could head back. You quickly fixed your appearance as you joined the others.

“Jeez, did you fall in the toilet?” Taehyung asked as you sat back down next to him. “I was taking a shit.”

“Did you at least spray my bathroom?” Namjoon asked looking disgusted and with a smirk you shook your head no. The conversation continued and it was only a couple minutes later that Jungkook came back.

“We need beer,” Jimin shouted from the kitchen looking over at you all, “Someone go get some.”

“Why can’t you go?” You asked, sitting up a little, making him narrow his eyes at you. “Why can’t you go?”

“In what car?” You gave the attitude right back to him making him shake his head as if he was talking back with even more attitude. You did the same making a little game of it since nobody else has spoken up.

“I can drive,” Jungkook volunteered after some time hoping nobody would hear the eagerness in his voice as he looked to you, “Do you want to go with me?”

“Sure,” you said, flipping Jimin off, “Even though he has a car and is also the one wanting more beer.”

You left the apartment with Jungkook going right to his car where he leaned over to plant another gentle kiss on your lips making you smirk, “You’re extra touchy today.”

His hand was on your thigh as he smiled back at you, “I’m just happy right now.” You turned away so he wouldn’t see the blush appearing on your face.

When you got to the store, you went down the snack aisle as Jungkook left to get the alcohol.

“Boo.”

You nearly screamed, dropping a bag of chips as you heard laughter just behind you. You turned quickly, eyes going from scared to angry as you looked at the person behind you, “Asshole.”

“I scared you,” Hoseok laughed, “Good.”

“What are you doing?” You asked, looking at all the things in his basket before smirking, “Drinking?”

“I’m going over to Jin’s right now, I just got off and Yoongi’s there too,” he told you, referring to another one of your coworkers, “What are you doing tonight? Wanna come with?”

You smacked your lips in disappointment, “I would but I’m already hanging with some of my friends.”

Jungkook had only one box of alcohol, if the others wanted more they could come themselves but that was all he’s carrying. He knew where you were but he didn’t expect to see you talking with some guy. He came up behind you placing his free hand on your back capturing your attention, “Ready?” His smile was strained, not bothering to look at the two guys but neither one seemed to care.

“Ah, is this one of your friends? I’m Hoseok,” Hobi asked, taking a step closer, making Jungkook look at him. You gave a shy nod, unsure of what to say since it was clear he wasn’t going to introduce himself to Hobi. You didn’t even know how to respond. Jungkook was technically your friend. You’ve been hanging out as friends for a while but obviously things have been different lately. Even with that and all the kisses and touches you still don’t know what you are, so really, it’s not your fault if your response makes him unhappy if he doesn’t tell you what he wants.

“Um yeah, this is my friend, Jungkook,” you said, going based on what Hoseok asked, “Jungkook, this is my coworker.”

The guy flashed him a grin while Jungkook’s facial expression remained straight. There was something about being referred to as a friend that really just caught him off guard. You didn’t even have to say it, you could’ve just said ‘meet Jungkook’ and not be so quick to remind him. He turned away, tongue poking against his cheek in thought. Even after all the two of you have done, you still just see him as a friend? What else do you want him to do?

“I guess I’ll get going,” He said, sensing the awkward shift in the air, “Y/n, you should come over later if you’re free then.”

You and Jungkook got to the line to pay but you could tell Jungkook was being distant right now. After you paid you went straight to the car and this time around he didn’t kiss you or touch you at all. If anything, he seems to have scooted as close to the window as possible, making you confused.

You tried not to think about it but when you got to Namjoon’s apartment building it was hard not to notice that he was very clearly not even trying to talk to you.

“Why are you being so quiet right now?” You asked as you got in the elevator with him. He pressed the button to Namjoon’s floor as he said, “I’m not.”

“You are.”

“Okay.”

You scoffed, is that really how he’s going to respond to you right now? You looked at him, “Are you mad at me?”

“Do I have a reason to be?” He was being condescending, he knew he was but he just doesn’t know what to think right now. Hearing you refer to him as just a friend really hurts his ego because he’s not thinking of you that way. He knows you’re more than that so for you to do that to him is just really… confusing.

“I don’t know that’s why I’m asking,” you responded to him slightly more defensive than before because why was he acting like all of a sudden? “Tell me. Was it something I said?”

Jungkook looked over at you standing even close in the small confines of the elevator, now he was only inches away making you look up at him as much as you needed to. He spoke, “That guy earlier, Hoseok or whatever his name, what are you?”

Your burrows knitted together in confusion, “What do you mean?”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, looking you dead in the eye without breaking contact, “I mean are you seeing him?

“Obviously not.”

“So you don’t kiss him?” Jungkook answered your question with another question, neither one of you have given any answer yet. “Jungkook wha—“

“Do you sleep in his bed? Call him up late at night? Tell me Y/n, is he really just a friend?” Jungkook’s voice was bitter with a little bit of anger but he can’t tell if it was at you or at himself.

You stood there for a second trying to under why Jungkook was asking this stuff, a little annoyed that he even had the nerve to, “We’re just friends, Jungkook.”

He scoffed, ignoring the ding of the elevator, “Really? We do all that stuff, so how are you going to introduce me as just a friend?”

You looked taken back, uh oh. Was this the start of the long awaited conversation you two desperately needed. You shifted your gaze nervously now, “I didn’t mean it like that”

“So how’d you mean it then because you were pretty quick to call me that in front of your friend.” He emphasized the word that just loved to throw around despite everything you do.

“You’re kinda being mean right now,” you said. He huffed in frustration, “Because you tell me we’re not just friends but then you call me your friend in front of other guys.” His voice has evened out as he tries to explain but he still sounds irritated.

“What do you want me to call you then,” you said dumbly.

“Your boyfriend, Y/n,” he finally said, making your mouth part in surprise. Your face smoothed out in realization. The elevator doors opened with a ding filling that awkward stretch of silence. You shook your head finally getting out of the elevator and heading down the hall, “I’m not a mind reader, how am I supposed to know what you wanted?”

“Um,” his voice was sarcastic, “Maybe because I was pretty obvious about it.

He wants to say he’s always felt this way but he can’t because it wouldn’t be true. Since the beginning he’s been attracted to you as a person and he wanted to be friends with you. Sure, he thought you were attractive but he never let his thoughts and actions run past that. And now that they have he literally doesn’t know how to do this. “You’re the one who still treats me like a friend Y/n, that’s why I haven’t said anything.”

You turned to him, “Yeah well, I thought you only wanted to mess around since you never said anything to me.” It took you a while to realize it but the reason why you were so close to Jungkook was because he made you comfortable. He always has, so it was for easy your friendship to evolve and to just effortlessly succumb to each other’s bodies. The hard part had been knowing if it was just a simple tale of the extent of your friendship or if your feelings had gotten involved. They obviously had.

He combed his fingers through his hair as the two of you stood in front of the apartment. The conversation clearly wasn’t done but everyone’s waiting and they’ve probably already heard you arguing. You knocked on the door as Jungkook stood behind you looking just as defeated as he did.

“Fucking finally!” Jimin shot up immediately taking the beer from Jungkook leaving him empty handed. Sora clapped, “You brought food!”

You set the bags down in front of everyone moving to take your seat but before you could, Jungkook grabbed your hand, “Can I talk to you?”

“Yeah,” you sighed following him into the guest bathroom but this time for a completely different reason. You faced each other getting closer in this small space as Jungkook finally spoke, “Y/n, I’m crazy about you, okay? I said it, I don’t know how much more clear I have to be but I’m telling you right now that I want to have a relationship with you. I don’t want to just want to be your friend.”

He let you take in his words before continuing, “So I’m asking you now, do you want to have dinner with me tomorrow night ? Not as friends.”

You were smiling a little now. Yeah you wanted him to just tell you but the way he said it to you just now kinda made you giddy. There was just no room for misunderstandings. You smiled nodding your head unsure of how to say you feel the same.

“As your girlfriend?” You said in a final response to when he wanted you to say he’s your boyfriend. “Yeah.”

The two of you stood there for a moment, both pleased but unsure of what to do now. You could either keep this between you two until you really figure things or you could come out together and say it. Jungkook chose to kiss you instead, pulling you into his arms and kissing your lips with a new tenderness after finally expressing yourselves.

“They’re probably getting suspicious,” you said pulling away when he gave you another kiss and said, “They probably already are.”

You hated to admit he was right because the second you came back to everyone else they were all staring with knowing looks.

“So what were you two doing in the bathroom?”

“Talking.”

“Oh were you just talking earlier when you both disappeared? Kissing!? Because everyone knows. Everyone knows.”

A murmur of ‘yes’s came about.

“Jimin,” you said in a warning tone but he gave you a look that said he couldn’t care less. Jungkook was sitting next to you, “How long have you guys known?”

“Since the other day in class where you basically eye fucked each right in my face,” Sora said pointing an accusatory finger at the two of you, “And then! I ask if your new coworker is hot an—“ “Babe.” “Jimin hush it was for research purposes,” Sora sighed, “And Jungkook looked like he was going to kill me for bringing it up! And then! Y/n looked mad when Mina came up to him! And then! You’ve been acting weird all day!”

Sora’s rant came to an end leaving all of you silent for a moment before Taehyung raised a hand, “You guys are very obvious.”

“Neither you or Jimin know how to mind your business,” Jungkook bit back starting the usual back and forth banter between him and Sora—who immediately responded with:

“Neither you or Y/n know how to communicate your feelings.”

Your jaw dropped, “Why—That’s not—Why am I being brought into this?”

“Alright, whatever!” Namjoon cut in, “There everyone knows. Nothing new. Nothing exciting. It’s literally not a surprise at all.”

“Well… we’re dating, everyone,” Jungkook said annoying everyone even more on purpose as he did a small clap. He smiled at you, placing his hand back down on your leg and bringing you closer a little.

Everyone was gagged.

::.

a/n ok y’all. tell me jimin and sora aren’t THAT couple and it was merely a side plot

also idc idc idc this story makes me kinda happy 🤓like it’s cute but also kinda realistic???relatable??????????? tell me y/n isn’t the definition of the ‘girl best friend’ girlfriends be worried about 💀

taglist: @notmyfaultbutours @rerefundslocals @fandems @sugaluvmyg @guvgguk @kimyishin @libra04 @kooromiwrld @classycreationcupcake-blog @alwaysdreamingnotsleeping @cherrymonlightt @jeonjcngkook

respond to this post to be added to permanent taglist AND upcoming dilf Jk collab fics

also pls yall, feel free to tell me what u think <3 always luv feedback good or bad

jungkook on FaceTime with his bestie boo y/n who’s not his bestie boo and is actually his baby boo instead:

gif ©️ @jeonjcngkook

Trouvaille - Chapter Five

Pairing(s); BTS OT7 x Reader

Genre/Themes; Hybrid!AU, themes of the supernatural and the occult, religious themes, violence, hurt/comfort, horror, romance

Rated; 18+ for swearing, violence/gore, future sexual themes. Reader discretion is advised.

Word Count; 20.5k

Trouvaille Masterlist

Trouvaille playlist

Updates on the 7th of each month

Hi everyone, it's Dana! Hope you had a lovely April, I'm so excited to share this update with you all! This chapter will involve discussions of the paranormal, a bit of angst, and SCENTING - the scenting scenes are a bit heated, I'll give you a heads up ;) The taglist is still open, and as always I love to hear reader's thoughts, theories, and comments 💜 Enjoy and thank you for reading and supporting Trouvaille!

Previous Chapter

The pain shooting up from the site where her ankle bone had torn through her flesh was insignificant in comparison to the pure terror taking over her senses. Desperately, she tried to drag herself under the remains of a fallen tree, though the trail of crimson pulsing steadily from her torn skin left evidence of her presence in its wake. Even now, she knew it was for naught– the creature could no doubt smell the scent of her spilled blood, and was closing in at any second. In fact, she felt her chest tighten at the sound of a twig snapping somewhere nearby, the crunch of footsteps approaching. Whimpering, she shakily pressed a hand over her mouth, able to spot a cloud of breath just paces away from her hiding spot. In the howling winds of the blizzard, a gut-wrenching growl cut through the noise as the predator closed in on its prey. 

Y/N felt herself fading in and out of a disturbed sleep. Pieces of fragmented memory passed through her mind fleetingly; being lifted off of a cold surface by a pair of strong arms, her head pressed against a rapidly beating heart. Panicked shouting, her body shivering and convulsing, the soft fabric of her quilt. The ghost of a hand brushing the hair off of her forehead, flickering candlelight and perfumed smoke, gentle mumbling… prayer?

As consciousness came to her bit by bit, her fingers flexing and relaxing in their grip on the fabric of her sheets, the hushed voices in the room grew louder as her senses returned to her slowly. Her throat felt like sandpaper from the scented smoke filling the room, a thin whine ripping from it as she attempted to peel her heavy eyelids open. Y/N felt like she had the world’s worst hangover, stomach turning over uncomfortably and skull throbbing. As her eyes opened, she stared blearily at the ceiling, the moldings around the Tiffany chandelier coming into focus as her eyes adjusted to the low lighting. It was still nighttime, or very early dawn, judging by the darkened walls of her bedroom. The voices she heard while she was waking up were silent. 

Groaning, Y/N squeezed her eyes shut, steeling herself to sit up and try to recall how she had gotten to bed in the first place. As she lifted her head, the spot she had smacked on the marble floor throbbed in agony. Suddenly, two tattooed hands swiftly landed on her shoulders, firmly pressing her back down into her pillows with a curse. Reeling, Y/N painfully turned her head to look at Jeongguk, who was sitting on the side of her bed, appearing both exhausted and vaguely annoyed. Just beyond the elk hybrid’s silhouette, Y/N saw Jimin, who was biting his fingernails down to the nub, staring at her with grave concern. 

“Wh-what happened?” Y/N croaked after a few beats, Jeongguk finally removing his hands from her shoulders and leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. A rosary, one with dark red beads, was wrapped around one of his wrists. 

“You passed out in the hallway. Hit your head,” Jeongguk replied, his voice hoarse as if he had been speaking for a very long time. 

Tentatively, Y/N lifted her hand, gingerly poking at the site of her injury above her left eyebrow. Wincing at the tender flesh, her hand stilled as she felt the fabric of a butterfly bandage  someone had applied to the wound. Shifting her gaze from Jeongguk, Y/N noticed Taehyung sitting at the foot of her bed, expression grim. Hoseok and Seokjin were lingering by her dresser, damp washcloths in the jaguar hybrid’s hand and both of the hybrid’s ears turned downwards in distress. 

“And upstairs, what h-happened upstairs?” Y/N squeaked, feeling terrible that the hybrids all looked so disturbed. Further, with the Poltergeist twist to the evening, she was anxious to learn about what had unfolded after she lost consciousness. Namjoon and Yoongi weren’t in the room, from what she could tell, which formed a pit in her stomach. Had something happened to them?

Jeongguk sighed roughly, running his hand through his tangled hair and placing the rosary on her nightstand. Taehyung looked away from her, though Y/N realized his hand was wrapped around her ankle, likely in an attempt to soothe her. Seokjin made his way to the bedside, the corners of his mouth turned downwards as he scanned the site of her injury. Carefully, he found one of her hands gripping the sheets, wrapping it in his much larger hand and brushing his thumb over her skin. Shuddering at the contact, Y/N stared at Seokjin pleadingly for any type of explanation. To her surprise, Jeongguk answered her. 

“I got rid of it, eventually. Son of a bitch tried to attach itself to you when I drew it out from the second floor. It’s gone though,” Jeongguk stood from his spot on her bed, moving to snuff out the herb bundle he had left burning on a plate on Y/N’s desk. Seokjin tightened his hold on her hand as she shimmied up on the bed as best she could with Taehyung’s grip on her ankle. 

“You got rid of it? Did anyone get hurt? What was it?” Y/N pushed damp hair out of her face, wondering if Seokjin had cleaned up her face with the face cloths he was holding earlier. “How did you even know that there was something here in the first place?” 

Jeongguk chuckled tiredly, stubbing out the herb bundle Judy had given her, his little notebook sitting next to it. The room, while considerably lighter spiritually, still felt tense. Hearing a floorboard creak, Y/N gasped in relief upon seeing Yoongi enter the room, his hair tied up messily and a steaming mug in his hand. Eyebrows pinched, he approached the bed, placing the fruity-smelling cup of tea in Y/N’s free hand. 

“Is that pomegranate?” Jeongguk nodded towards the mug in her hand, eyeing Yoongi with suspicion. 

“Yes, I heard you the first three times you insisted I make her pomegranate tea, Father Karras,” Yoongi narrowed his eyes, motioning for Y/N to take a sip with his lips pursed. She didn’t even know she had pomegranate tea in her cupboards, let alone the reason behind Jeongguk insisting she drink it. 

“No one was hurt,” Seokjin murmured by her side softly, still holding her hand. Relieved, Y/N squeezed his fingers with a small smile. 

“As for what it was, I’m not exactly sure. It was a malevolent entity for sure, but I wouldn’t go as far as to call it a demon,” Jeongguk explained, rubbing his eye with a fist. Y/N wondered if he was up all night trying to banish the spirit. “I used to hang around with a group of paranormal investigators. We did cleansings from time to time.”

Y/N’s mouth dropped open upon hearing his revelation, Hoseok scoffing from across the room. She didn’t think Hoseok wholly bought into subject matter surrounding the occult, however, she remembered that he seemed significantly perturbed during the incident the previous night. Taking a sip of the tea Yoongi brought her, Y/N felt Taehyung’s hand on her ankle grow tighter. 

“So what, you can sense ghosts or something? Like a fortune teller?” Hoseok jabbed, his arms crossed over his chest. Jimin, who migrated to her dresser where the fox hybrid was, stomped on Hoseok’s foot while he opened up one of the dresser drawers. Y/N watched Jimin pull out a fresh change of clothes, Jeongguk muttering under his breath as he tucked his notebook under his arm. 

“I’m gonna get some sleep now that you’re fine,” the elk hybrid announced gruffly, avoiding eye contact with her once again before exiting from the room, fumbling with the notebook in one hand and a pack of Marlboros in the other. Seokjin released Y/N’s hand, pushing a lock of damp hair off of her forehead while she pouted at Jeongguk’s departure. She felt it was the first time the elk hybrid trusted her enough to tell her a little about his past, and lamented his absence immediately. 

“Miss Y/N, here’s some new clothes. You’ll probably want to shower, Namjoon was applying oil to your arms and such,” Jimin gently placed the new outfit on her bed, Y/N suddenly feeling self-conscious as Jimin’s golden eyes flitted across her bare clavicle, which she now realized was coated in olive oil. Yoongi cleared his throat awkwardly, bouncing his leg from Y/N’s desk chair he had perched on. 

“Mm, you’re right. I feel sticky,” Y/N grimaced, allowing Seokjin to help her slowly sit up in bed with a hand on her back. The pain was slowly starting to ebb away from her wound above her eyebrow, Y/N entertaining the idea of Yoongi slipping an ibuprofen into the tea. 

Reluctantly, Taehyung let go of her ankle, teeth worrying his lip as he watched both Jimin and Seokjin helping her out of the bed. The sun was starting to rise, filling the room with peachy light, capturing mahogany strands of hair on Hoseok’s head while he stood by the window, looking out at the backyard absently. 

“Where’s Namjoon?” Y/N asked Seokjin quietly, knowing Hoseok could hear her, but not wanting to startle him too much by saying the wolf hybrid’s name above a whisper. Seokjin frowned, orange eyes turning stormy as he watched Y/N stretch out her stiff limbs, using Jimin’s arm to keep her balance. Jimin was right, the skin of her arm was streaked in oil, her shirt dappled with several greasy stains. 

“In his room. He helped Jeongguk with whatever ritual he was doing, and when you started to stir, he bolted from the room and has been locked away with that new book he got yesterday afternoon ever since,” Seokjin informed her, turning his head to gaze down the hall in the direction of Namjoon’s bedroom. Shrugging, Y/N assumed he was probably trying to look up what kind of entity had been in the home in his new encyclopedia. Distantly, she wondered if he was suffering from a hangover for the first time. 

“We’ll leave you to it,” Yoongi made his way to the threshold of the door, motioning the others to follow. Taehyung seemed rooted to his spot on Y/N’s bed, still chewing on his lip with pointed incisors, before hauling himself up and making his exit from her bedroom. “I’ll make some breakfast, Jimin, could you help me out?” 

Nodding, Jimin left her bedside, Seokjin close behind, both hybrids giving her a wistful smile before following Yoongi and Taehyung down the hall. Sighing, Y/N inched towards the bathroom with her new clothes, forgetting that Hoseok was still in the room for a moment until he shuffled his feet behind her by the bathroom door. Craning her neck up at him in question, she tried to decipher the emotions flashing through his eyes. 

“When I said that one of us was going to have to scrape you off the floor last night, I didn’t think I’d actually have to,” he began, his mouth in a flat line. Looking remorseful, he placed his hand on her shoulder shakily. “That scared the shit out of me. The sound when you fell… it was awful…” 

Hoseok’s eyebrows pulled together, his ears turning down while Y/N frowned. He squeezed her shoulder, as if he was checking that she was truly standing there in front of him. Placing her hand over his, she felt the strong urge to comfort Hoseok, who was more shaken from the whole event than she originally thought. After all, if she was more gravelly injured, who would be left to take care of him and the other hybrids?

“Hey, I’m okay now, Hoseok. I’m patched up, the situation has been, uh… handled. My head doesn’t even hurt that much,” Y/N cheerfully assured him the best she could, his expression still crumpled even after she spoke. 

After several moments, and before she could overthink it, she tentatively stretched her arms out, inviting him in for a hug. She watched his mouth open and close, her eyebrows lifting, and just as she was going to drop her arms and laugh it off, Hoseok’s grip on her shoulder tightened, pulling her firmly to his chest. Shocked, Y/N felt Hoseok’s hand shift from her shoulder to the back of her head, cradling it to his chest, his other arm winding around her waist securely.

 By instinct, she pressed closer to Hoseok, her own arms wrapping around him and soothingly rubbing his back. Sensations from the previous night came back to her as she held the fox hybrid, Hoseok’s heartbeat racing through his chest like it had hours ago, the scent of rosewood coming from his skin comfortingly. After a few moments, Hoseok seemed to relax, the tenseness in his back muscles melting away under her hands, and he gave her a final squeeze before pulling away. 

“I’m glad you’re alright,” his hands fell from her body after ruffling her hair, his dimples appearing on his cheeks as he began to leave the room, leaving Y/N stunned and red in the face as he shut the door tightly behind him.

Moving robotically, Y/N frantically tried to calm her erratically beating heart, shutting herself in the bathroom and shedding her oily clothes. It was as if she was utterly possessed, the urge to comfort each of the hybrids since she first laid eyes on them was so strong, all reason had fled from her mind. She had only met Hoseok days ago, and Y/N was already prepared to hold him for hours if that was what he needed– she knew it was the same for the others, as well. Y/N hadn’t expected to grow attached to all of them so quickly, even Namjoon, who she had barely exchanged more than a handful of sentences with. Shaking her head, she blindly turned on the shower.

 Pretty quickly, she noticed the bathroom was missing the drafty chill that had been pestering her for a couple of weeks, as she walked over to the window to assess the gap between the sill and the glass. Making a noise of surprise, she discovered a screwdriver on the windowsill, the drafty gap completely repaired. Floored, she speculated about who could have fixed the window amidst the chaos, but her bets were on Taehyung. He had mentioned he was handy. 

Returning to the mirror in a daze, she winced at the nasty wound above her forehead, the skin already turning a mottled purple and the cut jagged. However, it was nicely cleaned up and tended to decently, which was more than she could have hoped for. Feeling a warmth bloom within her, Y/N was grateful that the hybrids had cared for her so well after her fall, even more so that Jeongguk and Namjoon had managed to rid the house of whatever was causing disturbances for so long. Of course, a seemingly endless string of questions looped around in her brain– surrounding Jeongguk’s time with paranormal investigators, Namjoon’s apparent wealth of knowledge on the occult, and the entity that caused the incident in general. 

While hot water washed the oil from her skin, Y/N felt a lightness in the atmosphere that had been absent from the house for several weeks. In the years she had spent focused on her career, stepping away from the realm of the supernatural and spirituality, Y/N supposed she had achieved her goal of becoming desensitized from it– she didn’t even realize how badly things had escalated with the entity that had come in from the grounds. Rinsing her hair, Y/N frowned; now that she had the hybrids, was it really so wise for her to continue turning her back on something so deeply woven into the fabric of her life? It was clear that she had only succeeded in ignoring who she was and how she connected with her spirituality, but she had neglected to put up the proper protection for herself and those around her in the midst of all that denial. 

Her heart was heavy, realizing if she had simply cleansed the house once a month and maintained protection spells her mother put up ages ago, she likely could have spared the hybrids from witnessing such a dramatic event so soon after moving into their new home. With the pity, Y/N also found resolve– she knew she never wanted something like that happening again in their home if there were measures she could take to prevent it. For the rest of the day, she planned on upping the protection on the entire house, perhaps crafting some charms for the hybrids to keep them safe. Hissing as hot water hit the cut on her forehead, Y/N screwed her mouth up in concentration, trying to remember where she had tucked away the trunk of her tools and herbs, likely somewhere in the basement under the stairs. 

Toweling off, Y/N hummed softly, picking up the ancient tee shirt Jimin had selected, the one with her high school’s name printed across the front. It was the softest tee shirt she owned, to be fair, and paired with her well-worn leggings and fuzzy socks, Jimin picked out the perfect outfit for her to recover in from the previous night. Letting her hair drip-dry, Y/N shuffled out into her bedroom, detecting a sweet scent coming from the hallway cutting through the smoky scent of burnt cedar. Searching for her phone, she found it sitting on her nightstand beside Jeongguk’s rosary. Carefully, she scooped up the ruby beaded necklace, curiously passing her fingers over the smooth beads, the silver embellishments and cross. Tucking her phone into her pocket absently and cradling the rosary in her palm, Y/N thought it best to return it to Jeongguk once he woke up and placed it back on her nightstand gingerly. She wondered where he had gotten it, as it wasn’t one of the purchases he had made at Judy’s store. 

Rolling her stiff shoulders back, Y/N left her bedroom, the hallway bright with morning sun from the skylight above the grand staircase. Someone was singing softly in the kitchen, the sounds of pans clattering mixed between the sweet voice– Y/N guessed it was Seokjin. As she passed by Namjoon’s door, the creaky wooden scrape of her old desk chair across the hardwood within his room had her pausing, waiting for the wolf hybrid to undoubtedly seek her out. Within seconds she watched the door creak open, Namjoon cautiously sticking his head out into the hall to glance towards Y/N’s bedroom. 

Clearing her throat, Namjoon’s ear flickered, head snapping in the other direction to locate her. An awkward sensation washed over her as he scanned her face and body with his aloof expression. She recalled how soft his face had become the night before, but now it was void of that softness, as he stepped out in the hall and firmly closed the door behind him. He was wearing the blush pink thermal she had picked out for him.

“Morning,” Y/N greeted, trying her best to match his steady eye contact. “Jeongguk said you helped out last night. Thank you,” she continued upon his silence to her greeting, his arms across his chest. 

“I’ve been trying to find out what it was in that encyclopedia. I have a couple of theories, but nothing that matches up completely with what went down last night,” Namjoon admitted, eyes shifting to the wound on her forehead. Subconsciously, she reached up to touch it, biting down on her lip at the stinging of the flesh. 

“If I didn’t pass out, I would have been able to help you… sorry,” Y/N murmured sheepishly, a short grunt coming from the back of Namjoon’s throat. “I’m going downstairs to look for my old tools and books. Maybe something in the chest can help you narrow down some of your theories.”

Namjoon appeared intrigued, promptly following her to the basement door that was left ajar. She knew Hoseok was already in the kitchen; she had heard him whistling along to Seokjin’s song, so she didn’t have to worry about Namjoon frightening the fox hybrid in his own space. 

“I need your help to haul the chest up here, anyways,” Y/N attempted to break the silence as they trudged down the stairs, shrugging as she was met with no response when they reached the bottom. 

Determinedly, she rifled through unmarked boxes beneath the stairs, pushing past Yule decorations and the file cabinet of her elementary school artwork. Namjoon hovered behind her after checking out the gym area with curiosity, hefting a large crate filled with old bottles out of the way for her when she unsuccessfully tried to push it with her foot. After a few moments of blowing cobwebs out of her face from under the darkened steps, she found her old trunk filled with supplies for her craft. Covered in fine dust, a pang of sadness rocked through Y/N, especially when she brushed her fingers over some of the sigils she had etched into the wood of the chest as a teenager. 

“This is it, I’m assuming?” Namjoon questioned from over her shoulder, having to hunch down quite a bit to fit under the steps. Nodding with her mouth in a flat line, Namjoon hummed, wordlessly hooking his hand around the handle closest to him and pulling it out into the hallway of the basement with ease. Squeaking with surprise at the sheer strength Namjoon effortlessly displayed, Y/N scrambled after him. 

“Oh, it’s heavy, hold on! I might have to go get someone to help us bring it up the stairs,” Y/N worried as he dragged it to the stairs and lifted up one end of the trunk, Namjoon scoffing in response. It had taken her father and two older male cousins to drag her chest full of books, bottles, and metal tools down into the basement– she thought to at least find Taehyung or Jeongguk. 

“It’s fine, Y/N. Just grab the other end, I’ll walk backwards up the stairs and carry most of the weight. Just watch your step,” Namjoon rolled his eyes, pushing up the sleeves of his thermal. Gawking at the wolf hybrid, Y/N nervously grasped the other handle, hoisting it up as quickly as she could to avoid Namjoon having to bear the entirety of the weight of the trunk. 

Namjoon moved slowly up the steps, whether he was accounting for Y/N’s efforts or not. His face was serene, as if he was simply meditating rather than hauling an 80 pound chest up a flight of stairs. He truly was bearing most of the weight, Y/N feeling like she was lifting hardly anything at all as they moved, trying not to stare at the muscles straining the material of Namjoon’s thermal. When they reached the top of the steps, Namjoon took over, placing the trunk into the foyer with a thunk. 

Catching her breath with a hand braced on the wall, Y/N eyed Namjoon with envy, his breathing even as he kneeled on the floor to unlatch the metal fasteners on the trunk. Peering over his shoulder as he pried open the chest, Y/N took the chance to check out the torn area of his left ear; it almost looked like the piece missing was bitten off. If that was the case, that must have been extremely painful for him– Y/N had read about how sensitive a hybrid’s ears were when she was reading about “scenting”. Jutting her lower lip out in a pout, Y/N watched the damaged ear twitch, Namjoon craning his head upwards to look at her questioningly. 

“What are you staring at?” Namjoon narrowed his eyes suspiciously, making space for her to kneel beside him. He certainly didn’t miss much, and it was not like she could lie and say she was leering at her old copy of The Farmer’s Almanac. 

“Your ear, the left one,” Y/N mumbled, heat burning her cheeks as she pawed through the chest to find a proper book to give him. Namjoon made a small noise of surprise, hands stilling in the process of turning pages of a moon ritual book. Teasingly, she cocked her head at him. “Were you expecting me to lie?”

“Uh, yeah. Actually,” Namjoon went back to flipping through the book absently, occasionally peering at her from the corner of his eye. Y/N spotted the thick leather bound book of spirits that she had been searching for, leaning into the chest to retrieve it for the wolf hybrid. 

“May I ask what happened to it? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I’m just curious,” Y/N offered Namjoon the book, his body stiffening as he took it cautiously. Y/N went back to nonchalantly searching through the trunk for some fabric pouches to make the protective charms. 

“It was a long time ago, there was a fight I was involved in. You don’t have to worry about it,” Namjoon finally spoke in a soft voice, his eyes far away. 

Shocked that Namjoon had actually answered her, Y/N composed her face into a neutral expression, though she was puzzled by the cryptic response he offered. Namjoon fell quiet, stacking a few books beside him, which Y/N was assuming he’d take back to his room. She had gathered all of her materials for the charms, shoving them into a small wicker basket she found inside of the trunk holding several types of twine. 

“I’ll drag this into your room for you, then I’m going to try and figure out what that thing was. Hopefully one of these books has a clue,” Namjoon announced, getting to his feet with the books tucked under his arm. 

With the basket in the crook of her elbow, Y/N peered up at the wolf hybrid prepared to tell him not to bother with the trunk, blinking dumbly at the sight of his outstretched hand offering to help her to her feet. Her hand moved before her brain could protest, sliding against the roughened skin of Namjoon’s palm, his long fingers wrapping around the entirety of her own hand. Surprisingly, Namjoon’s touch was tender and gentle, pulling her up slowly with care. Once she was stable and upright, Namjoon released her hand, tearing his eyes from hers as she stuttered out a “thank you”. 

“Go get something to eat. You need to regain your strength,” Namjoon murmured, crouching to grasp a handle of the trunk, already beginning to drag it down the hallway towards her room. Opening her mouth to protest, he shot her a disapproving look from over his shoulder, using his other hand to point to the kitchen sternly. Clamming up, Y/N felt her legs move on their own accord towards the kitchen, suddenly having no intention of disobeying Namjoon after all of that. 

“Miss Y/N, are you feeling a little better? How’s your head?” Jimin’s voice, on the raspier side with sleepiness, snapped her out of her daze as she made her way into the sunny kitchen.

Her eyes widened as he, Seokjin, and Taehyung sped into her personal space at lightning speed, each with varying expressions of thinly veiled worry. Embarrassed, especially at the sensation of Jimin brushing hair off her forehead to look at her wound, thumb tracing around the bruised skin with a featherlight touch, Y/N’s eyelids fluttered. Breathing stuttered, she wished that Jimin would stop looking so sad– jolting at the feeling of Seokjin’s tail winding around the back of her thigh as he watched Jimin inspect the cut on her forehead. 

“I feel much better, you guys! And don’t worry–” Y/N started, grasping Jimin’s hand softly to remove it from her face, squeezing it softly for reassurance, “I’ll heal in a flash, because someone tended to the cut so well.”

Y/N was surprised at how seemingly attached most of them had become to her in such a short period of time, seeking out comfort in her touch and proximity, worrying over her well being. When she had first made the adoptions, she had predicted it would be weeks before they’d speak to her, let alone touch her in any way; but perhaps she had underestimated their need for someone who actually cared about them, many for the first time. Y/N knew that hybrids, by nature, were often affectionate and became almost devotional to their adoptive human, however, she figured that dog and perhaps cat hybrids were more likely to display that kind of behavior. For some reason, because her hybrids were spliced with undomesticated animal DNA, she came to the previous conclusion that they’d be a bit more standoffish; though apparently she was wrong. The more she thought about it with her prior experience treating exotic animals, many of them did, indeed, form close bonds with humans. How were her hybrids any different?

Taehyung, to her left with his lip bitten raw, didn’t seem entirely convinced by her words of reassurance, pulling the basket from the crook of her elbow into his arms as if carrying the three-pound load would send her to the floor again. Brightening up the best she could while shaking off her internal monologue, she guided Taehyung over to the island to put down the basket with her hand on his back, deciding she could just get to work on the charms there so the hybrids would be put at ease by her presence in the communal space. 

Taehyung grew stiff at her touch at first, swiftly relaxing once she smoothed her palm towards his shoulder blade. Both him and Jimin sat on either side of her at the island, Y/N meekly waving hello to Yoongi over by the stove, who was uncharacteristically quiet. He had found her old waffle iron in the pantry, standing over it silently as he waited for a waffle to cook with a bowl full of sugared strawberries in one of his arms. 

“What’s all of that?” Seokjin mused while scanning the strange contents of the basket, leaning over the island from the sink, nonchalantly sliding a goblet of water in front of Y/N. Unpacking items one by one, Taehyung picking up the jar of black salt she placed down to examine, Y/N was unable to contain the giddy smile that had forced its way to her face. She was actually excited to be getting back into the craft?

“Herbs, mostly, some salt. I’m making some protective pouches for everyone to carry around. I want to prevent something like last night from happening again,” Y/N replied, counting out eight little velvet drawstring bags in front of her, striking a match to light a tealight as she spoke, tone suddenly becoming serious. “I also want to apologize. I should have been honest with you all from the beginning, with the haunting. When I was a kid living here, I dabbled in stuff I didn’t understand, and probably attracted whatever that was to the property.”

The room was quiet, waiting for her to continue, Y/N concentrating on using the flame from the candle to light a small stick of incense to cleanse the spell ingredients. Mostly, to avoid eye contact with any of them, as cowardly as that was. Setting the burning stick on a small clay stand, she sighed, gathering her thoughts before speaking again. 

“The other night, with the ‘spider’?” Y/N made air quotes, catching Yoongi’s ears perked up from where his back was turned to her, arranging waffles on a plate. “I saw the entity that I first accidentally summoned as a teenager. It was lurking in my bathroom, and I’ve never seen it so clearly before. What I should have done, instead of lying about a stupid spider, was come clean and try to get rid of it with the knowledge I have now, after years of studying the craft… I guess I was worried you’d all think I was nuts or scare you away. But that’s besides the point– last night didn’t have to happen. I could have protected you all, myself, had I not been so stubborn about trying to turn my back on my past and my mistakes.”

Y/N heard her voice begin to shake; the more she spoke the more she realized that she was entirely to blame for the whole situation. The reason, the true reason she had packed up her candles and spell books was not to pursue a “normal” life as a veterinarian, but to try and escape the mistakes she had made as a teenager attempting to do magic she was not ready to perform. In consequence, she attracted something malevolent to the land, to her, that had followed her around on and off for years. Subconsciously, she must have thought that by simply abandoning her craft, the entity would lose interest in her, therefore freeing her of any more frightening incidents within the home. Unfortunately for her, that wasn’t how it worked, and the life-changing event of adopting the hybrids may have triggered a possessive response in the entity. Angered with herself, she tried her best to stay centered so she could carry out the protective spells successfully, though the realization that she had made things so much worse by pretending to be oblivious was painfully sobering. 

Her pity party was interrupted by Yoongi, placing a gravy boat of maple syrup and a plate of waffles in front of her, smothered with butter, whipped cream, and the sugared strawberries. Jimin, gingerly, moved some of her bottles of herbs and the items that were burning away from her, leaning across the island to pluck a knife and fork off of a place setting Yoongi had assembled and handed it to her, his eyes full of some kind of hard-to-read emotion. 

“Wow, uh, thank you, Yoongi…” Y/N sniffed, feeling extremely awkward that the hybrids hadn’t said anything in response to her lengthy speech. She supposed, with her deceit in the first place, she didn’t necessarily deserve an answer. “Smells yummy.”

“Eat up, you’ll feel better,” Yoongi sighed, returning to the sink, divvying up the large stack of waffles he’d made between the other plates he’d laid out for the others waiting for breakfast. “It’s not like you planned last night on purpose. Some of us have never witnessed anything like that, so I guess the possibility of being written off as ‘nuts’ wasn’t a baseless assumption had we not all seen it happen.”

Considering Yoongi’s reply, she appreciated the way that he validated her previous anxieties without totally dismissing her share of the blame. Y/N was aware that he was likely skirting around his clear disappointment in her lack of transparency about the night she had spotted the apparition in her bathroom, considering the leopard hybrid had been able to see through her lie most obviously at the time. Aware of being inspected from all angles, Y/N picked up her fork and hastily tossed a strawberry into her mouth, the juicy fruit melting on her taste buds sinfully.  

“I think Hoseok was the most… disturbed, during the whole thing. You know, Y/N, how animals can see or sense things that humans can’t?” Seokjin suddenly volunteered, distractedly pushing a sliced piece of waffle around on the plate Yoongi had offered him. Nodding, Y/N chewed on another strawberry, knowing that Yoongi was keeping an eye on her.

 “Animals can often see what humans call ‘spirits’ or ‘ghosts’, whatever you might name them– us hybrids can see them as animals do. It wasn’t my first time seeing something similar to that, but I’m certain Hoseok hasn’t. That’s why he’s been acting strange, I think,” Seokjin continued, Y/N hanging off of every word. 

Y/N, who had heard Hoseok in the kitchen while she was in the foyer with Namjoon, suddenly wondered where he had gone. After he had left her bedroom earlier, Hoseok was definitely still a bit shaken up, though less so after the hug, but he didn’t seem like the type to hide from her. In fact, it came as a great surprise to her that he wasn’t in the kitchen when she got there, unless he had snuck through the entrance to the kitchen from the parlor to escape the very conversation she and the others were having at that moment.

“Foxy is about as open minded towards the occult as your average math major. Still, he wouldn’t have laughed at you if you told him what you thought was going on,” Yoongi added matter-of-factly, setting a plate in front of Taehyung while shooting a pointed look at Y/N. 

“You’re right, Yoongi. I shouldn’t have let the fear of being judged– which is meaningless to begin with– get in the way of just being honest… And no, I didn’t make that connection, Seokjin. Truthfully, there is a lot I still have to learn about hybrids, I’m just thankful you’re all giving me the grace to learn as I go,” Y/N admitted, pushing her half-eaten waffle away so she could cleanse spell items with the incense before it went out, her stomach queasy with guilt. 

Beside her, Jimin exhaled slowly, reaching out with his left hand to rest on her shoulder. As he squeezed her shoulder with encouragement, Y/N peered at the coyote hybrid solemnly, his eyes soft and lips upturned in a gentle smile. Relaxing a degree, Y/N melted into Jimin’s solid grip, feeling like a lifeline. While slowly munching on another piece of waffle, Yoongi pushing the plate back in front of her with a frown, Jimin’s fingertips drummed a melody on her shoulder soothingly, though doing little to prevent her from flinching when the slider door to the patio scraped open. 

“Jinnie, can you toss me that bottle of water I left in the fridge?” Came Hoseok’s voice, bringing the scent of the outside with him. Breathing labored, Hoseok caught the frosty bottle Seokjin sent sailing in the air with a cackle, beads of sweat rolling down his neck and temples. Shaking his head, Jimin withdrew his hand from Y/N’s shoulder, moving to the coffee bar for a fill-up. 

“How was the run?” Seokjin asked, appearing grateful for the fox hybrid’s interruption of the conversation. Hoseok had gone on a run after staying up all night? The thought made Y/N simultaneously jealous of the hybrid’s seemingly endless energy and worried that he was going to collapse from exhaustion at any second. 

“Nice. Almost got lost, there’s a lot of land. Hey, Jiminie, did you know there’s an old stable way in the back?” Hoseok slapped the coyote hybrid on the back harshly, Jimin yelping and spilling hot coffee on the counter. 

“J-Jiminie? Wait, what? Did you say stable?” Jimin stuttered, his features lit up with bewilderment. Jimin definitely displayed his emotions on his face clearly, whether he was aware of that or not, Y/N didn’t know. 

“Yeah, a stable. You know, for horses?” Hoseok teased before greedily gulping down some water from his bottle. Y/N felt her eyes glaze over as she noticed some of the water escaping from his lips and sliding down the sharp angle of his jaw, rolling down his throat and into the material of his tee-shirt. 

“Of course I know,” Jimin scoffed, using a cocktail napkin to wipe up the spilled coffee. “Miss Y/N, you have a stable? Did you have horses as a girl?” Jimin inquired with an edge of excitement in his tone. 

Smiling bittersweetly as she spooned some black salt into the pouches one by one, Y/N shook her head with minor regret, Jimin’s ears flickering with curiosity. 

“There’s a stable, but there haven't been horses in a long time. At least not since before I was born, my grandmother used to ride, but as she got older she wasn’t able to anymore. It’s fallen into a bit of disrepair, I’d love to start fixing it up as soon as I’m done with the rest of the house… maybe some of my neighbors or folks around town could use it to board their horses closer to home,” Y/N speculated distractedly, plunking shards of clear quartz in each pouch she was working on. 

Taehyung had scooched closer to her, watching her create the charm bags with rapt fascination. Jimin appeared to be trying to locate the stable from the slider door, even though trees and hedges were totally obstructing it. She made a mental note to ask him to join her on a walk of the grounds later, like she had been intending to do for days. A piece of quartz slipped out of her fingers, clattering onto the counter, Taehyung swiftly plucking it up for her and dropping it into the pouch she was holding. Shooting him a sweet smile in thanks, she nearly fell off of her stool as he returned the smile, his face splitting into a pretty grin. Y/N had never seen him smile with his teeth, the gesture completely changing his gorgeous face into the purest expression she had ever seen on the Kodiak hybrid. Feeling herself grow hot in the face, she resumed her task, even when Taehyung took up the responsibility of placing the crystal shards into the pouches all by himself. 

“So, this is witchcraft?” Yoongi suddenly leaned across the island, removing her plate from in front of her, an eyebrow cocked as he watched Taehyung take a bag of lavender buds Y/N handed to him to sprinkle in the pouches. She figured if he wanted to help, there was no reason to refuse him, as he screwed up his face in concentration to sprinkle the lavender into the pouches as evenly as he could.

“Yeah, protective magic. Were you expecting chanting and Ouija boards?” Y/N chuckled, determined to keep things light after the heaviness of her apology had dispersed with Hoseok’s arrival in the kitchen. 

Yoongi smirked inches away from her face, collecting cream on her plate with his pointer finger, and booping her on the nose with it. Squeaking at the action with great surprise, Y/N used the napkin on her lap to remove the cream from her face, hearing Seokjin’s snickering from across the room. 

“Silly girl,” Yoongi shook his head, rinsing her dish in the sink with a smile. Reeling, she hardly registered Taehyung, nudging her shoulder with his own, softly asking her what went in the pouches next. Absently, she placed some dried rosemary leaves in his wide palm, sprinkling a few leaves in the pouch she was holding herself. 

As she and Taehyung worked on the pouches together, Seokjin, with half a waffle sticking out of his mouth, assisted Yoongi with the clean-up of the kitchen. Hoseok had bid them all a cheerful adieu to shower, followed by Jimin who mentioned wanting to test out the sauna. Y/N, enviously, wished that she could relax in the sauna for a half hour, but felt odd about joining the coyote hybrid. The thought of sitting in just a towel beside a very similarly bare Jimin sent a shiver rolling down her spine. 

As Yoongi turned his back on Y/N, scrubbing a stubborn grease stain on the stove, Y/N snuck a peak at his form, pleased that he already seemed to have filled out a little since she brought him home. Oddly enough, from behind, the slopes of his shoulders, feathering of his hair, and curve to his ears struck her as extremely familiar again, only if for a moment. She wondered if there was any chance Y/N had ever crossed paths with Yoongi before; if not at the bar she had no memory of ever patroning, but perhaps in the busy streets of Boston, maybe at a grocery store or something. She was positive she would have remembered someone as lovely as Yoongi, especially with his unique spotted ears and tail, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d seen him before while she watched his graceful movements at the stove. 

She was in the process of tying up the charm bags, Taehyung closely copying the knots Y/N was showing him, before taking each pouch from him and passing them through the dwindling smoke of the incense. Her thoughts suddenly drifted back to scenting, as Taehyung’s shoulder pressed into her’s– he was becoming increasingly clingy. On her other side, Seokjin had taken Jimin’s previous spot, picking lint off of Y/N’s shirt sleeve placidly, his fingers occasionally brushing the skin of her bicep making her shiver involuntarily. 

As she had read in the article, hybrids prior to scenting would seek out ways to get physically close to their adoptive humans, though would continue to grow uncomfortable if they do not scent them promptly. In fact, the more the hybrids sought out touch, the more the discomfort grew for them, which is what concerned Y/N. Between the paranormal incident and the fact that none of them had even brought up the scenting, her hybrids definitely were pretty good at handling discomfort, as much as she wished they wouldn’t suffer in silence, if they were. Y/N had the feeling they were reluctant to spook her considering she had admitted there was a lot she didn’t know about hybrids, but it wasn’t like they could put it off forever. 

“Hey, Yoongi, remember the other night when we were talking about my, uh… lack of knowledge when it comes to hybrids?” Y/N began nervously, glad that only the four of them were in the kitchen, and Jeongguk wasn’t there to make faces at her. Yoongi hummed, cocking his head at her to continue. “Can I ask you a question?” 

“Go ahead,” Yoongi encouraged slowly, seeming to have no idea what was coming his way. Taking a deep breath, she set the final tied pouch down on the counter. 

“You mentioned ‘scenting’. I looked it up yesterday because I didn’t know what it was. So I guess my question is, when should I expect that to, um, happen?” Y/N bit the bullet, looking Yoongi square in the eye. 

The leopard hybrid’s mouth dropped open, apparently not expecting that turn in the conversation, freezing his movements wiping down the counter. Seokjin’s hand had stilled in picking the lint off of her shirt, and Taehyung had gone ramrod stiff beside her, eyes wide as he stared at Yoongi in equal shock. Attempting to cover up his surprise with a cough, Yoongi ran a hand through his hair, appearing to be trying to choose his words carefully. 

“Shit, uh, wow. I forgot I even– I mean, sorry. I–” Yoongi stuttered, exhaling slowly and tossing the rag he was using into the sink in frustration. Seokjin’s hand dropped from her arm, looking out the window to hide the flustered pink blush over his cheeks. Quickly, Y/N tried to clarify her reason for catching them so off guard. 

“Well, I really just brought it up because the article I read said that hybrids can start to get sick if they don’t scent, and I’m just worried, that’s all. I don’t want you guys to be in pain or uncomfortable at all,” Y/N jut her lower lip out, knowing that far too many of them had experienced enough pain to last a lifetime, and would not allow more if she could prevent it. 

“I mean, yeah, that’s right. I guess I wasn’t expecting you to just…” Yoongi began, cutting himself off with a sharp laugh, covering his mouth. “I can’t speak for the others, but I’ll certainly let you know before it happens. I’m not just going to attack you or anything. You’re sweet for worrying, though.”

Taehyung put his head down on the counter, his back shaking with what Y/N assumed was laughter. 

“Of course I’m going to worry. I’m supposed to take care of you all now, I want to do a good job,” Y/N whined, feeling like Yoongi had turned his embarrassment onto her, the crafty bastard. Seokjin, from next to her, made a choking sound in the back of his throat, burning a hole in the side of her face with his wide-eyed sunset stare. 

“Sheesh. Don’t get mushy,” Yoongi groaned, able to return to his counter wiping task. Tsking at the leopard hybrid, Y/N gave Taehyung a pat on the back, muttering an apology as his spine pretty much arched into her palm. Sheepishly, he lifted his head with a subtle flutter to one of his ears, slowly accepting one of the finished pouches they made together– the midnight blue one. 

Sliding off of her barstool, Y/N delivered a pastel pink pouch to Seokjin, who was still gawking at her unabashedly. He cradled the pouch in a cupped hand, mouth dropped open like he wanted to say something. 

“Okay, just so we’re clear, you’ll seek me out before you feel any pain?” Y/N confirmed, siding up next to Yoongi and nudging him with her hip playfully. Yoongi gripped the countertop he was holding onto tightly, shooting her a disbelieving look, nodding as she offered him his charm bag. Taking it from her, Yoongi tucked it safely into the pocket of his linen pants. 

“You two will do the same?” Y/N spun on her heel, eyeing Seokjin’s stiff posture and the way Taehyung avoided meeting her gaze. “As soon as you feel discomfort, I want you to come find me.”

“O-okay,” Seokjin murmured, fiddling with the strings on his pouch nervously. Taehyung offered her a weak thumbs-up, staring at Yoongi with widened eyes. Thinking she had done enough to assure them of her seriousness surrounding the topic, Y/N swung the five remaining pouches around in her fist lightly, ready to drop them off to the remaining hybrids and place her own somewhere safe. 

“I’m going to ferry these to the others! I’ll see you all in a bit, yeah?” Y/N called over her shoulder, smirking as she realized Seokjin and Taehyung were so shocked they forgot to shadow her all over the house, rooted to their seats. 

Humming a tune, Y/N skipped to her bedroom, carefully placing her own protection pouch on her vanity that she decided would eventually serve as her altar, once she cleared away some old perfume vials and dusty books. Ruffling her hair in the tarnished silver mirror, she giggled softly, vaguely delighted she was able to fluster the hybrids in the same way they had been doing to her since they started living with her. She knew it was perhaps a little petty for her to be enjoying the looks of total shock that blossomed over each of their faces; Yoongi’s fumbling for words, Taehyung dissolving into nervous laughter. In a way, though, it was thrilling– maybe she hadn’t totally lost her game. Further, she knew that the other hybrids elsewhere in the house could hear the conversation– so she didn’t have to worry about repeating herself. Instead, she could enjoy seeking them out momentarily, and watching them try to pretend they didn’t eavesdrop. 

In the mirror, a sparkly red glint reflected by the sun coming from the window washed over her face, Y/N spotted the source of the light by her nightstand. The ruby beads of Jeongguk’s rosary, still sitting in the spot she left it last. Jeongguk had been napping for about four hours, and Y/N wondered if he’d be up any time soon. She supposed she could simply walk upstairs and listen for any sign of life. She knew Hoseok and Jimin were likely still bathing, the pipes bringing water to the basement humming beneath her feet, and something told her Namjoon wouldn’t be keen on being disturbed quite yet. 

Shrugging, she scooped up the rosary, making her way to the staircase towards Jeongguk’s room. As she ascended the stairs, Y/N frowned at the state of the half-stripped wood, vowing to herself to finish up the job after she handed out all of the pouches. Restoring the house completely had never been more important to her, wanting it to be totally comfortable and fresh for the hybrids to relax in. 

Heaving herself up the last step, Y/N passed by Seokjin and Taehyung’s rooms, as well as the dimly lit music room that she curiously peered into. The piano had been wiped clean of dust, the record player dragged out from its wooden tomb and neatly placed on a stray antique table with vinyls strewn about the vicinity. Tracing her fingertips along the fraying wallpaper of the hallway, she followed the familiar path to one of the old tower rooms Jeongguk claimed as his own. 

To her surprise, Jeongguk’s door was left mostly ajar. Stopping dead in her tracks, Y/N listened for any sign of movement within his room, only hearing the gentle rustling of curtains from the window he had left open. Curiosity got the better of her as she peered into the room as best she could, inching into the very threshold of the room. 

The elk hybrid was in bed, comforter messily thrown over his lean form as he lay on his back, an arm thrown above his head. He was asleep, from what Y/N could tell, as he didn’t immediately curse her out of the room; his eyelashes resting gently against his high cheekbones, chest rising and falling slowly with rest. Unable to get a proper look at Jeongguk prior to that moment without him distancing himself from her, Y/N realized that Jeongguk also had a small set of tapered furry ears beneath his antlers. Chalking it up to the fact that the antlers were so strikingly show-stopping to begin with to even notice his ears, Y/N basked in the opportunity to really get a good look at the elk hybrid.

 It was astonishing just how angelic Jeongguk appeared while he was asleep. Y/N traced the inky lines of the tattoos along his bare forearm through the cracked door with her eyes, only feeling a little bit creepy as she stared at him while inching her way to his nightstand. Her plan was to simply leave the rosary and pouch beside Jeongguk for when he woke up, slipping from the room undetected. 

As silently as she could, she laid the rosary on top of his leatherbound notebook, selecting the maroon pouch she made to nestle beside it. She stole another look at Jeongguk, his hair swept off of his forehead, the labret threaded through his eyebrow perfectly visible without his bangs obscuring it. Biting her lip, wishing she could sincerely thank him for everything he had done the night before, Y/N began to tip-toe her way out of his room. Her breath caught in her throat, the sound choked, as a powerful hand gripped her wrist before she could remove herself from Jeongguk’s bedside. Whipping her head around, she was met with Jeongguk blearily blinking up at her, his fingers overlapping on themselves as they wrapped around Y/N’s wrist. 

“What are you doing?” Jeongguk’s sleep-riddled demand shot through her like a lightning bolt, temporarily forgetting he was restricting the blood flow in her left hand. Cringing that she had foolishly invaded his personal space so recklessly, Y/N began to sweat. 

“Fuck. I’m sorry– I wanted to return your rosary! And I made a protection charm, too, just wanted to drop it off… I’m so sorry I woke you,” Y/N exclaimed, feeling his grip relax at the sound of her voice, the blood rushing to her fingertips with a tingle. Humiliation flushed through her as he released her wrist, his eyes traveling her form from head to toe. 

“A charm bag?” Jeongguk clarified groggily, sitting up with great effort, “Judas priest– do you have Tylenol?” The elk hybrid pressed two fingers to his right temple, eyes squeezing shut. Y/N, her mouth hanging open, tried to ignore the way he bit at the silver hoop encircling his lip. 

“U-uh, yes! Tylenol? I’ll get that for you right now, hold on,” Y/N stumbled over her words, mentally locating the medical kit she had stowed away in the broom closet under the grand staircase. 

Again, before she could move, she was stopped, this time by the elk hybrid grasping the hem of her tee shirt making her stumble backwards. She toppled onto his bed, her ass making contact with the mattress as she let out a surprised oof. 

“Forget it. I’ll come down for some later, need to shower,” Jeongguk yawned, letting go of the fabric of Y/N’s shirt. Y/N wondered if he was delirious, tugging her down onto his bed and exchanging so many words with her, staring at Jeongguk’s sleepy face with bewilderment. “About that charm bag…”

“O-oh! Yeah, I just made it, Taehyung helped a little, too. If you keep it on you or in your space it should do a good job of warding away bad spirits,” Y/N explained, wanting to distance herself from Jeongguk’s proximity, able to make out some foreign words tattooed around his bicep. 

“Hm. Hope you made one for yourself,” Jeongguk muttered, pushing his quilt off of his legs. Scoffing, Y/N scrambled off of his bed with a scowl, ready to ditch him in favor of finding Hoseok. 

Chuckling at the look on her face, Jeongguk stood, stretching his arms over his head languidly. He was quite disheveled, his tee shirt crumpled and hair sticking up in several directions. Rounding the bed towards his bathroom, he shook his head at her with minor amusement, Y/N blanching as she realized his bottom half was only clad in a pair of boxers. She had to get out of that room, she concluded, making her way to the door as fast as possible. 

“Um, I gotta go give the rest of these out! Um, just find me later for the Tylenol!” Y/N called out, voice strained. 

Jeongguk, from his bathroom, grunted in acknowledgement, Y/N catching the reflection of his back in the full-length mirror as he pulled off his shirt while turning the shower on– a large tattoo covered most of the skin. Feeling like she saw entirely too much of the elk hybrid’s body, Y/N sped out of the room with her heart hammering around in her chest. 

Fumbling with the pouches in her hand, Y/N raced down the stairs to shake off whatever the hell had just happened. She couldn’t believe Jeongguk had just strolled past her with a smirk on his face in nothing but a flimsy tee shirt and boxers, not even waiting for her to leave the room before stripping for his shower. Spluttering as she nearly tumbled down the last step, Y/N attempted to compose herself, not wanting to appear scandalized; God forbid one of the others were traipsing through the hall at the same time. 

Y/N had an inkling Jeongguk had heard her discussing scenting with the three in the kitchen, the only logical conclusion she could come up with explaining his sudden cheeky behavior. Starting to get the feeling that she wasn’t entirely prepared to get bitten by any of them, Y/N fanned herself on her way down to the basement. 

A fast-paced pop song pulsed through the speakers as Y/N reached the bottom of the stairs, furrowing her eyebrows in preparation for what she was about to witness– walking in on Hoseok working out would set her straight over the edge. Nervously, she rounded the corner, holding the remaining pouches behind her back and praying they could somehow protect her from the hybrids affecting her nerves. 

From where she was standing, she could get the entire view of the gym area with additional help from the large mirror covering one of the walls, a few stray dumbbells lying around and Hoseok’s bottle of water from earlier sitting on the weight bench. On the floor, sitting on a yoga mat cross-legged with his back turned to her, was Hoseok with his eyes shut. Knowing that Hoseok was aware of her presence, Y/N bravely stepped into the room, relieved he was fully clothed. 

“Whatcha doing?” Y/N perched herself on the seat of the stationary bike, grinning at the way Hoseok’s tail swished on the floor at the sound of her voice. Snorting, the fox hybrid cracked one eye open to glance at her sideways. 

“Meditating, or attempting to until I heard you coming down,” Hoseok replied, extending his legs into a straddle and melting his torso down to stretch his back and hips. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Y/N chuckled, glad that he seemed to be faring better compared to earlier in the morning. “I didn’t know one could meditate to Lady Gaga.”

She felt like testing just how good Hoseok’s hearing was, tossing the purple pouch she selected for him in the air and catching it in her palm, watching one of his ears flutter as he continued to stretch his arms forward with his head down. Giggling, Y/N tossed it again, this time sending it sailing towards Hoseok, her laughter cut short as his hand flung out instantly to easily catch the pouch before it could hit him in the head. 

“Hey, are you messing with me?” Hoseok whined, sitting up straight and pouting at her. Curiously, he turned over the pouch in his hand, even giving it a little sniff as he raised it to his face. 

“Only a little,” Y/N sighed happily, before explaining to him what the pouch was. If Hoseok thought the concept of the protection charm was silly, which Y/N half expected him to, it didn’t show on his face. 

“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” Hoseok asked, lazily stretching his arms upwards as he stood, fumbling for his water bottle. “I might join Jimin in the sauna. He’s been in there forever, hopefully he hasn't passed out or anything.”

“Christ, he’s still in there? Shouldn’t we check on him?” Y/N jumped from her seat, alarmed. Hoseok waved her off, making his way towards the ajar pocket door of his room with a grimace. 

“He’s fine. I heard him go in and out a few times, he’s probably enjoying himself. Doubt he had a sauna when he was a cowboy,” Hoseok sang, sending her a wink. “I’m gonna change and head in there myself.” 

With that, Hoseok shut his door, the sound of his dresser opening and closing. Even with Hoseok brushing off her concern, Y/N found the worry that Jimin had passed out in the heat was still festering within her. Feet moving before she could process it, Y/N pushed the door to the large bathroom open, steamy air from the shower smacking her in the face. The bath and shower stall were empty, as well as the rest of the bathroom area, the sauna door shut tight. 

“Jimin?” Y/N squeaked, not necessarily wanting to barge in on him if he was perfectly okay. Y/N swore she could hear Hoseok’s laughter from his room, but shook it off as her imagination. 

With no answer, she crept further into the bathroom, the counters littered with Hoseok’s products from the drugstore. The mirror was fogged up, and checking the temperature dial on next to the sauna door, Y/N found that Jimin had really hiked it up. Panicking, she grasped the handle of the door with a gasp. 

“Ji–” Y/N began to exclaim, the door swinging open with a gust of hot air before she could finish. Stumbling backwards at the rush of heat clinging to her skin and clothes, she yelped, noticing a perfectly conscious Jimin standing in the doorway with a cocked brow. 

“You rang, Miss Y/N?” Jimin, his voice sounding relaxed, hands adjusting the towel tied around his waist. 

Wanting to die at the sight of Jimin’s very bare chest, the skin glistening with condensation and muscles corded and lean, she found her words were stuck in her throat. Hoseok, from the other room, was definitely laughing at her now, the sound like an annoying buzzing fly in her ear in the midst of her humiliation. 

“Oh my God! I’m sorry, I thought you passed out in here or something!” Y/N rushed out, resisting the urge to cover her eyes with a hand and bolt. Jimin’s honeyed hair was slicked back, a few strands sticking to the sculpted side of his face, a rough chuckle coming from him as he processed her reaction. 

“Jimin, she has something for you,” Hoseok appeared in the doorway with a cat-ate-the-canary grin, in a similar state of undress. Feeling the walls close in on her as both half-naked hybrids stared at her expectantly, Y/N had no doubt they could hear her heart trying to break free from her ribcage. “Don’t you, darling?”

“Hoseok, please,” Y/N scolded, somewhat patronized but mostly turning to mush. “Here, Jimin. This one’s for you,” keeping her hand steady, Y/N passed one of the remaining charm bags, the fuschia one, to the coyote hybrid.

One strong hand on his towel, the other extended, Jimin took the pouch cautiously, his yellow eyes flashing from her to Hoseok. The fox hybrid began to whistle, brushing past Y/N to head into the sauna, giving Jimin a pat on his shoulder. Overwhelmed, Y/N felt out of place all at once, Hoseok’s bare lean back disappearing from her view as he settled on one of the benches in the sauna. 

“This is your protection ‘charm’ I’ve been hearing about?” Jimin inquired, leaning his hip against the sink vanity as he shook the bag gently. A drop of sweat rolled down from the nape of his neck to pool in the dip of his collarbone, Y/N’s mouth drying up at the sight of it.

“It is. I better get used to that excellent hearing you all have… pretty soon there’ll be no secrets in this house!” Y/N nervously joked, averting her eyes from Jimin’s body before she combusted. Again, Jimin throatily chuckled, wiping the dewy skin of his forehead with his free hand. 

“Isn’t that a good thing? Secrets can be hard to keep track of,” Jimin mused, finding a clean towel to wipe down his damp skin with a wry grin. “Thank you, by the way, Miss Y/N.”

“O-oh. Don’t thank me, I mean– you heard me, I suppose. It’s my job to protect you all, now,” Y/N watched Jimin make his way to the shower, a neatly folded pile of his clothes beside it. She wondered if now would be a good time to escape, and catch a few moments to collect herself. 

“Mm-hmm, I heard…” Jimin responded distractedly, frowning at the pile of crumpled towels on the floor Hoseok likely left there. “Though respectfully, Miss Y/N, you did adopt several predatory male hybrids. I think we’re better suited to protect,” Jimin scratched his chin, turning the dial of the shower on. 

Y/N knew Jimin, ever the polite gentleman, didn’t mean the comment as a confrontational statement, but she grumbled nonetheless. Balling her hands into fists, she stood her ground. 

“Okay, fair. That doesn’t mean I can’t try to do the same,” Y/N insisted, realizing that Jimin also had a tattoo across the left side of his ribcage, too dazzled to notice it earlier. It was script; reading Nevermind. “Not to change the subject, but I wanted to ask you something. I’ve been meaning to take you all on a walk around the grounds, and I think it would be nice to do that later. Would you be up for that? I’ll take you to check out the old stable.” 

“I’d like that. I’ll freshen up and find you later, how does that sound?” Jimin grinned, Y/N elated that she could finally make good on a promise she had made ages ago. Feeling like it was the perfect time to take her leave, Y/N headed for the door. 

“Wonderful! Thanks, Jimin!” Y/N called, although unsure of what she was thanking him for. With that, she barreled up the stairs, ready to take her frustration out on stripping the rest of the staircase. 

For safekeeping, Y/N slipped Namjoon’s charm bag into the pocket of her leggings, rummaging through the closet under the staircase for the scraper. Pausing, she spotted the medical kit, retrieving the bottle of Tylenol for Jeongguk and placing it on the table by Namjoon’s shut bedroom door. 

Y/N got to work quickly, settling herself on the landing and scraping up the hideous varnish vigorously, as if to clear her mind of the scandalous images she had in her brain of Jeongguk, Jimin and Hoseok she had haunting her inner eye. Wondering where her portable speaker had ended up, Y/N settled for humming to herself, wishing that Yoongi was in the music room playing the piano while she worked. Losing herself in the mind-numbing task, Y/N felt herself begin to calm down from all that had happened that morning and the night before. 

Y/N didn’t see much of the hybrids until late in the afternoon just before twilight, besides Jimin, who had come up from the basement to head to his bedroom for a quick nap. She had to shoo him away, as he had offered to help strip the staircase with her, but Y/N could tell Jimin needed a good rest, his eyes nearly shut when he came up from his shower. Finally, she had completed her task with the staircase, deciding to seal everything nicely with a proper finish the following day so the entryway would look nice for the upcoming cookout. 

Every so often, Y/N peeked at Namjoon’s door; he hadn’t come out once to eat anything the entire day. A bit salty, especially considering he had all but demanded her to eat that morning, Y/N grumbled, hauling herself off the bottom step of the staircase and tossing the scraper into the closet. Gunshot sounds from the TV from the parlor made her jump– Yoongi, Seokjin, and Taehyung had been in there for a good portion of the day watching action movies. Judging from the dialogue, it seemed that they had gotten their hands on her John Wick DVD collection. 

Creaking of the steps behind her had her spinning on her heels, pleased to see Jeongguk making his way downstairs already in his pajamas. Trying not to giggle at how cuddly he looked, his hair fluffy from his shower, Y/N smiled brightly at the elk hybrid. Regarding her suspiciously, He leaned his hip against the banister before descending the last two steps. 

“What?” Jeongguk demanded, although not rudely. Grasping the bottle of Tylenol, Y/N passed it his way, grinning further as he caught it without hesitation. With furrowed brows, he examined the bottle, realization dawned on him. 

“Oh shit, I forgot I asked for these… I was just going to have a stiff drink instead,” Jeongguk admitted, unscrewing the top and tossing two capsules into his mouth. Grimacing as he swallowed them dry, Y/N winced, knowing there was no way she could ever swallow capsules like that without any water to chase them down. 

“What’s for dinner?” Jeongguk asked, once Y/N tucked the bottle of pills back into the medical kit. Flinching at the sound of his voice so close to her, Y/N sighed, not exactly sure what to make at all. 

“Good question. Anything you want in particular?” Y/N retorted, hoping he wouldn’t detect her obvious deflection towards making a decision. Jeongguk appeared startled by the question, his features settling quickly into contemplation. 

“Pizza?” Jeongguk volunteered, Y/N rejoicing in the fact that he selected something she could have delivered. Nodding fervently, Y/N was rewarded with the tiniest half-smile from the elk hybrid. 

“Miss Y/N,” Jimin appeared from behind Jeongguk’s shoulder, looking much more revived in energy after his nap. Rolling his eyes, Jeongguk stepped to the side. “Should we go for that walk before it gets dark?”

“Jimin, when are you going to drop ‘Miss’ from your vocabulary? You sound like a butler,” Jeongguk complained, an insulted expression shadowing Jimin’s face immediately. Without thinking, Y/N lightly swatted Jeongguk’s forearm, the elk hybrid swearing and staring at her with utter shock. 

“Knock it off, he’s fine,” Y/N scolded, eyeing Jeongguk reproachfully. “We can go now! Jeongguk, why don’t you come with us? You can do your perimeter walk or whatever it is you like to do out there.”

“Perimeter walk?” Jeongguk enunciated, Y/N enjoying the shock coloring his handsome features. “Unbelievable,” he breathed, frowning at Jimin’s soft snickering from behind him. 

“How about you two wait for me on the patio for a moment. I’d like to invite Namjoon, too. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him last,” Y/N gestured towards the kitchen, watching the two hybrids go, Jeongguk muttering about having a smoke. Y/N had half a mind to buy him a box of nicotine gum. 

Steeling herself, Y/N marched to Namjoon’s door, knocking softly. She knew that Namjoon had been aware of her presence in the hallway, subjected to her incessant humming for the past few hours. 

“Come in,” came Namjoon’s muffled gruff voice through the door, Y/N pushing her way in awkwardly. He was hunched over her old desk, the little lamp on the surface illuminating his tired face and ruffled silvery hair. 

Hesitantly moving further into the room, Y/N stood beside him, taking a look at the open book he was still scanning, hardly looking up at her. Namjoon had found some old parchment to scribble notes on with shockingly beautiful handwriting, a couple of crumpled up pages scattered around the desk. 

“How are your theories faring?” Y/N questioned, peering over his shoulder curiously. He had her book of spirits open, poring over a page about shadow people. Namjoon pulled a hand through his hair, sighing deeply as he craned his neck up to look at her. 

“They’re crumbling. I’m starting to think I’ll need more information about how the spirit got here, in the first place, in order to get anywhere,” Namjoon confessed, pinching the bridge of his nose delicately. 

“I think I can fill you in, at least a little bit…” Y/N answered, her guilt from earlier returning with his comment. “You’ve been cooped up in here all day. I’m about to take a walk around the backyard with Jimin and Jeongguk, why don’t you come with us? I’ll do my best to answer any questions you might have.” 

As usual, Namjoon searched her eyes like he was trying to find something he could dissect and understand, the amber honey color of his irises striking and oh-so-familiar to Y/N. She found it was easy to lose track of time and space locking eyes with the wolf hybrid, forgetting she was waiting for his response. Namjoon pushed the chair back so he could get to his feet, shaking out his legs. 

“Alright, let’s go then,” Namjoon said simply, switching off the desk light. “I’ve run into another dead end, anyways.”

Satisfied that Namjoon had agreed to join her, Y/N hurried to keep up with his strides towards the kitchen. Curiosity still pooled within her regarding Namjoon’s apparent experience with things surrounding the supernatural, though she still hadn’t gathered the courage to ask him about it. Really, there was not much she knew about the wolf hybrid at all, even less so than all of the others, which only increased her curiosity tenfold. 

Ushering Namjoon out to the patio, Y/N told him to wait there with the other two patiently sitting on the lounge chairs, rushing into the parlor to tap out pizza preferences on her phone with the input of those still preoccupied with the John Wick films. Luckily enough, Hoseok had snuck into the parlor while she had been in Namjoon’s bedroom, so she was able to take everyone’s requests down without a problem. 

“Alright, shall we?” Y/N chirped, shutting the slider door behind her, taking a deep breathful of the warm August air as she stepped outside. Jeongguk stubbed out his cigarette in the standing ashtray, still grumbling like he was when Y/N scolded him. 

Namjoon and Jimin flanking her either side, Jeongguk trailing closely behind, Y/N followed the beaten-down grass path towards the hedges past the picnic table. While the late afternoon was beginning to cool down, it was the perfect weather to go for a nice stroll outside, crickets singing and gentle breeze rustling the leaves on the willow trees. The grounds were quite untamed, due to being neglected by both her aging grandparents and Y/N herself preoccupied with her former work schedule, but still retained a sort of magical charm the land always possessed. 

“By spring, I’m hoping I can get some of this brush under control, maybe build a garden and fix up that old guesthouse and make it into some sort of fort. That way, we can all spend more time outdoors comfortably,” Y/N thought aloud, bringing the three hybrids past a maze of hedges towards the edge of the glassy pond. 

At the edge of the pond was the ‘guesthouse’, which was originally some kind of storage house in the heyday of the estate, converted by her grandparents into a three-room space for their grandchildren to spend time away from the adults during holiday get-togethers. Like the main home, it had some work that needed to be done on it, and Y/N couldn’t even remember where the key had gone to gain entry to the space. As she gazed at the round structure, akin to an enclosed gazebo, she envisioned it as a place to have movie nights with the hybrids during the summer months. 

Pausing at the pond, Y/N watched Jimin skip a rock across the mirrored surface of the water, enjoying how peaceful the backyard was. Jeongguk, as she expected, had wandered off on his own, already on the opposite side of the pond, sticking his face into one of the windows of the guesthouse. 

“So, about those gaps you can allegedly fill in?” Namjoon murmured, interrupting Y/N soaking up the moment. Gazing upwards, she was met with Namjoon watching Jimin with narrowed eyes, excellent at appearing nonchalant though the eager edge to his tone gave him away pretty clearly. 

“Right. Ever the forward one, aren’t you,” Y/N teased, motioning for him to follow her as she began to walk the perimeter of the pond while Namjoon rolled his eyes. “You’re already aware that I practice witchcraft, so does my mother. You also seem to know my mother pretty well, so I can only assume you’ve become familiar with how uh… easy-going she can be?” 

Namjoon made a noise of confirmation, urging her to get to the point. 

“She taught me most of what I know about the craft. As a child, it was whimsical, easy charms and harmless glamor magic. Of course, a child becomes an edgy teenager… Well, I wanted more. My mother tended to skirt around spirit work and more aggressive forms of magic, and I guess I wanted to test out what I could do as I got older and didn’t think that I needed to hold her hand anymore,” Y/N brushed her fingers against the soft leaves of one of the hedges beside her, Namjoon silent while he listened. 

“When I was sixteen, I came out here and performed a ritual. Honestly, I can’t remember the exact ritual I conducted, but I know it was to increase psychic power for myself. The ritual required calling upon spirits, ones I had never heard of before. Doing spellwork with my mother, we often called upon angels or our own personal spirit guides, even ancestors– never ones that we were unfamiliar with. I guess it was part greed, part the thrill of the unknown, that motivated me to go through with the ritual, but that’s where it all started. After that ritual, these horrifying recurring nightmares began, and I saw glimpses of the entity everywhere I went,” Y/N explained, finding it pretty easy to lay her cards on the table with her eyes trained on the beaten-down grass. 

“So, you packed up everything regarding your practice in hopes that the entity would leave you alone?” Namjoon mused after a few moments, taking his time to process the new information Y/N offered. Sneaking a peek at the wolf hybrid, she found he was staring right at her intently. Blushing, Y/N nodded, tearing her eyes from his.

“Exactly that. Not a very wise plan, in hindsight, but for a while it actually worked. The nightmares stopped, and I didn’t feel like I’d catch the reflection of the entity in every mirror I looked into. It wasn’t until a few days ago when I had another nightmare and saw it in my bathroom; I have a theory as to why,” Y/N felt Jimin at her side again, the three of them making their way to the elk hybrid waiting by the bridge behind the guesthouse. 

“And what’s that?” Namjoon urged, his ears perking up in her direction. 

“The entity appeared to me as an old hag… It never really liked when I’d bring friends around, I believe it wanted me to feel isolated. I think when I adopted you all, that life-changing event triggered a possessive response, and the activity resumed,” Y/N waited for Jeongguk to join them when they reached the bridge at the edge of the overgrown shrubs, carrying them across a brook and into the flattened area of land with the stable in the distance. 

“It was a nasty old hag alright,” Jeongguk commented, kicking a rock off of the bridge and into the brook with a grimace. “I don’t know, I’m starting to think maybe it was demonic.”

From beside her, Namjoon scoffed, moving aside so Jimin could get by him and excitedly make his way to the stable, tail swishing quickly as he went. 

“What, wolf? It’s not like you’ve produced any of your ‘theories’ for us to pick apart yet,” Jeongguk made air quotes with two tattooed fingers, leaning over the railing of the bridge. “At least you weren’t totally useless in trying to get rid of it, I can admit to that much.”

“If it was a demon, I doubt we’d be going on an evening stroll right now. Even with the two of us, demonic entities are not easy to banish; and it isn’t like you’re a priest,” Namjoon sounded irritated, his beautiful face twisting into disdain. 

“You don’t have to be a fucking priest to get rid of a demon, wolf,” Jeongguk groaned, producing a cigarette from behind his ear. Y/N was surprised he even had any left, at the rate he smoked. Cupping his hands to light it, Jeongguk continued with his voice somewhat muffled, “What else could it be? Not a shadow person, as it had a distinct form, which also rules out the possibility of a poltergeist. Human spirits don’t have the kind of energy to cause that amount of activity. Are you thinking it was a genie or some shit?”

Insulted, Namjoon growled beside Y/N, his fingers brushing her wrist as he curled them into a fist. Cursing under her breath, both hybrids eyeing her as she did so, Y/N prayed she didn’t have to break up a brawl, especially with Jimin several yards away placidly gazing at the crooked weathervane atop the stable roof. 

“I don’t think you have the slightest idea about all of the things that are out there,” Namjoon bit, jaw tense with annoyance. “Just because you ran around with some sort of ghost-hunting crew, doesn’t mean you’ve got it all figured out.”

“Never claimed that I did,” Jeongguk retorted, though seemingly backing down once assessing how pissed the wolf hybrid had become. “I just think you should entertain the possibility that it was a fucking demon, instead of tearing through books until your eyes bleed.”

“Hey, can we just dial it down with the hostility here? You two worked so well together to banish whatever it was from the house, can’t you focus on that for a moment or two instead of bickering like a couple of middle schoolers?” Y/N placed her hands on her hips, frowning at the two of them like a disappointed teacher. Jeongguk, rolling his eyes, blew cigarette smoke in Namjoon’s direction, the wolf hybrid too busy to register the action by staring down at Y/N with astonishment. 

“Let’s go join Jimin. I gotta call in the pizza in a minute, too, so tell me what you want while we walk– you can sort this out later, in a civil manner,” Y/N added, fed up with the petty arguments. 

Really, she had little interest in finding out what exactly was haunting her in the first place; she was just glad it was gone. Truthfully, while Namjoon and Jeongguk were discussing it out in the backyard like that, Y/N began to feel paranoid it would return, which in consequence made her eager to change the subject. Besides, she had promised Jimin a pleasant walk around the grounds, not one rife with tension, occultish conversation subject matter, and bickering. Marching away from the two on the bridge, Y/N sought out the coyote hybrid, who was ambling into the stable’s open door. 

Sheepishly, Jeongguk and Namjoon followed behind her with the sound of their sneakers squelching against the soggy grass. They reluctantly gave up their pizza topping preferences, Y/N shooting them the occasional expectant look from over her shoulder. Realizing with a jolt that she hadn’t walked that far back through the grounds in quite some time, Y/N stood before the old stable wistfully. 

It wasn’t in horrible condition, just a tad rickety in some places of the structure, a peeling and weathered chicken coop attached to the side of the stable itself. The actual fenced-in pen to exercise horses if she had them was actually in worse condition than the stable; the wooden stakes making up the circular area crumbling and overgrown with moss, several prickly weeds poking up from the beaten-down dirt within the pen. When she entered the stable in search of Jimin, she was greeted with a damp hay scent coming from every direction, though the stalls for the horses were swept out completely. She spotted Jimin at the far-back wall, gazing up at the mounted saddles and reins absently. Approaching him slowly, she watched the coyote hybrid carefully take a rein into his hand, his thumb brushing over the worn leather with reverence. 

“This is the longest I’ve ever gone without riding,” Jimin murumed to her, releasing the rein hanging from the wall and turning to get a wider view of the stable. “The stable at Yellowstone ranch was a lot different from this one; of course, it had to accommodate dozens of horses, ranch equipment. But still, it brings me back.”

“Do you miss the ranch?” Y/N asked quietly, saddened that Jimin seemed so far away. With a sharp intake of breath, Jimin paused before shaking his head. 

“It was my home for my whole life, but I dreamed of seeing the world, meeting new people– it started to feel like a cage, being there. There’s parts I miss, my friends, riding, the wilderness. But I left for a reason, so I don’t have any regrets,” Jimin explained slowly, taking time to sort out his thoughts while he circled the stable. Processing his words, Y/N kept an eye on Namjoon and Jeongguk through the open door, the pair leaning against the pen, having a hushed conversation. 

“You know, Miss Y/N, I can help you repair the stable, and with maintaining the landscape. I’m sure Taehyung would be happy to pitch in, as well. He fixed the window in your bathroom, when we noticed it was bringing in a draft last night,” Jimin suddenly mused, a twinkle of excitement in his eyes as they stood by the rickety stable door. 

“I thought that might have been him,” Y/N hummed fondly, already missing the Kodiak hybrid though she had seen him not even an hour ago, lounging on the recliner lazily. “Jimin, I’d love that– honestly, I wouldn’t know where to start here. Having your expertise would put me at ease when I think about restoring something I know so little about.”

“If you have equipment, maybe a lawn mower, hedge clippers, I could start clearing stuff away as soon as tomorrow. Perhaps we should wait until spring to work on the stable?” Jimin pondered excitedly, citrine eyes roaming rapidly over the fauna of the backyard. 

The equipment Jimin was referring to was left untouched in the garage, Y/N always too nervous to figure out how to operate the ride-on mower. There was a large part of her that wanted to tell Jimin not to worry about it, but as he continued to chatter on about perhaps putting a flower bed in one spot, a garden bed in another, Y/N realized that he was genuinely enthralled by the possibility of spending time outdoors. It made sense, since Jimin spent most of his life in the wilderness– being inside all day was probably a nuisance to him. 

“Autumn here is typically pretty mild. There doesn’t seem to be too much we have to do to the stable, so we could definitely work on it before the winter. Now that I think about it more, if we can get it functional again, people could board their horses here for the winter. It could be another helpful source of income now that there’s so many of us…” Y/N thought aloud, making a plan in her head to contact the grandchildren of some of her grandmother’s friends and see if they’d be interested in boarding their horses there. 

With her words, Jimin grew even more eager, stars in his eyes as he considered the possibility of being able to work with horses again. With the look on his face, Y/N nearly squealed with glee. She never thought making the hybrids happy would bring her an equal amount of joy, if not even more. Jimin pulled out his phone from the back pocket of his jeans, tapping out a bulleted list of tasks to complete as he began to walk through the stable again. Glowing as she watched Jimin smile to himself, Y/N fumbled for her own phone once she realized the sun was starting to set so she could order dinner. 

As the line rang in her ear, Y/N returned to Namjoon and Jeongguk, the two of them examining Jimin’s pacing back and forth in front of the stable. Thankfully, during her conversation with Jimin, the other two hadn’t ripped each other’s throats out. 

“Sal’s, what do you need?” The raspy-voiced Italian woman working the counter at her favorite pizza place answered the phone, the sound of it as familiar as breathing. 

“Angie, it’s Y/N. Can I place a take-out order?” Y/N replied, putting her finger up as Namjoon attempted to speak to her. Namjoon’s mouth flattened into a line at the action. 

“Y/N! Didn’t hear from you this weekend, I almost sent Anthony in the delivery van to check for a pulse! Go ahead hun,” Angie guffawed, Y/N snorting at the thought of Anthony, the seventeen-year old grandson of the owner, pounding on her door to see if she was alive. She did order pizza most weekends. 

“I’ll have a large cheese, large pepperoni. One medium veggie, a small BBQ chicken, a small Hawaiian. Can you throw in a couple of the garden salads, too, please?” 

“Having a party or something?” Angie exclaimed in between shouting the order back to Sal and Sal Jr. in the kitchen. Jeongguk was waving in front of her face with urgency, Y/N mouthing ‘what’ with mild annoyance. 

“The wolf wanted mozzarella sticks!” Jeongguk all but shouted, peeved that she was ignoring the two of them. Eyes shifting to Namjoon, he was shooting Jeongguk a dirty look, though his turned-down ears gave him away. Chuckling, Y/N gave him a thumbs up, interrupting Angie’s shouting into the kitchen. 

“Ang, can I also get the large order of mozzarella sticks as well?” Y/N wondered if they could possibly finish all of that food, but with the way they had all devoured the rice bowls the previous night, she wanted to err on the side of having more than enough for everyone. 

“You got it, hun,” Y/N could hear Sal’s muffled voice through the receiver, Angie yelling back in Italian. “Sal’s sending you a tray of tiramisu for the size of the order on the house. Anthony will be there in half an hour.”

Before Y/N could thank her, Angie hung up, likely to answer another call coming in. Her stomach growled right on cue as she thought of diving into the order of mozzarella sticks she hadn’t ordered in quite some time. Y/N smiled at the two hybrids in front of her, still fuming that she hadn’t given them her undivided attention during the phone call. 

“We should head in. It’s going to get dark soon, and I have to replace the in-ground lights,” Y/N sighed, able to make out the illuminated house from off in the distance. 

Though it was silly to admit to herself, she was already beginning to miss the others. Flagging Jimin down, Y/N jumped as a hand reached out to smack her bicep somewhat sharply, coughing out a choked ouch as she stared at Namjoon’s hand on her with shock. 

“Mosquito,” Namjoon immediately dropped his palm, brushing the bloody remains of the mosquito from his hand onto the grass as he bent towards the earth. 

“T-thanks. You just startled me, that’s all,” Y/N squeaked, still feeling the light sting of the strike. Jeongguk lifted his pierced brow at the wolf hybrid, tutting at him before heading back the way they had come by himself. 

Jimin by her side, he regarded Namjoon with minor aggravation, apparently having witnessed the whole exchange with the mosquito. Shaking it off, Y/N grew cheerful again, with pizza on the way and a new plan for more money to come in. She’d definitely need the cash, especially when the first credit card bill arrived for all of the hybrid’s charges the following month. 

“You’re from Montana, and worked at the Yellowstone ranch,” Namjoon suddenly directed his attention towards Jimin, both hybrids sandwiching her in between themselves snugly. Y/N grinned to herself, finding the interrogative way Namjoon phrased questions endearing. 

“Yes,” Jimin replied stiffly, as if preparing himself for another cowboy comment. 

“I lived in Wyoming, in the park. Close to Madison Junction,” Namjoon revealed, Y/N amazed that he was giving away some personal details. Jimin’s eyes widened in confusion. 

“You lived in the park? How could you possibly– You can’t just live in the park,” Jimin stuttered, stopping short once they reached the patio. Namjoon, apparently unwilling to share anything else, shrugged, opening the sliding door for Y/N to head inside. 

Swiftly, Namjoon sped into the kitchen behind Y/N, leaving Jimin looking like he was solving a complicated equation in his head. The coyote hybrid entered the kitchen shortly thereafter, breezing by Jeongguk at the island and mumbling something about retrieving the whiskey. 

“Hey, how was the walk?” Whipping her head around at the sound of Yoongi’s gravelly voice, he was leaning against the entrance into the kitchen from the parlor, his tail curling around the lip of the wall. 

“Hi Yoongi! It was really nice, Jimin and I were talking about plans to fix up the stable and the yard. It’ll be more pleasant to hang out back there once it’s a bit more, uh… manicured?” Y/N searched for the right word, gazing up at the ceiling. 

Yoongi squeezed his eyes shut, laughing silently at her choice of words, slinking into the kitchen gracefully. He had softened considerably compared to his sobered state earlier in the day, much to Y/N’s relief, his arm moving past her to reach for the wine glasses. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Namjoon uncorking a bottle of wine successfully, pride washing over her as he recalled the steps she’d shown him to use the corkscrew the night before. 

“Wine goes well with pizza,” Yoongi hummed from beside her, eyes narrowing in on something behind her. “Though you should be careful with the red. You’re a lightweight. You too, Namjoon.”

Both her and Namjoon scowled at the leopard hybrid, though Y/N could tell Yoongi was only half-serious in his teasing. As Namjoon poured a glass for her first, she felt Yoongi’s fingertips at the back of her head, her entire body locking up at the sensation of her hair being touched. Bewildered, she nearly dropped her glass of wine turning to look at the leopard hybrid. 

Yoongi smirked, pulling his hand from her hair, a brown maple leaf pinched between his long fingers presented in front of her face. He moved away from her all too quickly, following Namjoon around to get his own glass filled as the wolf hybrid ignored him spitefully after the lightweight comment. Under her nose, Jeongguk had left the room, likely in search of that ‘stiff cocktail’ he was referring to earlier. 

Sipping her wine, Y/N heard the familiar three-beat car honking, announcing Anthony’s arrival with the food. Skipping into the parlor, she spotted Jeongguk mixing up a gin cocktail by the bar cart and Jimin getting comfortable on the couch. Dropping her wine glass off on the coffee table and greeting Hoseok, Taehyung, and Seokjin fondly, she headed to the front door for the pizza with the Kodiak hybrid following close behind. He was avoiding her eyes, apparently still scandalized from the scenting conversation, though it was nice that he had resumed his habit of shadowing her. Swinging the front door open, Y/N barked out a laugh, Anthony standing on the porch almost completely obstructed from view with the stack of boxes in his arms. 

“Hey, Tony! I could have helped you make a couple of trips, strongman!” Y/N teased the teenager. Because she was a reliable regular of Sal’s, she had gotten to know all of the people working there pretty well, and treated Anthony like a younger brother.

“Aw, come on, Y/N! You know I started weight training for football months ago!” Anthony complained, his thick Boston accent heightening her amusement. 

Hurriedly, she rushed to take the foil tray of tiramisu, salad boxes, and the mozzarella sticks, revealing Anthony’s rounded face. Anthony grinned at her before spotting Taehyung, who hesitantly reached for the remaining boxes of pizza. Digging around in the pocket of her leggings for the cash she stuffed in there before the walk, she counted out twenties with one hand while Anthony relayed his anxieties about his senior year at the local high school. 

“So who’s this, Y/N? Your boyfriend?” Anthony asked as he placed the cash in the pouch strapped around his waist, eyeing Taehyung suspiciously. Heart slamming up into her throat, she shook her head vigorously. 

“O-oh! No, this is my friend, Tae,” Y/N explained nervously, thoroughly embarrassed and unable to even look at Taehyung beside her. Anthony’s face innocently cleared of any suspicion, offering Taehyung a smile. 

“Nice to meet you, Tae! Hope you’re going to the cookout Friday, I’ll be there with the rest of my family. It’s more fun when there’s lots of people,” Anthony extended one of his hands for a shake, Taehyung dazedly grasping the kid’s hand and shaking it robotically. 

“I’ll be there,” Taehyung murmured, the expression crossing his face one Y/N had never seen before; melancholic?

Anthony’s work phone clipped to his belt began to beep incessantly, the teen rolling his eyes at the sound. 

“I gotta fly. The Ramseys on the other side of town are going to want their calzones,” Anthony called over his shoulder, jogging back to the van he parked on the street. “See you Friday, Y/N, Tae!” 

Hurrying into the house, Y/N heard Taehyung shut the door tightly. The look that had crossed his face had vanished, replaced by the composed stoicism Taehyung intrinsically possessed. Biting her lip, Y/N slowly made her way down the hall towards the parlor, shifting into apology mode. 

“Sorry about that. I’m at this pizza place all the time, and I’ve grown pretty close to the family. That was Anthony, the owner’s grandson… he’s kind of like the younger brother I never had,” Y/N explained, Taehyung making a noise of acknowledgement softly. 

“Why are you apologizing? He was nice, I could tell he was just worried about you,” Taehyung returned, bending down a few inches to get a good look into her eyes. Startled, Y/N’s felt heat rise up her neck, the Kodiak hybrid closer to her than she was ready for. “You called me Tae again. I really like when you do that.”

With that, Taehyung flashed her a sweet smile, speeding off in front of her to drop the pizza boxes on the coffee table and leaving her reeling in the hallway. Moving slowly, Y/N entered the lively room, everyone already attacking the boxes like a bunch of wild animals, Yoongi and Jimin trying their best to establish some order. Dropping her own armful of takeout on the table, Y/N sunk to the floor by Hoseok’s feet by the couch. Slice of pizza in one hand, wine glass in the other, Y/N settled in to catch the middle of The Mummy that one of them had put on, enjoying the various conversations between the hybrids around her. 

Stuffed to the gills with tiramisu, Y/N sluggishly brushed her teeth in her bathroom after an evening of action films and way too much pizza. One of the highlights of the evening was the passionate argument about whether or not The Mummy was corny (it was) between Seokjin and Hoseok, Seokjin declaring it ‘epic’ and Hoseok lamenting its quality overall. She had to admit, it was corny, but she loved the film, the chemistry between the two leads undeniable and spellbinding. 

Ready to crash face-first into her pillow, Y/N yanked a comb through her hair, turning off the light in her bathroom without fear flooding through her for the first time in weeks. Changing into a light tank top and shorts pajama combination, Y/N could hear Jeongguk stomping around in his bedroom, the elk hybrid perhaps one gin cocktail over his limit. She wasn’t about to stop him from pouring them, even as he began to sing along to the soundtrack of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World during the tail-end of the movie marathon, as he was one of the primary reasons she could sleep with the lights off that night. For someone that looked like a member of a nu-metal band, Jeongguk had the voice of an angel. 

Considering she had taken it easy on the wine, not only because Yoongi and Hoseok were monitoring her intake, but because she didn’t want to be drunk if God forbid the entity returned and she would have to jump in and protect the others, she still felt woozy. Y/N knew that she was being paranoid, being somewhat convinced that the entity would return. It wasn’t like she didn’t trust Jeongguk and Namjoon in their confidence that it was gone and doubted their efforts, but because it had been haunting her for so long, it was hard to believe it was truly banished from her life. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders, the ability to move easier than it had been in ages. As Y/N went to toss her leggings in the hamper, she felt a lump in one of the pockets, furrowing her eyebrows. 

Mouth dropping open, Y/N fished out the forest green protection pouch she had made for Namjoon out of the pocket, internally scolding herself for not giving it to him earlier. Too preoccupied with the walk of the grounds, exciting movies and pizza, she totally forgot that he was the only one without a pouch, growing nervous. Because he was one of the two that performed the actual ‘mystery ritual’ that got rid of the entity, Namjoon having the pouch was a priority to her. Chewing at the inside of her cheek, she debated whether or not to simply drop by his room and hand it off if he was still awake, but it was pretty late and she felt funny about disturbing him at that hour. 

She left the pouch on her nightstand, clambering onto her bed with a groan. Her limbs were aching; she had a full day considering the disturbed sleep she had gotten the night prior. While she physically felt bone-tired, her brain was going a million miles per minute, trying to process every single interaction she had with each hybrid during the day. Embarrassingly enough, she felt that she hadn’t seen nearly enough of Seokjin, who kept a bit of a distance from her since the discussion between herself, him, Yoongi and Taehyung over breakfast. Her thoughts floated from Seokjin to Hoseok, the fox hybrid’s uncharacteristic clingy actions flooding into her mind. 

As she lounged over her made-up bed, she recalled how lax Hoseok became in her embrace that morning, comparing it to the way Taehyung had arched his spine into her hand when she soothed her hand down his back. Most of the hybrids had begun to seek out physical touch with her, apart from Jeongguk, who tended to keep his space. Even then, when she had tiptoed into his bedroom, Y/N could swear she could still feel the strong grip of his hand wrapped around her wrist, hours later. 

Running a hand through her hair, Y/N took a deep breath once she realized her heart began to race once more. At this rate, she thought, she would suffer from a heart attack. She couldn’t wait to see Laura and Alice at the cookout, perhaps whisking them out of earshot to describe the kinds of emotions that had begun to blossom within her. It had been a long time since Y/N had felt frazzled in that way, and she knew Laura and Alice would be able to offer her a little bit of insight once they met the hybrids. 

Y/N’s thoughts were interrupted by rapt knocking at her bedroom door, her features pulling into confusion as she hauled herself off of her bed. She couldn’t guess who would be on the other side of the door as she grasped the handle, hoping that whoever it was didn’t have a paranormal sighting. 

Pulling the heavy door open, Y/N allowed her eyes to adjust to the low lighting of the hallway after being used to the lamplight of her bedroom. Before her was Namjoon, dressed in his sleepwear and hair mussed as if he’d been pulling at it. Swallowing thickly as she searched his face for signs of distress, she found unsurprisingly that his emotions were difficult to decipher. 

“What’s up? Are you okay?” Y/N whispered, trying her best not to disturb the others in the household. Namjoon pressed a palm to his face, his body language stiffer than usual. 

“No, I’m not,” Namjoon admitted roughly, his eyes looking more dangerous than ever. Shifting from one foot to another with anxiety, Y/N began to panic that the entity had returned, assessing the dewy sweat that was accumulating across his forehead. 

“What’s wrong, Namjoon?” Y/N all but begged, hating the expression of thinly veiled discomfort settling over the wolf hybrid’s entire form. 

“I– I have to…” Namjoon pushed his way past her bedroom door, making Y/N stumble backwards towards the foot of her bed as he towered over her. “I can’t push it d-down. My head’s splitting.”

Her breath quickening, Namjoon continued to stalk towards Y/N in a predatory manner until her ass hit her mattress, her knees buckling as she landed on the soft surface. Gulping, her mind began to go to several different places; Namjoon’s profile on the database, Laura and Alice’s concerns, scenting. Namjoon appeared possessed, his constant restraint absent as he kneeled on the floor before her, eyebrows pinched in pain. Skin burning as he grasped one of her knees, Y/N gasped at the contact of his strong hand on her bare flesh, unable to break away from the way his eyes had turned devilish. 

“N-namjoon, what are you–?” Y/N breathed, the wolf hybrid shuddering as she said his name, halting her from speaking further by bringing his face inches away from hers. 

“Have to. I need…” Namjoon slurred, his eyes dropping down to the exposed skin of her throat. His grip on her knee tightened, his fingernails digging into the flesh sharply, the situation suddenly dawning on Y/N completely. 

“O-okay, Namjoon, it’s okay. Do what you need to do,” Y/N encouraged shakily, stunned that the night had taken such a turn, and all too curious to find out what scenting was like. 

While she was expecting one of them to initiate what was about to happen soon, her near last guess as to who was first to do so was Namjoon. Upon hearing the words that left her mouth, Namjoon growled from the back of his throat, using his free hand to wrap around the nape of her neck and yank her forward. Bracing herself against his strong shoulders by instinct, Y/N squeezed her eyes shut, feeling Namjoon’s hot breath against the junction of her throat and collarbone. She heard the wolf hybrid inhale deeply, his body trembling under her fingertips with the heady scent that spilled from her neck. 

“S-shit,” Namjoon groaned, the hand around the back of her neck growing firmer and the other traveling from her knee to the small of her waist to bring her closer to him, Y/N’s torso going flush with his own. Namjoon’s heart was practically beating out of his chest, Y/N’s hands migrating downwards from his shoulders to his biceps as her breath began to come out in tiny gasps. “'S’gonna hurt, I’m s-sorry.”

Curling her fingertips into the thick muscles of Namjoon’s biceps, Y/N felt the eager press of Namjoon’s plush lips to the sensitive skin of her throat, a quick flick of his tongue tasting the flesh. Before she could process the jolting sensation, Namjoon bared his teeth, the two pointed incisors nicking the thin skin before sinking into it like a hot knife through butter. The pain was sharp, intense, Y/N yelping as her fingernails dug into Namjoon’s arms, the wolf hybrid stiffening as he latched onto her.

As quick as the pain came, a euphoric numbing sensation replaced it even with his teeth still in her neck, her body growing slack in his grip as her blood flowed into Namjoon’s mouth. A whine came through her throat involuntarily, Namjoon’s teeth pulling from her flesh swiftly. Replacing his teeth came the heavy drag of his tongue laving over the punctures thoroughly, the action clearing every thought from Y/N’s mind. With the action of his tongue soothing the wound, Namjoon’s muscles began to relax under Y/N’s hold significantly. So this is scenting, Y/N thought dazedly, completely bewildered. 

With a final brush of his full lips over the site of the mark, Namjoon reluctantly pulled away from her neck, coming eye-level with her. Y/N giggled stupidly, feeling lightheaded as Namjoon rose from his knees, both arms curling around her waist gently to lift her from her seated position. Carefully, Namjoon shifted her weight to one arm, using the other to draw back her quilt and bed sheets, lowering her down onto the mattress gingerly. After covering her quaking body with the quilt, Y/N already missing the heat that radiated off of the wolf hybrid, Namjoon bent over the bed, pushing hair off of her forehead softly. 

“Are you okay?” Namjoon whispered, seeming more at ease than Y/N ever remembered him to be. All signs of distress had melted from his features, an air of relief clinging to him strongly as he stared down at her.

Trying to nod weakly, Y/N watched a strange smile dance across Namjoon’s face, a drop of her blood still clinging to his bottom lip. Tiredly, Y/N reached up, swiping her thumb against his lip, collecting the drop and letting her hand fall limply, Namjoon’s pupils blown wide. Pulling away from her proximity, Namjoon reached to switch off her nightstand lamp. 

“Wait! The charm… that one is yours,” Y/N mumbled, limblessly pointing to the pouch beside the lamp. Hand stilling, Namjoon scooped up the pouch, expression sobering.

“G’night, Namjoon,” Y/N murmured, her eyelids beginning to become heavy as she tracked his movements towards her bedroom door. She swore she heard a response, regretful that he couldn’t stay as she immediately fell into a dreamless sleep. 

The next day passed in a blur. Y/N was called away by her mother early Wednesday morning to spend the majority of the day taking her and her grandmother to brunch, the botanical garden, and then shopping at the plaza nearby. Y/N hadn’t left anyone in charge when she departed in the morning, though she eyed Yoongi in particular for leadership when she stressed to everyone to remain civil with one another as a handful of them saw her off in the foyer.

That morning, Y/N hardly remembered the events leading up to her falling asleep until she looked in the mirror while brushing her teeth– Namjoon’s mark left from his scenting appearing starkly in her reflection. Grateful for the blustery weather, Y/N covered the mark up with her large Ghost sweatshirt she picked up the last time the band was on tour, scrambling out of the door before any of the hybrids could suspect something awry. Namjoon was not one of the hybrids present upon seeing her off before her outing, much to her disappointment and surprise.

Throughout the day, she was comforted by the fact that she could stay in touch with the hybrids she had left at home through text. Jimin had sent her several articles on stable restoration, and Hoseok had asked how she had slept with several emojis. She found it odd, however, that her mother hardly asked her a single question about the hybrids, even with her grandmother out of earshot– concerning her for some small reason she could not place. 

As she trudged through a stuffy department store with her mother and grandmother, absently Y/N was comforted that her sleep was dreamless, free from the horrid nightmare that had plagued her since she had adopted the hybrids. Admittedly, she was nervous about leaving them behind, thoughts surrounding Jeongguk’s abrasiveness between everyone who met his eyes, everyone’s obvious avoidance towards Taehyung, and Hoseok’s fear of Namjoon in general, occupied most of the afternoon with her mother and grandmother. All that she could do was trust that they would get along until her return– they’d have to get used to it anyway, when she began her part-time job at Judy’s. 

Y/N expected herself to be more shaken up once she remembered how Namjoon had scented her the night before. Truthfully, she found herself feeling more at peace when she woke up than ever before, the hazy memory only coming back to her once she saw the bite in the mirror. In truth, the ritual was a lot less painful than she was expecting. If anything, the pain lasted for half a second, the agony immediately replaced with an addictive soothing effect; and the closeness of the situation was the most overwhelming sensation of all. 

With her eyes glazed over, Y/N stared at a cashmere sweater on a mannequin for several moments, trying to recreate in her mind how Namjoon had grasped the back of her neck with need, pulling her in by her waist into his proximity. She was totally unprepared for Namjoon to be the one to seek her out first, her whole body flushing from head to toe as his blissed-out expression filled her imagination. She was ripped from her reminiscing by her mother, asking her if she was feeding her hybrids a well-balanced diet. To her relief, her mother hadn’t brought up Namjoon, almost as if she sensed Y/N knew less about his situation than she did. 

She thanked the sky that her mother had spared her grandmother the information that Y/N had adopted the seven hybrids, once they dropped her off back at the house. Y/N knew that she’d have to tell her unnervingly brilliant grandmother the truth come Friday, but the fact that her mother allowed her to put it off until then came as an unexpected gift. As she heaved herself up the steps of the front porch, Y/N could hear several of the hybrid’s voices from the backyard, likely enjoying the first sunny day since they had arrived at the house. Her insides warming up, Y/N unlocked the front door hurriedly, eager to both join them and check to see if Namjoon was faring better than he had been when he knocked on her bedroom door the previous night. 

It was later in the afternoon, the house somewhat darkened as she let herself in. She could smell something spicy stewing away in the kitchen; likely Yoongi’s dinner menu. Kicking off her sneakers, Y/N yawned, a bit drained from having to explain to her grandmother three separate times why she had decided to leave her job at the animal hospital. From upstairs, she heard an object crash to the floor loudly, making her flinch a foot into the air. 

She was on the second floor before she knew it, eager to know what had caused the sound. If it was the hag spirit again, Y/N wanted to be the one to not only see it, but confront it as well. Heart racing, she tore through the common spaces, briefly peering into Yoongi, Jeongguk, and Taehyung’s rooms without so much of a clue as to what had fallen. Puzzled, Y/N frowned, pausing by the shut door of Seokjin’s room. Cautiously, she paused to listen for any further movement, but heard nothing. 

“Seokjin? Are you in there?” Y/N called, though she was fairly confident she heard his voice in the backyard when she was dropped off. In response came a pained groan, one most definitely coming from the jaguar hybrid as she had heard it once before. Unhesitatingly, Y/N shoved the door open, worried he had somehow injured himself. 

Beside the door to his bathroom, Seokjin had collapsed on his side, the wavy tips of his blue-black hair damp with sweat as he gasped for breath on the floor. Swearing colorfully, Y/N flew to his side, kneeling beside him and grasping one of his hands to squeeze securely. His cheeks were pink, gazing at her through heavily-lidded eyes. 

“Oh my God, Seokjin! What happened, honey?” Y/N panicked, using her free hand to cup the shape of his sweat-dewed cheek. 

Seokjin murmured something incoherently, his thick eyebrows pulled together in agony. Feeling an anxiety attack about to come on, Y/N moved her fingers down his cheek to check his pulse at the base of his throat, the jaguar’s eyes rolling back into his skull as she did so. Y/N could hardly count the beats per minute, his pulse was racing so quickly, sending her further into frenzy mode. 

“Seokjin! Can you hear me? Honey, hey, look at me,” Y/N pleaded, her hand returning to the side of his face. She knew she should try to get help from some of the others, but had no intention of leaving his side, a heavy moan tearing from his throat. “Seokjin!”

Her name forced its way out from between his teeth, his weak hold on her hand tightening a degree. Scanning his crumpled form for any obvious injuries but not able to detect one, Y/N swore once more. Beginning to hyperventilate, Y/N released his hand, using her arm to snake around his back and sit him upright, not knowing what else to do in that moment but cradle him close and try to calm both him and herself down. With his quivering body pressed close to her own, Y/N ran a hand down his back, feeling fever chills begin to rock through him. 

“Y-Y/N. Didn’t know it would h-happen so soon,” Seokjin miraculously choked out, Y/N stilling completely as he spoke. “You l-left, and I got s-sick…”

It crashed down onto her, realizing that Seokjin was experiencing what Namjoon had the night before, but his condition had worsened since she wasn’t around the entire day. Seokjin had likely gone throughout the entire day feeling the intense discomfort Namjoon had displayed the night prior, the delayed relief only making him feel feverish and weak. Feeling sick with guilt, Y/N pulled Seokjin’s face draped over her shoulder with two cupped hands, attempting to look him square in his clouded sunset eyes. 

“Seokjin, listen to me, I know you can hear me,” Y/N urged calmly, her anxiety dissipating now that she knew what was going on. “I’m here now.”

Gently, Y/N pushed Seokjin’s head into the crook of her neck, on the opposite side where Namjoon had left his mark. Seokjin’s body began to shiver more violently in her arms due to the concentration of her scent at the base of her throat, the jaguar hybrid making the first bone-chilling growl she had ever heard from him. The jaguar hybrid’s arms snaked around her body, pulling her into his lap securely. Holding onto his broad back for dear life, Y/N braced herself for the inevitable sting of his incisors piercing her flesh. 

The plump petals of Seokjin’s lips parted on her skin, searing the flesh as he mouthed at it mindlessly, before he sunk his teeth into her, Y/N grasping a fistful of his hair at the feeling, spots clouding her vision. While Seokjin was gentler than Namjoon even in his feverish delirion, Y/N was overwhelmed immediately, the high that came directly after the bite with the soft brush of Seokjin’s tongue over the bleeding flesh hurdling her over the threshold of consciousness, becoming completely limp in Seokjin’s arms. 

The predator closed in on its prey. 

Taglist; @blancflms @grazysf @sbromp @jaxavance @sunderlight @ot7nem @mageprincess7 @wittyreader @drenix004 @mayla548 @skyys-universe @ddaeng-angmoh @trtlthts @exfolitae @kalala22 @xiusmarshmallow @bangtans-momma @zae007live @paigetj @singukieee @serendididy @lilacdreams-00 @dreamerwasfound @ninjacups @osakis-gf @itwillbealways-d @xthefuckerysquaredx

Please do not repost or translate my work. Thank you!

Moonlight Reign Ch. 4

A/N: Here she is! Another heavy chapter LMAO pls heed all the warnings and put yourself first always! Also pls give me asks I am a rabid dog without them and will rattle my cage without them. I need the interaction or else I will frown. As always, everyone say thank you to my amazing beta reader and loml B @rapline-heaux

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Yandere! Mafia! BTS x Reader

Words: 5.4k

Warnings: crime, sensory flashbacks, trauma, unhealthy relationships, yandere behavior, pining, violence, past abuse, past neglect, crying, familial issues, abandonment issues, blood from biting own lip, covering ears, pinning someone down, mention of open relationship, threat of suicide but as a form of reassurance(?), allusion to possible past addiction, delusional thoughts and manipulation kinda, the yandere-ness has begun

You scrolled mindlessly through your phone, looking for any kind of distraction as the elevator ticked up at a maddening pace. You just wanted to be home without having to worry about what Jungkook was going to do–

And of course, he was slumped against your door. 

You heaved a sigh, swallowing down the pain of seeing him so dejected. Not that you had to try very hard as fear quickly replaced the emotion when you saw another man standing there next to him. You didn’t recognize the figure with an expensive suit, but you certainly had no desire to as he tried tugging Jungkook up. 

The two men’s eyes snapped to you the moment the elevator dinged, making your presence painfully known. Meekly stepping out of it, you gave the men a tight smile that you neglected to remember they couldn’t even see since it was far from reaching your eyes and you still had the mask on. The man standing regarded you lazily, looking you up and down for a moment before his gaze morphed into an emotion you did know quite well: hatred. Pure, unbridled, hatred burned in his gaze, making you feel warm beneath your mask.

But what the hell did you do to this guy? You don’t remember seeing him ever, especially not in your past. Almost everyone who’s seen your face is dead, trusted, or in hiding themselves, so it wouldn’t make sense for him to recognize you, at least not enough to hate you.

“Is this her?” His voice was deep and filled with a venom you were sure wasn’t warranted, but you had little interest in engaging. It did irk you when his eyes looked over your form and his snarl deepened. You just got off work, can’t he give your looks a damn break?

“Can I help you?” You responded with an equal amount of venom, internally cursing yourself. So much for not engaging, dumbass. Your pride was getting the better of you. 

The man before you cocked a brow, “Yeah, you could tell me why my boyfriend refuses to go back to his place until he speaks to you.” Jungkook did his boyfriend no favors in satiating his evident jealousy, his gaze only fixed on you with an emotion you knew nothing of.

Fuck.

That was a good question. A question that could cost your life, so you decided to tread lightly– or as lightly as you could considering how shitty of a job you were doing already. If this guy was one of Jungkook’s boyfriends, that meant there was a pretty good chance he was also a part of Bangtan, and you’ve poked that hornet’s nest more than enough. 

You cleared your throat, “Jungkook.” He nearly keened forward at your voice saying his name, and it made you sigh, “Go home, yeah?” He frowned, slumping back against your door childishly, making his boyfriend glare at you even harsher somehow.

“This is ridiculous.” He spat, eyes never leaving you. If you didn’t know any better, you’d take that as him calling you ridiculous and say something stupid. 

“Yeah? Imagine how I feel.” You sneered back. Obviously, you didn’t know any better right now. But goodness graciousness, this guy was shortening your temper at mach speed. You evidently had the same effect as he scoffed, “Look, what do you want from me?”

“I want my boyfriend to get up from your doorstep.” He hissed.

“Great.” You gritted your teeth, “Me too.” You stepped closer to them, “So why are you being such an asshole about it to me?” 

He rolled his eyes, and you wanted to badly to see him try to do that with a black eye, “Becuase obviously you did something to upset him.” It was your turn to scoff, “So fix it.” 

“Right, 'cause I’m the problem.” You muttered sarcastically. You were pretty used to being blamed your whole life for a whole number of things, but you took that shit because you had to. You didn’t know this guy, and you didn’t have it in you to care right now. 

“You saying he’s the problem?” He snarled, obviously protective of the man. The jealousy at the fact that Jungkook had someone who loved him so much when you didn’t even have a pet was quickly outweighed by your anger and a twinge of fear at this man getting in your face.

“Hyung, you’re making it worse.” Jungkook groaned, and you were a little surprised at how sober he sounded. You thought if he was leaning against your door he was trashed, or at least semi-drunk, but he was speaking clearly, “Just wait for me at my place, okay?” The older man ignored him, crossing his arms and keeping his hatred trained at you.

“I’m saying no such thing, fuck.” You huffed, “If anything, I’m saying you’re acting like a real dick right now, and I’m not in the mood.” You explained harshly, “Take your jealousy or whatever the hell your problem is with me somewhere else.” 

“Jealousy?!” He guffawed, “Me? Jealous of you?!” Ouch, damn. The way he could knock down your self-perception with three words was almost a talent. The power of tone never ceased to amaze, and especially at this moment, wound you. You knew he was more attractive than you. You had eyes after all, but evidently you struck a nerve with him to warrant that response. 

“Oh, my bad.” You sarcastically mocked, “You’re seeming real secure right now. I must be mistaken.” You could hear Jungkook sigh, undoubtedly regretting helping you with your sarcastic tone years ago.

“Do you think I’m enjoying this? He looks miserable.” He grunted, pointing to his dejected lover.

“So leave then.” You challenged.

“Is that what you do to people you care about?” He spat, “Leave?” 

Okay, that struck a nerve with you, “You don’t know a thing about me.” You fumed. You didn’t want to leave anyone, least of all Jungkook, but you also weren’t too keen on sticking around and getting yourself killed. You didn’t anticipate Jungkook not giving you the choice. 

“Well from what I’ve seen, I can’t say I see the appeal.” He retorted. Is this guy calling you ugly or a bitch? Or is it both? 

“Taeyung!” Jungkook scolded his boyfriend.

Your eyebrow twitched at the thought. Fuck this stranger to all hell, “You’re not doing yourself any favors either, I can promise you that.” You looked him up and down, forcing an unimpressed look on your face, and you could see him bristle at your actions. 

“Y/n, come on.” He sighed. Great, now you both know each other’s names. Just what you needed right now. More fucking knowledge.

You sighed, not wanting to upset Jungkook anymore than you were about to by fighting with his boyfriend,  “If I talk to him, will you get the fuck out of my face?” You prodded. 

Taehyung clenched his jaw. God, you were the worst, even worst than he and Jimin thought. You had the worst personality and your face… It would only be fair for you to be as ugly as your attitude, and the fact that you weren’t only pissed him off more. Even worse, you were stunning with a mask on. He swallowed hard, “Fine.” 

“Yipee.” You deadpanned, turning to Jungkook, “Ready?” You asked and he scrambled to get up, taking your bag of takeout from you so you could fish out your keys. 

“Is that a routine you have or something?” Taehyung seethed quietly. 

“I’m just being considerate, hyung.” Jungkook shot back, “Especially when her guest is being so mean.”

“The last thing I’d consider him is a guest, Kook, don’t worry.” You rolled your eyes, taking off your mask so you could put it away before you forgot. Taehyung already had your first name, address, and how your eyes looked, Showing him the rest of your face wouldn’t make you any more in danger than you already were. 

Taehyung wanted to punch a goddamn wall when he saw your the rest of your face. You were stunning and instead of shrinking away from him and out of his lover’s life, Jungkook was clinging to you, and you were more than holding your own. You matched his energy, calling attention to how much of a dick he was being, and he didn’t care for the mirror you proved to be. Even with that stupid piece of tissue clinging to your lip, saturated with blood, you looked beautiful, and it pissed him off. 

“What happened to your lip?” Jungkook asked worriedly, making Taehyung fume even further. 

It took you a couple seconds before you remembered, and you sighed, “Just bit it earlier, that’s all.” You explained, taking the tissue off before flicking your gaze to Taehyung, snapping him out his angry hypnosis with your face, “Bye.” You urged him. 

“Watch yourself.” He warned, making you scoff.

“Thanks for the concern.” You quipped back as you unlocked your door, walking in to let Jungkook bid his stupid boyfriend adieu.

Jungkook watched you retreat into your room before looking back at his boyfriend, “You know better than anyone you catch more flies with honey.” He remarked, making Taehyung huff.

“She’s mean.” He simply said, and this made the miserable man snort. You were anything but mean, your kindness was one of the many things he admired about you. It was effortless, you weren’t even trying to be good. You just were. It scared and enticed him so.

“She’s really not.” The younger man said, “You were really mean, and I’m literally the one who taught her how to be mean back, a little too well obviously.” 

“Taught her?” The man echoed his lover. What, were you a child? Why did his boyfriend need to “teach” you anything? And why the hell did it bother him so much?

Jungkook shook his head, “Nevermind. What I mean is she would’ve been way more receptive had you just been a bit more polite. Then you’d have something to report to Yoongi.” He sighed, irked at the fact that his boyfriend’s kept prying about you since his mood has been sour these days.

Taehyung chewed his lip, obviously guilty, “We’re just worried–”

“Sure.” He cut Taehyung off, making the older man scowl, “Just go wait for me, alright? Let me handle my own things.”

“So she’s yours now?” Taehyung bitterly remarked.

“Tae, please.” Jungkook sighed, “You’ve never been the jealous type like this, so I have no idea where this is coming from.” He grit out, and Taehyung bristled at this, the words on the tip of his tongue but before he can even think to say them, Jungkook spoke, "Just go, okay?” The older man rolled his eyes but followed his orders, the doors to both apartments closing at the same time.

—

You had changed into sweatpants and a T-shirt the moment you got in. Not only was it because you didn’t want to overhear what Jungkook and Taehyung were talking about, but you also knew this conversation was going to drain you beyond belief so you wanted to be prepared to go straight to be afterwards. 

You entered your living room right as Jungkook closed your door, and you plopped onto the couch, already tired of this, “I don’t know what you want me to say.” You huffed, sending a glare to your turned-off TV. Should’ve never gotten the damn thing if it was going to be the catalyst for this much grief. 

“You know what I want you to say.” He sighed. All the desperation from earlier in the day seemed to have tapered off and now you were both just left tired. Part of you was thankful he wasn’t freaking out like that right now, you rarely saw him like that. In your years of friendship, Jungkook and you basically never fought. You could count the number of times on one hand. Most often, the moment a disagreement arose, you dealt with it then and there. Keeping distance and being dismissive was new between the two of you, and it drained you both, “Tell me why, and I’ll let it go.” He professed and you scoffed. You weren’t sure how much you believed him judging by the dark circles blooming beneath his barely subdued crazed eyes.

“What difference does it make?” You refused to meet his eyes even as they burned holes in your cheek.

“You said you weren’t scared of syndicates or mafias.” He blurted, and you stiffened, “So tell me why.” 

You shrugged, “I lied.” It was a half-truth, but you knew it wasn’t enough. Gone were the days when cagey lies and half-truths were sufficient between the two of you.

"We've both lied to each other enough, but it's time to stop, yeah?" He asked, and you could tell his sanity was toeing a very thin line but you simply huffed, “Come on.” He groaned, “Why won’t you tell me?” 

You remained staring at the TV, “I can’t.” 

“Can’t or won’t–”

“Both.” You crossed your arms, “The more we talk about this, the worse it’ll be for me.” You added, “And you, probably.” 

“Fine.” He hissed, and for a moment you thought he was going to leave, “Then I’ll tell you what I know.” He pushed off of your door and walked to stand in front of the TV. It sounded like a threat, and in a way, you knew it was.

You swallowed hard, “Don’t you dare tell me a thing.” You warned. Knowledge is almost everything when it comes to risk assessment. If you knew too much, there would be no running away, there would be a chase. You could not afford to be chased. Hell, you couldn't afford to even be having this conversation in the first place.

“Why?” He challenged, eyes colder than you’ve ever seen. You pressed your lips together, not wanting to entertain this, "What's the harm in knowing things?" He was prodding you to show your understanding. He was baiting you and when you remained silent, he flashed a bitter half-smile before speaking, “Very well. I know that I am Jeon Jungkook, cyber specialist of the Bangtan syndicate, one of seven leaders.” 

You dug your nails into your palms and fought the bile that rose up in your throat. One of your worst nightmares come true, and yet, you were stuck. Your body was rigid and your mind could barely process the million ways the reality of the fact could and was actively ruining you.

His words made your chest seize, and you wanted to throw up. The fucking cyber specialist, a whole leader, of the most powerful syndicate in the country had been coming to your apartment every week? How stupid could you be? “Stop.” You seethed.

“I know that you acted weird when the camera panned to the audience during the fight on Friday.” He took a step forward and you pressed yourself further into the couch, “I know that you said it was because you saw a teacher in the crowd, but that wasn’t true.” 

“Enough.” Each word was like a stab to the chest. In more ways than one, you were sure nothing would be left of you by the time this conversation was over.

He wore that bitter smile so seamlessly, “I know it wasn’t true because I checked every single person in that fucking crowd, not just teachers.” 

“Please.” You pleaded, pressing your nails so deep you could almost feel the acrylic snap.

“The only one who called into work that day doesn’t know you.” He spat, and you felt utterly ill.  

“Jungkook.” You croaked.

He pressed on without a care in the world, eyes trained on you, “You wanna know who was in that crowd?”

“No.” You protested.

He clicked his tongue, “Too bad, it–” 

You shook your head, covering your ears, “Shut up, shut up!” You exclaimed, palms pressing to muffle him. 

In no time, he pinned your hands to your side, hovering over you with a fierce glare, “I can’t let you run away from this.” He snapped, “Not from me.” 

“Why not?” You hissed.

“You mean too much to me.” The vulnerability and the sheer honesty in his voice, made you regret asking. Your heart cried out for more as your mind begged to run and never look back. 

You struggled against him, significantly harder to hold your own against him when he was sober, “Let go of me.” You pleaded, your words having a double meaning that he didn’t care to listen to.

“Never.” He huffed like it was a promise, plucking at your heartstrings, “I can’t.” He said quietly, making your hairs stand on end, dropping his head to rest on your head, “I just can’t.” He breathed, lips moving along your crown.

“Can’t or won’t?” You mocked him, tears stinging you at the affection while he let out a humorless laugh.

He slid his hands from your wrists to interlace his finger with yours, still holding your hands down in a fierce grip, “Both.” He breathed. You hated your body for wanting to relax against his touch.

“You’re making a mistake.” You admitted solemnly, “You shouldn’t–”

“Enough of that.” He snarled, stunning you silent, “As I was saying,” He continued, pulling back but hovering over you still, “There was a certain Moon Byungjoo in the crowd.” Your uncle’s name made your stomach tighten and you internally begged Jungkook not to notice. The man in question quirked a brow at you, “That name mean anything to you?” You opened your mouth to deny it, but he shook his head, “Just stay quiet if you’re going to lie.” The venom in his tone hit your heart, the pain radiating to your throat.

“That’s not fair.” You whispered, “Like you’ve never lied to me.” You spit out, glaring at him, trying to look anything but how petrified you are.

“I’m not anymore.” He shot back, and you rolled your eyes, but he remained headstrong, “I’ll ask again, does that name mean anything to you?” 

A mix of anger and betrayal filled you, “You know the answer already, don’t you?” You hissed and he flashed you that sickening smile again.

“He called you that day I was here, didn’t he?” He asked, and you kept your mouth shut, blinking the tears back as your carefully woven mundane life began to unravel, “Now, I didn’t know what you could possibly have to do with Byungjoo. I even went as far as researching you, and you know what I found?” You could hear your heartbeat in your ears as he spoke, but his eyes never broke contact with yours, “Nothing.” He sighed, “You basically didn’t exist until you enrolled in school.” 

“That wasn’t fair.” You whimpered, trying to keep your tears in, “We promised we would stay out of each other’s business–”

“I can’t lose you.” He quickly interjected, his shield cracking for a moment to show you the desperation in his gaze, “So I did what I had to do, for us.” 

You swallowed thickly, “What us, Kook?”You hissed, trying to hurt him even if it tore you down too, “We’re just friends is all.” You fixed a cold gaze on him, “Just study buddies who stuck around too long.” However, his grip only tightened on your hands.

“Friends?” He spit the word bitterly. He gave you an incredulous look, “Be honest with yourself for once, and then try to tell me that again.” He breathed, mere inches from your face now, and you had nowhere to sink into any further. 

You wanted to protest again, tell him that he was being crazy. You wanted to say that he was looking for more in the relationship you shared than what was there, but he was no fool. It didn't take a genius to know that the feelings you held, the bond you both shared, the feelings you had wasn't mere friendship. The trouble was you didn't know what the hell it was. It was the deepest connection you'd ever had and yet, you had no idea where to place it. 

He sighed, eyes cast down for a moment, “I didn’t want to do that, you know?” He admitted, pulling back a little, “When the guys found out I made a friend they insisted on doing a full background check, a week of tailing, and even random bout of tailing, but I told them to stay out of it.” He admitted, and your body shivered at his protective tone, “Our relationship was too important to jeopardize.” This made you grind your teeth in frustration. Maybe he should've let them dig into you or drive you away, save you both this grief.

“And now?” You pressed.

“Now,” He echoed, “It’s too important to lose.” You didn't get it. You knew why Jungkook’s friendship was so important to you, he was essentially all you had, but he had much more than you.

“What if it’s lost already?” You glared at him, but he didn’t seem shaken.

“It’s not.” He affirmed, and you didn't get how he was so sure, “We can rebuild, stronger than ever.” 

You shook your head. He wasn’t thinking clearly. Something had to be wrong with him with the way he was talking like your relationship was so profound and… Your own lies tasted bitter on your tongue. It was hard to think clearly with him this close and with this much fear coursing through your veins, but even with all that, you knew. You knew he was right, and it made you sick to your stomach.

“I searched and I searched for any connection to Byungjoo and you and then…” You started squirming, wanting a head start before being viciously hunted, but he only pressed his arms into your legs, hands still holding yours, “Did you know that the first record of you started almost exactly five years ago?” He trailed off, eyes scrutinizing yours, “And I mean actual record, not the fake ones that were made also exactly five years ago.” Fuck, fuck, fuck. It was over. Truly, madly, deeply, over, “You know what five-year anniversary is coming up?” He asked and you tried to stand, tried to run, but it was no use. None of it was ever any use, and you knew it.

In the blink of an eye you were pinned to the floor, his legs locking yours in place as his hands stay intertwined with yours, “Don’t do this!” You cried, and the tears finally fell, “You don’t understand–”

"I couldn't believe it at first." His face was stone as you tried to look away from him, unable to face him now that he knew who you really were, "My y/n? The girl who I had to teach sarcasm to? The girl who needed me to show her how to use a coffee maker?" You struggled against him, wanting more than anything to cover your ears and just fade away, “Originally I thought you were amish or something, but a cold-blooded killer? A child progidy asassin?” His words were like fire, and you wanted to be swallowed whole by it, “How could that be when you were scared of your ice maker for almost a year?” What was once funny memories turned into stark reminders that this life had never really been yours to begin with. Your life would never be your own.

"Stop it, please."  You sobbed, embarrassment crushing your chest as you squeezed your eyes shut. In your childhood it was all about the mission, and any other knowledge would just get in the way. You didn't learn how to properly write until you were a teenager, let alone interact with people your age. It was Jungkook who painstakingly helped you learn the most basic tasks and subtle inflections. He never once got frustrated or gave up on you and here he was, his palms pressing against yours as he tore your walls to shreds.

“And then… he said your name.” Your whole body froze, your thrashing coming to an end, but the tears never stopped. “He said it to me, and only me, but it’ll be no time before the other guys question him.” He explained, eyes still unbelievably cold as he regarded you. Byungjoo, that fucking rat. You should’ve known, but what made it worse was that if you never befriended Jungkook, your name wouldn't matter that much. They wouldn't know your birthday or your address or anything, but you put a target on your back the moment you let him into your apartment all those years ago.  

"I'm dead." Tears kept falling, but your body was stone now, and it would be soon. All those years of trying to survive and be somebody outside of your father, would be for nothing. You couldn’t outrun your past, and you felt stupid for ever trying.

He ignored your words, but you felt him squeeze your hands a bit harder, “At first I thought you were playing me," He grit his teeth, making you shiver. You wanted to protest, but he just pressed on, "but then I understood.” You finally looked at him, confusion filling your eyes with the tears as his gaze softened. He leaned down to your ear, “It was fate.” The way he said it nearly made you teares freeze on your face. Something about it sounded almost sinister, but what was worse is you could tell he genuinely meant it. 

“What?” You squeaked out, and he chuckled darkly. You could hardly recognize him like this, and you wondered if the Jungkook you knew was nothing but a facade or if this was just another part of him.

“Come on, two mafia darlings finding each other against all odds and genuinedly not knowing who the other was.” He pulled back to look at you, eyes transparent now as his pupils dilated, “We’re perfect.” He breathed. You could see he wasn’t angry, but you couldn’t recognize that look in his eyes, “No more running, green girl.” The nickname made your body tremble beneath him. 

“Just let me–” 

He quickly cut in, “I’’ll protect you.” He kissed softly at the tear running down your cheek.

You shook harder, “They’ll kill me.” You cried softly, “I don’t have anything to offer. I don’t know where my father is and–”

“Shh, shh.” He soothed you, but it did little to help, “I won’t let them kill you.” He promised, and you weren’t sure how much he could keep the promise, “If they do, I’m going with you.” Your eyes bulged at this.

“You can’t mean that.” You tried to reason with him, but he simply shook his head.

“I mean everything I say to you.” He leaned his forehead against yours, breathing you in deeply, “You’d do well to remember that, okay?” He pressed another kiss to your forehead, “I’m gonna go talk to them in a bit.” He sighed, not looking forward to it.

“T-Tonight?” You asked. 

He hummed in agreement, “No time like the present, huh?” He sat up, finally releasing your hands, but keeping your legs still as he sent you a sharp look, “No running, okay?”

“I don’t have anywhere to go.” You ruefully responded, nerves running on overdrive.

“Oh come on, I know Eunhwa worked for your father.” He tsked, and you flinched, not noticing the way he softened at your fear.

“Not even she is willing to risk her life to help me right now.” You snapped,looking away from him in shame. You had no one, no one except him. Even if you did try to run on your own, it would be two seconds before a bounty the size of Seoul was on your head. You’d be found by someone else, but you couldn’t help but feel like Jungkook would stop at nothing to find you first regardless, “We originally agreed to wait a few weeks since anniversary week is kind of…” 

He snorted, already knowing the situation. He was one of the men that helped craft it. Nothing involving your family happened during that time, which made you all so hard to find, but obviously not hard enough, “Lucky me then.” He finally released your legs and you scrambled away from him. A flash of hurt came and was gone from his pupils before he extended his hand to you, “I never wanted to do any of this.” He reminded you, finally sounding like the Jungkook you knew but it did nothing to ease you, “I never wanted to scare you like that, but it was the only way to–”

You hugged your knees curling into yourself, "But you did." You sighed, feeling so unbelievably empty, as you struggled to take in a breath, “Just go.” Your voice cracked, and he recognied the tone immediately. 

“No, I’m not going to leave you like–” He tried to offer to help but you just covered your ears as you cried into your knees. 

“Leave, please!” You rasped, and that’s when it hit him. Regardless of the affection you both felt for each other, your relationship was fundamentally changed. You were no longer each other’s escape, you were the grizzly reality. 

“No.” He seethed before crumbling down next to you. Despair washed over him at the reality of your relationship, but not even that could get in the way of his need to be close to you. What he had with you transcended wrong and right. You were tattooed into his psyche.

“Haven’t you done enough?” You croaked before his body covered yours. Even if you had the energy, you weren’t planning to fight his embrace, not when your traitorous body managed to relax as his mahogany and rain scented cologne invaded your senses, allowing you to take your first real breath since this whole ordeal. 

“I won’t leave you like this.” His voice was muffled as he pressed his palms over yours to quiet the outside world, “Even if it’s my fault.” His breath hit your forehead as he kissed the skin, “Even if it makes you hate me.” He promised, “I’ll never leave you like this.” He began his rhythmic tapping, just like he always did, and the familiarity brought you both comfort, even if just for a moment. 

“I hate this.” He let out a small sigh of relief when your hate wasn’t explicitly directed at him, “I’m scared, and I never wanted to be that girl again.” For the first time, Jungkook found himself wondering what exactly happened those five years ago. He wanted to know every little thing about your life before him. He wanted to know why you were alone, if you were loved, if someone hurt you, and most importantly, he wanted to know who, “I’m dead.” You cried into his chest. 

“No, you’re not.” He all but promised, “I won’t let them.” He pressed a too-sweet kiss to your forehead.

“Why?” You asked again, even though you knew you weren’t ready for the answer. 

“Because…” He trailed off, trying to think of what to say, never letting up on his taps, “You’re mine.” He mused, and you succumbed to your despair even further as your body shook violently. 

“And what do I have then?” You sobbed, “What’s mine then?” Your life had never been yours, and you suddenly felt so foolish to think it ever would be. Made to be a puppet and cursed to never cut the strings. 

“I am.” He immediately responded and you shook your head, but he only held you tighter, “Don’t be scared.” He breathed, “No matter what happens, I’ll always be here.” He promised, and it broke your heart that the notion both scared and eased you. You simply nodded as you both stayed that way and then once your breathing stabilized, he let you be alone.

“I don’t know how I’m going to forgive you for this.” You admitted, the both of you hurting from your statement.

“I know.” He looked to you with a soft smile, “But you will eventually, and that’s all I care about.” 

He set his jaw before taking his leave, and he could hear your breathing trying to steady even as he closed the door. He leaned against the wood, sighing as he closed his eyes. It was just a rough patch. You just couldn’t see how good this was for both of you. Even if he had to rebuild your relationship all by himself, he would. He’d do anything if it meant keeping you. Maybe he was an addict down to his core, trading one vice for another. He didn’t care either way.

-------------------

If you enjoy my work, please consider donating to my Ko-Fi (also pls send me an ask, I love to hear from y'all!)

Masterlist