Dreamboat | Jjk (1)

dreamboat | jjk (1)

summary: aboard the dreamboat, jungkook finds himself drawn to a beautiful stranger who appears to be drowning in melancholy. weeks later, he sees her face on the other side of the aquarium at his apartment building’s lobby. he soon learns that it’s not fate’s grand romantic plans that brought you back to his life. / (alt.) / a shipwreck and a dreamboat form an unusual bond in an aquarium.

non!idoljk x f!reader (jk is a business major who works at the amusement park ; oc works at the call center) / strangers to lovers / fluff, angst, suggestive / chapter wc: 14.9k / total fic wc: 30.8k

warnings/content (for full fic): is it an onlyswan fic if nobody cries? ; smoking ; making out ; mention of nude art ; mention of flashing ; panic attack ; a ghost cameo lol ; s*x scandal ; abuse of authority ; harrassment ; jk throws a punch once ; oc drives a motorbike without a helmet once ; vminjin + yeontan cameos :3 ; tae and jk are the same age tho

-> part two (wc: 15.9k) | spotify playlist (open to song recs <3)

note: my not so little summer project <3 i thought i wouldn’t have the opportunity to dedicate this much time to writing again in the near future so here we are! finishing this story alone felt fulfilling but even more so that i get to share it with you. pls treat it with gentle care 🫂 reblogs and feedback r very much appreciated i love talking to you guys🥺 special thanks to my lovely rio for proofreading and being the sweetest friend :") ilyily

࿐ for those who yearn <3

—

“wait! wait for me! don’t close it yet!”

jungkook’s whole life has led up to this moment. 

from running away from his neighbor’s large snobby dogs during childhood— to participating in run for charity marathons mostly, only mostly, to appease his ex-girlfriend by being interested in her interests.

he successfully escaped from his uneventful class today by faking dizziness. half an hour later, he is racing towards one of the few places in this city where he feels something. 

his best friend’s face is still blurry given the distance, but jungkook doesn’t need to clearly see taehyung’s face to know that he is looking at him unimpressed. 

“why are you here? do you even have a ticket?!” taehyung interrogates him once he reaches the gate.

“do i have a ticket? really?” jungkook smirks, tossing his backpack to the ground. 

he crosses over to the other side, and with ease, sneaks his hand in between the bars to push the lock into place. 

“what do you think i work here for?” 

taehyung sighs and mumbles to himself. “fine, my bad. thought we worked to pay for our bills.”

he picks up the backpack and swings it over his shoulder, heading to the control booth. on the other hand, jungkook climbs on the ship the amusement park owner lovingly named the dreamboat. he places his grip on one of the many vines curiously large butterflies are attached to, fully ignoring the existence of the steps. he hoists himself up onto the wooden floor with ease. 

unhappy faces with blank stares. 

he smiles at them cheerfully.

“i apologize for the hold-up. i’m your captain!” 

“jungkook! sit!” 

“wouldn’t he be the captain?” a high school boy at the very front quips, eyes pointing downwards at taehyung. 

“eh, more like the wind behind our sails.” he ruffles the boy’s head in passing as he trudges over to his desired seat. 

“what?”

his spot, a more suitable better term. the farthest row which most first timers do not dare to sit at; the part of the ship closest to the sky when it swings back and forth, higher and higher, until it feels like he’s going to fall off— but he doesn’t. for short bursts of moments, he’s flying. 

the passengers are erupting in ear-splitting screams, curses, and laughter. the wide smile plastered on his face could probably be described as sadistic as he observes their reactions. most would find this ride as a nauseating, life-threatening ordeal and its name ridiculously ironic. however, to jungkook, this is what it means to be alive.

he imagined he would be alone here again today.

but as he is brought higher into the air, he discovers one person strapped to the last row of the other side of the ship. 

the earth begins to move in slow motion. 

they have their face buried in their palms, body shaking with what he can only guess is intense sobbing. 

gone is the smile on his face. 

jungkook has witnessed a few criers, sure, but not to this degree. a wave of sadness washes over him. he feels guilty and he doesn’t know why. why the hell would he be? he doesn’t even know who you are. 

are you that scared? if you’re scared, why would you volunteer to go here alone? if not, then why is your heart breaking? 

for a few seconds, the noises cease and his focus on you becomes amplified. 

and why is his breaking too? 

your sobs and gasps for air are once more drowned out by the fear and adrenaline of the majority. nevertheless, the ache they caused in his chest stays. 

what could it be? the reason you’re crying like this at an amusement park? wouldn’t it be because you got stood up by your date?

lost in thought, he’s been unblinking. the wind blows as the speed of the boat picks up and he groans when dirt gets into his eye. he harshly rubs and rubs and he stops to check if it’s gone… he knows it’s gone because now he can see clearly— one of the most beautiful people he has laid his eyes upon.

the wind blows into your hair and it finally grants him a good view of your face. red, swollen eyes and mascara running. you wipe your tears away, distant eyes falling on your lap, and you take a sharp inhale. you’re a tragedy and so gorgeous still that the aching of his heart doubles due to its intensified pounding. 

there’s no way… he debunks his theory. there’s no way a man could ever waste the opportunity of going on a date with you. only a fool. 

slow motion comes to a full stop.

shit, shit, shit. 

why can’t he look away? 

you’ve made eye-contact and you’re not breaking it. 

he nervously swallows the lump in his throat.

“huh?”

the ringing of the bell snaps him out of… whatever that experience was. he looks around and it is revealed to him that the ship has returned to its neutral position. passengers are already hopping off, including you.

wait, including you… 

when did you get a cap?!

“fuck!” he curses, kicking his feet in annoyance.

he then proceeds to break the promise he swore to himself: never run after a girl again. 

“yah, jungkook! where are you going?! you need to clock in!”

taehyung releases yet another sigh as he loses his best friend among the crowd. nearly at the same time, he hears a thud that originates from the control booth. he blankly stares at the backpack that mysteriously fell off the chair. 

“does he have snacks in here at least?”

—

blue tube top and black baseball cap worn backwards. blue top and black cap. blue top and black cap. jungkook chants in his head like a maniac as he navigates the grounds, trying his best not to lose sight of your back. sweat has started to form as beads on his forehead. he squeezes one eye shut, wary of the sting, before wiping them away with the back of his hand. 

he ran with all his might, but now that you’re almost within reach, he’s suddenly nervous.

“miss- miss! you dropped this!” 

you turn around abruptly so his fingers end up only grazing your arm. the first thing he notices is your knitted eyebrows. he doesn’t know whether it mostly indicates annoyance or confusion. 

you merely glance at the handkerchief on his open palm. “it’s not mine.” 

you walk away from him and you are a magnet he is curiously drawn to. 

he stands in front of you, sweaty and stuttering like a student introducing himself to a class for the very first time. 

“but are you okay? i-i couldn’t help but to notice that you were cry- uh, uhm… you-you seem to  have troubles.” 

he clears his throat, turning his cheek for a second as to avoid melting under your intense gaze. he marvels at your beauty but he can’t pull himself together to admire it from a close distance. 

“sorry, i don’t mean to pry. i’m just concerned.” 

seconds pass and he doesn’t receive any sort of answer. no affirmative nod; not even a roll of the eyes. you stare at his face blankly as your feet become rooted into the ground. strands of your hair dance with gusts of the wind. it could be a haunting sight. your glossy eyes are reminiscent of deep, turbulent waters. there was a twinge of doubt on the accuracy of his words before, however, it now seems to ring true. 

could it really be because of a boy?

a bicycle enters his line of vision. 

a little too close not to cause an accident. 

“move!” he yells out the warning, but he still takes matters into his own hands by pushing you over to the side and using his own body as a shield. 

the bicycle speeds past and the rider screams something unintelligible. 

jungkook’s nostrils flare. “kid, that’s not allowed in here! where did you come from?!” 

the security guard running after the rule-breaker moves past him, but not before hitting his back with the baton. 

“jungkook! why didn’t you stop him?!”

“yah! what was that for?!” 

he scoffs, glaring towards the direction of the intruder and his co-staff, who has an entirely different job from him. why didn’t he stop him?! 

while he was distracted by the commotion, he was also unaware that you managed to swipe the handkerchief loosely hanging from his grip around your arm. 

his angry expression softens. 

you wipe away your tears that are freely flowing against your will. earlier, you were sobbing. right now, your face is devoid of any expression. he can’t decide which is more heartbreaking.

“are you okay?” he carries on to ask again despite the both of you knowing the answer, but he just doesn’t know what else to do. 

“i’m okay,” you say. “thanks for finding my handkerchief… and for saving me from the- the, yeah…” 

you’re about to walk out of his life until his mouth blurts out- “wait! take this!” 

he wishes the ground would swallow him whole. you blink at the small packet of sour gummies on his open palm and he wishes the ground would swallow him whole. 

even he thinks this is ridiculous. he had a handkerchief in the left pocket of his jacket and now it’s yours. he had gummy worms in the right and for some reason he also wants you to have it.

“why?”

he has the same question.

“just because…”

no, that won’t do it.

“maybe it could make you feel better.”

oh my god.

“if you decide to ride the spinning top… it helps when you’re nauseated.”

still with the unreadable expression, you probe no further and accept his edible remedy. 

“thank you.” you politely bow before taking your leave.

he doesn’t run after you this time. after all, his pockets are empty. 

meeting you— this is probably the first and last time. 

he exhales through his mouth. disappointed. he turns around and tries to look for you again. 

blue top and black cap… 

there you are. 

leaving- 

wait. 

the spark of hope quickly fizzles out. you pull your hand out of your pocket, tossing something into one of the trash bins. he’s too far away to identify the item, but it couldn’t be… right?

he huffs in sheer disbelief.

“huh, she’s pretty and rude.” 

—

if he’s being honest, jungkook doesn’t like this job much. graphic design is there, and it’s been a pretty sweet gig especially when he’s desperate for extra cash. anyway, taehyung got this job first, which took away time from their regular hangouts, so he would often visit his best friend during his free periods at the university. long story short, one of the managers scolded them both for playing around throughout taehyung’s shift, and as a punishment, she employed jungkook.  

she is the reason why he is spending his sunday morning putting on strangers’ seatbelts and lap bars so they won’t fall off the rollercoaster and die. he was trained to double-check everything, but he is a bit more paranoid about lawsuits than the management, so despite the extra waiting time some passengers aren’t happy about, he makes that triple. 

as fast as he can, while maintaining meticulousness, he does his final round of checking. so far, everyone is safely strapped to their seats. until he reaches the last row and finds the only person there with their lap bar unlocked. how did he miss that? 

“ma’am, your lap bar isn’t secured. do you mind if i-”

the woman shakes her head without a word. as he gets to work, his eyes can’t help but to stray. most of her face is hidden by a face mask and sunglasses. it’s kind of funny because it’s actually been a gloomy day. 

“ah, there you go. safe and sound!” 

“thanks,”

he flashes her a bright smile. the last and apparently most important employee rule.  

“you’re welcome!” 

—

 

“why aren’t you eating?” taehyung asks with a mouthful of corndog. 

jungkook lifts his head up from the table, sends him a glare, then drops it again. he didn’t get much sleep last night studying for their upcoming tests. he’d much rather spend his whole lunch break with his eyes closed. he’d go as far as saying that moving his jaw to chew food sounds like exerting too much energy and he couldn’t be bothered.

“change shifts with me. i fucking hate sundays.” 

“depends…” taehyung pretends to be in deep thought. “will you buy me a meal everyday until our shifts rotate again?”

“do you want to die?” 

“no, but it looks like you will before me.” 

jungkook yawns, sleepy tears flowing down his temple. “you might be right…”

“were you up all night thinking of that girl?” 

“huh? no.”

“you’re lying.”

“shut up,” he groans, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. 

so a beautiful stranger has been plaguing his mind. big deal! happens to the best of us. 

taehyung cackles at his demise, thoroughly amused. “why? didn’t she throw away your gift?” 

“it wasn’t a gift.” he argues. “and i know, she’s exactly my type.” 

“bro, you’re fucking hopeless.”

“i know that too,” he calmly replies. “i kind of miss her.” 

“at least it’s not your ex anymore, i guess.” taehyung mutters before obnoxiously sipping on his strawberry lemonade. “want to sneak into the security camera room? i’m curious. i want to see her.”

“can’t you just let me sleep?!” 

“wow, you’re so grumpy today.” 

took him long enough to deduce.

“then should we go after your nap?” 

“i need to work!” jungkook snaps. he straightens his back, rubbing his face in frustration. “go- go do whatever you want!”

taehyung’s chewing slows down, appearing almost scared at his best friend’s outburst, but everything is a game with the two of them. “but i don’t know what she looks like.” 

jungkook sighs, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“okay, fine!” 

in a state of exaggerated panic, taehyung gathers his things in one clean sweep, cradling them in his arms. 

“i’m leaving!” he dashes out of the break room as if he’s running for his life. 

jungkook huffs out a laugh at the comedic scene. as soon as his smile drops, so does his head. 

—

 

it’s past midnight, which means it’s already friday. jungkook has been glued to the computer for the past three hours, working on a brochure he was commissioned to make. this task would go along smoothly if only his client didn’t have such a long list of demands, but alas, he is desperate for a good review after his past client’s four paragraph-long criticism. a boomer’s opinions hardly matter to him, but he knows how a single bad review alone can negatively affect reputation. 

one thing’s for sure, everyone’s making it hard for him to fucking quit energy drinks. 

he tosses the empty can into the trash bin beside his desk. away with his anti-radiation glasses, too. it lands in an awkward position over his keyboard. he couldn’t care less. everything hurts. 

he keeps his eyes closed as he stretches his fingers, neck, and back with strained moans and grunts. the sweet relief causes him to slump lazily on his chair. at that moment, an internal battle starts. should he do the responsible thing and continue working? or should he just say fuck it and go to bed? 

“no but seriously! why would she throw them away?!” 

completely unrelated. 

a thousand miles away from the topic at hand. 

“jungkook!” taehyung growls from the bed, furiously pressing at the buttons of the controller. “it’s been two weeks! when are you going to move on?” 

jungkook spins the chair to face him with a deadpan expression. the ps5 hogger is too focused on the television screen to even notice. 

“you wouldn’t expect it but those aren’t cheap.”

“then maybe you shouldn’t have given it away to a stranger.” taehyung shrugs. “but that’s just me.” 

“that was out of my control.” jungkook defends. “you should’ve seen her.” 

“well, you wouldn’t let me.” taehyung mumbles, but he obviously wanted him to hear. “no thanks. crying at the amusement park? she’s got to have some real issues.” 

“so what? we all got issues.” 

“not me,” he sends jungkook a smirk. “if i don’t acknowledge them, they’re not there.” 

“and that, my friend…” jungkook has decided to retire from his work area tonight. he pats taehyung’s shoulder as a display of faux sympathy. “is your biggest issue.” 

wearing a childish grin, he grabs the other controller from the floor.

“now, shall we rank up?” 

—

 

it’s been a few days since summer vacation started. he normally comes home to busan during the school breaks for a temporary taste of childhood bliss. he spends the entire day watching television, eating home-cooked meals, and not thinking about requirements at all.

too bad his vacation is suspended due to his adult responsibilities. 

at least that’s the excuse he used. 

his family has been staying with relatives for the past month because their home is currently under renovation. and well, jungkook’s dorm is suffocating enough on his own. staying under one roof with nine other people? hard. pass.

he may or may not be regretting that decision now, however. all of a sudden, coming home from work with a bag full of ramyeon and beer feels too depressing. even more so that he has no one to share them with. all of his friends have gone home. taehyung, too. he found someone who could temporarily fill in his place and did not think twice about leaving jungkook behind. he can’t blame him.

jungkook enters the apartment building. as always, quiet and dim. he gets that the owner is trying to save money, but isn’t it a bit too early to start turning off the lights? he rolls his eyes despite the lack of a witness. 

they are very lucky that he has grown somewhat fond of this place.

jungkook allows himself to be roped in by the only source of warm light in the lobby. he finds himself incredibly silly for being entertained by goldfishes swimming around in an aquarium, but after a hectic day, this is where his brain cools down. 

“hello everyone,” he coos at them.

do fishes even react to baby talk? he wouldn’t know. the only pet that lasted him years and is still alive is their family dog, gureum. 

“how was your day? i hope it was better than mine.” 

—

 

on the other side of the aquarium stands you, watching a boy talk to the fishes while he is blissfully unaware of your presence. an endeared smile graces your face unbeknownst to you. 

eventually, there arrives a moment when most of the fishes favor a certain side and they clear out before his eyes. 

that is when he finally notices you. 

your heart begins to race, but he appears to be more shocked than you are. you stand up straight nearly at the same time. 

despite the dark, they’re impossible to miss. his breathtaking eyes— which were filled with pure wonder and adoration only seconds ago— growing in size as soon as they saw yours. 

“i know you…” 

a bucket of ice cold water is dumped over your head. 

“the girl who cried at the dreamboat!”

and while you do not appreciate the rather ungentlemanly pointing of finger, you’re glad to be able to breathe out a sigh of relief. 

well, and there’s also the crippling shame.

you didn’t want your first impression on anyone to be the most pitiful version of yourself. 

it’s been over a month for fuck’s sake. how does he remember your face so well?

“wow,” he gapes. “you changed your hair.”

you touch your hair, feeling a little conscious. 

is that a good thing or a bad thing? 

it’s your first time changing your hair color; plus, the last time you had bangs was in middle school. it’s been weeks since you had the big transformation, but you’re not quite sure how you feel about it yet. 

“yeah, light pink…” 

“it suits you well.” 

“thanks,” is all you manage to respond with. 

a gust of awkward silence passes by. there’s the instinct to run away— knocking at your brain, pulling at your limbs. but you can’t think of an excuse. your feet won’t move… eventually you stop minding that. the goldfishes are too beautiful to look away from. they work as the perfect distraction from the other soul standing across. 

“so, um- i’ve never seen you around here.”

“i moved in today.”

“oh, i see… that makes sense.” 

you hum to fill the quietness that follows, thinking of what else you could say, but he beats you to it.

“i live at the 13th floor.“ 

what did he say? do you live on the same floor? that’s impossible.

“how about you?” 

“hm, 10!” 

you blurt out the first number that pops into your mind. you quickly pretend like you’re not freaking out inside by shifting the topic.

“do they-” you gesture to the aquarium. “do they have names?”

“names?” 

the random question seems to catch him off guard.

“none that i’m aware of.” he shakes his head. “i don’t think so- no.”

“oh…” your shoulders sag in disappointment. “that’s sad.”

but then again, you should’ve lowered your expectations and reminded yourself where you are. they were not bought as pets. they were bought for display. 

—

 

the last time jungkook saw you was over a month ago. maybe your face is a tad different because you’re not crying. the new color of your hair compliments you in a way unlike before’s yet just as beautiful. the bangs make much of the difference too. he doesn’t know how old you are, but you look younger somehow. from his point-of-view, he could say that much has changed. but not the melancholia. 

he watches you gaze into the aquarium in fascination; the lights reflect on your eyes as little twinkling stars. you’re not crying, but why can he still feel your sadness? 

he once told taehyung that if you meet again, he’d give you hell for throwing his sour gummies away. 

funny enough, that plan went out the window the second he laid his eyes on you again. 

“do you want to feed them?” he offers. 

“i already did.”

“you did?”

“i did,” you look up at him innocently, nodding. “i asked the guard.”

“aish, he didn’t tell me.” he throws his arms up with a groan. “i almost overfed them.”

you perk up with interest. “do you always feed them?” 

“when i come home from work.”

“that’s nice…” 

the soft smile you give him makes his heart skip a beat, but he doesn’t know it yet. 

“sorry, um-” you begin smoothing out your clothes, also tucking your hair behind your ears. “i need to get to work. it was nice meeting you.”

“work?” he exclaims. “at this time?”

“graveyard shift,” you simply answer. 

pictures of the dark alleyways immediately flash in his mind. 

“but it’s dangerous to be roaming around here at this time.” 

his radar doesn’t detect crimes being reported around the neighborhood, but with the majority of the building’s occupants being young adults, the streets are often littered with drunkards who have many things to be angry about.

“oh, i don’t walk. i’ve got a bike.”

he hasn’t known you long, but this is the most enthusiastic he has seen you. your face lit up as soon as you mentioned your mode of transportation.

however, he is a tiny bit confused.

it shows on his face, apparently.

“the motor kind,” you clarify. 

“ah, the motor kind-” he claps once as soon as the realization dawns on him. he chuckles to himself. “of course!” 

it was important for you to clarify, jungkook concludes from your tone. the fact that you own a bike is sexy, but you look adorable right now and it is so amusing to him. 

“anyway, i need to go. it was nice to meet you!” 

your heels click against the floor as you head towards the same door he walked in from.

“see you around!” he yells, still wearing a wide grin. 

he remains standing there even though you’re already gone from sight. 

hit with a useless yet concerning epiphany, he blinks.

“she rides the motorbike wearing heels?”

—

 

jungkook’s misery has been pushed to the back of his mind, replaced by an overwhelming giddiness that causes him to drop everything on the floor and jump on his bed. he buries his head into the pillow, but it does nothing to erase the happy grin that’s threatening to make his cheeks sore.

what a small world, huh? 

what is this if not fate?

he flips over and stares at the ceiling as if it’s the starry night sky.

this might just become the best summer of his life. 

—

jungkook comes out fresh from the shower clad only in a pair of black boxer shorts. he hangs the towel he was drying his hair with over his nape, heading to the kitchen to prepare his dinner. he rips the lid of the cup ramyeon halfway, and as he pours hot water into it from the electric kettle, your face appears on his mind again. 

wait, there’s something wrong…

he tilts his head to the side, eyebrows knitting together as he tries to figure out what it is he forgot.

“ah, i’m so stupid!”

he totally forgot to ask your name! 

“shit!” he shouts in higher volume when he realizes that the water has overflowed and is now dripping to the floor. 

he puts the kettle down, taking a few steps back from the mess he made. praise heavens the water wasn’t hot enough for his toes to suffer anything more than a first-degree burn. 

he starts to look around for anything he can wipe the floor with, his tongue poking his inner cheek. 

“still having a bad day.” 

—

but a bad day isn’t enough to break down jungkook’s spirit. he knows there will always come a tomorrow, so he seizes that tomorrow and comes home from work as fast as he can. there’s a big chance that you leave for work around the same time, right? 

so he sits down on the sofa facing the aquarium, and he waits. 

his head turns to the elevator each time it dings.

he taps his foot on the floor.

he checks tomorrow’s weather forecast on the app. clear skies. no chance of rain. high humidity levels.

he goes through the magazines laid out on the coffee table. he learns five ways to get over heartbreak. according to the quiz, he has a sweet and passionate personality based on the flavor of his lip balm. he thinks it’s pretty accurate. strawberry, he strokes his non-existent beard. could never go wrong with it.

next thing he knows, the clock strikes twelve. 

he can no longer control his excessive yawning but his stomach is just screaming for the pack of jjajangmyeon in his cupboard. 

he presses the elevator button with a tight-lipped smile. he’s disappointed that he didn’t see you at all today, but he was raised to have a positive outlook in life. you live in the same building. you have to run into each other again one of these days. 

—

what does jungkook hate more than normal sundays? sundays when he didn’t get enough sleep. 

for some reason, he’s still tragically stuck with working on the worst day of the week despite his repeated objections. the only upside to this particular sunday is that he is assigned to the ferris wheel. in exchange for thrice the amount of his daily wage in discreet tips, what happens in some of those cabins are none of his business. 

if he ends up getting reassigned, he would be pretty fucking pissed off. 

he’s restless as the elevator descends to the ground floor. he’s munching on a protein bar, jogging in place as to warm up his body for a race to the bus stop. 

he can’t be the one manning the bump cars. bump cars are the worst. those kids hit you on purpose, he swears. 

the elevator dings and he runs.

until an eye-catching color forces him to pull the brakes. his sneakers squeak against the tiled floor. 

your back may be facing him, but he can recognize you from that cotton candy hair even from a mile away. you’re right where he was hoping you’d be last night, conversing with one of the janitors. this really isn’t the best time for your paths to cross again, given the reasons he was just grouching about, but his feet refuse to move. 

you go on your tiptoes to sprinkle fish feed into the aquarium. you’re so adorable in your pajamas; you’re almost drowning in the black and white checkered cloth. are those yours in the first place?

“everything you need to know is written here… how much- how often you should feed them depending on the seasons, depending on how big they’ve gotten… jungkook worked really hard in researching. impressive, don’t you think?”

“i see…” he is finally granted his wish to hear your soft voice. “but why don’t they have names?”

the janitor scratches his head at your question. “they look too alike to have names.” 

“hello! i heard my name!” jungkook pops in without a warning, causing mister park to flinch and slap a hand over his chest in shock. 

“jungkook! i’m 71 years old! you could’ve killed me!” 

“oh, that’s right-” he gasps. “grandpa, i’m sorry!”

jungkook attacks him with a bear hug, playfully rocking their bodies back and forth hoping that would calm down his vulnerable heart. for a brief moment, he feels like a child again. 

“this is jungkook.” 

the introduction was already made for him. that’s one less thing he has to overthink. 

“____ here wants to feed the fishes every morning from now on. i told her it’s perfectly alright with me.” the janitor laughs. “with my age, you know how forgetful i’ve become.” 

“really?” he breaks away, surprised by what he just learned. “that’s so nice!” 

“it’s nothing. i’m happy to do it.” you smile and make eye-contact with him, but you soon break it, opting to glance at the aquarium. 

you must like fishes a lot. he only felt bad for them because the janitor on night shift doesn’t give a single fuck about them; that’s why he did all that research hoping it would help with committing to the responsibility, which jungkook ended up shouldering in the end anyway. but you… you’ve been here for what? two? three days? 

“tell you what…” he brings out the pen he keeps in the side pocket of his backpack. “this- this is my phone number. if you need anything, or incase you need someone else to feed them, contact me!” 

he scribbles down his phone number on the notepad grandpa was showing you before his rude interruption. 

“by the way, my unit is 1311. you can also just-” he knocks on the thin air, clicking his tongue to mimic the sound. “knock on my door.” 

jungkook’s watch beeps twice everyday, once at 8:50am and then at 11pm sharp. the sun is burning bright and his shift starts at 9am. yes, he is nervous infront of a girl who is drop-dead gorgeous, but he should also be very much nervous about the (unfair) deduction from his measly salary. 

“okay, i need to run to work! goodbye!” 

—

so, his name is jungkook…

you crane your head to watch him rush out of the building. the uncomfortable sound of his sneakers squeaking against the floor makes you grimace. 

the page he wrote his number on is ripped off from the notepad and handed to you. 

“he’s a good kid.”

you force yourself to smile, and it slowly fades as you tilt down your chin and stare at the string of numbers in blue ink.

long after the janitor has left to fulfill his long list of tasks, you remain standing by the aquarium. 

“you do have someone taking good care of you.” you whisper to the clueless fishes, caressing the glass. a genuine smile appears when two of them swim towards you, beady eyes trying to make sense of the stranger loitering around their homey cage. “you can breathe well and you’re warm in the winter. that’s a relief.” 

after feeding them, next on the agenda is to cook your own breakfast. you head for the elevator, tossing the crumpled up paper into the trash bin before pressing the arrow pointing towards north. 

—

“hyung…”

“why?” 

jungkook sighs. “can you text me?” 

“text you what?” seokjin’s forehead creases in confusion. 

“anything. i just need to make sure my phone still works.” 

thursday has been a slow day at the amusement park despite the school vacation and no one has tried to win a teddy bear since the place opened. seokjin is more than happy to spend his free time playing games on his phone in his own little corner at the amusement park. 

well, that was before jungkook got bored at the ping pong toss booth and decided to hang out at the other side of the wall. 

he shrugs and texts his younger friend the word ‘anything’ just to get him off his back. he goes back to playing his game, not curious enough to interrogate him with additional questions. 

jungkook’s text tone rings at max volume. 

“it does work!” he yells in exasperation, flopping down at his seat. “why hasn’t she texted me?”

“you were whining about the same thing the other day.” seokjin muses as his car crosses the finish line. second place. “you fool, just text her first.”

“i don’t have her number.”

“what do you mean you don’t have her number?”

“i gave her mine.” jungkook says quietly. “we live in the same building and i told her to contact me if she needs anything.”

“then i guess it’s safe to say that she doesn’t need anything from you.” 

“seriously, why can’t i have friends that are nice to me?!” 

seokjin bursts out laughing, definitely not a stranger to jungkook and taehyung’s bickering at the break room. 

“you did this one to yourself! jungkook, flirt better!” 

“easier said than done,” jungkook pouts. 

you make him nervous. his brain goes blank when you’re around. in addition to that, he doesn’t know what you’re going through and he’s scared that you’d end up pushing him away if he oversteps. 

“i gave her candy when we first met and she threw them away.” 

“oh, that’s right,” seokjin loads a new game, snorting. “taehyung told me about that.” 

jungkook’s jaw drops. “is he backstabbing me?”

—

jungkook enters the break room with yet another item from the lost-and-found. it’s been over two weeks since he found this orange beanie on the ground. must’ve fallen from the rollercoaster, that’s his best guess. 

since no one has claimed it— “finders keepers,” he grins as he stuffs it into his backpack. 

“thief,” seokjin jokingly accuses him from the other side of the table. “that’s how you were raised?”

“says the one who took the sony headphones yesterday.” 

“i won it fair and square!” 

he’d argue with the older man again, but his phone vibrating has stolen his full attention. he is hit with disappointment at the same moment that he snatches it from the table. it’s his mom, again, asking him when he’s coming home. 

“you need to stop doing that. it’s getting sad.”

he sighs, hugging his backpack to hide his pitiful face. “i am sad.” 

—

his walks home from the bus stop have always been a period for reflection and pondering. the streets of seoul are scattered with his indecision, worries, and anger. since his mother has been asking him for months, should he just go home and endure their living situation? maybe it’s better to be annoyed with the presence of people instead of being blue with a lack thereof. 

so much for being independent. he spent most of high school anticipating the day he gets to move out, now he wants nothing but to go home. he can’t help but to think that life is but a vicious cycle of wanting and losing. 

too lost in thought, he fails to realize right away that he has entered his apartment building’s vicinity. it’s the smell of cigarette smoke that brings him back to reality. the alley is dark, but he can make out the silhouette of a figure crouched down on the ground. assuming that it’s one of the guards hiding to smoke, he soundlessly enters the confined space with mischief up his sleeve. 

when he gets close enough, the first thing he sees is the tip of the cigarette still burning red as the smoker takes a puff.

a car with blinding headlights zooms past.

it becomes unmistakable then— the identity of the person ten feet away from him. 

there’s no one around here with same hair color. 

none that he knows of anyway. 

he is motionless; clueless as to what he should do. he should probably turn his back and leave. pretend this never happened. he never saw anything. 

he can’t even be hung up on the fact that you smoke. if he thinks back on his past experiences with dating, this would’ve been a turn-off, but he loses the ability to care. the smoke in his lungs is negligible when your wounded sobs are breaking his heart. it’s ridiculous that the urge to also cry is spreading fast in his system, but he had a long day and he feels really fucking shitty. 

you were going to notice his presence eventually. 

he doesn’t know what he was expecting. 

you lift your head, and eye-contact is made. none of you chooses to speak a word. 

you’re as beautiful as the day he first met you.

you stand on your feet and you step on the cigarette, on the emotional connection he swore you had, crushing it under the weight of your boot. 

he blinks away the tears threatening to escape his eyes. he should say something; offer an apology for intruding on a vulnerable moment, but you walk past him before he could form the words, shoulder harshly bumping against him. 

could have it been on purpose? 

“____!” he says your name for the first time, for what sounds like a plea. he follows you home like a lost puppy. “i’m sorry, i-i wasn’t… i thought you were another person… are you okay?”

“what do you think?” you spit out. the delicate voice he knows isn’t there, gone harsh and hoarse. 

“is there anything i can do?”

no response. 

he tries again. “anything at all?” 

“oh my god, can’t you take a hint? leave me alone!” 

your sudden outburst sends him stumbling backwards, the sensation of your hands on his chest still lingering despite the distance that was forcefully created between the two of you. 

“i don’t know you! stay away from me!” 

your infuriated voice echoes throughout the lobby. he is shocked. dumbfounded. his eyes, out of focus, seek your face, and he finds you heaving with tearful eyes. 

he makes an attempt to speak, something to defend himself with, but in the end, he still says, “i’m sorry.” 

a woman walks out of the elevator, and you immediately enter without looking back. jungkook remains standing where he is, with strangers’ eyes on him as if he has committed a grave crime.

—

you slam the door shut, hand still covering your mouth shut despite no one being around to hear your cries. you don’t bother turning on the lights. your shoulder bag falls somewhere on the floor and you collapse on the bed, still in your jeans and your heels hanging off your feet. 

nothing matters anymore.

you’re suffering the punishment of somebody else’s crime. you’ve been casted out, stripped away of your dreams and your dignity. your life is over and you’ve accepted that, but maybe you haven’t. all is unfair. you’re so fucking angry but you’re too tired to feel it. and you’re alone. so alone. no one is on your side and it’s not fair. 

you try to scream out, anything to release your pent-up rage, but it doesn’t happen. apparently, that’s what happens when enough people tell you to bite your tongue raw. 

they say we curl up into the fetal position as a natural response to stress and anxiety because it mimics the sense of security we had when we were in our mother’s womb. the way you see it, your body will always be yours and it is the only one that you need.

so you curl up and you put your arms around yourself. you pat your own back until your wrist falls limp from exhaustion, and you keep your eyes closed until you fall into a deep sleep.  

you pray to god that you never wake up.

—

you fail to achieve peace even in your dreams. in what is supposedly an imaginary land, you were being chased by faceless agitators with torches and pitchforks. you were crying and screaming, running on bare and bloody feet, tripping on branches and the stones they were throwing. 

you open your eyes to darkness.

just as you predicted; nobody listens. 

you feel nothing anymore and you hope it stays that way. if you can’t escape it, then perhaps, you can be desensitized to its horrors. 

you force yourself to sit up on the bed, spending an unknown length of time staring into the void. 

the first coherent thought formed in your head… no, not a thought… a person. 

your bare feet brave the cold floor. the switch of the desk lamp is flicked as you sit at your desk. you grab a pen to write something on the free space of your opened journal pages. 

under those numbers, you note down the name of the owner in cursive.

—

after the shitshow that transpired earlier, sleep became impossible for jungkook. 

he doesn’t quite understand how he feels about you. however, it’s currently clear that there’s a part of him that’s pissed off. you made yourself very clear. he should maintain distance from now on. that’s the sensible, respectable thing to do. at this point, attempts at initiating any form of relationship with you appear to be futile. you’re a stranger to him, as you emphasized. this shouldn’t be as complicated as it is in his head… but fuck, the memories of your tear-stained face is corrupting his ability to rationalize.

it’s 2:33am. he’s been playing the guitar infront of the camera for an hour and a half already. the comment section is flooded by sleep-deprived people like him, sending song requests and questions about his personal life. 

yes, he’s about to be in third year college. 

no, he doesn’t have a girlfriend. 

no, he can’t mention where he lives… but sure, he can sing ‘beautiful’ by crush. 

“what do you mean? i just finished playing it ten seconds ago!” he squints as he scrolls through the new wave of comments. “sorry, art commissions are still closed. i’m behind on my workload… no, i’m not sleepy! don’t send me to bed yet… knees by iu? i love that song. should i play that next?”

his phone vibrates with a new text message, nearly causing it to fall from the stack of books he set it up on. 

“oh- what was tha- what do i do? wait, everyone. i need to check on something!”

the live is temporarily put on pause. 

“who is this?”

his eyebrows knit in confusion when he is greeted by an unregistered phone number.

  2:45am

hi, jungkook. this is ____. i wanted to apologize for my behavior at the lobby earlier. i understand you were only concerned. i’m so sorry. i’d love to buy you coffee some time to make it up to you, if that’s ok. 

this is real, right? he’s awake. he’s not hallucinating. the text message indicates your name and it says that you’d love to buy him coffee some time. 

a gasp leaves his mouth, his hand flying up to seal his lips. 

you texted him. you finally texted him.

he was starting to get convinced that you also threw away his number, but you didn’t! 

he weakly sets down the phone, brain still processing the message you sent. does this make sense?

“i shouldn’t reply right away… maybe in the morning…” he nods to affirm myself. “that’s right.” 

he begins chuckling out of nowhere. soon enough, those chuckles become chortles. he must be going insane. he picks up the phone and reads the message again. 

“she sounds pretty even in chat. how is that possible?” he spins on his chair, so carefree. “but honestly, is one coffee enough for what she did?” 

he shakes his head with a click his tongue. 

“i don’t think so…”

hold on…

it feels like he’s forgetting something…

“ah, the live!” he jumps on his seat in panic. 

he swipes out of the text message to go back to the app where he abandoned his thousand viewers.

“sorry, i made money.” he mumbles to himself. “i should end it now.” 

—

his mood has done a 180. his routine consists of feeding the fishes dinner, and then himself, but he decided to skip the second part earlier for reasons that he has forgotten by now. 

his stomach growls at his selfish decision. 

given the time, he considered food delivery, but the fee made him exit the app immediately. he hasn’t gone to the grocery store as of recent either. the fridge has been wasting electricity, but his pride won’t let him turn it off. 

how did people live without convenience stores before? that is what jungkook marvels about as he crosses the long hallway to reach the elevator. 

a door ahead opens, and he would ignore it if not for one of the two people who comes out from the other side of it. 

there is a man in his late 20’s, and then there is… you. 

you are the deer and jungkook is the blinding headlights. 

—

the coffee you originally offered jungkook has turned into a full meal. when you arrived at the convenience store, he knew what he wanted right away. he grabbed the biggest cup of ramyeon and tteokbokki, an egg, sausage, and cheese. he refused to let you pay for them at first, but there was nothing left to do after you handed the cashier the money. 

the action was done out of obligation rather than will, but seeing how much he’s enjoying the food, you’re a little less displeased with the circumstances. 

“is that all you’re eating? we can share mine.” 

“it’s okay. i’m not that hungry.” 

with the money you had left, you were able to afford a roll of gimbap. maybe it’s not enough to make you full, but it’s enough to satiate your hunger. you slowly chew the food in your mouth, an effort to hide your smile as you discretely observe jungkook devour his rabokki. 

“the man from earlier, is he your brother?”

your chewing is put on pause. “how did you know?” 

“how? it’s easy!” 

he cheekily points at his nose using his chopsticks. 

“you have the exact same nose.” 

“ugh,” you grimace. “i’m tired of hearing that.” 

your list of similarities ends there. he’s the golden child and you’re the black sheep. if your parents find out that he comes to visit you and he sends you money, they’d only see you in worse light.

“i know,” jungkook scrunches his nose. “i have an older brother too.” 

cute. 

“so… why did you lie?”

he’s seriously asking you like this? so casually?

you awkwardly set down your food on the table and you take your time sipping at your coffee to buy yourself some time.

—

“i was embarrassed with what happened before… me crying at the boat and everything…”

you’re having a hard time looking at jungkook in the eye. sensing your discomfort, he wants to punch himself for being so careless with his tone. until moments before, he felt too offended to consider the fact that you never owed him an explanation. 

“you don’t have to be. it’s okay.” he reassures you. “we all have bad days.”

it doesn’t work the way that he thought it would. when you start laughing, he is lost. 

“did i say something funny?” he chuckles along nervously. 

“that quote, ‘it’s just a bad day, not a bad life.’” 

“yeah?” 

“it’s the opposite for me. it’s not just a bad day; it’s a bad life.”  

you speak with such endearing humor and it works like a charm in making the atmosphere lighter. he’d pass it off as a self-deprecating joke, but based on your few yet impactful encounters so far, he doesn’t think you’re stretching the truth far. if he’s being honest, if your first meeting happened differently, he’d assume that you’re living a perfectly comfortable life based on your appearance alone.

“even now, i’m too embarrassed to show my face to you. but we’re neighbors, so i’ll try to get over it.”

“tell you what, let’s start with a clean slate.” he eagerly makes a proposal. “you can erase all the embarrassing memories of you from my brain.”

“h-how do i do that?” 

“flick my forehead!”

you blink, eyes darting around as you try to make sense of what he said. “i was expecting some sort of stupid hypnosis.”

“or that,” he switches up, slapping the table as if you just came up with something revolutionary. 

why did he say flick his forehead anyway? he knows you gotta have an overwhelming amount of pent-up emotions. you could go deku on him and blow his head off. 

“let’s do that!”

“no, i like it.” you almost interrupt him. “i’ll flick your forehead.” 

but he did suggest it… and you act so gentle and sophisticated. he doubts that you would make it hurt. 

“here i go!”

he gets his bangs out of the way. “okay!”

he squeezes his eyes shut, bracing himself for impact. “please have mercy.” 

son of a bitch. that hurt. 

“ow!” he rubs the affected area, face twisting in pain. his eyes flicker to you in disbelief. “you didn’t hold back, huh?!” 

you smile at him sweetly. “did it work?”

  —

“you fed them, right?”

“of course i did. you?”

“yes, this morning.”

“okay, that’s good.”

you and jungkook sit in silence after that, eyes twinkling with wonder as they follow the stunning movements of the goldfishes. 

deep inside, he’s feeling restless. you make him nervous, and he’s also nervous about you noticing that he’s nervous. it’s been a tireless cycle. 

he sneaks a glance at you.

perhaps he’s overthinking again. it seems like you don’t even care that he’s less than an arm’s length from you. 

he doesn’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed. 

he sighs without a sound, comfortably leaning all of his weight on the couch. 

“it’s called the dreamboat.”

“what is?” 

the boat you cried in— can’t say that. you might flick his forehead again. 

“at the amusement park.” 

“oh…”

it falls silent. 

jungkook is thankful when you have a follow-up question because he hasn’t thought of a new topic yet. 

“i wonder why they called it that.”

“oh, because the owner’s daughter loves boats!” he shares one of the few fun facts he learned over the past year. “that’s why it was designed like it came from a fairy tale too.” 

a mirthful smile forms on your face “my guess was too far off.” 

“what was it?” 

“mhmm,” you hum, folding your arms over your chest. “dreamboat is a word used to describe a handsome man, right?”

jungkook nods his head like he knew that all along. no, he didn’t. 

“so i imagined the owner met their handsome partner on a boat- no, or a ship,” the epiphany hits you in the middle of your sentence. “they have to be rich since they built an amusement park.”

a romantic. you imagined a love story based on a word alone. jungkook’s teeth dig into his lower lip as he tries to tame his wide grin. 

“that does sound like a good theory.” he casually bends over, resting his elbows over his spread thighs. “i think i like it better than the truth.”

“how did you know that though? the truth?”

he shrugs. “i work there.”

“you work there?” your voice goes up a pitch. “i didn’t know…”

“you? do you study or work?”

“call center,” you answer to get it over with. to his surprise, your body language shifts and you’re now facing him. “what’s it like working there? is it fun?” 

apparently, a job at the amusement park is now joining his very short list of your interests: after motorbikes, smoking, and fishes.

“it has good days and bad days…” he trails off. he hasn’t truly given this much thought, so he’s also learning about himself. “but i didn’t expect it to be as fun as it is. sometimes it’s boring, but when it’s fun, it’s really fun.”

you scoot closer. “do you get to ride for free?”

ah, yes, the deciding factor when he was offered the job. 

“there’s an employee discount, actually! but i do it for free anyway…” he shyly scratches his head. “don’t tell anyone i said that.” 

“i don’t have anyone to tell.” 

his heart skips a beat when he hears your laugh genuinely for the first time. quiet and delicate and airy— you grace this blue summer night like a spring breeze that takes away with it everything that burdens your mind and heart. 

once again, the aquarium becomes the most interesting collection of atoms in the building. as for him, he is still unable to keep his eyes off you. 

“did you have a pet fish growing up? you really like them a lot.”

“no,” you reply. “i didn’t care about them until now.”

“really?” his eyes grow wide. “wow, i seriously thought you were a marine life enthusiast, or something like that.” 

you give him a look. “i thought you were a marine life enthusiast.”

“we were both wrong.” he shrugs. “but what made you care about them so much now?”

“i don’t know. i just thought of something when i was looking at them.” 

he feels your hesitance to continue. your eyes connect briefly and he communicates that he’s listening with an open mind.

“they’re different from other pets, you know, like cats and dogs. they can’t make a sound when they’re in pain.” 

in the dark room, he sees the melancholy seeping from the cracked edges of you. although you act relaxed, your spoken thoughts paint the picture of a person whose sensitivity and sympathy touch upon everything. 

“there should at least be somebody who cares enough to check up on them and make sure that they’re alive and well.” 

“…and you wanted to be that somebody for them.” he concludes with a hushed voice, more to himself than you. 

“but it turns out they have you already.”

“it’s not just me now.”

he mirrors your soft smile. it’s nice to see your frown turned upside down for a change. what was weighing down on him has become lighter, and he hopes it’s the same for you.

“the sun is about to rise.” you announce after a peek at the grandfather clock. “we should go home.”

jungkook isn’t a big fan of comfortable silence, but he can get used to it. he maintains a respectable distance from you in the elevator, engaging himself with the ascending number of floors on the screen. when the door opens, you’re the first to step out and he follows suit. 

your destination isn’t far. you pause in front of unit 1303.

“uhm, this is me.” 

yup, the same door he saw you come out of. 

“i’m not far, just at the end of the hall. 1311, if you ever need anything.”

your eyes trace the direction of where he’s pointing before you nod in understanding. with a hand gripping the door handle, you offer him one final smile.

“goodnight, jungkook.”

—

if others cheese over good morning texts first thing after opening their eyes, then jungkook’s case is one of a kind. 

he rolls over to his side, puffy eyes from sleep forming thinner crescent moons as he zooms in on your reflection on the glass. 

  10:08am

[attached image]

they’re happy and fed :)

10:10am

[attached image]

babies are getting bigger

this is how his mornings have been going for the past two weeks. he wakes up and he checks his phone for fish breakfast updates from you. in return, he sends fish dinner updates to you at night. he was the first one to send you a picture following the night you awkwardly bumped into each other. he didn’t want to wait around anymore.

were his palms sweaty? did he throw his phone on the bed after? 

no longer relevant. 

he now knows that your favorite color is blue and you have wednesdays and fridays off for the next month. that’s pretty cool. 

another thing he’s taken notice of is that you don’t use emojis or emoticons aside from the smiley face. 

although, there was once a miracle.

he scrolls up until he reaches your conversation from four days ago.

  11:59pm

LOL i’m actually allergic to seafood ㅜㅜ

😭😭😭

“ah, i’m annoyed!” he kicks his feet; half of the blanket falls to the floor. “she’s so cute!” 

things are indeed going great, greater than he imagined, but if he has to complain, he wishes he could see you in person more. he’s at work when you’re home and vice versa, so you don’t cross paths despite living on the same apartment floor. that 3am encounter was a rare phenomenon, it turns out. he chanced upon you a few times while running to work and you were feeding the fishes breakfast, but those conversations were barely conversations. 

‘i just thought of something when i was looking at them… they can’t make a sound when they’re in pain.’

he hasn’t stopped thinking about that. 

—

“when are you asking her out on a date?”

taehyung is on a mission to tease him for life even from daegu. he’s only thankful that his best friend isn’t video calling him from the toilet again because he’s currently having his lunch. 

“i don’t know.” he grouches. “it doesn’t feel like the right time. i don’t want to scare her off.” 

“when’s that ‘right time’?” 

“i’ll figure it out…” he sighs, setting down the half-eaten sandwich on the table. “how do i say it…? i feel like- hm, she’s no- she’s not in the best emotional state right now.” 

“so you admit it,” taehyung raises an eyebrow, smirking. “she has issues.”

that didn’t sit right with jungkook at all. he feels obligated to defend your honor. 

“hey, stop being rude. you haven’t even met her yet.” 

“come on, bro! i’m only looking out for you.” 

the atmosphere shifts into a more serious tone.

“i don’t want you to get hurt trying to fix another person again. it was hard to watch.”

he moved on and learned his lesson— he wants to spit out as a rebuttal, but his best friend gave him much to think about. would it make sense to say that he’s moved on but he hasn’t healed? 

“i know,” is what he ends up saying absentmindedly, distracted by thoughts that he isn’t keen on sharing. 

and as if he’s been slapped back into reality, he fixes his posture and picks up his sandwich. “so, what’s up? have you even slept yet?”

“no,” taehyung responds nonchalantly. between the two of them, he absolutely has the more fucked up sleeping schedule. “i’ve been awake since 12am.”

“didn’t you say you’d spend the entire vacation sleeping?”

“this vacation was a trap.”

the camera darts to the abandoned mop on the floor.

“my mom makes me do all the chores everyday. this is worse than my actual job!” 

a devilish grin is drawn on jungkook’s face. ah, the grass is always greener on the other side.

  

—

“mondays stay to be a pain in the ass.”

does it look like he’s exhausted and dirty from chasing around children all day? jungkook is stressed as he checks himself out on his front camera. he’s walking home from the bus stop after clocking out of work. 

the street is mostly quiet, until a roaring engine approaches and he cringes at the raucous sound assaulting his eardrums. he’s already at the sidewalk for his safety and in accordance with the law, but he feels compelled to stay further back and wait for the vehicle to pass by. 

seconds later, a black harley races past.

jungkook is dumbfounded as he tries to piece the puzzle together. 

the lights are bright, and your pink hair blowing with the wind is even brighter. 

“w-was that…?”

—

he was going to bring it up over text last night, but he decided to reserve it for physical conversation because he wants to see your face light up again. 

you’re so fucking cool. 

he’s both amazed and envious. 

also, he’s pretty damn sure that you’re rich. he doesn’t understand why you’re living in this place and enduring the graveyard shift at the call center. 

a foolish smile is permanently plastered on his face as he sketches a commissioned digital portrait. he really should focus, or else he might end up drawing you instead of his client. 

he spins on his chair, pushing the wheels towards the bed, where he comfortably extends his feet over. almost missed it. the power has been out for an hour and he doesn’t expect it to come back until dawn. he was pissed about this being a normal occurrence during the first year of his stay here, but he’s gotten quite used to it. invested in a powerbank that almost looks like it can charge a car’s battery and he’s all set. 

the aggressive pounding at the door drowns out the pop ballad he’s listening to.

“what? who could it be at this hour?” 

he pauses the song, turning up the brightness of his ipad to use it as a makeshift flashlight. 

the last person he expected to appear at his door says the last thing he expected them to say. 

“jungkook, i think there’s a ghost in my apartment.”

—

jungkook sets down a hot cup of tea infront of you. in his mind, he thanks himself for keeping everything his mom sends him, even the things he do not like. 

“thanks,” you mumble, picking it up by the handle. 

he patiently sits on the other side of the table for two, giving you the time to calm yourself down from the horror that you witnessed. he has his emergency light propped up on the kitchen counter. he was saving it for when he finds himself in a grave situation, like a total blackout or an apocalypse. he didn’t imagine he’d end up using it for an unusual night like this. 

“are you feeling better?” he asks worriedly.

you nod. “yeah, i just don’t want to be alone right now.” 

“i’m here. you can stay until whenever you want.”

“thank you.”

you sigh with your eyes closed. you look like life has been drained out of you. 

“i’m really scared, jungkook.”

“are you sure about what you saw? i mean, it’s dark. your mind could’ve been playing tricks on you.”

“i saw him. i really him saw him!” you frantically defend yourself. “i was washing my hands then i turned around and i saw him, sitting at the edge of my bed! he looked at me!” 

his heart drops to his stomach when your chin begins to wobble and he sees your eyes glistening with unshed tears. 

“and his skin was burnt off, jungkook.” you enunciate the words to emphasize the severity of what you experienced. “it’s so horrifying, i had to run.” 

“hey hey hey- it’s okay. i believe you.” he squeezes your cold, trembling hands. “you’re safe now. it’s only us here. no spirits- i promise.” 

he’s losing his mind a little bit. he’s holding the hands of the girl he likes and her pinky is wrapped around his. you’ve been putting him through a rollercoaster that, for once, he wasis terrified of. he wants to bask in this moment… but the specific detail you revealed is bothering him.

“and you said… he was burnt?” 

“yeah, why?”

he presses his lips in a thin line, shaking his head. “no, it’s nothing.”

“there’s something.” you stop crying. “i see it on your face.”

“i swear, it's nothing!”

“you’re lying!” you accuse him. “what is it?”

“forget it, ____.”

“jungkook,” you say his name sternly. “tell me.”

shit, he’s done for. you can’t do this to him when he’s trying to protect you.

he swallows nervously. “but i don’t want to scare you.” 

“i saw a ghost. what else can scare me?”

“the truth is…” he pauses, still weighed down by hesitance. but he realizes he has reached the point of no return. also, you’re squeezing his hands a little too tight. “this building had to be restored. it burned down a decade ago. people suspect there was foul play, but the firemen said it was faulty wiring.” 

he’s the one telling the story, but he also feels chills run down his spine. 

“oh… so you’re saying…”

“i… believe so?” he winces with a mix of guilt and fear. “but it’s the first time i’m hearing of a ghost story here. i haven’t had any encounter either.” 

“i need to move.” you declare, not an ounce of humor in your voice. 

“don’t!” he protests. 

perhaps a little too passionately. could he be any more obvious? 

“what do you mean? you need to leave too!”

“i can’t,” he fakes a pained expression. “who’s going to take care of the fishes?” 

that works like a charm. 

you untangle your hands and lean against the chair, transforming into a pensive state. 

if he wasn’t going to convince you to stay, the fishes would. 

“fuck,” you curse in a low whisper, sipping on your tea. 

—

“i’m not the spoiled brat you think i am.” you frown, dangling your feet from the bed. “i sleep on the floor too.” 

“i’d be rude if i let you do that.” jungkook insists as he fluffs his pillow. “i’m comfortable right here. i’m used to it.” 

he was relieved that you weren’t stubborn enough to go back to your place and force yourself to sleep there. after seeing how terrified you were, it would’ve been impossible for him to close his eyes and shut down his brain from worrying. he hasn’t seen a ghost, but they have to be real. he likes to believe that we do not cease to exist and we have some place to go when we die. however, that does co-exist with being alarmed by a ghost of a burnt body sitting on your bed. he isn’t going to let you go back in there tonight. no way.

“you should get some rest. just tell me if you need anything, okay?”

“thank you, jungkook.” 

“it’s no problem!”

his name sounds so sweet when it comes from your lips. he can’t help but to feel giddy every time he hears it. 

you lie down on the bed, facing the portable fan strategically set up on jungkook’s gaming chair. on the other hand, the emergency light is at the nightstand, acting as a night lamp. 

he checks the time on his ipad: 1:48am. his battery percentage: 55%. he’s not yet sleepy, so he decides to continue working until he gets the low battery warning for 20%. 

sitting down without back support becomes too uncomfortable after a while, especially when drawing. he doesn’t realize it when he changes positions, too focused on drawing the intricate floral patterns on the client’s blouse. 

“is that your girlfriend?” 

jungkook turns his head towards the voice and your face is only inches away from his. the word stops for a moment.

“is she okay with me sleeping here?” 

he scoots a little further away to grant his racing heart some mercy. “u-uhmm, no.”

“no…?” you repeat slowly, sounding concerned.

“no, as in she’s not my girlfriend!” he further elaborates in distress. “i don’t have a girlfriend.”

“okay, cool. you scared me.” you huff out a chuckle. “i don’t like being the girl who causes problems.” 

“no, you’re safe.” he manages to also laugh. “no one’s coming to pull your hair.”

“then who is she?” you point at the screen with your pouted lips, particularly the reference photo that’s been burnt to his memory. 

“a client. people pay me to draw them.”

“oh, so she’s one of your french girls?” you crack a humorous remark.

the reference catches him off guard, even though he should’ve totally seen it coming.

he squints. “mhmmm, i guess? kind of like that… except they’re not, you know, naked.”

“i see,” you hum in interest. “you don’t like doing nude drawings?” 

“honestly? i don’t know. i’ve never done it before.” 

“no one’s asked you?”

he shakes his head. “no one,”

“would you do mine if i ask you to?” 

he secretly pinches his thigh to prove that he’s not dreaming. 

what the fuck?

did he hear you right? 

it sounded like such a genuine and casual question in the name of art, but the worst thing he could do while his crush is sleeping over is to imagine her naked. he feels the warmth spread across his cheeks, possibly reaching his ears. 

“hey, breathe!” you giggle with a push of his shoulder. “you don’t have to answer that. sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

“sorry, i was just surprised.” 

he forces himself to laugh and act like the question isn’t putting him through a crisis in so many levels. 

“i’ll let you finish your work.” you smile at him, pulling up the blanket. 

please do and stop shaking up my heart. 

“goodnight.” 

“goodnight, ____.” 

—

jungkook is still flustered by the conversation. since you opened up the topic, he did give it some serious thought. he thinks he wouldn’t mind if someone asked him to do it. he makes all of his negotiations and transactions online so everyone so far have been a stranger. as for the people he personally know, unless it’s his significant other, wouldn’t it be awkward? 

anyway, the chances of it happening are low. stressing over it is pointless.

he needs to finish this commission and move on to the next, or else he’d be encumbered by the pile of deadlines. he’s making the most out of this vacation so he can save more money and work won’t have to interfere so often with his studies. 

sometimes he doesn’t understand why he works so hard either. his family isn’t struggling financially. in fact, he’s studying to take over their businesses. his parents have been nothing but kind and supportive, but he is never compelled to ask them for money. he feels this strong and all-consuming need to prove himself as capable and independent. nothing compares to the gratification of buying his wants and needs with the money he sacrificed his blood, sweat, and tears for. he can’t stop himself.

“i can’t sleep…” a quiet murmur reaches his ears. “may i watch you draw?” 

oh, he thought you’ve fallen asleep twenty minutes ago. 

“of course,” 

he is more than happy to move closer to give you a good view of his progress. 

if there’s one thing he isn’t ashamed to boast about— it’s this. 

it’s silent except for your breathing and the taps of his pen on the screen. he’s a tad self-conscious with the presence of engrossed eyes, but he would describe the atmosphere as peaceful. 

“you’re such a great artist.” you whisper in awe. 

jungkook can’t recall the last time he felt this simple yet profound type of joy. 

—

true to your words, you did move as morning came. 

jungkook wakes up to an empty bed and a commotion outside. 

“____?” 

he knocks on the bathroom door, not expecting it to swing open from the action. he takes his chances and peeks inside with another call of your name, but you’re still nowhere to be seen. 

did you really leave without saying goodbye? 

he sighs in disappointment. he was planning on buying you breakfast, too. he knew it. he should’ve made the invitation last night. 

a series of loud thumps prompts him to scratch his head in irritation. he’s tired and sleep-deprived and he didn’t see his crush’s face first thing in the morning. the day has barely started and it’s already a bad one.

he opens the door with a considerable force, mouth running before his eyes could perceive his surroundings. 

“could you guys turn it down? people are still slee-”

“jungkook! you’re awake.” 

you jog over to him with a more cheery expression than last night’s. there’s no windows but the sun is shining over his face.

“sorry about the noise. i’m moving to a new unit.”

he can see that, but his brain remains in a muddled state. how did you make the arrangements overnight? he gapes at the men hauling your things to your new apartment.

“1308?” he exclaims.

“yeah,” you shyly reply. “it’s the only vacant one left.” 

almost but not quite. does he have the right to complain? you’d be one door away. 

he’s fucking ecstatic. 

if he just sets aside the fact that it took a ghastly ghost encounter for the stars to align. 

the wrinkles on his forehead disappear and become crinkles by his eyes, accompanied by an excited beam. 

“should we feed them together then grab breakfast after?” 

—

time passes by too fast for jungkook’s liking. summer vacation ended a month ago and he’s back to busting his ass off at the university. he misses the days and nights when the only thing he was going insane about is you. 

what’s taking you so long to reply? did he say something stupid? does he look nice? smell nice? are you crying again? that ghost isn’t bothering you again, is he? 

now that he needs to focus on something less interesting, say studying taxation and business law for subsequent long quizzes tomorrow, he’s back to crushing cans of energy drinks. 

fuck, he misses you. 

your purple hair tie is still wrapped around the knob of his bathroom sink faucet and he keeps forgetting to give it back to you. you make him nervous but he forgets he ever felt that way after five minutes with you. he craves to be connected with you on a more intimate level. he wants to be more than just a neighbor you make small talk with, over text. he wants to be more than a friend you sometimes eat with, on your days off. but he likes you so much that he can be content with the way things are, so long as it means you won’t go further away. 

he’s absolutely pumped to hear his friends berate him for being stupid enough to enjoy the bare minimum from a woman. 

an email notification interrupts his intense cramming session with his ipad and his illegally downloaded ebooks.

No Name

Subject: IMPORTANT! READ ME! 

snack break at the aquarium? 

he already has a strong inkling on who the sender could be; he clicks the email address and unsurprisingly, it says that it’s you. 

did you seriously go out of your way to email him because he told you that he was going to keep his phone turned off while studying? 

ridiculous. 

so cute and ridiculous. 

—

“i brought your favorite.” you meekly present your gift to jungkook. “uh, actually i’m not sure if it’s your favorite. but it’s become mine since you gave it to me.”

jungkook gapes at the bag of his favorite gummies sitting on his lap. just for comparison, the packet he gave you that day you first met came from his pocket. this one is almost as wide as his thighs slightly spread apart. 

but most importantly, what did you just say?

“y-you didn’t throw it away?”

“what are you saying?” you pout, a little hurt by the question. “why would i throw it away?”

“you should’ve. you can’t just accept food from strangers!” 

he was being pretty before. he humbly admits that. he just wanted an excuse to bring you up so he whined about it for weeks, but he was never genuinely upset. not specifically about that, anyway.

“why are you so upset?” you match the rise of his voice. “i’m fine and we ended up being friends. now say ‘thank you’ and open it!”

“ah, sure-” he panics, fumbling with the zigzag edges of the packaging. you were kind of hot for that. “thank you! this was seriously so thoughtful of you.” 

you nod in satisfaction, stealing a gummy worm the second that the plastic is torn open. “you’re welcome!”

—

  “i should stop eating.” jungkook mumbles to himself, chewing the other half of his nth gummy worm of the night. 

“yeah,” you agree, pulling your hand away from the bag with an impressive show of restraint. “we should.”

the two of you probably look bizarre in the eyes of strangers, particularly those who have seen you one too many nights admire the golden creatures like you’re being hypnotized and nothing else in the world matters. jungkook never knows what’s running in your head, but to him, these moments are all about being beside you. the loud beating of his heart could be attributed to the caffeine, or the bare skin of your knees touching and no one daring to move. 

“the tank feels…” there is a delay as you search for the appropriate word. “dull. can’t there be more variety of plants?” 

“i tried,” he laughs at the funny memory you evoked. “when i came back the next day, two of them already ate everything.”  

you gasp. “everything? is that normal?” 

he opens his mouth to speak, but you unknowingly interrupt him with a raise of your hand.

“okay, i’m searching on naver.” 

jungkook behaves for the fifteen minutes that follow, sneaking a peek at your phone screen every now and then with squinted eyes. you read fast, and your knees shake when you have to think hard. they’re small things. they don’t matter that much. but they’re still parts of your entirety which he is to be well-aquainted with. 

“according to this person, we can try giving them marimo moss balls to play with… and hmmm-” you hum, lips puckering into a pout. “then for plants, anubias and java ferns?” 

“i still know the address of the place i bought the plants from before. we can go when you’re free.” he offers, jumping on the opportunity to spend time with you outside of this building. 

“you free sunday?” 

“is the afternoon alright? i have to go to uni in the morning.” 

please say yes.

“sure, that works.”

he breaks into a triumphant smile. 

yes! 

—

jungkook has been looking forward to this day all week. he breezed through work and college, motivated to finish all his tasks so he could enjoy his time with you without any worries. he knows it’s not a date, but anyone can be excited to meet up with a friend.

“you look pretty.” he smiles, breaking the silence in the elevator. 

“you can barely see my face.” 

“i see it!”

your nonchalance slowly fades, seemingly replaced by unease, which confuses jungkook. you put on a white face mask from the pocket of your hoodie before facing him. 

“now you don’t!” you banter with him playfully. 

“too late,” he sticks his tongue out. “i can draw it from memory.” 

this is your usual day outfit, a basic classic. a hoodie paired with shorts and sneakers. the face mask is part of it too. in a crowd, you could be anyone, even him, if only your hair doesn’t stand out among the neutrals. he likes it. he likes how you match outfits without trying to. you get more dressed up at night, which makes sense since you go to work. 

“so you can draw me even if i flash you just once?” 

scandalized, he almost chokes on his own spit. “____!”

“i’m joking!” you giggle.

“no, please do it.” he encourages you in jest.

that earns him a slap on the face. he touches the affected area. it didn’t hurt at all, you did it with a light hand, but he gapes at you dumbstruck. 

“you can joke about it but i can’t?!” 

you only laugh at his reaction. he also imagines that he looks funny. not long after, the elevator opens and you drag him out by his hand.

—

the cashier pushes back your extended hand. “sorry, we don’t accept card payments.” 

while you pout sadly at the rejection, jungkook rushes to grab the wallet that you made him hide because this was your ‘idea.’ 

“here,” he puts down the paper bills on the counter.

“i’ll pay you back.” 

“no, it’s fine. my treat for the fishes since they’d probably eat them anyway.” he jokes to comfort you.

“yeah, okay,” you respond listlessly. “then i’ll buy our dinner. samgyupsal?”

“call!” 

jungkook guesses you have come to know him well too. 

“okay, let’s go.”

he invites you to leave after the cashier gives him the paper bag. as you walk out together, your shoulders brush, and for a brief moment, he assumes that you would cling to him. he doesn’t know why he keeps doing that. you never do. he continues walking and he doesn’t even notice that he has left you behind.

the door is half-open and he’s stood in place, eyes scanning the store like he just lost a child at the mall. 

of course, he finds you hunched over infront of an aquarium inhabited by a betta fish. 

“do you want to get it?” he whispers, mindful of scaring away the little creature. “i don’t think i’ve seen a purple fish before.”

not even in art or television. it’s strange. 

he feels your eyes glued to him. persuaded by curiosity, he turns his cheek. 

his breathing stops when he sees your face so close. 

he doesn’t know you removed your mask. you’re staring at him so intensely with those beautiful  eyes, sparkling with the reflections of light. you’re dazzling, and intimidating, and it’s doing dangerous things to his heart.

a little nudge and he’d give you an eskimo kiss. 

if there’s a perfect romantic moment to kiss your lips, he’d say it’s right now. 

“it’s not the fish i want.” 

he doesn’t hear you. 

do you see how entranced he is by your lips? 

“the shipwreck, it’s beautiful.”

his eyes chase the sight of them when you return your gaze to the aquarium. 

“like you,” the words slip out without thought.

—

a soft smile tugs at the corner of your lips. you blink away the tears and you stomach the heavy in your chest. you know jungkook is still staring at you with those bedroom eyes and there was no deep thought behind his compliment. will he still find you beautiful when he sees who you are beyond the surface? 

“like me…”

— 

after dinner, you and jungkook planted the plants and installed the shipwreck you wanted. it was not cheap, but it was worth it, if it meant seeing your priceless joy. he carries around more cash than necessary when he goes out with you. he’s praying that you didn’t see his sigh of relief when the waiter said the restaurant accepts card. he doesn’t know much about your circumstances, why you stopped going to school and why you opted to work instead, but he knows you lead a lifestyle different from his. he’s not ignorant. he estimates your bag is five times more expensive than his ipad. but with how you’re soundly sleeping on his shoulder, he can say that it’s justified. 

he learns that you’ve been working straight for fifteen days, with 10-20 hours of overtime per week. you practically live there. he can feel the weight of your shoulders on him, which is why he doesn’t have the heart to wake you up despite his bladder’s need of the bathroom. this is probably the closest he will ever be to you. he can’t be the one to walk away in this memory. 

the humming noise of the aquarium’s filter fills the silence.

it always feels like he’s dreaming when he’s with you.

“after all that money we spent, we should really name them now.” 

you release the yawn you were holding back while speaking, head dropping on his shoulder. jungkook stiffens at the suddenness of the physical contact, but then relaxes thanks to the tranquilizing scent of your shampoo— it has to be coconut, with some sort of flowers that perfectly compliment it.  

“have any ideas?”

“yes,” he hears the smile in your voice. “you know those two who have similar hues?”

he hums, body vibrating underneath your soft cheek.

“tangerine, and then clementine for the smaller one.” 

“those are cute names.”

“you like them?”

“yes, they really sound like siblings!”

“okay, i won.” you shrug your shoulders as far as they can go, as if you’re so pleased you could burst. “that’s settled. your turn!”

“hmmm…” 

he unconsciously bounces his knee as he racks his brain, which you swat with a disapproving noise, mumbling “making me dizzy!”

“sorry,” he winces.

your giggles are infectious, bringing tickles somewhere deep inside of him, butterflies in his stomach coming alive like spring only arrived. 

“shouldn’t we at least have one named after a flower?” he suggests. “hold on, i’ll search for good ones.”

“let’s give the flower name to the yellow one. she stands out, like a flower.”

you blink wearily, a soft smile amidst the haze, sent to the yellow fish who swam closer as if it heard itself being called. 

he reads the list of yellow flower names out loud.  

“sunflower, daisy, azalea… for-forthysia? lily, cosmos, dahlia-”

“dahlia-” you quietly repeat the name in awe, clinging to his arm to steal his attention.

“dahlia it is!” 

“i wish dahlia would live forever.” you sigh, haunted by the inevitable. 

“dahlia will outlive us.” he chuckles. 

“i’ll protect her from the afterlife.”

he squeezes your hand tenderly. “i’ll be right there with you.” 

and with unspoken mutual understanding, your fingers intertwine. neither one of you wants to let go, he feels it strongly and he is sure of it. his cheeks may very well begin to ache with how elated he is. 

“that’s three… you know, i saw someone on youtube who named their fish coral. i thought it was a very pretty name. how about that?”

“i like it,” you chirp. “i kind of wish it was my name.” 

“should i just give it to you?”

you lift your head a little, sleepy eyes connecting with his. “do you know someone who has the same name as me?”

“no,” he slowly shakes his head. “you’re the only one.” 

“let’s give it to the one with the longest tail.” 

your head drops on his shoulder, as if it’s where it belongs. 

“i like being the only one.”

you fell asleep seconds after that.

he found entertainment in watching as much as the goldfishes playing around with the shipwreck. it’s a wooden ship split in two, with cracks and holes big enough for them to swim in and out of. even the sails have holes. the drawings on them are unrecognizable beyond his imagination. 

it’s quite charming, but he doesn’t understand what’s special about it the way you do. 

a teardrop drips from the tip of your nose and crashes on his arm, but he doesn’t feel it. 

eventually, it dries, and is erased from history. 

Masked Miracles

BTS Ot7 x Reader

Chapter 13

Sorry this took so much longer than I intended it to. The week this was supposed to be posted was hell and then I kept writing and writing and nowhere felt good to leave off. Anyway, because of that, this chapter is a little longer than usual. Enjoy!

“Leave it to you to make what was supposed to be an easy in-and-out complicated.” Minhyuk sighed, tossing his helmet into the ambulance behind me.

He eyed the already forming bruise around my abdomen until I pulled my shirt over it again. It hurt like hell, my shoulder in no better shape, but the paramedic was relatively sure I’d be fine. That reassurance was enough for me as I was itching to get back inside to find Namjoon and Hoseok. Under Min’s insistence, I had to be checked out first and given the all clear before he allowed me to do anything else. Taehyung was transported to the nearest hospital shortly after we were led out of the facility, Jimin going with him after hearing that Yoongi had been taken there too. Jin had gone with Yoongi, leaving Jungkook as the only other one besides the missing red panda and lion, his instincts still on high alert right next to me while his eyes remained glued to the building’s entrance in hopes his older packmates would be the next ones to walk through it.

“Yeah, well, someone’s got to keep things interesting in your life.” I grunted, jumping off the edge of the ambulance truck bed.

Jungkook’s gaze flit to me, quickly standing as I did, as eager to head back in as me.

“You alright?” Min asked, giving me a once over to confirm for himself.

“I’ll be feeling it for days to come, but it’s not anything I can’t handle. Any luck with Namjoon and Hoseok?”

Right on cue, Jungkook’s posture shifted, his rounded ears pointing in the direction of the doors seconds before he broke into a dead sprint. His name lodged in my throat as I turned my attention that way. Jooheon emerged first, rolling the massive metal sliding door to the warehouse open a bit further to allow another stretcher through. A brief bout of panic struck me, my eyes darting between the group of medics to see who was on it. It abated somewhat after realizing the man being wheeled towards another ambulance wasn’t one of the pack members, but the guard who attacked me and I had last seen fighting with Namjoon.

I whipped my head back towards the doors, releasing a deep breath seeing the two missing hybrids walk out the doors next, side by side. I sagged in relief seeing the two of them relatively unharmed, apart from the obviously busted lip Namjoon sported and their disheveled clothes and hair. Jungkook launched himself into Namjoon’s embrace, the pack leader welcoming the contact while simultaneously attempting make sure the youngest was unhurt. The sight was heartwarming, a part of me happy that I was able to get them out of there, now I wanted to make sure the seven of them were reunited with one another.

As much as I desired to check on them myself, I allowed them their moment together, my attention turning back to Minhyuk who had been watching them just as I had.

“Did your men find Jongsu?”

Min’s head turned to me, the shake of his head deflating the small bit of happiness I held.

“No. He’s gone. We didn’t hardly find any of the guards either, I’m assuming they had some sort of escape route in place that we just haven’t found yet. We’re working on releasing the other hybrids they left behind.”

“What’s going to happen to them?”

He turned contemplative, crossing his arms over his chest.

“We’ll most likely send them to a secure location, just to be safe. Same with the ones you were with. It would be in their best interest, and yours, if you all laid low for a while until we find Jongsu.”

“You want to send me to witness protection too?” I asked surprised.

“I don’t really think you have a choice Y/N. Jongsu will come after you. I’d rather be as prepared as we can be in that case, wouldn’t you?”

“Y/N…”

I turned at the call of my name, Namjoon having been able to peel Jungkook off him approached Minhyuk and I cautiously, his eyes darting between the two of us as he came to my side.

“Are you okay?”

I melted under his concern, his worry-filled chocolate gaze searching for my answer before I could provide it.

“As good as I can be under the circumstances.” I shrugged. “What about you? That looks like it hurts.”

I tapped my lower lip in the same spot his was split, his features turning confused as he brought his hand up, wincing when he made contact with the wound as if he hadn’t even known it was there.

“Ah, well, good news is that other than my lip, I’m fine.”

“You sure? I can have one of the medics check you out just to be safe.” Minhyuk suggested.

Namjoon shook his head, giving as much of a polite smile he could without irritating his cut.

“I appreciate the offer, but I think I’d feel a lot better if I could be taken to the rest of my pack instead.”

“I’ll have a car brought around for the three of you.” Min promised, reaching for his phone.

“Four.”

Minhyuk paused, turning his attention back to Namjoon. “Four?” He repeated.

Bewildered, I ran a quick count in my head, unsure who else Namjoon could be referring to since they would already be at the hospital. Namjoon nodded once, his head tilting slightly in my direction though his eyes never left Min.

“I want Y/N with us.”

“Me?”

“Yes.” Namjoon stated simply, shifting his gaze to me. “I think all of us would feel a little more comfortable having you nearby. Besides, I’m worried it may throw Yoongi into a panic if he wakes up and can’t find you.”

“Who’s Yoongi?” Minhyuk questioned.

“Our snow leopard.”

“Okay, and why would he panic if Y/N isn’t there?”

Namjoon opened his mouth to answer, but my hand found purchase on his forearm before he spoke.

“I’ll… explain later.” I interrupted him, hoping the grimace I gave Minhyuk came off as a smile more than the awkward twist of expression it felt like.

I could tell Minhyuk didn’t appreciate not knowing exactly what that meant. The look in his eyes was familiar, one I’d seen on many occasions when he knew he wasn’t going to like what I had to say. Thankfully, I was spared the incoming lecture by an uneasy Hoseok, his tail puffed out as he helped himself to the spot next to me opposite of Namjoon, concern marring his normally unbothered countenance.

“Are you alright?”

I nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. “I’ve already been checked out and given the okay. What about you?”

A relieved smile lifted his lips, some of that radiance I associated with him returning.

“Not even a scratch.”

Grateful that I had one less injured pack member to worry over, my thoughts shifted to the one I knew was critically injured and the other I had last seen totally unconscious. Out of the corner of my eye, Namjoon tried to keep his fidgeting to a minimum, but I knew that if I was itching to make sure Taehyung and Yoongi were alright, he probably felt those feelings ten-fold.

“Min. We can figure out the specifics later, but I’m sure Namjoon as well as the other two would feel much better if we could get to the hospital as soon as possible.”

Reluctantly, Minhyuk agreed, calling someone to bring a car around. Unsurprisingly, Jungkook was the first inside, followed by Hoseok while Namjoon stood by patiently for the two of them to settle. His head turned towards me, the slight tilting gesture telling me he was waiting on me. Before I could join them, Minhyuk stopped me, giving Namjoon a tight-lipped smile as he pulled me a few feet away.

“I’ll come pick you up when I’m done here, so don’t leave the hospital, alright?”

“Alright.”

“And get checked out while you’re there.”

“Min, the paramedic alrea-“

“The paramedics aren’t doctors. I’d feel better if you’re cleared by a doctor.”

I sighed under my breath, head already nodding in agreement.

“I will.”

“I’ll see you soon.”

I hugged him, happy to be seeing him again after the time I spent in that prison. He squeezed me in his embrace, the affectionate gesture not lasting more than a couple of seconds with neither of us being big on physical touch. We parted, the two of us exchanging mock salutes as he retreated to finish his job. I watched him go, part of me tempted to stay just so I could join him in his hunt for Jongsu, but a much larger part of me wanted to make sure Taehyung was okay. I turned around, meeting Namjoon’s patience with a renewed sense of urgency.

“Let’s go.”

To say the hospital was busy was an understatement. It seems the seven hybrids I’d come to know in the short time I’d been kidnapped weren’t the only ones to be transported to the nearest hospital. Several different species packed the lobby upon our arrival, some of whom looked physically okay, while others were plainly obvious the abuse they endured. I swallowed hard at the sight, feeling sick to my stomach that the man responsible for their suffering was still at liberty.

“You find Jimin and Taehyung and I’ll find Jin and Yoongi?” I suggested, glancing at Namjoon.

He nodded, feet already rushing down the hall with Jungkook on his heels. I turned to Hoseok; a bit surprised to see he wasn’t following the other two.

“I’m with you.”

“Works for me.”

Since I didn’t have the ability to smell or sense or whatever it was that hybrids did to locate each other, I beelined for the nurses’ station. Though I was sure Hoseok probably could have saved me the trouble.

“Excuse me?” I called out to the frazzled nurse collecting the mountain of patient sheets sprawled across the counter. “We’re looking for a snow leopard hybrid. He may have been unconscious when he was brought in.”

“Are you family?”

“I’m his packmate.” Hoseok answered.

The nurse took one quick look over Hoseok, but didn’t question him. She turned to her computer, quickly scanning through her screen before nodding.

“We moved him to isolation under doctor’s orders. You’re allowed to go back, but I’m not sure if they’ll allow you to see him.”

“Why did they move him?” I frowned.

“Another hybrid that came in with him requested it. He said it would be better for him to wake up somewhere with fewer people and less noise.”

That was probably a good call on Jin’s part. I thanked her, about to leave before quickly turning back.

“Oh, actually, there was another hybrid transported via ambulance. He’s also a packmate of ours, a tiger. Could you tell me his condition?”

A soft brush over my calf caught my attention, my eyes dropping down as the nurse turned to check her patient log again. The striped, fluffy tail responsible for the caress made pointed, lazy thumps against my leg, my eyes traveling up the appendage to Hoseok’s sparkling gaze.

“What is it?”

He took a step closer, invading my space as his torso pressed into my side.

“You said ‘ours’.” He murmured, keeping his voice low enough for only me to hear.

“Yeah…?” I confirmed, a little confused.

“He’s in surgery right now.” The nurse informed us, my focus snapping back to her. “Doctors stabilized him before going in, but he was rushed in for emergency surgery right after.”

Though I had witnessed the extent of his injury, the information was still like a punch to the gut. I could feel the growing anxiety rolling off Hoseok next to me as he absorbed what we were being told as well. Quickly, I tamped mine down, trying my best to keep from making things worse for him in case my rising concern amplified his.

“Okay, thank you. Would it be possible for me to be notified when he’s out?”

“Of course, just fill this out for me.” She rummaged through the enormous about of paper littering the area around her for a clipboard before handing it to me. “You only need to fill in the emergency contact portion since I have the patient demographics already. I’ll attach your contact info to his file.”

“I don’t have a cell on me. Is there a way you can get ahold of me within the hospital?”

“If you’ll be in isolation, I can forward a call to them, and they can let you know.”

“That would be great. Thank you.” I smiled gratefully, handing back her clipboard.

Hoseok relayed his thanks, taking my hand to pull me along with him in the direction of the hospital’s isolation ward. Though it was busy, the closer we got to where Yoongi was being kept, the more I noticed the number of people began to thin out. Not only that, but it was much quieter in this part of the building. At least, it would have been, had the shouting at the end of the hall not been happening. Hoseok dropped my arm, breaking into a run when recognizing Jin’s voice trying to be heard over the loud bangs. I picked up my pace after him, swearing under my breath. So much for being here when he woke up, I groaned internally. I was seconds away from rounding the doorway into the room, my momentum halted when my body slammed into Hoseok’s who was backpedaling his way out. The impact nearly knocked the breath out of me, my body stumbling back before Hoseok caught me with an arm around my waist, slinging the two of us away from the doorway right as a stool came flying through it.

“Yoongi calm down before you’re sedated again!” Jin snapped.

Cautiously, Hoseok and I peeked around the frame. Two security guards stood with their backs to us, palms out as they approached the wild-eyed leopard who tore at the multitude of cords and tubes attached to him. Jin’s ears flattened, worried gaze flicking between the guards and Yoongi, trying his best to verbally calm the agitated cat while gesturing to the two men to back off. One glance at the situation was all Hoseok needed before throwing himself into the mix. He rounded the guards, moving to block their approach towards Yoongi.

“He’s not a threat!”

Yoongi’s head whipped up at the sound of Hoseok’s voice, his fight with the medical equipment temporarily forgotten.

“Not a threat? He’s throwing furniture around and is clearly hostile.” One of them scoffed.

“Only because he’s not sure where he’s at or what’s going on.” Jin explained, inching closer to Yoongi now that Hoseok was warding off the two men. “You have to understand that these are extenuating circumstances. Our pack is spl-“

“And you have to understand that in his current state, he’s a liability to himself and others. We can’t have him threatening the safety of other patients, he has to be restrained.”

They made to move forward, Hoseok’s concern revealing itself in the way his tail wrapped around his own leg at Yoongi’s snarl upon noticing the men coming at him. Quickly, I rushed into the packed room, intercepting the surprised guards.

“Wait! We can calm him down, please, just give us a few minutes.”

“Lady-“

“Please. Five minutes. That’s all I’m askin-“ My words ended on a soft oomph~ with the sudden smothering I found myself in.

Yoongi’s body collided with mine, pulling me further from the perceived threat. His bristling tail curled around my thigh and tense arms wrapping themselves around my shoulders. I threw a hand up to let the guards know I was fine as they tried to lunge at the two of us. Jin moving to Hoseok’s side to act as a physical barrier between us and them.

“He’s mated to her. She can calm him down.”

Security froze at that statement, looking to one another nervously. Though I wasn’t well-versed in hybrid regulations and behaviors, I did know from my time as a PI over the years that separating mated hybrids was a big no-no. Although, that was standard procedure for hybrid-hybrid mates, I was hoping the same applied to human-hybrid couples as well. The longer the two strangers lingered, however, the more I could sense how on-edge it was making Yoongi.

“Give us a moment, please.” I begged, inputting as much emphasis as I could in my voice.

The last thing I wanted was for them to have just been given their freedom, only to be locked up somewhere else, or strapped to a bed. Neither option sounded like it would end well. An exasperated sigh was my answer, one of the guards dropping his shoulders before nodding reluctantly.

“Fine. Five minutes. If he’s still feral, he’ll be restrained.”

I winced at the term ‘feral’. None of the seven I’d met could even be considered close to feral hybrids, but I supposed now wasn’t the term to argue technicalities when he was giving us the space we asked for. Yoongi watched their retreat, the tension not leaving him until they were out of sight and the door was shut behind them. Even then, his hold on me was unrelenting as he turned his attention to Jin and Hoseok.

“Where is everyone else?”

“Jungkook, Jimin, and Namjoon are with Tae.” Hoseok answered since Jin probably didn’t know either. “He’s in surgery right now.”

“What?” Jin blurted, whirling on Hoseok with worried eyes. “What do you mean he’s in surgery?”

“He was shot while we were trying to escape.”

All three pairs of eyes turned to me, Jin’s face going pale at the news, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

“Is he- How bad is it?”

“They said he was stable before they took him in, but I don’t know the extent of the damage.”

While the others’ hybrid features gave away their feelings openly, Jin didn’t need them. He was an open book. The concern and sadness written across his face made it impossible for anyone to mistake how he took the news of his packmate’s injury. Gingerly, I reached for him, taking his hand to deliver a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

“I asked them to let us know when he was out. As soon as he is, we can go check on him.”

I wasn’t naïve enough to believe that my words dissolved his worry, but I did hope it brought him at least a sliver of comfort. I turned my attention to the leopard pressed to my back, glad to see that he was relatively unharmed.

“Are you okay?”

Slowly, he shifted his gaze to me, hiding the same worry Jin openly displayed behind the mask I had come to know was typical for him.

“What happened?”

“They knocked you out and tried to take Y/N. Luckily, we were able to convince them to let Jimin go with her.” Jin’s brow furrowed as he relayed what he remembered happening. “Next thing I knew, Jimin had come back to get us out.”

“Yeah, we managed to get away from the guards. I had them follow me so Jimin could get a signal up top. Namjoon, Hoseok, and Taehyung found me-“

“Being nearly strangled to death by one of Jongsu’s men.” Hoseok spat, tail bristling.

Yoongi stiffened behind me, slender fingers cupping my chin to tilt my head up. He inspected the column of my neck, a low growl reverberating from him, through me at the sight in question where I had no doubt the redness was beginning to darken into bruises. And not the kind Yoongi liked to leave. I flinched against the soft touch on my cheek, having forgotten about the nasty blow I received to the face in favor of my sore shoulder and aching abdomen. Now that I was no longer fighting for my life, my injuries were starting to catch up to me. For Yoongi’s sake, I put up a fake smile, taking his hand so he would quit prodding at me.

“I’m fine, but that’s when Taehyung was shot by Jongsu. Jimin and I hid in one of the corridors until I found Min to help us out of there.”

“Who’s Min?” Jin and Yoongi asked simultaneously.

While Jin’s tone could have been interpreted as curiosity, Yoongi’s was flat out hostile. I looked over my shoulder at him, taken aback.

“Ah, he’s Y/N’s friend. A cop.” Hoseok chirped, oblivious.

Yoongi’s blank gaze never left Hoseok while he spoke, one fluffy ear flicking repeatedly. I watched it, the rounded appendage disturbing the surrounding black strands of his hair with every twitch. My limited experience with hybrids made me less than knowledgeable when it came to any of their habits, but I like to think I’d spent enough time with Yoongi and his pack to have a general understanding of what their body language expressed. Especially their ears. Those appeared to have a mind of their own, even when the body attached to them said otherwise. Making a mental note of the action, I tuned back into the conversation, keeping my mouth shut concerning the new bit of information I’d discovered.

“He seems nice. I don’t think Y/N would be friends with him if he wasn’t a good guy.”

My brows furrowed picking up the leg of conversation I hadn’t been paying attention to. Hoseok shrugged his shoulders, looking to Yoongi as if he expected the leopard to agree with him.

“You planning on inviting him into the pack too?” Yoongi scowled.

Hoseok’s tail dropped and his ears ducked at Yoongi’s anger, his lips forming a soft pout.

“No.”

“Tone it down.” Jin scolded the cat, glaring at him. “Right now, our priority is Taehyung. We don’t need your jealousy and temper tantrums.”

“I’m not jealous.” Yoongi defended himself, rounding his ire on a new target. “We’ve spent God knows how long locked in a fucking basement and the first thing we’re gonna do when we get out is look to trusting fucking humans? The species responsible for putting us down there in the first place?”

“Yoongi, they’re not all bad. One of them helped us escape.” Jin sighed.

“Only because she wanted out too.” Yoongi huffed, dropping his hold on me and putting several feet of distance between us. “You think if she had free reign to walk in and out of there she would have risked her own life to save ours?”

“Excuse you?” I whirled on him. “I realize that you’ve been dealt some shitty hands, but you can’t lump all humans in together. There’s people out there who genuinely care about what’s happening to you all, Min and I included.”

“Don’t lie to us sweetheart. We all know the real reason you put yourself in that situation was to bring down Jongsu for the pretty medal of honor it would probably bring you. If it just so hadn’t happened to be our pack you were thrown in with, you wouldn’t have given a shit about us.”

“Even if you weren’t, I would have made sure everyone had gotten out. Don’t think that just because we slept together, it makes you special.”

“Okay!” Jin intervened, moving in between Yoongi and I when the leopard took a menacing step forward. “It’s not the time or place for this. Yoongi, get back in bed until the doctor comes back and releases you. Hoseok, you stay with him. I’ll take Y/N with me to find the others.”

I glowered at the infuriating hybrid behind Jin even as the bear took my arm to gently lead me back towards the door. Yoongi hardly took his eyes off me even as I was pushed out the door, his narrowed stare expressing his distaste for me while the rounded appendage on his head started flicking again. Right before Jin nudged me out of the room, Yoongi averted his gaze, snarling softly before beginning to pace, the tip of his tail twitching. Hoseok was quick to try and console him, urging him back towards his bed despite the cat’s obvious disinterest. I huffed a frustrated breath as the door closed behind Jin.

He bowed politely to the two security guards still stationed outside, letting them know that Yoongi was more or less calmer than he was before, but asked that they refrain from just barging in unannounced.  I swiftly made my way down the hall Hoseok and I had come from only minutes ago, needing to put some space between me and that room. It wasn’t normal for people to get under my skin so easily, but Yoongi seemed to have a knack for it. I took a deep breath, trying to reign my emotions in as Jin caught up to me, his hand reaching out for my shoulder only to think better of it at the last second and let it drop.

“Are you alright?”

“I think I’d have better luck talking to a brick wall.”

“He can be… difficult sometimes. He means well, he’s just crap at expressing himself.”

“I know Jin. I don’t hold his words against him.”

He paused before leaving the isolation ward, his white ears swiveling to pick up the sounds outside the doors that my own, human ears, were too weak to hear yet.

“I don’t want you to think we aren’t grateful for your help. Without you, we’d still be stuck there, so thank you.”

His gratitude melted the last of the bitterness I had. My lips curling into a smile without much effort as I looked up at him.

“You don’t have to thank me, but I appreciate it, nonetheless. You’re sweet Jin.”

His cheeks matched the shade of his hair, his hand came up to rub the back of his neck as he averted his eyes. His mouth opened like he wanted to say something, but the words never came, his lack of ability to articulate himself leaving him more flustered until I took pity on the poor man and saved him the trouble.

“Let’s go find the others and see if we can find out any more information about Taehyung’s condition.”

Taglist (closed):

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@park-simphwa

The situation is getting worse, death is everywhere and the bombing is following you everywhere. There is no safe place in Gaza. Help my family get out as soon as possible.

---

Masked Miracles

BTS Ot7 x Reader

Chapter 12

Chapter warnings: graphic depictions of violence, blood, physical injury (sorry Tae)

The second I saw someone approaching the landing of the stairs right below me, I slammed the door shut as hard as I could. The sound of it echoed through the empty corridor loud enough that if anyone were present on this level, they certainly would have heard it. I didn’t hang around to find out though, my feet moved before I could really even figure out where I was going. I sprinted to the left, carrying myself far enough away from the door that I knew whoever would come through it wouldn’t catch me, but I needed them to see me here for Jimin’s sake. Hopefully they would assume we were still together and follow me. I scanned my surroundings quickly just as I heard the stairwell door open. Another hall veered off to the right and I rounded the corner hearing the group shout after me.

Several doors lined the walls, not terribly unlike the ones on the floor the pack was made to stay, but there were no windows on these. I tried the first knob, briefly hoping that I wasn’t about to barge in on some other random pack of hybrids, but it was locked. Not wasting any time, I jumped to the next one to find it locked too. Letting a low curse slip past my lips, my panic was rising with every locked door and the louder my pursuers became behind me. I could have cried when the knob of the next door turned in my hand. Before I was caught, I threw myself into the room, quickly shutting the door behind me.

“Fuck.” I muttered, seeing there was no locking this door unless you had a key.

The room was so small, I could almost stretch a leg from one end of it to another. My eyes scanned my surroundings for something useful, but I didn’t know how much use I could get out of anything in here. It looked like a supply closet, shelves lining either wall filled with boxes, brooms and a single mop bucket shoved into one corner. I was better off with the butter knife I brought my first day here. I pulled on the nearest shelf, wincing at the sharp sound of it dragging across the concrete floors. There was no way I’d be able to drag it in front of the door, it was too heavy.

Plan B, plan B…

I wracked my brain, my options limited with the bare room in front of me and my pursuers outside. Without much thought, I grabbed the second shelf further into the room, yanking it out far enough to use as a foothold. I pressed my back against the door and propped my foot against it. I wasn’t dumb enough to believe my strength would rival theirs, but it would at least buy some time for Jimin and the transmitter assuming he hadn’t already been caught. I prayed that wasn’t the case as I fished the butter knife out of my pants. I grasped it in one hand and gripped the doorknob with the other, pressing my ear to the door to listen for anyone outside.

The noises were muffled. Enough to where I couldn’t tell where they were coming from. Suddenly, the knob turned sharply. Unprepared for the abrupt movement, it twisted even with me holding it, letting whoever was trying to open it on the other side know that it was unlocked, but something was keeping them out.

“In here!”

Some colorful choice words escaped under my breath while I pressed my body against the door harder, readying myself for a battle of strengths. The shrill ringing of an alarm from somewhere made me jump, the noise grating to my ears. Something slammed against the door, the impact nearly knocking me off my feet. The realization that it was one of them only registering when someone snaked their arm through the gap. Their hand snatched my wrist, wrenching it off the door handle. I pulled against it, trying my best to get loose while trying to keep the door as closed as possible with someone wedging their way inside it. I flung my other arm around me, holding my weapon tightly before summoning as much strength as I could in my awkward position and burying it in the arm that held me. The roar of pain that followed was only momentarily satisfying. The attack only angered him, his fury giving him enough power to force the door open the rest of the way, flinging me against the nearest shelf.

I didn’t get time to get back on my feet, a beefy hand wrapped itself in my hair, yanking me up by my roots. I yelped, grabbing for him as he dragged me out of the supply closet, hardly clearing the threshold before he threw me at the opposite wall right into another door. Pain blossomed through my shoulder as it collided with the doorknob straight on. I clenched my teeth together to keep from making any noise, glare turning toward my assailant. He stood across from me, grabbing the butter knife I had managed to stab him with that was still lodged in his arm. With one swift motion, he ripped it out, throwing it aside carelessly where it hit the concrete floors with a clang barely audible over the still screeching alarm.

Apart from him, the hall was ominously empty, and I wondered if it had to do with whatever reason the alarm went off. I managed to haul myself to my feet, cradling my throbbing shoulder as I faced him. He inspected his wound, blood pooling out of it to drip down his arm and to the floor. After a second, he let his arm drop, fury-filled gaze locked back onto me.

“Fucking bitch.” He spat. “Jongsu might have given orders to bring you back alive…”

He trailed off in favor of lunging at me. I threw a punch, but my shoulder screamed in protest resulting in it being slower than it normally would. The guard caught it easily, twisting my arm away from him, eliciting a sharp cry from me as he slammed me up against the wall behind me.

“But you know what I think?” He sneered, wrapping both hands around my throat.

He squeezed as hard as he could, ignoring the way my fingernails dug into the backs of his hands as I fought to get free.

“I think broke, dirty, whores like you are a dime a dozen and he won’t have any problem replacing you with some other bitch whose only use is letting some filthy hybrid knock her up.”

The more I tried to suck in air, the more it felt like I was losing it. It didn’t take long for black spots to encroach my vision, my head getting fuzzier by the second unless I found some way to break his hold. Frantic, and almost blindly, I reached for his injured arm, digging my nails into his wound. He screamed, releasing me in the next second only to deliver a slap hard enough to send me sprawling to the ground at his feet. I choked on my coughs, making my cheek throb with the effort it took to fill my lungs again.

“I’m gonna fucking kill you.” He growled, pulling a boot clad foot back and letting it fly forwards to connect with my stomach.

I groaned, watching as he pulled his leg back to kick me again. My body tensed, preparing itself for the blow. The snarl that filled the room drowned out the incessant screech of the alarm. In the span of a blink, another body slammed into the guard, knocking him off his feet, both of them hitting the floor roughly. A dark head of hair was all I was able to make out before a pair of arms looped around my upper half, lifting me to my feet. A pained hiss escaped me at the tenderness in my stomach, my wide eyes whipping to whoever it was.

“Hoseok?”

“Let’s go.” He urged, taking another quick look at the brawl happening behind us before pushing me into another pair of waiting arms. “I’ve got Namjoon. Get her out of here.”

Hoseok’s sprint into the fight was all I needed to know that Namjoon was the one to have saved me.

“What’s happening?” I wheezed, my stomach clenching with the effort to speak.

Taehyung hardly spared a glance towards his two older packmates as he did what Hoseok asked him to and started leading me down the hall. Our pace was slow, the pain in my gut making it difficult to stand straight, let alone walk. Taehyung swept me into his arms, cradling me princess style allowing him to move faster. I wrapped my hold around the back of his neck, holding my abdomen to soothe some of the ache with my equally aching shoulder.

“Tae, how did you get out? Where’s Jimin?” I groaned, swallowing down my discomfort.

Taehyung turned, pressing his back into the stairwell door causing it to swing open to reveal the man of my lines of questions.

“Y/N.” Jimin murmured in relief.

“Jimin!”

My own relief at seeing him safe in front of me overshadowed my injuries. Visually, I looked him over to make sure he was okay.

“You made it?”

He nodded, smiling widely. “They’re here. We’re saved.”

An ear-piercing bang! echoed through the stairwell. Jimin and Taehyung both jumped away from the center staircase, pressing their backs to the walls. Taehyung adjusted his hold on me, standing me between him and Jimin. I tried to see where it came from, but Taehyung gently pushed me back, motioning for Jimin to take his place. They traded jobs, Jimin’s slender frame shielding me from whatever was coming. Taehyung leaned forward, peering between flights only to jump back again when another sharp noise rang out. This one was closer, steel banister pinging as the bullet ricochet off it to lodge itself in the floor right where Taehyung had been.

“They’re shooting at us?” I gaped in horror, curling my fingers into Taehyung’s shirt to keep him against the wall with us.

“Jongsu.” Taehyung growled.

He surveyed our surroundings, grabbing my wrist to keep me partially behind him as he led us toward the stairs going down as close to the wall as possible.

“How many flights up was the exit?”

“Four, I think, from our floor.” Jimin answered. “Two from here maybe.”

“We have to go back down.”

“But Jin and Kook were carrying Yoongi up there!”

“We can’t go after them now. Jongsu knows we’re here. The best we can hope for is that he’ll come after us and the others can hide.”

“Nari…” The way Jongsu called for me sent chills down my spine as it carried down the mostly empty and silent stairwell. “I had a feeling you’d be trouble when I had you brought in. I guess that goes to show I should’ve trusted my gut.”

Taehyung tugged me along with him, Jimin taking up the rear as we descended the steps. Above us, I could hear Jongsu following us. His footsteps instilling a sense of fear and relief knowing he wasn’t going after Yoongi and the others, but he was hunting us. Our progress down felt so much slower than it was, my heart pounding as Taehyung opened the metal door, sticking his head out to check before ushering Jimin and I through. Commotion could be heard on the stairs above us, shouting steadily getting louder until someone slammed one of the doors a few floors up open.

“Shit! Take cover!” Someone shouted as Jongsu opened fire.

“Min!” I shouted, immediately recognizing the voice of my best friend.

Another gunshot rang in my ears. I grunted as Taehyung’s body slammed into mine, pushing me into the hall. Jimin was quick to catch me, my feet steadying just as Taehyung let loose a pained hiss, falling into the corridor behind me.

“Tae!”

His knees hit the concrete floor, one hand catching himself before he could fall the rest of the way while the other cradled his side already staining red. I dropped down next to him, supporting his weight before he could fall any further. My shoulder screamed in pain as his head dropped onto it, his low groan snaking its way into my ear as I pressed my hand on his wound over his. Over his shoulder, I could see a pair of black leather loafers rounding the landing of the stairwell, Jongsu’s wild eyes meeting mine for half a second before he raised his gun at me.

“Jimin!” I yelled, my eyes closing and body draping over what it could of Tae’s as I readied myself for the gun to go off again. The slam of the heavy door bounced off the walls seconds before Jongsu squeezed the trigger, the shot and clink of the bullet muffled by the thick steel.

“We gotta go.” I huffed, slinging Taehyung’s arm over my shoulders and helping him to his feet.

Jimin supported his other side, taking over wound pressure for me while I tried moving us away from the door. We hadn’t made it more than a few feet before Taehyung’s feet started giving out under him. Jimin grunted as his weight pitched onto him, stumbling a couple steps before accommodating the extra weight.

“Tae.” I called to him, grasping his chin to turn his head my way.

His eyes were hazy, focus fizzling in and out as he tried to keep them open. He was seconds away from losing consciousness. Panicking, I moved the three of us off to a branching hallway, turning the corner and only making it another four or five feet before Taehyung’s strength gave out altogether. Jimin and I huffed, moving him against the wall and letting him slide to the floor.

“Keep him upright and put as much pressure on the wound as you can.” I ordered, moving Jimin to sit in front of him. “Tae?”

His eyes fluttered, the only sign I received that he was still semi-conscious.

“Stay awake, okay? I’m going to find help. Jimin will stay with you.”

“Y/N, no. Let me go.” Jimin protested.

“No, I need you to stay with him and try to staunch the bleeding long enough for me to bring someone back. Plus, if someone finds you, you’ll be able to protect the two of you better than I could.”

He still wanted to talk me out of it, his ears drooping and tail curling into himself a little as he looked between me and then Taehyung, his sadness rolling off him. My hands reached for him, cupping his cheeks to bring his misty eyes back to me.

“I’m coming back. I won’t leave either of you.” I promised.

Jimin met my resolve with a reinforcement of his, his head nodding the best it could in my grasp. Leaning forward, I kissed his cheek, letting my touch linger as long as possible before I pulled away and ran back the way we came. I let out a shaky breath seeing the door to the stairwell still closed. Hesitantly, I approached it, pressing my ear to the metal and listening for anymore gunshots or people, but it was silent. Unsure, but knowing I didn’t exactly have the luxury of waiting to play it safe, I wrenched it open, scoping the stairwell down and then up before closing it behind me. It was eerily quiet now, my footsteps seeming entirely too loud as I sprinted back up the flights two at a time. My stamina was reaching its limit, my thighs burning along with my shoulder and stomach that clenched with every step I ascended, but I pushed myself. All I could think about was Taehyung, hurt and bleeding out, and Jimin doing his best to keep his packmate awake and safe.

I counted every floor, reminding myself the exit was only a few more flights up and powering through my fatigued muscles when one of the doors swung open in front of me. I reacted without thinking, throwing my fist out to catch whoever it was off guard. I made contact, catching the curse and pained groaned at the same time I realized who exactly it was I had hit.

“Min!”

“Jesus, Y/N.” He hissed, holding his nose.

“What are you doing?”

He pulled the safety goggles off to perch on his helmet and yanked the black face mask down revealing the familiar features of my childhood friend minus the red nose he was now sporting. He rubbed his injury, pulling his hand back to check if there was any blood.

“Looking for you. We lost Jongsu, I sent a team to search for him while I came to find you. Did he shoot you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but there’s a hybrid that was shot helping me escape. He needs a doctor.”

“I have someone on standby outside, but I can’t give the all clear for them to come in until we’ve secured-“

“I don’t give a shit whether the building is secure or not! He’s injured, possibly dying!”

Min hesitated at the distress in my voice, his eyes boring into mine before sighing softly and nodding.

“Okay. Alright.” He caved.

He ripped the Velcro apart on one of the pockets on his vest, pulling out a distress beacon and activating it.

“Show me.”

The trek back to Jimin and Taehyung felt longer than it did leaving them. Now that I had someone to help, I couldn’t keep from conjuring the worst of scenarios that Min and I could walk in on coming back. Luckily, the two of them were right where I left them. Jimin’s ears perked up on our approach, a low growl cutting off the second he saw it was me. Though it didn’t keep him from growling at the sight of Min behind me.

“It’s okay Jimin, he’s my friend.”

I kneeled beside him, soothing the slight shake of his hands as Min took his other side. I could sense Jimin’s wariness having a stranger so close to his injured packmate, but at my reassurance, he allowed Min a closer examination.

“Is he awake?” Min asked, assessing Tae’s condition.

“Sort of.” Jimin answered.

“Don’t you have a junctional tourniquet?”

“Yeah, but the injury is too far up for it to be effective. What’s his name?”

“Taehyung.”

“Taehyung?” Min called to him, lifting Tae’s head to check his vitals. “Can you hear me?”

Taehyung blinked slowly, giving Min a weak nod to indicate he could.

“Good. Can you tell me if you have any pain in your chest or shoulder?”

Tae’s answer came with a shake of his head that quickly faded off as he let his head drop again. Min took over for Jimin, applying as much pressure as he could to Taehyung’s wound.

“I think his spleen might have been hit, but I don’t think it’s ruptured. He is losing a lot of blood. We need to get him up and out of here now.”

Min and Jimin helped Tae to his feet, leaving me to take the lead. I found my way to the main corridor first, looking over my shoulder to check on them every few feet.

“Y/N, I need you to keep the pressure on him.” Min grunted, struggling to keep the injured man upright and continue providing medical care.

I took over, trying to keep in time with their steps as I peered up at Taehyung. He was incredibly pale, hair beginning to stick to his forehead where sweat was accumulating.

“Hang in there Tae.”

“There’s the first responders, set him down.” Min let out a breath of relief, carefully lowering Taehyung back down with Jimin.

I stayed with him, not taking my eyes off his for a second though I wasn’t sure how coherent he truly was at this point anymore. A firm tug on my arm brought me back to what was happening. Min had managed to separate Jimin from his packmate, allowing the medics to see to him, but I still stood in their way.

“Let me stay with him.” I begged, refusing to let go.

“Y/N, they can’t get him help unless you move. We’ll be right behind them.”

Reluctantly, I released him, only after making sure someone was there to take over for me. Three men lifted him onto a backboard almost effortlessly, picking it and him up before heading further down the hall.

“Where are they going?” I asked worriedly, my feet itching to follow despite the hold Min still had on me.

“There’s an elevator.” The voice was not one I was expecting to answer, my head turning towards him just as he removed his helmet. “On the opposite end of the hallway. It’ll be a tight fit with the four of them. We’ll catch the next one.”

“Jooheon.”

The man gave me a tight-lipped smile, dimples peeking through, as he opened his arms welcomingly. I hugged him, happy to see another person I recognized.

“Glad to see you’re in one piece Y/N.”

“We can catch up later.” Min sighed. “Let’s get you two out of here.”

He gestured to me and then Jimin. The latter fidgeting as he tried to keep from bolting down the hall after his friend. Gently, I took his hand, letting Jimin thread his fingers through mine while I addressed Min and Jooheon.

“There’s more than just him and Taehyung. They have five other packmates that were trying to escape too.”

“I think we found three of them already. A polar bear and two others. We met them on the stairs.” Jooheon looked to me for confirmation. “They’re safe. We got them out.”

“Then we’re just missing Hoseok and Namjoon. Red panda and lion.”

“We’ll find them.” Min promised, turning to Jooheon. “Get an extraction team together. I’m sure there’s more than just them down here. Search every room and every floor. Put a BOLO in for a red panda and lion.”

“You got it.” Jooheon pulled his helmet back on. “I’ll assemble a few floors up. Signal is shit down here.”

“Tell me about it.” I muttered.

A light squeeze around my fingers reminded me I wasn’t the only one worried. I turned to Jimin, meeting his big brown eyes that still carried a hint of concern in them.

“He’s okay.” I promised. “He’ll be alright.”

I tugged on our linked hands, pulling him to me in a hug he practically flung himself into. I ignored the ache in my shoulder in favor of wrapping him up tight, seeking as much comfort as he was. Tufts of his blonde hair tickled my nose, strands knocking loose with every flick of his ears.

“You did good Minie. I’m proud of you.”

Over his shoulder, his tail whipped in a lazy sort of wag. Though it didn’t last long before he let it drop again. Knowing he was more worried about his packmates than anything else, I released him, opting to take his hand again when he showed his reluctance letting me go.

“Let’s go find the others.”

Taglist:

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It’ll be then that you’ll realize that there is so much strength in being vulnerable and showing the people that you love that you love them. Expressing emotions isn’t a sign of weakness, it is an incredible strength.

Your Protectors

summary: Five years ago you went missing, and now that they found you again they’ll never let you go again.

pairing: ot7 x reader

genre: mafia, a little angst but not much, a little fluff but not much, second chance romance

word count: 4.1 k

warning (not detailed): parent abuse, violence, death, sexual violence [protective boys, emotional Namjoon, I’ll burn the world down for you and never let a single flame touch you]

“T-Taehyung” Your voice shook as you looked at the man in front of you. You used to wish that they would come to rescue you, but they never did. You were left to save yourself, and you did. But now one of the boys from your past is here, standing in front of you instead of haunting you in your dreams. To be fair, he looks equally shocked. Taehyung is standing in front of you, mouth agape and eyes wide. Clearly, he didn’t know that you were going to be here. He hadn’t been looking for you, but after all these years you never expect him to be.

“Oh my god. I thought— we thought you were dead.” He continues to babble in front of you, but you can’t stay here. You just killed a man in the bathroom behind you and you need to get out of the club. You glance behind you once before shoving past Taehyung, which was easier then it should of been, but you think it’s because he still looks like he’s seen a ghost. Honestly, you know the feeling.

It takes him a moment to come to his senses so you are already down the hall when he calls out your name. You look back to see that he’s holding his phone up to his ear, probably calling one of the others. You really need to get out of here. Now. As you turn the corner towards the back door you make eye contact with Hoseok across the room. He’s sitting with Jimin and Jungkook in a roped off area of the club, clearly meant for VIPs. Fuck.

You turn before Hoseok can even make a noise, but you saw his shocked expression and you saw him hit Jimin in the shoulder and point in your general direction. You don’t wait for Jimin to look up, instead you turn and run.

You make it to your bike just before the door slams against the brick wall. You want to look back, even if it’s just to get another look at one of them, but you know you shouldn’t so you keep your gaze fixed ahead. You’re on your bike and tearing away before they have time to catch you. Only when you are about to turn the corner, do you glance behind you to see all four of them watching you. You knew that they would be. You want to go to them because you remember how comforting their hugs were, but you know that you can’t, not anymore.

You and the boys were best friends five years ago. Honestly, you were more than friends, but you all were too scared to put a label on it. But none that mattered because all of you knew that you loved one another. Within in your little bubble, the eight of you could simply exist and be happily in love with each other. But the reality was that the world was a judgmental place. All of you were scared that it’s judgement would taint your love.

You’d found the boys when you ran away from home. You were only 16 at the time and they had found you shivering in an alleyway that you’d been sleeping in for a couple of nights. They took you to their small apartment that Yoongi rented. They all lived together most of the time, but you quickly learned that Namjoon was the heir to a prominent mafia family so he couldn’t stay at the apartment often. Seokjin and Yoongi were gone a lot too, helping Namjoon. But Taehyung and Jimin who weren’t much older than you took care of you, claiming that they were older so it was their job to protect you. Jungkook claimed he would too even though you both were the same age, muttering something about being a man that made you roll your eyes.

But they did protect you. The seven of them saved you when you were scared and protected you when you couldn’t. They did their best to chase away all your fears away. Probably for the first time in your life you felt cared for; you felt loved.

You still remember when you went to a convenience store on your way back from school one day, it was in the winter so it got dark early. A man, probably late 20s, had pushed you up against the wall and was trying to get you to come home with him. If he cared, he probably should have chosen a different tactic… you know besides cornering and threatening a girl. It was clear that he didn’t actually care what you wanted, or felt for that matter. You had been trying to push him away when he suddenly was flying off you. Yoongi pinned the man to the floor and punched him. After he got a few good punches in, Seokjin pulled him off the man and told him to leave in voice that promised violence. The guy had ran without looking back.

The two boys turned to you with concerned eyes. Their once angry faces softened when they saw the tears streaking down your face. Seokjin pulled you into his arms and started whispering reassurances into your ear, then they walked you home. The rest of the boys were equally as angry and honestly looked a little upset that they hadn’t been the one to punch the guy. Yoongi just looked smug.

Though the seven of them were involved in the mafia, especially as they got older, they did their best to keep you as far away from it as possible. They promised themselves that they would do everything in their power to protect you. Yet, they also couldn’t find it in themselves to leave you. They loved you too much to ever walk away from you, despite the risks.

So when you were kidnapped they blamed themselves. They thought that they were the reason that you were taken. If only they had known the truth. If only you had told them the truth, then maybe they would’ve been able to help you. At the very least, they wouldn’t have blamed themselves as much; you would’ve been naive to think that the seven boys that you loved, that loved and protected you wouldn’t blame themselves at all. You just wanted to lessen their hurt.

The truth was that you were born into the mafia, just like Namjoon. You were the daughter of a powerful man in the mafia and while he wasn’t the leader, he was still important. He was important enough that you, his daughter, was valuable in securing an alliance with another mafia family. When you overheard your father basically selling you off as a bride to a man twice your age you took your chances and ran.

The first thing you did when you were safe enough, even if you were still staying on the streets, was find some decent looking guy to have sex with. Your family was old school and wanted a virgin bride. You would never let your father take that choice away from you. So, you had sex with a somewhat handsome man, who was young enough, and didn’t ask too many questions or pressure you into anything more than one night. There are times when you’d wish that you would have waited and one of the boys could have been your first, but you also know that, at the time, it was the only way that you’d be able to protect yourself. It was a choice you made for yourself, which felt empowering despite everything. If your father caught you, at least he couldn’t marry you off and tie your life to someone else. It was the only thing you could do to protect your future, and you would take anything you could get.

The boys were always so clear that they didn’t want you involved in their lifestyle, that they wanted you safe. So you never knew how to tell them that you had been involved. That you had run. You knew that they would still love you, but you weren’t sure if they would let you stay with them. When they got worried about a threat to your safety they weren’t the most understanding. You never knew how to bring it up, but as the years passed you thought that you might have truly escaped from your father. You never should have been so naive, so reckless.

When your father did find you and bring you home, the boys had no idea where to look. They certainly wouldn’t look towards your father’s mafia. Obviously you regretted keeping it a secret, but you hated that the boys would blame themselves when they were never the ones at fault. You hated the idea that you were causing them pain because despite everything you loved them.

You loved them with everything you had because in those years together you all had molded yourselves to fit together perfectly. When you were taken away from them it felt like someone had torn your heart out. Even now, five years later your heart still beats for them. You knew that you would never love anyone else the way that you loved those seven men and you carried that with you through all the hard times. You held onto that love like a dirty secret when everything else was falling apart, giving you hope despite the darkness. They might not believe it, but their love continued to protect you long after they were ripped out of your life.

The next time you saw the boys was when you were at the gym. You had been in the fighting ring with Daejoon. You loved fighting him because you were equally matched. It felt good to finally pin him after fighting for a while. Every time you won, even during training, you felt this rush of power. After being at other people’s mercy for so long the little bits of control and power you felt were intoxicating. It’s the main reason why you kept coming back to the gym to train, and why you would often fight in the ring.

You aren’t sure how the boys found you, but really you shouldn’t be surprised. After Namjoon’s father died a few years ago he would have inherited the title. With that came a lot of power, so finding you shouldn’t have been impossible, especially after you killed someone in his club. It’s why it hurt a little more that they hadn’t found you before. You had more or less found them instead. Accidentally, but still.

You heard Namjoon call out your name and you really didn’t want to look up, but he tone didn’t give you much of a choice. They were all looking at you. “We need to talk.” You nodded because despite everything, you still loved them and could never deny them anything, even when it’d be better if you did. It hurt to hear the vulnerability in Namjoon’s voice. To know that after five years, he still cared about you and he still wanted to know you. It hadn’t been a command, but a plea.

You see the pride in their eyes and realize that they had been watching the fight. That they saw you in a new light now. They saw that you were no longer the helpless teenager that had been torn away from them. They saw that you were stronger now and could literally fight for what you wanted. Instead of feeling threatened, they looked proud.

Realistically he should be worried you are a threat, but instead he just looks exhausted and worried. As you walk over to him he reaches out to you like he wants to hug you and it breaks your heart because it feels like no time has passed and just yesterday you were cuddled up on the couch. But that’s not true and the girl that you are now is a completely different girl than who you were when you all fell in love as teenagers. So, he may think that he still loves you, but you aren’t sure anyone is capable of loving you anymore. So you keep your distance and pretend like you don’t see the hurt splash across his face when you don’t fall into his arms like you used to.

“Namjoon” Your voice breaks and if it were possible, he looks even more heartbroken. “I’m s-so s-sorry. I can’t be here.” You shake your head and start to step back because this was a bad idea. You knew this was a bad idea. But you meet Jungkook’s chest instead. His arms come around to circle your waist. “Sweetheart, let us in. Please”

You want to shake your head. You want to pull away. But you can’t bring yourself to move. For five years you’ve dreamed of them and now that they’re really here you aren’t sure how to handle the situation. You may have dreamed about the boys, but those were only dreams. You had given up on them being a part of your life. “I’m not the same girl I was five years ago.” You don’t want me anymore.

The rest of the boys come around you also. “We aren’t the same either, princess.”

You find yourself nodding. With Namjoon now being the head of his mafia family they couldn’t be. And that hurt you more than you wanted to admit, so you pushed that down and tried to focus. “I can’t stay here. He’ll look for me.” Your words are soft as you finally give in and lean back into Jungkook’s arm. He easily supports you, holding you even closer like he is worried you might disappear if he loosens his hold. Its like the only place he knows you are safe is in his arms.

“Who? Princess, who took you from us?” Seokjin’s voice is soft despite the hard look on his face. He looks like he is ready to burn the world down for you. It looks like he would happily watch the world burn around you all if it meant keeping you safe. Some things never change.

You shake your head. “I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you but I worried about what would happen… I thought that it would be okay, but I don’t know why I ever thought that because it’s not fine. Nothing is ever fine.” As you begin to cry and your rant becomes harder to understand. You have been holding yourself together for so long by yourself. You aren’t even sure how you made it because now that you think about it, you are exhausted. Being in Jungkook’s arms and surrounded by the others makes you feel like taking a breath of fresh air after being forced under water. It makes you feel a little lightheaded, but in a good way.

Namjoon’s hands find your face, tilting you up to look at him. It grounds you, just like he always was able to.

“My father.” You feel the men around you still at your words, trying to process this part of you that you never gave to them before. It hurts to think about the lies you told them about your family. They protected you from anything and everything, but you were never fully honest with them. You were so scared that it might change your relationship, that they might leave you because they wouldn’t love you. All those fears are still there, but now you are so much more broken and you can’t imagine that they will ever look at you the same, let alone love you. No matter how kind they may be now, five years is a long time. You are a completely different person than you used to be. You’re broken. You don’t know how to truly love anymore. Well, not in the same way at least. And you don’t know how to be loved anymore.

You’ve been alone for so long that you no longer know how to rely on anyone anymore. Your father made sure that you never had anyone to rely on. He told you that no one was coming to rescue you because no one cared enough. He forced you to become so independent that you weren’t sure what you could offer the men that you still loved. You no longer had anything to offer them, so you weren’t sure why they would care for you anymore.

Hoseok shoved his boss aside so he could hold your face in his hands, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “It’s okay Sunshine. We will protect you now… like we should have before.” His voice trails off when a look of anguish replaces it.

“Little one, I-I’m so sorry that we failed you.” You feel tears well up in your eyes as you hear Namjoon’s voice break. Namjoon is the head of a prominent mafia family. He is one of the strongest men that you know, but he isn’t afraid of showing his emotion to the people that he cares for. Hearing his voice filled with sorrow, guilt, and pain makes you want to reach out and cradle the larger man. You hold myself back because you can’t.

“You don’t understand. My father will never let me go.” You pull out of Jungkook’s hold a little so you can steel your spine and put on a brave face. You know that you will need it. “I’m not his daughter, not really. I’m just a tool to wield. And he would never let one of his investments go.” You keep your face neutral even as you see their anger. It makes you want to reach out and comfort them, but you don’t. Involuntarily, your fingers twitch at your side.

You swear the you hear one of them growl, you think it came from Yoongi who is standing to your right. He stays just out of reach which makes your heart clench painfully. It’s like he isn’t sure if your really here and the little bit of space between you will protect his heart if you aren’t real. It’s like he wouldn’t survive you being taken from him again, even if it’s only in his head.

“I have to go. I have to leave because it’s the only way that I can protect myself.” The vulnerability in your voice makes them want to bundle you up in their arms so nothing can hurt you ever again. Jungkook’s fingers twitch at your sides because he want to hold you closer, but knows that it isn’t his decision to make. Enough men have made decisions for you; he won’t.

They would gladly be your shield if it meant that you could rest for a while. They would take on the world for you. They would take on anything and challenge everyone who dared harm you no matter the consequences. There is nothing they wouldn’t fight if it meant that you wouldn’t be forced to be alone again.

“I know that you can protect yourself, little one. I know that you are capable of fighting your battles, and I will gladly stand by and watch you.” Namjoon sounds so sure of himself. He sounds so sure of you and that confidence alone makes you look up to meet his eyes. You aren’t sure what you expect to see, but all you see is pride in his eyes. He looks so fucking proud of you and you aren’t sure what to make of that, not used to seeing such emotion.

“But just because I know that, it doesn’t mean that you have to prove it every time. Letting someone else protect you doesn’t make you weak.” When you glance at the others around him, you see they are all looking at you with the same promise. They are looking at you like you hung the stars and moon. Like you are the only thing that matters. They look at you with such intensity and emotion that you feel yourself shifting on your feet from the weight of their gazes. Jungkook’s hands land on your hips and pull you closer to his chest.

“I-I know. And I want to… I really do. But I don’t know how to.” You find that you are telling them the truth. You wanted them to save you for so long and even if you did give up, you never stopped dreaming about them. You never stopped loving them either. You don’t think that you could ever stop loving the seven boys that loved you in the best way that they could. The boys that swore to protect you from all the darkness in the world. The boys that love you despite five years of distance. You don’t think you’ll ever deserve these men, but your selfish so you also never want to give them up. You realize that despite everything, you want to be enough for them. You’d fight to be the person that they are worthy of.

They wouldn’t want to hear your thoughts though because to them, you are already everything. You give them a reason to be alive. You are the center of their world and the gravity that keeps them tethered to earth. Without you, they would float aimlessly without any direction in life. So, even if you don’t see it, they will make sure to remind you of that every single day for the rest of their lives. And one day, you’ll realize just how deeply they love you and that together you will get through the hard days.

“Shhh… It’s okay. You don’t need to know everything, we can figure it out together.” Jimin rubs circles on the inside of your wrist, trying to comfort you. But you know that Jimin likes to hold the inside of your wrist to feel your pulse. You think that he may be trying to comfort himself, just as much as he is trying to comfort you.

“I’ve always done everything on my own.” You’re barriers that were already barely up around them have fallen away completely. You sink back into Jungkook’s embrace. He peppers soft kisses on your neck and in your hair. His hands tighten around your hips. It makes you smile and twist around to bury your head into his neck. You think that this, being with them and hidden away in their embrace, may be your favorite place. You think that you would feel safe no matter where you are as long as your with your boys.

“We are here now. You’ll never be alone again.” You opened your mouth to protest Jungkook’s reassurance. But he cuts you off before you could even start. “We’ll learn together.” His hand finds the back of your neck and pushes your head into his neck even more, letting you breath in his scent and relax into his hold. You feel all the tension leave your body as Taehyung runs his hand down your spine.

“Let us protect you, not because you can’t but because we want to.” Yoongi’s voice is clear and he tilt’s your chin up out of Jungkook’s neck to catch your eyes so you can see how serious he is. You know that they’ll protect you, they’ve already done that before, but there is something deadly in his eyes that make you think this time they will be even more protective. “It makes us feel useful.” Taehyung presses a kiss to your forehead as if he is trying to seal his promise with a kiss and it makes you smile because for the first time in years you aren’t scared of your father. You know that together you and the men around you, your boys, will be strong enough to take your father down. To get retribution for the pain he caused all of you.

Then you will finally be able to find some peace. You’ll be able the rebuild your life with the men that you love— the men that love you. And this time you’ll welcome their love and express your love for them in a way that you’ve never allowed yourself to before. And no one deserves to be loved more than these men.

It’ll be then that you’ll realize that there is so much strength in being vulnerable and showing the people that you love that you love them. Expressing emotions isn’t a sign of weakness, it is an incredible strength. And that you should never have to find that part of yourself weak ever again because if anyone sees that at a weakness or threatens to exploit it, your boys will take care of it. They will never let anything hurt you ever again, even your own doubts.

---

MASTERLIST

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚⋆·˚ ༘ *𝙎𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 ⋆·˚ ༘ *ੈ✩‧₊˚

Pairing: BTS Ot7 X fem! reader

Genre: A/B/O AU, Fluff, Strangers to lovers

Summary: After Yoongi and Jimin find a distressed omega in the mall they take her home in an attempt to settle her. Quickly getting attached, the whole all-alpha pack starts to wish to keep the girl around, going completely soft for her.

The masterlist is not being updated at the moment. The following chapter is listed at the end of each chapter. Hope it helps!