Bts Hybrid - Tumblr Posts

Eunoia // Stories

Summary: Yoongi’s POV from the last scene of chapter 24 in Eunoia

Word Count: 1.004

The house was a ghost of what it had once been. It was clear no one had lived there for a long time. It had been abandoned to the mercy of the elements and the forest, becoming one with the trees. It looked like it belonged there, like it had been made to be a part of the forest. 

“I discovered this on my first trip to the lake. There is something compelling about it that makes you want to learn more about it, about the story behind it,” you said. “Who it belonged to, why it is abandoned.”

“Everything is about stories to you,” Yoongi observed. 

You were full of them, they glittered and danced at your fingertips. You crafted and chiseled stories like a sculptor shaped clay. He remembered the stories you used to tell Hoseok when you treated his injuries to distract him from the pain. Tens of them piling and pulling at him. He had ignored it then. He couldn’t give in because of a few stories that fell like liquid gold from your lips. Your stories had seemed like traps then, something to pull them in and cage them forever. 

Regardless, he remembered all of them. As hard as he had tried to pretend he didn’t care, he had listened to you like an enchanted man.

Keep reading

💜💜💜

Loving You isn't Hard to Learn 06

genres: hybrid, romance, found family, slow burn(ish) series rating: mature (mentions of/references to death and abuse. eventual smut) chapter warnings (may contain spoilers): mentions of death. accusations of drugging/roofie-ing. descriptions of injury to the face. the reader character cooks meat; if you don't eat meat, please think of it as them just cooking it for other people. relationship(s): ot7 x female reader

In the middle of what many would call nowhere, a sign glows bright yellow. Old, unmaintained, and on its last legs, the letter e flickers for a few seconds before going dark. H aven’s Door Motel, it now reads.

prev | chapter six (12.0k) | next

The floor is cold when you wake up on it, though not as cold as it could be, so you must've been sleeping on the floor for at least a couple hours. As you sit up, you try to get on your knees, but find your legs tangled up in half of a throw blanket. You grumble, touching one hand to the side of your head, where you had to have laid directly on the floor rather than the throw pillow you can see pushed under the coffee table. Okay, you're definitely not telling Hoseok your head kind of hurts. He's already enough of a worrywart. Speaking of...

Looking up at the couch, you see Hoseok's sleeping face smushed against the cushion, his hair ruffled all over and his mouth slightly open. Upon closer inspection, a small wet spot of drool has grown on the couch cushion directly under his mouth. You grimace at that but quickly shake the split second of disgust away. It's just saliva; it'll wash out just fine.

You untangle yourself from the blanket, and when you stand up, you drape it over Hoseok's sleeping form as quietly as you can. Yawning, you head to the kitchen, first filling your kettle and turning it on, then moving to the other side of the counter and unplugging your phone from the wall. As the screen flicks on, you see a missed call from Lee Minhyuk from only a few minutes ago, and a text from him that followed soon after.

It seems I forgot to leave one last thing to you. I found it in our storage this morning. I'll be in my office all day if you'd like to come and pick it up. Otherwise, please let me know by phone call.

As professional as always, this guy. Glancing over at the microwave, you take note that it's only 8:56AM, which isn't that early for someone like him, but still. Lee Minhyuk is punctual, you'll give him that. Well, you suppose if you head out soon, you could get back before ten, depending on what it is Minhyuk forgot to give you. Some paperwork, maybe. He did say before that Mr. Jung had liquidated everything he owned other than the motel... You wonder what it could be.

Not wanting to wake your two house guests up, you stop the kettle before it can beep to signal that it's boiled and pour the hot water over a tea bag in a to-go mug to let it steep while you get changed. You sneak on tip-toes back to your room, and you move your hand as deftly as possible on your bedroom doorknob, focusing on your feet as you step in and close the door behind you. Bee-lining to your dresser, you tug off your pyjamas and pull on some fresh clothes as quietly as you can.

But when you turn around, Jimin is sitting up in your bed and looking at you with a frown.

"Oh my gosh!" You jump and pat a hand over your heart, taking a sharp breath in at the sudden sight of him. He barely reacts, just raising one of his eyebrows at you, his bottom half still snug under the comforter. "How long were you just sitting there?"

Eyes still half closed, Jimin says, "Long enough."

"Oh. Well..." Embarrassment trickles along your veins knowing he watched you trying to quietly sneak in. He looks too tired and uninterested to care about the fact that you changed right in front of him, though. There goes your confidence in your own sex appeal. "...Did you sleep okay?"

"It was fine." His words come out short and curt, and you can't quite pinpoint why, but you get a weird feeling as you try not to narrow your eyes. He flips the covers off himself and swings his legs over the edge of the bed, using his hands at his sides to push himself off and stand. His eyes dart around your room. "Where are my clothes?"

You blink. "Oh. They're in a hamper in the bathroom. I was planning on putting them through the wash and then making something to eat." Of course, stopping by Lee Minhyuk's office threw a tiny wrench in those plans, but still, you weren't expecting this from Jimin as soon as he woke up. Whatever this is.

Just as he tries to exit your bedroom, you move to stand between him and the door, your hand held up. Jimin stops himself before either of you touch, and he frowns slightly when you go, "Whoa, hold on. What's the hurry?"

"I have to go back."

"Go back?" you echo, confusion tinged in your voice, but Jimin doesn't bother. He gently puts a hand on your wrist and moves you out of the way, which you let him do all too easily in your stupor. Go back? To the streets? Blinking and shaking yourself out of it, you turn to follow him into the bathroom, where you watch him find his dirty clothes at the top of the pile in the hamper. "What do you mean?"

Jimin doesn't look at you as he focuses on unbuttoning his pyjama top. "She's looking for me."

Sputtering, you completely miss the fact that Jimin is taking off his clothes right in front of you. "Rayoung?"

Even though he doesn't answer you, the determined look in his eyes tells you you're right. He slips on his old clothes and pushes past you again.

"She is?" You struggle to follow both him and his words, stepping into the main living space after him. "How do you know--"

Jimin whips around, and you almost bump into him, but your feet screech to a halt directly in front of him. He glares at you with those piercing brown eyes. "She loves me," he says.

Your mouth opens and closes like those dogs in kids movies they'd feed peanut butter to so it'd look like they were talking. You can't say what you think, no, that would be too harsh. You can't just say outright that someone who loves him wouldn't leave him to live miserably like he did. But, what can you say? You don't want him to go back to where he was, even if what he thinks of Rayoung is true... not when you have something within likeness of a solution so close to falling in your grasp. You were planning on going to the motel this evening with Hoseok -- and, ideally, Jimin -- to scope out the building better and finally figure out what the hell you're doing.

"Jimin..." You hold yourself back from reaching out to him, knowing that your touch might be the last thing he wants. "At least eat something..."

"I'm not hungry," he tells you, and with the conviction he puts behind the words, you almost believe him.

"C'mon, at least a bite--"

"No!"

Jimin's sudden volume startles you, and your eyes go wide as he pushes both hands against you, causing you both to stumble back a step. You stare at your feet for half a second before looking back up at him, a breath of a laugh tainted with disbelief puffing past your lips. "What--"

"Don't come any closer!" He wraps his arms around his chest and scrunches his eyes shut. "I don't know what was in that fucking tea, but you can't keep me here." His back turns to you. "Rayoung was right. I can't trust anyone."

Completely thrown off, you straighten up slowly, his words settling in your brain. "...Excuse me?"

Jimin says no more, simply standing there in the foyer with his back turned, shielding himself from... you.

Roused from his deep slumber, Hoseok appears next to you. His hair is tousled and pressed flat against the side of his head that he slept on, but the sight isn't as endearing as it would be if you weren't so baffled by what Jimin just said. Taking one step in front of you, Hoseok puts a hand on your arm before you've even realized you went to get closer to Jimin, one hand up and pointed at him.

"You--" Hoseok's firm grip on your arm stops you from getting far, and as he pulls you partway behind him and your shoulder bumps into his back, you lower your voice to a whisper. "You think I drugged you?"

With his head down low, Jimin still refuses to respond. His entire body trembles, fear coursing through him like rapids under his skin. Even you can see it.

But something fogs over your rationality.

"Are you serious right now? I didn't-- I would never--" You try to take a deep breath, but it gets stuck in your throat and only serves to fuel this ugly feeling inside your chest. "You're delusional."

Hoseok hushes out your name, a warning of sorts, or maybe something closer to a plea. You don't hear it past the ringing in your ears.

"And it's not because of anything in my fucking tea," you continue. "No, you know why you're delusional?"

Hesitantly, Jimin turns around half-way, his frowning profile causing that awful roiling in you to flare up.

"Because even though you've been living on the streets for months, starved enough to root through restaurant trash bins, abandoned by the very person who supposedly loves you--" Something flashes across Jimin's eyes, but you have no grasp of what it is. "--you still think she's coming back for you."

No one says anything for a second -- too long, and Hoseok's hand slides down your arm and gently wraps around your wrist. You tug it out of his grasp with a sharp inhale. "So let's just go," you say, walking to where you keep your car keys. The jingle-jangle as you pick up your keys is the only sound in the apartment aside from your footsteps. "I'll take you right now. Near Antonio's, right? She left you around there and that's where you think she'll go looking for you?"

Hoseok softly calls your name again, but you don't hear him. Jimin only follows you with angry eyes.

"I was on my way out anyway," you continue. With your hand already on the doorknob, you slip on your shoes. "So yeah, I have no problem with dropping you off on your own with nowhere to go." You pull the door towards you and step out, eyes still on your feet. "Where you have no sure way of getting food."

Jimin doesn't look at you as he puts on his shoes.

"Where Hybrid Services already know your face--"

Your words choke to a stop when you look down the hall towards the elevators. That damned fluorescent yellow armband you had no business caring about a couple days ago -- two of them -- appear in your sight just a few metres away, directly in front of the apartment-next-door's open entrance, where your neighbour to the right, Anne-Marie, is talking to the two officers.

Without uttering another sound, you push Jimin back inside your apartment as quickly and overtly as you can. Unfortunately, this means you achieve that by shoving your hand in Jimin's face, but your head isn't exactly in the right place to think about hiding-someone-away etiquette.

"Wha--?! Stop--!"

"Shh!" You make frantic eye contact with Hoseok while Jimin glares daggers at you. At this point, you know you can't just go back inside yourself; both the officers and your neighbour have probably seen you already. You keep your voice as quiet as you can, hoping the boys can still hear you with their weird hybrid powers. "Both of you, not a peep. Got it?"

You don't wait for either of them to answer before you grab the doorknob and swing the door shut in their faces. As soon as you look back down the hall, both officers, a man and a woman, and Anne-Marie are looking at you.

"Good morning," you greet with a slight bow, completely unsure of what to do or say next.

Would asking some sort of question be suspicious? Or would trying to walk by and ignoring them be even worse?

Either way, you have to get to the elevator...

Before you have to decide, (or maybe after you already should've, considering the awkward silence,) Anne-Marie waves you over with a slight frown. "Leaving so early today?"

"Ah..." You nod at her with a strained smile as you walk up to her and the officers, making sure to smile and nod at them too in that weird, you're not really part of this conversation but you're standing here so I'll try to include you sort of way. "Yes, I have some errands to run this morning."

Anne-Marie doesn't question you, thank goodness, and just gestures towards the officers. "Well you should hear them out before you go," she says. "Apparently there's a feral hybrid on the loose."

"Feral hybrid?"

You don't have to fake the initial look of concern that appears on your face, but the way you deepen your frown at the flyer one of the officers hands you is definitely for show.

"Yes," he confirms, face stiff and almost bored from repeating the words so many times to all the residents in the building already. "He ran away from a hybrid clinic in the city and was last spotted in this neighbourhood."

Anne-Marie nods along as he speaks and shakes her head when he points out the area the hybrid was spotted last night on a small map included in the flyer. "So close to home..." she mutters, which he ignores.

Continuing after him, the female officer speaks up. "We're doing rounds to make sure everyone living in the area is aware of the risks of a feral hybrid, as well as inform everyone of the proper procedure."

"Which is...?"

"Do not approach," the man tells you as your eyes finally focus in on the two pictures of the feral hybrid, one from the front and another of his profile. In both photos, he's smiling, eyes bright. "It's dangerous for regular citizens to attempt to capture feral hybrids. Leave it to the professionals and call Hybrid Services upon encounter."

He doesn't look so dangerous.

His smile is wide and almost boyish, like someone told him he was posing for a photo op rather than the strange hybrid-version of a mug shot it actually is. He holds up his name placard like it's an award he's proud of. "V," it reads, then a bunch of numbers underneath. His animal ears are perked straight up, and you can't tell what kind of ears they are in the grainy black-and-white pictures, not to mention how small they look compared to Hoseok's. Still, the deepness of his smile, the happiness in his eyes and the scrunch of his nose -- you're not scared at all.

You don't say any of that, though.

"I'll keep an eye out, thank you," you say with a polite smile. "What kind of hybrid is he?"

The two share a look, the female officer grimacing before she turns back to you. "That's unfortunately classified information."

"What? Why? Wouldn't it help us be safer and more prepared if we know what he looks like?" You turn to make eye contact with Anne-Marie, who drinks in your words and nods with a slight frown towards the officers, a finger propped concernedly on her chin.

The man sighs. "As much as I agree with you, these pictures are the only images any of us have to go off of. Even Hybrid Services hasn't been informed of his sub-species. It's private information belonging to the clinic, and legally, we don't need to have it to apprehend the hybrid."

"I see..."

After thanking them again and giving your due goodbyes, you do your best not to turn around and watch the officers as you wait for the elevator. You step into the elevator, and as your finger finds the button for the ground floor, you peak down the hall and let out a breath of relief. The officers seem to have skipped your door because you already spoke to them.

It would probably be suspicious to re-enter your apartment so soon while they're still patrolling your floor, you think. The last thing you need right now is Hybrid Services finding a reason to look into you.

And, maybe, you need a minute to yourself. Just to breathe.

You hadn't meant to snap at Jimin like that, it just... So much doesn't make sense to you. You've barely had Hoseok around for a few days, but you feel as though your friendship is something already. Maybe not something to be proud of, exactly, but it's something.

Jimin... you've known him for even less time, if you could even call that "knowing" him at all. And yet, you felt this strange surge of protectiveness over him.

You really hope that isn't part of the saviour thing Hoseok spoke of before...

Sighing into the empty elevator, you try not to think about the fact that it probably is, and instead focus on what is right in front of you. Your car keys are still in your hand, the shape imprinted into your palm from how hard your nerves had made you grip them between your fingers while you talked to the officers.

You take the coward's route and run away.

Lee Minhyuk's office building isn't that far in terms of distance, but the traffic around it is pure hell. It gives you much too much time alone with only your thoughts. You try to drown them out with whatever is on the radio, but even that can't seem to calm the disquiet within you. The more you think about the things you said, the more regret builds in your gut. What right did you have to say those things to Jimin? Sure, you think it's a fool's dream to believe this Rayoung girl is out there searching for him, but to purposefully shut him down like that? To crush that dream just because you got offended by emotions he was completely valid in feeling? Just because he's been scarred by humans before and you happen to be one? It's not his fault that he thought you might've drugged him, it's a product of--

"Ah, you're here."

Blinking, you realize that your body went on autopilot and walked you up to Lee Minhyuk's office without you knowing, and you watch his back as he goes to sit at his desk.

"Yeah I... got your text," you say dazedly, unsure of anything else you could possibly say in the moment.

"Well, it's good that you came. I wouldn't want you to go without this." Minhyuk holds his hand out, and you step closer to his desk to let him drop whatever the thing he forgot is in your awaiting palm.

A single key stares up at you, attached by a small ring to a simple metal tag.

Silver Meadows Columbarium, it reads.

"Oh."

Moving the key to your fingers, you flip over the tag and read lot C 258 on the back. You'd never heard of Silver Meadows Columbarium before. Never needed to...

"I believe Mr Jung set up his..." Minhyuk pauses as he mulls over his word choice. "...accommodations before he passed."

You can't help but ask, "Just him? No family, or...?"

Your words trail off, both of you knowing that Mr Jung left you as his sole benefactor. If he had family, he didn't leave them anything. Not even the location of his remains.

Minhyuk shakes his head, and you frown.

"He prepared for his own death all by himself?"

Your concern is met with a small, understanding smile on Minhyuk's face. "Well, he may have done the paperwork himself, but he wasn't alone. He had you."

"But I--" You hardly knew Mr Jung.

"He brought you up more than once," Minhyuk says, making you close your mouth and blink stupidly at him. At your silence, he continues. "He came to my office a few times to sign the papers and whatnot, and he mentioned you every time. Always said you're the only one who laughs at his jokes."

"They're funny!"

Your own response jars you a bit. The last time you said that, you thought Mr Jung was alive.

Minhyuk only smiles again, softly. "He was happy you thought so."

"Did he say that?"

"Not in so many words, but I it wasn't hard to tell. Don't get too caught up in the fact that Jung didn't have blood relatives he wanted to include in his will. Evidently--" He gestures to you. "--he had a family of sorts."

Except that you weren't it. You couldn't be, right?

A seedling plants itself in the forefront of your mind.

A seedling named Hoseok.

That's must be it -- Mr Jung wanted to leave his estate to Hoseok, but couldn't figure out how to, legally. Hybrids probably can't even have bank accounts, much less accept inheritance, which is why Mr Jung defaulted to you. He trusted you to help Hoseok start up Heaven's Door as the legal owner of the land it's built on.

In his letter, he'd said it's that it's you, whatever that means.

You look down at the key in your hand, taking a deep breath in. It might not be the key to Heaven's Door Motel, but you clutch it in your fingers, and as you step out of Lee Minhyuk's office, you make a silent promise to Mr Jung.

You'll get Heaven's Door up and running.

And you'll do a damn good job of it too.

=

When you return to your apartment, you have a brown paper bag of fresh pastries in your hand and a heavy something in your chest. You tried to figure out what you want to say to the two hybrids in your place on your way home, but it's hard. You feel like all you keep doing is messing up. Now, you even ran off without a word after seeing the Hybrid Services officers, which had to have freaked Hoseok out.

You grimace as you twist the doorknob. Less than an hour ago, you'd resolved yourself to running Heaven's Door with everything you've got, but are you really the right person for the job?

When you enter, you go to call out for Hoseok, but you freeze with your mouth partially open. The guys stand ramrod straight in front of you, Hoseok with a slight smile and Jimin with a hesitant clench of his jaw, arms crossed. You gape at them for a couple seconds until Hoseok frowns at Jimin and jabs his elbow into his side.

"Ow! What the--"

"Don't you have something to say?" Hoseok prompts through his teeth, a harsh grit to the question.

Jimin huffs, his arms shifting in front of his chest, hands holding his own arms a little tighter. He meets your eyes. "I'm--"

"Wait." You hold up a hand to stop him, not missing the confusion that flashes across Hoseok's face. Something like panic reflects in Jimin's eyes when he sneaks a glance at Hoseok, but you don't acknowledge it. "Let's talk." With the hand still holding the paper bag, you gesture towards the couch. "Have a seat. Both of you."

Jimin doesn't move until Hoseok does, following silently while Hoseok watches you out of the corner of his eye as he sits down.

You set the pastries on the kitchen table before making your way to them, stopping in front of the couch and chewing over your thoughts. Jimin regards you with a half-frown, brows knitted in apparent distrust. You can't really blame him.

If your ears were better, you might've heard the slight gasp Hoseok let out when you dropped to your knees, bent down, and pressed your forehead to your hands, which are now flat on the floor. You bow in front of them, let out a breath, and raise your head once you gather your thoughts, putting your hands respectfully on your lap. "I'm sorry," you say. "I fucked up."

Hoseok's ears twitch, dipping, and he scoots forward on the cushion, about to say something, but you don't let him.

"Jimin, I want to apologize for this morning. I had no right to react the way I did." You look at Jimin, but you can't read his face. "It's not your fault if humans have hurt you enough to make you think we're all the same. People can be... horrible. I wish things were different, but... I want you to know that I will never intentionally hurt you--" Your eyes meet Hoseok's. "--either of you. I'm not going to punish you. I'm not going to force or coerce you into anything you don't want to do. I don't want to be the kind of human you're afraid of."

Hoseok shakes his head. "I'm not afraid--"

"I can't promise I won't fuck up again," you say, wincing as you realize you've spoken over him, but when he doesn't speak up again, you continue. "I honestly feel like a walking disaster with how many times I've fucked up, and it's only been a couple days. Sometimes I speak before I think, and I really need to work on that. I'm sorry."

You don't know when you started staring into your lap, but you let out a long breath, and only after that do you slowly look up at the two hybrids. They both wear blank expressions, and it makes you want to shrink back in on yourself. "I just--"

"I lied," Jimin blurts out, and you face him, eyes slightly widening.

"...Lied? About what?"

Sighing, Jimin casts a glance at Hoseok, who nods determinedly. He fidgets with his hands, looking at them rather than meeting your eyes. "I guess, technically, Rayoung isn't looking for me right now," he mumbles. "But she will. As soon as she breaks up with her stupid tool boyfriend."

"Oh." You blink at Jimin. "Well, um... You're welcome to stay with us. Until then, I mean."

Jimin's lips form into a contemplative pout, but he says nothing.

You scratch the back of your neck. Is there a good way to approach this? "We could, um... let her know somehow? That you're with us."

You eye Hoseok, who's hopefully in the same boat for you to be saying we. He wasn't exactly Jimin's biggest fan last night, weird possessiveness over pyjama sets aside. Now, though, you see that even he can tell this Rayoung girl is bad news. Still, Jimin's ties to her seem to run deep, and you know it's nowhere near simple to tell someone a person they love isn't as great as they thought.

Jimin takes a deep breath in, his shoulders scrunching up as his body tenses and relaxes. "Can I... think about it?"

"Of course!" You perk up at the idea of him even considering your offer after the way you snapped this morning, and you point at the brown paper bag on the table. "Do you want to have breakfast while you think?"

While Jimin marks a straight line to the kitchen, Hoseok holds his hand out for you before you even move to get up. You take it, and he uses his other hand to gently grasp your elbow and lift you onto your feet. He doesn't let go right away, instead holding both your hands and whispering, "You shouldn't have gone out alone." He rubs his thumbs over your knuckles. "You're still concussed."

The proximity combined with his concern for you causes heat to stir in your chest. It's uncomfortable and foreign, so you try to force it down, smiling and letting out a chuckle that screams casual. You hope. "I can hold my own. Besides, I think I'm all better; right as rain up here." You pull one of your hands out of his tender hold and curl it into a fist, knocking on your cranium like a door. Except, the impact makes your brain swish around in your skull like gargled fluoride. "Whoa-- shit."

You sway, tipping the direction you knocked your own head into. Hoseok keeps you standing, but he doesn't like it. "You just proved my point."

"Listen--"

"From now on, no going off on your own," he says, and from his tone, there's no point in a rebuttal.

You roll your eyes, and, whoa, does the room always spin when you do that? Still, even wooziness can't stopper your sarcasm. "Protective much?"

"Kind of my job description."

"I thought I was your bodyguard," you tease, and he chuckles, his seriousness evaporating with the sound.

"As if--"

"You're dumb."

You and Hoseok both turn towards the kitchen, where Jimin stands next to the table with a half eaten pastry in his mouth. Ignoring the glare he's under from Hoseok, which you don't notice, he speaks around the pastry. "Only a dumb person would go out on their own in your condition."

Even though you're pretty sure he should be on the same side as Jimin on this, Hoseok sneers at him, the slightest of growls rumbling in his throat.

Jimin holds up a hand, mockingly. "Easy, pup."

"I'm older than you, punk!"

You can't help it; you laugh. Jimin is all over the place, accusing you of atrocities one second and talking to you and Hoseok like you're long-time friends the next. The two hybrids cease their bickering at the sound of your laughter.

"Okay, okay." You take a breath to stop the giggles threatening to break past your lips. "New temporary house rule: no one should go off on their own unless they have to."

Jimin raises a brow. "No one?"

"Ideally." You nod. "Which brings me to the next thing I wanted to talk about. When the Hybrid Services officers were here before, they were telling everyone there's a feral hybrid in the area. The entire neighbourhood is going to be on alert-- I don't know how kindly they'll take to finding any unregistered or, uh, stray hybrids if they run into either of you alone."

Nodding along, Hoseok rubs his chin with his thumb. "Makes sense."

"They know what the hybrid looks like, but we don't know how much they actually care about the picture. Who knows if they'd just nab any male hybrid off the street," you say. "It's probably best to play it safe; at least while we're still in the neighbourhood."

"What do you mean, 'still in the neighbourhood'?" Jimin asks, curious.

You smack your own forehead and ignore the way Hoseok immediately brings his hands up like you're going to knock yourself over any second now. "Right, uh... We're kind of..." Bringing up a hand, you gesture between yourself and Hoseok. "...prospective business owners? Is that--? No, we're, uh...starting up a motel? But, like, for hybrids?"

Hoseok is decidedly unhelpful with explaining what Heaven's Door is meant to be, staying silent and just making a face as you botch it.

"Anyway, it might be safer if we head out there sooner rather than later if the neighbourhood is getting paranoid over stray hybrids. It's outside of the city, and Hybrid Services doesn't do patrols out there. I was thinking to move once I'd figured more shit out, but I didn't think the whole 'feral hybrid' thing would happen today, and I definitely didn't foresee meeting you." Not that anything that's happened to you in the last few days could've been foreseen, either. You smile at Jimin. "But hey, at least you were a pleasant surprise."

"Didn't I threaten to kill you?."

You shrug. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

"And your guard dog attacked me."

"After you attacked her!" Hoseok argues.

Clicking his tongue, Jimin gives his head a nod. "Point taken."

"Anyhow," you continue on. "While you think about what you wanna do, I'd like you to come with us. Of course, you're free to refuse. I still have two-ish weeks of rent paid for this place, so you could stay here, but..." You share a look with Hoseok, then return your eyes to Jimin.

"...I'd be alone?" he finishes for you.

"I guess I'd just feel better if you're with us."

Jimin seems to absorb your words, but he stays silent for a few seconds. He tosses the last bite of the pastry into his mouth, chewing quietly and brushing his hands together to get rid of the leftover crumbs. He takes a breath. "I guess I sort of owe you for the food and the bed I slept in last night... The least I can do is make you feel better."

Your cheeks make way for a beaming smile.

"Just while I think about it."

You school yourself. "Right! Right," you say, clearing your throat of any enthusiasm that might've gotten clogged in there. "Just while you're thinking about it. Nothing's set in stone."

=

Either Hoseok calls shotgun outside of your hearing range, or Jimin silently sits in the backseat of your car out of some unfounded sense of regularity. He doesn't speak a word as you drive, just watches the world pass by through the side window. You can't really see him in the rear view mirror, and most of your focus is on the road, but there are a few moments where you catch his fingers scratching at his arms before he flexes his hands and stops. You're reminded of the red, bumpy skin you saw on his arms. Now, it's covered by his shirt and jacket, both of which you convinced him to let you wash before you all left your apartment.

"I don't think this is the right way..." Hoseok says, squinting at the street signs as you drive out of the inner city.

"Yeah, uh." You'd looked up the address to Silver Meadows before you left, and it's practically on the other side of the city as Heaven's Door. "There's somewhere I wanted to go first. You know how I left this morning?"

Hoseok nods.

"Well, it wasn't just to throw a tantrum, if that's what you were thinking."

"I thought maybe you were trying to get those Hybrid Services officers to think you were going somewhere, so they'd think no one was in your apartment," Hoseok says, making your eyebrows rise on your forehead.

"Wow, you're pretty intuitive, aren't you?" Your eyes dart to the backseat, but you can't see Jimin's face since he's sitting right behind you. "Were you guys able to hear that whole conversation in the hallway?"

Jimin scoffs, something sarcastic in the simple sound, while Hoseok nods again. "It's weird how even they don't know the species of the feral hybrid," he says. "Without that information, they'd go after any stray hybrid they encounter -- not that they weren't doing that already."

"But they might treat any stray like they're feral and dangerous," you finish the thought process for him, and when you meet his eyes, he sports a grim expression. You roll your shoulders back, sighing. "It's a good enough reason to stay on our toes, but hopefully we won't run into any trouble outside of my neighbourhood..."

And, hopefully, the feral hybrid doesn't get found by anyone less than civil. The cheerful face of that hybrid flashes across your mind, and you wonder about his circumstances. What makes a hybrid go feral, anyway? What made him run away from the hybrid clinic? How much of the information the officers gave you is a stretching of the truth?

"So where did you go?" Hoseok asks when you make another unfamiliar turn.

"Lee Minhyuk texted me -- he was Mr Jung's estate lawyer." You add that in to give Jimin some context, but you're not sure if he's even listening. "He forgot to give me the key for Mr Jung's niche."

Hoseok's brows furrow as he echoes you. "Niche?"

"It's what they call the individual sections in a columbarium," you explain, not too informed yourself, but you know enough. You take Hoseok's silence as him not filling the gaps quite yet. "Mr Jung's urn is being kept in one. Lot C, niche 258, at Silver Meadows Columbarium."

"Oh." Hoseok doesn't exactly slump in his seat, but you see the way his shoulders sag just the slightest. "He was cremated?"

You nod, eyes still on the road. "Yeah... I hadn't thought about it much. I'd assumed his family was dealing with all the..." Breathing out a long exhale through your nose, you try to think of the right words. (And come up with nothing.) "...well, that kind of stuff. But apparently I'm the only one with the key."

"Mr Jung never talked about any family..." Hoseok mumbles.

A road sign ahead reads Silver Meadows, and you slow down to turn into the lot.

"You're not bringing flowers?"

You turn your head at Jimin's sudden question, surprised since he was quiet the whole drive. He meets your eyes.

"You're visiting a grave, and you didn't bring flowers?" he asks, arms crossed.

"Oh." You look downward. "I hadn't thought about that..."

Jimin doesn't say anything, and you've run out of words yourself. Does it make sense to go back to buy some? You think about Mr Jung, and far above wanting to go get flowers for him now, you wish you could've brought him one back then. When he could see it.

You find a parking spot and switch off the engine.

"It's okay," Hoseok says before any of you exit the car. He's not looking at you, though. "We can bring flowers next time."

You watch him step out of the car, and as he does, he pulls his collar out of his pocket and fastens it around his neck, clasping the metal ends together before he shuts the car door behind him. Before you'd left the apartment, you told him to bring it, but you forgot about it during the drive.

"Oh, right. Jimin." You twist in your seat and reach into your bag, finding the red velvet choker you'd stuffed in there earlier. You've never really worn it since someone gave it to you however long ago, and you just hastily grabbed it from your room before you all left the apartment. You hold it out for him. "Wear this for now. It's not technically a collar, but... no one will be looking too closely. I hope."

Jimin frowns, but he takes the choker. "Can't I just stay in the car?"

You don't want to pressure him, but you can't help the grimace that crosses your face. "I feel safer together..."

"Fine," he huffs, bringing his hands up to fasten the choker. "You're lucky this is cute."

By the time you both catch up to Hoseok, he's already found the directions to lot C. He walks silently, and when he finds niche 258, you and Jimin hang a bit back, giving him a moment.

This section of the columbarium is indoors, and the walls and niches seem to be white marble, or made to look like white marble. Whichever it is, it feels a bit... cold.

Mr Jung's niche is empty, save for the black urn inside. Jimin was probably right -- some flowers would at least bring some life to the space.

Hoseok stands in front of the niche, which is embedded in the wall at around the height of his chest. His arms hang limp at his sides. You step up beside him, and you take his hand, gently, bringing it up so you can push the key into his palm.

"I think he meant to give this to you." And everything else, you want to say, but you hold your tongue. That's a lot to put on someone all at once.

You would know.

Hoseok holds his hand in front of him, staring at the key. He looks up at you and meets your eyes with his watery ones. "You think so?"

"Of course I do." You put a hand on Hoseok's shoulder, your thumb rubbing back and forth over his coat. "You said Mr Jung never talked about any family, right? That's because you were his family."

Sniffling, Hoseok bites his bottom lip to stop it from trembling as he breaks eye contact and returns to looking at Mr Jung's niche. "I... I wish he wasn't this far away. He made it so much harder to visit."

"Hey..." Gently, you use your hand on his shoulder to turn Hoseok toward you, then put both your hands on his arms and give him a reassuring squeeze. A tear threatens to roll down his cheek, but you reach up at thumb it away. "I know you probably knew Mr Jung better than I did, but... something in me thinks he'd want to say..." You turn your head to look at the niche, smile, and shake your head. "He's not in there." Bringing a hand up, you softly poke the pad of your pointer finger between Hoseok's eyebrows. "He's in here." You move to his chest and poke at where his heart should be. "And here." Finally, you take both his hands, a bit awkward with the one still holding the key, and hold them between you. "And that's what matters, right?"

Hoseok nods, but his face crumples up, and he tucks it into your neck. You wrap your arms around him just as his embrace you tight. Over his shoulder, you glance at Jimin, who quickly looks away, but you know he was watching. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, suddenly very interested in his worn out shoes.

"But we can still visit, right?" Hoseok mumbles into your skin, bringing your attention back to him.

"Of course. And next time, we'll bring flowers."

=

As you slide into one of the parking spots in front of Heaven's Door, it occurs to you that this is the first time you're seeing it in the daylight. All of its mediocre glory. The outer walls are a faded yellow, with supporting pillars and railings on the second floor landing which were once white. The doors to the individual rooms are a nice dark green that matches the roofing, but you have to admit they've seen better days. Still, you can feel the potential the old building blooms in your chest.

"Not too bad, hey?" you say to Jimin, who's leaning forward between the driver and passenger seats to peer out the windshield at the place.

He sniffs. "It's no Plaza Hotel."

"You've been?"

"No, I've seen Home Alone 2."

Chuckling, you pull your car key out of the ignition and exit the car. You put your hands on your hips, inhaling a big, exaggerated breath as you take in the motel. Hoseok walks over and stands next to you, arms crossed.

"Well," you say. "It might be a bit of a fixer-upper, but that's nothing a couple of fixer-uppers like us can't handle, right?" You bump your shoulder into Hoseok, who smiles at you and bumps back with his hip. You stumble a bit, but Jimin's hand on your back stops you from swaying too hard. When you take your eyes off your feet, he meets your eyes with a plain expression.

"You guys are disgustingly optimistic."

A hand on his shoulder, you grin. "You just named one of my best traits!"

=

The move into Heaven's Door is by no means smooth, but you can't say it's not something you expected.

The first thing you notice is the broken window in the convenience store under the motel lobby, which you'd missed that first night in the dark. Hoseok sheepishly admits that he'd had to break in to eat the snack food inside. You don't push it -- that void of time between losing Mr Jung and meeting you isn't a topic you think is worth diving into if it's going to bring Hoseok back to that time. The window won't be cheap, but if you don't put a custom decal on it like the shattered one on the ground, it might not be as expensive.

Secondly, Hoseok leads you and Jimin to the master room you remember Mr Jung mentioning in his letter, and you realize you'd only seen the motel from one side. Behind the lobby, which has a lot of that same forest green as the doors outside, Hoseok shows you the half of the building you had no idea about before. An entire branch extends behind the lobby, about the same length as the front, but instead of the entrances to each room facing outside like the ones you saw before, there are doors mirroring each other on both sides of a hallway. Immediately to the right is the master room, but at the end of the hallway seems to be a common area with couches and coffee tables, and two walls lined with a counter and cabinets. Hoseok tells you it's the same downstairs, except the end of the hall is a kitchen and dining area. It reminds you of a college dorm.

If anyone stayed in the rooms you saw out front, you don't think they'd even notice this half of the building.

The master room is smaller than your apartment, but it has its own half-kitchen and en suite bathroom with a pretty nice shower. Hoseok explains to you that most of Mr Jung's time and focus went into building and upgrading the interior of Heaven's Door, which is why it has its less than shiny exterior.

You can tell Hoseok was staying in the master room up until you... kidnapped(?) him.

"This is probably the nicest room in the motel, huh?" Jimin posits, walking inside with his hands in his pants pockets. He's wearing the clothes he met you in, now washed but no less worn down.

You nod. "Probably. We're a bit far from the city, so it would make sense for the owner to just live here."

"Dibs." Jimin flops down face first into the bed.

Hoseok crosses his arms. "Yah."

As you fail to hide your laughter behind your hand, Jimin squirms in the bed, twisting himself so he lies on his back. He stretches his arms and legs out like a sea star. "Smells too much like dog here, though."

While Hoseok sneers, you say, "Probably because this is Hoseok's room. You and I can take the rooms next door and across the hall."

"Why would I wanna be next door to you?" Jimin closes his eyes and interlocks is fingers behind his head, fully relaxing into the bed.

You let out an affronted scoff. Your hand goes up to your chest, right over your heart even though Jimin can't see it. "Um, my amazing company and charming personality?"

"Pass."

As you and Jimin go through this back-and-forth, you miss the way Hoseok's face fell when you said you'd be in a different room. His disheartened expression goes unnoticed, and when you stand up, proclaiming there's a lot of work to be done, he smiles at you with all the sunshine he can muster.

You're none the wiser.

=

Aside from the horrors (the mere idea of business management, the building maintenance, the absolute atrocity that is dealing with plumbing, the phone calls, etc, etc,) at least it's fun to print keys. Hoseok apparently never figured the system out because Mr Jung took care of getting it installed, but half an hour on the computer, and you manage to print a key for both yourself and Jimin. He chooses the room across from the master, while you're right next to it.

Hoseok insists on him and Jimin carrying all the food you'd brought inside, but to appease your need to take part, he lets you carry one item for each trip from your car to the common kitchen area. (You find this a little patronizing, but it is admittedly nice to be doted on by them both, even if Jimin's still pretending he doesn't care.)

((He takes a bag you were reaching for, despite already having both his hands full.))

Much of your things are still back at your apartment, but you have time to bring them over. The first day is mostly about getting Hoseok and Jimin out of dodge -- you can worry about your own problems later. You spend the afternoon sitting in the lobby, poring over the paperwork left there and googling motel business 4 dummies like your life depends on it. Hoseok, who'd been cleaning up his room and taking care of the broken glass outside (and inside, unfortunately) the convenience store, forces you to take a break in the form of helping him make dinner.

During dinner, unprompted, Jimin tells you he's still thinking.

It hasn't slipped by you, of course, that Jimin's stay with you is conditional and, lest you hope otherwise, temporary.

But when he says that, staring into his food rather than looking at you, a tiny smile makes it's way onto your face,

"Take all the time you need."

=

On the third night, you wake up to soft knocks on your door. You have no expectations because your brain is in the process of trying to dissect the dream you'd just been ripped out of, but seeing Hoseok on the other side of your door still isn't something you were prepared for. He's wearing the new, new pyjamas you'd bought for him in a sparse shopping trip you'd all gone on the second day, despite him saying he didn't care that much about Jimin wearing the other ones.

You go to say his name, but he just brings a finger up to his lips in a silent shush, and with his other hand, he gently takes your hand and leads you down the hall into the master room.

Nothing in your body wants to fight it, so you let him bring you right up to the bed. He practically pushes you onto it, but the way he pulls the warm comforter over you defies any ill intent. When he settles in on the other side of the bed, his breath puffs against your cheek. He hasn't really scented you since the day you met Jimin; you've been near each other almost constantly since, so there was really no reason to.

You remember him telling you it's about separation, but also not. He never did tell you more about it.

In your sleep-ridden haze, you shift to your side. Hoseok is on his side too, rather close, and his eyes are closed, but you know he can't have fallen asleep so fast. Gently, you bring a hand to the back of his head, careful, as always, not to touch his dingo ears. You pull him closer ever so slowly. If he resists at all, you'll let go.

Hoseok lets out a shaking breath. He wraps both arms around you and tugs you closer, his face pressing itself against your neck. Eyes still closed, he squeezes you close. It's warm.

That's right, you think.

He’s a strong little pup, but he hates being alone.

How did you manage to forget that?

=

If Jimin has anything to say about the fact that you've started to retire to the master room at the end of the day, he doesn't vocalize it. Hoseok never brings it up, either. He's hardly touchy during the daytime, keeping his hands to himself, especially in front of Jimin. Yet, when night comes, he pulls you to bed like he's done it his entire life and keeps his arms around you until you fall asleep and wake up to find him all tangled up in the sheets.

Jimin either hasn't noticed, or, as you suspect, he doesn't care.

He'll often say he's "still thinking about it". You're not quite sure how to respond to it every time, so now you just smile and nod, sometimes reminding him that the choice is still his.

One night, you find him in the common area, sitting on a couch and watching a muted cartoon on the tv you'd connected to your Netflix account the day before. The subtitles aren't even on, and when he turns at the sound of your footsteps, you see the red of his eyes, and the shining tracks on his cheeks.

There's still a lot you don't know about Jimin.

Rayoung. Her boyfriend. His red contacts and why he wore them.

"It's freezing in here," is all he says as he wipes his cheeks with his sleeve. "You should get the heating system checked."

You sit down next to him, neither of you looking at each other. "Feels normal to me."

The cartoon isn't one you recognize, but it looks like it could be fun if you knew what anyone was saying.

For a while, you and Jimin say nothing. He sits next to you, and you next to him. At some point, he shifts just the slightest bit closer so your shoulders brush against each other. That's as far as he goes for your body heat.

"Do you get cold easily?" you eventually whisper.

"Mhmm."

"Is that a snake thing?"

Jimin shakes his head, slowly, the late hour finally getting to him. "Some reptile hybrids are like that, some aren't. There aren't many of us, so people don't really know why. At least... that's what he told me."

He. You decide not to dig into that. Jimin will tell you if he wants to.

"Your scales... the skin around them seemed irritated."

"...Itchy..." Jimin's head falls to your shoulder. He doesn't snuggle in, but he rests there. "I had a cream for it..."

"We should buy some," you say.

"It's expensive... You shouldn't buy it if I'm going to leave soon..."

Though his words cause a muted ache in your heart, you don't stew on it. That was always the case.

"You can take it with you."

Jimin doesn't respond, asleep on your shoulder.

You're not sure how much time passes, but later, you hear light, shuffling footsteps behind you, and you turn your head towards the sound, careful not to jostle the slumbering Jimin on your shoulder. Hoseok stands there, eyes half closed but on you nonetheless.

"You left," he mumbles, swaying slightly like he's struggling to stay both awake and upright.

You give him a small smile, lit only by the tv that's still playing that cartoon you don't know the name of. "I didn't go very far."

"Come back to bed?"

Gently, you lift a hand and gesture at Jimin. "Can we bring him back to his, first?"

=

When you're sent the invoice for the window repair, you realize (not for the first time) this won't be easy.

You didn't think it'd be a walk in the park, of course not, but you've never really had to worry about the cost of running a business before. Now, you look at the numbers, and you just can't wrap your head around how it'll all work. Mr Jung left you a considerable amount, yes, but... will it be enough? You can't imagine the motel is in any high level of traffic area for travellers. There are quite a few campsites around in the surrounding forest, but that's about it. How many customers would it take monthly to support the motel? How much has to or even can be sacrificed before any income is made?

You've already spent so much on keeping you, Hoseok, and Jimin alive and warm for the past week. It's normal, you suppose, but you've never supported two dependants before, and the fact that you're currently unemployed doesn't settle the heavy feeling in your chest at all. You're draining your savings while not making any money in the meantime.

A safe haven for hybrids...

...who can't pay rent.

Maybe Mr Jung was older and more senile than you thought.

You shake your head and rub your hands over your face, resting your elbows on the desk in front of you. First, you gotta apologize to Mr Jung for disrespecting the dead. You might be cynical, but he had a dream. A really good and nice dream. Secondly, you scold yourself for thinking what you did about hybrids. Of course they can't pay rent. They were born into a system that actively discourages their financial (and pretty much every other kind of) autonomy. They can't pay for anything because of humans.

Still, you don't know how long you can keep running Heaven's Door on your inheritance alone. You haven't even opened yet -- how much will it cost to run for a month? Three? A year?

"Do the numbers change if you sigh hard enough?"

You turn in your swivel chair to glare at Jimin, who's sitting in the chair next to you with one leg folded up to his chest, foot propped up on the seat. He doesn't return your gaze, enraptured by the match-three game he's playing on your phone, which he's been going at rather consistently for the past two days. You don't really have a job for him right now, and aside from the tv, he doesn't have much to take up his time. You'd offered to grab the contents of your bookshelf back at home for him, but he'd casually refused, telling you he'd take a look next time you make the trip, but not to go out of your way.

"Maybe they will," you taunt back, which goes just as ignored as your glare. "I better sigh harder to test it out."

You tilt your head, looking at your phone in his hand. "Should I get you guys phones...?" you ask, mostly to yourself.

Jimin's eyes glance up, and he finally acknowledges you. He doesn't need to say it. He does anyway.

"I'm still thinking."

Curling your lips in, you nod, turning back to the computer and hovering your hands over the mouse and keyboard even though you have no plans on what to do with them. "Right. Right..."

Thankfully, Hoseok chooses that awkward moment to walk into the lobby. "You should take a break," he says. "How is your head feeling?"

"It's fine, doc." You roll your eyes, smiling. "Just as fine as I said it was yesterday."

"Have you been taking your meds?"

You shake your head. "The doctor said they're for headaches. They're just painkillers -- the few times my head has hurt, the pain went away by the time I remembered I could take them."

Jimin lowers your phone and gives you a look you can't quite decipher. It's not positive; you know that at least. "You're still getting headaches?"

"Only itty-bitty ones," you try to placate them.

"How long has it been since you fell?"

You almost forgot you lied to Jimin about how you got your concussion. By the looks of Hoseok's guilty expression, though, you're not sure if you regret it. You don't want him to feel responsible, but talking about it -- whether or not Jimin knows -- still seems to remind him of what he did. Where you put the blame doesn't matter to him. He still thinks it's his fault.

"Uhh... a little over a week?" you answer, keeping a careful eye on Hoseok. "Maybe eight or nine days."

Jimin frowns. "That can't be good, right?"

"The doctor said to go back to the hospital if the symptoms last over two weeks." Concern laced in his features, Hoseok crosses his arms.

You nod along. "I'll put the date on my calendar, okay? I'm sure I'll be fine by then."

"You better not play it down when the time comes," Hoseok warns.

"Yes sir," you joke.

Hoseok takes in a sharp breath, shoulders scrunching up for half a second before he forces them to relax. A small huff of a laugh escapes Jimin's nose, and you look at him in confusion, but his eyes are on Hoseok, something playful and teasing in them. Jimin mouths something to Hoseok, which you can't read.

Hoseok grumbles and tightens the arms crossed in front of him. "Shut up."

"No fair," you whine. "You guys already have inside jokes?"

Jimin just laughs harder while Hoseok gives him a death glare and says, "It doesn't count as an inside joke if I don't find it funny."

"Don't worry," Jimin teases through a smirk. "I find it funny enough for the both of us!"

You can't help but smile at the ever-growing amity between the two hybrids, which is admittedly playful in the biting way, but it still makes you happy that they're somewhat getting along.

=

"We should celebrate," you tell the boys one day.

"Celebrate what?" Jimin questions, hands stuffed in his coat pocket and shoulders scrunched up to his ears.

You'd gone around the back of the motel and found a paved, patio-like area, complete with five wooden picnic tables, propane patio heaters, and an old-looking but (probably) functional barbecue, but Jimin isn't exactly a fan of the cool breeze flowing through the air.

You lift the lid of the barbecue, examining the charred grates of the grill. "Well, I dunno, but it'd be a shame not to use this before it gets too cold out."

"Too late," Jimin mumbles. His lips are hidden behind the front of his coat, which he's ducked half his face into.

Hoseok ignores Jimin, nodding at your idea. "A barbecue night would be nice."

"How are you on the grill?" you ask him.

"I'm better at prepping."

You chuckle. "So basically, not good?"

"Not good," he echoes with a smile.

After sharing some giggles, you look at the barbecue again. "I'm sure I could figure this out."

"I'm going back inside," Jimin tells you both, already walking away.

"C'mon!" you call after him. "It'll be fun!"

=

Although you're in a different store now, near the edge of the city closer to the motel, the pet/hybrid aisle hosts a pretty similar collection to the store near your apartment. You pull another plain, black collar off the hook on the shelf, which matches the one currently sitting around Hoseok's neck.

He's not paying attention at all, as far as you know, instead hunched over the pushbar of the shopping cart he insisted on pushing for you, poring over the grocery list you'd written on a memo pad for tonight's "celebration".

In your mind, you've started calling it your "new friends party :D", emoticon included, but you haven't worded that out loud to either of the boys. Hoseok would surely laugh at the childishness of the name, even if he'd politely try to stifle it, and you know Jimin would only remind you that his relationship to you and Hoseok is temporary.

Mood killer, you think to Jimin, although it's the hypothetical version of him.

The real Jimin is looking at the array of collars on the shelf like you asked him to, and you step up next to him.

"What do you think?"

Jimin frowns, deep in thought. "They're all ugly."

Okay, maybe not that deep.

"Ouch," you chuckle, fingers toying with the black silk in your hand. "You don't have to wear one all the time -- just while we're in public spaces like this."

Grumbling, Jimin stuffs both his hands in his coat pockets. "In public... that's when I wanna look good."

"Okay, okay." You pat a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we can find one you like online, or something."

"Doesn't this one work?" Jimin points at his neck, fingers ghosting over the soft velvet of your red choker.

You tilt your head. "I guess... Probably."

The tags for collars have to be bought and customized separately anyway. There's no reason why you wouldn't be able to put Jimin's on your choker, though attaching the tag might not be as simple as the store-bought collars. Manageable, though, you're sure.

"If you're done being picky, we should get going. The frozen meat will be rotten by the time we get to the car," Hoseok says, making Jimin roll his eyes and stick his tongue out at him.

You clap your hands together. "Ooh! We should get ice cream!"

When you bring all the groceries to the counter, you notice that Jimin keeps his head down, avoiding the eyes of the person ringing everything up. This isn't new -- Jimin seems to not like making eye contact with anyone but you or Hoseok.

He'd tossed the red contacts after one of them had an intimate meet and greet with your bedroom floor, but you can tell he doesn't like being without them. It's awful, you think, how long he wore those fake red eyes just because his owner... what, enjoyed the idea of owning a deadly hybrid?

The... exoticism?

You shiver.

On the cusp of winter time, with Jimin in a couple layers, you wouldn't even know he's a hybrid if you weren't paying attention. As far as you know, his only hybrid-defining trait is his scales, and the only ones you can see right now are on his neck. They'd easily go unnoticed to the everyday passerby.

"Your total is--"

The cashier's voice startles you, and all you can do is shake your head when they ask if you have their points reward card.

Before heading back to the motel, you make a quick stop at your apartment, telling the boys that you're just grabbing some more of your clothes and that they can wait in the car. You do grab some clothes, but you also pick up a few of your favourite books. Hopefully the boys will be able to find some entertainment in them. Recently, you discovered a recreation room in the motel, complete with a couple of exercise machines and a pool table. With how preoccupied you are with all this motel business stuff, though, you haven't had the time to play a round of pool or even think about exercising. Maybe the boys have been in there, but it seems like Hoseok is almost always somewhere around you, still weary of your condition.

It's sort of fair, you think. Dizzy spells still hit you sometimes.

Jimin, too, often sticks around somewhere nearby. Maybe it's because he likes scrolling through your phone and doesn't want to just take it and leave whatever room you're in.

Which brings you to the real reason you stopped by your apartment. You walk up to the mailboxes and pull out your key, smiling when you open your locker and find the packages you were expecting.

It's a bit of a pricey expense -- at least, for how you used to budget your life before it flipped on its head -- but you think it's worth the money. A simple phone for each of the boys, a new family plan to save on the phone bills, and a specialty reptilian hybrid eczema cream. You hope it's the right one for Jimin. You haven't seen his irritated skin since that shower due to the chilly weather, but you still catch him scratching his arms over his clothes from time to time.

You're sure if you told Jimin you wanted to buy the cream for him, he would've refused. The phone, too.

"Took you long enough," Jimin says when you dip back into the driver's seat of your car.

You chuckle. "I missed you too, Mochi."

He huffs at the nickname and crosses his arms, then turns his head to stare out the window. You don't see his faint smile.

=

"It's freezing," Jimin complains through chattering teeth, hands stuffed in his coat pockets and shoulders scrunched up practically to his ears.

You can't hold back a little laugh. "I told you, you could either help me out here with the grill, help Hoseok with prepping everything inside, or run the raw food from the kitchen to out here." Raising an eyebrow at him, you gesture towards your gloved hands and the food you're flipping on the grill with metal tongs. It is chilly out, especially since the sun set, but you're wrapped up in your own jacket, and the fire from the grill is keeping your cheeks warm. It probably feels colder to Jimin, though. "You wanna trade with me?"

He gives you a flat look. "You're kidding."

"Thought so. You wanna trade with Hoseok?"

Cringing, Jimin shakes his head. "I hate touching raw meat."

"Well, there's our answer then," you say. "Was that the last of it?"

He nods, another shiver rippling through him. It's almost endearing how red his cheeks are turning, but you know he really can't stand the cold.

"Okay, go inside and warm up. I should be done cooking everything in ten or fifteen minutes. Bring this plate in--" You point at a foil-wrapped plate of the food you've already cooked. "I can bring the rest inside once I'm finished."

Jimin's eyes widen slightly. "I thought you wanted to eat out here?" He looks at one of the picnic tables.

"Nah." You shrug. "It's way too cold for me, and the food will cool down too fast."

Elated by this news, Jimin smiles and bounces on his feet when he grabs the plate and runs it inside.

"And help Hoseok clean up the kitchen!" you yell out right before the door shuts behind him.

Truthfully, you did want to eat outside for the celebration, but it's more important to you that Jimin is comfortable and happy. After all, he's one of your new friends, and that's the whole point of tonight. You smile at the thought, excited to gift the boys their new cell phones after dinner.

Flipping some of the last pieces of meat on the grill, you hum to yourself. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a hand reach for the plate you have set to the side for the cooked food. It tentatively grabs one of the slices of meat and pulls it off the plate, which you let out a chuckle at.

"What, you couldn't wait a couple more minute--"

You choke to a stop, though, when you look up and see neither Hoseok nor Jimin.

Dark eyes meet yours for less than a moment before swiftly turning downward. The man stumbles back a step, but he freezes in almost the same way you do. Except, instead of his jaw dropping open like yours does, he pauses mid-chew, the frisked meat still in between his teeth.

That's not what makes your breath hitch, though.

Even under the blackened sky, you can see the bruises.

A dark, deep purple sits boldly under is left eye, the surrounding skin a sickening blend of yellow and green that winds up all the way to his brow. His chin sports another bruise in a similar state, like the blows had been a couple days ago and the skin has gone through only the first stages of healing. Although his face is grimy with sweat and dirt, you can see crusted blood just at his hairline before his black hair hides anything else. You can tell his lip was completely busted at some point, marred with dark, dried blood that's been split over and over again and given no chance to heal.

Even his stance looks like he's in pain. Like he's trying to make himself look smaller.

You swallow the shock down, the words not coming out. "I..."

He snaps out of it at the sound of your voice. Both of his hands shoot up, palms flat and facing you. "Sorry-- I'm sorry," he mumbles and winces, like it hurts to speak. His voice is scratchy and rasping.

He backs up further while you try to find something to say, something to do, but before you can do anything, he runs off the patio and disappears into the treeline, a clear limp in his movement.

"Wait!" you call out, but he's gone.

Maybe it was the injuries that made you want to go after him. Maybe it was the way he held himself, like he didn't want to be in his own body. Maybe it was the way his voice trembled, or the fact that he definitely wasn't wearing enough for the temperature outside.

Maybe it was all that combined, but most of all, it was the pointed black ears you saw on top of his head.

prev | chapter six (12.0k) | next

💜💜💜

Eunoia // Ch. 25

eunoia (noun): beautiful thinking, the possession of a well-balanced mind, which exhibits goodwill and kindness

Pairings: Hybrid! BTS x reader

Summary: You are a world famous director and you have dedicated your life to your job.You have everything you could ever dream of; wealth, recognision, talent, your friends and family. But loneliness isn’t cured by success. So what happens when you somehow rescue seven hybrids? Can they fill the void?

Genre: Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, eventual smut

Word Count: 9.2k+

Warnings: past abuse, past sexual abuse, cursing, past violence, mentions of blood, panic attacks

Masterlist

The taglist is now closed.

Trained in waking up early and pulling all-nighters because of filming, you were used to witnessing the sun rise. Usually, you didn’t pay it much attention. The sun rose every day and you had other more important things to do than watch it go through the same motions. You were rushing to leave, making coffee and answering texts on your phone or you were too tired to do anything other than go straight to bed and close the blinds.

You had forgotten how beautiful it was, how the quiet of the early morning glowed in soft orange. Only you and Seokjin were awake, snuggled up on the large white couch on the balcony on the main floor. Your feet were laying on his lap and his arm was wrapped around your waist.

You had woken up early, fading images of the red ballroom and empty eyes haunted your sleep as much as you tried to bury them during the day. Thankfully, Jimin hadn’t been there when you had woken up, drenched in sweat and grasping wildly at the sheets to remind yourself that you were at the Castle. That it had been more than a week since you had been in that ballroom.

It would go away. It had to. It was over. Nothing happened to you. You would get over it.

 You got up, stretched your sore muscles from all the walking the previous day and put on some music to take your mind off the long green dress and paddle numbers, and started your day. No one else was supposed to be awake so early in the morning but when you went to the kitchen to make yourself a cup of coffee, Seokjin was already there, mixing pancake batter with a large wooden spoon. 

Putting your arms around him, you had watched him work until he sent you away, claiming that you were distracting him. It wasn’t your fault that his neck looked in desperate need of kissing and that your mouth had trailed downwards subconsciously. Since you weren’t wanted in the kitchen, you went outside to the balcony to savor the sharp air before the sun appeared on the horizon.

Seokjin joined you soon with two cups of coffee. “It feels like a mug of hot coffee would be more appropriate, but the weather’s too hot,” you had joked.

He had made your favorite iced coffee in the way too-expensive coffee machine you had purchased when you first got the house. Another one of your impulsive purchases. But it was worth it. It made some of the best coffee you had ever tasted. The only coffee above that was made by a small coffee shop nestled in a quiet alleyway in Paris. The perfect amount of milk and sugar, not too sweet and not too bitter. 

You were both a little tired from your little trip to the lake. A sweet kind of pull in your chest, not easily noticeable. You had returned as the sky grew darker and had ordered takeout for dinner, which you enjoyed spread around the garden. Surprisingly, almost everything in the baskets had been devoured during your time at the lake. Alice had been reluctant to leave but you had promised her that she was welcome to visit you again soon. She had hugged each of you tightly—even Yoongi, who didn’t seem to mind at all—and promised that she would be back to play more.

“She’s a little hurricane,” Seokjin said. He was glowing with the sunrise stroking his face. “She reminds me of you a little. Was that what you were like when you were little?”

“I was never that cute,” you joked. Your aunt would argue but while Alice was a hurricane, sweeping up everyone in her way and winning them over, you had been a nightmare, difficult to handle, not listening to anyone, and independent to a fault. “Or that social. I would like to believe that I contributed a little to the shaping of her personality but honestly, her parents are both amazing. They raised her really well and she was already incredible to begin with. She will become a much better person than me.”

He looked down at your legs resting on his lap. “That will be hard. You are probably the best person I know.” He shrugged as if what he said didn’t matter, as if it didn’t make flowers bloom in your chest.

You caressed his cheek, prompting him to look at you. “That might be a little worrying but thank you. You are one of the best people I know too. Shhhh,” you quieted down his protests. “If you can say that about me, I can say that about you.”

“I haven’t done anything special. Nothing like you. You-”

“Stop that.” You laid two fingers on his lips and he obediently stilled them under your touch. “First, you don’t have to do anything special. Who defines special either way? Some of the kindest, most loyal, amazing people I know show these qualities in small ways, that doesn’t make them any less special. Second, who says you didn’t do anything special? Who was there for Jungkook when he distanced himself from everyone else? Who cooks for us every day and takes care of us? Who is always trying to cheer us up when someone is feeling down? Who-?”

“Enough, enough,” he interrupted you, shaking his head. His human ear and cheeks were stark red at all the praise. “I know I’m amazing, that’s enough.”

You laughed and captured his lips in a kiss. Warmth, more comforting than what the sun could provide, filled your insides as you tangled your fingers in his soft hair. He opened his lips for you and you slowly explored the inside of his mouth. You had always enjoyed kissing but nothing compared to the kisses you had shared with your hybrids the past few months.

Lazy mornings were rare for you. There was always one reason or another to be running around the house in a hurry to leave or lock yourself in your office. You were hostage to an endless need to always be productive. That’s what mornings were for. Maybe you had been completely wrong because this one was one of the best mornings you had ever experienced.

Seokjin heard the footsteps on the stairs before you did, turning his head around to watch Jungkook, Jimin, and Namjoon climb up. You called for them and Jungkook and Jimin ran to you, squeezing themselves between you. Namjoon followed laughing and sat down next to Seokjin, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

Hoseok, Yoongi, and Taehyung appeared soon and Seokjin left to go plate the breakfast and bring it to the balcony. You didn’t eat on the balcony often, mostly because of the low table that made it a little uncomfortable, but no one wanted to move. Jungkook and Namjoon went with Seokjin inside to help but when you moved to do the same, Jimin wrapped his arms around your waist tightly and wouldn’t let you go.

“No, you are staying with me!” he exclaimed and proceeded to bury his face in your belly, purring.

Hoseok looked at you in amusement and you shrugged your shoulders, used to Jimin’s antics by now. The three of them took one of the other two couches while the five of you remained squeezed in one. Yoongi looked adorably rumpled from sleep, messy hair and heavy eyes, the stark opposite of Hoseok, who was wide awake and energetic as usual. Taehyung wasn’t the statue he was the first few days but he remained perfectly kept and quiet.

You filled your plate with three pancakes and your favorite toppings and dug in. The conversation returned to your trip to the lake.

“When can we go again?” Jungkook asked, chewing his pancakes with passion.

You cut another piece of your pancakes. “You can go whenever you want, it isn’t that far from the house.”

He pouted. “I meant all of us together.”

“That’s… a little harder,” you said. “I’m back at work next week and I have a full schedule. You can go together though. John and Alice could join you even if I’m not there.”

Jungkook’s bottom lip stuck out even further. “It isn’t the same without you.”

“If there is a day I finish work early, I might join you.” You could barely drag your feet back home most days after work and the trek to the lake would feel like hell, but you would try for them.

Namjoon seemed to know exactly what you were thinking. “You are too tired after work for that. After working for so many hours we can’t expect you to trek down to the lake. You come back after the sun has set or just as it’s setting, it would be exhausting for you to walk for half an hour down to the lake in the dark and then in an hour or so walk back again.”

You wanted to protest but you knew he was right. Although your work wasn’t physically demanding, you spent long hours on your feet, instructing the actors and the crew and checking in with different departments. By the time you were home even dragging your feet to the garden for dinner was a struggle.

You reached for Jungkook’s hand, rubbing your thumb in circles to soothe him. “We’ll figure something out, yeah? If I take a day off–When I take a day off,” you corrected yourself, “we can do something fun. We could go to the lake or we could do something else. Los Angeles is full of places to visit and activities to try.”

Jungkook seemed to think about it for a few seconds before perking up and asking if you could visit a gallery he had seen on the internet. You were quick to agree as Jimin joined as well, asking you about all the places he wanted to visit. You had told them before that they were free to go out without you anywhere they liked, you had printed their papers just in case so they could have them in case the Hybrid Services asked any questions, but they had yet to step further than the Castle grounds and the forest alone. John could also accompany them but no one had taken you up to your offer.

As you were finishing breakfast your phone started ringing. One of the producers of Six of Crows was calling.

“Sorry, I have to take this one,” you said, answering the call.

You ended up having to go down to your office to look up some files on your computer. As the premiere date approached, you would be getting more calls like this. Post-production was finished by now and the movie was nearly ready to be shown on the big screen but there were still a few tiny details that needed fine-tuning.

Ending the call, you checked your emails since you were already in front of your computer. You would probably go to the studios later in the day to speak with a few members of your team on the Raven Cycle project. You wouldn’t stay long but it meant that you had to schedule your day around it. Your break hadn’t ended yet you were already overwhelmed with work. Your to-do list stretched on and on, seemingly endless.

Your back and neck were getting stiff because of all the sitting and lounging around. You should start doing some exercises again. During your break, you had only been to the gym once and it was only two floors down. You should get back into the habit but you were great at finding excuses not to go. You were too busy, too tired, too preoccupied.

There was a knock on the door. You looked at the time at the bottom right corner of your computer screen and realized it was four hours later.

“Come in,” you called. You rolled your neck and heard the little pops. You desperately needed some exercise. And a massage. And an improved posture probably.

Hoseok opened the door with his elbow as he carried a tray inside your office. “I come bearing gifts,” he said with a wide heart-shaped smile. It was like the room instantly brightened. If the sun was personified, it would be Hoseok.

“What have you brought me?” you asked, making space on your desk for the tray. You had to look through some of your old files and they covered most of the surface. You stacked them into piles quickly, to be organized properly at a later time.

“Jin made fruit salad and we have some leftover muffins from yesterday. Jungkook made the juice, it’s banana and cherry!”

The fruit salad was a mix of mango, strawberries, watermelon, blackberries, peaches, and berries. A vanilla muffin was next to it and a tall glass of juice. “Everything looks delicious. Thank you.”

You moved to grab the fork and winced when you pulled on your stiff muscles. Hoseok’s smile faded. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry,” you were quick to say. “I’ve just been sitting in this chair a lot these past few days and my back is complaining. Really, that’s on me.”

“I…” He hesitated for a moment. “I could give you a massage if you’d like. I’m not a professional but I… I used to give massages to my past owner often. He was an idol so he danced and performed a lot and I had learned from masseurs how to do it. I could do that for you if you liked.”

“You don’t have to. It’s just a stiff back, it’ll go away when I stop sitting all day.”

A massage sounded like heaven at that moment but you could do without it. Giving massages could be tiring and Hoseok didn’t have to do that just because you had bad posture and had stopped going regularly to the gym. If you really needed it, you could pay a masseur to come to your house. It seemed silly so you never did, but you could.

“I want to,” he said eagerly, his tail standing at attention. “I can make you feel better, I promise. If you’re comfortable with that, of course.”

You searched his face for any sign that he didn’t actually want to do it but you found nothing. “Okay, then. I would love a massage right now.”

“Yay! I will do my best,” Hoseok promised. “Let’s attack those muscle knots! Gently of course.” You giggled as he came to stand behind you. He pretended to crack his fingers before settling them on your shoulders. You were wearing a shirt with spaghetti straps and his hands were warm on your bare skin, which buzzed in anticipation. “Lean forward a little. Yeah, that’s perfect.”

He dug his fingers on either side of your neck and you had to bite your lip to stop a very embarrassing sound from slipping out. It sent a current through your whole body like you went numb to everything except the feeling of his hands on you. He kneaded your muscles, progressively adding more pressure. You closed your eyes, your body relaxing, losing some of the tension.

“That feels good,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady.

“I told you.” You could hear the satisfied smile on his face even though you kept your eyes closed.

One by one, your strings unraveled and your body felt lighter, as if you could float away if he pulled his hands away. He worked on the knots on the back of your neck and around it before he moved on to your shoulders and shoulder blades. You had received massages before–you had visited spas with friends on several occasions–but this felt different. You forgot about work and all the things you had to do, all the million little things that were hanging over your head, and for a moment you let yourself relax.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

The forest was still, bracketed by the almost black of the night. There were no lights that Yoongi could see coming from inside, even though you said there were multiple holiday homes around the lake. The Castle stood alone, like a real castle guarding the forest.

Hoseok was humming along to a pop song that was playing on his phone, it was at a low volume so his humming was almost as loud as the music. It was late into the night, everyone in the house having already retreated to their rooms. Yoongi didn’t care much about the song, it was generic at best. The vocals weren’t great and the beat was the same beat that every song used this summer with a little tweaking. But Hoseok liked it so he didn’t say anything.

The fox hybrid was sprawled on his bed, his eyes half closed as he moved his head to the music. His silk nightshirt had ridden up to expose a sliver of smooth tanned skin and Yoongi’s eyes kept being drawn to it.

“Anything interesting out there?” Hoseok asked. Yoongi shrugged. “You have been standing there for half an hour. Don’t look at me like that, you have.”

He raised his eyebrows, doubting that it had been that long, but moved away from the balcony door, sitting down on his bed. “It’s the same every night.”

“And you still look every night.” Hoseok turned off the music and stretched. His shirt rode up higher.

Yoongi looked down at his hands. “It’s calming. There is something about the trees and the lake, being away from the city. It’s quiet.”

His ears picked up the soft shuffling before a weight dipped into the bed next to him. “It’s nice, isn’t it? Has it really been only five months since we’ve been here? Less than that? I can’t imagine living in the city again, too much noise.”

Yoongi had lived his whole life in cities, he was used to their noise and the way it never went away. The sound of cars and motorbikes, people talking and shouting. It was never quiet. Not the way it was out here.

He wanted to tell Hoseok that he would never have to live in the city again but he couldn’t. On one hand, your job could lead you anywhere and Yoongi had a feeling that wherever you went, they would follow you, just like Virginia. On the other hand, although some part of him insisted that this was permanent, that this life they had built here wouldn’t be taken from them, he knew that the world wasn’t so kind. Sometimes, he stayed up at night thinking about it while Hoseok dreamed. He gazed at the forest to remind himself that they were still here, in this small paradise on earth, and then contemplated all the ways this could end. His mind wasn’t kind to him on those nights.

“Virginia was like this too,” Hoseok continued. “I miss it a little. The countryside was pretty and the house too. Almost like a fairytale. Do you think we’ll go back again?”

Hoseok’s hand was fidgeting on his thigh and Yoongi grabbed it to still it. “Maybe. She will have to film another season after this one. If this show is as successful as they say, there will be a few more seasons to come. They built sets and everything there.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Hoseok scooted closer to him and laid his head on his shoulder, their hands intertwined. “Do you think she will rent the same house? I want to go back there. It felt like home.”

Yoongi refrained from telling him that wherever he was, it felt like home. It was something someone more expressive than Yoongi would say, instead he said, “We can ask her. I don’t think she’ll mind. If it isn’t booked at the time, we could stay there again.”

“I’ll recruit Jiminie, she can’t say no to him,” he said, nuzzling closer to Yoongi’s neck, almost scenting him.

“She can’t say no to any of you.”

Hoseok hummed, his breath warming Yoongi’s skin and the scent of cinnamon tickling his lungs. “She wouldn’t say no to you either. If you ever asked her for anything.”

Yoongi didn’t know what to think about that. If he believed it. Yoongi had been trying to do better, trying to be a better person than he had been at the beginning. He would hate himself if he ever put you through what he had before. He would be making it up to you for his whole life. He wasn’t the same as the other hybrids, the same courtesy shouldn’t be extended to him.

Hoseok’s lips brushed his neck, light as a feather, and Yoongi shivered at the touch. Scenting each other wasn’t something new, they had been doing that since they escaped the ring. Before that, they would brush their wrists together through the bars of their cages, longing for the small comfort of each other’s scent. After Yoongi had disappeared, Hoseok had been touching and scenting him more as if he was afraid that he would slip through his fingers.

Some nights, Hoseok would crawl into his bed in the middle of the night and cling on to him. “Stay,” Hoseok would say. He didn’t tell him what his nightmares were about, he didn’t have to.

Yoongi vowed to himself to never leave him again. He would bite, scratch, and kick his way to him if he ever had to.

He had a lot to regret about that first month. He hadn’t only hurt you, he had hurt everyone else too. His own nightmares persisted, leaving him clutching the sheets, with his back to Hoseok, staying deadly still so he wouldn’t wake him up. So no one would know that those days still haunted him even though he wasn’t the one who had suffered.

In some of his dreams, the hybrid ring got to him before you did and punished him for escaping, before stabbing an injection in his neck and hauling him to the ring for one last fight. In others, it was Hoseok that they took and those were worse. They found him when he was looking for him and Yoongi could do nothing to stop them, voiceless with his feet rooted to the floor.

In some rare ones, he never made it out of the house. Namjoon threw him against the wall and held him there, looking more like a vengeful god than the real Namjoon. His sharp teeth gleamed viciously as he sunk them into Yoongi’s neck, breaking the skin and ripping out everything that was keeping him alive.

Hoseok pulled back, his eyes searching Yoongi’s face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Thinking.” Of course, Hoseok would notice his thoughts spiraling. Yoongi had mastered hiding all emotions from his face but Hoseok could see right through any masks he crafted.

“You looked a little lost there for a moment,” he said, drawing closer to him again. “You can talk to me, you know.” He spoke almost jokingly but he couldn’t hide the tendrils of hurt in his voice. “I know you like to keep some things to yourself… But I’m here for you. I would never judge you, I swear.”

Yoongi was a coward. After his talk with Jimin, he had been planning to tell him everything but he kept putting it off. It was never the right moment, it could wait.

“I know,” Yoongi said quietly, squeezing Hoseok’s hand. “I want to tell you. I think you deserve that after everything.”

Hoseok frowned. “It isn’t about what I deserve. I just want to know so I can help. So I can understand you better. Nothing you say can ever change the way I see you. Nothing. You were there for me when I thought my life was over, that everything was over. You saved me, Yoongi. I would have died in there if it hadn’t been for you. I would trust you with my life. But sometimes, when you don’t tell me things—important things—it makes me feel like you don’t trust me at all.”

Yoongi’s heart gave a terrible bang. “That isn’t true. I trust you. I trust you more than anyone. I trust you more than I trust myself. It’s just… It’s hard to tell you when I want to forget.”

“I understand,” Hoseok said, his gaze falling on their joined hands on Yoongi’s lap. “But I don’t think you can forget either way.”

“You’re right, I can’t. And I never will.” It was too big, too cruel. For worse or for better, it had changed who he was to his core. He was who he was because of what had happened to him and Jimin. He had met both Jimin and Hoseok because of that monster. “But I want you to know now.”

So he told him everything. He detached himself from his words and numbed his feelings, because he was afraid that if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He started from the beginning, from his first owner to the terrible end. He couldn’t look at him as he spoke, focusing on their connected hands. Hoseok’s scent soured until Yoongi could barely recognize it. But he had to power on.

When he was finished, Hoseok shot up, wrapping his arms around him impossibly hard and buried his face in Yoongi’s neck. There was wetness brushing against his throat and Yoongi only hugged him tighter.

“I’m sorry.” Hoseok’s voice was breaking and Yoongi hated that he was the cause for it, even though it was better this way. “It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t. I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” He brought his wrist to Hoseok’s neck, gently scenting him. They both needed it. “You saved me too. You saved me, Hobi.”

And sleep claimed them like that, wrapped up in each other with dried tears on their cheeks.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

Taehyung lay still in his bed, not making a sound. Phantom pains spread over his body, squeezing and squeezing until nothing was left of him. His head was loud but the sounds were muffled as if he was submerged underwater.

The room was illuminated by the soft light from the lamp next to his bed. He left it on every night. It was the same pattern, his nightmares not allowing him to rest more than a few hours at a time. There were new ones now. Ones of the red ballroom, the people in the chairs turning into monsters and dragging their claws all over his skin. You stood among them in your green dress, watching as it happened, your face empty.

Taehyung opened his eyes. He could see the forest from his room. He had never been to a forest before coming to the Castle, had never even seen one. It was majestic, the dark greens and browns, the way the branches reached towards the sky. Upwards and upwards.

He closed his eyes again. His tears had long dried when sleep swept him away again.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

Your heartbeat rattled your chest as if being chased by an invisible force with no escape. You swallowed down the bitterness in your mouth and willed the sharp images of your nightmare away. They were so clear, the red curtains and the shiny floors. The taste of the expensive champagne and the hors d’ oeuvre on your tongue. Long dresses swayed at your vision's edge, silk, velvet, and satin. Steady hands held guns aimed at you, they went off with a terrible scream. You woke up.

You were awake. You were in your room in the Castle. You were safe.

You tried to calm down your erratic breathing. Jimin was sleeping next to you and the last thing you wanted was to wake him up in the middle of the night and worry him. Clenching your teeth, you silently counted each breath. Were your hands shaking? They felt like they were shaking.

One, two, three.

Slower. Try slower.

Did your hands stop shaking? You gripped the fabric of your nightgown.

One, two–

A sleepy voice calling your name disturbed the murky waters of your mind. “Are you okay?”

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. It was over. You were in Los Angeles. You were fine. Nothing had happened to you, no one had questioned you. You had gotten out. You were fine.

“Did I wake you up?” you asked. Your voice sounded weak even to your ears.

You heard the sheets rustle as Jimin moved closer. “Can I hug you?”

In the darkness of the room, you couldn’t see him well, only the shape of his body. “You don’t have to ask.”

“You are shaking.”

Were you? So it wasn’t just your hands. Another deep breath. Force your muscles to relax like the pieces of a machine.

“I am okay now, don’t worry. Come here.” You opened your arms and Jimin crawled into them, hugging your waist and laying his head on your collarbones. “Go back to sleep, kitten.”

Jimin shook his head. “Not if you don’t. What happened?”

“Just a bad dream, it was nothing.” The lies tasted bitter on your tongue. Were they lies though? It should be nothing, it shouldn’t be haunting you like that. Nothing had happened to you, you reminded yourself as if you repeated it enough times maybe the nightmares would go away. “I just need a few minutes to forget it.”

“Do you want to talk about it? Maybe that could be better than forgetting,” Jimin said.

But forgetting was the goal. Or at least getting rid of the nightmares that shouldn’t still be happening. It was over and you were okay. You were okay. There was no reason to worry Jimin, not when you weren’t the one who had suffered. You got dressed up, drank some champagne and made small talk. It wasn’t the end of the world.

“You don’t have to worry about this, it’ll go away on its own.” You run a hand up his back to comfort him. “My brain is just playing tricks on me.”

Jimin’s hand sought out your own and intertwined your fingers. He was quiet for a few moments before speaking, “Is this about the auction?”

You stilled. He couldn’t have known. You hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. And what right did you have to complain about it? You composed yourself. “How did you guess?”

“You have been… different since you came back. You have been lost in your head. I know you are tired and it’s hard with Taehyung now but you can talk to us if you want to. It must have been really scary.” He drew closer to you, gripping your hand tighter.

“I wasn’t alone. I had John there with me.”

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary,” he whispered. “We were scared for you. We thought– We trusted you but we were scared.”

Your fingers tangled in his hair and rubbed behind his cat ears which you knew would relax him. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“It’s okay. Taehyung is here now.”

Regardless of how many nightmares you had and the tightening in your chest whenever you saw the color of blood. Regardless of the constant fear of being discovered that would never go away. You could never regret what you had done. Not for a moment. Just thinking of Taehyung in that man’s hands evaporated any doubts you had about your decision.

Jimin nosed softly at your collarbones. “We love you. It’s okay to be scared, you can share it with us. You can share it with me.”

“I’m not scared,” you said. It didn’t matter that it sounded like you were lying to yourself. “It’s over. It’s been more than a week since it happened. I’m the last person who should be having nightmares over it.”

“Why are you saying that? It must have been terrifying.”

You took a deep breath, the red bleeding into the darkness. “It was easy to blend in. It was like so many of the parties and galas I have attended. I was the guest of honor, no one suspected anything. I wasn’t the one–”

You cut yourself off before you uttered the words but both of you knew. Silence fell between you. You wished you could fall asleep again but sleep was so far away.

“Do you feel guilty?” he asked quietly.

“For what?” You were confused. Why would you feel guilty? You had done your best, probably more than anyone in their right mind would do.

Jimin gave a small shrug, bringing your joined hands to your chest. “You just sounded like it. Like you felt guilty for having nightmares about it. You don’t have to be. You are here and you are okay but– But you could have not been.” There was fear in his voice and it hurt.

You held him closer and squeezed his hand. You were there now and you wouldn’t be going anywhere. His breath warmed your bare skin. You weren’t alone anymore, you had seven people to think about when you made decisions. You had a home and you would fight to get back to it every time.

“Let’s go to sleep, kitten. We’ll dream better together.”

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

After your short break, your return to work was uneventful. A few more days would have been nice but time was moving fast and there were a lot of things to do. On your first day back, before you had left the house Jimin and Jungkook got teary-eyed saying goodbye to you. Going back to work was hard for you too after being used to staying at home with them, but you would fall into your usual routine soon enough.

Your work was a big part of who you were, returning to the studios was like returning home in a way. The cast and the crew greeted you warmly with hugs and pats on the back. Will handed you a pack of papers and you made your way together to the reading room. You would be doing a few read-throughs to get the actors familiar with the characters again and work through a few knots in the script.

It was the same way it had been, waking up at the crack of dawn and returning when the sun was descending in the sky. The hybrids clung to you in any way they could while you were home. At breakfast and dinner, there was always someone touching you, Jimin sitting on your lap or Namjoon holding your hand or Jungkook hugging you from behind. They missed you and you missed them too but there was little you could do.

In the quiet of the night when most of the hybrids had retired, you asked Hoseok how Taehyung was adjusting. The answer was always the same. Hopeful but disappointing as well—guilt ate at you for feeling disappointed when you knew Taehyung was doing his best.

The story of the Raven Boys unraveled during the days and the nights. Your copy of the script was overflowing with red ink, underlined lines, and writing in the margins. It was shaping up to become everything you had envisioned and more. And you were happy. But you also missed spending more than a few hours at the Castle.

You could invite them to join you for filming and spend a little more time with them. However, you had a one-track mind while you were working and you couldn’t provide the attention they deserved. Often, you got too lost in your work. You could feel it now, clouding your mind and blending the days into a string of numbered scenes and takes.

It was a blessing that one week into filming, you finished early, just a couple of hours after lunch, and instead of staying and obsessing over the smallest details like you were prone to doing, you packed your backpack and returned home. John drove you back with instructions to relax and not think about work until the next morning. You didn’t mind listening to him.

“I’m home,” you shouted after opening the door. Due to their sensitive hearing any hybrid on the top two floors would hear the door opening, you liked to let them know it was you so they wouldn’t worry. You had wanted to surprise them so you hadn’t texted that you were coming back.

Jimin and Hoseok were the first ones to rush to the living room. Jimin fell into your arms with practiced ease and buried his face in your neck.

“Surprise,” you said, ruffling his blond hair.

He purred in contentment. Hoseok also joined the hug, his fluffy tail wrapping around your legs.

“Are you staying?” Jimin asked, his eyes shining with hope.

“I am. We finished early today so I’m all yours for the rest of the day.”

Jimin cheered and held onto your hand, following you into the kitchen where you poured yourself a glass of homemade lemonade from the fridge. A book and a few notebooks were spread over the kitchen island and you took a closer look at them. You recognized the textbook as one you had bought a few years ago during your first visit to Seoul for the press tour of one of your Oscar-winning films. You had read through the first few pages on the plane back to LA and when you had arrived you had placed it on the shelf that housed all your language-learning books and never picked it up again.

“Are you learning Korean?” you asked Jimin, scanning the awkward handwritten Korean letters in the pages of the notebook.

Flustered, Jimin didn’t look at you as he replied, “Hoseok is helping me. I thought I could communicate better with Taehyung if I knew a bit of Korean but it’s really hard.”

“He’s doing really well though,” Hoseok interjected with pride. “He is getting good at reading Hangul and he knows a few basic phrases too. He is learning very quickly.”

Jimin shrugged, his cheeks getting adorably rosy. “I have a great teacher.”

Hoseok cooed at the younger hybrid while you flipped through the pages of the textbook. You recognized your handwriting on the first few, you had written down a few questions you had so you could look them up later, which didn’t happen. Now, the answers were written underneath your questions in blue ink. The next pages were marked in both Jimin’s and Hoseok’s handwriting, there were notes in the margins and between lines and little doodles of flowers and butterflies.

Footsteps climbing up the stairs prompted you to let go of the notebook. Jungkook came running through the kitchen door and threw himself at you, nuzzling into your neck. You planted your feet on the ground and caught him just in time before you both went flying back.

“You’re back,” he whispered. He was bouncing on his feet, his excitement contagious.

“We finished early so I packed everything up and rushed back,” you said. “Has it been that long since I was back at a normal hour?”

Jungkook nodded resolutely and you couldn’t help but giggle. The truth was that it was the first time you were finishing early since filming had started again. The first week back was the busiest since you had to review everything, redraw most of the plans, check in with every department, and generally when you weren’t actively filming you spent them running around the studios like a headless chicken.

You should get a day off as soon as you could. For a workaholic, you missed being at home with them too much.

Namjoon and Seokjin were the next ones to appear at the kitchen door. Jungkook still hadn’t let go of you so they were content to leave twin kisses on your cheeks while teasing the bunny hybrid.

“Is Yoongi with Taehyung?” you asked, noting the absence of the two hybrids.

“They are in the garden,” Namjoon said, a fond smile playing on his lips. “Yoongi has been lounging in the sunlight since we finished lunch.”

“He’s starting to gain some color, he looks less like a ghost these days,” Seokjin joked. “Sometimes I think he is more cat than Jimin is.”

You laughed with them before your attention was drawn back to the textbook. It was hard learning a new language, you knew that very well. It could take years to reach a decent level depending on your dedication and the language itself. You remembered Alice suggesting you should learn Korean to communicate better with Taehyung. Jimin was doing just that without anyone asking him to and by the handwriting on a good chunk of the textbook, he had been doing it for some time.

Namjoon also took an interest in the textbook but he already seemed to know that Jimin had been studying the language.

“I would like to learn to,” he said. “I didn’t have to chance to learn another language in the past and it would be beneficial if we could communicate with Taehyung in his mother tongue. Maybe it would get him to open up more.”

Seokjin nodded. “I think it’s a good idea. I would like to learn a bit of Korean too.”

“I could teach you a few things,” Hoseok offered. “But I’m not a teacher, I don’t know what I’m doing most of the time. I can teach you a few words or phrases but”, he glanced at Jimin with a guilty look, “we are having some trouble with grammar.”

“That makes sense,” you reassured him. “It is very different speaking a language, especially when it’s your mother tongue, and teaching it to someone else. That’s why there are university courses for it. It’s a difficult job. But if you really want to learn Korean, I could find you a teacher who specializes in it. That way Hobi would have less on his plate as well.”

Jimin’s eyes widened. “Really? Can you do that?”

“Of course, I can,” you said. “I can find the best Korean teacher in Los Angeles and I can ask them to come here so you won’t have to go to the city. I’ll have to provide transportation of course. How does that sound?”

“Amazing,” Jimin cheered and hugged you again. “Thank you, thank you.”

“It’s the least I could do.”

The least because you couldn’t do the same. You didn’t have the time or the energy to learn another language when most of your day was taken up by your work. During the days you were at the studios and at nights often you had to retire to your office to answer emails and revise scripts before going to sleep. The best you could manage would be to learn a few basic phrases but that wouldn’t be helping anyone.

The arrangements for the teacher were easy. You didn’t have to look long on the internet and after a few calls you had found the perfect candidate who was more than happy to make the trip to the Castle three times a week and stay for three hours to teach the hybrids. You added a very generous bonus for her trouble.

Before finalizing the contract, you talked with Hoseok about an idea you had.

“She could help Taehyung with his English as well. A couple of hours a week could help a lot,” you suggested.

Hoseok was on washing duty after dinner and Taehyung had gone to his room for the night so it was the perfect opportunity to talk to him about this.

“It’s a great idea, if he wants to. I do my best but… I don’t think I’m helping on this,” Hoseok said, scrubbing a plate with the sponge. Foam was everywhere.

You rubbed his arm soothingly. “You’re doing amazing. Much better than I could have hoped for. But I know it’s hard for you and I wish there was a way to help you. I’m sorry I can’t do much.”

Hoseok shrugged, bubbles rising above the dishes. “You are doing the best you can, given the situation. You have already done more than anyone would have expected of you.”

Laughter floated in from the living room. You smiled through your exhaustion.

“Ask Taehyung about the teacher, okay? And tell him it’s your idea, not mine. I don’t want him to accept because I am the one asking.”

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

Jimin ran down the stairs, laughing wildly. Energy coursed through his veins and urgency pushed his legs to run faster and faster. He felt like a nymph in Land of the Gods, running through their trees, their hair flowing like an enchantment and laughing and laughing. He didn’t look at his pursuer, he knew who he was and it only filled him with delight.

The rooms blurred as he passed by, never losing his footing. He emerged in the garden and the sun kissed his skin, the fire inside him burning hotter in the heat. The green stretched around him and for a moment, he got the crazy desire to go into the forest and get lost there, underneath the shade of the tall trees. He wanted to dance and drink and eat juicy fruits between the trees like the fae in the stories you told them yesterday night.

Maybe one day.

Instead, he rushed to the stairs that led down to their room. The footsteps behind him were getting closer and he pushed himself to go faster, flying down the stairs.

There was nowhere else to go now and he paused in front of their bed. It was enough time for two hands to wrap around his waist and tackle him on the mattress. He resisted a little, just for show, before wrapping his own arms around broad shoulders and laughing some more. He felt like a child, in a way he couldn’t remember ever feeling before.

“You can’t escape from me,” Jungkook said, hovering above him.

“I didn’t try,” Jimin replied, running his hands over his shoulders and up the sides of his neck. “Bunnies are supposed to be fast, aren’t they? But you only caught me when I had nowhere else to go.”

Jungkook leaned into his touch. “I would have caught you anyway. You couldn’t run forever. Now you’re mine.”

He lowered himself until their bodies were merged together. He sniffed at Jimin’s neck, taking in his scent like he had done so many times, before rubbing his nose and his cheek over his scent gland. Jimin couldn’t stop the purrs that escaped him as his body melted. His hands tangled in Jungkook’s hair, who made an appreciative sound.

The scent of pears and gardenias was everywhere, it was deliciously overwhelming. He could almost taste the sweetness and tanginess of the pears on his tongue.

He tugged on Jungkook’s hair before he could lose his mind. “My turn.”

Jungkook arched his neck back to allow Jimin to scent him. He quickly found his scent gland and buried his face there. He closed his eyes and a garden bloomed behind his eyelids.

Jungkook’s scent was so sweet and it was mouth-watering combined with the pack’s scents. He could smell his own scent there and Namjoon’s scent of summer rain and pine trees was enveloping everything. The aroma of honey buns and sweet milk glazed over them like sugar and notes of cinnamon and sandalwood pushed through. If he looked for it, he could detect your scent, naturally fainter than hybrids’. Greedily, he searched for two more scents but he could only get the impression of dark chocolate. He might have imagined it.

“I’m happy,” Jmin whispered like it was a secret. There was the irrational fear that if he said it any louder, he would tempt fate to take it back.

“I’m happy too,” Jungkook said, laying his head on Jimin’s chest.

Jimin tangled his hands in his hair and massaged his scalp, he was rewarded with a pleased sigh. “It’s like everything has finally fallen into place. I’m not sad anymore. I didn’t realize how sad I was until I wasn’t. Even when I was happy, I was sad too. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“You don’t have to.” Jungkook caught his hand in his and brought it to his mouth, placing kisses on the back of it. Jimin’s heart fluttered with the wings of thousands of butterflies. “All that matters to me is that you aren’t anymore. I only want you to be happy. I know it isn’t possible to be happy all the time but I want us all to be happy. Together and happy.”

“Together and happy,” Jimin repeated quietly.

Every time he was was with Jungkook like that, his mind strayed. It went to all the possibilities, all the could-have-beens and the what-ifs. What would have happened if Jimin wasn’t a coward, if he hadn’t run away? If he had told you what had happened before, would he have been braver? Did Jungkook feel the same after everything that happened? Did he still want to kiss him?

His bunny was so beautiful, his soft dark brown ears that flopped against his hair, his cute nose and large eyes that held the galaxy inside them. Everything about him was beautiful and Jimin loved him so much he could burst. He wasn’t sure if it was right to love him like this, to want to kiss him and hold him like lovers did but he trusted you when you said that it was okay.

Lost in his thoughts, he tugged lightly on Jungkook’s hair, who let out a sound that lit a fire inside him. It was a moan, Jungkook had moaned.

His cheeks growing red, he looked at Jimin like a deer caught in headlines. “I’m sorry! I didn’t- I shouldn’t-”

“Jungkookie, it’s okay.”

“No, no. I’m sorry,” he continued quickly. “I don’t know why I did that. I’m-”

“Jungkook,” Jimin said more firmly. “It’s okay. Really. I didn’t mind. You… sounded good.”

“Good?” Jungkook asked confused. And his eyes, how could his eyes hold so many stars inside them?

Slowly, Jimin tugged at his hair again. “Yeah, good. I liked it.”

“Oh.”

They looked at each other and the world faded around them. There was only them, them and the heat brewing between them.

“Do you-” Jimin looked away. He couldn’t just ask him like that. But what else could he say? “I love you, I love you so much. I never want you to forget. Anything that may happen, I’ll still love you.”

“I love you too, you know I do. You are my Jiminie. I would do anything for you.” He bit his bottom lip and Jimin wished he was the one doing it instead. “Did something happen?”

“No, I just wanted you to know,” he said, cupping Jungkook’s face. His skin was the highest quality of silk and satin under his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m so difficult, so… scarred.”

Jungkook’s hand covered his and his gaze was unyielding, it didn’t allow him to look away. “Never apologize for that. Never. You aren’t difficult, you are incredible. You are strong, stronger than I could ever hope to be. Your scars don’t define you. I met you with your scars and I love you with them all the same. I don’t care if I have to be a little more careful or if I have to hold you a little closer sometimes. Just being close to you is all I need.”

There was a stinging behind Jimin’s eyes. “My baby,” he said like a prayer. An invisible thread pulled him closer to Jungkook until only a breath separated them. “Can I kiss you?”

“Kiss me?”

Jimin hated the doubt and the fear in his voice, he grieved that he had been the one to put it there. “I want to, I promise. It’s okay, I talked with Y/N. I’ve been so stupid. I want to kiss you so much, baby.”

“Please. Please, kiss me,” he said, voice breaking.

Their lips came together softly. There was no rush, no harshness, only love and patience. He was warm, warmer than he had ever felt. He was safe in Jungkook’s arms, hidden away in the Castle, in their home. Sweetness coated his lips. He might not deserve this, might be too broken for this but he never wanted to let go.

Two tears rolled down his cheeks. Catharsis.

Jungkook pulled back in panicked haste. “Did I hurt you? Did-”

Jimin let his tears run their course down to his neck in favor of cupping Jungkook’s face. “You could never hurt me. They’re happy tears. I’m very happy.”

The tension in Jungkook’s face eased and Jimin pulled him closer again. As he kissed him, he tasted love and freedom. He tasted of healing.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

The grand piano stood by the glass wall in the living room, polished until the black surface reflected the light like a mirror. It was a thing of beauty, a gem dipped in luxury to decorate a rich household. For Yoongi, it was so much more.

It was a few hours until you would be back home and the sun was setting behind the forest. The lights were off in the living room and it was painted in the red, gold and pink of the sunset. You would be back later than usual, the filming schedule was packed for the day and after that was done you would visit the headquarters of the production company. You had told them to eat dinner without you.

Yoongi’s fingers flew over the black and white keys. He closed his eyes and focused on the music. Each note was a bright light in the darkness behind his eyelids. It was easy to get lost in the music, in the feelings it evoked and in the pictures it weaved.

He heard it when Taehyung arrived. He didn’t speak, gave him space to go away if he wanted or simply listen in silence. The melody grew more tender.

Taehyung didn’t go away, he drew closer. He hesitated before sitting on the bench next to him, leaving a small space between them. The song blended into the next one and the next one until the familiar stiffness spread over Yoongi’s fingers and he stopped.

Outside, the reds and golds had turned into purples and deep blues. Yoongi would have to turn on the lights soon.

“Do you want to try?” Yoongi asked when the silence stretched and Taehyung didn’t seem to find the words he was looking for.

Taehyung looked at the piano in quiet wonder. “Can I?”

He was so young and it made Yoongi furious that some bastards had carved the innocence and joy out of him. He wanted to find the monsters who had done this to him and tear them apart limb by limb.

His long fingers hovered over the keys. “How?”

“Just do whatever feels right.”

Taehyung pressed the keys one by one at first, the faint lines of a smile appearing on his face at every new sound. Progressively he got braver, pressing keys together and creating disjointed melodies.

“Together?” Taehyung asked shyly.

Yoongi couldn’t say no.

Please comment and reblog it motivates me to keep writing

💜💜💜

Eunoia // Ch. 26

eunoia (noun): beautiful thinking, the possession of a well-balanced mind, which exhibits goodwill and kindness

Pairings: Hybrid! BTS x reader

Summary: You are a world famous director and you have dedicated your life to your job.You have everything you could ever dream of; wealth, recognision, talent, your friends and family. But loneliness isn’t cured by success. So what happens when you somehow rescue seven hybrids? Can they fill the void?

Genre: Angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, eventual smut

Word Count: 12.1k+

Warnings: past abuse, past sexual abuse, cursing, past violence,

Masterlist

The taglist is now closed.

It was the second time Taehyung was in Jungkook’s atelier—only recently had Jungkook started thinking of it like that, before it was the atelier—but he was looking around him like it was a fairytale and everything was made of magic. Jungkook guessed he must have looked a little like that as well the first time you had shown him the room and told him it was his to do as he pleased. Athens and the Parthenon stretching on the wall never failed to inspire wonder and a deep respect in him, regardless of how long it had been since the first time he walked inside.

Everything else in the room was quite different from that first day. The once pristine and unused room was now splattered in paint. It was everywhere, on the floor and the cabinets and on the many newspapers that he used to cover everything. The first time he had stained the floor with paint, he had gone to you with teary eyes, lowered ears, and a hundred apologies on the tip of his tongue. You had simply laughed and told him that the room was his and he could paint the whole floor if he wanted to. The only thing you asked of him was to be careful of the wall painting. Jungkook would have never touched it in the first place.

Finished canvases were leaning against the cabinets and the walls. Most of them were of places Jungkook found beautiful, the Eiffel Tower, the Parthenon, a neighborhood in Amsterdam he had seen in one of your photos. There were also a few paintings of the pack, you and Seokjin cooking in the kitchen, Yoongi playing the piano, Namjoon and Hoseok under the large tree in the garden, Taehyung with Alice at the lake, and Jimin smiling so wide his eyes turned into crescent moons.

Jungkook longed for Jimin with an insatiable hunger. Now that he had gotten a taste of him once and Jimin told him he wanted it, now that there was no guilt and anguish, he couldn’t get enough of him. He wanted to always be touching him, holding him, and scenting him. His scent was like an aphrodisiac to him and he was addicted.

However, when Taehyung had shyly asked about his atelier, he was compelled to show it to him. It wasn’t often that Taehyung asked for anything and although he hadn’t specifically asked to see the room, Jungkook knew he would like it. Taehyung’s smile was also addicting and rare like a precious gem. So, he had left Jimin with Seokjin to cook in the kitchen and had taken Taehyung’s hand and climbed down the stairs. His hand was soft and he could still feel its ghost on his palm.

He was right, Taehyung’s smile was worth it. It was a tiny one, a small curve of his lips, but it was stunning.

His tiger ears twitched when his eyes landed on the painting of him. He approached slowly, taking it in. A hand reached out but he drew it back before it could touch the canvas.

In the painting, Alice was grinning brightly at Taehyung, one of her rainbow butterfly hair-clips clipped on his dark hair. But what Jungkook loved the most about it was Taehyung’s smile. For the first time, with Alice, Taehyung looked genuinely happy. The painting didn’t do the moment justice, he hadn’t managed to capture the tiger hybrid perfectly. He had taken a picture of the two of them and used it as reference but it was difficult, almost impossible, to immortalize Taehyung’s beauty in that moment.

“Do you like it?” Jungkook asked gently.

Taehyung startled as if the painting had enchanted him and Jungkook’s voice broke the spell. He hugged himself with one hand, almost like he wanted to stop himself from touching the painting. “It’s… beautiful.”

“It was a beautiful moment,” Jungkook agreed. “Alice is incredible, right?”

Taehyung nodded slowly. “I… have it. The butterfly. She doesn’t want back… it.”

They both looked at the painting. Jungkook wasn’t sure if they were seeing the same thing but maybe they were.

“Do you want to paint again?” he asked, breaking the silence. He took down the half-finished canvas of a beach from the easel and replaced it with a blank canvas.

Taehyung didn’t hesitate to agree this time. They picked up different brushes, chose a few tubes of oil paint and set themselves to work. Jungkook showed him how to paint a sunset—he had perfected the skill through a lot of observation and many YouTube videos. Taehyung seemed to have fun blending the colors and drawing the shapes of semi-transparent clouds.

They stayed in the atelier for a few hours until they were called for dinner by Hoseok, whose heart-shaped smile at seeing them together in their paint-splattered clothes rivaled the beauty of the sunset. After the meal, Jungkook asked if Taehyung would like to take the painting of him and Alice to his room. They hung it on the wall with Yoongi’s help and went back to the garden together.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

You were filming at Monmouth Manufacturing for the day. They were the last couple of scenes you would be filming there for Season 1. Hopefully—and most probably—, you would see it again next year, or the year after that, filming for Season 2. First, you would have to finish Crooked Kingdom and then towards the end of the year, maybe you could work on the Raven Cycle. Your schedule was already crazy and you were troubled about what that meant for the next year.

A headache was brewing behind your temples and you were trying very hard to ignore it. You had been at the studios since 6 o’clock in the morning and you were going crazy. It would be one of those 15-16 hour days. You could see it coming. The executive producer of Paper Hearts had called to tell you that you were desperately needed for a board meeting for the next season. They had changed the time of the meeting to later in the afternoon to fit your schedule, which proved that it was important. You dreaded the drive to the other side of Los Angeles and what was sure to be a very long discussion.

During your lunch break, you texted Namjoon that you would be late again. He didn’t say anything but you knew he was disappointed. He had to be. You had barely spent any time with them in the past few days. There were also matters you still had to discuss. You hadn’t told the other hybrids about the thing between the three of you and they deserved to know. Your headache got worse just thinking about it.

You flipped through the script during a small break, sipping on your third cup of coffee of the day. It was making you jittery but the other option was falling asleep in your chair.

“Okay, I think we are good to move on to the next scene,” you told Will. “And then we’re done for the day.”

“Should I get someone to call the actors?”

“Yeah, see if they are done with makeup and send them in.” You rolled your neck and let out a heavy sigh. “All things considered it’s going pretty well.”

Will chuckled as he motioned for someone from the staff to come closer. “For someone who’s been here since six, you’re doing remarkably well.”

You waited for him to send the man to fetch the actors before speaking again. “We’ll see about that when we’re done with this scene. If I’m on my feet and awake by then, I deserve an award.”

Will shrugged, leaning back on his chair. “I’ve seen you do worse. Do you remember when we were filming ‘The Grand Masquerade’ in Prague? You were running on three hours of sleep a night for a week. I thought you would fall asleep during filming and wouldn’t wake up for a couple of days.”

“I was younger then,” you shrugged it off. You eyed the script again, focusing on your notes. “ I don’t have the same energy.”

“It was three years ago.”

“Three years can be a long time.”

You could understand that better than anyone, considering that this year sometimes seemed like a decade to you. In a year, your whole life had changed. You were different, everything was different from last year. Three years could be a very long time, indeed. But also the blink of an eye.

One of the actors arrived and you both greeted him. Soon, he was swept away by the movement director.

“I think you need another break,” Will declared in all of his dramatic glory.

You tapped your long nails on your plastic cup, the action was strangely soothing. “I think I need another coffee.”

“You certainly need a break,” Will insisted. “And you certainly don’t need another coffee.”

He had noticed your restlessness, then. “We just came back from a break. And there is no time for another one. After we are done here, promotions for Six of Crows begin then there is the premiere and the tour and they are getting everything ready to begin filming for Season 6 of Paper Hearts. And Crooked Kingdom is next year and I am very behind on that.”

Will’s face did that thing he did whenever he was done with you, his features slacking like he was bored and a little irritated. “You can’t be behind on something that hasn’t even started yet. Be serious.”

“I am. Deadly.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Break. You need a break.”

The rest of the actors arrived then and the subject was dropped in favor of going over the details of the scene with them. They took their places and filming began. There was a place where the scene kept being snagged and you had to go over it four times to get it right and five more to perfect it.

By the end, you were running like you were being hunted to find John and drive to the company building. The meeting as you had expected was long and tiring. At least, it was a productive one. You discussed the script, the new additions, and the schedule. You shared a few worries and disagreements you had and you mostly managed to find the middle ground. Another meeting would be held in a week before filming would officially start in a few weeks.

It was past eleven when you opened the door of the Castle. No one was in the living room, which was to be expected.

“I’m back!” you shouted, even though no one would hear you if they were in the garden. The night was warm and your skin felt stifling. Sweat dotted your forehead and the change of temperature, when you walked inside the air-conditioned Castle, sent a shock through your system. Your legs had turned to stones and you struggled to take off your shoes.

All you wanted was to fall asleep. You opened the balcony door and shouted again that you were back and that you would be in your room. You closed it before you could hear any replies.

In your room, you had to force yourself to change into your pajamas instead of falling face-first onto your bed in your dirty clothes. You didn’t have the energy to take a shower like you usually did at the end of the day. Your appetite had also disappeared. You hadn’t eaten dinner but you weren’t hungry. You were taking off your makeup in the bathroom when there was a knock on your door.

For a moment, you debated not answering but you dismissed the thought instantly.

“Come in,” you called. “I’m in the bathroom.”

You heard the door open and close again. You dragged the cotton pad roughly across your face, you didn’t have the patience to be gentle and it left your skin red. Some days it was just too sensitive.

“Are you alright?” The care in Seokjin’s voice tugged at the tight knot in your chest, loosened it. You glanced at the door but he wasn’t there.

Most of the makeup was gone from your face and you looked like a mess. You threw the cotton pads in the bin and washed your face quickly to get rid of the mascara under your eyes and any stubborn residues of makeup.

Seokjin was standing by your vanity, waiting for you. It wasn’t often that he came to your room. You weren’t used to seeing him there but it felt right.

“For someone who has been running around for more than sixteen hours, I am peachy,” you tried to joke but the delivery was lacking. It was confirmed by Seokjin’s frown.

“That’s too much, even for you. That isn’t healthy.”

“It is what it is,” you said, trying not to sound defensive. “It isn’t something I haven’t done before. And tomorrow’s schedule is easier so it’s alright.”

That didn’t seem to do anything to ease his mind. “Because you did it before, it doesn’t mean you should keep doing that.”

You rubbed your temples, your headache was getting worse. “There are things that need to get done. I can’t just stop because I’m tired. I get calls all day and my inbox is full of emails I haven’t answered yet. I have a million things on my plate, I can’t ignore them.”

“I know,” Seokjin said, his tone softer. He came closer to you and took your hand in his. The touch was grounding. You hadn’t realized you were spiraling until your feet were planted on the earth again. “We know how important your work is and how much effort you have put in to be where we are. It’s admirable and it’s incredible that you’ve managed to do all this. But your health is important too. You can’t keep running with an empty tank. You need to rest too.”

You heaved a sigh and let your head fall forward to rest on his chest. Your nose wasn’t as sensitive as a hybrid’s but breathing in the familiar sweetness calmed you. He hugged you and drew you closer to him, his hand kneading the tense muscles of your shoulders and the back of your neck.

“We missed you,” he said almost in a whisper.

“You always miss me.”

Seokjin stayed quiet but you both knew. They always missed you because you were always gone.

“You should eat something before you fall asleep. Yoongi and I made gnocchi with prosciutto and parmesan and garlic bread with mozzarella. I can bring it here but I think it would be best if you ate in the kitchen. Everyone wants to see you but they don’t want to bother you.”

The simple act of going to the kitchen sounded like climbing a mountain. Your bed looked too attractive, only a meter away and very very soft. Your eyelids were heavy with the need to sleep and yet…

“I’ll come to the kitchen,” you said. Having woken up at five, you hadn’t seen anyone before leaving. The thought of not seeing them at all today left a sour taste in your mouth. “But can we stay here? For a bit?”

Seokjin placed a tender kiss on the crown of your head. “Of course. For as long as you want.”

You lost track of time in his arms but no more than five minutes must have passed by the time you pulled back with a heavy heart. A temporary balm had been applied to the ailments of the day. You could hold yourself up for a few more minutes to eat a little, you had been doing it all day.

Your legs were as heavy as concrete walking to the kitchen. You had to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, otherwise, you might just collapse. There was noise coming from the kitchen but your tired mind couldn’t register what they were saying.

You were surprised to see that everyone was there waiting for you, even Taehyung. Yoongi placed the plates in front of your seat and Jimin added the cutlery. Everyone else was sitting around the table in their usual stools.

Their greetings were quieter than usual and you guessed that they were conscious of how tired you were. You gave them the warmest smile you could master and patted Hoseok’s hair as you passed by to take your seat. The aroma of the food made your stomach growl, you hadn’t realized how hungry you had been before. Your appetite was back. Everything looked incredible as always and you couldn’t wait to dig in.

“Are you all just going to look at me while I eat?” you asked, picking up your fork.

The hybrids looked sheepish at your question.

“We just wanted to see you,” Jungkook said. “You left too early in the morning.”

You had to compose yourself to pierce a couple of gnocchi with your fork and not sigh out loud. Yoongi’s eyes were heavy on you, they were the ones you could detect with the most ease. You were the most aware of him.

“I had too much to do today. They have been bugging me from the studios for days. If I didn’t start early, I would have never finished. And I prefer an early morning to a late night. I tend to work better in the morning.”

You forced the fork to your mouth. You were ravenous but the conversation stalled your appetite.

“I would think that this was considered a late night,” Namjoon pointed out.

The taste, as expected, was heavenly. The creaminess of the parmesan sauce was tied perfectly with the savory crispy prosciutto. In your condition, you felt like it was wasted on you. As hungry as you were, you just wanted to put your fork down and go to sleep. But you couldn’t do that. You were better than that, you could eat something and then you could go to sleep. You could do that, you had done this before. Hadn’t you?

“This isn’t a late night,” you said after you swallowed the delicious bite. You had to eat another one. And another one. “Late nights can be anything from three a.m. to the next morning. This doesn’t happen often but I really had too many things to do. This is just for a few weeks because we’re moving very fast with the Raven Boys and filming for Season 6 of Paper Hearts will start soon. There are a lot of meetings and things they need my opinion on, it will actually be better once filming starts. They don’t need me as much then.”

You pushed the gnocchi around and you could tell they didn’t believe you without looking at them. It was true that your workload was heavier these days but you couldn’t exactly guarantee that it would get better soon. Filming for the Raven Cycle had been going exceptionally well and it was moving faster than you had originally planned. It would be wrapping up by the end of September or by early October at the latest. Wrapping up was a lot of work, the beginning and the end were the busiest parts.

The rest of autumn was going to be very difficult too. There was the premier as well, which added to your workload greatly. It would take up all of November and the work for it would start from October. Maybe December would be calmer. Maybe.

You ate the rest of your meal in relative silence. They didn’t talk more about you leaving early and coming back late although you knew they wanted to. Their voices were quiet as they talked about anything from witches in cartoons to color theory. You let their words play in the background like the sound from a TV as you tried to eat as much as you could.

The result was a half-finished plate of gnocchi and one less garlic bread with mozzarella. Your eyes were closing involuntarily by then, staying closed for longer periods each time. If you didn’t go to sleep now, you would fall face-first into the gnocchi.

You slid off your seat and balanced yourself on numb legs. “Thank you for this, it was delicious. But I really need to go to sleep now.”

“It’s okay,” Seokjin said, glancing at half of the food still on the plate. “You should rest.”

“At what time do you start work tomorrow?” Yoongi asked. He had been silent during your dinner and his voice rang louder than the rest to your ears.

It must have taken a few seconds to navigate the fog in your mind before you could answer. “Filming starts around nine, so I should be there by eight. Half past eight at most.”

“That’s still too early,” Hoseok said, frowning.

You waved their worries off. They had better things to worry about than the job you had been doing for half of your life. “It isn’t too early. I can sleep for a decent number of hours before I have to get ready. It’s alright, really. Goodnight, everyone. Sweet dreams.”

With effort, you dragged your body to your bedroom. You didn’t bother turning on the lights and stumbled to your bed guided only by the moonlight. There wasn’t a point in closing the blinds when you would wake up around the time the sun was rising. The light of your phone was too bright in the darkness and it made your eyes sting as you set an alarm.

A few messages caught your attention but a knock stopped you before you could open them.

“Come in,” you called, setting your phone aside. The door opened and the light from the hallway slipped in, outlining the silhouettes of the two hybrids. “Is everything okay?”

They both nodded and Jimin took a few steps into the room. “Can we sleep here tonight?”

“Both of you?” you asked, half-suppressing a yawn. Unlike Jimin, Jungkook hadn’t slept in your room before and the only time you had shared a bed was in Virginia.

Jungkook’s bunny ears drooped. “I can go, I don’t mind. I just missed you.”

“Sorry, that isn’t how I meant it.” Your surroundings were a bit blurry, the minutes stretched but were also impossibly short. It felt a little like life was a dream when you were tired like this. “Come in, both of you. And close the door behind you. It is blinding me a bit.”

They hurried inside and did as you told them. You couldn’t see them well as they moved through the darkness. They surrounded you, lying on different sides. Jimin didn’t hesitate to draw closer, throwing an arm over your stomach. Jungkook was a little stiffer on your left like he didn’t know how to situate himself. You found his hand, intertwining your fingers, and a quiet sigh escaped his lips.

It felt right, lying between them. Like that was how it was meant to be. But maybe that was the exhaustion talking, the dream realm slipping into the waking world.

“I missed you too,” you whispered. “Now sleep. I have an alarm set for the morning.”

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

Summer bled seamlessly into autumn. The change wasn’t apparent in the Castle, autumn had only arrived in name. The heat was still there and would remain for some time. During the days, it still made sweat drip down your temples the few times you filmed outside the studios but the nights were comfortable and moon-bright.

You had a couple of hours free between takes and nothing to do so you got into your car (John had taken the day off to spend some time with Alice) and started the engine. “Nothing to do” was a relative term of course. There were many things you could be doing, countless extra little tasks that crowded your thoughts, but you disregarded all of them. You had been spending whole days away from home and you were beginning to feel guilty about it.

On your way back, you stopped by your favorite homemade gelato shop. In San Diego, you had gone for gelato the first day and the hybrids had loved it. You had made it a habit to get gelato at the beginning of each day during ComicCon, it was your little ritual. You had ordered gelato a couple of times to the Castle as well but with eight people, it didn’t last more than a day.

There were dozens of flavors behind the display case, all of them looking delectable. You got a wide variety, remembering the flavors they liked the most. You picked hazelnut, tiramisu, chocolate chip cookie, almond, caramel, coconut, cream and sour cherry, nutella, and vanilla and asked for 1 kilo of each to be delivered to your house. It was too hot and your house was too far to transport them in your car.

You didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes outside the gate before the delivery boy arrived. You got the bags full of gelato containers from him and sent him off with a hefty tip. The Castle was a long way from the heart of the city and anyone willing to make deliveries there deserved a nice tip.

Unlocking and opening the door was a struggle but you managed. You shouted you were back and fast-walked down the stairs, the plastic bags digging into your hands. On the second level, you were faced with Jungkook, who was also climbing the stairs to reach you. He looked as if he was ready to attack you with a hug before noticing the bags.

“A little help?” you asked, raising the bags a little higher. Your arms protested loudly.

Jungkook quickly took most of the bags from you and if you hadn’t been the one carrying them before, you would have believed they were light as a feather with the way he was holding them. “What are all these?” he asked, peeking into the bags. His eyes sparkled and his smile widened in realization when he spotted the containers. “Is that–?”

“Gelato,” you said, a little proud of yourself for thinking of making the stop on your way back.

Jungkook’s steps turned into little hops. “You are the best! How much did you get? Are these all different flavors?”

“You will see…”

Jungkook made a sound close to a petulant whine. “Come on,” he said, dragging the vowels. “What are they? Did you get hazelnut?”

“We’re almost there. You’ll see in a minute.” The garden was coming into view as you climbed down to the last level but Jungkook still turned back to pout at you. “Dramatic bunny,” you muttered lowly but not low enough for his enhanced hearing not to pick it up. You didn’t mind, his giggles were cute.

At the bottom of the stairs, Namjoon and Seokjin were waiting for you.

Seokjin squeezed your wrist in greeting before saying, “He is a very dramatic bunny.”

“Hey! You should be on my side!”

Seokjin raised his eyebrows. “And why is that?” And that set off a round of bickering as they walked to the table to set down the bags.

Despite your protests, Namjoon took the last bags from you. “You should accept a little help from time to time,” he said firmly. You knew that he meant it for more than this. You decided to ignore it for now, you would overthink this later.

“Everyone, gather around! I brought gelato!” you called.

In a few minutes, everyone was gathered around the table. Hoseok, upon seeing the many containers of gelato, had done a happy dance, kissed your cheek and ran upstairs with Seokjin to get bowls and spoons. Jimin had wrapped himself around your back and was licking his lips, which was highly distracting. You shouldn’t be thinking about this.

Taehyung was the quietest one, as he usually was. He was sitting next to Yoongi, looking at all the containers with parted lips.

“I got gelato for us,” you told him. “It is really good. I got a lot of flavors so you can try as many as you want.”

“Gelato,” Taehyung repeated softly, gazing at the containers spread over the table.

Hoseok and Seokjin arrived with eight bowls, too many spoons and three ice cream scoops—you didn’t even know you had that many—and set them down around the table. You busied yourself with opening all the containers. You already knew which flavors you wanted so you grabbed one of the scoops and served yourself three scoops of ice cream.

Jimin had hooked his chin over your shoulder and wasn’t making any move to serve himself. That was up to you then.

“Which flavor do you want?” you asked him, dipping the scoop into the cup of water.

He rubbed his cheek against your shoulder lazily. “Hmmm, I think I want to try a few before I decide.”

You decided to indulge him, you liked it when he got playful and joked with you. You preferred when he was confident and asked for what he wanted. It was beautiful to witness how much he had changed through the months. You dipped a spoon into the flavors in your bowl first and brought them to his mouth. He savored each spoonful, humming and licking his full lips. He was so close to you, if you turned completely your noses would touch. How did you always end up in these situations lately?

“I want that too,” Jungkook said, pouting and pointing at your spoon. He was sitting at the bench and he had his own bowl in front of him, filled with four scoops of gelato.

“You want almond?” you asked.

“No, I want to be fed too.”

“You really are a baby,” Seokjin said. “Is that what’s going to be happening now? Whatever one has the other wants too?”

Jungkook looked away, taking his spoon again disappointed. “No, it just looked nice. It felt nice to be cared for when we were at the lake. If you don’t want to, that’s okay. I just wanted to ask.”

At the lake, you had been feeding them strawberries dipped in chocolate and your mind had run too wild. You should stop thinking about that. “I want to, you are just a little far. I can’t really reach.”

Jimin was about to say something, probably offer a solution but before he could, Seokjin had picked up Jungkook and plopped him down in his lap.

“Here, I will feed you, you big baby. Is this alright?” he asked, ever caring.

Jungkook squirmed a little but seemed pleased, a light flush settling on his cheeks. “Yes, of course.” He was as tall as Seokjin but in his lap, he looked much smaller. He opened his mouth obediently when Seokjin brought the spoon to his lips.

Your eyes strayed to Taehyung, you were hyper-aware of him whenever you were in the same place. His eyes had that look that you couldn’t understand, it was there every time you interacted with the other hybrids lately. They were telling you that he was opening up more these days but to you, he remained a mystery.

In the end, Jimin ate most of your gelato and you scooped some chocolate chip cookie into your bowl because you knew how much he liked it. Hoseok and Namjoon closed the containers and carried them upstairs, they returned and went to sit by the pool. Yoongi finished quickly and lied down under the shade of the tree closest to them. Jungkook grew sleepy and turned to the side, laying his head on Seokjin’s shoulder. Jimin joined them, hugging Jungkook from the side.

Taehyung stayed at the bench like he wasn’t sure where he should go, his empty bowl in front of him.

“Did you like it?” you asked, gesturing to his bowl. Another reminder of your shortcomings, you didn’t even know how much he had progressed in English.

“Yes, thank you,” he replied. The low timbre of his voice surprised you each time. You heard it so rarely that you didn’t get the chance to get used to it.

You should make an effort to talk to him, avoiding him would only make matters worse. But you couldn’t find anything to say. What exactly could you say to him, who had lived most of his life like a caged animal, who you had bought at an illegal auction?

Suddenly, you had the equivalent of a light bulb lighting up next to your head in a cartoon.

“Hobi told me you liked the painting of the pomegranate in the gallery,” you said then realized that pomegranate was probably a word he couldn’t understand and proceeded to explain the painting. “It has glass around it and a hand is holding it. Am I making sense?”

Seokjin looked at you amused but Taehyung nodded in understanding. “It is beautiful.”

“Right, it is,” you agreed. “The artist, the one who made it, is holding an exhibition in LA. We could go if you would like.”

You had bought the painting from her long before her fame had grown and spread. There was a magic to the way Eliana Velasco painted, everything came alive under her brush strokes. The painting of the pomegranate had enchanted you and given your history, you had to have it.

“Go?” he repeated, clearly confused.

“Yeah, to a place that has many of her paintings. You can see them there. Would you like that?” Talking to him, you were more nervous than at any of the award shows you had attended the past few years, more nervous than during any contract negotiations.

Taehyung’s eyes widened a fraction before he nodded. “Can I… see them?”

“Of course,” you said.

Jungkook stirred against Seokjin’s shoulder. “Are we going to an exhibition?”

“If you want to.”

“Are you going to be there too?” he asked and that was harder to answer. Your schedule was the busiest it had been in months and you were drowning in deadlines and responsibilities. You were saved from answering him by a notification on your phone. The numbers displaying the time showed that you were late to leave. You pocketed your phone and with quick goodbyes, you disappeared.

 You were so stupid. You had offered to take Taehyung to an exhibition when work was wrapped around you like a noose. But you had panicked. Eliana had sent you an invitation for the opening night, promising there would be French champagne and hors d’ oeuvres. You had attended plenty of her exhibitions and had many conversations about art and life and their inter-connected philosophy while drinking champagne or wine and staring at paintings.

Although Taehyung’s situation was solved and Amelia had let you know some time ago that legally you were safe, going to the opening night didn’t sound like a good idea. There would be many journalists there who would love to write a piece about you and your sudden decision to adopt so many hybrids. They could go without you another day, that wouldn’t be too bad. Taehyung looked so hopeful and now that you had said it, you couldn’t take it back. You could text Eliana and ask her if she could meet you there one day so you could introduce her to them.

You should try and get some time off.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

It was like a curse, to not be able to sleep in the very few hours you could afford to. Your bed was empty and cold and you couldn’t get comfortable regardless of how much you twisted and turned. Your limbs were too long and awkward and nothing felt right. All the wild thoughts you couldn’t be bothered with during the day showed up one after the other to be examined from every angle and set aside to pick up the next one. It was a losing battle and yet you insisted on fighting it every time before giving in, getting up and popping a pill into your mouth.

You returned the bottle to the cabinet and closed it. After Seoul, for some time it had returned to your bedside table but after a couple of weeks had passed it felt like you were admitting defeat by keeping it there. The image in the mirror was a far cry from the celebrity you were supposed to be. The darkness under your eyes formed bruises, getting worse by the day. Your skin had grown pale and your hair was a mess, you hadn’t had enough strength to braid it before attempting to fall asleep.

You considered going back to bed but the pills could take up to an hour to work when your insomnia reached its peak and you were craving a snack. Something small and sweet sounded nice.

Once again, you had returned late and eaten dinner alone. Your appetite was lacking although the food was delicious. Sometimes, it got like that when you were too tired. You had promised yourself to limit early mornings and late nights but that had changed when you had texted Eliana about the exhibition. She had offered to accompany you to the exhibition on one of the days it was closed to the public and you were more than thankful to her but that also meant that you would have to take half the day off.

The TV was on in the living room, subtitles displayed at the bottom of the screen with no sound. Namjoon was sitting on the couch, arms crossed and watching with distracted eyes. Everyone else had departed to their rooms for the night. His ears twitched as you took a few more steps and he turned to look at you.

You waved your hand, trying to offer him a smile. “Hey.”

He sat up straighter. “Hi. Why are you still awake? Do you need something?”

“Just some water. Maybe a snack.”

“You were really tired when you went to bed. Did you not fall asleep?” he asked, frowning.

You shrugged. “I couldn’t. It’s one of those nights. If I eat something, maybe I will fall asleep easier. A full stomach and all that.” You didn’t mention the pill, it was awkward to do that. “Don’t let me disturb you. I’ll just grab something and go back to bed.”

Namjoon got up and in a few strides, he was standing in front of you. He caressed your cheek, searching for something in your eyes. You weren’t sure what he could see there. “I’ll join you. Let’s sit together for a bit. I haven’t seen you properly in a few days.”

“But you must have stayed back to watch that,” you said. A documentary was playing on the TV, something about Egyptian history.

“It doesn’t matter. I would rather spend my time with you. Unless you don’t want to, then I’ll go back to the couch and be very quiet.”

You slid your hand in his, the touch grounding you in a night that felt both like you were wide awake and caught in a blurry dream. “I would like some company. I’ve missed you too. I’m–”

“Don’t say you’re sorry. There is no need for that.”

He leaned down, placing a sweet kiss on your forehead. His lips lingered for a few moments, warmth spreading inside you. You raised your head and captured his lips in a kiss. The worst part was that you couldn’t remember how long it had been since you had last shared a kiss. His lips were velvet as you remembered them. This was home. Running back and forth, you had forgotten what it felt like.

You pulled back and grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.”

In the kitchen, Namjoon stood next to you as you rummaged through the cupboards for something that looked appetizing to you. The cupboards were full and yet nothing was calling to you until Namjoon remembered that Seokjin had made ice cream sandwiches with the gelato you had bought and various kinds of cookies. That sounded like heaven so you opened the freezer and chose two of them.

You leaned against the counter, shoulder to shoulder with Namjoon, while you devoured them. Gelato might not have been the best idea to put you to sleep but they tasted heavenly. The pill would start working sooner or later.

“Is it worse today?” he asked. He didn’t elaborate further, he didn’t have to.

The ice cream sandwiches were gone and you were left holding the plate. You licked your fingers and placed it in the sink. “I have a lot of things on my mind. I should be too tired to think but apparently, I’m never too tired for that.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Everything, more or less.” You turned to the side, facing him. “There’s too much to think about and not enough time. Never enough time,” you muttered the last sentence to yourself. If you had all the time in the world it would still not be enough, you would find a way to fill it. “I’ve been putting everything off. Everything I don’t want to deal with or I don’t know how to deal with. And the longer I put it off, the worse it gets.”

He was quiet for a few seconds, taking in what you said and pondering how to reply. It was beautiful, how his mind worked and how attentive he was. “If there is any way we can help you, anything I–we can do, we will. Whatever you want to do, we will support you. Sometimes, in our head, we can make things look bigger, more scary than they are. Do you want to talk about them? Maybe if you talk about what you have to do or what you’re worried about, it will be easier to work out the best way to approach them.”

That was something your therapist used to tell you, that while things festered in your head, they would only get more tangled and more daunting. She had suggested writing them down or talking to her about them. She was right, you knew she was right and that it helped and yet you hadn’t stopped to do that.

You took a deep breath, debating if it would be better to find a notebook and figure out your mess on paper instead of dragging Namjoon into it. But there was a part of you that itched to confide in him and give in to the way you felt safe when you were together. 

“I don’t even know where to start,” you confessed.

You started slowly, with your usual worries about Taehyung, how he was adjusting and how little time you were spending with him and if that was for the best. It was the same old spiralling, you had poked and prodded at it so many times and Namjoon must have been bored of listening to the same rehashed concerns, yet he didn’t interrupt you. You unravelled steadily, once you started speaking, you couldn’t stop. There was the filming for the Raven Cycle, the final touches of Six of Crows, the premiere and the weeks of promotions and the anticipation for the reviews of the critics and the audiences. The book you hadn’t finished and the deadline you couldn’t meet.

You rubbed your hands over your face. It had been so long since most of those problems had surfaced and you were ashamed that you hadn’t faced them yet. “And we haven’t told anyone about us. We said we would and I know you’re waiting for me but I’m never here. And I don’t know how.”

Namjoon caught your hand and brought it to his lips. Lowering it, his thumb rubbed soothing circles on your skin. “It doesn’t have to be complicated. They will understand and they will be happy for us. You shouldn’t let this keep you awake, everything will be alright. They are our pack, this won’t change anything.”

“But…” The anxiety that persisted. “Yoongi. What if his reaction is… bad. You know what he said.”

“That was before.” He sounded sure but there was a tightness at his jaw. “It is different now. He is different, you can see it. He is softer around the edges, he even helps Jin in the kitchen. He’s settling in.”

 “Because he doesn’t know,” you said. “You remember what he said, right? That night? That I adopted you so I could take my pick and now there is Jin and it’s just too much like that, can’t you see it?”

“It’s nothing like that. We both–” Namjoon stiffened, his gaze locking somewhere towards the entrance. “Yoongi?”

Your heart rate sped up, a knot forming in your chest. Yoongi walked in, his socked feet not making a sound. How much had he heard? The last minutes of the conversation replayed in your mind in a panicked mess. What had you said? How long had he been there, listening to you, before Namjoon noticed him? What conclusions would he reach?

Instinctively, you tried to get away from Namjoon but his hold on your hand kept you there.

The panther’s face didn’t give anything away. You couldn’t read him regardless of how much you studied him. You didn’t know his tells, if he had any. His expression was a carefully curated mask of apathy and you couldn’t see past it. Or you didn’t dare to try. Maybe you were too afraid of what you would find.

“How did you know it was me?” he asked, voice missing some of its smoothness.

Namjoon held your hand tighter. “You are the only one who can sneak up on me.”

You swallowed down your anxiety and tried to think of him the way he was the past few months, when he helped you with rearranging your office, him playing the piano in the afternoons, your walk at the lake, the vague memory of him helping you up to your room when you were drunk in Virginia. But they were all pushed back by the memory of his snarl and his sharp teeth that night.

“How much did you hear?” you asked, forcing your voice to be steady. He was going to learn of it at some point and as scared as you were, you had to face this.

“Enough.” His tail curled behind him and stilled. “You are afraid of my reaction to something. Is that it?”

Your eyes locked with Namjoon’s and he nodded. This time you weren’t going to run. This time would be different. “Yes, there is something we wanted to tell you. Something we wanted to tell everyone. I didn’t know how to tell you, that’s all.”

“You can tell me now,” he said and it sounded almost like a dare. You weren’t sure if you were walking into a trap.

Namjoon spoke up before you could. “You remember that the two of us are… We are together, as humans would say, romantically.” Yoongi nodded. You couldn’t imagine how he could forget. “That extends to Jin now. We love him and he loves us.” It was almost like he was challenging him to say anything but Yoongi was quiet.

“We didn’t know how to tell everyone. And you…” You didn’t know how to finish.

He scoffed. “I was an asshole.” One side of his lips was twisted up but something about it hurt. “You didn’t want to tell me because I was an asshole when I found out about you two. Worse than an asshole.” He dropped his gaze to the floor, his shoulders were slumped as if in defeat. For a moment, you wished to reassure him but what he was saying was the truth. “I understand. I’m not– I’m happy for you. And I’m sorry.”

He turned to leave but, through your confusion, you knew you didn’t want him to go.

“Wait,” you called. He stopped but didn’t turn around. “Let’s talk. We need to talk.”

Yoongi looked at you over his shoulder. This time, you studied him without your heavy-duty lenses, without the fear of discovery. Like the expression of an actor, you picked apart the tiniest details to paint a picture. When your own barriers were gone, it was easier to see.

“What is there to talk about?” he asked.

“A lot. Things we should have talked about sooner.” Communication was a golden rule in your handbook and you used to be good at it, you tried to be good at it. The misunderstanding trope was overused and useless when the issue could be resolved with a simple conversation.

It was about time you stopped walking on eggshells.

“We never truly talked about it,” you started. “And I didn’t really want to because things were going so well. They are going well. But you are my family now.” His lips parted, only slightly but you caught it. “I can’t know how all of you see it, if it’s the same for you, but that’s the way I feel. And I want to be honest with you. I still think about what you said in the garden and sometimes it affects me more than I would like. However, I would like to put it behind us but I want to know what you think.”

His eyes were sharp but you weren’t fooled this time. “Can we? Can we really put it behind us?”

 Namjoon was silent next to you, he was letting you handle it.

“I think we are already beginning to.” You took a deep breath in preparation. There was a question that could make or break this peace between you and you were both dreading and dying to ask. “Do you think that I’m taking advantage of them because I love them romantically?”

His eyes widened. “No,” he denied sharply. “No, of course I don’t.”

It was like a knot unravelling in your heart. Although there was a part of you that had known, the relief was still there. “Then we can move past it. We can try again. We are already trying again.”

“How?” Yoongi asked and he sounded smaller, much smaller than you were used to.

The pills were beginning to act, it was a light drowsiness at first. You had to do this quickly before you fell asleep and crumbled down on the floor.

“The same way we are doing now. By doing our best.”

“I am trying” His hands clenched into fists and loosened again. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

“You don’t need to be. Not anymore. As long as I know that we are fine.” Your eyes were growing heavier and the fog was slipping in. “I think we should go to bed now,” you said. It was getting more and more difficult to open your eyes.

You must have stumbled or something because you heard Yoongi ask, “Are you alright?” at the same time as Namjoon’s “Do you want help?”

You waved them both off. “I’m fine. It’s the pills.” It was easier to admit when you were almost asleep. One moment your feet were on the floor and the next you were up in the air. “Joon?”

“I’m taking you to your room. It’s time for sleep.” One of his arms was under your knees and the other was holding you close to his body.

“Namjoon, I can walk,” you protested weakly. Namjoon shushed you and you let it go. You were so incredibly sleepy and you were safe there. You relaxed in his arms and finally closed your eyes.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

Most of the flowers were drooping in the garden of the Castle. Namjoon and Jimin were attempting to keep them alive for as long as possible before fall swept them away. They cut off the dead leaves, watered the plants and applied the appropriate fertilisers. There were also varieties that lasted all year and the gardener had taught them how to take care of them too.

“These won’t last much longer,” Jimin said, running his fingers gently over the petals of a slowly wilting flower.

“They will bloom again in spring,” Namjoon reassured him. “Each season has its beauty and these belong to spring and summer. Autumn has its own colors too but they are different.”

Jimin pulled his hand back and grabbed the watering can. “I know, but I will miss them.”

Namjoon patted his head and Jimin preened under his touch, chasing his hand. He was too cute sometimes and Namjoon adored him. “It’s okay to miss it but you can also be happy about the new things that are coming. Miss Roberts said she will bring sunflowers and hydrangeas to plant next week, it will add some color. When something ends, something else begins.”

Jimin giggled, watering the flowers although they would be dead next week. “Nora has told you many times to call her by her name.”

Namjoon rubbed the back of his head. “I forgot. I’m trying.”

Yoongi came out of the house, a book in his hand. He had been visiting the library more lately. Namjoon had been wondering where he had been. The rest of the pack had holed up in the cinema room to watch a comedy and, like the two of them, Yoongi had opted out but they hadn’t seen him since.

“Yoongi!” Jimin called, waving with the hand that wasn’t holding the watering can. “Come here. Sit with us, we are almost done.”

Yoongi paused, glancing at the table and benches on the other side of the garden.

“Come on,” Namjoon called for him as well. That was enough to sway Yoongi’s decision, who made his way to them.

Jimin bounced up to him, grabbing his hand and dragging him to the flower bushes they were tending to. Yoongi grumbled about the rough treatment but Namjoon wasn’t fooled, the upturn of his lips was small but unmistakable.

Jimin explained to him what they had been doing so far and Yoongi listened to him attentively.

“They are beautiful. You have been doing a really good job. Both of you,” he said, his eyes darting to Namjoon.

He was tense, it wasn’t obvious but Namjoon could pick it up. He gave him a smile, hoping he would relax. Yoongi confused him but he thought he could understand him a little better now. “Thank you. What are you reading?”

“Oh, this?” Yoongi raised the book a little and shrugged. “I saw it and I thought it was interesting.”

“I haven’t seen that before,” Namjoon said.

The cover was painted in shades of yellow and orange, framing two pyramids. Without saying anything, Yoongi handed him the book. It was called The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and it was a relatively short book. He turned it around to look at the synopsis and Jimin peeked at it over his shoulder. Namjoon wondered if you had read it or if it had been sitting there unread on your shelves for years. There were so many books in your library and you had admitted that you hadn’t read most of them, but you had also told them that once upon a time you used to read a hundred books a year.

“It does sound interesting,” Namjoon commented, passing back the book. “You should tell me if it is any good when you finish it.”

Yoongi looked down at the book’s cover. “I will.”

Jimin declared that they were done with gardening for the day and grabbed both of their hands, pulling them to the shade underneath one of the trees. They sat down and he situated himself with his head in Namjoon’s lap and his legs in Yoongi’s. Yoongi cracked open his book and began to read while Jimin talked about flowers.

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

“And… CUT!” you called. It was repeated again by Will and the actors relaxed, the expressions of their characters wiped clean. “That will be it for today. Thank you everyone!”

The crew buzzed as the cameras and the sound systems were turned off. People were talking to their earpieces and others were giving pats on the back to each other for another successful day on set. Crew members passed by and offered their congratulations to you.

“What are you rushing for?” Will asked.

You continued throwing everything carelessly into your backpack. “I’m visiting the gallery today, remember?”

“Right, that’s today,” he said, snapping his fingers. Some things stuck with you in entertainment. For example, the overexaggerated gestures. “I thought you had a company meeting dressed like this. A very important one.”

In the morning, you had put more thought into your outfit compared to a simple filming day. You were wearing tan trousers and a form-fitting black top embellished by a crossover belt that wrapped around the body and was tied together with a golden Medusa head emblem. The heels, the golden earrings, bracelets, and rings confirmed that filming wasn’t the only thing on your schedule.

You slung your backpack over your shoulder (you would switch it later with a black Dior bag you had in your car). “No meetings for me today. I really have to go. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”

“Have a good time, boss!”

You greeted any familiar faces on your way to your car and sent a quick message to Namjoon that you would be picking them up soon. The 8-seater car was an impulse purchase at a time when you had a larger friend group. You hadn’t used it much, only for a couple of short trips to private beaches.

You checked your appearance in the visor mirror and reapplied some powder and lipstick. You looked good enough, there wasn’t much more you could do.

The hybrids were waiting by the fountain. They had dressed nicely for the occasion, wearing some of the more formal outfits you had bought for them. You could feel the excitement in the air as they climbed into the car. It had been a long time since you had gone to the city like this. Jimin was quick to slide into the passenger seat, followed by a little happy dance at his success.

The exhibition was taking place in Central Los Angeles, housed in a tall and wide building that appeared to be made up of several cubes that jutted out of the main structure. Jungkook and Hoseok had their phones out, taking photos of the strange building. Distantly, you remembered coming here before but you couldn’t place when or why.

Eliana was waiting for you inside wearing a simple flowing blue dress and a large smile. You greeted each other with a hug and proceeded to introduce the boys to her. She shook their hands enthusiastically and in a few seconds she had already engaged them in a conversation about art. Usually, she talked quickly like she was rushing to get everything out before she forgot but she was talking slowly now, using simpler words and waiting for Hoseok to translate whenever he deemed he should.

She guided you through the gallery, floating ahead of you. She gave explanations of some of her works while she let others speak for themselves. Taehyung’s eyes were sparkling while she talked, in a way you had never seen before. His smile stayed on during your whole visit, big and boxy, and you finally felt like you were doing something right.

The other hybrids seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. Namjoon was asking plenty of questions about the meaning behind the paintings and her inspiration and Jungkook was very interested in the more technical aspect of her work. She readily answered all of their questions and when you pointed out that Jungkook spent a lot of his time painting, she encouraged him to show her some of his work. Although he was shy, hiding behind his floppy ears at first, Eliana managed to convince him to show her a few of the paintings he had on his phone. She was stunned when you told her he had only been painting for a few months and Jungkook grew even shier when she showered him in compliments.

At the end of the tour, she let you wander the gallery by yourselves for some time and then suggested going to the gallery’s gardens to hang out. The gardens were of considerable size, about as large as the inside of the gallery. Neatly trimmed flower bushes lined the pathways and plenty of modern sculptures decorated the space. A large fountain stood proudly in the middle and there was an artfully made gazebo raised on a platform at a far corner, overlooking the gardens.

You offered to go get some coffee and some baked goods from a nearby bakery/coffee shop you had found on the internet. Eliana protested at first but she gave in quickly at the promise of an iced Spanish latte and muffins. Namjoon volunteered to accompany you, although what surprised you was Yoongi offering to come along.

“You need more than two people to carry everything,” was the only explanation you got. You couldn’t deny that he was right.

He hadn’t been acting any different towards you since you had let him know about the nature of your relationship with Seokjin, so you acted the same way you always did too. His quiet acceptance was more than enough for you and it was a great weight off your shoulders.

You were talking about the exhibition, not surprised that Yoongi had been paying close attention to the paintings as he recalled his favorites, when a call of your name surprised you. The voice was familiar and, for a few seconds, you couldn’t place it. Until you could. And the peace froze over.

You turned around to find Jacob waving at you in the quiet street. His hair was cut much shorter than the last time you had seen him and his white loose pants and half-unbuttoned shirt made him look like he had just stepped off a yacht party. Maybe he had. His thousand-watt smile, reminiscent of a politician, was fixed firmly on his face.

“Hey, I knew it was you,” he said when he caught up with you, like he had won a prize. He pulled you into a quick hug and you didn’t know what to do with your hands until he let you go. “Haven’t seen you in ages.”

You wiped invisible dust from your trousers. “Yeah, I’ve been very busy.”

“You were never  one for rest, right? The woman always running, always working, never has time for anything else,” he joked and it shouldn’t bother you the way it did. He gestured to Yoongi and Namjoon, “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Namjoon looked politely curious and Yoongi downright uninterested.

“Right,” you said. “This is Yoongi and Namjoon. And this is Jacob.”

Their eyes sharpened the moment you uttered the name.

“I’m just Jacob now?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “After three years? Not even a friend?”

“I don’t know. It isn’t like we’ve spoken since last year.”

Initially after your breakup, you used to imagine how your next meeting would go and how the two of you would act around each other. Three years was a long time to share your life with someone to then go back to being strangers. You hadn’t entertained the idea much since then, you had found yourself thinking about him less and less. Still, whenever you thought about meeting him, you hadn’t anticipated the bitterness that grazed your insides.

Jacob chuckled awkwardly. “Well, you said you were busy. I have been busy as well, I’m working with a few very big names, you know. I got my hands on some of the best songs of the year.”

“I’m sure they’re great.”

“Haven’t you listened to any of them? You must have heard a few of them. They were everywhere.” Jacob was talented enough and well-connected and he sure liked to brag about it. “I asked Zayn and he said you were doing well, working of course. And you got yourself some company too.”

You clenched your jaw to bite back the harshness burning on the tip of your tongue. You hated the way he said it and the way it reminded you of your mother.

“It was a bit of a surprise, I’ll admit. I don’t remember you ever talking about adopting, you didn’t seem a big fan of the idea. No offense of course,” he directed the last part to Namjoon and Yoongi.

“Things change,” you said dismissively. “We have to go. There are people waiting for us.”

Jacob’s smile didn’t falter but his eyes narrowed a fraction for only a second. He may only be part of your past but you could still read him well. Was it the same for him? Had he ever been able to read you in the first place?

“Of course,” he said. “I’ll see you around.”

“Sure.”

You turned around and started walking, Namjoon and Yoongi following you. Last year you loved him enough to move in with him and this year you couldn’t stand to be in his presence. You thought you would feel nothing when you’d see him again but the truth was that everything about him irritated you. His poised smile, his bragging, his nonchalance.

Why was he able to get under your skin like this? You were over him, you didn’t want anything to do with him. But you were supposed to be civil, uninterested like the heroines who didn’t raise more than an eyebrow in the direction of their exes. It irked you and the way he looked at Namjoon and Yoongi irked you more. You had defended him to everyone, he wasn’t a bad guy, he didn’t treat you badly but as time passed you were starting to realize some things you couldn’t see clearly before.

Yoongi was the first one to speak up when you had almost reached the coffee shop, “What an asshole.”

“He isn’t–” You stopped yourself and laughed. “You know what? He is, a little bit.”

“A little bit?” he repeated, doubtfully.

“I don’t want to judge but…” The way Namjoon paused told you everything you needed to know. “I had to try very hard to stop myself from growling at him.”

Yoongi smirked. “Down, wolf.” Namjoon ignored him.

“Thank you for not doing that, that wouldn’t have ended well. Please, don’t growl at people.”

“I don’t know if I can promise that.”

Well, you couldn’t say that you minded that much. You could admit to yourself that Namjoon growling was kind of hot. And if the situation called for it…

“I didn’t like the way he spoke to you,” Namjoon said. “It was weird. There was something about it that was wrong, almost demeaning.”

“He can be like that sometimes. Like he is above almost everyone else, like some things are beneath him. He would make those stupid comments and I would always try to ignore them,” He was always supportive of your career and proud of your success but he had never shown interest in any of your other hobbies and likes. Reading was boring, paintings were overrated and overpriced, drinking tea was pretentious. “I never thought I would be one of those shit-talking their exes unless they did something really bad.”

“I support this shit-talking,” Namjoon said.

“I do too,” Yoongi agreed.

It made a strangely pleasant feeling run up your spine. “We’re here,” you said, instead of continuing the conversation. According to Google Maps, you had arrived at the coffee shop.

As you walked inside, you might have heard Yoongi saying lowly to Namjoon, “I kind of wanted to punch him.”

♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩ ♩♪♩♬♬♩♪♩

You were sitting on the chair in front of your vanity, braiding your hair and stuck thinking of the same scene. Before going to his room for the night, Taehyung had approached you and thanked you for taking him to the exhibition. His expression was sincere and you finally felt like you were moving in the right direction. 

When there was a knock at your door, you already knew who it was before you called for them to come in.

“Can we sleep here tonight?” Jimin asked, Jungkook draped over his back.

“When have I ever told you no?” you asked, finishing your braid and securing it in place with a silky scrunchy. “Go on.”

They both hopped on the bed, bouncing a little and sharing delightful smiles. You watched them through the mirror as they rolled around, holding each other.

Jimin looked up from where he was tangled with Jungkook, holding your gaze through his reflection. “Are you coming?”

“I am, I am,” you said, putting your brush back in the drawer.

You joined them on the bed, their hands quickly reaching for you and situating you between them like the last time. Jimin purred in contentment, rubbing his face in your collarbones. Jungkook held onto your arm and you could feel his breath caressing your neck with how close he was lying. 

An unwanted echo of what Jacob had said entered your mind.  Always working, never having time for anything else or anyone else, even the ones most important to you. You were gone most of the days and it made sense that they wanted to be close to you at least at night.

“Did you have fun today?” you asked them to distract yourself. 

“I loved it! Eliana was so nice and her paintings were incredible,” Jimin said.  “I took so many photos, my phone must be full of them.”

Jungkook nuzzled up closer to you. “I took many photos too. Can we print the one we took of us all together? I want to put it in our room.”

“Yes, please,” Jimin added cutely.

“Of course. You should print a couple more too, if you want, and choose some pretty frames for them. There is a lot of free space in your room.”

They cheered a little. You lied there in comfortable silence but you could detect a nervous energy in the air. It was in the way Jimin was fidgeting with the hem of your silk night shirt and how tightly Jungkook was gripping your arm. You waited until they were ready.

“We actually… we have something to tell you,” Jimin said.

“Anything you want, kitten,” you said, running your fingers through his hair. You could see how the use of the nickname affected him, squirming a little as his smile grew sweeter. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“I just–” He looked at Jungkook, who gave him an encouraging nod. “I kissed him, we kissed. And… it makes me very happy.”

Jungkook caught Jimin’s hand that was pulling at your shirt and intertwined their fingers, laying their joint hands on your stomach. “He makes me very happy too,” he said in a small voice.

The new knowledge was like a puzzle piece sliding into place. It felt natural to you that their relationship would progress like that. The way they looked at each other, the way they touched each other, was evidence of a deeply intimate connection. If the image your mind conjured of them kissing lit a spark in your chest, you hid it even from yourself.

“Thank you for telling me. If it makes you happy, then I am happy too. All I want for you is to be happy and know how loved you are. Come here.” You pulled them closer and placed lingering kisses on their foreheads. “I will always support you. Always.” You took a decision then. You couldn’t put it off any longer. “I have something to tell you too. Jimin already knows but Jungkook, I would like for you to know too. I don’t know how to say this exactly and I’m sorry we’ve kept this from you but I, Namjoon and Jin have been romantically involved. All of us. We have been kissing too.”

“Oh.” Jungkook paused. “That makes sense.” You couldn’t help but laugh at that, Jimin joining you. “I mean you’re very close and it just makes sense. We’re pack and I think that most packs are a little in love with each other, in one way or another,” he said. His cheeks felt hot against your shoulder.

In one way or another. He was right, it was such a special bond and you could imagine that for hybrids who felt the sense of pack deeper, the lines were easily blurred. A door opened in your mind but you closed it again forcefully.

Jimin fit his face in the crook of your neck. “I love you. I love you so much, all of you. Our pack. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have you. I don’t know if I deserve this.” His voice was wet.

“You do,” you stated. “You deserve everything and more. And we love you so much. So much.”

Jungkook squeezed his hand. “We love you, Jiminie. Our pack wouldn’t be complete without you. We need you to be whole. We need everyone.”

Their hands remained linked over your abdomen as you fell asleep.

Please comment and reblog it motivates me to keep writing

💜💜💜

So What? | MYG | Masterlist

Pair: Hybrid Cat Yoongi x F Reader 

Summary: Running from a past that foreshadows him, Yoongi is adamant about ever turning back to his human counterpart form, in hopes that nobody would recognise him and take him away. You worked at a cafe with your best friend. As a more-than-normal day seemed to go by, you discovered something amidst your housing block. Perhaps - just perhaps, the nighttime is where the angels arrive. 

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hybrid, non-idol au

Warnings: Contains explicit language, abuse

Total WC: 31473

Taglist: @bearr02 @svnbangtansworld @vintageoldfashion @prwprwprwpr @bontensbabygirl @codeinebelle @ldysmfrst @idkjustlovingbts @popcatx0 @yoonjinsgirl @marblemoonstones

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Epilogue

🐈‍⬛

Vanilla Ice Cream

I DON’T OWN THE PICTURE!

I have returned with a Hybrid!AU oneshot as a special treat. I know you guys want another chapter of Owner, but I don’t have a lot of inspiration for that story. But new stuff is in the works! Thanks for passing 1100 followers! You guys rock! Please shoot me a message and tell me what’s up! I love to answer questions! Enjoy the read ~ Jessika

You really should’ve been thinking about your heat cycle much sooner than it being a week away. Sure you’d been getting yourself off more frequently as of late, but that was no problem, a couple sessions with one of your favorite toys and you were set for the rest of the day or at least until you could get home again.

However, now it was getting to the point where you really couldn’t leave the house without a change of panties because of it. There was only so much laundry a girl could do before she loses her mind.

“Just call one of your hybrid friends and bang it out for the weekend, I’ll go home and visit with my family so you can have the apartment all to yourself!”

Your friend, Lisa, said.

She was the God send during this whole experience. She came from a long line of hybrids and she knew all about going through your heat cycle and things of the like. You can’t remember how many times you’d called her in a fit of panic, thinking that your vagina was broken. Thankfully, your girl was still in working condition.

“No, we’d run the risk of mating and I really don’t want to deal with that shit,” you moaned in complaint, already thinking of the failure that was your last heat cycle.

You’d called your friend Namjoon and he accidentally got too involved with you and now things were only finally starting to return to normal. You truly valued a lot of your friendships far too much just to think about fucking getting in the way.

“Well, there is always-”

“No way in fucking hell Lisa,” you growled.

“He’s the only one that’s been through this with you before! I’m sure he’d come to help you out,” she said, leaning back against the couch.

“I’m not calling Chanyeol, I’d rather fuck my vibrators all weekend,” you said, huffing and crossing your arms over your chest.

“You know they’d never finish you off. You know how this works, Y/N,” she said. You groaned in annoyance and leaned your head against the back of your chair.

“I’m going to die of sexual frustration.”

“You won’t be the first young adult to do so.”

---

God you were horny as shit.

And math was boring as fuck. Your vibrators were looking awfully tempting sitting there in the closet while you stared at a bunch of functions that you honestly couldn’t give one shit about. Just as you were about to stand up and abandon your math homework for the night, there was a knock on your door.

“Yeah, come in,” you said, trying to not sound disappointed.

The door swung open to reveal your best friend of seventeen years, Min Yoongi.

“I decide to come all the way here to steal your ice cream and you can’t even sound excited to see me? What the fuck is this?” he said as he sat down on your bed with two spoons and your french vanilla ice cream sat on his lap.

“It’s me wanting to punch my professor in the face because of his stupid assignments,” you growled. Angry at the disruption in your evening plans, and the fact that Yoongi was stealing your ice cream.

Again.

“Something tells me that’s not the only reason,” he said, placing a spoon in front of you, tempting you towards the deliciousness of the frozen treat.

“I’d prefer to not tell you about it,” you said, cringing at the thought of explaining why you were so on edge to Yoongi.

“You on your period or something? Do I have to go buy you tampons again? Last time was a disaster,” he said, laying down on your sheets and stuffing a spoonful of vanilla in his mouth. You scoffed and thought back on that memory.

You’d been in bed all day because of horrible cramping and Lisa was out for the night at a friend’s party. You called Yoongi in a panic because you knew there weren’t any tampons or pads left in the house.

“Yoongi,” you whispered.

“What?” he said back into the phone. “You sound like shit, are you sick?” he asked.

“Kind of,” you said, thinking about the bodily process much more than you feasibly should’ve at the moment.

“Then why are you calling me? Get some rest and text me in the morning for an update,” he said, sounding further away from the phone.

“Hang on! Wait!” you shouted into the phone.

“Jesus fuck, what is it?” he asked, obviously done with your little charade.

“Can you help me please?” you whispered softly.

“Y/N? Are you alright? Did something happen?” he asked, sounding more and more concerned.

“I need you to go to the store and buy me pain killers, tampons and pads... Please,” you begged through the phone.

Silence floated over the receiver for a few moments.

“Yoongi? Min Yoongi? Did he hang up on me?” you asked more to yourself.

“You owe me for this, what kind do you need?”

You remember him stumbling through the door with a bunch of different kinds of feminine hygiene products and a receipt enough to make you faint. But, he insisted that he didn’t mind and offered to stay for the night incase you needed anything else.

Because that’s the kind of friend he was. He’d complain the whole fucking time if he didn’t want to do it, but if it meant something to you, he’d do it regardless.

Yoongi had been your friend for as long as you can remember.

You had gone to the same school together and you two had just sort of clicked. He didn’t really mesh well with other people and you understood that he needed his space. There were night when the two of you had stayed up the whole time and simply spoke about your dreams and what you wanted to do when you were older.

Other times you’d both do different things and not talk as much. Although, you’d never drifted too far away. Yoongi always had a way of showing up when you needed him to.

Prom night when your date had bailed on you and you were left crying in your living room until Yoongi showed up with a shitty bouquet and his mom's car for the night.

When you were certain you didn’t get into college and he appeared with your acceptance letter in hand, saying it was halfway down the street in a tree because of the windstorm from the night before.

“Wake up sleeping beauty,” Yoongi said, snapping his fingers in front of your face. You jumped in surprise. Yoongi gave you a smirk. “You were looking at me with a weird look on your face, think of something actually fun to do?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at you.

“Yoongi,” you said grasping his hands in yours. He gave you a confused look.

“Yeah?” he answered.

“You know I love you right? Being serious,” you said, tightening your grip on his hands.

“Of course. You keep french vanilla in your freezer even though mint chocolate chip is your favorite. You always find a way of making me laugh and you put up with me, not a lot of people would do that kiddo. I love you too, and don’t you forget it,” he said, rubbing his thumbs over your knuckles soothingly.

You sighed in relief and pulled him in for a tight hug. Yoongi was stunned at first, but quickly melted into your arms and rubbed your back comfortingly.

“Not that I don’t love our mushy moments, but what’s got you so emotional? Are you on your period? Do you have everything you need because I swear to fuck if I have to buy you one more goddamn back of tampons I might just-”

“I’m going into heat soon,” you said, laying all your cards out on the table. Yoongi froze and pulled away from you quickly.

“Like, need to fuck someone to death heat?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” you confirmed.

“Ew, why tell me that?” he whined.

“You’re the one who asked why I was emotional, that’d be why,” you said, shrugging and grabbing the spoon from between his legs and stuffing some ice cream in your mouth.

“Jesus,” he groaned. “I remember your first heat,” he said, laughing to himself. You flushed at the thought.

“Shut up, I don’t want to think of that,” you warned.

“The fact that you couldn’t resist little ole me? God, it was so funny,” he said.

“I would’ve done that to anybody. You try feeling so horny you could die.”

The two of you laughed.

It truly had been a mess. You had invited him over and you suddenly felt a rush of desperation. Suddenly you were stripping and you tripped over your discarded tank top and you wound up crying on your bedroom floor half naked with Yoongi trying desperately to comfort you.

“Man, no thanks. I don’t envy being you,” he said, chuckling.

“I think I’ll just get some suppressants. It’ll suck next time, but hey, at least hopefully by then I’ll have someone to help me,” you said, getting quiet.

“I still want to kill that fucker,” he growled, pulling you towards his chest. You sighed and shook your head.

“He isn’t worth it, I don’t even want to think about him,” you said.

The rest of the night the two of you were silent, just sitting in each others company.

---

The morning your heat was supposed to start you popped a couple suppressants.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Lisa shouted after you swallowed the pills.

“I can’t have it now, Lisa, if I do I’ll wind up doing something I regret,” you said, reaching for your backpack.

“Y/N, you know those aren’t good for you. Half the time they don’t even work!” she yelled.

“Those are only if you use them frequently. The last time I used these was, like, five or six years ago. Calm your tits Lisa, I’ll be fine. Have fun this weekend with your family, love you bye!” you yelled, just barely escaping on of her famous lectures.

You could already feel your sex drive going down and the relief of a clear head taking over.

---

Class went by uneventfully. You turned in your homework and was on your way out when you collided with somebody.

“Oh, sorry!” a sweet voice rang out.

“That’s okay I should’ve been paying attention-” you said, standing up.

“Oh... Hey, Y/N,” Chanyeol’s voice rang through your ears.

Suddenly you were thrown back into that night.

The night you came home to find him fucking another girl and boy in your living room.

How he looked at you while he was balls deep in another woman and had the audacity to ask if you wanted to join them.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” you growled, turning your back on him quickly and heading down the hall.

“Y/N, wait,” he shouted, running after you.

“Kiss my ass, Chanyeol,” you said, turning a corner quickly. He rushed after you and grabbed your wrist.

“You know I’d love to baby,” he said, pulling you towards him.

“I thought I told you to not touch me,” you said, wrenching your arm back.

“Can we just talk without you running in the other direction? I want to talk to you,” he said, sounding sincere. You sighed, and against your better judgment, stayed put.

“Fine, what?” you asked.

“I fucked up, I get that. I should’ve been more upfront about my desires and maybe we could’ve worked something out, but we should’ve done it together and not just me on my own trying to figure myself out. I’m sorry,” he said.

Desires...

You shuddered involuntarily at the word, a hot rush flooding your system. You shook your head and cleared your throat.

“Yes, you should have. Anything else?” you growled, looking at him like he was a roach with your boot’s name on him.

“Listen, I was thinking maybe we could try again. I really care about you, and we had a good time together. Life has been shitty since you left and I want to make more memories with you... Please baby, think about it. Think about us,” he said, reaching out to hold your face in his hands.

You remember his touch. How warm and inviting it used to be. How many nights had you fallen asleep in his arms with feather light kisses being placed upon your head.

How many times had he helped you with your heat?

Heat.

Heat.

It was so hot...

You removed his hands from your face and tried to focus on the situation.

“Chanyeol, listen to yourself. What we had was good, yes, but you fucked that all up when you started going behind my back and lying to me. Right to my fucking face, might I add. How am I supposed to trust you after that? After all that? I’ll never be able to feel secure with you. I’ll always feel like you’re not telling me the truth. I don’t want to be in that kind of relationship, Chanyeol. Not with anybody,” you stated, saying your peace.

He sighed and looked down at his boots.

“I won’t say I’m not disappointed, but I understand. I am truly sorry Y/N, I hope one day you can forgive me,” he said.

You rolled your eyes and went to move past him when a sudden rush of heat went through you, causing you to buckle and grip your stomach in pain.

“Y/N? Are you alright?” he asked, reaching towards you. Aggressively, you shoved him back and stood up shakily.

“Get, away from me,” you panted, gripping your stomach. You slowly slid down the wall and pressed your head against the cool brick.

“What’s wrong? Is it your stomach?” he asked, crouching beside you.

“I-I told you, to get away from me,” you said weakly.

“Wait, Y/N, when was your last heat?” he asked, placing his hand on your shoulder.

“None of your fucking business,” you growled, struggling to stand up.

“I can help you, I’ll take you home. Is Lisa there?” he asked. You sighed and stood up before starting to stalk down the hall, every once in a while gripping the wall for balance.

“Like hell I’d let you touch me like that ever again. You can go fuck yourself Chanyeol,” you said, walking out of the school.

---

You fell through the front door of your apartment and threw your bag on the floor.

All you needed was a few more suppressants. That’s all it was.

Slowly, you approached the counter where a little note sat.

Hey,

I threw out those danger pills.

Fuck it out of your system,

Love you bye!

Lisa

You gasped as another rush of heat flooded your system and you collapsed to the floor. It hurt so badly. You needed something.

Before you knew it your fingers were dialling the most familiar number.

“Yeah?” Yoongi’s voice echoed through the phone.

“Yoongi,” you moaned in agony.

“Y/N? What’s going on? Are you alright?” he asked.

“Help me, please,” you begged, tugging on your clothes desperately.

“Y/N? What’s going on? Are you hurt?”

“It hurts, Yoongi, please help me,” you pleaded.

“I’m on my way, hang on,” he said through the phone. The line went dead and you placed your forehead on the cool floor.

All you could think about was how badly you needed to be sorted out. You wanted it.

It hurt.

You tossed and turned on the floor, trying to find a comfortable position. The most comfortable position you could be in right now would be with a cock shoved deep in your weeping pussy.

Your stomach was on fire. The raw need in your core was miserable.

There was a ringing throughout the apartment.

“Y/N? Y/N! Babe!” Yoongi’s voice shouted as he ran towards you. “Babe? Are you alright, hey, look at me?” he pleaded, bringing you into his arms.

“Yoongi, please, help me,” you pleaded grabbing his forearms.

“You’re flushed, what’s going on? You’re burning up,” he said, placing his hands on your face.

“H-Heat,” you whined, wrapping your arms around his neck. Yoongi’s face paled as he looked down at you.

“Oh fucking shit,” he said, picking you up and carrying you to your room.

It was so hot, you just wanted to take off your clothes. Preferably with someone else taking your clothes off. Yoongi set you down slowly and placed his hand on your forehead.

“You’re burning up babe,” he said, more to himself. You grabbed his jacket collar and pulled him towards you, wanting the sensation of skin on skin.

“Yoongi, take your clothes off,” you whined, not enjoying the feeling of his denim jacket on your fingers.

“Hang on, Y/N,” he said, getting your finger untangled from his clothing. You watched as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and rapidly dialed a number.

“Yoongi? Why are you calling me?” Lisa’s voice rang through the phone.

“Lisa it’s hot!” you complained, pulling your jacket off.

“Lisa, what the fuck do I do with her?” Yoongi said, angrily.

“Um, fuck her probably,” she said with an unamused tone.

“Yeah, next option,” Yoongi growled.

“Sorry, sorry. Just saying, that’s the easiest option.”

“Lisa,” he said, growing impatient.

“Alright, I give. I threw out her suppressants because they were old and I didn’t want her taking those. But you could always go to the store and buy her some new ones, I don’t know how much they’re going to work. How far in is she?”

Yoongi looked at you, sweating on the bed and features flushed.

“She’s not looking good, I’ll tell you that much,” he said, rubbing his face.

“It might be too late then,” she announced.

“Too late for what?” Yoongi asked, looking down at you with concern.

“If the heat cycle has already started then she needs to be taken care of,” Lisa explained, sounding more worried than a few moments ago.

“What do you want me to do then? Who should I call?!” he yelled into the phone.

“Call Chanyeol, he’s the only one who knows what to do with her,” she said, deathly serious.

“No... I’d rather... die,” you said, gripping your stomach.

“She’s refusing,” Yoongi stated.

“She’s refusing? What do you mean? Girls on their heat don’t refuse anybody! It’s a biological function, she needs to have sex with someone!”

The word sex triggered something in you and suddenly the pain had doubled.

“Yoongi, it hurts,” you moaned, reaching out for him desperately.

“It’s alright, Y/N, just hang on. We’ll figure this out,” he said, smoothing your hair.

“I-I don’t want to have sex with Chanyeol... Please don’t make me,” you begged, tears pricking at the corner of your eyes.

“No baby, I won’t,” he comforted.

“Yoongi, you need to do something and fast,” Lisa warned.

“Well what the fuck do I do? Can’t I just give her a toy and let that be that?”

“No, girls need the release of a man to ease the pain. It’s the only way the natural process can be ebbed.”

“Fucking hell, of course it is,” Yoongi complained.

“Yoongi, either you call Chanyeol and let him sort her out, or you do it yourself,” Lisa said before hanging up.

“Lisa? Lisa! Fucking bitch!” he yelled, throwing his phone on the floor.

It was silent in the room, other than your heavy breathing.

Yoongi couldn’t think about it... He knew that if he took that step your friendship would never be the same. He couldn’t lose you, never. It’d break him.

But, he couldn’t let Chanyeol do this either.

“Y-Yoongi, please,” you begged, reaching for him. He sighed and placed his hand on your head.

“Y/N, do you want me to call Chanyeol, or do you want me to take care of you?” he offered, petting your hair soothingly.

“You, Yoongi. You’ll help me, you always do,” you whimpered.

“And you’re aware of how I’m going to help you, right?”

“Yoongi, cut the shit and take off your clothes,” you said weakly.

He scrambled to comply, pulling his jacket off and his shirt, revealing his chest to you. You pulled off your shirt as well, throwing it onto the floor and reaching out for your best friend. He wrapped his arms around you and kissed your head tenderly.

“I’m going to make this all go away, alright? I’ll help you in anyway I can, forever,” he said. You smiled and ran your hands down his back, already feeling relief from the skin on skin contact.

“Yoongi,” you whimpered into his ear. He sighed and kissed your jawline tenderly, sucking on the sensitive skin there. You moaned softly at the contact and gripped his shoulders tightly.

“Lie back for me, yeah?” he asked. You eagerly complied, laying down on your back and watching as Yoongi crawled towards you. He unzipped your shorts and pulled them down your legs quickly, not wanting to keep you waiting.

Finally your pants were off and Yoongi looked at your center. You were fucking drenched. Yoongi wasn’t sure if he should feel embarrassed or turned on at the sight in front of him. You grabbed the edge of your panties and pulled them off of yourself, flinging the offending material somewhere else. Yoongi watched and flushed red. He’d seen you in various states of undress in the past, but never something to this scale.

He couldn’t help himself from leaning forward towards your center and placing a soft kiss right above your aching clit.

“Yoongi, don’t tease me, please,” you pleaded.

“Um, are you particularly sensitive down here? I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered, his hot breath ghosting over your aching center.

“Yoongi if your don’t eat me out right now I’m going to choke you out with my thighs, hurry up!” you whined. He nodded and quickly dove in. You gasped in pleasure and tangled your fingers in his hair. Yoongi licked your center tentatively, wanting nothing more than to help his friend.

Even if it meant doing less than ‘friendly’ activities with you.

“Is this right? Do you like it like-hmmf!” Yoongi exclaimed as you wrapped your thighs around his shoulders and pulled him back to your center.

“Whatever you do to me I’ll like, please, just get on with it,” you moaned. Yoongi nodded and went back to your center. Licking a long stripe up your slit with his warm tongue had you gripping the sheets in pleasure.

He groaned slightly at the taste of you on his tongue, he had no idea you’d taste this good. It was almost worrying how much he was actually starting to enjoy this. You were his best friend, and you needed his help right now. That’s all this was. Just a friend helping his friend. But, he couldn’t deny how sweet you tasted and how every moan you made sent a jolt straight to his groin.

The pressure in his jeans was becoming too much to ignore at this point. Yoongi pressed a sweet kiss to your clit before raising to his knees and undoing the button and zipper on his jeans.

You flew up to pull your bra off while Yoongi struggled to get his skinny jeans off. You couldn’t help but giggle at the two of you, struggling to get out of your clothes like Virgin teens. Yoongi glared down at his pant leg as he wound up having to sit on the floor to get it off.

“God, now I know why women wear skirts, they’re ten times easier to get off than these stupid pants,” he complained, throwing the jeans to the other side of the room. He stood up and you saw the tent in his boxers.

“Come here,” you begged, reaching out for him. Yoongi crawled back onto the bed and wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace.

“Y/N, I’m nervous,” he whispered into your hair.

“I am too, but, I feel like I might die if I don’t have you right now,” you breathed against his neck. He shuddered at the sensation of your warm breath across his skin.

“I’m going to make it go away, alright? I’ll help you, always,” he said, without looking at you. You smiled slightly. He’d never say anything like that to your face. He was far too embarrassed of himself already. You bit your lip, trying to fight back the childish smile that was threatening to cross your face. But, the reality of the situation hit back full force.

The searing pain in your stomach wrenched through you like a freight train.

“Ah!” you screamed, holding yourself in hopes of making the pain lessen.

“Y/N? Are you alright?” Yoongi asked, touching your head.

“I-I need you, now. Hurry up, Yoongi, please,” you pleaded. He nodded and removed his boxers, letting his erection spring free. Your eyes widened at the sight of it. He wasn’t the biggest you’d ever seen, nor was he the smallest. However, the way the veins wrapped around his length and how red the tip was, you couldn’t believe how clear headed he was still.

“Condom,” he mumbled to himself before going towards his jeans again.

“No,” you stopped him by grabbing his wrist. He gave you a quizzical look.

“As much as I care about you I’m not risking you getting pregnant,” he stated firmly.

“I won’t, we aren’t mating. B-but I need your, uh... I need you to finish inside me for the heat t-to end,” you said, blushing madly.

“Oh, Lisa did say something about that didn’t she...” Yoongi trailed off, looking at his jeans once more before looking back towards you. “Alright,” he said, opening your legs and shuffling between them. He teased you by rubbing his cock up and down your slit to get it wet.

“Please,” you whispered, grabbing his hand and interlocking your fingers. Yoongi simply nodded before guiding himself with his other hand and pushing forwards, his length slowly being wrapped in your tight heat.

“Oh fuck,” he breathed, letting his head drop slowly. You moaned loudly at the sensation of being filled so entirely. The pain in your weeping core being replaced by innumerable amounts of pleasure. He could feel your walls tightening around him, wanting more and more.

He gives the two of you a moment to adjust to the overwhelming sensation of being connected like this. Yoongi never thought that he would ever be in this position with you, but God was it hard to just think of you as his friend right now. You looked so good with his cock inside of you... Your sweet pussy stretching to accommodate his girth. The sight was almost enough to send him over, but he looked towards the ceiling, trying not to focus on the erotic scene displayed before him.

“Yoongi,” you whined, tightening your grip on his hand.

“You good?” he asked, looking down at you. The thought of you being in pain helping to stave off his pleasure clouded mind. You nodded furiously, the very prospect of him stopping enough to make you panic.

“I’m so good. God you feel so good inside me, please don’t stop,” you pleaded. Yoongi groaned at your phrasing and bucked his hips forwards in response. You groaned at the sensations sparking inside of you. Finally, you could feel your heat ebbing at act of being filled so completely.

“Jesus, fuck... You’re so tight,” Yoongi moaned. He couldn’t believe he was there. Fucking his best friend of his whole life. He was worried that it’d be to awkward for him to enjoy. Boy was he wrong. The feeling of you tightening around him and gripping his cock, your body practically begging him to keep going. The soft whimpers that you were letting out as he continued to move his hips into you.

“Yoongi, please, harder,” you begged, gripping his shoulder.

“You want it harder? You sure?” he questioned in a teasing manner.

“I swear to God if you don’t start doing more work I’m going to use you for my own pleasure,” you growled, digging your nails into his porcelain flesh. He grunted at the burn of his skin being torn open, but it only egged him towards his decision.

“Alright babe, you asked for it. Don’t complain to me if you can’t walk for the next few days,” he chuckled before picking up his pace.

“Girls don’t like cocky men in the bedroom,” you stated before letting out a sharp yelp towards a particularly hard thrust.

“You seem to be enjoying it,” Yoongi teased, leaning forwards and placing wet kisses on your collarbone. You wanted to be sassy and tell him to shove it, but all you could do was mewl at the warm tingle that his lips left on your skin.

Yoongi’s pace was brutal and unforgiving as he plowed into you like it was his only prerogative. The lewd sound of skin slapping on skin was so loud it challenged your screams you were letting loose in response to Yoongi’s dick continuing  to ravage your aching womanhood.

“Fuck baby, I’m close,” Yoongi groaned into your hair while he grabbed your breast harshly and twisted your nipple in a pleasurable manner.

“Oh, shit! Give it to me,” you pleaded, grabbing his shoulders as he rocked into you with brusing strength.

When you saw Yoongi shirtless you’d never thought he’d be this strong. But you could already tell that you were in for some serious bruising once the heat had subsided, and the adrenaline from your actions had finally worn off. Although you were still on cloud nine at the moment, feeling everything from Yoongi’s fingers rubbing your throat in a tempting manner and the way that he played with your breasts. It was too much. Too much stimulation, and you were so close... But he needed to finish first...

“Yoongi, cum inside me, please,” you begged, gripping his hand that was on your breast.

“I-I’m working on it,” he groaned, kissing you desperately before his thrusts began to get less precise. His cock was throbbing harshly inside of you.

“Please, Yoongi,” you whined, gripped his shoulder. He gasped and kissed your jawline gently.

“Oh, fuck, I’m cumming,” he grit out.

Yoongi’s whole body tensed and you felt a piercing heat flood your womanhood. Finally, the aching sensation in your lower body released and you cried out once more as an aftershock trembled through you. You clenched involuntarily around his length, pulling more of him inside of yourself. A choked off gasp escaped him as he rested his head your shoulder, panting into your neck. You brought your hand up and ran your fingers through his hair in a soothing manner.

Silence fell over the two of you as the high of your orgasms began to melt away, and reality came crashing down on you.

You had just had sex with your best friend since childhood.

However you couldn’t find yourself regretting it. You trusted Yoongi more than a majority of the people in your life. He had treated you with care and helped you when you needed him.

Yoongi brought you back to the reality by kissing your shoulder and up to your lips, placing delicate pecks to your lips. You smiled lightly and wrapped your arms around his neck giving him a proper kiss. He rested his hands on your hips and rubbed soothing circles into your skin with his thumbs.

Finally, Yoongi pulled out and walked into your bathroom to grab a washcloth. When he returned he cleaned you up and threw the dirtied cloth into your laundry. You reached out your arms for him and he crawled back into bed with you.

“Y/N,” he started after a couple minutes.

“Yeah?” you answered, keeping your eyes closed.

“Are we still friends?”

“Can we be more than friends?”

“Will you buy me more vanilla ice cream?”

“Yeah.”

“Then sure.”

You smiled when Yoongi placed a kiss on your lips. However, the kiss caused the stirring in your lower stomach to come back with a vengeance.

“Yoongi, it hurts again,” you whined, gripping your stomach.

“Already?!”

Us Before You

(BTS HYBRID HOUSE) 

🐾  (PART 1)  🐾  (PART 2)  🐾  (PART 3)  🐾 EPILOGUE 🐾

Summary; Hybrid house consists of humans; Seokjin, Namjoon, and Hoseok, and Hybrids DOGBOY! Taehyung, DOGBOY! Jimin, and CAT! Yoongi. together they have the happiest family possible, everyone loves everyone equally. So what happens when stray hybrid FOX! Jungkook turns up at the edge of their property? they love him too of course…

Pairings: Jeon Jungkook x Everyone, Jungkook centric, Everyone x everyone, poly! au, eventual Reader X Everyone. 

Word count: 5.5K

Tags: hybrid, polyamory, smut, fluff, mentions of Abuse, stray hybrids, blood, gore, gangbang, threesome, hurt/comfort, mentions of suicide, 

Authors note; this piece definitely has its ups and downs, the graphic part where the reader comes in is at the end- this is the first part of a two-part series. Enjoy ~ M

- Hybrid house consists of humans, Namjoon, Hoseok, and Seokjin who are all in a relationship together.

- Namjoon and Seokjin met in college and the two where longtime friends before one drunk night changed it all.

- And Namjoon didn’t even think he was gay before that but fuck he defiantly is. Seokjin has been casually bi since he could breathe.

- And then 2 years into their relationship the two of them both meet this gorgeous dancer at a friends Halloween party; a gorgeous sunshiny man named Hoseok, and they decide to invite him into their relationship. 

- Jin has a dog hybrid named Taehyung, (pet shelter- given to Seokjin as a pet when he was a child- but who his parents gave away when he went to college. Seokjin finds him in a shelter and recognizes him instantly and adopts him on the spot). 

- Hoseok has a cat hybrid named Yoongi (stray- adopted after Hoseok and Namjoon found him by the train tracks on their morning run soon after the 3 of them moved into their first apartment together).

- And Namjoon has a dog hybrid Jimin (adopted from his original owner who abused him, Namjoon witnessed the abuse and convinced the owner to give Jimin to him by threatening to call the police)

- With all of the hybrids and 3 people living in a two-bedroom apartment nothing fit well. They piled two kings into one room and made a giant bed out of it but still, someone always ended up suffocated. The other room was just a closet for the 6 of them, and even then clothes were spilling out the door. 

- But they didn’t have a lot of options. Let alone a yard like Tae and Jimin needed. 

- Hoseok owns a successful dance studio that makes a fair amount of money. 

- Namjoon is a fairly well-known lawyer but his career has barely begun to take off and he doesn’t make nearly enough to afford the size of house they need even if he combined his savings with Hoseok’s.

- But there is another factor- Seokjin, who has wanted to be an actor since the time he could watch movies. But he works at a café in-between jobs (most of it goes into the communal pool of money that’s used for rent).

- And he’s a bit of a trust fund baby- his father is a Ceo and wants him to run the company. 

- He even paid for Seokjin’s college (where he was a business major but a secret double major in acting and dance).

- Most of his access to family funds were cut off when his father found out (after he graduated with honors for both).

- But he knows that if he agreed to take over the family business they would be able to afford a house much much larger than they would ever need. 

- He takes Namjoon and Hoseok and their hybrids to look at this cozy half glass modern cabin on the outskirts of town. 

- And the entire time their hybrids are running around- saying how much they love it and how much they want to stay- for the house to be their new home.

- It has a room for each of them, a wide backyard that borders some woods and a lovely garden, a theater room, large kitchen and dining room. 

- Jimin and Tae roll around in the grass of the backyard and the kept garden.

- While Yoongi falls asleep on one of the lounge chairs in the sun.

- Meanwhile, Namjoon just reaches for Hoseok and Seokjin’s hands. Lifting their palms to his lips. 

- But his eyes are dark with longing and sadness- not happiness. Because they can’t have this. 

- “We can’t afford this, why would you show them what they can never have Seokjin?” Namjoon isn’t mad, not really- but their hybrids are a little sensitive. Jimin especially. 

- Yoongi would let the memory of the house fade quickly; Tae would get over it eventually. But he’s thinking of the conversation he’s going to have with Jimin when they get home and how disappointed he’s going to be; he’s going to cry. 

- Seokjin smiles at Namjoon and Hoseok before he reaches into the pocket of his jacket and pulls out the deed to this house. 

- “How the fuck did you do this hyung” Hoseok says, amazed because the asking price was well over 3 million.

- But Namjoon doesn’t buy it- the two of him know Seokjin’s history- what he’s had to give up for the sake of his dream. 

- “What did you agree to do Seokjin? Please tell me you didn’t go to him…”

- Seokjin just smiles sadly “I start as CO on Monday at his company.” 

- Hoseok recoils “but your dream Seokjin- you can’t give up.” 

- Seokjin stuffs his hand in his pockets and looks at the two puppy hybrids lounging in the grass, at sleepy Yoongi who looks at home already, and at the two men he’s come to love so much it hurts him sometimes

- They already look at home next to purple butterfly bushes that are just beginning to bloom in the early spring air. 

- “This is my dream.” 

Keep reading

Hopping Mad for You

; Rabbit Hybrid!Jungkook x Reader

; Genre: Fluff, smut

; Word Count: 9.7k

; Warnings: Unprotected sex, handjob, blowjob, virgin sex, virgin!Jungkook, pretty sub!Jungkook

; Synopsis: For two years you’ve lived with your rabbit hybrid roommate, Jungkook. He’s been a model roommate and you’ve found yourself with little complaints. But his behaviour lately has been a little…unusual.

; A/N: This was basically written for @gimmesumsuga, I’m not gonna lie. It’s also based off a bunny hybrid prompt by @hybridfanfiction so thank you! :D It’s my first time writing hybrid fic so…please like and leave a comment, and reblog so other people can read if you’d like it! :)

-

“Jungkook, did you not buy any vegetables?” You call out, frowning at the unsurprisingly empty interior of the fridge. In fact, all that remains is a half full carton of almond milk that you’re pretty certain Jungkook has left in there for at least two weeks.

Reaching in and pulling it out, you peer inside and frown as you give it a squeeze. Deciding it’s probably best not to risk it, you keep telling Jungkook to write the date he opens stuff but he just forgets, you pour it out into the sink before disposing of it.

Now you truly have nothing in the fridge, and you ponder for a moment how on earth two people have managed to let it get to this point.

It’s perhaps less surprising for you, given that you’re terrible at cooking and subsist off terrible snacks but Jungkook likes to cook. How has he not noticed that you’ve both run out of food?

“Err…no. But I did buy cookies?” You sigh and roll your eyes at that. It surprises you not, as two years of living with Jungkook as your roommate has taught you that he has odd thought processes sometimes. Even if for the most part, they’re often sweet.

The two of you had begun living together when you’d answered his advert for a roommate. You’d started your Masters degree and needed a place that was cheap, yet close enough to university that you weren’t having to get sixteen forms of public transport.

All he’d asked was that he needed a roommate who would pay on time, was nice and wasn’t too loud. It had seemed simple enough, standard roommate fare if you were being honest. When he’d opened the door though, you’d realised why he didn’t want loud roommates.

Jeon Jungkook was a rabbit hybrid. An American Fuzzy Lop hybrid to be precise, he’d informed you proudly when you’d first met and he’d let you in so you could explore your potential future home.

For a hybrid, he didn’t have too many features from his animal counterpart. There was no tail, which would be adorable, but he did have the distinctive, long and floppy dark brown ears that always made you aww in secret. And sometimes out loud if you were being honest.

Keep reading

Strawberry Cream and BBQ

Pairing: Hybrid Hoseok and Human Reader

Overview: Your best friend knows she can count on you for anything, so when she asks you to watch her hybrid while she’s gone for a study abroad trip for four months, you can’t say no. But when these four months are over, things have changed in a way no one expected.

Word Count: 6,716k

Genre: Hybrid AU, Fluff, Future smut, Angst, Best friends to Lovers

Warning: It’s the end

Master List

A/N: I hope y’all enjoy this final conclusion of Strawberry Cream and BBQ! Thank you everyone for sticking around and reading this, much longer than anticipated, fic lol.

Sneak Peak - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14 - Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21- Part 22 - Part 23 - Part 24 - Part 25

* * *

It was with a groan that you set your backpack on the seat next to you, propping your legs up on the basic white coffee table that was placed in front of the couches in their lounges. Classes were officially over and you were free for the next four months until the fall semester. You could do whatever your heart desired.

Instead of hoping into the car and taking the first exit to the beach, you comfortably settled yourself onto the couch and slipped in a pair of blue earbuds. The chatter of college students relieved to be done with the semester and the squeaking of sneakers against the tile floor was silenced by the music playing. More specifically, it was the song that Hoseok had chosen for his solo dance in The Dance Studio’s May show.

Keep reading

Navy Blue Ch.3

Masterlist

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Hybrid AU

Warnings: Eventual smut. Angst. Mentions of abuse (physical and sexual).

Summary: You live in a world where having a hybrid is normal. Your best friend Taehyung has his own cat hybrid named Yoongi, and while the pair may seem like total opposites, their bond is obvious. You begin to consider getting one to have as a companion to come home to. You could never anticipate just how important he will become to you.

Other Chapters: One, Two

Keep reading

— Unexpected (m)

word count; 3.7k

pairing; hoseok x reader

genre; smut 18+ | hybrid au

summary: Hoseok hadn’t been around much but to make up for it, he decides to take you to see a movie. he didn’t expect you to go into heat while in the cinema, and he certainly didn’t see himself fucking you in the bathroom.

warnings: generic heat trope, fingering, oral (f receiving), dirty talk, degradation (bitch), semi-public sex (?), unprotected sex (wrap it b4 you tap it), slight impregnation kink, degrading names, hoseok has a fat cock (i’m sorry lol), fox hybrid reader

a/n: I wrote this in like 6 hours (it’s trash) i’m s o r r y. anyways, happy birthday to the bright and beautiful Jung Hoseok!

There were times when you hated being a hybrid. 

It wasn’t like you chose to be born with the pointed ears on your head, or the thick, busy tail at the base of your spine. You were generally curious and easy going but the mischievous personality – which came from your animal counterpart – always got you into trouble more often than not, which often lead to people looking down on you.  

You couldn’t resist teasing people or pulling silly pranks when you had the chance. Generally though, the stigma about being part fox left people weary of you, which doesn’t bother you in the slightest. Your friends knew you were playful and kind, though you preferred your space and time to yourself and accepted that which you were grateful for.

Keep reading

Crow-Workers {Part One}

This beautiful banner was made by @thebannershop

✿ - Pairing: Kim Taehyung x Reader

✿ - Genre: Hybrid au, office au, coworkers to lovers, fluff, slight angst.

✿ - Warnings: Taehyung being mistreated,  Hoseok is kind of a prick, Thirsty middle-aged women, minor swearing.

✿ - Word Count: 4.4K

✿ - Summary: Your company has recently it’s first hybrid. Most of your coworkers have been avoiding him, disappointed that he wasn’t an adorable bunny hybrid or a cute puppy hybrid - he was a crow. It broke your heart every time you’d catch a glimpse of him trying to talk to another worker, only for them to walk off as soon as they spotted him. So, you made it your personal mission to befriend him. Soon afterwards, you begin to notice little trinkets showing up at your desk. Pretty stones, candy, little origami creatures, candles. No one seemed to know where they came from. However, you catch the crow hybrid blushing whenever he looks at you and didn’t you read somewhere that crows leave presents for people they like?

Inspired by this prompt by @hybridfanfiction

Series Masterpost

Navigation

Tags: @bubbletaetaesstuff @hoseokslefteyebrow @flowersgirl02 @bena-baby

@munchyn @mymainaccountlol @strawberrymilan @aurorakingsley​ @shit-loads-of-angst

JKBH News

Violence towards hybrids has reached an all-time high, with 5 in 7 hybrids saying they have experienced some form of harassment for being a non-human.  While this number seems high, it is trumped by a new research campaign being led by renowned professor and hybrid rights activist, Kim Namjoon.  This new research suggests that 6 in 7 hybrids are currently facing some form of discrimination either in school or in their place of work. Evidence he has cited includes-

You jump slightly as the elevator grinded to a halt. Did it not usually take longer to get up here?

Then again, you were slightly distracted by the news article currently displayed on your phone screen. You sigh and slide the device into your pocket. You guess you’ll just have to finish it later.

It was surprisingly quiet as you exited the elevator.

Usually, the entire floor was filled by the sounds of typing and hushed talking but it was completely silent, not a soul in sight.  

Were you supposed to be off today?  

You don’t remember being told about any days off.  

A frown forms on your lips.

Oh well, you might as well enjoy the silence and get some paperwork done.

Your footsteps echo around the empty room as make your way over to your desk.

Letting out a yawn, you unceremoniously dump you bag down beside your feet and hook your jacket around the back of your chair.

You’re about to sit down but something quickly becomes apparent, even to your half-awake mind. If no one else is here, there’s no queue for the coffee machine!

You hum a random pop song you heard on the radio earlier to yourself as you make your way through the hallways, trying to fill the deafening silence of the empty floor. The hallways were pretty ominous without the usual chatter as people walk in and out of their offices. It was creepy but the coffee would be worth it.

You’ve almost reached the lounge/break room.  

You can practically taste the coffee-

Keep reading

vixen -> jjk

summary: you’re struggling with your heat, and your owner’s friend brings over his sweet border collie jungkook to help. 

pairing: jungkook x female reader 

genre: hybrid au, smut

rating: NSFW 18+

word count: 2k +

warning tags:  fox hybrid!reader, dog hybrid!jk, cunnilingus, dom!jk, sub!reader, doggy style (lmao), drooling, mentions of breeding and mating, knot knot knot :>

a/n: idk lol. also i’m starting to get confused between who wants to be tagged in all my fics or who wants to be tagged in my mating call series; i’m so new to being a tumblr author lmao. it’s been so hard to organise LOL so sorry if i don’t tag you in this and you wanted a tag! also you can turn on post notifications on my blog for mobile and you will be updated every time i post as well ^.^

next ->

masterlist

✿——————————✿

“Thank you so much for doing this, Hobi…” You can hear your owner, Jimin’s voice muffled through the walls of your bedroom. He has you locked in there, a complete mess. Your tail sways lightly at the sound of his voice, your ear pressed up against the door to hear clearer. “She would not stop humping my leg.” Your cheeks turn beet red at his unnecessary comment. Did he have to tell the guests about your little problem? It’s not like you could help it! You loved Jimin, he took very good care of you, but you didn’t love him like that.  

You just couldn’t seem to get rid of the need to release, no matter how many times you make yourself cum. You were humping everything, not just his leg. Other victims included the edge of the bathtub, table corners your pillows and your hairbrush. Nothing was helping. 

So, that’s when Jimin calls Hobi over, wondering if his own hybrid was willing to meet you. Typically, only hybrids of the same species can breed, so having Hoseok’s dog hybrid mate with you wasn’t too alarming with what was known of hybrids. There was still a small chance you could get pregnant, but it was a lot lower because the two of you were different species. 

Keep reading

YA'ABURNEE CHARACTER BOARDS

imagine masterpost

Y/N L/N (YOU, THE READER / EX-CRIMINAL & OFFICER OF HAWAII FIVE-0 TASK FORCE) AGE: 22

‎

‎

‎

KIM NAMJOON (MACKENZIE VALLEY WOLF) AGE: 27

‎

‎

‎

KIM SEOKJIN (ACINONYX PARDINENSIS AKA GIANT CHEETAH) AGE: 29

‎

‎

‎

MIN YOONGI (SNOW LEOPARD) AGE: 28

‎

‎

‎

JUNG HOSEOK (WOLVERINE) AGE: 27

‎

‎

‎

PARK JIMIN (MANED WOLF) AGE: 25

‎

‎

‎

KIM TAEHYUNG (KODIAK BEAR) AGE: 25

‎

‎

‎

JEON JUNGKOOK (GOLDEN JACKAL) AGE: 24

‎

‎

‎

COMMANDER STEVE MCGARRETT (FORMER NAVY SEAL & LEADER OF HAWAII FIVE-0 TASK FORCE)

AGE: 35

‎

‎

‎

DANNY WILLIAMS (DETECTIVE OF HAWAII FIVE-0 TASK FORCE)

AGE: 36

‎

‎‎‎

‎

KONO KALAKAUA (OFFICER OF HAWAII FIVE-0 TASK FORCE)

AGE: 27

‎

‎

‎‎

CHIN HO KELLY (LIEUTENANT OF HAWAII FIVE-0 TASK FORCE)

AGE: 34

YA'ABURNEE MASTERPOST - HYBRID! BTS X HUMAN DETECTIVE F! READER

click if you would like to read the wattpad version.

back to masterlist

summary: after being inadvertently recruited as a former ex-criminal by your home's Oahu special task force three years ago, a particular case that sets your blood boiling causes you and your team to devise an infiltration plan that sends you all across the globe to south korea. however, halfway through your mission, you were injured and separated from your team, leaving you in a dense forest with unforeseen company.

genre: hybrid | angst | fluff | romance | action | crime

pairing: hybrid bts ot7 × human officer reader (mackenzie valley wolf! namjoon, giant cheetah! jin, snow leopard! yoongi, wolverine! hoseok, kodiak bear! taehyung, maned wolf! jimin, golden jackal! jungkook)

character boards

sneak peek (3K+)

summary: the boys are patiently yet eagerly waiting for you at home, knowing you had another action-packed day, and can't wait to smother you and make sure you safely return home. but come to find out that you are injured at the front door in the arms of your older colleague, and to make matters worse, how and why you were injured. (Y/N *reader* is a bit stubborn here lol)

pt. 1 [ number of parts tbd ]

YA'ABURNEE DRABBLE [HYBRID! BTS OT7 X HUMAN! READER]

if you would like to be part of the tag list, please complete the form.

summary: sneak peek of hyrbid ot7 x human reader "ya'aburnee" imagine (coming soon). The boys are patiently yet eagerly waiting for you at home, knowing you had another action-packed day, and can't wait to smother you and make sure you safely return home. But come to find out that you are injured at the front door in the arms of your older colleague, and to make matters worse, how and why you were injured. (Y/N *reader* is a bit stubborn here lol)

genre: hybrid au | minor angst | fluff | slight humor

pairing: hybrid bts ot7 × human officer reader (mackenzie valley wolf! namjoon, giant cheetah! jin, snow leopard! yoongi, wolverine! hoseok, kodiak bear! taehyung, maned wolf! jimin, golden jackal! jungkook)

warnings: mentions of injury

word count: 3,988 (kind of got carried away)

masterpost | pt. 1

copyright © 2022 by kumiko. all rights reserved. my works or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without express written permission from me except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

"Chin, I'm really fine." You try to convince your platonic older brother when he finally stops in front of your apartment complex.

In disbelief, he scoffs. "Y/N, you went into an extraction mission alone, completely outnumbered, and as a result, you were nearly killed."

"Okay, technically I didn't go alone. I had Kono on standby, ready to call backup if anything went sideways." You argued.

He deadpans at you. "Yeah, exactly, stand by. While you went in to save Steve by yourself."

"What were you thinking?!"

You sigh, looking away. "Getting McGarrett back... They were going to torture him further if I haven't broken him out, and it was my fault anyways!"

"You could've called me or Danny- or better yet, all of us to help you! You shouldn't have gone by yourself Y/N, you could've died!"

"They could've killed McGarrett if I haven't got there! And they weren't going to kill me, I had it under control... kind of." You mumbled the last part.

Chin exhales deeply. "You're lucky Kono called us in time and not having been far from your location."

You hesitated, realizing he was correct. You were a bit foolish to go on your now not-so-secret rescue mission into enemy territory without the proper support and guns. But they had to realize that you were growing impatient and that every second and minute that passed without getting any closer to saving Steve meant losing him to you bit by bit, something you couldn't have. You knew they wanted him back as much as you did, but with your worst fears overwhelming you, you made the impulsive choice to get McGarrett, leaving yourself exposed.

"Look, I know you want to protect all of us and do everything you can to help us when we're in trouble, but you need to understand that you can't do it all on your own. Sometimes you simply have to accept that some things aren't meant to be done alone; you need people, a team, and a family, and that's what we're here for. Second, you can't blame yourself for something beyond your control. You can't shield everyone from danger as much as you want because it can and will happen, either way. It will be difficult, but you have to accept it." He explains tenderly, looking at you with gentle eyes.

You trail your eyes up at him. "I know... I'm sorry, Chin..."

"Thank you for being there for me when I needed it."

He softly smiles. "Of course, you know I love you, right?"

"I know, I love you too." You nod returning the smile.

"Ohana mau loa." [Hawaiian Translation: Family forever]

"Ohana mau loa." You whispered as Chin pulled your foreheads together.

You stay together for a few more seconds until Chin separates. "Well, I hope you're ready for when you enter your apartment."

"Why would I need to be prepared?" Your brow furrows.

"Oh, you don't know? You'll see what I mean." He says this with a sly smile as he gets out of the car and walks up to your side.

He swings open your door and puts his arm under your armpits, hoisting you out of the car. "I can walk up to my door, thank you very much."

"Oh really?" He raises his brows. "Okay, fine, try taking another step without me."

He lets you go, and you try to regain your balance while hobbling with your sprained left ankle and clutching your aching side. You take another stride, certain that you can walk on your own, only to stumble and nearly fall, but quickly recover stability by gripping Chin's car.

From behind you, you could feel his smug grin. And when you slowly turn to face him, you scowl at the mocking expression on his face.

"Say it." His obnoxious smirk never faltered.

You continue to glare at him. "I need your help to get to the door..."

His smile widens. "What's the magic word?"

"What are you, five?" You squint at him.

"Actually, thirty-four. Twelve years older than you, so show some respect and say it." He replies.

You snort. "Old man. But a brain of a child."

"Oh, so you want me to leave you here. Fine by me." He takes a step back to the driver's seat.

"No-! Wait!" You briefly grumble under your breath. "Can you please take me up to my door?"

"Now was that so hard?" He then approaches you, throwing your arm across his shoulders.

"Shut up."

Despite Chin's persistence to assist you to your apartment door, you did your best to lessen the weight and carry your own instead.

"You realize that the whole point of me helping you is to relieve you of the burden of doing all of the work yourself. Yet, you keep at it. He calls you out.

You drew your lips into a line. "I know... It's a habit, you know I'm not used to this."

"Yeah, but why don't you try to break that habit, like I said, you have people who care about you for a reason." He reminds you.

You nod. "I'll try."

Fortunately, your apartment building had elevators, so getting you to the third floor wasn't too problematic. Chin leads you two down the balcony, passing several of your neighbors' doors, to your front door.

You and Chin both notice the lights still on from the windows as you reach your apartment entrance. "Why are they still up? It's half past eleven."

Chin chuckles. "You're really asking that?"

You scrunch your brows. "Yes? Is that wrong?"

"Oh, dear Y/N, you have so much to learn, you're so oblivious." He laughs.

You grimace at his taunts. "What are you talking about? No, I'm not. And what are you doing?"

You interrupt Chin as he has his fist raised against the door. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to knock on the door."

"I have the key."

"You're not going to walk in by yourself, also it's better this way." He says.

"What do you mean 'better this way'? You don't have to bother them, Chin."

"Trust me, Y/N. They'd want to come to the front door for this." His mischievous smile returns.

You narrow your eyes. "I don't like this."

He ignores you and proceeds to noisily bang on your front door, making you cringe. "Did you have to knock that loud? They're hybrids, they have heightened hearing."

"You never know." He sings songs cheekily, causing you to roll your eyes.

And within just two minutes the door opens, revealing a particularly happy bear-hybrid.

"Hey, what time is it? It's pretty late, isn't Y/N supposed to be home now?" Jimin peeks into the living room where Namjoon, Jungkook, and Taehyung sat on the long couch.

Jimin pouted as all three of the hybrids shrugged in response to their mate's question. He then enters the kitchen, where the three oldest were, Jin and Hoseok busy cleaning dishes, and Yoongi is seated at the island dining table, where all eight plates full of food were becoming colder by the minute, concentrating on his cell phone doing knows what.

"Does anyone realize how late it is now? Y/N isn't home yet." If you were there, you could have heard the pout in Jimin's words.

Upon hearing the maned wolf hybrid's voice, the three oldest turn their heads. "It is kind of late, it's already eleven-thirty."

"And the food is cold." Yoongi says, almost monotonously.

Jimin whines. "I miss her already. She should be home now, what if something happened to her? She did mention she had an important case today."

Hoseok's ears flatten; the wolverine hybrid was terrified of being hurt, or worse, having anyone close to him hurt. Being trapped in the fighting ring for so many years had its toll on him; he was never really a fighter in the first place, but rather a lover, as the saying goes.

"D-don't say that. I-I'm sure Y/N's okay. She was most likely caught up with paperwork at their office." He reassures Jimin, but if he were being truly honest, he mostly just meant to comfort himself more as the idea of it scares him.

"I'm sorry Hobi-hyung, you're probably right, I'm just overreacting." Jimin's face softens.

"Would you guys feel better if we called her?" Jin proposed, and Hoseok and Jimin nodded in agreement.

Jin shifts his gaze to Yoongi, who is still clutching his phone, almost as if he's talking to him telepathically to make the call. But before Yoongi could place his finger on your contact, a loud knock echoed throughout the apartment, alerting all seven hybrids.

Their ears twitch at the sudden sound, and all three of them hurry out of the kitchen to the living room, where Namjoon, Jungkook, and Taehyung were still sitting, albeit with puzzled expressions.

"Is that Y/N at the door? Doesn't she usually have the keys?" Jungkook questions.

"Yeah, she does. Taehyung, could you open the door?" Namjoon responds, and Taehyung rises from the couch and walks up to the front door.

His nose twitches slightly as he picks up your faint scent, confirming that you're behind the door. He then grips the knob, with his boxy smile across his face, swinging the door open.

But the moment he sets his gaze on you, his smile fades almost instantly. It takes him a brief second, but he notices your bruised face and slouched posture against your male colleague. And, although he could detect your scent, he could also sense the overpowering scent of the man who was so so close to you. He tries to suppress the urge to growl in his throat, making a silent decision to scent you later on.

"Hey, Tae." You croaked, flashing a lopsided smile.

"Y/N..." He stutters at your appearance.

"May we come in?" Chin stares between you two.

Taehyung snaps out of his daze and walks aside. "Y-yes, of course."

Chin assists you in entering your apartment, as Taehyung watches you limping against the older man. A joyful voice greets you as soon as you come into view of the last six hybrids in the living room. "Y/N! I was beginning to worry that you—"

The cheerfulness vanished as soon as they laid eyes on you, causing him to frown along with the others; this doesn't go missed by you. "Hey, guys..."

"Y/N, what happened?" Jimin approaches you with worried eyes.

You beam him the smile that they all adore, unknowingly leaving a blooming feeling in all of their hearts. "Nothing wrong, Chimmy, I'm okay."

Chin rolls his eyes at your remark. "And by 'I'm okay,' she means a sprained ankle, fractured ribs, and a minor stab wound in the gut."

You whack Chin's shoulder as their eyes widen at the last words. "They didn't need to know that!"

You return your gaze to your seven roommates. "Ignore him, he's being dramatic."

"Sure I am." He suddenly releases you, causing you to stagger in your stance.

"Well, go on." He smiles, finally realizing what he's doing, which makes you scowl mentally.

You give them a nervous grin as they stare you down, waiting for you to move so they can see how serious your injuries are. You gulped and stood up straight without cupping your painful ribs, you took a tentative step, and as you put your weight down, your legs buckled and almost fell to the floor.

"Y/N!" Namjoon and Jungkook quickly sprang off the couch as they all exclaimed. Jin and Yoongi rushed forward as Jimin and Taehyung followed suit being the closest, extending their hands forward to catch you.

"You're not okay!" Jimin grips your right arm, while Taehyung does the same with the other.

"That's what I've been trying to say. And so did the doctor, you know, the medical professional whose life's work is to treat and diagnose all that is wrong with the human body." Chin snides obviously intended at you.

"Alright, I get it. But believe me when I say I'll be okay; all I need is a good night's sleep and I'll be back at work tomorrow."

"You're insane if you think you'll be able to go back to work like this." Jin scowls.

"But Jinnie..." You nearly whine.

"No, he's right Y/N. You're not going back to work tomorrow; instead, you're staying at home. Taking a week off, as instructed by the doctor." Chin cuts you off.

Your eyes widened. "A week?! But what about work?!"

He chuckles. "As for work, you'll be doing file reorganization. I'll drop over the materials tomorrow morning."

"You're going to make me do paperwork. Are you serious?" You stare at him in disbelief.

"Yes, I am. Steve's words, not mine. Which you will hear an earful from him, I should warn you." He responded.

You groan. "I know, I'm dreading it."

He puts up his hands in surrender. "You asked for it when you infiltrated enemy territory alone and severely outnumbered."

"WHAT?!" You winced at their reaction as they all shrieked out once again. "Chin, seriously, leave."

"Okay, okay I'm leaving. But you're staying at home, L/N, that's an order." Once Chin used your last name, the deal was sealed; there was no more room for debate.

You huff in defeat. "Yes, Lieutenant Kelly."

"Good." He next turns his attention to your seven housemates. "Make certain she doesn't do anything dumb and leaves the house."

Everyone curtly nods. "Don't worry, she's not going anywhere anytime soon."

"I'll take my leave then, see you tomorrow Y/N." As he leaves your apartment, you gave him a wave in return.

When the door closes, silence fills the air as you wait for the seven hybrids to speak. But, to your surprise, Jimin scoops you up and carries you bridal-style, making you squeal. "Jimin!"

"Taehyung prepare a bath for her. Make sure it's warm." Jimin orders the bear hybrid, who nods and walks ahead of the pair of you.

"Jimin, you don't need to carry me, put me down."

"No."

You pout. "Jiminnnn—"

"You heard Chin, Y/N- how could you say you're okay when you're seriously injured! You even have a stab wound!" He scolds you.

"Well- he said it's minor!"

"Doesn't make it any better." He scrutinizes you.

"Once you're finished with your bath, you have a lot of explaining to do, Missy." You heard Jin behind you two as Jimin enters your room.

You carefully exited your warm bath and drained the soap-filled water when you finished your bath. You notice the folded clean clothing on your sink counter and smile at how thoughtful the boys are about your well-being. You leave the bathroom and enter your room, where you are welcomed by Taehyung, who appeared to be waiting for you just outside your bathroom door.

"Taehy-" You squeak once again as Taehyung sweeps you up and carries you bridal-style, just as Jimin had done previously.

"You almost missed dinner." Taehyung says as he carries you out of your room and into the living room.

"If I'm supposed to have dinner, why are we heading to the living room?" You asked.

"So we can watch you and cuddle you." He responds, making you snort and smile.

"Oh, something amusing to you?" He arches his brow.

With a smirk still on your lips, you shook your head. "It's just the way you said, it was a little funny."

"I'm funny to you?"

"No, you're cute when you try to be mad at me." You stifle another chuckle.

He scoffs. "Glad you find it amusing." Well, you were right. Even if he tried, he could never be upset at you. After all, you were his mate, and even if you didn't even know it, his animal part and human counterpart won't allow any negative feelings about you to fester for long.

He eventually places you on the couch, between Jin and Yoongi, while the others gather on the floor, around the coffee and the seven plates of food.

"Now that you're here, you need to tell us what happened. But first, you need to eat; you almost missed dinner since you came home late." Jin demands, holding a plate and a fork.

You nod, and as you reach for a dish on the coffee table, your hand is swatted away, and you turn to look at the person who slapped your hand, Jin. "What?"

"I'm feeding you."

"Jinnie, I think I can feed myself. I'm injured but my arms and hands are still functional." You laugh.

"Your ribs are fractured, and you were stabbed. You should limit movement that can affect those areas." Jin said. "I know you hate feeling dependant, but please allow us to help you, Y/N."

Your eyes were drawn to his puppy-like eyes as he awaited your approval. You pause for a bit before sighing softly and nodding. "Okay, just for you guys."

He grins with his lips, displaying his adorable bread cheeks, which makes everyone else smile. He then picks up several pieces of your food and begins feeding them to you. "Now, explain Missy."

So you proceeded to tell how you received an anonymous message detailing Steve's location with the order to come alone. And, even though you knew it was most likely a trap, you weren't about to disregard what may be a lead to rescuing your boss. But you also weren't stupid, so you let Kono come along but remain hidden and strictly listened to your word. When you finally breached the location, you anticipated being surrounded, but you weren't prepared for the number of men that would face you.

Seriously, a dozen men for a lone girl? Do they really think you're that much of a threat? It was a precarious situation, but you had to admit that it stroked your ego a little to be regarded as so dangerous that you needed so many people against you. And from there, it was obvious how the story unfolded, which led to you being hurt to the point of unconsciousness and returning home late with the help of Chin.

When you finished telling the incident, the room became quiet for what seemed like hours as the seven of them processed the information until a raspy voice pierced the void. "Ya, are you crazy?"

You jerked your head, finding Yoongi staring at you, and you responded with a guilty smile. "Maybe?"

"Who are they anyway?" Asked Namjoon.

You sigh. "I don't know, that's what we've been trying to figure out the entire time but we got nothing. The only reasonable conclusion we have been able to come to so far is that they are the same people we dealt with in the Nakama and Sulgi case, which led us to Korea."

"But it wouldn't make sense for them to come all this way for that." You stated.

"What if they're the same ones that are looking for us?" Jungkook questions.

You shook your head. "No, I highly doubt that. If it were true, they would have come long ago. I don't think those people even know you've left the country."

You then notice the mix of doubtful and concerned expressions on their faces. "Hey- Hey, guys, it's okay. You guys are safe. They're not after you. It's me they want, I was the one who killed a lot of their men, anyway."

"They just want revenge."

"And that's exactly what we're worried about." Jin glanced at you with the same worried doe-eyes as Jimin had when you came in earlier.

"Oh, Jinnie, you don't have to be worried about me—" You attempt to reassure him.

"But that's the thing, we care about you, so much Y/N. We will be worried for you, I mean, just look at you!" Taehyung exasperates. "You can hardly walk, and it's obvious that you were nearly beaten to death!"

"But I wasn't! I'm not dead, I'm still here!" You yelled back, but the minute you realized you raised your voice at them, you felt regretful. You knew they only wanted you to be safe; being a cop and dealing with serious crimes on a regular basis isn't exactly the safest job. There will be occasions when you are confronted with the most gruesome scenes, pushed into life-threatening situations, or forced to make difficult decisions that will affect not only you but everyone else involved.

Despite Jin's protests, you rose from the couch and approached Taehyung. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

"I know you were all terrified when you saw me walk through the door. But I promise you that I'm not leaving anytime soon." You tenderly cup his face, staring at him with the most sparkling, purest eyes he's ever seen, making it impossible for him to break away.

You both locked gazes until he drew you into him, and wrapped his arms around you. "You better not. I don't- I mean, we don't know what we would do without you."

You chuckle in his chest. "Don't say that, you guys will still have each other."

"But it will never be the same without you." Hoseok says, making you to release Taehyung from the hug which causes him to whine.

"Y/N, c-can we see?" Jimin sweetly asks, catching your attention, and you nod in reply.

"Come back to the couch, first. I don't want you standing for too long." Jin orders, and you giggle at his attitude. "Yes, Jinnie."

You return to the couch, but before you can sit down, you're dragged by your elbow into the lap of a certain snow leopard hybrid. You yelp, as you land on Yoongi's lap, eliciting a low growl from Jin. "Ya! Be careful with her, she's hurt, for god sake."

"You smell." Yoongi says flatly, making blood rush to your cheeks in embarrassment.

"But I just had a bath." You muttered as Yoongi's cheek rubbed against your head.

"He's not talking about that. It just- you were... How should I put this...?" Taehyung struggles to explain.

"You reek of that man from earlier." Yoongi states, monotonously once again.

"O-oh... Does it make you feel better if you scented me?" You queried bewildered.

"Yes, but seems like Yoongi is already doing it." Jin answers while glaring at the snow leopard, who ignores him. "Is it alright with you?"

"Of course, whatever makes you guys feel better." You confirm, then you suddenly hear purring from behind you.

"Okay, that's enough—sorry, Yoongi goes a little too far at times." Jin apologized, and you shook your head. "No need to apologize; it's perfectly fine with me. You don't have to stop if you don't want to Yoongs."

"I actually like it, and the purring is relaxing." And with that, you've inadvertently caused another major spark in their hearts. Unbeknownst to you, they've mentally decided to scent you as much as possible now that they've been given the green light.

"So, can we..." Jungkook spoke out, drawing your focus away from Yoongi's actions. "O-oh, yeah. Just don't freak out, okay?"

"Well, we can try, but we can't guarantee anything." Jimin replies.

You mumbled an 'okay,' then began lifting the hems of your shirt, revealing your horribly bruised abdomen with a small size gauze pasted your epigastric area. You can see their breath hitch as it comes into full view for them, and you can feel Yoongi's grip on you tighten slightly.

"Jesus, Y/N... This is- this is bad." Namjoon whispers. "Is that where your stab wound is?"

You nod, and their frowns deepen even further. "That's too close to your artery."

"Well, their aiming sucks." You made a joke, but their lack of smiles caused you to pout. "Too soon?"

Jin leans forward. "Can I see it?" Without saying anything, you start to peel away the medical tape, slowly exposing the blood-red slender wound, the one that was far too close to your heart. Upon seeing it, you hear several low growls.

Then Jungkook advances toward you and takes your hands. "We'll find out who did this, Y/N, and they'll be sorry." They hurt you, and they hurt you real bad. If it had been an inch higher, it could have pierced your heart, and then what?  You would have died.

And that thought infuriates them, enrages them even, but they try hard to conceal such emotions in front of you. Nobody ever hurts their mate and gets away with it. It hasn't been a long time, but you've become such an important person in their lives that they aren't going to let you go for a while.

"Thank you, Kook, unfortunately, we won't be catching them anytime soon, but I'll give you first dibs when we do." You give him a cheeky smile.

"From this night on, you will be resting. We'll take care of you for the next seven days." Namjoon asserts. "No ifs and buts, okay?"

You huff and cross your arms like a child, which they find endearing. "Okay."

OT7/MULTI BTS DRABBLE MASTERPOST

copyright © 2024 by kumiko

all rights reserved. these fics or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a review. 

key: a - angst | f - fluff | h - humor | ac - action | s - smut

ya'aburnee sneak peek (minor a, f, h, ac) - coming soon

hybrid! bts x human detective female! reader

the boys are patiently yet eagerly waiting for you at home, knowing you had another action-packed day, and can’t wait to smother you and make sure you safely return home. But come to find out that you are injured at the front door in the arms of your older colleague, and to make matters worse, how and why you were injured.

witch's refuge (a, f, h, ac) - coming soon

royal soldiers bts ot7 x female witch! reader

in an era where the royal family denounces all magic, as one of the few remaining witches, you hide your powers. though you try to lead a normal life, only the seven accepting men make you feel truly understood. yet, what destiny awaits when you must reveal your true identity? character boards | prologue | part 1 | part 2 [finale] | alternate ending

BTS M.list

Updated: 05/08/2022

Key:

Fluff-💕

Angst-💔

Smut-💦

Hybrid-🐶

Poly-💌

Werewolf-🐺

OT7 Poly Pack Au-💗

A/B/O Universe-💞

Mafis Universe-🤬

CEO Au-💵

College/ University Au-🎓

Tattoo Artist-🖤

Royal Au-👑

Soulmate Au-💘

Sub!bts-🥺

Kinkmas-🎄

Personal Favorite-💎

Discontinued-✖

Hiatus-🙃

Complete-✔

“Cause I, I, I’m in the stars tonight

So watch me bring the fire and set the night alight.”

°Three Words(OT7 Poly Wolf Pack Au)- 🐺💌💔💕💗

*Devil Book (OT7 Poly Wol Pack Au)-🐺💌💕💗

*Per-Heat (OT7 Poly Wolf Pack Au)-🐺💌💕💗💦

*Please (OT7 Poly Wolf Pack Au)-🐺💌💕💗💦

*Best Of Us(Rapline poly OmegaverseAu)-💞 💌💔💕💦

* Time(OT7 Poly Pack Au)-🐺💌💔💕💗

°Love Me Again ~💔💕💎

° Perfect ~🥺💦💕

°Fill Me-🎄💦

°Stay With Me-💕

°Sunflower-💕

°Feel Good (Poly 2Seok) -🐺💌💦💕

°Ice Cream-🎄💦🥺

° My Protector-🐶💕

°4:28am

° Golden-💘💔💕💦🙃

* Part 1   Part 2  Part 3 Part 4

°Pretty Princess-🎄💦🥺

°Star Crossed-💔

°Was I Good?-💦💕

°Feel Good (Poly 2Seok) -🐺💌💦💕

°1:19am-💔💕💎

°9:56am-💕

•My Forever-💕💔

°Sweet Boy-🎄💦🥺

°Name On It-🥺💦

°That Choker-🎄💦

°Rainy Day-💔💕

° Sweets -🥺💕💦

°Too Sweet-🎄💦🥺

° Random BF Text W/ Jungkook-💕💦💔💎

* One

°Pretty Girl-💦💕🖤

°Cold-💕💎

°Home Now-💞💕💔

*Nest Now-💞💕

°Like You-💕

— beautiful stranger (m) || KTH

— pairing; south china tiger!kth x vet student!reader

— genre/wc; 19.8k, hybrid!au, circus!au, angst, smut, fluff

— warnings; mistreatment of animals, blood, injuries, smut (like it’s a bit fluffy but then he’s a tiger so-), cursing, needles/basic medical care, abandonment, blood, rough sex, manipulation, scars, burning, spying, betrayal. smut: fingering, cum eating, implied oral, aftercare

— summary; your dream is to take care of animals for the rest of your life in the big city, making sure that they’re cared for. but you stumble upon a malnourished, rare tiger in your local circus, and you can’t help but want to take care of him.

— a/n; : HEAVY UNEDITED IM SO SORRY DSFDSFA, and there will be no part 2. 

read on ao3 here!

© monotape. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.

I just absolutely need to see more of the cutesy hybrid fanfics like when did we start thinking were better then that cause i sure aint