Kaida

“Hajima ,” he groaned, gripping you tighter and trying to snuggle closer to you.

“Sorry, Kookie,” you whispered and kissed his head.  He made a soft sound and you sighed, disappointed that you'd woken him up.

“Don't go,” he mumbled.

“I'm not going anywhere.  Just wanted to cover you up.”

“Don't need it.”

You giggled softly at his sleepy insistence.  Jungkook made a quiet, disgruntled noise and clung tighter to you, frustrated that your laughter loosened his hold on you.  So you placed your hands over his sheet-covered waist and held him tightly, giving him the snuggles that he craved and that warmed your soul.

“You did need it,” you said finally.  “You're only in your underwear.”

“Crap!”

Jungkook jolted away from you.  You rolled over to your side, focusing on one of the paintings on his opposite wall as he jumped off the bed.  He rushed around the room, cursing quietly in Korean.

“Noona?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are you staring at my wall?”

“I don't want to make you uncomfortable,” you said, eyes still fixed on the picture.

“Huh?”

“You were uncomfortable the last time I tried to take your shirt off,” you reminded him. “I don't know where your boundary is now.” Jungkook was silent, and you wished you could see his face, read his soulful eyes and know what he was feeling.  You weren't sure if he wanted you to look now, though.  “You're in control, Jungkook,” you said, trying to reassure him.  “We go as fast or as slow as you want to.”

“Oh,” Jungkook whispered.  You waited patiently, back still turned to him.  “You…you can look.”

“It's not a race, Jungkook,” you said, wanting to make sure that he didn't feel pressured.  “We don't –”

“I want you to look.” His voice was clearer this time, more confident.

You sat up and turned to him, your breath immediately stolen from your lungs.  You knew Jungkook was handsome and fit, but seeing him in just his underwear was a holy sight.  While he didn't seem as broad as Jin or Namjoon, he was ridiculously well sculpted, muscles showcasing his dedicated hours at the gym.  The taut lines of his abs leading down to the waist band of his boxer briefs.  You tried to swallow, your throat suddenly dry.

“Can I see you too?” 

This time, his voice was barely a whisper as he glanced at you.  Rather than answering, you got off the bed and stripped down to your underwear.  You were deeply regretting not having bought cuter underwear for this trip, the pair you had on a practical, pale pink cotton.  But Jungkook didn't seem to mind.  Jungkook's eyes went wide as you dropped your shorts and tank top dropping to the floor.  You took a deep breath, trying to calm nerves ravaged by the last few days.  This was Jungkook, your sweet, sensitive Jungkook.  He wouldn't hurt you, wouldn't laugh at you.  You sat back down on the bed and beckoned Jungkook to join you.  He did, silent as his eyes raked over your nearly-naked form.

“What are you thinking?” You asked.

“You are so pretty,” he said, his voice laced with wonder.

You wanted to protest.  You'd felt anything but pretty recently.  And, compared to Jungkook's muscled physique, you felt a little bit like a melted candle.  But if Jungkook believed you were pretty, then you could be pretty.

“Can I touch you?” He asked.

“I'd like that.”

Jungkook's next move surprised you.  Rather than any of your newly exposed skin, he cupped your cheek and pulled you into a kiss.  It was slow and a little timid, but as your lips moved in sync, Jungkook's confidence grew.  You cupped the back of his head, fingers playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck.  His hands stayed where they were – one stroking your cheek and the other twisted in the sheet.  You didn't mind though.  If all Jungkook wanted was to make out naked on his bed, then you were okay with that.  Softly, with barely any pressure, Jungkook nipped your bottom lip. Your fingers tightened in his hair and he slowly dipped his tongue into your mouth.

“Can I move my hands?” He asked again.  Hs lips brushed over yours as he spoke, the kiss barely broken.

Your heart tightened with the sweetness behind his request.  You had willingly stripped for him but he was still asking permission, so worried about hurting you.

“You can touch me wherever you want,” you said.  Pulling further back from him, you cupped his cheek abd looked into his eyes.  “Explore however you want to.  I promise I'll speak up if I'm uncomfortable.” You didn't think Jungkook was capable of that, but you figured he'd benefit from the reassurance and the guidelines.  “Can I touch you too?”

He nodded, blushing a little bit, but he leaned back in for another kiss.  Then, very slowly, he inched one of his hands to your hip, running his fingers over your skin and up to your stomach.  He stayed there for a few moments as your kiss deepened, then started moving again, over the curves of your waist until they gently stroked the undersides of your breasts.

“It's okay,” you murmured, hoping to reassure him.

Jungkook didn't move though, seemingly happy to trace your lower torso and barely skim your breasts.  Your hands ached to touch him further, still looped around his neck.  So you let them wander.  As you pressed kisses along his jaw and down his neck, you ran your hands over his chest, enjoying the way his breathing sped up as you explored.  He jumped a little as your finger grazed his nipple and you pulled back.

“Ticklish, sorry,” he said.

“It's okay,” you giggled.  “Some people like that.”

“Do you like it?” He asked, wide eyes focused on your face.

Something in your brain broke at his question.  You weren't sure how you'd gotten here, naked on a bed with one of the biggest, hottest musicians in the world asking how to make you feel good.  The thought made you dizzy.

“I do.”

That was enough for Jungkook.  He kissed your lips quickly, before tracing his lips down your jaw and neck, copying your move from earlier.  Then, he cupped your breasts, gently squeezing them before tracing his thumbs over your nipples.  You let out a soft sigh, arching into his touch.  He repeated the motion, pressing hot kisses across your collarbone.

“Feels good,” you mumbled, hands gripping his biceps.

“Can-can,” he struggled to get the words out.

You cupped his cheeks and pulled him away so you could look at him, his pupils wide with desire and his cheeks flushed.  You'd give him anything he wanted.

“What do you need?” You asked, voice hoarser than you expected.  “What do you want?’

“I need,” he started before squeezing his eyes shut and shifting awkwardly.  “I want you on top of me.” He opened his eyes and met your gaze steadily.  “I want to keep our underwear on, but I want you to sit on my lap.”

It took you a moment to process his request.  When your brain caught up, you smiled and kissed him soundly on the mouth.

“Lean against the headboard,” you said.  “You'll be able to relax more like that.”

Jungkook seemed hesitant to leave your grasp, hands lingering on your skin before finally moving back as you suggested.  As he settled against the headboard, your eyes dragged over his body, stopping when you noticed the prominent bulge in his underwear.  You wondered how far this would go.  Once he was situated, you moved towards him, Jungkook's arms open and waiting to hold you.  You tried to quiet the bad thoughts in your head as you straddled his hips – Jungkook asked for this, he thought you were pretty.  But what ultimately silenced the thoughts was the way he yanked you closer to him, bare chest against bare chest, and kissed you passionately.  You groaned softly, enjoying the way he swept his tongue into your mouth, and let your hands wander the muscles planes of his stomach.  Jungkook's breath hitched as you touched him and his hips bucked up, pressing his erection against your clothed crotch.  He gripped you tighter and pressed towards you again.  While he didn't say a word, it was clear what he wanted, so you slowly started to grind against him, pressing open mouthed kisses down his neck.  Jungkook moaned, low and long, fingers digging into your fleshy hips as he met your movements.

“How do you feel?” You whispered in his ear, hands playing with his hair as you continued to move.  

Even though he seemed to be enjoying himself, you knew this was new territory for your soulmate, and you didn't want to press his boundaries.  Jungkook made a soft noise, bordering on a whine, and buried his head into your neck.

“Good, so good,” he rasped against your skin. “Want more.”

But, before you could ask him what he wanted, Jungkook bent down and started kissing your breasts, hands coming up to touch and stoke them as well.  His touch felt good, a little hesitant and inexperienced, but good.  You sighed with pleasure and pressed harder against erection.  Your head started to cloud with pleasure, and you wanted to make sure your soulmate knew how turned on you were.

“You're making me feel so good, Jungkook,” you murmured.

Something then snapped in him, his hips bucking frantically against you.  His arms were tight around your waist, pulling your chest flush against his as he ground into you.  You clung to his shoulders as his eyes screwed tightly closed.  He thrust one more time against you, then let out a soft whimper and buried his head into the crook of your neck.  

You shifted, getting off of Jungkook and laying on your back, arms open in an offer to cuddle.  He did, quickly moving into your embrace and laying his head against your chest.  His arms settled around you sides and he sighed.  Wanting to soothe your soulmate down from his high, you let your hands wander, softly stroking his hair, his shoulders, his back, all sense of frantic passion gone from your touch.  

“That was so much better than my hand,” Jungkook said finally, wonder lacing his voice.

You couldn't help but laugh.  That was not what you expected him to say.

“I'm glad,” you said, smiling.  “And, luckily, there's plenty of other activities that I'm sure you'll enjoy just as much, if not more.” Jungkook didn't say anything, just leaned up and sweetly pecked your lips.  “We should get up though.  I'm sure breakfast is almost ready and Namjoon will get frustrated if we're late to Hybe.” You kissed him again quickly. “Plus, you should probably go shower.”

“But – but,” Jungkook started, sitting up and letting his hands flit down your sides and against your thighs.  “I can't – You haven't – I don't want to leave you hanging.”

Oh.  

“It's okay,” you tried to tell him, but Jungkook shook his head in disagreement.

“It's not.  I want to make you cum.”

Though Jungkook had never been selfish around you, his blunt statement surprised you a little.  It also made you want to giggle, the vulgarity of it coming from your sweet soulmate.  But you tempered those feelings, sitting up and clasping his hands in yours.

“Sex isn't just about cumming,” you said.  “It's about intimacy and making your partner feel good.  That doesn't necessarily mean orgasm.” He was silent as you talked, wide eyes focused on your face.  “I very much enjoyed what we just did.  I loved feeling that close to you, and making you feel good.  And trust me, Kook, you made me feel good, even if I haven't cum.  Did you enjoy yourself?” He nodded enthusiastically, but you weren't expecting a different response.  “I'm glad.  We have all the time in the world to do this again, to try more.  It's not that I don't want to, but someone is going to come banging on that door in a few minutes and it's no fun being interrupted.”

Jungkook nodded and got off the bed.  His shyness took over, hands moving to cover himself as he collected clean clothes for the day.  

“Your stuff is in the bathroom near Jimin’s room?” He asked, and you nodded.  “Cool.  I'll use the other.”

He kissed you quickly, one last time, before leaving to get ready.  You sighed, grabbing your clothes to head toward the bathroom.  Though you'd taken a shower before bed last night, you headed towards the bathroom.  You were in desperate need of a cold shower.

When you turned the shower off, you could clearly hear your soulmates' raised voices coming from the kitchen.  Your heart started to speed up, but you willed yourself to calm down.  Three deep breaths later, you listened closer to the conversation.  Jin was laughing and nicknames were being thrown around.  You smiled to yourself – it wasn't a serious argument.  Finishing up as quickly, you headed out to the common area, surprised to find six of your soulmates all on their laptops.  Their voices were still loud, and they called out in what sounded like complaints as they stole looks at each other's screens.  Jin was the only one not on a computer, wandering around the table, glancing at the others’ screens, and smiling smugly as he watched the chaos unfold.  When he saw you, he smiled, grabbed a mug off the counter and came over to you.  He handed it to you with a kiss.

“What are they doing?” You asked after your first sip.  The coffee made just to your liking 

“ I liked that one! ” Hoseok shouted.  Jimin just giggled, his hand covering the now closed laptop.

“Same thing they were arguing about yesterday,” he said, rolling his eye.  “Couples rings.” He nudged you gently with his elbow. “Don't forget to eat.”

You smiled but left his side.  You walked slowly around the table, trying to get a glance at what they had pulled up, but they each closed their tabs before you walked by.

“No peeking,” Yoongi grumbled.

“It'll spoil the surprise,” Taehyung said, glaring at you playfully as you tried to catch another peak.

“I'm going to look like a jewelry advertisement at the end of this,” you said.  They paused, each looking at you.  “I'll have a ring on almost every finger.”

“That's not practical,” Namjoon said slowly.

“Shit,” Yoongi sighed, closing his own laptop.

“That'd look ridiculous,” Jimin said, blushing a little.  “I hadn't thought of that.”

You hadn't either before this moment.  Seven soulmates, seven rings.  It was a lot.

“But I still want to give you a ring,” Taehyung said, his comment somewhere between begging and complaining.

“And I want them,” you said.  “I like the gesture.” You paused, thumb tracing the lip of your mug.  “I like having something that shows the world that I'm your soulmate.  That you’re my soulmates.”

“I think the entire world knows we're soulmates at this point,” Hoseok said.  

His tone was light, but it didn't hide the adoration in his eyes.  You glanced around the table, the other six having similar expressions, filled with dedication and affection you weren't used to yet.  

“What if we just got one ring?” Jungkook asked.

“One ring would be nice,” you agreed.  “I don't need seven rings.”

“Are we going to find a ring that all seven of us like?” Jimin asked.

“We could design one.” Everyone stared at Jungkook.  “My piercer has some business contacts who make custom jewelry.  I could talk to him.”

“And I'm sure, if we went to a regular jewelry store, we could convince someone to make a design,” Tae said, nodding along with Jungkook's plan.

“We could definitely pull some sway for that,” Jin agreed, smiling.

“Are you all forgetting that we're ambassadors for a literal jewelry company?” Hoseok asked.  “And several clothing brands?  We can definitely get a custom ring made, and made well.”

“Don't make your lives difficult just for me,” you said. “I don't need anything designer.”

“Hajima ,” Yoongi said, smirking at you as he rinsed his plate and put it in the dishwasher.  “You said it yourself – you like the idea and you want a ring.  So let us be nice.”

And, with a final peck to your lips, he left to finish getting ready for the day.  The others scattered too, content with the idea to design a ring for the group.

Your soulmates' schedule was fairly busy that day, having crammed it full so that they could spend the next day, your final day on this trip, together.  With your Hybe ID card, you were able to go where you wanted, as you pleased, without having Jiho or Seojun accompanying you.  And, while you enjoyed their presence, the alone time helped you relax, feeling more comfortable to use your time as you pleased.  You kept a careful eye of your shared calendar, noting events you wanted to join your soulmates for.  Their first block of time was a dance rehearsal, though, and, as the memory of Hoseok's body pressed against yours flashed through your mind, you decided to skip it.  You had things you wanted to accomplish too, hunkering down in their break room with your laptop to review your Korean lessons and work on the website for your soon-to-be remote tutoring business.  

“Hyung, I need – ”

You looked up, startled to see a thin young man with shaggy pastel hair standing in the break room, laptop under his arm.

“Hello ,” you said with a polite bow.

“Hello ,” he greeted, bowing back.  His face was bright red, embarrassed that you clearly weren't who he was looking for, but he kept staring at you.  He was young, even younger than Jungkook, and probably would be in college if he wasn't an idol.  

“Do you need help? ” You asked, slowly piecing the words together.  It wasn't exactly what you meant, but you didn't know how to ask Who are you looking for? , so you did your best.

“No ,” he said, shaking his head.  He continued, but you couldn't catch most of the words.  Stopping, he tried in English.  “This is the wrong room.  I'm sorry to bother you.” He bowed quickly.  “Good-bye.” And, with a final bow, he scooted out of the room and closed the door.

The entire exchange was odd, but you knew that this break room was essentially only used by your soulmates.  So, assuming he was looking for one of your soulmates, you shot the group chat a text trying to give them a vague heads up that someone was looking for one of them.

A little later, you left the break room intending to meet up with Yoongi, Hoseok, and Namjoon as they went to a recording session.  But, as you walked through the hallways, you felt like you were being watched.  Other people were around, all with lanyards like yours around their necks.  Besides a passing glance or two, they tended to either ignore you or politely smile your way.  You looked over your shoulder and saw five young men, including the pastel-haired boy from earlier, following behind you. When they saw you looking at them, they quickly turned around and hurried away.  It was weird, but you tried not to think about it too much.

Then it kept happening.  Once you left the recording studio in an attempt to go find Taehyung and Jungkook at a fitting, the five boys were there.  They tried to look casual, leaning against a wall with notebooks and laptops in their hands.  But they looked away, faces bright when you waved at them.  When you left the costume department, they were there, faces peaking around a corner at you.  Later in the afternoon, when you convinced your soulmates that you could go from the Hybe building to the cafe across the street without getting lost or needing help communicating, the five were there.  They weren't as sneaky as they intended to be, following you downstairs as you left and waiting in the lobby as you returned.  You weren't afraid or worried about them, but you were confused about who they were and why their only job today seemed to be shadowing you.  So, as you pushed into the break room where your soulmates waited, you decided to ask about them.

“Good news is that drinks are here,” you said as your soulmates grabbed their cups, most planting kisses on your face as thanks.  “Bad news is that I think I'm being stalked.”

It was too soon for that joke.  The seven men all started talking at once, Korean and English overlapping into a cacophony of panic.  Yoongi, coffee no longer in his hands, pulled you into his arms, tightly tucking you against his chest.

“Don't worry, we're here,” he said in your ear.  “Nothing's going to happen to you.”

You pushed Yoongi away gently, trying to face the others.

“That was a bad joke,” you said.  The room went quiet as they all looked at you.  “Shit, I'm sorry.”

“It was a joke?” Jungkook clarified.

“Kinda,” you shrugged.  It was based on truth, but nowhere near as dire as they suspected.  “It's just that the kid from earlier and his friends have been following me around all day.”

A mixture of laughter and sighs of relief rose from your soulmates.  Jin wandered over to you, face relaxed and smiling, and kissed your forehead.

“Too soon,” he sighed, then went to open the break room door.  

You assumed the five boys were waiting outside, Jin's face a mixture of frustration and amusement as he looked outside.  He said something and gestured for the group to come inside.  The five followed Jin’s instructions, sheepishly lining up in front of you like children about to be scolded.

“Are these your stalkers?” Jin asked, a teasing glint in his eyes.  You nodded.  He went to stand next to stand behind the pastel-haired boy, long limbs stiff as Jin placed his hands on his shoulders.  “And is this the one who wandered in earlier?”

“Yes,” you said.  The five boys seemed nervous, eyes flitting from the floor to your soulmates.  You felt bad, they didn't need to be scared.  “Be nice to them, Jin,” you said, your voice taking on a harder tone than they were used to.  “They didn't actually bother me.  I was just confused.  They even had ID badges, so they're supposed to be here.”

Several of your soulmates started to laugh.  Jin did too, and wrapped his arms around two of the boys, saying something to them you couldn't understand.  They relaxed though.

“Of course they're supposed to be here,” Jin chuckled.  “They're TXT.  They're our hubaes .” With a gentle prodding from Jin, the five boys introduced themselves – Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai.

“We're sorry for bothering you,” Beomgyu said, bowing again.  “I didn't recognize you when I first walked into the break room looking for Yoongi-hyung.  When I told the others that there was a strange woman in our hyungs’ break room, Soobin assumed it was you.”

“And we really wanted to meet you,” Kai said, eyes a little wide as he stared at you.  “We just didn't know how to say hi.”

“So you stalked her instead?” Jimin asked, laughing a little.

“We were nervous, ” Soobin said, blushing.

“We never intended to be rude,” Taehyun said.  The others nodded in agreement.  “I'm sorry we made you uncomfortable.” The group bowed in apology.

“I wasn't uncomfortable,” you said, trying to ease their guilt.  “I was just confused.  It's so nice to meet you all.”

“It's a honor to meet our hyungs’ soulmate,” Yeonjun said.

You were about to say something, but Yoongi approached and wrapped an arm around your waist.  You leaned into his side automatically.  

“Now that you met her, don't you have some place to be?  Something to work on?” He asked the five boys.

“That's how this started,” Beomgyu said.  “I came to find you, hyung.  I need help with a new track.”

“Okay, okay, ” Yoongi nodded.  He grabbed his coffee from the table and softly kissed your lips.  His five hubaes watched the interaction with wide eyes, surprised to see their normally stoic seonbae so affectionate.  Yoongi didn't like the attention, scowling through his blush as he waved them towards the door.  “Let's go. ”

You sank into a chair, finally grabbing for your coffee.  The six remaining men watched you carefully as you took a drink.

“I can't believe that they followed you all day,” Namjoon chuckled.  “Their manager is going to be pissed that they didn't get anything done.”

“I don't understand why they just didn't say hi,” you said.  “I know my Korean isn't great, but I was polite when Beomgyu wandered in.”

“I think they're just intimidated by you,” Hoseok shrugged.

Jin and Jimin nodded in agreement, but you looked at them, confused.

“Intimidated by me ?” You asked.  You'd never been considered intimidating.

“Not really by you,” Jimin said.  “They're still intimidated by us, so that feeling probably extended to you.”

“They were probably worried that, if they approached you on their own, they might do something rude or accidentally offend you,” Taehyung said.

“And if they upset you,” Jungkook started, “then we'd be upset.”

“A kind of intimidation by proxy,” Namjoon smiled.

“They shouldn't be scared of me,” you sighed.  “Will you guys explain that they don't need to be nervous if they see me again?  They can just say hi.”

The others nodded, promising to pass along the message.

“Did you like meeting them?” Jin asked.  

“Yes, they seemed very sweet.  And they’re adorable,” you smiled, taking a long sip of your coffee.  They honestly reminded you of how shy Jungkook was around you during the early days together – the blushing, broken eye contact, and excessive politeness having made you warm up to him even before you considered him being your soulmate.  “Will I get to meet more of your friends?”

“You want to?” Jungkook asked and you nodded.  His face brightened and he grabbed his phone on the table.  “I can text my group chat and see if they want to meet up?”

“Hold up, Kook,” Hoseok laughed, placing a hand on the maknae’s back.  “Maybe it’s best to do meet-and-greets later?  We only have today and tomorrow left.  Let’s enjoy them together?”

“And we’ve got to do family introductions,” Namjoon said.

Jin groaned lightly, hand pulling at his hair as he stared at you, eyes begging.  “If you meet Jungkook’s friends before my parents, they will kill me.”

“Parents first,” you said, rubbing Jin’s shoulder, “then friends?”

“Maybe when you come in September?” Jimin suggested.

“We’ll try,” Namjoon agreed.  “But we’ll have to see how our schedule is.  Plus everyone’s families getting here, or us having time to travel to them.  It could take some time.”

You turned towards Taehyung, who’d become quiet and was staring at his phone.  You knew how close he was with his family, how much he loved them and admired his father.  He seemed like he wasn’t paying attention to the conversation, when you figured he’d be arguing with his hyungs to introduce you to his family as soon as possible.  

“What do you think about that, Tae?”  You asked, unsure of why he’d gone so quiet.

“It’s fine,” he said, shrugging.  Then, he grabbed his cup from the table and stood up.  “Gotta go work,” he mumbled and, without another look at your group, left the breakroom.

Taehyung stayed upset for the rest of the day, ignoring both Jimin and your texts to check in on him.  You weren’t sure what caused his shift in mood, but he wasn’t giving you the opportunity to talk with him.  He turned the other way when you saw him in the hallway at Hybe, and actively chose to ride in the car you weren’t in on the way back to the apartment.  At dinner he was sullen and silent, glaring at his food and ignoring the conversation.  After silently helping wash dishes, he left for his room.  You shot Hoseok a quick look as he put a dish away and then hurried after Taehyung down the hall.  Luckily, you caught up with him as he was closing his door, placing your hand on it and stopping him from blocking you out.

“What’s going on, Tae?” You asked.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, sitting down at his desk and starting up his computer.

“But you’re not,” you insisted.  “You’ve been upset since the afternoon.  What happened?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Something must’ve.  Please talk to me,” you pleaded.  He ignored you though, clicking through a game.  “Something must’ve happened.  Because we were having a good day.  We were having fun, and laughing.  But suddenly you’re mad at me and I don’t know why.”  Your voice wavered as you begged.  You had his attention now, though, his eyes wide as he looked at you.   “Please don’t be mad at me, Tae.  We don’t have enough time together to be mad at each other.”

“I’m not mad,” Taehyung finally said.  “I’m jealous.”

“Jealous?”  Taehyung nodded.  “Why?”

“Because you were excited to meet them!” He cried, standing up from his chair.  “I’m jealous that you were so happy to meet them but you just wanted to throw us away!  It’s not fair,” he shouted, his voice breaking and tears pricking his eyes.  “We had to work so hard to persuade you to let us be a part of your life – we are still trying to convince you to let us love you.  And they just get to walk in and you suddenly like them?  That’s not fair!”

Taehyung turned away from you, tears streaming down his face.  Your heart ached, knowing that you were the direct cause of his pain right now.  You weren’t sure exactly how to soothe him, how to make things better, but you knew you needed to try.

“You’re right, it’s not fair.”  You approached him slowly, not sure how close he was willing to let you get, or if he was okay with you touching him.  You held out your hands though, an invitation for when, if, he wanted to take it.  “It’s not fair that I immediately judged you guys, just because you were my soulmates.  And it’s definitely not fair that I still am afraid and insecure about our bonds.  But I’m working on it.  I’m going to find a therapist too, to help me get better.”

Taehyung was silent, but he took your hands.  You led him to the bed, hoping he’d sit with you.  He laid down instead, placing his head on your lap.  Softly, you ran a hand through his hair and another stroked his arm.  Taehyung reached up, weaving his fingers through the hand on his arm.

“I’m sorry for everything I’ve put you through,” you said.  “From our first contact to now, I’m sorry.  You never deserved any of the problems I’ve caused.”

“I know you’re sorry,” he answered.  “And I know you’re trying to get better.  I appreciate how hard you’re working at this, I know it’s not easy.”  He pulled your hand down and gently kissed it.  “I’m sorry for yelling.  Seeing how easily you interacted with them was just really upsetting.”

“You’re allowed to feel your feelings.”

The two of you were quiet for a little bit, your hands still clasped as you twirled his curls around your free fingers.  Eventually, Taehyung shifted, rolling onto his back so he could look up at you.  

“Will you stay with me tonight?” He asked.

“I’d love to,” you said, and leaned down to kiss your soulmate.

Taehyung seemed unwilling to move from your lap, even once you pulled away from the kiss.  He stayed laying, grabbing one of your hands to hold.  With his other, he stroked your cheek sweetly, his eyes staring up at you with unabashed adoration.  It felt oddly intimate, and Namjoon's statement about unconditional affection repeated in your mind.  You looked away from him, feeling shy, and glanced around the room.  Your eyes settled on his nightstand, where the picture you'd given him for his birthday sat.  In it, the photograph of Jimin, Tae, and you at the palace.

A/N: Congratulations to anyone who had "Dry humping JK to completion" on their fanfic bingo card. Because I originally didn't.