I’m The One In My Zone

You loved more than anyone you knew. Not because you were naive, but because your empathy extended so far. There was no real evidence, but your family thinks they might have had vampire ancestry way back when. Now, you face the need to help everyone who needs it–and sometimes, doing that can come back to you tenfold. 

You never knew why you enjoyed walking out at night, but you figured it had to do with how no one was hardly out. The stars blanketed the sky, even if they were covered by light pollution. But the moon, you could always see. The large satellite shining a path to wherever the river was going.

That night was no different, insomnia taking hold until fresh air penetrated your lungs. The moment you began your trip, you laughed lightly as the apartment cat followed between your legs all the way to the park along the river. Many apartment tenants try to feed the strays who lingered, but for you, you tried to stay as they ate to have some companionship. 

And it seemed the chunky, wobbly grey tabby got attached. He often plopped onto the ground, tired from the walk and you waited each time. There was a point he rolled onto the grass, stretching himself as he got comfy. 

You groaned, rolling your eyes at his lazy nature. “Why come if you’re just going to be this tired?”

He blinked owlishly. 

“I need to give you less food.” You shook your head. 

Still you took deep breaths, letting the air cross your face and fill the melatonin you were missing. A few people passed on their nightly stroll, cooing at the cat lounging nearby. 

One man passed, mask covering his mouth and hat over his head. He only smiled, continuing on his way to his destination. However, he didn’t get very far as the cat suddenly bolted after him, almost tripping the man up. 

His hands flew about, trying to stabilize himself as curse words spewed from his lips. You frowned, slowly walking over in confusion. The cat was a lazy one, affectionate when you are in range, but otherwise lazy. 

This time around, he crawled between the man’s legs, stopping right in front of him. Both of them continued to be persistent, one still trying to trip the other, while that one cursed the animal. He began to freak out, the cat catching on his leg. 

You had seen enough, quickly going to intervene. “Hey, stop.” You called out, watching as they both froze and looked at you like they were caught. 

The cat let go, skipping over to your feet to rub against them with a purr. You pursed your lips, looking up at the man whose nose was scrunched up as he stared at the cat. 

“Are you okay, sir?” You asked.

His head snapped up, eyes locking on yours. Your eyebrows pinched together as a heat spread across your body. Not in a flustered way, but in the way a bonfire would wrap you in a heated blanket. 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” The man said, shaking his head just a bit. 

“Um…thank you.” He bowed his head, quickly turning back around to rush away. 

You were confused, but quickly got out of your stupor as the cool breeze made you shiver again. You glanced down, the cat happily licking itself with a raised leg. 

“It’s time for bed.” You nodded to yourself.

You looked towards where the man had gone, contemplating if you wanted to go back the way you came or the way he went. 

You chose the former. 

****

With your students out for holiday vacation, you were enjoying your free time on your phone or catching up on projects you’ve been wanting to do. While going about your day, you allowed yourself to listen to music on a speaker. The playlist shuffled popular songs, which meant a wide variety. 

However, the sudden baritone voice of a member to one of the most popular boy bands in the world filled the silence of your apartment. Your eyebrows furrowed together, head tilting as the voice put you in a soft trance. 

Leaving everything where you were, you walked closer to the speaker, smiling unconsciously. Just as the last note played, you quickly reached for your phone, hoping to find more music from the man. 

You didn’t live under a rock–you knew who BTS was. You had plenty of their songs saved as many others did. But their voices had never made you feel a certain way. Not until that moment. 

Kim Taehyung. 

You never really had a bias, as they say, but you might just now. 

****

 Another night filled with no sleep. 

You had spent hours staring at papers to grade and it really burned your sleep hormones. The chunk had found you in the park, trotting along your side. Music continued to play in your ears this time. 

Each time V’s parts would come on, you’d feel a warmth. And the longer he sang, the more it would spread. It had been weeks since it began, and now you’re at a point where the only thing you listened to was V’s solo music or BTS. 

Maybe, you felt like someone obsessed, but you wouldn’t dare tell anyone. Who would understand it? Your over sensitivity to the voice of someone you’ve never met? You can tell people you’re a fan, but you can’t tell them everything else. 

Someone was heading in the opposite direction, jogging as he caught up on exercise. As he passed you, you both made eye contact. The burning ache in your chest burst forth, causing you to pause. There was no BTS or V song playing at that moment, so it only served to confuse you. 

Turning around to find the jogger, you were once again caught with a sight that made you frown. 

The chunk was bothering someone, again. Only now, all he did was walk back and forth to keep the man from going any further. 

“Will you stop?” You pinched your eyebrows together, quickly trying to shoo the cat away. 

The cat wobbled out of the way, at least far enough to give you both room. The man cursed quietly, glaring at the cat as he tried to side step you. 

His grumbling voice called your attention, head snapping to where he was heading. The candle was suddenly fading. The only thing you could think of, was how one slowly burned out. Just like the sound of his voice every time it goes to another. 

“Kim Taehyung?” You spoke out loud, fingers twisting into the sleeves of your shirt. 

The man turned to look at you, eyebrows pinched. You felt like an idiot, watching as he only gave you an odd look.

“Sorry,” You shook your head. “I thought you were someone else.” You moved to turn around, but even you too were not safe from the chunk who came back. 

You made unhumanly noises, hands flying out for balance. You felt the hands of someone on you, steadying your feet before you face planted. There was a slow moment where things felt like the both of you were looking right into the other person. 

You saw his eyebrows pull together, a frown settling on his face as he looked at you. He pushed you to stand straight in the span of a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime to you. 

“Are you okay? Where are you hurt?” The man quickly asked, looking around your body. 

You paused, watching him fuss. “No, I am okay.”

“I saw blood.” He snapped his head up, looking at you confused. 

You shook your head. “No, I didn’t get injured.”

Your lips pulled up into a small smile. “I promise, I’m okay.”

“The cat is not really people friendly.” He scoffed.

You looked over at the animal, casually sitting while it stared at the two of you with large eyes.

“He usually is.” You frowned. “Guess he doesn’t like you.” You laughed. 

“Might be the dog smell.” He chuckled. 

You turned to face him, taking in that small part of his face you could see. His eyes looked tired but still expressive. You didn’t want to say anything more, but you knew right away who he was the moment you got to take a good look at him. 

“Um…I’ll let you go. Sorry to bother you, sir.” You spoke up, catching his attention. 

He chuckled, scoffing to himself as he ran a hand through his hair. “Guess people can still recognize me.”

You furrowed your eyebrows, thinking about how he had just passed but you honestly weren’t able to tell who he was without staring at him. You were sure if he was just passing by, no one would think twice about him. But the only reason you really did, was because of the way you felt. 

“I actually couldn’t.” You explained. 

He tilted his head. “Then how did you?”

“I don’t know.” You spoke quietly. “I just did.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, trying to make out the emotions on your face that seemed to pull him in. “Right,” He shook his head a little. “I need to get going.”

Your shoulders dropped, feeling disappointed from thinking about his departure. “Yeah, that’s fine. Sorry to bother you.” You bowed your head.

“Don’t worry about it.” He waved off. “You weren’t a bother.”

“It was nice meeting you.” You said before turning to walk away. 

“It was nice to meet you too.” He spoke quietly, turning in the opposite direction. 

But before you could get any further, you took the chance to turn around, wanting to see him one last time. And as you did, you were more than surprised to see he had thought of the same thing, making eye contact with you. 

You hadn’t realised your music was still playing until his deep voice began to sing in your ears. You smiled to yourself as you continued on with your walk, the soft playing lyrics filling your body with some kind of high. 

I wish I could stay with you. 

****

You worked as a teacher for middle school students. They were both a joy but also a terror to work with. While they respect you, it’s hard to keep up with so many kids at once who seem to have it out for each other. 

But you did it because there were so many who you knew needed the attention you gave them. With both parents working, they often go without that kind of attention, too busy having to do schoolwork or even extracurricular activities that their parents wanted for them. 

You wouldn’t change it for anything though, often taking the time to eat lunch with some of them. They joked with you, but still found a reasonable line that gave you respect. It was a balance that helped both you and them. 

Some of the girls who sat around your desk giggled at their phone as they shared memes or talked about idols that they really liked. 

“V is on live!” One of them gasped, catching your attention. 

A group of four girls gathered around one of them, trying to see what was on the small screen. You tried your best to not seem like you were interested but you took the chance to glance at your phone, typing away to find the app where the man was showcasing his life. 

You kept the sound off, not wanting anyone to take a look at it. But the moment his face popped up on the screen, his little dog sitting in his lap–you smiled to yourself. You continued to enjoy your lunch, keeping your eyes on how his lips moved or the way he teased the little dog. 

You huffed a quiet laugh each time he made an adorable face, the ache in your chest only rising as you realized you would never truly get to feel the warmth he gave you in person. 

“Ms. (L/N), you listen to BTS?” You flinched as a girl glanced over your shoulder, seeing the screen of your phone. 

You swallowed the bite of lunch you had, turning to her. “Yeah.”

“Who’s your bias!?” She asked, catching the attention of the others. 

They all quickly gave you bright smiles, giggling as they talked about their own love for the band and its members. 

“I like V.” You said absentmindedly. 

They then prattled off their own biases, which era they liked more, and what some of the members had said on random lives. You smiled lightly, happy to see how bright the girls were talking about something they really liked.

“I have extra photocards of V. I can give them to you!” One girl gushed. “But can I get extra points on a test?”

You busted out laughing, shaking your head. “You actually have to get a good grade for me to give you extra points.”

They all began to pout, but still continued to talk more about the idols and bands they really loved. Taehyung’s voice continued to sound from one of the girl’s phones, the live still going on. 

“I’ve been having these feelings lately, that makes me wonder if I am seeing things right.” He began, catching your attention. “I’ve been feeling warm when I go out for a jog.”

Your breath got caught in your throat, heart nearly seizing up as you heard his words. 

“I pass by this certain part, and it feels like a candle. Almost as though the candle is burning really brightly and I need to stand closer to it to feel warm.” He continued. 

You watched as his eyes scanned over the comments to see what everyone was saying. He squinted for a moment, head tilting to the side. 

“Twin flames?” He spoke out loud. “What’s that?”

The chat began to go crazy, one of the girls started to jump up and down as though she seemed to know what he was talking about. He continued to read what they were telling him, his mouth open and eyes squinted.

The comments were rapidly passing by, too fast for you to keep up with what they were trying to say. 

“He found his twin flame!” One girl grabbed onto the shoulders of another, rapidly shaking. 

“He’s not from a family of witches though.” Another pointed out, causing them all to stop.

“Witches?” You asked out loud.

The girl who got super excited rapidly shook her head up and down, smiling brightly. “Twin flames are what they call someone who came from a line of witches and someone from a line of vampires in a relationship.”

Vampire? Like the supernatural creature your family thinks they might have in their bloodline, but will never know if it’s true.  

“Yeah, but Taehyung never said his family came from witches–so we don’t know yet.” One girl said pointedly. 

“Well even if it was, he’s really lucky to have met them! I hope he tells us more.” The girl from before said. 

“You come from a witch family, don’t you, Eunjae?” You smiled softly.

She nodded excitedly again. “My family tells me all about the things we used to do. And especially about the vampire and witch thing. Apparently, there's a prince in Europe who married a witch and they say they are twin flames.”

“Sounds like a fairytale story.” You chuckled. 

“Even if it is, to love someone that much must be amazing.”

You couldn’t tell people about what you felt or how you felt. You didn’t even fully know the extent of it yourself. But for some reason, you knew you weren’t the only one who felt that way. But who were you going to tell about a little speculation you had over an idol who was out of your reach?

You were sure, so many other people were going to claim they felt the same way about Kim Taehyung. The world was large, and he was known across it. Even if you had that kind of power, who was to say he wouldn’t agree with you?

No matter how much you wanted to say something, there was nothing you could do to get his attention. For now, you can accept that he was someone special to you. But from a distance, that was all you could afford. 

****

You were crouched down, softly petting the head of a small kitten that was happily munching on the food you had set out for the cats. The chunk was a few feet away, licking at its belly after having had his fill of food. 

You decided to spend the time watching the cats eat at the park, enjoying the breeze that blew past. And maybe you were hoping to come across that one special person, even if for just a second. But it was wishful thinking, that someone like him would come out often to the park you were always present in. 

It had been a few weeks since the last time you met him. And just like the first meeting, there was no way you were able to take him out of your mind. Especially not with how he was everywhere you turned. 

Promotions with companies that had his face plastered across them. Music that played from small convenience stores that had his deep voice. There was no escaping the idea of him in your head. I silent unrequited love that you could not explain–even if you now knew that somehow the old system of magic was involved. 

You tried your best to research what you could, but the internet only knew so much. You did enjoy how the prince from Europe spoke about his love for his wife though. The idea that he was meant to meet her and find the soul binding need to be with her. 

A fairytale indeed. 

Once you had your fill of being with the cats, you got up, glancing around the park that had turned on the path lamps to allow visibility. As you made it to the path, you paused for a moment to start music once again. 

However, just as you were about to press play on a song by V, someone bumped into you from behind, the both of you falling to the ground. You let out a groan, your head being cradled by the person who had pushed you over. The man was still on his feet but was straining to keep the both of you from hitting the ground. 

You were too much in shock to realize the warm feeling that had started in your chest. 

“The cat!” The person hissed. 

You hummed, snapping your eyes open to find yourself staring into eyes you could never mistake. You didn’t think you would get the chance to see him again, and yet here you were. Fate really was playing a game here. 

“Kim Taehyung?” You questioned quietly. 

“It’s you.” He spoke up, finally coming to a stand. 

His hand stayed on your arms, fingers softly feeling at the fabric of your coat. You didn’t question why he kept them there for so long, but you didn’t want to ruin the moment of having him so close. 

“Are you okay?” You asked out loud.

He nodded his head quickly. “Yes.”

“No blood?” You smiled lightly. 

He shook his head, an awkward chuckle coming out. “I think I’m just imagining it now that I think about it.”

You thought back to the conversation you had with your student. The research you had done for days over twin flames and the feelings you couldn’t explain. You weren’t good with certain things like people who came from a family of witches or faeries, but you knew there were things you could feel that others couldn’t. 

“Like visions?” You asked. 

He looked at you with furrowed eyebrows. “Yeah, like that.”

“I’ll let you–”

You knew he was going to leave already but you didn’t want him to just yet. “Is it okay if I can ask you something?” You stopped him. 

He looked like he was contemplating it, but sighed a little and nodded his head. 

“Do you feel like you’re standing in front of a candle?” You asked. “Like there is a heat burning in your chest and you have no idea where it comes from?”

His hands balled in the sleeves of his jacket, fingers gripping the edges. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

There was something that shattered in your chest. Even if it still felt like the fire was burning, your mind was quick to shut down the hope you had from asking him that. Maybe you had turned yourself delusional into thinking that he felt the same way. 

At least enough to where he might have wanted to understand why you both felt that way.  

You laughed lightly, nodding to yourself. “Right. Sorry, for asking.”

“Is that how you feel?” He asked you, before you had the chance to turn away. 

Your eyes turned glassy, quickly trying to blink away the tears that were forming. You sniffled, shaking your head. “Even if I did, I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who would say the same thing.” 

He didn’t say anything for a moment, looking away as he thought about what to say. “Can I ask you something?” He suddenly spoke, making your eyes go wide. 

You nodded your head though, moving your sleeve up to rub at your nose. 

“Do you come from a line of vampires?” 

The question had you raising your eyebrows. You had no idea how to answer him, and not be disappointed with why he asked. 

“I mean, my family thinks we might have but they weren’t really open about it after the purge.” You explained to both him and yourself. 

He nodded along, hands moving to his pockets. “Thank you for telling me.”

You hummed, feeling an awkwardness you had the need to fill. But you were all out of things to say. Even if you wanted to stay longer, there was no reason to. 

“I-”

“Is-”

You felt even worse talking over one another. You let out a small huff annoyed with yourself. When you weren’t going to say anything, Taehyung spoke up.

“Is this your cat?”

You both glanced at the chonk who sat calmly between your feet. 

You blinked at each other. “No.”

“I think he has problems.” You added. 

Taehyung snorted.

The silence that came around this time seemed lighter, like any sort of tension that was happening had been broken with a simple laugh. 

With how cold the weather was, it seemed like the both of you weren’t ready to leave the candle the other person held. It kept you from feeling the breeze that the waters brought over the railing. You wanted to wrap your arms around yourself–even him–just to feel that blanket covering you. 

“Why did you ask me about the candle?” He quietly asked, not wanting to ruin the thrum of heat. 

You licked your lips, shuffling your feet. Neither of you noticed how you both started walking side by side. 

“I honestly have no clue what it means or where it comes from but I learned recently it only happens with you.” Taking in a deep breath, your shoulders dropped. “But it’s just a delusion.”

“I don’t think it is.” Taehyung shrugged.

You stopped, turning to look at his side profile. He noticed, facing you as well. 

“Do you believe in magic?” He asked. 

Of course you did. It was written in so many textbooks that magic was used in everyday living. But with how things had gone down so many years ago, it’s hard to say the magic still existed. To many it didn’t, there was no real evidence that spells cast were effective anymore. But still, people liked to think of what they used to be, what they used to have. It keeps them from forgetting what they are able to do with a little bit of hope. 

“For people, like me, it’s all we can do.”

“You never gave me your name.”

You smiled lightly. “(Y/N).”

“It’s really nice to meet you then, (Y/N).” He gave you a boxy grin. 

The following weeks were uneventful. You both went on with your lives, as though you never crossed paths. What more can either of you do?

Neither of you asked for more, no questions on if you both wanted more. Life just continued as you knew it would. And yet, both of you somehow always gravitated towards each other. 

The meetings at parks began with simple bows of head before it turned into conversations again. They were small but still significant. You didn’t know when, but the delusions that filled your head didn’t feel like that anymore. 

You were lighter, a glowing feeling coming off your skin. It wasn’t just you, fans were in speculation as to why V also glowed. He tells them it was because of the success from his solo album, but since he brought up twin flames, a few say he met his. 

It was the little secret you both will keep. 

However, with his military enlistment looming, things were feeling low. You didn’t want to pry by asking him for something to keep in contact. You know how the lives of idols go–privacy taken very seriously. There were precautions they needed to take, and their trust was very valuable. When Taehyung was ready, you were sure he would ask for your number. 

The night came, where for once, Taehyung was waiting for you–the chonk rolled on the floor as he got belly rubs from the man. 

You knew right away things were not going to be good that night–at least not where things were going to be happy. You sighed deeply, shoes scuffing on the ground as you stopped a few feet away from the both of them. 

You took him in, truly feeling your chest burn and glow with such emotions. You hated how you couldn’t say anything. Not tell him what those past couple of months had meant to you. There was so much you wanted to selfishly keep, not allow him the knowledge that could have him leave. 

Maybe you were hopeful for more, but for now you didn’t want to give anything up. 

Taehyung looked up, boxy smile filling his face as he saw you there. 

You smiled brightly, huffing a laugh as he skipped over to you. 

“There were some things I wanted to talk to you about.” He spoke up.

You grinned telling him to go ahead. You began your small walk, hearing the water splash from the river. 

“I enlist next week.” He started. 

“Yeah, I’ve been keeping tabs.” You laughed. 

He chuckled looking down at his feet. When he stopped though, you realised there was more he wanted to say about it all. 

“I have to be gone more than a year.”

“I’ve been keeping tabs.” You repeated softly, trying not to show how much it was affecting you. 

“It’s going to be a while until we see each other again.” He continued, seemingly telling himself more than you.

“Taeh-”

“(Y/N)-”

You sighed, smiling softly. Taehyung did the same, lips curving upwards. 

“I don’t know if I can wait that long to see you again.” He admitted. 

You couldn’t either. But the both of you were thinking of things in a negative light. Which meant nothing was going to change for fear of what would happen. 

“Why are we still doing this?” You asked, hoping maybe one of you knew what you felt. 

“If we changed, then things would be real.” He spoke up after a while. “Not that this isn’t real, but that we’d have to worry about others wanting to ruin us.”

Us, he said. 

He wanted to be an us–not a you and BTS member, Kim Taehyung. He was thinking the same thing as you, which was more. 

You stopped walking again, making him face you in confusion. You beamed brightly, eyes sparkling from the lamp light. 

Taehyung wanted to laugh, seeing your face light up at something he felt was beyond sad. 

“Then I will patiently wait for you when you finally come back.”

His eyes turned glossy, and his nose wiggled with a sniffle. “I’ll count the days.”

****

18 months were exceptionally longer than you were used to. With work always fast paced, this time around time moved so slow you felt it in your bones. You were tired and burnt out, the stress showing on your face. 

But that night, the night before Taehyung got out, you could feel things get better. You wanted to be there right away, see him first, but how could you when all those fans were wanting to do the same. 

You’d walk by, you told yourself. Just casually stroll behind the crowd hoping for a glimpse of him. 

But you sighed, shoulders dropping as the only thing you could see from the very back was the sky. Hands were waving high, some fans jumping up and down from excitement. You only felt dejected though, knowing there was no way you’d catch any part of him.

So you decided to turn and head home, thinking maybe tonight would be good. However, just before you broke free from the crowd, you were swallowed whole as more and more people rushed forward out of excitement.

The cheers grew louder, and the air was charged with so many emotions. They pushed towards the front, hands trying to help you up, but all it did was push you further in. Until finally, you were able to stand on your own, looking around the second you spotted an open window. 

The moment you did, the burst of fire that started in your heart had you losing your breath and the world stopping around you. 

He was there beaming with two large bouquets in his arms. Namjoon played the saxophone next to him, which only served to make Taehyung sway and dance with giddiness. 

You wanted to rush forward–hope to catch his eye. But you weren’t the only one. People screamed his name, camera flashes went off and somehow all you could hear was the sound of his giggle. 

The world was moving but all you wanted was to stay and watch him flutter about with his boxy grin. However, nothing prepared you for how someway, in the large crowd, a sliver of space opened up and your eyes connected. 

He froze, eyes wide as one of the most excited yells wanted to come out from him. But he held his breath, smile only getting wider and body buzzing. He laughed even more waving to the crowd. It only made fans even more excited, but still–somehow–he kept eue contact with you.

You watched the live, enjoyed his stories and what he had to say as he sat beside Namjoon. It let time go by quickly, the evening catching up with everyone. 

You felt like you were expecting too much when you took your evening stroll. But you saw no harm in it, besides the insomnia was only worse from the anticipation. 

Chonk was not patiently waiting at the complex, nor did he meet you at the park. A bubble of worry formed in your stomach. Not once in these past 18 months had he missed you on your walks. Always there and lurking. 

You were starting to frown. 

“(Y/N)?” You looked up startled from your searching to find a man asking for you.

“Yes?” You raised a brow, looking at him skeptically. 

He smiled bowing his head. “Taehyung sent me to retrieve you.”

“Retrieve?” You questioned. 

He nodded his head. “He’s sorry he couldn’t make it. He got caught up with events for his release and knew you’d come here. So, he sent me to find and get you.”

 “Where are we going to go?”

“You see that building? That’s where Taehyung lives.” 

You squinted your eyes. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

The man blanched, thinking for a moment. “Oh! Here.” He quickly pulled out his phone, fingers typing before the ringing of a vide call broke.

Your eyebrows rose, trying to see what he was doing. 

“Did you find her, Hyung?” Someone spoke right away.

You breath hitched hearing his voice for the first time in months. You wanted to reach out–snatch the phone from the man’s hands but you knew better than to be rude. 

“You didn’t even say hello.” The man rolled his eyes.

“Yes, hello. Did you you find her?” You giggled quietly at Taehyung’s sarcasm. 

“(Y/N), I want to see you, so do you think you can follow Seungi to bring you to my house?”

Your eyes went comically wide, breath hitching at his request.

Licking your lips, you nodded, sputtering out a reply. “Yeah, I’d really like that.”

“Great!” Taehyung grinned. “Seunggi, you guys can come back now.”

“See you in a bit.” Seunggi told Taehyung, hanging up quickly. “Follow me.”

You already knew Taehyung lived on the other side of the river, high in one of the luxury apartments. While you wouldn’t say you lived in the slums, you for sure wouldn’t say you lived in the riches like Taehyung. 

Seunggi brought you to a large building that had a guard stationed at the door and everything. However, the one thing that caught your attention was the large white and brown ball of fur that was licking under his leg at the steps. 

“This is where you went?” You spoke out loud, stopping to watch the cat as he slowly looked up at you. 

The moment he recognised who was speaking to him though, he quickly got up and started to yowl at your feet, rubbing against it. You shuffled closer to the door, getting impatient to see Taehyung.

“I’ll come back.” You told the cat, rushing to catch up to Seunggi. 

He gave the guard a nod of his head, explaining that you were with him when security gave you the stank eye. You shrunk into yourself, trying to look smaller as you knew why they were looking so hostile. They must have been under contract knowing all the celebrities who lived in the building. 

The moment the elevators closed and the numbers started to rise as you rode to the top, your chest felt like it was tightening, hands getting clammy. It wasn’t an anxiousness that made you want to leave, it was anticipation of getting to see him again. It ticked closer to the penthouse, and with the last ding of the elevator arriving, your breath was taken from out of you.

He wasn’t waiting for you at the front in some grand gesture. He wasn’t even in your line of sight the moment the elevator opened. But stepping into his personal space made you want to rush towards him the moment he came around a corner. 

He slowly came to a stand still, a smile overtaking his face as he saw you in front of him. Nothing was said as you both grew closer, only the enjoyment of being so close once again. 

“Hi.”He breathlessly said.

“Hi.” You replied back with the same tone of voice. 

“Yes, hi.” Seunggi spoke up. “Stop being so awkward. There are other people here.”

Taehyung giggled at his words, turning around to showcase all the other people who were in the apartment alongside him. Friends and family all talking together as they celebrated his dismissal from the military. 

“I really wanted to see you.” Taehyung explained, turning back to you. 

“Me too.” You beamed. “I don’t know how I would have been able to wait a few more days knowing you were here.”

He nodded enthusiastically. “I saw you earlier. It meant a lot to see you there.”

“I couldn’t miss it for the world.”

Even if you didn’t know anyone, nor thought about speaking to any of them, you didn’t feel alone. Not when Taehyung stayed glued to your side for the majority of it. His fingers would brush against yours sometimes when his shoulder was touching yours. 

So many people asked about his time in the special forces and he was more than happy to entertain the questions. Lots of laughter and bright faces really pulled on your social battery, but the moment that all died down, things turned different. 

Some of his close friends were still in the apartment, but the both of you took the time to talk separately–away from the drunken laughter. 

“Things were different when I was there.” He told you. “But I want to be honest with you about everything.”

You looked up at him, taking sips of your water to get rid of the heat the alcohol gave you. 

“I remember my grandma practicing small magic that I never believed. I also never thought of my dreams as something huge.” He started. “But being away from you–from all that I have known–things made sense.”

“I can’t explain what I feel, but I know something in me is meant to be with you.”

You couldn’t give him the right answer either. Even if you wanted to put blame on being connected on a soul-like level, there was so much that neither of you really understood. You weren’t historians who knew all about the magic that used to take over the world. Weren’t people who trusted their heart over their head. 

You were just you.

Living in a world that couldn’t handle when certain people found love they wanted to. Living lives where one of you had to be cautious. But still, hearing Kim Taehyung say such words to you–it made you tear up.

“Can I kiss you?” You choked out in a whisper, trying to avoid sounding like an idiot.

Tears welled in Taehyung’s eyes, his head nodding rapidly. “I thought I had to ask.”

Your hand moved right towards his neck, his going around your waist to keep you from falling backwards as he pushed over you. 

You’ve had kisses before. Some soft and slow, while others were rough and rushed. But with Teahyung, there was a melancholic feeling that had you savoring it rather than rushing. You weren’t someone who would think of kisses as something that had fireworks and explosions happening, but this–this came so close. 

Maybe it was the soul connection, but even if you had one, all those talks and trips you took late at night, it all piled up into one simple act. And as you parted, mouth trying to suck in a breath you had lost in that moment, you knew no one was ever going to compare to Taehyung. 

“Tell me I wasn’t the only one who thought that was something amazing.” He asked, wide eyed. 

You laughed quietly, eyes sparkling with happiness. “Beyond.”

“So, tell me.” You said breathlessly. “You wanna be daddy, Mingi?”

The boy let out a whine, fingers digging into the plush of your thighs. He began to huff, lips pouting as he lifted his head to look where the two of you were connected. 

“I had to say it.” He said. 

You moved your hips back and forth, hands scratching at his biceps. You legs were starting to burn, but still you continued bouncing on Mingi’s cock. 

“I’m sure you did.” You laughed out. 

You leaned back, giving him the invitation to sit up. When he noticed, he was quick to wrap his arm around your waist, the other holding him up. You could feel his pants against your chest, hand moving to tangle in his sweaty hair. 

He whimpered when you quickly pulled his head back, eyes half-lidded. 

“How do you think the fans will react when they know you whimper like a sweet boy the moment you stuff your cock in a hole?” You began to move back and forth in a slow manner.

His throat was on display for you to begin sucking on. You knew better than to leave marks but just the feel of your lips on a sensitive part of his skin had him swallowing. 

“Jagiya.” Mingi huffed. 

You pulled back, placing his cheeks between your hands. You brought him closer to you, head tucked between your chest as the both of you began to breathe the same air. 

“You’re my pretty boy, Mingi.” You whispered against his lips.

“I’m pretty boy.” He cried.

Both of his hands tightened around your waist, trying to push deeper into your pussy. The moment his cock hit your cervix, you let out a moan, sighing into the air. 

Mingi placed one of your nipples in his mouth, the other being played with under his fingers. You both stopped your quick movements, instead letting Mingi give harsh thrusts that met your good spot each and every time.

“Mingi, I’m going to cum.” You whispered. 

He only moaned, keeping up his bruising thrusts. You grabbed onto his hair again, pulling him back from your chest to look at him.

“Baby boy, I want you to cum.” You whispered against his lips. 

When you heard his whine and the sharp thrust he gave one last time, your lips clamped onto his. You sucked his breath in, moaning as you felt the release filling you up. You wiggled from your own orgasm, clenching around him as he kept going.

As the high died down, you moaned to the ceiling, feeling a sense of euphoria that made you giggle. Mingi fell onto his back, huffing and stretching his arms. He moaned each time his cock shifted inside you, hands going back to dig into your skin. 

You leaned down, giving him a slow kiss. He hummed, the tips of his fingers trailing along your back. 

“You wanna be daddy?” You asked again, a smile on your face. “You can top this time.”

He gave you a wicked grin. 

For as long as one could remember, the elves were told that. It was centuries ago when the rule was brought up after a very troublesome Halloween town citizen decided they wanted to take over Christmas. 

Things have changed–the children have changed. There was no better holiday compared to the rest. Each person had their favorite, and so the ones in charge didn’t bother with the other holidays for fear of being less than happy. 

But that didn’t mean those who were in charge of the holidays still couldn’t feel as though there was something missing within themselves. 

You could hear the soft crunch of your reindeer companion following behind you, bleating small sounds as it found berries and grass to eat. It happily continued to munch while you frowned deeply at the prospect of walking through a foot of snow. 

It bothered you. You could see how all the other elves were easily able to navigate themselves through the snow on light feet–not sinking down to end up buried in it. It was your fault, you figured. Not having the simple little magic everyone else had. 

You couldn’t make toys. Couldn’t bring joy to the children who you had to watch over every once in a while. You couldn’t even make cookies that somehow every elf knew how to make from scratch. You were the odd ball in the town full of ridiculously happy citizens that mocked you every chance they could. 

Well, maybe they didn’t mock you because that would be very naughty of them. But you did feel bad everytime they tried to teach you something and you just couldn’t get it. There was something missing. And year after year, it hurt to see Christmas come and go without your help. 

Your ears twitch as you trudge through the thick snow trying to find more pine cones to fill your family tree with. You were wrapped in double scarves, your ears and nose covered. The snow was thinning out the further in you went and by then your legs were so tired you were half tempted to fall over into the snow to rest for a moment. 

You sniffled, nose starting to run but you used your sleeve to brush it away. By the time you realized it, the snow had cleared completely all of a sudden which caused you to trip over your own feet and fall flat onto the forest floor. 

“Oof.” You groaned, shuffling out of the snowy area and onto the dirt. 

Pine needles stuck to your face as you shuffled yourself to stand up, coming to sit on your knees and look around the clearing. 

You felt a shiver go through your body as you stared up at the tree that had a large pumpkin door on its trunk. You glanced around for a moment more, seeing the rest of the holiday doors waiting for someone to open them. You finally got up onto your legs, the jingle bells on your feet and hat making a sound each time you moved. 

You knew exactly where you were and found it odd that you were even here. The location of these trees are only known to the Claus’s, so to be able to reach this place was something you couldn’t fathom. 

Each door was different from the last. Some brighter than others while some just seemed so plain. The pumpkin with the large grin stared back at you as you reached it last. It’s smile was dark, almost a pitch black that had you losing yourself within it. Each jagged edge looked like it would prick you if you dared to touch it. 

And yet you still found yourself reaching for the door knob nose, muscles straining just a bit as the knob seemed stuck for a moment. But it finally moved after a moment, startling you with how easy it was to pull the door open.

It was even darker inside, a gust of wind blowing through causing red and orange leaves to fall out. Your nose crinkled at the smell of black licorice. But you still stuck your head further in, trying to make out something inside the abyss of the tree. 

Suddenly you could hear a humming. A sound that went together to form some kind of lullaby that almost put you to sleep. You strained your ears to hear more of it, trying to make out the words. 

“Sometimes you gotta move forward. Just take it step by step. And then you’ll notice you’ve found your place…”

Just a bit more, you told yourself, moving closer. 

Just a bit more ended up being too much though. Before you realized it, your little jingle bells tinkled one last time before everything turned black. 

It was a whirlwind of bright lights and empty space that you felt like you were floating in. Gravity did not exist as you fell. You wanted to grab onto something but the only thing it seemed like you could do was scream into the void. 

It was a quick journey. Not even half a minute as you felt a force suddenly drag you towards a direction. Your back hit against a surface before it vanished and you fell through. You let out a loud gasp, bright colors filling your vision as you were thrown into a much warmer place.

Before you tumbled onto the floor, you quickly caught sight of the sharp edges of a christmas tree shape on the trunk of a tree. You rolled over, grunting as you landed on your back, your legs falling down quickly and your body becoming exhausted. 

You took in a deep breath, trying to calm your racing heart. It was a bit but you slowly allowed yourself to feel the ground around you trying to make sure you were in fact on some kind of surface. 

Turning your head from side to side, you noticed you were back in the clearing of holiday trees. Only this time there was no Halloween one. Raising slowly to sit up, you took notice of how there was no snow covering the ground or pine trees that were losing needles. 

Instead the trees were barren almost, the leaves left on the branches ranging from a yellow to brown color. Most of them seemed to be on the floor, waiting to be picked up. 

There was a sudden squirming feeling under your legs, like an animal was trying to get out from under you. You frowned, scooting back and pulling your knees up to grab at whatever it was. It wasn’t furry, nor was it that large. It wiggled around, your eyebrows pinching together as you felt multiple limbs. 

“What’s this?” You asked yourself, pulling the object out from under you. 

When you finally grasped it fully, your eyes went wide as it suddenly grabbed ahold of your hand. Pulling it out, the thing hanging from your hand was another hand. However it was severed at the wrist. 

“Oh my Kringle!” You screamed, throwing the hand away from you. 

You gasped louder as it began to wiggle and suddenly upright itself. It scurried away behind a tree, catching your attention as something seemed to bend down to grab it. Whatever it was shuffled back from view, their foot being the last to be hidden. 

Tilting your head in confusion you realized it was a person who was standing on the other side. The voice you heard earlier was suddenly starting to make sense, so you gradually became more curious. 

“I know you’re there.” You called out, crawling closer to the tree. 

You sighed when they didn’t move nor say anything. You thought to yourself for a moment, thinking back to how the person singing felt so sad. 

“The song you were singing–are you okay?”

“Of course I am.” They quickly spoke up. 

Your eyebrows shot up, smiling to yourself that you got them to speak. “It didn’t sound like you were.” You continued. “Are you going to come out?”

“You are not from Halloween Town.” He told you. 

“I’m from Christmas Town.” You shook your head, the bells jingling from the top of your hat. “A bit much isn’t it?” You giggled, wiggling your feet with the same bells. 

He scoffed playfully. “Just a bit.” 

“You have an amazing voice. I wish to hear more of it, please.” You crawled closer to the tree. “Will you please come out?” 

You could hear them shuffling around in contemplation. It took a moment but slowly they walked out one foot after the other. It was something out of a fairytale seeing him for the first time. 

You began to hum for some reason, hearing the ring of a jingle bell go off in your ear. He was deliberate in the way he walked. He was careful, but still it looked graceful. The first thing that caught your attention though, were the stitches that stretched across his mouth. 

“You’re stitches–do they hurt?” You asked quietly, coming to a stand. 

You walked closer to him, hands twitching at your side as you wanted to reach up and touch him. 

“No.” He spoke up, watching you intently. 

You raised your hands, moving them closer to his face. But you caught yourself, stopping as you realized it would be rude to just touch him. 

“May I?’ You asked quietly, waiting for his reply. 

He looked down at your raised hands, your curious eyes on his scars. “Sure.”

You lightly skimmed your fingers across his mouth. The tips of your longer fingers touched at his lips while they moved across the bumpy patches. You were scared of hurting him, so you didn’t try pressing them harder into his skin when your curiosity peaked at how the skin parted and created a hole. You wondered if they would open up, your hand passing through his cheek. 

When you looked up at his eyes, you found him staring at something near the side of your head. Your large pointed ears twitched at his stare, causing him to flinch just the tiniest bits. His hands shook at his side, almost coming up. 

“You can go ahead.” You told him, moving your head to the side to allow him the space to touch your ears. 

He tentatively reached up, fingers grazing the shell of your ear just as yours touched his stitches. He started at the bottom before smoothly gliding upwards. It wasn’t until they began to touch the tips of your ears that you suddenly felt a shiver go down your spine. 

You let out a tiny gasp, eyes fluttering shut as your lips pressed together. He suddenly pulled back from you, your own hand falling from his face. 

“Sorry.” He quickly said, waiting for your reply. 

“It’s okay.” You beamed up at him. “They’re just sensitive.”

“Hongjoong!”

Both of you suddenly turned around, hearing the call. 

The man’s eyes went wide, suddenly grabbing you and pushing you back towards the Christmas Tree. 

“You have to go.”

“What? Why?” You questioned, looking around trying to find whoever had called.

“You are not supposed to be here. We are not supposed to go to other holidays.”

He continued, opening the door and about to shove you through until you stopped yourself. 

“But–your singing.” You quietly said. “I really loved it.”

He paused, lips pressing together. His eyes twinkled almost, as if he could he would be blushing from your compliment. 

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” He told you softly. 

“Joong!” 

You suddenly turned around, ready to be pushed back into the tree but you had something to ask him first. 

“You have to go now.”

“Will I see you again?” You asked, hoping he would say yes. 

He seemed stunned for a moment, looking back to where the sound of rustling leaves were heard. 

“Come tomorrow. I’ll see you then.”

Your lips pulled up into a smile, feeling something warm fill your chest. Just as someone was about to enter the clearing, you felt the suction of the tree pulling you back in. 

“Goodbye.” You heard one last moment before falling. 

**

“Oh he was amazing, Mrs Claus!” You sighed, picking up the tinsel the old lady wanted to move. “He was so devastatingly pretty. Nothing could compare to him. And-And his singing! So hauntingly beautiful. It was alluring in such a way that left me breathless.”

“It sounds like you're in love, dear.” The jolly ole’ woman hummed, shaking around as she sprinkled something on some cookies. 

“You really think so?” You smiled bashfully, looking down at the gingerbread man you were decorating. 

You looked down at the cookie, eyebrows pulling up at the smirk the cookie seemed to be sporting. It have little triangles at it’s lips, the red icing popping out. Black icing covered it’s forehead in a line, stitches being show as though it had been put together. 

Looking up you noticed Mrs. Claus turning around with another batch, quickly shoving the sweet into your mouth to prevent her from seeing it. While you were too worried someone would catch on to your secret, you hadn’t even noticed that the cookie was created to perfection.

You could hear the other elves giggling at your antics.  

“Tell me, do you feel a warmth that comes from inside?” The old lady continued grinning. 

You swallowed before contemplating her question. Before long you realized she had been right, a soft smile falling on your lips as you thought about Hongjoong. 

“I've never felt so good before. This empty place inside of me is filling up.” You spoke quietly. 

“That's a good thing dear. No more worries.”

You decorated another batch of cookies, too preoccupied to even notice that you were creating some kinds of monsters along the men. But you were in the clouds, thinking about the man who you had come across. The elves only looked at you oddly, but didn’t make a comment because they could see that you were not about to answer. 

You continued on your way, out of the kitchen area. Just as you opened the door though, you flinched at the four men who were standing on the other side with wide grins on their faces. Well a wide grin on one of their faces. 

“Why are you just standing there?” You asked them. 

“We know where you went.” Wooyoung the first to always say something told you.  

You pushed them aside, continuing on your journey back to your house. “Where did I go?”

“You went through the tree.” Jongho spoke up. 

You tensed up but tried not to show it. 

“The Halloween tree.” Yeosang prattled. 

“Is he a monster?” Yunho asked. 

“Who?” You played dumb. 

“The man you're in love with.” Wooyoung giggled. 

“I'm not in love.” You shook your head, opening the door to the kitchen shop and walking out into the cold air. 

“We beg to differ. What is he?” Yunho asked. 

“He's nothing.” You spoke up without thought. 

“So there is someone.”

“No.” You stopped turning to look at them. “Drop it. There is no one.”

“You told Mrs Claus there was, though.” Yeosang said. 

“Were you eavesdropping?” You glared at all of them.

“We always do.” Jongho shrugged. “How do you think we knew Holly was secretly seeing Tinsel?”

You glared at the boys, feeling ticked with their wide grins. 

“I'm going home.” You declared, turning around. “Do not follow me!”

“Well when they say it like that I want to follow them.”

Yeosang kept his eyes on your retreating figure. More so the way you were walking through the snow without any trouble at all. They were all so used to you sinking in the snow and complaining about the cold that he was quick to notice you did none of those the moment they were outside. 

“Did you notice they didn’t sink into the snow?” Yeosang spoke up softly, watching as your feet seemed lightweight in the snow. 

“You think they’re finally getting into the Christmas spirit?” Yunho asked his friend. 

They thought about how you were talking about someone who seemed to have caught your attention. There was only one way to describe the way you had told Mrs. Claus about the person. The adjectives you had used were not ones they were used to and it was clear from where this person had come from. 

But whoever it was that had caught your attention, they started something that you were in desperate need of. 

“It’s some kind of spirit.”

**

It was a few days later when the four elves were finally able to follow you into the woods. They were pushing and shoving each other as each time they would lift a foot, their bells would jingle. But you were still none the wiser as you had something occupying your mind. 

They stilled for a moment behind a tree, almost falling onto the ground that seemed to be devoid of snow. Peaking over the other, they tried their best to see where you were going. And when you pulled open a door in one of the trees they were quick to understand. 

“They aren’t actually going there are they?” Yunho asked with wide eyes. 

You climbed the small steps, peering into the hallow tree. 

“I think they are.” Wooyoung gasped. 

Hearing their loud mouths, you turned around finding their bodies heading your way in a rushed manner. Your eyes went wide and you held your hands in front of you to keep them from pushing.

“(Y/N)!” Yeosang yelled, shoving into you. 

The world went black and you found yourself falling into the empty space you had grown used to these past few days. You could hear the boys screams and yells trying to find something to grab onto. 

With the impact on your back, you grunted when all of a sudden gravity made the four boys fall on you full force. You skid along the floor for a moment, groaning like you had the first time you came through the door. 

Once you got your baring together, you began to slap a hand on one of the boys. 

“What are you idiots doing!?” You pushed them off.

“Don’t hurt us!” Jongho raised his arms. 

“It seems we weren’t the only ones who had the idea to follow.”

You looked up, coming across four faces all looking down at you. 

“Hongjoong.” You quickly said. 

“Get off me!” You tried to shove Wooyoung off, the man shivering as he looked up at the other Halloween citizens. 

“They are monsters!” He sobbed, hiding in your stomach. 

“Who?” The one with horns asked with wide puppy looking eyes. 

“I know you are not talking about us, Darling.” Another grinned, his kanine teeth sharp as he looked at Wooyoung. 

Wooyoung whimpered again, hugging you closer once more. 

“Leave him alone, Seonghwa.” Hongjoong rolled his eyes, moving to help you up. 

“Is this your sweet?” You heard the giggle of one. 

He began playing the bell on your hat, smiling to himself as his large fluffy ears flickered from every sound they made. 

“Such a jolly little thing.” The other with sharp teeth spoke quietly, looking at you with a charming grin. 

“Seonghwa.” Hongjoong warned, pulling you closer to him. 

“You know I love knew friends, Joongie.” Seonghwa chuckled. “Especially the adorable ones.”

He spoke directly to Yeosang and Yunho who stood off huddled behind Jongho. The two blushed at the man’s words, flustered from his compliment. 

“Welcome all of you to Halloween.” The one with dog ears spoke up. “We hope you enjoy your time here.”

He had moved to pick up Wooyoung, but the moment the man took a look at the werewolf’s face he began to blush a bright red. Wooyoung squeaked, looking up from the floor before scrambling into Jongho’s hold. 

You began to giggle, feeling Hongjoong’s hand squeeze yours tightly. There was something about the way Hongjoong’s friends were so friendly that made you more then excited to meet them all. 

“My name is San.” The one with wolf ears spoke up, a smile on his face as he waited eagerly for your friends to say something. 

“I am Seonghwa.” The vampire bowed at his waist, hand along his torso.

“Mingi.” The boy with horns and wide eyes said, looking hopeful at each of your friends. 

The elves all watched them curious eyes but they didn’t say anything else.

“Don’t be rude, boys.” You immediatly said, catching their attention. 

They bowed at their waists, introducing themselves to Hongjoong’s friends. You smiled greatfully at the way they all started talking as though they had known each other forever. 

Seonghwa made another suggestive comment that had left Wooyoung flustered and hiding behind Jongho.

“Are they all like that?” You giggled. 

“Only Seonghwa.” Hongjoong snorted. “Are your friends always like that?”

“Only Wooyoung.”

**

There was a breeze that swept through the trees bringing down leaves that seemed to be never ending. You reached out for one that had fallen in front of you, twirling it around from the stem. 

“Hongjoong.” You quietly spoke out loud, turning to the man who was laying on his back with his eyes closed. 

He hummed, lips barely being pulled into a smile as he was enjoying his time. You leaned closer, laying on your stomach. You played with the leaf, dragging it along his nose. He scrunched up, trying to hold in his sneeze. 

“What is it, Jingle?” He asked you after swatting you away. 

You tilted your head to the side, glancing down his body. 

“Are you able to–you know–” You wiggled your hand down towards his thighs, gesturing to what’s between his legs. 

Hongjoong’s eyes quickly shot open, a frown on his face as he realized what you were gesturing to. He looked at you with an odd face, eyebrows raised to the sky as his stitches pulled his cheeks. 

“Why are you asking about it?” He asked you.

“The others talked about those kinds of things and you didn’t say anything.” You sat up, the bell on your hat ringing. “You just stayed quiet and listened to them go on and on.”

He sat up and shrugged. “I didn’t feel the need to.” He explained. “I’m not the kind of person who would do those kinds of things. Besides, I’m too busy to think about any of it.”

You thought about all the times that you were not able to hang out with Hongjoong. Especially when Halloween starts showing up. But you figured it was the same way with everyone else. Even the boys were sometimes too busy to hang out with you when Christmas was coming around. 

With the fact that you were not able to enjoy christmas the way everyone else was, things were different for you. You had all the time in the world to enjoy life, while others were busy. You could only imagine how much of a pain it was for Hongjoong being the head of Halloween. 

“You said you were the Pumpkin King, right?” You asked. 

He nodded his head, tilting it to the side as he wondered where you were going. 

You turned back around, scooting back so that you could fall into his arms. He happily held them open for you, allowing you to lay you back against his chest. His nosed at your cheek, feeling the warmth from your always red skin. 

“”It must be really hard to find someone.” You told him. 

He paused, stitches being pulled as a small smile fell onto his lips. “I don’t think it’s really all that hard.” He said. 

You turned to look at him, your eyes sparkling as they took in the soft way he looked at you. “So you do have someone?”

You were about to move out of his arms, causing him to giggle as he crushed you back between his arms. His head fell to your neck, giving you simple kisses that had you laughing. 

“It took years but I finally found someone who means more to me than being Pumpkin King.”

You turned around swiftly, legs moving to either side of his thighs. “More than being Pumpkin king?” You shook your head. “That’s one of the greatest honors a Halloween Town citizen can have. It’s like the Santa of Halloween.”

He laughed, smiling. He brought his forehead down to touch yours. “I was created to be the next Pumpkin King. The bones I have within me belonged to a past one and yet just like them I longed to find something that would fill an emptiness that would not go away.”

“There’s something out there, far from my home, a longing that I’ve never known.” He hummed quietly, bringing his hand up to touch your cheek. 

He leaned back down against the blanket, bringing you with him. You placed your hands on his chest, allowing him to stroke your back as you got comfortable atop him. 

“That longing could only be filled by someone like you.”

You softly placed your lips against his lips, stealing his breath as your emotions rose. Your hand moved into his hair, softly scratching at the scalp. There was a moan that fell from his lips at the stimulation, which made you pull back in fright. 

You pulled yourself up, staring down at him. He was panting, eyes drooping as he looked up at you. 

“I’m not going to stop.” He said breathlessly. 

You gasped quietly, as he pulled you closer, quickly turning over to lay over you. He reached up to rub his hand against your cheek softly, staring at you with sharp eyes that seemed to make you melt. 

You raised your own hand, thumbing at his stitches that fell directly from his eyes. “I don’t want you to.”

His next kiss was electrifying. It was harsh and demanding but even though it seemed that way, it was clear neither of you knew what to do. It was not your first kiss but it was the first time you were feeling as though summer was creeping through your bones. 

His tongue swept out to touch your bottom lip, allowing you the room to open your mouth for him. This was out of the ordinary for you, never really knowing what it was like to be with someone in this way. 

But everything Hongjoon did, you didn’t dare want to question. It made you feel an excitement–a warmth you had been longing for, for such a long time. It was exhilarating, magnificent. It was terrifying to feel such a need for Hongjoong. 

You pulled away from him breathlessly, the cooling air coming from the fall breeze did nothing to cool you. The red you always had on your skin from the biting cold was no longer your body trying to warm you up to survive. This time the flush you had was because of Hongjoong. And he wanted to see much more of it. 

His thigh nudged itself in between your own, opening your legs for his body to move in between. There was something between his legs you had never felt before and it was leaving you to burn up. Your knees were pulled up, allowing Hongjoong the space to slot himself perfectly. 

The hands you had behind his head moved, wanting to feel more of his skin so you placed them under his shirt, feeling the soft skin of his shoulders. Before you realized it, the man leaned up, quickly taking off his shirt that had you leaning on your elbows to stare at him wide eyed. 

The stitches. The discoloration of each patch of skin. His muscles. 

Nothing could ever compare to the haunting beauty someone like Kim Hongjoong had. He was someone who was created to rule–someone who demanded attention in his own way. Even if he wasn’t completely his own, the way he was put together was meant to be one of a kind. 

“What?” He smiled at you, chuckling at the look you had. 

“I’ve never seen someone like you.” You spoke softly. 

Hongjoong frowned just for a moment, about to lean back and away from you feeling like there was something wrong. You quickly caught on though, reaching back up to pull him closer to you. You placed your forehead against his, closing your eyes as your lips brushed his in a soft way. 

Once again, you rubbed at his stitches, this time the ones near his mouth. Opening your eyes he watched as you looked at him with such an intense stare it made him want to cry. 

“Someone like you means that nothing will ever compare to the kind of beauty you have.” You whispered. “In all my years of living–you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

“Thank you.” He whispered. 

You leaned back in to give him a kiss. This time you allowed him to take off your coat, the green fabric falling behind you as you climbed into Hongjoong’s lap. He was rushing though, seeming more attached to you as he laid you down again.

His hands moved under your shirt, pushing it up as he tried to reveal your breasts. The bra you wore was plain, nothing fancy because of the standard elf uniform. You would have never thought about dressing pretty for Hongjoong, but now that he is looking at you the way he is, you wished you had. 

However he didn’t seem to mind as he quickly pushed your bra cups up and over your nipple so he could see them. You squeaked, looking up at him, shoulders scrunched up causing your arms to push your boobs together more. 

Hongjoong started to smile, a chuckle slipping past his lips. “You are so precious.”

You laughed, his body leaning over to give you a peck before he dove down to tongue at your chest. Your chuckle was cut off when his mouth encased a nipple. A sharp gasp left your lip, back arching to chase his tongue laving at you. 

You felt him snicker against your skin, so you glanced down to find him already smiling up at you devilishly as your nipple was caught between his teeth. You were getting tired of your shirt and bra being in the way so you made a rush to take them off. 

With the only thing left being your skirt and tights, Hongjoong took a moment to look at you. You wanted to feel self conscious, but the way his fingers skimmed your sides and touched you things couldn’t be going any slower. 

He took in a breath. “Are you sure you want to do this?” 

You nodded your head, wanting to reach for him again. 

“I need you to answer me.” His lips wobbled, almost as if he was trying to reassure himself. 

“I love you, Hongjoong.” Was all you told him. 

His lips twitched, fingers digging into your skin for just a moment as he took in your response. “I love you too, Jingle.”

You raised your hips up, moving to pull your skirt and tights down in one go as the fall breeze finally touched your heated core. There was no need for underwear when you wore tights. And it seemed like Hongjoong appreciated it a lot because he seemed to straightened up at the sigh of you. 

“I’m going to take off my pants. Okay?” He told you, pulling at his belt. 

You sat up, confused why he was shaking as he took off his pants. You began to worry maybe he didn’t want to be one with you in that way. 

“Hongjoong you don’t have to do this.” You quickly told him, sitting up. Your hands went to stop him but he lightly shoved you away. 

“I want to.” He told you. “I just–Don’t exactly look like all the others. I don’t have the same appendage as everyone else.”

“What do you mean?” You asked. 

There wasn’t exactly anything you could compare it to. It’s not like the other elves go around telling stories of their escapades or how things worked within a relationship. You only could question him. Because as far as you could tell Hongjoong, this was going to be your first time doing anything like this. 

“It has–stitches.” He cringed at the thought, which only made you frown. 

You sat up, pulling your knees under you. Your hand went to his pants, making him freeze up, his hands clenched into fists at his side. You began to pull them down, not removing the eye contact you had with him. But he was quick to look down at where you were going. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing.” You told him honestly. “But I want you to know that no matter what you have you will always be someone beautiful to me.” 

He gulped, nodding his head. “You make me feel less dead inside.”

You smiled, fingers now dancing along his shaft. He moaned out quietly, and you felt it twitch up. 

“And you give me the warmth of a thousand melting snowflakes.” You pushed to touch his lips with yours. 

You felt him move to wrap your hand around his entire length, finally feeling the ridges of the stitches he was talking about along your palm. They were on the underside of his shaft, running along the entire length. You moaned from how warm he felt in your hand. 

You thumbed at the bumps, feeling against your lips how he would groan. He took off the rest of his pants, pushing and pulling to get you in his desired position. You could feel the warmth he was giving off on your core, and it made you even more heated than you cared to admit. 

“Hongjoong…”You whispered, feeling along his scarred skin. 

“I–I’m trying my best.” He told you, holding himself up with his arms. “This is my first–”

“It’s okay.” You smiled bashfully. “It’s mine too.”

Hongjoong’s lips pulled up feeling something swell in his chest that felt much deeper than anything he could have imagined. Neither of you could think of anything better than getting the chance to be with one another in this way. It was something Hongjoong could only dream of thinking that maybe he would be viewed as something out of the ordinary. 

Hongjoong took in a deep breath, looking down between your legs before moving to touch you. The gasp you let out had him flinching but when he saw your face, he found himself wanting to touch you in places that would have you gasping and out of breath. 

But he found himself losing his own breath, noticing how sensitive the tip of his cock was as his fingers grazed both your hole and his shaft. Each time you would move your hips up just to get his cock to rub against you, he found it harder to hold off from shoving in. 

He wanted to–gosh did he want to–but he wanted to enjoy the moment for a bit more. He didn’t want to rush. He didn’t want to reach the point of cumming prematurely because he wanted this to be good for you too. 

All he had to go by was off what the others would talk about. But this was much more than a simple hook up they seemed to do when they would go out into the real world. This was someone he loved with all his being. 

“Hongjoong.” You called him. 

He looked up from his stupor, pausing when he saw your glazed over look. “Tell me if it hurts.”

You didn’t have to say anything else as he was quick to start pushing in. 

Your toes curled, your legs clenched, you could feel every little bump that came with the stitches. It was something you could never describe. You had no idea how to voice to him that you wished you were able to feel it all over again for the first time. 

Hongjoong was going in slowly, choking gasps falling from his lips as every inch that he went in was covered by a pulsing warmth. He was panting, gritting his teeth together to keep from spilling too early. 

“Hongjoong.” You gasped. 

Your back arched, hands splayed against his chest. He leaned to one side, the overwhelming feeling of pleasure taking over. He pulled on your leg to wrap around his waist. Your eyes shot open at the new position, clenching around his length. 

“How–How is it this good?” He gasped out, hand messaging into your thigh. 

His breath hit the tips of your ears, the pointed flesh flicking from the tickle. All he got in response were your whimpers and soft whines. And when you began to move your hips when he bottomed out, Hongjoong couldn’t hold it in. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered out, smashing his lips to yours in a frenzied manner to keep you occupied while his hips began to move back and forth. 

Your blunt nails dug themselves into his shoulders, pulling at the skin which caused a stinging coming from the stitches he had there. The stinging only made him groan. His hips went faster. 

There was an inexplicable feeling that was beginning to build in the both of you that had you trying to chase it. Hongjoong’s movement became frantic, while you wiggle your hips closer to his. With each rub against his pelvis you felt an even better feeling. And each time you moved up you it felt like you would touch it. So you tried your best to chase the feeling. 

When something started to pull, your pants turned into whimpers and cries in Hongjoong’s ears. 

“(Y/N)...” Hongjoong panted, fingers digging into your leg. 

He didn’t stutter his hips this time, rather than a rhythmic movement, he was pounding in you slowly and trying to get you to cum. And when you did, Hongjoong swore you could almost cut off all circulation with how tight you felt. 

You felt everything when you clenched down and saw stars. You could feel your body becoming overstimulated and your legs began to shake. But you knew that Hongjoong still needed more so you let him continue as you panted and cried. 

And when he came you nearly cried from how primal it was for him. His hand smacked next to your head, clenching at the ground. His forehead laid against yours, your breaths mixing from all the sharp intake of breathing you were doing. He stilled his hips, allowing his length to twitch inside you as you felt a warmth spill from him. 

He sniffled, softly kissing your lips as you both came down from your high. You smiled, feeling the twitches each muscle gave out and the tiredness seeped into you. Your fingers still wanted to touch him so they lightly played along the skin of his chest. 

Finally, Hongjoong leaned to the side, falling over and pulling you close to his side. With his body off of you, you could feel the wind brush past your heated skin. 

For the first time in such a long while the cold didn’t bother you. 

It wasn’t necessarily prohibited to enter the Forest of the Gods, but there were rules to follow. You grew up on the stories each devoted follower would tell you. How someone–if you were lucky enough–you could come across a nymph or mythological monster within the woods. You hadn’t had the chance to actually see them but you have heard them. 

Oh, how much you actually want to see them, get the chance to say you saw an actual nymph.  But you knew better than to anger the gods. You valued your life much more than the curiosity you had. But just because you were cautious doesn’t mean everyone else was. 

You were cleaning your weapons by a river when you suddenly froze at the sound of something getting closer. You didn’t think much of it, not until the sound of giggling reached your ears. At that moment you were sure, they hadn’t noticed your presence. 

It wouldn’t be your fault you saw them but the gods were unforgiving. They acted before someone had the chance to explain. So you tried to quickly gather your stuff, almost dropping things in your haste, before a sound caught you off guard. 

Screams came from around the trees, the giggles having come to an abrupt stop. The screams grew louder, your body moving into action as you raced towards the fight. Your eyes went wide at the large monster scorpion that was terrorizing what you assumed to be nymphs. 

The large insect had one nymph cornered, leaning over them as it geared up its stinger. You felt a shot of adrenaline hit you, pulling out your sword before charging without a thought. You had let out a loud scream when your sword came in contact with a leg, quickly slicing it off. 

You realized what you had done the moment the creature wheezed and yelled from your assault. It quickly turned around ready to charge at you.

“Run!” You screamed at the nymphs. 

The nymphs all began to scatter, not wanting to stay and chat any longer. You didn’t get the chance to see but they were all quickly turned into birds flying high into the trees from any danger. 

You were left in the clearing alone with the angry beast, taking in a deep breath as you began to feel the terror that was intertwining with your nerves. “Oh, Gods of the Forest, please help me.”

The monster had a tough exoskeleton, so you knew the battle was going to be hard. But just like everyone else, this monster must have had a soft spot. Between each joint was an opening, something you knew from where you had cut its leg off. 

So going off that, there must have been an opening in its neck. However, reaching that area was easier said than done. 

By the time you found your opening, you had been thrown into trees, trampled on, almost stabbed twice, and your body was wearing thin. You were on your last bouts of energy–at this point it seemed like you were running off adrenaline. 

Taking in a deep breath, you charged forward without thought, arms raised and sword ready to pierce through. You slid along the ground, coming under the monster's body. With as much force as you could muster, you quickly shoved your weapon into the scorpion's jugular. 

It screamed and withered, its tail trying to curl up to get you out from under it. However you stayed attached by your sword, back scraping against the forest floor as the monster pushed and pulled. 

It wasn’t until finally the scorpion moved off to the side that your sword sliced through its neck. It had screamed one last time before ultimately falling over you, crushing your body. 

Before the tiredness rushed into your system, you struggled to get out. And once you were free you felt everything begin to shut down. You laid panting on your back, eyes looking up past the treeline to follow the clouds. 

Just before the throws of unconsciousness hit you, you saw him. 

He stood there watching over you as the light seemed to cast a glow behind him. You couldn’t see him just yet but you could make out his tunic and the golden crown of leaves he wore atop his head. 

You didn’t want to go to sleep–not when you finally had the chance to see a god up close. But it was hard to stay awake. Even if your brain was–your body was telling you not to. Your fingers twitched at your side, mouth opening and closing as it wanted to say something to him. 

But you couldn’t.

And when he leaned closer, eyes curious, you wished you had more time. But you got the chance to see his breathtaking smile–the love in his eyes as they looked at you. You heard his voice, just before falling into the otherworld. 

And the moment his deep soothing tone hit your ears, it was like a lullaby that put you to sleep.

“You did well.” 

**

It was dark by the time you came to. 

Not only was it dark, but you also found yourself waking up in your own bed with your blanket tucked tightly around you. Your fingers clenched and unclenched your bedding, face scrunching up as you tried to remember how it was you got home. 

You began to pout, feeling frustrated with yourself over the whole ordeal. It bothered you how you felt like half of your memory was missing. At least enough to where you didn’t know if you had actually made it home safely or if someone had stopped you and you just trudged your way home all sad and alone. 

Just as you began to move your feet to crawl out of bed, you suddenly came to a stop as memories of the day came rushing back. 

The scorpion, you remember, defeating and having it almost crush you. The nymphs that you seem to vaguely remember protecting. But most importantly the man who watched over you as you fell unconscious. 

You could remember his smile, the way it grew as he seemed to watch you. His eyes were curious, full of something that seemed to make you blush as you remembered it all. It made you smile bashfully, the feeling of want spreading across your chest. 

You glanced towards your window, seeing the moon high in the sky as it watched over you. You didn’t know for how long you had been resting, but it seemed like your body was ready to get up again. You still felt sore but you amounted that to the bruising you had from the hits. 

Without really knowing why, you felt yourself wanting to go outside–follow along with the wind as the moon shined down. And you didn’t try to fight it. Instead you allowed it to take you outside and into the breeze. 

You felt the air cool down your body from your heated nap. It also felt a bit better on your stinging skin. It was like an ice pack was attached. You closed your eyes as you took in a deep breath from the soothing weather. 

You could feel the moon shining down on your skin. It felt like someone wanted to hug you–like they were trying to show you how appreciative they were. Your feet moved without your consciousness, dragging along the floor as you kept your eyes shut. They were being kissed by the moon’s light, something you found yourself falling in love with. 

You stopped just at the edge of the God’s Forest. Your eyes opened to the trail that led into it, the leaves of the trees draped over the ground like a canopy. It looked beautiful on that night. No scary creatures to catch up to you–only the call of soft whispers coming from the wind. 

You weren’t terrified. You didn’t feel a lick of negative emotions as you traversed into the forest. It was the time most mortals wouldn’t dare to travel into the god’s realm. The night was when the monsters and horrors would come out to find a sad soul who got lost during the day. But you felt something shrouding you, protecting you from the eyes of those that wish to harm you. 

You could hear the splashing water before you could see it. The soft cries of playing puppies entered your ears and it made you smile to finally be able to catch the glimpses of the animals playing in the water. 

There were five puppies all biting and running around with each other while the mother laid a few paces away watching them. They were quick to hear you coming, freezing in their wakes as they turned their heads to watch you. 

They kept their curious eyes on you, but still you stopped moving for fear they would attack. But their mother didn’t get up from her spot, nor did she shift much other than lift her head to get a better look at you. 

All of you waited for the other to do something. You took the first step and smiled at the energetic puppies. 

“Hi.” You squeaked out. 

They barked at you and each other, quickly rushing towards you to get some pets and nibble on your ankles. You giggled to yourself, quickly crouching down to give them the attention they wanted. You didn’t dare to keep from looking at their mother for too long, the animal still keeping a watchful eye on you. 

Your head snapped up the same time the mother’s did as a whistle sound came from within the trees. The puppies all stopped their musings, quickly yapping away as they took off towards the sound. The mother stood up and watched them all go for a moment before turning to look at you. She waited for a moment–waited for you to move forward. 

And when you did, she allowed you to follow behind her puppies. You glanced around, smiling to yourself as the trees started to open more for the moon to shine through. You closed your eyes feeling it glow down on your face. The yipping of the puppies grew louder but softer as they seemed to rush towards something pulling you out of your stupor. 

You opened your eyes, finding them rushing towards a cottage. It had smoke coming out from the chimney, the door opened wide to allow the air to blow through. The mother seemed to brush past you in a hurry, tongue lolled out as she seemed to be in a playful mood. 

More dogs were heard behind the home, some more coming out from within the trees surrounding the clearing. More dogs seemed to come out from behind you, pushing you more forward towards where they seemed to be going. You followed through, walking towards the back of the cottage where there seemed to be a large field. 

It was a large merging of hound dogs that seemed to be of all ages and sizes. Puppies trying to nip at the senior dogs who walked with limps but still seemed to be happy about their travels.  They were being fed by the people of the forest from what you could see. As you grew closer, no one seemed to pay you any mind, just trying to feed all the animals that patiently waited for their time to eat. 

You bowed your head to the people who looked at you, a majority of people had weapons on their backs that told you exactly who they were. You stopped in the middle of the space, looking around in all directions–waiting to be told that you were not supposed to be there. But they didn’t seem to mind you, going about their business. 

“You’re here.”

You turned your head quickly trying to find the person who spoke to you. 

He had a bright smile on his face, his teeth a bright white that seemed to look like the color of the moon. His eyes were sparkling as he casually walked closer to you. You felt your heart rate pick up at the way he seemed to be looking at you. It was a soft look, one that reminded you of a lover you never had. 

A blush overcame your face as he finally came to stand in front of you. You could see everything of him up close now. You could feel his energy–it was something that radiated an energy you couldn’t explain. 

He was a god. You knew that the moment he looked at you. But what’s more–why would a god like him look at you like you were the most precious thing out there?

“You’re him–” You sputtered. “You’re the god–”

“Vernon.” He whispered, stopping you with a soft laugh. 

“I want you to call me Vernon.” He repeated. 

You gasped to yourself, looking around in a panic before bowing your head. 

“No, you don’t have to do that.” He laughed, hands going around your biceps to make you stand back up. 

The flush on your face only seemed to go further down as you realized the god of the moon was touching you. He actually dared to put his hands on a mere mortal like you. What was going on today?

“You’re-You’re touching me.” You wheezed out.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t ask.” He quickly pulled back, worried he had offended you. 

“No-No-You can touch me all you want–” You purse your lips at how odd that sounded. 

You watched as his eyes went wide and he stared at you trying to hold in his laughter. 

“I mean, not in that way obviously because you're also the god of virginity which would be weird if you thought about that in a sexual way. I really doubt you did in the first place–”

“You’re not as smart in talking as you are while fighting.” He cut you off, laughing loud.

You immediately pressed your lips together, the heat just about to get to you as it only seemed to raise your body temperature even further. But once his words seemed to register, you realized something.

“It was you.” You spoke out loud. “When I was fighting that monster.”

He smiled beautifully at you. “You fought really well. The nymphs told me they were so glad you came to save them.”

“Anyone would have done it.” You quickly answered. 

Vernon shook his head. “I believe only someone like you would be capable.”

He smiled again, nodding his head behind him to get you to follow him. You took one more glance around at the dogs and people finally concluding that these were the amazons of the forest. The warriors who hunted with such skill. 

You almost tripped as something seemed to stop at your feet. Looking down you caught sight of a puppy with its tongue sticking out as it looked up at you. You smiled bending down to give him a head pat. He was brown-golden color, around the age of 3 months if you were to go off his size. 

You knew dogs like him were not common in your world and if they were they were surely going to be expensive to buy. He still yipped behind you, happily trotting at your side as you followed his master. 

You were giggling as you looked down at him, not looking up until you bumped into something. Letting out a soft omph sound as you quickly looked up to find Vernon trying to stifle his laughter. 

“Are you alright?” He asked you with a smile. 

You nodded, a bright flush to your cheeks as your lips pulled up. Vernon looked down to the puppy at your feet, bending down to pet him. 

“Most of the pups don’t have names yet. Would you like to give him one?”

“Orion.” You quickly said, not bothering to think on it.

Vernon’s eyebrows went up but he didn’t comment on the name you gave him. “Orion then.”

He showed you his home–the small cottage at the end of the clearing you had passed on the way to follow after the dogs. It was homey enough for the one man. He had everything he needed for his hunting equipment and furniture. It was a beautiful home that made you want to stay all day and night. It made you want to stay within his embrace. 

“It’s not much but it’s home.” Vernon spoke up, moving to take some dirty clothes off the couch. 

“It’s more than enough.” You absentmindedly said. 

“Stay for dinner?” 

And you did. You also stayed the rest of the night until morning. And then you stayed that night too–going out hunting with him for the first time during the day. It was absolutly amazing to see a god like him in his actual element. 

You spent days going back into the forest getting to fight alongside him and the amazons. You learned from each other. You relished in each moment you spent together. It was more than what you could ever learn to feel for someone else. 

And then came the day that he had asked you to go hunting during the night. 

It was different than watching him durning the day in the sun. At night he would glow–he seemed more powerful. It was his destiny to be a hunter but it was more when he would go hunting at night. 

“White stags usually come out at this time of the day.” Her explained, walking so quietly you wondered if he was even touching the ground. 

“There is more than one?” You asked. 

“There have been many who dared to break the rules of the forest.” He said ominously. 

“Stop.” He whispered, hand in front of you to keep from moving further. 

You waited with a bated breath as he moved around your front, allowing you to see the most beautiful animal you had ever seen. It was large, with 10 point antlers that seemed to stretch up into the treetops. It looked powerful even if all it was doing was eating gross.

“Take the shot.” You heard the whisper behind you in your ear. 

You gasped quietly, hands shaking as they gripped your bow. Your eyes didn’t dare to move from the stag but you began to feel your body heat up from how close Vernon was to you. You could feel his breath on your neck, feel the hairs on your arms start to rise as his hands hovered over you. 

Your bow raised, but you kept still–trying to find the perfect aim. However as the deer raised its head you felt your breath get caught in your throat. You couldn’t tell if it had found your position, but it felt like it was looking at you. 

Even if the human had gone against the will of the gods, you couldn’t kill something that used to be a human. 

“I can’t do it.” You said to yourself, lowering your arms. 

It was quiet for the longest of times, the only sound being the wind that blew around you. You felt Vernon leave your side–felt his heat drop leaving you to fend in the cold. Your mouth twitched as a frown was about to overcome you. You wanted to turn around and come face to face with him–see if he was actually disappointed. 

But before you could, you saw his bright light coming from around the trees that surrounded the stag. The animal didn’t flinch, it only turned its head to the god as he grew closer. Vernon held his hand out, waiting for the animal to allow him room to reach further for him. All he did was pet the animal, smiling to himself as he happily continued. 

“You’re strong.” Vernon calmly stated. “Any other hunter would have taken the shot without hesitating.”

He continued to calmly pet the deer’s neck. You placed your bow back on your back, softly walking closer in fear of having the stag run away. But it stayed, allowing Vernon to continue his ministries. 

“The white stag is one of the greatest hunts anyone could ever have. But they too have lives and treasures they valued.” Vernon turned to you, grabbing onto your hand gently. 

He pulled it up to the deers snout, you flinching just a bit as the cold snout touched your skin. 

“They might have been humans in their past lives and were forced to atone for their sins but they were still human. It takes a real mortal to know when to stop.”

You began to giggle as the animal licked at your palm, trying to get the salt from your sweat. You could feel Vernon’s stare on you as you enjoyed your time within his forest realm. It was something that made him so happy to know that someone like you was out there to showcase what the good side of humanity was like. 

“I love you.”

When you froze, the animal had stopped licking your palm sensing your change in emotions. But you didn’t care. All you could hear was the sound of your heart beat. All you could see was Vernon’s heavenly glow in front of you. All you could feel was the strong impending high of falling in love. 

Nothing could have prepared you for the truth behind a god’s words. You knew what you had always felt from him the moment he allowed himself to be in front of you. You were alucky soul to even get the chance to see a god in person without getting turned into some kind of animal. 

And even more, nothing could have prepared you when it came to falling in love with a god. 

“Why?” You asked out loud, trying to understand the feelings of a god.

Vernon chuckled, turning away from the stag to face you fully. He reached a hand to your face, softly rubbing at your cheek with his thumb. 

“You are so much more than just a mere mortal. You are an amazing person with such an amazing heart. The moment I saw you throw yourself head first into that scorpion to defend the nymphs I knew you were a valuable hunter.”

He drew his face closer to yours, leaning down to brush his nose with yours. 

“You’ve come to mean so much to me, that I can’t bear to see you hurting.”

“Then don’t allow me to hurt.” You whispered. “Please.”

“Never.”

And his lips pressed against yours. 

It was an unexplainable feeling being kissed by a god. You’ve heard the stories of being blessed but never something as powerful as being loved by one. You could never dare to tell anyone of this hidden secret. You didn’t want to share his love with others. It was only for you and you alone. 

You could feel his lips warm against your own. Feel how he seemed to pour everything he had into you. You wanted to think he was giving you life if only for a moment. But in reality it was just the amount of love you both had for one another. 

There was nothing better than getting to love a god. 

But god’s were not meant to love mortals. 

**

You didn’t even get the chance to enjoy your love high for more than a couple hours because when you returned home that morning things made you remember that you were only a mortal in the eyes of those who lived in the heavens. 

The sun was shining brightly in the sky. It was still early enough to catch the birds making their way and the villagers waking up to start their chores. It was fresh, enough to know that today was going to be a good weather kind of day. 

But it wasn’t for you.

There was no sign of someone breaking into your home. All the doors and windows were locked and all of your things were still where they should be. 

It was the person sitting calmly at your eating table that made you gasp and reach for your bow. 

You were quick to reel it back and notch a bow. Aiming it directly at the man who sat calmly at the table. He only took a sip of whatever drink he had helped himself to and turned to you with a stoic expression. 

“You’re home.” He spoke calmly. 

“Who are you?” You demand, tightening your hand on the string. 

“How rude of me.” He stood up. 

He wasn’t the tallest of people but he was large in build. He was well put together not a single hair out of place nor a blemish on his face. 

He was godly. Something you realized the more you looked at him. It only seemed to be more true with how the sun casted behind him in a glow that made him look more powerful. It didn’t take you long to know who he was. 

“You’re the sun god.” You spoke quietly, lowering your bow. 

He turned to look behind him at the window that had the sun shining through it. “What gave it away?” 

There was something about this god that bothered you. He was intimidating in a way that left you scared of saying/doing something he didn’t like. He was one of the god who would turn you into a stag if he so pleased. 

“You should know by now I’m not here for formalities.” He grew closer to you, almost nose to nose. “To put it simply, I want you to stay away from my brother.”

Your breath got caught in your throat, words not able to form from how you could feel the world around you caving in. 

There are consequences–there will always be consequences to interacting with a god. And to love one in a romantic sense? Those usually end with tragedies. It was always like that–someone falling in love with a god and another doesn’t like that. And now that it was voiced, you knew someone else was bound to know. 

“Your silence tells me you’ll follow my rule.” He pulled back, nose turned up. “Good.” 

He didn’t say anymore, moving by you without so much as a glance. You could feel everything within you falling. It felt shattering to think about how you would no longer get to see Vernon. It made you mad–angry for Vernon to know that his brother was dictating his life. 

But you knew better–even if one god loved you, the others would still see you as a mortal. And yet you couldn’t let go.

“Why?” 

The god stopped, sighing deeply before turning around. “Why what?”

“Why-” You paused looking down to the floor because of how scared you were. “Why can’t I see him?”

Woozi frowned, giving you a look that made you feel incompetent. “Are you asking a god why they are telling you to do something?” He questioned. 

You were once again caught off guard, knowing you were in no position to question a god. But you didn’t want to give up on that kind of love. Not when you felt something so special.

“I’ll put it this way, if you don’t stop seeing Vernon you’re punishment will hurt more than just you.” 

Your first thought was Vernon. You couldn’t possibly know what Woozi had in mind but you couldn’t bear the thought of having him heartbroken. You had no clue what the sun god was capable of. But from the other stories they weren’t above fighting with each other even if they were family. 

All of them were ruthless. 

“I’ll stay away from him.” You spoke quietly, looking down to the ground. “Just–Don’t hurt him.”

“He is my brother. I will only ever want what’s best for him.” Woozi told you. “Even if I have to be cruel.”

He went to turn around again, only to stop. “Gods don't ask for something without returning. There will come a day when your cooperation will be rewarded.” 

And he left you to your own devices. 

The sun burning on your back made tears pool in your eyes. There would be no escaping the angry sun god. They saw and knew everything–no matter if the moon was high in the sky, Woozi would always know. 

You weren’t able to count how long you had stayed sitting at your table. How many days had passed. How many nights you could feel the moon looking at you through the window. How many times you wish to yourself you were able to see him. 

He didn’t come looking for you. 

You wondered if it was because he had lied or if it was because he was threatened too. It took 7 days before you found yourself believing in something once more. 

You still had yet to leave your home, bustling about in your bed–moving to and fro to the dinning table to stomach some kind of broth because you knew you couldn’t eat anything else. Your weapons had begun to rust in such a small amount of time you wondered if perhaps they had been cursed just as you. 

You sat crossed legs on the floor of your cottage, picking away at the floorboards in a numbing situation when you heard scratching at the front door. You only glanced towards the door the first time, thinking maybe you had just heard it in your head. 

When you heard it again, louder this time, you finally gave it your attention. You hadn’t gotten the chance to get up before a loud banging was heard along with the scratches. You huffed to yourself, getting annoyed with whoever was at the door and was daring to face your mopping mood. 

Just as the next bang was heard, you swung the door open. “What!?” 

You froze in your spot finding no one standing outside your door. Sticking your head out you tried to look around until you felt something on your legs. You flinched and let out a short yell, hand flying to your chest to cradle your scared heart. 

Looking down your breath got caught in your throat at the animal standing before you. 

The puppy had gotten much bigger in the week that you had last seen him. He almost reached your knees at this point and it made your heart clench at how long it had actually been since you last saw Vernon. 

“Orion.” You whispered, slowly crouching down to meet the dog face to face. 

Your hands fell into his ears, brushing them through the soft fur. Your nose began to run–head burning from the tears pooling in your eyes. 

“Orion.” You cried, pulling him in to rub your cheek along his head. 

You found yourself having trouble trying to breathe. An attack was coming on from how all your emotions were finally catching up to you. It had been a long week, and this was just something that you needed to see. 

Maybe you weren’t able to have someone there to calm you down but you did have the one thing between you and Vernon to hold on to. Once you had let go of everything you held onto, you pulled back to hold Orion’s cheeks between your hands. 

“Even if we don’t see each other in this life again,” You looked up into the bright blue sky, the Moon sitting there by itself with no clouds in sight. “I know you’ll always be there.”

~~~~~~~~

“What time is it?” A sleepy Woozi asked, startling awake from his slumber. 

You looked up from your tablet, glancing his way before checking the time. “It’s currently 10.”

“Did I fall asleep?”

You gave Jihoon a deadpanned look, waiting for him to answer his own question. “You’ve been asleep for two hours.”

“Two hours! Why didn’t you say anything!?” He groaned, quickly moving his fingers along the buttons of his soundboard before you stood up.

You quickly shut off the thing after he had turned it back on, knowing that everything he was working on had been saved two hours before. “Because you need the sleep. And I know you weren’t going to take it at the dorm.”

Turning around from him, you began to gather your things, slipping your jacket on. “Let’s get home first. Just until you have to wake up tomorrow.”

“But I have so much time left-”

“And I have a dog to take out.” You retorted. 

Woozi stopped, shoulders dropping as he swiveled his chair around to face you. “You know your job ends at 5. Why are you still here?”

“My job ends when you get home safely.” You told him. “And close your whittle eyes to fall into dreamland.”

“Out of all the bodyguards, I get stuck with you.” Woozi rubbed at his forehead. “Why?”

“I ask the same thing everyday.” You grinned. “I like to think in a past life you did something terrible to warrant someone as annoying as me in your life.”

“How stupid of me.” He whispered to himself. “I’m going.”

You could remember how fresh out of the academy you were when applying to be the bodyguard to some idol. It started off as a background character in the guards who were just there for social distancing. You had been the only one to stay long enough to see so many promotions until finally reaching the personal bodyguard to one of the members of Seventeen. 

The last one you could have possibly wanted for some reason or another just so ended up being the one you had to take care of. You didn’t have any personal issues with Jihoon but there was something that struck your heart every time you looked at him. 

There were times you were scared of doing the wrong thing and having him punish you. In the beginning it was like walking around eggshells, trying to gauge what kind of person he was. But after so long you found him to be charming and caring. He took your words to heart–oftentimes following what you had to say about his health. 

Besides he knew no one else was as well versed in health as you were going to be. 

You overcame that fear at one point. Turning him into one of your closest friends. There was nothing you could ever want to give up the friendships you had with all of the members of Seventeen. 

Woozi’s phone lit up signaling someone was calling. A blush overtook your face and a smile fell onto your lips when you saw the contact photo on the screen. 

“It’s Vernon.” You called over your shoulder, handing the man his phone. 

Woozi pouted his lips, watching you with suspicion. He ultimately had to take the phone and got an earful from not only the American/Korean but also some of the other younger members. His face showed how tired he was but he followed you along to the garage park as his brothers screamed in the background. 

You took the driver's seat allowing the man to rest up in the passenger. Once he finally hit the end call button he let out a deep sigh and rested back against the seat. You gave him a pointed look, but knew he wouldn’t be able to see. 

“Do you like Vernon?”

You almost lost grip on the steering wheel as you sputtered from Woozi’s question. “What?”

“Do you like Vernon?” Woozi asked again, turning to face you. “I’ve noticed for a while now. You’re not you when he’s around. It’s like you look at him with some kind of glow that only happens when someone is in love.”

“You know what love looks like?” You questioned instead. 

He swallowed, thinking about it for a moment. “I think I did.”

There was a red light that had you stopped and looking at him honestly. You sighed, turning around before falling back into the seat. 

“I don’t know what to call it.” You began. “I just feel like there’s something I need to be seeing but can’t.”

You turned to look at him resting against the seat. “Does it bother you?”

He cracked one eye open, looking at you before going back to resting. “Not at all.”

You guys didn’t speak anymore longer until you reached the dorms. You allowed him to get off first before going after him gathering all your things. You lived in the same building as the boys–the other personal bodyguards doing the same. So it was normal to walk with him up to the floor he needed to get to. 

Before you could walk away and to your own destination, Woozi stopped. 

“This isn’t our past lives. This is now.” He told you. “Take the chance this time.”

Woozi frowned, thinking about his words before smiling to himself. He walked away chuckling to himself, giving you a backwards wave before turning a corner out of sight. You grinned, laughing to yourself at his words. 

You seemed to be in a better mood as you walked into your dark apartment, hearing the clicks of nails along the floor. 

“Hey, Arty.” You smiled, crouching down to pet the soft golden fur of your dog. 

It was around the time you met all the boys that you got the dog. He was only a puppy at the time which made things hard to control with a job and a puppy to train but you had a handle on things. It made sense to you–getting a pet at the moment. Especially when you had walked past that pet shop to see him looking at you. 

It felt right. 

“Come on. Let’s go for your walk.”

It wasn’t really ideal to take a dog out for a walk at 11 at night but it wasn’t like you ever went far. The apartment building had its own courtyard which oftentimes allowed him to run freely. It wasn’t for long–only enough to play fetch and then go back to do your business before bed. 

On a normal day you would be getting home around 2 in the morning because Woozi decided to stay in the studio during comeback season. It wasn’t anything you weren’t used to but it was the career you wanted. There was something about getting the chance to protect the boys in your own way. It brought a smile to your face to hear their praises for how good you were at your job. An ego boost almost. 

As you threw the ball once more for Arty to fetch, you laughed to yourself at his large body bounding towards the ball. But suddenly there was something that was calling to you. 

Turning to look up at the sky you smiled at the moon shining down at you. Standing right next to it was Orion’s constellation, the one you could easily distinguish since you were a little kid. 

“The constellation next to the moon is Orion.” 

Turning around you gave a smile to the man walking closer to you. 

“Yeah, I think that’s one of the first ever constellations I knew about.” You told Vernon. 

He walked closer to you, standing at your side as the both of you looked up at the sky.

“The story was that Artemis loved Orion because he was a great hunter. But Apollo didn’t like them together so he tricked his sister into killing him.” You retold him somberly. “But she had him turned into stars.”

Vernon hummed, nodding his head along. 

“I don’t think she killed him.” 

You turned to face him, watching as he went on to explain his story. 

“To me the story went that Orion love Artemis so much the day that Apollo told him to stay away he listened because he didn’t want Artemis to be hurt. So he sacrificed their love for her to remain without pain.”

Your lips pulled up into a smile. “I like that story much better.”

Arty came bounding up to your legs, happy to see Vernon. 

“Hey, Arty.” The man giggled, hand moving to pet the dog. 

“Why are you up?” You asked. 

“Moon keeps me awake.” Vernon laughed. “Besides, I like coming out here when you do.”

There was something thumping in your heart. It made your hands sweat but it also made your head full of air that seemed to have you in a high. You could never really explain why you were so attached to Vernon in that kind of matter. But you knew that felt right.It felt right to be with him. 

Like things were finally where they needed to be.

“I do too.”

“What area are we in?” Moonbyul asked, looking around. 

There were a total of four portal keys. You had taken one and hoped that it didn’t open out in the general area. The boys had forced the girls to go with you just in case things went south the moment you opened a door. 

Luckily for your group, you were immediately welcomed by the sight of lockers and benches inside tiled floors. There were showers off to the side and towels placed in certain areas. You quickly knew where you had entered and cautiously glanced from side to side trying to find others looking around. 

“It's the pool locker room. This is where Jimin stayed most of the time.” You answered, looking around trying to find something out of order. 

Footsteps were heard coming out of the shower rooms. You all froze staring wide eyed at the person heading in your direction. When the man who had been taking his time to shower saw the large group of women all staring at him, he froze in his steps as well.

He had a towel wrapped around his waist, hands frozen in his hair as he had been drying it with another towel. 

“What are you all doing in here?” He suddenly frowned, looking at all of you appalled. 

“Dongwook!” IU gasped, her lips pulling up into a large smile as she moved to the front of the group.

Dongwook’s breath got caught in his throat as he looked down at the swan maiden. His eyes were wide and his lips were open as he tried to comprehend that she was really in front of him. 

“IU? But—How did he get you!? What are you doing here!?” He cried, dropping the towel in his hands to pull at the girl’s arms. 

“Shhh! We don't want to get caught.” Wheein rushed forward, trying to get the man to calm down. “And put some clothes on!”

“Don't tell me to shush. And you're the one in the men's showers.” He speaks to her with an incredulous look. 

You finally moved forward, catching the man’s attention as he realized who you were. “We've come to rescue all of you.”

“What?” He frowned. 

“We've come from our home world. We're going to take you all back.” IU spoke up, giving him a kind smile. 

You watched as Dongwook seemed to take some time to process what it was the woman was telling him. But the moment he got a hang of it, it was clear that he was feeling all kinds of emotions. 

You could only begin to imagine how each and everyone of the patients might be feeling the moment they hear they are going back home. Anyone would be more than thrilled–more than appreciative to go back home. It was one thing to be gone from your home because you were doing something out of town but to be gone because someone forced you. In a different universe no less. Hearing the words that you were going back home was a miracle. 

It made you smile thinking about your boys. 

“Well damn, let me put on some clothes and I'll help you.” Dongwook quickly said, turning around to get his clothing.

“Age did him justice.” Solar nodded to the other valkyries who agreed with her. 

“Where do we go from here?” IU asked, turning to you. 

“We have to find where everyone else is and tell those close by that one of the doors is in here.” You began to explain. “Dongwook you try to lead as many as you can back here. The nurses won't suspect you. For now we'll try to gather as many as we can without suspicion.”

When they all gave you nods in understanding, you quickly began to move around the room, trying to find if anyone else was around the facility. 

“What are you going to do?” Hwasa asked. 

You stop, taking in a breath. It stuck with you what Taehyung had told you. You had no idea where they were–if they were still even out there–but you knew he would never be whole without them. 

“Fearies are supposed to have wings.” You spoke up looking at them all. “I need to find Taehyung's wings.”

“Aren't they looking for you?” Wheein told you.

“I'll try to find a disguise. Don't worry about me. You try to get the others out as fast as you can.” You spoke softly, looking at them all expectantly. 

Walking out into the pool hallway, you made your way to the girl’s locker room. You found it odd how there was a pair of hospital clothes in some draws but you figured it was for people to get new pairs. So you dress yourself up and hope for the best with all the other nurses. 

There weren't really many people out in the hallways but you still continued with caution. Every patient that came across you would look at you wide eyed–surprised you were back. They tried to warn you the best they could about Hanseol looking for you and the boys, but you just explained to them why you were back. 

They still looked at you oddly before tears would begin to fill their eyes. Some decided to help you while others were told to go to the locker room. They sent the children first, making sure each of them were safe. 

You felt confident in the amount of people who were going through the doors–the boys having been keeping you up to date with how many they’ve been sending. Out of the 50 patients in the entire facility 37 have already made it through.

Just as you were turning a corner after sending an older woman on her way, alarms began to blare overhead, the commotion to make you feel unsettled. 

You froze and looked wide eyed as nurses began to rush past. You stuck to the wall allowing the staff and security to rush by. They didn’t pay you any mind, seemingly doing their own thing as they began to open and close doors. 

“(Y/N)! Who set off the alarm!?” Seokjin’s voice resounded through your head. 

You felt something was off as the hall turned quiet aside from the alarms. 

“Kyung knows we are here.” Hoseok's voice warned all of you.

“You have to go back with the others.” 

Your eyes went wide at Namjoon’s command. “What about you?”

“We'll be fine. You have to be safe.”

“Namjoon—”

“Don't argue. Please, for our sake.” Yoongi spoke quietly. 

You clenched your jaw, knowing that you weren’t going to be able to change their minds. But there was something stopping you from listening to what they had to say. You needed to find Taehyung’s wings somehow. At this point you knew they had to be here–it was something in your gut telling you they were. 

“Jagiya.” Taehyung’s soft voice called for you.

His voice only strengthened your resolve. But you knew you would have to lie, if only just for a moment.

You sighed, looking down to the ground. “Okay.”

With the seven boys they all looked at each with grateful glances. They were glad to know you didn’t try arguing, however they didn’t know how far you were from the door. And if you were alone it only made things worse. 

“You had the chance to stay at home and yet you all returned. I knew none of you would ever be able to leave behind everyone.”

They all stopped in their tracks and turned to find the man who had taken them all from their home 10 years ago. He looked mad, much more than normal. It seemed like he wasn’t well put together like he had always been. It seemed as though during their departure things had taken a downturn for the demon. 

“Your ways end here, Hanseol. You've hurt enough people.” Namjoon glared, pushing forward in the group to stand in the front.

“I am not hurting anyone!” Hanseol screamed. “You'd be dead by now if it wasn't for my thinking and research! I am not the bad guy here. I am helping others.”

“You're helping humans.” Jin spat out. 

“Oh, so now you hate them? What about your pretty little mate? Think I don't remember her?” 

Each of them suddenly went ridged. Jin felt Taehyung suddenly grab onto his arm, scared that they were after (Y/N). Yoongi gave Namjoon a worried glance, but the leader only turned to Hobi who gave him a subtle nod to him that she was currently okay. 

For now. 

“Oh how easy human lives are to just break. That is why I am doing what I do. To give them a better future. Better chances of surviving.”

“At the risks of other creatures. None of them deserve what you did.” Jimin retorted. 

“Did what? You were always the ones who offered themselves in their place. We hardly ever touched the others compared to you.”

“Enough of this stupid talk! All of you come back to the facility and I'll let bygones be bygones.”

“You're not okay, Hanseol.” Hobi called out. 

“I am perfectly capable! If you won't come with me then I'll just take you!”

Before any of them could say anything else, Hanseol’s head suddenly turned to the side and a loud crack was heard. All seven of them gasped, taking a step back as the hands that were wrapped around the demon quickly let go of him. 

As Bangtan looked up, their emotions spiked as they watched Kyong look down at Hanseol’s dead body. 

“He doesn't understand when others are stronger than him. If someone was going to kill him it would be me.” The man spoke nonchalantly. 

“Kyong.” Jungkook growled. 

“Nice to see you all again. What a sweet reunion this is.” The man grinned devilishly. “I'm going to enjoy picking you all off.”

Kyong cracked his head, fingers twitching as his fingers turned a black from the magic that seemed to begin to seep out of him. Hoseok felt a shiver go down his spine, feeling something off with the man’s magic. 

“It's seven against one. You really think yourself stronger?” Namjoon asked, lips pulled up in a snarl as he took a defensive stance. 

“You've been stuck here for years. You hardly know an ounce of what I do. You could never try to stop me. Besides who is going to save your little mate.”

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