#attf

Over the next few weeks, you were able to put your strange encounter with the man from the painting out of your mind. You asked Jimin about it once, but he just shrugged and told you that his brother didn’t really like people, before going back to playing with Injeolmi. He really was whipped for your cat, and you had to supervise him strictly to make sure that he didn’t just let Injeolmi eat a whole bag of treats at once.

Gradually, as you eased up and realized that they truly had no intention of harming you, you had the chance to interact more with the six vampires you saw on a regular basis. Meals together became a nightly occurrence, and you found things to do with each member. It was fun to watch Jin cook for you, since you’d never had a chance to cook for yourself at the Guild. Yoongi volunteered to teach you how to play the piano, Namjoon took you gardening, and the maknaes seemed to be a package deal, all of them hanging out with you (and your cat) together. You’d even managed to strike up a lukewarm relationship with Taehyung, despite him trying to eat you the first night you’d met.

Eventually, you had to admit that maybe this ambassadorship wasn’t that bad after all. Even though you missed the Guild and being with all your fellow hunters (especially Jennie), being here let you see a whole different side of vampires. You didn’t know why they were so different from the mindless, bloodthirsty creatures that roamed the streets at night, but this gave you hope that maybe there was a better future. One that didn’t involve so much death and fear for everyone involved.

Plus, being here gave you so much more freedom. You’d grown up in the Guild, unlike most of the other hunters, and your entire life had always been strictly regimented, training and more training to be a hunter. Sad as it may seem, the Head was the closest thing you had to a father figure. In comparison to the spartan life you’d led at the Guild, being able to explore your interests in music, literature and food was like opening your eyes to a whole new world.

You couldn’t remain completely insulated from what was going on in the world, however. You continued to keep in touch with the hunters at the Guild, especially those who had been your friends, and what you were hearing was concerning, to say the least. There had been a rise in the number of vampire attacks on the public, and the vampires were getting increasingly vicious. The number of deaths and injuries among the hunters’ ranks was spiking, and no one at the Guild knew what had changed among the vampires.

This put you in a bit of a dilemma. Was it your job as ambassador to talk to the vampires about this and try to find a solution? The Head hadn’t told you to investigate, or even updated you on what was going on with the hunters, but you couldn’t help but feel some responsibility for what was happening. You were supposed to help improve the relationship between humans and vampires, right?

It hadn’t occurred to you till now that you actually knew very little about the role you were supposed to be filling. You’d been too engrossed in enjoying yourself at the manor with the vampires who seemed intent on catering to your every whim to think about it, especially since you were stuck here and not out on the streets. Out of sight, out of mind, the saying went.

Maybe you should take your ambassador duties more seriously, you thought. As soon as you figured out what they were. Talking to Seokjin seemed like a good place to start.

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Hoseok was so thirsty. Every breath he took felt like sandpaper rasping along his throat, and yet he was unable to quench his thirst. Blood from the bags they stocked up on smelled awful to him, and when he did force himself to drink it, it came right back up every time.

Born vampires usually didn’t need to feed that often. He’d gone longer than this without blood before and been fine, and he wished he didn’t know why this was happening now. Even if he was willing to take a mate, the last thing he needed in his life was a hunter. The irony of it all was not lost on him – it was the hunters who had murdered Minhee, and now the fates were trying to force him into this?

He’d rather starve to death, and as the weeks passed and his condition deteriorated, the possibility of it happening loomed large.

Still, he didn’t want to let his brothers know what was going on, not wanting to worry them any more than he already did. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what they said about him behind his back, although he chose to let them believe that he remained oblivious. He wished, more than anyone, that he could be the cheerful, jovial man he’d been in his past, if not for himself, then for them, but every day weighed heavily in his heart and his soul. He should have died with Minhee four hundred years ago, and he still didn’t know how he’d survived.

Curled up in bed in the dark room, he struggled to keep his breathing even. In, out, in, out, he repeated to himself. The windows were drawn shut to keep all sunshine out, since in his weakened state, there was no way he would survive exposure. In contrast to his weak, trembling muscles, his senses were heightened, and it felt like he could hear everything in the manor, from the footsteps of his brothers to the heartbeat of the human who was responsible for his condition.

His fists clenched, his nails digging into the flesh of his palms as he struggled to keep his fangs from descending. In, out, in, out. Was he burning up from the inside? The instinct to run straight to you threatened to overwhelm him, and he clutched the tiny portrait of Minhee like a talisman.

No, he told himself. It was only in his mind. He could get through this. He’d done it before, even though it was still a mystery how he’d gotten through it then.

The safety of everyone in this house depended on it. You were not for him.

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“Hey, has anyone seen Hoseok-hyung recently?” Taehyung wondered. You had yet to arrive at the table for dinner, so he took the opportunity to sate his curiosity about his aloof older brother, who’d been on his mind ever since you’d asked about it.

Namjoon and Seokjin exchanged glances. “Why?” Seokjin asked cautiously. They tried not to talk to the younger vampires too often about Hoseok, since it was something of a sore spot for them. They basically thought he was just a jerk, which to be fair, the older vampires could see, but after he’d already been through so much in his life, he deserved some slack.

Taehyung shrugged. “Y/n-ie asked Jiminie about him the other day. I was just curious. I didn’t know they’d met.”

Namjoon hummed noncommittally. “Did she say anything about him?” Would he need to run interference between you and Hoseok? There was something big going on here, it seemed, and he needed to do some research.

“Just that he seemed kind of irritable,” Jimin piped up. “She’s not wrong.”

Yoongi, usually quiet and impassive, made a noise of disapproval. “Don’t be so rude about your hyung.”

“Well, he is,” Taehyung said defensively. Jungkook kept quiet. He knew his hyung could be grumpy and unsociable, but he was nice sometimes. Over the past four centuries that they’d been living together, he’d run into Hoseok a few times since his room was the closest to the other vampire. When Hoseok was in a chatty mood, they often spent hours together just talking about stuff, and Hoseok was actually happy enough to share details about what it had been like in the past – provided, of course, that Jungkook didn’t ask too many questions about his mate.

Hearing you come down the stairs, Seokjin was quick to shut the discussion down. “Stop it,” he said firmly. “You know Hoseok is struggling, and you should be more understanding,” he rebuked.

“He’s been struggling for four hundred years,” Taehyung muttered under his breath, though everyone heard it. “You’d think he’d get over whatever it is he’s moping about by now.”

Only your arrival stopped Yoongi from leaping clear across the dining table at Taehyung.

“Good evening, everyone,” you chirped, not noticing the tense atmosphere. When they merely turned to you, still wearing somber frowns, you stopped short. “Is everything okay?” you asked tentatively, standing by the entryway of the dining room.

Your question seemed to break the oppressive air. “Of course everything’s fine,” Seokjin told you, smiling warmly. The others made varying noises of assent, and the mood shifted back to normal, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that they were hiding something from you.

It seemed it wasn’t only the Guild that had its secrets it wanted to keep. The sense that you were out of your depth grew.

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“Hoseok-hyung?” Jungkook stood outside Hoseok’s door, a bundle of blood bags in his hands. He hadn’t seen Hoseok leave his room in ages, and figured that his stash had to be running low by now. He didn’t bother knocking or raising his voice, knowing that his brother would hear him just fine.

Hoseok had actually heard him coming down the hall but was steadfastly ignoring him. Still in bed, huddled under the covers, he stayed as quiet as possible so that Jungkook would give up and leave. He’d heard every word of the conversation earlier, of course, and didn’t much feel like talking about you or your cat. Maybe he’d been a little rude to you, but it was for your own good (and his). He didn’t need to be scolded like a recalcitrant child.

“Hyung?” Jungkook was nothing if not tenacious, and Hoseok knew he was going to leave easily.

“Go away,” Hoseok growled.

“Come on, hyung, I brought some food for you,” Jungkook tried to cajole the older vampire.

Starvation must be weakening his willpower, because Hoseok capitulated easily enough even though he didn’t need the blood. His fridge was still full; he hadn’t even tried drinking for about two weeks. “Fine, come in.”

Jungkook opened the door slowly, peering in. It was pitch black, but that didn’t bother him – vampires had excellent night vision, after all. Still, it took him a moment to locate Hoseok, buried under a mountain of blankets and pillows.

“You doing okay there, hyung?” Jungkook asked cautiously, padding across the room.

“Yeah,” Hoseok grunted, although it was clearly a lie. Even though Hoseok was mostly covered up, Jungkook could see the way his cheekbones had hollowed slightly and hear the slight tremor in his voice, as if speaking was too much effort for him.

“Jesus, hyung, what’s going on with you?” Concerned now, Jungkook picked up his pace and was at Hoseok’s bedside in a matter of seconds.

“Nothing, just go away,” Hoseok groaned, pulling the covers over his head. The last thing he needed was for Jungkook to realise what was going on and blab to everyone in the house. It wasn’t like there were many things that could cause vampires to become sickly like this, and the deterioration was happening so quickly that there really was only one explanation. Even if Jungkook didn’t know, the older vampires would, and he wasn’t ready for that.

“Come on, you look awful,” Jungkook begged. “Are you okay?”

“What are you going to do, find a doctor for me?” Hoseok snapped, though it lacked its usual heat because he didn’t have the energy.

“I can get Namjoon-hyung,” Jungkook responded. Actually, maybe he should get him anyway. He’d know what to do.

“No!” Hoseok exclaimed, poking his head out from the covers. “No, don’t,” he repeated in a more measured tone.

“Hyung, you look awful,” Jungkook said, peering closer now. “Are you sure you don’t need any help?”

“I know what the problem is, and you can’t do anything about it.” Well, more like Hoseok was too stubborn to do anything about it, but it was the same difference in his mind.

“Really? What is it?” Far from being deterred by Hoseok’s words, Jungkook perked up curiously.

Hoseok groaned. “None of your business. Just go away.”

“Hyuuuung—” Jungkook, as the youngest, had learned that whining got him his way more often than not, and employed it now to try and coax the truth from his older brother.

This time, however, it didn’t work. Hoseok was determined to keep his secret, even if it cost him his life. Death would probably be better than the purgatory he was currently living in, anyway. Ducking back into his blanket burrito, he ignored Jungkook’s further entreaties, until finally the younger vampire had no choice but to leave, dejected and more worried than ever.

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After your meal, everyone went their own separate directions, as usual. You, on the other hand, requested to speak to Seokjin privately after the meal. He accepted your request, and you made your way to the study together.

On your way there, Seokjin, ever the polite gentleman, inquired after your wellbeing at the manor, and asked whether there was anything he could do to make your stay more comfortable. You demurred, of course. Even though you were thoroughly enjoying your time at the manor, you were still confused about why they treated you so well, since you were technically here on work and not a guest. Although in all fairness, you had to acknowledge, it wasn’t like you’d been doing much work around here.

Well, that was going to change tonight, you told yourself. You’d decided to ask Seokjin what he knew about the recent spike in vampire attacks, and whether there was anything he could do. At the very least, you’d find out more about the dynamics of the vampire world. Killing every vampire that you chanced upon, while necessary for the safety of the public, wasn’t exactly the best way to understand the supernatural.

Seokjin settled into his seat behind the desk and you sank into the now-familiar chair in front of him. “Now,” he said, his fingers steepled together. “What did you want to ask me?”

You cleared your throat, wishing you’d had some diplomatic training or something before being thrust into this situation. “Well,” you started, trying to project more confidence than you were actually feeling. “It’s come to my attention that the vampire attacks on the public have increased in number and severity.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “Is that so?”

“That’s what my contacts at the Guild have told me,” you confirmed. “I just wanted to bring this to your attention, if you didn’t already know.”

Truth be told, he was very aware of what was going on outside the walls of the manor. The vampires living here (minus Hoseok, of course) took turns going out to stock up on supplies and observing. Taehyung and Namjoon had been on one such trip the night they’d found you.

However, “We aren’t typically in the habit of interfering in the events that occur outside the manor,” he informed you smoothly.

You frowned, confused. “You’re not?” That was new.

“No,” he confirmed. “There’s a reason why we retreated here.” His expression tightened as he said it, like he’d tasted something sour, and you knew that whatever it was, it was a traumatic memory for him.

That led to more questions in your mind, though. If they didn’t have anything to do with what was happening outside the manor walls, then why were you here? Obviously, the Guild Head had wanted you out of the way, but he could have just had you dishonourably discharged or something if he was that upset. And why had they wanted you here in the first place? You were once again questioning everything after having complacently accepted things for so long.

Seokjin could probably tell from your expression that you were about to implode as your mind went into overdrive. “I can find out what’s happening if you insist, though,” he said hastily. The last thing he needed was for you to start asking questions and getting all belligerent again.

Your brow furrowed. That was a very rapid 180-turn. “Really?” you asked suspiciously, wondering if he was just trying to placate you.

He was, but now that he was committed, he had every intention of following through. It wouldn’t be as difficult as you thought – he was pretty sure he knew what was going on anyway. The only thing he didn’t know was why.

“Yes, you have my word,” he promised.

“All right,” you accepted. “Thank you.”

He nodded, and you could tell from the subtle way his gaze drifted away from you that he was busy thinking about something else and you were being dismissed. “I won’t take up any more of your time, then,” you excused yourself to return to your own quarters.

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Injeolmi was never pleased about being shut in your quarters alone for too long, and you didn’t know why, since your rooms here were much more spacious and luxurious than the tiny room you’d lived in at the Guild. He’d never even left your room then, so your only conclusion was that you were spoiling him way too much.

When you opened the door, he ran to you, meowing excitedly, and you rolled your eyes. “You’re such a drama queen,” you reprimanded him playfully, though you were happy enough to pick him up for a cuddle. Still carrying him, you walked over to the coffee table, where you’d left your phone.

Your chat history with Jennie was filled with mostly mindless chatter as you updated her on what you’d been up to at the manor. Gardening with Namjoon, learning how to cook from Seokjin, music lessons with Yoongi… you were excited to tell her about it all.

The last message was you telling her that you had to leave to have dinner with the boys. She’d left you on read after that, but you didn’t mind, excited to tell her your news.

Y/N: Talked to Seokjin, he says he’ll look into it!

Jennie: Did he explain anything?

Y/N: No, but he said he’d look into it.

Jennie: That doesn’t sound like much of a commitment. People are dying.

Y/N: I trust him, unnie.

Jennie: Enough to bet the lives of the hunters?

You paused. That was a strange and extreme way to look at it, you thought. Weren’t you all fighting on the same side here?

Y/N: What’s that supposed to mean?

You saw the dots that indicated Jennie was typing appear, then disappear, then appear again. This happened a few more times, and you were sure she was going to leave you on read again, when a message popped up.

Jennie: You remember that they’re vamps, right?

Y/N: I know, but they’ve been really nice. Maybe vamps aren’t that bad.

You hesitated before sending that last message. It might not be what Jennie wanted to hear, but you thought she needed to know. Being here had really changed your perspective on vampires, and you hoped she would trust you enough to understand where you were coming from. After all, hunters lived a life of discipline, filled with sacrifice and death. All of you accepted that this was necessary, but… what if it wasn’t? What if you could set all the hunters free from their burdens?

Jennie didn’t reply after that. You sighed, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected. She’d probably need some time to process things, which you fully understood. After all, it had taken a while for you to accept that there was more to vampires than you knew before, and you were living here among them, able to see with your own eyes that the things you’d been taught at the Guild weren’t necessarily true.

You’d try to talk to her again tomorrow, you decided, putting down your phone. Injeolmi meowed, pawing at your hand to ask for pets, and you turned your attention to him.

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Jennie ran through the corridors of the Guild, tears streaming down her face. In her panic, it felt like her mind had fizzled out – she couldn’t think about anything but the last sentence you’d texted her. For weeks, she’d been defending you against the Head’s accusations that you’d defected and become a vampire sympathizer despite her personal doubts.

This was too much, though. How could she possibly ignore this?

She burst through the door of the Head’s office without knocking. It was an egregious violation of etiquette, but she couldn’t think about that right now.

Master Bang emerged from his bedroom door, off to the side of his office. He looked flustered, like he’d been caught doing something wrong, but Jennie was too worked up to think about what that meant right now.

“What is the meaning of this, Jennie-yah?” he reprimanded, frowning.

If Hoseok heard one more word about the hunter ‘ambassador’ who’d taken up residence in the manor, he thought he would scream. The younger ones were especially enthusiastic about you and your cat, and even Yoongi walked around with that dumbass smile once in a while, usually after spending time with you.

Thankfully, they’d quickly realized that he wasn’t all that interested in talking about you after he shut them down or walked away mid-conversation. It wasn’t the most polite way to go about it, but telling them with words hadn’t really worked to dampen their enthusiasm.

It was just that Hoseok didn’t really feel like meeting anyone new. It wasn’t anything personal, it was just that he didn’t quite have the energy to engage with anything much these days. The others, for the most part, understood, especially the older ones who knew exactly what he’d been through.

Instead of spending his time out and about like the others did, he was holed up in his suite most of the time. He’d had a small fridge installed so he could keep his blood there instead of going down to the main fridge every day like the others did, and usually spent hours staring at the miniature portrait of Minhee. It was the only rendering she’d posed for before she died. He knew his brothers didn’t think it was the healthiest thing to do, but they left him alone for the most part.

After all, it wasn’t common for a vampire to survive losing his mate – they agreed that all things considered, Hoseok was doing fairly well, even if he was a shell of his former jovial self. If they hoped he would come out of his shell a little more to make friends with the human girl who now lived with them, they mostly kept it to themselves after Hoseok had made it clear that he wasn’t interested in playing nice with hunters.

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Injeolmi had really taken to life in the manor, you were pleased to note. You weren’t quite ready to let him just run around without your supervision yet, but he was growing more confident whenever you let him out of your room to run around the mansion. There were litter boxes installed in various other rooms, too, like the library where you tended to spend a lot of time. You were on your way there again, Injeolmi following you like he did most days, when the cat suddenly made a break for it.

You were stunned for a moment, trying to process what had happened. Your sweet baby had never done something like this before, and it took you a second to gather yourself enough to run after him. “Injeolmi, stop!” you called, but since today was apparently a day of firsts, he ignored you.

As you rounded the corner, you wondered why there were so many random hallways in this manor, anyway. It looked like it was just the seven of them (and you now, of course) and they didn’t even have any servants. You were still unsure of how the whole place stayed so clean, since it wasn’t like you’d ever seen any of them pick up a broom.

Hoseok was having a normal day – for him, anyway – up till that point. He had the miniature of Minhee in his hand as he sucked down his snack, his door slightly ajar to let the others know that he was feeling up to their company that day. He heard the ruckus occurring outside and rolled his eyes, but stayed on the couch. Hopefully, the noisy new human resident would just run past. He didn’t think she’d ever been in this wing of the mansion before, and she definitely didn’t know it was his room.

Hearing the door to his room move slightly, he whipped around in surprise, half-expecting you to be standing there. He didn’t see anyone in the entryway, however, and sat up more fully to peer over the back of the couch. A small chatter caught his attention, and he craned his neck further to see a cat standing in the gap he’d left.

“Hello,” he said out of habit to the cat, which meowed again at him and took a couple more steps into the room. “What’s a cat doing in the house?” he asked no one in particular, having forgotten momentarily that you’d brought your furry companion with you when you moved in.

Injeolmi, showing a remarkable lack of fear, just waltzed right in and hopped up on the couch to sit next to Hoseok, chattering at him. Belatedly remembering that you’d brought a cat into the compound, he just sighed and frowned at said cat. “You’re really a hassle, you know that?” he grumbled, gently shooing the cat away so that he wouldn’t have to return him.

Flicking his ears, Injeolmi just turned away, as if he couldn’t be bothered to dignify Hoseok’s complaints with a response. He could hear you approaching, still calling for your cat and stomping down the hallway.

“You little prick,” he accused, though the words didn’t have any heat behind them. Gently, he picked the cat up – and cats had no business being this big, he thought – and carried him back to the door, putting him down on the floor and patting his butt to get him to leave. “Go on,” he urged, although the cat hardly seemed interested, instead sprawling out across the floor.

The footsteps were coming close now, and he knew you were about to walk past at any moment. Perhaps if everything was quiet, you wouldn’t notice, and would just walk by…? He could kick the cat out of the room once you rounded the corner, and wouldn’t have to make any awkward introductions.

Of course, he could never be so lucky. Just as you were passing by his room, the goddamn cat let out the loudest meow he’d heard in hundreds of years on this earth. Panicked, he leaned down – just as you heard Injeolmi give what you assumed had to be a wail of distress and burst into the room, gun cocked and ready to defend your baby.

“Back the fuck away from the cat!” you cried, immediately aiming your gun at the man who was leaning down towards Injeolmi, for whatever nefarious purposes. He looked up at you in shock, and your aim faltered for just a second as you recognized the man in the painting. The last vampire. Who was glaring up at you in irritation, and none of the fear you would expect from someone who had a gun trained right between their eyes.

Instead, you watched as his furrowed brow smoothed for a second as he gaped, his eyes wide with shock, at you, before resuming his initial stern expression. “Your cat was the one who barged into my room,” he snapped, although his voice hid an odd tremor. “Just take it away.”

“Uh, okay,” you said, sliding your gun back into its holster since it didn’t look like he was a threat to either you or Injeolmi. You were about to ask whether he was doing all right, since he looked a little pale and off, but he got up abruptly and turned away from you, walking back to the couch and sitting down. He stubbornly refused to look at you again, and you felt a little sulky, since you’d been curious about him for a while, and now that he was here you wanted to ask him some questions and find out more about him.

Still, since he’d walked away from you, there was no way to assuage your curiosity today. “Come on, baby,” you said in a far higher-pitched tone to Injeolmi, squatting to gather him up in your arms. He was pliant and obedient for you as always, happy to be held by you, and it was almost hard for you to believe that this was the same cat that had run off earlier. Injeolmi was the laziest cat ever, and that had been wholly uncharacteristic of him.

Standing up with Injeolmi cradled in your arms, you turned to leave the room. “Ah, do you want the door open or shut?” you asked as you hovered right outside.

“Shut,” the mysterious man inside said firmly, and you shrugged as you followed his instruction before continuing on your path to the library.

“You’re a really naughty boy,” you cooed at Injeolmi, jiggling him a little in your arms nonetheless. When you let yourself into the library, you put Injeolmi down and he went and settled down in the one spot where there was sunlight, streaming in through a small crack in the floor-to-ceiling curtains that had been left there specially for him.

Shaking your head at him, you drifted further into the library, to the sitting area near the back. Namjoon was already there, with Jin. They had their little blood bags in front of them on the coffee table, which you could mostly ignore as long as you thought of them as Capri Suns. “Hello,” Namjoon greeted, while Jin just smiled at you. “I chose something new for you today,” he continued, leaning forward to tap the cover of a book he had resting on the table.

You smiled at him. “Thank you,” you said, coming to sit next to him. Leaning forward to pick up the book, you completely missed the way he stiffened as you sank into the comfortable couch, and Jin’s responding smirk at his brother’s momentary loss of composure. Because you’d never had much time at the Guild to pick up hobbies like reading, you’d been completely blown away by the size of the library, and Namjoon had taken it upon himself to pick different books of different genres and on various topics for you to decide what you liked reading. So far, you were really into thrillers and memoirs, but you were definitely hiding a secret love for romance novels.

Opening the book, you were soon so immersed in reading that you completely forgot to ask them about the man you’d just met.

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Hoseok was, to put it mildly, freaking out. He held the portait of Minhee in his left hand, while reaching for the bag of blood he’d been nursing with the right, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to drink it. His hand shook slightly as he raised his drink to his mouth, hoping against hope that he was wrong.

The moment the blood bag neared his mouth, though, the smell of the blood became too much, and nausea bubbled up in him.

“Fuck.” He tossed the bag back down onto the table, grimacing.

There was no way this was possible. You couldn’t be his mate. Vampires didn’t get more than one, and he still remembered her dying in his arms, despite his frantic attempts to stop the bleeding. Her whispered apology as her life slipped away haunted his nightmares.

And yet… you smelled just like Minhee. You’d think that four hundred years away from his mate would have dulled the memories, but he recalled exactly how her blood had smelled and tasted, like absolute perfection. When he’d scented you, it had taken all his willpower to stop his eyes from changing colour and his fangs from descending.

“Minhee-ah… what’s going on?” he murmured, tracing the edges of the portrait with his thumb. His mind raced, and he knew there was only one person in the house who might possibly know the answer to that question.

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Conveniently, Namjoon was in Jin’s study with him that evening when Hoseok came, so he could tell them both about the problem he’d encountered today.

When he knocked and entered the study, Jin and Namjoon both gaped at him for a second before Jin gathered himself. “Hobi, hello,” he said smoothly, covering up his surprise. “What brings you out here tonight?”

Hoseok frowned. Seokjin was talking like he never came to hang out with his brothers, which wasn’t true at all. He’d been getting better about spending time with others… at least until you arrived.

“I met our new housemate today,” Hoseok said by way of greeting.

Namjoon and Jin exchanged slightly panicked glances. “And… what did you think?” Jin prompted, trying to hide his unease. Hoseok hadn’t been the most cheerful or chatty person for a long time now, and this whole situation, while not ideal for anyone involved, was definitely something that would upset him.

Hoseok hummed, trying to find the words to explain. He didn’t know whether to ease into it or just blurt it out, and he didn’t know how much his brothers already knew. They’d been good friends with Minhee as well, since the four older vampires had always been together.

“Do you remember Minhee?” he asked, sidestepping his hyung’s question.

From the way both Namjoon and Jin gaped at him, he had a sinking feeling that both his brothers knew exactly where he was going with this.

“When were you going to tell me?” he said tiredly, running his hand over his face.

“Uh…” Jin started getting a deer-in-the-headlights look, so Namjoon stepped in.

“We just weren’t sure what all this meant, and we didn’t want to bother you unnecessarily,” he explained. “The whole situation is really strange, and none of us really know what to make of it…”

From what he was saying, it seemed like there was more at hand than this girl’s unexplained connection to Minhee, and Hoseok’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by this ‘whole situation’?”

“Jesus,” Jin muttered under his breath. “Good going, Joon.”

Namjoon cringed, knowing he’d messed up.

“You guys seem to have some explaining to do.” Hoseok pulled the chair out from Jin’s desk and slung himself into it casually.

“Right, I suppose we do,” Jin sighed, massaging his temples.

“Well?” Hoseok asked, his brow raising as Jin didn’t say anything else after that.

Jin looked over Hoseok’s shoulder at Namjoon, who was still sitting on the couch in his study. “Would you like to take a crack at it?”

“Sure, throw me under the bus,” Namjoon grumbled, but got up and came to sit in the chair next to Hoseok’s anyway, so the three of them were seated around Jin’s desk.

“So, Taehyung found Y/n, and, uh…”

“Spit it out, already,” Hoseok snapped, accompanied by an eye roll.

“It turns out that she’s his mate…?” Namjoon said, so uncertainly that it sounded like a question. He eyed Hoseok warily, hoping he wouldn’t blow up at the unexpected (and likely unwelcome) news. He hadn’t even finished telling the story.

Hoseok turned to regard Namjoon more directly. “How can she be his mate? He’s been eating fine, hasn’t he?”

“Uh, we aren’t that sure about that,” Namjoon admitted. “But he isn’t the only one.”

“What.”

“As it turns out…” Namjoon paused and looked over at Jin for help. Jin nodded encouragingly for moral support. “Uh, all of us… are her mate.” He cringed away from Hoseok as he said it, bracing himself for the inevitable explosion.

“How the fuck is that possible?!”

“Hobi, please.” Jin held his hands out placatingly, trying to calm his brother down. “We don’t know what’s going on either, but we’re trying to figure it out, okay? Joon and I are spending all our free time in the library, trying to find out more.”

Hoseok put his head in his hands and groaned. “Why can’t things ever just be normal around here?” he mumbled.

Namjoon, sighing, patted Hoseok’s shoulder, trying to offer whatever comfort he could. “I’m sorry, bro,” he said, the words falling flat because he knew even as he was saying them that it wasn’t enough. “We’ll figure this out together, all right?”

“This is fucked up,” Hoseok said shakily, and Namjoon wasn’t sure if he’d even heard him. “All of this is so messed up, I can’t believe it. How can the seven of us be mated to the same girl? We’re going to drain her dry.”

“Hobi, let’s not get ahead of ourselves…” Jin looked slightly alarmed, reaching over to pat the top of Hoseok’s head.

“I never wanted any of this, losing Minhee was bad enough. I can’t deal with any more mate drama,” Hoseok complained, ignoring his hyung.

“Hobi, come on!” Jin lost his patience finally and snapped, raising his voice. “None of us know what’s up, and we’re all trying to get through this together, so will you please get it together and stop playing the victim?”

From the way Hoseok looked up at narrowed his eyes, his brothers knew they were in for it. “Together?!” Hoseok asked derisively. “Right… is that why you were hiding Y/n from me?”

“We weren’t hiding her,” Jin said, offended now. “We told you about her; you just didn’t want to meet her because you’d rather stay holed up in your room by yourself all the time!”

“Jesus Christ!” Hoseok slammed his fist down on Jin’s desk. “Maybe, just maybe, if you had started with ‘Hobi, by the way the hunter you’ve invited into our home smells like Minhee and is apparently our shared mate’, I might have paid more attention to her!” With that, Hoseok stormed out of the study, done with interacting with his brothers.

In the wake of his outburst, Jin and Namjoon sat quietly, the silence ringing loudly in their ears.

Jin was the first to break the silence with a loud, gusty sigh. “It’s so hard to talk to him nowadays,” he complained to Namjoon. He still remembered the jovial, smiling Hoseok of years past, back before everything had changed. As much as he understood the anguish his brother was going through and wanted to be there for him, it was just so difficult when Hoseok was belligerent like this.

Namjoon nodded in agreement, resting his chin in his hand. “If nothing else, hopefully Y/n will be able to help him.”

Jin hummed. “Do you think we should tell the others?”