#wanted!au

However, as much as you liked them, you couldn’t help the urge that rose within you to make a break for it the second their backs were turned—you’d lived your life thus far in a solitary manner, and at this stage it was your comfort zone as much as it was a reminder of the crippling loneliness you crossed the galaxy to flee. It wasn’t all that hard to slip beneath the radar of your babysitters, especially not when you left some baked goods from the kitchen on the table as a distraction. It was easier than it probably should have been to slip out the door and sneak away, and you would have felt slightly guilty for tricking them if you thought they were going to get into that much trouble. Neither Jimin nor Seokjin seemed the type to really punish them, though, so you were appeased in that sense and continued on your journey through the castle.

On this particular occasion, you’d gone as far as to plot how to get out, but you hadn’t really planned beyond that. You kind of wanted to check out the gardens and structures outside of the palace, but now that you were out… to be honest, you were a little hungry. Plus, you kind of wanted to explore the gardens with one of the humans you’d met and liked to think you’d become friends with—preferably Taehyung, because he was funny with the grudge he seemed intent on holding, or Namjoon, since he hadn’t been here that much longer than you but seemed to know everything there was to know about this planet and its rulers.

Back to the topic at hand, that being your stomach— one of the first places you’d become familiar with was the palace kitchens, admittedly with an ulterior motive in mind. You were, above all else, very much a woman who lived by her stomach. You weren’t scared of much, or even really scared of death, but if asked one of the most terrifying ways you could think to die was of starvation. A shudder rolled down your spine at the thought as you slipped down a familiar hallway, the route you were travelling being one you had committed to memory very early on. In all honesty, you truly liked the interior design of this place, the runes and patterns that belonged to the occupants of this planet exclusively. It was familiar, in a way, but also incredibly different to anything you’d ever seen and made something glow warmly in your chest upon each glimpse. You really liked it.

Thankfully for you, the trip to the kitchens from your room was not at all a long one. A part of you wondered if your guard friends had noticed your absence yet, and what they would do once they did. They’d probably flounder, then bicker a bit. The thought made you giggle.

Soon enough, the large obsidian double doors that marked the main entrance into the kitchen came into view and you were almost skipping for joy, already imagining the taste of the different foods you might find against your tongue. There was one dish in particular, a dessert you were pretty sure, that was a pretty blend of fuchsia and aquamarine, light and fluffy, and was absolutely delectable in its combination of salty and sweet flavours, with a hint of something else you couldn’t quite identify but loved nonetheless. That had to be your favourite of all the things you’d tried in your stay here, and that was a lot—especially with Joy indulging your every whim and fancy.

To your complete and utter surprise, it was that very person who greeted your eyes as you pushed open one massive door and stepped into the palace kitchens. Inky hair braided back into a low ponytail of sorts, with the rest of her locks falling in waves down her back; her tall figure and animated hand movements were unmistakeable even with her back to you as she spoke with one of the staff. You quite liked what she was wearing today—it reminded you of a pantsuit with slits up the legs and a slim slit down her spine. For a moment you simply admired how pretty she was, with her light golden-toned skin and raven hair contrasting with the deep crimson of the silken cloth. Gosh, at this point you were sure everyone on this planet had won the genetic lottery in some way, it was a bit unfair. It took all your might not to grow self-conscious where you stood in all your less-stunning, less-ethereal, painfully human glory. Sub-consciously, you adjusted the material of your own cropped shirt and flowing pants combo.

You overheard a brief snippet of the conversation, foreign words in a language that was completely unfamiliar to your ears washing over you. You had no idea what they were saying but you liked how it sounded, the clicks and rolling sound…. Hypnotic. You were loathe to break it up but were growing antsy where you stood, and so reluctantly made a move.

“Joy!” you burst loudly, making one of the chefs to your left jump and send you a prompt glare, marks across their face glowing an embarrassed, cherry red. You were quick to scuttle over the few feet remaining between you and Joy and throw your arms around her slim waist. “I missed you! You haven’t come to visit me in days! Weeks! Eons!”

To her credit, the powerful Kelkie woman didn’t flip her shit and attempt to pin you to the floor in self-defence as she had the first time you’d sprung your ridiculous dramatics upon her. No, at this point she was well-accustomed to your antics and barely even stiffened in your hold. The person she had been talking too seemed much more startled, however, if the sharp flinch and loud expletive in another tongue was anything to go by. Curious as to who you’d managed to garner such a reaction from, you swung your head around Joy to peek—and promptly grinned.

“You are awfully clingy,” Joy observed, amused, and you rested your chin on her shoulder, her airy voice tinkling melodiously in your ear. “You are lucky you are my favourite human.”

Jimin’s wide eyes were still stuck flicking between you and where you had your hold on Joy as you slipped your arms from around her waist, taking a step around her so you were by her side and moving the arm to sling around her shoulder. Your eyes swept over him, taking in the way his plush lips were parted and a silver choker gleamed around his throat to match the jewellery in his ears. He was a lot more surprised to see you than you might have pegged, but beggars couldn’t be choosers and you’d take any reaction you could get your grubby little hands on.

“I’m everyone’s favourite human,” you chirped, cupping your cheek with your free hand and batting your lashes at Jimin. The male pursed his lips, freckles flaring between pink and a flushed rose as his brows furrowed and he attempted to school his expression and mask his reaction.

“Where are your escorts, pesky little human?” he managed to ask, arms crossing over a firm chest and allowing you to see more of the rosy marks as silky material slipped from his arms; he was in a deep blue set today, edges lined with black and flecks of silver. You couldn’t help the giddy laugh that slipped from your throat—he was so cute when he pretended to be annoyed at you; there wasn’t a single ounce of bite behind his last few words. “I thought it was clear after that… mishap… that you were to be accompanied in your ventures at all times for the foreseeable future.”

“You did,” you let out a longing sigh, meeting his dark gaze and relishing in the way he shifted his weight from foot to foot, flustered. “But I missed you so much, I couldn’t bear to be apart from you any longer—so I tricked my guard-friends and snuck out.”

You could feel Joy’s shoulders trembling slightly beneath your arm, caught the grin she was trying to hide from the corner of your eye. Jimin’s galaxy of markings flared hot, blossom pink, his cheeks flushing to match, and he jerked suddenly, moving an arm and slapping a hand to his lower back. Your deviant gaze was, surprising no one, drawn straight to the way the material of his top was now taut against his hip bones and stomach. Gods, oh gods for why had this man been sent to test you so?

“You—”

“I will speak to the staff about those preparations you asked for,” Joy, ever the saving grace, was quick to interrupt the male before he did something dramatic in his fluster like choke on his own spit or finally choke you out for being so annoying. You wouldn’t even be mad if he did, you were kind of into that and also you really had been the most annoying brat lately so you knew you had it coming. “I remember Seokjin was looking for you earlier—I will allow you to attend to your duties; I will take care of this one in the meantime. Thank you for your time, Jimin.”

And then, with a smile brighter than that relentless, oversized gas giant the Kelkie called their sun, Joy gripped you by the ear and bowed slightly, before turning on her heel and effectively dragging you out of the room behind her.

“OW!” the noise of pain was torn out of you before you could stop it, one hand flying to see if it could ease the brutal grip the female had on your tender extremity. “You’re going to rip my whole ear off, Joy! I need that—wait!”

You stumbled as you angled your body back to face Jimin, who had something oddly akin to concern burning in the depths of his eyes. That look was quick to disappear at your next action, however.

“I’ll miss you!” you called in the best sing-song manner you could muster through your current level of pain, drawing the attention of most of the kitchen staff who looked on in a mix of curiosity and amusement. You brought your free hand to your lips and smacked them before flinging it away, blowing him a dramatic kiss. His mouth almost dropped open as you beamed, “Bye, Jimin!”

And then Joy yanked you out of the kitchens before you could catch his full reaction, tugging you out the door and down the hall from whence you came in a manner that was neither rough nor gentle. Part way along you journey you let out a whine and she released her grip, making you stumble slightly.

“Ah, Joy,” you lamented, rubbing your ear in the hopes to get the blood flowing once more. You hurried to catch up to her pace, pretending to ignore it when your stomach growled. “Did you have to cut my visit with my beloved so short? Oh, my aching heart.”

Joy snorted, letting out a loud, tinkling laugh that matched the pretty summer colours of her markings. Her long, inky hair swayed prettily as she turned to nail you with a sly look. “Cheeky human, you and I both know that you went into that kitchen for food and food alone. Seeing us there was a happy accident.”

Well, she had you there. You merely offered a sheepish grin in response and she laughed once more, slipper her arm to loop through yours.

“Now come, I have some snacks in my rooms. You can have some while I take your measurements—I had the most beautiful idea for a piece the other day, I think it will suit you splendidly!”

x     x     x     x     x     x     x     x

It hadn’t been all that long since your encounter in the kitchen, really, but in that time you’d noticed a fair bit was going on in the background that you somehow hadn’t caught onto before. Although, that could just be because the buzz had picked up a little in speed lately. You were curious as to what exactly the staff of the palace were organising, but not yet bothered enough about it to begin asking questions. You supposed it was probably just some normal thing you were just overthinking it.

Besides that, you’d sadly also not seen Jimin since your brief escapade into the kitchen—you’d travelled there since, undeniably in the small hope you might see him there again, but had no such luck. Thankfully the kitchen staff had grown fond enough of you despite all your pestering that they were willing to feed you whenever you visited, usually in exchange for some stories of your time in space. For that, you were all too happy to oblige—you greatly enjoyed talking about yourself on the odd occasion, and Yoongi had said once that it was one of the reasons you got on so well with Seokjin. You’d gasped at the time, initially offended, but he was right of course.

Really, you were a charismatic being—you’d managed to befriend almost every single person you’d encountered here, despite the odd vexation that might result at your hands. Almost everyone, sans one person in particular who you didn’t quite know how to read.

Jimin might have given many varied reactions to your advances and comments, but you were still no closer to deciphering how he might have really felt. It was as though you were only scratching the surface, dragging your fingers through and rippling only the barest tip of his being. You itched to dig deeper, to delve into the depths that remained hidden from you for now. The urge surprised you, if you were being honest. You'd lived your life so far as untethered, mostly unaffected and unbothered by the events and situations that flew past you with each day. You were, in a word, carefree. Some might argue you were a little too insouciant in that regard, but comments like that tended to roll right off your shoulders. You were living this life for yourself, and your main goal was to live it to the best of your ability.

So when you were suddenly plagued with such a trivial urge as the one that found you now, a new constant humming in the back of your mind ever since you first met the raven haired male, you were a little alarmed and caught off guard. In short, you had no idea what to do, how to handle it— it had never happened to you, after all. You'd never really wanted for anything, and if you did then your self-indulgent ass was quick to go after it and get it. You were never stuck in a stage of longing, the limbo where hesitance made its home. So this... this was new, and you didn't know how to handle it.

So, you decided to just treat it like every other whim you'd ever gotten.

You wanted to know more about Jimin, the handsome Kelkie who had managed to capture your attention so completely and effortlessly despite all odds. So you decided that since, for whatever reason, it was something you wanted, you were going to indulge in that desire.

That little realisation was about all you'd manage to come to in the time since you'd seen Jimin last, and you were a little caught off guard to realise that you'd pretty much already been indulging in the urge this whole time. Your subconscious was getting a little too out of hand with her desires, you were going to have to pull rank and smack her back into line.

While sorting through your deepest, innermost thoughts might have been something ultimately beneficial, in the time and place you were currently doing it, it proved to be more risky than anything. You managed to return to the current moment just in the nick of time, narrowly avoiding a collision with a large, black marble column with mere split seconds to spare. The person who had been walking beside you this whole time let out a round of loud, howling laughter.

“My god!” Taehyung slapped his thigh, blonde hair ruffled from the force of his earth-rattling guffaws. “Can you do that again? Except actually walk into it this time. It’ll be so funny I promise.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, letting out a huff and strutting forward so you were ahead of him. It was for show, of course—if you’d really walked into a pole you might have passed gas from laughing so hard. Well, if you didn’t get a concussion straight up, that is. You didn’t know what exactly made up the palace walls but it was not to be trifled with, as you’d found out not too long into your stay here. A shudder travelled the length of your spine. If the Kelkie weren’t so advanced with their medicine you might still be sporting the end results of your match with a doorframe across your face. For reference, you won.

“I don’t live to entertain you,” you snipped, unable to keep your mouth from twitching since his laughter really was contagious. Why had you thought it was a good idea to bring him on your long-awaited venture to the gardens? It wasn’t a good idea, it was a terrible idea, and now you were stuck with him for probably the next hour or two. Rookie mistake.

“And yet here I am, laughing at your existence,” the male snickered, and let out another loud, choked laugh when you smacked his bicep in retaliation. Despite the fact he kept bringing up that shipment of cores you stole and interrogating you about the time you spent in your space pirate phase, the two of you had managed to get along quite well. Most of your time was spent bickering but to be honest you enjoyed it.

Thankfully for Taehyung, the appearance of the two large double doors he had promised led to the palace gardens saved him from any subsequent hits. Excitement bubbled within you—you’d not been outside much in your stay here and although you could see the stunning flora from the long, rectangular windows that lined halls and your rooms, it wasn’t the same as being there and really seeing it, feeling it, experiencing it for yourself. You rushed to get ahead and get out, pushing the doors open with all your might and letting out an overjoyed shout when they parted and allowed sweet, sweet sunshine to fall upon your form. Immediately, you felt a bit overheated, but you decided to put up with it for the sake of the adventure. You weren’t waiting any longer to see some plants and grass, damn it!

Unlike the wilderness and natural beauty of the forest and shrubbery that you’d been witness to the day you crashed and were escorted into the palace, the gardens were well kept and orderly, maintained meticulously and with great care. Despite this, there was something about the flora that was just as wild and beautiful as it was outside the walls—there was a path winding through the gardens, luminescent and fluorescent leaves and flowers winding and dangling overhead, hanging slightly over the path just barely a foot shy of the top of your head. Slim vines lined the dark stone of the path wall, tendrils winding and creeping and occasionally curling in a pretty manner across the lines and crevices. You could tell it was maintained, but the fact that the beauty of the planet could not be truly contained and the Kelkie knew better than to really attempt it made you happy for some reason. You’d seen the mess that Earth had become in the last century, humanity a blight that ran everything it got its grubby hands on into the ground. Earth’s environment was in shambles, ruined beyond measure in some places, because humanity didn’t know how to let go, to relinquish their attempts at controlling every aspect of their world. It had always saddened you, the sense of loss that came with the knowledge, but there wasn’t anything you could do to help it. The time to step in and prevent the damage had long since passed, and you were but a spectator to the steady decline of your home world.

It was for this reason, though, that you found yourself grinning almost ear-to-ear as you allowed yourself to finally take in your surroundings fully. You burst forward, away from Taehyung’s side, and let out a soft happy noise at the sight of a large, glimmering turquoise flower surrounded by glowing leaves and vines. It looked similar to bellora, a strain of the peony flower from earth that was taken and altered in space to amplify certain features before being crossbred with another plant from a foreign planet. The end result was a gorgeous flower that was toxic and emitted noxious fumes that damaged your lungs if inhaled, until it was ground and turned into the strong narcotic hallucinogenic drug bellexis. You were quite familiar with it, as you spent a lot of time handling it during your ‘intergalactic black market’ phase and then busting it in your ‘intergalactic defense and policing force’ phase. You weren’t lying when you said you had a lot of them.

“These are so pretty,” you commented, fingers reaching out to brush against the large, glowing petals. It had dots and flecks of bioluminescent colour that shifted with each soft touch of your fingers. “It’s a little weird seeing plants like this that are completely safe to be around—usually on Earth if it was brightly coloured and patterned, then it was dangerous.”

Taehyung let out a soft sound of surprise, having come to stand beside you at some point. He turned to you, and to your surprise there wasn’t a single trace of the usual playful or mocking edge in his eyes. “There are plants like this on Earth?”

You tilted your head, a sliver of confusion worming into your thoughts. “Well, not exactly like this—I don’t think there’s anything on Earth that glows and changes like this, save for a few select organisms I can’t currently remember…”

You bit your lip for a moment before deciding to ask anyway, “You’re from Earth too, aren’t you? How don’t you know this?”

Taehyung suddenly appeared slightly embarrassed, sheepish. He averted his gaze and reached to trail a finger along one of the large, broad leaves hanging over the path. You watched his Adam’s apple bob for a second before he spoke.

“I… didn’t really spend much time there,” he admitted, hand coming to rub the back of his neck. “When I was young, my friend and I—she’s the queen now, actually—were orphans, and taken in by the garrison. We… didn’t actually get to see much of the Earth at all, and although we learnt about plants and flora it was mostly for other planets and systems…”

You tried to stop your mouth from dropping open when he mentioned the Garrison but really couldn’t help yourself. You turned to face him, attempting to get a better look. He presented as entirely too harmless to be a part of the Garrison of all things so already you were in shock, but then his implication that his friend, the current Kelkie Queen, was too… perhaps you were reeling a bit. But now that you were taking a closer look though, you could see the hardened lines of his physique and the firm set to his jaw, the stern angle of his brows as he watched you watch him; you could see how there was merit to what he had told you.

“Woah,” you said, and Taehyung’s features shifted defensively, as though he was waiting for a mean comment to pass your lips next. “I wouldn’t have pegged it—you don’t really look like the warmongering type, if I’m being honest. And to be fair, I can’t really judge—I’ve done a lot of things in my time in space and several of them have been pretty… questionable.”

At this, Taehyung barked out a laugh despite himself, “God, you can’t just say that and leave it—what did you do?”

You fought the smile that came at the observation that he seemed a little relieved that your reaction hadn’t been a bad one. “It’s trade secret, I can’t tell you. I’d have to kill you right after.”

Taehyung let out a loud laugh, following as you moved to another plant that caught your eye. “You pain in the ass, you know that just makes me want to know more.”

You shrugged, leaning in to sniff a new flower this time. You couldn’t help your grin as you spoke next, “I don’t know… maybe ask Yoongi and Hoseok.”

Taehyung let out a squawk, the affronted sound pulling a cackle from your throat.

“You’ve been here for over a month, and you’re only just telling me now, but you already told them?!” he stomped over so you could see the displeasure on his face, although only half-hearted. “Where is the equality?”

“Well I mean, they asked so I told them…” In actuality, you hadn’t told them at all. Considering how long and how consistently you’d been shit-stirring Taehyung, you’d think he’d catch on quicker than this.

The male continued interrogating you, whining as you moved slowly through the garden, your own verbal jabs and retorts thrown in amongst your admiring of the plants that bloomed wildly either side of the path. This trip to the palace gardens was everything you’d expected and longed for, and more—you felt so pleased being around such beautiful life you almost didn’t know how to handle the feeling.

Taehyung had given up his yapping at some point and was now listing the occasional fact he’d learnt about the flora on this planet, like which flowers bloomed longest and which trees grew tallest. You thought that the palace gardens really must have had at least one of every plant on this planet, there were so many that lined the winding path. You followed it happily, a light feeling filling your chest as you did so. Not even the harsh, unrelenting heat of the sunrays against your bared skin could ruin this for you.

The entire time you’d been walking, you hadn’t seen anyone but the occasional guard or palace worker loitering along the path, the gardens serene in their almost emptiness. That changed, however, as you rounded a bend in the path in a surprising moment of silence and your ears quickly picked up the sound of an all-too-familiar voice. Your heart instantly skipped a beat in excitement, grin slipping onto your cheeks as you quickly caught sight of its source.

“Oh my god,” you barely managed to mutter, halting in your footsteps. Fuck, you were fading.

Jimin was bending slightly, hands gently touching a bright fuchsia flower that sat upon a short, dense bush as he spoke to the person next to him—who you quickly realised was actually Namjoon, bent slightly with what looked like a tablet in his grasp as he copied down what Jimin was telling him. Jimin’s mellifluous tone fell upon your ears like silk and honey, and you might have been caught up in it were your gaze not completely distracted by the sight of his plump behind and toned thighs as he bent to inspect the flower. God, oh gods this was too much you were just one woman—

“—these are krepa intrica, a flower that has traditionally been said to bring good fortune and soothe the soul with the scent of its pollen,” the raven-haired alien spoke, Namjoon rapidly tapping down everything he said. Jimin straightened and you were so caught up in staring at his ass and then the toned muscles of his back that you barely registered his words. “It is also meant to bless couples who are expecting. We will need to—”

It was as though you were suddenly possessed, the way you quickly moved forward and followed the first urge that entered your mind. By the time the male you’d set your sights on caught wind of your approaching footsteps, it was too late. You skipped up beside him, bringing your hand back and allowing it to swing forward and deliver a firm smack on his behind as you beamed.

“I’ve missed you, peach cheeks!” you sang, watching as Jimin jumped about a foot in the air and lurched away from you like you’d burnt him. Admittedly, a small pang of hurt shot through you at the action but you ignored it for the sake of sending the bewildered alien a bright smile. “It’s been so long since I last saw you one might think you were avoiding me!”

You’d only been playing, of course, but the flustered sputtering and stammering of the male didn’t exactly fill you with confidence. Once more, you pushed the resulting feeling away and ignored it for now—you were here to live your best life and that was what you were going to do.

To your surprise, Jimin jerked and slapped a hand to his lower back, as he had done the last time you saw him. Curiosity niggled at you when you noticed, but you didn’t get to investigate before he was speaking up, marks flushed cherry to match the hot pink staining his cheeks.

“I—you—” he swallowed, turning promptly to Namjoon; the many silver rings and earrings decorating his ear glimmered as they caught the light. “Namjoon, I will speak with you further on this at a later date.”

He then turned to you, dark eyes making your heart stutter and a rush of heat to flush over your body. He was already backing away as he spoke, “And you—g-go to your room. Taehyung, see to it that she gets there.”

And with that, he turned on his heel and made a quick escape, not uttering even the slightest goodbye. You might have been more bothered by it if your attention hadn’t been captured by the fluttering of Jimin’s shirt that looked just a little too unnatural to be the wind. It was as though there was something beneath, pushing against the material and moving under the surface. You didn’t get to continue looking before he rounded the corner, disappearing from sight, and Taehyung burst into laughter behind you.

“Oh my gods, you’re something else!” he was almost wheezing, bent over with his hands braced on his knees. “I’ve never seen him so flustered! You really even outdid yourself from last time—”

You blinked, turning and catching sight of Namjoon standing with one hand covering his mouth in an attempt to squash his own laughter, tablet pressed to his chest with the other.

“What did I do last time?” you asked, eager for a distraction from the slight weight in your chest. The shit you said to Jimin came with such ease you hardly remembered what flew from your mouth even seconds afterwards.

Taehyung guffawed loudly, the raucous sound booming across the gardens, and it was Namjoon who supplied an answer, biting his lip in an attempt to keep his own laughter in.

“I believe you made a play on words and inadvertently called him the quote-unquote alien man of your dreams,” he said, cheeks puffing as he increased his efforts not to join Taehyung in his chortling.

Recognition sparked in the back of your mind and you let out a soft noise of realisation. “Oh yeah, I did. That was after the first time I met you all, right?”

Namjoon nodded, and Taehyung finally calmed down and straightened once more. His whole body was lax and fluid as he moved, as though he’d just expelled all the tension held in his muscles with each booming wheeze that passed his lips.

“You’re a riot, y/n,” he said seriously, eyes still gleaming with mirth. “But come on, we better get you back to your room before he bursts a blood vessel or something.”

You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms despite the fact you already began to move and follow him. “Fine. But can we stop by the kitchens on the way back? I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry,” Namjoon finally laughed, long legs allowing him to join you with ease. “But so are we so lets go get something to eat.”

You clapped your hands, excited already, and were quick to take the lead and hurry back the way you came. “YES! Let’s go, I made friends with the pastry chef the other day and she said she was going to be making new stuff today!”

The other two let out noises of longing and approval, and began voicing which pastry they hoped it was. This, of course, brought on some bickering over which pastry was best, and you sat back with a grin, just there for the ride.

x     x     x

Just around the corner, a raven-haired male stood with his back against a thick shrub with many tiny violet blooms littering its surface. Their petals tickled his skin where it was bared as he stood as still as possible, raking in long, deep breaths in an attempt to cool his body and quell the urges and thoughts rising within him. He could still feel the persistent presence at his lower back in distinct places along either side of his spine; the slick feeling against his skin told him that his shirt had become a casualty in this instance. A sense of regret trickled to join the throbbing amalgamation of emotion within him, swirling in with confusion, fluster, embarrassment…longing.

This new human was proving to be more trouble than he anticipated.

She was playful, brazen, and Jimin himself liked to think that he wasn’t all that dissimilar in personality, yet with her nothing went as it should. With people like her, he knew how to respond, it came naturally and he built playful rapport easily. But when it was her… it was as though everything that came so easily and naturally to him went right out the window. There was something about her he had yet to pinpoint, something that lit his insides on fire and made tremors of longing travel down his spine. He didn’t know why she was different, why she of all people, of all beings, made him feel this way when no one had before. It wasn’t that she was human; he’d felt nothing of this sort for the current Queen, even before he found out she was Jungkook’s Fated One. It wasn’t that she was female—he’d been exposed to more than plenty throughout his life, she was most definitely not the first he ever met. It wasn’t anything he could strain his mind to think of, so what was it that made her so different?

Jimin brought a hand to scrub over his face, a trembling breath escaping through parted plush lips. He wasn’t one of those uptight Kelkie, the ones that refused to play or have fun at all with another before the emergence of their Fate Mark on their twenty-fifth birthday. Should someone he was attracted to in that manner appear in his life, then he would likely indulge himself—except there was no one as of yet that had ever tickled his fancy in that way. So, with such a personal philosophy, it should make sense that he would indulge the desires currently plaguing him, allow himself to play and have fun with the human that had caught his attention so. Except he couldn’t, because the sense of longing rising and swelling inside him with each time he saw her wasn’t just for her body.

It was for something much, much more— and honestly?

That scared him.