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Change My Mind || series, friends to lovers, eventual smut, soulmate au

As a make-up artist, you were expected to glamorize your clients with brushes and products that cost a week-worth of food, not to befriend them outside of work, let alone have them save you from dates yet here you are five years later as one of their closest confidants. Being a stylist of the world's biggest boyband is no easy feat, someone is doing flips, someone can't stay still and one's asleep but its fine, you can work around their chaos but what you can't do is accept the fact that they're your soulmates.

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Lover's Oath || supernatural au, smut

“I'd spoil you rotten, put you in the nicest, most expensive clothing and I'd still have more to spend on you for an eternity.” Jin whispered into your lips like a promise, if it weren't for your lust addled mind, you'd believe him. “You like wealth, princess? I have plenty. My coven has a dragon, he'd spoil you rotten, he’d stop at nothing to give you everything you'd ever wanted.” Or alternatively, your friend’s only solution to you being a broke college student with a family to feed is to attend a private feeding party where the most affluent vampires are in attendance to drink fresh blood in exchange for money and get yourself in trouble with the Kim Coven.

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KIM NAMJOON

Sacrilege || one-shot, priest!Namjoon, smut

Priest Kim has always admired you from a far. He had made his choice to dedicate his life to the divines and he had accepted the fact that he could never be yours but then comes one cold night when you visited the confession booth to admit a secret of your own.

• Ride me? || smut

Just when you thought he's exhausted enough from chasing Miles Morales and had given you the chance to actually ride him, Miguel has other plans.

• Thirty Minutes || smut

After convincing Miguel to take a break from working, he generously granted you thirty minutes with him and you know how you'd spend it.

• Take a seat || smut

Never in your wildest dream did you imagine having your husband ask you to sit on his face.

• A New Beginning || breeding kink, smut

You tell Miguel that you're ready to have a child with him.

• Taking care of you || sub! Miguel, bondage, smut

Miguel comes home after a rough week and a half out of his universe and you decided that the only way to take care of him was to web him down.

• Playing with Fire || brat! reader, smut

After risking your life to save one spider, Miguel had enough and decided it was time to discipline you.

• Peaches and Cream || smut

There's a stark difference with how your husband and Miguel treats you, starting with how rough the latter can be.

||MCYT||

• The Simulation || Wattpad link, longfic (128k+ words), fantasy, they get trapped in minecraft, horror elements during the earlier chapters, old fic so shit writing lol

To many people, content creators have been a massive part of their life. They taught you, brought you happiness and became the light that would glow brightly in your darkest days. Now, what if they started disappearing out of nowhere?

• A deal with a demon || Demon!Quackity

Instead of dispelling a royal blooded demon like you were tasked to, you listened to his tempting deal.

༒☬༒ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ꜰɪᴄꜱ ༒☬༒

• Us Against All || Benchtrio, Zombie Apocalypse AU!

They expected the dreadful possibility of being bitten but they never knew how painful it was to see their friend run on borrowed time.

• Blue Innocence || found father and son trope, fantasy au, bedrock bros

Every death leaves a legacy behind and his brother was no different from them, along with his journals and music sheets, Techno took upon the task of raising his brother’s adopted child, Tommy.

• My Companion, My Friend, TUB30 || detroit becomes human au, clingyduo

Despite his initial sentiments when he woke up that day before the date he so prepared for since years ago, the day seems to worsen the longer it went. 

There was a sudden radio show interview and a magazine photoshoot squeezed into their already busy schedule with the latter being arranged for 5pm and is estimated to last until 7pm—which sure, he can adapt around that.

But then the rain came and the bouquet he bought yesterday was already wilting at the edges even when it was in a vase full of water.

A vase he bought on a whim at a Walmart, and a bouquet he personally handpicked and arranged for hours.

Normal men would crumble upon misfortune and quit.

But his mother did not raise a quitter. 

If he was, he wouldn’t have been standing under the limelight performing for tens of thousands of people the moment he saw that pitiful, rat-infested room they called dorm.

The rain only stopped at nearly 10pm and he knew by that time there wouldn't be any restaurants nearby that'd gladly go overtime to accommodate them nor force one to stay open for them. Who would want to have an intimate, candlelit date with your soulmate while getting stink eyes from the staff throughout?

Tomorrow wasn't an option, they're due to move to New York where Yoongi takes precedence. It had to be today or else he won't get his chance until weeks later. 

Amsterdam is not an option, nor is Paris. They already talked about who’s getting which cities goes to who and those were taken a long time ago. Berlin would be nice but those options would render his heroic fight against Jungkook useless. He did not let that guy win to face Hobi for second place for him to let the other members go after his supposed week.

And he's not taking you out on a date in London. The weather's too drab and depressing it's impossible to think of a happy date as something achievable in that forsaken land.

So he did what any hopeless romantic would do in his situation.

Run to the nearest supermarket to buy ingredients and a portable stove, endure the glare of the overworked and underpaid college student behind the counter as he swiped his purchases with increasing irritation, and make their dinner himself.

It hurts his pride to find this his last resort because he had a whole day planned the moment dates were decided.

There was a DIY class for pot making downtown he’d take you to. But if you weren't feeling very creative, he would've taken you to the couple baking class next door. Steak dinner was also on his list and he spent days thinking about how grand of a sight it is to have you sitting across from him in a dress with the prettiest bouquet decorating your lap

But of course, it will have to remain as an imagination until further notice. Which is a shame.

He wanted to see whatever dress you planned for him, what accessories would shine and hang off of your neck and ears to compliment the rest of the ensemble. In an alternative universe, you’d be wearing something he’d gift during the date and then he’ll do that cliched move of putting it on you.

But alas, life is unfair.

Even when he's slicing the vegetables and sautéed them on the side, the feeling of frustration never subsided and it translated into his chopping which had more force than needed. 

You deserve more than whatever this mess he put together with a bunch of cheap scotch tape and bandaids that barely sticks. 

His phone vibrates and your name appears on his screen. Quickly wiping his hands on a paper towel, he picks it up.

[22:34] Princess: Do you want me to dress up like we’re on a dinner date or can I go in pajamas?

[22:34] Me: whatever you’re comfortable with.

[22:34] Princess: oh thank god, I already removed my makeup earlier. I didn’t want to put it on again

[22:34] Me: i’m really sorry we couldn’t go on a proper date today

[22:34] Me: but i’ll make it up to you

[22:35] Princess: how would you make it up to me?😏

Scenes of absolute debauchery, sweaty bodies, and breathy moans flood into his brain the moment he reads your message. Hot shivers crawled down his spine and he took a deep stabilizing breath, willing the images to leave his mind.

[22:35] Me: you’ll have to find out, sweetheart

[22:35] Princess: but I wanna know now… 

[22:35] Me: patience pays off

[22:35] Me: now let me get back to what i’m doing

[22:35] Me: stop distracting me i’m making tonight perfect

He’s gone crazy. 

Seokjin you bastard.

Whose fingers wrote and sent those messages?! Patience pays off?!

Realizing the sizzling had mellowed out, he forced his attention back to the pan to flip the breaded pork slices over. But as he was setting the phone down to start mixing the vegetables together for Caesar's salad on the other side of the table, his phone pings again and he's looking back at the screen to Taehyung's message pop up.

[22:40] Taehyung V from BigHit: hyung

[22:40] Taehyung V from BigHit: do you love me?

Seokjin raised an eyebrow.

[22:40] Me: what's this about?

[22:40] Taehyung V from BigHit: im on the balcony rn

[22:41] Taehyung V from BigHit: and i can smell ur cooking from where i am

[22:41] Taehyung V from BigHit: hyung

[22:41] Taehyung V from BigHit: im gonna parkour into your balcony 

[22:41] Me: oh my god

[22:41] Me: DONT JUMP

[22:42] Taehyung V from BigHit: the longer i dont get any food on my mouth, the more I want to jump over and say hi

[22:42] Me: im sending some over after im done

[22:43] Taehyung V from BigHit: 😁

[22:43] Taehyung V from BigHit: 🥳🥳🥳

[22:43] Taehyung V from BigHit: love u too hyung

Shaking his head, he plans out how much he'll put aside for the guy when Jungkook's open-mouthed sleeping picture slides in from above with another message.

[22:44] Jungkook from BigHit: hyung i want some too

[22:44] Me: share with tae

[22:44] Jungkook from BigHit: i have permission to steal then?

Closing his phone, he decided the food is more important than Taehyung’s life and turned his full attention to the Tonkatsu and the sauce. 

In hindsight, buying a pre-made sauce would’ve saved him more time but what is Kim Seokjin if not someone who loves a little bit of challenge?!

Besides, preparing all this food in a time crunch feels like he’s in Masterchef or in Hell’s Kitchen. All he needs now is an old British dude screaming in his face at how he’s even slower than a turtle and immersion is complete.

Now that he’s thinking about it, should he play one episode in the background?

But before he could dare turn towards the table he remembered leaving the remote at, a series of knocks echoed in the room before it opened up to reveal Namjoon in his usual beanie, oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants getup. 

Upon entering, his neutral expression shifted into curiosity, a book in one hand and his phone on the other, as he approached him near the open balcony door.

“It smells good, what’s on the menu?”

“Just some cutlets, salad, and club sandwiches. Nothing too fancy.” He answered as the rapper turned to the artfully messy work table on the side.

“How are you going to wash all that?” Namjoon asks, hand motioning towards the pans and the non-paper tools. “The bathroom sink?”

“Unfortunately. I was planning to make some pasta then I remembered we don’t have a proper sink so I settled for sandwiches and salad. Tonkatsu’s non-negotiable though, someone’s craving for it.”

“How about the portable cooker? Are we gonna bring that with us?”

Seokjin pauses to mull over the question, mouth opening and closing as he struggles to formulate the words before finally answering—just not the kind Namjoon was expecting, his eyebrow raising more and more the longer the silence stretches.

“You know what? I did not think that far enough.”

“Ask Jungkook first before you do anything, he might suddenly want the portable cooker.”

Plating the pork cutlets on two different plates, he added the spare cabbage shavings on top before drizzling the sauce over them in zigzag motions. Stepping back, he looked at your plate, squinted before adding a thin heart below yours and a five-petal flower for him.

Because why not?

“Have you eaten yet?”

At this, Namjoon slowly nods, as if he had debated whether to say yes or no before he reacted. Not that it mattered of course, Seokjin already knew he wanted a piece but was too shy to ask.

Dramatically, he sighed as he nudged the two pieces left on the pan by the handle. The other man’s attention drifted down to it and he knew he caught him in a trap.

Hook, line, sinker.

“That's a shame, I still have a few slices apart from Taehyung and Jungkook's portions.”

Immediately, Namjoon responds. 

“Well—I-I wouldn't mind eating a little more of your cooking, hyung. Why would I deny anything you cooked?”

Soon enough, Namjoon is sent off with his happy portion of salad and Tonkatsu, along with Taehyung and Jungkook’s portion. With no pesky younger brothers fluttering around him, Seokjin flew into the bathroom to wash up and if he bothered to trim and clean himself a bit more than usual tonight, it was between him and the bathroom walls.

He’d be a liar if he says he’s not expecting anything to happen but he’d rather be ready than be caught lacking.

Last night’s events had thrown his life into a whirlpool he never knew existed within the depths of his soul. He only had one taste of that perfection, the overwhelming feeling of completion beyond mortal comprehension when he held you close and he’s already itching for another like an addict.

The urges he had stomped down had inflated like stray fed once. He doesn’t want to compare himself to an animal—because if he were to be one, he’d be a majestic, pacifist peacock. Dogs and cats are too common, and he’s unique—but there’s nothing else he could compare the rabidness restlessly stirring under his skin.

It only took him one particularly hard laugh, your hand falling on his thigh as you threw your head back then he's stiff as a rock. He was every bit affected by last night's events while Yoongi lounged comfortably from across the room, cool and unbothered but held the kind of lightness that came from releasing years of frustration.

It's a wonder how he managed to look so unfazed if he apparently loved you for as long as he did. You passed by him earlier smelling strongly like your chocolate lotion and he's drooling like a hyena having its meal dangled by a string in front of it.

A knock echoed in the room and Seokjin quickly placed the hotel mugs down on either side of the table before sprinting to open the door.

Seeing you standing in front of him with your messy hair, wearing baggy clothing he suspects has been snagged from one of the members, made his heartbeat spike in anxiety and a bitter thought slipped past before he caught it.

You should've been wearing a pretty dress, ready for a dinner date at a restaurant.

“Hi.” He began, pushing his frustrations to the back of his head as a smile splits your face.

“Hello yourself, handsome.”

He steps aside to let you in and you enter, leaving a trail of warm chocolate and vanilla as you pass by. Beyond his control, he'd let his eyes flutter shut and soaked in the sweetness you left behind.

Barely ten seconds in and he's already weak in the knees, how is he gonna survive the rest of the night?

Taking a deep breath, he locked the door shut and followed you into the room.

Forcing his head into a peaceful and mindful space, he began with pulling the chair for you, popped open the most expensive wine he could buy at a supermarket, and poured an even amount to the two glasses. All of this happening while you watched him with an amused expression, following his figure as he retrieved the club sandwiches to place down in the middle of the table.

Seeing the sandwiches looked served up—all pitiful and messily prepared, bread barely held together with mayonnaise—Seokjin couldn’t help but wince internally, ears burning.

“It's not much but it's all I could make in so little time. I promise I’ll take you on a proper date once we get the chance. Champagne and candlelights, you get it.”

“Even if it's just a simple popcorn and Netflix date, I really don’t mind it, Jinnie. As long as we get some time together.”

He shook his head, sitting down opposite you. “You prepared earlier, I know you must’ve looked so pretty with your makeup and dress. I have to make it up to you somehow.”

You reached over and placed a hand over his. Seokjin's heart stuttered in his chest, mind turning its full attention to the heat of your touch bleeding into his skin.

“I won’t lie and say I wasn’t disappointed because I was. I got all pretty for you but I knew this was going to happen and it will keep on happening in the future.” You say it so casually as if hearing it didn't feel like a thousand wrecking balls slamming against him. “I did take some pictures. I’ll send it to you later.”

His ears grew hot and he laughed with a hand over his mouth, the sound leaving him louder than intended.

“All for me?” He says through hot cheeks.

“Only for you, Jinnie.”

He couldn’t stop himself from laughing, barely hiding his flustered face behind one hand while you took a sip of your wine with a smug grin.

“Stop being so flirty, it's bad for my heart.”

You feigned concern, hand over mouth. “Oh shit, sorry grandpa. I forgot you're susceptible to heart attacks at that age.”

“You're not even that younger than me!”

Getting over the initial shyness of a first date, you both talked about your perspective of today’s whirlwind of events. It was a conversation long enough for the sandwiches to last and soon enough, he’s standing up to fetch the main course on the table and cheering internally when he discovered they were still warm even with how long it took them to finish up the first round of food.

Seeing the tonkatsu, a wide smile splits your face into two.

“You really made me some?”

“I kept tasting it on my tongue yesterday and this morning, so I made you my version of Tonkatsu.”

Honestly, it wasn’t even his version, he searched Naver for a recipe with the most positive comments and reactions but he won’t tell you that, of course.

“You’re making my heart race, Jinnie. Do more and I might just kiss you right now.”

It was a joke, he knows that but he’s putting together scrapped ideas, and riffling through memories for one nonetheless.

You stabbed one slice with your fork and his eyes followed it as you took a bite, plush lips closing around the meat so delicately he almost groaned out, blood rushing down his body. Then the sauce caught onto the side of your mouth, trailing down to your chin. Your tongue darted out and licked it off.

Suddenly his world stills into a silence. His eyes never leaving your lips even when all it's doing is nothing but chewing. 

Because in that short time he watched you take that first bite, he’s shot back to that scene of a bobbing head and the long expanse of your bare back glistening from sweat underneath him. Warm velvet wrapped snug around his dick as Yoongi's fingers threaded through your hair guided you to take him deeper and deeper—

Clearing his throat, he directed his attention to his own plate to eat, movement robotic and stiff without meaning to.

Noticing this, you speak up.

“So, I wasn't at the last photoshoot. What happened there? I heard some of those publication staff got into a verbal fight with ours.”

He winced, remembering the very scene a few hours ago. “Yeah, Seri tripped over and tipped the coffee tray the guy was holding. He started screaming at her and you know Seri, she stood her ground.”

“Oh really? Minhyuk gave me an entirely different story.”

There’s light conversation over the main course. He's dragging every topic a little longer with nonsense topics and absurd thinkpieces you’d playfully debate against him because all he had for tonight was dinner. After that, he has no idea how to fill the remaining time.

He thought about plugging the Switch on the TV but the telltale heaviness of his body warned him not to push it. There’s also the option to simply watch Netflix until you both fall asleep but he doesn’t want that.

Well, he does but it would only lead to complications. Hard complications.

Idleness and extreme proximity in the dark—under the covers nonetheless—is a dangerous mix that’ll only lead to the last thing he'd want to achieve tonight. He might jump into the nearest traffic if you think he was buttering you up for a lay because that's far from the idea he wanted to convey.

But he was just so tired and you looked comfortable in your pajamas. The longer the night dragged on, the more he wanted to fall onto the bed and pass out.

Is it so bad to cuddle to sleep?

“What's got you thinking so hard?”

“Hm?” He perked up from his food.

“Jinnie, what's wrong?”

“There’s nothing, don't worry about it.” 

You stare at him hard, as if doing so would make him crack. Continuing to eat, he tried his best to ignore your suspicious look, thinking you’d give it up in a minute or so.

But you didn’t.

“Please eat, Tonkatsu’s much better when it's hot.” He mumbled out, pointing his fork at the neglected food, ears red from the intense attention you're giving him.

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong. Was it yesterday? Do you regret it?”

Immediately, Seokjin reeled back as if slapped. 

How could you think he’d ever regret what happened last night? He’s internally praying and bowing deeply to every divine being out there for strength because you looked so cute in your pajamas and whatever product you slathered on your skin is reaching over the table while he's sitting there, trying his best not to pounce on you like a mutt.

He's trying to practice peaceful mindfulness, reciting scriptures just so he could stop himself from thinking how hot and tight you had felt wrapped around him.

“I don't regret it and I never will.”

“Then why are you so quiet tonight?” You softly asked.

Because he is learning how to master bloodbending in one night, willing the stiffness of his dick away but that’s such an insane thing to say out loud so instead, he told you:

“It’s just a tiring day. I'm sorry.”

“If you apologize again, I swear I'm going to scream.” You threatened him with a glare. “You don't have anything else planned after this dinner, hm? How about we go cuddle—”

“No.” It firmly left his lips before he could even stop himself. 

Immediately, he slapped a hand over his face, disappointment at himself becoming an instinctual reaction.

“No?”

“I mean, yeah, I don't have anything planned after. I wanted us to play the switch but I'm just so tired.” He explained, softly this time. “I promise to make it up to you next time.”

“We can rest after this, I'm tired too. I don't mind just watching and cuddling with you the whole night.”

Except he might not just cuddle you. He could only practice mindfulness and meditate for so long before his wants and desires slipped through the crack of the flimsy wall of sticks he built to keep those thoughts away.

Fuck, how does Yoongi do it? 

The rest of the date went on with idle chatter but it was obvious how urgent the two of you were eating the food up, eager to finally rest after a long gruelling day posing in front of the camera and being lost in the torrent of tasks scheduled today. 

Soon enough, the pans were cleaned, the tables were wiped down, and everything was neatly put away in the corner of the room. Unfortunately for him, it took a little over ten minutes to fix up the mess he made, and by the time he had pushed the portable stove box away, you're already opening the covers of his bed to slip inside, navigating through the television with a remote.

Feeling more like a man approaching the guillotine than the bed with his soulmate, he trudged over and laid himself on top of the covers.

Heavens above bless me with will, you smell much sweeter at this distance.

“Jinnie?”

“Hm?” He hummed, crossing his legs over to try and camouflage the growing tent in his sweatpants.

“Get under the covers, please.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because.” 

You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Because… what?”

“Don't make me say it out loud please.”

“You're not making sense and stop being so stubborn, I'm cold and I'm tired. I want you to lay next to me.”

“I am next to you.” He responds with a grin, which was rewarded with a playful swat on his shoulder. “I don't know what else you want from me, woman. I'm here.”

“Get under the goddamn covers, Kim Seokjin. I want to cuddle.”

It took a couple of play fighting—God, you trying to wrestle him under the covers was hotter than he thought it'd be—before he's trapped under the thick blanket, your arm laid across his chest while a movie played in the background. You’re flushed to his side while your head is laid on his bicep. 

He really tried focusing on the animation playing in front of him but all he could think about was how soft and sweet you smell. Seokjin could feel you against him, heartbeat thrumming behind the plush of your chest that's so comfortably pressed on the side of his torso. He was thankful you hadn’t thought about hitching your leg across his abdomen or else you'd notice how tense his body has gone.

Thank the lord for small mercies.

He let his fingers of the arm you lay on idly play with your hair, forcing himself to even out his breathing in hopes it slows down his galloping heart. There was no doubt you were feeling it trying to beat out of his chest even with all the muscles and covers separating the two of you.

Eventually, the movie got interesting enough and his brain began to process the colors flying across the screen. It was a boy who once tasted an amazing bowl of ramen and began a journey to find the restaurant to have a taste of it once more in his adulthood and found his soulmate along the way.

At some point, the savory flavor of ramen fills his tongue as the food presents itself onto the screen once more.

“Wanna get ramen tomorrow?” He offered innocently.

“Are you asking me what I think you're asking?” You ask him with a teasing grin.

It took him an embarrassing amount of time before he realised how his words could be misinterpreted and his face boils, an embarrassed laugh escaping his lips as he shakes his head with his dismissive hands waving all around.

“No that's not—No, I was actually asking if you want to go out for ramen after we settled tomorrow!”

“I mean, I'm game for both.” You tell him with a shrug that tried its best to seem nonchalant and cool but only made you obviously affected by your own words.

“God…” Was all he could say, because other options would be inappropriate and rude.

As if sensing the rising urge within him to leave the bed, you quickly rolled over and mounted him, pressing down on the very thing he’s been trying to calm down since the day started. 

Hail to the jewel of the lotus… Calling upon the medicine Buddha…

“Why do you look so constipated and why did you just try to escape me earlier?”

“Maybe you’re heavy?” He jokingly responded, to which you retaliated with a quick swat to the shoulder, the movement jostling you from where you sat dangerously above him. 

He took a sharp intake of breath as a jolt of pleasure shot up his spine.

“Is it so hard to tell me what’s wrong?”

It is hard.

“Yes.” He grunted out, hands shooting up to your hips in an effort to stop you from stimulating him further. “Stop moving!”

His palms grew sweaty as it held you in place and he wished you didn't notice his hardness directly underneath you but the furrow in your eyebrows told him you have.

Hail to the jewel of the lotus…

“Seokjin.”

“Yes, princess?” 

“Do you seriously have a boner right now?”

Called out and ashamed, his face and down to his neck flushed hot and red. He waved you off with a nervous laugh.

“Ignore it. I've been… It's been like that since earlier so I know it'll fix itself soon.”

Your stare turned dubious. He thinks you'd follow his words and unmount him, you sounded disappointed at him earlier so he doesn't doubt the possibility of you even walking away. Against his judgement, you experimentally rolled your hips and immediately, he's groaning out in pleasure before he could even catch himself.

Realizing what he just did, he hid himself behind his hands.

“I swear, I really tried not to react. Please don't think that I invited you for dinner for sex, I genuinely wanted to make you something.” He quickly got out, body burning brighter with shame the further he went on.

“Jinnie…”

“I promise I'm not this weird, it's a body reaction I can't stop, please believe me—”

“Seokjin.”

“But ever since yesterday, I just keep on… It's like my body has been reprogrammed to react to you every time you get near. Something something about distance makes the heart fonder except its the opposite and my body is overreacting to you getting close to me—”

Then your lips are crashing onto his, cutting him off from his nervous rant. The taste of dinner clung onto your tongue, the sweetness of the Tonkatsu sauce lingering. Hungry as he is, Seokjin shot up from the bed to chase your fleeing lips. His hand creeps onto the back of your head to push you into a deeper kiss, fingers gingerly wrapped around the hairs by the nape but held a pressure that demanded you to stay where you are.

At this, you moaned into his mouth. 

Starved and ravenous, the moment he was given a bite, he's devouring you like you're the first meal he's had for a long while, his grip on your hip tightening, scared you'd leave him because of how he's acting right now.

A little bit more longer, think of me as that same bashful boy you know

You cupped his cheeks with a gentleness that contrasted the raw hunger his movement showed and it felt like cold water washing over him. Seokjin pulls away, breathing heavily with an apology sitting on the edge of his tongue. 

He hadn't meant to be so… hungry, he was usually more composed than this.

“I…”

But before the words could leave him, you're diving right back in with a fierceness almost rivaling his earlier, one hand now fisting his hair and forcing him to stay connected to you. The delicious sting from having his hair tugged on sensing hot white pleasure down his spine.

Lost in the heat of passion, he didn't even realize when your hands had begun to unbutton the front of his pajamas nor him getting you out of your matching top. You rolled your hips on top of him and it woke him up from the haze he's found himself trapped in.

God, you're wearing a lacy red bra that hugged your breasts so beautifully he couldn't help but thumb the intricate patterns over where your nipples should be before catching himself.

“Fuck… Princess, you're so pretty like this. Are you sure you want to do—”

“I am not being forced. I want you and I need you buried so deep in me, baby. I want to feel it tomorrow when I walk.” Your sweet voice not matching the filth of your words.

And boy, doesn't that thought make him feel weak.

The contrast from yesterday's behavior—you being more shy with your desires—to you being so forward with him right now got blood rushing further down his body. He's so hard right now he fears his brain not getting enough oxygen delivered to it.

“God, you're gonna kill me.”

Then, he's diving back in, kissing you deep as he guides your hips to drag against his clothed length, each movement sending a jolt of pleasure down his spine. His hands caressed your sides and back, thumb always catching onto the bands of your bra but never reaching under.

He feels for the details of the undergarment, tracing the lines and swirls with a reverence seen in a worshipper who got his hands onto his god's clothing.

Impatiently, you reached behind and unclasped your bra, letting the garment fall off of your shoulders before tossing it to the side. Staring up into your eyes for a confirmation, he reached up to cup your tits and gave it an experimental squeeze, eyes still trained onto your face to see if the pressure had hurt you.

Realizing he was gauging your reaction, you arched into his touch with an impatient noise.

But a famished man does not use his hand to eat. Like the rabid mutt he's been feeling since this morning and drawn to the sweetness of your skin, he’s leaning in to suck on one boob, tongue laving over perky nipple.

Immediately, a whine escapes your lips and you're pushing his face away after a full body tremble.

“W-wait, they're so sensitive today.” You gasped and he nodded, taking your hands from his mouth.

“What do you want me to do?”

Honestly, it's much better for him that you're sensitive. You'd be easier to tease and stimulate, he had embarrassed himself by coming too early yesterday and he's determined to do you right this time. But if it made you uncomfortable—he's not well-versed in a woman's body but when he's overstimulated, he'd want nothing else but to punch the most annoying person in the room, it should be the same, no?—then what's the point?

“Just be gentle, okay?” You tell him after a long while.

With your hand in his, he placed a kiss on your knuckles and caressed it with his thumb. “Okay.” 

“Okay.”

Gingerly this time, he took time caressing the swell of your breast, massaging and squeezing with varying pressure while gauging your reaction. When he’s figured out your limit, he's leaning back down to suck on a nipple while his other hand pinches.

You let out a pitched noise, the fingers on his hair tightening for a moment as your body trembled from the sensitivity and it only goaded him on.

Something about you being so reactive had triggered a deeper part of him he only thought existed. His throat tightened as he pulled moans from your lips, a mix of greed and pride inflating within his chest. Seokjin was making you shake like a leaf on his lap, it was him who's got you whimpering and mewling from having your tits sucked. 

The sting from having his hair pulled adding fuel to the hellfire burning his body whole.

“Fuck, you're so cute.”

Unable to resist any further, he flips you both over and lowered himself onto your abdomen, leaving a few chaste kisses until he reaches the bands of your sleepshorts. Seokjin looked up to you for approval and when he got it, he made a quick move of removing the thin fabric off of you to reveal a matching red lace underwear.

Immediately, your smell hits him and he crumbles.

“You smell so sweet, baby.” He breathes out, placing kisses over the soft fabric covering your abdomen.

“Jinnie, please.”

“Let me appreciate you a little longer, hm?”

“Jin.”

What is he if not a slave to your wants?

But he refuses to not have a little fun before he actually begins.

Pressing his thumb onto the erect nub pressed against drenched fabric, you sighed, hips already chasing after his finger. Pinning you down with an arm over your abdomen, he began to slowly roll your clit in light circles like Yoongi had done yesterday.

Your fingers found his hair again and pushed his head down with a whine. 

“Stop teasing me.”

“Like I said earlier, patience pays off, princess.”

Honestly, whose lips and hands have taken over him?!

Leaning down, he indulged himself with a lick through the thin lace. Immediately, you moaned, hips twitching up to his face.

God, you're so cute like this.

“Jinnie, fuck—I want you so bad, please.”

“What do you want me to do exactly?”

You stare at him—eyes blown out and dark with desire, cheeks flushed with your lips swollen from being bitten by both him and yourself—and he thinks it's the prettiest sight he's ever seen next to the iridescent explosions from winning a limited skin from a lootbox.

“Fuck me, baby. ‘wanna feel you in me.”

Your words shoot straight down his dick and he groans. But he wants something else first, he's made up his mind about it while you slept next to him last night.

“But I wanna taste you, won’t you like that?”

Surprisingly, you shake your head.

“I want you now, Jinnie.”

Fuck patience then.

“Okay.” He breathed out as he quickly fetched another box of condoms from his luggage next to the bed.

Running buttnaked and hard to your luggage is not a comfortable experience, 10/10 would not do it again, he’s gonna be more prepared next time. 

He tugged the remaining clothing off of him before returning to you, bare and naked already for him, pussy bare from any hair and thighs slick with your arousal. He wasn’t the only one who shaved for today it seems.

The moment he was freed from the confines of his boxer, your hands wrapped around his thickness and gave him a couple of pumps that had him throwing his head back in pleasure.

“Holy shit, how did you even fit that monster in me?” You suddenly say in genuine shock, pulling him out of his trance.

He flushed and a laugh bubbled out of him as he took your hands off of him to replace with his.

“It's not that big, stop that.”

“And you shaved?” You pointedly said with an amused quirk of your eyebrow.

“I-Its–don't ask why but baby, you shouldn't have got yours removed. I doubt anyone would mind.”

“Says the guy who's also bare.”

Knowing there's no end to the conversation if he continued, he focused on slipping the condom on instead.

“How do you want it, honey?”

“Come here and hug me. I'm scared of that elephant.” You giggled and he laughed.

“Please don't call it an elephant. It's very unsexy.”

“What else do you want me to call it?”

“Touché.” He simply says, patting your thigh and you spread open to welcome him in.

He placed a gentle kiss on your forehead after leaning over you, one arm planted next to your head while the other lining up his dick with your pussy. There's an apparent distance between both sex but nonetheless left him exhilarated. He slides his length against your sodden slit, letting the head of his cock catch at the rim of your hole every so often as he coated himself in your arousal.

Then, he's pushing in.

Your tight walls welcomed him as warmly as you had yesterday, wrapped snug and pulsing around him as he buried himself further inside you, inch by excruciating inch. 

The sheer tightness of your cunt knocked the breath out of his chest as your fingers dug into his arms, gasps erupting from your swollen lips as he sinks in further and further.

“Ease up for me, baby. You're too tight…!”

“Not my fuckin’—ngh…!—fault. You're just so big, Jinnie. Fuck…!”

You sounded so broken, so utterly devastated by pleasure it had him gripping onto the bedsheets in an attempt to ground himself. The unfiltered filth you've been spouting while gripping him oh so tightly nearly made him combust.

“That mouth is so… you're gonna drive me insane.”

Firmly grabbing your hips, he rears back before burying himself back up to the hilt and you gasp, hands leaving his biceps to wrap your arms around his neck instead, your mouth producing sweet pants and moans into his ears.

He began with a pace not too far nor too slow but made sure to push deep with every thrust; and with every thrust, the closer you pulled him closer, walls tighter with every push of his dick.

You shake under him, head lolling back and forth, unable to decide if you wanted to ground yourself with the feel of his skin or lose yourself to ecstasy.

“So perfect for me, baby. Takin’ me so well, such a good soulmate for me.”

His head swarms and clogs up with lust, brain now focused on nothing but pleasure as you chant his name like a prayer.  Nirvana, not the band, is found in the plushness of your cunt swallowing him greedily. 

The frustration of earlier now melting into the molten hot ecstasy running under his skin. All the while he's watching your face, so utterly devastated and beautifully contorted into pleasure as you threw your head back and gasped at a particular thrust.

Your hand, finding the back of his head once more, suddenly tugged his hair down by the scalp and like a trigger being pulled, he's plowing harder, deeper into you.

“Seokjin… Baby, you feel so good… Shit…!” You whimpered into his ears so sweetly he had to stop immediately, the scary build up almost blowing over from your voice alone.

“You gotta stop talking or I'm not gonna last, baby.” He whispered onto the side of your throat, catching his breath as he placed gentle kisses onto your sweaty skin.

His mouth clung onto the wide expanse of your throat, sucking just enough to feel good but not to leave a mark. Your fingers ran down his back and up to his nape as he let the rise fall. At least until you started squeezing around him.

Seokjin cursed under his breath, hips moving instinctively inside you at the stimulation. 

“Just come to me, baby. Give it to me.”

“No.”

“Stop being stubborn. I take it as a compliment and we have forever to—”

“And I say, no.”

Sitting up, he took both of your legs and placed your ankles onto his shoulders like he's seen in a manhwa before. Alerted by the new position, you pushed at his chest and tried letting your legs down but he quickly encased them between his arms as his hands settled on your hips.

“Wait…!”

Then he's fucking back into you, hard and fast. 

You scream, fingers falling to grab onto the bedsheets as he stroked so deep he feels the head of his cock nudge something. It worried him for a second but the pure ecstasy written on your face told him to continue.

He didn't care that the headboard was banging against the wall, no, if anything he wanted the others to hear what was happening inside his room. It was such a sick and twisted thought but nonetheless satisfied the man who was used to watching his younger bandmates touch and hug you while he could only make you laugh and pat your back.

“Baby, the be… the bed!” You exclaimed, hand flying towards the wood.

“I don’t care. Focus on me.”

Feeling the build up rise within him again, he reached over with a thumb on your clit and began rubbing it in tight circles. You sobbed, walls clenching around him so impossibly tight as you climb higher to your precipice.

“Jinnie fuhhngh… I'm so close.”

“Give it to me, baby. Let me see you come for me, pretty.”

When your body eventually stills before the torrent of pleasure, he stops thrusting and focuses on bringing you closer to your high, groaning at the increasing tightness of your cunt as you shake underneath him.

Then with a broken cry, you crumble around him, back arching off the bed so beautifully as you come apart on his dick.

With his main objective cleared, he slowly regained his pace from before and your hands shot out to his forearms, nails digging painfully into his skin as he began plowing in and out of you again, chasing after his own high. 

Your words melted off into unintelligible gibberish, he could barely even make his name out of your cries. 

“Jinnie… I-I can’t—I can’t…!”

“Shh, I know, honey. But I'm close, is that okay? Do you want me to stop?” 

You shake your head feverishly and he leaned down for a kiss, pressing your thighs up to your stomach and taking him deeper in the new position, soaking in every moan and mewl you let out as he fucks deeper into you. 

Seokjin itches to be closer, to practically merge into your skin to see if it burns the same way as his, to feel your heart and see if it beats as fast for him. He takes your hands from where it gripped onto the bedsheet and tangles it with his, feeling the invisible soulmate mark settle deep within you both. 

He felt complete, perfect—connected and utterly fucked out of his mind as he climbs up higher and higher.

Then with a shudder, the coil in his abdomen unfurls violently and he's stilling inside you as he comes. An explosion of emotions and warmth floods him. For a moment he could taste the sweetness of your satisfaction on his tongue and it tasted like heaven's nectar as his vision turned white from the intensity of his orgasm.

He had never tasted such a sweet release until yesterday and now yet he's already addicted to the feeling.

Spent and tired, he gently guided your legs down from his shoulders, and cupped your cheeks to start peppering kisses onto your face as your brain slowly catches onto what happened.

“You did so well for me, baby. Does it hurt anywhere?”

Mind still muddled from your orgasm, you simply shook your head, a loopy smile growing on your face as he kissed you everywhere except your lips. A hundred kisses later, you started giggling and it tells him you've finally found ground again.

“Jinnieee.” You dragged on his name.

“What does my princess want?”

“You keep missing one spot.”

“Whatever my princess wants.” He tells you with the biggest smile on his face as he placed a quick kiss on your lips. “Are you feeling okay? Does it hurt anywhere?”

“I'm not frail. If anything, there's not enough manhandling involved for me.”

This shocked a laugh out of him. “What are you trying to tell me, young lady?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Don't think of anyone else flipping you over, it's our night. Our date.” He playfully scolds you as he sits up, the movement pulling him out of your cunt.

Tying the condom up, he tossed it into the trashcan between the two beds and laid down next to you just as you stood to go to the bathroom. Left in the faint hums of the exhaust running behind the bathroom door, he finally noticed the vibration from the bedside tables between the two beds.

Taking a brief glance, he found that it was his phone being bombarded with alternating message notifications from the three youngest with one resounding topic:

“HYUNG HOW DARE YOU?!?”

And what is he if not their greatest, most handsome friend?

He responded to their hundreds of messages through the group chat with a simple: ‘:pp’.

Shutting his phone down, you reemerge from the bathroom. Unlike earlier when he was being avoidant and shy, he stared unabashedly at your naked form rushing back into the bed, muttering ‘cold’ with every step. An adorable soulmate he has.

“Come here, honey. It's much warmer heree.” Seokjin ushered you as he opened the blanket for you and you crawled up to the spot next to him, head resting on his bicep while you wrap an arm around his middle.

Placing a kiss onto the side of your head, he pulled you in closer, revelling in the warmth of your presence and the anger of his enemies (the maknaes).

With the movie playing idly in the background, surrounded in comfort and body satiated, it wasn’t a surprise when he yawned almost immediately. 

“Go to sleep.”

“We should go to sleep. We have an early flight tomorrow.” He mumbled, eyes already closed.

“Did anyone reach out earlier? I noticed that your phone’s been blowing up.”

“Don’t worry about them. Focus on only sleeping next to me, hm?”

Seo-ah made a face from where she sat, on her bed in their shared hotel room, and it made her feel dumb. But honestly, could anyone blame her for being a little panicked? Her boss had threatened her job if she ever breathed anything about what she saw at someone’s direction. 

She expected a lawyer, for the other members of the group to sit her down and be subjected to the rare displeasure of Namjoon only for nothing to happen in the following days. It made her antsy.

Anxious.

What could that guy be planning?

Is he waiting for me to slip?

Did you tell him anything about her? Had you whispered into his ears and urged him to have her laid off?

Alexa knew she doesn’t have a shiny record with you but she was nothing but curious, maybe a little pushy but she didn’t harm you in any way so why would you do that to her?

“...Shouldn’t you be glad there’s nothing legal to chain you down?” Seo-ah asked cooly, checking her nails.

“No, there must be something. You think this is a test?.”

“Or you could just be making it all up in your head.” Seo-ah shrugged as she picked her drink and took a snap of herself with the mango shake. “You’re panicking over nothing, just don’t say anything to anyone and you’ll be good.”

Alexa paused, gaze wandering to her friend still taking pictures of herself by the couch next to the wide glass windows. But before she could utter a word out, she raised a finger at her and shook her head.

“Don’t tell me anything, I don’t want any part of this.”

It frustrates Alexa how Seo-ah wanted to shrug this issue off as if it's acceptable to have cheaters roam free with no consequences. She couldn’t even put into words how angry she was seeing you earlier joking around with Seokjin, hand on his arm as you throw your head back in a laugh. 

How can a woman not feel any remorse or even a semblance of guilt when she talks to the lover she’s deceiving?

“You don’t get how much of a burden it is to see her bonding with Seokjin oppa—”

Seo-ah let out a frustrated groan. “Don’t meddle with their affairs. If they’re caught then they’re caught, not our fucking problem. We’re hired to only care about how pretty these boys should look. Don’t try to be the good guy.”

“But—”

“No buts, no exceptions. As long as we’re paid by the end of the day then I’m not doing shit. Can we go visit that cat cafe now?”

[Hours before Nabi’s sleepover]

No matter how much she tries to ignore the injustice around her like Seo-ah had suggested, she couldn’t. Because she’s not like her friend who’s all nonchalant, logic-driven and money focused. Her anger, no matter how much she tries to control it, boils over and today seems to be the day she’ll confront you.

Alexa marched into the dressing room where she found you already digging through your makeup pouch on the table. Seeing you laughing with Seokjin oppa earlier with no shame or guilt made her skin crawl. 

It was so dirty, the most repulsive. 

A vile woman like you shouldn’t have had the privilege of being Seokjin’s secret, it makes her blood boil with fury just thinking of how he practically revered you. You don’t deserve those soft gazes she used to believe only exists in dramas and fairytales. The smiles, the gentleness, the thoughtfulness—those things should’ve been reserved for someone who’d appreciate them better.

Someone who’d reciprocate that same gaze that told her if nobody else was in the room, he would’ve gotten down on his knees and started kissing your feet.

When you broke off from the group heading out for the celebratory dinner with the excuse of forgetting something, Alexa followed you and when no god-like men happened to be waiting for you, she pounced.

“You’re disgusting.” She spat out, voice dripping with venom.

In the pindrop silence, her words rang out like a knife being unsheathed and you turned to her, jaw dropped and face contorted into an ugly offended expression.

“Excuse me?”

“I can’t fucking believe you!”

You blinked. 

“What are you talking about, Alexa? You come here calling me disgusting for no reason, what did I—”

“Don’t play dumb, it doesn’t suit you. You know damn well what you fucking did.” She snapped, goosebumps pricking her skin at how you’re still acting innocent. At the rise in your eyebrow, she continued. “I saw you kiss Jungkook in the hallway. “

You looked like a deer in a headlight when her words dawned on you, surprised as if the ground below you had crumbled and you’re falling—god, she hoped you would feel shittier than that. Alexa hoped her words made you feel mortified, disgusted at yourself like all cheaters would be when caught. 

The thought of it alone filled her with sick glee.

Would you start begging her to keep her mouth shut? Would you fall to your knees asking her to not tell Seokjin soon?

A nervous laugh slipped out as your eyes flicked toward the open exit behind her, right hand closing into a fist. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“Stop looking behind me, Jungkook won’t save you anytime soon.” Alexa’s voice dripped with mockery, her arms crossed like she was holding herself back from more. “And stop acting innocent. It’s starting to piss me off.”

“What are you talking about, Alexa?” you asked, still feigning confusion. “I only kissed him on the cheek, it’s not as bad as you’re trying to make it out to be. Friends do that, especially ones you—”

There was no shame in your face, no remorse in your tone. Alexa could barely stomach it. How could you look her in the eye and pretend like this was all a misunderstanding? That you weren’t going on sweet dates with their youngest somewhere in LA while Seokjin awaited you both to come back from whatever you two had excused yourselves to.

Insects crawled up her body, thousands of prickly legs wiggling under her skin.

So disgusting! 

“Do you enjoy it at least? Kissing the kid he raised while he waits for you to return,” she spat. “What kind of excuse did you give him to believe you weren’t sneaking around behind Seokjin’s back?”

“This isn’t your business, Alexa.” You huffed, quickly gathering your items into your bag.

She stomped over, snatching the brushes from your hands but your hold tightened around them and it quickly became a class of strength. 

“Oh, it became my business the moment you made a fool out of him,” she barked. “HE TRUSTED YOU!”

You blinked, staring at her with a strange stoicness. It reminded her of someone else’s gaze, dirty and demeaning. Being subjected to it made her feel wrong, crazy; and it infuriates her.

“I should tell him,” she seethed. “He deserves to know that you’re out here .”

Your hand catches her wrist as she turns around. “You’re being unreasonable, there is nothing going on—”

“I KNOW WHAT I SAW! DON’T LIE TO ME!”

“Alexa, if you just calm the fuck down—”

Footsteps echoed from behind, they both sounded rushed as it echoed and approached them. Alexa scowled, she didn’t even get to snatch your hair or even slap you yet but at least she got to see your expression. 

It's not enough but it will have to do for now.

Namjoon and Yoongi round the corner, their eyebrows knitted tight as their eyes surveyed the room before it landed, your wrist wrapped tightly around her wrist.

She coolly took her arm back from you. She couldn’t be seen being aggressive to you, not when she plans to reveal your dirty secret to the other members now.

“What’s going on?” Namjoon asked, his lips set into a frown

Alexa turned, an easy smile on her face. “Perfect timing. You should both know that she’s cheating on Seokjin with Jungkook.”

A sharp silence fell. 

But it wasn’t the shocked, betrayed silence she had expected. It was stale, like she was an ignorant bint who had just emerged from whatever cave she’s buried herself in and had declared confidently an invention everyone had known centuries ago.

She blinked. “What?”

They looked unfazed, as if her words had been expected, rehearsed even, and she was the one stumbling into the play she wasn’t aware was taking place. Her stomach churns impossibly tight as she studies their blank expressions. The two men exchanged looks and Alexa couldn’t help but feel even more lost.

There’s something happening and she’s not understanding a single bit of it.

Why aren’t they reacting like she thought they would?

Namjoon sighs, rubbing his forehead. “I don’t think you’re the one understanding what’s happening here, Alexa.”

Alexa frowned deeper. “It’s not hard to understand. She’s two-timing a man who actually loves her. But if you want to defend that, go ahead.”

“If that’s what you think is happening then sure.” Yoongi off-handedly said as he shrugged, earning Namjoon’s scolding gaze.

Alexa’s eyes darted between them, confusion flickering beneath her fury. “You’re all seriously okay with this?”

“God, we’re gonna miss dinner. If you don’t mind, we’re going. I’m fucking starving.:

Yoongi walked past her and entangled your hand in his, pulling you to their side and suddenly, everything began to click in place.

The careful touches she caught glimpsed of shared not only with Seokjin or Jungkook but the rest of the group, the gazes that seem to hold a subtle sweetness inappropriate for friends, and your reaction earlier when she revealed what she knew—the hesitance and the kind of nervousness when you’re caught and are scrambling for the words to answer that she misunderstood. 

You weren’t panicking over the cheating accusations but rather, to something greater.

Something far beyond her understanding.

In that very moment, every moment she raised her eyebrow at, began to make sense and all she could do was stare as the puzzles began to create a picture she never once considered.

They all shared you, shamelessly and without care for what was deemed normal.

And Alexa finds herself lost, conflicted and horrified.

Alexa only watched you retreat with a dawning realization as Yoongi guided you outside, leaving Namjoon by the doorway who flashed her a dimpleless smile, eyes speaking a thousand of threats that his mouth couldn’t say out loud.

“Don’t put your nose where it doesn't belong. Our lawyers will be in contact and we won’t forget this time. Don’t do anything you’ll regret while they draft it up.”

Your mom said he was okay now and the doctor said it was by pure luck he was driven to the hospital when your dad realized his heartbeat was unusual and abnormally fast, otherwise, it could've been really bad. Even then, seeing him physically would bring a better sense of relief than a mirror of himself on a screen. 

Crying quickly grew old. You hated the pitying stares its aftermath garners as well as the constant stream of concerns from both your friends and your soulmates but you also hated the numbing silence as well so you're stuck between getting sad and becoming a zoning out fool.

Not that your job gave you much chance to do so. Bangtan's demand is rising with every passing day. You couldn't afford to get distracted. 

Namjoon feels bad he couldn't help you more. Jimin feels guilty he’s keeping you from family but you reassured him time and time again that you don't blame any of them for the denied permission. Your soulmates were a great source of comfort on the first few days but it got old quickly and you began turning their offers of affection down if you could.

That being said, while you're beginning to warm up to the idea of being spoiled, you'd like some peace every now and then between the chaos attached to having seven soulmates. As much as you love the hugs and the increasing frequency of cuddle piles from the maknaes, you don't exactly appreciate being distracted to the point of barely getting anything done at all.

It's uncomfortable just thinking about how you’re just lounging about while everyone moves around you.

So you went with the option who'd give you space than smother you to death with their worries while having the rest of the nexus barred from interrupting him during production:

Min Yoongi.

Seokjin was also an option. The stability he offers is undeniable, his wide shoulders and firm chest can drown you in comfort but you just want a moment of peace nobody in your nexus could provide except their eldest rapper.

Besides, they’re roommates this time in Chicago.

Yoongi wasn’t in his room when you arrived but instead of leaving to find him in the other guy’s room or going back to yours to wait until he comes back, you launched yourself onto his bed and shimmied under the covers. For all the huffed out complaints about the temperature during filming or outside performance, Yoongi sure does like to keep them high in his room.

Settling deeper into his bed, you caught a whiff of his perfume on the pillow that smells faintly of citrus and a mix of woody-aquatic notes. His favorite perfume out of all his collection—as well as yours, you quickly discover.

The bathroom door opens with a click and out comes Yoongi, looking every bit like a cute, ruffled cat as he cluelessly switches from bathroom slippers to ordinary slippers, rubbing his towel behind his ears as he does so. Steam rolled from behind him as he began to hum an unfamiliar tune.

Upon realizing he wasn’t alone after meeting your gaze, he freezes.

“Hi.” You shyly greet, waving hand made barely visible by the obstructing blanket.

“Why are you in my room?”

You don't know whether you want to cheer that he was fully clothed when he walked out or not, you hadn’t anticipated the possibility of stumbling onto a half naked soulmate.

During your ovulation nonetheless.

Jungkook and Seokjin had a competition earlier before soundcheck on who can last longer on a plank. Seeing them growing sweaty with every passing second, arms impossibly bulging through black long sleeves, and making all the unholiest of noises without meaning to almost took you out. You’re sure Minhyuk had recorded your tomato face when Seokjin fell with a rather interesting sound, Nabi and Minhyuk almost had to carry you out in a stretcher after.

There was something different about this cycle though, you hadn’t noticed this bottomless need last month where you ended up bedbound with Jimin through your period and his birthday. You swore up and down you’re not this depraved woman your body seems to think it is. 

It's as if your body knew you had soulmates, you feel rather ravenous at random points of the day.

Realizing you’ve been staring at him in silence and the window for a normal human to respond has relapsed, you stammered out a response.

“I want to hang out?” 

“You sound a little bit unsure there.”

“No but seriously, I just want to hang out, dude.”

Yoongi stared at you for a minute longer before he’s shaking his head and continuing to dry his hair rougher than he was earlier as he approached his production setup at the far corner of the room.

Seeing how hard he's going, you stand to retrieve a new one in the bathroom to distract yourself from wanting to jump him. You feel his inquisitive gaze follow you as you disappear around the corner.

He already had his headphones on when you returned with a dry towel, although by the way he's been staring off to where you had gone earlier, you hazard a guess he hasn't begun editing or creating his newest masterpiece yet.

You didn't even have to ask him if you could dry his head, Yoongi is wordlessly removing his headphones and moving his chair to the side so you could dry him off. 

“I didn't even have to ask you if I could, hm?”

“Why would I deny free service? Get to work, make-up noona. This boss of yours needs his hair dried.” He demands, snapping his fingers like someone’s entitled rich mother but holds no actual weight behind them. 

Still, you threw the huge towel over his head. He softly laughed in response, shoulders shaking as he reached down to fold the part draping over his face up.

“I will now start my service, sir. Are you comfortable right now?” You ask still in that overly polite service voice, thumbs digging into the blades of his shoulders and massaging him.

He hummed, voice coming out a little gravelly as he spoke out. “Very comfortable, make-up noona.”

You start patting him down in a comfortable silence. 

It was quite the domestic scene. With Yoongi in his baggy black shirt and basketball shorts, thighs spread wider by the second as he slowly melts into the chair. You notice the dark bags blooming under his eyes and you decide then to distract him from work a little longer, at least for an hour max.

Because that’s how long Yoongi would let himself be distracted, you learn this after years of being together. 

There's also something therapeutic seeing him relax though, something about how he’s fully surrendering himself to you…

God damn it, fucking ovulation bullshit. Can we not today?!

Seeing how peaceful Yoongi is from something as simple as drying his hair, your mind thinks back to a dimpled giant with shoulders carrying the weight of the future of seven, including his.

Would Namjoon be comfortable enough to try this with you?

There was no denying how different yours and Namjoon's relationship is from the rest of the guys. He was all stiff, respectful touches and distant when the others would be holding your hands to press kisses on each finger with that deep look in their eyes.

You had years of being friends with him but there was always this professional space that existed in your and his’ relationship that is absent with the other guys. If you comforted him it would be because he gave and needed a kind of support his brothers couldn't provide.

It would take long but you've got the soulmate mark to help you lay the groundwork.

Deeming his hair dry enough, you pull away and immediately, Yoongi perks up from his previous boneless state, head swerving to turn to you with a confused look only to catch himself looking like a lost cat and immediately ironed out his expressions.

“Why did you stop?” He asked in a voice so soft you almost went back to pat him some more.

“Your hair's dry now, sir. I’ve got six other customers to tend to.”

“But I asked for you first…” He mumbled.

For some reason, you think there's a hidden meaning in those words.

“I’ll go back to you right after, sir.”

Instead of responding, he just stared, trying to communicate his wants through his gaze before remembering the existence of your soulmate mark and at the edge of your vision, he curled his pinky around the red thread.

Immediately, you were tickled by his shy requests for more.

‘Please.’

Only a person with the emotional range of a rock would deny such a request.

Yoongi turns back around, ears red but leaned his head back. You didn't hesitate to look for the hairdryer in the bathroom and fetched the comb left on the bathroom counter on the way out. 

It was easy drying his hair, you've done the act for so long it's almost instinctual. Although hairstyles were more of Minhyuk's specialty, you've picked up the basics from the days BigHit couldn't afford more than seven stylists to handle their make-up, clothes and hairstyles.

You did use the lowest setting possible so it took longer than it would've with a heat protectant serum.

Not that the man minded, he seems to have fallen asleep around three minutes in, fingers still wrapped around his red string. Seeing this, you decided to hold onto the other end and his face lost all its tension.

When all is done, you put down the comb and begin to massage his scalp with your nails instead. Yoongi received this with a low, drawn out groan. The sound echoed throughout your body and a debilitating warmth spread from where you held the red string in your palm and down to your toes.

At a time like this, you remember how voices can be attractive sometimes.

It didn’t help that he kept letting out soft sighs every time you wandered low to a particular spot by his nape.

You don’t doubt that he’s doing it on purpose when it happened the third time—the damned red string surely broadcasting your feelings to him like the sneaky traitor it is. Being on your ovulation week only added fuel into the growing fire in the pits of your abdomen, every sigh and rumbling hums kept on building an imagery far too inappropriate to think of when connected to your soulmate.

Then you feel a flare from the string, a tentatively released wisp, a taste of the deeply rooted want that caused a ripple through your already feverish body. You gasped, stunned by the glimpse you were given.

It felt so rich and incredibly sweet. Yoongi’s long withheld and overwhelming desire tasted like nectar. All you had was a mere droplet from the wide ocean he surely holds yet you’re already dizzy from its sheer intensity. Its depths spoke of years of suppressed affections. 

It was a question more than an invitation, asking almost as desperately as a man on his knees: do you feel the same as me?

Do you want the same as me?

At the realization, your heart leaps to your throat and your hands halt from where it had been massaging him. Immediately, Yoongi’s hand surged up to wrap around your wrist and he twisted around to face you, eyes dilated to the nines yet held an anxiety of a man who just confessed his feelings and at the same time, the sadness born from an expectation already considered truth in his mind.

He opened his mouth ever so slightly only to shut them just as quickly.

“You don’t have to say anything.” You tell him, hands falling to cup his colored cheeks.

He nods. His hand, still keeping a strong hold on your wrist, then loosened to travel down to your own hand to hold you. True to Yoongi's silent and shy disposition, he wordlessly brought your knuckles to his lips and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on them before he reached over to the other seat opposite of his equipment—still not letting go of you—and pulled the chair next to him.

“Sit down. Let's just talk, hm? I don't think we had the chance to with just the two of us.”

You didn't have to be told twice and sat down.

Now situated next to him and deeming you close enough, Yoongi lets go of your hand in favor of reaching over to the net bag full of tangerines and begins stripping it off of its skin in quick, precise motions.

“You were supposed to go on a date with Jin today, right?” He asked, clearing his throat not too long after. 

“Yeah but he insisted that we move it. I tried telling him that we can continue but he threatened to tie me to my bedpost so I didn't fight back.”

It was tempting though. Ever so patient Seokjin with his god-like self control yet so easily flustered person tying you up in bed? You actually doubt he would commit to it but it's hard to guess with him these days.

Yoongi perked up at that, a short and breathy chuckle escaping him as he popped a slice into his mouth.

“As if he’d actually do that. Did he mention when you’ll both go out instead?”

“I tried asking but he wanted to keep it a secret till the end.”

He breaks another piece and holds them up to your lips. The air crackled with a tension both parties insisted on ignoring as his eyes lingered a little longer on the way your lips parted open for the tangerine, his own unconsciously mimicking the same action with eyes brimming with desire.

Anticipation sweetens the song of your blood is already singing as you stare up at him through your eyelashes and eat the slice.

An unconscious noise erupts from his throat as he stares at your lips unabashedly. He watched you chew a little longer before clearing his throat and looking back down at the tangerine.

“I just hope he finds the time before we leave New York.” He forces out, leg beginning to jump, a rare nervous tick of his as he retreats back into his shell.

If you opened up the passage, would he accept it and finally let himself go?

God, why are you acting like this even? You're not this desperate!

“Why is that?” You ask, trying to seem normal upon your recent realization.

His hands stills for a second but he quickly recovers, busying himself by peeling another slice to feed himself, pale ears glowing red.

“I was supposed to be your date in New York…” He almost says, gaze looking at everything except you. “We had a schedule and all that.”

How could this be the same guy who spit such venom and fire in his songs? All those curses and aggressive words spouted out by those pouty lips?

“Oh? What did you have in mind for me?”

“I'm not telling you, of course. It's a secret.” 

“What would I have to do to get a hint?” 

As much as curiosity has you itching for an answer, you really don't want to know. You just wanted to tease the man who has pulled away when you're so ready to lean into him, no doubt scared by the intensity he’s feeling.

The man shrugs, already breaking off another piece to feed you and you take it.

“Nothing's gonna make me tell you that. The world could explode tomorrow and I still won't.”

“You want me to die not knowing how our date would've gone? Do you hate me?” You asked, feigning hurt as genuinely as you can.

“Now, don't go twisting my words like that. You know I don't mean it like that.”

He offers another slice, which you ate this time without other intentions with an easy smile on your face. There remains the underlying tension boiling at a simmer but the air is much lighter now that you even shamelessly propped both your feet across his thighs, not that the man minded, he even adjusted them to rest more comfortably.

“How are you holding up?” He starts again. “Don’t try and lie to me or act like I mean something else. You know what I’m asking about.”

“How do you know me so well?”

“Years of experience. We're also connected.” He says, raising his pinky where the red string hangs and thrumming with life despite not being activated.

“No need to worry really. Of course, I'm a little sad I couldn't be there physically but if they said dad's stable then he is.” 

Yoongi hums, offering the last piece to you before he's reaching for the tissue to wipe his hands methodologically, making sure nothing remains on his fingers. Then, he's gently massaging your calf and you suppress the embarrassing noise tickling your throat.

Prim and proper, self. You can't be acting like a mad and deprived woman.

“What brought you to my room? I'm sure it wasn't without reason.”

“I visited you because I wanted to. Can't a girl miss her soulmate?” You offer.

Then in a burst of confidence you don't know where came from, Yoongi then says:

“If you want a distraction, I can give it to you. Remember what I said in that elevator?”

You could recall the scene vividly. It was after Yoongi had first met Guwon and he'd been expressing his dislike for the guy before putting himself as a husband candidate jokingly, and when you had turned him down saying Seokjin had them as well, Yoongi offered another perk if you were to marry him.

“You know what they say about my tongue, right?”

“Surely, you're not…” You trail off, breathless.

“We don't need to go the whole mile. I know you're not that open to me just yet.”

You don't miss his self-deprecating comment at the end and you frowned.

“Don't say that.”

He shrugged, unbothered. “You lay there and let me take care of you. You get a distraction and I get to taste you after years of wanting to.”

Suddenly, the hands pressing deep circles into your calves burned. Your throat tightens as he holds your surprised gaze with his heated stare—his stare that never lasted more than a second before he's looking away. Seeing how he kept eye contact for more than five seconds, you know then how serious he is.

Min Yoongi, as you know him, never wants for plenty. He's easily pleased and almost always content with what he has—except for anything concerning his career—but when he wants, he becomes an unmovable force that no one can defeat. 

If he wants it, he gets it.

“If you don't want it, of course we can just continue chatting here like we always do. If you want it, know that I won't start expecting more than this one time unless you explicitly tell me you want more.” 

Your throat tightens at the raspy shift in Yoongi's voice as he nears the end.

He stared at you like a beast holding itself back from pouncing, he's hungry—famished, even. His hands were tight around the arm chair, a contrast to the illusion of control he forces his body to exude. You could see it in his darkened gaze that spoke nothing but his deep rooted desire barely unravelled nor explored by anyone, not even you. It was just a glimpse like his bottomless feelings bleeding into the bond earlier and you itched to discover just how far you can fall before you find his true heart.

The silence hangs on a precarious balance and it would only take one strong blow for everything to topple over and fall. Goosebumps rise on your skin as you recognize the crackle of tension in the air, heart beating out of your chest in both fear and a sick kind of excitement. 

“So? What do you say?” 

A tick.

Then another.

“For distraction?”

“Just for distraction.”

“Fuck it, come here and kiss me already.”

You didn't have to tell him twice.

Yoongi was on his feet in an instant, chair screeching from the sudden movement as both hands cupped your cheeks and pulled you in for a kiss, the sweetness of tangerine lingering on his lips. 

It started off slow, his scraped together courage dwindling as he melts into you.

But even without the soulmark active, every unspoken word and fleeting gaze throughout the years—their very essence and the sweetness of affection hidden within them—bleeds into you as he bites your lower lip and you let him in. It pours out of his pores and warms your cheeks under his palms.

Kissing him felt like a piece fitting into an incomplete puzzle, an opening of a branch in the skill tree. Something deep within you just clicks like the way it did with Jimin, as if your very soul recognized its mate, and with the odd sensation, an explosion of warmth in your chest.

He then pulls away to breathe and you, already addicted to him, chase after the sweetness of tangerines on his lips but he stops you with his palm. Yoongi’s face is bright red from his cheeks, ears, and down his neck when he stammered out:

“Wait—my heart’s beating too fast…!”

“Okay.”

But no longer than a minute since he took an emergency time out, he’s leaning back in with a vigor and this time, his kiss didn’t carry the same gentleness of a newfound love. It was confident and drove his intentions home, leaving no space for any misunderstanding to take place. He left you gasping for air and every time you try to pull away for breath, his hand behind your head is pushing you back in.

It was dizzying. He’s dizzying.

His tongue, the famed tongue he bragged about in his songs, unhurried but firm, pushes and glides against yours. You weren’t a horrible kisser nor was he your first kiss but Yoongi makes everything you do pale in comparison; something that you quickly find out was as embarrassing as it is crazy hot. If you didn't know better, you'd think he was a vampire sucking the life out of you through the kiss.

After a long while, Yoongi pulls away, feline eyes dark with desire as it drifts down to your lips before rising up to meet your equally dilated gaze.

“Lay down on the bed.” He had whispered into your lips and you obeyed without objection.

You opted to remove your shorts yourself when you settled in the middle of his bed but Yoongi stopped you before you could and gently pushed your hands away to replace them with his. 

It's only when your pants were halfway your legs did you suddenly remember something and stopped him.

“Wait—let me wash up a bit. I’m dirty!”

At this, Yoongi leveled you with a deadpanned stare.

“If you think something’s about to scare me from eating you out after dreaming of doing it for years, I’m gonna need you to think again.”

His breath fans against the exposed parts of your abdomen, sending a jolt of static through your system as he leans down to place a kiss on the area below your bellybutton before he begins shedding your shorts, along with your underwear, leaving reverent kisses on every inch of uncovered skin.

He tried prying your legs open but you kept them close, mortified and he sighed.

“Yoongi—”

“I don't care if there's a fucking jungle down there, I will still feast on you like its my last meal. Open your fucking legs.”

Anticipation thrummed energetically like drugs under your skin as he settles between your thighs and with his long pianist’s hands, parts them wide for him.

Immediately, Yoongi let out a soft groan.

“You’re so pretty here, baby.”

And when you think he’s finally to make true of his offer, he turns his attention above you.

You watch as he reaches for the other unoccupied pillow and motioned for you to raise your hips. You feel like a piece of meat being plated and presented for a food critic as he squeezed the plush item under you. 

“Wh-what's this for?” You ask him nervously.

“Nothing to be worried about.”

Your heart jumps on your throat as calloused fingers from years of strumming a guitar, grazed up to your inner thighs. It was embarrassing how loud you moaned when he dipped a finger into your sopping folds but Yoongi didn’t mind, if anything, it only goaded him on.

With a sharp hiss, Yoongi indulged himself a little, pointer finger tracing your engorged clit before trailing down to your hole.

“A little kissing already got you this wet? God, you’re going to make me religious.”

Then with a surprising show of strength, Yoongi wraps his arms around your thighs and pulls you close to his face as he situates himself into a more comfortable position on his stomach. 

But before he leaned in, he made a show of wrapping his fist in the vibrant red string of fate from the side of your thigh.

You groaned, dripping fucking wet. “Oh my god—”

“Hold onto the string for me. I want to know how good I make you feel.”

Good is a gross understatement of how his tongue felt when it began to obscenely licked and sucked on your clit.

You gasped, hands shooting down to push at his head, surprised by the onslaught of pleasure he’s raining down on your sensitive clit before you could even wrap the string properly but Yoongi was a man on a mission, flattening his tongue before deftly working the silky appendage side-to-side, arms tightening from where it curled around your shaking thighs.

And here you thought years of no action would've made him rusty but apparently, an old machine can still function perfectly with a little bit of oil.

Satisfaction and an exhilarating rush of his heady pleasure bleeds into your own mindbreaking concoction of ecstasy. 

It hadn’t been long since he began but you’re already convulsing, toe curling and breathing heavily while the man responsible for it was unfazed, focused on nothing else but the visibly cherished act of eating you out. 

“F-fuck… Yoongi—shit!”

But even with all the motion, it didn’t feel enough. It felt incomplete.

You wanted more than just a tongue and it's crazy how you’re already begging for more.

Reading the change in your mood, Yoongi then unwraps his right arm and immediately, you feel his finger hover over your weeping hole. A silent suggestion. You tug at his hair, a desperate whine escaping your lips.

He pulls away, feline eyes laser focused on your cunt. With the other arm around your thigh, he reached over to open you up to his gaze with two fingers before he's pushing one long digit inside you. A silent groan escapes him as he watches before he's diving right back in.

Ravenous lust quickly rushes through you from the string, conveying what Yoongi’s occupied mouth couldn’t say as he began experimentally thrust his finger in and out of you, curling every now and then in a come-hither motion.

“Fuck..! Just like that, baby!”

One quickly turned into two, and soon you were careening towards the highest precipice, coil tightening in your abdomen as Yoongi dutifully guided you higher and higher until there was nowhere else to go but down.

And down you fall. 

Devastatingly hard.

With a scream of his name, you came crashing down, thighs clamping down around his head as pleasure quickly turned into overstimulation. You pushed at his head but it was never easy to pry a man starved from the first food he tasted in year so you laid there, eyes rolled back and convulsing as Yoongi impossibly grew more enthusiastic, arm pinning your hips down as he pushed his fingers through your tight walls, tongue flicking and sucking more obscenely on your clit.

Trapped under him, you had no other choice but to take every pleasure he’s giving you.

You feel your own arousal and his saliva drip down to wet the mattress. If it wasn't embarrassing enough, there's a lewd squelching sound echoing in the room, a testament to how wet you are for him.

“Yoongi please wait…! I-I don't think I can—”

“Just another one and then I'll stop. Come on, give me one more, baby.” He rasped out as he pulled away momentarily before he's leaning back down.

Years of history should've taught you how much of a bullshitter Yoongi is yet you fell for his lie so easily.

It must’ve been your fresh third before you managed to finally pry the man off of you—or more like, Yoongi finally had his fill and decided to grant you mercy—and you laid there, sweaty and shaking.

There’s a wide, satisfied smile stretched across his face when he sat up, your arousal glossing his lips and drenching his chin. He looked completely wrecked and pussy-drunk, hair messy and left standing from where you had grabbed him. It was unfair how good he looked when you're laying there like an unflattering and heaving puddle.

You weakly fall back on his bed, lightheaded and body shaking from the aftermath of three consecutive orgasms from only being eaten out for what seemed like an hour while Yoongi gently caressed your thighs, grounding you.

This was the scene Seokjin stumbled into—you, sprawled on Yoongi’s bed, still catching your breath and half-naked down while the owner of said bed massaged your bare thighs, the glistening slick on his chin already telling him of what happened prior.

“You guys didn’t even bother closing the door, did you want someone to walk in and see you both having sex?!” Seokjin exclaimed as he spun back around, face entirely red. “Yoongi, you should’ve thought about how someone could see our soulmate naked and closed the damn door, what were you thinking—”

“Hyung, close the door.”

Seokjin made quick work to close it and then he geared up for another round of sermons, back still turned on the both of you.

“I know that the other boys would be the only ones who'd enter the room but would it kill you to have a little bit of caution? I mean, this is a surprise but come on—”

“Hyung, come here. Join us.”

You were lucid enough to process Yoongi’s invitation and your head snapped from Seokjin to the rapper, eyes wide in surprise.

Sharing your time, hugs and cheek kisses were one thing but to share you in bed was another. Although none of your soulmates had expressed intense displeasure having to share your time and attention—though Hoby had wistfully mumbled how he wanted you for himself alone for a little while—you thought it would take them time to adjust at the idea of having someone else watch or participate in such an intimate act.

But then again, Yoongi isn’t like most men.

He loves his brothers so much he must’ve taken to the idea like a fish in the sea, like it was the most normal thing to happen.

Taking your hand with the string, he pressed a soft, reassuring kiss onto your knuckles.

“Do you want it, baby? Want us to take care of you?”

Maybe it was ovulation, maybe it was the intoxicating haze of Yoongi’s transmitted lust bleeding into yours, or maybe it's just you being you—ravenous, greedy and ever-so insatiable—but the thought of another soulmate joining in seems to be the next step.

It wasn’t fair that Jimin or Yoongi got to have you when Seokjin, who had confessed and loved you in silence for years, could only go as far as a kiss on the cheek. 

If you agreed, it wouldn't be an act out of pity but something much deeper, something yet to be unearthed. Because unbeknownst to all of them, you once had a crush on the eldest too but had to step away because you valued your job and friendship above it.

Besides, you don’t feel like walking away now. There’s an itch settling deep within you that begged to be reached, to be satiated, that no tongue nor how many fingers could fix. You could see the unrelenting thickness strained against Yoongi’s shorts—the utter length of it hidden behind fabric. 

You knew the hands rule and the rapper checked all the items in the list Nabi insisted was accurate. Seeing him now, although clothed, had your throat seizing up with a desire to taste, to devour.

And by the amused look Yoongi was sending you, you knew he was aware of how much you want him and he’s fucking radiating with glee because of it.

“Yoongi, you’re not being reasonable right now!” Seokjin spluttered out, angered but also flustered to the nines. “You can’t just invite me to join when she’s not even open to it, you dog!”

“But do you want to, Jinnie?” You asked this time, purring the words out.

It wasn’t like you to be so forward, so needy, evident by Seokjin visibly freezing by the doorsteps and the new wave of pleased and lust from your soulmark with Yoongi.

With how Seokjin hadn’t moved since you asked, you thought you had scared the man away. You shared a look with Yoongi and he answered with a shake of his head.

‘Jin. Thinking hard.’

And after what seems to be a minute of internal crisis within the man, he finally speaks out.

“Are you sure?” Seokjin’s voice breaks through the temporary silence, still facing the door. It held the weight of someone waiting for the ball to drop, for the punchline to come.

But there was none. You just want him next to you, feel his body heat radiate and bleed into yours. 

“Come here, Jinnie. We've got a room for you.”

It's surprising how Namjoon hadn’t started a search party for you with the way your heart is trying to beat out of your chest as you watch Seokjin internally debate walking over and running away before he's throwing all the fucks in the world over his shoulder and stalked towards Yoongi's bed.

Suddenly shy, you try closing your legs only for Yoongi to pin them back down.

“Yoongi—” You start, trying to pry him off but halts you by catching your wrist.

“Stop, I wanna show hyung how pretty you are. He's been wanting to see you like this, are you going to stop me?” 

Seokjin takes careful steps as he walks past his bed and to where you both are, more scared and prey-like than predatory. Then his gaze finally found your glistening cunt and he took a sharp intake of breath. 

Under the gaze of someone else, you look away, face burning with embarrassment but Yoongi doesn't care, thumbs spreading your folds open and exposing you further to the eldest who then groans softly, adam apple bobbing on his thick throat. 

“God—yo-you're so…” Seokjin trails off as he reaches down only to catch himself midway and he's swerving his head towards you, ever so gentlemanly and proper.

You’re going to enjoy making him lose that attitude later.

Seeing the conflict in his gaze and body, Yoongi takes the lead.

“Take a seat, hyung. Help me get her naked, yeah?”

Seokjin, still at a loss for words, just nodded mutely.

Yoongi helps sit you up and Seokjin mechanically and awkwardly positions himself behind you. Seeing as the eldest is still blue screening, the rapper reaches for the hem of your shirt and with a confirmation through shared look, takes it off of you.

The shirt wasn't even fully off before you feel Seokjin's plush lips pressing against your shoulder blades, trembling hands finding stability on your arms as they fall back to your sides. Throwing the shirt to the side of his bed, Yoongi leaned down to kiss and mouth the other side of your neck. 

This was pure insanity, a debauchery, yet you couldn’t find it in your lust-addled mind to care. You mewled at their gentle kisses, body arching as the simmering heat in your gut exploded into an unforgiving forest fire that ravaged every inch of you indiscriminately.

Then Seokjin reaches for the clasp of your bra, pulling away to look at the tiny contraption before finally unhooking it after a few fumbles. 

“Took you long enough.” Yoongi teased. “I was about to do it myself, you know?”

You didn't have to look at Seokjin to know he's flushed tomato red.

“Shut up.” 

Plush red lips trailed behind his fingers as he sheds the straps off your shoulder, pressing reverent kisses as it falls. A direct contrast to the uncharacteristic greed of Yoongi's big hands reaching from under to cup your breasts, a delicious shiver crawled down your spine when your pebbled nipples brushed against his palm and you moaned.

Then you were fully naked between your still clothed soulmates but instead of being ashamed of such a scene, it only made the overwhelming itch even more unbearable.

“Fuck, you’re so turned on, baby. I can fucking feel it—feel you.” Yoongi rasped, eyes screwed shut.

“Dude, don't snitch on me!”

“Don't call me ‘dude’, we're literally having sex right now.”

Then, Seokjin's gym callused and travelling hands drew your attention back to him, eager to memorize and explore every curve and crevice of your body as if it's the last time he could do it. You arched your back to him, wishing for him to go lower, be greedier as you reach behind to tug at his hair, gasping as you urged him on wordlessly but Seokjin is firm and unmoved.

Nothing could change the mind of a devotee, not even his own very god when he’s so determined to please.

A shrill wave of pleasure shot through you as Yoongi pinched both your nipples and rolled them between his thumb and pointer.

“I hope you haven't forgotten about me.” Yoongi chuckled darkly and you answered by locking him in a deep kiss.

“Fuck, this is so…” Seokjin whispered weakly from behind you, already sounding so wrecked barely five minutes in. “You're so beautiful, princess. So perfect for us.”

Then he's sliding two fingers down your sopping slit and you moan on Yoongi's lips before he's swallowing the sound down. You hear Seokjin hiss out a curse as he begins to roll your clit in barely-there circular motions, his inexperience showing in how uncertain he moves every other second and his obvious fear of hurting you by putting too much pressure.

“Tell me if I’m doing it right, I haven’t done this in so long and I want to make you feel good.” He whispered and with his unoccupied hand, guided you down to fix his clumsy pace.

“How about you guys lay down? My back hurts just looking at you.”

Yoongi then pushed you—and by extension, Seokjin—to the mattress but it positioned you lower and farther from Seokjin's wandering fingers. With a surprising show of strength, Seokjin hoists you up by your thighs to place you against the clothed tent in his pants.

Seokjin is thick from where you feel him between the cheeks of your ass. He seemed shorter than Yoongi, girthier than the other man but not as big as Jimin. The thought of him thrusting inside you made the raging wildfire claiming your body burn brighter.

“Better?” Seokjin asks.

Yoongi hums out an affirmative. “Much.”

He then leaned down to one tit and sucked.

It was a challenge trying to stay firm and not ascend sandwiched between soulmates so determined to lay waste to your body. As if practiced and scripted, the two attacked every sensitive spot you have in perfect unison. Whenever Seokjin would tease at your hole, pressing two crooked digits against the rim, Yoongi would follow it up with his tongue lapping lazily on one nipple while pinching and rolling the other tight. 

There's a dozen angry red marks littering your chest, all of them belonging to the rapper who's now lapping your other nipple with his silken tongue.

You weren't even getting fucked but you're already lightheaded from their touches alone.

And when Seokjin finally sinks his fingers in, you know it'll be a swift defeat.

“You're so fucking tight, my god. Will I even fit? Yoongi,” Seokjin suddenly called the rapper and he unlatched himself from your chest. “What did you two agree on?”

“No fucking. Originally, just oral but then you came.”

Then a ridiculously porn-worthy, disappointed whine escapes Seokjin's lips next to your ears, you swore you would've combusted from hearing him make the same noise again.

“Next time then.”

“No, no! I want it, please!” 

You don't even recognize your own voice, inwardly wincing at how desperate you sounded. 

A wicked grin spread across Yoongi's handsome features and he looked up at Seokjin with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

“Hear that, hyung? She wants us.”

“Both, honey?” Seokjin asks, voice husky as he whispers into your ears, pulling his fingers out to roll your clit in tight circles and you barely stop the shiver from rolling out of you.

This is so fucking unfair for your poor heart. You taught him how to touch you and he’s using it against you.

Not trusting your voice, you nod and Yoongi tuts.

“We need to hear you say it. Tell us you want us both and we'll give you everything you want.” 

Yoongi always took on a rather submissive role in group activities, letting himself blend into the background as the chaos of six exploded before him. For him to act dominant, leading you on with honey on his tongue and a promise of unadulterated ecstasy in his touch, was something straight out of your teenage daydreams and it's making you ravenous.

He's so fucking hot and you're glad he's not fully aware of how he's driving you borderline hysterical with how turned on you are.

“I want you both. Please. I want you both to fuck me, breed me—I don't know!”

Both men groaned, the sound almost animalistic before they got to work, taking their clothes off in record time and leaving themselves on their boxers. Sharing a look above your head, Seokjin placed one last kiss on your shoulder before patting your thigh in quick succession. 

“Get on fours for us, sweetheart.” 

The two men switched places before you could even begin to move but thankfully, Seokjin carefully guided you to a position he wanted, pulling you by the ankle to lower your hips before nudging your legs wide open.

You didn't even have the chance to get flustered at how much the man could see when Yoongi's tugging his boxers down and his dick slaps against his stomach with a wet smack!

And by the heavens above, is he big. 

That hand rule was undeniably true.

He was trimmed and pale, and there’s a long prominent vein that stretches from the base of his cock and shy distance before the frenulum, his ruddy head already weeping with pre-cum. The length of his cock momentarily petrifies you—its the size of your head for fuck's sake!—, a feature that makes up for his rather average girth. 

Shit, how will he even fit?

“Don't force yourself to take me all in, I know I'm big.” Yoongi answered and you realized you had voiced your thoughts out loud.

He laughs.

“I wouldn't worry about me though. Hyung's going to ruin you.” 

Seokjin bursts into a quiet chuckle from behind, flustered. “Please don't ever say that around me again.”

“No but seriously, she's panicking about the wrong thing here.”

“Shut the fuck up and get me my wallet.” Seokjin ordered, still red from hearing such filth from the oldest rapper.

Leaning over the edge of the bed to where Seokjin had dropped his clothes, Yoongi quickly retrieved the older man’s wallet and opened it for the prized item.

With a condom handed over and soon ripped, goosebumps prickled your skin as you heard Seokjin get out of his boxers. You would've tried to sneak a peak if it wasn't for you getting hypnotized by the sight of Yoongi pumping himself with his fist, hair matted with sweat and lips caught between teeth as he hissed out a low curse, legs splayed out on either side of your body.

He looked positively ruined and it's one of the most beautiful artwork you’ve ever laid eyes on. Seeing him in this light felt like violating all existing laws in the world.

Then, he's pushing his dick towards you, dark feline eyes twinkling with anticipation as you wrapped your fingers around him, just below the frenulum and licked a long stripe up tracing the vein from base and stopping before the head. 

Instantly, Yoongi throws his head back, hand falling down to rest on your head as you repeat the same thing on one side of his length.

“S-shit…” He hissed out.

You pause, heart leaping at your throat when you feel Seokjin's rubbered dick press against your slit, running up and down to gather your arousal before he's slipping right in, girthy head breaking past the rim and ripping you apart. 

You crumble on Yoongi's thighs, not expecting the sheer thickness breaching your insides, gasping as Seokjin pressed inside you inch by agonizing inch. The pain from the stretch had your thighs going numb, hands grabbing whatever was close to ground yourself—it ends up being Yoongi's hands—as the man fills you up completely.

The position didn't help make his descent easier, if anything, it made you want to shrivel up from the confusing mix of pain and pleasure.

A cry slips past your lips as the last inch was pushed into you and immediately, Yoongi began to hush you while Seokjin ran a trembling hand up and down your back comfortingly. 

“Breath for us, princess.” Yoongi reminds you.

“Want to stop?” Seokjin asks, concerned.

You never felt so full in your life and it's driving you insane at how good it feels. He's too big for you but somehow, your body accepted him in.

He felt like another piece of a puzzle but at the same time, an intoxicating taste of heaven.

“I’m fine. Y-you're just so big, Jinnie.”

“Ye-yeah?”

“I think I’m gonna–mfh–I’m gonna break…!”

A long, guttural groan rumbled out of the man behind you and he drew his hips back for an experimental thrust, one that had you grabbing onto Yoongi tight as he spears back into you and hitting that one particular spot inside that got you rolling your eyes back.

It was a little disappointing feeling the condom rub against your walls at first but Seokjin quickly proved he could still deliver even with the odd sensation of the rubber.

“I don't think I'm gonna last. You're too tight, princess.” Seokjin gasped, fingers tightening from where it found purchase on your hips.

You don't even mind if he cums now, you quickly find out, mind far too occupied by the unadulterated ecstasy he's causing you as he picks up a steady but deep pace that gets you crying his name out and gasping for air.

“You look so fucking pretty like this, honey.” Yoongi murmured, tucking your hair behind your ears as Seokjin drives his cock in and out of you. “You liked getting fucked by hyung while I watch? You like being watched by your soulmates get fucked open?”

You don't even think you were answering him with any word from any language, your agreement melting into a puddle of nonsense and Yoongi delighted in it, his other unoccupied hand beginning to pump himself again.

Like a moth to a flame, drawn to the lustful display before you, you forced yourself up to wrap your lips around the head of his dick while your hands covered the parts your mouth couldn't reach.

The entire scene felt like it was taken straight out of a porno with the loud, wet sound of skin slapping as you gush around cock and the constant stream of moans and groans spilling out of your lips and the other two men. Yoongi's fingers is buried in your head as he guides your bobbing head on his dick while Seokjin fucks you open from behind. 

It was lewd, so fucking vulgar.

You liked it—no, you love it.

Going against his own expectations, it took rather long before Seokjin's broken warning, his voice borderline whiny, fills the room and not a second later, he's cumming so hard his whole body shakes and he falls onto your back, heaving as he jerked and trembled from the might of his orgasm.

Catching the surfacing disappointment in your chest at not feeling him paint your walls white, you internally cussed yourself out.

He catches his breath for a couple of beats before he's burying his face into your shoulders.

“I'm sorry.”

“For what?” You rasped out, head still swirling as you tried looking over your shoulders.

“...quickly.” he murmured, the rest of his words lost on your skin.

“What?”

“Don't worry, hyung. I'll take it from here, you can rest.” Yoongi sweeps in as he nudged Seokjin to the side and the eldest lets him, and in doing so, had him pull out of your battered cunt.

The resonating ache within your whole body returns, already missing the sensation of being filled to the brim but Yoongi didn't waste any time in turning you over and placing himself between your thighs, hand guiding his cockhead to rest on your abdomen as Seokjin fetched for his wallet on the floor.

“Fuck, we don't have another condom.” He suddenly cursed.

“You only had one?” Yoongi confirms as the other dropped the item.

“I gave you guys one each, where did you even put it?”

“It doesn't fit. I threw it away.”

“It was a universal size. It fits me so why wouldn’t it fit you?”

“I'm… longer?”

You place a hand on the rapper's arm and he quickly turns his attention on you.

“Just fucking pull out.”

Immediately, Seokjin expressed his displeasure. 

“That’s risky. We haven't had a partner in so long and you think this guy won't explode the moment he puts it in?”

Yoongi made a noise. “Don’t you have any faith in me, hyung?”

“I trust you with my life but we don't want to risk anything.” 

“If there's any accidents, we can just buy a plan B down the street.” You cut through their argument and both men turn to you, face softening.

“Are you sure, angel?” Seokjin asks, big puppy eyes searching your face for confirmation.

You nod. “Don't worry too much. I'll start taking pills soon if we're doing this more often.”

“We’re doing this again?” 

“Obviously.”

That quickly settles it.

Then in a sudden shift in the air, Yoongi leans down for a soft kiss, his bare cockhead lined up against your cunt as his right hand finds yours to hold—pinkies with the soulmarks touching, activating a deeper sense of connection between you that went past the physical. He held your gaze as he pulled away from your lips and without sparing a moment longer, he pressed in.

Immediately, Yoongi hissed out a curse but it quickly melts into a deep, rumbling groan as he sinks into you completely without much fight like Seokjin had. Your eyes roll back, legs trembling for a second as he slides deeper into you with every inch, a whine bubbling out of your throat.

Everything was a thousand times louder with your fingers threaded. It was magical and maddening at the same time.

Then Yoongi began thrusting his hips and you experienced something akin to enlightenment.

“Fuck, you're so deep…! Shit—wait, baby wait!”

He stops, eyebrows crunching in concern as he halts. “Stop?”

“No no no. It just feels too good, baby… I think I’m going to go insane, hng…”

Both men groaned, Yoongi sounding more wrecked than Seokjin. “Fuck, you're going to be the death of me.”

Gathering your thighs, he hikes them up to his hips. He draws his hips back, far enough to leave only the head inside, then he’s driving all of his inches back in.

Every part of your body lights up with electricity as he bottoms out and hits that one spot inside with each thrust that follows, a restless static energy that runs from your hands and down to the tip of your toes. Pleasure and ecstasy would not be the words used to describe this otherworldly feeling.

You could feel him and you're aware that he could also feel you.

It was maddening. It was heavenly.

His desire tasted like nectar and dripped thick onto your tongue. You feel yourself being dragged higher into the same precipice Seokjin had worked towards but fell before he could in record speed. You could sense your orgasm close in yet it never comes—it couldn’t. There’s an invisible wall that stopped you from falling into your doom.

You opened your mouth to plead at the man still holding your gaze but he already knew what you needed, could already feel it before your words or thoughts could form. Yoongi reaches down between your bodies and swirled your clit in tight circles, and immediately, your mind blanks.

Leaning in for a deeper, longer kiss, Yoongi steals your breath as the coils in your abdomen tightens into an impossible tension. Then for a blinding moment, your body tense in preparation for the violent unravelling and when the dam finally breaks and the waves come crashing down, you cry.

You curled into Yoongi’s body, gasping and whining, nails digging painfully on his back as your body shook from the blinding intensity.

Seokjin quickly came to hush you, plush red lips brushing against yours as he whispered sweet nothings into your ears before guiding your face to kiss him.

Yoongi began slurring something inaudible in a low voice but it sounded like three words repeated drunkenly as he chased after his own high, slamming his hips down in an unforgiving pace. 

Then in a sudden motion, Yoongi pulls himself out just in time his hot cum begins to spurt out of his dick in generous streaks and lands on your stomach. He moans, arm shaking from where it stands as a support for his body as his dick twitched as thick globs of white spilled out of him.

A tear slips down your eye and Seokjin was quick to wipe it away with his thumb before pressing his lips on your forehead.

“You did so well for us, princess.”

And you preened at his praise.

With Yoongi still heaving, Seokjin took it upon himself to be the voice of reason, pushing himself to stand and disappearing into the bathroom for a towel. He comes back with two, tossing the other one to the rapper—”I’m not cleaning you, do it yourself.”—who lets it hit his stomach with a huff and uses the other to wipe you clean.

Nobody spoke up as the three of you cleaned yourself, there's a static in the air but it wasn't born from tension. It was a steady hum that spoke of two completed bonds, of souls finally settling down after shifting restlessly from being left unsure and barely comforted by mere cheek kisses and hugs. 

But you're with Yoongi and Seokjin, they understand the silence and you're far too exhausted to find the words to say.

Dressing themselves up in their boxers, Seokjin carried you over to his bed and covered you in its thick and comfortable blanket before settling next to you. Yoongi, just finishing up on removing his stained blankets, tuts disapprovingly when he spots your fluttering eyelids.

“Go to the bathroom before you sleep, young lady.”

“But I'm comfortable here, grandpa.” You whined.

Seokjin shakes his head, the traitor. 

“You need to go. Can you stand?”

“Of course I can. Fiction is different.” You huffed.

When your feet wobbled, standing became a foreign concept in the short time you were laid down it seems, you walked it off in a show of being unaffected.

“We didn’t do a great job then.” Yoongi chimes from his side of the room and you catch the soft smile on his lips before entering the bathroom. “I’ll fix that next time.”

“Words, just words.”

Yoongi didn’t verbally respond to that, opting to just laugh as he opened his phone.

And once everything is cleaned and settled, you find yourself sandwiched between Yoongi's softness and Seokjin's stiff, lean body, engaged in idle chatter. Someone's running their fingers on your hair and the other's rubbing your arms comfortingly when you realize something.

“Fuck, are the walls soundproof here?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about that.” Yoongi says. “I checked my phone and there weren't four different threats of death by suffocation so we’re safe.”

“Does this count as a date? Please say no, I really wanted to take you out on a date.” Seokjin chimed on the other side of you.

“I’m still up for that date, Jinnie. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy with the tour dates and all that.”

With that, you press a kiss on his nose and his face brightens up with a shy smile, ears burning red again. 

Exhaustion resurfaces and you yawn. You turn your body towards him and wound your arms around his neck, pulling him flush to your still naked front—you couldn’t be bothered to dress up, there’s two living furnaces on each side of you and it's much more comfortable.

Soft bed, soulmates on either side and naked? Definition of heaven.

“Do it soon though. New York's mine.” Yoongi reminds the older man as he swings an arm around your waist and snuggles into your back.

If they spoke a little longer after that, you didn’t hear anything, their voices fading into the background as sleep quickly took over you.

“Hyung, you didn't kill noona, right?” 

“Come on, we barely even did anything.”

“Then why is she still sleeping when I'm here? We're supposed to be an unstoppable duo together.”

“Just let her sleep and get those nasty hands from my soulmate!”

The saintess stared at him with that kind smile where her glossy grey eyes crinkled with amusement. Even without the ability to see, she always managed to make him feel seen, splayed open and raw for the world to perceive. He shifted uncomfortably and at this, you laughed.

You placed a hand over his and he barely stopped the shiver from violently rolling over his body at the warmth of your skin on his.

“You'll be a king one day, you should learn to understand that sometimes kindness is the only answer.”

He scowled, not that the saintess could even see it but he hoped you could sense his displeasure. “If this is kindness to you, then you are beyond saving. This is not kind, this is ignorance.”

“Stupidly kind then?”

“So you agree this is all stupid?” 

Maybe if the fox were here, strung along the woman like the loyal pet he is, he would’ve been chastised for his words. Maybe if he had chanced to speak up like this while that damned love struck mutt or that suspicious vampire, he would’ve been torn open from where he stands.

But was it so wrong to seek an answer to sate his curiosity?

Even then, the saintess shakes her head and sighed exasperatedly.

“You will understand why I do this one day and when that day does come, I hope that you not only understand why but try to extend the same to others beyond your kingdom.”

“I’ll never be as stupid as you.” He plainly said without a morsel of hesitation.

“Dear prince, it is not a crime to be so kind.”

“Do you sometimes… feel like a plastic bag?”

An exasperated groan erupts from next to you. 

“I swear to the Heavens and to the dragon lord's library, I will punch you through the wall if you start singing.”

“No but seriously, my vibes are off right now.” 

You couldn't point out when the world began to feel different. Off-putting. Like the world's rotation stuttering and is now late by a few milliseconds—although barely affecting the livelihood of the people—there’s just this indisputable shift in the air and it frustrates you to the ends of the earth trying to figure out what is wrong.

Like how the song goes eventually, you feel paper-thin, vulnerable and exposed, to what? You don’t know and it scares you. Going through the motions with this odd, misplaced feeling day by day felt like adding a stack of cards on an already flimsy made house and all it takes was one gentle blow of wind to have the foundation you had built collapse into the ground. 

Something is at the brink of breaking, you could practically taste it in the air, but you don’t know what is.

That's how you've been feeling a week since Jimin had proposed you to be his—and Taehyung's by extension—plus one to the charity gala. It's been days since you started feeling disoriented and incomplete as if something had been torn away from your very being and it had left you raw and open to the world.

But whenever you think back to that day, all you could recall was drinking a couple of shots with Taehyung at the bar but even that memory is a blur.

Sure, alcohol could be the blame for your missing memories but you couldn't understand what had happened in those moments of intoxication that made Taehyung give you a week's rest, all paid through a simple and formal text message. There’s also the unexplained hostile air between him and Jimin when the fox visited the next Wednesday.

Showing up to work to Taehyung sporting a black eye was a first. You tried tending to his wounds but Jimin waved you off, saying that Taehyung could heal it himself, the angel just chose not to. 

The reason for this was lost on you, the two Bangtan members refused to tell you why.

Besides, you doubt you’d let yourself be so drunk and unguarded in a place swarming with supernatural elites who’d do everything to get a taste of your blood.

But why do you feel like a sore thumb sticking out so much?

“You know what can fix that?” Soomin begins, looping an arm around yours, eyebrows wiggling as she does. “There's a bazaar I saw on the way here, how about we go check it and spend a little ka-ching, hm?”

If it was any other normal day like the others before the gala, you would've frowned at the thought of spending money but with the confusing amalgamation of god-knows-what building up in the pits of your guts and translating into looming dread, treating yourself to good food and crossing something off of your wishlist sounds like a good way to destress.

Who knew stressing over something you don’t even know what, could be so stressful?

“What’s with the bazaar?” 

“I heard it was an event held by elves, something about a celebration. I think it's related to how their elf king had spared them from extinction when the heavens wanted to kill them all. Not gonna lie, it still shocks me that those snobs even had it in their stone, cold hearts to celebrate things.” Soomin says, gesticulating wildly as she rolls her eyes.

As much as you’d like to defend the elves, you couldn’t deny their rotten mindsets and attitudes. Dating one with a family placed rather high in the pyramid had taught you that.

But then you remember that one guy again, with his long silver mane that glistened like shiny silver under the full moon and his high pointy nose. 

Someone who wore a pained smile as he escorted you back home after defending—that’s putting it lightly, the man had knocked your ex so hard you could practically feel his soul get ripped away from his body and fly towards the next dimension—you from your crazy ex wanting to elope with you with barely any savings in his pockets at sixteen, addicted and turned unreasonable by one drop of your blood.

“Try to be more careful next time. Men, no matter what blood or breeding, are still monsters.”

“But you’re not, you saved me.” You responded with a meek voice.

“Especially me, little one. I cannot be trusted nor am I redeemable.”

You always wondered what kind of life he led that he thinks of himself as someone beyond redemption. He seemed far too wise despite his youthful appearance to do dumb shit.

“Hey, some of them can be friendly...” You weakly defended.

She turned to you with a glare, daring you to hear yourself.

“Sounding unsure of your own words immediately cancels the argument out, petal.” She noted dryly. “But before we visit that, let’s go look at this one shop I saw on the way. They were selling cute dresses.”

You let Soomin tug you out of campus. Which in hindsight, is a bad idea. 

A rich kid leading someone born poor with a little bit more pocket money would end poorly but upon seeing the local-looking boutique she pulled you into with its humble decors—humble being the plastic hangers and the rust in the metal racks—and the lack of brand emphasis on the graphic tees, you breathe out a sigh of relief.

Soomin placed you next to a clothing rack full of colorful knee-length dresses with its frilly designs and modest coverings. You ran your hand over a few colors, feeling out their soft textures while she almost aggressively searched through it before pulling out a reddish autumn brown dress with a ruffled, sweetheart neckline from the collection to hold against your body.

“This color looks great on you, don’t you think?” She asked as you trace the stitchwork by the bust and the sides.

It’s a pretty dress, you can see yourself wearing it casually but it looks expensive, feels like hundreds of thousands of won.

Save for the three other iterations of the dress in different colors, it stands unique as the other dresses on the rack.

Instinctively, you searched for the price tag hanging at the back of the dress when Soomin wretched it away before you could even flip the card.

“Don’t think of the price, babe. Just answer me if you think it looks good.”

You tried agreeing with her but the words weighed heavily on your tongue and you pursed your lips.

“It looks good, minnie. Just let me see the tag—” You reach for the dress again but Soomin’s hand stops you with a firm, reprimanding look.

“We're not doing this again. It's a simple decision! Does it look pretty or should we look for another?”

“It’s pretty but—”

“Then we’ll take it. We’re not here to stress about numbers. You have a good job that pays well and a few more zeroes from the feeding. The money won’t disappear from you, petal.” She reassures you, pushing the item into your arm before planting both hands on your shoulders. You open your mouth to argue but she tuts, finger pushing against your lips, “Don’t start with Soobin’s tuition. You already paid that. Along with the bills here and back home so lighten up, won’t ya?”

It's so easy to hear her out but it's difficult to agree. 

What is reassurance in the face of the ever-present dread of a bleak future?

You could order takeouts with little guilt now, you can excuse yourself to a couple of online credits for your game saying you deserve it after a long gruelling day.

But even those decisions to satisfy your stomach and gambling addiction took hours of convincing, sometimes even days in the case of the in-game purchase, before you could finally pardon yourself and swiping your metaphorical online card. 

You couldn’t even count how many times you’ve clicked out of the confirmation pages so often the app sometimes locked you out for bot behavior.

What if Taehyung suddenly decides you’re more trouble than you’re worth and fires you from your job? 

What then? 

Where would you get enough money to keep Soobin safe? To have all your bills paid on time? To fill your mother’s fridge every week so she doesn’t panic every time she sees one compartment cleaned off?

You couldn’t bear the thought of falling from where you had crawled up in this corrupted system. You've barely tasted the grandness and comfort knowing you had all those zeroes in your bank, why should you fall so quickly before you experienced everything the view this new height has to offer?

“Look at you overthinking again. I promise you, it's cheaper than you think.” She sighed, taking a look at the price tag herself before making a split decision to flip the card to show you.

₩100,000

The cheap looking designs were baits. 

Damn this predatory country.

“See?”

“That’s my budget for almost a week, minnie.” You said pointedly, already moving to shelf the dress as her face morphs into a horrified expression.

“You're getting paid next week which is a thousand-fold than what you're going to spend on yourself here.” She reminds me. “I am very much ignoring the fact that you said it's your budget for a week. I’m concerned by how you managed to live in Seoul with only 20,000 in your pockets everyday.”

It used to cost you much more but Taehyung had been so kind to buy you lunch, truly an angel he is but you’d rather die than tell her that.

Working at Eden even as an all-arounder for the shop felt like a cheat all together. 

You're getting paid a disgusting amount of money for part-time work and Taehyung feeds you lunch. It's unreal how lucky you are but at the same time it makes you feel dirty. A part-timer shouldn't be receiving thirty million won for just standing behind the counter with the occasional dusting and cleaning yet here you are.

It's a wonder what kinda life you led in your past life that granted you this good karma.

A sudden wave of a panging headache came but it went as quick as it came. 

“Well, it works so don't judge me.”

Soomin grimaced. “What the fuck do you eat with 20,000? Air?!”

“There’s still some places that refuse to raise their prices. Besides, it's just for breakfast and lunch.”

“Just breakfast and lunch,” she repeats, giving you a deadpanned stare. “That doesn’t make it any better! You’re not stuffing yourself with fast food everyday, right?”

“Of course not!”

“Don’t you still have a few dollars you haven't exchanged? If you transfer them all, they'll be enough to carry you for ten years or even more so why are you cheaping yourself out this much?”

“But still…” 

Soomin shakes her head, effectively shutting you up as she pushes the dress into your arms.

“No, we're buying that. You agreed to buy things with me, didn't you? So we are buying things. Are we clear or are we clear?” 

You open your mouth to argue back and her stare sharpened into a glare.

Without anything substantial to use as defense, you just sighed and nodded. Immediately, a wide, victorious grin splits her face and she hooks an arm around yours to lead you in front of a mannequin dressed in a cute yellow floral dress that stops mid-thigh with a white cardigan to cover its arms.

You could already imagine yourself wearing it on a beach with a cute summer hat to match. But is it really okay to buy something this pretty?

Maybe one day you could bring your family to a beach. Not in Jeju, last you heard, the leviathan cult is pretty prominent there. So maybe somewhere else in Asia so you could experience an airplane for once in your life.

Not Bali though, unfortunately, Soomin went there last week with Jinyoung and it was so expensive.

Seeing your reaction, Soomin immediately dove to the clothing rack for the same exact dress before pulling it out of the steel bar to put against your body to check if she had picked the right size for you.

Of course she did. You’re convinced she’s some kind of fashion witch.

You saw a cute purse bag at the back when you’re dragged towards the shoe racks and thought back to your mother. 

Obviously, you picked it up.

By the time you made it to the cashier, your arms were aching from carrying all the dresses and shirts. Soomin is practically bouncing off the walls next to you, pleased beyond comprehension at the fact that you shopped beside her instead of standing off to the side like usual.

You thumbed the hem of your hoodie anxiously as the lady rang up your purchases, even thinking of which dress you’d gladly part with—you wouldn’t be going to a beach any time soon,  right?—Soomin noticed and snatched the card off of your hands to tap it on their payment terminal herself before you could hesitate any more.

You tried arguing how you can let go of the dress since you're never gonna wear it anyways but her glare alone threatened to disintegrate you.

“Try touching any of those dress, petal. I dare you to find out what I’ll do if you did.”

Of course, you didn’t dare. Soomin had a talent at making your life full of coincidental inconveniences—like your charger cords missing, one pair of a colorful sock missing, and many more—and you’re not about to get round four of that.

Soon enough, you’re both walking out of the store with two bags hanging off of each of your arms. You wouldn’t say it out loud but getting to buy clothes you used to only look at through glass, made you feel good. It felt so satisfying crossing something off of your wishlist.

Or in Soomin’s favorite expression and own crude wording, it was orgasmic.

While Soomin books a driver to take you both to the bazaar, your skin prickled from the phantom sensation of a pair of eyes staring at you

You snapped towards the other side of the road and at the cafe, scanning the customers for the owner of the gaze but no one seemed suspicious amongst the patrons sitting by the glass windows. Maybe a few familiar faces you encountered in the hallway but no one particularly stood out.

Even with the possibility of being seen by you, the heaviness of the stare still lingered. It doesn't feel malicious nor did it seem like it had any bad intentions attached to it but nonetheless made you squirm uncomfortably. 

You instinctively reached for your necklace, caressing the pendant as Soomin perks up from having a driver take up the request.

Thirty minutes later, the two of you stand in front of a mini park filled to the brim with stalls and a joyful instrumental composed of flutes, lutes and a violin fluttering in the wind. A second in and you already spotted a few elven plants your mother would surely appreciate having in her garden, a few sacks of magical herbs you can buy small amounts of or sold per five grams too.

Shooting a quick message to your mom, asking what she wants you to find in the bazaar, you follow Soomin in.

It was half a metaphysical market and half a cultural one with the elven gossamer dresses on displays in clothing racks. There’s also a tent selling small weapons with the creator’s gold-engraved signature and embossed flowers on mythril blades.

Because of course, an elven bazaar wouldn’t have been complete without one stall dealing mythril weapons.

“I have never seen this many elves in one place. Last year, there were more humans and other species than elves.” Soomin murmured in wonder as she looked around inquisitively.

“You think something's happening here?”

“Whatever it is, I think it's good. These people never leave their spaces unless a god descends or maybe their king.”

“You’ll run with me if the elven king comes right?”

Soomin scoffed. “Duh, of course?! I’ll even act as a meat shield if it comes down to it.”

“Please don’t. Jinyoung might skin me alive.”

Soomin followed you as you walked through the buzzing crowd, even pulling you aside when she saw a metaphorical shop selling protective pouches. You help her choose the most potent one before picking up a small wooden figurine of a pup emitting a rather ominous aura. You doubt it could harm anyone but a curse nonetheless.

Taehyung would love it, he’s oddly fixated on little cursed items. If it was any bigger, he’d give it to Yeontan to play with. That little devil would love it as a chew toy.

Heading deeper into the park, you lead Soomin towards the tent selling small potted plants with leaves of yellows and reds, some budding and the others blooming with flowers. But out of all the common and rare plants, you find yourself magnetised on the flower with the curious mixture of white, blue and purple petals sitting an arm-length away from the vendor.

It was a beautiful plant that you've never seen before but at the same time, felt familiar. Oddly enough, it evoked the same deep recognition you had with Taehyung.

The elf with the tight curls behind the counter immediately spots you and smiles. 

“Welcome to my wares. Anything that catches your fancy?”

You reach for the royal blue flower as if hypnotized, drawn to the glossy sheen only to be surprised by the velvety texture of the petals underneath your fingertips. It's a complete wonder how naturally the white transitions to blue then darkens to a deep purple at the tip.

Looking at the flower summons a flood of warm fondness in your heart. It really looked familiar and you’re sure you've seen one like this before. Its long narrow teardrop shape and gradient colors is so distinctly unique that you’re sure you wouldn't have mistaken it for another plant.

But where have you seen it?

You do note the unnatural curve of the petals and catch yourself thinking how it shouldn't curl on itself the way it does. Its purple dip shouldn't be as dark, it should be as light as lavenders so the transition between the whites and the blues would be seamless and pleasing to the eyes. 

You mentally reel back, surprised by your own thoughts. 

“This is pretty. What flower is this?” Soomin asked, looking up to the elf, Amaya, her nameplate reads.

“What you're looking at is called Smeraldo, ma'am. I wish I could give you the extended history of how it was discovered but it's simply a plant given to us by our verdant king from centuries ago.” Amaya says with an apologetic smile as she picks it up and presents it to you and you carefully take it from her. “I did hear from the elders that it doesn't look as pretty as the original flower. Our version is what the verdant king and his coven had tried to recreate but couldn't perfectly reproduce.”

Your heart warms at that. The thought of seven powerhouses gathering to replicate an extinct flower is quite sweet.

It does make you wonder why they would spend their time doing such a thing.

Having a closer look at the soil housing the smeraldo, a sudden wave of wrongness floods you. 

“Why are you looking at the soil like it personally offended you?” Soomin whispers into your ears and you jump realizing how close she was leaning in.

“I don't know why but I think the soil is wrong.” You respond at the same volume.

“Since when were you a gardener? I know auntie has a garden but you've never really shown that much interest in them, no?”

But before you could even answer her, excited squeals broke through the calm instrumentals and the quiet murmurs of both patrons and vendors nearby overruled it. Turning to the direction of the noise, your eyes quickly met long silver hair and eyes weighted with eyebags so dark you thought he had been toiling for centuries.

Jung Hoseok is every bit of regal as all people have described him as in the forums and in the magazines despite the heavy eyebags he has. He carries a kind of dignified air, someone who has lived centuries, seen every war yet kept a level head through them all. 

Even without ever witnessing how great he is on the battlefield personally, there’s an air around him that encourages respect.

All elves bowed in reverence to their king as he passes and he takes it all in stride, nose turned up and the golden crown of vines and bay leaves glimmering at the top of his head but held no actual arrogance in his slow walk, even sparring a few with a smile that sits between kind and the fakeness of diplomacy.

“For all the bullshit I hear about the elves, I’ve always thought their king would be the biggest ass of them all but seeing him actually acknowledge anyone who’d wave at him...” Soomin trailed off from next to you. “I’m gonna try and wave too.”

Like the woman had said she’s going to do, she raised her hand to chest level and waved before you could even tell her no just as Hoseok turned his head to your direction. His steely gaze first lands on Amaya’s stall before it drifts to you and he freezes.

Ever so subtle, his eyes widened and his smile wobbled but with the quickness of a royalty trained for the public, he irons the crease of his mask so fast that for a moment you thought it was a trick of the eye. 

Soomin noticed this and snapped her head towards you.

“Is it just my imagination or did he recognize you?” Soomin asked, alerted.

“Why did you even wave in the first place?!” You whisper-shout.

“I-I… I don’t even know why I did that…”

While normally, your boss recognizing you shouldn’t be a problem, Hoseok is a member of the Bangtan coven and for him to react like that sounded sirens in your head. 

Kim Seokjin had gone so silent these days after kicking up a fuss in the background. It also made her pack antsy trying to figure out what he's plotting. What’s keeping him from employing help from his own coven members, more so with the strongest sorcerer in the world, to track you down?

But then again, Jimin hadn't led you to the sanguine regius himself but he’s a special case.

You suspect he has a kind of binding vow with Taehyung that keeps him from saying anything. What the fox gets in return for staying silent is still a mystery but something tells you that you shouldn’t pry.

With all the hopes in the world and the most desperate of begging to the heavens, you wished Hoseok would walk past you.

He did not. 

In fact, he had fully turned his body towards you and took quick, wide strides as he approached.

“Oh my god, he's walking towards us!” Soomin whisper-shouts, grabbing your arm in a tight grip, ready to run if the situation ever calls for it.

Against your better judgment, you closed your eyes shut, counting the sounds of his boots on stone as he drew nearer. Soomin's hand stiffened, readying herself for the inevitable confrontation.

But then he breezed past you, leaving his woody scent and earthy undertones behind as he reached over the plant displays to shake Amaya's hand.

“Amaya, you have grown plenty in the short time I've been away.” He smoothly said with that velvet voice of his. You shivered.

Amaya laughs lightly.

“Short time for you, my king. It's been fifty years already.”

“Time is but a number to an immortal like me, my apologies. How's Nana?” 

With the two elves taking a trip down memory lane and extended family members, you turn to Soomin, who was already staring at you, eyebrows furrowed and a question in her eyes.

‘Should we run?’ She mouths towards you.

You subtly raise the potted plant in your hands and she silently groans in exasperation. She contemplates on something for a quick second before she’s wildly motioning you to hand it over. 

Passing her the pot—you ignore how giving the smeraldo away felt like handing over your own child because it's very weird!—she carefully approached an empty space on the display a little farther from the elves, eyeing them with every step she took until she successfully placed the pot down before hurrying back to tow you away by the arm.

The gods had decided then to be a bit merciful for once and the two of you got away scotch free.

You didn’t look over your shoulders until the two of you had arrived at the other side of the park, far away from the bustle of the bazaar. From where you stand, you could see Hoseok walk over to another stall unfazed by your disappearance but there’s an ease in his stance that made you nervous.

He saw you yet he’s not doing anything. Why?

Indulging your paranoia, you look over your shoulders for any shadows hiding amongst the crowd inside the buildings in front or walking behind you. 

Seeing him from where you stand, with his features turned vague by the distance and reduced to only his hair and the regal air he exudes as he walks down the cobblestone path, you think back to that alley where that kind elf with uncannily the same features as him. If that elf from back then had put on more weight, took care of his hair and had a better sleep schedule—not that the verdant king was any better—, he’d look exactly like Hoseok

But what if it's really him?

You lived your life full of misfortune, surely you can't have that many lucky coincidences with Bangtan, right?

“There’s other elves with silver hairs, no? Not just Hoseok?” You ask your friend, concerned.

She raised an eyebrow at this but answered anyway. “It’s rare but yeah, there’s other silver haired elves there. Just not as good as the elf king himself of course.”

“Why would you say it like that?”

“I’m just saying, there’s not a single silver haired elf out there that’s better than him if you discovered something about yourself today.”

“I did not discover anything!” You exclaimed, cheeks burning hot.

“Whatever you say, petal.”

While you both waited to be picked up by the uber driver, you couldn’t help but stare at Jung Hoseok as he talked to his people and the other species fairly. It shouldn't come off as a shock to you to see him received warmly by everyone but it does. Being the last royal blood of the elves and the man who saved the ancestors of the existing elves of today, respect was a given and expected.

So there shouldn’t have been any reason for you to fawn over such a simple fact.

But why do you feel this bubbling pride in your chest seeing him be so loved?

“Oh, have you bought the accessories for tomorrow night?” Soomin asks, her voice slicing through your train of thoughts.

“Tomorrow night?”

“You’re subbing for Hyuna, right?”

All the memories attached to the name floods back in and you gasped, hand grabbing for her arm.

“I fucking forgot.” You whispered as if someone’s going to slam dunk you if they heard such a mistake.

“We’re going jewelry hunting after we visit VS then!” Soomin declares and you raise an eyebrow.

“VS?”

“Victoria’s Secret. Don’t tell me you’ve never tried buying from that shop yet?”

You shake your head. “Haven’t. I’ve always bought mine online.”

“You mean from temu? Heavens—we’re buying you a few lingeries along with new underwear.” Soomin says with conviction as she links your arms together before she begins dragging you out of the park and to the busy streets.

“Lingerie? Who the hell says we’re buying me lingeries?!”

“I just did. We’re buying you those slutty, lacy ones then I’m burning those granny panties you own. How you managed to bag two of Bangtan while wearing cute polka dots and little ribbons is beyond me.”

“Hey! No need to bash my shit, as long as I’m concerned, it's got a 100% win rate!”

Unbeknownst to the two of you, glamoured wolf ears twitched in interest at the conversation.

After what seems like an hour full of awkwardness—on your side at least, how does Soomin know what to pick is truly a mystery you don’t think you want the answers to—you finally exit Victoria’s Secret with a bag quarter full of new underwear and a face still burning from having to model the few pairs you bought Soomin insisted you try on for her in the private fitting room.

Something you both had access to when she showed a dark iron card at a saleslady.

You didn’t even know a shop like this could have VIP rooms.

“You’re such a sweetie, why are you still blushing like a virgin?”

You didn’t grace her with a response, already turning back around to change into normal clothes and she threw her head back to cackle and snort. 

Hungry from all the modeling and walking around, both of your feet led you both to a barbeque restaurant you both frequent. 

Between the run in with Jung Hoseok and having to carry shopping bags by yourselves the entire day, the diet pact you both swore to do in January so Soomin would look fit in her wedding gown next year was temporarily dissolved and you both ordered three trays of pork and beef.

When the waiter walks away from your table, you both sit in that U-shaped booth in silence, processing how much food was impulsively ordered before Soomin speaks up.

“We deserve this.”

Practically hearing her ponder over the food, you spoke up to help her win the fight with her mind.

“It’s such a chore carrying these bags. We definitely deserve this much.” You support.

Soomin nods, gaze staring at an empty space as she worries her bottom lip with her teeth, head mindlessly bobbing up and down.

“I think we still need another tray. Don’t you think so?” She muttered after a long while before turning to you in question, asking for validation with those big eyes of hers.

“Let’s ask for another once they serve it.”

“We should get more cheese too.”

“How ‘bout rice?”

She nods. “Another bowl for both you and me.”

Safe to say, by the time you both left the restaurant, you were both sleepy from the world-altering food coma about to hit you both once you get home. Buying the accessory for your musical number tomorrow was easier than buying the dresses earlier, you didn’t even think about how many zeroes the total was, even with the additional earrings Soomin insisted on buying to match the bracelet and pearl necklace.

You just wanted to go home already and flop onto your couch like a boneless pizza, so you handed your card over without any complains.

But of course, the universe has a different plan.

What you thought was a harmless gathering of similarly dressed people in the middle of the buzzing mall quickly turned into chaos as bloodcurdling screams and people rushing in panic followed a loud, resounding gunshot piercing through the air.

Being next to the chaos meant being swept away by the torrents of panicked patrons shoving each other just to get out of the mall. You tightened your hand around Soomin’s but as the gunshots grew more frequent—their victims multiplying—the growing wave of bodies made you let go of her.

You screamed her name, trying to resist the shoving and pulling as the crowd thins out but it was no use and from where you stand, you could see the gathering of a cult collect their preys, one of them even kneeling down on a surviving senior to raise a crooked dagger above their head before slamming it down, silencing the desperate wails of the man.

Your heart drops with the senior’s sudden silence, body locking up in pure horror at the act of evil before you.

There’s a static in the air as they pulled on the corpses and left blood trails on the floor. You don’t fully recognize the crackle of power as the monotonous chanting began, volume increasing with every body added into the pile nor did you even register the malicious eyes that found you and pointed the barrel of the gun towards you.

You couldn’t breathe. 

Rather, you were breathing too much and too fast before your organs could process them, eyes focused on the growing pool of blood spilling from the senior with the knife still embedded on his head. 

So when the deafening bang of a shot being fired, you couldn’t react fast enough.

In the split second between the lead bullet whistling through the air before it pierced through your skull, time slowed around you, as if feeling merciful and granting you a brief moment of silence, to think about the life you led, the faces of people you’d miss and will miss you.

Two meters.

In that moment of respite, you began to list down the things you regret and will keep your soul from ever ascending.

Soobin. Your mother. Soomin’s wedding that you’ll never get to attend. The musical you’ll never get to perform for.

Worse of all, the mystery surrounding the fallen angel Kim Taehyung.

One meter.

You think back to long lashes and boxy smiles. The bread-like cheeks that bunches up adorably when he laughs or grins. He doesn’t have any laughter lines, only now did you realize this.

For an immortal who came from the heavens, a place said to only know joy, love and peace, he surely had no indications that he lived a happy life.

Is there anything or anyone you need to forgive before you go? You can’t be left haunting the people you loved just because you carried a little bit of resentment in your soul.

Two inches.

As the bullet inches towards you, you screw your eyes shut and wait for the inevitable plunge into nothingness like all near-death patients spoke of.

But it never pierced you.

Instead of a blooming pain, all you could feel was the warmth of a pair of arms holding you protectively against its owner’s chest. The rampaging heartbeat thudding against your ears quickly sobered you up and the world moved at its normal pace. Your ragged breathing echoing in your ears as your body shook violently.

What happened?

Who is hugging you right now?

Past the echoing heartbeat in your ears and the vignettes crawling at the side of your vision, your brain catches up on everything happening and you force yourself to look up to see black cap, black mask, and eyebrow piercings above big, amber eyes glowing in the dimness of the service corridor he had dragged you both.

It took you a few seconds to recognize him with his dangling earrings and overall black baggy clothing but when you do, you point at him with a trembling finger.

“Yo-you’re that guy back in Busan.”

He didn’t answer. 

The hulking man stands with you still in his arms and turns to face the cult, wide doe eyes narrowing into that of a wrathful glare of a man seeking retribution for centuries of agony. If eyes could kill, everyone inside the mall would have been decimated, both innocent and cult members with his eyes alone.

Something you don’t doubt he’s capable of if the suffocating air surrounding him were anything to go by.

“Yoongi hyung needs to hold onto his fanatics a little stronger.”

Yoongi hyung? As in Min Yoongi from Bangtan?

This man is a member of Bangtan?

Your stomach caves in as you think back to your first encounter in the luxury shop. It had been wild to have someone shopping nonchalantly in that god forsaken shop to help you. With the knowledge you have now, you wondered if he had stepped in because he knew you—maybe even tracked you to give you that bag you fought so valiantly for—

Tattoos, piercings and this thick, suffocating air that only a true powerhouse of the supernatural world can only possess.

This was Jeon Jungkook himself, you realize with a shuddering breath. 

The very man who had thrown the world in disarray when he abruptly left his coven years ago and caused Kim Namjoon to level the entire block in Venice—The werewolf-turned-chimera who was rumored to be the Harbinger of the True Alpha and the eclipse bringer.

Jeon Jungkook who might be the stalker sending you flowers with meanings such as longing, apologies and love, alongside forget-me-nots on your doorsteps.

Bangtan Coven’s very own wolf in sheep’s clothing, Jeon Jungkook.

Your throat seized and you pushed at his chest, the need to put distance between you and this world-class threat overtaking any other thought you have.

“H-hey, put me down!”

He surprisingly relents, setting you down behind him. The moment his support leaves you, your legs give out, still shaken up by your brush with death but Jungkook was quick to catch you.

You wanted to pry his hands off of you but at the same time, wanted him near because him being there meant no one could hurt you.

“Easy. Let me help you lean on the wall.”

The air around you lightens up and the natural prey instincts of both human and fae dissolves as the suppressive force of his powers seem to curve around you like a protective shield.

It should terrify you—this man could be that stalker from months ago, he could be the boogeyman the lupins of today still feared and whispered about—but now, covered in his aura and shielded behind his big body, an odd sense of relief floods you. Jungkook was angry but it wasn’t pointed towards you.

If anything, it felt like he was angry for you.

But why?

Are supernatural royalties supposed to be this benevolent? Why are they so eager to help you?

Calloused and scarred hands that could easily hold your face and crush it with a bat of an eye, held your cheek with the lightest of touch, as if the smallest of pressure could break you and searched you for any wounds. You feel like you’ve been isekai’d into a contract marriage with the duke of the north story and you’re experiencing the delicious part where the male lead goes: ‘who hurt my wife?!’

You must’ve been shaken so badly to relate such a romantic scene from the books to this very moment.

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt in any way?”

You shake your head and immediately, he’s pulling you to his chest for a tight hug, your body freezes like a rabbit before flight but you didn’t dare pull away, scared of retaliation.

“Th-the cult—”

Reminded by the events prior to your meeting, he let out an annoyed growl as he snapped his head back at the still chanting cult members and their designated fighters pointing their guns in your direction but never daring to press the trigger. The animalistic sound makes you flinch and he quickly softens when he notices, tugging his mask down to show you his boyish face brightened with a sheepish smile.

“Sorry I startled you. I hope I don’t scare you too much. I’ll handle everything so just sit tight here, hm?”

Then he was gone before you could reply and the only reason you knew he was raining judgment on the sinners was the strangled noise and the sickening sound of someone’s cut off speech slicing through the air as his victim seemingly began to gurgle on his own blood.

You never knew how fragile a body is until you hear it be torn apart miles from you.

You didn’t have to see the scene to know it was a massacre. A one-sided battle between a god-like being and a hundred men even with the constant rain of gunshots—A poor recreation of the eclipse bringer’s famous tale of wiping off the true Alpha bloodline from history.

You hear bones break with a thundering crack as screams of agony and the desperate pleas to spare himself from his comrades cuts off the chanting. Hearing the last part satisfied a dark, sick bastard in your head who wanted to give justice to the elderly killed in front of you.

Someone tried to escape, screaming bloody mary as he ran away like a headless chicken but an eagle claw easily dwarfing the man’s body shot out from out of the frame and clamped around his torso to drag him back to the bloodshed. 

It was horrible. It’s fucking terrifying yet it filled your heart with a lightness you don’t want to link to relief and hope—you don’t even dare to think of glee beside them.

The battle was as quick as it began. The smell of iron permeates the air so violently you feared the scent would attach itself permanently to your nostrils. It should be nauseating, you should be running away from the danger but for some reasons unknown and reasons you don’t want to continue thinking of, you stay in the same place he had left you.

Like a dog waiting for her owner to come back.

The realization had you reeling because why did you even stay?

Jungkook steps back into the frame, skin stained and dripping in crimson, his clothes a shade darker from bathing in the cult member’s agony and misery but what shocks you the most was the easy smile on his maskless, handsome face splattered with blood.

Seeing him like this, there was no doubting the rumors of his madness anymore. Jeon Jungkook was the eclipse bringer of the myths.

“I’m sorry I took so long.” He casually said as if he didn’t just send a hundred men to the afterlife a second ago.

You pushed yourself back into the wall as he approached, practically willing yourself to mold into the concrete and the smile fell from his face. Even then, he didn’t stop himself from kneeling in front of you

He reached for your cheeks and you flinched back at the sudden movement, the stark red still dripping from his hands sending shivers down your spine.

“Oh, I’m sorry. That’s not proper of me, was it?”

Thinking the reason you reeled back was because of his dirty hands, he pats his palms dry on his cargo pants before continuing to hold your face. You stop breathing, eyes jumping to meet his gaze and down to the blood scattered like stars on his right cheek. Seeing where your attention lies, he wiped them off with the back of his hand.

It didn’t go away. 

If anything, it stained his cheek like a crudely applied blush.

“I smell like blood, don’t I? I’m sorry for that, I really did try to minimize the damage but they just kept on shootin’ at me.”

How could he act so normally? How could he shift between personas in so little time without the other side leaking into the kindness he’s showing you right now?

“H-how are you so ca-casual about thi-this?” You weakly stammered out.

Jungkook takes a step back, putting enough space between the two of you where you could freely run away if you wanted but with his intense eyes staring at you, you were pinned down nonetheless. It felt like a dare to leave, a sick foreplay of a predator before he hunts his prey and you’re not eager to find out if your thoughts are true.

His kindness is a complete juxtaposition of the bloodlust monster who tore off spines from one half of a body as if they’re mere paper and coated the entire building in the thick stench of blood janitors would take years to wipe off.

You should be running, screaming for help—screaming for Soomin to whisk you away and hide you with her pack but instead of doing all that, you sat there and stared.

And you don’t even know why you feel such a strong need to stay.

He opened his mouth to respond when four pairs of approaching feet silenced him and you both turned toward the entrance of the corridor.

“Namjoon…”

“Fuck, this is…”

“Heavens above, this is so much paperwork.”

“This has Jungkook written all over it. Gods damn that kid!”

A frown curls Jungkook’s lips. “You’re not safe here anymore.”

They knew he was behind the slaughter but all he cared about was you. 

Why is every member of Bangtan that you’ve met so far so focused on getting you safe or hiding you away from the others? It hurts your head to think of an answer to all the questions you know no one would answer.

What is there that you’re missing? Why are they somewhat connected to you?

“Wh-what? Why?”

He quickly pushes a finger on your lips. “You just are. Seokjin hyung is here.”

You don’t even want to know how he knew you were running away from the royal vampire nor do you want to acknowledge the unspoken danger behind his words because if you start thinking about it, you might just break down and cry in front of one of the most dangerous nocturnals in the universe.

“The blood of the cult members is hiding your scent, I could get you out of here while they’re still occupied.” He offered a hand out and you stared at it.

Their footsteps draw nearer and Namjoon’s tall figure stroll into view, long legs keeping him two feet away from his coven members as he approaches the bloodfest with an air of indifference.

Even with the clear view you have of the spring sovereign, you somehow slipped past his notice.

“H-how can’t he see us?”

“That’s just for dragon hyung. Hobi hyung and Seokjin hyung are different. They'll spot us the moment they step into that frame.” Jungkook says, pointing at the limited view the corridor granted you. “So I'm asking you, do you want to run away with me?”

You don’t even know what made you take his hand, all you knew was the fear curdling in your guts as the other Bangtan members drew nearer and it screamed at you to leave.

“Please, take me away.”

His lips tugs up to a smile far too delighted to be classified as a normal reaction to your words as he tugs your hand, still holding tightly onto him since the moment he offered it out and pulled you close while the other hand falls onto the drenched front of his shirt.

You didn’t get to grimace before he’s slicing through the air and the fabric of reality splits open to another point in the world. 

Growing up, you were told not to take strangers hand with the promise of taking you somewhere but for some reasons, you find yourself drawn to his danger, to the blood stains and the violence behind those innocent doe eyes. You were scared but it fills you with an intoxicating dose of adrenaline and excitement.

A homicidal Howl Pendragon, that’s what he is.

“With pleasure.”

When you had taken Jeon Jungkook’s blood stained hands and let him take you away, it was with a stupid hope he wouldn’t bring you harm. It was a dangerous gamble but even now that you rest in your apartment with Soomin cuddled up to your side, you’d still choose him over being discovered by Seokjin and the rest of his coven.

It didn't mean that you’ve brushed off the horrors you witnessed.

The moment Soomin had fallen asleep, arms now loose from where it wrapped protectively around your torso, you reached for your phone and clicked on a familiar contact.

It was only then, when you heard her chirp out a greeting did the heights of earlier crash onto you and before you knew it, you were sobbing because no, you shouldn’t feel so elated taking the hands of the boogeyman nor do you want to taste that rush once again.

That wasn’t you, it should never be you.

“Little flower? What is wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Ma…” You whimpered as lowly as you could to not wake Soomin.

“Tell mama what happened and I'll fix it.”

Even if the world threatens to crumble before you, you find out that you don’t have the heart to tell her everything that happened. How do you even begin to tell her the shitshow you had landed yourself in?

Do you tell her how you almost died from a bullet if it wasn’t for the missing youngest of Bangtan popping up out of nowhere to save you? The said youngest being the same man who stepped in that one time they were being disrespected in that damned store months ago?

How do you even begin to tell her how you almost fell victim to the addicting rush of having someone defend you to the point of killing?

“I heard from the news that the leviathan cult was up to no good in a mall not too far from your dorm. You didn’t get caught up in that, did you?” 

Oh the worry in her voice. 

It makes you want to hurl yourself towards the nearest window and let your life be claimed in the stupidest and embarrassing way ever. You could hear the frown tugging her lips, could envision her itching to pace around the living room as she waits for your answer.

Her poor heart would not take it.

Your own heart could not take it.

“N-no, I wasn’t at the mall when it happened. I-I just wanted to call because life got a little stressful.” You chuckled at the end and hoped it was convincing enough. “I got a performance tomorrow as the female lead and I guess it's just setting in that I’m going to be singing for all those people.”

“Oh it was tomorrow? Oh dear, I thought it’d be at the end of the week.”

“Don’t worry about not getting to attend mom. I swear, I really don’t mind.”

If you said you didn’t feel your heart drop hearing that, you’d be lying. Your chest already wounded tight from your emotions grew suffocating as tears stung your already burning eyes. Yet, even then, you force yourself to stabilize your breathing.

Unconsciously, Soomin’s arms tightened around you as if sensing your distress even in her sleep.

“I’m really sorry, little flower. Soobin has a parents-teacher meeting tomorrow but if the meeting ends early, we could go straight up there.” 

It was nobody’s fault your mom couldn’t make it, nobody should be blamed for anything and you knew this but you still couldn’t help but feel a little resentful.

Soobin, even when he's far from his bullies, still carries the fear they instilled in him, more often than not paranoid of his surroundings according to your mother. She had been worried about him as you are too, there was no doubting the vast need of your mother's support throughout his recovery.

You shouldn’t be so upset at being presented facts. 

“No, really. It’s fine, ma.” You push out, swallowing the sadness that keeps on trying to escape you. “I’ll go down to you guys on the weekends instead and celebrate, hm?”

“I promise to make it up to you. I’ll make you your favorite once you get here.” She promised, like she always does. “Congratulations for getting that role, petal. No matter how you got it, I’m so proud of you.”

When the call drops did you only let yourself break as silently as you could, throwing your arms around Soomin to hug her a little tighter, a little closer, just to feel a morsel of comfort your mother’s embrace would’ve given you if she were there.

“Boss, I’ll be leaving early today.” You tell Taehyung the moment you entered Eden.

Maybe you should’ve texted your excuse instead of making the effort to physically do it but maybe you just wanted to see the angel before the show.

Normal people hold onto their crosses or stars before a performance, sometimes sneaking a prayer to their gods but your kind doesn’t really follow any god so you chose the next best thing you could.

Which is seeing Taehyung. Fallen angel or not, he’s a good alternative.

Besides, the nerves are slowly getting to you. Although Jungkook hadn't sent any bouquet recently, the silence from his side kept you up with worry more often than not. So you decided getting to soak in Taehyung’s unique calming aura would change that.

“Oh wait just a minute, let me finish this.”

He was hunched over something in the counter, probably busy with the files on the cabinet on your table. Yeontan greets you in his owner’s stead, yipping happily as he bounds up to you, fur bouncing softly in every stride. You crouched down to catch the overzealous pup with open arms and was rewarded with sloppy kisses.

Finally finding whatever he was searching for, he perks up from behind the counter with a bright smile, his black eye now gone. Whatever it was that caused him to keep it, he had definitely healed and forgave himself.

“Yeah sure, no problem!” He says, placing down the files on the counter as you walk over to him. “What could be the reason for your early departure though?”

“Oh, I’ll be substituting for a friend in the theatre club. She went down with a bad cold so now I’ll be the main lead for a musical.”

His eyes widened in surprise before he’s surging down to hold your waist and spun you around as he screams his excitement out while you could only squeal from the suddenness of his action. 

When he finally puts you down, he pulls you in for a hug.

You push down your racing heartbeat and heating cheeks, focusing on the lightness spreading throughout Eden at the angel’s happiness.

“Heavens, that is such an amazing opportunity!” Pulling away, he keeps his hands on your shoulder, golden eyes twinkling a little brighter than it usually is. “Where are you going to perform? What musical are you partaking in?!”

“I don’t think you’ve heard it before but it's called Hadestown, inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice from Greek Mythology.” You said before realizing the man before you is an angel. “As a former celestial being, have you ever heard about them?”

Something foreign passes Taehyung’s honey eyes and his smile dims a little.

“I’ve been stationed in heaven since I was reborn so I couldn’t have heard about them directly but I think some angels who could leave have mentioned their tragic love story at least once in passing.” He says with a wistful look as he pockets his hands on his dress pants. “No more about the heavens and myths, can I come and watch you?”

After yesterday’s conversation with your mother, you unconsciously reeled back, surprised the man wanted to see you perform. You shouldn’t have reacted like that, it wasn’t like you were neglected by any means, Soobin should always come first and you agree with that. He’s at the age where he needs to be supervised to make sure he doesn’t grow up to be a delinquent so you understand.

But if anyone were to know the context of last night, they would’ve assumed the worst of your mom and that’s just not it.

Besides, Soomin was attending so why are you even acting so shocked?!

“How about the store?” You asked.

He waves you off. “I can always close it down early. Performing as the main female lead at a musical is a bigger fish to fry!”

“Is that really allowed? I mean, you’re my boss but your boss is still the verdant king himself so—”

“I promise you, he won’t mind at all.” He reassures you with a smile, thumbs pressing down on your shoulders. “Besides, that elf doesn’t really leave his laboratory unless there’s an important event, a subjugation or a coven meeting so he won’t notice. Matter of fact—”

He walks away and disappears into his office, Yeontan following close behind him. 

You debated on following him, feeling awkward standing alone by the entrance but before you could even come to a decision, Taehyung’s already walking out with his expensive leather satchel hanging from one arm and his keys on the other hand pulling the office’s door shut with a resounding click.

“I can drive you to the theatre.”

You barely held back the laugh bubbling in your chest. “Rollcall doesn’t happen for two hours, we can still keep the store up for a while.”

“Then a practice perhaps? I know a studio not too far from here and we could warm up a little!” He suggests, still bright as ever. “I may have not sung in a long while but I’d like to think I can still help you.”

“Now that’s just unfair. You have centuries to practice and sing for the gods themselves!”

He laughed and it sounded like chimes of church bells, warmth exploding in your chest. “You think too highly of me! I may have done those things but even saints can certainly do better than I.”

There was an underlying joke there that you don’t know the context to but if Jimin were here and not a minute away from tearing his heart out, the fox would be chuckling.

Immortals and their inner jokes.

“So, are we going?” Taehyung asks, still not moving away from the door of his office.

“We’re using a bike?”

True to his nature, Taehyung owns a whimsical vespa that looks much smaller when he’s riding it. You never thought about it until you saw him drive away into the distance but angels having scooters just makes more sense than lettuce and barbeque dipped in cheese.

“No, I brought a car with me this time.”

“Let me guess, you own a bentley”

“How did you know?!”

“I just read something similar. Have you ever heard of Good Omens?”

“Mr. Min, I implore you to at least attend this one performance. You will not regret it—”

“And if I regret wasting my time on mediocrity? What then?”

“I promise you, it'll be quite the performance.”

An absolute head-turner. Someone who can coax out the dimness in him and comfort him through its harsh coldness.

It feels bazaar recognizing the faint buzz of being close to you humming under his skin. No one in his family had ever thought it was possible to bear a child who'd eventually grow to learn they have a soulmate, yet here he is. Weeks since he's got the confirmation letter and he's still feeling like a lottery winner.

With you staring off into the distance, Hoseok took the chance to let his gaze roam. From the dangling earrings you wore and the necklace sitting perfectly against your collarbone, hair tucked behind ears and gaze inquisitive as it watched the busy kitchen from the gap behind the counter, you're a sight to behold. Even the coldest of heart would be moved by you and he'd willingly spend anything just so you'd sit before him looking like this.

His hand twitched from where it rested next to his phone and he debated on taking a quick snap, wanting to preserve your date look like a breathtaking art created by the most talented hands from centuries ago. But he knew you'd shy away the moment you notice, reaching for his camera to hide yourself with that adorable flush in your cheeks and a bashful smile on your lips.

Fuck it.

He really did try taking a picture as discreetly as he could but it's really hard to do so with limited options. You side-eyed him, seemingly confused by his action and he was glad you were, taking two shots before reaching the limit and you were placing a hand over your face.

“Why are you taking a picture of me?” You cutely asked, painfully shy all of a sudden as he placed his phone down.

“Memories and I know you'd want to post it as a story later.”

“Reasons.” You murmured, turning back to the busy kitchen with a flush on your cheeks he assumed wasn't made by makeup.

Again, his fingers itched to take more pictures. His soulmate is just cute.

Nobody would blame him for wanting to preserve art like how they're supposed to be treated, right?

God, that was corny but he couldn't think of other reasons right now when you keep short-circuiting his brain.

“Did you hear what the couple behind us are talking about?”

He raises an eyebrow, intrigued. Briefly glancing at the booth behind you, his eyes immediately zoned onto the clear book spread open in the middle of their table filled with what seems to look like screenshots of conversations.

The woman coolly took a sip of her drink through her straw as she watched her partner—is it safe to assume he's an ex-boyfriend yet?—flip through it in stunned silence.

In all honesty, he hadn't considered having lunch in public, not when he's easily recognizable and is currently a member of one of the biggest bands in the world. When his sister had suggested a date at a restaurant, he quickly shut it down and if it wasn't for his mother and his sister's joint forces screaming at him through the phone with a speed and intensity that could break a phone speaker as they drilled into him how romantic it would be, you both would have never sat here at all.

It was too risky.

There's already one problem bubbling in the horizon and he just hopes their lawyer has taken care of it; they couldn't risk a leak now that they've stepped onto the level of foreign superstars.

You sipped on your water, eyes twinkling with mirth as you retell him in a hushed Nabi's same experience as the woman behind you as if anyone could understand you.

“She's got a clear book of evidence.” He lightly laughs, turning to the side to look like he doesn't care a drama-worthy break up was happening in front of him.

Who knew a lunch date could turn even more exciting?

“Oh what the hell, I can't see.”

You turn your head to the cashier, trying to catch a glimpse with the edge of your vision before tipping back a little to probably hear better too. If anyone else were to see you, they'd think you were looking for your order to be served.

He just fondly shook his head.

“You’re too obvious. It's just a bunch of texts honestly. A few instagram posts but nothing much.” 

“That’s pretty tame. I expected a few dick pics here and there.” You say, disappointedly propping your head on your hand, cheeks puffed up.

Ah, so cute.

“If there is, why’d you assume I’d let you see it?”

“You would ‘cause you'd wanna judge it with me.”

Hoseok stared, considering your argument before shrugging. “Fair.”

A smile creeps on your face, victorious.

His eyes drifted to your other hand, absentmindedly playing with the edge of the tissues with the tip of your finger. You had your nails dyed red today, the stark color catching his eyes and Hoseok's palms tingled with the urge to press his own against yours and feel the heat of your skin bleed into him.

Would it be too much if he grabs your hand and entangles it with his?

It's ridiculous of a question because you both have cuddled before but with the current context, would you be comfortable if he held your hand?

He's on a date so he can totally do it…

Right?

“I'm shocked there's not a single sexy picture ‘cause, every affair begins like that, no?” 

He inched closer, fingers drumming on the table. You took a sip of the water next to his knuckles and when you placed the glass down, your hand fell in front of his, the joints of your fingers barely brushed against each other but that didn't stop the heat flooding his chest and his cheeks.

Sucking a deep breath, he looked away, painfully shy all of sudden.

“Maybe they're too vanilla?” You innocently raised.

He flushes and laughs, not knowing how to respond to that.

Then came a loud bang that made you both jump. Shamelessly as the others in the hall, the two of you turned to the couple and found the woman now leaning back with her arms crossed, seemingly satisfied despite the harsh words the man was screaming at her. Hoseok could catch a few swear words here and there, and grimaced. 

That alone soured his mood, he can't even imagine how much worse it is fully translated.

“Shouldn't the guard come over and take him away? Where are they?” He asks no one in particular, looking over your shoulders and to the entrance where he caught a glimpse of a burly man leaving the kitchen and is heading towards the two.

Knowing her time is up, the woman then picked up her drink then splashed it on her ex. The man let out a gasp, shocked as he reeled back from the coldness but it quickly melted into rage, and he stood to retaliate only for the security guard to catch his reared hand. Moments later and he's being escorted out, screaming profanities but it was quickly drowned out by the rest of the customers murmuring amongst themselves.

What a great way to start the date. So much for an intimate lunch.

“I thought you only had lunch in mind, didn’t know you also booked us to a drama performance.” You tell him with a cheeky smile.

Hoseok thanked his lucky stars the date didn’t go off the rails before it could even gain momentum after that. Conversations varying topics like your family back home—your sister's new son, your brother's promotion and your father's insistence on buying an orchard land offered by a neighbor who needed money for his daughter's college fees—, the price of a woman's top, and new plans on their calendar lit up the table. The atmosphere only lightened further when your food came in, the waiter apologized for the delay, subtly glancing at the now-empty booth behind you before leaving.

It's truly a wonder how the baseball caps hide their identity, with both masks and sunglasses off, he thought someone would recognise him. He could barely savor the taste of his food with how anxious he felt at first, occasionally looking around as subtly as he could for someone who might’ve recognized him.

By some luck, no one does.

To that, he cheered internally.

“How did you manage to convince the company to let us go on a date like this?” You asked in between bites, tongue darting out to lick the sauce off of your lips and a shiver shot down his spine.

Immediately, he trained his gaze somewhere else as he drank from his glass of sprite, ears heating up.

“I didn't. I just convinced them to lessen the security so my manager and a guard are here but they're only following us from a distance.” He says after, nudging his head to their right where their companions sit.

The other guys had insisted too. Even as up-and-coming artists in the west, they still had crazy fans who'd no doubt freak out seeing their idol on the streets with a woman and nobody else. Their long talk last night had kept him conflicted between booking skilled fx make up artists and going YOLO, and before he knew it, it was time to go and he didn't get to shoot their studio a message.

You stare at the two, surprised.

“You didn't notice them?” He asks, incredulous. 

“Yeah! I really thought it's just you and me today,” you pause, stewing over your next words as you bite your lower lip as if to try and keep the next words to yourself before deciding against it, eyes lit with a playfulness. “It's hard to notice everything when I get you in front of me.”

It's such a corny line, something he's heard a lot in movies and tv shows like a broken record. 

Even then, he felt heat creep up to his cheeks and he giggled—like a giddy high schooler too to top it all off.

“Woah, I didn't know you've got that in you, noona.”

You groaned, embarrassed. “I'm trying, okay?”

“I literally had chills hearing you say that to me.”

He didn't. His heart is literally racing so fast he's scared it'll jump out of his ribcage and sing out how much he loved the corny line to you.

“Then I'm not doing it anymore.” You pout, angrily shoving a spoonful of food in your mouth as you look away.

So cute.

Literally, so cute.

Leaning forward to prop his chin on a hand, a mischievous smile grows on his face. “Don't get mad at me, I'll let you do it again. I think I could get used to hearing how you like me, noona.”

You wouldn't take the bait, years of being friends with you taught him that.

But against his beliefs, you mirrored him, leaning closer than he did with a twinkle in your eyes, almost an inch of space left to separate you both and his heart leapt into his throat. Instinctively, his gaze drifts down to your lips, red and plush from the cold drink, before catching himself and looking back up into your eyes.

“I like you, Jung Hoseok. My soulmate.” 

My soulmate. Your soulmate.

Again, it is such a corny line but he's blushing anyways, looking away as he laughs. 

Seeing his reaction, you burst into a fit of giggles.

“Why are you so red?!”

“Why are you so shocked I'm blushing?! You did this!” He spluttered out, pointing his fork at you.

“Well I didn’t expect you to be so flustered!” You squawked and he laughed a little louder, hands curling into his chest and head thrown back.

Despite the drama that occurred that lunch, you both left that restaurant light and lively and strolled downtown in idle chatter before spotting an alley with an on-going festival kind of event from the loud sounds of cheers and fast, rhythmic music echoing out. Hidden away from the main road lies a bazaar, stalls of food and thrift clothes flooded by what seems like a hundred people roaming the small space.

Its atmosphere is inviting, the song drifting from the alley as well as the happy chatter of the people roaming the bazaar sounded like a tune from Pied Piper. If he was as normal as the other patrons, he would willingly pull you into the crowd and check them all out.

But alas, he couldn't have everything in this life.

Your body lock up at the sight, and he placed a protective hand on your shoulder to guide you out, away from danger but then you pat his knuckles and nodded your head towards the store with the banana fusion snacks; banana wrapped in a caramelised wrapper, skewered banana, banana milkshake.

It scares him how thick the crowd is, eyes constantly roaming to find stares who recognize him.

He never really minded getting recognized but not now, not when it could put you in danger.

Their bodyguard lingered a few steps away, his eyes unwavering as he watched over them like a hawk while his manager treated himself to a shawarma wrap next to him.

“You’re okay with this?” He asked from behind you, just loud enough to hear over the upbeat music.

You look over your shoulders, staring up at him with those wide eyes and his heart skips a beat.

“Let’s try and eat a couple things, check the thrift then go.”

In another reality, he would’ve placed a hand on your shoulders and leaned closer than he already is but with so many eyes who could recognize him, he simply stood there. 

“Are you really sure?” He asked again as you traded your money for food with the vendor.

You turn to him with two of the caramelized wrapped bananas in brown paper bags, pushing one to him. He opened his mouth to thank you but then you reached down for his hand and entangled your fingers with his, fingertips leaving sparks of electricity as it traveled down from his wrist, his palm and from where it now rests clamped around his hand.

He stops breathing. 

Were your hands always this small?

“This okay?” You asked and he wondered if you meant you holding his hands or the bold decision to check the bazaar out.

“Yeah.”

You brought him in front of a small booth at the farthest corner of the bazaar, a booth selling handmade wooden trinkets and keychains with a few crystal bracelets hanging from the hooks on steel grids. He eyed the polished figures of cats with beady black dots for eyes, particularly staring at the calico and orange cats.

A pretty keychain with three chains decorated randomly with polished amethysts of varying sizes hangs from your fingers when he lets his gaze fall to you, your food left on the narrow space between baskets of random trinkets and pins. You looked so cute picking what caught your eyes and he pulled his phone out to snap a quick picture to send to the GC.

[3:42PM] Me: [sent a photo] [3:42PM] Me: We found a small bazaar in an alley on the way to the park [3:42PM] Me: I dont think we’re leaving this booth anytime soon. [3:43PM] Jin-hyung: what a cutie [3:43PM] Me: what are u guys doin? [3:43PM] Jin-hyung: idk bout the others but I am drowning in envy, I want to go out with her tooo  [3:43PM] Me: ur next hyung, fighting!  [3:43PM] MinSyuga🐱: buy me one of those cat figures hoba

He turned back to the cat figures and picked them up.

“How much for this?” He asked the woman behind the stall in English.

It's much cheaper than he thought it would.

[3:44PM] Me: which one do you want? [3:44PM] Cute V: i heard hobi hyung’s buying us things [3:44PM] Cute V: i also want one hyung!!!! [3:44PM] Cute V: i like the black and white one :DD [3:44PM] Me: okayyy [3:44PM] MinSyuga🐱: get me the black one [3:45PM] Me: do the others want one too? [3:45PM] Rapmon: Wow hyung you’re rich

“Which one?” You asked him, holding an obsidian keychain against what he thinks might be onyx.

“For who?”

“Jungkook.”

“The onyx one.”

With that, you hand your chosen keychains with the empty nameplates over and the vendor hands you a notepad to write down the names you wanted written. He took your momentary distraction to give his eight cat figurines to the vendor and pay for both your and his items.

Doing so might make you skin him once you come home but his pride as a man and your soulmate couldn't let you pay for something the entire date. 

He watched you think over the names, eyes bouncing from the notepad and the unassuming vendor.

“Is it safe to put our names here?” You asked him before turning back to the vendor once more, eyes narrowing at the plastic bag laid waiting for the bracelets to join the cats. “Did you—”

“I think you can. People would just think it's a fan writing those names down.” He cuts you off, already reaching for the vaguely human figures touching a big heart between them. “This would look good on my desk, no?”

You squint at the figure before nodding.

“You should get that.”

Pointing at the small blue slime keychain, he quickly suggested it before your attention could drift back to your purchases. “That would look good on your black bag.”

Fully distracted by the rows of wooden figure keychains you claimed to have missed, he took the notepad with their names and passed it to the vendor to have them ingrained into the nameplates.

He waited for her to recognize the names, unconsciously reaching up to fix the mask on his face but she didn't react at all and began working. He let out a sigh of relief.

“You—dick!” You exclaimed with a slap to his arm.

“What did I do?!”

You pointed at the plastic bag.

“I was supposed to pay for that!”

“The lady totalled both of our purchases, I can’t do anything about that. Besides, I can't look like a broke boyfriend asking you to pay for both our things.” He pouts at you. In return, you hit his arm again, lighter this time. “Think about my pride!”

“I could've passed you the money!”

“And I would've sneaked it back into your bag.”

Finished and oblivious to the argument, the lady packed the keychains with the rest of your purchases and handed the bag over with a smile. With a brief bow, you both depart to the next. You took the final bite of your food and spoke again.

“At least let me pay for the next stall?”

“You already paid for the food, noona. Let me treat you for today, hm? I heard you let Jungkook pay for everything.” 

No, Jungkook did not tell them anything about their date. He was pretty secretive and kept it vague when he sat down to tell them what happened the night after but it was worth the try.

“He would look at me with those big eyes if I tried, you know how easy I am.” You reasoned. 

“Should I also try and look cute for you too?” 

He placed his chin in between fists to mimic a flower, fluttering his eyes behind his sunglasses and pouting under his mask. Stopping by a busking man, you turn to him with a deadpan but the twinkle of mirth in your eyes betray you and a smile creeps on his face.

“Hoba…”

“Noona…” 

“Let me pay for the next stall. Just that one and then you can be the macho boyfriend who pays for everything.”

Boyfriend.

His cheeks heated up and he couldn't fight off the giggle bubbling out his chest. He couldn't explain how much he liked hearing that. If he had it his way, he would cup your face and kiss you breathless from where you stand but alas, you weren't at that point of the relationship yet.

Next time, he swore.

“I’m your boyfriend now?”

Realizing your words, you paused. He thought you’d take it back, floundering a response back but instead leaned forward, a flirty smirk curling your lips. “You’re already my soulmate, silly.”

“You can’t butter me up, babe. It won’t work.” His chosen callsign echoed with his heartbeat in his ears.

“Babe?” You raised an eyebrow. “Well then, will you let me pay for my things, babe?”

So cute!

“No.”

“Why?”

Seeing no end to the topic, he snatched your bag and slung it over his shoulder. He didn't comment on how easily you surrendered it, he didn't even tug that hard.

“Hey, you—”

“I'm not giving this back until the day ends.” He says, patting the hard covers.

“Give it back!” 

You attempted to reach for it but he was faster, trained by having three kids he loved annoying when he was taller than them, and raised it above his head.

“Let loose for today, noona. Don't worry about who's paying whose food and just start spending my money. They’re kind of begging to be spent.” 

“If you want to throw money so badly, just donate it to charity.” You jokingly said and he paused.

That's a great idea actually. Something grand to commemorate such a great day and as far as he knows none of the other boys have thought about it.

“Which one?”

When you realize he wasn’t joking, the mirth on your face drains away.

“Oh fuck, you're serious?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” He responded as he pulled his phone out to quickly search through Naver for a legitimate donation drive to put his money in. 

Maybe that pet shop he’s been donating at would be good enough? 

But before he could message the owner, you put your hands over his screen.

“I’m just joking! Put your phone down.”

He lets you push his phone down, making a mental note to do it after the date as you do so. He made a show of defeat with a sigh as he pockets the phone when the crowd suddenly cheered and for a second, he thought he was discovered until he picked up the transition of tempo from its upbeat, latin dance song to a mellow, almost bittersweet strumming of a loverboy’s guitar over a backtrack of a song.

Men and women hand in hand flocked the busker who began to speak in fast Spanish before pointing at someone in the crowd and sending them a flirty wink. You laughed with a few at the gesture.

“You want us to do that on stage, noona?”

“As if. Don’t think about it, Jung Hoseok.” 

“It would be quite the sight though. Imagine the articles.”

You hug yourself and ‘shivered’. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

“We can add ARMY at the end then it’ll just be another heartfelt message.” He says with a smile as a song he swore he heard once in the radio fills the small area of the bazaar and the crowd sways with it.

As if living through a disney movie in that very moment, everyone around him began to dance, with hands on each other's shoulders or waists as their hips moved with the music. Seeing them dance so carelessly and intimately made Hoseok want to be bold too, nevermind the growing crowd around them.

Screw being seen, all he cares about now is how much he wants to dance with you to the song. 

With so much spinning and dancing around him, nobody would pay attention to them anyways. 

He spotted his manager from afar and nodded at him, a signal that he's going to do something stupid. His manager just sighed and he suppressed a laugh in favor of turning to you before offering his hand. 

Immediately, your eyes widened.

“Aren’t we supposed to be discreet?”

He shrugged. “We’re much more noticeable when we’re not dancing.” He reached down to grab your hand, his racing heartbeat almost drowning out the background as he drew you near. “Besides, we danced like this before, no?”

It was a moment born from a bottle of soju and an empty dance hall. With his free spotify account, his cooldown hiphop songs shuffled into a slow jazz that drifted along the empty space as you both drank away your sorrows one Sunday night back in 2017. You had too much to drink and he had far more courage than he would've sober.

He pulled you up a stand and drew you close. It went from mindless swaying with just your hands entangled and a space for Christ in between until the song got mellower, more sensual and the distance melts away with their inhibitions.

Hoseok couldn't recall much of what happened that night but he does remember the feeling of your arms around his neck and the addicting motions of your swaying hips guided by his hands.

“That's different from what they're dancing here.”

“So you can't dance?” He challenges with a glint in his eyes.

You scoffed. “The question is, can you keep up with me?”

The challenge in the arch of your eyebrow lit something inside him. Like eating candy with fillings, he’d roll it around his tongue a bit and he’ll be rewarded with a much sweeter taste. He isn't overly confident tonight might end with him getting a kiss but it doesn't hurt anyone to dream.

With the right build up, everything can end beautifully.

Pulling you flush to his front, he leans down into your ears. “You're really asking me that, noona? Are you sure you want to challenge me?”

“Just dance with me, pretty boy.” 

His heart stuttered at your words and he laughed, hands reaching hands, fingers entangling with each other as you both tested the waters with simple steps with the basic hands on waists and on shoulders.

Left foot, left foot, right foot, right foot—

Then he’s raising your connected hands and you spin for him, hair fluttering in the wind, the smell of your perfume taunting his nose as your giddy laughter rings above the song.

They’ve barely started but Hoseok already knew he was about to lose and he finds himself not minding it one bit. If losing meant he could hold you, then he’ll lose a thousand times.

You’re so fucking corny, he hears his sister tease at the back of his head.

The song takes a playful tone and he spins you once then twice, confusing you with the additional spin. You narrowed your eyes at him when you faced him again and all he could do was laugh because how else should he react to something so endearing?

You spread your arms up and he follows the soft lines of them with the tips of his fingers as he guides them to the back of his head. Electricity flares from his fingers and the blood under his skin sings. Then your fingers raked through his scalp, manicured nails, vibrant and red, scratching against him, sending shivers down his spine.

He spun you again and you'd lean up against him right after, hips dangerously close against each other as you continue to sway. During those times, Hoseok got overly aware of how much you'd brush against his front and left him wanting to violently bury his head into the ground for even noticing such a thing.

There was no doubting your awareness of the distance between bodies—or the lack thereof—if the mischievous curl of your stained lips were anything to go by.

This rhythm, this distance left him feeling more breathless than he would in dance practices with the guys and he doesn't know how to process that information.

Even with an inch distance between his chest and your back, he could still feel the heat of your skin leak through your clothes pressing against him and his heart raced a little harder and faster in his chest.

You were the one spinning yet he's the one getting dizzy.

“You okay, dance leader?” You ask him with a teasing lilt to your voice and never has he wanted to kiss that tone out of your mouth.

“Of course I am. Are you finding it difficult, dear student?”

His body is electric as he spins you again before pulling your back flush to his front, entirely closing the gap and abandoning any respectable distance as he placed a hand on your hips and pressed you closer, his ravenous greed winning over his own logical reasoning.

Feeling your softness against him, the sheer curve pressed against him, his mind drifts onto the fact Jimin has held and caressed the skin under your clothes, even delighted in the sensation of your nails on his head and tugging his head closer. You feel so hot against him, the scent of your shampoo seeps through his mask and he almost rolls his eyes back like some feral bastard.

It was truly a humbling experience realizing how deprived he’s acting right now. 

He never knew he was this hungry until today.

The song grows tender and sweeter as it progresses, a complete juxtaposition of the filth filling his head and the heat scorching him from the inside and out. As the music grows more intimate, so does the distance you keep between you and him. At some point in the dance, the mirthful glint in your eyes softened and suddenly, he’s realizing how tender your gaze is as it stares back into him and his heart seized in his chest, breath knocked off of his lungs, the scorching heat of lust dwindling in a flash.

If his fingers weren’t occupied holding you, he’d pinch himself just to see if he wasn’t an illusion, an image conjured by his heart who yearns for too much with a body who can’t do much.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

You raised an eyebrow, genuinely confused. “What do you mean?”

His throat dries and his tongue grows heavy with words too precious to be spoken out so casually. In the flurry of bodies spinning around him, the world seemed to slow and fall into a hush as if fate itself had paused to watch.

It was like a scene taken straight out of a movie, a moment violently ripped from his childhood dreams. All it was missing was one important act.

Beyond his own reasoning, he leans in a little closer.

“Hoba, we're in public.” You remind him, voice unnaturally high as you stop him with a hand on his covered mouth. 

Realizing this, he unravels you from his previous spin and faces you towards him.

He’s glad his mask and sunglasses are hiding his face now when he grimaced at the thought of what he was about to do earlier. Kissing your soulmate who you’re trying to hide in public sure is a great idea. 

Very subtle, Jung Hoseok. Super fucking subtle.

What a fucking idiot you are!

“And? We're just dancing.” He raised both your hands and guided you to a circle around him. “Are you getting bothered, babe?”

“I'm getting bothered as much as a woman on her period is.” You deadpanned, arms wounding around his neck, forcing him to change the genre into something you'd see in a prom night dance.

“Which is…?”

“Very bothersome.” You huffed.

“In a good way, I hope?”

“Guess.” You challenged with a playful lilt in your voice, finger tracing the sharpness of his jaw and he leaned into the touch, following it forward even when you moved away.

The song ended and the crowd cheered and clapped for the singer who held up his guitar with a wide victorious smile on his face. Because the dancing followed the music, without it everyone parts from each other and unfortunately, so do they but your hands remain entangled, still reeling from the addicting distance from earlier to separate from each other.

Just like that, everyone continues on with their lives but how does he proceed living after that?

He had you dancing on him even if it's barely suggestive, static flew off your bodies—hell, he almost kissed you not too long ago and he’s supposed to act like nothing happened?

Reminded by his error again, he internally hit himself.

“Let’s go?” He offers, thumb caressing your knuckles.

“Where to?”

“There’s a park a couple of blocks away, I want to bike around a little.”

You perked up. “We could be that sickly sweet couple riding the two seater one.”

“We could be like the couple in that drama you’re watching.”

“Now that you said that, we gotta out romance them now.”

“Of course.” He responded like a lovestruck idiot with a goofy smile on his face.

Despite his initial plan to walk to the park hand in hand like in every romance show and movie, he led you to the car his manager had parked a few steps shy from the entrance of the alley.

His attempts to kiss you earlier didn’t dissolve like he wish it would because in the small space of the backseats, even with the lack of words and no physical contact, even without looking, he felt the crackle of electricity linger in the small gap between both you and his hands placed next to each other but never touching.

The air is heavy and he didn’t dare to glance at you, scared of what kind of emotion he’d find in your gaze. 

Are you repulsed by him? Uncomfortable? Hopeful? 

But you didn’t say anything right? If anything, you just stopped him from doing something stupid in public.

If you were both in a private setting, would you have let him kiss you?

Not knowing how to handle the answer to that question without wanting to pull his hair out, he let himself be distracted by the urban setting blurring in front of him.

By the time you arrived, it was already four and the sun was dipping low into the horizon, warm lights spilling onto the ground as the red-orange streaks of the sky matched the foliage of the towering trees. People rode bikes past them while children played tag from not too far away, their laughter ringing out as they exited the car.

Seeing how flawless the passing couple in a tandem bike is, he grows a little more confident in his plan.

“You guys want to ride a bike too?” He asked, turning to his manager and the guard.

“I can’t ride a bike.” His guard, Dongho, turns down with a shy smile and a show of hand.

“You two can take the tandem bike.” He points to another passing two-seater bike with two teenage boys on it.

His manager shakes his head. “I think I like walking better.”

“You look like you can ride a bike, hyung. Don’t tell me you’re scared?” He teases without actual substance to his words.

“I’d rather not embarrass myself in front of kids who can ride it better.”

“Suit yourself then.”

With that, he leads you into the park with both of your caps and masks on. Far too occupied with their own endeavors to even pay attention to suspiciously covered people walking amongst them.

It was a wonder how nobody’s pointing at them so far.

Freshly shed autumn leaves cracked under pressure of feet stepping on them, the serene silence and atmosphere helped calm his racing heart. He wishes you wouldn’t bring it up, to let him live in the feigned ignorance he chose to put himself in.

But of course, he asked for too much.

“Are we gonna talk about it?” You began, head tilted and hands in your pockets as you stared up at him.

“Can we not?” He winces.

“I don’t think it's something we should pretend never happened.” 

“I’m sorry,” He whispered, scratching the back of his head. “I got a little caught up in the moment. I promise you that it won’t happen again.”

“Hoba, I’m not mad at you. It’s just,” Your hands wildly gesticulating as you think of the right words to convey your feelings. “... It’s all too new with you.”

He wilts even further, the unspoken admittance of discomfort lingering in your words. He bowed again, lower this time.

“I’m really sorry, noona. I swear I will do better in the future!”

“No wait—I think you misunderstood what I’m trying to say!” You said, hands coming to his shoulders and forcing him to stand straight. “By new I mean I’m just nervous. I literally panicked so bad, the right kind of panic of course! And when I realized you were leaning in, I also realized we’re still in public and people could see so—”

The wave of relief that crashed over him couldn’t be explained into words. He was a second away from flinging himself towards the nearest street. Hearing you explain yourself, almost squeaking as you do, made him want to tease you a little.

“You don’t need to excuse my actions noona.” He said as sorrowfully as he could. 

It doesn’t have weight behind it. He just wanted to see you flounder around for a response to heal his heart who was a second close to shrinking on itself after earlier’s misunderstanding.

“I’m serious! I want to hold your hands while we walk, I want to hug you and I really liked dancing with you earlier!” You admitted loudly, face coloured behind the mask.

Why does it feel so hot even with the constant breeze terrorizing the park? Hoseok doesn’t know how it was possible, stopping himself from fanning his warm face.

Realizing what you just said, you instinctively tried to defend your own words at first but ended up tongue tied so you just hung your head in defeat. 

”I just got so nervous earlier so please don’t misunderstand my words earlier.” Your voice falls silent as you end, eyes looking at everything except him.

So, so cute!

Unable to stop himself, he pinched both your cheeks and you quickly slapped his hands away with a curse.

“I’m just joking. Let’s go rent a bike.” He says. If he received a solid slap against his biceps, he just laughed it off and entangled his hands with yours as he led you to the rental.

It wasn’t until he was already talking to the rental staff when he realized something and he turned to you.

“Wait, is this okay?”

You turn to him confused. “Huh? Why are you asking?”

“‘Cause, you’re on your period.”

You shrugged. “It's my fourth day now. I can bike.”

Exchanging his bills for the helmets, he turns to you who’s standing in between the solo bikes and the tandem bikes.

“Should we go solo each?”

“Where would be the fun in that?” He grinned and you narrowed your eyes at him.

“You’re going to purposely stop us.”

“I’m not Jungkook or Seokjin hyung, noona. I’ll be on my best behaviour, promise.” Crossing over his heart, he then makes a show of his palm. “I’ll be so good you’ll mistake me for Namjoon or Yoongi hyung.”

“They’re both mischievous in their own way, you’re not helping your case, Jung Hoseok.”

“Yeah maybe I shouldn’t have used them as examples so you just have to trust me then?”

This earned him a chuckle, then you’re turning towards the duo bike. Taking your helmet from the rental staff’s hand before walking up to you and placing it on your head. You accepted his gesture without complaints, even leaning in so he could easily clasp the buckle under your chin, all the while you stared up at him with that wide-eyed look that makes him want to crawl under a cover and freak out in the manliest way possible.

Unable to help himself, he laughed and pulled his phone out to snap a quick picture of you with his hand on top of your head. Taking a quick look at the picture he took, he decides it would be his new wallpaper and made quick work of it.

“Hoba?” You call and he pockets his phone.

“Alright, let’s go cross one off of my bucket list.” He says, turning to the nearest bike. “Riding into the sunset!”

What he had in mind when he suggested a bike in the park was something straight out of the movies, with you in the back and him as the lead as you both breezed past people with autumn leaves gliding romantically around them. He envisioned lots of laughter and a sweet moment overall as the sunset dwindled in the background.

Reality however, ripped those imagery off of his hands, tore it to pieces and stomped them to the ground before spitting on it like a complete asshole.

“Just kick off, it's not that hard to do so.” 

He really tries his best not to grow irritated by the situation, he really is but when it's already been ten minutes and the both of you still haven't moved from where you both started.

Hoseok is anything but a saint, patience was his Yoongi hyung’s forte and he’s a raging perfectionist.

“Just—just keep it standing! I'll sit down and then you start pedaling.” You, however, didn’t mind showing how irked you're getting.

“We tried that before and we failed.”

So much for wanting a movie-esque moment.

They stood there a moment longer in the middle of the path, just staring at each other as autumn glows with its orange and red hues around them. A few couples passed you by, visibly not struggling like you to be maneuvering with the duo bike but what was more humiliating was seeing two children pass you both in a smaller version of the tandem bike without problem.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back and he sighed in defeat.

“You want to just walk?”

“Let's try again, don’t give up just yet! I just want to move now, it'll be so embarrassing if we returned without even doing anything!” You whine, sitting back down and dramatically leaning back, both arms limp on either side as dead leaves glide softly behind you.

Finding the sight adorable, he just sighed and his irritation went with it.

“Fine, go get in position.”

You perked up, feet coming to rest on the pedal and hands holding onto the handlebar as he pushed forward. You both wobbled and for a second, he thought they were going to humiliate themselves for the nth time but then you were moving.

Actually moving!

“Oh!” You squeaked. “We’re moving!”

“We’re doing it,” he said, voice rising with delighted disbelief as he slightly sped up. “Holy fuck, we’re actually doing it!”

The wheels rolled smoothly over scattered leaves and they crunched under them. The earlier frustration dissolved behind them as the path curved forward, sun spilling through branches in warm gold ribbons as it sat on the horizon. The river current next to them reflected the sunset, gleaming under its rays in molten orange and scarlet.

Autumn wind brushed against his exposed skin and he realized with a laugh that he was living through the moment he envisioned.

At his mirth, he didn’t notice the slight wobble when his body shook and disturbed the balance.

“If we stop again because you’re laughing so hard, I’m going to cry.”

“Oh really? How would you cry, noona? I want big, fat tears, okay?” He teased with a snicker.

He didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know you’re glaring at his back. He didn't doubt that if you weren’t holding the bar, you wouldn’t whack him across the head but he didn’t care.

He was actually living his dream!

For a long while, you both rode in a comfortable silence with just the sound of leaves breaking, the occasional dog barking and soft buzz of chatters from people they passed by. 

What else could be said between friends who knew each other like the back of their own hands? 

Under the soft rays of the sunset and in the companionable quiet, with your presence’s warmth bleeding on his back, Hoseok began to hum a melody he had hunched over his laptop once from frustration born from not knowing how to complete but knowing its potential, with nonsense words filling the gaps he instinctively knew where to put lyrics to.

They eventually finish a lap around the park, by the time they reach the beginning, the sun has been snuffed out from the sky and lamplights lit the path with silvery beams. With the copper and scarlet leaves hanging above like canopies with the company of the silvery lights emitted by the lamplights, the park looked more romantic in the night.

He unmounted the bike and when it was your turn, you caught your feet on the pedal and you stumbled but he was faster, catching you by the waist and you steadied yourself with a hand on his shoulder. Hoseok was about to tease you for being clumsy but then you started laughing.

You hunched over his arm, giggling uncontrollably over something he’s yet to know what’s funny about. He has no idea what it was but your unbridled joy infects him and he starts laughing too.

Even with the biting autumn breeze nipping at his exposed skin, Hoseok has never felt so warm and full with you in his arms. It’s such a questionable moment, one scene that made people look over to them in wonder but to him, it quickly became an unforgettable memory.

“So graceful of me, did you see that?” You ask him after you recover.

“So very graceful, noona. Like a newborn duckling.” 

You roll your eyes, finally standing up, eyes gleaming with emotions he refuses to acknowledge as mercy for his poor heart as it stares back at him.

“Thank you, Hoba.” You say it so softly, almost like a confession.

“What for?”

“Just,” you gesticulate with your free hand. “Everything really.”

“I’ve done many things, noona. You gotta be specific.”

You mull over his words and he thought you’d indulge him but then you shake your head and reach for your handlebars and begin leading the bike back to the rental.

“I’m not answering that.”

“You answered me, just differently.”

“Shh.”

With the bike stowed away and gratitude passed towards the rental staff, he boldly reached down for your hand and began leading you back to the park entrance where his manager and bodyguard had dropped them off.

But then your eyes caught a food truck sitting a couple of meters from the rental and pointed at it.

“Can we grab a bite before we go home? Biking is hard and I think we should reward ourselves.”

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Reward ourselves for being bested by two toddlers on a tandem bike?”

“We survived and got off without any bruises.” 

He hummed. “Compelling argument, you have convinced me. Definitely not because you're just hungry and want someone to eat with you.”

“Shut up.”

You pulled him towards the truck and he got a better look at their food which are multiple variations of baked potato with toppings, along with the typical food truck food with variations of hamburgers and hotdogs.

Jacket potatoes, the menu reads.

In the shadows of night with only the lamplights by the path to brighten the place, you looked softer, more relaxed as you ordered for the both of you. He doesn’t know where the sudden emotions are coming from but all he could do was look at you the whole time as you nod and point at toppings the vendor is raising up for you to see.

His surroundings blurred into the background with your adorableness being the only clear thing in his eyes. It wasn’t until you’re handing him a container did he snap back in focus and realize you had paid for both of your food.

Looking down, he sees the zipper of your bag open and the flap of the purse flopped open like a lazily closed lid and the wallet in your hand being fed change.

Sensing his gaze, you turn to him with a shrug. “You snooze, you lose.”

He didn’t respond and you both continued your journey back to the entrance while eating.

The car hummed along the quiet streets as it drove back to the hotel and there’s faint music playing through the speakers of the car but he couldn’t focus on whatever song it was.

Unlike earlier with the noticeable distance between you both, you now sat close enough to him that he could feel the warmth radiating from your shoulder yet still so far enough that the space between you crackled with electric tension.

He stole glances at you, half-expecting you to look back but instead, you stared out the window, chin resting lightly against your hand, fingers tapping absentmindedly against your knee.

Hoseok’s hand itched again.

“Sir, I just got a call from the agency. Said they’ve got a few beats they want you to choose from.” His manager says from the front seat, head tilted towards them.

“I’ll check it over later when I get back.” 

Truthfully, Hoseok didn’t want to go home yet. The day was perfect, it wasn’t extraordinary or record breaking but he loved every second of it. With a heart too full yet still yearned, he dreaded the thought of going home because he knew once he steps into the hotel, it's back to work and sharing your attention with the others.

He loved his brothers but he loved being alone with you more.

Then, a touch. 

Hoseok looked down to see what it was, only to see your hand hovering over his while you trained your gaze at the urban setting outside, trying to appear nonchalant but your cheeks said otherwise.

Nonetheless, he flips his hand over and gingerly, you tangle your fingers with his—fingertips brushing over the sensitive pads of his palm as you do so, sending shivers down his spine as his breath hitches in his throat.

He stole a glance at you, heart beating out of his chest as he did so. Your lips were curved in a shy half-smile, gaze still trained outside and his stomach fluttered. The air in the car felt charged, thick with anticipation. Every sound, even the small ones, felt louder than usual: from the soft turn of the wheel, the distant hum of another car outside, the easily ignored song on the radio, and the faint brush of fabric as you shift in your seat.

Everything seems a thousand times louder with something unspoken hanging above the two of you.

But he didn't have to wait for long.

“Hoba,” You call out, voice low. “What are you thinking about now?”

He’s thinking about how he’s going to spontaneously combust from having his hand held romantically after years of celibacy, nothing much.

He could not be reacting like a pre-pubescent boy with his first girlfriend at his big age, yet he is.

Have you truly become a monk since, Jung Hoseok?

“Just… things.”

You hummed, eyes glinting mischievously under the streaks of light from the passing buildings and lamps as you held your intertwined fingers up, thumb stroking his knuckles. “You’re holding on pretty tight.”

He loosened his hold immediately with a hastily whispered apology but you tightened your hold around him before he could pull away.

You both arrived at the hotel a little too fast for his liking, the walk towards the elevator more so now that you had let go of his hand.

Never has Hoseok understood those boyfriends in those video shorts where they’d look like lost puppies when their girlfriends stopped holding their hands in the supermarket more than he does now.

With a wave goodbye to his manager and bodyguard on a different floor, the elevator doors close, leaving him with you in the ever so persistent static atmosphere. His eyes looked at everything except acknowledging your pointed gaze on the side of his face. 

He doesn't have the heart to address such an intense look.

A beat, then…

“Want to have coffee?”

He finally looks at you, throat tight. “We-we’re going back down again? Or do you want to check out their lounge?”

“In my room.”

It took him an embarrassingly long time before he processed your words and when he does, his face heats up.

“I-uh—ye-yeah sure!”

Is he understanding your words right? Is coffee a code word? Do you actually mean something else?

What the hell are you thinking, Jung Hoseok?! She's on her period!

The door of your room closed with a soft click behind and his questions were answered when you grabbed his collar and pulled him in for a kiss only to step away quicker than he could process what was happening. Still, your hands remained from where they grabbed at his shirt, eyes searching through his shocked expression for a reaction.

But how does one even properly react to being kissed like that?!

Hoseok didn’t let you wonder for long what he’s thinking, hands cupping your cheeks and leaning in only to pull back just as quick, eyes gazing into yours for confirmation, a go ahead to continue.

You answered him by closing the gap, throwing your arms around his neck like you did earlier when you danced. His legs weakened from where he stands. With the plush softness of your lips dancing against his and your fingers on his hair, he was a goner and Hoseok could only groan and deepen the kiss, nipping at your bottom lip.

How long has he waited for this exact moment? How many times has he imagined the feeling of your lips on his, your taste on his tongue in the darkest of night when his frustrations turned into desire?

Warmth explodes in his chest, spreading through his limbs and down to his fingertips. Your tongue glides against his, the velvety sensation sending a rush down his spine, body electric as your nails dug into his scalp, pulling him closer than physically possible.

He cursed Jimin in his head for all his bragging before pulling away a little, a string of spit connecting both lips as he itches to ask if you felt the same as he when you danced earlier.

Did you like it? Did you want him as much as he did? 

Wait, what about your period—

But then, a shrill ring slices through the air.

He never got an answer to his question until days later because your mom called, crying and voice barely inaudible with how hard she sobbed but when she swallowed her gasps, the news was as bad as her reaction was.

Your father was rushed to the hospital.

One moment, Jimin is swinging the door open then in a blink, a sleepy and shirtless Jungkook is carrying him out fireman style, ignoring the exclaimed complaints of his friend as he bolts.

Yoongi slowly peaks his head in, as if scared to see you naked, and when he see you had the bed sheet to shield you, he looked back into your eyes with a sheepish smile said. “I hope you don’t mind me taking him away, we all need sleep. Good night.”

Minutes passed and you're left staring at the dust the three men have left in their wake, baffled and lost on what to do.

If you were grumpy today, none of the boys paid attention to it. If anything, they catered to your whims as if to apologize for yesterday. When people saw three men stood and ran to the breakfast buffet table to pile their plates with food the moment you sat in the empty space between Namjoon and Seokjin, they could only shrug and went back to their food.

Your friends did though, but kept their distance and resorted to shooting you suspicious stares from across the room or next to you.

What rotten luck.

Not only were you left confused, naked and achingly wet in your room after Jungkook carried Jimin away, you woke up that morning with a blessing from nature herself in a form of red because of course, just when you're about to take a bold step forward with your relationship with Jimin, you get your period a couple of hours later.

So now, you're sitting outside of the tents on one of the crates with your eyes closed as another soul crushing cramp stabs you in the abdomen.

Just because you're the soulmate of your bosses, doesn't mean you get to rest comfortably on the first day of your period nor be exempted from worm. Another painful wave rolls over and you decided that hitting your abdomen with your fist would help ease the agony.

It's been a decade or more since you've had periods, of course it never worked.

The familiar pressure on your pinky comes alive, attached with a message:

'Okay? What's wrong?'

'Cramps. Hurts.'

You left it at that to continue your weird meditation, wishing with the pain away with your breathing like in that manga Nabi had been reading since last year and ranted about in the group chat. That boy slowed down the pain with his breathing, maybe it will help you with your situation now.

God, when will the day end already?

"Hey, are you okay?"

You looked up to see Beomseok, one of the bodyguards you grew close to, asks with eyebrow knitted in concern.

You force out a wobbly smile.

"Just cramps, don't worry about me."

Immediately, his face turned grim with worry.

"Do you want anything? I've got some painkillers if you want." He offers.

You notice the sounds in the background, your soulmates bickering and the backdrop song has stopped, and you glimpsed at the stage only to find no one leaving yet.

Turning back to Beomseok, you gave.

"Yes please, can you get me water with it too?"

The man brightens. "I'll be back, wait here."

With that, you watched his big, burly figure jog back to one of the tents. Sighing, you looked over your shoulder to look at the sheer size of the arena and feel that swell in your heart seeing how many of those seats will be filled later.

It shouldn't phase you anymore but you couldn’t help but feel proud seeing the fruits of your boys' labor. They deserve every inch of this success and attention.

Struck with the phantom sensation of someone staring at you, you follow its direction to find Alexa at the end of it but the moment your gazes met, she scoffs and turned away.

Her recent behavior too had become peculiar and you can't help but be anxious about what caused the change in her behavior. What have you done this time to gain a new level of hostility from her?

It was different from the other instances where she'd ask probing and set up questions with such an innocent voice. Ever since your date with Jungkook, she's become silent, like a brewing storm on the horizon, resorting to creepy stares from afar.

Especially when you talk with the others guys, her gaze grows specially chilly those times.

Whatever is happening to Alexa, you hoped it wouldn't harm anyone.

You avert your gaze when Beomseok leaves the tent and quickly crossed the distance between you with maybe three or four steps with a condensed water bottle and two cheese buns in his hands.

What a guy.

Should you introduce Nabi to him? She's pretty fond of big guys who looks like a doberman but is actually a cinnamon roll.

"Eat these first before you take it. I know you don't like overly cold water but its the tamest one I saw from the cooler." He says, placing the water bottle next to you before handing the food and the painkiller over.

"You just saved my life."

A bashful smile spreads across his tanned, usually intimidating face.

"No problem, enjoy." He says when he swerved around to look at another guard waving at him by the tent.

Following your gaze, you see Namjoon leave the stage and as if he could sense your attention, he looked back at you with a smile when he noticed the man in front of you.

You hear his heartbeat drop and slow, you barely stopped yourself from raising an eyebrow at him.

"I gotta go, they're calling me back for another look around the arena." Beomseok sheepishly says as he rubbed his nape.

"No worries, thank you again."

"Always welcome."

Then he departs, only to be quickly replaced with Namjoon who continued to stare at the bodyguard as he retreats before turning back to you when he's out of earshot.

"Hoseok hyung says he felt you hit your abdomen, what happened?"

His gaze wanders down to the food in your arms, the pill in your hand and the water bottle next to you. You note the almost annoyed quirk in his eyebrow at sight of them and immediately answered.

"Got my period this morning and the cramps are a bit painful now."

"A bit." He repeats, obviously not believing you. "Why are you taking painkillers now if its not that painful, noona?"

You just sighed and opened the packet of cheese buns. It's not soup or lasagna but it'll do for now. Taking a bite, you then offered him a bite.

God, just thinking about lasagna…

Should you get the largest portion delivered to you tonight?

"Want some?"

He stared at it with that same weird look in his eyes before shaking his head, reaching for the water bottle and opening it for you.

"I'm fine, noona. Do you need anything else?"

Downing the pill, you immediately follow it up with water, fearing the taste it might leave. Twisting the cap back on, you place it down and turned back to him.

"I'm good. Why are you the only one who went down? Soundcheck not finished yet?"

Namjoon looked behind him. "Oh, Hoseok and Yoongi hyung told me to check up on you first but they should be done soon."

Right after he says it, Jimin's voice echoed as he thanked the sound engineers while the rest of the boys began to flow out of the stage and head straight to you.

It was a wonder how nobody suspects how closer the group had gotten to you after yours and Jimin's hospital trip.

"Noonaa~" Taehyung calls out with a smile on his face, wrapping his arms around you the moment he got close enough. "I missed you so much."

"It's only been an hour, Tae."

"An hour without my soulmate, I couldn't breath the whole time I was there, you know?" He pouts and you couldn't help but roll your eyes and ruffle his hair at that.

"If you couldn't breathe then how come you were running around and singing earlier?" Jin refutes, laughing as he does.

At this, Taehyung glared at their eldest over his shoulder and stuck out a tongue. Jin just sighed before he began nudging and lightly pushing all of his members towards the exit.

"Let's go get lunch now, move your cute butts. I'm craving lasagna."

To say that Yoongi didn’t care about last night would be a lie of the highest degree.

It haunted him the moment he opened his eyes from the sleep he barely salvaged, not because he was bothered or anything negative but after hearing you through the walls, Yoongi finds himself restless; leg jumping, fingers tapping and all that.

It’s only been lunchtime and he already wants to bury himself to the ground with the constant fluctuations of his emotions.

More specifically, his desire.

Let it be known that Min Yoongi is a man with clean hands. Rarely does he rely on them to relieve him of his stress when he’s constantly drowning in ideas to translate into melodies and demos to revise.

Not to say that he’s a saint, he’s had a couple of guilty pleasures he quickly regrets indulging in, and images he’d like to keep between him and god when videos felt far too stale to get his mind off of things.

He prided himself in his self-control, there had been plenty of times where he wanted to throw his hands up and let the dam break and overwhelm you with the deep, heaviness of his admiration—if you could still call what he had for you as such—but always stopped himself before he could do so.

But today he finds himself barely holding onto the string you had so cruelly used against him last night.

When he stepped out of his room that morning, he was resolved to act as indifferently as to not spook you but then you walked into his vision and all of a sudden, he’s stiff as a rod.

Both kind, emotional reaction and physical reaction.

Having to cross his legs and put something in front of him every time he’d get the telltale sensation of blood rushing down between his thighs quickly got tiring, meeting the others’ knowing glance is another pain in the neck he’d rather ignore and forget.

It was a little bit unfair how he's bothered by it the most, he should be suffering with someone else! Seven boys and he's the only one about to pass out with how much blood is rushing down and not reaching his brain!

(Maybe except for Jimin, but the guy seems satisfied with whatever happened last night even if it was cut short.)

But tonight, he find himself in the balcony with Namjoon sitting across him, both of them nursing halves of their second soju bottle in the hotel mugs, looking over the dark horizon for a breeze after frustrations born from unachieved perfection at the first try of their experimental beat.

He assumed that like every other moments like this would go on silently as any other but then Namjoon spoke.

“So, what do you think about last night, hyung?”

It was sexy.

It was haunting.

It was a sweet melody he’d never forget and in that same train thought, wanted to erase from his head. He thinks of how your moans had quickly become his achilles heel, a bane in his existence that tormented him in his waking moments, an intrusive thought making him want to smash his head on the concrete more than his average irrational inner voices.

Hearing it had woken up a part of him he never thought existed, a part so deprived it scared him.

Seeing you in the styling room had his throat drying up, an unquenchable thirst rising as he watched you prance about with that bounce in your step Jimin brought.

Men are simple creatures, flex a little bit of skin and they're all fauning around you. Yoongi hated that he's becoming one of those simple creatures when he got turned on seeing you lick yogurt off of your spoon that breakfast morning.

Never has he wanted to slam his head on the table so much until then.

He finds his hell in your smile and the way your eyes flit towards him on the reflection of the mirror before you turn away with an adorable blush on your cheeks. Yoongi found his punishment for being too passive in the pain of having your hands brushed against his as you passed by and found himself losing his sanity with how much he wanted to tangle his fingers into your own and pull you in—for a hug or a kiss, he doesn't know what he wants more, all he know is he wants to be touched by you.

But they all sounded like a rabid dog’s drooling barks, so all he did was drink from his mug and spoke:

“What do you want me to say to that?”

Namjoon sighed. “I-I don’t know, hyung… Anything?”

“Anything.”

He rolled his eyes.

“I really don’t know what to tell you, Joon. I’m sleep-deprived, I’m horny, I’m losing my shit, is that what you want to hear?” Yoongi jokingly says, laughing.

At this, Namjoon grew thoughtful and he looked into the far away horizon, probably hoping to find the answer to his damned question written in the sky in cursives.

For a moment he thought his leader dropped the subject but then, he spoke up again.

“I’m just confused on what to feel now. Seokjin said I’m blind to my own emotions and that I should just accept that I like noona too but… I-I don’t think I like her that way.”

Hearing this, Yoongi could only nod—not because he believes the guy but to resign himself to the fact their leader can be a bit dumb sometimes.

"Really?"

"Honestly." He says with a show of his palm as if taking an oath.

"God, you're helpless."

The curtains separating the balcony from the bedroom open and out steps Seokjin. He looks at them both, the soju on the table before sighing.

"What's with the smell of disappointment in here?"

Yoongi motioned his glass towards their leader.

"Rapmon here doesn't think he likes her but after yesterday, he's confused."

Seokjin jokingly gasped.

"Monie, is this your first sexual awakening?" Seokjin asks with his face crunched in a playful concern, cupping the current youngest's cheeks.

Yoongi grinned on the rim of his drink as he watched Namjoon remove their eldest's hands on his face with a roll of his eyes. "Don't forget, he was our dealer back in the days. Hard drives full of—"

"Hyung, come on!" Namjoon exclaimed, embarrassed.

Seokjin perks, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, speaking of…"

Their eldest then dug through the pockets of his hoodie before pulling out two bright blue boxes wrapped in a protective plastic. Yoongi could only stare in bewilderment as their hyung tosses it onto the table and it lands with dull thuds.

Namjoon lets out an exasperated sigh before it dissolves into a silent, shoulder shaking laugh.

Yoongi picks one up, flipping it over to read the back and figure out if he can even use it at all.

"After yesterday, I realise that we're gonna need to be more responsible. I don't want to see any mini-me's anytime soon."

"Bold of you to assume, 'monie would figure himself out quick enough to have babies." Yoongi laughs.

"I'm not that hopeless, right?" Namjoon asks Seokjin with a pleading look.

Their eldest only placed a hand on his shoulder and pat it in consolation with a solemn look on his face. Yoongi lightly laughs.

"You'll get there eventually."

Seokjin paused, head tilting as he tries to focus on something, smacking his lips as if to taste before standing straight, a fond smile growing on his lips.

"Someone's craving carbonara, wanna come with?"

_______

Namjoon wasn’t hungry at all when he agreed to join his hyung’s journey to satisfy your cravings, the only reason he came at all was for confirmation.

If the others were right assuming he’s obliviously in love with you, then maybe tonight would prove it right or wrong.

Last night had confused him. Hearing you through the wall had him freezing up, your anticipating heartbeat thrumming with his own rampant tune echoed deep in his skull when he managed to sleep after your and Jimin’s rendezvous, and persisted the day next when he sat down in the dining area facing you.

Even that weird kind of wariness he felt towards Beomseok earlier. It was all new and confusing, and its beginning to drive him insane trying to put a name on why he's feeling that way.

Today's cravings led them to a small bookshop/café hybrid a few blocks down their hotel, a spot they found through a couple of minutes searching Twitter and Google Map reviews.

It's design is quaint and warm, all terracotta and dirty white matched with an intimate ambience lighting along. It has a second floor, a small space lined with towering bookshelves. The moment you all stepped foot in, Yoongi immediately disappeared from he was following behind Seokjin and straight to the light fixtures on the wall to get a better look at them.

Beomseok (how come he's the only guard available tonight?!) led them to the farthest seats from the windows and door before he and their manager strategically took the table next to theirs to act as a barrier between their nexus and the public.

"Lasagna, iced americano for Yoongi," Seokjin lists on top of his head as soon as you sat down on the chair he pulled out for you. "Namjoon, you want carbonara?"

He shakes his head. "Just a simple sandwich for me, hyung. Maybe Yoongi too?"

With a nod, Seokjin walks away, leaving him with you who’s busy typing away at your phone. Barely a second in and Namjoon feels like dying from the awkward silence between you both.

With a muttered excuse, he made his way up to the bookshop section. It's been a while since he finished the book he brought from Korea, maybe it was time to come home with another.

A minute in and he already got a book on his arm, a novel about a kid finding his mother back home through the toxic wasteland left by the war. Although the selection is vast and random, he still found a couple interesting works under piles of generic love stories and self help books he immediately closed upon seeing the first sentence.

Honestly, he should've known when he saw the author's face as the cover.

Skimming through the titles on the third shelf, he quickly found nothing of interest and stepped back to look at the pile in front of it, only to be instantly met with a peculiar cover.

'Common Soulmarks and How They Work.'

Namjoon has read plenty of books regarding soulmates in his younger years when he was desperate to prove his mother and father were meant to be even without the soulmarks to prove it but perhaps this book, in all its plain colored covering and standard fonts, got something for him.

Shared heartbeats is a common soulmark, right?

It didn't take him long to see his own on the table of contents and flipped through the pages to find it.

Unsurprisingly and disappointingly, its' pages consists of repeated discoveries and tips he's read on other books about soulmarks.

Yes, he can find out about your well-being through your heartbeats but it's not like he knows the smallest difference between thud-thud and thud-thud just yet. Namjoon haven't paid attention to both your soulmarks recently unless he's searching for you, not with all the scheduling he has to approve and music he's yet to give his own flair to.

Realizing this, Namjoon could only sigh in disappointment, directed to no one else but him.

He's been neglecting his soulmate duties, isn't he?

Namjoon understood why you were falling behind studying and learning about the secret language you both had, you must be swamped up to the neck trying to figure out six different soulmarks—especially between you and Jimin, one of the rarest marks there is—but him failing to pick up certain tells in your heartbeat was unacceptable.

Setting the book down, he made his way back to your table to find Yoongi had sat down too, his curiosity of the wall lights satisfied but seems to have an inner, one-sided battle from how fast his leg is jumping as his gaze goes from Seokjin on the counter and you who’s nonchalantly playing a color match game on your phone.

He doesn't get how his hyung is so nervous of you who's practically drowning in someone's—oh my god, is that his hoodie?

Maybe it's because of his lackluster dating history but he never truly saw the appeal in seeing someone wear oversized clothes until he’s sees you in them.

You looked unbelievably adorable, what is there to be so scared of?

"Did you find something, Joon?" You asked, turning to him as he sits down.

"Only one caught my eye." Placing the book on your side of the table. You turn it towards you, scanning the cover before checking the synopsis at the back. "Nothing too grand."

"This sounds good, can I borrow it after?"

Now, Namjoon doesn't want to come off as a dickhead but he was shocked; shocked that you wanted to read a book. When he helped pack the remaining trinkets and shelf items, he only saw a couple of comics but rarely a novel so maybe he's a bit justified for questioning the sudden interest because—

Oh.

His cheeks grew a little hotter.

Is this you trying to connect more with him?

"Ye-yeah sure. I'll finish quickly."

From beside him, Yoongi stifled a laugh.

"Hyung, don't make it weird." He sighed out.

"I'm not doing anything." Yoongi says, looking for Seokjin who's now returning with a number in hand.

Sitting down on the other side of you, he let out a huge exhale and removed his mask.

"What did I miss?"

Namjoon shrugged. "Nothing much. What did you buy?"

Opening the receipt he rolled like a scroll, he squints and read their orders out loud. Two chicken sandwiches, two carbonara, four clubhouse sandwiches for their manager and Beomseok he assumes, two party size fries, two coke and four cans of beer. Seeing the drinks they had, Namjoon points it out.

"Beer?"

Seokjin shrugged. "Seems fitting. We're off to bed once we go back."

"Are you feeling a little bit better now?" Yoongi chimes in, his neutral gaze trained on you.

You nod but your heartbeat's thrumming a little faster. "A little bit."

He noticed you thumbing the hem of your sleeves, quickly and weirdly fixated on how small your fingers seems smothered in the oversized hoodie. Somehow, this little detail had him realizing the sheer difference in your size against him and he reeled back.

Have you always been this small next to him?

You all sit in a comfortable silence that persisted even when food got served but instead of picking up the book to read mid bites, Namjoon began chatting away with his sister for advice.

[20:12] lil bro: Noona, what do i do? [20:12] lil bro: what do you do when you're on your period? [20:12] No-Nah: curl up and die [20:12] lil bro: noona please [20:12] No-Nah: food

Glancing at your direction, he found himself staring at an already empty plate and a contemplative look in your face, probably stuck between ordering another or not knowing you. Now, Namjoon is not someone who'd meddle into whatever a person's diet looks like but he has a hunch you'd go to bed upset for holding back on eating tonight so, he speaks up.

"Want me to order another, noona?"

Simple, effective.

Nice job, self!

You shake your head. "I won't be able to sleep if I'm too full."

From beside you, Seokjin stops eating while Yoongi paused mid bite to stare at you.

"The beer is there to burn what we ate away. If you want, we can also walk a little bit after. Or," Jin immediately chimed in before nudging his plate towards you with a gentle smile. "You can have mine if you still want more but don't want a full meal."

Wow, Jin hyung is so cool. Namjoon thought to himself.

"You don't mind?" You ask almost carefully as you stared up at their eldest, who then nods and pushed it towards you.

"Please eat, I'll go order another so if you still want more, you can take from me."

"No, you can keep this if you're just gonna—" You say pushing the plate back but Seokjin firmly blocks it with such an intimidating smile.

"Don't worry. I kinda don't like how it taste." Seokjin replied but everyone on that table knew he was lying. "Beomseok, is Mickey Mouse good?" He then motions to the clubhouse sandwich in his hands.

For some unknown reason, hearing and seeing their bodyguard turn his head to Seokjin then glance at you before returning back to his hyung had made his eye twitch. There was no reason for such a reaction at all but it happened and Namjoon could only push such oddity to the back of his head.

"Huh?" Was all the man could reply before he realizes what the eldest idol meant and nodded eagerly. "Their ingredients are very fresh. You should try it, boss."

"You have convinced me, big man. I'll ask for your raise."

"Thank you, great Kim Seokjin." The man praises with a bow.

You laughed at this and Namjoon took a deep breath.

The night ended with a quick walk around the block with the van suspiciously trailing behind them before going back to the hotel. Unfortunately, even with all that time he had sat next to you, Namjoon still couldn't see what his friends seems to insist on seeing on him.

Post concert parties had been a tradition of yours and your makeup squad ever since Minhyuk joined. It was nothing short of fun and dangerous as the four of you jump from bar to bar after the final concert day in the city to get so unbelievably wasted you regret it for mornings to come.

Ever since your soulmarks manifested, you had sat every outing out, not wanting to risk triggering the new hypersensitive bond. Not wanting to leave you out, your friends had suggested alcoholic sleepovers at Nabi's room instead.

Which led Seokjin to this situation, with him standing in front of Nabi and Jihae's shared hotel room, and giggling Minhyuk guiding you into his arms.

"Nini!" You call out to him with a goofy smile and wide, outstretched arms. Hearing his rare nickname, he mirrors the wide smile you wore.

"Hello, princess. Had fun?"

You stumble and he immediately reached out to pull you into his arms. At the aspect of being caught, laughter began to bubble out of your lips before you hiccup and fall silent.

Seokjin had deliberately took a step back the moment the tour set off. Sure, he'd be there for the comforting, for taking care of you and all the mundane things but he had chosen to let his brothers figure out their own dynamic with you first.

So it's a bit of a shock that you insisted they call him to fetch you instead.

He was jealous Jimin got to taste you first (He knew because his besotted face reeked like you—and god, don't you just smell so lovely?) but if it meant you'd grow more comfortable with them romantically then he'll stuff all those green deep inside him and continue to watch from afar.

"Ta-take care of her, hm? You mi-might be an idol with all these… fancy legal teams and shit but if you try anything…!"

"Stop threatening your boss, Minhyuk and come back here. A-and you know our Seokjin won't do anything like that. He's Korea's sweetheart!" Jihae scold from somewhere in the room. At this, Minhyuk rolls his eyes.

"A man is still a man, ma!"

Seokjin couldn't even blame the guy for being cautious, not every soulmates are actually meant to be nor is every half of a pair is an angel. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little attacked. Just a teeny little.

"Nabi, dear, can you shut the door?"

Seokjin could only watch as Jihae appears from behind the cheerful girl skip towards the door and close it while waving goodbye as Minhyuk gets dragged back into the room by the ear. The shuts with a click and his attention drifts off to you, already half asleep and gaze staring off into a far distance.

You were pouting at the door, your drunk self feeling hurt after getting kicked out of the room. It was cute and Seokjin had to stop himself from reaching over to pinch your cheeks.

Is there water stocked up in your room?

"Can you walk, sweetheart?"

You nod, blinking blearily as you weakly push yourself off of him to walk towards the end of the hall for the elevator. He shadows you, hands ready to reach out the moment you show signs of stumbling.

Three small steps in and you're stopping with a huff.

"What's wrong?"

"Nini," you turn to him, lower lip jut out with the drunken blush still darkening your cheeks. "I'm tired."

"Wh-what would you want me to do about it?" He sputtered out, taken aback by such a cute sight.

"Carry me?" You suggest innocently. "On your back of course."

For some reasons, that irritates him. Still, he smiles.

"On my back? I think my arms are much comfier."

"With these noodles?" You asked, patting his biceps before realizing they're stiffer than expected to which then you began squeezing them instead. "Since when did you get all these muscles, Nini?"

His pride swells a little hearing such awe and amazement in your voice, and he looked away, flustered.

"I've been going to the gym for years now, sweetheart. Just on and off."

"I thought…"

He laughs. "I don't just play all day. I get bored and try something different sometimes."

"Carry me." You tell him, mind immediately changed as you reach up to swing an arm around his neck.

Overcome with the urge to show off, he leaned down to hook both legs on one arm and carry you up with barely a sigh. You squealed, burying your face into his neck as you held on tighter, not expecting how quick he moved nor how he was for carrying you with only one arm.

With your breath fanning on his neck, Seokjin's mind quickly slows into a halt, brain short circuiting at the sensation of your hot exhales next to the sensitive spot just below his bright red ears.

Merciful of his own time bomb-like heart, he flinched back and screamed: "Ah, I'm ticklish there!"

"You surprised me! I'm sorreyyy." You say, loosening your hold a little and looking down to the floor. "Wow, I'm so high."

"Are you comfortable?"

"Yeah but," you trail off, shifting a little. "It does make it flow."

"What do you mean?"

"The blood is… flowing like this."

"You want me to put you down?"

"No, I like it here. You smell nice, Nini." You mumbled. Ignoring what he said earlier as you nuzzled into the exact same spot he warned you not to get close to.

"Ah, didn't I tell you I'm sensitive there?"

"I know."

"Then why are you doing it?"

"'cause you're sensitive here…" You dare answer shyly.

"Brat."

"I know you love it."

Instead of answering, he let out a sigh of defeat and began their journey towards the elevator, giving up on carrying you on one arm midway.

"Won't people see us?"

"Who would be out at this time?" He asks and you looked away.

There's a name, a face floating around your mind based on how you worried your bottom lip with your teeth as you anxiously searched for them in the empty hallway. You didn't need to say it out loud, Seokjin had noticed the not-so-friendly look being sent your way. Alexa didn't even bother to hold her hostility back when she slapped your hand away from the blower earlier.

Everyone's head had swerved to the both of you at the crisp sound and you had awkwardly chuckled to dissolve the tension.

But just because everyone brushed it off, it didn't mean the rest of the nexus forgot. Before Minhyuk had phoned him, they were already discussing among themselves in his room, specifically on his bed where they had naturally gravitated towards the moment they entered. He left just before Jungkook began speak.

"I think everyone passed out. Besides," He turn to you who's now looking up at him and away from his neck. "What can they do about it? They're paid to keep it all hush, everything they see can't get out there without legal repercussions. Not to mention, I'm just being a gentleman helping my dear friend out."

You huffed, crossing your arms.

"I don't like that."

"Hm? What don't you like?"

Maybe it was a little cruel of him but for a moment, he thought about labeling their relationship as platonic. Mere friends, who just happen to be connected to each other on a deeper level. Just to tease you but it'd pain him if you were to sleep upset.

"Friend, I'm not your friend, Nini. I'm your—" He immediately shushes you.

Although the hallway is empty, one can never be too sure that no one would hear.

"Not so loud, love."

"But you just said—"

"We still gotta be careful." He says with a finality as he pushed the button on the elevator and the doors immediately parts open for them.

Pressing on their floor number, he stepped back and waited. When the door opened again for other people, you had resorted to hiding your face into the crook of his neck even when most of the visitors they shared the elevator with were foreigners who thought of them as a sweet couple. When one of the aunties bid you both a healthy relationship before she got off, Seokjin could only laugh and nod, ears red.

Who knew he'd find his hell in an elevator with you breathing so close to his neck?

He just looked up to the ceiling and close his eyes as he begins to count back from twenty again until the last group of strangers dismounts and he's left alone with you.

Honestly, he doesn't know if it was better he was alone with you or had people looking at them every so often, mind far too occupied by the sensation of your hot breath fanning against skin.

Would it be better to put you down at this point…?

"You smell so good, Nini." You purred at some point, nuzzling closer and your lips touched skin.

Electric shock shoots up his spine and he stilled, paralyzed by the foreign but welcomed feeling of you so close to his neck. Seokjin opened his mouth to scold you, to put an immediate stop to whatever you are planning but then you began nosing against the length of his throat, eager to find whatever you had caught whiff off.

Which is fine, he’s a big boy who can handle his own desires.

Until he felt the plush of your lips brush against him and his mouth fall open to let a breathy, broken exhale escape him.

You freeze and so does he.

Oh my fucking god…

You must think him a big pervert for reacting to something so little.

"I-I'm sorry. I… I don't know what came over me there."

He couldn't even find it in himself to look at the glistening glass dome that is the cctv installed at the corner of the elevator.

How embarrassing!

Finally, the elevator reaches their floor and he strode out with huge steps, eager to find a secluded spot and bury himself into the floor or maybe a balcony to jump off of because that would be a better end to the night than becoming a sleepless ghoul hiding under the covers who dreads what tomorrow will bring.

WHY WOULD YOU MAKE A SOUND LIKE THAT SEOKJIN?!?!

Gently placing you down in front of your door, he takes two steps back, eyes staring at everything but you with both hands in his pocketsas you grumbled and searched your bag for your keycard. He's looking away because he knew if he let his gaze wander to your direction, his eyes would be far from appreciative.

"Jinnie?"

Snapped out of his daze, he responds. "Yeah?"

You look at him, hesitation written clearly on your face as you weighted a heavy decision. Then with a surprising swiftness from someone drunk, you grabbed his hand and lightly tug him in.

"Sleep with me?"

And Jin short circuits.

"Me? On-only me?"

"Please?"

What can he do when you ask him so nicely?

"Okay." Was all he could push out of his tight throat.

"Okay." You repeat.

The moments followed breezed through him, mind gone into a flurry of panicking thoughts and scream fests like that one scene from spongebob as he watched you disappear into the bathroom and return in your pajamas with face bare from any makeup from this afternoon.

He always liked how natural, bare, you looked after work. Matched with anything baggy, he'd melt. Dare he says its one of his top favorite looks of yours.

You approached him on the bed, each step you take echoing in the tense silence like his raging heartbeat does in his ears. It almost bothers him seeing you so casual about having him in your room, alone.

With the door locked behind you the moment he went in.

Nothing's gonna happen of course but it didn't stop him from getting nervous.

Cuddling with him alone at the end of night never happens. It felt far too intimate before, he wasn't like Jungkook who you once saw as a snot-nosed boy from Busan that needed some comforting nor was he like the 95 boys who preened under praise and affection.

You met him as a man, someone who couldn't be so affectionate without risking developments of feelings. Hugs always happened with others in the room, one sided mostly but tight with two arms when he needed it.

But tonight, you invited him into your room, alone.

And he's so mentally unprepared for this.

"Why are you sitting so stiffly, Jinnie?" You ask as you wrapped an arm around his shoulder and guided him down.

You didn't waste any time the moment you tugged the bedsheets above your shoulders, casually throwing a leg over his and pulling yourself flush to his chest. His heart seized, suddenly aware of the heat radiating off of your skin and seeping into his. Red sirens flashed in his mind as he grew aware of how close you are to him, yet somehow you deemed it not enough and practically melded into his front.

"Comfortable?" He asks, voice wavering despite wanting to sound calm.

Adjusting yourself from where you had attached to him, you then let out a satisfied sigh into his collarbone, sparking a shiver to jolt down his spine.

As if having your hips pressed against his wasn't enough of a torture.

20… 19… 18… Come on, 17…

He really can't afford to get a boner now, it's so inappropriate and perverted. You just wanted someone to cuddle with while you're on your period and here he is, getting hard at the thought of being so close to you like a hormonal teenager.

Disgusting.

16… 15… 14…

"Hug me back." You pouted from his chest.

And he followed immediately, bringing his awkwardly positioned arm down a little to fast to be called natural and calm to wrap around your shoulders. But you didn't pay it any mind, nuzzling your face and already drifting off to sleep in his hold.

"Good night, Nini."

It took him a while to reply, heart beating too fast in his chest and mind stuttering but when he does, you were already out like a light.

Placing a gently kiss on your forehead, he whispered it back and surrender himself to a sleepless night.

"You brat, why didn't you call me last night?"

Shifting the phone to your other shoulder, you struggle with putting on the last pair of your shoes.

"I passed out right after, sorry mom. But I got you those biscuits you wanted."

"Don't use me as an excuse to stuff yourself with those! You're months away from coming home, they'll just take up space."

You laughed. "Yeah I lied, I'll drown myself in them for now."

Standing up, you stomp your feet a little to get a feel for your feet in your new pair of shoes. Deeming them enough, you ran back to you bed to pick up your bag.

"Hmp, you should. You're going to carry my grandbabies soon, you need to be healthy."

"Mom please, we're barely on third base. Yoongi freezes when I get too close to him and Namjoon only talks to me like a friend. Not to mention, I like travelling and the guys lived for performing."

Checking yourself out one last time on the mirror, you head towards the door, only for a knock to come before you could even open it.

"I'm going now. I'll call you back!"

"What could be so important you'd leave your mother like this?"

"I'm going on a date, ma."

Swinging the door open, you find yourself staring back at a nervously smiling Hoseok, cheeks flushed and shyly holding out a small bouquet with a sunflower in the center.

Seeing him there made you feel like a high school girl with her first boyfriend.

"Flowers for you." He says but it sounded like a question.

You smiled and turned back to your phone. "Talk to you later, ma."

"Hey, Jung Hoseok! You better give my daughter a day to remember okay?!" Your mother screams, her voice strong even with the speaker option off.

"Bye, I love you!" You quickly responded for him and ended the call. "Ready?"

Dramatically, he clears his throat and offers an arm to you in his typical, exaggerated Hobi fashion. "Let us go, my dear lady."

Looping an arm around his, you pat his arm.

"I'll be in your care tonight, dear."

There’s something about her that felt familiar; it's almost the same feeling you got back in the coffee shop in Busan with Taehyung except it's somehow stronger.

Curious and mildly confused was how you found yourself starting your shift that Wednesday.

Taehyung brought Yeontan into the store with a hurried plea for you to take care of the pup before taking off saying his hyungs had summoned him to the manor. Dog sitting has been a regular thing since you began working in Eden, not that you minded it at all, Yeontan is an angel.

That being said, today's pet sitting started with chaos the moment Taehyung stepped out. Yeontan had run towards his owner's office, hiding in every crevice and biting every loose fabric or whatever looked appetizing to him before he managed to accidentally nudge the white cloth covered painting.

An art so devastatingly beautiful with its hurried strokes as if rushing to put down every detail before its artist forgets his muse. The woman had an uncomfortable calmness surrounding her but unlike her frantic creator trying to replicate her, she looked okay with being forgotten by him.

Yeontan yips from beside you, his attention on the painting with his head tilted to the side.

"You know who this is, boy?"

He barks at you before turning his attention back to the portrait.

Unexpectedly, the pomeranian started to whimper. The little pup sat in front of the painting, peering up into its subject's face before curling his small body next to it. Faced with a sudden dilemma of a sad familiar, you panicked and pulled out your phone to research what could cheer him up.

Taehyung came back in a hurry, asking what happened after feeling something shift in his link with Yeontan only to see you sitting in front of the portrait.

Taehyung called her 'Saintess'. He talked little about her but even in those short sentences, you could feel the affection he felt for the woman now lost in time, a memory of the past he tried his hardest to keep alive.

You stared at the eccentric woman before you in suspicion, gaze wandering down to the two layers of necklace, one with three crystals wrapped in gold wires and the other, a corked bottle with needles and herbs sealed with wax. 

A witch, your mother used to wear a small bottle like hers before for protection.

But that’s where the similarity ends. 

Between your mother and this woman, there’s only one of them who could very well endanger you with a few words. One whisper to someone outside, into the crowd of people eager to brag about any exotic or unique experiences and you're done for.

“Oh don't worry, I'm human! I don't really care about your kind's blood if that's what you're worried about.” The woman paused, pondering over her words. “Maybe I'm curious but I promise to not bite!”

She says, crossing her heart as if it'll comfort you.

It fails of course. Who says that?!

"How did you know?"

“Nothing escapes the eyes of the Fates, darling. It comes with being an avatar.” 

When you first stared back into her eyes, brown pairs that spoke of knowledge unspoken, of wisdom yet to be known to the world, you felt a sense of dread from feeling like being seen through flesh and straight to your soul.

It was unnerving, skin crawling. You hated how naked and flayed open you seemed in front of the witch.

“You're…”

“Oh! I'm Sana, you must've heard of me from Kim Coven.” She says with a wide, unnerving smile as she thrusts a hand in front of you.

Should I just kill her?

You don't doubt her being kind despite the uneasiness she makes you feel, but she knows a secret your mother took extra care in hiding from everyone when she stepped into the human world with a baby girl in her arms. The same secret that led to your brother being bullied and harmed. 

It'd be quick. 

Light is tangible and has the ability to sharpen and kill in the right hands. Your mother has trained you plenty, you know how light herself feels on your hand. It'd be easy to take her down here and leave no trace.

“No hands?” She asks with a wince, waving her hand again for emphasis. “No… handshake? At all?”

It'd be risky though. Hoseok is here, the verdant king himself who's practically magic itself will pick up the scent of yours and trace it back to you.

Shaking your head off the thought, the girl could only chuckle awkwardly and pull her hand back.

“From one of their stylists.” You answer.

Her eyebrows furrowed at that, smile dispersing as she crossed her arms.

“That's weird, I thought it would've been that angel or fox that'd tell you. I must've misinterpreted the cards…”

“Wait, cards?”

Pulling out a black box with a mystical print from her crochet purse, she then takes out the deck of cards inside it. The illustration glistened under the lights, a fantastical art of a blindfolded woman surrounded by swords sitting at the front.

“Humor me by listening to my reading, yeah?”

Then without any explanation or any indication that you agreed with her, she began to shuffle the tarot in her hands and pulled out the first card on top.

“I see the moon in your future, child. Plenty of secrets and mystery. You're being haunted by a past you've yet to know and is hidden from you. Have you ever had a moment where you'd somehow know things?”

You opened your mouth to shut her down only to pause as you remember what happened in the dressing room. A foreign tongue, no doubt a language of old based on Jimin and K’ra’s reactions, easily misspoken by an inexperienced mouth yet glided smoothly off of yours who has never even heard a single word of it.

No matter how much you'd like to excuse your sudden skill gain or how much you'd like to ignore the witch who knew your secret, the weirdness of it all cannot be ignored.

But if her words were to be trusted, what secret is being hidden from you?

“You must be asking yourself, what is being kept from you?” She followed up, shuffling her deck once more before pulling out the card on top and flipping it over.

The card showed an illustration of an elegant woman dressed in white with a sheer veil covering most of her face as she sits on a throne placed between two pillars, white and black. The image felt familiar.

Like that woman in the portrait. 

Her regal pose, the purity in her modest white clothing, and the warm aura she radiates in her seat. Everything about her felt… close? Intimately familiar to you?

You see Sana speak at the edge of your vision but you couldn't hear a single word she's saying.

Oddly fixated on the word below the illustration.

‘The High Priestess.’

“High Priestess?” You read out loud and she stops from the rant you completely drowned out.

If the woman realized how you zoned out throughout her explanation, she didn't say anything and just nodded.

“This is a card that goes ‘trust your instincts, listen to your inner voice’,” she stares at you, expectantly before continuing. “Do you get what I'm trying to say?”

Your eyebrow knits, eyes bouncing from her and back to the card as you try to process what her words could mean.

“No, sorry. I-I’m a bit—my mind's a little scrambled.” You replied with a sheepish smile.

“Do you need help seeing it?”

You raise an eyebrow.

“See… what?”

Then the woman blanked, eyes clouding over as she stared into the far distance, like a robot receiving orders before she straightened up and pulled out a spray from her pouch. 

What happened next was a blur; not because it was fast but the scent of the spray, the magic strung in every droplet as she pointed it at you has stunned you, shocked you with an onslaught of memories far too old, far too different to be called yours.

You saw white veils and a vast garden with a kaleidoscope of colors and variations—both fruits and flowers. It smelled like a cacophony of scents from the blooming flowers, of lilies and roses, of jasmines and peonies, and of a peculiar bloom of royal blue.

Petals with a crystallized texture, curled softly at the ends with colors fading from purple to blue then white at the center, a rare flower that reflects its owner in its sheen—someone who's staring back with grayed out eyes behind a sheer veil.

You reel back from the flood of memories with desperate gasps, heart thundering in your chest and echoing like war drums in your ears. Breath shaky as the weight of the revelation presses onto you. Mind rambling and stumbling over one thought to another.

What was that? Who was the woman you saw in the flashback?

You didn't want to think about how you knew the answer to that. Even with the difference in your eyes, you could see the stark similarity.

She looked just like you.

Another flash of searing pain and you're pulled back into the tsunami, but it wasn't as pleasant as the garden and the forest retreat. No, it was a series of memories, short and brief, of dragged out agony, of burning sensations and the feeling of being picked apart as one painful nip from indiscriminate beak gets a taste of your despair. 

You hear the crows caw and it reverberates in the hollow and gigantic cave. The sound seeps into your bones and you shivered violently as fear elevates into something that preceded human words.

If you screamed you couldn't hear it through the clog in your ears that seems to only listen to the cawing.

Bile burned when it rose and left your lips, barely caught by the toilet as you stumbled to the empty stall and spilled your guts, the foul stench of blood and rot fresh on your nose as if it was just an experience of yesterday.

As if it was a memory of your own.

Hands gathered your hair from behind before one of them began rubbing your back.

But the touch felt like sandpaper, scratching and rubbing you wary and thin from the outside. The distrust in your chest and the chaos in your mind unwind violently like a rubber stretched tout. You gasped and sobbed, heart aching and head pounding as the film roll of another life violently pulled you back in and forced you to remember it all.

But like all pain, it ends with serenity.

You feel like you're floating, head lolling weightlessly as you remember the wide and innocent eyes of a familiar angel staring up at you in a garden full of blue flowers. In the sudden stillness, you remember the warmth of a fox on your lap and the rumble of its little body under your hand. Someone's rich and shy laugh as he shyly reaches up to scratch his reddened ears. You recall a handsome elf prince who stared at you in both wonder and bewilderment. 

Feeling wrung out, you weakly let yourself fall and lean on the wall of the stall, vision swirling and blurred.

You remembered the warmth of your gods’ adoration flushing your chest and spreading down to the tips of your folded fingers as you bowed your head in reverence to them.

Most of all, you could remember the scent of musk and wood on a sheepish wolf as he leaves another tribute on your doorsteps, a freshly killed deer. You recall this memory strongly because you could smell this same exact scent linger somewhere around you.

There's someone looming over you carrying a new palette: Black overall and silver on the lumps on the side of their heads while Sana is nowhere in sight. They reach out with a hand on your shoulder and all of a sudden, everything clears and an unfamiliar, yet so familiar face comes into view.

If there's a word to describe the guy, it would be soft. 

Even with his big nose, it slopped down so gently, and his eyes—doe-like and full of wonder and innocence, as if he held all the hope of this wretched world all in his gaze that traced over your features with worry.

He vaguely looked like the guy who stepped in for you and your family back in Busan, the tattooed samaritan with the affinity for oversized clothes in a black mask and baseball cap.

"Hey… Okay…?"

If Jimin has any thought he could freely express in this very moment, it would all be siren and flashing red lights as his body threatens to freeze up in fear standing in front of his Hobi hyung. His eyes wandered to the other crowd, warily looking at the tall and imposing figure of the dragon by the stage chatting up with a couple of witches. He tried his greatest not to let his gaze stray towards the mezzanine in front of the elf king.

Realizing they haven't reacted at all, Jimin laughed and it landed a little more forcefully than he thought it would. He suppressed a wince.

“Where did you get that, hyung? You know how hard it is to contact Jungkook when he goes AWOL like this.”

“The wind never fails me, she may not come to me often but I trust her words more now than I do both of yours.” Hoseok says with a dangerous glint in his eyes as it flits to him and Taehyung.

If Jimin could, he would’ve taken those comically exaggerated gulps in old cartoons but his hyung’s eye is far too sharp, far too suspicious to let such a detail pass when holding such a precarious conversation. 

There was no doubting the weight of his threat, Jimin himself has been a witness to the indiscriminate blood fest of both light and dark entities multiple times throughout the centuries he’s been with the guy. He's familiar with that blank look on his eyes as he takes one life to another like he's a simple farmer harvesting his crops.

A tamed predator, no matter how much you trained it to be kind, will always be a predator.

“What even made you listen to it? You rarely listened to its murmuring.” He asks.

“That saleslady in Busan and the woman a few blocks from Eden after our new employee got affected by an aphrodisiac." He paused, his gaze sharpening to find a weak spot to probe. "Nobody would notice but we all know how he kills his victims when he's so angry.”

Jimin has never wanted to wring that chimera's neck as badly as he wanted now.

He tries not to linger on the fact that his hyung mentioned the aphrodisiac incident in Eden. Someone as smart as him surely would've realized Jungkook's reaction is unnatural. That man would never move unless it was imperative to the world's safety or for the saintess.

Even then, he hoped with everything in his heart that Hoseok doesn't point it out.

"That could be a coincidence." He says with a shrug.

"Lie not to my face, fox."

He placed a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. “You wounded me, hyung. I thought we moved past that stereotyping?”

“You may lie to me, but can Taehyung?” He then turned his head towards the angel whose eyes grew cold and steely when their gaze met. “You may have fallen but the oath still stands, no? Will you dare lie to me and face the consequences, angel?”

Taehyung didn't reply, staring hard at his hyung with his lips pursed. 

Just like that, he resigned himself to his fate as Hoseok approached the angel with a challenging glint in his eyes.

It was low for the elf to take advantage of Taehyung's weakness because even as a fallen angel, he's still subjected to the oath he has taken at rebirth. It was dirty exploiting something Taehyung couldn't help but follow. 

The air above shifts and Jimin dared to glance up to see the glamoured figure leaning on the railings missing, and raised an eyebrow.

Where did he go?

“Taehyung?”

Taehyung could only stare at the elf for a long while, before he takes a deep, stabilizing breath. “You know I can't, hyung...”

Hoseok smiles wickedly, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it.

“I know. That's why I want to ask why must you hide Jungkook away from us.”

“What a cheap move.” Jimin scoffed, frowning as he crossed his arms.

Hoseok laughs, startled. “Cheap? How so?”

“You're taking advantage of his weakness, that's not nice of you, Elf King.”

“And you’re being true to your kind, fox. Now,” Hoseok turns his attention back to Taehyung. “Tell me, why are you hiding him from us?”

Truthfully, there's nothing to stop them from telling the others about Jungkook. It was more about who the three of them are concealing from the rest. It had been an unspoken pact between the three the moment he and Taehyung found Jungkook just a day before the angel had stumbled upon you.

It has taken your soul hundreds of years to heal, many nights have been sacrificed to search for yours. He doesn't even want to think about the bloodshed and the close calls with the Heavens themselves. They’re not about to risk alerting the Heavens or the Fates of your revival, not when that man still sits at the throne.

It's not the right time yet.

"We're… Jungkook says he's got something to finish and he's not ready to show himself yet." Taehyung slowly churned out, eyes unwavering as he stared back at the elf. "Does that answer satisfy you?"

Hoseok coolly shrugs. 

"I don't know, you tell me."

Then came a breeze, a sudden jolt of foreboding static in the air and Jimin's snapping his head towards the direction of the bathrooms. It was a familiar magic from long ago, a violent unraveling of rubber bands stretched too thin yet manages to cause such a small ripple that no one but those who fought against it recognized. 

Celestial magic.

And him detecting the shift meant his hyung also did.

All Jimin could feel was dread. Not only was Hoseok there to respond but Namjoon as well.

In a place like this where you and Sana breathe in the same air, where Jungkook has gone off from his spot to presumably your aid, what else could have released such power here if not for the blessing of ignorance being broken?

Gods damn that witch.

"I'll go first," Namjoon's firm voice spoke from behind him and he swerved around to see him loosen up his tie, the cloaking magic fizzling around them. "Taehyung, Jimin, you’re to make sure nobody suspicious leaves the area—"

"If I may," Hoseok steps in, motioning to him and the angel. "Joon, these two are compromised. They are hiding something from us, what's stopping them from letting—"

He raises a finger and the elf king immediately shuts up. No one would dare stand against the dragon lord himself in a situation like this.

"No time, let's move." 

With how long he had lived, gaining regrets is inevitable. From naively taking that bastard's hand and to letting go of hers as demons dressed in white clothing and resting in porcelain white nirvanas took her away.

Regret to him comes in many forms, it takes the forms of a person, a decision and a consequence; and with him standing in the freezing cold of Seoul, it almost made him want to punch himself for bolting out of their Maldives home the moment he felt it.

The shrill ping! of a bell from another part of the world. 

It came to him as a shiver then a flush of cold relief; a loud, resonating alert that had him shooting up to his feet and running barefoot into the beach before flying in the night. 

The master of his soul, his mate, has been released off of her confines and reborn. How else does he react to such a blessing?

One would think that a mismatched vessel of a hundred genetic codes of both monster and animal would have given him resistance to the cold but for some reason, standing alone in the unforgiving snowy oasis had rendered every creature within him useless. 

Maybe it was a malfunction of his own body which held many conflicting natures or maybe it was the first time he has ever felt so lonely and cold, but this particular winter felt dreary and depressing.

Staring at the library where the scent is at its strongest, he took a deep, grounding breath and began jogging up the stairs.

But before he could even reach the top, the stained glass doors part opened and out came you.

Your laugh filled his chest with the warmth of a phoenix’s final burn, a shooting hellfire exploding in his chest and spreading down to the tips of his fingers as the world stopped to see your smile. 

Suddenly, everything is clearer than it was a second before.

Hearing such a familiar sound felt like a bell reawakening him from a deep hypnosis he’s been under, as if surfacing for the first time after being submerged in water for a millenia. Centuries between two lives yet you’re still as breathtaking as you were the day he first officially met you—without the bloodlust, without the creepy watching from the forest.

Was it selfish of him to want you to recognize him even if just a little?

Unconsciously, he reached down to fix his jacket and repositioned his beanie on the top of his head, gingerly brushing his fringe to the side. He may have piercings and tattoos on his skin but he’s still the same pup you cherished before, surely you'd remember him even just a little, right?

You stepped down closer and he panicked. 

Should he greet you? If so, what would he say? Is it appropriate to say ‘I miss you’ to someone who's never met you yet or is that too far? 

Gods, maybe he shouldn't. 

A fully covered stranger in tattoos and piercings greeting you at 9pm would be considered weird right?

But he wants to talk to you, to feel your eyes on him for even just a second. To be acknowledged by you would be enough—

Then you passed him by without a glance, attention far too absorbed in your friend's animated retelling of a story and Jungkook didn't know what to do with himself for a long while.

It hurted but it was enough to see you happier in this lifetime, far from the chains of your predecessor’s double-edged glory and away from their influence.

Somehow, realizing the stark difference between the you who had them and the one who hasn’t met them yet had his chest constricting tight and his tongue tasting a little bitter.

Watching you bound away with a carefree bounce in your steps…

Did they truly cause the tragedy of the saintess as the gods have told them?

Staring at the ID lace around your neck, he immediately recognized the university name. They’ve got some pull in that campus, he could enroll again then he’d be close to you without ever compromising you again. Pulling out his phone, he began typing away a message. 

If he was as selfless as you were, he’d walk away to never return or never to reappear but he’s not like the saintess, he never will. Sending the request to the principal of your university, he hoped in his heart that your unending generosity extends to this life, he wished that you'd have it in your heart to forgive him for wanting to stay close.

A wolf without its mate is as lost as a pup abandoned in the middle of nowhere by its owner.

But this way, he’d be able to protect you from the heavens if need be. There is almost no one in the world who could ever touch him nor you, not your enemies and not even his very own hyungs.

By the time Jungkook mustered the courage to break into the women's bathroom, he was already too late as your cries echoed and shattered every mirror.

Gathering your weakened figure in one arm, he uses the other to tear through the fabric of reality with his outgrown, black-tipped fingers and quickly takes a step inside the rift, but not before turning back to Sana with a glower.

If his coven members weren't alerted at all, he'd punish the witch for meddling in things she does not understand.

"I will come back for you, witch. You shouldn't have stuck your nose where it doesn't belong." 

Even then, the human was unbothered, still wide and starry-eyed as she was before as she stared back at him, unphased and void of any guilt.

"I've only followed what the Fates had asked of me."

It had been that damned Fate who had aided you to your first downfall, why is that rotten bitch trying to ruin you again?

Hearing the gods’ epithet brought back memories of blood and the broken pleas of a woman desperate for death echoing in a cave, and his skin prickled with molten, hot anger. But he had priorities, your safety comes first before everything.

How did those Fates bastards even find out?

"I'm coming back for both you and your patroness then."

Stepping into the portal he tore open, he willed the entrance close and strode in quick, wide steps into the manor, one that society had thought was long gone, left in debris and destruction after he went berserk. It was a place hidden from the sight of unwanted visitors but he knew the fox and angel would find him here eventually.

Setting you down on the lounge chair, he immediately sets for the observatory.

He may not know much about potions and magic but he has the elf and the Sanguine Regius. Centuries of him raiding their reserves and taking peeks at the elf king's research, not including the remnants of his family's library, he had built quite a collection in his home.

Pulling out every book about memories and the magical brain, he laid them haphazardly on the floor before rushing towards the glass cabinets for the potions and the crates of ingredients.

That's how the others found him, sitting in the middle of a hazardous chaos of bottles and shaky stacks of leather bound books.

"What the fuck happened?" Jimin inquires with Taehyung following behind him.

"Fucking Fates started meddling with our lives again, they told Sana to unlock her memories." 

Immediately, their power exploded out of them like a dam breaking and Jimin let out a frustrated yell as he threw his head back.

"I'm gonna fucking kill that bitch the moment I see her, why can't she keep those fingers to herself?!" Jimin exclaimed.

“How did they find out?” Taehyung asks seriously, eyes jumping from the fox and back to him. “I laid plenty of enchantments on top of her necklace, how did they see through them all?” He demanded.

For once, Jungkook wished one of them knew why.

“I-I don't even know!” Was all he could say before diving back into his research.

The two men shouted expletives and threw around ideas of murdering an ancient god but all Jungkook could think about was how they dragged you back into this hell due to their own selfishness. He thinks back to those unapologetic cackles and smiles in the library only to be hit with a wave of what-ifs and regrets.

Had he never tried to interfere with your life, would you have been safer?

Was the gods right after all?

But then he hears it: the uptick in your heartbeat, the increasing breathing and the pure panic radiating off of you. He heard it all before your screams came and everyone rushed out to the living room to see you curled up on the couch with hands pulling on your hair.

At the sound of their footsteps, you snapped your heads up to meet theirs at the top of the staircase.

Then all of a sudden, that panic grew bitterly into anger.

"You!" You screamed, fingers pointing at Taehyung. "How dare you play with me! Did you think that just because your crush from back then died, you could just manipulate me and make me fall for you?!"

Jungkook's brain pauses into a halt. Fall? You fell in love with him?

The angel who swore he only followed the Saintess out of gratefulness and devotion of a follower managed to make you fall in love?

He and the fox turned to the angel in question but Taehyung ignored them, bewildered by your words before sobering up and raised his hands as he slowly approached you, who stood by the couch, wild and crazed, like an animal he's trying to not spook.

"I have never planned on hurting you like that. I never had a crush on the saintess back then, I was devoted but believe me, I never—"

"Don't lie to me!" You shouted out with all the might of your anger but it sounded like begging instead. "I-I don't know what memory I should trust anymore, wh-who am I really? Did you guys talk to me because I reincarnated as your… saintess?"

Jungkook couldn't reply because he knew everything that would leave his lips would be a lie.

One quick look around the room was enough of an answer and you fall to your feet, the revelation far too hurtful and you cry harder.

Tears spilled from your eyes, your sobs echoed torturously in his home and Jungkook refrained from rushing down the stairs to comfort you before remembering that he's a stranger to the current you, who's now on a brink of a meltdown, torn between having memories of two lives existing in one body. 

Instead, he watched Taehyung approach you carefully.

"Taehyung?" You asked the angel but the man said nothing and looked away. "Did you even see the current me now instead of the saintess?"

At that, the angel hangs his head down in shame.

"I-I apologize, I can't lie to you."

Never have Jungkook wanted to let himself hang off of the eiffel tower with his guts impaled on its pointed top until now. 

The humiliation from having the world see his immortal being bathing in the gore of his own making would be less painful than seeing such a wrecked expression on your face, like reality had shattered into pieces around you and the carpet was pulled abruptly from below your feet. Never has he seen your face this broken, not even when you didn't get that role you worked so hard for, not even when your predecessor had seen them all in that god forsaken cave.

No, if anything, the you of before was so relieved to see them.

"I shouldn't have remembered all this!" You pause, horror dawning on your face. "I-I'm gonna get killed again, am I?" 

Jungkook shakes his head frantically. "No no no! We promise you, no one can ever get to you anymore. We-we knew better now, stronger than most of the Gods up there so—"

"I-I don't want to feel that pain anymore! Yo-you can't—It's unfair! Wh-why can't I just live a normal life…!"

Taehyung slowly opens his arms, face agonized.

"I-I know… we're sorry." 

"Ho-how dare you all! I can't—I can’t…!"

But all your words slurred down to a halt the moment Taehyung placed a hand on your head and you collapsed into Taehyung's arms like a puppet cut off its strings. He rushed down the stairs in a frenzy, panicked with Jimin behind him. 

His heart beats in his ears as he takes your unconscious body from the angel and checks for your pulse with a hand on your wrist while his ears listen for the telltale beats of your heart.

He could hear life thrum under flesh and blood yet all Jungkook could feel was dread—memories of a different instance of where he held an unconscious body in his arms overlapping each other as he blankly watched Jimin tackle the angel, hands fisting his collar with a face darkened with an anger reserved for subjugations.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!"

Taehyung stared, gaze distant, already retreating into his own mind but his attempts to blank out of the issue at hand failed and he crumpled.

“It was the right thing,” The angel cried. “The less she remembers, the less she gets hurt!”

In the chaos left by whatever magic the angel has performed, Jungkook began to wonder about your safety in the hands of his hyungs.

“Noona, please… I-It won’t work. As long as I'm here, they’ll find me.”

“I can’t protect you like those bastards’ parents can but I…I can at least put some distance between you and them.”

“Just… stop. It’s pointless! I can’t escape those fucking wolves even if I wanted to!”

“I’m so sorry, binnie. I’m sorry your noona can’t protect you. I should’ve known earlier and took you away before they found out. But do-don’t worry, no-noona will find a way, okay? Just—just go and tell mom we’re transferring you to that private school downtown, yeah?”

“Noona…”

“I’ll find a way, I promise. Noona will protect you.”

If you were to tell yourself a couple of years ago, with all her themed phone wallpaper and storages filled with shaky videos taken of a lithe ice figure skater bowing under the multiple spotlights focused on his victorious pose, that you'd meet Park Jimin, the figure skater turned model, you would've fainted and collapsed in a puddle of embarrassment at how haggard and messy you looked right now in contrast to his effortless shine when he strode in.

You stared at the hand he offered like it grew three fingers more out of his knuckles, turned to Taehyung asking through your gaze if Park Jimin himself is actually introducing himself to you and the man shrugged in response.

Of course, a designer of Vanté’s V wouldn’t be phased by the fox’s charm.

Finally taking Jimin’s hand, the man surprised you when he brought it up to his lips to press a kiss on your knuckles.

“If I had known someone else would be here, I would've brought something with me as a congratulations gift, it's hard to get accepted here, you know?” The model says with a million-watt smile.

“Stop harassing the new hire, I barely got her to stay after the second customer with the second adult-possessed doll.” Taehyung sighed, waving his friend off and taking your hand from the man, an action not lost on the model who stared at your hands before shooting a suspecting gaze at his friend.

Turning to you, Jimin leaned over on the counter, catching the glint of mischief in his eyes as he did so.

“How about you ditch this shithole and come with me somewhere more… sophisticated, hm? My crew will handle the dressing and the makeup, you don’t have to spend or do anything. What do you say?”

You perked up, shocked by the suddenness of the man but it quickly faded away when his words finally sunk in.

Is he genuinely asking a stranger he barely knew to be his partner? Is he a playboy or did the constant bleaching finally get to him?

People have always told you how you have a face that compels people to trust you as easy as breathing but never had you experienced knowing someone for at least barely even five minutes and have them ask you out to be his eye candy for an event where everyone would be watching his every move.

Besides, what’s the possibility of being recognized as the faerie who attended the Feeding months ago? 

You doubt Taehyung would be able to hold people back once they find out you got nectar in your blood.

“I’m sure there’s other women out there who would be happy to accompany you.” You said with a gentle smile and hoped he wouldn’t be persistent.

Even then, Jimin’s beaming smile never faltered, if anything, his expression grew sharper, like a devil about to make a deal with you. Taking the wired pen from its stand and the yellow sticky note beside it, he wrote seven digits and slid it towards you.

5,000,000

Seeing the numbers, your stomach churns and your throat dries up, feeling dirty all of a sudden.

“I'll pay you for your time. I just need the old cougars to back off the entire event, they just can’t understand that I don’t need a partner, much less an heir. Curse of immortality and all that.”

Your cheeks burned and you barely stopped yourself from looking down at your clothes to check if you looked beggarly to be offered money for your time.

It had been a hit on your pride to fill up that form Soomin brought home, and it was another when you had accepted the check the morning after as you realized what you’ve just done.

A body your mother broke her back trying to protect with enchantments she drained all of her magic off of to create, exposed and tainted with a vampire’s bite all for a stability you dreamed of. 

The shame and embarrassment of selling yourself for a couple of zeroes on your bank account of yesterday returns with a fierceness in your chest. 

Forcing a smile out, you push the sticky note back. “I'm not really… I don't have much problem with money now, so I'll—”

“Then a favor? Any kind.”

You stare at the man, gaping at how great of an exchange he was giving you for just attending as his plus one. The shock of it easily overshadows the shame from earlier as bruises on pale arms and canine bite marks on skin come to the front view of your mind.

If it's Park Jimin with his extensive reach and connections…

A hand fell to your shoulder and you followed it back to its owner who was now staring hard at his friend, jaw set and a dangerous sheen in his golden eyes.

“Jimin…” Taehyung warns. “If she doesn’t want to, then stop bothering her.”

“That's… Are you sure you'd want to trust me with that kind of privilege?” You butt in, eyebrows furrowed.

The fox stared and you shifted uncomfortably under his sweeping gaze before his smile sweetened.

“I trust you,” He said it so wholeheartedly you almost thought he was genuine. “You don't look like you'd betray me.”

It hadn’t been more than ten minutes but you couldn’t help but be cautious of how unpredictable Park Jimin seems. Nothing had made his Gumiho origin shine more than when he’s beaming down at you so genuinely it made your stomach churn. He's certainly a fox with centuries of knowledge under his belt, he made it clear with that spotless mask of his. 

You shivered. Maybe there was some truth in the saying: Don’t meet your idols.

The hand on your shoulder tightening was the only indication you got before Taehyung took over.

“So what did you actually come here for?”

“Now that you reminded me,” The fox straightened up, eyebrows furrowing as he tried recalling his original purpose before confusion melts down to an easy smile. “I forgot.”

Taehyung's face immediately falls into a deadpanned look. “Then get out.”

Jimin giggled. “That’s not how you treat a friend.”

An uneasy feeling settles in your guts at the thought of how many connections Taehyung has with the Kim Coven and you shift from where you stand. 

But it's normal for a designer to be close with one of his muse, right?

“You mentioned something about a mutt. Do you mean Yeontan?” You supplied. The faster he gets his problems addressed, the sooner he leaves. “I don’t think that small pup can do anything to warrant such a reaction from you.”

The fox brightened.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Now that I remember what I came to complain about,” He turned to Taehyung, flicking his wrist and in his palm, materializes what seems to be a white jumper, mauled and torn to shreds by claws impossibly caused by a small pup like Yeontan. “Keep that damn mutt away from my closet. I can’t have him tearing up all of my custom made gifts from royalties like some cheap chew toy off of Temu.”

“You’re a powerful fox, please refrain from blaming my familiar for something you can easily mend, sir.” Taehyung smiles but if you squint, you’d see the twitch in them as he forces it out.

“You’re… one of my designers, are you not?” A smirk on the fox’s face grows as he offers the item towards your boss. “Mend it for me if it's so easy. Besides, if it wasn’t for the memory it holds, restoring it removes the value in my opinion.”

“So dramatic and I’m not your designer currently, boss. I’m off the clock.” Taehyung says with a tight smile, tapping on his watch. “And didn’t you just say it's useless now?”

“Just say you can’t do it and go. Don’t be such a wuss about admitting defeat in front of a pretty lady.” Jimin taunts with a wink towards you and you barely suppressed the disgusted shiver that rolled through your body.

No matter how pretty a man can be, flirtiness will never land on you the way it would’ve with anybody else—maybe if you were ovulating you’d accept the advance but for now, you grimace.

Taehyung stared at his friend, seeming to assess the situation before pinching his nose and muttering in a foreign language under his breath. The sound of a gust of air took your attention back to Jimin who got repelled from the counter as the wind pushed him back with a shocking ease, the doors of Eden opening behind him and slamming tightly shut the moment he was outside. 

Then with a snap, the glass of the doors and windows blurs and you couldn't see or hear Jimin’s complaints anymore.

It was amazing how a fox as powerful as Jimin was easily pushed back by his magic, all in under a couple of seconds nonetheless. 

What kind of supernatural is he to be able to throw out a member of the Kim Coven without breaking a sweat?

“That takes care of that,” He huffed, crossing his arms before his eyes flitted to you and bowed his head. “I should've done that the moment he offended you, I'm sorry.”

“No, it's fine really… I was actually considering his offer.”

His eyebrow shot up, surprised. “Really? Is the favor from Park Jimin that tempting?”

You didn't answer and looked down at your phone, the thought of selling yourself already burning through you fiercely enough without the analytical gaze you feel Tae was imposing on you. A resigned sigh cuts through the tense air before a pair of arms appears at the edge of your vision as they loosely wrap itself around your middle.

Warmth spreads across your cheeks as he leans in to rest his head on top of your head.

“You know, if a favor from someone strong is what you need, I can help you with it instead. Tell me what ails you and I shall take care of it, free of charge.” Taehyung says. “But if you're going, then I'm going with you. Jimin might get whisked by other people, he won't get to protect you from those who seek to harm you.”

You turn to him, an eyebrow raised.

“Who would want to hurt me?”

“Many people want to hurt pretty, unassuming girls in galas like this.” He answered far too quickly but the unwavering look in his left no space for questioning what he could be hiding with that excuse.

“Whatever you say boss.”

Without any other words to be said, the comforting act slowly turns into something far too intimate for two people who agreed upon staying as friends. Your throat clogs as you stare up at the man whose eyes seem to have melted into a smoldering look as it lingered on your lips. 

You half expected Taehyung to lean down and kiss you; and you would've let him do it. You would've let his kiss sweep you off your feet and his embrace lead you back to his office to amend the decision of forgetting everything that had transpired inside it.

You needed a distraction, a new topic to open before something else did.

“You said something about wanting my advice before Jimin came, what was it again?” Taehyung asks, voice breaking through the thickening atmosphere between you both as he steps back.

Thank the gods for Taehyung.

“Oh it's just…” 

Do you really need to tell Taehyung about Soobin’s predicament when Park Jimin himself could handle it? 

Taehyung might be your friend but you doubt he has it in that innocent face of his to threaten someone's entire bloodline off of your family’s back. Park Jimin, however…

Something tells you that the fox would be entertained, delighted even, by the favor.

“It's nothing, I just remembered that I'm moving him into a different school soon but I don't know what private school is good enough for him.” You sighed, sounding more troubled than you wanted.

“That's a really poor question to ask me, an immortal,” He sheepishly said, scratching his cheek. “But I had this client in Busan once, they sent all their children into this private school...”

“Hey, I’m in need of a favor from you.”

“What do you want? Can’t you do it yourself? I'm busy right now.”

“You would protect her, right? Does that extend to her family?”

“...Is this about her brother?”

“Can you take care of what might be ailing him?”

“...”

“Hello?”

“That will be taken care of in due time. Don't worry, I've got it all handled.”

“Thank god the big bad cockblocker let you out of the tower! I thought I would be suffering alone with all those hyenas!” 

The relief in Park Jimin’s voice is palpable as he greets you into the boutique with a warm hug before guiding you into the backrooms with an arm loosely wrapped around your waist, which you just accepted with an internal sigh.

“I'm coming with you both.” Taehyung says, putting himself between you both. Forcing the fox to let go of you.

“You know, if it wasn't for the pretty lady would have thrown you out of this store the same way you did to me yesterday.” Jimin threatened with a glare.

A taunting smile spreads on Taehyung’s lips.

“Can you really think you can get me? I'd pay plenty to see you try.”

Taehyung leveled the fox's glare before Jimin scoffs and waved him off as you both enter the staff room where two of his stylists—one towering tiefling with one of her horns broken, and a human with a makeup brush to tie up her auburn bun. 

At your entrance, they bowed but oddly enough, their eyes widened upon Taehyung's arrival and seemed to bow deeper for him.

What could a simple designer at V’s do to put that fear in their eyes?

The scar on his eyebrow seems far too miniscule and mostly obscured by his fringe to intimidate them. Was it the golden eyes? It's unusual after all.

“Gaia and K’ra, this is who you'll be readying for the gala with me tonight.” Jimin says, guiding you to sit down on the table brimming with makeup and products that hurt your wallet just by looking at it.

In the reflection, the two wordlessly turned to Taehyung who immediately waved them off. 

“No need to prepare me, I can handle myself.”

“You guys just need to focus on this beauty right here,” Jimin says, patting your shoulder, taking the attention of the two intimidated stylists from Taehyung and to you. “I need her to look more dazzling than Miss Lee’s jewellery tonight, I want to see that woman stutter when she's faced with a diamond shinier than her. You two can do it right?” 

The tiefling scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Of course we can. There's a reason we're an indispensable force, aren't we boss?”

“That's why you’re my stylist. We'll be outside if you need us.” 

You couldn't help but notice the tenseness and the careful cautiousness in their movements. It's in the way they took great care in brushing your hair and tilting you by the chin with a featherlight gentleness before applying primer on your face.

So while Gaia, you guessed, was leaving the powder over the color corrector to bake, you decided you had enough.

“So, how long have you guys been Jimin’s stylists?”

The tiefling flinched, seemingly surprised by your question but quickly recovered. 

“I've been here since the 1980s but Gaia here just started last year when her predecessor retired. Human lives are far too short to spend it following Jimin around, his husband had said.”

“To be fair, he's been his stylist since he was in his 20s. He's in his late thirties when he left.” Gaia added and you nod.

“You… Any plans on retiring soon?” You asked the tiefling and she shook her head.

“I love travelling the world and being with Jimin grants me that privilege.” She says, tail whipping behind her on the reflection as she picks up a brush from the vase full of different types, as if she's reminiscing memories. “But I might step down once I'm seventy.”

“Any plans on what you'll do once you retire?” You ask and the tiefling stops dabbing on your undereye to think.

“I scourged up enough funds for a house in New Zealand, I'll go tend to cute highland cows there. Maybe a family too, but I haven't really found someone worthy enough to be called mine. What would you like to do once you retire…?”

You tell her your name and a soft smile grows on her face, black out eyes with white slits crinkling at the edge. K’ra looked even cuter when she's smiling, her small face transforming into what you could best describe as a circle while the joyful glint in her eyes glowed brighter.

“You have such a nice smile, K’ra.”

“Really?” Her tail swishes behind her, deep crimson cheeks darkening as she blushes. “Thank you so much!”

Conversation flowed easily from then on. After gaining the approval of the tiefling, the human, Gaia, easily followed. It was quickly apparent how delighted they are to be able to work on a woman which is, surprisingly, an experience they never had with Jimin. Something about the weird relationship the Kim Coven had with each other being the reason for her boss’ lack of female companions.

It made you skeptical of course, his rather strong first impressions at the forefront of your mind.

But soon enough, you find yourself mesmerized by the absolute goddess the duo had turned you into with the golden headband embedded with small, bejewelled flowers sitting prettily on your head, and a proper makeup look to fit your features craftfully painted into your skin.

If you ever had the ability to morph into your ‘true form’ like you mom does, you like to think you’d look as mythical as you do now.

“Might just be my proudest work yet, honestly.” Gaia says, her words reflected on how wide her grin is. “Haven’t tried glamming up a fellow woman you see… I immediately got this job after college when uncle Mark passed the torch down before I could even get off the stage.”

“Its time for you to change your dress. I doubt it’ll take us long to find something to make those boys out there fall for you.”

“Though I doubt you need to make the angel fall more for you.” K’ra mumbled as she fixed the bobby pins holding on your headband.

“Sorry, did you say angel?” You turn to the tiefling and her eyes widen.

“You didn't know?” 

The two shared a look before turning back to you. It wasn't just a regular look of pity or concern girls would send their friend, if anything, they grew vigilant, suddenly cautious of their actions.

If Taehyung is indeed an angel, then how great is the chance of him being the secret 7th member of the Kim Coven, the addition the group had a few years after the last Fall from centuries ago?

“The guy Jimin’s with is Kim Taehyung, the Angel—well, a fallen angel now but with all the work he's done for the world, I still think of him as one.” Gaia slowly says, eyes jumping you through the reflection and her coworker beside her. “He's close with the Kim Coven, and I mean, really close.”

You let their words stew within you as they guide you to the mirror to try out the dresses hung on a separate clothing rack—all of them no doubt newly bought from the store—as you shuffled through the memories you’ve had with the angel that might point you towards the answers to the nagging questions in the back of your mind. 

Why would he lie about being a part of the Kim Coven? 

He had no reason to lie to the random girl he bumped into. Love at first sight can’t excuse it, seeing the lack of romantic attraction between you both even after the amortentia. But why would he do that just to get close to you?

Swallowing the growing mass in your throat, you ask. “Is he a part of the coven?”

K’ra shrugged, as she pulled out a midnight blue dress from the rack and held it against your body. “All I know is that he's close with them and that he’s also the big boss of V, Vanté himself but don’t tell that to anyone, he doesn’t want to be known as him.”

“Really? I thought he is a member of the coven? But I guess not every ultra hot dude is a part of that coven.” Gaia shrugs as she appraises the dress before gently pushing it away by the hanger and motioning her hand towards the contrasting red dress in the sea of dark hues. “Try that one, I think it would fit her better.”

You turned your attention to the simple red satin dress with the thigh slit and strawberry straps, eyeing it with interest as K’ra holds it against you while her partner adjusts it, flaring the skirt and the open area.

“Match it with a chain ‘round her thigh?” A grin spreads on her face as she nods in approval. “Yeah, we’re going with this.”

“But what did you guys mean about him being Vante himself? The same painter and designer were all thinking of?” You squeezed in but the two were back in their work, a crazed look in their eyes as K’ra began preparing the dress on the side.

“Do you mind changing your necklace?” Gaia asks, poking the small obsidian pendant as her partner removes the dress from the hanger. You shake your head.

“Can’t be ‘part from it.” 

“How about the earrings or the rings?”

“Feel free to change them.” You shrug and the girl nods, turning back to the table where a red velvet jewelry case lies to start comparing what piece goes with what. “But is he really Vante? How did you guys know?”

“We work for him.” The human girl deadpanned as she picked out a pair of white teardrop earrings and put it against the pearl necklace before deciding against it and pulling out a studded choker.

“He tailors every suit the Kim Coven wears, and we mean EVERYTHING.”

“Except the shoes, I don't think he ever thought of making them himself.” Gaia says, putting the choker against your neck and one pair of the earrings on your ears. “This looks great, what do you think? You don’t mind another necklace yeah?”

“That’s fine but—”

“Oh I forgot to give you girls these…” 

Turning to the entrance, your eyes met a surprised pair of hazel brows staring back at you as Jimin seemed to freeze with an antique wooden case in hand. Seeing his reaction, you turn towards the mirror to check your reflection, a little offended by the look of complete, utter shock in his face.

Did you really look that shit when you first met him to warrant this reaction?

His eyes then wandered from your face and to the red dress behind you. “You’re going to look absolutely divine in that, are you trying to kill me, sweetheart?”

You pursed your lips in a straight line, trying to not react from his overexaggerated reaction but obviously failing if the quirk in Gaia’s lips were any indication.

“What’s that, boss?” K’ra asks, approaching the man who’s yet to tear his eyes off of you as he hands the box to her.

“It’s a bracelet. Figured she would like an extra layer of protection, being the only human there and all.” Jimin says with a cool shrug of his shoulders.

“Am I really going to be the only human there?” You winced at the thought of being surrounded by your kind’s natural predators on all sides.

“The only normal one at least. There’ll be plenty of witch practitioners there.”

“Will Madam Minatozaki be there?” Gaia asks as she replaces your earrings with the one she found from the jewelry box before turning to you. “Can you tell her she was on point with her prediction for me?”

“I don’t know her though?” You respond, an eyebrow raised.

“Oh don’t worry about that. You don’t find the madam, she finds you.”

“She always is.” Jimin says with a roll of his eyes. “I don’t get why you humans love to interact with witches. They unnerve me.”

“You’re one of the myths, boss. How are you more unnerved by spicy humans than them seeing a mythical creature in person?”

Taking a peek at its content, K’ra immediately shuts it back down and snaps her head up at her boss with surprised disbelief, the type someone would wear if he’s won the lottery. 

Their years of collaboration whispered through the communication in their shared gaze, a twitch in her eyebrow and a subtle nod of his head before K’ra’s returning to hand you the contents of the box, which was a rather peculiar, beaded bracelet.

It was a mix of wood, and roughly shaped white and black crystal far too unrefined to be kept and given by someone like Park Jimin with a contrasting clarity in its inscribed script whose depth was made known under the ceiling light.

“To my dearest, the universe’s love and protection.”

It had felt like a second nature to read the words on the beads, it flowed out of your mouth so smoothly before you could even process what kind of language you were reading.

“Y-you can speak Empyrea?” Jimin stammered, shocked. Something you mirrored with him and the other supernatural in the room.

“I-I… I never knew.” You said, voice weakening at the end as you stared at the bracelet in your hand.

Putting it on evoked the unexplainable feeling of belonging and familiarity within you, the weight and the cold but welcoming texture of the beads against your skin bringing about a wave of nostalgia, an unfounded memory from a yesterday you’ve yet to uncover.

It was like seeing Taehyung’s face that fateful day again as the bracelet settled on your wrist like filling up the missing piece of the puzzle.

Hello friend.

What?

“We’re gonna run out of time, we need to put her in that dress now.” Gaia cuts in, the human blissfully ignorant of the weight of the revelation happening before her as she points at Jimin. “Do you guys need help?” 

“We can do it ourselves, don’t worry.”

“Are you sure she doesn’t remember a thing?”

“In the days I’ve been with her, no. What happened?”

“Taehyung, you gotta make sure because I just witnessed a normal human casually read the words on the bracelet.”

“That’s impossible. You can’t just learn how to speak Empyrea, it's called the language of the Heavens for a reason.”

“Exactly! So, are you sure she doesn’t remember?”

“I… I-I’m not sure now.”

“We agreed to never let her remember, right? Then fucking get that shit taken care of! And get her away from that witch!”

Unlike the dim and red tinted ballroom of the feeding, the gala was all white and gold accents, big roses on antique vases, and the noticeably lack of masks on the attendees. Even with the big glass doors separating you from the bustle of the inside filled with what seems to be most of the supernatural socialites from all over the world, your hands couldn’t stop shaking from all the nerves.

Why did you even agree to this? You could’ve asked Taehyung for help instead and knowing the man, he would’ve agreed to help you with no questions asked.

“You ready?” A voice with a sweet lilt to it asks as its owner snakes an arm around your lower back.

“Just whisper our name if you ever need help. We can hear you from two buildings away.” A worried, baritone voice of Taehyung says as he places a hand on your shoulder.

Jimin scoffed, earning Taehyung’s heated glare from above your head. “Only two buildings away? You’re getting rusty, angel.”

Ignoring the man, he turned to the woman behind the podium and told her their names. With a nod towards the towering guards by the entrance, the doors open and immediately, everyone turns to the three of you.

Your heart seized in your chest, temporarily caught off guard by the sudden attention before you’re schooling your expression and descending into the old confident persona you’ve created for yourself months ago. 

Their assessing gazes burned through your skin as Jimin led you through the mass that parted for him and Taehyung like hot knife onto styrofoam, it prickled like a dozen of centipedes crawling all over your body and made you want to bury yourself six feet into the earth. 

You’re not blind to the judgement radiating from the aunties and ladies alike, their bitterness spilled all over the floor but you’ve sensed stares far more dangerous than their jealousy, you tell yourself.

“You okay, sweets?” Jimin whispered into your ear as he pulled you closer to his side. 

Seeing this, Taehyung turns to you both, eyes drifting down to his friend’s hand on your waist before muttering something unintelligible under his breath.

Suddenly, the pressuring weight on your body disperses and everyone turns back to continue their conversation as if nothing happened, and the two men lead you to the surprisingly desolate bar to rest.

You nod, taking Jimin’s offered hand as he helps you settle into the rather high bar stool. “I’ll be fine, just got… a little taken aback that’s all.”

“We just need to stick around for an hour, hand over the cheque then we can go.” Jimin informs before turning to the bartender behind the counter and nods his head. “Give me some vodka, I don’t think I’ll be able to get through this sober.”

The man nods, taking a cocktail glass when Jimin intercepts and asks that he use a bigger cup. One lengthy pour later on a rocks glass, the bartender then slides it over to the fox before turning to Taehyung.

“Just red wine for me.” Your friend says, 

“Classic angel.” Jimin muttered under his breath as he took a sip of his drink.

Turning to you, the bartender then asks with a shy smile. “What about you, ma’am?”

“Don’t call me ‘ma’am’, you make me feel ancient.” You laughed, waving him off as the man flushed. “Surprise me.”

Jimin let out a low whistle, impressed as he watched the flustered bartender quickly leave to prepare your drink before letting his gaze fall to you, lips tugging into a teasing smirk. 

“Aren’t you quite the minx?” 

“Jimin, just go give them the damn donation.” Taehyung ordered, voice uncharacteristically cold as he pushed a white envelope to his chest.

“If you say so boss.” The fox says with a roll of his eyes, snatching the envelope and disappearing into the crowd, leaving you alone with Taehyung.

The bartender returns with a glass of red wine and a pink cocktail with floral ice cubes but as he goes to slide your drink towards you. Taehyung catches it, nodding at the man with a stiff smile. You reached out, expecting him to hand the cocktail but instead he delicately traced the rim of the glass in a counterclockwise motion with a slight glow on his middle finger.

Halfway through his casting, you realize what he’s doing and your heart swells, a smile seeping through the mask. Reaching for his wrist, he halts and turns to you.

“I doubt he’s planning anything bad when I’m the Park Jimin’s date.”

He huffed, passing the drink to you, finally done from cleansing it from non-existent impurities. “We’re in a party full of supernaturals, I’m not taking any chances, love.”

“I may be human Tae but I’m not weak, I can handle myself a little.”

“You’ve been so tense about something ever since last week, let me stress about everything while you go have fun tonight, hm?”

Before you could even stop yourself, the words slipped past your lips.

“What if I wanted to sleep with that guy to loosen up?” You challenged with a quirk of an eyebrow.

His nonchalance following the amortentia incident quickly became a double-edged sword leaving you torn between being thankful he respected your wish and wanting to bang your head on the counter because he’s respecting your wish. 

Despite what the doubtful part of your mind may whisper, his action towards the waiter had planted a seed within you, a thought to ponder over.

Maybe he really is as affected as you, he just wore a mask far more convincing than yours.

The moment the words left your lips, his ever so divine golden eyes flashed a dangerous glint and your blood sang with the rush of excitement but it left as fast as it came when Taehyung caught himself and looked away.

“You do whatever you want to do, I don’t control your life nor do I own it.” He lied with jaw clenched tight and eyes steely as it stared into whatever was in front of him. “It is what you want of me, after all.”

“So you don’t care if I take that guy to the bathroom now?”

Suddenly, the air around the angel morphs, stifling and suffocating as his jaw sets. Your heart flutters, electric volts fraying your nerves as his power—as light and golden it used to feel—spills onto the floor from the cracks of his mask.

He then takes a stabilizing deep breath, his hand on his glass trembling. “You’re going to make me beg, babe?”

Your heart thuds against the confines of your chest, face heating up from how smooth the name had glided off of his tongue.

Get a hold of yourself, woman! Eyes on the prize!

“I'm not making you beg, my dear angel.”

He stilled, seemingly stunned by your awareness of his background as he turns to you with an expectant gaze that searches your face for the unknown before he recovers, not finding what he wanted to see as he places his drink down on the counter, subdued.

You perked up.

“You like that name, don't you, angel?”

“Yes, but use it sparsely in a gathering like this. Surely you've seen how they're reacting after the recent Fall, right?”

A demi-god found dead in the middle of a crater.

Of course you knew how much of a sore subject the Heavens and everything related is now, reminding everyone of his  background would be a sure and quick way to sour the mood of the gala. 

Fucking hell, you curse to yourself as the flirty replies evaporated from your mind, not in the mood anymore.

Then, as if like a dog hearing its whistle, his head snapped towards the rippling buzz of the crowd with his eyes wide, alerted and breath hitching. You followed his gaze only to find a head full of platinum blond and a minimalistic crown of bay leaves wading—no, walking through the crowd that parted for him.

Oddly enough, your heart tugs at the sight. A familiar sense of recognition creeping up your spine.

Who is he?

“Some of the covens are here.”

He didn't need to tell you twice, excusing yourself to the bathroom while he stands to greet his main clients. 

It wasn't even an hour since you arrived and you already found yourself tired of the ballad you had been looking forward to hearing but was overlapped by the sounds of forced out laughter and fake exchange of pleasantries. You almost cried hearing the monotonous hum of the bathroom’s exhaust fan and the muted chatters from outside when you entered.

If you were to ever score a rich husband, you hope he's an awful introvert who'd just send a check and be on his merry way.

Shrugging off your purse, you open it to reapply your lipstick when a lady with big, doe brown eyes stepped out of a stall. You watched as her inquisitive gaze widened with excitement as she uttered a frightening truth with the softest of voice.

“You're a Fae, aren't you?”

It was a mistake thinking today would proceed smoothly without a single hitch in their plans. The saintess’ reincarnation possibly remembering her past had been the first scratch in the otherwise flawless plan of his on how today was going to unfold.

But then came another problem in the form of royal elegance, long blond hair and nose-high confidence striding into the gala.

Jung Hoseok, despite his past, had always been a man of eloquence and class. Only twice has Taehyung ever witnessed the man wear a different shade of emotion except for the regal indifference of silver. Even then, something about his gaze tonight as it landed on him had the hairs in his nape standing at attention. 

The moment his eyes met his, Taehyung already knew that his hyung had heard something. Rarely does the Elf King leave his cabin unless something was amiss.

“I was wondering what had caused all this disruption, turns out it was just you, hyung!” 

It was a wonder how Jimin could greet their coven members with such ease despite the secret he’s keeping in his shadows. 

Maybe it was the fox in him.

“Hyung, I never thought I’d see outside like this! It’s not like you to be attending galas, what happened?” Taehyung followed as he approached the elf whose eyes had begun roaming the area with that cool gaze of his.

Everyone around them chattered, he could hear the aunties goading on their daughters to approach the elusive elf from every corner of the ballroom. But before he could even silence them, Hoseok waves a hand and a translucent dome quickly builds itself around them, muting the chatter and gossip from women and men alike.

The moment his magic settles, his guarded stance loosened up and a twinkle in his eyes appeared.

“I’ve come to see a fellow elf who has willingly come to this plastic party, you know I’ve been a fan of his since the 1990s.” Hoseok says with a drip of excitement in his voice.

“I thought he’s been around since the medieval? I swear I’ve seen him once in a tavern long ago.” Jimin asks.

Hoseok nods. “He just resurfaced recently to play his tunes again, I think he had quite a heartbreak which led him to his centuries-long hiatus.”

Was it only him that felt that foreboding sensation creeping up his spine? How could Jimin act so casually when they both knew something was up with the elf king?

“But I doubt that’s the only thing you came for, hyung. What has really happened that forced you out of your home?” He asked and the air immediately dropped.

He sees Jimin side-eye him from the edge of his vision but Taehyung didn’t want to drag this conversation out. You are out there after all with Sana somewhere in the party, he’s not gonna let that witch get her meddling hands on you.

“Can’t I just say that I wanted to hear live music for once?” Hoseok asks with a toothy grin as he glances behind him to see that long haired musician strumming his guitar and singing his ballad on the stage.

“No, there’s something. I wish to hear it now, else people might start worrying about the reason for this privacy magic you casted.” Taehyung carefully says, staring at the increasing creases of the skin between eyebrows in the faces close to them.

Hoseok only stared, his eyes roaming suspiciously over his carefully guarded expression for even the smallest of fissure or crack in the mask but when he found none, he began with a strange glint in his eyes.

“You see, when I awoke from my nap today, I heard something strange.”

“What could that be, hyung? Is it another Fall?” Taehyung followed casually.

“You are both aware how the air has a voice, how the earth and water remembers, yes?” The two of them nodded, Taehyung sees his friend galnce at him nervously. “The air is playful and vague but for once, it carried a message so perplexing I couldn’t help but leave my home to seek answers myself.”

“Then did you find your answers yet, hyung?” Jimin asks, his mask slipping as he unconsciously bites his lip nervously.

“I haven’t, but I hope to find it out from you both.”

Taehyung furrowed his brows, turning to his fox friend before delighting the elf with an answer.

“...What is it that you want to know?”

“Lie once and you’ll find yourself gutted where you stand. Tell me why you’re hiding Jungkook from us.”

He lost the beauty eventually but he had wandered too far to turn back so he continued, walking up the direction he had last seen it.

His recklessness unexpectedly bore fruit and he stumbled upon a colorful oasis.

The garden grew what seemed to be all the plants and flowers from all over the world yet all he could focus on was the rare blooms of Smeraldos and its iridescent blue petals that gleamed purple under the beams of the sunshine that escaped the branches full of leaves above him. Everything within him itched to reach out for it, to caress the petals but he knew more than to try and touch such a fragile flower.

So instead, he crouched in front of the farm plot where the blooms peacefully sways to the wind.

“Angel, why have you strayed far from your mission?”

His head snapped up, golden eyes meeting clouded grey pairs and a kind smile hidden behind the sheer fabric.

The Discarded Saintess of the Tempest God. The woman who had defied his Lord and since then lived in solitude to offer prayers for two lower gods. He's heard of her disloyalty through the un-angel-like words spat out by his manager and his friends. All of heaven hates her but Taehyung thinks she's brave for standing up for what she believes in, it's admirable.

Taehyung doesn't have that same inclination—though he wishes he has.

“Some angels told me that rare flowers grow in this mountain but I never meant to go this far. I hope it's okay with you, saintess?”

Something crosses on your face. Whatever it is, it creases your face—which made his stomach churn—, and furrowed your eyebrows. You almost look sad, disappointed, but curiously, not towards him?

Huh?

“I'm sorry angel, but I think your friends intended for you to be lost when they directed you here.”

“Oh,” he breathed out. “That cannot be, angels can't be mean.”

“They can be mischievous though.”

Taehyung only stared at her for a long while, letting the thought bounce around in his head but even after the thousandth echo, he still couldn’t fathom such a possibility. But when he thinks back to the previous encounters that ended up with him getting scolded and punished, an uncomfortable feeling in his gut churned within him.

Did they really point him to the mountain knowing he’d be reprimanded for wandering away from the mission?

That cannot be!

But what else can be said to explain such acts, Taehyung?

“Oh.”

“Angels can be quite… playful at times, I’ve been subjected to their mischief plenty of times before.”

Taehyung frowned. “That’s not nice.”

“Apparently it is, since it’s all been done in playful jest. There’s been no harm done, after all.”

His frown only deepened hearing that. There's plenty of revelations boiling within him, questions he wanted answered but he shouldn't stain such a pretty memory with negativity, so he turned to the sky which now holds the bleeding color of orange and red in its usual canvas of bright blue. They’re bound to return soon.

Turning to the smeraldos before him, he carefully caressed the soft planes of its petals.

“Well, I never intended to impose on you, saintess,” Taehyung quietly muttered as he stood. “But I must say, I don’t regret accidentally wandering into your garden. Seeing your blooming smeraldos fills me with joy. How did you do it?”

She patiently answered all of his questions, he hadn’t expected for her to go in depth about caring for plants. The saintess threw all these terms and instructions, and it made his head spin from trying to understand them. 

But unlike the strict archangels who'd berate him for not knowing or not taking the knowledge in like fish to water, she only laughed when he had sheepishly admitted he didn’t get it.

It was new and he liked how warm it made him feel.

“How about you visit me from time to time? I’ll teach you how to care for them.”

When Taehyung found the saintess’ soul centuries later, he had whispered promises and vows of protection into your skin when you had kindly offered him a hug farewell. 

He had failed you once and he wouldn’t dare to do so for a second time. 

The image of torn skin clinging onto brittle bones and a bloodied smile haunted him in his waking and sleeping hours. The weakened and wheezed out gratitude when your chains were torn off of your limbs echoed in the chambers of his mind like a taunt, a constant reminder of his failure. They had watched as the light in your eyes finally dwindled into the blank emptiness of death and the image since then hovered over him like a shadow, a constant darkness that poked and prodded his already damaged psyche.

Taehyung loved the saintess, though not like how the others loved her. 

He thinks of himself as the Earth that orbits around the bright sun that is her. The saintess has given him life and meaning, a purpose. 

He was a budding seed who needed the water and the sunlight to grow into a pretty blue flower, and in her gentle ways, had nurtured him to bloom despite the limitations the heavens posed. No gratitude nor word is enough for Taehyung to express how thankful he was for her guidance no matter how short of a duration it was.

But what can he do now that her soul occupied a body burning up from an aphrodisiac?

“Then help me… please.”

When he had made that pledge, he was ready to do everything you’d ever want him to do. Steal a kid’s balloon so they'd cry in the street, rob all the lupin’s banks around the world, hell, even take over the world. You name it, he was ready to do it all.

If hiding you away from his coven made sure you live a joyful life, he would do it. Taehyung's already added enchantments into your necklace to cloak your presence from the rest. He knew Jungkook must’ve felt it, even now he could feel him near, watching the store from afar but he didn’t care. He’s willing to face their wrath rather than to risk the dangers of being associated with them.

He had lightly made that oath prepared for the evil deeds this iteration of her would ask of him but never had he guessed you’d ask him for this.

He had lightly made that oath prepared for the evil deeds this iteration of her would ask of him but never had he guessed you'd ask him for this.

TTo ask him to sully the body of the saintess, the woman he held higher than the Lord himself, would be the same as spitting upon the altar of his own salvation. You may not be the original but the soul remains the same even if it does not remember its experiences. 

He’s not only fit for such a duty—since he’s yet to broach the idea of pleasure of the flesh even after living on this earth for the two centuries he’s been here—but he is unwilling to desecrate the new vessel the lovely saintess wore.

She does not deserve it. He cannot be the reason for another ruin.

“It hurts…” You groaned out, agonized as you twisted and bent in his arms.

He could only hold you tighter as you wailed, whispering every spell known to both man and the supernatural into the crown of your head but he knew none of them would work. He could recognize this malicious curse from one of his past clients and he knew the only cure for it, something he’s yet to determine if he could do for you.

“You ask for such a steep price, my dear. One I don't think I can give you.”

You pushed him away with the weakest shove and grabbed onto the counter as you tried to pull yourself into a stand.

“I-Ignore that. I’ll just—I’ll take care of it myself. Do-don’t touch me.” You grunted, clutching your abdomen as you trudged towards his office when the curse flared and you crumpled to the floor..

You would’ve eaten the tiles if it wasn’t for him catching you the moment your knees buckled. 

“Tae, fucking stop touching me i-if you’re not gonna be re-responsible for me.” You stammered out, clutching your abdomen.

It should've ended there. 

Taehyung should’ve carried you into his office and left to stand guard as their sole employee relieves herself off of the aphrodisiac she accidentally came in contact with but he found himself rooted to the ground, watching with a heavy chest as you dragged yourself towards his door.

He doesn’t want to dirty your body.

But seeing the creases of agony on your usually peaceful face might as well take his soul apart and feed them to the demons.

It pains him to see you struggle like this.

He had promised to the celestials above to never let you know pain and agony once he finds your soul again. He stands frozen as morals and the pressure of his self-claimed duty as your protector in this life clashed against each other. 

Should he taint the respect he held for you in exchange for your peace or should he let it all be?

“I…” He bit his bottom lip, contemplating. “I-I’ll help you. But only if you promise to not run away from me after. Don’t feel any regrets or any guilt, either.”

Your face uncharacteristically brightened, the ever so preservative you would never rejoice at the thought of such debauchery and it made his stomach churn painfully. The distinction between you and the compromised you has never been more apparent.

Would you run away from him after all this? 

He hopes not, you should never leave his sight again, else he might go crazy with worry.

“I promise.”

“And you must guide me, I-I’ve never…”

His words seemed to sober you up and your eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure you want me to…?”

“I-I trust you.”

Blood rushed to his ears while his heart thudded in his chest like a war drum as you drew closer, breath hitching when your hands reached up to gingerly cup his cheeks. 

He panicked as you neared him, body freezing when he felt your hot breath fan across his lips. But all thoughts fall silent when you finally kiss him. Taehyung barely suppressed the full body shiver that racked his body when his lips touched yours. 

There's a resounding hesitance in the kiss and an awkwardness in your poses with your hands comfortably holding him while he hovered a couple of inches from your waist. But like a budding fire in a forest, with the unknown kind of hunger beginning to gnaw at his consciousness, he starts kissing back and you quickly catch up to him.

Taehyung didn't know what he was doing with all the accidental clashes of teeth and the unintentional bites on your bottom lip, nor could he decide if the growing heat licking up his spine should feel just as right as it does now. All he knew was that he was kissing you and he liked it.

He ached with a growing need in his chest. As if a black hole had materialized inside the confines of his ribs, a selfish need to take and taste everything you could ever offer flourished within him. He wanted something he’s yet to know, his hands itched to dig into flesh and grope every swell and he ached with a parasitic kind of want festering within him.

But what does he want exactly?

You broke away for breath, lidded eyes fogged with the darkness of desire stared up at him through eyelashes. 

His heart skipped a beat, heat rushing down south at the pretty sight. 

Taehyung felt like a barely controlled beast with his heavy breathing compared to yours and the growing bottomless hunger within him. His skin sung from the heady rush of the kiss. Taehyung almost couldn't recognize himself with all the restless excitement thrumming within him.

And with you staring back up at him like that…

“Gods, you’ll drive me insane.” He groaned out with barely concealed lust.

With that, he surged back down to capture your lips in a more controlled but still as passionate of a dance as his hands fell to the back of your thighs and hoisted you up onto his waist. You wrapped your legs around him, breathing out a small moan when both cores pressed against each other.

It was such a brief surge of pleasure but Taehyung found himself already addicted to it. 

He had always wondered how mankind almost obsessively chased after the pleasures of the flesh but now that he has experienced, has tasted its sweetness, he finds himself grasping at the straws for more.

You both arrived at his office with him topless, his polo shirt lost between transit. By the time he had found the couch, you were already tugging off your uniform and throwing it somewhere behind you. 

Instinctively, his hands surged up to your breasts, grabbing and pinching stiff nipples between fingers, and you rewarded him with a breathless moan and an arch of your back. 

And by the heavens above, was that so sexy.

“You're driving me crazy.” He groaned out, dizzy from the intense lust burning his being inside and out.

“Tae, please! Just fuck me already!”

Suddenly, all the knowledge he's heard from his brothers flows into him and he slows. He should know better than to shock a human body with the cock of a nocturnal, Namjoon had lectured but is that the same case for a human woman affected by a potent aphrodisiac?

Would she be much susceptible to him with all the slickness from the curse?

Your hands clumsily fiddled with his belt, shucking them off once they’re unclasped and shifting your attention to the buttons and the zipper of his pants before pushing them down impatiently, a silent plea for him to shed the fabrics.

Taehyung complied, pushing the offending materials off while you took care of your remaining clothes.

When all was done with clothes now strewn haphazardly on the floor, all Taehyung could do was sit back on the couch as you swung your leg over his, sighing at the brief relief when your hand wrapped around him as you lined up his cock under you. Blood rushed to his ears as he watched you with bated breath, waiting for the inevitable pleasure to rocket through him.

In the idleness, Taehyung noticed the glaring contrast of his girth against the folds of your cunt and tightened his hold on your already descending hips.

“Are you sure I'll fit, love?”

While not as remarkable as the dragon, and the serpent with his phallic pair, Taehyung still worries about breaking you apart. 

You didn't respond, focused on lowering yourself on him, his breath catching on his throat when he parts your sopping folds, and then he’s slipping in. The foreign searing, velvet tightness of your cunt shocked him as his cockhead slipped in, head falling back as electric shocks rippled across his body. 

If there is heaven on earth, it would be where he currently is.

There was something utterly beautiful and almost sacrilegious as he watched you sink on him, swallowing him inch by inch with your face contorting from pain to a blissful ecstasy the more you take of him. Taehyung knew he should be more opposed to this, should be wallowing in the guilt of his own making but instead he finds himself waiting for more.

He’d be damned if he suddenly decided to put a stop to this.

It was a blasphemy on his morals and duty to taint the soul of his saintess but with the tight heat enveloping him and sucking him in, Taehyung couldn't find it in himself to care anymore. 

If anything, selfishly relishing in the tight warmth of your cunt is closer to sin than the act itself.

You would turn the gods into worshippers if they were to experience this.

And you are just so tight, it's beginning to choke him. The welcoming tight heat of your cunt pulsed around him as he grunted and groaned, causing ripples of molten heat to echo throughout his body. 

Taehyung had always questioned why some of his brothers loved to seek bodies to warm their nights, an untainted angel—even a fallen one—like him couldn't understand why they and others sought it like a drug.

But now with his bones and flesh practically melting into the couch as you finally take him full, Taehyung mentally sent his apologies to his coven mates for ever raising an eyebrow at their actions.

And he received a wave of confusion back.

“God you're so fucking big. I-I think I'm gonna break.” You moaned so hotly in his ears as you leaned back and began to slowly raise your hips before slamming back down on him in one swift move.

“Fuck—ah!… Gods, you're so tight.” He drawled out, drunkenly, knuckles turning white as his fingers dug into your waist with restrained strength.

Impatience filled him with the vile need to force you down on his cock as you took him inch by agonizing inch, pulsing and clenching on his length with every descent, keeping him wanting and itching for more before taking him all in with one fluid motion. It was maddening, tortuous but he couldn’t do anything about it other than watch the growing bump on your abdomen as your greedy cunt swallowed him in. 

You heaved, hand falling to the bulge in your abdomen. “Wh-why are you so big? Shit, I don’t think—”

“You can take it.” He gasped out, lightly pushing you down, forcing you to take another inch of him and tearing a wretched cry from your throat. “Sorry baby, try and take more of me, hm? I know you can do it.”

Placing a powered kiss on your shoulder, he let his magic sink into your skin and immediately, the tenseness in your muscle loosened. Confusion didn’t have the time to show on your face when the curse flared and you’re slamming down on him, revitalized and alive.

His eyes greedily soaked in the fervid sight of you bouncing on him. Completely enthralled by the sight of perky breasts joustled by your frenzied movements, of thighs rippling from the force of your movements as flesh meets flesh. It was a sight he's quickly and deeply ingraining into the forefront of his mind as he submits himself to you and only you. 

Take him for all that I am worth, leave nothing at all for only then will I feel accomplished and complete.

It was all too much yet all too little. He wanted more of this frightening heat threatening to swallow him whole with every torturous and shallow thrusts. He pants, head thrown back and eyes screwed shut as you grew more confident and more enthusiastic on his lap, slamming down on his cock with little support and a fervor of a mad woman deprived of dick.

Taehyung has had the taste of heaven and eden yet they pale in comparison to the taste of sweet paradise you’re surrounding him in.

Lust burns and melts every nerve buzzing under his skin, his mind a scattered place of unfinished thoughts and depravity. The intoxicating taste of pleasure you keep feeding him while his throat produces nothing but groans and grunts, agonized and deep from ecstasy.

You guide him higher and higher to the inevitable precipice, stomach clenching as a coil in his abdomen grew tighter and tighter with every thrust. He could taste the static in the air as his power floundered and caused havoc in the room, could hear as furniture scraped against the floor. At a particular, angled thrust, papers rained down from where it exploded on his table, and something fell over by his desk with a loud thud.

Grabbing a hold of your waist, he began canting his hips up with reckless abandon and you crumbled in his hold, falling forward to lean on his shoulder where you moaned and slurred unintelligible into his ears as he selfishly chased after his high.

Fingers dug into his back, threatening to break skin as you scrambled for a solid ground, the pain dissolving into pleasure. Feeling nails scratching and your breathy moans of his name in his ears, he bursts.

When he comes, it's with an earth shattering rumbled groan as the wounded tightness in his core violently unfurls and he releases deep inside you. With more strength than he intended, he grounded you on his dick, forcing you to swallow him to the hilt and relish in the sensation of him painting your walls with white.

If this was the sweet deal the devil had offered Eve, he understood why she had deviated from the life the gods had intended for them and unknowingly put the rest of humanity onto the path of eternal sins.

If that’s what it takes for him to experience this bliss, he too would risk everything for you.

Taehyung? Five threads vibrate, all confused and bewildered by the earth-shattering ecstasy of his first climax he accidentally let bleed into his connection with his coven members.

He paid them no attention and laid there twitching in the aftershocks of his first release, body bowing from the intensity as you shallowly bucked and grinded on him while he fell limp as his body processed the otherworldly pleasure it felt.

“Fuck fuck fuck…!” You gasped as his hands on your hips lightly guided you, pushing you down, and urging you closer and closer to your own devastation. A couple more pumps and then you're unravelling before him like a flower in spring.

It was the most beautiful thing he has ever had the pleasure of experiencing and witnessing. 

A delicious shiver wracked your body as your back arched into him like a bow pulled taut, sweat-slicked breasts pushed towards him and with one last thrust, the string is let go and you’re curling into yourself with a cry as shockwaves of your climax had you trembling violently in his hold. 

You fall on top of him, satiated and exhausted, the aphrodisiac evidently chased off of your body. 

Your body is so hot to touch, sweaty yet he could smell the mild, lingering scent of your body wash clinging onto your skin. His hands run down your sides, memorizing every groove and crevice as he rests his head on your shoulder with eyes screwed shut, trying to stifle the desire to fucking up to you like a rabid beast.

He knew the affair was over, soon to be brushed under the rug once you sobered up from the torrents of your high but a need he never knew existed ran rampant under his skin, unearthed by you.

It was a one time thing, an affair born of a necessity and he respected that but that didn't stop Taehyung from wishing you'd want the same as him as he peppered kisses on your shoulders.

“Tae?”

“Yes, love?” He hadn’t meant to use the term of endearment but it slipped out anyways.

“I’m not fired, am I?”

He couldn't stop himself from laughing hard at the genuine worry in your voice. Pushing the stray strand behind your ear, he shook his head.

“Nothing will change, I promise. Just as you'd want it to be.” He reassures you even when the small voice in the back of his head disagrees.

If acting like today never happened would keep you by his side then he'd act like the fool you wish him to be. 

“Tae?” You began again.

“Hm?”

“I think… the curse is flaring up again.”

He bit back a smirk. “We can't have that now, can we? Let me take care of you this time.”

“So you fucked him and then told him to forget about it?” Soomin repeats, disbelief written as plain as the sky on her face.

Luckily, your friend wasn't armed when you dropped the information on her but even then, you held a spare pillow by your side to hide behind if she ever decided to hit you with the stray squishmellow on one of the couches.

She pinches the bridge of her nose, and lets out a long and deep disappointed exhale. “I don't even know how to react to that.”

“Just don't say anything at all, I know.” You respond, eyeing her warily as she takes the space next to you.

Asking Taehyung to forget the incident happened was a no-brainer. No matter how many rounds you both went on with the excuse of wearing the aphrodisiac off, dating your boss is far from ideal. The man was chill enough to shrug it off and dropped you home with the promise of treating you the same as before the moment the sun rises.

And he did. Dare you say, he’s excelling in the act of nonchalance to the point of convincing you fully that he didn’t care about what happened. 

The man keeps on surprising you with his determination to follow his word when he had walked out of the stuffy storage room despite the dark ravenous shift his eyes took when you were forced into close proximity.

To your surprise, your best friend listened calmly and simply crossed her arms as she watched the news but you knew she'd scream your ear off the moment she found the proper words to say. 

It was another report of a grotesque murder you've heard plenty of time since last month, only this time, the incident happened a few blocks east of Eden's Artifacts. 

The police linked it to the previous mutilation case in Busan last week a couple of days shy after you returned to Seoul. The last victim had been torn open by four claws as she was walking home from work.

A corrupted wolf they said but there's plenty of clawed nocturnals out there that also fits the bill—not that society would bother looking at anything other than the wolves.

Not with the rising possibility of the eclipse bringer’s return.

“When I meet that damned bastard, I swear to god I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind. It's been centuries since his last kill yet everyone keeps on suspecting every corpse with a claw on them is his.”

You've heard the tale of the vengeful bastard son of the one true alpha, and the trail of blood and corpses of high-ranking Lupins he left behind. While the world held contempt for the man in the legend, for some unknown reason you find yourself understanding his rage.

(You say understanding because you'd be stoned to death if you said you supported his actions.)

History spared the details of his life but even the vague words used to describe his upbringing spelled a life you wouldn't even wish on your worst enemy. 

Orphaned as an infant with no willing caretaker, he was shunned in a dilapidated, abandoned manor outside of the pack territory where he grew up on berries and insects from the forest before he was kidnapped by a passing slave trader. There, he learned how to be a fighter and a killer by five, then continued to do so until he was adopted by the other ruling alpha who recognized him as his enemy’s bastard son.  The story only worsened from that point forward.

It was always one misfortune after another, a stream of unluckiness that got you wondering how the man continued to live with such a tragic history until you turn the page and see how his rage translated to the state he left his enemies.

“Isn't there a theory floating around how the eclipse bringer is Jeon Jungkook from the Kim Coven?”

She turned to you with an eyebrow raised. “What are you tryna point out?”

“I'm just saying, you keep on telling me to submit myself to Seokjin when there's a huge possibility that his coven is housing a legendary serial killer. You were trying to sell me to a slaughter house.”

“Hey, I didn't say anything like that!” She yelled, indignant and offended. Instinctively, you flinched and raised your pillow shield up only for nothing to happen. “Don't try and reason your way out of this. It's all speculation and I doubt Jungkook was even alive during the massacre.”

“Just because someone looks young, doesn't mean he's not ancient.” You say, a nod to a mistake in her past and she rolled her eyes. 

“Yeah, I've learned that one in a hard way but don't you even think that for a second I forgot about what you just told me, missy.”

You shrugged. “I told him to not fire me and to remain friends. Not that big of a deal.”

She blinked.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“I'm not, he actually was chill with it.”

If Soomin wasn't suffering from the discomfort of wearing a pad, you were sure she'd be standing up to dramatically scream or hit her head on the coffee table. But in the plight of her period, Soomin could only facepalm; the sound of hands meeting face a reflection of her disappointment.

“Oh my fucking god,” She groaned into her palm. “You do not just take your boss’ virginity, fuck him for multiple rounds and ask him to forget about it. Bitch PLEASE, you're literally limping right now from that big dick and you decided to not keep him?!”

“Hey, in my defense, work romance seems like a recipe for disaster.” It was a weak reason but saying the other explanation out loud would make you sound stupid.

At this, Soomin glared at you suspiciously.

“No, I know you. That's not all, is it?”

“No, it is.”

She narrowed her eyes at you, stop bullshitting me it seems to say. “No, you're just worried about how your relationship will be perceived. Mind you, this man flew from Taiwan to Seoul when he found out you were in trouble.”

You didn't grace her with a response but the silence is enough of a confirmation and Soomin falls back to the couch with a huff, almost satisfied at the thought of hitting the mark. 

In the silence filled by the newscasters’ chatter from the TV, you both knew there was another underlying issue you had with dating Taehyung. 

Dating is hard, if it's not about the guy’s personality, you’d be intimidated by his pockets or the fact that he's supernatural. You knew many women would kill to be in your place, not many would be chosen by the sanguine regius himself nor would there be any woman who'd Taehyung let inside his heart after all. But whenever you try to reconsider your decisions, you'd freeze and run.

His close association with the Kim Coven is also another factor that turned you away from the idea.

Safety will always be at the forefront of your mind because at the end of every day, your family expects you to come home to them. Cowardice, it may be but everyone would understand the desire to live and return to your family.

“You know not everyone is out to get you, right Petal?”

You sighed. “I know, but that doesn't mean I'm considering dating any supernatural. Not after Siwa.”

Goosebump prickled your skin at the thought of the half-blood gumiho and his superficial, million dollar smile. A mistake of an eldest daughter who craved for a sense of stability in a world that kept on shifting and turning. A sweet relationship turned sour when he began to ask for what was once a droplet of blood turned into a cup full. If it wasn't for that kind elf who passed by at the right time, you probably wouldn't be alive right now.

Now that you're thinking about it, you wondered how that elf with the long blond mane and sharp, dainty nose is faring these days.

“I've got power on my side babes, nobody can hurt you as long as I'm here.”

“I know and I love you for it.”

“I love you too hun,” she says, making kissy faces as she places a hand over her heart before her face melted into a warm, wholehearted smile on her lips. “But promise me you'll try and think about it? Taehyung seems like a genuinely nice guy.”

“Can't promise you that.”

She sighed, resigned but it's more playful than it actually sounded. “It was worth the try anyways. Just can't stand you ditching two hot men with deep pockets and a big personality, if you catch my drift.”

Like Taehyung had promised, nothing in your dynamics changed.

A week after the incident, the man had returned to his usual bubbly personality. If there's any notable change in how he treats you, it would be the variety in food he brings you for lunch. Not bothering to lie about how he has an extra sandwich since your little stint in the workplace, he now brings you bentos and bottles of juice he concocted himself. 

Maybe there’s also the touchiness where if given the opportunity, he’d be placing a hand on your shoulder or hips which always reminds you of sweaty bodies and sounds of skin slapping—which is far from ideal when you’re trying to hold the other end of the bargain.

But if anyone were to ask you directly if you're doing well with Tae around, you'd be lying.

There's simply no cure to the constant flashbacks when his office door is usually open, a place tainted with the memories of sweaty bodies and the beautiful, agony of pleasure. You'd see a glimpse of the couch and be reminded of the deep, rumbled grunts that vibrated the walls as hips smacked and snapped violently at each other.

You once stared a little too long at his office desk through the reflection of the mirror of your cushion foundation and your mind took you back to the memory of big strong arms holding your shaking thighs open as his overly enthusiastic tongue laid waste to your soul.

It was a wonder how Taehyung managed to be unbothered when he sleeps on that same couch and does his paperwork on that very same mahogany desk he ate your soul out. It's almost heartbreaking seeing how he seems to really not care about what had transpired in his office.

Today, you came to work early when your last period professor dismissed your class an hour before the schedule ended. Taehyung already had a bento ready for you when you arrived, beckoning you closer to take the space behind the counter and eat.

He had bought you teriyaki chicken matched with a small, leafy salad to balance it out while he feasted on a chicken burger sandwich. Today, he brought a pitcher full of what seems like a sweet mix of cucumber and lemonade, a taste you thought fits well with the savoriness and hints of spice of the sauce and the dish.

You never asked the man what kind of supernatural he was, it seems like a picky subject if the frown on his face whenever you build up the opportunity for him to reveal it were to say anything, and you respected that.

But it didn't mean you weren't curious.

What kind of nocturnal creature has the ability to fly and cross the distance between Taiwan and South Korea in a couple of minutes?

You both engaged in idle chatter, with him talking about a recent client he had down in Daegu who claimed to have seen a ghost in the old, traditional house they just bought only for it to turn out to be a mischievous kitten at work when suddenly the door flew open as a  familiar man with dyed platinum blond hair steps in.

And your heart drops.

“Tae, you fucking prick, control your mutt before I—”

He paused, sharp, cat-like eyes widening when a pair of amber browns found you. The incredibly beautiful man snapped his head to your boss, disbelief painted clearly on his face before returning his gaze to you.

Then in a flash, Park Jimin himself is crossing the distance between you and Taehyung by the counter, and with an almost shyness in his action and a tremor in his hand, he reaches over the table for a handshake.

“You must be the new hire, I-I'm Park Jimin. Nice to finally meet you.”