sincitypjmrecs

[sincitypjmrecs]

what the fire gave us | jjk

You were born with a Gift that the world wanted to turn into a weapon. All Jungkook wanted to do was show you that you could find love, even in the dark.

Relationship: Shadow Elemental Jungkook x Water Elemental Reader

Rating: Explicit

Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence (someone you love is gonna die I'm so sorry)

Tags: Dystopia, Fantasy, Friends to Lovers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Character Death, Murder, Human Experimentation, War, Jungkook is a precious baby boy but he’ll also kill you, Elemental Magic, Shadow Elemental Jungkook, Fire Elemental Yoongi, Loss of Virginity, Vaginal Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Cunnilingus, Outdoor Sex

Word Count: 25,983

A/N: Fun fact, Taehyung’s character is based off of Jeff Goldblum. Part of a spring offering collab.

Soundtrack: cyberpunk - ateez

moodboard credit: @btscontentenjoyer

3 MONTHS

Lookout duty is hard on you. When it’s your turn to camp out on the roof and watch for potential threats, you complain that staying awake all night is hard. Most of the other runaways are night owls, but you aren’t. You need your beauty sleep, you joke. You can’t get comfortable on the roof, even if there’s a flat landing with pillows and blankets to keep you warm. 

These are a few of your excuses, but you can’t bring yourself to tell the others the truth: you are scared. 

It’s close to midnight when you hear the creak of the trapdoor opening. The likelihood of it being anyone other than the group of Gifted runaways you live with is low, but you can’t trust that the impossible wouldn’t happen. You’ve seen the impossible happen far too often.  

Hopping down from the old milk crate you’d been sitting on, you crouch behind a giant bean bag with your bow and arrow ready. The harness you wear strapped around your torso holds your spare arrows. It digs hard enough into your shoulder that you form blisters if you don’t wear a thick enough shirt. 

The fluffy pink hair poking out of the trapdoor makes you sigh in relief. 

“Hey, kid,” the pink-haired man whispers. 

He gently closes the trapdoor and walks with a hunched back toward you, careful not to expose too much of his body beyond the roof’s railing. The abandoned warehouse you live in is on the city’s outskirts, with nothing for miles but empty concrete parking lots and overgrown plots of land. 

Still, you never know who might be out there. Although the Red Pins have only inflicted pain from within their research facilities, all the runaway Gifteds know that the government employs more than one type of evil to hunt them down. 

You try not to think about them, those scientists in long white coats that fall to their thighs and blood-red nametags pinned to their labels with names you often see painted on the walls of your nightmares. Lately, the frequency of the nightmares has lessened. It doesn’t feel like it, though, when you often wake in the middle of the night to your friends screaming in their sleep while they suffer through their own trauma. You wish the knowledge that the pain of being government lab rats is something you all share could be comforting. But, instead, it only makes you hurt more.  

“Yoongi,” you huff, returning to your perch on the milk crate. Now your hands are all sweaty. “You should be sleeping.” 

“Hi, Yoongi; nice to see you too! Thanks for coming to hang out with me!” Yoongi mocks your voice, clearly stating what he thinks you should have said. “Oh, no problem, Y/N. I just wanted to see how you were doing and hang out with my favorite kiddo.” 

You scrunch your nose at kiddo. 

“I’m not a kid.” 

Yoongi leans over to rub his knuckles into your head. “Nah, you definitely are.” 

Despite the lack of lighting outside, Yoongi practically glows. That’s always how it is with fire elementals. It’s like they absorb all the light and let it buzz inside them. Like fireflies, you’d once told Yoongi. He hadn’t found it cute to be compared to a bug. 

“If I’m a firefly, then you’re a fucking fish,” he’d teased. You’d promptly summoned water from a nearby puddle to throw in his face. 

For as long as you can remember, that’s how it has been between the two of you: fire and water. A push and pull. So different that you need each other to be whole. 

You watch Yoongi get comfortable in the bean bag, his skinny limbs spreading like a starfish and his eyes lifting to the sky. In quiet moments like this, you would give anything to hold him. And not out of fear like you had when the scary men came to take you away from your parents. And not out of anger like you had to when you stopped him from blowing up the research facility they’d held you in. 

No, you want to hold him and for it to be gentle, soft, and peaceful. 

Like now, when the world is silent except for the crickets calling to each other in the weeds and the rustle of wind in the trees. 

But he thinks you’re just a kid. 

You’re not that much younger than him. But, if you put in the effort to look at your relationship objectively, you’d see that Yoongi’s paternal nature comes out with you and the other runaway Gifteds. He cares for you as an older brother would. 

It’s not enough for you, though. It will never be enough.  

“Is everyone else asleep?” You rest your elbows on your knees and hold your chin in your hand. When you speak, you look out at the empty field. 

“Hobi sneezed and blasted a hole through the bathroom wall,” Yoongi says with a low chuckle. “So me and Joon found some supplies to patch it up the best we could. I think they’re all asleep now, though.” 

“How is it Hobi’s the one breaking shit and Namjoon’s fixing it?” You press your hand against your mouth to muffle the ugly snort bursting from you. There’s very little to find funny in this life, so you cherish how your chest burns with fond warmth. 

“The world’s all backwards.” Yoongi’s gummy smile lights up the night and tears into your heart. 

The two of you fall silent once again. Moving slowly, you reach out to hook your pinky finger with Yoongi’s, a small smile forming when you feel his pinky wrap tightly around yours. 

“Where are we gonna go, Yoong?” 

He watches you with eyes heavy with sleep, determined to stay up with you even though he doesn’t need to. Initially, you thought it was because he wanted to keep you company. Now, you often wonder if it’s because Yoongi is afraid to sleep, too. He never speaks about his experience at the Labs; the other runaways have learned the hard way not to ask. Singed eyebrows don’t look good on anyone. 

“I don’t know.” 

You already knew this would be the answer, but it scares you anyway. Yoongi always knows everything. 

Yoongi lets go of your hand to sit up in the bean bag. 

“Hey, kid,” he whispers. He gently presses his palm to your jaw, cupping your face. You hope he doesn’t hear your breath hitch in your throat. “As long as we’re together, you don’t gotta worry about anything, okay?” 

You stare at him for a long time, searching the bags under his eyes and the worry lines on his forehead. 

“You promise?” 

“I promise.” 

3 MONTHS, 1 WEEK

There’s a stream that cuts through the overgrown fields behind the warehouse. It’s man-made, flowing from a sewer tunnel beneath the cracked parking lot - and likely from somewhere else, perhaps connected to a lake beyond the woods at the property’s edge. The separation between industrialization and the natural world of the unknown hurts your heart. You’d never felt longing until you found yourself inside a cage of cinderblock walls and concrete floors. 

A rope of water whips across your face, drawing you from your thoughts of the woods. It’s muddy and makes your skin and clothes smell sour. 

Though the air is still crisp and bites at the tip of your nose, spring came early this year. It takes minimal effort for Namjoon to draw more water from the soiled stream as it’s not frozen over like it should be. With a flick of his wrist, another rope of water hits you, this time across your chest. 

“Aghh!” 

“Pay attention.” 

You lift your arm in enough time to block his next assault. The liquid rope freezes in the air before shattering into a thousand glimmering pieces, scattering jagged ice across the pale yellow grass. 

“I’m tired of this, Grandpa.” 

Namjoon rolls his eyes at the pop culture reference; you’re pleased he understood. Posed to speak, mouth already opening, he barely gets a sound out before another voice bellows across the field. 

“WELL, THAT’S TOO DAMN BAD!” 

Hoseok isn’t afraid to be loud. He smiles, all teeth and pink tongue, and throws his head back as he cackles. Everywhere he goes, he carries the smell of spring with him - cherry blossoms and morning dew that makes newly-grown pieces of grass stick wet against ankles. 

You close your eyes and let spring overpower the sour smell of sewer water Namjoon has thrown at you for the past hour. It lets you forget how your skin aches with welts and bruises. 

As Hoseok bounds toward you and Namjoon, a dark tornado spins beside him. When he gets closer, you can see Hoseok occasionally blowing a small gust of air toward the tornado. It appears to be made of smoke, a gradient of grays and blacks. 

“Look at this,” your friend announces with a mischievous grin. “Me and JK learned a new trick.” 

With a quick snap of Hoseok’s fingers, you and Namjoon watch in patient silence as the tornado begins to slow its speed. Almost gently, the smoke curls tighter and tighter until the darkness turns into a solid mass. 

Jungkook stumbles a few times as he attempts to get his footing. His limbs continue to propel his body into a small spin. 

Hoseok quickly reaches out to grab the younger man. Secure hands squeeze his shoulders, and then it’s only Jungkook’s head lolling about. 

“Cool, right?” Jungkook’s voice is gruff, but his lips curl into a weak smile. 

Namjoon lets out a long sigh. “You look like you’re going to be sick.” 

Although Namjoon is right, Jungkook does look like the effort of his little party trick took a toll on his body; you can’t help but match his smile. Especially when his eyes flick toward yours. You told his gaze for half a second before Jungkook quickly looks away. His cheeks flush pink, but you’re sure it’s from the exertion of all that spinning. 

“I think it’s really cool,” you praise the two while elbowing Namjoon in the ribs. With a grumble, your sparring partner returns to his previous stance a few feet away. 

“We should go again. Just for a little while longer.” 

Every muscle in your body feels stiff when you turn away from Hoseok and Jungkook. 

“I hurt all over, Joonie.” 

“Let her rest!” Hoseok adds to your whining. “All we ever do is practice fighting.” 

“Sparring.” 

Hoseok waves a dismissive hand at the younger man. “Whatever you want to call it. I find it to be fri-” 

You stifle a laugh by pressing the back of your hand to your mouth as Hoseok is tackled to the ground by Jungkook. The two men roll around, all arms and legs, kicking up dead grass and dirt. A lot of howling and teasing laughter rings through the open air. 

It isn’t until Jungkook is launched into the sky by a gust of wind you know comes from Hoseok, and lands roughly on his back, that the playful fight ceases. How Jungkook lands knocks all the air out of his chest, but he laughs once his lungs start working again. 

“Ridiculous, all of you.” Hoseok brushes grass from his clothes. It’s futile; they’re dirty and ragged anyway. Try as you and Namjoon might to use your Gifts to clean the clothes; water does little when there’s no soap. 

“I let you win,” Jungkook teases.

Still, he stands a bit further from Hoseok than he had previously. Not far enough for anyone to notice, aside from you. You notice although you don’t mean to. It’s hard not to when Jungkook keeps stealing glances, only to look away when you try to return his gaze. 

“You did not.” 

“Did, too.” His insistence makes you giggle. 

“And how did that work out for you? Hmm? How does your back feel? I know you landed on that rock.” 

“I-It, it doesn’t hurt.” Jungkook glances your way. His cheeks are still pink. “Would take more than that to hurt me.” 

“Jungkook is impossible to beat.” 

You startle at the gentle voice, spinning on your heels to see Yoongi approaching the group. He’s got a leather satchel strapped across his chest and resting at his hip. It bulges with what you assume are plants and fruits scavenged from the woods. 

“Boy Scouts” is what Yoongi offered when you asked how he knew so much about surviving in nature. It was peculiar; nothing about Yoongi seemed like the type. He’s tougher, more steel than wood or earth. A bulletproof shield, you think. Broad and strong. 

“Impossible?” 

Your question is meant to be a tease, but Yoongi’s face remains stoic. Such a severe look only reveals itself when he assumes his position as your misfit group’s leader. It would be extremely attractive if it didn’t scare you.   

“How can you fight shadows?” Yoongi deadpans. He stares into your eyes long enough to make your face feel hot, but you don’t look away. 

“I…” 

Yoongi hums at your lack of an answer. Suddenly, you feel unbelievably small. 

“It’s not impossible,” Jungkook whispers. His head hangs low, long bangs hiding his face. The rest of his hair is tied into a bun at the nape of his neck. “I’m just as beatable as you, hyung.” 

Something about Yoongi’s expression softens at the honorific. Formalities died long ago, along with many other traditions that once made Korea what it was. So many things died during the war - tangible and cultural - lives and ways of being. Now, the Republic is something you know your friends no longer recognize. Although it is not your home country, your heart aches for what it once was - something you will never have the privilege to experience because you arrived during the Restoration of the Republic - a fallacy of an era since the country was never restored to how it was. 

That may be best. It is easier to mourn the loss of something you never knew.

In moments like this, you feel terribly inadequate - when you speak with broken Korean or struggle to understand the foreign politics behind why Gifteds are hunted, no matter how many times Namjoon patiently attempts to teach you. All you know is that, at least here, to be Gifted is not a death sentence, per se. Other countries’ governments have been far less lenient with their mutant population. 

You’re simply seen as a science experiment to be tested on, poked and prodded, pushed until you’re driven mad, and then warped into whatever shape the government has the need for. 

“You have no match,” Yoongi smiles softly at Jungkook with a shake of his head. “I do.” 

Holding out his hand, a small flame appears in the center of Yoongi’s palm. It floats just above the skin, though he isn’t burned. You’ve seen Yoongi summon fire a million times from the heat of the air around him, and he never ceases to amaze you.

With a nod in Namjoon’s direction, Yoongi waits for a small rope of dirty water to splash against his hand. Namjoon is much kinder in his attack against Yoongi, only summoning enough water to extinguish the flame. 

“Water will always win against me,” Yoongi admits. This time, he holds your gaze when he speaks. “It is my match.” 

You feel something stir in your belly that migrates up your chest until it eventually threatens to suffocate you, nearly getting lodged in your throat. 

“You would do well to continue sparring with Namjoon,” he says after a moment before turning to Hoseok and Jungkook, who have otherwise been silent. 

It’s an order, even if Yoongi is gentle with his words. 

With a sigh, you turn back to Namjoon. It’s difficult to stamp down the heat Yoongi always manages to trigger inside of you. You would compare him to fire even if it didn’t already run in his veins. 

Drawing from the murky stream, you weave a ball of water between your palms.

“Let’s go again.” 

While you spar with Namjoon, Yoongi leads Hoseok and Jungkook to the other end of the field.

You and Namjoon spar as though you are dancing. It’s a push and pull, your rhythms falling into harmony, even when one of you performs a surprise attack or a new move that hasn’t been practiced before. Perhaps it is because you both fight with water. There is a fluidity to it that the others don’t possess. 

Occasionally, your eyes stray to where Yoongi, Hoseok, and Jungkook have begun to spar. The three men do not dance. Instead, they are a fury of elements intertwining in chaos. The wind snuffs fire, Yoongi and Hoseok blasting each other incessantly. Shadows allow Jungkook to disappear before being hit by an attack, only to reappear right behind his opponent to go in for the kill. 

And it would be a kill if this was real. You know Jungkook keeps a rather terrifying knife strapped to his thigh. You all carry weapons, though you don’t really need them. Even Jungkook, with a Gift that’s misunderstood and exceptionally rare, is never found without his weapon. 

Out of all the Gifteds you’ve met on your way to safety, you have never encountered another who can manipulate shadows. So, there is truth to Yoongi’s statement. 

Jungkook is terrifying, even with the wide, starry eyes he always seems to stare at you with. He’s quiet and shy, typically sticking to Hoseok. You assume it’s likely because you found the two of them together. Both were kept in the same room at the research facility in Busan. As unassuming as Jungkook may be, you’ve seen him manipulate shadows to wrap around a Red Pin’s neck. Those shadows twisted and tightened until the man crumpled. 

You didn’t need to have the Gift of blood manipulation to know when his heart stopped. 

It was one of the scariest moments of your life, even beyond the suffering you’d endured having lived in the research facilities since you were a teen. Before then, you’d never seen someone die. Even when Yoongi and Namjoon helped you escape, they shielded you from the worst of it. It wasn’t until the three of you came upon the newest facility that such horrors were unleashed. 

Jungkook hates himself for it. You know he does; you typically make your bed beside his, and he cries in his sleep. Self-defense protects the body in the moment, but harms the mind and heart long-term. 

You probably would have done the same. 

For as tragic as his story is - or what little you know of it - Jungkook has an undeniably beautiful soul. Those horrors have yet to turn him cruel or his heart black. Even when he spars, you can tell that he’s being gentle. He holds back and doesn’t reach his full potential out of fear of hurting others, you’re sure. You can see it in how he bounces on the balls of his feet to keep his movements light and how his back muscles ripple beneath his shirt as it clings to his skin. A bead of sweat runs along his neck, over the vein that bulges from his exerting effort. 

Something prickles under your skin. When you look up, it’s into those wide eyes full of galaxies you’ll never understand, are somehow okay with not understanding if it means you can continue to gaze upon them. 

A small smile pulls the corners of Jungkook’s mouth up. His expression is short-lived, though, quickly falling as a bright orange flame licks at his ankles. 

“Don’t let my words get to your head, Jeon,” Yoongi teases. “Impossible to beat, but easy to hurt.” 

This time, you catch Yoongi’s eye. You duck your head when he winks at you, just in time to block another blast of water from Namjoon. 

“Why is everyone so off today?” Namjoon grumbles to himself. You haven’t managed to successfully hit him even once. 

“I’m tired,” you whine again, dropping a ball of water to the ground. Dead grass quickly soaks it up once it splashes. “We should check on Jessi.” 

Your group’s sixth and final member is tucked away in the corner of the warehouse on the top floor. It’s dark up there, though Yoongi’s everlasting fire, paired with the windows Jessi managed to open, gives enough light for her to work. 

She has black grease smudged on her left cheek and across her forehead. Her long, thick hair is tied back into a ponytail, though strands have fallen out to frame her face. When you step closer, you hear her muttering, but you can’t make out what she’s saying. It’s not for you. She speaks, facing the black box placed in front of where she kneels on the floor. The floor can’t feel good on her knees with its bits of broken concrete and dirt. Everything hurts in this life; it hardly matters as long as you’re here and not there. 

“This piece of shit,” Jessi hisses, running her hands across her face. It smears more grease onto her skin, but she doesn’t care. 

“Not working?” 

“Beep beep boop beeping all over the fucking place, then static. White noise and shit. Like it’s telling me to fuck off even though I’m the one fixing it.” 

You hum, crouching down to stare at the box. It’s an old radio meant to transport messages back and forth. Perhaps left behind by the military after it had occupied this land while it bulldozed the vigilantes seeking to save Gifteds from the fate you all ended up sharing anyway. 

Jessi tweaks a few exposed wires. Every time they spark, you flinch. Mini white lightning, it’s deadly for anyone but Jessi. She grumbles and continues her work with deft fingers calloused from toiling away at the stupid thing for months. 

“I’m normally so fucking good at this, I swear to God.” 

Frustration colors her tone, even if her expression and cursing didn’t already give her feelings away. 

You don’t doubt her, though, and you tell her as much. Still, you know firsthand that it sucks when your powers don’t work how you want them to. As a technopath, fixing the radio should be easy work for her.

“There must be something wrong with it… Maybe the Red Pins did something to it?” 

You don’t know anything about technology. Even with the phone you’d stolen off one of the Red Pins, all you’d gotten to do was look at TikTok and try to find out where your parents were before Yoongi made you destroy the device. The government had ways to track you. Technology was as much your friend as a stranger on the street. 

With a sigh, Jessi leans back until she’s sitting flat on the grimy floor. 

“Maybe? Fuck if I know. I think I’m getting close, though. I’m getting some frequency when I concentrate really hard, but I wanna fix it so it’ll work even without me.” 

Your friend whispers the end of her statement. It goes without saying; each one of you knows the fragility of life on the run. 

“Thank you for working so hard.” Even in the dim lighting, you can see her watery eyes shine. It hurts your heart, but all you can offer is a light squeeze of her shoulder. 

Jessi shrugs. “It’s as much for me as it is for you.” 

You watch her stand and brush the dirt from her butt, her joints cracking from sitting down too long. When you first joined this mutant crew, you would have followed behind Jessi to comfort her. But, after months of running and fighting, you’ve learned that sometimes solitude is the best healing method. 

4 MONTHS, 2 DAYS

“What makes you think you’re ready? That any of us are ready?” 

Yoongi watches you with catlike eyes from where he sits at the kitchen table. The chairs circled around the battered wooden table are mismatched and in varying stages of deterioration from being abandoned for so long. The one Yoongi sits in is metal, and he leans on its two back legs, his right foot pressed to the floor to keep himself steady and his arms crossed against his chest. 

Although Yoongi isn’t raising his voice - he never does - you still feel like you’re being scolded. 

“I know we are,” you challenge him. Your voice is steady even as your fingers tremble. To stop them from shaking, you squeeze your hands into a fist, nails biting at the skin of your palms. 

You should sit down, but holding your energy in is hard. Instead, you pace the kitchen while Yoongi’s cat eyes and Jessi’s wide ones follow you. You feel like a lion looping its cage, the desire to run restricted and confined. 

“How?” 

“We can’t stay here, Yoong! We can’t. I can’t.” 

The front legs of Yoongi’s chair slam into the concrete floor. He allows the momentum to pull him forward, landing his elbows on the table’s surface. 

Looking at Yoongi hurts. You can tell from his face that the next thing he says won’t be pleasant. His lips are pressed into a fine line that curves downward slightly. It’s cute how he can pull off a straight-lipped frown, but not when it’s directed at you. 

It’s been at least an hour of back and forth between the three of you. Jessi tapped out a long time ago, resolved to watch the tennis match of an argument between you and Yoongi rather than exert energy on a fight she isn’t committed to. Yoongi and Jessi have the final say in all group decisions as the group’s elders. It’s another reminder of how you think Yoongi sees you as someone to take care of rather than an equal. 

“Have you ever killed someone before, Y/N?” 

You pause your pacing to stand in front of the table. Yoongi is an exceptional cook, managing to create delicious meals out of what little you all have to work with from the forest. But now, at this moment, you feel like you’re going to be sick from the food churning in your stomach. 

“No.”  

“No,” Yoongi repeats. He speaks slowly, like he’s mulling your answer over, letting it twist around his tongue until he’s satisfied enough with its taste to swallow it down. 

Leaning forward, Yoongi presses his palms against the table’s surface. He spreads his fingers and stares at them. The two of you seem to trace over the scars that line his skin, little nicks, and slices that healed light pink or blazing white. You’ve never seen Yoongi naked, but you have seen a good expanse of his body when you’ve used your Gift to help the others get clean. From what you’ve seen, you know Yoongi’s entire body is littered with battle scars. 

“I have,” he admits what you already knew, and the gravelly sound of his voice makes you shudder. “Jungkook has.” 

You wince at the mention of the younger man, but Yoongi doesn’t give you a chance to speak. 

“Do you want to ask him what it’s like to squeeze the life out of another man? He may have done it with shadows, but I guarantee he still felt it in his hands.” 

Yoongi lifts his eyes to yours when the first tear rolls down your cheek. Concern wrinkles his forehead. 

“Yoongi,” you start, but the pink-haired man shakes his head. 

“I don’t mean to upset you, kiddo.” The pet name twists your gut tighter with frustration - even though Yoongi’s voice is filled with gentle adoration when he calls out to you. “But I’ll be damned if I let us walk into that forest without knowing where we’re going or whose claws we’re running into. The Gifted Commune is, at best, a rumor. At worst - a trap.”

You want to tell him that falling for a rumor or getting caught by the government is better than sitting in a concrete cage. The prospect of finding a community of other Gifted runaways who have managed to create a society safe from the evils you’ve grown up with means more to you than the fear of the unknown. 

There’s no use, though. Jessi is nodding along to Yoongi’s words; the blank expression she wears when she’s upset already masks her face.

“I will not put you in a situation where you must kill or be killed, Y/N. I won’t fucking do it.” Yoongi clears his throat suddenly, and he looks away from you. You’re unsure, but think he might be blinking back unshed tears.

You’re still pissed, but now your anger is mixed quite prettily with debilitating guilt. You’ve never seen Yoongi cry, and you realize with a sinking feeling that you really don’t want to. 

“It’s too fucking risky,” Jessi finally speaks. She presses her fingers against her forehead, massaging it slowly as she, too, looks for words. “The radio is almost fixed; I can feel that it’s close. Then we will have a clearer line of communication with the Commune. It doesn’t guarantee anything, obviously, but it’s better than going in without fucking knowing anything.” 

There’s nothing else to say. Yoongi doesn’t look at you or Jessi, instead staring at something in the opposite corner of the room.

Jessi gives you what you think is a smile laced with pity - or at least an apology. 

How can everyone be so content to stay in the warehouse? You’re a bunch of sitting ducks, hiding out in the same location for months, practically waiting for the government to send their agents to either corral you into laboratories again or exterminate you. You don’t understand how becoming a moving target is a bad thing. 

But, ultimately, you don’t understand why Yoongi can’t just trust you. 

With a frustrated huff, you twist around to hurry out of the kitchen. As you cross the threshold, Namjoon appears in the doorway. 

“Oh, I need to ask you-” 

You don’t mean to shove Namjoon with your shoulder as hard as you do, but you don’t have the patience to comply with whatever he expects you to do for him. Probably more sparring and training. 

On the one hand, sharing your identity as a water elemental with someone else in the group is an affirming experience. On the other, it’s infuriating because Namjoon sees your potential and pushes you toward it - even when you fight against him. 

Namjoon sputters something, and you hear Jessi convince him to drop it. Whatever else they have to say is lost on you; you’re no longer interested in entertaining the conversations of the “leaders” of the group. Part of you wants to find Hoseok or Jungkook to force them to commiserate with you, but something about dumping your sludge of emotions onto them feels wrong. 

So you do what you’ve always done best: you repress. 

It isn’t until a few hours later when you’re lounging on your makeshift bed with the only tattered book you kept from your facility (Fahrenheit 451, how fitting), that you give yourself over to the gnawing need to interact with other humans. 

Jungkook bounces on the balls of his feet, items that you can’t make out pressed against his chest. 

“Will you cut my hair for me, noona?” 

The out-of-use honorific flusters you, making your face burn under Jungkook’s attentive gaze. 

“You don’t have to be so formal with me,” you insist, embarrassment ravaging your twisted stomach and fluttering chest. Something about the attention Jungkook gives you makes you feel nervous and giddy. 

“It’s not very formal, really. It’s… respectful? I just… You are, it means,” Jungkook lets out a huff. He blows his bangs out of his face as his cheeks turn pink. “You are special to me.” 

You duck your head, shocked by Jungkook’s honesty. It warms you in a way you’re not sure you understand, letting the feeling sit inside your chest rather than exploring it any further. 

“Where I come from, we don’t have words like that.” 

Jungkook gives you a shrug. Neither of you mentions that in Korea, those words don’t really exist anymore, either. 

“But, okay,” you relent softly. 

Jungkook stands beside the mess of blankets that make up your bed, holding a pair of scissors and electric clippers Jessi enhanced to operate on their own. Jungkook nicked them from a Red Pin on their way out of the research facility he’d grown up in. Hairstyling tools didn’t seem high on your list of items to steal, but they’d come in handy. Like now, with Jungkook’s bangs falling entirely into his eyes and his hair sweeping across his shoulders. 

The pout Jungkook wears lessens slightly. He holds out the tools with an expectant look on his face. It’s cute how his bottom lip juts out, pink and chapped from nervously chewing on it. You’d overheard Namjoon scolding him for something earlier that morning before you went outside to patrol the grounds with Hoseok and Jessi.

Taking the items from Jungkook, you lead him out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. The lights sputter briefly before they fully brighten the small room. Jessi was excited to learn that her Gift extended to electricity as a whole, not just that within technology like computers and radios. With all your Gifts combined, the warehouse is liveable, almost comfortable. 

Jungkook sits on the closed lid of the toilet, making you tower over him. He parts his legs slightly so you can stand between them as you run your fingers through his hair. 

You spread your fingers and sweep his bangs up, exposing his forehead. It opens up his face more and makes him look older. Jungkook is handsome; there’s no denying that. You’re sure in another life, he could have been a regular college kid with a sweet girlfriend and a bright future. 

“What would you like me to do?” 

“Hmm?” Jungkook hums with his eyes closed, and his head tilted back slightly. 

You don’t miss how he leans into your touch, completely pliable in your hands, as you massage his scalp and continue to play with his hair. It’s thick and soft, even without the proper haircare products to maintain the health of the follicles. 

“How do you want me to cut it, silly?” 

You reach for the hairbrush you keep tucked away in the bathroom cabinet. It takes a few more moments of silence while you brush out Jungkook’s waves before he finally speaks. 

“Short. Cut it all off, please? It’s too hard to take care of now, and it gets in my face.” 

“Don’t get mad at me if it comes out bad.” 

Jungkook lets out a frustrated sound. “You always do a great job. You gave Yoongi hyung an undercut. It looks so good!” 

At the mention of Yoongi, you feel your heart drop. Somehow you know Jungkook is here to make you feel better even if he hasn’t said anything about the argument, and he’s the one seeking your help, not the other way around. He’s a distraction - one you wonder if Yoongi sent himself. 

It isn’t that Yoongi won’t apologize; you just never give him a chance to before you run off to lick your wounds on your own. 

It’s the healing quality of solitude, you think as you prepare to cut Jungkook’s hair. However, this time, you’re not alone. 

You can’t help but smile when Jungkook starts singing a song of his own creation as chunks of his hair fall to the floor. His song drowns out the static that buzzes in your brain like the fuzziness Jessi’s broken radio emits when anyone but her fiddles with it. 

“This way,” you speak softly, not wanting to disrupt his singing as you press your fingertips against his jaw and under his chin to lift his face toward you. Your finger presses against the little mole just below Jungkook’s bottom lip. The angle gives you a better view of your work so far. 

A small smile flickers on Jungkook’s face as though he’s trying to keep it down, but the corners of his mouth won’t listen to him. 

“It feels nice. We don’t touch.”

You hum and nod your head, but Jungkook’s eyes are still closed. It’s true; kind touches are rare. Hoseok is really the only one who gives out hugs. Everything is tough all the time. There’s little room for gentleness, even amongst friends. 

So you understand when Jungkook’s smile wins out, and he finally surrenders to the happiness your light touches along his jaw bring him. 

4 MONTHS, 5 DAYS

It takes Yoongi three days to apologize. 

Perhaps you should have apologized first, but you struggle to see how you could have done anything that warrants an apology. Yes, you feel bad for upsetting Yoongi, but his attitude toward you lately has rubbed you the wrong way. 

During the three days it takes him to apologize to you, he seems to do his best to avoid you. 

On the days you’re assigned to go on patrol with Yoongi, Jungkook accompanies you instead. You don’t mind having Jungkook by your side, you discover, even though you’re upset that Yoongi is behaving so childishly. 

Neither Jungkook nor Yoongi talks much, but you learn that their silence feels different. Whereas Yoongi’s silence stems from feeling confident and content with not needing to fill the air with incessant babbling, Jungkook’s silence is awkward and heavy. He fiddles with the loose strings of his shirt, his reddened cuticles, and everything else. You don’t mind the awkwardness, though. It’s nice to comb through the woods with someone as powerful as Jungkook; you know there’s nothing to fear with him around. 

The only weapon Jungkook carries is the knife strapped to his thigh. You, on the other hand, stay heavily armed. Your fingers tighten around your bow. When you twist your torso, the harness that holds your arrows digs into your shoulder. You also have a knife, though you are honestly afraid of close combat. A gun would be even better, but ammo is difficult to come by. It’s easier to collect your arrows after you’ve shot them, although you haven’t needed to yet. Since finding refuge at the warehouse, no one has discovered your group. 

Apparently, all your friends are willing to keep testing fate. You aren’t interested in pushing your luck. Jungkook doesn’t comment on the group’s plans for moving forward - or lack thereof. Something tells you that he’ll do whatever Yoongi and Jessi tell him to do. 

Still, going on patrol with Jungkook does a decent job of preventing your thoughts from straying toward your argument with Yoongi. Your hands brushed together a few times as you walked side by side, and you could practically feel Jungkook’s brain shortcircuit from the contact. 

Part of you thinks he has a crush on you, but the more logical part of you knows he’s probably shy. The kid has gone through a lot in life. Not everything is always about you; you try to remind yourself. Yoongi doesn’t even want you. Why would Jungkook?

On the third day, bright doe eyes don’t greet you at the edge of the woods, just as the sun is kissing the sky for the first time. Instead, sharp cat eyes hold your gaze when you lightly jog over. 

“Good morning, kiddo.” 

Yoongi wears dark shorts with tattered edges cut from a pair of old jeans and a plain t-shirt the color of the forest in spring. It’s not warm enough to wear what he’s wearing, but fire elementals run hot like you run cold. 

“Hi,” you say, voice a bit stunted as you hold your jacket tighter to your body. 

You’ve foregone your bow and arrows today; you may or may not have snapped your bow in a fit of frustration that may or may not have anything to do with Yoongi ignoring you at dinner the night before. A knife and your Gift will have to do, but you feel it is enough. Namjoon insists on learning how to use your Gifts and weapons in tandem. For double the defense, or so he says. 

Carrying a knife seems ridiculous when you know how to choke someone with their own spit without touching them. 

Once you’re within arm’s reach, Yoongi offers his hand to you. He holds it as though he’s going in for a handshake. Yellow-orange fire licks at his palm and swirls in tendrils around his fingers and wrist. 

After a few seconds of silence, he makes a slight grunting sound and wiggles his fingers, beckoning you. 

It’s impossible not to cave. A prickly feeling tingles down your arm, beginning somewhere in your chest and eventually settling in your fingertips. A tiny hurricane of water stolen from the moisture in the air circles around your hand just as the fire does Yoongi’s. 

He lets out a pleased sound when your palms glide across each other. You hook your thumbs together, using the momentum to spin your hands around until your fingers are interlaced and pressed into your palms. You both squeeze your hands once, twice, three times in a heartbeat before pulling away. By the end, the fire and water have disappeared. 

When you meet Yoongi’s eyes, the warmth of the fire in his palm has transferred to his gaze. There is an apology in how you release each other’s hands. The handshake holds secret words of friendship and reassurance between you. 

The two of you stand in silence for a bit until Yoongi tilts his head in the direction of the woods. You nod in response and follow Yoongi along one of the many patrol paths your group has established. 

There’s never anything in the woods besides small animals like squirrels and rabbits, but everyone feels better knowing there is a consistent patrol of the area, just in case. 

“So,” When you look at Yoongi, his lips twist into a light smirk you absolutely do not like. “You and Jungkook.” 

“Me and Jungkook what?” 

Yoongi shrugs. “Just seems like you two been hanging out a lot.” 

“Yeah, because you were fucking ignoring me all week.” 

His smirk drops into a stern frown, but Yoongi continues following the path. He walks slightly ahead of you with his hands clasped behind his back. It feels like he’s taking a leisurely stroll through a garden rather than going on patrol in the woods for government assassins. 

“It was immature and irresponsible of me, and I’m sorry for that.” 

Forgiving Yoongi is too easy. It’s the way the morning sun shines through the canopy of trees above you, casting streaks of light against his fading pink hair. The way he carries himself with confidence is gentle and comforting rather than arrogant or misplaced. It’s how he looks at you; you know he would do anything for you.

“It’s okay,” you finally concede. You scramble a bit to fall in line with Yoongi again. “I was being dramatic.” 

“Life is one big drama, isn’t it?” Yoongi muses with a chuckle. It’s a question he doesn’t expect an answer to, which is good, considering you’ve got something else buzzing around in your head. 

Well, fuck it. You’re just gonna say it.  

Heart pounding, you eventually find it in you to say, “I still think you’re wrong.” 

After a moment, Yoongi hums in acknowledgment of your admission but doesn’t offer anything else. It’s better than nothing, so you tell yourself to be content with all that he offers. 

“Anyway…” You don’t want to drop the subject, but Yoongi’s question is nagging in the back of your brain now - a nagging question you now have a gnawing desire to know the meaning behind. “Me and Jungkook can hang out without it meaning-” 

Before you can finish your statement, Yoongi slaps his hand against your mouth. The calluses on his palms are rough against your chapped lips, and his skin is sweaty. His free arm comes around to the front of your chest near your collarbones. He draws you against his chest so tightly you can’t move. 

“Don’t talk.” His breath is hot against your face, and his voice is almost indiscernible. 

You give a tiny nod before locking your body completely still. You hold your breath, straining to hear what Yoongi might hear or see what he might see. There’s nothing, just the usual sound of life in the woods - birds chirping, small animals scurrying in the brush. You don’t see anything either. 

You can only focus on the frantic pounding of your heart and the calm beat of Yoongi’s against your back. How he can be so relaxed when he thinks there might be danger in the woods that you can’t even see is unreal.

Slowly, Yoongi takes a step back away from you. He holds a finger to his lips and silently mouths for you to stay where you are. Everything inside you screams to disobey as you watch Yoongi disappear further into the woods, the thick trees swallowing him whole. 

But you don’t. You stay put, fear rooting you to the ground even though your body desperately wants to follow. 

What lies beyond the thicket of trees? What is dangerous enough that Yoongi wants you to stay put but not so dangerous that he believes he can take it on alone? 

Just when your resolve is about to crumble, something catches your attention out of the corner of your eye. Barely breathing, you turn your head to watch a dark spot glide across the forest floor. It’s two-dimensional, not an object but a presence creeping along the ground.

Suddenly, the spot grows. It spreads, turning its shape from a flat, uneven circle to a thing with tendrils sticking out of it, each new tendril moving independently. You gasp when one of the tendrils creeps up your leg. Despite being two-dimensional, you can feel the darkness. It’s firm and cold, like a snake slithering up your body. 

Every inch of you trembles as the strange darkness slowly spreads across your body. You squeeze your eyes and hold your breath. Perhaps this is the thing that Yoongi saw, a phantom stalking the trees. But now you’re left behind to be absorbed into its darkness, eaten alive. 

You’re startled when the cold disappears; instead, strong arms pull you against a firm chest. Warmth envelopes you, and when you open your eyes, you see familiar ones looking back at you.

“I got you,” Jungkook murmurs. He has you tucked under his chin, and he tilts his head down when he speaks to you. You shiver as his lips lightly brush against your forehead. 

“Where did you-”  

“Shhh.” 

Jungkook’s heart isn’t steady like Yoongi’s had been. On the contrary, it’s beating rather furiously. You can hear him attempting to regulate his emotions, taking in mindful breaths and exhaling in a way that tickles your skin.

You don’t know how long you stand there pulled against Jungkook’s chest. After a while, your breathing matches his until you fall into a gentle rhythm that makes you sleepy. The adrenaline is making you crash, your body hardly strong enough to hold yourself up after panicking so severely - still panicking. Luckily, when you lean into Jungkook, his hold on you tightens. 

In another situation, pressing your fronts together would have flooded your body with heat. You can feel all of Jungkook like this, from the bulging muscles of his chest to his thigh pressed slightly between your legs from how he holds you up. But fear of the unknown and Jungkook’s clearly distressed state prevent those other thoughts from materializing. 

Jungkook’s body doesn’t relax until Yoongi appears around the corner of a large tree. He keeps his arms wrapped around you, and for a second, Yoongi looks around at the clearing you’re in as though he can’t see you. 

It isn’t until Jungkook lets go of you that recognition flashes in Yoongi’s eyes. 

“There you are,” Yoongi murmurs to the two of you. He looks like he rolled around on the ground, little pieces of leaves and sticks caught in his hair and stuck to his clothes. His left knee is bleeding from a few superficial scrapes. 

“What the fuck happened to you?” 

Yoongi looks at Jungkook before he answers your question, which irritates you. “I tripped when I rushed in, but it was nothing. Just a large fox I heard making noise back there.” 

A fox is likely the largest animal in the woods, with no bears or wolves in the area. Still, you don’t trust Yoongi. You can pick up on the charred smell coming off of him. He smells like a barbecue, which means only one thing… 

“Have you been practicing turning yourself invisible?” 

Jungkook ducks his head down but no longer has long bangs to hide his face. It takes a second for your brain to process Yoongi’s question - and the change in the topic - but Jungkook is already answering him by the time you figure it out. 

“It’s not really invisibility,” he says softly. “It’s more like… an illusion.”

Yoongi hums and motions for the two of you to start walking. You’re returning to the warehouse, you realize, even though you only just started the patrol route. 

“Yeah, I can… adjust the lighting, I guess? To make it seem like you can’t see me. Or, us, this time.” 

Jungkook gives you a small smile when you whip around to look at him.

“I didn’t know you could do that.” 

“Yeah,” Jungkook repeats. He draws his bottom lip between his teeth and wiggles it like he has more to say but doesn’t want to let it out just yet. 

The three of you walk in silence until you reach the warehouse. When Yoongi walks ahead of you, you can tell he’s limping, even as he does his best to walk normally. 

“He’s okay.” 

Jungkook stands beside you in the field behind the warehouse, watching Yoongi reach the backdoor. 

“He’s bleeding.” 

Jungkook’s ears are pink when he responds, “He’ll be okay.”

“He’s lying to us.” 

Jungkook absentmindedly runs his fingers along his bottom lip. It droops as he speaks through a pout. “Maybe. But I trust him, even if he is.” 

It’s a strange thing to trust someone who is lying. 

All you can do is nod. All you can do is accept that the people around you are doing what’s right because, aside from them, there is no one and nothing you can trust in the world. 

As you approach the warehouse, Jungkook curls his fingers around your wrist to stop you. He watches you with the same wide-eyed look he gives everyone, though something about this time feels different. His expression is more open and vulnerable. He looks at you like he’s waiting for you to hurt him. 

“I’m sorry I scared you,” he apologizes softly. 

“But you didn’t?” 

Your eyebrows crease your forehead, trying to recall what you may have done to make Jungkook feel like you feared him. Sure, his sudden appearance in the woods was startling, but he’d brought you a feeling of comfort and safety - not fear. 

Jungkook doesn’t correct you. Instead, he lets go of your wrist as shame warms his cheeks, but he doesn’t look away from you. The timidness is still there. You can see it in how he chews on his bottom lip. Still, his eyes take on a more guarded, hardened expression for a split second, and then… 

He’s gone. 

“What the fuck?” You mutter to yourself. 

Now that you’ve seen the darkness before, your eyes quickly notice the spot on the ground that creeps and grows into odd shapes, slinking along the grass before taking form up your legs, curling around your arms. 

It’s Jungkook. You knew it in the woods, somewhere deep down. Your fear for Yoongi’s safety - and your own - prevented you from processing the situation. But now, as the darkness envelopes you again, you know what to expect when you close your eyes and open them to see Jungkook’s broad chest as he crushes you against him. 

“You never showed me before.” 

Maybe it’s weird that you’re still clinging to each other, but Jungkook is warm and solid, and his heartbeat guides yours into a slower rhythm. 

“That’s because it’s creepy.” 

“Well, I think it’s cool. Even though, yeah, you kinda scared the shit outta me.” 

Jungkook lets out an embarrassed whine and squeezes you tighter. You knew he could command shadows but hadn’t realized he could become one or move within them. Sure, the tornado trick he’d done a few times with Hoseok had been cool, but you’d always thought he was merely swirling the darkness around himself. You hadn’t realized he was the darkness. 

Honestly, it made him all the more terrifying and equally as endearing. 

“I just had this… feeling something bad was happening…” Jungkook whispers into your hair. “I needed to check.”

“Good thing it was only a fox.”

Jungkook nods in agreement; you know he believes it more than you do. 

“I’m just happy you’re safe.” You can feel his cheek press against the top of your head for a moment before he finally releases you. 

There’s a feeling there as Jungkook leads you to the warehouse. He laces his fingers with yours, and you can’t help but hear Yoongi’s question on a loop in your head. 

You and Jungkook? 

4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS

“What if they think we’re the feds and feed us false information?” 

“We’re too stupid to be the feds. It would be obvious.”

“I don’t know… we all escaped the government, so they must be pretty stupid.” 

“What if they’re the feds?” 

“Shit, I never thought about that.”

“They’re not the fucking feds.” 

“How do you know that?!” 

“Can all of you please just shut the fuck up?” 

The six of you crowd around the radio on the kitchen table. Jessi shows you how to operate it, which flip to switch to activate the microphone, and how to adjust the volume. You’re all muted for now. When Hoseok goes to flip the switch, Jessi smacks his hand out of the way. 

“Listen to me,” she says sternly, turning in her seat to get a good look at all of you. “No one talks.” 

“But-” 

“No one talks.” 

Five heads nod at her command, including Yoongi, which feels very satisfying to you for some reason. 

Details of the Gifted Commune somewhere beyond the woods traveled by word of mouth. Coordinates and radio frequencies were exchanged in hushed tones between the Gifteds who dared dream of a life beyond the Labs. You’re sad to admit that you were never one of those Gifteds. It wasn’t until Yoongi helped you escape that you even realized escaping was an option, so brainwashed into thinking the Labs were all you had. You were in a new country, stumbling through an unfamiliar language, taken from your family. Sure, you’d learned enough to get by over time - but missing your adolescent years made you feel hopeless. 

Jessi is the only one who had communicated with the Commune leaders in the past when she and another Gifted managed to break into a control room in the Labs she came from. 

That’s why she’s the one to speak into the radio that you find operates much like a long-distance walkie-talkie. You’re glad it’s not you. She introduces herself, her whereabouts, and her credentials with an even voice you know you could never replicate. 

Despite the distrust you’re all afraid of, Jessi’s previous connection to the Commune makes it easy for her to request to speak to the Commune leader, a healer named Kim Taehyung. 

Sitting with your fingers gripping the edge of the table so tightly your knuckles are beginning to ache, you lean forward as though you can get closer to the gentle voice that floats from the radio’s speakers. 

Taehyung doesn’t sound anything like you’d imagined, though you aren’t sure what you were expecting, to be honest. Maybe someone with a rougher voice made harsh by the trials of life as a fugitive of the Republic. Instead, he’s soft as he asks Jessi how many there are of you and what your coordinates are. This man, already larger than life even though none of you knows what he looks like, is patient as he gives Jessi instructions on how to reach the Commune. 

“I can assure you,” Taehyung speaks, and you don’t know what he’s about to say, but you find yourself already believing him, “You will be safe here. It won’t be a short trip.” That makes your gut twist, but you focus on his following words. “But there are abandoned shelters along the route to find refuge in. The nights get terribly cold.” 

Namjoon scribbles some notes down on a worn piece of paper. It’s been written on and erased to add more notes over the months you’ve been at the warehouse since there are only a few pieces of paper between the six of you. There’s a small hole in the middle of the page where someone erased too hard - or too many times, you suppose. 

“Thank you, Taehyung-ssi.” 

The line is quiet for a moment. Jessi’s gaze shoots up to glare at Jungkook’s interruption, but Taehyung speaks before she can chastise the younger man. 

“Anything for my dongsaeng,” the man on the other side of the radio states. 

You don’t know him, so there is no way to tell if the subtle lilt to his voice indicates affection, but it seems like it as the two men use polite terms no one ever uses anymore. It’s old-fashioned and reminiscent of a time lost to all of you. 

Jessi steers the conversation back to planning the group’s journey to the Commune. Excitement makes you jittery as you skip out of the kitchen, the men - aside from Yoongi - following after you. The boring stuff is what follows, and you’re all content to let the leaders discuss that stuff. 

“Do you think we’ll be able to do it?” Hoseok clasps his hands together, occasionally squeezing them. When he speaks, he keeps his eyes on the closed kitchen door. 

Namjoon shrugs at the same time you respond, “We have to.” 

5 MONTHS

Later, when you look back on this time in your life, you’ll see that everything that transpired during those precious months at the warehouse led up to this. 

At the moment, though, you don’t see anything but the beginnings of spring attempting to sprout from the hard winter earth. 

You sit on the roof atop the old milkcrate with your elbows on your knees. Your eyes follow a small butterfly floating through the light breeze. It’s quiet, just like any other day. 

Yoongi, Jessi, and Namjoon are inside, preparing for the trip you all will make through the woods to the Commune. Hoseok and Jungkook are somewhere at the perimeter of the woods, gathering whatever they can as food for the trip. 

You’ve learned that there is a runaway at the Commune whose Gift allows them to disguise the Commune, similar to Jungkook’s Gift of optical illusion through shadows. Except this Gifted can alter reality, bend the shape of time and space to make the Commune simply…. disappear to anyone they don’t want to find it. 

It sounds otherworldly, something you can hardly wrap your head around, but you must remind yourself that before your Gift had revealed itself to you, you had never believed in the supernatural or fantasy. Now you were everything a younger version of you couldn’t have begun to believe. 

A tiny part of you had been worried that you would get nervous, but you find you can’t sit still from the enthusiasm building up energy in your body to the point you might explode. It’s exciting, the knowledge that in a few short days, you won’t have to sit on top of this roof with your bow and fear that has seemed to make its home deep inside your chest. 

Soon you’ll be safe. 

You hold your breath as the butterfly gently flutters toward you. With a slight dip in its flight, the beautiful insect descends until it rests on your shoe. You’re pretty sure you learned somewhere that butterflies shouldn’t be touched, but you want to run your finger along its wings so badly. 

Just before you can touch it, a scream rings out, echoing against the warehouse and reverberating across the industrial park’s empty fields and parking lots. Crows take off into the sky, their cawing harmonizing with the shouts coming from behind you. 

With your heart beating in your throat, you stand and run to the other side of the roof toward the woods. 

“RUN! Y/N, FUCKING RUN!” 

You just barely catch a glimpse of Jungkook’s face as he sprints out of the woods before suddenly disappearing. Your blood becomes ice, piercing your veins as it glides through your body. Jungkook is a shadow now, you tell yourself. He didn’t really disappear.  

Hoseok stumbles out of the woods behind Jungkook, the wind at his feet enabling him to run across the field faster than an average human. 

At first, you think they’re just playing some silly game. Jungkook and Hoseok always mess around, pranking each other and playfighting. This seems like some elaborate joke until you watch Hoseok use his Gift to lift a giant chunk of concrete from the ground near the warehouse and throw it toward the woods. 

You watch with wide eyes as multiple masked men, wearing all black except for the blood-red insignia of the Republic on their chests, crash through the woods like a spring flood. 

Red Pin agents. 

They’re armed with guns, some still on their hips while others are holding them out in front of them as they swarm the warehouse’s perimeter. 

One of the men tilts his head up, his dark eyes locking with yours before you drop to your knees to hide behind the protective barrier around the roof. 

You throw your bow over your arm and head so it rests across your chest and back and crawl as quickly as you can toward the trapdoor. 

Your limbs tremble so terribly that you miss the last few rungs of the ladder and fall flat on your back, knocking the wind out of you. With a gasp, you touch the back of your head and try to blink away the stars swarming your eyes. When you bring your hand back, your fingers are coated red. 

“Shit! Get up, Y/N. Get the fuck up!” 

A pair of strong hands squeeze your biceps, and once your vision clears, you see that it’s Jessi hauling you to your feet. There are grease streaks on her face. You wonder if they’re from…

“The radio,” you croak, your lungs still struggling to work properly. 

“It was fucking rigged,” she spits, “I don’t know how I couldn’t sense it. But it was.”

And now they are here to collect you - or kill you, you aren’t sure. 

Maybe they would spare Jungkook. He has a Rare Gift; they would be stupid to harm him. The rest of you, though? Common Gifts - although Jessi’s is Uncommon, but certainly not Rare.

You feel lightheaded, likely from the fall and blood loss as it trickles down the back of your neck. It’s thick and wet. The smell of iron floods your nostrils and makes your stomach curl inward. It doesn’t matter, though. Jessi throws your arm around her shoulders and practically drags you through the warehouse. 

Inside is a tornado. Namjoon and Hoseok are scrambling to gather as many supplies as they can. Luckily, many of the essential items are already packed, though Jessi quickly tosses out the radio from the duffle bag she flings over her shoulder. 

“Stupid piece of fucking military bullshit,” she grumbles, giving the item a harsh kick with her steel-toed boots. “Gonna get us all fucking killed.” 

Hoseok lets out a whine. “Please don’t say that.” 

His face is bright pink, and his hands shake while he shoves clothes, random notes, and anything else he can find into his duffle bag. 

“We need to get the fuck out of here,” Jessi growls in response. Her tone has Namjoon and Hoseok picking up the pace. 

Somewhere below you, likely on the first floor, you hear the sound of glass breaking. 

“Fuck,” Namjoon hisses. You don’t think you’ve ever heard him curse before, and in any other situation, you would have giggled. But right now, he looks so grim it makes all the hairs on your arms stand. “They’re inside.” 

The sound of shouting and boots slapping against the concrete floors gets louder the longer the four of you stare at each other. Even Jessi, with her commanding presence, seems to stand frozen in place. The shouting becomes easier to understand as death threats if your group refuses to cooperate and willingly turn yourselves in to the government. 

As if any of you would actually go back to the Labs. At least, not without a fight. 

“If we stand here, we are going to die.” Your voice trembles just barely above a whisper. It’s enough, though. 

Namjoon gives a curt nod and looks around the room you’re in - the room that was once your bedroom. Your little nest of blankets is in the corner, along with Jungkook’s and Jessi’s. The beds have been rifled through, likely by Namjoon and Hoseok collecting the warmest blankest to bring on the trip. 

“The window,” Hoseok finally says with a quiet hiss. The warehouse is relatively large, so it will take some time for the Red Pin agents to figure out which room you’re in. 

The four of you rush to the window and peer out of it. From what you can tell, there aren’t any Red Pin agents below. Even if there are, it would be a smaller number than is currently bulldozing through the warehouse. 

It’s a long drop, though. You’re on the third floor. 

“I’ll ease you down,” Hoseok insists. He props open the window and rests his hip against the wall. “Sit on the edge, with your feet out like that.” His fingers are delicate but firm as he positions Namjoon the way he needs him to be. Sweet Namjoon, willing to put his life in Hoseok’s hands and go first in case something terrible happens. 

Hoseok’s hands shake as he uses his Gift to slow Namjoon’s fall when the other man finally jumps from the window. 

Tears burn the corners of your eyes as you watch Jessi do the same as Namjoon. The two land on the ground roughly but without injury. Hoseok looks exhausted, likely from the pressure of not fucking up and less because of the exertion. 

“Come on,” he urges you as the Red Pin agents’ shouting gets louder. “They’re close.” 

You climb into the window, letting your legs dangle out the other side. Before Hoseok conjures a gentle breeze between his hands, you grab onto his wrist. Something is tugging at your chest; it has been since the moment you saw Hoseok and Jungkook escape from the woods. 

“Hobi,” you hope he hears the plead in your voice. “Where is Yoongi?” 

The way he grimaces shoots anxiety through you so severely that you feel your entire body jolt. 

“He and Jungkook are down there.”

“Down there…”

“Figh-”

Hoseok cuts himself off by letting out a shrill shriek when Jungkook suddenly materializes beside you. He has a deep gash on his cheek, blood pouring from the wound, coating his chin and neck deep red. His hair is matted and stands up on end, and there’s more blood all over his clothes, enough that you can’t tell if the blood is from him or someone else. 

“Get out,” he wheezes. When he grabs Hoseok’s arm, he leaves blotches of blood on his skin. “Hyung’s gonna blow it up.”

“Blow it up?” You hiss, twisting around to stare at Jungkook. 

It’s a mistake. 

His irises are dark and wide, so vast that his eyes are almost entirely black. It gives him a crazed look, like a wild animal backed into a corner with its teeth bared. 

What’s worse, it’s not just his eyes that are black. The veins in his neck are black like dark spiderwebs climbing up his throat and spreading down so far that it reaches the raised veins in the backs of his hands. He looks like he’s possessed, like the darkness of his Gift is consuming him whole. 

“Get out.” 

Before you can argue further, you feel Jungkook’s palm press between your shoulder blades, and suddenly you’re falling out of the window. 

When you open your eyes, you’re on the ground. Your upper body is propped up by Namjoon. His arms are wrapped around your torso, your back pulled against his chest to stabilize you. His chest rapidly raises and falls against you, but you hardly notice this. All you can focus on are the eyes staring back at you. 

“You okay, kid?”

Yoongi looks much like Jungkook. Blood is splattered across his face and staining his clothes. His faded pink hair is plastered to his sweat-drenched skin. He crouches beside you and Namjoon, one hand pressed into the grass to keep himself steady. 

From behind Yoongi, you can hear gunshots and screaming echoing through the warehouse. If Hell had a sound, you were sure it would be this. 

You try to turn to look at the building you’d just jumped from, but Yoongi grabs your chin. 

“Hey,” he lightly squeezes your cheeks. “As long as we’re together, you don’t gotta worry about anything. You remember that?” 

You nod once Yoongi drops his hand from your face. You try not to shiver when the air blows against your now wet skin; try not to think about how your skin is now stained with someone else’s blood. 

“Hyung!” 

Yoongi turns toward the warehouse. Now that he’s distracted, he can’t stop you from peering around him to get a look at the building that you’ve made your home for the past five months. 

What looks like black smoke furls around the building. From how the tendrils move like snakes through busted-out windows, you know it isn’t smoke but shadows. Through an open window, you watch one of the shadows slip around a Red Pin agent’s throat like a noose. It tightens and tightens, squeezing the man so hard his face turns purple and his eyes water. 

Before you can witness more, your view is again obscured by Yoongi. 

“Hyung!” 

Jungkook’s shout sounds more desperate than the first, and you feel your heart constrict at the pained edge of his tone. 

Yoongi must notice the desperation, as well, because he quickly grabs your hand. Fire swirls between his fingers as he presses his palm against yours. 

“Yoongi, please-”

“You need to listen to me.” 

He presses his hand against yours even harder, only letting up when you give in and summon little streams of water to intertwine with his fire. You don’t like how rushed your secret handshake feels.

“I need you to look after Jungkook. The kid’s stubborn as fuck, worse than you.”

“Why are you saying this?” 

Yoongi’s gives you a small smile, lifting his hand to swipe his thumb against your cheek. The blood there mixes with the tears you hadn’t realized you’re shedding. 

“Because it’s what I need you to do.” 

Taking your face in his hands, Yoongi pulls you close to kiss your forehead. You feel Namjoon lift you to your feet when Yoongi lets go. Hoseok had cushioned your fall from the window, but you’re weak from blood loss and the exhaustion that fear can instill in the bones. 

Before you can say anything more, Yoongi sprints toward the warehouse, disappearing through the backdoor and into the darkness that surrounds the building. 

“Namjoon, let me go!” You scream as your friend squeezes his arms around your waist to haul you toward the woods. Jessi and Hoseok wait for you there, hidden within the trees, as the sounds of fighting and death from the warehouse get louder. 

Your friend lets out a low grunt when you dig your heels into the ground, but he’s stronger than you, and the action only deters him for a moment. He lifts you a bit, practically carrying you. 

Namjoon only stops when a flash of bright red light turns the entire industrial park dark for a split second before a deafening crash rings through the air. Even though your feet aren’t on the ground, you can feel the ground shake with the explosion that busts all the windows out of the warehouse. The entire building bursts into flames, turning the walls black. Balls of fire fly out of the broken windows, igniting the grass below. 

You crumble to the ground once Namjoon reaches the woods.

“We have to go,” Hoseok pleads. When you look up at him, his cheeks are streaked with tear tracks, too. 

Turning back to the fiery scene across the field, you watch a dark spot slither from shadow to shadow in the grass until it merges with your own shadow beside you on the ground. You tremble when Jungkook wraps his arms around your shoulders. His body is still crawling with dark veins, and the whites of his eyes are now entirely black. 

“Where is he?”

You glare into Jungkook’s eyes and swallow down the fear they strike in your heart. Like black holes, ready to absorb anything unlucky enough to fall in their path. 

The frown Jungkook wears intensifies. 

“Jungkook. Where. Is. He.” 

Jungkook closes his eyes and shakes his head, jaw clamped shut so tightly you can see the muscles ripple under his skin. When he opens them again, black tears pour from his empty eyes.

It’s like all the air is sucked out of your lungs, like a punch to the throat. You’re breathing in as hard as you can, as fast as you can, but nothing’s staying. Everything is too cold. You can feel the blood crusting on your skin, the throb in the back of your head. Black ash falls from the sky, further obstructing your ability to breathe.

Everything is too much. 

“Get off of me.” 

You try wiggling out from Jungkook’s grasp, but he doesn’t let go. 

“We have to keep moving.” 

“Get the fuck off of me!” 

Jungkook lets you push him away. He leans back on his heels and watches you. Or, you think he is. It’s hard to tell where those black eyes look, but it doesn’t matter. 

“Yoongi,” you moan, sagging forward to dig your fingers into the ground. You rip tufts of grass until all that’s left is dirt. 

With closed fists, you beat into the now bare ground, over and over, until your knuckles split open, and Jungkook has to scoop you into his arms to stop you. Your fingers are raw and bloody, and you don’t feel any of it. Nothing at all. Just numb. Numbness spreads through your body like Jungkook’s black veins spread through his. 

None of this is real. 

“Jungkook,” you sob into the crook of his neck with your arms thrown around his shoulders. He holds you bridal style with one arm wrapped around your torso and the other under your legs. 

“I know.” 

“He’s coming back, right? How will he find us if we keep going?”

Jungkook tightens his hold on you, cradling you against his chest. You assume he’s following the group deeper into the woods, but your eyes are closed, and your face is buried in his neck. He smells like smoke and blood, but you all do now. 

“Jungkook, he’s coming back, right?”

A wet sob cuts through the otherwise quiet woods somewhere in front of you. You think it’s Hoseok, but you can’t tell. 

“This way,” Jessi whispers. 

There’s shuffling, then only the sound of feet crunching dead leaves and snapping twigs. Jungkook jostles you slightly to adjust his grip on you, murmuring gentle apologies every time he does. 

“How are you holding up?” This time it’s Namjoon. He sounds close, like he’s walking in line with Jungkook. 

“I can keep us hidden until we’re deeper in, but then I’ll have to stop,” Jungkook says through gritted teeth, as though he doesn’t want to admit what he must say next. “I’m exhausted.”

“Want me to carry-”

“No.”

Jungkook barks his response with an aggression you’ve never heard from him. He squeezes you, almost protectively close to his chest, as Namjoon assures him everything is fine. It’s hard to focus on the men’s hushed voices when you waver in and out of consciousness. 

Eventually, all you can see when your close your eyes is a flash of bright light, like fire engulfing your brain. 

And then everything goes black.

SHELTER #2

Hoseok’s hands shake as he holds the flint rock in one and the steel knife in the other. Twigs snap beneath his boots as he adjusts his squat. Each fidget draws your attention despite your desire to keep your eyes off the sight of Hoseok struggling. 

After three failed attempts at creating a spark, Jessi quickly snatches the items from Hoseok’s grasp and kneels beside the fire pit. 

“You’re gonna fucking stab yourself,” she grumbles, though she, too, struggles the first few tries. Eventually, the little pile of tinder ignites, filling the circle of rocks you’d gathered with a hot fire whose heat licks at your ankles. 

Namjoon fists your jacket sleeve and drags you backward, nearly toppling you over and making the wet grass stain the butt of your pants a dark green. 

It rained today. You can’t help but wonder if it washed away the blood and soot from the warehouse or if more Red Pin agents will show up and find evidence of what happened there.  

“You’re sitting too close.” 

“I’m cold.” 

“You’re too close, Y/N.” 

You glare at Namjoon, opening your mouth to retort that you’re an adult who can take care of yourself when a sob cuts through the tension between you. 

Hoseok shudders with each heave of his shoulders, nearly folding in on himself, with his elbows on his knees and his palms pressed against his eyes. 

“Hyung,” Namjoon calls out; his voice barely registers over Hoseok’s crying. 

“It makes me think of him.” It’s all Hoseok says, all he needs to say. 

Namjoon and Jessi’s expressions crumple like Hoseok’s body in the dirt. You watch them lock eyes with each other, something silent and private passing between them. You don’t know why, but it pisses you off. It shouldn’t, though. 

Something dark and sick is growing inside you, this angry mass doubling in size every time someone cries for Yoongi. He was your best friend. He found you, saved you, and helped you see that there was more to life. The rest of them don’t get it. Yoongi didn’t mean to them what he meant to you. 

Attempting to hoard grief all to yourself isn’t fair to you or the rest of your group, but you want to do it anyway. You want to be selfish because you feel you deserve the right to hurt the most. The rest of them don’t get it. 

Rather than voice your frustration, you bite your bottom lip and dig your fingers into the dirt, winding up your whole body into a tight fist that’s not quite ready to spring but prepared all the same. If you let yourself loose, you know you’ll say something you shouldn’t – something you know you don’t actually mean and that you’ll regret, if not tomorrow, then ten years from now. Assuming you survive that long. 

For now, survival should be the only thing on your mind. 

The fire sputters slightly. A section of the tinder is wet from the morning’s rain. You hold out your hand, palm facing the sky, and wait. 

Hoseok’s sobs have subsided by the time you’ve drawn the moisture out of the wet wood. It sits in a small pool of water in your palm. A reckless part of you wants to plunge your hand into the fire, but you spread your fingers apart instead. The water falls through your fingers and soaks into the grass. 

The fire’s crackling overpowers the silence that blankets the four of you. Each of you stares deep into its flames, streaks of orange burning in your eyes. You wonder if Jungkook’s invisibility shield (“Optical illusion, guys.”) is strong enough to hide the fire. You’d never thought to ask if he can maintain the shield when he’s not even around. 

Twigs snapping in the distance make you reach for the knife sticking out of the ground beside you. Hoseok doesn’t seem concerned by the sound, but his sense of smell as the air carries it to him may be compromised from all the crying. His nose has been running since your group left the warehouse. 

You haven’t cried since you woke up inside the first abandoned shelter Taehyung mentioned would be on your path to the Commune. Even if you wanted to cry, you wouldn’t be able to. The part of your chest where the sobs should come from just feels empty. 

The rustling in the woods increases until you hear the sound of someone clearing their throat. 

Jungkook emerges from the darkness with a satchel – Yoongi’s satchel – thrown across his chest and a stone bowl in his arms.  

“Rabbit. I skinned them already. I thought you guys might not wanna see…” Jungkook trails off when his bright eyes fall on Hoseok’s tear-stained face. With a quiet sigh, he crouches beside the fire and slides the satchel off, handing it to Namjoon. 

“Fruits,” he mumbles, not looking in Namjoon’s direction once the older man takes the bag from him. Instead, and unsurprisingly, Jungkook’s eyes are on you. 

You look away. There’s too much in those eyes, full of constellations of stories you’re too weak to learn. Bending your knees, you draw your legs against your chest and hug them, returning your gaze to the fire while Jungkook prepares to cook the meat and Namjoon handles the other food. 

Yoongi asked you to look after Jungkook, but it’s he who has taken care of the group. Namjoon seems too busy fussing over Hoseok, and you know you aren’t any help. Jessi is the leader by default now that Yoongi isn’t here to take charge. She’s strong and has kept the group on a tight schedule. You know it’s her way of coping. There’s no time to lose herself in mourning if she charges ahead. Having an end goal gives her purpose. 

If only you knew what yours was. 

SHELTER #3

Your feet sink into the ground with each step you take. The sand feels soft between your toes as you wiggle them, watching the little black grains roll across your skin and make your toes disappear. Your steps halt just before you reach the water’s edge, where bright orange waves lap at the black shore. The shore stretches in both directions, a black stripe for as far as you can see. A ghost of a memory tickles your brain. Jack-o’-lanterns lit by tealight candles, and the smell of cinnamon. 

Suddenly, the orange waves kick up in speed, crashing against the shore more violently. The force causes black sand to spray into the air. You can taste it in your mouth, feel it gritty against your teeth and harsh on your tongue. 

You try to lift your hands to cover your face, but you find that you can’t. They’re trapped to your sides by long vines that wrap around your wrists and dive deep into the sand, rooting you in place. You try to pull out of the vines’ grasp. Thorns dig into your skin so deeply that black blood oozes from the jagged puncture wounds the thorns leave behind. 

“Don’t struggle.” 

The voice brings stillness to the whirlwind of sand and the crash of waves. 

You already know who it is, but your body still feels surprised when Yoongi takes slow steps toward you from the other end of the shore. He’s dressed in a flowy white shirt and loose white pants. When you look down, you realize you’re matching. 

“What do I do?” 

Yoongi ignores your question. His fingers run along your forearm, his index finger dipping into one of the holes in your wrist, still dripping black blood. It doesn’t hurt, even though you know it should. 

Dark cat eyes examine the black that stains his fingers. After another silent minute, Yoongi wipes your blood on the front of his shirt. You don’t know why you’re worried that he’ll ruin it. 

“Jungkookie is here.” 

“What?” 

Yoongi walks toward the orange ocean. You scramble to keep up, but the sand grabs your ankles and pulls you back every time you step forward. 

“Yoongi! Wait for me!” 

“You don’t need me anymore. This is a good thing.” 

Your friend nods his head before stepping into the water. The moment his foot touches the orange waves, the entire ocean bursts into flames. 

“Yoongi!” You shriek, running as fast as possible, but the sand won’t let you go. It sucks you down until you’re up to your knees in the soft grains trapped in the hold of the shore. Your brain knows it’s hopeless, but your body keeps struggling even though Yoongi told you not to. 

Suddenly, you feel rough hands grab your arms, and you’re being pulled into the sand, the grains filling your mouth and nose until your lungs are full and you can’t breathe.

“Hey, hey, shhh, it’s okay.” 

Fingers trail along your hairline, dragging down the length of your face and tracing your jaw. Rather than cold sand, you feel something solid and warm wrap around your body. 

“Breathe. In and out, okay? Inhale… exhale… I got you. It’s okay. I got you.” 

As your body returns to you, you realize your face is pressed against smooth skin. You can taste salt on your lips, but no sand. When you blink, your eyelids feel heavy and wet. 

You’re crying. Sobbing, actually. 

“I miss him, too. So fucking much.” 

Jungkook is crying, too. His voice remains steady, though. He’s always so steady now. The shy, fumbling boy of the warehouse is no more. In the time since the Red Pin attack, Jungkook changed. You all did, but he seems to have changed the most. His eyes still hold the stars, but the darkness seems… deeper now. His aura has lost its boyishness. 

The abandoned building where your group has taken refuge is dark, only lit by the moonlight filtering through the slotted windows. You think it may have once been a cabin for a couple or small family. 

Jungkook cradles you in his lap. The two of you are wrapped in thick blankets, cocooned away from the world. 

“I’m sorry,” you whisper. 

Jessi is asleep in the corner of the room, while Namjoon and Hoseok have made their beds in the room across the hall. You’re all accustomed to loud noises at night. Nearly all of you have suffered from night terrors at some point. 

“It’s okay. You’ve had to listen to me cry in my sleep, too,” Jungkook points out with a small smile. 

It’s a breathtaking smile. Jungkook’s cheeks shine with fresh tears, but his bunny teeth poke out, and his eyes crease with the sincerity in that smile. It warms the empty parts of your chest – like hot tea poured into a cool mug. Perhaps the odd feeling in your stomach is similar to the bubble of water boiling. 

“You’re cute when you cry. I’m an ugly crier,” you sniff. It’s stupid to say, but you don’t want to think about how sad you all are. 

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am. All the boogers and the dumb faces I make.” 

Jungkook shakes his head. His hair is getting long again. 

“I think you’re beautiful.” 

“Don’t lie,” you try to joke, but your voice comes out small and unsure rather than teasing. 

“I would never lie to you.” 

As if to seal the promise, Jungkook presses his lips against your forehead in a kiss. Your fingers ache from how tightly you squeeze the fabric of his shirt into your fists. 

Every day you trudge through the woods in search of the Commune, and every day you live in fear of the Red Pins finding you once again. But being in Jungkook’s lap, face nuzzling the crook of his neck, his strong arms holding you against his chest… It’s the only time you genuinely feel safe. 

SHELTER #4

“When was the last time,” Jungkook pauses to pull his shirt over his head, “you took a bath?” 

Your eyes roam the expanse of his broad chest, the dips and valleys of his abdomen, and the sparse dark hairs disappearing into the waistband of his pants. You’ve seen Jungkook shirtless before. It’s a treat every time, although you feel a twinge of guilt from looking now. Running along his ribcage is an extended cut, red with scabs. Jessi did her best to stitch Jungkook up with whatever she had in the supplies Namjoon and Hoseok snatched before you fled the warehouse. It’s a pretty nasty wound, but it seems to be healing well. Part of you wonders if exposing it to lake water is a good idea, but you keep the thought to yourself. Jungkook is tired of everyone babying him. He hasn’t told you as much, but you can tell.    

“I’m too ashamed to answer that question.” 

“You and me both,” Jungkook snorts. 

He removes the harness strapped around his thigh, taking the large knife off along with it. After the Red Pin attack, you now know how pointless it is to carry any weapon other than a gun. However, none of you have guns, though you still believe your Gifts are better than any human-made weaponry. 

“Too bad we don’t have, like, soap and shit,” you grumble, stomping a cluster of wild mushrooms growing along the bank of the lake you’d found. 

Jungkook’s tattooed fingers play with his belt buckle while his big, brown eyes flit up to meet yours. 

“Sorry!” You rush to apologize and turn your back to him. Heat creeps up your neck, spreading across your cheeks and biting at your ears’ tips. 

Your discomfort worsens when you hear a quiet chuckle rumble from Jungkook. There’s the rustle of clothes and, soon after, a light splash that tells you he has eased himself into the lake. 

“You’re good.” 

When you turn around, Jungkook isn’t facing you. He dips his head back to wet his hair, running his fingers through it a few times before righting himself again, still facing away from you. The water reaches his lower back when he’s standing, but you can tell he is crouching slightly because the gentle waves lap higher up on his back. It’s not dirty water since the lake has a fresh stream feeding it, which ensures that the water isn’t stagnant, but it’s murky enough from the plants growing at the bottom that you can’t make out the rest of Jungkook’s body. Not that you want to, considering he’s naked. 

Thankful for the privacy, you quickly strip out of your clothes and step into the water. You keep a respectful distance between you, choosing not to drift too far into deeper water. You much prefer to at least touch the sandy bottom with your tiptoes. 

Slipping deep enough that only your head remains above water, you watch Jungkook as he uses an old rag to scrub his arms. You’re both disgustingly grimy. 

“Lucky we found this place,” you think aloud as you begin to work on scrubbing down yourself, as well. 

“We are.” 

“Jungkook. You can look now.” 

His head snaps up, gaze locking with yours for a split second before he averts his eyes again. You’re close enough to see pink bloom across his face. 

You clear your throat to fill the silence when he says nothing. Part of you thought it might spur him to talk, but the tension between you remains. 

You’re not sure when it first developed. Part of you knows it has always been there, perhaps dormant or less noticeable. Much of it falls back on Jungkook’s behavior, you think as you watch him slide the rag down his chest. The tension has always lived in the dark expanse of his eyes and how he searches for you, always you, maybe without even realizing it himself. It’s gotten worse since you’ve started waking up every morning wrapped in his arms and nuzzling his neck. 

“What’s the first thing you want to do when we get to the Commune?” Jungkook finally speaks. When he does, you force yourself to drop your gaze, focusing intently on continuing to wash yourself to the best of your ability with the lack of soap.

“Eat food that isn’t rabbit, hopefully.” 

“Hey!” 

A giant splash of water hits you in the face. You gasp, rushing to wipe away the droplets clinging to your eyelashes. 

“F–fuck you!” You sputter. 

“It’s not my fault rabbits are the easiest things to catch around here. I’m doing my best!” 

Another splash slaps into you. It isn’t hard enough to sting, but it’s a splash all the same. 

“You’re real dumb if you think you can start a splashing war with someone who has a water Gift,” you challenge. 

“I’m not scared of you,” Jungkook sticks out his tongue after he challenges you. 

All it takes is a flick of your wrist and a wave higher than most nearby trees descend on Jungkook. It doesn’t ever reach him, though. The sheer panic that contorts his face is enough to warm your body with evil satisfaction. You gently let the wave descend into the lake, barely kicking up enough to splash Jungkook against the chest. 

“I showed you mercy. You’re welcome, young man.” 

Jungkook lets out a loud snort, eyes rolling into the back of his head in defiance. “You’re insane.” 

“You provoke me.” 

You don’t like how high his eyebrows arch, unable to decipher what an expression like that is supposed to mean. 

“I provoke you? In what way?” 

You narrow your eyes at him. “You literally did it just now.” 

Jungkook straightens up a little. The action makes more of his torso rise from the water. You can’t help but drop your eyes to the water level that has fallen so dangerously low on his hips. 

When your gaze finally returns to his face, Jungkook is wearing an exaggerated pout. 

“I’m innocent.” 

“Pfft,” you scoff. 

By this point, your fingers are starting to get wrinkly, and the position you’re standing in to ensure your whole body is covered in the water is becoming uncomfortable. You’re just about to tell Jungkook that you’re done playing games – that the two of you need to hurry up before the rest of your group gets worried about you being gone for too long – when the man disappears. 

“Oh my god, Jungkook-ah, why?” 

Your eyes dart around the lake, eyeing each shadow suspiciously. You don’t think you see Jungkook’s actual body underwater, so all you can guess is that he’s doing his creepy crawly shadow-walking just to bother you. 

“This is doing the exact opposite of proving that you’re innoce–” You interrupt yourself with a loud gasp when you feel fingers squeeze your bare hips. 

“Boo,” Jungkook deadpans, but his face quickly cracks into a smile. 

You want to laugh at yourself for being so easily startled, to match Jungkook’s joyfulness, but all you can focus on is the feeling of his fingertips pressing into your skin. 

“Jungkook…” 

“Hm?” 

He’s absentminded as his gaze drops down to stare at your lips. You automatically lick them, almost on instinct, unable to stop yourself. Jungkook follows your lead, though he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth instead of settling his face. If that action didn’t already make your stomach twist into a knot, the darkness of Jungkook’s gaze does. 

“I…” Jungkook rubs slow circles into your hips with his thumbs, following the curve of your hip bone and effectively interrupting your thoughts. 

You don’t know who leans in first, but it doesn’t really matter. The moment Jungkook’s lips connect with yours, it’s as though your brain completely empties. 

It’s a hesitant kiss, just a light press of Jungkook’s closed mouth against yours. He grows bolder when you don’t pull away, parting his lips slightly. He nibbles at your bottom lip, prompting you to part yours as well, allowing him to slot your lips together. 

You bring your hands up to squeeze Jungkook’s biceps, coaxing a slight whine from him when your nails lightly dig into his skin. The sound is gentle but needy, making your skin prickle with goosebumps. You’ve never heard Jungkook sound like that, never heard anyone sound like that. 

You’ve never even kissed anyone before. 

It’s not what you expected, though you haven’t spent much time thinking about physical intimacy. Being trapped in the Labs, it never seemed like something you’d have the privilege of exploring. Once you escaped, there was only one person you ever thought about being intimate with – and even then, it was far more wholesome than this, you now realize. This… is different. 

Jungkook trembles, and you feel his hands flex against your hips as he tilts his head to the side, deepening the kiss. 

A few times, the two of you fumble, noses bumping into each other and teeth nipping a bit too hard. It makes you wonder if this is Jungkook’s first kiss, too. You decide it doesn’t matter if it is. It’s warm and soft, and Jungkook tastes sweet, like the berries Hoseok picked earlier today. You’re dizzy; Jungkook stealing the air from your lungs. Your body screams for you to pull away, but you cling to him tighter.  

Something firm brushing against your inner thigh brings you back to reality. You nearly jump out of Jungkook’s grasp, chest heaving and fingers trembling beneath the water. 

“I’m sorry,” Jungkook hurries to speak before you do. 

Before you can say anything in return – though you’re not sure what you want to say – Jungkook is gone. All that’s left are his clothes still neatly folded on the grass beside the lake and a thrum of excitement beating through your body to the tune of guilt and shame. 

Kissing Jungkook felt good. And that is why it can never happen again.  

SHELTER #5

If you ever told Jessi that you see her as a mother figure, she would probably kill you. You consider this as she wields a machete, hacking away at the brush that blocks your path as you continue toward the Commune. The muscles in her bicep and shoulders flex with each swing. It’s sexy and terrifying, and you can only admire her strength when the rest of your group is floundering. 

The guys trail behind, practically dragging their feet. It’s Jungkook’s fault (and maybe yours, but you won’t think about that). 

Ever since the kiss, Jungkook has avoided you. You haven’t interacted with each other in days, aside from the cuddles you share at night when nightmares overtake you. 

Hoseok and Namjoon have also noticed the shift in his behavior, though they believe it’s grief causing him to distance himself from the group. They hang back, letting you and Jessi march forward, so they can talk and do whatever boys do to cheer each other up when the world is falling apart. 

You try not to think about it too much, but Jessi and her motherly instincts don’t let you know peace. 

“Yoongi wouldn’t want us to be so fucking sad all the time.” Jessi lets out a grunt as she hacks at a particularly thick tree branch blocking your path. “If he was here right now, he’d kick all of our asses with a quickness.” 

She’s right; it goes without saying. 

Letting her arm fall to her side, Jessi uses her free hand to wipe away the sweat that collects on her forehead and drips down the side of her face. She looks at you like she’s waiting for you to do something. The expression makes you feel uneasy. 

“What?”

“Did you even hear the shit I was saying?”

“Yes.” 

“Okay then, what’re you gonna do about it?”

You scrunch your eyebrows together. “About what?” 

Jessi lets out a frustrated huff and again brings the machete down on the tree branch. It splinters and breaks, providing enough weakness for Jessi to stomp down on it with a steel-toed boot. 

“Did you and Jungkook fuck?” 

“What?!” 

When you gasp, you’re sure you inhale a bug, sucking it right down your throat and probably into your fucking lungs for all you know. It sparks a terrible coughing fit that makes Jessi pause to slap you between the shoulder blades a few times. 

“Why–” you heave, tears in your eyes, “why would you think that?” 

Jessi pushes forward through the forest brush with a roll of her eyes. 

“It’s obvious there’s something going on. The poor boy’s moping around after you like a lovesick puppy. Even worse than usual.” 

If you weren’t already sweating your ass off, you would be heating up from Jessi’s astute observations. 

“I don’t know what you're–” 

“Aish, fucking save it, babe,” Jessi interrupts you with a wave of the hand that isn’t holding the machete. “All I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to feel good. Life is fucked as it is. Stop ruining good things for yourself and live as best as you can in the circumstances we got, alright?” 

She gives you a stern look from the side, a look that you quickly try to avoid by ducking your head down. Suddenly, the ground is fascinating. 

“I’m fine.” 

“Right, and I don’t have a fat ass.” 

“Really!” You insist. The desperation in your voice is pathetic and telling. 

“Yoongi would want you to live, hun. I know he would. And you wanna know how I know?”

There isn’t a need to say anything; once Jessi has her mind set on something, she sees it through until the end. 

“There wasn’t a fox in the woods. It was a Red Pin scout.” She gives you a pointed look. “But ignorance is bliss, and he wanted you to be happy. He wanted you to live without more fear, so he didn’t tell you. So do whatever you need to do to fix things with Jungkook and be fucking happy.” 

You fall behind as Jessi speeds up, the path much clearer now than it had been just a few feet before. The guys are still meandering further back, so you fall somewhere in the middle, close enough to see everyone at either end but far enough that you can be alone with your thoughts without interruption. 

Jessi is right, but it feels wrong to let yourself feel good. How can you be happy when Yoongi isn’t here? There is a bit of survivor’s guilt clutching at your heart, but most of your struggle is from the pain of simply not having Yoongi around. Being happy feels like it would be a betrayal of some kind. 

Yoongi would disagree. He would give you that gummy smile and poke you in the ribs until you cry, and then he would tell you that you’re being an idiot. 

With a sigh, you break into a light jog to catch up with Jessi, Yoongi’s voice echoing for the millionth time in your head. 

You and Jungkook.

COMFORT

You are ashamed to admit that you take longer to apologize to Jungkook than Yoongi took to apologize you to. 

In fact, you never apologize to Jungkook before your group makes it to the Commune. It never seemed like the right opportunity came. There was always someone else around, or Jungkook looked exceptionally sad, or you told yourself you would say something once he woke up but got caught up watching how beautiful he looks when he sleeps cuddled against you every night. 

It’s always tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. The thing about tomorrow is that it always comes until it doesn’t. 

And then suddenly, you’re all stumbling into a clearing in the woods that leads to what looks like a hole in the trees, and there is magic dancing in your bones that pulls your thoughts away from anything but the man who stands to greet you.

Kim Taehyung is not what you expected from the leader of a notorious Gifted runaway commune that has evaded the authorities for years. Admittedly, you had few expectations – too busy worrying about surviving the trek to think about what the man would look like when he finally greeted you. Still, it’s a lot to process. 

“Welcome, my little Gifts!” 

The lithe man stretches his long arms out as wide as his wingspan will let him. Your group exchanges looks when Taehyung doesn’t move, his eyebrows arched as he waits. 

The six of you stand at the Commune entrance, marked by two trees manipulated into forming a magical-looking arch. Large flower bushes and more trees flank the arch, hiding whatever may lie within the Commune. Try as you might, as you peer over Jessi’s shoulder, you can’t see through the thicket. 

Taehyung lets out a quiet sigh, but his arms don’t seem to tire. He wiggles his fingers as though he’s beckoning you into his arms. The movements, although small, make the numerous gold bracelets that line his wrists clink together like wind chimes. He wears loose slacks and an oversized white silk shirt. A knitted shawl with intricate patterns stitched into it in earth tones hangs over his broad shoulders. The tassels sway in the wind. You don’t know how, but he smells like summer. 

“Do you not seek comfort?”

A loud whimper erupts from the middle of your huddle, and suddenly Jungkook pushes past Jessi and Namjoon. He stumbles the few steps it takes to reach Taehyung. 

“Jungkook-ah,” Jessi whisper-yells, but it’s too late. Jungkook has his face buried in Taehyung’s chest, a sob tearing through his body. 

“Shhh, my little Gift, you are home.” 

Taehyung keeps his eyebrows arched, giving the rest of your group a pointed look. It takes hardly a second before Hoseok follows Jungkook, launching himself into Taehyung’s embrace with such power you’re shocked the Commune leader manages to stay upright. Hoseok’s cries harmonize with Jungkook’s until Namjoon eventually joins. 

Never one to open up about sadness, Jessi stares down the Commune leader with a challenging look that would make the bravest soldiers shit themselves – and yet Taehyung merely smiles the strangest, most charming smile you’ve ever seen. 

Before you know it, you’re standing alone because Jessi has a singular tear sliding down her round cheek, and Taehyung has one arm curling her against his chest, too. 

Comfort. 

It’s funny, isn’t it? Funny that we want it, crave it, even from a complete stranger. Comfort provides no solution to our problems and is even sometimes used to avoid problems altogether. You have known little comfort since Jungkook carried you away from the warehouse.  

Okay then, what’re you gonna do about it?

You meet Jessi’s gaze, and the realization hits you that this is the first time you’ve seen her cry. 

“Be happy, Y/N.” If Jessi speaks out loud, you can’t hear her but can read her mouth clearly. 

It’s like something shatters in your chest. It’s shocking; you were convinced nothing was left inside to break. But when Taehyung finally lowers both arms to wrap them around your group – yourself included – no pain or sadness plagues your heart. You feel strangely at peace. Taehyung’s summer scent envelopes you. It’s freshly-cut grass, sea salt, and cherry blossoms. Warmth spreads from the man, what you imagine it feels like to be a plant absorbing nutrients from the sun. 

“Thank you for trusting me,” Taehyung speaks softly. “This is my Gift, and it makes my heart happy to share it with you today.” 

You remember that Taehyung is a healer Gifted when he gently extricates himself from what became a group hug that lasted for eternity. 

“Are we feeling better now?” 

You all find yourselves nodding. Taehyung beams at that. He claps his hands together, startling Hoseok into a small giggle. 

“Wonderful!” Taehyung turns on his heel, his shawl billowing out behind him as he swiftly crosses the archway. “Now, come with me. We have many things to take care of!” 

Your group hurries to keep up with the man who’s all legs. Beyond the arch, the Commune is more like a small village than whatever tent city you’d expected. Little houses similar to the abandoned ones your group found refuge in on the way here line the dirt paths – except these are full of life. Odd markings are painted on the brick and concrete buildings, all in the bright colors of summer: sunny yellows, healthy greens, and vibrant pinks. 

You notice that in the doorway of every building is a small basket, sometimes more than one, resting on the ground. Some are full of items you can’t quite make out because Taehyung is walking so quickly that you don’t have time to peek into any of them. 

“I can’t quite remember how many there are of us,” Taehyung says over his shoulder as he leads you down a road lined with shops. There’s clothing, produce, and other wares for sale. You feel embarrassed by how your mouth waters simply from seeing an apple. “I would say at least three hundred, but Seokjin hyung would know better. He’s the brains of all this. I’m merely the handsome face of the operation.” 

“Yah, I heard that, Kim Taehyung!” 

“Oh, so you heard me singing your praises, hyung?” 

Taehyung leads you to what you guess is the center of the Commune by the way the buildings form a half circle around a grassy quad. In the middle of the quad, there is a large pile of tinder – tree branches, dead grass and hay, planks of wood, and other items stacked on top of each other to build what will most likely be a giant bonfire from the looks of it. 

The man known as Seokjin approaches your group just to shove Taehyung’s shoulder with his own. “I am both the brains and the beauty, thank you very much. You can be second-best.” 

“You’re demoting me? In front of our new friends?” Taehyung pouts. 

Seokjin twists his broad torso to get a good look at your ragtag team of misfits. Facing this new man’s beauty head-on, you are quickly reminded of how disgusting you all probably look and smell, having fought through the woods for weeks without even a proper bath. 

Even though you all look like hell, Seokjin beams just as Taehyung had. 

“Oh good, you didn’t run away!” 

You feel Jessi tense beside you. “Why the fuck would we run away?” 

“Taehyung is insufferable, that’s why.” 

“Hey!” The leader shoves his friend much harder than his friend had shoved him. “You’re so grumpy. Do you need a hug?” 

Seokjin swats at Taehyung. “Don’t you have things to do? Summer is here soon. Go make daisy chains or something. Jimin and I will take care of our new friends.”

“Daisy chains?” You blurt out in question as Taehyung wiggles his fingers at your group in a goodbye. In the blink of an eye, he’s gone, disappearing into the crowds of people going about their day in the Commune. You’ve never seen so many Gifteds, free and all together, in your life.  

Seokjin hums, beckoning your group to follow him deeper into the Commune. 

“In a few days, it will be the First of Summer. I assume you all have never celebrated Summer?” 

You find it odd that Seokjin speaks of the season as though it’s a holiday. When no one responds, he lets out a long sigh. 

“You’ve missed out on so much, trapped like lab rats.” He spits the end of his sentence. It’s in anger at the research facilities rather than a judgment of you, but it makes your heart sting just the same. You wish Taehyung was here. 

Leading you to a three-story building that looks similar to a warehouse or an office building, with plain concrete walls decorated with more colorful markings, Seokjin pauses to let your group enter the front door first. 

“This is my home,” Seokjin welcomes your group. “My husband and I sleep on the first floor, but there are a few empty guest rooms on the second and third. Newcomers tend to stay with us until we’ve built them their own homes.” 

“That’s so generous of you, Seokjin,” Hoseok speaks up for the first time. The crackle in his voice tells you he’s still on the verge of tears, but he smiles when you turn to look at him. 

“Please, call me hyung if you’d like.” Seokjin smiles. 

Taehyung and Seokjin’s use of honorifics warms your heart, even though you don’t have the same emotional attachment to the custom as the others. When you look out of the corner of your eye, you see Jungkook smile at the honorific, too. 

“We’ll get your rooms situated, but first, are you hungry?” 

“Fuck yes,” Jessi groans.

The group and Seokjin laugh when you ask, “Do you have anything besides rabbit?” 

In the kitchen, your group meets Seokjin’s husband, Jimin, a fire Gifted. When Jimin pulls you into a tight hug, tears prickle in the corners of your eyes because his body burns, and he smells faintly of smoke, just like Yoongi. 

While chomping away at fresh vegetables and meat that isn’t rabbit, you learn that Seokjin is the legendary cosmic Gifted you only half-heartedly believed to be real. His ability to bend time and space wipes the Commune off the radar, ensuring the Red Pins never find it. Despite his large personality, he seems too shy to demonstrate his Gift, even as Jimin pesters him. 

They’re cute, Seokjin and Jimin. They fuss over your group as though they are your parents, making sure that you each get a turn taking a shower and that you have enough blankets and pillows in your bedrooms. Hoseok, Namjoon, and Jungkook share one, while you and Jessi share another. Jimin apologizes profusely about not being able to provide you with your own bedrooms, which you all dismiss. 

“We anticipate a few additional newcomers soon; I’m so sorry we don’t have enough room to spread out,” Jimin bemoans as he plays with his fingers. 

“Are you kidding?” Namjoon teases with a smile that crinkles his eyes. “We’ve been living in an abandoned warehouse for months.” 

“Sleeping on the floor gave me fucking arthritis, and I’m barely thirty,” Jessi chimes in.

“That’s not how that works.” 

“Fuck off, Jungkook-ah. Tell that to my broken back.” 

Jimin looks appalled by your previous living situation, making your group joke around more. Laugh through the pain, right? It’s a coping mechanism you’ve all done a decent job of perfecting. Sometimes being alive is enough to laugh about because, well, at least you’re alive. 

After a whirlwind of a day getting settled into Seokjin and Jimin’s home, you can finally ease your bones into a real bed with a thick, fluffy mattress and clean sheets. Your tummy is full of delicious food, your body clean and well-moisturized thanks to Jimin’s homemade skincare products, and you finally allow yourself to sink into the one thing you’ve been scared to find: comfort. 

Just before sleep overtakes you, you hear a quiet, almost timid, knock at the door. You wrack your brain, thinking about who it could be and why they need you. It feels like too much effort to get out of bed when you’ve only just been able to relax, so you call out to the person on the other side of the door. 

“Hi.” 

Jungkook’s wide eyes peer at you through the dark, a sliver of moonlight peeking through the window blinds highlighting parts of his face. 

“Hi,” you say, pausing to quietly clear your throat. “What’s up?”

“Can’t sleep.”

Your heart feels like it will fly out of your chest when Jungkook hesitantly steps into your bedroom. You watch him eye Jessi’s sleeping form in the bed on the opposite side of the room, perhaps weighing the pros and cons of being in the room if she wakes up. 

Apparently accepting the risk, Jungkook scurries over to stand beside your bed. 

“Can I sleep with you?” 

It’s the most Jungkook has spoken to you since he fled the lake. His request shouldn’t make your stomach flip with nerves; you’ve cuddled together every night since your first nightmare about Yoongi. So it should be easy when you respond, 

“Of course.” 

You quickly scoot over to give Jungkook room when he slips beneath the sheets. 

“Thank you,” he whispers into the dark. 

Holding out your arms, you encourage Jungkook to curl against your side, a position you usually take, but something tells you that Jungkook needs this more than you do. Part of your assumption is due to the timid, gentle boy who entered your bedroom – a different person than the one you watched murder multiple Red Pins at the warehouse with frightening ease. 

He’s still the same, though, deep down, a lonely boy with nothing to his name, just like the rest of you. 

Jungkook stays quiet while you run your fingers through his hair. You’re reminded of the promise you were supposed to make to Yoongi, the one about taking care of Jungkook. It’s time for you to finally fulfill that promise, and you already know what the first step should be. 

“I’m sorry,” you apologize softly. “I don’t like not talking to you.” 

And it hurts more than you realize. Saying it out loud makes it real, this scary uncertainty in your relationship that you’ve never experienced before. Jungkook has always been there – a steady comfort to fall back on, soft eyes to search for in moments tainted with fear and grief. Not having Jungkook in your life… It’s unfathomable. 

“I’m sorry, too,” Jungkook whispers into the crook of your neck.

You’re not sure what he’s sorry for, though you remind yourself that a relationship is a two-way street. The two of you should have talked rather than dance around each other. Even now, you’re not really talking. You want to bring it up – the kiss. What it means for him. What it means for you. Why it happened in the first place. If it’s… okay, okay to like how soft Jungkook’s lips had felt on yours and how sweet he’d tasted. Okay to feel an unfamiliar heat spread throughout your body, starting at his fingers gripping your waist. 

“I’m sorry I did it without asking first,” Jungkook elaborates after a few minutes of silence. 

Even though he doesn’t say what it is, you don’t need him to spell it out before you reply, “It’s okay.” 

“It’s not, though.” 

You shiver when Jungkook’s lips brush against your neck as he talks. His breath is cold, even though his body is warm. You wonder if it’s the darkness inside of him seeping out when he breathes. 

“I swear, it is. I forgive you. We both kinda went for it, right?” You say with an awkward laugh. 

“I’m not sorry about doing it.” Jungkook squeezes you tighter, but you’re already holding your breath. “I’d do it again.” 

His confession is whispered so quietly you likely wouldn’t have heard him if it weren’t for the fact that his lips brush your neck just below your ear. 

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” 

Jungkook’s lips travel higher. You close your eyes and let out a shuddered breath when his lips brush against your earlobe. 

It’s getting harder to relax, your body completely rigid and your breathing on the verge of frantic as Jungkook drags his nose down the length of your neck. The touch sends tingling sensations across your body. A strange feeling, like your stomach is flipping around inside of you, consumes you. His nose on your skin tickles, but it’s somehow more than just a tickle. It feels… good. Makes your stomach tense and heat spread, chasing after the goosebumps. 

“Goodnight,” Jungkook finally whispers into the crook of your neck. 

It takes you a long time to fall asleep.

THE EVE 

Apparently, the First of Summer is something to celebrate at the Commune. It seems as though everyone has a task to complete on the Eve of the holiday to get all the preparations in order, even you and your misfit crew. 

“Our Gifts are at their strongest during the Summer; haven’t you noticed?” 

Jimin flutters around like a hummingbird, gracefully darting between about a dozen small baskets lined up in the grass beside his home. The fire Gifted places a variety of items in the baskets: flower bouquets, fruits and vegetables wrapped in protective cloths, and other little trinkets and handmade presents. 

“Is that so?” Namjoon perks up from where he’d been watching a line of ants march into a small anthill. He sits in the grass next to you and Jessi while Jungkook and Hoseok stand closer to where Jimin flits around. 

“Mhm. We are more in tune with the Seasons compared to humans.” 

Jessi scoffs, “We are humans.” 

Cradling a bouquet of tiger lilies in one hand, Jimin puts his other hand on his hip. It’s supposed to be sassy and, perhaps, stern, but he just comes off as adorable in your eyes. 

“We are not humans.” 

“Then what are we?” 

With a huff, Jimin gently places the flowers in a basket that’s nearly full. 

“We are Gifts from Nature. Don’t you feel it? The Earth flows through our veins, Jessi. She broke pieces off herself to gift to us; pieces of the Universe exist inside of us. Humans don’t have that.”

There mustn’t be a good comeback for such lofty talk because Jessi remains quiet after Jimin finishes speaking. You don’t blame her; the perspective Jimin offers isn’t one you’ve ever heard of before. Everyone talks about Gifteds as mutants, genetic abominations. It’s scientific and clinical, although no scientist has figured out how or why Gifteds exist. 

Jimin’s perspective sounds like… magic. You decide that you quite like the idea that some omnipresent entity chose to give up parts of herself to make you special, a lot more than believing you’re an unnatural freak. 

“What are these for?” Hoseok asks, bending at the waist to peer into one of the baskets. 

“They’re gifts,” Jimin says with a little giggle, likely at the tease around the word he uses. “It’s customary to give gifts on the First of Summer. You’re supposed to leave them on your neighbors’ doorsteps, though you could directly gift them during the Bonfire.” 

Brushing his hands onto his pants, Jimin straightens up and looks around at your group. In the few days you’ve known Jimin, you’ve noticed that his lips poke out when he’s thinking. It reminds you of a little beak on a baby bird. You’ve told Jungkook as much, and he agrees. 

Your eyes fall on Jungkook, hoping he’ll look your way. It doesn’t take long for him to tilt his head to the side and meet your gaze. Sometimes you wonder if Jungkook can sense you somehow. You don’t understand how his Gift works, but it seems mysterious enough to be capable of anything at this point. How else would he somehow know when you’re looking in his direction every time? 

With a mischievous glint in your eyes, you subtly pucker your lips. 

Jungkook catches on quickly. His eyebrows shoot up, and a small smirk etches itself into his features. He pinches his lips into a pucker, too, and wiggles his eyebrows at you. 

You have to press your lips together to stop yourself from laughing. 

“Jungkook?” 

The younger man quickly straightens his posture and schools his face when Jimin calls out to him. 

“Yes, hyung?” 

“Want to help me finish up with some decorations? Jessi, too?” 

Jungkook nods hard enough that you worry he might give himself a headache. 

As Jessi pushes herself off the ground, Jimin turns to you, Namjoon, and Hoseok. 

“How about you all help Seokjin down at the quad with the Bonfire? He’s working on setting up the tables and food stalls for the Morning of Summer. We gather to have a breakfast feast and celebrate the first Morning together.” 

Hoseok beams at the idea, turning to you with his hands held out. You squeeze them and let him help haul you onto your feet. 

“It sounds so nice,” Hoseok chirps with excitement as the three of you make your way through the winding dirt road toward the quad, past rows of unique homes and community gardens scattered across what is essentially a makeshift neighborhood. 

“Having a community… I feel like I don’t know how to enjoy it,” Namjoon says softly. 

“What do you mean?” It seems odd to you; haven’t they all wanted something like this?

“I don’t remember how to be social. I was, I think, at some point. Before the Labs. And, of course, I feel comfortable with you all. But…” 

“Being around strangers is hard,” you offer. 

Namjoon nods in agreement. He isn’t sad, though, like you’d assumed he’d be. Namjoon wears a smile as Hoseok wraps his arms around his waist. 

“The good thing is we have all the time in the world to figure ourselves out, now. We get to be whatever we want to be, and exist however we want to exist. No more running, no more hiding, no more fighting,” Hoseok says with a grin, and it’s impossible to not believe him. 

The air Gifted nuzzles his face into Namjoon’s neck, and you swear there is light pink that mixes with the honey of Namjoon’s cheeks. 

Hoseok’s display of affection reminds you of your nights with Jungkook. They’ve become more frequent; nearly every night, he slips into your bed to cuddle with his lips dragging along your neck, just lightly enough to seem innocent but still present enough to make your body burn with an unfamiliar heat.  

You haven’t done anything more than cuddle, and you’re having a hard time telling yourself that you’re okay with that. 

Seokjin doesn’t give you time to ponder what you think is your budding love life. He gives you, Hoseok, and Namjoon a variety of tasks to complete throughout the day, from painting what you learn are ancient runes on the sides of buildings to helping the farmers harvest their produce to bring to the food stalls. Manual labor doesn’t bother the three of you; for months, you’ve all lived in a world where you work hard to survive, hunting and building your shelters. This work is easy in comparison and much more entertaining. 

At some point, Taehyung strolls through the busy quad to check on the outdoor dining space coming to fruition a safe distance from the large bonfire. He plops down on the bench at one of the tables, elbow on the table and chin resting in his hand as he watches you, Hoseok, and Namjoon take a break to munch on some snacks one of the farmers had given you. 

“Having fun, little Gifts?” 

Taehyung’s eyes sparkle in the late afternoon sun, and you can’t help but melt into the comfort that radiates from him. 

“I could stay here forever,” Hoseok mumbles around a large bite of an apple. 

“Oh?” The twinkling of Taehyung’s eyes morphs from adoration to teasing amusement. “I thought that was already the plan.” 

Hoseok nods, giving the leader a sheepish look. 

“That would be dope, yeah.”

“Then it is done.” 

The exchange makes you and Namjoon giggle, though the sweet sounds quickly die out when familiar figures jog down the dirt path toward where you sit. 

Jimin is beaming, his entire aura nearly glowing, though you know part of that is due to his Gift. Your gut twists from the memory of Yoongi, but the pain doesn’t cut as deeply as it used to. At first, you thought the lessening of the pain meant you were forgetting him or no longer caring about him, and you felt even more grief from that. But a late-night heart-to-heart with Hoseok taught you that this isn’t apathy; it’s healing. 

So you acknowledge the little prick of pain that sits in your chest but choose to use the memory of Yoongi to fuel your new love for Jimin, who you know Yoongi would have loved, too. 

“Jiminie!” Taehyung calls from his seat at the table. He holds his arms open, eagerly pulling the other man into a spine-crushing hug. 

The call of your own name draws your attention away from the men. You turn to see Jessi flashing you an uncharacteristically large grin. It makes you extremely suspicious. 

“What do you want?” You question her with narrowed eyes. 

“Oh, nothing. Jungkook wants something, though,” she says in a sing-songy voice before skipping - literally skipping - away to talk to Hoseok and Namjoon. 

Jungkook stands at the opposite end of the long wooden table. In his hands is a small wicker basket and he shuffles from foot to foot, staring at nothing in particular. 

“Jungkook-ah?”

He looks up at you with large, startled eyes. In a split second, he’s gone. The only evidence that the young man had even been there is the wicker basket now rocking from side to side in front of you on the table. 

You can’t help but giggle as dark shadows slither from table to table. 

“Do you think he can still hear me when he’s in his shadow form?” Jessi slides onto the bench beside you. She looks around at all the shadows, likely wondering which one is Jungkook. 

“I have no idea.” 

“Hey, Jungkook-ah!” Jessi looks over her shoulder to survey more of the quad. “You’re a fucking wimp!” 

Ignoring Jessi’s comment, you turn your attention to the basket. Inside is a small bouquet of white mugunghwa, a modern-looking pale pink jeogori, and a brand-new hard copy of Fahrenheit 451. Your heart pounds in your chest as you lift each item from the basket and gently place them on the table in front of you, inspecting them with soft eyes and careful fingers. 

“Where…?” 

“He picked the flowers himself and did odd jobs around the Commune and hunted some meat to trade for the jeogori and the book,” Jessi answers your unfinished question. 

You feel your eyes tingle at the corners, with tears threatening to burn your cheeks if you blink too hard. From what it sounds like, the Summer gifts are extremely meaningful - something you share with those you care about to wish them a fruitful year and good health. To think that Jungkook has spent the few days you’ve been here preparing such a gift for you warms your heart, so much so that you feel like you’re catching fire from the inside out. 

“This is very special,” Taehyung speaks as he caresses one of the flower’s petals. 

You’d almost forgotten about Seokjin, Taehyung, Jimin, and the rest of your group. 

“It is,” you agree. You carefully return the items to the basket to keep them safe. “I don’t have a gift for him, though. Is it fair to show up to the Bonfire empty-handed?” 

Jimin rests his chin on Taehyung’s head and hums as he thinks.

“Typically, we don’t give gifts to each other during the Bonfire. The gifts you bring to the Bonfire are offerings to Nature to ask for health and prosperity in the upcoming year. You’ll toss them into the fire and recite the offering prayer - but you don’t have to since you don’t know it yet.” 

You’re not sure you have anything to offer the Bonfire, either, but it seems Taehyung reads your mind. 

“There are other ways to give an offering to Nature, if not through the Bonfire,” Taehyung supplies with a small smirk. He looks mischievous and sneaky; the expression makes your skin tickle with goosebumps. 

“Yeah, you can fuck,” Seokjin adds with a smirk of his own. He looks too proud of himself when you choke on your next inhale of air. 

“You can what?” Hoseok nearly trips over his feet in his attempt to get closer to hear what Seokjin has to say. 

“It’s not an official part of the Summer celebration,” Jimin interjects with a roll of his eyes at his husband. 

“It’s a part my sweet Jiminie doesn’t mind partaking in.” 

“Seokjin!” 

Taehyung throws his head back in a loud cackle as Jimin’s face turns bright pink. The poor fire Gifted sputters as he tries to defend himself. 

“N-no! No! It’s, no!” 

Seokjin shrugs and stretches his arms over his head, leaning on each side long enough to make his joints pop. 

“Sex is part of Nature, is it not? It represents vitality, fertility, birth, new beginnings,” Seokjin points out. “Nature takes all that we give her with equal value.” 

If Jimin is uncomfortable, you’re downright mortified. You can’t help but look around at the quad as Jessi had, every shadow lurking around the corner more suspicious than the next. What does it mean that they mention sex, and your thought immediately turns to Jungkook? Shame burns at your cheeks, but you can’t get the image out of your mind. You know pretty much nothing about sex and can barely even imagine what it would be like, yet you latch onto the idea that Jungkook might be… 

Well…

You can’t say it. You can’t bring yourself to think about it. Shaking your head, you quickly stand and scoop the wicker basket into your arms. 

“I’m going to put this in my room,” you announce to no one and everyone. 

The group shouts teasing comments about your shy behavior as you do your best to walk calmly in the direction of Seokjin and Jimin’s house, avoiding everyone’s gaze and especially the shadows.

FIRE

You expected the Bonfire to hurt. Not physically, since there are plenty of fire Gifteds around to ensure the celebrations stay safe and under control. No, you expected the pain of the Bonfire to be internal, an emotional pain like the pain you’ve been failing to run from in the months since Yoongi left you. 

It has taken you a long time to let go of the anger you’ve let fester inside of you. Your anger verges on hatred, and hatred helps no one. Who is there to hate? Yoongi, for sacrificing himself to save his friends? The rest of your group for mourning your best friend just as profoundly as you have? The Red Pins for taking everything away from you? 

The Bonfire crackles and hums like it’s trying to speak to you, but its voice is drowned out by the singing and shouting of the Gifteds dancing in a circle around its flames. The flames reach nearly as high as the buildings surrounding it. Jimin and the other fire Gifteds occasionally pull out stray flames, letting them lick around their arms and bodies to entertain the children fascinated by Gifts they have yet to master within themselves. 

The performance is beautiful just as much as it hurts your heart to watch. You’re mesmerized by the dancing flames and swaddled by the heat of the Bonfire, so you don’t notice another Gifted approaching you until you’re standing shoulder-to-shoulder. 

“Have you given your offering yet?” 

The fire reflects in Jungkook’s eyes like an orange light show, hues swirling and dancing to the tune of whatever ancient language the Gifteds sing in.

“Not yet,” you respond, turning to look at him. 

Jungkook’s gaze drops to take in the jeogori you’re wearing – the one he gifted you the day before. It fits you well, loose enough that you don’t feel restricted, but still cut in a way that compliments your body. You’re glad it’s short-sleeved, or you’d be sweating in the summer night air. 

“Me either.” 

“What did you bring?” 

Jungkook pats his thigh. When you look down, you see that he has his knife strapped to his leg. 

“The fire probably isn’t hot enough to melt it, but… I think it’s the thought that counts.” 

It’s a serious matter, what the two of you are discussing, but you can’t help but giggle as you crouch down to retrieve your offering from where it sits at your feet. 

“Your bow?” Jungkook whispers as though he’s scandalized. 

“And my arrows.”

“Are you sure you want to do that? You always–” 

You shake your head. “We’re giving our weapons up for the same reasons, aren’t we?”

Jungkook nibbles at his bottom lip for a few moments. He turns away from you, those big doe eyes focused again on the fire. 

“Yoongi gave them to us.” When Jungkook speaks, his voice quivers, but his cheeks remain dry. “And we’re done fighting.” 

“We’re done fighting…” 

You mull over the thought, let it roll around in your head, test out its taste on your tongue and see how it weighs in your heart. No more fighting, just like Hoseok said. In the place of fighting, you have a community, like Namjoon wanted. Like you all wanted, no matter how afraid you are to embrace it or admit that you aren’t sure how to join it. 

Yoongi never wanted any of you to have to fight.

“Yeah.” Jungkook’s shoulders sag. “I don’t think I could keep it up even if I had to. I’m… ready to be happy. Like the hyungs. They are so bright.” 

Your heart cracks with every word, nearly spilling out onto the floor when you watch Jimin sprint across the quad to launch himself into Seokjin’s arms. He wraps his legs around Seokjin’s waist as the two kiss, the fire illuminating their faces like angels’ halos. 

Reaching over, you squeeze Jungkook’s hand, lacing your fingers with his. You don’t need to speak; gently tugging his arm has him following you through the crowd toward the base of the Bonfire. The rest of your friends are somewhere around the Bonfire, but you aren’t interested in looking for them. 

“1… 2… 3.” 

When Jungkook stops counting, the two of you toss your weapons into the fire. Your hands are still intertwined, even if the heat makes your skin sweaty and stick together. You’re both willing to stand at the Bonfire for as long as you can, letting the flames burn your retinas as you try to follow the path the fire takes to eat away at the weapons you’ve surrendered to it. 

Letting go feels good, even if you’re letting go of something Yoongi gave you. In a way, he has given you far more than just a bow and some deadly arrows – or a knife and thigh harness. He gave you love, hope, and a second chance. He showed you what it means to love and be loved selflessly and unconditionally and taught you what it means to be a leader in the face of unbelievable hardship. 

You don’t think you could have been even half of the person Yoongi was. 

The press of fingers at the tip of your chin pulls you out of your melancholic thoughts. Jungkook cradles your face, swiping the pad of his thumb along your cheek once a few tears slip from your lash line. 

“Sorry, this is ridiculous,” you croak out. “This is supposed to be a happy celebration.” 

Jungkook’s eyebrows furrow as a pout turns the corners of his lips downward. You think he’s about to scold you over apologizing for your feelings – which you know you shouldn’t do – but Jungkook is always full of surprises.  

“Can I take you somewhere?” 

Forests will likely always scare you. Too many unspeakable things have happened within the woods, too many sad souls wrapped around tree roots and branches. You’re unsure what the woods around the Commune have seen - or if they’re even real; Seokjin’s Gift confuses you. Are the woods here the same ones you traveled through to get here? Are they imaginary, crafted by Seokjin’s mind? Does any of this exist? 

The woods certainly feel different here than at the warehouse. Jungkook leads you by the hand down a winding path through trees decorated with brightly-colored garlands draped across their luscious green branches. You recognize the decorations as ones Jungkook, Jessi, and Jimin helped the children make while the rest of your group worked with Seokjin on the Bonfire. 

“I found this spot when I was looking for your gifts,” Jungkook murmurs. 

“With Jimin?” 

“Mhm. He said, I know a place. It was funny.” 

The sound of the Bonfire festivities is far in the distance, muted by the quiet rustling of life in the woods. Jungkook stops to brush a few vines away that hang from the trees. When he steps to the side to let you walk through the opening he created, you feel your breath get caught in your throat. 

Before you is a circular clearing littered with white and pink mugunghwa shrubs. The flowers nearly glow in the dark, and their sweet scent permeates the air. But what really tugs at your heart is the smattering of tiny fireflies that meander above your head, exploring the peaceful little world away from the chaos of the Commune. 

“Jimin hyung said he doesn’t think anyone else knows this place. He comes here to be alone. Or… with Seokjin,” Jungkook whispers, giving you a sheepish look with pink cheeks. “I think it’s supposed to be, umm, you know, for what the hyungs were talking about, but, I, uh, I’m not…” 

You suddenly feel hot, warmth prickling at your skin and making moisture collect along your hairline despite being far from the fire. What is Jungkook going on about? You have an idea but are too nervous to respond to his rambling. 

Jungkook nudges you with his shoulder before carefully weaving through the shrubs until he finds a more open spot to sit in the grass. 

You follow him, the two of you sitting face-to-face, your knees bumping into each other as you cross them. 

“Thank you for bringing me here,” you whisper. “And for the gifts. I didn’t get to talk to you about them…” 

There’s no need to speak so quietly, but something about this place makes you worry being too loud would disrupt the magic of it. 

“Of course,” Jungkook responds just as softly. “I wanted to show you something special because you are special to me.” 

Your stomach flips at the memory of Jungkook’s similar confession when you last cut his hair at the warehouse. His gentleness has been a saving grace for you in a world so dark, even when the darkness sometimes consumes him, too. 

“You’re special to me, too.” It’s easy to admit; it flows from your mouth as easily as water flows from your soul. 

“Thank you… I think we deserve something soft. Does that make sense?” 

You tell him that it does because even if you aren’t entirely sure what that means to him, you know that you desire softness in a life that has been so hard. 

Jungkook gives you a small smile. A shake of his head flips his bangs out of his eyes so he can look at you properly. It feels different, the way he looks at you. Darker, more intense, but not scary like you’ve seen him look at you before. There is the same power in his gaze, but it’s gentler. 

You don’t know what to make of it, so you don’t comment on it. Instead, you reach up to brush Jungkook’s bangs out of his eyes. 

“I need to cut your hair,” you muse, a small smirk pulling up the corner of your mouth. 

Your fingers linger on his face, migrating from his forehead to drag down the bridge of his nose. When you get to the tip, you mean to bop it lightly, but Jungkook tilts his head back. The adjustment makes your finger slip, and you end up pressing against his lips instead. 

Jungkook watches you with curious eyes as he puckers his lips slightly to kiss your finger. It’s a closed-mouth kiss, nothing scandalous, but you feel electricity shoot up your arm and spread through your body. 

“Oh,” you quietly gasp when Jungkook takes hold of your wrist. He kisses each of your other fingers, ending with a lingering one on your palm. 

“Can I tell you something?” He asks, bringing your hand down to hold in his lap. 

You silently nod because you’re afraid of what you might say or sound like if you open your mouth. 

Jungkook takes a deep breath, and his grip on your hand tightens slightly. Whatever it is he’s going to say seems like it’s taking a lot for him to sort through in his head from the way his breathing picks up and his eyebrows furrow. 

“Jungkook-ah, you don’t have to…” 

Jungkook shakes his head and takes your other hand, too. 

“No, I have to do this. It’s… we’re just, ahh.” He tilts his head back to stare at the starry sky. After a moment, he exhales loudly out of his nostrils and drops his gaze to yours again. “I’m in love with you. And for some reason, I feel like I shouldn’t tell you that ‘cause it seems selfish to dump this on you ‘cause everything is so… fucked up. It’s so fucked. I don’t know why I feel like I’m not allowed to… to be like this, to feel like this. But Jimin hyung said love is in our Nature and is never bad. And, yeah. I guess, yeah. I’m in love with you, and I think you need to know ‘cause I can’t keep pretending I’m not.” 

Out of breath from expelling his words as fast as he can, Jungkook clamps his mouth shut and waits silently. Waits. Waits for you to do something, to say something. 

He’s right. Everything is fucked up enough that you can relate to the guilt Jungkook feels for wanting to love, to be happy. He didn’t call it guilt, but you’ve felt it, so you know. It’s precisely what Jessi scolded you about – on numerous occasions. It’s what Hoseok, Namjoon, and Seokjin and Jimin have shown you that you can overcome. 

Are you in love with Jungkook?

As you watch him bat his pretty eyelashes at you, those large eyes bearing his entire soul and the love and hurt inside, you think that maybe you aren’t in love with him, not right now. But you do love him. And you think, maybe one day, when your heart no longer hurts, you could be in love, too. 

So it feels right when you scoot closer to Jungkook and slide your hand against the side of his face to bring your lips to his. 

Something flutters in the pit of your stomach, like the fireflies above your head, when Jungkook’s lips move with yours. There’s a push and pull to your movements, a hesitant dance that reminds you of how Jungkook spars. His touches are light yet calculated, showing strength when he holds himself back. 

“It’s okay to be happy,” you whisper against Jungkook’s lips when you finally pull away – just barely because you want to cocoon yourself in the warmth of his body. 

“You make me happy,” he whispers back. 

It takes more kissing, the exchange of air and spit that would normally gross you out but somehow feels good before your brain finally lets go of the negativity you’ve been holding. 

Jungkook kisses away your shame and guilt as he squeezes your hips and pulls you into his lap. You settle on his thighs with your legs wrapped around his tiny waist and let him kiss you until you can’t breathe. And just when you feel like you’ll suffocate in the most pleasant way, he begins planting kisses along your jaw. 

Your hands find the hair at the back of Jungkook’s head, and you run your fingers through his hair to distract yourself from how your hands are trembling. Your entire body vibrates with a desperate feeling you’ve never had before as Jungkook sucks on the sensitive skin of your throat. The sensation makes you squirm.

“Fuck,” Jungkook groans into the crook of your neck. He sounds pained to you, which makes you panic. 

“What? What’s wrong?” You feel like you’re blinking sleep out of your eyes from how dazed you are. Embarrassment creeps along your burning skin; how can you be so out of your mind that you start behaving like this? 

Jungkook presses his hands flat against your back, the pads of his fingers massaging your muscles while he lowers his touch, slowly and gently, until his hands find the curve of your ass. 

“Jungkook-ah,” you nearly scold him when he squeezes you. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” he confesses, encouraging you to grind against his crotch. 

It’s only then that you feel his erection in his pants. The knowledge that he’s reacting this way because of you makes the electricity in your veins spike through you even stronger. 

“Me either.” 

Jungkook finally lifts his head to look at you, and it’s a wonder how he manages to wear innocent doe eyes yet bite his kissed-pink bottom lip in an air of seduction that makes your body tingle. 

“I want to be good for you.” 

His words do something to you that you’re too scared to address, so you opt for humor when you reply, “Well, I don’t have anything to compare you to.” 

With a roll of his eyes, Jungkook brings trembling hands to the side of your jeogori where the strings are tied into a bow to keep the clothing in place. 

“Can I take this off?” 

“Please.” 

Getting naked in front of Jungkook is a lot less terrifying than you thought it would be – not that you’d ever thought of it before! Not like this, at least. The two of you have bathed together, but that’s different. It’s easier to hide in the water, and both of you are respectful enough not to take peeks. So it’s most likely the calming presence Jungkook holds that keeps you relaxed once you kneel naked in front of each other. In the moonlight, you both let your eyes wander each other’s figures, drinking in each other like you want to savor it. 

You let Jungkook’s hands wander, experimentally pinching your nipples to draw a moan out of you and tickling your stomach as his touches make their way down your body. He whispers gentle words of encouragement and proclamations of your beauty when you fall back in the grass and open your thighs for him. 

“I want to touch you,” Jungkook says into your chest. Your skin glistens from how his tongue explores where his hands just had, but you’re more focused on his fingers ghosting over your hips. “Please?” 

“Yes,” you whimper. 

You’re both shaking when Jungkook slips his fingers through your folds, his thumb lightly pressing against your clit while his fingers reach your entrance. It’s an odd sensation, but you’re quickly a moaning mess beneath him. Even if the rhythm of his fingers pumping in and out of you isn’t consistent, and he’s touching you almost too lightly as though he’s afraid of hurting you, it still feels good.

“Am I doing okay?” 

You can’t help but laugh. 

When he gives you a pout, you throw your arm around his shoulders and pull him down to kiss him. He hovers over you, spreading you open further because your thighs press against the outsides of his hips. You both notice when his cock – which you’d nervously ignored until now – brushes against the crease of your thigh. 

“Fuck,” Jungkook moans, and it’s the prettiest sound you’ve ever heard. “I want… I wanna, ah, fuck.” If you’d thought Jungkook’s usual flustered state was cute, this is downright deadly. 

“Me, too.” You guess what he’s trying to say – are confirmed when he lightly bites your shoulder and ruts against you.

“Are you sure?” 

It’s a valid question, and you surprise yourself when you say “yes” without hesitation. But you’ve wanted this for much longer than you can admit. Your desire for Jungkook has grown with every soft late-night cuddle and almost kiss. 

Jungkook rolls his hips, gliding his cock between your thighs, the motion wet and slippery. It takes some fumbling before he manages to line himself with your entrance and slowly sink inside you. 

Gentle, careful, he whispers that he’ll take care of you even though he has no experience. With each thrust, you promise him that it doesn’t hurt, speak praise into his ear that makes his entire body shiver. 

Your legs ache from your unusual position, and your sweat mixes with Jungkook’s in a way that’s honestly disgusting if you think about it. Still, you can’t deny how good the building pressure feels as it seems to start between your thighs and at your clit, slowly spreading like wildfire up your stomach and into somewhere deep inside of you. 

The only time you’ve heard anyone talk about sex is Jessi, and it was typically in a negative light. Something about men not knowing where the clit is or how to use their dicks. Jungkook seems like a natural; he’s the golden maknae for a reason. Maybe it’s not mind-blowing, but you’re both starting with nothing to guide you. 

Rather than a life-changing orgasm, you’re more interested in how Jungkook looks like he’d give his heart to you, no questions asked. Like he already has. 

You’re more interested in how softly he kisses you and holds your leg against his hip and caresses it like you’re something worth treating with care. 

You’re more interested in how he moans, “I love you, fuck, I love you so much,” and lets you bite his bottom lip because he knows you aren’t ready to say it back, and he’s okay with that. Because he’ll wait for you for as long as you need him to. 

“I’m so sorry,” Jungkook moans against your throat, where he’s sucked blossoms nearly as pretty as the mugunghwa. “But I’m gonna come, like, ahh, fuck, like right, fuck, shit, like right now.” 

From Jessi’s complaints, sex is supposed to end with this: Jungkook finding his release against your inner thighs because he has enough sense to pull out, and you’re left on your back, discarded and unsatisfied. 

So when Jungkook slides down until your thighs are propped open by his shoulders, you watch in confusion because you thought it was over. 

The flick of his tongue against your clit has you lifting off the ground from how sharply you arch your back. You frantically exhale a raspy chant of Jungkook’s name in time with each pump of his fingers he’s managed to slip inside you while you struggle to lie still. 

“Let me make you feel good,” he murmurs with shiny lips, and you see stars just from that image alone. 

Later, when you’re both sweaty and exhausted, you curl together under the protective barrier of Jungkook’s shadows. He hides you from the world and keeps you safe until morning when you’ll return to the Commune to bring in the First of Summer with a breakfast feast. 

But until then, you hold each other with promises of never letting go, forgiveness, and understanding. 

“We’re gonna be okay,” Jungkook whispers against your hair. 

“You just have to stick with me, right?” 

When he laughs, you feel it rumble through his chest. “By your side is the only place I wanna be.” 

You fall asleep among the mugunghwa shrubs and fireflies to the sound of Jungkook’s heartbeat. 

@rkiveslibrary @mar-lo-pap

@iadelicacy @likecrazy22 @jaemayy @annyeongbitch7

[sincitypjmrecs]

9neuk.

[sincitypjmrecs]

a secret spun in silk | jjk (series)

⤷ loving jungkook was easy, he was the shy and nerdy guy no one really noticed, and that was fine for him. however, everything changed when a radioactive spider bite turned him into the city’s mysterious new hero. as a detective, you were quick to notice the shift. then, his mentor, Kang Sangmin, died in front of you. now, you’re hunting a killer and uncovering the truth about the man you thought you knew.

—  pairing: spidey!jungkook x detective!fem. reader 

—  genre: established relationship, murder au, mystery au, spiderman au, angst, fluff, and smut

— rating: 18+ 

— status: ongoing

— all parts contain mature content & warnings listed in each part

— playlist: my you | come play

join the taglist ✨

[sincitypjmrecs]

here i go — pjm one shot

pairing: childhood friend!jimin x fem!reader

warnings: lots of scream (movie) references, virgin!jimin, teasing each other, smut.

summary: your virgin bsf wants to have a look at your boobs and you.. let him.

note: kind of like a bday + spooky szn special !!

wc: 2.2k+

♡ — permanent taglist: @https-mei @ari420sstuff @blaricee @jksctrl @blluee28 @jkvias @wnteraezz @whoa-jo @wobblewobble822 @jkslvsnella @clxssy1997 @nikkinikj @kayleesaltzmann @rrosiitas @naurnonope @lola75111 @somehowukook @redcherrykook @parkinglot-nights @deluluisdasolulu @minghaosimp @hyeon-yi @ririkookiemonster @svtrighthereworld @jmscaffeine @trinityxsope @taetaecatboy @butnotmontana @joyofbebbanburg @elinaki92 @sweetmimosa28

“hello? who—”

“hello, ___. what's your favorite scary movie?”

“w-who are you? that's not funny, i swear i will c-call the cops—”

the voice on the other end laughs, the voice effect slowly dropping, revealing the familiar sound behind it. you immediately relax.

“fuck you.”

“come on!! it's spooky season.”

you roll your eyes.

“let me in, sweets. it's cold outside.”

you scoff and hang up, heading to the front door. you swing it open, glaring at the figure standing there.

“you're an asshole, you know that? you could've gone to prison!”

he steps past you, grinning, as he pulls off his gloves and jacket, his laugh barely under control. “y-you should've heard yourself!”

“seriously, jimin, that wasn’t funny. i almost peed my pants,” you grumble, closing the door and turning to him with your arms crossed.

“aw, poor ___, scared of the least scariest character ever.” he mocks you, sticking out his lower lip in a fake pout, then heads straight to your living room.

“what!? a serial killer is scary! especially if he's after me,” you follow behind him, still fuming. “and by the way, did you get a new number?”

“yep,” he says, collapsing onto your couch. “and you know i can't pass up an opportunity to scare the shit out of my favorite loser.”

“why am i even friends with you again?” you ask, plopping down next to him. he quickly pulls you in, wrapping an arm around your shoulder.

“hmm, lemme think.” he pauses for effect. “maybe 'cause we've been neighbors since birth, went to the same school, same uni? oh, and probably because i'm the only guy who knows every embarrassing detail about your life. yeah, that’s gotta be it.” he nods

you shove him playfully, laughing. “you're so annoying. i hate you.”

he chuckles, “oh come on, sweets, you know you love me.”

“whatever,” you mutter, but a small smile betrays you.

“so, you got a boyfriend?”

“why? you wanna ask me out on a date?”

“maybe. do you have a boyfriend?”

“no.”

“you never told me your name.”

“why do you want to know my name?”

“because i want to know who i am looking at.”

“boo!!! casey had zero survival skills,” jimin suddenly exclaims, making you flinch.

you’ve watched the scream movies with jimin ever since you were kids. he loved them, but you were never a big fan. still, he insisted you’d watch at least one every year during “spooky season.” eventually, you got used to it. it doesn’t feel that scary anymore when he’s beside you.

your arm is linked through his, and your head rests comfortably on his shoulder as you continue watching the movie. the tension of the scene doesn’t bother you much, maybe because you’ve seen it too many times, or maybe because jimin’s presence keeps you calm.

well, except for the moments when he randomly yells at the screen and scares you half to death.

“so, you thought you’d climb through my window and have a little raw footage?"

“no, no. i wouldn’t dream of breaking your underwear rule. i just thought maybe we could do a little on-top-of-the-clothes stuff, just to make it pg-13.”

“you are a tease.”

“he doesn’t want you!” you boo at the screen, making jimin chuckle.

he glances at you from the corner of his eye, smirking. “___, why don’t we have a pg-13 relationship, huh?”

you scoff, rolling your eyes. “yeah, no, i’m not flashing my boobs.”

“but you’ve seen my dick!” he exclaims, his voice almost accusatory as you pull back, ready to fire back immediately.

“that was because you were proving it’s not small!” you remind him, your eyes narrowing.

“let this virgin have a look,” he pouts dramatically, sticking out his lower lip like that will convince you.

“i never asked to look at your dick when i was a virgin!” you shoot back, crossing your arms. he opens his mouth to counter, but before he can get a word in, you cut him off. “that doesn’t count. you were the one who showed me. i said i never asked for it!”

his lips twitch into a small smile as he tries one last desperate attempt. “pretty please, ___?” he pleads, giving you the full force of his puppy eyes.

you scoff, a small laugh escaping despite yourself. “fine!”

his eyes light up, and he sits there expectantly, waiting for you to pull your shirt off. you hesitate for a moment, your fingers lingering at the hem, but eventually, you tug it over your head, exposing the light pink bra with a small bow in the center.

his gaze drops instantly. he licks his lips. “pretty bra,” he murmurs

“thanks, pervert,” you joke, he's smirking like you just gave him the world’s weirdest compliment.

his grin widens, not even the slightest bit ashamed. “can i take it off?”

you bite your bottom lip, feeling your heart race as you nod. his hands come up, gentle and slow, as if he’s savoring every second. his fingers brush along the edges of your bra and trace the sides of your breasts, making your breath hitch.

then, with a quiet click , he unclasps the bra.

“okay?” he asks softly, his eyes meeting yours, giving you a chance to change your mind.

you swallow hard and breathe out, “okay.”

he hooks his fingers under the straps, sliding them down your arms and letting the bra fall away. his eyes darken as your breasts are fully revealed to him. the sight of your soft skin and perked nipples leaves him speechless, his chest rising and falling a little faster now.

“oh fuck...” he breathes, like the words slipped out without him realizing.

you feel the heat spreading through your body, an ache growing between your legs as you watch his reaction. the way his gaze lingers on your chest, the hunger in his eyes. it makes your core throb.

“touch me, jimin,” you say without a second thought. the words leave your mouth so easily, and the moment they do, he’s on you, not wasting a second. his hands cup your breasts, the warmth of his palms sending shivers down your spine as he starts rubbing your nipples with his fingers.

you squirm under his touch, your eyes fluttering shut when he rolls your nipples between his fingers, pinching them just enough to make you gasp.

“does that feel good?” he asks, his voice low.

you nod, biting your lip. the answer comes in the form of a soft moan when his mouth closes around your right nipple, sucking gently and teasing it with his tongue.

you glance down, watching the way his lips wrap around you, and it makes you dizzy with pleasure.

“sorry, couldn’t resist,” he mumbles against your skin, pulling back just enough to grin before trailing kisses along your breasts.

you let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed by the way he’s touching you. “are you sure you’ve never done this before?” you manage to ask between gasps.

his lips curl into a playful smirk. “love it too much?”

“i hate you,” you whisper, but the amused smile on your face tells a different story.

he chuckles softly and moves up to kiss your neck. “can i fuck you, ___?” he murmurs against your skin, his lips brushing your pulse.

“yes.” the word slips out of your mouth almost too quickly.

but then it hits you, and you pull back slightly. “w-wait, are you sure? i mean, do you really want me to be your first—”

he cuts you off with a kiss, his plump lips pressing against yours.

“mmmh...” you hum into the kiss, melting against him as his lips move against yours. it’s everything, soft, warm, and somehow exactly what you didn’t know you needed.

he pulls back just enough to meet your gaze, “i wouldn't have it any other way.”

“why do you even have condoms?” jimin asks, positioned between your legs as he rolls the condom on. you’d told him they were in your nightstand, so now the two of you are on your bed, getting ready.

“uh, because i don’t wanna get pregnant?” you reply. “plus, i’m not the virgin here.”

the corners of his mouth lift into a teasing grin. “damn, there are actual people who wanna fuck you?”

you raise an eyebrow, matching his playful energy. “yeah, and you’re one of them.”

he chuckles, shaking his head. “touché.”

then, with a serious expression, he grabs your hips. “alright… here i go”

you burst into laughter, the words catching you off guard. “h-here i go? jimin, we’re not in kindergarten!” you laugh uncontrollably, and he frowns, making you laugh harder.

“shut up, i was just letting you know!” he glares you.

you try to stifle your laughter, barely holding it together. “right, right. sorry... you got this, champ!” and just like that, you lose it again, dissolving into more giggles.

he rolls his eyes dramatically, trying to look annoyed. “you’re turning me off, you know.”

you grin, glancing down between his legs. “so why’s your junior still standing, then?”

he blinks, surprised, before laughing along with you. “junior?” he echoes

“okay, okay, my bad,” you say, catching your breath.

“for real this time… here we go.” you give him a mischievous smile, and he shakes his head, biting his lip to hide a grin.

“you’re impossible,” he mutters under his breath, but his hands slide back to your waist, steadying himself.

the playful mood shifts into something more intimate as you relax into the bed beneath him. with one slow, deliberate motion, he pushes inside you.

he groans at the feeling, his hands tightening on your hips. you gasp softly, biting your lip as the warmth spreads through you.

he moves slowly at first, soft gasps and low moans falling from his lips with every thrust.

“fuck, you feel so good,” he groans, his hips starting to pick up speed. the sound of skin against skin fills the room, and it has you gripping the sheets tighter, trying to hold onto something—anything—because he’s driving you insane.

“jimin— y-yes, fuck!” you manage to stammer, though the words are slurred with pleasure. it barely even matters. all you know is that he feels fucking amazing inside you.

he grabs your legs and lifts them onto his shoulders without missing a beat, the new angle making his cock hit deeper.

“mmh, you're so fucking tight, baby,” he rasps,

as if you weren’t already lost in pleasure, his fingers find your clit. he starts rubbing it in slow, deliberate circles, all while his hips keep thrusting into you. the sensations are overwhelming; his cock filling you, his fingers working you.

you gasp, whimpering uncontrollably. every thrust, every rub, every movement sends shocks of pleasure through your body, leaving you trembling beneath him.

“j-jimin—” you choke on your own words, barely holding on as the intensity builds.

“that’s it, baby,” he groans.

you cry out, feeling your orgasm crash over you. your body tenses, back arching off the bed as you cum hard, soaking his cock. the pleasure is so overwhelming it borders on painful, leaving you gasping, crying, and writhing under him.

“so fucking pretty,” he breathes, mesmerized by the sight of you falling apart beneath him.

watching your cum drip down onto him only pushes him closer to the edge. with a few more frantic thrusts, he groans deeply, burying himself inside you as he spills into the condom.

his movements slow down, but he stays inside you for a moment, catching his breath. you lie there, panting and basking in the afterglow, bodies still pressed together.

“holy shit,” you whisper, heart pounding in your chest.

he chuckles softly as he pull out, “yeah... holy shit”

“are you sure this was your first time?” you chuckle breathlessly, your chest still heaving as you try to catch your breath.

he laughs along with you, the sound low and a little shy now that the heat of the moment has passed. “yeah, pretty sure,” he murmurs, rubbing the back of his neck. “unless i’ve been sleepwalking through sex.”

you giggle, “well, you didn’t exactly perform like a rookie.”

“natural talent, i guess.” he grins, but there’s a flush creeping up his neck that makes you laugh even more.

you both lie there for a moment in comfortable silence, the room filled with the sound of your soft breathing. there’s no awkwardness. just a weird sense of ease, like this was exactly how things were supposed to go.

“so… you got a boyfriend?” he breaks the silence, glancing over at you with a playful glint in his eyes.

you smile to yourself, and speak up. “why? you wanna ask me out on a date?”

“maybe. do you have a boyfriend?” he asks, with a teasing smirk playing on his lips.

“no.” you reply, meeting his gaze.

for a moment, you both hold the stare, and then it breaks as you burst into laughter, the room filling with the sound of it, light and carefree.

“so i did great, right?” he asks

“mmh, not bad,” you hum, pretending to be unimpressed, though the smirk on your face gives you away. “maybe a solid 8 out of 10.”

his jaw drops dramatically. “only an 8?”

“you lost points for saying ‘here i go’.” you tease, biting your lip to hold back your laughter.

“oh, come on!” he groans, covering his face with both hands. “i’ll never live that down, will i?”

“nope,” you say smugly, shifting closer to him on the bed.

he drops his hands, a grin spreading across his face.

“okay, but seriously sweets… you’re amazing.”

“you're too, jimin”

[sincitypjmrecs]

This sounds so cool omg 😫

might drop this fic next week! i’m like 75% done which is surprising for me who hasn’t been writing new fics for bts in a long time 😫 I AM PUMPED AND SCARED BUT YEAH THIS IS A LITTLE SNEAK PEEK I GUESS????

[sincitypjmrecs]

it's being a long time since i started reading Amelia´s works and i have loved every single one of them, i can't wait to star reading this series finally <3 (i think it's a series, correct me if I'm wrong tho)

pairing ↠ mafia leader!park jimin x reader

genre ↠ mafia AU — romance/action (angst, fluff, smut)

18+ | warnings ↠ all sorts of crime (including: drug and arms trade, embezzlement, mentions of kidnapping and attempted kidnapping), frequent use of guns and knives, gore (non-descriptive), mild injuries to multiple characters including reader, death (descriptive).

summary ↠ Blood, business and betrayal is all that Park Jimin has ever known, but when you cross paths again, the stakes are raised even higher and he finds himself battling his conscience, and his heart.

taglist is open – dm/comment/send an ask to be added <3

notes ↠ okay I’m announcing this for the nth time now but it’s gotta happen! Lol 😭 I have had enough of not posting it and I’m always excited for this one so I need to just share it. I already released the prologue a while ago but I’ve made it private since then and will repost it again in a week or so. taglist is open <3

[sincitypjmrecs]

Cathexis 🜍 PJM (masterpost):

Moodboard by the lovely @multiplefandomsfangirl

🜍Part of the BANGTAN CINEMA: HORROR NIGHT COLLABORATION

🜍Title: Cathexis

ca·thex·is/kəˈTHeksəs/ noun: the concentration of mental energy on one particular person, idea, or object (especially to an unhealthy degree).

🜍Summary: Possessing a power that was genetically passed onto him, Jimin has to face life’s struggles managing this burden alone. He finds himself back in a town he vaguely recalls , where he hopes to find some semblance of peace, but what he doesn’t expect is to come face to face with his past.

🜍Film: Firestarter 18+M

🜍Pairing: Jimin x reader

🜍Genre: Slight Yandere 🜍 Firestarter au 🜍 Thriller 🜍 Total WC:27k

Part ONE Part TWO Part THREE

[sincitypjmrecs]

The Moon Knows Our Secrets (1)

Exes to Lovers!AU | Hybrid!Jungkook x Hybrid!OC | Soulmate!AU

genre: angst, smut, exes to lovers, vampire/werewolf hybrid (emphasis on werewolf), soulmates, forced proximity

rating: explicit

description: He doesn’t remember loving you. How could he, when you’re the one who erased his memories? You run into him a year later at a wedding. The year after that he’s reported missing and you go off to find him. Then you wonder: did he ever forget you?

word count: 9.1k

warnings: blood, blood-drinking, one injury, flirting, TXT is mentioned and they’re horny brats but protective!JK swoops in, ANGST, mentions of compulsion, past deaths, JK smokes for like, one second, fire, resentment, but trust me, they will fall for each other all over again, two-shot 💖

smut warnings: OC goes into HEAT at the worst time, kissing, oral sex (female receiving), fingering, squirting, overstimulation, (more intense smut to come in part 2)

a/n: This is an epilogue for my series Moonstruck (inspired by TVD), but it can be read as a STAND-ALONE! You do not have to read Moonstruck (but it will be more satisfying if you have 😉). I love this couple and they deserve their (steamy) happy ending. They both embody the “right person, wrong place.”

Part 1 | Part 2 |

“You’re going to forget the fact you ever loved me. I’m just the girl who had a crush on you and trained with you, nothing more. I want you to live your life freely. If we ever cross paths again, don’t approach me. When I’m ready, I’ll come to you and you can decide then if you’ll have me. You’ll remember then. I love you, Jungkook.”

You first saw him again at a wedding.

When you arrive at the venue, your eyes scan the sea of strangers for him like an automated response. You clutch onto the chain of your purse, the tight squeeze in your chest never seeming to disappear. Once you’re sure of his absence, the tension in your shoulders fades.

Round tables are arranged around a central dance floor, so you sit at the closest one, joining in the crowd’s applause despite not knowing what’s happening. The happy couple is swaying to romantic jazz music played by the live band, their adoring smiles perfectly matched.

“What did I miss?”

Your old classmate chuckles when she notices your presence, using her fingers to count as she lists off her answers. “The ring bearer, flower girl, the da-da-da-da piano introduction, the vows, the kiss, the first dance—so pretty much everything. Surprised to see you here.”

So are you. It took you hours of hyping yourself up before deciding to attend. You never RSVP-ed properly, allocating all your time to getting ready instead. Not that you had anyone to impress, but it’s a wedding. Sweatpants weren’t going to cut it.

“Can everyone please have a seat? We’re going to hear the best man give his speech!” That authoritative voice belonged to Kim Namjoon, the headmaster of BTSU (Be The Supernatural University). His dimple smile emerges when he notices you and he waves excitedly, dropping the microphone in the process. 

You giggle. “See? I didn’t miss everything, Lia.”

She hands you a glass of champagne, then clinks the glass against your own. “Okay, Ms. Fashionably Late. At least you look hot.”

The guests take their seats while the couple sits at the head table near the dance floor. There’s a small stage next to them and on it is a microphone stand under a beautifully decorated archway. A blanket of silence washes over the crowd as anticipation rises, but the best man is nowhere to be found. Murmurs spread quickly as heads turn in confusion.

“I’m here, I’m here!”

You don’t have to look to know who that voice belonged to. The glass in your hand trembles, on the brink of shattering under your tightening grip. Your mouth parts open in shock, your heart rate beating so loudly that it rings in your ears, drowning out the noise of the crowd’s applause as the so-called best man gets on stage. 

Jeon Jungkook — your ex-boyfriend.

Could you even call him your ex? Your history was, in a word, complicated. Boyfriend and girlfriend weren’t labels you two were fortunate enough to share. Bound by trauma, forced into despair, crippled with pain — the “relationship” in question was toxic. 

“You’re going to forget the fact you ever loved me…”

A hybrid had many advantages — compulsion included. With one look, you ordered him to forget having loved you and then left. Traveling the world healed you and the thought of returning to your college campus never once crossed your mind until a year later.

Your old professor sent you a text — a wedding invitation to be specific. Though the gesture was sweet, you preferred staying blissfully ignorant. You almost deleted it. However, F.O.M.O was a crippling feeling, so you ultimately gave in. 

You were aware the chances of running into Jungkook were high, but that’s why you arrived late on purpose. You had let your guard down too easily, assuming he might’ve left early or not bother showing up at all. What a fool. 

The fairy lights strung across the venue illuminate him with a gorgeous golden glow as he steps onto the stage. You hold your breath as the world seems to slow down, taking in his features. 

His hair used to be longer and shaggier; you teased him for having a mop-head back then (lovingly). Now it’s half long, with shaved sides and a slight mullet. He wore a simple white shirt, layered with a classic black blazer and matching dress pants. Several square box chains surrounded his neck, complimenting his silver hoop earrings and lip ring (when did he get that?). His accessories sparkle under the lights, almost blinding, as if he were a living filter. 

Damn. He’s only gotten more gorgeous. 

Jungkook quickly adjusts the microphone stand to his height, then presents a bunny-tooth grin. “Hello everyone! Sorry, I’m late. I had forgotten my script.” He shakes the index cards in his hands gently, causing a ripple of laughter through the crowd. “It’s an honor being both Hoseok and Yoongi’s best man.”

Jung Hoseok was your old classmate, who used to be the alpha of the werewolf pack senior year. But then along came Jungkook, who stole the title from beneath him after challenging him to a duel. Funny how he is now his best man. 

Min Yoongi was the one who invited you, a research assistant at your university. If you had to describe him in a phrase, it’d be: “Actions speak louder than words.” You knew his intentions when he sent the invitation, so you had to come and support him the same way he’s done for you. 

Jungkook peers down at his script before placing a hand on the microphone. 

“I’ve known Yoongi and Hoseok for years now and their love is truly special. They’re often private with their affection, but we know how they would go out of their way for each other. My favorite part is whenever Hoseok compliments Yoongi, he’d—”

“AaarrghhH!!!” The obnoxious scream is from Yoongi himself, who had stood up and faced away from the crowd. People crack up at his hilarity, including Hoseok who is clapping his hands like a seal. 

“Yes. That. Exactly that,” Jungkook says, followed by a soft chuckle. “The two play off each other well. Hoseok brings joy to everyone and it’s infectious. I’ve never seen Yoongi happier than when he’s with Hoseok.”

Yoongi rubs the nape of his neck, a shy smile gracing his features as he sits back down. Hoseok places his head on his partner’s shoulders, sighing in content. Jungkook flips to the next index card and clears his throat.

“Yoongi and Hoseok are people I like from the bottom of my heart. They’re like family, and I’m so glad to be a part of their story. We were able to come to where we are right now because everybody was all together.” His lips tremble slightly as he holds the corners of the card with both hands, tears slowly welling up in his eyes. His head hangs low for a moment but then he looks up, forcing a smile on his face. “Sorry, I’m getting emotional.”

You almost shout it’s okay! but nothing comes out. Fortunately, a couple of folks blurt out comforting words that make him laugh as he quickly wipes his tears away. He rolls his shoulders back and blows a small raspberry with his lips to reset. 

“These two have both helped me through so much. When I almost lost my life. When I lost my friends. When I wanted to give up on myself,” His eyes scanned across the venue as if simulating eye contact with each guest. “And especially when I experienced the biggest absence of my life with…”

His words are cut short at the same time your breath hitches. It’s a split second, but you’re sure. You’re sure his gaze fell on you, his expression stiffening slightly while you let out a silent gasp. The world seems to be at a standstill until he crumples the cards in his hand and tosses them aside. He lets out a half-hearted laugh, gesturing to the large projector screen he prepared earlier. 

“Enough about me!” he exclaims. “I made a compilation of the couple’s best moments. Enjoy!”

You don’t pay attention to the video playing despite the roaring laughter from the crowd. Someone shouts something about the couple wearing colorful animal sheet masks, but your eyes are glued to Jungkook. He exits the stage, heading back to his group of friends at the table furthest from yours. They give him a pat on the back and he’s back to smiling as if nothing happened. 

Was it your imagination? Maybe he wasn’t looking at you. You finish your champagne in one gulp, slamming the glass down without meaning to. The sharp sting in your palm makes you realize your actions as you groan, the deep cut across your hand oozing blood. 

“[Y/N], are you okay? Oh my gosh, here.” Lia is quick to grab the cloth napkin, wrapping it around your hand and tying a knot. 

“Thanks, but I’m fine. I’ll heal anyway.”

“Still, how did this even happen? What’s got you so tense?”

You say nothing, but she follows your line of sight and purses her lips. “Are you looking at the wolves? Is it Jungkook?”

“No,” you say quickly. “I’m gonna go to the restroom and wash the blood off.”

Before she can interrogate you further, you make a break for it. It was difficult walking in your nude heels, each step feeling like you were sinking deeper into the grass. The fairy lights help you see in the dark as you pass by the greenery of the garden, the flowers being your favorite part. You’d stop to smell them but didn’t want the blood to stain their lovely petals. Your feet finally reach a cobblestone path and you see the restroom building up ahead. 

There’s a handwashing sink outside. Once you turn on the faucet, you unwrap the cloth around your hand and wash the excess blood away. The cut had partially healed already — another perk of hybrid blood — but it still felt nice.

You find yourself lost in thought as the cool water flows onto your hands. You tell yourself there’s no way Jungkook was looking at you. He doesn’t even know you. At least, not in the way he used to. 

“I’m just the girl who had a crush on you and trained with you, nothing more. I want you to live your life freely.”

Ah. Right. You’ve been reduced to a mere stranger now. The depressing reality makes you sigh as you turn off the water. 

That’s when you hear it. Footsteps. Heavy ones that grow louder from behind you. The hairs on your neck stand up as you turn around.

Jungkook is approaching you, his stride long and confident. Your brain must have been rewired to put him in slow motion because he’s like a model walking down a runway. You can’t believe your eyes and are torn between running away or staying put. He’s closer now. Your heart skips a beat, the anticipation crushing you. Stay put it is.

“If we ever cross paths again, don’t approach me.”

Yet here he is. Approaching you. Had the compulsion not worked on him? Did he remember you all this time? Well, your answer comes when he walks right by you without sparing a glance as he enters the men’s restroom. You blink a few times, stunned by what took place.

Well, that proves it; the compulsion was still effective. You look at the bloody napkin in your hand, clutching it tightly. 

“What, is he blind? He didn’t even ask if I was okay. This is a huge red flag, literally!” You wave the fabric around like a crazed woman, having half a mind to chuck it across the building. After sulking for a minute, you compose yourself and prepare to head back.

That’s when an unpleasant smell creeps its way into your nose. It’s harsh, like the smell of acetone and burnt wood, and you cough uncontrollably. The acrid fumes are suffocating as you wander around the restrooms for the smell. 

“It’s coming from the men’s side…” you mumble to yourself. 

“When I’m ready, I’ll come to you and you can decide then if you’ll have me.”

Ignore it. It’s not your business. Yet your feet are already stomping inside, where your ex jolts in alarm at your sudden presence. 

“Hey, just because you’re a hybrid doesn’t mean smoking is okay!” The cigarette dangles from his mouth when his lips part in a small “o” shape, seconds from falling. You swipe it from him, drop it on the ground, and crush it under your heel. His doe eyes are larger than before, but your actions render him speechless. “It’s a gross habit and causes bad breath. So… yeah. Don’t smoke. Even if you’re practically immortal it’s not good for you.”

You spin around and close your eyes, cringing at your meddlesome behavior. You should leave before things escalate. 

“Are you okay?” Your eyes flutter open. He must think you’re deranged! “Your hand… is that blood?”

You look down, noticing the cloth in your hand was no longer white, but a deep crimson that seemed to permeate nonstop. 

“Oh, this is nothing. It’ll heal soon.”

He circles and gets in front of you, holding out his hand. “May I take a look?”

Whatever compels you to give your hand to him is a mystery, but you do it. He removes the cloth first, then inspects your palm, concern etched in his features. Blood continues to ooze out of the gash, but all you can focus on is the warmth of his hand enveloping your cold one. It reminds you of holding a hot cup of coffee in the morning except in this case, your cortisol levels are spiking. 

“It’s not good for you, you know,” he says with a soft smile. He directs his gaze from his hand to your own. “Getting cuts on such pretty hands. Who did this to you?”

If you had a brain, you didn’t anymore. You feel it short-circuiting, the hints of protectiveness in his voice setting sirens off in your mind. “No one… I accidentally broke a glass.”

It comes out as a whisper, but he acknowledges your response with a gentle “hmm.”

“This won’t do. It’s not healing fast enough,” His eyes shift up to meet your own. “You’re practically dripping in my hand.”

How can he say such things to you with such a straight face? The double entendre is blatant, but calling him out for it would only expose your impure thoughts.

“Shall I clean you up?” You don’t miss how he says “you” and not “it.” His irises glow a ruby red, matching his blood-shot sclera. Protruding veins appear under his eyes as he opens his mouth wide enough to exhibit his sharp fangs. It’s a hauntingly beautiful sight.

“That’s okay, you don’t—you don’t have to.” 

“Maybe I want to. Besides… I was smoking to curb my cravings. You took that away, so I need something else to satisfy me.”

You gulp. “And you think my blood will do that?”

He flashes you a smirk. “I’d like to find out. If you’ll let me.”

He doesn’t remember. He doesn’t remember. He can’t remember. Right? 

You agree with a soft “okay” and Jungkook doesn’t hold back. He sticks his tongue out, licking up the blood that overflowed onto his thumb first before following the stream up to your palm. He presses his lips onto the gash and sucks, earning a small gasp from you. This catches his attention, and he stares at you. His pupils are dilated, the primal look in his gaze so enrapturing. 

The pit of your stomach is on fire as he continues feeding from the palm of your hand. His tongue comes out to play, swiping back and forth, leaving no spot untouched. It tickles, but you’re too tense to move a muscle. 

Then he moans. It’s low at first, but then he closes his eyes and does it again. This time it’s more guttural, and he presses harder against you like he was starved.

“Ow,” you say, wincing when his fangs pierce your skin. It coaxes more blood to come out, and he visibly shudders.

“Sorry, I—Fuck,” His breath is uneven as he pants, drunk on your taste. He furrowed his eyebrows like he was mad, fighting against his primal urges to devour you whole. “I’ll be more careful. Please let me finish, please.”

Oh my god. He’s begging you. It’s too adorable to resist. He opens his eyes when you don’t reply, and you quickly give him your consent. His technique, if you can even call it that, grows sloppy as he rushes to clean up the mess he made. It’s like he was embarrassed, which makes your heart grow fonder. 

Once he finishes, his lips come together and make a loud smooching sound. He kisses the spot once again, lovingly, and then pulls away. You’re shocked to see the cut is no longer there. 

“Delicious. Sweet, with a hint of spice.”

You’re flattered by the handsome blood sommelier but retract your hand, hiding it behind your back while clearing your throat. 

“Um… Thank you.” That sounded more lame out loud than in your head, but nothing else seemed appropriate. 

Jungkook rubs the excess blood from the corner of his lips with his thumb. “It was my pleasure.” He sucks it and then releases his thumb with a loud pop.

Discomfort washes over you with how quiet the restroom gets, but you don’t break the silence. Instead, you turn around and head for the exit. 

“You’re [Y/N], right?” Three steps. That’s how far you got. “We were in the same year together.”

You grab onto the chain of your purse again. “Yeah. We were.”

And you leave it at that. 

You walk around to ease the buried feelings threatening to bubble up to the surface. Aside from the reception in the garden, the rest of the campus is quiet. Not a single light is on from the buildings you pass, your heels following the moonlight instead.

You pass the library, the gym, and the fine arts hall, but your steps halt at the girls’ dormitory. Memories flood your mind one by one: decorating your room, staying up late studying for exams, and the time when Jungkook slept over and—no. Shit. Don’t think about a love that’s lost. 

A weighted sigh comes as you sit on the steps, giving your feet a much-deserved break. You hug your knees, tuck your head down, and rest it in your folded arms as if you wanted to hide from the world. Why the hell did you think coming here would be easy?

His touch lingers in your mind as you replay the moment. The way he held your hand, the way he was concerned for your well-being, and the way he fed off your blood was far more intimate than you expected. Then he said your name.

It ignited a yearning you thought you had suppressed.

“I should leave…” you say out loud to no one in particular. 

“And miss the group picture?”

You lift your head slowly like you were caught red-handed committing a heinous crime. You’re greeted by pointed black dress shoes, black dress pants, a white shirt and black blazer, silver necklaces, and soft doe eyes that could melt anyone’s heart. 

“Jungkook…”

His eyes light up, a tinge of rouge dancing across his cheeks as he slips his hands into his pockets. “So you do remember me.”

How could I ever forget? “Well yeah… we were in the same year together.”

He scrunches his nose, amused at your usage of his past words. “That’s it? We were sparring partners, we went on missions together, and I’m pretty sure you saved my life by turning me into a hybrid,” Your jaw falls to the ground while his lips curve into a playful grin. “Ring a bell?”

The logistics of your compulsion weren’t specific as to how much Jungkook would remember. Then again, you didn’t erase his memory of your existence, so it’s natural he would remember some basic things. 

“Wow, you have a good memory. Um… yeah, I guess that covers the extent of our relationship.”

He quirks his eyebrow, sounding far too happy for your liking as he says, “We… have a relationship?”

You put your hands out in a stop motion and shake them in a panic. “No! Not at all. I–I meant that’s all we are to each other. Nothing more, nothing less. Just old classmates.”

“I see. What a shame though. I feel like we would have… should have gotten to know each other more back then.”

His voice has a trace of longing, but you dismiss it for friendly conversation. “Really? I was too focused on my studies anyway. You wouldn’t have liked me.”

He nods. “Considering how you stomped out my cigarette? Yeah, probably not.”

You scoff, a playful glint in your eyes. “Excuse me for looking out for you.”

“Never asked you to, but I’ll admit, I enjoy the attention.” You both laugh and then he extends his hand out to you. “Come on. Let’s go take the group picture together.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I’m not fond of pictures. Yoongi and Hobi don’t even know I’m here, so it’s not like they’ll notice.”

“I’ll notice,” You stare at him, watching his smile fade and how serious his demeanor becomes. “Your absence is significant, especially to those who care about you. They’ll remember it for the rest of their lives.”

You are about to speak when he adds, “Besides, the formation is off and we need one more person to fill in the gap.”

With a roll of your eyes, you swat his hand away and stand. “Alright, I get it. Let’s go.”

He smiles, puts his hands back in his pockets, and leads the way back. You follow him to the garden where guests are lined up in neat, staggered rows. Most of them have their arms crossed, some tapping their feet anxiously, while the rest have their hands on their hips. Even the main couple in the front row are mouthing words you can’t hear, but the way Yoongi slaps a hand to his forehead makes you aware of his distress.

“Oh!” Hoseok shouts with a jump, pointing his finger in your direction. “They’re here!”

Everyone expresses their relief with a “thank goodness” or “about time” as you and Jungkook make your way over. 

“You found her!” Namjoon says, holding up his hand for a high-five. Jungkook walks by too fast to notice, so you high-five him to ease his embarrassment.

“Wow, is that [Y/N]? You look incredible.” The man next to Namjoon gives you two thumbs up and you smile at the compliment. 

“Jin…” You can’t help but hug him tight and he reciprocates. Kim Seokjin aka Jin was the head witch on campus and counselor. You’ve confided in him for years and seeing him again almost brings tears to your eyes.

“Alright, alright. That’s enough.” Yoongi pats Jin’s back, a signal to release his hold on you. You laugh and then embrace him next, earning an obnoxious groan, but the fond smile on his face shows his true emotions. “I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you for coming.”

“Of course. Thank you for inviting me.”

You stop hugging him to see Hoseok with his arms out already, his heart-shaped grin wide.

“Come here~,” You let out an “oof” sound from how tight he squeezes you. “We had no idea you were here! Jungkook convinced the cameraman to wait until he found you.”

You let him go and look over to Jungkook, who clears his throat as he looks off to the side. The apples of his cheeks are rosy, which you find endearing. 

“Here, stand in the front row next to me,” Hoseok says, gesturing to the spot between him and Jungkook. Jungkook takes a large step to the right, allowing enough space for you to squeeze in.

“Alright, now that we finally have everyone here…” the cameraman says out loud, throwing a harsh glare in your direction. You give him a sheepish grin in return. “Everyone needs to scoot over to my left please.”

The crowd obeys, but the cameraman’s displeased frown remains. “Now everyone needs to squeeze closer together.”

There’s some shuffling and you bump into Hoseok after Jungkook’s shoulder bumps into yours. 

“Sorry,” he whispers. You tell him it’s okay.

The cameraman crosses his arms. “Come on, you guys. Act like you like each other! Closer!”

Everyone scooches in again, but Jungkook’s hand brushes against yours. The touch is electrifying, and you forget how to breathe. You can’t process your emotions as the cameraman orders the guests on your side to turn their bodies inwards at an angle. Jungkook exhales and his hot breath fans the nape of your neck. You feel your palms start to sweat. 

“Three, two, one, smile!” You put on your most picture-perfect smile, the flash nearly blinding you. “One more! This time do a silly pose!”

You observe what others choose for their pose. Bunny ears are common, heart poses are also popular whether using arms or hands. Some stick their tongues out while others fake a dramatic gasp. You shift in your position when your heels betray you and you stumble backward.

As if on cue, a pair of arms catch you and you’re dipped like you’re in a dance class with Jungkook’s face peering down at you. His sweet cologne wafts into your nostrils, a nice blend of amber and rose. These moments only happen in movies — or so you think — yet he’s a fantasy that somehow becomes your reality. 

The camera shutters and captures your deer-in-the-headlights expression and Jungkook’s, who mirrors after you. It makes the cameraman let out a hearty laugh, and he’s not sure who the real married couple is.

“Are you okay?”

You nod and he helps you regain stability. Your hand touches your face, feeling the heat radiating off your cheek. The cameraman dismisses everyone and your friends jump at the opportunity to hound you with questions. 

Hoseok’s eager to go first. “Whatcha been up to, [Y/N]? It’s been so long since we’ve all been together.”

“Just traveling, not much,” you reply, forcing the muscles in your mouth to cooperate into a believable smile. 

“Hey, that’s her business. Don’t be nosy,” Namjoon interjects. Yoongi and Jin give each other a knowing look.

“You’re just saying that because she communicates with you the most,” Jin teases. 

“I mean, I was her mentor… can’t help it if I’m her favorite.” He pats his puffed-out chest twice, proud as he winks at you. You giggle and Yoongi joins in the conversation.

“Okay, if anyone’s her favorite, it’s actually me. But anyway,” he tilts his head towards the bar, “help yourself to a drink.”

“Ooh, I will. Do you have any recommendations?” you ask. 

“Do you want something strong? Fruity?”

“Get her what Jungkook got,” Namjoon says. Jungkook stands off to the side, his jaw clenches at his name being mentioned. “You like peach-flavored things, right?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“Because he told me…” He notices the group shooting glares at him like daggers. It reminds you of when an idol spoils their next comeback by accident. “... Told me it was delicious and that anyone would like it. It goes down smoothly. Very yummy. Hah. Hahaha! Is that a saxophone?”

He leaves the group in a hurry with Jin chasing after him yelling, “No! Leave the sax alone! I’m not paying for damages!”

Awkward glances are exchanged between Hoseok and Yoongi, a silent two-player game of telepathy you weren’t a part of. You can’t compel Hoseok, but Yoongi’s human. One look and you’d know what he was thinking, but that’d be highly inappropriate to do that to the groom at his wedding. 

“I’ll order my own,” you tell the couple and they wave goodbye. Jungkook’s already retreated to his friends, much to your relief. 

Once you’re at the outdoor bar, your mood lifts upon seeing the bartender. She puts down the glass she was drying and rests her hands on the countertop.

“Well if it isn’t the original hybrid queen herself.”

The bartender is young, her oval face and sharp jawline giving her a cute, handsome aura. Her hair is short, about shoulder-length, and straight. Her eyes are large, emphasized by her dramatic makeup to draw you in until you’re lost in them. 

“Hi, Ryujin. Wow, I haven’t seen you in forever.” She had a white shirt underneath her black vest; you think it suits her tom-boyish charms well.

“Since vampire ability class, I know. What can I get you, beautiful?”

The smirk she sends you has your nerves sparking, and the palms of your hands sweaty. It was different when a girl complimented you. It felt more believable, flattering even. 

You shrug in response to maintain a calm demeanor. “Hmm… I don’t know. Maybe something fruity? Citrusy?”

She nods, grabbing a shaker and a bottle of liquor under the counter straight away. You watch as she juggles the two items in the air, covering your mouth at the thought of gravity ruining her trick. However, she caught them both with ease, moving at such a fast speed as she concocted your beverage. It’s an elegant performance, her movements fluid like it’s an art. She finishes by topping off your glass with an orange slice.

“Here you go,” She slides the glittery pink drink over, and you take a sip, allowing the fruity taste to coat your tongue. “Matches your dress.”

You smile at the thoughtful gesture. “It’s good. Tastes like peaches and grapefruit. What’s it called?”

“It’s something I came up with. I wouldn’t mind sharing the recipe with you after the event’s over.”

You don’t miss the flirty tone in her words and can only laugh. She was so refreshing and has always stuck up for you in the past when others called you stuck-up for being a hybrid. Who knew she would end up flirting with you at a wedding years later?

“So? What do you say?” she asks, her eyes brimming with hope. You take another drink and finish the whole thing despite your shaky hands. She gives you a fond smile. “If I’m being too forward, tell me.”

“No, I’m just nervous,” you blurt out, setting the glass down. “You’re really pretty.”

“Is that so?”

You’re about to respond when you feel your temperature rise. You clasp a hand to your forehead, which goes from warm to scalding in seconds. Sweat beads form around your temples as your breathing becomes harsher. You rest your elbow on the counter to keep yourself balanced, but your legs are burning too. It was like someone lit a torch from beneath you, cooking your flesh inside out. 

“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Ryujin asks. You shake your head and your vision blurs, the lights behind her looking like a bokeh image. She hands a bottle of water to you, and you gulp it down, yet the fever persists and you feel worse. 

Ryujin sees your eyes widen in alarm as you peer down at your dress. She inspects it too, but doesn’t see anything abnormal. You rub your thighs together. 

“Fuck… I think I’m in heat,” you tell her. Your hand rummages through your purse and then you curse again, frustrated. “I’m out of suppressants!”

Ryujin snaps her fingers when a lightbulb goes off in her head. “Ask Lia.”

“Good idea.”

You blink to wet your eyes, regaining clarity of your surroundings before heading to Lia on the dance floor. She was all smiles with a guy until you bumped into her, your darn heels being the bane of your existence.

“Hey!”

“Sorry,” you quickly say, “I need your help.”

She takes one look, excuses herself, and brings you to a quieter space. Her hand reaches into her clutch and pulls out a lace handkerchief, dabbing the sweat off your forehead. Her touch is gentle and she asks quietly, “Are you in heat?”

Lia and Ryujin were best friends. Your sole encounters with her were because of Ryujin by extension, but even back then, you knew she was sweet. Wolves often looked down upon her because of her doll-like, docile appearance. However, she had enough balls to find friends in other cliques and was, what people say, a girl’s girl. 

“Yes, I feel like I’m dying. Ryujin told me to ask if you have suppressants.”

“I don’t. Do you not track your cycle?”

“I’m a hybrid! It’s random for me!” 

She grimaces, the pity in her eyes inevitable. “I’m sorry, I forgot. But you need to get out of here. Do you know how many horny young wolves are here with zero self-restraint?”

You shift your weight and a pool of discharge releases in your panties, the sticky sensation making you cringe. Lia brings out a travel-sized perfume spray and spritzes your entire body. A wheeze is forced out of you from the potent floral scent, but at least it will cover your pheromones long enough for a distraction.

“Hey everyone! The fireworks are starting soon, let’s go to the front of the school and watch!” Hoseok has his hands cupped around his mouth to carry his voice through the venue, catching the attention of all guests. Lia holds both your hands, looking you dead in the eye with a straight face.

“There. Use this time to find suppressants or get out of here. The perfume won’t last very long.”

“Thanks, Lia, I will.” 

While the crowd heads towards the front, you rush back to the restroom building. You’re a panting mess once inside, but you go into a stall, shut it, and pull down your undergarment. The fabric is soaked in slick and has a hefty weight—you have no choice but to discard it.

Grabbing toilet paper, you clean yourself up as best as you can. Then you step out, wash your hands, and exit the building.

“Hey there.” You almost topple backward from the sudden intrusion. Three guys are in front of you, all wearing the same, smug grin. They’re young, probably younger than you, but one thing’s for sure—they’re werewolves. 

There’s a particular scent that emits from wolves. It’s earthy, like a pine tree, and you’d usually find it comforting but now? Fear crawls up your spine like a spider has latched onto you, its legs creeping up your back in a spot you can’t smack away.

The one in the middle had greeted you first. He has a youthful face, and sculpted cheekbones, which are easy on the eyes. Speaking of, that was his most striking feature. They are almost cat-like (ironically) with how wide and long they are. 

“Are you lost? Everyone’s watching the fireworks,” he says, his thumb hiked over his shoulder. You don’t respond. “Ah, I’m Yeonjun. This is Beomgyu and that’s Soobin.”

Soobin is the tallest. He shows off his dimple smile upon being introduced, which seems pure, but the way his irises shifted to goldenrod says otherwise. Beomgyu, on the other hand, had the most innocent baby face you’ve ever seen. However, you don’t miss the way he licks his lips while giving you a once-over.

“I’m [Y/N]...” You don’t know why you give them your name, but it slips out. Maybe you hoped playing along would lead them to spare you. 

“Oh!” Soobin says, his index finger pointing up at the discovery. “You’re the original hybrid the professors rave about!”

“Half-vampire, half-werewolf, right?” Beomgyu asks. Your double moon necklace glows as you form your fingers into a claw shape behind your back. A small flame ignites and you hold it there, waiting for the right opportunity. 

“Yeah. I guess,” you say. “Why don’t you boys go watch the fireworks? I’ll catch up.”

“Nonsense! As gentlemen, we should escort you. Unless… you’d rather do something else. Here. Now.” Yeonjun raises an eyebrow, but you scowl in response. 

“No thanks.”

Soobin takes a step forward. “Is there anything else we can help you with?”

Beomgyu takes two. “I’m sure the three of us can be of use to you.”

It’s not until Yeonjun approaches you that you cower, stepping backward until you’re stopped by the water fountains. “No need to be shy. No one’s around.”

Your blood is boiling, though you’re not sure if it’s from your heat or rage. What’s worse is you’re not mad at them; you’re mad at yourself. Their words spurred you on as arousal drips down your thighs, a sign of your body’s betrayal. You fear if this escalates, they’ll figure out you’re not wearing anything underneath. 

“Get. Back.” You reveal the burning flame in your palm, the heat emanating off of it close enough to Yeonjun’s face. He jumps back and places a hand on his chest.

“Whoa! She’s feisty. Or should I say… fiery.”

“Maybe we should head back. She can do magic. I thought hybrids don’t know magic,” Soobin whispers. Yeonjun laughs at the ridiculous suggestion, shoving his friend for his cowardice as Beomgyu inspects him for injuries. 

“Doesn’t matter. Look at her state now.” He points in your direction, seeing how you’re barely able to stand. Your breaths are quick, shallow and your heart is thumping around like it’s going to burst out of your rib cage. The fire in your hand diminishes to a mere flicker, and then it’s out. You try to bring it back with the flick of a wrist, but all that emits are tiny sparks. Shit. I haven’t been practicing long enough.

Your womanhood is craving something, anything to alleviate the agony. It’s screaming for release, and you hold your abdomen as a sudden cramp pains you horribly. Human females experience this type of thing monthly and you have to hand it to them. This type of pain requires endurance and fucking sucks. 

You fall onto all fours, clutching your heart which is seconds away from bursting. It’s beating so loud, you can’t even hear the vulgar things the youngins are saying as they rush over. Soobin grabs your right arm; Yeonjun has the other.

You thrash in their clutches, but they only mock you with their boisterous laughter as they force you to your feet.

“Hey, hey! We’re just trying to help,” Soobin says. 

“Unless you’d rather be on all fours,” Yeonjun teases. Beomgyu bends down to your eye level, a crooked smile on his dainty face, the true embodiment of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

 “You’re pure temptation, you know that?” He leans close, his lips grazing the shell of your ear as he whispers, “Give up. Don’t put up a fight.”

“I don’t consent,” you say, a harsh bite in your words.

Soobin squeezes your arm, almost crushing it in his large hands. “Why? Is it because we’re young?”

“It’s clear you’re horny… we are too. Come on,” Beomgyu pleads. “We’ll take good care of you. Teach us what you like.”

“Yeah. And we’ll do the same.” Yeonjun holds your hand, inspecting it closely. “So soft. I bet your hand would feel so good around my—“

“Get your hands off her before I bite them off.”

Dizziness overwhelms you, so all you see is a blurry figure behind Beomgyu, and you shake your head to come to your senses. Once the man’s face comes into focus, relief washes over you, sending signals for your brain to let down your guard. The energy you so desperately clung to has depleted, so you close your eyes as your limbs turn into jelly.

Five seconds pass and the boys’ hold on you is gone. Someone else catches you before you faint, his scent familiar and comforting. 

“I got you,” he says as he lets you lean against his body. 

“Jungkook…”

“Can you stand?” You don’t know but nod anyway. “Good. Get behind me. You don’t want to see this.”

His broad back shields you from the three wolves, so you don’t even see the damage he inflicted upon them. Yeonjun was thrown into a tree a hundred feet away, the impact so potent that it split in half. Soobin and Beomgyu were fortunate not to collide into anything after being catapulted… except for each other. 

Soobin lands on top of Beomgyu and the smaller boy groans, pushing him off in a huff. He stands first and helps Soobin after. 

“Hey, we didn’t do anything wrong!” Yeonjun shouts as he scrambles to his feet, flaring his nostrils. “You and I both know she’s a bitch in heat!” 

You cling onto Jungkook’s blazer, and he looks over his shoulder.

“Is he right?” You don’t know if he asks to be polite because even you can smell your essence leaking. You hide your face in his back, flustered, but he feels you nod.

He redirects his attention back to the wolves. “That doesn’t give you the right to touch her. I suggest you leave before I make it physically impossible.”

Soobin scoffs while Beomgyu rolls his eyes. Yeonjun’s fuse was already lit and Jungkook’s sure there’s smoke coming out of his ears. You hear him crack his knuckles, the silence that follows deafening as you hold your breath in anticipation.  

“It’s three against two. Well, three against one, really,” Soobin says, laughing like he’s already won. 

“All I see is three smooth-brained pups who are pissing me off.” Jungkook’s eyes shift to a fiery goldenrod, the corner of his lips twitching as he smirks. “You’re aware that [Y/N] isn’t the only hybrid… right?”

You don’t see it, but their faces pale in comparison to earlier. Beomgyu covers his mouth, Soobin’s eyes widen, and Yeonjun growls. 

“There were rumors about more than one hybrid existing, but I didn’t think they were true,” Beomgyu says in a hushed tone. 

“She turned him? Fuck, they’re bonded then,” Soobin says. Yeonjun waves him off in a dismissive manner. 

“I don’t give a fuck. She’s not marked. We can take them.”

Jungkook has his fists up and changes into a fighter stance, but he feels you press your forehead against his back. It’s a searing sensation that scorches him even through the two layers of fabric he had on. He turns around and holds you by the shoulders.

“Hey, stay with me,” he begs. Your head is lolling back and forth as if you were inebriated. 

“It’s so hot… I’m too hot… I hate this, I hate this. Please… I need to cool down,” you beg. Jungkook takes a peek at the time on his watch, then bites his lower lip.

“Okay,” he whispers. “When I count to three, I need you to hold your breath. Can you do that for me?”

You mumble something Jungkook believes is a “yes” based on the beginning /y/ sound. 

“Three… two…”— he looks up —“one!”

A firework shoots up into the night sky, painting it with an explosive rainbow of sparkles. You cover your sensitive ears, but make sure to hold your breath as Jungkook uses his enhanced speed to whisk you away. More fireworks go off, muffling your tracks and making the youngins work harder to find you. 

However, Jungkook’s skills are unmatched. He sprints to the side of the school where the mountains are, and they follow suit. At the last second, he pivots and heads to the secluded area on the opposite side, where the lake is. 

The last memory you had here was something you blocked out to spare your mental health. You had almost died. But now this place was going to save you, funny enough. If you think about it, the lake had more happy memories than bad. This was where Namjoon trained you before you trained Jungkook.

You can picture it now as if it was yesterday. He, a newly turned werewolf, scared of what’s to come in his new life, and you, the school prodigy who had a crush on him.

Jungkook jumps off the dock with you in his arms, the splash overshadowed by the firework’s detonation. The cool water refreshes your sweltering body as you close your eyes, submitting to it. For a moment you don’t care about anything. Not how your makeup is smeared, how your curls are undone, or how your dress is ruined.

You feel strong arms hold you close, and an overwhelming sense of longing hits you in the gut. God, you missed him so much. Even without his memories, he still cares for you. Hell, he went out of his way to protect you.

Just when your lungs are on the verge of giving out, you’re pulled up to the surface. Your eyes flutter open as you rub the water off your face. Jungkook coughs, then cups your face with both hands.

“Are you okay?”

You take in his appearance for what feels like an eternity. His brown eyes twinkle from the moonlight, so beautiful and full of worry. You find it amusing how his hair is stuck to his forehead, the strands partially obstructing his view. Your hand pushes it out of the way without thinking like muscle memory, causing his breath to hitch.

“Thanks to you.”

Fireworks are still going off in the distance, illuminating you two in the crystal-clear water. Jungkook slowly removes his hands from you.

“Good. I um… don’t hear them anymore. They must’ve left. And the water should keep your scent hidden for now.”

“That’s a relief.” Jungkook places the back of his hand against your forehead but retracts it quickly as if he touched a hot stove. 

“Ow, oh my god. You’re still burning up!”

How naive were you to think it’d be over? You’ve experienced this once before, but that was with your first ex, who was at your beck and call for sex whenever you needed it. You couldn’t ask that of Jungkook. Not after everything that’s happened.

“I’ll figure something out. You’ve done a lot for me already and your clothes are wet.”

“I don’t give a damn about my clothes. Tell me how I can help you.”

*BOOM*

A red heart-shaped firework went off as you two stared at each other. Your gaze flickers from his eyes to his luscious lips and he doesn’t miss it. Maybe you don’t want him to.

“Why do you want to help me? We… We’re not that close.”

“Well… the thing is… I-I just…” He is so freakin’ cute. You might die from how endearing he is before your heat destroys you first. “Because.”

“Because?”

*BOOM*

“Because it’s finally just you and me.”

His answer is simple. There shouldn’t be any underlying connotations and yet, it reminds you of a past conversation. 

“We’re in this together. You and me. Okay?”

“Is it really you and me…”

“What do you mean?”

“Will it ever be? Just you and me?” 

“Now tell me what you need. Use me.”

Your pussy is throbbing so much that it’s agonizing. You just need a quick release, then you’ll be sane enough to go home without collapsing. 

“This feels…” So right, you think. “Wrong.”

His hands sneak around your waist. “Then let’s misbehave.”

He hoists you up onto the edge of the dock without warning as if you weigh nothing, and a grunt leaves his lips. It’s far too sexy to ignore, and your mind craves to hear it again. Then he places his hands on either side of your thighs and pulls himself up halfway out of the water, his face now directly in front of yours. 

“Tell me what you need. How can I please you?”

Fuck. You bite your lower lip when you realize the dock isn’t that tall—he’s at the perfect height to carry out the desires you’ve been suppressing. “I need to come…”

A water droplet falls off his button nose when he chuckles. “How do you want to come?”

You stare at his lips, which are thin yet plump at the same time, his lower lip being the bigger half. You think back to earlier when he sucked your palm. 

 “I want you to eat me out…”

He moves fast, almost like he knew what you’d say. His grip on the dock loosens, and he plops back into the lake but grabs your ankles, pulling you forward until your bottom is perched on the very edge. He spreads your thighs and rests his head between them, looking up at you like you were worth the entire universe. 

“Why don’t you lift your dress for me, gorgeous?”

You’re unsure what’s louder — the fireworks or your heart rate. If he keeps speaking to you in that low dialect, you may come right now. Your fingers bunch up the fabric at the hem and you slowly pull it up, exposing your pussy to his feasting eyes. 

“Fuck, what a beautiful pussy.”

You take two fingers and glide it up your folds, coating it in your slick. Jungkook watches, unsure of what you are going to do next. You lean forward, cupping his face with your other hand with a naughty glint in your eyes.

“Open.” He obliges, and you stick your coated fingers in his mouth. A muffled groan comes out as he sucks your fingers, his tongue swirling around so nothing goes to waste. “Good boy.”

You remove your fingers and he’s practically drooling, his eyes a bit crazed from your addictive taste.

“Please let me pleasure you, please.”

You don’t answer and run a hand through his damp hair, stopping at the back to grip it tight as you guide his head closer to where you need him most. He peers up at you adoringly when you hold him an inch away.

“Please me then.”

He doesn’t hesitate. His tongue licks a stripe on your sopping cunt, earning a shudder from you. Your thighs squeeze his head like a reflex, which only spurs him on to press his mouth harder against you. He begins to lap up your juices like a dog and you throw your head back, moaning at how insanely good it felt. 

You tangle your fingers in his hair and pull him closer if possible, the tight hold giving him a tinge of pain that ignites his carnal desires. He slurps your pussy like it was his last meal on death row, slithering his arms underneath your knees and holding your thighs hostage. You don’t know which noise was most obscene—your moaning or Jungkook’s.

Sneaking your free hand down, you use your forefinger and middle finger to spread your pussy lips wider. Jungkook’s excited and sinks his tongue as deep as it would go. You’re impatient now, riding his face as he tongue-fucks you. 

“Fuck, you’re so good to me, yes—oh god…” You don’t have it in you to say anything more coherent except for broken moans. Jungkook pauses for a second, and you whine at the loss of contact. Then you’re being stretched out as his two fingers submerge into you, nearly knocking the breath out of you. 

You lean back on your forearms as he begins to piston them into you, your wetness making it easy—too easy even. They slip out when he speeds up, and he makes up for it by eating you out and sinking his fingers back in simultaneously. 

You’re shaking, unable to hold yourself up any longer. Your back rests on the wooden planks as Jungkook flicks your clit with his tongue, his fingers drilling into you at a brutal speed and brushing your sweet spot. 

You see the last of the fireworks show go off, a beautiful explosion of silver sparkles and stars, as your orgasm finally comes. You arch your back and scream, but Jungkook doesn’t slow down. He can feel how tight your walls are constricting around his fingers and knows you need a few more seconds of bliss to be fully satisfied. 

Overstimulation was always a gamble. If pushed too far, you’d be in pain. But most of the time you welcome it. One second you want the pleasure to stop building, but then you crave that ache of clenching so hard until your body gives out. 

Jungkook stops again. This time he pulls himself out of the water completely and hovers over your body. His fingers plunge into you again, his speed relentless, and you swear you’re seeing stars (or maybe that’s the fireworks who knows). Your eyes roll to the back of your head and you say his name like a mantra.

“Come for me, beautiful. I want you dripping in my hand again.”

Your eyes are wide when warm lips are pressed against your own. But you submit and savor it, having missed his touch. Combining that with the way he curls his fingers inside makes you squirt. Hard. 

Your entire body convulses and you can’t even scream because Jungkook is determined to swallow them. The limitation only makes you come harder than before. Then again, you’re not sure if this is a second orgasm or a drawn-out first one. 

The involuntary gushing is an indescribable sudden wave of pleasure. You feel so relieved from the release, pushed to tears at how good it felt. Jungkook pulls away a centimeter to let you breathe, and you submit to the foreign feeling.

Oh my god, he made me squirt. I didn’t even know that was possible. 

He pulls his soaked fingers out and resumes kissing you, moving his lips in rhythm to yours. It’s so natural, almost like he’s done this before. Well, he has, but it felt so right. So loving. So… intimate. 

You place a hand on his chest and give him a gentle push. He pulls back a little, a melancholy look passing his face. 

“Will you stay?”

You can’t. He’s not supposed to be tangled up with you again. You erased his love for you for a reason; it wasn’t the right time. Any decisions made till now were because of your heat and your brain was finally back in command. 

“I can’t.”

He caresses your cheek. “Why not?”

Because I’m not ready to love you the way you deserve. Because I love you so much that I’m afraid things will fall apart again. 

“Because we don’t know each other,” You push him off you and stand, trying not to slip. Jungkook’s hands were already in position to catch you if you did. “Not really.”

As you walk away, he says something so chilling that it crystalizes your blood into ice. “You’re running away again.” 

You refuse to turn around. “It’s my choice.”

“What about my choice and what I want? Do you not care?” He stands up and tightens his fists. “Are you leaving for good this time?”

This… time? He doesn’t remember. He can’t remember.

“Goodbye, Jungkook.”

He watches as your figure grows smaller in the distance. His head hangs low and he fights back tears. You’ve made it clear what you want. He had to let you go.

A/N: I am currently writing part 2, don't worry! It's a long one, lol. This was also my first time writing in present tense. Loved it. I hope you enjoyed it too. Thank you for giving my writing a chance. 🥰

[sincitypjmrecs]

My Heart's Home (m) | pjm | series masterlist

Hi, and welcome to Bora Ranch!

At Bora Ranch you will rediscover who you are, reconnect with your sister, and your childhood friend, Park Jimin, that will stir old feelings back. There's a lot of ups and downs, a lot of heartbreak, misunderstandings, what ifs, bad timing, but in the end, you will know what truly makes your heart beat, and where your heart's home is.

It's a story that will take you on a heartbreaking journey to find out what love is and the meaning of 'home', coming home and finding love. There's a lot of angst in it, I'd call it HEALING ANGST. Everything will be good in the end! Just have to go through a lot of heartbreak before the sun truly shines. There's a lot of soulmates vibes/undertones in it, and it's a lovestory at it's core. It's very romancey (Why do I suddenly feel like I wrote a YA but with mature language???).

This story is HEAVLY inspired by McLoed's Daughters (both the world/setting/plot), some plot points follow that story, but most of it doesn't.

“It will take some time To find your heart And come back home You could walk for miles Cross every river And find your not alone ‘Cos I'll be there” - From McLeod’s Daughters theme song

🐴 Summary: You’d never thought you’d step foot back at the ranch– a place you used to call home a long time ago. When you are forced to go back, reconcile with your sister and a certain childhood friend that you had long forgotten, will sparks reunite? 🐴 Pairing: jimin x reader (main), jungkook x reader (only happens once in the first chapter)*, jungkook x OC (jessi), namjoon x OC (jessi), yoongi x hoseok, namjoon x oc, seokjin x oc, taehyung x oc *I also want to clarify some things about the tags/pairings! Jungkook x reader only happens once, it is crucial for the sake of the plot, but please don't let that stop you from reading it (I take it you want to read it because of Jimin x reader). Jimin x reader is the main couple! 🐴 Characters: female reader (she’s more like an OC, but isn’t mentioned by name and no “y/n”), Jimin, Jungkook, Namjoon, Yoongi, Hoseok, Seokjin, Taehyung and four female original characters. 🐴 AUs: ranch!au, slice of life!au, childhood friends to lovers!au, cowboy!au, soulmate!au 🐴 Genres: smut, humor, fluff, slow burn and angst (yes, it’s got everything lol!) 🐴 Rating: mature/explicit/R18 – this is mature/explicit content, so minors, please do not interact! 🐴 Word count: 230k (epilogue excluded) 🐴Disclaimer: I do not own BTS or know them personally and this work of fiction is purely fictional and for entertainment purposes only. The actions and personalities described in the story do not reflect those of BTS— it’s just fiction. Also, if you would kindly read the tags/warnings before reading, that would be lovely: and if you don’t like whatever is described in the tags, just hit return and find something else to read. Thank you 🌸 🐴 Warnings/tag: will be tagged for each individual chapter. But it does contain sexual themes, smut and a lot of sexual tension and a hell of a lot of angst! Like series is an emotional rollercoaster ride, it will leave you both happy, sad, frustrated, mad, angry and oh so in love. All through the series. You have been warned, lol. 🐴 Status: completed 🥳 🐴 Fancy reading on AO3? It is cross-posted there! 🐴 Do you want to see the book cover (there's a teaser too)? [it's here] 🐴 Author’s note: this series is heavily inspired by the TV show McLeod’s Daughters. Some plot points will feel familiar, while others won’t (because I don’t follow that story structure to a tee). But If you love that show that I do, I’m 100% sure you’ll love this story too! Also, I don’t expect people to really be interested in this… this is more of a story about coming home, finding home, finding love and such… and I don’t know if you want to read that sort of thing? But I fucking love it! ✨

Chapter #1 - Inheritance | word count: 8.2k | read → chapter one

Chapter #2 - It’s a Long Road | word count: 9.1k | read → chapter two

Chapter #3 - Sometimes | word count: 11.8k | read → chapter three

Chapter #4 - It Comes to This | word count: 7.5k | read → chapter four

Chapter #5 - Our Home, Our Place | word count: 11k | read → chapter five

Chapter #6 - Wild Horses | word count: 11k | read → chapter six

Chapter #7 - We Got it Wrong | word count: 9.5k | read → chapter seven

Chapter #8 - Love You, Hate You | word count: 9.5k | read → chapter eight

Chapter #9 - Take the Rain Away | word count: 8.2k | read → chapter nine

Chapter #10 - The First Touch | word count: 16.4k | read → chapter ten

Chapter #11 - This Perfect Day | word count: 14.4k | read → chapter eleven

Chapter #12 - Broken Dreams | word count: 14.4k | read → chapter twelve

Chapter #13 - Love Letter | word count: 13.4k | read → chapter thirteen

Chapter #14 - I Wish the Past was Different | word count: 10.5k | read → chapter fourteen

Chapter #15 - Did I Tell You? | word count: 13.7k | read → chapter fifteen

Chapter #16 - The Stranger | word count: 14.1k | read → chapter sixteen

Chapter #17 - Love of Your Life | word count: 13.3k | read → chapter seventeen

Chapter #18 - By My Side | word count: 14.7k | read → chapter eighteen

Chapter #19 - Home [END] | word count: 18.2k | read → chapter nineteen

Chapter #20 - My Heart's Home [Epilogue + Q&A] | word count: 7.4k | read → chapter twenty

Please let me know if you're excited for this??? I'm still writing it, and honestly... I love it! But it's tough to write such a long series without any feedback or knowledge whether it's good or sucks... so.. yeah....

[sincitypjmrecs]

Since Day One

♡ pairing: pre-k teacher!jimin x pre-k teacher! f. reader

♡ genre: single dad au, fluff, crack, enemies to lovers, 18+

♡ wc: 16k

♡ summary: Being a Pre-K teacher is no easy feat, but Jimin is always up for the challenge. However, on his first day on the job, he makes an enemy in the parking lot before he even sets foot inside the building. Looks like this school year won’t be all sunshine and rainbows after all.

♡ warnings: mention of nervousness, snippy!Jimin, angry!reader, food mention, angst, lots of pettiness in the workplace, pranks in the workplace, meddling mother, mention of minor injuries

♡ part of @btsfests "Daddy's Home Fest"

♡ Date: April 6, 2024

Jimin had gotten the call early in the morning. He was distressed as he got his four-year-old daughter, Harin, ready for school.

The sun barely rose over the horizon as Jimin scrambled out of bed. He had missed the first day of school yesterday, but he had only gotten hired today. Harin had missed the first day due to a mishap with the moving company misplacing all her boxes of clothes, something they had found when the school day had ended.

Jimin had called the school, assuring them Harin would be in tomorrow. The secretary assured him it was fine, there were a few children who missed the first day, seeing as it was a half day to get the children situated and have an orientation. Nothing too big ever occurred for those few hours the school was open. 

Jimin was surprised when he got the call in the morning informing him that he had gotten the Pre-K teacher job. He knew school started the day before, and he hadn’t been selected. He was offered higher pay and figured the person originally hired for the position had dropped out at the last moment. 

Jimin didn’t care. He loved teaching and he was determined to make this move back to his hometown work no matter what. Harin’s mother, Mia, had given him full custody shortly after Harin’s birth when the two split less than amicably. Jimin sometimes wished the relationship had been salvageable but knew in the end, there was no point in trying to get Mia to stay with him or with Harin, which she very much had no interest in raising.

That was all water under the bridge for Jimin. He was doing an astounding job raising Harin and now that he was moved closer to his parents, who lived right across the street, he knew he could handle everything life would throw at him.

The elementary school he attended as a child was just down the road from his childhood home and his home with Harin. His next-door neighbor was one of his childhood best friends, Yoongi, and his parents’ neighbor was another friend named Jungkook, and his boyfriend Seokjin.

Jimin hadn’t had time to meet the rest of his neighbors, but the neighborhood seemed lively. Children ran around in the evenings, people walked their dogs, and some pushed their cats in strollers down the sidewalk. 

Yoongi and his wife, Bree, had a daughter a year older than Harin. Her name was Lila, and she had been around to play with Harin yesterday after school. Jimin was grateful Harin had at least one friend here already. Seokjin’s nieces and nephews visited in the summer, but by the time Jimin moved in, the kids had already gone home to prepare for the new school year.

Nerves filled Jimin as he packed Harin’s unicorn lunch bag. He used the sandwich cutter to shape the sandwich into dinosaurs. He packed her some fresh fruit, vegetables, and a small pack of gummy bears.

Harin was excited to go to school. She had gotten up earlier than her alarm, ran around the room to get her clothes on, and woken Jimin up. Jimin kissed her cheek before taking her to his bathroom to sit her on the counter.

“What should we do to your hair today?” Jimin had asked her as she picked out a scrunchie that matched her outfit. 

“Ponytail,” Harin had stated as she stared at her reflection. Jimin nodded as he grabbed her hairbrush, gently brushing her hair as Harin asked about her lunch and snacks. Jimin replied as he stared at his daughter’s reflection. She was a little mini-him. Her features reflected his so much, and for that he was grateful. He knew that was something he’d have to work on eventually, but for now, he focused on his daughter and his first day at the elementary school he attended as a child. He was a little apprehensive of seeing some of his teachers as co-workers but there were a few that he was eager to see once again.

Once Jimin finished brushing Harin’s hair he sent her to the kitchen table for breakfast while he got himself ready. He changed his pajamas to black slacks, a light-blue button-up shirt tucked into his pants, and a black leather belt. He rolled the sleeves to his elbows and grabbed a black blazer from his closet. 

Jimin’s coffee waited for him in his blue travel mug, a little sweeter than he’d like but he could get through his day a little easier with some coffee and a chocolate chip muffin. 

Before Jimin knew it, he was running late.

It took Jimin a few minutes to get his belongings and Harin’s in the car before he led his daughter to the backseat to strap her into her booster seat. Jimin made sure his daughter was secure before he got into the driver’s seat.

Jimin cursed to himself. How could he be late on his first day? This wasn’t the first impression he wanted to give the staff or the principal. 

The call had been last minute, but he thought he could show up early enough to meet some of the parents of his new students. 

Damn, tomorrow he’d have to try again.

Jimin was confused when he arrived at the school. A line wrapped around the building as parents dropped their children off. Jimin had to make a left-hand turn to get into the line, which would make him cut people off and nobody would let him in. His daughter is none the wiser as she sings along to a song on the radio, rapping along at the correct parts. Jimin would have been impressed if it hadn’t been for his friend, Namjoon, babysitting and teaching her all the curse words in one day.

Sighing, Jimin shakes his head at the memory. 

It had taken a few days for Harin to understand those words weren’t for her to say, much less at school. Namjoon had profusely apologized, but now Jungkook and Seokjin were on emergency babysitting duty if needed. However, Jimin was impressed that Harin had most of Cypher Pt. 3 down. Yoongi, Namjoon, and Hoseok, another of Jimin’s friends who was a baker in town, had been rappers in the underground for most of their youth and the Cypher Collection lived on in their playlists. Part 3 just happened to be his and Harin’s favorite. 

Jimin had attended all their shows with all their other friends until the three decided to focus on their personal lives. Yoongi still wrote and produced on the side, often flying across the country to studios with Namjoon, who also did features when he wasn’t writing and producing alongside Yoongi.

A loud honk startles him out of his thoughts. He waves apologetically as he turns his black Nissan Rogue into the school parking lot. Jimin taps his fingers on the steering wheel while he waits for his turn to drop off his child.

Just because Jimin was running late, didn’t mean Harin had to. He figured he could drop her off in line and then rush to the staff parking lot on the other side of the loop. He’d have to break into a run to get to the office for his badge, clock in, put his lunch away, and haul ass to his classroom.

Jimin hoped his Teacher Assistant was there already. He’d apologize to them profusely and offer to buy them lunch tomorrow.

“Harin, make sure you grab your backpack,” Jimin reminds her as he pulls up for his turn. A staff member opens the backdoor, unbuckling Harin’s seatbelt.

“Good morning,” they greet him as they take Harin’s pink backpack and help Harin onto the sidewalk.

“Bye, Daddy!” Harin waves as the staff member helps her put her backpack on.

“Bye, baby! I’ll be right down the hall, okay?” Jimin calls as he waves, and the back door shuts as his daughter is taken inside the school. 

Relieved, Jimin checks his mirrors before pulling off the curb. All he had to do was park and haul ass to the office. He could do it. He had about five minutes to accomplish it and he hoped it would go smoothly.

Jimin pulls into the staff parking lot with ease. He sees one spot open and drives toward it, putting his signal as another car arrives in front of his vehicle with its blinker on.

However, Jimin arrives first and takes the spot. The car waits for a moment before driving away. Jimin doesn’t pay them attention as he gathers his belongings and coffee. He puts his blazer on as quickly as possible and pockets his car keys after he looks at the vehicle.

When he rounds the back of his car, he bumps into someone, spilling his warm coffee on their clothing.

“You did that on purpose!” The woman screams. “You took my spot and now you’re throwing coffee on my dress!”

Jimin is taken aback. 

“It was an accident,” he explains as he pats his pocket for a handkerchief but must have forgotten it in his haste to leave home.

“Everyone knows I park right there every day! You took my spot!” The woman stomps her heel and Jimin rolls his eyes, which upsets the lady more.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?!” She asks, shocked.

“Yes,” Jimin shrugs. Normally he’d be an adult about the situation. Maybe he’d offer to get her dress dry-cleaned or buy her a new one. He did feel bad about it, but he was already having a bad morning and she was making him late with her screaming.

“I’m late,” Jimin states as he walks around her, ignoring her calls, insisting he move his vehicle. 

“What a grouch,” Jimin utters as he walks toward the school's front office. Hopefully, he wouldn’t see her again any time soon. She must be one of the parents parking where she shouldn’t. Even if she claimed to park there daily, Jimin didn’t care. 

Not today.

“I am so sorry,” Jimin apologizes as he enters his classroom. The Teacher's Assistant is already in class, helping children put their belongings in their cubbies that were assigned yesterday. “It won’t happen again.”

“No worries,” the man smiles as he helps a child remove their backpack. “It happens. I heard they called you this morning, so I understand. I’m Kim Taehyung, your Teacher Assistant.”

“Park Jimin,” Jimin introduces himself, shaking Taehyung’s hand firmly.

“Nice to meet you,” Taehyung says genuinely. He shows Jimin to his desk, and the list of their students' names and where they will sit unless he’d like to make changes. Jimin shakes his head.

“This is the schedule. It usually doesn’t change unless there’s an assembly or fire drill. Lunch is from 11 to 11:30 and recess is from 11:30 to 11:45. Then we pick them up and they have their bathroom break until 12. Nap is from 12 to 1:30 and then they have Center Time before going home at 3. Bus students leave at 2:50 and Car Pick-up at 2:55.” Taehyung said as he explained the schedule.

“Thank you. How would I get ahold of my daughter? I think she’s with a Miss Sweetheart?” Jimin tried his best to remember Harin’s teacher, wishing he had been able to meet her this morning but it seemed like everything that could go wrong, did. He’d just have to hope he could meet her at lunch today.

Taehyung chuckles. “The students and parents call her Miss. Sweetheart. She’s lovely. The best teacher you could get for your little one, but I am biased because she’s my best friend.”

“Oh? I’d love to meet her,” Jimin says as he grabs the breakfast cart. Taehyung helps him distribute the cereal packs and milk, helping the students one at a time until they’re all situated.

“You’ll love her!” Taehyung gushes as he tells Jimin Miss Sweetheart’s real name. Jimin does his best to memorize it as he sits at his desk to do attendance. Taehyung keeps a close eye on the children as they eat their breakfast.

“You could go across the hall to let her know your daughter should come to your room for pickup instead of heading outside. It might make it easier to get out of here after you complete your after-school duty,” Taehyung said as he helped a child open their carton of orange juice.

“Yes, that’s not a bad idea,” Jimin notes as he rises. “Right across the hall?”

“Yup,” Taehuyng nods. “She’s got her name on a giant wooden pencil sign. You can’t miss it.”

Jimin nods as he heads out of his classroom. He leaves the door open, so he can rush back if needed.

As Taehyung said, Miss Sweetheart’s name is on the pencil outside the classroom. The door is open and he can hear the soft chatter of the children.

Jimin knocks lightly and a woman with short black hair and sunkissed skin looks up. She’s wearing a long dress with a black cardigan and matching glasses. Her makeup is minimal, but pretty nonetheless. She’s a few inches shorter than Jimin, he notes. Her smile is warm and bright, dazzling as she quirks her head. Jimin thinks she’s beautiful.

“Hello, can I help you?” She asks as she walks toward the door. “I’m the Teacher's Assistant, Mrs. Gonzalez.”

“Daddy!” Harin shouts when she spots her father. Mrs. Gonzalez steps aside once she spots Jimin’s faculty badge. 

“Hey, baby,” Jimin waves awkwardly. The students are all watching him instead of eating their breakfast. Jimin feels his cheeks grow warm as he clears his throat. He doesn’t spot anyone else in the room with Mrs. Gonzalez, so he turns to her again.

“Sorry for interrupting,” Jimin apologizes. “I’m Park Jimin, the new Pre-K teacher across the hall.”

Mrs. Gonzalez nods.

“I’m also Harin’s father,” Jimin explains. “I just wanted to ask if Harin could be sent to my classroom instead of the Pick-up area after school.”

Mrs. Gonzalez smiles. “Sure, that’s not a problem.”

“Thank you so much,” Jimin sighed in relief before wishing her a good day and heading to his classroom. He shuts the door and thanks Taehyung as the two have their breakfast and the kids finish up.

Across the hall, Miss Sweetheart returns to her classroom. “Well, Lupita, I did the best I could to get this coffee stain out but it looks like I’ll just have to bear and suffer with it today. I’m packing extra clothes tomorrow to keep in my car.”

Lupita smiles sympathetically. “I’m sure tomorrow will be better.”

You nod, smiling as you return to your desk. 

“Oh, before I forget. Harin’s father would like her sent to his classroom instead of Pick-up,” Mrs. Gonzalez informs you. You nod and write it on a notepad on your desk so you don’t forget.

“Thank you, Mrs. Gonzalez.”

The end of the school day arrives faster than Jimin thought it would. He ate his lunch in his classroom to review the lesson plan for the week. One of the Pre-K teachers had provided them until he could do his own. He was grateful for the help, especially tossed into this on such short notice.

Jimin had other interviews lined up and was bummed about not getting a job offer at the elementary school where his daughter would be attending. It had been his first choice, so he didn’t care about the underlying circumstances of how he got the job, he was just happy that he did.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Taehyung tells Jimin as he grabs his belongings and escorts the children who are walkers to the correct area. Jimin waves, grateful he doesn’t have after-school duty today. He’s scheduled for tomorrow, so he’ll pack his daughter extra snacks. Overall, it wasn’t a bad day even after the events that occurred this morning. He hoped he could apologize to that woman sometime, but he wouldn’t let it stew.

“Daddy,” Harin says as she pulls on his shirt. “I wanna go home. Lila’s waiting.”

“I’m going, love. Let me just grab my stuff, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy!” Harin twirls around once. Her hair didn’t make it the rest of the day. Her scrunchie clings loosely to her black hair as she twirls again before growing dizzy and giggling.

Jimin shakes his head as he smiles at her sweetly. He takes her backpack from her and takes her hand. He leads her out of his classroom, locking the door and heading for the office.

With ease, Jimin clocks out as he says his goodbyes to the staff.

Harin claps when she sees the car, allowing Jimin to place their belongings in the trunk before he scoops her up and helps her into the booster seat. He hands her a bottle of water and checks that she’s secure before rounding the vehicle and climbing into the driver’s seat.

Music plays softly in the background from the radio. Harin drinks some water and then puts the bottle in the cup holder of her seat.

“Did you have a good day at school, sweetie?” Jimin asks as he safely pulls out of the parking spot and the parking lot.

“It was the best!” Harin exclaims in excitement. “We had cereal for breakfast and chicken nuggets for lunch! I made two friends, Beth and Hilario! They’re tall like Uncle Kookie!”

Jimin laughs. He’s sure two four-year-olds aren’t that tall, but he listens intently and asks more about her day. 

“And Miss Sweetheart is so nice! She’s my favorite ever! She’s funny and pretty! I like her!”

“That’s good, baby. I’m glad you like your teacher,” Jimin states honestly. He had worried Harin would have a hard time on her first day of school. He worried she wouldn’t like it, or her teacher would be mean, or she’d cry all day for him. Harin did well when left with family or friends but Jimin was still worried. It was a lot of changes for her all at once, and though they were changes made for the better, he couldn’t help but worry.

Jimin had a much larger support system now that he was back in his hometown than when they lived an hour away. He had hoped it would make parenting a little easier with his parents nearby. He was doing fantastic even if he couldn’t see it, but the extra help and support would be nice.

The moment Jimin parks in his driveway, Harin tugs at her seatbelt until Jimin opens the door and unclips it. He helps his daughter out of the car, and she runs next door to Lila, who plays on the front porch while her mother and Yoongi watch her.

“Harin!” Lila screeches. The two girls hug as Jimin shuts the car door and opens the trunk. He grabs his bag and Harin’s. He shuts the trunk and rounds the vehicle as Yoongi waves.

“Hey!” Jimin greets as he meets Yoongi halfway. Harin and Lila run around the front yard, giggling as they chase each other. 

“How was your first day?” Yoongi asks his best friend. 

Jimin sighs heavily. 

“That bad, huh?” Yoongi smirks. 

“No,” Jimin chuckles as he runs a hand through his long black hair. “This morning started rocky, but it was fine once I got in my classroom.”

“Wanna talk about it?” Yoongi asks as Lila runs to him and clings to his leg before Harin does the same. The girls tug on his pants, wanting him to join the chase. 

Yoongi laughs, patting both girls on the head. “In just a minute, okay?”

“Okay!” They chirp as they take off running, squealing in delight when Jungkook crosses the street to join them. The three run around in circles and Yoongi turns back to Jimin. 

“We were running late,” Jimin recounts this morning’s events as Yoongi follows along, nodding his head and grimacing when he gets to the part about spilling coffee on a stranger. 

“Tomorrow’s another chance to get it right,” Yoongi states. 

“Ever the wise man,” Jimin laughs. Yoongi cracks a smile as the girls run up to him with Jungkook in tow. 

“Play with us!” They plead. 

Jimin gets down to their level, a smile on his lips. 

“I have to put our bags inside and change. I’ll come to join you in a few minutes, okay?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Harin nods as they pull Yoongi and Jungkook toward the giant oak tree to climb. 

“Take your time, man. We’ve got this,” Yoongi assured him. 

“Thanks, Yoon. I need to get dinner started but I’ll come back out as soon as possible,” Jimin says as he steps toward his house. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Yoongi grins, patting Jimin on the back and turning to the girls. Jungkook has both in the tree and Yoongi’s heart nearly falls out of his chest as he rushes over in a panic. 

Jimin shakes his head. Jungkook’s adventurous streak had been an influence on both girls. Something Yoongi and Jimin loved and hated. 

Oh, well.

Jimin smiles brightly as he pulls into the parking lot earlier than yesterday. He parks in the same spot as the day before with a smirk. 

Harin gets out of the car by herself but has to wait for Jimin to open the trunk to get her backpack. Jimin figures it would be best to walk his daughter in himself. After all, he’s not the only teacher with children at the school. 

Just as he thinks that another teacher pulls in and gets out with her two children, her badge around her neck on a lanyard. Jimin takes his daughter’s hand and walks her across the parking lot, noticing as the car from yesterday pulls in. 

With a friendly, yet devious grin, Jimin waves at the woman behind the wheel, noticing how she clenches her hands and shoots him a glare. 

Humming to himself, Jimin crosses the drop-off area safely with Harin at his side. He’s in a joyous mood all the way into the building after clocking in and taking his daughter to her classroom. 

“There’s coffee and muffins in the lounge if you want to head up there,” Taehyung informs Jimin as he walks into the classroom with his backpack over one shoulder and an iced coffee in one hand with a banana nut muffin sitting on the lid. 

“I could use some coffee,” Jimin muses as he removes his black leather jacket and drapes it over his desk chair. “Had to skip it this morning to get here earlier than yesterday.”

Taehyung nods as he sets his belongings on his desk, a mouthful of muffin in his mouth. 

Tae swallows and nods. “Go for it.”

Jimin thanks him as he heads out of the classroom. Only a few kids are playing on the carpet for Circle Time, and Taehyung watches them while Jimin heads off to the lounge, greeting a few teachers and faculty as he heads to the teacher’s lounge. 

The lounge isn’t as small as the one in the last school he worked at. There are three TVs mounted on the walls, a treadmill near one TV, and a set of weights beside it for those who want to remain active on their breaks. 

There are two industrial-size refrigerators on one wall, with enough room for everyone’s lunch and all the food and drinks provided by the school. Several tables litter the rest of the room, along with a plush gray couch with blue cushions and a large island beside the sink and cabinets filled with mugs and travel cups. 

Just like Taehyung had said, there’s a bountiful array of muffins, cookies, and breakfast sandwiches on one table beside a note that says Faculty, please enjoy. 

On the counter by the sink, several sleek appliances sit ready to be used. Among them is the iced coffee machine beside a Keuring. Jimin grins as he grabs a cup and makes his coffee, waiting for it to brew while he picks out a chocolate chip muffin. 

The smell of his hazelnut coffee makes his mouth water as he takes a bite of his muffin. He moves closer to the coffee maker and waits for it to finish brewing. 

Once he’s got it ready to go, he turns to look for a lid, only for him to bump into someone. A bit of his coffee ends up on the person he bumped into, and he nearly curses. 

“Really? Again?!” 

Jimin freezes. He feels his blood run cold. Though she’s looking down at the stain on her dress, he recognizes the dress’s pattern from this morning, and the annoyance in her voice is the same as yesterday. 

Fuck, Jimin had done it now.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes as he grabs a lid for his coffee. 

“Do you have it out for me?” She hisses as he dabs at her dress and finally looks Jimin in the eye. 

Jimin is too stunned to speak. He licks his lips before trying to think of a response. When none comes, it enrages her even more. 

“First, you took my parking spot yesterday and today. Then you spilled your coffee on me twice. Should I expect this to become a daily occurrence so I can send you my dry cleaning bill?!” 

Jimin blinks. He’s still unable to think clearly. He apologizes again before he steps around the woman and heads to his classroom with his coffee in one hand and a muffin in the other.

The end of the school day comes faster than Jimin expected. He’s tired and a little sleepy. His daughter is delivered to his classroom as he’s getting his students ready to go to the car pickup area. 

“Miss Sweetheart is so nice! Today we colored and went over numbers,” Harin smiles as she holds Jimin’s hand on the way outside. 

Jimin has Harin sit where he can see her and wait for the other students' names to be called. 

Harin takes her homework out. She’s ahead of some kids in her class because Jimin teaches her at home. She can spell her name, write her name, and read a few sight words. She had even memorized his phone number and Jungkook’s in case of an emergency and now she just had to learn her new address. 

Yoongi would have a time when Jimin told him about today. 

Jimin truly felt awful about spilling his coffee on this woman twice but he had apologized, right? It was an accident… though he also stole her parking spot twice in a row now. 

Grimacing, Jimin focuses on getting the students to their parents’ vehicles. He’ll have to talk to his friends this weekend and get advice on what to do. The last thing he wanted was to make an enemy at his school. 

“Miss Sweetheart!” Harin shouts, smiling and waving at a woman who approaches while Jimin gets a student into their car. He shuts the door and waves before he heads back to his daughter, now that he’s done with his after-school duty. 

For a split second, Jimin panicked when Harin’s belongings were left on the ground but his daughter was nowhere in sight. Ice builds in his veins as panic sets in and he looks to the left and right. 

It’s not until he hears Harin’s tinkling laughter that Jimin calms down, rushing to her side.

“Harin!” He exclaims, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. “Baby, you know better than to run off without telling me.”

“Sorry, Daddy,” Harin frowns. “I just wanted to say bye to Miss Sweetheart.”

Jimin sighs as he scoops his daughter into his arms and finally turns to his daughter’s teacher. His smile is wiped off his face and yours when your eyes lock. 

“Miss Sweetheart,” Jimin says through gritted teeth as you scowl. 

“Mr. Park,” you growl with a blink of your eyes. Your favorite student’s father just happens to be the obnoxious (gorgeous) man who has been making your first week of the school year absolute hell. 

“You’re Harin’s teacher,” Jimin is dumbfounded as he shifts Harin’s weight in his arms. 

“Yup,” you affirm in a clipped tone. “And you’re her dad.”

“That’s me,” Jimin nods. He can’t help but notice how beautiful you are when you’re not seething. Maybe if he hadn’t been in such a rush both days, he would have noticed how beautiful your eyes are, or how cute your nose looks when it’s scrunched in disgust aimed at him. 

Fuck, he’d fucked up majorly. His daughter had nothing but praises for you and now you hated him, maybe even loathed him. The last thing he wanted was to have an enemy in school. He didn’t want his coworkers to hate him and he’d fucked up royally only two days into his school year. 

“Daddy, I wanna go,” Harin chimes as she wiggles in her father’s hold until Jimin sets her down. Harin grabs her belongings, stuffing her homework folder in her backpack before zipping it close and running back to her dad. 

“Bye!” Harin shouts, waving excitedly at her teacher. 

Jimin watches as Miss Sweetheart bends down to eye level with Harin. She coos at his daughter and Harin hugs her tightly, saying bye once more before going to hold Jimin’s hand. 

You rise to your full height, nodding at Jimin before you head inside the building to get your belongings. 

Jimin sighs in relief. At least you weren’t taking his faux pas out on Harin. 

He was thankful for that.

“You what?” Yoongi laughs so hard his stomach hurts as he bangs his fist on his thigh. 

“Shhh,” Jimin hisses. He had just gotten Harin to bed and he’d be damned if Yoongi woke her up. 

“Man,” Yoongi rasps, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Talk about bad luck.”

Jimin rolls his eyes. “You’re telling me. How do I fix it?”

Yoongi smirks, shaking his head. “First, offer to pay for her dry cleaning.”

Jimin nods. 

“Then, quit parking in her spot. Official or not, she said she had it first.”

Jimin pouts. “But it’s a good spot.”

Yoongi rolls his eyes. “And she’s Harin’s teacher. Let her have the spot, she’s been there longer than you. Didn’t you say you wanted this to go smoothly?”

“Yeah,” Jimin huffs. “I’ll fix it tomorrow. I don’t need anyone hating me. You should have seen the scowl she had on her face when she realized I was Harin’s dad.”

Yoongi chuckles. “I’d have paid money to see that.”

“Go home,” Jimin sticks his tongue out at his best friend, playfully pushing him toward the front door. 

Yoongi laughs, patting Jimin on the shoulder as he takes his leave. 

“Oh,” Yoongi snaps as he turns around. His left hand grips the doorknob as he meets Jimin’s gaze. “Don’t forget Sleepover Saturday. Bree’s taking the girls to get mani-pedis so pack an overnight bag for Harin.”

Jimin nods, blinking away the tears that sting the corners of his eyes. 

“Tell Bree, thanks. I appreciate her including Harin,” Jimin swallows thickly. He knows Harin will ask soon why she doesn’t have a mom like Lila, and Jimin hasn’t quite figured out what to tell her yet. 

“No problem, Chim. You know we love her as our own,” Yoongi said as he opened the door and headed out with one last wave. 

Jimin sniffles as the door shuts and he sits on the couch until he dozed off for a while. 

Someday Harin would start asking questions about her mother, and Jimin didn’t want to hurt her with the truth. 

He wishes things were easier to explain, to assure Harin wouldn’t feel unwanted but Jimin wasn’t sure how. It wasn’t Harin’s fault that Mia had no interest in being a mother. It was Mia’s decision.

Jimin doesn’t know what he’ll do. Maybe he can ask his friends on Saturday night. After all, it takes a village to raise a child, at least that’s what the saying was. 

Jimin had a pretty darn good one. 

Hopefully, that would be enough to break his daughter’s heart with the truth. Hopefully, Jimin and his family could piece it back together again.

That never worked for Humpty Dumpty though.

The next morning, Jimin pulls into the parking lot. He’s still trying to gauge what time he should arrive at school to get Harin to class, clock in, get his coffee, and get situated before class starts. 

Today is no different, except in Jimin’s parking spot sits Miss Sweetheart’s car. 

He scoffs, rolling his eyes as he parks beside her. He’s arrived early enough to take someone else’s unassigned spot. 

Harin waits for Jimin to get her out of the car before getting her backpack from the trunk. She’s too excited to wait for lunch and opens her kitten lunch bag to get her pudding cup out. 

Despite Jimin’s best efforts, he finally gives in and takes the chocolate pudding cup from his daughter to open it. 

Jimin stops in the middle of the parking lot to peel back the foil wrapper, grunting when it doesn’t come off easily. He tries again, too focused on the wrapper to notice you walking behind him to cross the lot and get to the school. 

“There!” Jimin exclaims as he pulls the wrapper off the plastic pudding cup and the cup goes flying in the air just as you go to pass him. 

It lands on your chest. 

Chocolate pudding smears on your white blouse and black scarf. 

You close your eyes and count to ten, then fifteen, and twenty as the cup falls at your feet. 

“Mr. Park,” you seethed as you opened your eyes and glared at him. “I would appreciate it if you could keep your drinks and food off my clothing.”

“I-I’m so sorry.” Jimin is quick to say but you raise your hand to stop him.

“Keep your apologies. I will send you my dry cleaning bill at the end of the week. Or, if this continues, I’ll add up the total until the end of the semester. Whichever you prefer.”

Jimin scoffs. “It was an accident. I apologized.”

“Daddy, there’s a car,” Harin tugs on her father’s pink button-down shirt and Jimin nods as he leads his daughter out of the parking lot. 

You turn to go back to your car to change your top. You should keep several outfits on hand for the rest of the school year if you have to be near Mr. Park. 

Taehyung has decided to remain neutral. He likes Jimin quite a bit. He’s one of the best teachers he’s ever worked with sans Miss Sweetheart. 

Jimin’s not all that bad once you get to know him. He and Jimin just click. They read each other well and anticipated the other’s needs. Tae could see them being close friends outside the workplace. 

However, Taehyung still struggles with his loyalty to you. All week he’s heard of this awful teacher taking your usual spot and spilling coffee on your clothing. 

Taehyung tried to tell you they were accidents from how you retold the stories but you can be hard-headed when you want to. For now, Taehyung plans to stay out of the squabble you’re having with this stranger. The new year just started. It was too early to make enemies or pick sides in battles that didn’t pertain to him, even if you were his best friend. 

Today, you texted Taehyung earlier than usual. You pick up your coffee order and his, park in your usual spot, and head into the building. 

You take your time making copies, drinking your coffee, and eating breakfast. By the time Taehyung joins you in your classroom for an early morning chat, you’re in a fabulous mood. 

“So it turns out my mortal enemy is the dad of one of my star students,” you state as you cross one leg over the other. You’re looking down at the attendance sheet sitting on your desk. You were still working on learning every student's name and it was easier than waiting for your computer to wake up and log in. 

“Really?” Taehyung’s brows disappear under his hair. He lifts his coffee to his lips and takes a sip. 

“Mhm,” you nod. “His name is Park. Saw him yesterday on duty.”

Taehyung’s face pales and he nearly spits out his iced white mocha coffee. 

There were only two Parks this school year, and one happened to be female. 

“First name Jimin?” Taehyung asks nervously, needing confirmation. 

You look at your file, finding Harin’s name and her father’s name. 

Park Jimin.

“Yeah, how’d you know?” You raise a brow at your best friend as you tap your pen on your desk. 

“That’s my teacher,” Taehyung admits ruefully. His hopes of friendship wither away as your eyes widen and a frown mars your beautiful face. 

“Ah!” You scream, stomping your foot. “He’s made my life hell these past few days!”

“Look, I’m sure you two can work past this. You said he apologized, right? Forgive him,” Taehyung advises as you glare at him. 

“Tae, he did it twice. Twice!”

“I’ll talk to him,” Taehyung suggests but you shake your head fiercely. 

“No. You don’t need to get caught in the middle of this. You’re stuck with him eight hours a day. I can’t make it awkward for you. It’s fine. I’m a grown woman. I can handle this cordially,” you sigh as you close your file and send Taehyung on his way. The students and Mrs. Gonzalez should arrive soon. The last thing you need is to make a spectacle.

Taehyung gives you a knowing look and you roll your eyes before dismissing him. 

He pauses at the door, a smirk on his lips. 

“Cordially.”

Jimin is surprised his eyes don’t get stuck in the back of his head from how hard he rolls them. He had come early as usual but not early enough. 

He scoffs when he sees you parked in his spot. However, he refrains from cursing in front of his daughter. Instead, he parks in the empty spot beside your car and grumbles obscenities while rounding his vehicle. 

It wasn’t even about the parking spot. Jimin didn’t care where he parked as long as there was room for his car. How you had reacted on his first day was what had driven him mad and he dived right into pettiness.  

Though he still felt a little awful about the coffee spills; Jimin seemed to care less and less as you accused him of doing it purposely and now taking the time to come in earlier than him just to spite him. He knew it wasn’t a coincidence. How could it be when the two of you had stepped on each other's toes all week? 

Tomorrow would be Friday, and he’d have the weekend to relax. 

Surely, this little feud wouldn’t extend past the first week of school?! You were both adults and though Jimin could admit it was fun to ruffle your feathers each morning, he had to remember that Harin liked you. 

Despite the irony of you being called Miss Sweetheart, when you had been anything but toward him.

Jimin doesn’t let his thoughts sour his mood as he walks Harin to class before he sets his belongings on the cluttered desk and informs Taehyung of his whereabouts.

“I’m gonna make a coffee in the lounge and clock in.”

Taehyung nods, waving Jimin off as a few students trickle in. Not enough to be out of ratio, but enough to warrant his full attention. 

Jimin says his good mornings on his way to the lounge. He makes sure to clock in first and avoids the gazes of his fellow faculty. 

He knows they stare because he’s hot. Jimin prides himself in his appearance, he kind of has to keep up with Jungkook and Harin, the two love run at the park whenever possible. Harin and Lila, keep Jimin and all his friends in shape, from playing tag, to hide and seek, and now climbing trees. 

Jimin knows it won’t be much longer before Harin asks for tumbling classes, ballet, soccer, ice skating, bowling, and rock climbing courses. So Jimin does his best to keep in shape and do his skincare because Jungkook and Hoseok showing up at his door with baskets full of products isn’t on his calendar anymore. He’s got his bathroom counter littered with items and a printed-out sheet of how and when to apply them. 

Today, Jimin wears a white button-down shirt with the first two buttons undone. He's tucked his shirt into his black slacks and wears his favorite black leather belt. His hair is perfectly styled and shows his forehead. It draws the attention of a few teachers who giggle when he passes by. 

Jimin’s eyes seem to sparkle when he spots the coffee maker, only to frown when he spots you beside it. 

Jimin notes the way you tense when you realize who’s standing beside you. It's easy to tell you're taking your time on purpose. You hum to yourself as you look at the pods remaining on the stand. There’s only one hazelnut left and you note Jimin muttering how he hopes you won’t take it. 

Grinning, you take the pod and insert it into the machine, waiting for the coffee to brew while you hum to yourself. 

Jimin bites his tongue, annoyance bubbling in his chest. 

The coffee aroma fills the lounge. It brightens your smile just a bit as your coffee finishes brewing into your cup. Humming, you grab the creamer and pour some into your cup, setting the bottle on the counter before going to grab a spoon to stir your coffee. 

Jimin taps his foot, frowning. Heat eats at his neck, and his shirt feels too stuffy. 

You pay him no mind as you raise your cup to your lips, tasting the sweetness before deciding a little more creamer is needed. You circle the spoon in your cup, ignoring Jimin’s pointed looks. If his eyes could light you on fire, you have no doubt you would be. 

“Oh, I should make a cup for Taehyung,” you muse as you reach for another pod. 

“He has coffee,” Jimin huffs, the tapping of his foot on the linoleum growing louder. 

“Hmm, I’ll text him,” you take your phone out of your pocket and take your time typing up a message, making a show of deleting and retyping it a few times. 

You sip your coffee as you wait for a response. Jimin glares, his arms crossed over his chest and his jaw taut. If you didn’t hate him so much, you could admit he was gorgeous. From his lean body to his plush lips that you’d be lucky to kiss. 

You take another sip of your drink, hiding your smile behind the mug as your phone buzzes.

“Oh, must be Tae,” you grin, eyes wickedly shining as you read the text. “Oh, I guess he’s still got the coffee I bought him this morning. How could I have forgotten?”

Jimin growls, stomping his foot like a petulant child. 

“All yours, Mr. Park,” you smile smugly as you step aside. 

Jimin mutters something under his breath as he goes to make his coffee. You bite back a laugh as you head for the door. 

“Class starts in a few minutes. Don’t wanna be late again,” you call over your shoulder, noting the way his shoulders tense. 

“Thanks for the reminder, Sweetheart,” Jimin grits, eyes like burning coal when he looks at you. 

“No problem, Park.” 

Hours later, Jimin lines up his students. Taehyung hands them their name badge to hang around their neck while they play outside. Though Jimin and Tae have been doing well learning and memorizing names, their class heads to the playground with Miss Sweetheart’s classroom. 

By the time Jimin’s class makes it outside, your class is already running around, laughing and shouting on the playground. 

Jimin’s kids get excited, smiling as they approach. A quick review of the playground rules is given before Jimin sets them free. 

Taehyung watches the students, calling attention to inappropriate behavior while Jimin looks for his daughter. 

Harin is running around with a few kids, laughing as she runs around the playground before climbing up the steps to use a slide. Jimin relaxes once he spots her and he keeps an eye on his students while Taehyung and Mrs. Gonzalez chat over their paperwork. 

Miss Sweetheart watches her students, ignoring the heat of Jimin’s gaze.

You weren’t happy that you had to share your time outside with the annoying man but you had promised Taehyung you’d be cordial and other than your little petty tirade this morning, you were going to try her best. 

Taehyung had texted you once Jimin had come back to the classroom with his coffee in hand. He had not been amused at your shenanigans and you had promised to do better. 

But you’d still out petty Jimin when the opportunity presented itself. 

“Miss Sweetheart!” You look up as you come out of your reverie. 

“Harin!” You grin as you open your arms and get down to her level. She smiles as she jumps in your arms, holding a tiny dandelion in her hand. 

“For you,” she squeals as she hands you the weed. You smile, thanking her with a hug before setting her down. 

“It’s pretty,” you say as she holds your hand. Harin was so sweet and smart. She loved to help you and Mrs. Gonzalez. You adored her already and it amazed you how sweet she was when her father got on your nerves but you wouldn’t let your personal feelings with her father get in the way of your relationship with Harin or any of the other students. 

Jimin tries not to panic when he doesn’t see Harin. His heart beats rapidly, his brow shines with cold sweat and his hands clench into fists as he looks for his daughter and doesn’t find her. 

Slowly, Jimin rounds the playground, relaxing once he spots Harin with her teacher. The two are smiling and Harin is quick to hug her, clinging to her as they both blow on the dandelion before Harin runs off once again to join her friends. 

When your gaze meets him, he doesn’t look away. His eyes are stormy as he watches you for another moment, studying you before turning his attention back to the students. 

Perhaps you weren’t as bad as he thought. 

That wouldn’t stop him from being petty though.

“So I’ll swing by after school to pick up the girls,” Yoongi reminds his best friend, Jimin, after school. 

Harin and Lila are already running around in the front yard. Bree and Seokjin chat on the front porch and Jungkook has his dog, Bam, on a leash. 

“Tomorrow?” Jimin asks for confirmation. 

“Yes,” Yoongi nods. “Bree, Jungkook, and Seokjin are going to that new pizza place with the arcade. We talked about it in the group chat.”

Jimin takes his phone out of his pocket. He goes to his messages and sees the muted symbol for the group chat. He has 157 unread messages. 

“Damn,” Jimin says as he quickly skims through the messages until he reads about the pizza place. Namjoon and Hoseok have work to do, but Jungkook and Seokjin are excited to go. Jimin knows it’ll probably turn into some sort of competition between them and Yoongi will end up carrying the girls’ prizes. 

“I’ll meet you there,” Jimin nods. “You can take Harin after school and I’ll come home for a change of clothes.”

“Sure thing,” Yoongi agrees before Harin and Lila cling to his legs. 

“Come play, Daddy,” Lila tugs on her father’s hand while Harin takes the other one. 

“Come on, Uncle Yoongi! Uncle Koo wants to race with Bammie!” Harin giggles as she tugs her uncle. 

“I’ll change and be right out,” Jimin tells Harin as the three take off after Jungkook. 

Bam barks excitedly as they run and eventually, Harin ends up being carried by Jungkook while Yoongi carries his daughter on his shoulders. 

Jimin chuckles as he heads into his home to get changed. He knows his parents will be home from work soon, and he’d like to say hi to them before dinner.

Despite living across the street, it had been hard for Jimin to see them between work and making dinner. There were still boxes that needed to be unpacked in his home, and he was hoping he could get them unpacked while Harin had her sleepover next door. 

Another race starts when Jimin joins his family outside. The girls have lost interest in racing and Bammie runs with them in the front yard while Jimin catches up to Yoongi and Jungkook, cackling when he runs past both of them to the end of the block and back to his house. 

“Cheater!” Yoongi shouts as he comes in third place. Jimin huffs a laugh as Jungkook sits on the grass, groaning when Bam goes over to lick his face. 

“Wanna go again?” Jimin goads and Yoongi flips him off. 

Jimin cackles as he shakes his head, calling Harin over to go home. 

“We’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

~

Jimin is earlier than usual.

Harin is just happy to be at school. She follows Jimin to his classroom and helps him set out the morning exercise on everyone’s desk. 

Today, they’re going over the letter A. 

For a moment, Jimin feels bad getting to school so early, especially because Harin was now involved in his pettiness without knowing so. He could have asked Yoongi to drop her off with Lila, but he was already picking up the girls after school and Jimin didn’t want to wake up the Min household for his petty dealings. 

Today, he had parked his car in his usual spot. He was proud of himself for getting to work early. Very few people littered the halls and he was able to get his hands worksheets printed and his coffee made before other faculty crowded the lounge. 

Harin sat at his desk with her breakfast. She sang to herself as she swirled her cereal in its plastic container. The bright colors stood out against the white bowl as Harin went in for another mouthful. 

All Jimin had to do now was wait for class to start.

~

Fumes escape from your ears as you pull into the parking lot. 

It was Friday. The last day of the school week and the first day of your weekend once the school bell rang. 

You were in no mood to pull into the lot and see Park Jimin’s car in your spot. You had been here at the same time as yesterday but it seems like the evil villain has decided to best you. 

No matter, on Monday morning you would win once and for all. Besides, how long could you keep this up before the principal got involved?

Monday would determine the true winner. 

~

Despite Taehyung’s best efforts to not get involved in your revenge plan, he ends up involved. 

Taehyung asks Jimin to go to lunch with him to celebrate surviving their first week of the school week. 

It hadn’t been too hard to convince Jimin, especially when Taehyung mentioned the restaurant down the road offered all the teachers and faculty a forty percent discount if they had their badges. 

All you needed was for Tae to get Jimin out of the classroom long enough for you to sneak in and get to his computer. 

You sit on his desk chair, looking around until a pink sticky note catches your attention. 

Password: 1994Jimin!

Okay, after your scheming was done, you’d get Taehyung to give Park a lesson in cyber security. 

Logging in is easy and it only takes you a few minutes to take a screenshot of his desktop and add little photos of his icons before moving everything into a file you disguise as a flower. 

While you finish up, your eyes scan Jimin’s desk. Beside the mousepad, there’s a pink photo frame with Harin smiling.

Beside it, there’s a frame with a photo of Jimin and Harin. You note there’s no mother in the photo, and you recall Jimin’s paperwork only including his parents and a man named Jungkook in case of an emergency. 

You could admit Jimin was hot. He was beautiful in an ethereal way and his voice sometimes made your heart do flips. You could find him attractive if he didn’t annoy the fuck out of you. Which is why you’re currently changing his desktop to prank him. 

No matter how many times he clicks on the desktop’s icons, nothing will open until he figures out they’re all just images. Nothing will launch, and hopefully Taehyung can give you a detailed recounting of Jimin’s annoyance. 

Smiling, you bask in the genius of your plan. After all, you weren’t trying to harm Jimin in any way. You know the coffee incidents were accidents but you were so far in this now you kind of just rolled with it. 

It had been a long time since someone got under your skin like this, and maybe you were being immature but you liked pushing Jimin’s buttons. You liked to make him tick. You liked the way his jaw grew taut, his eyes dark as he stared at you, almost as if seeing into your soul. 

You could admit to yourself that maybe you had a teeny, weeny, minuscule crush on the (assumed) single dad Pre-K teacher. 

But for now, that would stay in the vault.

 You log out of the computer as soon as you’re done, cackling for a second before running out of the classroom. You have a quick snack at your desk, and text Taehyung a thumbs up. 

[You]: All clear, Tae

[Tae]: 👀

Jimin huffs, his brow furrows as he clicks on the web browser icon. 

“Why won’t you open?” He grits his teeth as he runs a hand through his black hair. It’s a little longer than normal, but with the move, the new job, and the new enemy across the hall, he hadn’t had a chance to get it cut. 

Taehyung works on his paperwork on his desk. It’s nap time for the kiddos, and he’s using the time to get some work done before the weekend. 

He goes over the lesson plan for next week, one from his best friend. Hopefully, by next week, Jimin will have his lesson plan ready to get them along. 

“What is wrong with this thing?” Jimin huffs, his jaw is taut and his eyes blaze with frustration. The clicking of his mouse fills the classroom and a few students stir in their sleep. 

Finally, Jimin decides to restart his computer. He clicks on the menu and sees a new folder. When he opens it on his screen, he frowns. 

There’s no way in hell!

Jimin curses in his head, nearly growling as he figures out what’s going on. 

“Who would have done this?” Jimin utters as he changes his background wallpaper and his icons back to the way they were. 

Surprisingly, the web browser finally opens and he’s able to log onto his account to input grades and open the new lesson plan for the following week. 

Jimin will spend his weekend working on his lesson plans and hopefully have a few weeks of them ready by the time Monday rolls around. 

“Tae?” Jimin asks as he looks up from his screen. “Was Miss Sweetheart in here?”

“Not that I know of,” Taehyung lies smoothly. “Is something wrong?”

Jimin shakes his head. “No, not anymore. My computer was just acting funny.”

“Oh, do you need to use mine?” Taehyung offers and Jimin shakes his head. 

“I got it. Someone just changed all my icons and desktop wallpaper. Nothing worked,” Jimin shrugs as he finishes his work and puts his computer to sleep. 

“Huh, weird,” Taehyung responds before going back to his work. He feels the heat of Jimin’s stare but ignores it as he sends a strongly-worded, yet professional, email to Miss Sweetheart.

Jimin doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out you were behind his computer debacle. Your little prank caused him to lose valuable time he could have dedicated to paperwork and lesson plans. 

So, he thinks of a plan to get back at you because it’s not enough for this to die out in the first week. Nope, Jimin won’t be the one pulling out first. If it’s a prank war you want, then that’s exactly what you’ll get. 

Jimin is glad he doesn’t have after-school duty today as Harin gets delivered to his classroom. Mrs. Gonzalez and you take his students to the pick-up area and the walkers. 

His genius plan will go through the weekend. He let the secretary know his car wouldn’t start and he’d move it on Monday afternoon.

The secretary had left a message for the principal and custodian, and Jimin was on his way out the door to the pickup area. A sadistic smile on his lips. 

Jimin waits outside the school with Lila and Harin. Both girls are talking about their day as they wait for Yoongi’s SUV to pull up. 

Yoongi does a double take when he spots Jimin with his daughter and “niece.”

The teacher on duty opens the doors to the SUV and Jimin helps Harin into her car seat while Yoongi buckles Lila. 

Jimin climbs into the passenger seat and waits for Yoongi to join him. 

Once the doors are shut and locked, Yoongi pulls off from the curb.

“Something you wanna tell me, Chim?” Yoongi asks as he lowers the music on the stereo. 

“Nope,” Jimin says, popping the p.

“Uh-huh,” Yoongi scoffs. He keeps his eyes on the road as Lila and Harin giggle in the backseat. 

“Just remind me to grab my car keys on Monday morning,” Jimin states as he looks out the window as Yoongi turns onto their neighborhood.

Yoongi clicks his tongue but says nothing else as he pulls into his driveway. 

“You left your car at the school for the weekend to make sure you got the spot on Monday morning?” Jungkook is flabbergasted as he takes a bite of his pizza. 

Seokjin took the girls to the arcade section of the pizza joint after they rushed through their dinner. 

Bree had joined them, getting into a competition to see who could win the biggest prize, her or Seokjin. 

Seokjin wasn’t one to lose a challenge, so Yoongi knew his wife would be occupied for a while. 

“I mean, when you say it like that, it sounds stupid!” Jimin exclaims, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. 

“Because it is stupid,” Yoongi rolls his eyes. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Look,” Jimin tries to defend his decision. “It’s just for Monday. She’s been on my nerves since school started. You know what she did today?”

Jungkook shakes his head, already invested in this conversation so he can relay the details to Seokjin at bedtime. He slurps some cheese from his pizza as Jimin continues. 

“She changed the shit on my computer so nothing I clicked opened. I spent too much time figuring out what was wrong,” Jimin huffs with a roll of his pretty brown eyes. 

“That’s pretty funny,” Yoongi chuckles. “I’ll have to pull that one off on Namjoon.”

Jimin scowls. “Hello?! She’s doing all this because of an accident!”

“Well,” Jungkook pipes in as he wipes the grease from his lips with the back of his tattooed hand. Yoongi and Jimin grimace, handing him napkins in unison. 

Jungkook rolls his eyes but accepts the napkins. “You didn’t have to retaliate, Jimin. You could have ended this early on.”

Yoongi nods. “He’s right, you know?”

“Too bad,” Jimin shrugs. “I already left my car in the lot and I have plans for Monday.”

Yoongi groans. “Can’t you just let this go?”

“No,” Jimin states firmly. “I intend to win this.”

“What’s her name, anyway?” Jungkook asks as he takes another slice of pepperoni pizza from the tray. 

“Miss Sweetheart or something,” Jimin shrugs. “She’s Harin’s teacher.”

“You’re doing this to Harin’s teacher?” Jungkook’s eyes widened in surprise. “The one she never stops talking about?”

For the first time, Jimin feels shame. He nods, sighing heavily. 

“Maybe I can apologize one more time. I mean, Harin does like her.”

“Sounds like your best idea yet.” Yoongi nods in agreement. 

Jungkook slurps cheese loudly off his pizza, chewing obnoxiously before Jimin excuses himself from the table. 

On Monday, he would make amends.

Sunday morning comes sooner than you’d like. You skipped your jog the day before but you had promised to climb out of bed and head out. 

You jogged on the sidewalk, your water bottle in your hand and your phone strapped to your arm. The morning was rather cool, the last bit of summer just barely clinging on. 

A few cars drove by on the street, and a few people said good morning as they walked their dogs in the opposite direction. The birds chirped brightly, a rooster crowed in the distance and a few dogs barked in their yards as you jogged by, heading toward the school. 

“Is that…?” You come to a full stop when you jog to the parking lot. 

The chain link fence is bolted shut like every weekend but a Nissan Rogue sits on the lot. It’s parked in your spot and you scowl. 

“Did he leave his fucking car here so he’d get the spot on Monday?!” You screech as you pull your phone out of its pocket and snap a photo. 

Seconds after sending it to your best friend, your phone vibrates in his hand. 

You don’t bother with a greeting as you seethe, placing the phone to your ear. 

“He left his car parked here to beat me on Monday!”

“Sweetheart,” Taehyung sighs, sleepiness evident in his tone. “Don’t you think it’s time to put this behind you? How long are the two of you going to keep this up?”

“Tae,” you huff but he clicks his tongue. 

“No! It’s been a week and I’m tired of being caught in the middle. I like him, Sweets. He’s a good teacher and a good friend, potentially. I’m not getting involved in this anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Taehyung,” you apologize, feeling icky about the situation. “I won’t drag you into this anymore, I swear.”

Taehyung remains silent for a few moments as he lies in bed staring at the ceiling. He didn’t miss your double meaning but he was too sleepy to try and talk you out of whatever your plans were. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you like him,” Taehyung says, surprising you. 

You guffaw, spitting over yourself as you splutter and walk toward your apartment. 

“As if!” You scream in defense. 

Taehyung had to pull the phone away from his ear as you continued. 

“Why would I ever like someone like him?! Have you lost your mind, Tae?!”

“Someone like him?” Taehyung chuckles. “Devastatingly gorgeous, funny, and with an ass that won’t quit? Since when is that not your type?”

“Tae!”

Taehyung laughs his head off, tells you goodbye through more laughter, and hangs up. Your protest told him everything he needed to know, and perhaps he was right. 

Maybe Jimin was a little cute or whatever. 

But your anger and annoyance trumped your attraction for the man.  

You would win this. 

You had to.

Monday morning rolls around and Jimin is more upbeat than usual. 

Yoongi drops him off along with Lila and Harin. He gets the girls inside the school before he heads to his car to make sure nothing has happened to it over the weekend. 

When he doesn’t notice anything out of place, Jimin hurries into the school. 

He’s earlier than usual and he manages to convince the custodian to let him into Miss Sweetheart’s classroom, claiming his daughter left her teddy bear in her cubby. 

The students that are early, wait in the cafeteria studying, doing homework, or playing board games while the teachers arrive. 

Jimin takes the pack of googly eyes out of his pocket and gets to work. 

He’s quick to stick them on the computer screen, the mouse, the mousepad, the stapler, the tape dispenser, the attendance log, the box of tissues, the hand sanitizer, and anywhere he can think of.

Jimin is proud of himself as he gets to his classroom and sets his bag on his desk. He busies himself with his lesson plan for a while before Taehyung and their students arrive. 

“Have a good weekend?” Taehyung asks as he settles into his desk. 

“It was wonderful,” Jimin answers with a shit-eating grin.

“What the actual fuck?” You’re grateful you’re alone as you step into your classroom. 

You’d arrive a little later than usual despite your best efforts to be early. You knew it would be no use trying to beat Jimin to the parking spot since he left his car there all weekend. 

You had left him a nice little present on his windshield, a big ole fake dog shit a student left on your chair last year. 

You hope it garners the same reaction from Jimin as it did you.

“Oh!” Mrs. Gonzalez exclaims in surprise as she sees hundreds of little eyes staring back at her. “New decor?”

You shake your head. “I came in and it was like this.”

“Interesting choice,” Mrs. Gonzalez says as she goes to her desk to get situated. 

Your blood boils in your veins as you stomp to your desk, you didn’t know how but you would make Jimin pay for this. 

Who else would have taken the time to annoy you this much?

You pick googly eyes off your mouse, sighing as you see them on just about everything. 

They even stare back at you from the monitor. 

“You’ll pay for this, Park.” 

Harin is talking a million miles a minute as Jimin straps her into her car seat after school. 

Today, he’s decided to take his car home. He didn’t want to bother Yoongi for rides to school every morning. 

“Daddy, what’s that?” Harin asks with a wrinkled nose. “Is that Bammie’s?”

Jimin is puzzled. He shuts the car door and looks in the direction his daughter is pointing in. 

His eyes widen when he spots the pile of shit on his windshield that rivals anything Bammie could have passed. 

“Oh! Oh, god!” Jimin gags. He covers his mouth with his hand as he tries not to throw up all over the hood of the car. 

How the fuck did someone even get it on the windshield? 

Jimin is disgusted as he stares at the pile of shit. He doesn’t have anything to get it off the windshield and using the wipers might just smear shit all over the glass. 

He’d have to move it with his hands!

“Miss Sweetheart!” He growls as he shuts his eyes and gets ready to flick the poop off the windshield. He says a quick prayer to whoever and ignores the screaming from his daughter in the car. 

“Ew!” Harin screams from her seat. 

Jimin is near tears as his hand connects to the poop, and he lifts it. 

It’s soft. 

It’s fake.

“Thank fuck!” Jimin shouts as he lifts the fake pile of dog shit and gets into his car. 

Harin giggles from her seat as Jimin sets the poop on the passenger seat and starts the car. 

“Let’s go home, baby.”

Two months later, and you’re still pranking Jimin as he does you. 

Taehyung has befriended him, which made it harder to get him involved as he stood firm in his decision not to take sides. 

Jimin had agreed to let him stay out of it and you wish you could just cut your losses at this point. It was a stupid parking spot for fucks sake. 

However, in some weird way, you liked the attention and detail Jimin would put in his pranks. 

Somehow, between planning and scheming, you’d developed a tiny crush on the hot man. You often found yourself staring at him during meetings or lunches shared with Taehyung and Jimin, the only time the two of you would have a truce of some sort because Taehyung insisted on it. 

It was Friday the thirteenth of October. Something to make this already spooky month a little more terrifying.

You had your share of bad luck—from arriving late to school to spilling water down the front of your dress. 

Mrs. Gonzalez had insisted you take a few minutes to yourself to make your coffee in the lounge. She could tell you needed a breather. 

Now, you were waiting for your coffee to brew in the empty lounge. It was too early for anyone to take a break, but too late for anyone to arrive at work. You were grateful for the quiet of the empty lounge.

You open the fridge to steal a cookie from your packed lunch when you spot a chocolate cake. You knew they usually got cakes and pastries for breakfast most weeks and you had been too late in the morning to see the spread but seeing this cake made you ecstatic. 

You cut yourself a slice and get your coffee ready. You take a seat at an empty table and enjoy your cake, moaning when the chocolate icing hits your taste buds. 

Your day was already brightening up.

“Just about done,” Taehyung informs you as he sends an email to Jimin with the paperwork needing his approval before being turned in on Monday afternoon. 

Jimin has headed to the lounge ahead of the two of you to snag a table. 

“Ready?” Taehyung follows you out of the classroom toward the lounge. You spot Jimin up ahead speaking with some of the fifth-grade teachers. 

“It’s Jimin’s birthday today,” Taehyung says casually as the two of you enter the lounge. You grab your lunch bag from the fridge and hand Taehyung his. 

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” you shrug, but Taehyung sees past your fake indifference. He remains silent as he heads for the microwave as you take your usual seat. 

Taehyung comes over to your table when his food is done and takes the seat beside you. 

“Some of the teachers got him a birthday cake,” Taehyung informs you as he digs into his meal. 

“Oh, how nice,” you pretend to be interested but Taehyung rolls his eyes. 

“Just admit you like him and let us live in peace.”

“If you already know why do you need to hear me say it? He’s hot, and he’s kinda funny.” You shrug as Jimin enters the lounge. 

“The two of you would make a cute couple and Harin adores you,” Taehyung takes another bite of his meal as a few teachers begin singing Happy Birthday. 

Someone opens the refrigerator and takes out the box of cake you dug into this morning. 

“Oh, no!” You cover your cheeks as heat rises to them and you watch in horror as they open the box just as the song ends and Jimin looks at the cake perplexed. 

It’s silent. 

Dead silent as realization and shock took over everyone’s face. 

“Who cut Jimin’s cake?!” One of the fifth-grade teachers asks in absolute horror. 

“Who would cut our Minnie’s cake?” Another asks as they look around the room filled with staff. 

A few people shake their heads in disappointment but all you can do is stare at Jimin with wide, horrified eyes. 

It was an accident. 

A complete accident. 

You didn’t know it was his birthday, much less that the cake in the fridge wasn’t some type of teacher appreciation and not a birthday cake. 

“You didn’t!” Taehyung hisses as he takes in your mortified expression and how you sink into your chair. 

“It’s fine,” Jimin chuckles. “We can still have cake. I’m sure it’s delicious if a piece is already missing!”

The staff laughs as Jimin slices a piece of cake for everyone, including you. 

Jimin looks at you with a smirk on his lips. 

Taehyung excuses himself as some of the staff leave the lounge to get to their classrooms early in preparation for their afternoon classes. Plus, he couldn’t handle the second-hand embarrassment much longer.

Jimin says nothing for a few minutes, and you pick at your slice of chocolate cake, too embarrassed to finish it. 

“Not gonna eat it?” Jimin asks with a raised brow. You meet his gaze and shake your head. 

“Not hungry.”

“Still full from the first slice, Sweetheart?” Jimin’s smile widens as you rise from your seat abruptly. 

Jimin laughs as you stomp out of the lounge toward your classroom without giving him a parting glance. 

Nothing could top this.

Jimin is exhausted when he pulls up to his driveway Friday afternoon. 

Harin is already unbuckling herself from her seat when she spots Lila waiting in the front yard. Seokjin and Bree sit on the porch watching Bam run around the tree while Yoongi helps Harin out of the car. 

“Hey Princess,” he greets Harin with a smile. “Are you excited for your birthday tomorrow?”

Harin nods, “Grandma is having a party for me and Daddy.”

Yoongi chuckles as Lila comes running toward them.

“Daddy, can Harin sleep over for her birthday tonight?” Lila asks with a pout. 

Harin catches on quickly and pouts at Yoongi and her father. “Please?”

Yoongi looks at Jimin, who nods. “Just be home for breakfast, okay?”

“Yay!” The girls take off running toward Bam, laughing when he licks Harin’s face. 

“Your mom wanted us to go to her house when you arrived,” Yoongi informs Jimin. 

“Let me just change and I’ll meet you there,” Jimin assures his friend. 

Yoongi nods as he heads across the street to the Park’s home. Jungkook will meet him there with the last of the party supplies for tomorrow. 

Fifteen minutes later, Jimin opens the door of his parent’s house. 

“Mom!” Jimin calls as he shuts the front door. 

“We’re in here!” Jungkook calls back from the kitchen. 

Jimin makes his way through the familiar home until he arrives at the kitchen. 

Jungkook is sitting at the table, stuffing goodie bags while Yoongi frosts Harin’s cupcakes and Mrs. Park frosts the cake for Jimin. 

“Oh, my baby is here!” Mrs. Park exclaims as she finishes writing Jimin’s name on the cake. She pats her hands on her apron and wraps her son in a tight hug. 

“Mom!” Jimin hisses out of breath like a deflating balloon. “I can’t breathe.”

“Well, don’t kill the boy, honey,” Mr. Park chuckles as he enters the kitchen. 

Mrs. Park releases Jimin, going to pinch his cheeks instead. 

“Mother,” Jimin sighs as he endures the pinching a moment longer before he’s released.

“I haven’t seen you or Harin all week,” she states as she goes back to her frosting. 

“We’re still unpacking and Harin is with Lila,” Jimin informs his mother as he leans against the counter. 

“They’re having a sleepover,” Yoongi tells Mrs. Park as he finishes the last cupcake. 

“Oh, will she still come tomorrow for miyeokguk?” Mrs. Park asks as she sets down a bowl for Jimin on the counter. 

“She will,” Jimin promises before kissing his mother’s cheek. 

“The weather will be nice tomorrow, so we can have the backyard party after all,” Mr. Park says as he helps Jungkook fill the goodie bags with candies and toys. 

“I’ll come around early to set up the tables and chairs. Seokjin can decorate them and when Jimin gets Harin here, we can finish up,” Yoongi tells the group.

“Sounds like a plan,” Jimin slurps loudly. 

“Bree and I are taking the girls out, so they’ll be surprised with the decorations,” Mrs. Park smiles as she places the finished cake in a box and puts it in the fridge. 

“Thanks, everyone,” Jimin says wholeheartedly. “I appreciate you doing this for us.”

“Nonsense, we’re all glad to have you two back. We missed you,” Jungkook frowns. “It wasn’t the same without you around.”

“Yeah,” Yoongi agrees. “Hoseok and Namjoon struggled the most trying to see us all. They’re so busy.”

“They’ll be here tomorrow though,” Jungkook says as he pops a chocolate in his mouth. 

“Good, it’s been ages since we’ve gotten together,” Jimin finishes his soup with one last slurp. 

“That reminds me,” Mrs. Park snaps. “I set up a blind date for you, Minnie. Oh! You’ll love her!” 

Jungkook giggles while Yoongi smirks, pleased with Jimin’s annoyed expression.

“Mom!”

“No, honey. I’ve already set it up and you can’t get out of it. She’s the daughter of a friend of a friend. She’s a teacher and she’s beautiful,” Mrs. Park rambles on. 

“Mom,” Jimin groans as he cards a hand through his hair. “I don’t have time to date right now. Can’t I just enjoy my birthday with you and my friends?”

“One date, Jimin. That’s it,” Mrs. Park is relentless and Jimin knows he can’t break her heart so he begrudgingly agrees to one date. 

“You’ll love her! She’s gorgeous!” 

“Do you have a picture of her?” Jungkook inquires, grinning like a madman at his best friend’s demise. 

“Well, no,” Mrs. Park shakes her head. “My friend showed it to me when we were out to lunch. But she’s beautiful, smart, funny, with a gorgeous smile.”

Jimin sighs heavily, he knows his mother means well but he isn’t interested in going on blind dates. Besides, he was kind of hoping he could eventually gather enough courage to ask you out. He knew he annoyed the hell out of you, and he did his pranks to get a rise from you but he also liked the way you said his name when he irritated you to hell and back. He liked the way you’d stomp your foot or his, he liked the way you only had eyes for him. Sure, it was probably because you were expecting a prank, but he enjoyed the warmth of your heated gaze on him. The way your lip caught between your teeth as you eyed him up and down. 

Jimin knew he took up a lot of your thoughts. Taehyung had said so during lunch one day. He couldn’t lie, it stroked his ego a little. 

Jimin wanted to be the only thing you filled your thoughts with. He wanted to be someone in your life, even if he was annoying. 

Isn’t the line between love and hate rather thin?

The next morning is a blur for Jimin. He’s busy from the moment he wakes up until the birthday party begins. 

Harin and Lila are out with Bree and Mrs. Park getting their nails done and getting their outfits on. Yoongi and Seokjin are putting the finishing touches on the table decorations and food table. 

Namjoon is setting up the bounce house and Hoseok is inside making sure the Parks’ home is spotless, despite Mrs. Park having already done so. 

“Daddy!” Harin shouts as she barrels through the back door straight for Jimin. 

He opens his arms and gets down to her level just before she tackles him in a hug. He lifts her easily, spinning her around while her giggles fill the air and she clings to her father. A wide smile is on her face and she kisses Jimin’s cheek before he sets her down. 

Lila is in Yoongi’s arms as Bree runs home to get herself ready while Jungkook comes into the backyard with handfuls of presents for Harin, Jimin, and Lila.

“I’m here!” Jungkook exclaims as he sets the gifts down on the table and pauses to open his wallet and stuff a few bills into the money gift box. 

Jimin looks around the backyard and smiles, he truly is blessed with the best family and friends he could have ever asked for. 

An hour later, the party is in full swing. Harin and Lila run around the yard with some of Harin’s classmates. 

Lunch has been served and now children run around, play in the bounce house, and play games with Jungkook, Namjoon, and Bam. 

“Hey,” Taehyung greets Jimin after he sets the gifts on the designated table. 

“Hey! Glad you could make it,” Jimin grins as he hugs Taehyung. “Food is over there. Help yourself to anything. I’ll introduce you to my friends in a bit.”

“Sounds great,” Taehyung nods as he spots Harin and Lila. He wishes Harin a happy birthday as he heads for the food table. 

Mrs. Park welcomes more guests as they arrive. She smiles brightly when she spots the woman she was going to set up with her son.

“I’m so glad you could make it,” She greets the flustered woman. Mrs. Park looks around trying to spot Jimin, but grabs Jungkook’s attention instead, waving him over.

Mrs. Park introduces you to Jungkook, and you smile politely as you’re led to the gift table to drop off the gift. You didn’t have a chance to inform Mrs. Park that you were there for Harin. You don’t know if you should be elated or displeased that your mother set you up with Park Jimin, but this may work out after all. You do like him, and you did have a crush on him. 

Oh, Taehyung was gonna have a laugh with this one. 

Your cheeks are hot with the thought of Taehyung finding out about your predicament. You barely listen as Jungkook goes on about Jimin.

“So you came for Jimin’s birthday?” Jungkook asks as you reach the table with gifts. You set yours down and shake your head.

“I’m Harin’s teacher. She invited the class to her party,” you explain and watch as the realization hits and he cackles before he looks across the yard and waves someone over.

Not ten seconds later, a shorter man with cat-like eyes joins Jungkook and smiles. “Hello, I’m Min Yoongi.”

“This is the woman Mrs. Park set up with Jimin on a blind date,” Jungkook smirks as you nod.

“Oh?” Yoongi raises a brow. “What do you do?”

“I’m Harin’s teacher,” you explain as realization crosses Yoongi’s face and he too, laughs and shakes his head.

“Small world, huh?” Yoongi grins as his daughter comes over and wraps herself around his leg.

“Come play with us!” Lila exclaims as she tugs Yoongi by the hand toward the bounce house. You’re left alone with Jungkook, who asks you to follow him to greet Harin.

“Miss Sweetheart!” Harin shouts when she spots you, running full speed to hug you. You smile when she hugs you, lifting her in your arms.

“Well, aren’t you a pretty princess? Are you having fun?” you ask as Jungkook leaves your side, most likely to get Jimin.

Taehyung comes over once he spots you, grinning at Harin as she tells you about her birthday. You listen intently, ignoring Taehyung as he tries to tell you something.

“And we got our nails done!” Harin finishes as she shows you her freshly painted nails. They’re a light pink with tiny little stars, perfect for her princess-themed party.

Across the yard, Jimin is crawling out of the bounce house, nearly sick as Yoongi bounces by his feet when they get tangled on the net in search of freedom. 

“Hey!” Jungkook can’t help the Cheshire smile on his lips. “The woman your mom set you up is here.”

Jimin furrows his brows in confusion. “What?”

Jungkook nods, resembling a bobblehead. “She’s holding Harin right now.”

Jimin is on his feet in an instant. How could his mother and best friend allow a stranger to hold his child? They knew better.

In his rush to get to Harin, Jimin doesn’t realize who is holding his daughter.

“Miss Sweetheart!” Harin giggles as the two spin in a circle when Jimin approaches and freezes.

You were the one his mother had set him up with?

Had his mother been scheming or was this pure coincidence? Jimin’s unsure but at least the panic in his body has left him as Harin hugs you tight and you spin once more, causing her to giggle.

Jimin can feel his heart pulsing, but not out of fear or panic, but something more. He notes the way you gush over Harin, giggling with her as you bounce her in your arms to readjust her, eager to play with her as Harin points toward the fence where there’s a ‘Pin the tail on the Donkey’ stuck to it.

Namjoon approaches Jimin with Hoseok in tow, the two curious at all the fuss. Taehyung joins the group at Jimin’s side as Yoongi and Seokjin approach while Jungkook tries to wrangle in the kids for the sack race.

“What did we miss?” Namjoon asks as he leans on Hoseok. 

“You remember I told you about someone eating my birthday cake yesterday?” Jimin asks his friends and Taehyung bites back a laugh.

“Yeah?” Hoseok states with a befuddled look.

“It was Harin’s teacher,” Yoongi smirks.

Jimin nods. “It was Harin’s teacher.”

“And Harin’s teacher is the woman blindfolded and being spun by Jungkook at the donkey thing,” Taehyung explains.

It’s silent for a moment before they all burst out laughing. Jimin shakes his head as they continue to laugh.

“So the woman you’ve been crushing on lately, and your “enemy”, and the blind date your mom set you up on is Miss Sweetheart?” Yoongi can’t help but cackle as he watches you with Harin. 

Jungkook tied himself to you for the three-legged race while Harin and Lila beat them easily. You and Jungkook fall on top of each other, groaning as you get untied and realize you lost.

Jimin and his friends head over to help the two of you up before Mr. Park announces a rematch with the adults and then one for the children.

Jungkook and Seokjin pair up, Yoongi and Bree, Namjoon and Hoseok, and Taehyung, and Mr. Park, leaving Jimin with you.

“You better not lose this round,” Jimin teases as he approaches you.

You glare at him before getting down to tie your legs together. “I only lost because Jungkook is wearing those chunky boots.”

Jimin looks at his best friend and immediately spots the shiny chunky boots that could stomp anyone easily but also trip the muscular man and anyone around him. Jimin had been witness to Jungkook tripping over himself or moving furniture with his colossal shoes.

“Fair,” Jimin acquiesced. 

“Is everyone ready?” Mrs. Park asks from the sidelines as the kids move away from the area. The children cheer for you and Jimin. Harin cheers the loudest as the race begins.

Jimin wraps his arm around your waist. “Is this okay?”

You blink.

“Fuck, I should have asked before,” Jimin winces, apologizing before you assure him that it’s fine. 

“Go!” Mrs. Park shouts and Yoongi and Bree take off immediately.

Seokjin and Jungkook go down after a few steps due to Jungkook’s boots and Seokjin’s massive shoulders. The two bicker on the floor as they try to get on their feet but fall on each other again.

You and Jimin are doing well. His cologne smells amazing and it makes you a little dizzy. What you wouldn’t give to snuggle into his chest for a while.

Taehyung and Mr. Park nearly pass you as you daydream about Jimin. 

“What are you thinking about?” Jimin asks as he looks at you from his peripheral. He noticed the goofy grin on your lips as you kept moving forward.

“Nothing,” you lie, which causes him to roll his eyes at you.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?!” you huff as you bump him with your hip. Hoseok and Namjoon take their turn in passing you as you stop to bicker with Jimin.

Up ahead, Yoongi and Bree are rounding the blue cone set up for the race and are making their way back to Mrs. Park and the finish line. Behind them, Namjoon and Hoseok pass Taehyung and Mr. Park while Jungkook and Seokjin have given up and moved on to prepare the sacks for the sack race up next.

“Jimin!” His mom yells from her spot. “Quit rolling your eyes and get back to the race!” 

Jimin sighs. 

“You heard her, Jimin!” you exclaim as you move forward, towing Jimin along with you as he mutters under his breath about you and his mother ganging up on him. You bite back a smile as you round the cone and pass by Taehyung and Mr. Park. 

You manage to work together to pass Namjoon and Hoseok, but your foot trips Jimin, who goes down like a house of cards with you on top of him.

You both stare at each other in surprise. You admire the curve of his lips, so pretty and pink; kissable. Jimin seems to be doing the same to you as his breath catches in his throat and he admires every bit of perfection that is your face.

“Son! Get up!” Mr. Park laughs as he and Tae race past the two of you, breaking whatever moment you shared with Jimin.

Jimin is the first to recover as he ignores the thundering of his heart to get up and help you to your feet. He brushes himself off as you two stand and hobble to the finish line, coming in last.

“You guys suck,” Seokjin teases as you and Jimin join him and Jungkook. Jimin rolls his eyes and you poke his side.

“Habit of yours?” 

“Only when you’re around,” he jokes, sticking his tongue out at you as he bumps you with his hip. Jungkook and Seokjin share a look you miss as you’re handed a brown potato sack.

“My turn,” Taehyung squeezes between you and Jimin, grabbing his own sack and one for Mr. Park.

Mrs. Park smiles as she watches her son interact with you. Yoongi notices her staring and approaches her.

“Jimin really seems to hit it off with her, huh?” Mrs. Park comments as she helps Harin into her sack.

“I’d say so,” Yoongi grins. He’s genuinely happy for his best friend. Jimin deserved a chance at happiness.

“I did good picking her for him,” Mrs. Park states once Harin has hopped off to find Lila and her school friends. 

“I’d say,” Yoongi chuckles. “She’s Harin’s teacher.”

Mrs. Park’s eyes widen in surprise as she looks over at you and Jimin. For the first time in a long time, he’s smiling from ear to ear with someone other than his family and friends. Mrs. Park knew not to meddle but she just wanted her son to be happy. She knew family was important to Jimin, one of the values she had instilled in him. 

Yoongi and Mrs. Park sit back as the sack race begins and all the children took off hopping forward to win. Laughter fills the yard as they go and some stumble. Miss Sweetheart rushes to them along with Jimin, soothing the children and cleaning skinned knees and bruised elbows.

Once the race for the children ends, the adults get ready as Mrs. Park and Seokjin take the kids to the bounce house. 

Jimin and Jungkook get ahead of everyone else. Namjoon tripped over himself, and Hoseok trips over him. Mr. Park and Taehyung go around them, laughing when Jungkook trips over himself and faceplants into the grass.

You reach Jimin easily, smirking when you pass him. He goes faster, catching up to you and bouncing in front of you, causing you to trip and take him down with you when your arms flail.

“You just love being on top of me, huh?” Jimin smirks as you stare down at him. 

“Oh, you’d love that,” you retort with a roll of your eyes, but your tummy flips because he’s right. You do like being on top of him.

“I would,” Jimin chuckles as you climb off him and free yourself from the potato sack. Jimin does the same as he takes your sack and his back to the table.

You follow him, standing beside him.

“I’m glad you came. Harin really likes you,” Jimin says absentmindedly as he looks for his daughter across the yard.

“I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot.”

“It’s okay,” you say with a genuine smile. “I can be a bit of a grouch.”

Jimin’s cheeks turn pink as he remembers calling you that the first time he met you in the school parking lot. His ears burn as he apologizes again.

“Come on, let me beat your butt at cornhole,” you laugh as you run in the opposite direction with Jimin right behind you.

It’s been a long afternoon.

Jimin and Harin have been sung to, presents have been opened and children have been picked up by their parents.

Jimin’s friends and parents begin cleaning up the yard, chatting as they go.

You stick around to help Jimin. He stands by the food table putting away leftovers for his friends to take home.

“You sure know how to throw a birthday party,” you comment as you help him put the food away in a container.

“Yeah, I went overboard on her first birthday party. She was Pebbles and Lila was BamBam,” Jimin chuckles as he takes his phone out to show you pictures of Harin.

“She’s adorable,” you squeal. “She’s such a joy to be around. She’s the sweetest little girl.”

“I was worried about her starting school but she loves you so much. I’m glad my shitty attitude didn’t cause waves between you two,” Jimin sighs regretfully. “I was such an ass.”

“I would never let a parent’s attitude toward me influence my treatment of their child. I was an ass, also. How about we start over?” you offer him your hand to shake and he does so with a beaming smile.

“I’d love that.”

The two of you finish putting the food away before Jimin stands in front of his birthday cake. Harin’s classmates had gone for the cupcakes and Jimin’s cake remained untouched.

“Want a bite of this cake too? I’ll close my eyes and you can pretend I’m not here,” Jimin teases, laughing when you shove him.

“It was an accident!” you huff, stomping your foot as Jimin continues to laugh.

You roll your eyes at him and pout. 

Jimin cuts a slice of his birthday cake and plates it. He grabs a fork and cuts into the cake, offering you a bite.

You take it but stick your tongue out after.

“Was that so hard?” Jimin smirks and you resist the urge to flip him off. 

You take the plate for him and the fork, cutting a small piece to feed him. Jimin opens his mouth to take it, and you smear some of the frosting on his lips.

Jimin licks his lips and your eyes follow his tongue as heat spreads through your veins. Jimin’s eyes lock on yours, eyes dark and hooded as he finishes.

You stand frozen in your spot as he dips his finger in the icing and places it on your lips. 

“You’ve got a little something here,” he says as he places his finger in his mouth to suck it clean. He then takes a step forward. You nod as he licks the corner of your mouth before his lips meet yours.

Fireworks seem to go off when your eyes shut, your hands gripping his shoulders as the kiss deepens and your heart thuds rapidly in your chest.

Jimin moans softly as he takes your bottom lip and nips it gently. You moan as he pulls away, body fueled with desire as you stare at each other longingly.

“How about that date?” Jimin asks, his cheeks flushed pink and his black hair falling over his eyes. You could just eat him up.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

mdni/support/line divider by @benkeibear

© jjungkookislife - I do not allow reposts or translations of my work on any platforms, this includes Youtube.

[sincitypjmrecs]

jungkook adjusted his schedule so that he’ll be there when hobi enlist 🥺😭 (trans. cr. BTStranslation_, JlNSONYEONDAN and lovemazejikook)

[sincitypjmrecs]

Guide on how to not marry the Northern Duke. [1/2]

Title [Guide on how to not marry the Northern Duke.] ⇢ sub title: R like Reincarnation.

Pairing [Northen Duke! Yoongi x Reincarnated! Reader]

Genre [Fantasy Romance, Reincarnation, World in a novel AU, future smut and angst]

Summary []

Words [11,5k ; part 1 out of 2]

Warnings [mistreatment and negligence, period drama, slow burn, mention of blood and drugs, tiny sexual tension]

Rating [+18 overall but this part is a tame +14]

A/N: Guess who’s back again? ME. I’ve been working on this for a lot and I know I already have a similar story on going but I just couldn’t get over this idea in my head. So enjoy! And as always excuse me for the typos.

Every story needs a good start, and this one starts now with an old tale, much older than you.

There’s an ancient fairytale that tells you about the funding of the Empire and it all starts when God left.

Tired of human foolishness and deeply rooted malice he left the world he created to turn around its axis and burn down on its own; famine started to scavenge the continent as war broke out in every corner of the human world. Each kingdom perished one by one until only one was left.

It seemed like humanity would be wiped out permanently in no time but then just when they all thought there was no turning back, a saintess appeared among the rest and divided the continent into four regions with the help of the received divine power. That’s the birth of the empire’s central city where the empress Hyeri ruled over the four divided territories.

To prevent war from breaking out again the saintess turned to the heavens and pleaded while crying out to their maker and hearing her prayers the God who left decided to give them one last chance at redemption seeing the pure heart in front of him.

That’s when the holy prophecy was made.

Each chosen duke was granted unique powers to rule over their territories. However great powers come with great responsibilities. In the end, there’s always a price to pay but that’s the tale of another story.

This is how peace finally settled over the world once more. In exchange for the powers, the dukes wrote a blood oath that prevented them from stealing each other’s powers or waging unnecessary war. However just like every pact it wasn’t perfect. Loopholes could be taken advantage of but momentarily peace was forged.

This is the short version of the founding tale of the originated Kingdom that was taught to the people of the empire throughout generations. You particularly remember these starting lines from the novel you read in your previous life. The introduction is something you often skip through but thankfully you didn’t do that with this one.

The four families who inherited great power were Kim, Jung, Min and Jeon. When you first read the story introduction you thought that it’s quite lame and generic to base the family's attributes on the four seasons. However, seeing one of the duke’s illustrations you decided to read it all.

When choosing a book to read you only pay attention to the hotties. In this case, it wasn’t any different either.

A mysterious and cold duke of the north is something that a girl cannot ignore to save her life.

Each duke possesses an artefact which comes in the form of a ring and different precious gemstones that fit into the depression are named after the four seasons using a dead language.

Nix - means snow, which makes the wearer the lord of winter. The most handsome guy throughout the entire book in your opinion. Next, Saltus - translates to forest which is the symbol of spring. Umbra is shade and Calor is heat. The last remaining ones are autumn and summer. Each duke is the epitome of beauty, and their descendants are no exception.

This is a fantasy romance novel you read before you died in a sudden hit and run accident.

The original story is about an orphan girl Hyo who is the lost daughter of the king. After she’s found – the plot starts as she meets the four archdukes at the annual imperial ball and falls in love with the lord of Spring. Kim Taehyung. A handsome man with good manners and unmatched beauty as he’s described in the book. She’s captured by one look of the male lead’s brown eyes and shiny blond curly hair. Despite their fairytale-like first meeting, their love is not exempt from hardships. Their first obstacle is the villainess Kim Y/N who falls in love with Taehyung at first sight at the same ball and sets her eyes on marrying him but in the end, she fails to murder Hyo and gets beheaded by the second male lead Min Yoongi as an imperial order.

Hyo and Taehyung then live happily ever after and the novel ‘Flowers bloom in the heart of the Lost Princess’ ends there.

You see, dying a second time is not an option even if the one you possessed is Y/N.

You need to make an elaborate plan so you can avoid your impending death by the hands of your favourite character so you can’t just sit around and wait for something to happen – no matter how distraught you wake up one day in an unfamiliar bed.

Even though there’s no chance you will fall in love with the Duke of Spring like in the original novel – things can still go wrong if you make changes in the natural flow of the story, so you need to think this through carefully. You need to think about the plot holes and that the characters you see can be different from what you read in the book as that only tells you one side of the story.

The first thing you need to change gradually is the way the servants and the Duke see you.

The first week when you reincarnated as Y/N you spent your days with a high fever bedridden, you’re not sure if the pain came from the strain of absorbing the real Y/N’s memories or if something else is behind it. Your health is very poor as your medical history suggested, but you get accustomed to the villainess' body step by step. After another week your probation ended so you were able to leave the estate freely again. There were days when sudden headaches interrupted your day and, in the morning, you often coughed up blood.

You ignored it at first because the symptoms seemed to get better with time, and you had no way of knowing if it was normal. You didn’t ask in case someone found it suspicious. The most important thing right now is that you need to focus on staying alive and avoiding your death at the end of this novel – this is what you thought without knowing anything at that time.

As the plot thickens when you least expect it.

It’s not just your weird health conditions your head hurts just from thinking about the actions of the real owner of this body.

You just can’t grasp why a beautiful woman like Y/N would do those cruel things when she has everything she could’ve asked for. She’s a rich girl born with a golden spoon in her mouth, and she gets crazy just because she can’t have a man. It feels unnatural. If someone asks you to choose between life and a man you would choose life without hesitation.

You can have another man but not another life. Er, well – in your case, you do get another one thought but that’s beside the point.

Even before that incident happened with the female lead, she had a terrible reputation among the nobles.

Well – you can’t do anything if you’re not well rested so you will just think about this a bit later. You can’t possibly pull another all-nighter to study how this novel works. You close your eyes to finally get some shut eye when some woman barges into your room without knocking forcefully parting your curtains to let the early rays of sunshine in. The sound of her voice makes you freeze. This uncomfortable feeling suddenly ripped through your body as if a pile of rocks were sitting on your chest not letting you breathe. While you gained some of Y/N’s memories there are still holes in those fragments that you’re unsure of. However, her feelings are so intense sometimes that your body reacts like clockwork.

What you feel after hearing her voice is sheer terror. Who is this woman that even a villainess like Y/N is even afraid of? You can’t open your eyes as if your body is doing it unconsciously, unmoving like a doll to protect itself. Someone is coming closer.

You feel a prick on your forearm and your eyes fly open due to the pain. Her name appears in your mind as soon as you see her face and some of Y/N’s memories flood your head regarding that nasty woman. She triggers something dark in your eyes to appear.

Your nanny, Biwon.

“Wake up. Are you planning to sleep till the afternoon?” Biwon lets out a fake troubled sigh and her eyes are full of arrogance when you meet them you freeze completely at the sight.

“I’m sorry nanny.” Your mouth moves on its own like a broken record. It feels like this is not the first time she wakes Y/N up with a prick of a needle and the apology comes to her like second nature. Y/N’s attitude shows all kinds of trauma of being abused. How is it that this was never mentioned in the novel? While not much was mentioned about how she grew up you would think this is a piece of important information to have.

“Wash your face the duke requested to have breakfast with you for some reason.” She left without giving you any kind of assistance like a maid should do. At last, the water in the basin is ice cold to the touch and murky it manages to wake you up completely from shock.

You’re not just imagining it. Biwon has complete power over Y/N even though she’s the lady of the house.

You knew that the other maids avoided Y/N because of her temperament but to think that she’s been through manipulation and abuse by someone so close to her. Because Biwon is the one who spent the most time next to Y/N ever since she was a child everyone buys her lies. No one pays attention to Y/N, not her father or her brother.

She has no one to rely on in this household.

Biwon deliberately made her isolated in her own home so she could control and exploit her. Her malicious plan is clear to you after observing the situation objectively. What else is there that was not mentioned in the novel? Things might be more complicated than you thought.

However, this is not the time to ponder over this. You need to get ready alone. It didn’t take you long to realise Biwon forbids the maids from helping you so you can embarrass yourself in front of your family. While the real Y/N would have problems with getting dressed and being presentable without help as she’s a noble – there’s one tiny fault in your nanny’s plan – that she has no idea that you’re a modern woman who can wear her own fucking dress and get ready all by herself. She has a lot of extravagant dresses, so you had a hard time choosing but then something caught your eye. This dress has been buried deep in your wardrobe, a solid light cream-coloured dress with an elegant bow in the front. This is the perfect dress.

You do light makeup to match the dress and leave your long hair down after brushing it. While you were getting dressed you saw the countless bruises on your skin and your right arm was full of holes from the needle your nanny used to stab you with to wake you up. It’s good that the dress is long-sleeved. There’s no way the maids don’t know about your abuse since they bathe you. So, your guess is they are either the nanny’s people or they just simply don’t care enough to tell the duke. It’s clear the duke doesn’t care about Y/N so it wouldn’t benefit them to tell him when they could face the wrath of your nanny if she finds out. They think he wouldn’t do anything about it, and you think so too.

You feel compassion for Y/N. She was made to be a villain even if it doesn’t excuse her actions in the end. It’s only been two weeks for you, but she had to endure this for a lifetime.

You’re determined to change her future even more now that you know the truth. You’re going to live for her as well.

Opening the door to your room you find a maid waiting for you to lead you to the dining room as per the duke’s request. She looks taken aback by your neat appearance but doesn’t say anything and just shows you the way.

She dares to walk ahead of you. Even if you want to give her a piece of your mind you hold yourself back, you can’t afford to create a ruckus and be sent back to probation. It’s not that you care about who walks in front of you it’s the meaning of this action that angers you.

You hold back by creating a fist the pain of your nails digging into your palms in half-moon shapes keeps your head clear and controls your bubbling rage. You’re going to show everyone how Y/N won’t bow down anymore. You’re not a doormat that everyone can just walk over.

You’re not going to let everyone disrespect you ever again but to achieve that you need to make a plan and be more patient.

First thing first you need to make the duke care about you to an extent so he will listen to you. Good thing that you know the novel. You might be able to use that information to get what you want. You’re not going to make him like you, you just need to be useful for him to look at you. You’re not sure he would be even capable of liking you in the first place – not that you would want that after he neglected Y/N like that. Talk about loving family, this is just another example of being blood-related sometimes does not matter.

It's not like he’s your real dad anyway.

The dining room is just as fancy as the rest of the mansion. By the time you arrive the duke and your brother are already seated and chatting. The duke is sitting at the head of the table and Seokjin is sitting on his right.

Your tableware is set away from them probably a scheme made by your nanny to keep you isolated.

She must be afraid of why the duke suddenly wanted to dine with you when he usually never bothers to see you. You can’t let this golden opportunity pass like that. You’re going to make the most of it.

“Good morning, Father, Brother. Sorry for being late.” You give them a little courtesy. You’re careful to get your posture nice and graceful like you read in the etiquette book. The nanny purposefully discouraged the young Y/N to skip classes and remain a dumb doll for her to exploit but you’re not going to let her continue to do that.

While your posture is not perfect this will at least show that you’re trying to be as polite as possible.

You stayed up all night for an entire week to study about this new world’s etiquette and history to play your part more convincingly who knew that your knowledge would come in handy in a situation like this? You’re thankful that you decided to study even before you realised the nanny’s schemes.

You school your features to remain passive as you look at the grand duke’s and your brother’s dumb expressive faces. It looks like they are seeing a ghost. Even though you’re annoyed to be bent like that you keep the position until you receive the acknowledgement like a lady should. How annoying that you must bow like that until you are recognised by a man.

“It’s alright. Sit down, Y/N.” The duke gives you a curt nod seemingly flustered that he stared at you for so long. You remind him of his late wife a lot dressed like that. To everyone’s biggest surprise, you take a seat directly on his left side facing your brother.

You remain silent in your seat knowing that the duke’s pride will take a hit if he doesn’t correct the mistake that he didn’t even notice until you sat down. Usually, they wouldn’t care if you sit far away, they would probably think that you were the one who wanted the seat away from them in the first place as a sign of defiance but they can’t deny that you’re the lady of the house so to assume you would sit far away is an arrogant mistake on the servants part.

“What are you waiting for give my daughter a set and bring the food.” Thankfully the duke is just like you expected. He looks annoyed at the servants. His authority is absolute so the maids scurry to bring you some new tableware and bring out the food. The lonely set is forgotten at the rear end of the table. This is the first time you see something so mouthwatering in a while since you were forced to eat in your room and the food, they brought you was not even close to this. Now that you think about it, it was probably some leftover from the kitchen. No wonder Y/N is this thin.

It probably wasn’t even part of her punishment so someone must be stealing the food that is made for Y/N.

It’s hard to control your expression or your body language that is burned into your body by nature. You’re feeling uncomfortable all over that you can’t enjoy the food at all. It’s sad to see how rigid you are in the presence of your supposed family members. You don’t have any appetite even though you feel like you’re starving.

“How are things with Gold Wing? Did you manage to get them to agree with our terms?”

The Gold Wing is under the jurisdiction of the House of Summer. The old man Jung Jeyhun is a greedy man who keeps delaying his son’s succession because he wants to keep his title as an archduke. He’s the hidden boss of this novel. Y/N can’t compare with an evil villain like him. There’s probably no one else who knows he’s backing that trading company. You’re an exception only because you read the novel and know everything about how he wants to be the sole ruler of the Empire. He’s behind many unfortunate events that happen in the novel that no one finds out about until it’s too late.

“No. They’re trying to sell their stones for double the price. Knowing that none of the other companies have that much supply since they bought the rights to the mines.” Your brother looks irritated as if he recalls the meeting with the head of the company vividly.

No wonder they are cocky, they have the backing of House Summer, and they cheated the other rival companies out of the right to produce this type of stone that’s particularly high priced in the first section of the book. This stone is called Stelar which is steel but it’s a novel, so they had to give it a fancy name. Swords here are mainly made from two important ingredients iron or steel, but steel has a longer durability and is easy to craft to different shapes, so they tend to use that instead of iron which is way cheaper because of this fact. The knights used swords made with Stelar but because of the high price, it was hard to come by after the Gold Wing trading company monopolized the rights.

Their goal is to weaken the other three houses’ military power by selling the stones at a high price and getting funds for their territory but it’s not the only reason. The swords they sell are not simply made of Stelar. Steel is an alloy of iron. Iron needs to be mixed with carbon to make steel. They use some steel and put more iron to degrade the quality of the sword which breaks more easily than it should. You remember learning of it in school in your previous life, but these people don’t know of it because the novel has plot holes here and there. Since the novel focuses on the main characters things that are not related to them too much have more freedom to change, and things may differ as the author cannot mention every little thing. This could be what you need to make changes.

The truth that they tempered with the swords that got imported only comes to light when Yoongi investigates the company when he almost loses the battle with the barbarians but that battle only happens when you reach nearly half of the novel. He could tell that there was a difference in quality when he saw the sword break too easily. He made an assumption just by that and the fact that the new sword became heavier due to the added mass of iron.

Even if you feel bad for taking credit for his discovery you need to use that information, he finds out later so you can survive in this household.

“May I speak up, father?” You heard enough to grasp the current situation. You need to speak up before you lose your courage.

“What can you even contribute to this conversation?” Your brother looks angry that he got interrupted. In your eyes he’s not scary he’s just a big child throwing a tantrum when things don’t go his way. You decide to calmly face him even if you have to hide your nervousness by clasping your hands together under the table for comfort. Still can’t control the original Y/N’s physical reactions.

“I don’t think I asked brother.”

The duke raises his hand to silence Jin before he can spit out angrier remarks. The moment you appeared and gracefully bowed wearing your mother’s dress the duke could tell that something about you just became different. The air around you is filled with determination.

He got reports of you acting unusually tame so he asked you to dine together and see it for himself.

Your eyes that only reflected the world around it suddenly became full of will to live.

He’s curious to hear what you have to say. Usually, you wouldn’t speak unless you were spoken to. “Do you perhaps have a good idea of how to deal with them?” He proposes fully giving you his attention.

“The problem is that we don’t have Stelar to make swords for the knights, right? I suggest we find a mine suitable to harvest the stones we need that way we don’t have to depend on the trading company.”

“Are you a fool? Do you think if we could produce it, we would continue to make this ridiculous deal work?” You’re getting tired of your brother always cutting in. You can’t get angry though. The first thing you need to change is how people see you and you can’t get angry because the people around you will call you a temperamental child even if your anger is justified. They wouldn’t care either way they just want to belittle you. You just need to not allow them to do so.

“We have a place like that in our territory that could be suitable. I can mark it on a map if you’d like.” Even though the duke might be suspicious of how you know of a place like that he will investigate either way. This deal is too good to pass up on.

In hopes of discovering a new mine, he will even accept the flimsy lie of you just discovered it by reading some book and looking at maps.

“Alright. I will instruct the knights to check it out. If what you said is true, I will reward you.” You nod your head pleased with the outcome of this uncomfortable breakfast.

In the novel the imperial prince comes across the mine in your territory when he’s running away from assassins and due to his discovery, he gets praised by the king for solving a big problem. However, if you find the mine first that puts you in a favourable position with the other houses and even the king if you give the stones at a lower price making the Gold Wing trading company lose its base customers by making better deals.

Thankfully that painful breakfast comes to an end soon as father’s aid whispers something into his ear. He leaves in a hurry which makes you think it’s about something important and work-related.

Your brother leaves without saying a word so you can finally enjoy your food alone.

Ever since you came to this place you’ve never been this full before, it puts you in a fairly good mood. You even managed to grab the duke’s attention and for once got something more filling than stale bread.

All you need to do is wait until the mine is discovered and now that one thing is out of the way you need to start with disciplining your maids and get your nanny kicked out. Biwon had a good life here up to this point because now that you’re here you will make it a living hell for her, and that’s a promise.

“What did you talk about with the duke?” You’re not surprised to find your nanny in your room when you get back. She looks anxious you can see how her nails are bitten and she slightly thumps her foot. You got back early so if you tell her some half-truths, she won’t suspect you that much.

“He didn’t talk to me at all. He only talked with my brother about work that I don’t understand. I don’t know why they keep ignoring me. You’re the only one who cares about me, nanny.” Good thing that the maids left after serving the meal, you would be in trouble if someone overheard you and you were caught lying. You bury your head in her apron to conceal your disgusted expression when she caresses your head.

You need to act like usual, so she won’t suspect a thing. If her guard is down, it will be easier for you to make your move.

You can easily produce some fake tears for the greater good.

“That’s right, only I care about you. Who else would love a useless child like you.” You bite your tongue to hold back when Biwon hugs you. You agree with her even if you want to break her arms that hugs you like a shameless person.

Biwon doesn’t use needles on you again to erase her marks since you started to dine with the duke. Thankfully she doesn’t realise what you’re planning.

The mine you talked about last time turned out to be true and the duke was very happy to get back at the Gold Wing trading company. He started to make a profit thanks to you, and he even listened to your suggestion of lowering the price to sell it to the other houses. Developing the mining ground consumes a lot of money at the moment but the profit will be greater than ever if it’s finished. You asked to have dinner with them every day as a reward which made him look surprised. He reluctantly agreed when you asked to make your contribution a secret for now you can’t let your nanny hear about it just yet. The duke probably thought he would buy you some clothes and accessories and you will be all set. Unfortunately for them, you don’t care about luxuries especially if it comes from them.

While you would prefer to not eat with them you need to show the staff that you’re indeed the lady of the house. Now they are giving you the bare minimum of respect after the maid got scolded by your father after the tableware incident.

You didn’t think Jin would come after you excused yourself from the meal. Right when you leave the dining room your brother appears halting you in your step and grabbing your hand forcefully to stop you in your tracks.

“Where are you going in a hurry so dressed up?” Your wrist throbs in his hold. That bastard how could he grab the hand of his sister so hard? Compared to him your body is so small you look like a child next to him. You’re not surprised since you were malnourished before. You’re sure it will bruise badly but you refuse to show him that he’s hurting you.

“I believe it’s none of my brother’s business where I go in my free time.” You look into his eyes with confidence. Y/N was always longing for her brother’s love but you’re not the real Y/N and you will never consider him your brother, so his attitude doesn’t bother you at all emotionally. He simply became a person you’re forced to live with and tolerate for now.

If everything is over you will cut ties with them for good.

“You’ve been acting weird ever since your probation. If this is your way of seeking attention from father or I, that will never happen no matter what you’re scheming.”

Using the moment of his surprise you get out of his hold and get farther away from him. Your smile says it all. ‘I don’t consider you a brother so go to hell’. You’re getting angry but you refuse to show him any reaction even if you can’t exactly control the fire in your eyes.

“You don’t have to be afraid of that. I don’t consider people who neglect and belittle me my family at all. I don’t need your love or attention anymore.” You show him your back confidently as you walk away from his frozen form.

“Gaon prepare some indigestion medicine for me. Is the carriage ready?” Jin catches your voice talking to your maid still frozen on the spot you left him.

Your eyes looked different. When you were young you used to beg for his affection always clinging to him but now. Why does it look like you despise him and why does it bother him?

He never felt anything for you for a very long time.

“Yes, my lady everything is like you instructed.” You nod satisfied by the way things progress.

Now there’s only one thing left to do.

You’re on your way to meet with the head of the blacks information guild. The only one who could top the Gold Wing trading company by power would be them. The blacks is one of the largest information-selling guilds – trading only to deceive people and hide the fact that they know everything that can be known throughout the empire.

They have men everywhere. The head is conveniently the second young master of house Autumn who currently stays in House Summer territory. Jeon Jungkook is clever enough to know that information is the most important thing to have the upper hand this is how he was able to survive the battle for succession.

It will be probably dangerous to meet him but you will have to take this gamble on if you want things to work out you need the backing of the most powerful guild in the empire.

Convenient that the duke doesn’t care about Y/N’s safety so you don’t need to play hide and seek with the guards you can do your business without getting interrupted. If you say you don’t need an escort, they back off immediately and let you leave.

Following the novel’s description, you look for a house with a red chimney and a black door away from the main streets. Once you find it you have to knock two then three times until someone asks, “Are you lost?” and you have to reply with “Yes can you tell me where can I find black paint?” - and you’re in.

It’s only a select few that know about this code so Jungkook will be suspicious of how a lady with a bad reputation knows about it, but you came to make a deal that he can’t refuse. You can talk around the fact of how you know about their secret entrance.

As you expected Jungkook came himself to greet you, you could recognise that brown hair and emerald eyes anywhere.

“Please have a seat. I prepared some tea.” His smile is pleasant but calculating. His intentions are clear unlike when you talk to your blood relatives, so you’re surprisingly relaxed in his presence. Jungkook is intrigued by your body language. Usually, people are distrustful of him because of his mask. Your eyes tell him that you know more than you look.

“I have a request to make. I would like to know what this liquid is and any information that you can get on it or the bottle.” Jungkook is said to like straightforward people, so you try to be confident.

Jungkook laughs seeing your confidence. You exceed his expectations he heard that you’re stupid and extravagant with a bad temper, but it seems like his information is outdated. That needs to change he smirks.

He gives you credit for realising he wields information. Usually, people come to his guild to do business. Not many know that the purpose of the blacks is different.

“How much will you pay me for the information?”

“I heard I can pay with information for information. I have something important to tell you anyway.”

“Oh.” People rarely have any information that he doesn’t already know but you look so confident that he has to humour you. “Please enlighten me.” Taking a relaxed laid-back pose he awaits your answer.

“The head of the Gold Wing trading company is the current Duke of House Summer and he has a spy in your guild.” The only reason the blacks are not at the top is because of the upper hand they gain from the spy. No one would suspect that Jungkook’s right-hand man is a spy. He causes the guild’s destruction near the end of the novel. Heartbroken from the betrayal Jungkook is stabbed by him in the end.

Jungkook grips the side of the sofa after hearing your daring words until the wood slightly splits. He doesn’t usually trust people so to think that someone betrayed him feels impossible.

“I’m not saying that without evidence. There’s a tree in the back looking directly at the alleyway if you dig the dirt near the roots, you will find a letter with a coded message it was placed there this afternoon so you have to look for it before sunrise. I swear on my life that if I lie to you, you have the right to kill me.” The only way he will believe you is if you match the sacrifice for your accusation. Your life is on the line, but you know you’re right.

Or that you hope it’s the same as in the novel.

Jungkook instructs one of his men to look for the tree. He visibly pales when he sees the man come back with a dirty envelope. He reads the letter with a face of indifference, but you know he is furious deep inside and somewhat sad. Trust is not easily given away by him.

“Who— ” Jungkook closes his eyes to compose himself. “Who is the spy?” He appears distraught which is normal considering the fact you just dumped on him suddenly.

You hesitate for a moment. You know this information will hurt him, but he is entitled to the truth – and you do this to save his life in the end. “It’s Sam.”

You can tell it hit him hard but you don’t think he doesn’t believe you. He might get angry and it’s really not your place to intervene. However, you know this feeling very well. Being betrayed by someone you trusted. If nothing else you can sympathise with that feeling.

“Please excuse my rudeness.” You tell before you impulsively side-hug him. He’s so surprised by your embrace that he doesn’t try to push you away immediately. You’re so warm and your hand is comforting on his back. He doesn’t know you, but it feels like you understand him to some extent.

He closes his eyes and lets this moment pass by. Hidden from prying eyes it’s just – you and him for this moment.

At last, he composes himself and accepts your request. He even gives you a pendant that’s only given to the highest-ranking customers saying that your information is worth that much.

It’s a pretty pendant with a black snake on it. Looks like a masterpiece.

Thankfully nothing out of the ordinary happened while you were out. You were able to enjoy some snacks when you got back in peace as your nanny was on vacation.

You need to make your move while Biwon is away your plan needs to be done by the time she gets back. Thanks to the blacks information guild – you were able to identify the liquid your nanny made you drink every day — you only had to wait two days to hear from them.

Your discovery is enraging and liberating at the same time.

It helped you put the pieces together and even gave you an advantage to work with. To finally know the full truth of what happened to Kim Y/N. This could be a good explanation for why you couldn’t access all her memories or why some things become hazy the longer you thought about it.

Life was way too cruel for a girl like Y/N.

Now that you’ve set up the stage you just need to wait for the protagonists to arrive.

Biwon seems relaxed after her vacation; she probably enjoyed a luxurious life out of the jewellery she stole from you. You’re getting sick just from seeing her smile. It must have felt good to be able to look down on a noble lady and make Y/N cater to her all this time, exploiting a poor young lady. To think that all those rumours come from her to isolate and degrade her. She should smile while she can you think smirking through the rim of your cup.

Now’s showtime.

The taste of tea is familiar in your mouth. Due to double the dose of the liquid she made you drink each morning the symptoms came earlier than you anticipated. Suddenly getting on the drug after you stopped taking it is a huge risk, but you need to prove her involvement in the crime.

You didn’t think it would hurt this much though. Your head clouded over soon, and your body collapsed on the floor in tremor.

Gaon called the doctor immediately as you instructed and while you were getting examined your other trusted maid planted the evidence in your nanny’s room. It didn’t take long to see Biwon try to escape your trap, but it was too late when the knights found the medicine bottle.

She had nowhere to run to.

You regained consciousness but it was hard for you to open your eyes yet. The pain you felt in your abdomen felt unbearable, but you need to see this through till the end.

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice this. To tell the truth, the lady came to me often to ask for headache medicine.” You could feel the worry in the doctor’s voice. You feel bad for suspecting him at first. He might be the only one to actually care for Y/N in this forsaken house.

“This drug is called blackroot it’s made from a rare flower that was used in a war experiment in the past. The characteristic of the flower is that it can manipulate the mind – it makes the user unable to control their temper and creates hazy thoughts. While it works as a brainwashing technique it has all kinds of side effects such as explosive temper, haziness, headaches, loss of appetite and memory loss. The longer someone takes it the more fragile that person will become.”

No wonder Y/N is this thin. When you first heard about this drug you felt incredibly furious to make her take such a dangerous drug just because Biwon was greedy for things she couldn’t have.

Once the dizziness subsided you were able to open your eyes it seemed like the medicine the doctor gave you had some effect. The pain is still there but your head is clearer.

“I- didn’t do this! I was framed!” Biwon begs on her knees in front of the duke and young master but seeing their reactions no one actually buys that half-hearted accusation. Serves her right.

You made sure to get solid evidence of her crime.

You’re able to sit up thanks to Gaon’s help and you look down upon your nanny with a hard expression.

You cannot believe this is finally over.

Now no one will dare to take advantage of you after this incident comes to light. It won’t make your reputation restored to how it was before but at least it will provide you with a good opportunity to show the people around you that you’re different without having to fear someone figuring out you’re not the real Y/N.

“Have the witnesses come forward.” The maid who is questioned is shaking like a leaf in front of the duke.

“Who served Y/N tea?” Jin comes forward to interrogate the maids. For some reason, he looks livid. It’s probably because of their pride. How dare they manipulate the duke’s daughter a mere maid. – they probably think like that.

“The nanny always prepares the tea for the lady in the morning. No one was allowed to touch it I swear I didn’t know that the lady’s tea had blackroot in it.”

“That’s right, we were never allowed to serve her tea or be present when she made it we would be only called when the lady was about to get dressed.” If they were present at all you think for yourself as you roll your eyes.

“N- No! That…” Biwon looks around like a cornered animal. It’s nothing compared to what you’ve been through. No, you promised the real Y/N that you would not let her go so easily.

“I’ve heard enough. Drag her to the underground dungeon.” After hearing the duke’s command, the knights drag Biwon out of the room. Finally, some quiet. Your head is killing you.

“Everyone leave, now. My daughter needs to rest.” As if seeing it on you that you’re nearly at your limits the grand duke instructs everyone to let you be.

Everyone leaves except for one person. Jin looks torn as he contemplates what to say to his sister.

You know the reason why Jin treated Y/N with contempt is because of that incident in the past. Y/N mad because of withdrawal symptoms from the drug called him a monster. She told him that because of him their mother died, and she even threw a teacup in his face that made him bleed. In reality, she partially blamed him for being forgotten and emotionally abused. After that Jin ignored her altogether. While saying those things are hash and not justified because of the drugs the behaviour of her brother is not something that you can overlook either. There’s no clear line to determine what’s right or wrong. You can’t simply judge if someone deserves forgiveness as it entirely depends on the person who’s granting it.

There are no right or wrong answers.

Their relationship was probably a bad fate. You’re not his sister so you have no intention of making up with him even though he’s wearing that pitiful expression. You feel bad for Y/N but you’re not going to live as her shadow forever. Once this story ends you will leave this kingdom and live as yourself. To make that happen you need to keep your relationship with Y/N’s family distant just like before so you could leave without problems in the future.

“How are you feeling?” Y/N has memories of when her brother spoke to her softly like this. Too bad it’s too late for Y/N to see this. You pull your hand away when he tries to hold it.

“This doesn’t change a thing between you and me. I would appreciate it if you could ignore me like before.” You turn away not inclined to see that pitiful expression on his face anymore.

Thankfully he leaves without a fuss this time.

Things are only growing more awkward as time passes. You made the suggestion of dining with them every day to avoid being punished by Biwon, but it comes back to bite you in the ass now that she’s gone, and no one dares to bother you anymore. You ignore the looks of pity you receive from the staff. They were the ones who ignored and badmouthed you. They have no right to take pity on you at all.

Those who did not try to see the truth don’t deserve to feel regretful.

It's annoying to see the duke and your brother try to get closer to you. They have no idea what Y/N had to go through while they were living in their blissful ignorance.

You wonder if things would have been different if she had been born as a boy in this period. Women are often ill-fated. How tragic.

“Your birthday is coming up in a few months. Do you have something in mind about how you want the celebration banquette?” Your fork freezes in the air when the duke calls you.

While you don’t want a party it would be good to build your reputation. You have no choice but to have one.

“I’ll prepare for it. Thank you for your concern.” You keep your eyes on the food. After taking that double dose your appetite seems to be worse than before. You need to gain some weight, you’re too thin as it is.

“Don’t worry about the budget just prepare how you like.” You’re getting dizzy this is getting bad you overestimated and thought some rest was all you needed. You need to take better care of yourself if you want to beat the final boss of the story. This is about time you meet with your favourite character as well. You need to look your best even if he only glances at you for a second. You’re getting excited just thinking about him.

“Alright. Excuse me I’m full.” You step away from the table to leave and prepare for the upcoming events when you lose your sight for a moment. Thankfully the head butler catches you in time that you’re not faceplanting the floor this moment.

“I’m fine. Thank you.” You push the old man away with reddened ears. This is so embarrassing.

“I’ll carry you to your room.” Your hand automatically holds onto your brother when he suddenly picks you up, to keep your balance. Now you’re really getting tired of their sudden act of affection.

“I said. I’m fine.” You pursue your lips in a frown when he keeps ignoring you to let you down.

“You can hate me all you want. I deserve it but I’m not letting you down.” You’re speechless. At least he knows. It doesn’t matter if he has regrets now that you solved everything.

If it weren’t for your effort and sacrifice things would have been left alone and you would be still suffering without anyone to rely on at the hands of your greedy nanny.

They can feel guilty all they want; it doesn’t change a thing. If anything, you’re feeling angrier about how they think they have the right to make things right after everything that has happened.

It’s bothersome.

“It won’t change anything. No matter how hard you try I’ll never consider you as family again. Not after you and father abandoned me. You don’t know anything about me or how much I suffered. If you didn’t care then don’t care now.” It’s probably hard to hear and somewhat you feel guilty for saying that since you don’t know what Y/N would have wanted but this is how you feel.

You’re torn about what you should do.

This is supposed to be your home when you feel the safest.

However, you can’t remember a single good memory or a time when you felt relaxed in this place. It just makes you sad.

“I understand.” His hand around you tightens just a tiny bit before he relaxes his posture and the hands that hold you gently. At least he’s not trying to come up with excuses. He knows fully well that what you told him was the truth. They have no idea how much you had to suffer since they kept ignoring you. His heart is getting heavy when he realises how light his sister feels in his arms. A woman in her twenties should weight a lot more than this. He’s carrying you with care and gently places you on top of your bed. You have no intention of getting closer to him, but it’s been bothering you for a while ever since you saw that memory. You feel like they don’t deserve your kindness. You wonder if Y/N would be forgiving. If she would be able to embrace them and trust them again. You know you can’t.

“You’re not a monster and I’m sorry for saying that so stop thinking about useless things.” You impulsively grab his hand before he can leave. This is all you can give him as an apology – you know Y/N probably would have wanted him to hear that at least. Something wavers in his eyes. You didn’t think such a small gesture would make him cry. Now that you think about it probably no one said such words to him before. His biggest fear. From an early age, he always heard that his mother died because of him. It shouldn’t be a small child’s fault. It makes you feel like this whole family is just unfortunate.

“I’m sorry Y/N.” Jin holds your hand with shaking fingers. You can clearly feel his tears fall as he pushes his face into your palm seeking some comfort. You don’t know how but you can feel that this apology is sincere. You don’t have the heart to push him away this time.

Just this once you will allow it.

“The captain of the imperial guards shouldn’t cry like this.” You pat his head while he cries. Seeing such a powerful figure crying into your skirt on his knees feels weird.

He hadn’t left for a while and even when he did, he looked reluctant. You could tell what he was thinking without having to hear him say it. He’s afraid that the next time you see him you will push him away and avoid him. Your hand on his head and your words comforted him. He’s the one who did wrong but, in the end, you helped him instead deal with his biggest fear a little better.

He realises that he doesn’t deserve such a good sister as you.

His sudden resolve and earnest eyes make you bite your lips in worry. You know it won’t be good when he suddenly turns around with fiery passion. “I, Kim Seokjin give my oath to Kim Y/N that I will protect you for as long as I live. If I break my promise, I’m willing to die a miserable death.” This is your first time seeing someone give their knight’s oath. His hands are elegantly placed over his heart in a kneeling position and his eyes are fierce and honest. Stupid brother, you’re not the one he should give his oath to!

That was not your intention to make him so motivated. You should really learn how to ignore things in the future if you want to avoid bothersome situations like this. It’s not like you can reject him now either.

After he finally left because of work called you collapsed on your bed.

You can’t believe he gives you the knight’s oath instead of the female lead. He’s supposed to fall in love with her and be the miserable second male lead. You expect that things will be different if you change your destiny, but such drastic changes make you anxious for the future development of the plot.

Thankfully your favourite character was not caught up in the love triangle since his territory is the farthest away from the capital. He doesn’t frequent gatherings because of his inability to fully control his powers, and he has a bad reputation overall because of his war achievements and fearful power. Throughout the novel, he is described as someone who doesn’t care about women and is only fixed to find a way to control his abilities.

Min Yoongi you can’t wait to see him at the upcoming hunting festival.

Everything becomes normal and quiet.

Your daily life is better except for the torturous dinners with your family. Thankfully Jin is busy with imperial work and your father manages his new business and duties as a duke, so you don’t have to run into them too much inside the house.

In two or three days you make a trip to see Jungkook and get useful information and sometimes chat over some tea.

What’s next on your list is to gather personal intel on people who will attend the hunting festival. The fact that this is organised by the Duke of Summer is making you anxious. You remember some crazy shit happen around that time and his main target will be your favourite character. Min Yoongi.

Trying not to look too obsessed with a man you’ve never met before you decided to look over his information last.

There’s not much that could be gathered on him (even by a professional information broker as the North keeps their gates locked skin-tight) in the first place the info that your eyes skim through is less than you expected even with the additional stuff that you know because of the novel is limited mostly to his childhood and main events which is not much at all.

He wasn’t present in all the episodes but when he’s involved – well, things were never good.

You don’t know all the archduke’s special abilities which is a concern. You know Min Yoongi can read minds. The limitation to his power is that he has to touch the person to hear all the thoughts but with malicious intent, it doesn’t even need that.

It makes him the second most powerful ability user since he can detect lies and see one’s true self. Someone has to be well aware of his ability to hide something from him.

His special skill is to tell what the other person is thinking good or bad but that means that he could hardly hear his own thoughts. The world is never silent for his ears and that has its consequences. What little is known of them in the outside world is that all the Min descendants had gone mad at some point in their lives and chose to kill themselves when there was another person that could take over the Ducey or their son became of age if they were lucky to hold on until then. Min Yoongi’s tragic childhood is summarised in a few sad lines in the novel it was not overly detailed, but you remember feeling sad.

Whilst your survival is the priority you want to change Yoongi’s fate as well if it’s possible. Even if he’s not going to madly fall in love with you. You want him to have a happy life and not end as tragically as in the novel. You liked his character a lot. Even when he was faced with such hardships, he never gave up he would never succumb to the same fate as his father, and he held on until the last moment of his life.

You admired his determination to live.

You want to do the same with your second chance and hold on until the last moment trying to change your fate.

Who knows maybe you could overcome it together.

So many scenarios run through your head imagining how you will greet him when you finally meet him, what you will say to him. All of those restless nights couldn’t have been wrong when you’re finally faced with him. None of them could get you ready for that hard cold stare that he shows you.

You practically burst open the carriage door after the chaperone states that you’ve arrived.

Being in the same space as your brother and father acting all cute and considerate for almost four full hours made you want to let the ground swallow you whole and never want to see the sun again.

This is when you first make eye contact with him – or so you think. His eyes visibly slip over your face as if he’s not even seeing you just looking through you like you’re one tree of the dozens curving the landscape. It hurts your pride a lot to be invisible to your favourite character, but you gulp it down and hold your head high when you exit the carriage.

You knew it well that he was that type of person, but it didn’t mean it still did not hurt you to see it with your own eyes. There’s one thing to say he’s not interested in women but in reality, it felt like he’s not into humans – not just women. Hearing everyone’s thoughts might be a reason why he would be so over humans that he doesn’t even want to acknowledge them but damn.

Now that you see him and not just read about him you can tell two things already. One, he’s crazy handsome. The lines that describe how good-looking he is does not give him justice. Two, the lines in the novel are too tame to describe how much he loathes to see and interact with anyone. It’s almost comical how disgust is written all over his face when he has to shake hands with nobles or greet the young ladies.

That face still has many admirers even when his expression is a permanent frown all the time. Most likely to his greatest disapproval, he’s very popular with the ladies despite his bad reputation.

You can imagine how annoying it must be for him. Forgetting how you felt hurt before you even started to feel bad for him. His circumstances are unique and, in fact, no one knows what he has to deal with every single day. Even though you know you don’t really know what it feels like.

You’re contemplating how to approach him to not get immediately shut down or seem too suspicious when some of the ladies have you locked in a circle. Seeing their arrogant expressions, you could already tell what would happen when they finally opened their mouths.

“What a surprise to see you attend this year. Are you even allowed to be outside yet?”

You grit your teeth and smile at them.

It’s a waste to argue with them and you’re not here to let them bully you. You came here to see your favourite character and they are already dampening your mood.

“The ladies might need to check their eyesight soon. I arrived here with my brother and father so if you have complaints about me being here you could always go to them.” You speak with a permanent smile but there’s nothing friendly in your expression as you cross them leaving the circle of hyenas behind you.

They’re lesser nobles of course they wouldn’t dare complain to them. Your family is powerful after all one of the four most powerful people in the kingdom is your father. They targeted you specifically because you were an easy target so far too dumb to attack them with words like they do, and Y/N's violent temper just served the right purpose to belittle her and make her the most hated woman in high society. You’re not going to give them the chance to humiliate you anymore. They are just extras in a novel.

The thought alone makes you smile. Right. You’re the main villain in this novel but you’re going to turn it into your story so that you can be the main character in your life.

Something that you always wanted to try.

The first day goes by without incident. After the second day of the hunting festival starts the hunting begins and activities for both the ladies and men begin slowly but surely following the original plot of the novel.

Until there’s a big error occurring in the middle. You don’t remember any banquet happening to welcome the most influential families. This could mean that it wasn’t relevant to the main plot to mention, or things changed somehow and now there’s a sudden dinner plan made by someone.

There’s a banquet held for the four archdukes and their families and while you’re thrilled that you’re seated right across from your favourite character you were not expecting him to death glare you right in front of your salad.   

To your best knowledge you haven’t even greeted him yet so why does he look like he wants to murder your entire family? You’re unsure.

At some point, you stop avoiding him and look him in the eye but still, you can’t read his expression at all.  

You feel like you don’t have to emphasise that you couldn’t eat a single thing at that dinner in peace.

You jump when a man approaches you in the empty hallway and when you look at him something clicks in your mind, now that you think about it you can recognise this man from anywhere. He’s Namjoon his right-hand man the only person that he tolerates.

“You scared the living shit out of me.” You’re so surprised that you don’t check your language before it’s already out in the open. Your eyes are wide as you look at the man probably thinking that you’re a weird person. Shit. Now you’ve done it. You tried so hard until now to remain in character and not use slang words or bad language.

Which is hard on their own as you breathe and live with words that end in fuck most likely than not.

The struggles of a modern woman. Haah.

“I mean you should not hide in the shadows like an assassin ready to strike Mr. You scared me.” You try to put the blame on him entirely so he would forget your previous words and it seems to work as he’s quick to apologise and state his business.

“Duke Min would like to speak with you. If you could please follow me, I will lead you to him.” You narrow your eyes after Namjoon finishes his sentence. Him wanting to see you is very weird.

Why?

“Does this have to do with him glaring at me throughout dinner?” You take a step back narrowing your eyes suspiciously at the man. Even though he’s just the messenger you can’t help but ask. You and him being alone after you witnessed his personality might not be the best idea even if he’s still your favourite character. You don’t want to die by his hands either.

“He.. the duke has a difficult personality but he’s not a bad person. I’m sure he’s just interested in the lady.” You can tell that Namjoon really believes that but for some reason you can’t picture him being interested in you. Y/N might be pretty but the duke is not that kind of person to be captivated by something so shallow as that. That has to be a different reason why he wants to talk with you in private and while you’re anxious.

You decide its best to see what he wants.

Also, he’s not someone that anyone can just say no to. He will most likely force you to meet him. It might be your best option to get this over with and see where this conversation goes. If it even goes anywhere. He’s a practical person like that.

You’re anxious and excited at the same time as you follow Namjoon just a step behind.

“Who are you?” You’re perplexed to meet with this type of question. He cornered you without warning, both his hands were caging your hip, your backside digging into the edge of the table.

You’re scared and strangely excited to be this close. Your heart is beating heavily trying to break out from your ribcage.

“Kim Y/N.” You reply dumbly while still trying to process this sudden change in his behaviour and his closeness to you.

You were greeting him first and suddenly you’re completely caged in.

“Kim? Is Duke Kim your father?” You would find his furrowing brows adorable if you weren’t so close to witnessing it. His scent is overpowering your senses, and your faces are just a hair's breadth away from touching – your favourite character makes it hard for you to think straight. Air is caught in your lungs when he holds you by your chin tilting your head up to meet with his eyes.

“Y-Yes.” You’re unsure what he wants to hear from you. From the moment you stepped into his office, he kept questioning you without answering any of yours in return.

“Am I interrupting something?” Both of your gazes turn to face a surprised Kim Namjoon standing by the door. He looks exactly like he just got here and witnessed something weird happening. You can’t blame him for it, you’re surprised as well. Min Yoongi keeps acting weird. He looks somewhat bewitched as he keeps looking between you and Namjoon almost bordering to look crazy in your eyes for a moment.

As if he’s in a deep thought about something mind breaking discovery.

Yoongi didn’t hear his right hand man coming at all but what’s even weirder than that is he can’t hear his thoughts at all.

It all started when he tried to read this woman’s mind throughout the dinner celebration but failed while everyone’s else mind spoke to him clearly. He found it strange for her to be the only exception. As if she has a shield around her mind that doesn’t allow his power to penetrate. The Kim family’s power is to neutralize other powers (everyone is aware of it as the family never tried to hide it) but that can’t be the answer since he could hear their thoughts all the same as you have to be aware of the power you’re trying to block but no one knows that he can read minds.

But now upon making contact with her, he can’t even hear what others are thinking. Which could mean her power is even more rare compared to her family. Everything is quite like it was never before. It’s unsettling but on the other hand, it’s quiet and peaceful.

A realisation draws on him that Kim Y/N might be the key to finally learning to control this power of his that has been plaguing his generation of heirs and forcing them to live a miserable life until they either take their lives or become insane. Her power acts like a tranquillizer almost. Tasting this peaceful silence Yoongi’s hand curves around her waist more protectively. Protective of this silence he’s experiencing for the first time in his life.

He will do anything to keep this woman by his side from now on. He comes to a firm resolution on the spot.

“Be my wife.” To say you feel shocked after hearing that would be an understatement. This is not your usual love confession, and you know it. There’s nothing tender in his words or expression if anything it feels like a business transaction to you.

It’s clear he’s proposing an arranged marriage kind of deal where you both get something out of it but you’re not fond of the idea. In your previous life, you never had a real boyfriend whilst you dated here and there. Someone you could say is the love of your life you never once experienced that feeling, and you don’t want a marriage in your second life without love. You decided to do anything you wanted from now on.

“I’m sorry but I have to refuse your proposal. I won’t marry a man I know is not in love with me and I don’t love him either. This is not something I want.” Too shocked to reply you use that time to get out of his hold and get away before he regains his senses after getting rejected. He probably didn’t think anyone would dare to say no to him as he was aware to be popular with the ladies. This just makes you even more unique as it was anyone else, they would have said yes immediately to an offer like that. Namjoon gets out of your way as you leave, his mouth hanging open still trying to process that the man who notoriously hates women suddenly asked for a lady’s hand in marriage and getting brutally rejected by one at the same time.

The door shuts behind you abruptly and Yoongi massages his temple with his hands trying to figure out what he did wrong for you to storm out like that. Was his proposal not to your liking? What does it even mean to marry the person you love is beyond his comprehension.

End of part 1.

[sincitypjmrecs]

Cowards in love (m)

— synopsis: You and Jimin had been friends for a long seven years. But will a novel coworker of yours replace the tightly-knit bond you had with Jimin?

Confess? He can’t. He’s too afraid of that.

↳ pairing: jimin x f reader

↳ rating: 18+

↳ genre: friends to lovers!au, smut, angst, fluff

↳ word count: 9.5k

↳ warnings: office worker OC, possessive jimin, dom jimin, sub reader, jealously, ownership, filthy dirty talk, unprotected sex (NO GLOVE NO LOVE!), rough sex, hair pulling, oral (m receiving), slight IMPREG KINK during intercourse, spanking, name calling (slut, brat), pussy slapping, multiple orgasms (and I mean two)

A/N: Contains fake texts screenshots! Sorry if you don’t like those - but I do - so yeah :D

“Miss Y/n, as usual, you have done amazingly well. You have pleased me and the company so much that I decided to give you another promotion.” 

You smirk, sitting upright on the leather chair. Your boss sat across from you at the long wooden table, a black envelope in his hand. You nodded and bowed your head in respect. 

“We see how you work nonstop and we want you to rest for a while. Go and treat yourself, y/n.” He slides a white envelope to you. As you grab a hold of the paper, your lips curves up in a smile as you feel how thick it is. Peeking inside, there lays five hundred bucks. 

Your boss stands up, and you copy his actions. He walks over to you with such poise, lifting his hand to you. Shaking his hand, he nods his head once. “Congratulations, Y/n. We expect a lot from you.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Lim. The company has all of my passion.” 

~

“You are quite the dime, petal.”

Scoffing, you turn around to your best friend, Jimin, who was sitting on your bed and checking you out. “Don’t try to woo me now, Park Jimin,” you turn back to the mirror, applying more of the burgundy-colored lipstick that he specifically bought for you. You notice him smirk through his reflection, standing up. He places his hands on the pockets of his jeans as he shrugs his shoulders, walking closer to you.

“The guy who wins your heart will be so lucky,” he muses, eyes shining in awe. 

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[sincitypjmrecs]

Impact Of The Heart | PJM

Pairing: non! idol Jimin x Fem! Reader

Summary: You and Jimin had been flatmates for a long time now. Your relationship consisted in soft quarrels and flirty comments, longing gazes and aching hearts. When you leave the flat after an argument, Jimin must find you in time and tell you how he feels before he fears its too late for words to change fate.

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: angst, non! idol au, flatmates! au, thoughts of unrequited love, happy ending, reader is described to be shorter than Jimin (he deserves to be tall at least in fiction xD), kissing, mild language (just a couple of words), feelings of fear, anxiety and heartbreak, fluffy ending.

*banner made by me :D

A/N Hello everyone! I've been working on this for a couple of days now, I hope you will like this, a bit long, drabble. I'm still working on the next part of "Four Seasons" but I recently entered college and I'm a bit busy atm. I'll try to update as soon as I can. Take care and thanks for reading! 💜

It was raining outside. Heavily so. Making Jimin worry every second for you to text or call him back. You hadn't even read his last texts for heaven's sake! And that made him anxious.

You never left a text unanswered.

Never.

Why was he feeling anxious?

He sighed at his own thoughts. His heart already knowing the answer to that question that he nearly rolled his eyes when he wondered it once more.

You and him had been roommates for nearly five years since the both of you finished college and, conveniently enough, the both of you needed a place to stay with a low rent.

Jimin decided that you both could split the rent while living there together in a seemingly civilised way. And, to his surprise, you agreed. To say that you and Jimin got along since day one was fast-forwarding on so many events that happened between you both until you two settled in a friendship with longing gazes and stolen touches.

He couldn't help the pang of jealousy he felt when you announced earlier that day that a coworker of yours had asked you out to dine with him. You looked so happy about it that he had to force a smile on his plump lips so as to not disappoint you.

But as the storm outside got heavier, he had sent you a quick text asking if you were alright, if he needed to pick you up. To which you answered that you were, in fact, quite fine. He sent yet another text, asking for the address of the place you were having dinner at just in case but you didn't answer his message.

And that had happened nearly an hour ago.

He tried calling you but your phone was switched off and he cursed under his breath. The only thing he could now do was to trust you, hoping that you would be back home soon. However, Jimin had already made up his mind that if you didn't show up by eleven o'clock he was going to leave the flat and search for you.

Even when he had no idea of where you could be. When he didn't have a place to start searching. He would at least look for you.

In the last year, whatever rough edges your roommate relationship had once had evened out. Jimin became a good and close friend to you rather than just your flatmate. And to him, well that was another case.

Jimin also viewed you as a close friend. But he couldn't help how his fingers would tingle every time you would pass him the bowl of popcorn on your lazy movie nights or when you would casually hand him over his phone when he had left in a place he couldn't find it.

He couldn't help but feel the butterflies in his stomach swirl wildly when you laughed out loud when he would fall out of a chair. A fond smile would appear on his face when he discovered you had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for his long shift to end and he had to carry you back to bed.

But with those feelings, a more bitter sensation also appeared in his heart. Like in those times when you'd smile when a coworker texted you wishing you a good night. Or when you were invited to a fancy dinner and you got all dolled up only for you to have other eyes on you.

It felt ridiculous. At least to him. For being jealous of you when you weren't his and he wasn't yours. He didn't have the right to. He didn't have to worry. He didn't have to feel threatened.

Yet he did.

Every. Single. Time.

And now, it was not different. He felt a wrong sensation crawling up his chest that made him think the worst possible scenarios about your date.

But only when he had decided he had waited long enough and was about to grab his car keys, the electronic lock of the front door chimed and the next thing he knew was that you were standing in the entrance way, trying to get your shoes off while you were trying to put the large black umbrella in its place.

"Where have you been? You weren't answering any of my texts."

The worry was evident in his voice. And you would have noticed it if you weren't fighting for your life at the entrance door trying to get your shoes off.

"Well... my phone died."

You said and Jimin was quick to catch the annoyance in your normally sweet voice. The next thing he knew was that you were walking across your shared flat, a grim look on your face and a harshness to your steps he had only witnessed when you were upset or stressed about something.

"Did something happen?"

He asked. In a cautious way. Jimin knew you could get more irritated when he asked you something and you were in one of your moods.

You sighed. Taking a bottle of soju from the fridge. You didn't even get yourself one of the small glasses before you were already taking a swig from the beverage.

His eyes grew wide when he saw you do that. Immediately knowing something was bad. Really bad.

"It's just... aish. Men are assholes."

Jimin couldn't help but chuckle at your muttered words. You drank once more from the bottle so he decided to stop you before you got too drunk to manage.

"Yes, I know."

His hands brushed yours before the bottle of soju left your grasp and the sound of glass hitting the marble counter filled your ears.

"But you care to explain why you are insulting us?"

Your eyes met his. And suddenly, the entire dinner you had had with your coworker flashed in front of your eyes.

"It's just that... I went out with Junseo and... well the date was crappy as hell."

Jimin's hand got a hold of yours as he guided you out of the kitchen and back to the living room.

"I don't want to say "I told you so" but, I told you so."

You rolled your eyes at your friend. He really wasn't helping you at the moment.

"Jimin, what advice can you give me? The both of us have been single since middle school! I know that going out with Junseo was a mistake, I've now proven that theory, but at least I'm trying to find someone. Shouldn't you do the same and stop lecturing me about my, clearly non.existent, love life?"

Now you were frustrated. You didn't exactly know why though. You just were. Maybe it was because Jimin was on his pedestal of know-it-all. Or because of the awful date you just came back from. It could be that Jimin was still holding your hand and the butterflies in your stomach were flying wildly or perhaps the fact that one of your closest friends was so oblivious to your feelings for him.

Or a combination of everything.

He suddenly let go of your hand, a coldness seeping through your bones the moment he stopped touching you. He ran his hands through his hair, messing with the brown locks even more.

"I don't know why you are so rude to me, (y/n). I'm trying to help. There are better guys out there than Junseo, I just wanted you to see that for yourself but you can be so stubborn that not even the idea of 2+2 can get in your head sometimes."

And now Jimin was frustrated. At your lack of comprehension for his feelings. At your harsh words to him. At the attitude you showed. But then again, he had not been better himself right now. When he opened his mouth to apologise you cut him off with a scoff.

Now he had fucked up.

The hurt that flashed in your eyes tore at his heart. But you didn't hold yourself back. You were tired. Tired of this pointless life. Of not being enough. Of feeling invisible. Of Jimin not loving you back.

"Shut up, Park. You don't know what you are talking about. The man I love doesn't even see me as a potential girlfriend! So shut up about my life, you know nothing. Nothing at all. Stop butting yourself in my business."

You didn't leave room for argument. You hadn't raised your voice but it was cold. Calculated even. And the cold daggers pierced Jimin's soft and thudding heart.

You turned around, not grabbing neither your phone nor your coat. You barely had time to put your shoes back on before you left the flat with the front door slamming shut.

Jimin let out a deep sigh. He had screwed this up. And it wasn't the first time you both got into arguments. It was normal for flatmates to argue. But those small fights revolved around what kind of butter to buy or who's turn it was to do the dishes. Not about something like the one he just had with you.

His mind kept rising with millions of responses he could have given you. The main one being him admitting his feelings for you. But he couldn't allow those words to escape his mouth in the middle of an argument.

If so, if Jimin ever planned on letting you know about his love for you, he would like to plan it, take you out on a cute date or in one of your casual dinners at the flat.

He didn't want to shoot the words in the middle of anger and hate.

That is, if he ever manned up enough to say those three words.

He sat down on the couch, the raising thoughts giving him a headache as he ran his hands over his face. But the trance his mind had fallen in was broken when a loud thunder sounded at the distance.

Looking through the window, he was met with the strong rain dancing over the glass, the city lights blurred in the distance and the night sky swallowed the streets.

He stood up. You had left the flat. You had walked out in the middle of your anger. In the middle of an argument when the fumes were still very present and Jimin knew you hadn't even bothered to take your coat with you.

That thought was confirmed when he looked at the coat hanger and yours rested there, almost as if mocking him. Without a second thought, Jimin sprinted over to the front door, noticing your phone in the small table where his car keys rested as well.

Putting his shoes on, he grabbed a large black umbrella and was out the door in the next second. You had gone out by foot so he thought it'd be easier for him to find you if he walked around the building. Somehow in his desperate mind, that thought made sense when any other person would have thought of it to be completely insane.

The rough sound of the rain hitting the pavement filled his ears the moment he left the building. The umbrella managed to somehow shield him from the rain, at least most of it, while he began walking around. Trying to remember the usual places that you enjoyed and that were nearby.

You were walking slowly in the middle of the rain. Your clothes were completely drenched the second you stepped out of the building of your shared flat but to be honest, you didn't find it in your mind to care.

Your heart was aching.

Your mind was raising with so many thoughts it made you nauseous. The fight you had with Jimin meant more than you initially thought. That was why you left. Because in your confused mind and heartbroken heart you realised he didn't love you.

At least not like you loved him.

And it hurts.

It hurt that he tried to protect you without feeling so strongly for you.

It hurt that he'd smile every morning without a deeper meaning to it.

It hurt that he would hold your hand without wanting to claim you.

It hurt to be so close to him yet so far at the same time. Because he didn't want you in that way. You weren't important in the way you wanted to be for him. You felt rejected. Out of place in your own home.

You knew you had let your frustrations out on him. He didn't deserve that. Jimin was the sweetest man alive. He only deserved happiness. But you weren't his happiness.

Or that was what you thought.

His soft and flirty personality had made you think that perhaps he liked you in the beginning but you got to know that it was only how he was with nearly everyone.

He was too precious to hurt yet he had hurt you.

You walked and walked. Tears left your eyes and rolled down your cheeks, mixing with the rain that poured down your form. You began walking over a crossroad, your ears finding home in the sound of the rain that was almost soothing for your pained soul.

You didn't hear the quick footsteps approaching you, nor did you hear the shout of your name over the sound of the rain. You didn't hear the honk of the car as it approached you quite fast.

You could only hear the rain. The ever so calming rain along with the rapid thumping of your heart.

Jimin saw you at the distance. Despite the heavy rain that had nearly drenched him completely, the umbrella was of no use anymore. Despite the blurry vision in his eyes due to unshed tears of his own desperation. He saw you.

He saw you crossing the street. Your head hung low.

He couldn't describe the feeling when he saw you. Found you. You were there, his feet carried him without him being truly present, his mind drowning in the essence of you.

Jimin saw how your silhouette got illuminated by light. As if you were an angel. To him, you were. And he lived in a second of perfection. He watched in slow motion as you stood in the middle of the crosswalk, light framing your figure with the drops of the rain frozen in the air.

A second of perfection.

You looked ethereal.

But the clock continued its counting and the next second was the harsh landing on reality.

Jimin didn't hesitate, he was running. He ran as fast as he could. He had to reach you. He had to. The light that had made you look so majestically a mere second ago were the upcoming lights of a car that wouldn't pull over in time.

A shout of your name left his lips. The desperation evident in his voice. If only he could stop time. If only he could make it go back, stop you from leaving the flat.

"(y/n)!"

If only he had taken the impact of his heart when he had fallen for you and not wait until now.

His hand grabbed yours. The moment he got a good grip on your hand he yanked you towards him. The car sped off, not even glancing back through the rear view mirror. A gasp left your lips when you collided with his chest, his arms around your slightly shorter form.

Then there was silence. Silence in his mind. A subtle ringing in his ears as the adrenaline wore off, his breathing returning back to normal as he gripped your arms; pressed you as firmly as he could against him.

You grounded him.

You always have.

Even without knowing it. He had to make sure you were fine. He had to feel you with him. Had to stop the horrendous scenarios in his head from flying around and leaving black smoke behind.

And then he pulled you away from him. Held you at arms-length. His eyes bore into your own while he could hear the strong sound of the rain against the ground. Jimin swallowed, trying to stop the racing thoughts in his mind while thinking that you were fine. You were with him. You were alive.

"Are you crazy?! Can't you see you could have died?!"

He shouted out of anxiety. Fear. If he hadn't been gripping you by your arms so strongly you would have noticed how his hands shook. If he hadn't been so consumed by the fear, he would have noticed the redness in your eyes.

And then he realised. You had been crying. Your mind was as lost as his. His eyes softened, the grip on your arms loosened enough for you to walk away from his grasp yet you didn't move. You didn't say a word. The word of it all crashing down on you like a tsunami.

The unspoken words, the buried feelings, the ache in your heart.

Jimin sighed, a shiver ran down his spine when a subtle breeze passed you both. He took a step closer and engulfed you in his arms once more.

In a softer way. In a gentler manner.

And then he heard it. He heard your sob in the midst of the chaos that was your heart. You cried in his embrace while standing in the pavement, his chin rested atop your head as silent tears left his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I-I'm so sorry."

Your stuttered words crushed his heart. He couldn't bear the pain in your voice.

"I'm sorry too. I... I shouldn't have said those things back at the flat."

Jimin felt your hands around his waist and he tightened his hold on you just a bit more. To reassure you it was fine. That he was there. That you weren't alone. You would never be alone for as long as he lived.

You clutched his shirt in your fists, letting the pain, the anguish, the fear, the shock all wash over you.

"You scared me out there, (y/n/n)."

He whispered. His words were meant for the wind to carry them but you heard them well. You always heard what he had to say.

Lifting your head, you gazed into his eyes, noticing the unshed tears in his dark orbs.

"Why would you be scared? Why did you come out here to find me?"

Jimin looked down at you, he didn't mind the rain pouring over you both. Your clothes were damped, so were his. Your hair was completely drenched and the light makeup on your face was slightly smudged but to him you looked beautiful. So beautiful.

He smiled softly, a tear sliding over his cheek only to then mix with the rain on his tanned skin. One of his hands cradled the side of your face and you felt fire burn your skin beneath his palm.

"Because I love you."

A small gasp left your lips. Was this real? Were you dreaming? For only in your dreams had Jimin ever confessed to having such strong feelings for you.

"I love you so much and I have loved you for a very long time."

Your lips parted softly while you blinked back the tears that melted against your eyelashes.

"Forgive me for saying it like this but I cannot hold it in me any longer. I love you, (y/n)."

A second passed after those words left his plump lips, his heart was beating so fast in his chest for a moment he feared it might leave his ribcage or worse, that you could hear how frantically and strongly his heart beat for you.

A second passed where nerves invaded his mind and body.

What if you didn't feel the same?

What if you liked someone else?

What if he was just a friend?

But then your lips were on his. You stood on your tiptoes, hands resting on his hips as you kissed him. It was soft, a small peck over his pink lips and then it ended.

You parted enough for you to be able to breath, water dripped between you both and you would be lying if you said you were calm at that moment. You were the opposite of calm. You were astonished by your own actions and surprised at Jimin's lack of rejection.

"I love you too. I have loved you for so long and I will continue to love you everyday more and more."

His lips crashed against yours the next moment, his arms fully encircling you to the point where he lifted you off your feet. The kiss was more passionate; stronger. Jimin poured his heart and soul into that kiss and you took it all without hesitation.

Breathless you parted from him. The both of you panting softly while a smile graced your lips and he looked down at you with the fondest look that had ever graced his handsome features.

"Be mine forever."

Jimin whispered. As if you were the only one meant to hear those words. The secret of his soul. You nodded, your hands caressing his face while he held you close to him by the waist.

"Love me forever."

June/29/2023

~Masterlist

Likes, Comments and Reblogs are really appreciated!!!

[sincitypjmrecs]

Eat Me

Forbidden Fables masterlist

Everyone in wonderland knew the story of the little girl who had come through the rabbit hole and caused so much trouble. Everyone knew how the foundations of their land had been turned on its head after her visit. The little girl escaped back to her own world, but she’d left wonderland in ruins however unintentionally. 

There was no more white queen, no more red queen. There was only the king of hearts and the tyrannical hold he had over wonderland.

The flowers didn’t sing anymore. There were no tea parties thrown by the hatter and the march hare, no door mice in teapots. The land of magic and wonder that the little girl remembered was gone. In its place was a world shaped by the king of hearts in his own image. 

“Your majesty!” a trembling vasel approached the throne of the king dreading his master’s reaction to the news he was about to deliver. 

“What?” The king snapped, dark gaze fixed on the cause of the interruption to his day. 

“We found her, your majesty.” the poor man squeaked trembling in his boots. “We found the girl.” 

The king’s eyes filled with a kind of dark delight that sent a chill through everyone who saw it. “Send the rabbit. Bring her home.” 

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[sincitypjmrecs]

Equinox

Characters: Jimin x Reader

Word count: 7.2K

Synopsis: When it first was announced that the King of Spring was to marry the Queen of Winter, shock and outrage poured across the nation. Now, six months later, Jimin can’t help but feel maybe the Queen of Winter isn’t as evil as she seems.

King of spring!Jimin x Queen of Winter!reader

Notes: This is NOT the huge fic I’m working on LOL. It’s a drabble that turned into a BIG drabble, in dedication to my good friend, who wanted to see a fic where both main characters are royalty.

Well, here we are.

Warnings: Not really any? Pining, maybe, mentions of death and tragedy, and maybe one big kiss?

Keep reading

[sincitypjmrecs]

SWEET SEPTEMBER.

a @periminkle​​​ and @dewykth​​​ collaboration.

synopsis. for many, september symbolizes new beginnings. but for namjoon, this month never fails to send him back into the past. though this time, something seems different.

pairing. kim namjoon | female reader contains. fluff, angst, slice of life au, ballet instructor!reader, single dad!nj  word count. 7.5k+  warnings. death mentions, mature audience

dae’s note. surprise !!! this fic is dedicated to my favourite virgo karla @guklvr​​​​ !! happy birthday bae i hope you enjoy this lil thing me n vira whipped up for u!! (i stress wrote a lot of this ha.) also sry for lying & keeping you up but hopefully this makes u forgive me. but i hope ur day goes amazing ILYSM DUDE !!! <333 and a huge thank you to vira for hopping on board for this idea bc i cld not have done this without her !!! pls give her all the love !!!

vira’s note. KARLAAAA!!! i always gotta scream ur name it’s mandatory to start with a good scream ykno? bUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL 🥳  i already told u this too many times today but ILYSM !! like that full day without saying a single word to u felt so weird and i kept going into our chat and rereading our mssgs and wishing I was talking to u??? which is weird to admit?? but that literally how much i missed u idk how but im addicted to u so if you leave me I will literally die :))) aNYWAY have the bestestestest day ever and i hope u love the fic bc I ignored all my uni work to finish this !!! (also i feel reallyreallyreally bad about last night sO IM SORRY AGAIN BUT I HOPE THIS IS WORTH IT) 💖

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