shewrites11

[shewrites11]

Chapter 2: The Room Where It Happens

summary: Jamie and Cassidy meet BTS backstage, but when soulmate marks react, secrets stir. The truth simmers—hidden behind wide eyes, candy, and careful silences.

Tags: #soulmates #BTSxOC #polybond #soulmarkreaction #slowburn #realisticmodernau #protectivesibling #denialarc #eventuallysmut #blackreader

⸻

The backstage hallway still thrummed with concert energy—glitter on the floor, adrenaline in the air. Cassidy’s hand was a vise on Jamie’s.

“I think I’m gonna throw up,” she whispered.

Jamie smiled faintly. “Please don’t. That’s not the memory I want you to leave with.”

Cassidy giggled, even as her eyes stayed fixed on the guarded door at the end of the corridor.

A staff member approached them. “You’re the last VIPs tonight. Please follow me.”

The door opened.

And there they were.

Seven men. Still radiant with post-performance glow, dressed down from their stage outfits but no less captivating. A little sweaty. A little tired. Still gorgeous.

Cassidy squeaked. Actually squeaked.

“Oh my God, that’s real life Jimin,” she whispered.

Jamie could hardly blame her. They were so… present. More solid than screens or posters. Every step closer made her pulse spike, but it wasn’t just nerves anymore. Her mark was acting up again—low, insistent warmth blooming beneath her skin like a sunburn trying to get her attention.

The boys stood, forming a loose half-circle. Namjoon stepped forward, smiling warmly.

“Hi. You must be Cassidy.”

Cassidy nodded, speechless.

Namjoon crouched slightly so they were eye-level. “Happy birthday.”

The rest followed with a gentle chorus of birthday wishes.

Cassidy beamed. Jamie could see tears threatening, but her little sister held it together—barely.

“Can I—can I hug you guys?”

“Come here,” Hobi said, arms already open.

Cassidy darted into their arms, a flurry of hugs, laughter, and excited Korean-English back-and-forth. Jamie hung back, trying not to look out of place.

Then it happened.

A spark. A pull. Like the air itself shifted.

Jungkook’s gaze flicked toward her. Then V’s. Then the others, almost in a ripple.

Every single one of them had gone still. Not obviously—but a subtle pause, like an instinct triggered deep inside. Jamie felt her own body tense in response.

Her mark—it itched. Not painfully. Not visibly. But so clearly she almost gasped.

Yoongi’s voice was low, careful. “Did it just…?”

He didn’t finish the sentence.

Jimin glanced at Cassidy, who was now clutching Jungkook’s arm like a life raft. “Not here.”

Namjoon nodded, already scanning the room.

“Hyung,” Taehyung murmured, turning to their manager, who stood discreetly by the door. “Can you—?”

Without hesitation, the manager snapped into action. “Cassidy?”

She looked up.

“Come with me. We’ve got something special for you.”

Cassidy blinked. “Huh?”

The manager smiled. “You said you liked candy, right? Let me show you our surprise.”

Cassidy’s eyes went huge. “Like… Skittles?”

“Skittles. Sour Patch. Gummy bears. We’ve even got a chocolate fountain.”

“No way,” she whispered, glancing at Jamie.

Jamie nodded. “Go ahead, Cass. You earned it.”

Cassidy followed the manager to a side room, practically skipping with delight.

As soon as the door closed, silence fell again.

Jamie’s eyes met Namjoon’s.

“What the hell is going on?” she whispered.

Jin stepped forward. “You feel it. Don’t you?”

Jamie laughed, short and panicked. “That I’m hallucinating? Yes. Definitely.”

“No,” said Yoongi, calm but firm. “The mark.”

She flinched. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do,” said Jungkook gently.

Jamie looked down at her wrist. Her soulmate mark had always been subtle—just a swirl of lines ending in delicate initials: J.J. Her own. That alone had always confused her. Everyone else got someone else’s initials.

So she had assumed… maybe her soulmate was gone. Or maybe she didn’t have one.

“It’s never done this before,” she whispered. “Not in seven years.”

“It did tonight,” said Jimin. “And so did ours.”

Jamie’s eyes flicked up. “What?”

Taehyung reached up and slowly pulled down his collar.

The mark was there—on his collarbone, glowing faintly. It was the same symbol. The same initials.

Her initials.

Then Jungkook showed his. Then Yoongi. All seven, identical.

“I don’t understand,” Jamie said. “How can you all have the same—?”

“We’ve always known we were soulmates,” Namjoon said quietly. “The seven of us. Our marks matched from the beginning. But there was always something missing.”

“We thought maybe we had found everyone meant for us,” Jin added. “And we were okay with that.”

“But we were wrong,” Hoseok said gently. “We were waiting for you.”

Jamie took a step back.

“No,” she said automatically. “That’s not how it works.”

Namjoon didn’t move toward her. None of them did. They gave her space.

“We know it’s a lot,” he said. “We’re not asking you to accept it today. Or tomorrow.”

“You’re in shock,” Jimin added. “Anyone would be.”

“But this isn’t a mistake,” Taehyung said softly. “We feel it. You do too. Even if you’re scared of it.”

Jamie sat down heavily on a bench against the wall, staring at her wrist.

“You don’t understand,” she murmured. “I’ve spent years thinking this was a joke. That I was broken. I built a life around the idea that this wasn’t real.”

“And now it is,” said Yoongi, quiet and steady.

Jamie looked up. Seven faces. Seven souls. And somehow… they matched hers.

“I need time,” she said.

Namjoon nodded. “We’ll give it to you.”

Jungkook stepped forward and offered her something small.

A photo strip.

It was from the impromptu group picture earlier—Cassidy beaming in the middle, Jamie standing stiffly beside Jimin, all seven members flanking them.

“Keep this,” he said. “Even if you never call us again.”

Jamie took it.

And for the first time since the night began, her mark stopped itching.

The car ride home was a bubble of sugar and adrenaline.

Cassidy sat in the back seat surrounded by a lollipop bouquet, a signed poster tube clutched in one hand, and a paper bag filled with gummy bears in the other. Her mouth hadn’t stopped moving since they pulled out of the venue parking lot.

“I can’t believe Jimin hugged me—like really hugged me—and Taehyung said I looked cool and Jungkook told me happy birthday with both eyes, not just one! Jamie, he looked at me with both eyes!”

Jamie managed a smile. “You were amazing, Cass.”

“I’m never washing this hoodie again.”

“Please do. Eventually.”

Cassidy kept rambling, a kaleidoscope of memories tumbling out, replaying every second of the night like she was trying to keep it alive by sheer willpower.

Jamie drove in silence.

The city lights blurred by the window, but her thoughts were louder than traffic.

Seven soulmate marks. The same symbol. Her initials.

It shouldn’t be possible. She’d never heard of anyone having that many connections. Everyone said soulmates were one-in-a-lifetime. Maybe two, in rare stories. But seven?

She glanced at her wrist, now hidden under her sleeve again. The mark had stopped flaring, but it still pulsed faintly. Like it was… content. Like it knew.

No.

She wasn’t doing this. Not tonight.

“Jamie?” Cassidy called from the back seat.

“Yeah?”

“This was the best birthday of my whole life.”

Jamie’s throat tightened. “I’m glad.”

⸻

Meanwhile, Backstage at the Venue

The door clicked softly behind Jamie and Cassidy as they left.

The seven stood in silence.

Jungkook sat down heavily on the couch and buried his face in his hands. “I knew it. The second she looked at me during the concert—I knew.”

“She looked at you?” Jimin asked, brows raised.

Jungkook looked up. “And Tae.”

Taehyung nodded slowly. “Right at the line—‘your love, your love, your love…’ She didn’t blink. Like her body already knew.”

“Her eyes were scared tonight,” Hobi said gently. “She didn’t want it to be real.”

Yoongi leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “She’s not ready.”

“She was never told this was possible,” Jin said quietly. “None of us were.”

Namjoon, seated on the edge of the coffee table, sighed. “She’s had that mark since she was seventeen. Our initials. Can you imagine having that and thinking it meant nothing?”

They were all quiet for a moment.

“She’ll come around,” Taehyung said softly.

“She has to,” Jungkook added, not quite convincing himself.

“We’ve waited this long,” said Namjoon, voice calm but sure. “We can wait a little longer.”

Yoongi looked toward the door, his gaze steady.

“But not forever.”

The apartment was quiet again.

Cassidy had crashed hard the moment her head hit the pillow, still wearing her BTS hoodie with a half-eaten lollipop on the nightstand. Jamie had kissed her forehead and crept out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Now, she sat alone on the couch, legs folded beneath her, the city humming faintly outside the windows.

She hadn’t turned on any lights. Just the soft blue of the TV screen flickering through a paused menu, and the lamp above the stove in the kitchen casting a warm circle of gold.

Her wrist itched.

She pulled up the sleeve.

There it was.

The soulmate mark she had stopped believing in years ago.

The curling lines, the faint shimmer now that it had activated, the initials: J.J.

Her own.

She remembered the way they’d looked at her. The tension in the air. The way her chest had tightened like a magnet had snapped into place. It hadn’t been just attraction. It hadn’t even been fantasy.

It had been real.

Seven of them. Seven identical marks.

And all those eyes… watching her like she was something sacred.

Jamie pressed her palm to the mark, heart pounding.

“No,” she whispered.

This couldn’t be real. She was just a regular woman. She worked a steady job. Paid bills. Took care of her sister. Loved quietly. Lived carefully.

She didn’t belong in a story like this.

She didn’t belong with them.

And yet…

She couldn’t stop replaying Jungkook’s face. Or the quiet steadiness in Namjoon’s voice. Or the way Taehyung had looked at her like he already knew who she was—like the universe had whispered it in his ear.

Jamie wiped her face, surprised to feel dampness on her cheeks.

“Not now,” she murmured to herself.

She wasn’t ready.

She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be ready.

But as she stared down at her wrist again, she couldn’t help the single terrifying truth beginning to bloom inside her chest:

Ready or not… something had already begun.

[shewrites11]

Bounded to your love

Chapter One: “Surprise”

- summary When Jamie surprises her sister with BTS tickets, she never expects her soulmate tattoo to react—or that all seven members might be connected to her.

- pairing: bts au x black!reader

-genre: romance fluff eventually smut

-Tags: #btsconcert #siblinglove #cassidyfreaksout #soulmatetattoohints #vipaccess #eventuallysmut

Jamie Jones hadn’t slept much the night before. Between triple-checking her bag, confirming the digital tickets, and rehearsing how to present the surprise without getting emotional herself, her brain had been buzzing nonstop. But seeing Cassidy sitting at the breakfast table in her faded BT21 pajamas, humming under her breath and swinging her feet like it was any other Saturday—it was all going to be worth it.

Jamie placed the final pancake onto the stack in front of her sister, complete with the “12” candle sticking out of a strawberry on top. Cassidy’s eyes lit up.

“Whoa, this looks like a birthday brunch from a Pinterest board,” she said, leaning over to sniff the whipped cream. “Did you use vanilla extract in these?”

Jamie smirked. “And a pinch of cinnamon. I’m leveling up out here.”

Cassidy gave her an approving nod. “Chef Jamie. I respect it.”

Jamie rolled her eyes and sat across from her, casually picking up her mug. She watched her sister dig into her pancakes, chewing thoughtfully and completely unaware that her entire world was about to tilt.

“So… you doing anything exciting today?” Jamie asked, feigning nonchalance.

Cassidy shrugged with a little sigh. “Doubt it. I mean, this is amazing—thank you—but it’s a school weekend, Mom’s working, and I already got my gifts last night. I was kinda hoping…” She trailed off, not finishing.

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “Kinda hoping what?”

Cassidy hesitated, then blurted, “BTS is in town tonight, and their last show is sold out. But it’s okay! I knew it was a long shot. Doesn’t matter.”

Jamie sipped her coffee to hide the grin threatening to break across her face.

“Well,” she said, reaching slowly into the pocket of her hoodie, “what if it wasn’t?”

Cassidy blinked. “What?”

Jamie pulled out the sleek white envelope, thick with the weight of destiny—and a laminated VIP pass.

Cassidy looked at it like it was a coupon from a cereal box. “What is that?”

“Open it.”

Cassidy frowned slightly, wiped her hands, and tore it open. Her eyes scanned the paper. Then scanned it again. Then locked on the glittery black and gold lanyard tucked inside.

She froze.

Then her chair scraped back violently.

“JAMIE.”

Jamie braced herself.

“JAMIEEEEE—WHAT. WHAT IS THIS. NO—ARE YOU SERIOUS? IS THIS—IS THIS REAL? IS THIS A PRANK?!”

Cassidy launched herself around the table, flailing like her body didn’t know whether to dance or collapse.

“I’M GOING TO SEE BTS TONIGHT?! WITH VIP BACKSTAGE PASSES?!” Her voice cracked like a glitchy microphone. “DO I HAVE TO WEAR SHOES? I NEED TO CHARGE MY LIGHTSTICK—DO WE HAVE SNACKS?! I HAVE TO CALL LAYLA—OH MY GOD—I’M GOING TO PASS OUT.”

Jamie laughed, gripping her sister’s arms gently before she started shaking the furniture.

“Cass, breathe. You’re gonna pass out before we even leave.”

Cassidy screamed again—half shriek, half sob—and hugged Jamie so tightly her spine popped.

“I’m gonna cry,” she said, voice muffled into Jamie’s hoodie. “I think I already am. You’re the best sister ever. Literally ever. No one’s ever going to top this.”

Jamie pressed her cheek to Cassidy’s curly crown and smiled softly.

“You deserve it. Happy birthday, baby girl.”

She didn’t say anything about the faint, warm buzz that had returned to her wrist the moment Cassidy held the ticket. A familiar glow just beneath her skin—like static waiting to ignite.

By the time they reached their designated section near the front of the stage, the arena was already pulsing with life. Music played overhead—BTS’s older discography mixed with lo-fi remixes—and the air buzzed with anticipation. Fans were settling into their seats, testing their ARMY Bombs, and snapping selfies with the stage in the background. Lightsticks flickered and pulsed in soft hues, synced with the venue’s system, casting a dreamy rainbow glow over the crowd.

Cassidy clutched Jamie’s arm like she was afraid she might float away.

“We’re so close,” she whispered, eyes wide and glistening. “I think I can see the wires for the flying platform. Do you think they’ll do ‘Mikrokosmos’ at the end?”

“Maybe,” Jamie said, smiling as she took in the sheer scale of it all. “Looks like they’re pulling out all the stops.”

Cassidy bounced on the balls of her feet. “I can’t believe this is happening. I feel like I’m inside a dream. Like, what if they don’t even look our way? Or—what if they do and I black out on the spot?”

Jamie chuckled. “If you faint, I’ll catch you. Pinky swear.”

The house lights dimmed. A collective gasp rippled through the arena like a wave. A low rumble of bass shook the floor. The opening VCR flickered onto the massive LED screen—cinematic, mysterious, with flashes of each member walking through different dreamlike environments. The crowd erupted in screams with each face that appeared.

Jamie could feel it. Not just the sound or the movement—but something else.

Something deeper.

As the intro ended and the screen went black, a single spotlight lit up the center of the stage. Music swelled. The opening beats of “ON” roared through the speakers—and then they were there.

All seven of them.

Jungkook in a sleek black jacket, his hair slightly damp like he’d just stepped out of rain. Taehyung with a navy-blue bandana tied loosely around his neck, eyes intense even from this far away. Jimin glowing with a radiant smile, Yoongi’s expression cool and focused, Hoseok commanding the stage like it was his second skin, Namjoon raising his mic with that quiet leadership, Jin’s visuals as unfairly perfect as always.

Cassidy screamed like her soul was leaving her body. Jamie, despite herself, laughed—and screamed too.

For the first few songs, Jamie let herself get pulled into the performance. The choreography was flawless, their vocals clear even with the roar of the crowd. She watched Cassidy wipe tears from her cheeks during “Magic Shop” and jump like she was possessed during “Idol.”

Jamie’s own heart beat in sync with the music. She found herself watching Jungkook more than she meant to. Not because he was the “golden maknae,” or because Cassidy talked about him nonstop, but because every time he stepped forward, something inside her shifted. Her tattoo warmed. Not painfully. Just… there.

When the first ment started—each member taking turns speaking to the audience—Jamie took the chance to breathe. She hadn’t realized how overwhelmed she felt until she looked down and saw her wrist faintly flushed, like the skin around the tattoo had warmed to life.

She rubbed it lightly, trying to brush off the feeling. She was probably just caught up in the adrenaline, the heat of the lights, the crowd. That’s all.

Cassidy leaned in, breathless. “This is already the best night of my life.”

Jamie looked at her and smiled, heart swelling. “It’s not even halfway over yet.”

The lights dimmed again. A hush fell over the arena.

A soft piano note echoed.

Home.

The crowd screamed.

Jamie’s pulse ticked up. The mood shifted. Softer. Intimate. As if the entire arena held its breath. A spotlight hit the center stage, casting Jungkook in a gentle gold glow as he stepped forward, mic to his lips.

His voice—smooth, aching, real—poured through the speakers.

Jamie’s skin prickled.

She felt the pull before she understood it. Her tattoo buzzed gently, almost imperceptibly, but she couldn’t ignore it this time. She glanced down. The mark didn’t glow, but it seemed to hum—alive under her skin.

She looked back up.

And froze.

Jungkook was looking right at her.

His expression didn’t change. Still soft, controlled, perfectly in sync with the emotion of the song. But his gaze held.

And he wasn’t the only one.

As the chorus swelled, Taehyung moved to join him, their voices blending in perfect harmony. Jamie’s breath caught in her throat.

Your love, your love, your love… oh, I need that…

Both their eyes flicked toward the section she and Cassidy stood in.

And held.

Jamie’s fingers pressed into the tattoo on her wrist without thinking.

It pulsed.

And for the first time, she felt it deep in her chest—not fear, not confusion. Recognition.

The impossible kind.

The soulmate kind.

Jamie couldn’t look away.

The arena blurred around her—the shimmering lights, the thunder of the crowd, Cassidy’s excited movements all dulled under the weight of that moment. Her heart thudded heavily, rhythm faltering as Jungkook’s gaze lingered a beat longer than it should’ve. Taehyung’s too.

It couldn’t be real. Right?

And yet—her wrist pulsed again.

Cassidy was completely unaware, bouncing beside her, tears welling in her eyes. “Jamie! They looked at us! They looked right at us, didn’t they?!”

Jamie swallowed, forcing a laugh into her voice. “I think they were looking at the row, yeah.”

Cassidy squealed. “I’m gonna pass out. I swear if Jimin even glances in this direction next, I’m a goner.”

Jamie laughed again, but it was thinner now. Distracted.

She didn’t want to overthink it—but something had shifted. The way Jungkook’s eyes met hers, the way Taehyung seemed to flick between her and him, as if he noticed something too… it was too pointed to be coincidence.

She pulled her sleeve down slightly, covering her tattoo as if it would stop it from reacting again.

⸻

The concert rolled on, exploding into brighter energy again. Fire, Dope, and Run sent the crowd into chaos. Jamie found herself dancing a little, her body moving automatically, caught in the wave of fans singing at the top of their lungs. Even with her mind spinning, she couldn’t help but give in.

Cassidy was having the time of her life, jumping in rhythm, waving her ARMY Bomb like it was her job. She didn’t stop smiling for a second.

The encore started, with the boys changing into relaxed tees and joggers for their final songs. They waved, laughed, and tossed water at the crowd. Hobi threw hearts in every direction. Jin danced like a dad at a barbecue, and it made Cassidy wheeze with laughter. Jimin’s smile lit up the stage. Namjoon gave heartfelt words about love and connection that made Jamie tear up despite herself.

Then came Mikrokosmos.

The venue dimmed again, turning into a sea of soft purple as the members took their positions. Floating lights drifted on the screens behind them—stars, galaxies, constellations—like they were suspended in space with the crowd.

Jamie didn’t know why this song hit her harder than the others. Maybe because she was already raw. Maybe because her wrist hadn’t stopped tingling. Or maybe because, as they sang, Jungkook looked up toward her section again—and smiled. A real one this time. Subtle. Soft. But there.

And Taehyung, beside him, had that unreadable expression. As if he understood something Jamie didn’t yet.

It took her breath away.

⸻

After the last bow, the lights slowly came up. Fans were crying, hugging each other, taking blurry photos of the confetti raining from the ceiling. Jamie reached for Cassidy’s hand.

“Come on,” she said gently, “VIP lounge time.”

Cassidy gasped like she’d forgotten. “WAIT—we’re actually going to meet them?! Like, now?!”

Jamie grinned. “Yup. You ready?”

“No. Yes. No. Oh my God. Jamie—I don’t have gum. What if my breath smells like stadium nachos?”

Jamie laughed, digging in her bag and passing her a piece. “Handled.”

Cassidy popped it into her mouth with wide, terrified eyes. “If I pass out, tell Jimin I love him.”

“Noted.”

They followed the small group of other VIP fans being guided through a private corridor. The buzz of the concert still vibrated in the air—music, cheering, leftover adrenaline. Jamie’s hands were a little clammy. Her tattoo throbbed again, a low but undeniable ache. It was like standing in front of a storm.

She didn’t know what she’d say. Didn’t even know if this was real.

But as they rounded a corner, Jamie caught sight of a familiar silhouette ahead—broad shoulders, jet-black hair, a towel around his neck.

Jungkook.

And he wasn’t laughing with the others like she expected.

He was standing just off to the side, head tilted, eyes scanning the hallway like he was looking for someone.

And when his gaze landed on her—his whole expression changed.

Recognition.

Jamie’s chest tightened.

He saw her.

And so did Taehyung, who was only a few steps behind him, slowing his stride.

Cassidy squeezed her hand so tightly Jamie almost flinched. “Oh my God. That’s them. Jamie. Jamie. I can’t. I—”

Jamie could barely hear her.

Because Jungkook had taken one step forward.

And the mark on her wrist caught fire.