house of addams (1)
— 🌖 pairing: ot7 x fem.reader
— 🕷️ genre: mystery, angst + fluff + smut
— 🗝️ word count: 4.3k
— 🍄 summary: hired to look into the mysterious deaths, disappearances, and disturbances in the small town of Farrow's End, you soon meet a certain gang of oddballs who help you connect the dots. and NO, you are NOT taking a liking to them.
— ☕ content warnings: private investigator!reader, cozy small town mystery/addams family vibes, botanist!yoongi, magical absurdity, bookshop owner!namjoon, barista!jin
— 🕸️ a/n: first chapter! directly influenced by this fic on ao3 by tinyratthief, which is loosely based on the addams family.
series m.list/schedule → next chapter
chpt. 1: new digs
september 16, 2004
If this job has taught you one thing, it’s that the laws of truth can and will be bent by anyone with enough concentrated effort. People come to you to find very specific truths; birth parents, cheating spouses, the details of shady business deals.
But if this job has taught you one thing, it's that the truth will also reveal itself to anyone with enough concentrated effort.
Though, there's always a handful of cases that force you to delve deep into things you’d rather leave buried. Like the person in Oregon who didn't show up in any photographs. Or the small town in Maryland with the strange, centuries-old secret society.
You’ve seen sides of human nature that have left you cynical, distrusting. Some have called you “dead inside,” but you’re not here to brag. Naturally, you are excellent at your job.
And when the Mayor of Farrow’s End, a sleepy town with enough missing persons cases to warrant a Netflix documentary, contacted you about a possible case, you accepted almost instantly.
Even her first correspondence and initial offer were strange. She stated a preference to discuss the finer details in person and in person only, which to you immediately suggested that the entire investigation would be a matter of confidentiality.
You were proven right when you met with her a week later. And while being proven right is usually one of your favorite things, you didn’t exactly expect this.
The offer: investigative services regarding (but not limited to) local missing persons/homicides, ecological disturbances, environmental chemical imbalances. etc.
In exchange for: monthly salary, rent support, covered business expenses.
And above all, everything must remain off the books.
The salary along with the rent support is very generous considering what you're used to, but you don’t tell the Mayor that. You do inform her that, while you wear many hats, you are not an ecologist, nor a chemist.
Mayor Summerbee, a middle-aged Asian woman with a sweet smile and even warmer eyes, informs you that you will have access to the local University’s college of natural sciences. She gives you the contact information for one Min Yoongi, a botanist who works in the school's research department.
Then she gives you the contact information for one Kim Taehyung, the town coroner and pathologist. Apparently, both of them will be available for consultation.
She is eager, maybe even desperate, smiling at you with an urgent sheen in her eyes.
When you accept her offer, shaking her hand with your usual firm grip, she seems to exhale in relief.
You move to Farrow’s End by the end of the week. It’s not as if you have much to move, just a trunkful of books and a handful of duffel bags. You’ve always moved around for work, and even if you didn’t, staying in one place for too long makes you nervous.
Your bags hit the pavement beside your boots as you survey your new home. It's a small, quaint house. The paint is faded but the architectural structure is sturdy. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen, living room. The whole place is in a slight state of disrepair, but you can't complain.
You spend the next day cleaning and unpacking, which doesn't take long since you leave most of your books in the trunk. You're exploring the town by the end of the afternoon.
The town square, though full of shops and businesses, is nearly barren. A few civilians putter around, their faces weathered and reflective of the gloom in the air. They stare at you as you pass by, a cocktail of curiosity and slight suspicion.
The next thing you notice is the posters. They're everywhere, on the crumbling brick walls, stuck on lampposts, taped to the windows, all displaying a variety of subjects. Events at the University, local night markets, antiques for sale.
But there are a few that stick out. THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE LAKE! Sign the petition to restrict land access →
HAVING STRANGE DREAMS? You're not alone, contact a psychic today!
BEWARE! DO NOT FEED LOCAL WILDLIFE.
Though, what's more strange to you is what you don't see. There are barely any missing person posters, and the few that you do see appear to have been ripped away.
Work begins now, you think to yourself as you snap some photos of several posters, flapping in the cold wind.
You pop into the general store to pick up some essentials, and the store clerk immediately recognizes that you're not a local.
He asks where you're from, you reply with the standard answer: a city not too far but not too close. He asks what you're doing here, you reply with the standard answer: you're a journalist. You add in the suggestion that you're working with the University about a story, and he doesn't question any further.
You're not sure if it's because he takes the hint or because he loses interest.
During the drive home, you notice something looming in the distance. Atop the highest hill is a dark house, with spires and towers rising from the tops of spindly trees. Even from here, you can see that the architecture is old and ornate, almost ancient in a hypnotic way. You're fairly certain you can see a murder of crows circling above.
An unusual feeling hangs around the house, like there's some kind of aura surrounding it. Welcoming some, yet blocking others.
Very strange indeed.
You spend the rest of the night huddled next to the fireplace, using the flickering orange light to skim over newspaper clippings.
No, the house does not have a heating system. But you don't mind too much, you have plenty of wood and warm clothes.
Five missing and three dead in the last year. Local law enforcement has done everything they could with what they had to work with, which apparently wasn't much. Scattered locations, no visible connection between the victims, and an alarming lack of evidence.
Eyelids heavy, you leave the papers scattered across the floor and head to bed, already looking forward to tomorrow's first coffee.
september 17, 2004
The University appears to be just as old as the rest of the town. Original wood, aged stone, curved iron accents. The brick walkway is slick with morning rain, and the sky is swirling with fog.
Perfect weather, it makes you ready to get to work.
The directory stated that Min Yoongi would be in Montgomery Hall, the natural sciences building, either in the greenhouse or in one of the labs, according to the TA you talked to earlier on the phone.
It takes some wandering, but what you like about this place is that people don't seem to notice your presence as much as they do in town. Out there, you're an easily identifiable outsider. Here, you're just another passerby with a purpose.
You find him in one of the lab rooms, tucked into a little nook that's encased with plastic sheeting, dotted with beads of moisture. The small space is crowded with greenery, big pots of tall plants with fanning leaves, draping vines from wall planters, seedlings in little trays.
Through the condensation dripping down the plastic walls, you can see that he's spraying the plants down with water, wearing a classic white coat.
You're indulging in your bad habit again. Your footsteps are notoriously quiet (you've been told), and you (apparently) have a tendency to sneak up on people and observe them for several minutes before they notice that you are there.
But it's a skill you delight in.
The man is of average height, thin, black hair, delicate features. You notice that the soles of his boots are caked with mud, and his skin is dewy from the humidifiers pumping moisture into the room.
"You already know my opinion on this," you hear him say, muffled by the spray of the water.
For a moment, you think he's talking to you, that he's rejecting your case before you've even presented it to him. But he isn't facing you, and his tone is decidedly casual, like he's talking to an old friend.
"It's bad for the others, anyway," he continues. "Don't wiggle your trigger hairs at me like that."
A pause, the water flow stops. Then a sigh of defeat.
"Fine, one puff. Then you quit pouting, got it?"
There's the sound of shuffling, then the fwick of a lighter being ignited.
Your curiosity gets the better of you, and you step forward to peer through the slit in the plastic sheeting.
There's a Venus fly trap on one of the shelves, and between the jaws of one of the trap mouths, is a lit cigarette.
The man's head piques up when you enter his field of vision. Eyes widening, he looks like a cat that's been caught off guard.
He looks between you and the plant several times. You're fairly certain you see the tip of the cigarette glow ember, as if the plant were actually inhaling.
The man snatches the cigarette away and crushes it beneath the wet sole of his boot.
"Nasty habit," he finally says with a nervous chuckle. An awkward, straight-mouthed smile crosses his face, making his cheeks puff out slightly.
"Min Yoongi?" you ask.
"Yes, ma'am," he responds politely.
"I'm ______," you say, holding out a hand to shake.
He shuffles forward, his cold slim fingers meeting yours.
"Ah, the mayor mentioned that you'd be around."
That throws you a bit, because from what you've gathered about this case, you assumed that the mayor didn't want to be associated with it.
"Yes, would you mind filling me in on some of the ecological disturbances that have been going on in town?"
It's as if the question sends ants crawling down his spine. His neutral smile dissipates into an anxious twitch of his lips. He turns the hose back on and resumes spritzing the plants.
"What do you want to know?" he asks, a new tension in his voice.
Odd.
"Well," you start, "The mayor tells me that locals have been complaining about strange mushrooms invading their yards, increased acidity in their soil. Would you know anything about that?"
His eyebrows are knitted as he dampens the leaves of a spiraling fern.
"Mushrooms are really just the fruit of fungi, they bloom like flowers when the conditions are just right. Moisture, shade, an abundance of organic material, stuff like that. When it comes to the acidity, there's a variety of factors. All the rainfall recently leads to leaching, and the increased use of fertilizers causes nitrification. It's pretty standard."
You raise an eyebrow. He's deflecting.
"People have been saying that these mushrooms have been particularly hard to get rid of."
Yoongi 's brows furrow as if he's thinking hard.
"Fungi are tricky like that. We don't know much about them, really. They're their own class of life form. It could be a particularly stubborn strain."
"There's also been some unusual plant growth, creeping vines or the like. Very resistant to herbicides, apparently."
He pauses, considers it.
"Hmm," he mutters, the nozzle of the hose going lax in his hand.
“Also,” you continue, trying to further engage his curiosity. “There's been several cases of strange root rot?”
You add a questioning tone to your voice, gauging his reaction. Apparently, he hasn’t heard about it, because he looks up at you with the same question in his eyes.
“Root rot? In household plants?” he asks.
“No, in residencies.”
Yoongi stares at you for a moment, and you can tell he’s intrigued.
“I would benefit a lot from your knowledge, if I could just bring you a few samples, maybe go out and do some fieldwork—”
“You wouldn’t like working with me,” Yoongi interrupts. “I’m very…particular.”
You have a feeling the word is meant as a substitute for something else.
“Wonderful, so am I,” you reply, digging one of the many notebooks out of your bag. Flipping to the calendar, you click open your open your pen and start scribbling.
“Mornings are best, get the most out of the daylight. Make sure to bring your equipment and something to write on, and a camera if you have one.”
“Wait, I just don’t know if I’m going to be much use to you,” Yoongi says a little nervously, sticking his hands in his pockets.
You pause your scribbling to look at him. He’s pale in the fluorescent light, but not just physically. He has pale mannerisms and pale expressions, the countenance of a person that doesn’t feel as if they belong.
You know the feeling well.
“Coffee is always on me. How do you like it?” you say instead.
“Does Wednesday work?”
september 18, 2004
Three dead and five missing in less than six months. First, Michael Bradley, aged forty-two. Cause of death: chronic poisoning/exposure to toxic chemicals. He was found in his garage surrounded by household cleaners and herbicides. Apparently he’d been trying to get rid of the same strange mushrooms in his yard.
For now, all you have to work with is what they’ve published in the newspapers, and it seems that all that's come out of it is a public service announcement warning homeowners to be careful around toxic chemicals. His wife, Mary Bradley, hasn't commented on the circumstances of her husband’s death. And no one else has inquired any further into the matter.
Until today, obviously. Mrs. Bradley didn't answer her phone, and when you knocked on her door earlier this morning, she seemed less than pleased.
You opened with the standard introduction: I'm a journalist working on a story, would you mind consenting to an interview? Mrs. Bradley narrowed her eyes and scanned you up and down with barely concealed suspicion.
She asked what a journalist would find interesting about a common, accidental death in a small town. Apparently, the citizens of Farrow's End are very perceptive to outsiders.
You mentioned that fact that although Bradley's death appeared accidental, it's not common for people to die at the hands of household chemicals from prolonged exposure. Chronic poisoning is rarely without symptoms, why didn't he go to hospital?
She didn't have anything to say to that. You asked if she'd be comfortable divulging some of the details of his death, maybe even giving you access to the autopsy report. But she just grimaced at the mention, insisting that she had nothing to say about the matter and that you should leave right away.
She slammed the door in your face, but luckily it wasn't the first time people have resisted your questions. Unfortunately, a significant part of your job involves being a pain in the ass.
You linger in the front yard, where it's impossible not to notice the gnarled tree stumps and large rings of mushrooms scattered across the lawn.
You're not a mycologist by any means, but even you can tell that these mushrooms are strange. They seem to be multicolored, red and orange and brown, changing depending on the light like a hologram, but without any of the shine. They aren't bulb-shaped like many other mushrooms, but twist in tendrils this way and that, stretching.
And a smell hangs about them. You can't really describe it, something like damp and musk and old meat. Standing there, breathing them in, for too long makes your head spin.
And the trees, or rather, what's left of them. Nothing but stumps now, but you can tell that they were old when they were cut down. There's that same multi-colored effect to them, except it runs in veins throughout the tree's bark, spiraling into the rings.
You'll have to ask Yoongi about it.
Curiosity nips at you like a non-venomous snake even after you're home. It's not deadly, but it sure as hell is annoying.
What kind of disease infects fungi and trees? Why would the mayor care about privately investigating such a thing? And a thousand other questions.
You shove your boots on and enter back into the chill. You remember seeing a bookstore in town.
The Magic Shop: Books and Oddities
The front window glows with warm light, crowded with displayed volumes and curiosities (a stuffed raven, a jar of yellowing teeth, insects encased in amber).
The door swings open with the ring of a bell. Someone calls out "Welcome in," in a deep-velvet voice.
The smell of parchment and aged leather envelopes you like a familiar hug. You can't help pausing in the doorway and inhaling deeply. No matter what city you're in, places like this always feel like home.
It's everything that a bookstore should be: crowded, mysterious, and slightly dusty. The shelves are tightly grouped and arranged like a labyrinth few are privy to, and stacks—no, towers—of books occupy every corner.
You enter into the space, feet padding on the braided rugs, eyes drinking in the details. There are labels on the shelves, haphazardly spaced. They start normal enough: gardening, self-help, adventure.
But then you realize that they branch off into even more labels, or rather sub-labels. There's nocturnal gardening, gardening under the influence, Faerie gardens and goblin gardens. Each labeled sub-genre branches into even more specific sub-categories, creating a seemingly endless array of subjects.
You could explore this place for hours. In fact, you intend to over the course of your stay in Farrow's End.
You spend an indeterminate amount of time exploring all the labels and categories. The shelves twist this way and that, creating little nooks where the occasional armchair is tucked into.
Eventually, you come to a more open area with a wide-sprawling desk. The man sitting behind it is tall and tan, glasses perched on his nose, with short chestnut hair that shifts golden in the candlelight.
He's deeply focused on the book in his hands: A Comprehensive Guide to Navigating Parallel Universes and Pocket Dimensions.
Typically, you hate to bother people in a bookstore, especially if they're already reading. It's supposed to be a space for quiet reflection, for self-exploration and uninterrupted browsing. But you still have a job to do, and it's clear that you won't be able to navigate the complicated system yourself. At least, not in a concise period of time.
So you square your shoulders and prepare yourself to address the (handsome, you notice) man at the counter.
"Excuse me," you begin in a hushed voice.
The man's head whips up, as if he completely forgot there was another person here.
"Yes?" He says in that same deep voice, friendly and eager. "Do you need help finding something?" It sounds like he can't quite believe the fact. This place must not get many customers.
"Yes, if you don't mind."
His face lights up as if nothing would delight him more.
"Do you have anything on unusual mushrooms?" you ask.
The man sets down his book and slips out from behind the desk. "Hmm..." he mumbles to himself, expertly weaving between the shelves while you hurry to catch up.
"Let's see here..." he says, passing a wall draped with vines from a hanging planter, like the ones in Yoongi's lab, you notice.
"Fungi," he mutters, fingertips ghosting over the shelves. The sections under Fungi are vast and wide-ranging. Poisons & Antidotes, Moss & Lichens, Carnivorous, Aberrations.
He pauses at that last one, eyes flitting between the volumes.
"Anything specific?" he asks.
You debate on how much to disclose, but with the several cases of strange fungi in people's yards, it's probably common small town knowledge by now.
"Anything about an unusual fungus with...tendrils?" You can't help the hesitation, you're not sure if it's a common feature among mushrooms.
Apparently, it's not as unusual as you thought, because the man only nods and shifts his attention to one of the lower shelves. His slim fingers finally land on an old cloth-bound book with a red toadstool on the spine. There's no title on the cover, but the man seems to be familiar with it.
"Here you go," he says, handing it to you. "I think you'll find what you're looking for in this one."
He says it with the confidence of someone who's read every book in the building front to back. A very specific part of your brain tells you that this fact is almost certainly true.
"Thank you very much," you say, turning the book over in your hands.
"My pleasure," he replies, and means it.
"How much?"
He guides you back to the counter and rings it up for a very good price.
You're itching to ask questions, but you're not sure where to start.
The man places the book into a brown paper bag printed with Magic Shop Books and Oddities and hands it to you with a warm smile.
You lose your nerve and take the bag in silence. Then, as if he could smell the fragmented thoughts darting around in your skull, he says, "Be careful in the woods."
You look at him. There's the same friendly smile, but now with a hint of good-natured curiosity.
"If you're going mushroom hunting, I mean," he adds.
You stare at him for perhaps too long.
"Thanks," you say, dropping a generous tip into the jar next to the register.
"Hope to see you again," he calls out as you exit through the front door.
A moth to flame, bees to honey. Insert: you to coffee shops with perfect ambient lighting. You spot it just as you're leaving the narrow alley that leads to the bookshop.
Turning the corner onto a cobblestone walkway, you catch sight of the cafe windows, slick with the recent rain. But from what you can see through the glass, it looks like a warm, cozy place.
Glancing at the front door, you notice an OPEN sign, even though it's quite late. You're opening the door and stepping inside before you're even conscious of it.
The interior reflects the same aged aesthetic as the exterior, dark wood and brick and brass accents. But the kitchen area houses clean chrome appliances, and there are shelves stacked with white dishes behind them. Golden light warms a glass case fully stocked with a manner of pastries, breads, and other nibbles, all of which still seem to be steaming hot.
You immediately decide that you like this place.
"Good evening," a pleasant voice calls, though you can't yet identify the speaker.
The smell of steam and freshly-ground coffee beans becomes richer as you approach the counter. You can hear someone puttering around in the back room.
You glance at the menu's wide selection, and when you look back at the counter, a man is standing right in front of you.
You don't scare easily, but it's enough to make you jump a little.
"What can I get you?" the man asks cheerfully. He's tall and slim, wearing a white button-up and black slacks under an apron. Brown hair, dark eyes, and a full smiling mouth.
You order a coffee and a pastry.
"What time do you close?" you ask, wanting to sit down and enjoy the atmosphere but also not wanting to be the asshole that settles in just before closing.
"On Wednesdays we close at noon, otherwise we're open twenty-four hours," he replies, sounding delighted by rather than annoyed by the fact.
A twenty-four hour coffee shop? You really like this place.
He must see your eyebrows raise in surprise, because then he proudly adds, "Only one in town."
Pleasantly surprised, you look around the shop to assess the seating options. There are booths tucked along the walls, a few tables and chairs, and a few plush-looking armchairs near the windows.
"Please, have a seat and make yourself at home. I enjoy the company," the man says as he makes your drink.
You take him up on it, settling into one of the chairs by the frosted glass of the window. It's then that you take a closer look at the book the shop owner recommended.
A fraying cloth-bound cover, a red toadstool instead of a title. Inside, a table of contents. First, a bit of basic mycology, which you greatly benefit from. Immediately after, a range of mutations, circumstances, and environmental factors that caused the direct disturbance to said mycology.
You get lost in it quite easily, sipping your drink (which is expertly brewed) and nibbling your pastry (which is almost too delicious for words). You know that you'll be spending a considerable amount of time here throughout your stay in Farrow's End.
The book cites several case studies, all suggesting that a new strain of fungus is not only spreading rapidly, but infecting all other strains it has access to.
You read on, only momentarily distracted by the occasional customers that enter into the establishment. Like the group of students, most likely from the University, who order a large batch of espresso to-go. Or the old man who orders a sandwich and black coffee and sits outside despite the late-night chill.
You don't realize it, but you read on until the early morning. The first few faint, pale rays of sunlight stretch across your current page through the window, and you jerk to attention when you realize what time it is.
Not that you have somewhere in particular to be today. But you've always liked to get a jump on things early on in the investigation. And you have better luck getting interviews during the day.
You had no idea that time was passing so quickly. This place seems to have an air of particular tranquility, the kind that only a handful of coffee shops are able to achieve. It's the feeling of finding a quiet place after being overstimulated for hours.
You take your dishes to the counter, drop a tip into the jar, and step into the morning chill.
Exhaustion sets in on the journey home, and you crash moments after your head hits the pillow.
The dreams start that night.
a/n: thanks so much for reading!! love to hear any of ur thoughts 👉👈
NEXT CHAPTER RELEASE: 05/08/24
140 notes
·
View notes
↳ Index [Chapter 01 - Besuch]
• Besuch (German; noun: visit)
Focus on Pairing: Taehyung x f.Reader
Warnings: so many fluffy sweet moments, talks about polyamory & sexuality, Tae suffers from PTSD, but he gets so much comfort, Yoongi is a nervous cutie, Jungkook is so sweet <3
Wordcount: 14.5k
a/n: OMFG BESTIES WE'RE FINALLY BACK IN BUSINESS! I'M SO HAPPY TO BE BACK WITH A LIL STORY FOR YOU GAAAH 💙
“Okay. Are you ready?”
“I am.”
“Me too.”
“Where’s Yoongi?”
“He said that he’ll be here soon.”
“I could call him.”
The door opens.
“I’m sorry I’m late, I couldn’t get the button to close”, Yoongi says, running to get to you and the others. You are busy closing the safety circle while the others are waiting on your floor surrounded by your travel bags.
“Why are you dressed like this?” Taehyung asks, following Yoongi with his eyes.
Yoongi looks down at his own body. He is wearing a black suit with a small white boutonniere in his front pocket.
“What’s wrong with my outfit?” he asks with a pout, “you’re wearing a suit too.”
Taehyung, dressed in an emerald green suit, shrugs his shoulders.
“It is just that these are my normal clothes, but you look as if you stumbled out of the wrong movie.”
“Why? What’s wrong with my clothes?” Yoongi whines, “I’m meeting her grandma. Can’t I dress up for that?”
You and the others laugh fondly.
“Stop laughing, you brats”, he hisses, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“I’m just laughing because you’re so cute, my love”, you tell him, sitting down cross legged and patting the spot next to you, “sit down.”
Yoongi follows, tugging and pulling at his clothes insecurely. He can’t even look at your eyes because he feels so insecure in them all of a sudden.
You lean in and give him a smooch on his cheek, “you look so handsome.”
Yoongi blushes, “thanks”, he mumbles.
“I also think that you’re handsome, hyungie”, Jungkook says. He is dressed in a fancy shirt and slacks and has his hair in a neat half-updo.
“Thanks”, Yoongi says.
“I still think that you look peculiar”, Taehyung teases.
“Tae, stop that”, you say, hitting his leg gently.
“Fine. I won’t say anything again”, Taehyung gives up and snickers.
“You’re a brat”, Yoongi says.
“Can we start now?” you ask, looking between him and Taehyung fondly.
“Yes, of course”, Taehyung says and takes your hand. Next he takes Jungkook’s hand, holding it tightly.
“I guess. It’s so mean, I dressed up for the occasion and I get made fun of”, Yoongi murmurs with a pout as he takes your and Jungkook’s hands.
“I wasn’t making fun-”
“Hush, you guys. Focus. I need to channel your powers and I can’t concentrate when you talk”, you stop them in a chuckle.
The two bickering vampires stop, looking at you with the most innocent of eyes.
“Now”, you begin, “close your eyes and relax. It’ll tingle a little.”
The next time you open your eyes again, the scent of pine and wild herbs tickles your noses.
The ground beneath your feet crunches like small, angular stones. You run your eyes over your surroundings. Your lovers are beside you, looking around with awe in their eyes.
A high, dense forest surrounds you. The call of a blackbird echoes high above your heads and the humming of thousands of insects hangs in the air.
“Remarkable”, Taehyung gets out under his breath.
“Yeah right”, Jungkook whispers.
You find yourselves on a narrow gravel road. The road is just wide enough for one car and on the parts where no tires run along, high grasses and forest flowers grow. They tickle your legs as you stand in them. It is a nice sensation.
You know this road. Behind your backs, it leads into denser forests and high mountain paths. In front of your eyes, it will bring you to your grandmother’s house. You took this path a hundred times when you were younger. You will always find your way on it.
“Are we right here? Where are we? It looked different the last time we were here”, Jungkook asks.
“Yes, we’re right. It’s just not the back entrance”, you assure him, “come, follow me. I know the way”, you say and shoulder your bag, taking confident steps into the correct direction.
The three vampires lift their own bags and follow you with their eyes sparkling in awe. At least those of Taehyung and Jungkook, Yoongi’s eyes are glued to the ground.
“I can’t believe that you truly managed to get us here”, Taehyung says, following a squirrel with his eyes as it escapes through the trees, “a squirrel! Right above our heads!”
“Where?” Jungkook gasps.
“There. Right there”, Taehyung shows him and after some intense searching, Jungkook finally finds it.
“Wow a squirrel! So cute!” he exclaims in a terribly cute voice. He and Taehyung share giggles and hold hands, swinging them back and forth happily.
You hold hands with Yoongi, who has been worryingly quiet until now.
“My love?” you call his attention with a soft pull at his hand.
His head snaps to you, “mhm?” his eyes are widened.
“Are you okay? You’re really quiet.”
“I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?”
He nods his head, “nervous”, he confesses and looks away.
“You’re nervous?”
He nods his head, rubbing the side of his neck.
“I never really did the whole, uhm, meeting my partner’s family and stuff before. Uh, yeah, it’s new to me. Scary, uh, yeah.”
“Aww my love, don’t be nervous. My grandma will love you so much.”
“Yeah, uhm”, he lowers his head shyly.
“I’m serious, love. She told me that she saw glimpses of you in my memories and that she can see how well you treat me”, you assure him, hugging his arm, “don’t worry, she’ll look at you and see a kind, sweet and very loveable person. Yeah?”
He nods his head and glances at you. He squeezes your hand just once and leans in to kiss your cheek.
“Thank you”, he whispers.
“I’m only saying the truth”, you say and pull Jungkook and Taehyung closer by holding Taehyung’s hand, “as a matter of fact, she’ll love all of you. Oh, you guys”, you begin skipping in happiness, “I’m so, so happy to be back and to see my grandma again and to introduce her to you.”
“I’m really happy too. I can’t wait to see grandma again”, Jungkook says, watching you with sparkling eyes. You are so happy. He likes that you are.
“I am very excited as well, my darling. I cannot wait to try her raspberry pie.”
“Yes, god you really can’t”, you say and wiggle your shoulders, “it’s so, so yummy.”
Another squirrel scurries past you, crossing the narrow gravel road in small jumps. Jungkook giggles.
“It’s so cute.”
“It truly is”, Taehyung says, “however, I cannot find an explanation as to why there are animals and insects living here. Isn’t this a realm for the souls of deceased witches and warlocks? How come there is other form of life in this realm?”
You all look at Yoongi for an answer.
“What?”
“Why are there animals and insects here?”
“It’s just the way it is. I don’t know.”
“But didn’t Namjoon create this realm? Shouldn’t he have talked to you about his plans for it?”
“He did. I don’t know, it’s been too long. Maybe it’s because he loved plants and animals back then. I don’t know, sorry I’m nervous”, Yoongi says, ending his rant by exhaling loudly and blinking his eyes at you.
You give his hand an encouraging squeeze.
“It’s okay, love. Thank you for telling us.”
“Okay, okay I apologise for asking”, Taehyung says and reaches past you to caress Yoongi’s arm, “don’t be nervous, hyung. I am sure that you will be welcomed splendidly. If there is someone who should be nervous, it should be me.”
“Don’t say that, Tae. She’ll love you as well”, you insist.
“Yes, well”, Taehyung lets out a nervous chuckle, “she saw how wonderfully Yoongi treated you, so I am sure that she must have seen how awfully I acted.”
“Even if she did, that means she also saw how much you changed for the better. Don’t worry my darling, she will love you just as much as she’ll love Yoongi and Kookie.”
“Okay, okay”, Taehyung says and grins shyly, “thank you for saying this.”
You hug his arm against you and give it a little kiss.
“Of course, my sweetest”, you say and straighten up, “now let’s go. I can’t wait to see her again. Oh, I’m so happy. Do you guys think that she can feel that we are coming?”
“I am certain that she could sense it.”
“Yes, I get the feeling as well”, Jungkook assures you, while Yoongi is still lost in his nervous thoughts.
The walk to your grandmother’s cottage is a long one, but a terribly beautiful one. Being in nature is truly the best thing one can be. The long grasses and colourful flowers brush against your legs as you wander. The trees sway in the warm breeze and the sun shines through the canopy and makes light dance all around you.
“Did you know that there is a word in Japanese which describes the light shining through leaves?” Taehyung asks.
“No, I didn’t”, Jungkook says to which you agree with a shake of your head.
Yoongi seems to know already, because he doesn’t react. Or perhaps he is currently completely dissociated in nervousness. That would explain why he is staring into the distance with dazed eyes.
“Indeed there is”, Taehyung says, “komorebi. It is a beautiful word and I would say that it is rather fitting for such a beautiful view.”
“Yes”, you agree, letting your eyes follow the light. It is as if it was in a dance with the shadow, creating ever changing paintings, “yes I agree. Komorebi. I have to remember this word.”
“Thank you for telling us. I learned something new”, Jungkook says, painting great happiness onto Taehyung’s features.
The cottage is within reach. You can see the cozy house and the colourful, loved garden surrounding it. The rather unwelcome wooden stake fence doesn’t greet you this time around. A normal wooden fence stands in its stead. There are high wooden pillars on each side of the road and a wooden arch on which roses climb up and bloom. The gates are currently open, inviting you inside.
“It’s so peculiar not to see grandma’s staked fence”, you say.
“But it was there the last time we visited her, right?” Jungkook makes sure.
You nod your head, “it must be because we accidentally switched from my memories to this world. Remember? There were no stakes when we left the realm again, but because we were too preoccupied with our emotions, we didn’t really notice it.”
“Yes, right. Right, now that you mention it, I didn’t see any stakes when we left. So that means that we’re right, ___. You actually took us to the safe realm where no vampires are present.”
Jungkook breaks away from Taehyung and gets in front of you and the others. You all come to a stop. He steps closer and puts his hand on the chests of Taehyung and Yoongi. While Taehyung smiles at him, Yoongi seems to come back to reality with the touch. He blinks rapidly, gawking at Jungkook.
The latter smiles and bounces on the spot.
“You’re human”, he says, “you guys are human. We’re all human again”, he says and touches his own chest, “my pulse is back. Wow!”
Taehyung and Yoongi touch their chests and while Taehyung seems marvelled by it, Yoongi exhales shakily, blinking away the emotion in his eyes. He tightens his fingers around the fabric of his shirt, furrowing his brows.
“Oh how fascinating”, Taehyung gasps, looking at you, “darling, I can feel my heart beat.”
“I know”, you say, touching him gently, “I can feel it too, Tae.”
Taehyung smiles and places his hand over yours, pulling you closer this way, “sweetest”, he whispers and kisses you. It is a nice revelation that his first instinct upon being human again, is to kiss you. You kiss him back with a racing heart and in return, you can feel his heart race in his chest. Oh, how good it feels to kiss him.
By the time you pull back for air, you are just a little dizzy. He smiles at you, squeezing your hand gently. You retort his smile.
Jungkook’s giggles make both of you turn into his direction. He is giggling at Yoongi, while the latter is looking into Jungkook’s face. Their hands are on each other’s chests, feeling the other’s heartbeat.
“I can count the beats, hyungie”, Jungkook says, “your pulse is real.”
“Yeah, I know”, Yoongi answers him.
“It’s beating so fast.”
“Yeah, I know…”
You join their sides, caressing their arms.
Jungkook pulls you into a group hug instantly, smothering you between his body and Yoongi’s.
“Oh? Okay”, you accept your fate with giggles, which only grow when you can feel Taehyung join the group hug as well.
“We are human again”, Jungkook says and begins jumping in a circle. You join him soon even if Yoongi whines about it. It’s just way too exciting to be with each other.
“Honeybee!” someone calling your nickname breaks the group hug. The boys release you, watching with curious eyes as a couple seem to hurry to you. They are dressed in flowy summer clothes and seem to be in their forties. Jungkook is smiling, waving his hand.
“Grandma! Hello!” he calls out, but you can’t hear him anymore.
Your grandfather is next to your grandmother. Safe and sound. And alive. He is actually alive.
“Grandpa?!” you gasp, “you- oh”, you stop talking to instead run to them.
They welcome you with open arms, engulfing you in the kind of hug only loving grandparents can give. Despite promising yourself not to cry, you still do. You went so many years without them and to see both of them again, well and alive, overwhelms you in the best way possible.
“You’re alive! Grandpa, you’re alive!”
“Hello my little forest strider, how have you been?”
“Oh grandpa, I missed you so much”, you choke out and sob into his chest.
“Mhm, my girl”, he says and pulls you closer.
You break away after a few moments of emotional hugging, eyes switching between your grandparents’ faces.
“You guys are so young and, and you’re both here. I don’t understand. How can you be here?”
“This is a peaceful world. A good world. I am here because Agatha wanted me to be here.”
“And you are real? You are truly real?”
“I am”, your grandfather smiles and tugs your grandmother closer, “she just couldn’t say goodbye to me, could she?”
“How could I, Harald? I need to have someone I can annoy”, she jokes, which makes him laugh and kiss her cheek. She takes your hand afterwards, “there is a way to make sure that your loved ones will find peace in this world even if they aren’t born witches.”
“There is?”
“Yes, yes there is, but I will tell you later. My boys, welcome”, she says and turns to your three boys with open arms, “I’m Agatha, but you can call me grandma as well. Jungkook my dear, welcome back.”
“I’m so happy to be back, grandma”, he says, bowing his head.
She however tugs him into a hug, forcing a squeak out of him as he stumbles into her loving embrace. He is so much taller than her, lowering himself for her comfort.
“Welcome back, my boy. How have you been?”
“Good, really good. I missed you.”
They break the hug, but she keeps holding his hands.
“It’s so nice to have you back for a happy occasion”, she says to which he agrees with an enthusiastic nod.
Afterwards he turns to your grandfather, giving him a tight handshake.
“It is so nice to meet you. I’m Jungkook.”
“Agatha already told me a lot about you. It’s good to finally put a face to the stories”, he says and grabs his upper arm, “you’re a strong one. I can feel it. Are those tattoos?”
“Oh, uhm…” Jungkook blushes, “yes, I guess they are.”
“Aha, I see. How far up do they go?” he asks, trying to tug Jungkook’s shirt further up his arm.
Jungkook laughs nervously, glancing at you as a call for help. But before you can save him from your grandfather’s nosy, yet kindly meant, hands, your grandmother does.
“Harald, don’t be nosy. Dear god”, your grandmother swipes his hand away, turning her attention to Yoongi next.
“You must be Yoongi.”
“I am”, he croaks out, “sorry”, he says and bows deeply, clearing his throat as he does, “nice to meet you and thank you so much for housing us”, he says and bows at your grandfather as well.
“I’m happy to have you, my dear”, she says and gives his arm a soft caress.
“Agatha told me that you enjoy woodworking. I was a carpenter in my time”, your grandfather says and takes both his hands to inspect them, “mhm good worker hands. They don’t fit your face.”
“Uh? Thank you, yeah, uhm.”
Your grandmother rolls her eyes at him because he is being nosy again.
“___ told me that you were a carpenter. Yeah, uhm”, Yoongi pulls his hands out of your grandfather’s hold and scratches his own ear shyly, “I think woodworking is good. Yeah”, he mumbles and clears his throat again.
Your grandfather smiles. Yoongi is shy. Just as Agatha had told him.
Taehyung bows at both of your grandparents as well, “I am Taehyung. It is truly wonderful to finally meet the people who are so utterly important to ___.”
“We could say the same about you”, she says and studies him from head to toe. There is just the slightest, smallest, faintest mistrust in them.
“I, uhm”, Taehyung begins fumbling in his bag, “I have something for you”, he says and pulls out a box.
Your grandmother accepts it, opening it.
“Oh? Seeds?”
“Yes, indeed. They are seeds from our garden. ___ told me that she inherited her enjoyment for gardening from you and I thought that growing seeds from our garden in your own could be a special way to connect our families.”
Your grandmother exchanges a look with your grandfather. They smile, reaching out for a warm caress to Taehyung’s arms.
“Thank you, boy. We will cherish them.”
“This is such a wonderful gift, thank you my dear”, your grandmother says and points at the house, “come, I bet you must be really exhausted from the journey.”
“Not really. ___ did a really good job at sending us here”, Jungkook says and looks around, “it looks a lot nicer here than last time.”
“That’s because you entered this realm willingly and not accidentally. That is also why your heartbeats feel so real and why you can take bags with you. Because your bodies are actually here.”
“Woah, that’s wild to me. Did you know that, hyung?”
Yoongi shakes his head, “no, I’m sorry. I don’t know a lot about this world”, he murmurs shyly.
“I see. That’s okay, but you seem to know a lot, grandma.”
“Oh? Oh no”, she laughs, “I know enough to know that this world is safe, but that it will also be punishing to people who aren’t dead yet.”
“What do you mean? Are we in danger?”
“Only if you die in here. You will be lost forever, which is not a nice fate to have.”
“Oh god. You guys gotta be extra careful from now on. Okay?” you tell your three boys.
“We will, don’t worry”, Jungkook assures you to which the others agree.
“I’m sure nothing will happen”, your grandfather says and places his arm over your grandmother’s shoulder, “are you hungry? We were just about to start dinner when Agatha felt you enter this realm.”
“Dinner sounds lovely, Harald?” Taehyung says, “please forgive me if I got your name wrong.”
“You got it right. Name’s Harald, but you can call me grandpa if you want to.”
“It is lovely to meet you, Harald. ___ told me a great deal about you. You mean a lot to her.”
“Oh, she means more to me. My little girl, she’s my treasure.”
Taehyung feels warm in his chest. He loves to know that you have family who truly and honestly love you.
“We made raspberry pie as well”, your grandmother says.
“Yes, pie! I’m so ready to eat at least three slices!” you exclaim happily and take her hand, “grandma, can I have the recipe? I forgot to ask you last time, but I would really love to make it at home.”
“Of course, my honeybee. Do you have raspberry bushes at your home as well?”
“I do. Yoongi wants to teach me one day how I can make them grow like you make yours grow, but for now I have to learn better control.”
“Control is really important. I’m impressed that you managed to get all of you here unharmed.”
“I know. Oh god, grandma I was so nervous you have no idea.”
You take off your shoes by the front door. Your grandmother scurries off to prepare lemonade, while your grandfather leads you upstairs. He is carrying your bag because he insisted that it is a grandfather’s job to carry his grandchild’s bags.
“It’s so cozy here”, Jungkook says.
“Aye, cozy it is”, your grandfather says, leading you to your bedroom, “I built all of it myself. Not in this world, but the real one. The house was already there when I came here. Don’t ask me how it works, Agatha’s the one with magic, I’m just here to be her support.”
He makes you laugh with it. He smiles fondly, putting your bag on your bed.
“Two of you can sleep here. The rest can sleep in the guestroom. Ignore the mess on the desk. I use it as my hobby room when it’s just the two of us.”
“What do you enjoy as a hobby?” Taehyung asks, walking next to him. They are the same height, carrying themselves with good posture.
“I’m a collector of old weapons. Without the ammunition of course. I spend a lot of time cleaning and restoring old weapons.”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful. I have quite a few rare pieces in my own collection. I shall bring some of them with me next time we visit.”
“So you’re a collector too?”
“I am sure not as passionate as you, but my age automatically comes with many trinkets and pieces, which I find myself collecting.”
“I see, well anyways, that’s the guest room. Make yourselves comfortable”, he says and studies you, “however that will work. Do you pull cards to decide?”
“We prefer to decide spontaneously.”
“I see, well anyways, rest for a bit, get comfortable. I’m downstairs for now”, he says and turns to leave. He gives you a hug before he does, patting your head, “my girl.”
Once it is just the four of you, Taehyung speaks.
“I got the feeling that he wanted to ask more about our situation, but he didn’t know how.”
“Knowing my grandpa, he really did. Especially because I came back dating three men, who also date each other.”
“Mostly. Some are only acquaintances”, Yoongi corrects you, making Taehyung gasp dramatically.
“Acquaintances? Excuse me? Have we not spent enough centuries together to at least be friends?”
“I don’t know. You made fun of my outfit.”
“Oh, hyung you”, he nudges his arm, “you know that I was only jesting. You look very handsome.”
“Whatever”, Yoongi says and looks around the room awkwardly.
“Do you guys like it here?” you ask them.
“It’s so cozy. I like it a lot.”
“It also smells very good.”
“It does, gosh. And look, you can see the forest from here”, you say, hurrying to the small window.
Your three boys gather behind you, trying to get a glimpse.
“I spent a lot of time in this forest. I can’t believe that I get to walk in it again. We are gonna take walks in it, aren’t we?”
“Of course. I even packed my walking shoes for this occasion.”
“I’m so happy, you guys”, you say, following your grandmother with your eyes as she is hurrying through the garden to pick some mint, “I wanna go downstairs and help them.”
“We’ll come with you.”
You spent the rest of the day together, talking and laughing. You tell your grandparents everything which happened in the years they weren’t with you anymore and it felt so good to do because this time around, you know that you had no rush in speaking. Yoongi was with you again. Taehyung and Jungkook as well. Everything was well and you are allowed to waste time telling silly stories of your life. Your grandparents are so very happy to listen to every single one of them. And so you spent the day talking until the moon replaced the sun in the sky and the crickets sang their nightly songs.
Yoongi helped your grandmother with dinner. You could listen to them bond over food. They even exchanged recipes and chatted about bread making. It made you feel really good inside to hear how Yoongi talks to your grandmother. Respectful and in a soft spoken voice. He is such a gentle person.
You and your other two boys wanted to help as well, but then your grandfather dragged you into a game of cards. He was sure that he could win, because he always won when you were still a child, but soon had to realise that his little girl was all grown up now. It made him a little sad and so you let him win the next round, which made him tease you in the adoring way he always teased you when he won. It made you really happy. You missed the game of cards with your grandfather.
Dinner has been served by now. You sit around the table, sharing the food your grandmother and Yoongi prepared with utmost love. It tastes so good that everyone goes for a second serving. You even go for a third because the combination of Yoongi’s cooking and your grandmother’s cooking is quite frankly, the most delicious combination to ever exist. Two cuisines which taste like home mixed into one. Truly, food couldn’t get any better than this.
You talk about food for most of it. Soon your grandfather leads the conversation to a different topic however. It was during dessert when tea was shared with your grandmother’s raspberry pie. You feed a spoonful to Taehyung and then to Jungkook, doing so with giggles on your lips.
“Is it yummy?” you ask them.
“Really, I missed your pie so much”, Jungkook murmurs.
“It is so sweet and rich in flavours. I truly enjoy it”, Taehyung gushes.
“Well, thank you my dear”, your grandmother says with fondness in her eyes. She likes to know when people enjoy her food. Especially her pies. She is very proud of her pies. All the recipes are her creations and she takes great pride in them. She wipes down the counters with a happy smile on her lips, listening to the conversation.
You break off another piece of the pie and turn to Yoongi.
“Now you, my love”, you tell him.
Yoongi meets you in the middle with an open mouth. He takes the pie off your fork gently, meeting your eyes shyly.
“And?”
He chews and swallows, nodding his head.
“Mhm”, he lets out, “really good. How are you getting the raspberry flavors to stay so intense, Agatha?”
“I couldn’t tell you. I think my raspberries really like me. It’s how they taste naturally.”
“Mhm, I could have figured. As a nature witch, you have a talent for gardens.”
Your grandmother chuckles mischievously and that is the moment when your grandfather stirs the conversation into a different direction.
“___ my girl, now I must ask something.”
“Yes, grandpa?”
“Why are you all dating?”
“Harald, you can’t ask that out of nowhere”, your grandmother gasps, dropping the wipe on the counter to run to him and nudge his arm.
“It’s not out of nowhere. I really thought about it before I asked”, your grandfather defends himself.
“It doesn’t make it okay”, she throws back, but you assure her that it was alright to ask.
“I understand that it’s not really common to see, questions are allowed. Right, guys? Is it okay for you as well?”
“Of course. We are very open to answer your questions”, Taehyung says.
“I don’t have a lot of experience with polyamory, but I’m okay as well”, Jungkook says.
“Me too. I’ll try my best to answer”, Yoongi says, “I was honestly just waiting for you guys to ask us. I know it must be weird to see your granddaughter return with three men by her side.”
“Not weird just…uncommon.”
“Gosh Harald, stop being so negative.”
“What? I’m just saying. It must be uncommon for you too. I’m sure they know that it’s not something you see every day.”
“Harald!”
“It’s really okay, grandma. We know it’s not seen a lot. It would be weird if you weren’t confused.”
Agatha gives up with a sigh and sits down by her chair.
“Fine, okay. I admit that I’m a little curious as well.”
“What do you want to know? I don’t want you guys to have a bad idea of polyamory so I’m really open to all questions”, you say.
“What does it mean to be poly? Is that what you call the dating you are doing?”
“Yes, that’s the official name for it.”
“It sounds really stressful to me”, your grandfather says.
“It can be stressful if you don’t communicate and understand each other. If you talk and respect each other, it’s not stressful at all.”
“But how can you spend enough time with every person?”
“It’s easy for us because we live in the same estate, so sometimes we spend time by being in the same room.”
“I would also say that it really helps to make a schedule”, Taehyung says.
“A schedule?”
“Indeed. We sit down and make a plan of when someone wants to spend time with another. We plan dates, schedule holidays and decide on who wants to spend time with whom.”
“So you decide on special date days just for this one pairing? Are you even couples? How does it work?”
“Yes, we plan special couple days so nobody feels left out. Not all of us are dating however.”
“How can I understand that?”
“I’m dating Yoongi, Tae and Kook”, you say, “while Yoongi is only dating Kook and me.”
“I am dating ___, Yoongi and Tae”, Jungkook says, “but Tae only dates ___ and me.”
“So you and you”, your grandpa points at Yoongi and Taehyung respectively, “are just friends?”
“Indeed we are.”
“I guess.”
“But how does that work?”
“We aren’t interested in each other”, Yoongi says, “but we respect each other enough not to want to break up the polycule.”
“Indeed. We spend friendship time with each other, isn’t that so?”
“I guess”, Yoongi murmurs, avoiding Taehyung’s eye contact shyly.
“This is really mindboggling to me. All of it”, your grandfather says and looks at your grandma, “do you understand it, Agatha?”
“Oh Harald, why must you be so negative? If it makes our___ happy, then I understand everything I need to understand.”
“I wasn’t judging. I am just really confused. Don’t you get jealous or insecure?”
“Sometimes”, Taehyung says, “I think that jealousy can’t even be prevented in monogamous relationships and there are definitely more opportunities to get jealous in a polycule. Sometimes a person wants attention from someone, but the person they want affection from is busy with someone else. Jealousy or insecurities are unavoidable.”
“Exactly, sometimes you also feel as if your time spent with them is shorter than that of the others and you get jealous of that”, Jungkook agrees.
“Or as if you received less love than others, which can make you feel insecure”, Yoongi says.
“But the most important thing to remember is that jealousy is human and that it is important to talk about it. When one of us gets jealous or insecure, we sit down to talk and fix the issue together”, you say.
“It really helps because almost all of the time, the insecurities are gone after the conversation”, Taehyung says.
“And we realise that the jealousy was useless”, Jungkook says.
“I see. I might start to understand a thing or two. I thought that you never get jealous and found it unbelievable. It’s good to hear that jealousy happens, but that you talk about it”, your grandpa says and reaches out to caress your hand, “my girl, you have this from your grandmother. She always wants to talk about everything.”
“Talking about the issue is important. Otherwise it will linger and become an unwanted curse on your heart.”
“That is true, my darling witch”, your grandfather says and kisses her cheek.
She leans in with a mischievous giggle.
“Now one last question. You know me, I’m too nosy.”
“Yes?”
“Does it mean that intimacy is always together?”
“Harald, you are inappropriate”, Agatha says with a slap to his arm.
“I’m just saying. You know, the seventies were a wild time. Your grandmother and I have some experiences with org-”
“Harald!”
Your grandfather lifts his hands in defeat.
Your grandmother clicks her tongue, “crazy. Please don’t listen to him, he is being childish.”
Taehyung and Jungkook chuckle knowingly and exchange a boyish look with your grandfather.
“Do not worry. I find it very important to make sexuality a normal topic and to remove the negative stigma around it. Without sex, none of us would be here right now and intimacy can be a very important part to show affection to the people you love. So I believe that it is important to see sex as something positive and normal, instead of demonising it. Of course it is very important to keep such conversations age appropriate, but I see no evil in talking about it between adults”, Taehyung says.
“I agree, yes”, your grandfather says, “I don’t even want details, just a yes or no.”
“May I answer it?” Taehyung asks to which all of you consent to with a nod. So he looks at your grandfather and talks, “sometimes we share intimacy between more than two people, but most of the time, intimacy is shared between two people.”
“What about you and Yoongi?”
“We do not sleep with each other.”
“I see. Forgive me for asking.”
“Worry not. I hope that I could answer your questions.”
“You could”, your grandfather says and looks to the side. He seems just a little embarrassed to have asked such a question.
“Now I have a question as well”, your grandma says.
“Yes?”
“Does polyamory mean that you like men and women?”
“It can, but not always. There are also strictly same sex polycules or non binary polycules.”
“What does non binary mean?”
“Well, to put it very short. It means when you don’t identify as female or male. In a sense the person can identify as both or neither. This is the very short answer.”
“I see. And in your case it means that you are all attracted to men and women?”
“Yes, in my case it does. However I identify as queer. Gender isn’t important for my attraction to form, as I am drawn to the person and not their gender identity and I feel most comfortable in identifying as queer.”
“Gender doesn’t matter to me either, so I resonate most with being bisexual”, Jungkook says.
“I don’t do labels. I like who I like”, Yoongi says.
“I don’t know what I am. Sometimes I think about kissing a girl”, you confess, “I never told this before. Please don’t tell mom and dad, they don’t know.”
“How should we tell them?” your grandmother says with a fond laugh on her lips.
“Ah yeah, I totally forgot that this isn’t the real world. Damn, it’s insane to think that we’re in a magical afterlife right now. It feels so real.”
“In an unexplainable, but wonderful way this is real.”
You smile at the thought, reaching out to hold your grandparent’s hands.
“I’m so happy that it is. I really missed you so much.”
“We missed you too, my honeybee.”
“My girl, hm, my girl.”
“How is it possible for grandpa to be here? You said that you would tell me later.”
“Ah yes, I did”, she says, shifting into a more comfortable position, “there is a ritual you can do to mark the soul of a person so it is worthy to live in this realm after death.”
“There is?”
“Yes, yes there is. Harald, get me the book”, she says and gestures to the bookcase in the living room.
Your grandfather stands up, “the purple one?”
“No, the black one with the moon on the front.”
“Okay.”
He looks for it for a moment, returning with it once he found it. He places it on the table and sits down. Your grandmother opens it in the middle. Drawings of spell materials are on the right page while the left describes the ritual in detail.
“It is a very difficult ritual and dangerous too.”
“Yeah it really is”, Yoongi agrees, “if you get the mixture wrong, the soul ends up cursed.”
“So you know the spell?”
“No, I haven’t heard of it before, but I know what citrine powder mixed with too much beryl dust does. Especially when you use it in this kind of way and with these enchantments. It can curse the soul so that after death, it dissolves into nothing.”
“You know a lot about magic, don’t you?”
“Yoongi was a student of Nilrem.”
Your grandmother widens her eyes in surprise.
“Nilrem? The creator of magic?”
“The bringer of magic, yes. He always said that he came from another universe, but he was honestly crazy so I don’t know if he just made stuff up.”
“This is actually very shocking to me. ___ told me that you had knowledge in magic, but I never connected the dots that it is because you were one of Nilrem’s students.”
“Yeah no, I was”, he says shyly, scratching the side of his neck.
“Fascinating”, she says and giggles shyly, “please forgive me, but this feels as if I am meeting a celebrity.”
Yoongi blushes and looks to the side. You give his cheek a little kiss.
“He’s so cool, isn’t he?”
“Don’t say that”, he whispers, nudging you under the table.
“Mhm, he is the coolest”, you say and smooch him a second time despite his protesting nudge.
Your grandmother watches it fondly before looking back into the book.
“I bet you already know what you have to do for the spell to work, don’t you?”
“No please, don’t feel inferior in my presence. I seriously don’t know a lot about magic”, he assures her. He is being humble for her sake. It is obvious to all of you that he is.
“Did you enchant grandpa with this spell?”
“Yes I did. I measured the ingredients multiple times and practiced the spell many times.”
“So you can practice spells?”
Your grandmother looks at Yoongi.
“Please go ahead, Agatha”, he tells her, giving her enough confidence to continue.
“Yes you can. There is a method where you can enchant a hay puppet with it and then throw it into flames. When the smoke turns black, the spell would fail but if it turns white, the spell is correct.”
“I see. This is actually so helpful. When Yoongi was in a magical coma, I got help from Meredith and her coven.”
“I know Meredith.”
“Yes, we got help from them and they tested spells by drawing blood from Jungkook and inflicting the portions with the curse. It was really fascinating and I never thought that it was possible.”
“Oh you know so much already, my honeybee”, she says with great melancholy in her eyes, “it’s correct that you can find an antidote against blood curses by testing it on small amounts of the right blood”, she says and looks at Jungkook, “that would mean that you are from Yoongi’s bloodline.”
“I am. Wow, how did you know?” Jungkook gasps.
“The vampire curse is just a little different in each Creator’s blood, which means their creations are each just a little different because the change is based on the Creator’s blood. Which means that Meredith could only successfully test out the different antidotes on your blood because you shared Yoongi’s specific curse properties. It wouldn’t have worked otherwise.”
“Wow, I didn’t know that”, Jungkook confesses, “did you?”
Yoongi shakes his head, “not so detailed. I knew that my sire line shares the same curse as me, but I didn’t know that my curse also changed their blood to be the same as mine.”
“Does that mean that they’re the same in here as well?” you ask.
“No”, she shakes her head, “in here no curses can reach. You are all how you were when you were still human”, she glances at Yoongi, “or witches.”
Yoongi looks at his hands with widened eyes, as if he just realised what it meant to be free of his curse.
“Oh.”
“Wow, this is so cool”, you are too occupied with being excited to notice, “you know so much, grandma. This world is so cool and this spell is even cooler. Does this mean that I could make sure that they find peace in this world if they ever die?”
“You could, but you have to be careful”, she furrows his brows in seriousness, “this curse isn’t to take lightly. I only started practicing it once I knew I had complete control over my powers and I only put it on your grandfather after practicing it for months.”
“I understand. I won’t do it without practice, I promise.”
“That’s what I want to hear, my honeybee”, she says and caresses your cheek, “I’m so proud of you.”
You lean into her touch, feeling so very warm in your chest.
“Thanks, grandma.”
Taehyung helps with washing the dishes after dinner, while Jungkook and Yoongi help your grandfather outside with the animals. You stay with your grandmother and Taehyung, telling her more about how you think that your boys are the coolest people ever. She listens to you happily. After cleaning up, you play cards until your grandparents get too tired and excuse themselves for the night.
Your grandparents are the first to wash up, while Jungkook and Taehyung say that they will unpack their bags a little. You are the next to wash up, now currently leaving the bathroom in your coziest pyjamas.
“Careful.”
“Oh? Oops”, you stop in your tracks after almost crashing into Yoongi.
He lowers his hand, having wanted to knock.
“Did you want to knock?”
He nods his head.
“I didn’t hear anything, so I didn’t know if it was empty already. Human hearing and shit, it’s useless”, he says, making you chuckle.
“It’s empty now”, you tell him and step out of the doorframe, “if you’re quick, you even get the warmth.”
“Yeah, thanks uhm”, he says and disappears inside.
You study the closed door for a moment, having to smile. He’s especially cute tonight. Really awkward. You love when he’s awkward, because he gets so adorable when he is.
Jungkook is in your bedroom, turning to you when you enter. He looked at your desk before that. His eyes begin sparkling, his lips curl into a smile.
“Hey there”, he says.
“Hey there”, you say.
“Wow, I love the pyjamas. Purple. The colour fits you so well.”
“Thanks, heh”, you say, posing for him in a cute way.
He appreciates it with sparkling eyes and the brightest smile ever.
“And they’re really soft.”
“I can tell”, he says and continues with a shy gleam in his eyes, “I didn’t wanna be all alone downstairs, so I waited for you. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. Did you find something you like?”
“I looked at the drawings on your desk. Are they yours?”
“Yup, my childhood drawings.”
“Wow, you had talent.”
You close the distance between you and him, travelling your eyes over the drawings.
“I did, didn’t I? I mostly painted the cottage, my grandparents and the animals. This is Moo and this is supposed to be Jumper”, you say, pointing at the childish drawing of a cow and a brown rabbit.
“I can totally see the resemblance. You really nailed Jumper’s long ears.”
“I did, yeah”, you say, having to snicker.
Jungkook snickers as well, rubbing his hand up and down your back in an innocent show of affection. He ends the adoration with a little massage of your neck and a soft brush down your hair. You really love receiving it, feeling safe in his presence.
“The fabric’s really soft. You’re right”, he says, caressing your back again.
“I know, it’s so comfy.”
He leans in and sniffs you by your shoulder.
“Hm, smells good too.”
“It’s the detergent we always use.”
“It’s nice.”
He kisses your shoulder in an innocent show of affection, then straightens up to look at the drawings on the wall. More drawings of the cottage and its animals, a few drawings of flowers and other plants and some are family portraits of you and your grandparents.
“It’s kinda cute that they kept all of this even in the afterlife”, he says.
“I know, it’s so cute. Do you think that it looks different here than it did last time?”
“Yeah, totally. More alive I would say and a lot more lived in.”
“Yeah, I think so too. Did you test out the bed yet?”
He shakes his head, “I didn’t know if I could. I’m still in my clothes and all.”
“No, you totally could have”, you assure him and walk to your bed. You throw yourself onto it, bouncing on it with a big grin on your lips.
Jungkook laughs in fondness.
“Come here, the bounce is great.”
Jungkook closes the distance and sits down next to you, laughing loudly when you bounce next to him, making him shake around this way.
“Do it too.”
Jungkook does as he is told, bouncing on the mattress with silly laughter on his lips. You have to laugh as well, wiggling your toes because it’s so fun to be silly with him.
“Ah, I love it here”, you say, dropping into the sheets with your arms stretched far from you.
Jungkook rests his weight on his hand, having his torso turned to you.
“It’s really nice here, yeah”, he agrees.
“It also smells so nice”, you say, sniffling vividly.
Jungkook breathes in deeply, “yeah right. Like fresh laundry and hay.”
“Yeah, so nice.”
“My nose is so weak though. It’s a little weird not to smell a million scents all the time.”
“Gosh, this must feel like a holiday.”
“It does. I can only smell the laundry, the hay and your soap. At home I would smell your emotions and your blood and the animals outside and, and, and”, he huffs out air, “damn, I really smell a lot don’t I?”
“You really do.”
“Ah, it’s nice to take a break from it.”
Silence overcomes you where Jungkook gazes at you and you gaze at him. You end up having to smile at him. He retorts it and shifts his eyes to your stomach.
“You’ve got a little skin showing”, he says, reaching to fix the slipped up shirt.
“I know, the movement made my shirt slip up.”
“Mhm”, he hums and does the unthinkable thing of pulling the shirt further up your tummy so he could lean down and blow raspberries on it.
“No please!” you squeak, lifting your legs and grabbing his head because it tickles so much.
Jungkook does it again, forcing the loudest cackle to escape you.
“Koo stop”, you complain, trying to push his head away.
“Sorry”, he laughs and pulls the shirt down. He lies down next to you and attacks your neck next.
“This isn’t better, Kook stop it”, you complain in cackles and little squirms.
Jungkook smiles against your skin. His heart is racing like crazy in his chest.
“You’re so fucking cute”, he whispers and goes to attack you again.
“Please”, you squeal, having to laugh honestly and loudly. He is tickling you, but it doesn’t feel awful. It feels good. Safe. Tingly. You can’t stop laughing, trying to fight him off with soft tugs at his strong arm.
But Jungkook is stronger than you, pinning you down even more by lying some of his weight on your chest and attacking the other side of your neck.
He probably would have teased you to the point of tears of laughter if someone hadn’t knocked on your door. He stops instantly, lifting his head. Did you wake your grandparents?
Knock. Knock.
“Yeah?” you call out.
“It’s me”, Yoongi says.
“Come in.”
The door opens and in steps Yoongi. He is in his black pyjamas with his hair unstyled and his cheeks looking especially dewy. He closes the door, waddling to your bed. Then he stands. Stands and stares and rubs his own tummy.
“Do you need something, my love?” you ask him, sitting up in bed.
Jungkook sits up as well, looking at Yoongi with curious eyes.
“I was maybe thinking that, I don’t know, maybe uhm maybe, uhm”, he stutters, blushing shyly, “nevermind, it’s stupid”, he says and tries to flee.
You however stop him with a gentle touch to his inner wrist.
“You can talk to us”, you assure him, giving him a sweet smile, “what’s the matter, love?”
“Uhm”, Yoongi begins, “uhm, uh. Do you wanna, uhm, share a bed tonight?” he finally gets out, looking at Jungkook.
“Me?” Jungkook makes sure.
Yoongi nods his head, touching his own ear to soothe himself.
“I was thinking maybe it could be nice. I don’t know, it’s stupid. Sorry, it’s stupid.”
“No, it’s not. I love this idea”, Jungkook says and reaches out to touch Yoongi’s waist, “I would love to share a bed with you, my hyungie.”
“Okay. That’s cool”, Yoongi says dryly but with flushed cheeks.
“Is that okay with you, ___?” Jungkook makes sure.
You look between them. Jungkook is excited, while Yoongi is nervous.
“Of course that’s okay with me. You two deserve all the bed snuggles in the world”, you say and grin, “I also get to snuggle Tae, so that’s a win for me.”
Jungkook chuckles fondly while Yoongi relaxes in relief.
“That’s true, Tae snuggles are very nice”, Jungkook says and pecks your cheek, “is the bathroom empty?”
“Yeah”, Yoongi confirms.
“Coolio, I’ll wash up and I’m expecting you in the guest bed once I’m done”, he says and snickers, rolling out of bed to leave the room.
He closes the door.
Yoongi sits down on bed instantly, taking your hands. He squeezes them so tightly, one might wonder if he wanted to crumble them.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I don’t wanna make you feel as if you’re not important to me. I, I love sleeping next to you, but I, I wanna spend time with Jungkook too. Sometimes. I’m sorry, Please don’t be too mad at me.”
“Gosh Yoongi, you’re worrying for nothing”, you say in a fond chuckle and kiss his cheek. You keep close afterwards, running your fingers through his hair, “I’m not mad at you. This is part of what being poly is. Sometimes you just wanna spend time with a certain person, but that doesn’t mean the other automatically loses value. I don’t feel mad that you crave Kookie time tonight.”
Yoongi relaxes his shoulders, gazing at you.
“Thank you for understanding, you’re so…” he sighs and speaks in a softer voice, “I’m a mess and you’re calm. This is all new to me. I haven’t done poly before. I’m a mess. I practiced outside ‘cause I was scared of your reaction. You’re so calm. I feel peaceful.”
“Gosh Boongie, you cutie. I’m glad that I make you feel at peace”, you say and kiss his cheek a second time.
He leans into the affection, closing his eyes halfway.
“I also understand your feelings about doing poly for the first time. It’s my first time as well and I’m really scared to mess up, but I think that our little family can make it work.”
“Yeah me too”, he agrees, nodding his head.
“We’re doing really well, I think.”
He nods his head, shifting his eyes to your intertwined hands. He traces your knuckles with his thumbs, following the movement with sparkling eyes.
“How are you liking the stay here?” you ask him because you crave just a little more of his voice.
“Good. I think it’s good”, he says, nodding his head.
“Yeah? Me too. I really love it here. Gosh Yoongi, it was my dream to show this place to you. It makes me so happy that you can finally see it.”
“I like it, yeah”, he meets your eyes, “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I didn’t talk a lot.”
“At dinner?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s okay, my love. You were perfect. I can assure you that my grandparents love you.”
“I hope. I’m really nervous.”
“I can tell, but don’t be. You’re doing really well”, you assure him, combing your fingers through his soft hair.
“Thank you”, he whispers.
You kiss his cheek, rubbing his back afterwards.
“I spent so much of my early childhood in this room. I have really dear memories of it.”
“It’s a good room.”
“Yeah it is”, you agree and stand up to get the drawings from the table. You sit down next to him and show them to him, “I painted a lot in my free time. Mostly the cottage, the animals and my grandparents. Do you recognise the cow?”
“Is it the one outside?”
“Correct. Her name’s Moo. I named all of the animals here, which is why the names are very unoriginal.”
Yoongi smiles softly and takes the drawing with careful fingers.
“Moo is a good name for a cow.”
“I guess so, yeah”, you snicker, “the bunnies are called Jumper, Flopsi and Daisy.”
“Cute.”
“Yeah, they’re so cute. The second cow is called Milky.”
He laughs.
“Don’t laugh, I told you the names are very unoriginal.”
“It’s cute, I’m laughing ‘cause it’s cute”, he says, meeting your eyes shyly. You give him a grin, kissing his lips afterwards.
“You’re cute.”
He looks away, blushing instantly.
“You’ve been freaking cute the entire day. Do you know that, my love?”
He shakes his head, touching the side of his neck.
“Now you know.”
“Okay”, he mumbles and tries to change the topic by flipping the drawings, “do the chickens have names too?”
“Of course they do. I was obsessed with Greek mythology back then, so I named all the chickens after Greek goddesses, except for Jolene who I named after the song because my grandparents always played it and I was obsessed with it.”
Yoongi smiles. He thinks that you were very adorable as a child.
“The second brown chicken is Helen, the white ones are Aphrodite and Hera. The two black ones are Persephone and Hades.”
“Hades?”
“I was obsessed with him. I genuinely thought that he was so cool.”
“You think the weirdest dudes are cool.”
“I think you’re cool.”
“Exactly.”
“Yoongi, come on”, you nudge his arm, “you’re not weird. In some strange way you remind me of him.”
“I do? Why?”
“He really loved Persephone and dedicated a lot to her. He’s this scary dude to so many people, but secretly he is just a big softie for his wife.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. I’m soft for you”, he says, leaning in to kiss your cheek.
You accept his affection with closed eyes.
“Didn’t he also kidnap her and force her to marry him and live with him? I don’t think that’s what a softie would do. He forced her and that’s definitely not me.”
You laugh, “no, that’s definitely the part we’ll ignore. You’re not like that at all.”
“Yeah, he’s a fucking asshole”, he agrees.
“God, you and your harsh tongue.”
“I mean it. He’s an asshole. I don’t think I’m like him at all. I would never force you to do anything.”
“Okay fine, I admit it. You’re not like him at all, sorry. You’re a cutie patootie”, you say and kiss his cheek.
He smiles, leaning in with a fluttering heart.
“But you are a softie. Don’t fight me on that.”
He laughs, “I can live with that.”
You snicker.
“Hyung?”
You and Yoongi look at the door where Jungkook is standing in a light blue pyjama set.
“Are you coming?” he asks Yoongi.
“Huh?”
Jungkook steps into the room, grinning cutely. He struts to the bed and takes Yoongi’s hands. It results in Yoongi gawking at him with big eyes and parted lips.
“I told you to wait for me in bed, but you’re still here. Get your butt over here”, he says, tracing his knuckles gently.
“Sorry, I’m already coming”, Yoongi murmurs and looks at you, “sleep tight, my princess.”
“Sleep tight as well, my prince. And you too my honey, sleep tight.”
“You too, my honey”, Jungkook says, stealing a loving kiss.
You smile, smiling brighter when Yoongi steals a kiss as well before he finally stands up. The two men turn to each other and soon after, leave the room.
“What are you thinking, hyungie? Do you wanna make music together?”
“Only if you want to. I don’t know, maybe, yeah. Or no. If you want to.”
“Why are you so nervous? It’s just me”, Jungkook is teasing.
“Shut up, you brat I…”
Their conversation drowns out as they close the door behind them, but seconds later, Jungkook’s bright laughter can be heard.
You sigh in fondness, grinning to yourself. You are so happy that they have each other. To think that they will spend a lovely evening with each other, doing stuff they enjoy doing together, just makes you so incredibly happy. You really hope that their night is wonderful and filled with safe intimacy.
You roll out of bed and leave your room in search of Taehyung. You can’t wait to spend time with him.
The cottage is empty. How weird. Where could he be? You look around for a bit, noticing that your grandpa left the lights on outside. You open the front door, which is surprisingly unlocked. How weird indeed. Your grandpa is normally very particular with locking the doors at night.
“Huh?”
You turn off the lights to see better. There are candles burning where the small table is. Someone is sitting by it. You squint your eyes. Taehyung. Taehyung is sitting by the table. Your heart flutters. There he is, you finally found him. Oh, you can’t wait to get to him.
You wrap a blanket around yourself and grab one for Taehyung, leaving the house afterwards in your slippers. The good thing about this magical realm is that it never gets dark enough that you feel blind. You can still walk comfortably even now that it is night. And yet somehow when you are lying in bed, trying to sleep, the night feels like the darkest night you have ever experienced. Perhaps it is the magic infused in this air, which makes the night as bright or as dark as one needs it to be.
Taehyung doesn’t hear you. In the real world, he would have lifted his head the moment you stepped out the door, but not here. He is still oblivious to you. Only when you tap his shoulder, does he finally react.
“Oh heavens”, he gasps, flinching vividly.
“Sorry, oh dear”, you get out, placing your hand on his shoulder, “it’s just me, don’t be scared.”
“Darling”, he whines, looking up at you with big eyes, “you frightened me. Do not sneak up on me like this.”
“I’m sorry”, you say and snicker, “gosh, this was hilarious. You should have seen your face.”
“Yes, yes make fun of me all you want, but the truth is that I almost died right now”, he says and touches his own chest, “my heart is racing. Feel it.”
You reach down and place your hand on his chest. He wasn’t lying. His heart is hammering against his ribcage.
“That’s true. Your pulse’s going crazy”, you say and giggle.
“Yes, because you frightened me”, he says, giving your hand a gentle squeeze.
“I’m sorry, really”, you chuckle, “but I have to make use of you guys’ weak senses. You guys keep startling me in the real world, so this is all just part of my revenge plan.”
He laughs.
“Oh how terribly mean of you. I will pay you back.”
“Will you now?”
“Yes. Yes, I will”, he says and hugs your waist, squishing his cheek against your stomach this way. He giggles, scrunching his nose.
He is such a cutie. You feel so incredibly soft for him. You ruffle his hair, making him look up at you this way. The candle light shows his sparkling puppy eyes. His features look so timelessly beautiful. You trace them gently, which makes him open and close his eyes at you slowly.
“Okay, okay. If you really have to”, you say with a fond smile on your lips, brushing your fingertips down the slope of his nose.
Taehyung giggles and nuzzles his nose into your stomach. A kiss comes next. He turns back to the table afterwards.
You follow his line of sight. He is drawing. Using what formidable light the candles emit to sketch your bedroom. He uses a photograph as reference, drawing it with impressive accuracy.
“Are you drawing my bedroom?” you ask him, running your hand up and down his back mindlessly. He is already a little cool to the touch.
“Indeed I am”, he says, “I want to sketch it so I can finally start on designing the murals.”
“Really? Wow Tae, I’m so excited.”
“Yes, me too. I haven’t worked on murals in years, although I truly enjoy the process of them. Working on your wing will be a lot of fun.”
“I can imagine”, you say and rub his back more vigorously, “gosh darling, aren’t you cold? You feel so cold to the touch. Here, let me.”
You place a blanket over his shoulders, smoothing it down carefully. Taehyung looks up at you with big puppy eyes, holding his breath. You end your affection with a soft brush of your fingers against the underside of his chin. He tilts his head as he chases the touch.
“Why?” he asks in a whisper.
“What do you mean?”
“Why did you put a blanket over me?”
“Because I know how chilly it can get and you don’t have superpowers keeping you warm right now.”
“I see. That is correct”, he says, lowering his eyes shyly. His pulse is racing. It flusters him terribly whenever you take care of him.
“Can I stay with you a little while?”
“Yes, of course. Of course, you can”, he says, scooting to the side to make space.
You take it instantly, looking into the notebook. Your left hand is resting on his thigh.
“Are these sketches for the flower murals?” you ask him, pointing at the opposite page.
“Indeed, they are. What do you think of them?”
“They look lovely.”
“Do you like them?”
“I really do. I’m already excited to have them on my walls. I love them.”
Taehyung giggles and rests his cheek on your shoulder, grinning brightly.
“Thank you so much. It makes me so happy to hear this”, he says and nuzzles.
You turn your head, placing a kiss on the tip of his nose. Taehyung sighs and chases your kiss.
You and he share a sweet moment. He tastes like smiles and chocolate. It is a lovely combination. You break the kiss with a stub of your nose, caressing his skin with it afterwards.
“You taste like chocolate.”
“I am eating chocolate”, Taehyung says and sits up, “do you want some?” he offers.
“Thank you”, you say, breaking off a row. You bite off a good piece and let it melt on your tongue, the other piece you feed to Taehyung. He allows you with a fluctuating pulse. Truly, you make him feel so giddy.
“What do you think of it?” he asks you in a soft voice.
“It’s slightly bitter but with a sweet aftertaste. I really like it.”
“I like it as well”, he says and lowers his eyes, letting out a shy giggle. He turns his head away, “oh heavens.”
“What’s the matter?”
“When I look at you, my heart races. The feeling is so unfamiliar.”
“Can I feel it?”
Taehyung nods his head, holding his breath when you place your hand on his chest.
Badums. Badums. Badums.
His pulse is rhythmical and steady, keeping him alive here in this magical realm where no curse can reach and the world is alright. You circle your thumb in a gentle caress, lifting your eyes and meeting his shy gaze.
You smile. Taehyung retorts it.
“It’s racing.”
“It is.”
You kiss his cheek, speeding up his pulse for the duration of it. You pull back. Taehyung touches the spot you kissed, gazing at you with parted lips
“It fluttered when I did that”, you whisper.
“I know”, he breathes.
“It feels so strange, but in a good way.”
“I cannot get used to it.”
“You can’t?”
He shakes his head, “my heart stood still for centuries, but all of a sudden it beats again. I keep having to take deep breaths because I am so aware of it.”
“I can imagine. It must feel crazy to be alive again after all these years.”
“Crazy. I guess one can say it like this”, he whispers and turns away so he can draw again. Except that he doesn’t draw, twirling the pen in his fingers as his eyes race over the sketches.
You slide your hand to his side, hugging him and resting your cheek against his shoulder.
“Do you remember our first time?” you ask him.
“Our first time?”
You nod your head, “when we snuck away from acting class and hurried to my apartment. You were so touchy and I felt so giddy because you hadn’t been like this until then.”
Taehyung smiles softly, listening to you reminisce with a fluttering heart.
“I could barely unlock the door, but got nervous once inside. Do you remember?”
“I do.”
“Do you remember how we talked and shared some tea?”
“Of course I do. You told me that you didn’t have a lot of experience.”
“And you were so sweet about it”, you squeeze him gently, “do you remember the dreams we talked about?”
“You said that you wanted to make people happy.”
“And you told me that you wanted to be alive. That you wanted to be happy again.”
Taehyung lowers his eyes, tightening his jaw.
“Remember?”
“I do”, he whispers.
“Well, now you finally know how it feels to be alive”, you say and lift your head to gaze at him.
You furrow your brows.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“Tae, what’s the matter?”
“I don’t know”, he says and turns his head away when you try to cup his cheek.
You try again, doing it with both hands. You succeed, meeting his eyes.
“What’s the matter, darling?”
“I don’t know if I’m happy”, he whispers, forcing your brows to furrow. He attempts to look away, to hide because the worry in your eyes embarrasses him.
“Taehyung my darling oh god, this is so awful. Is there a reason why you feel this way?”
“I’m sorry, I just…I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, please don’t be embarrassed. Talk to me, my darling.”
He meets your eyes again. Worry and love meet him there. Honest, deep love. The kind of love that wants to welcome and heal, to hold and cradle, to stay and grow. He remembers the last part of his wish then. That he wanted to be loved for who he truly is. He remembers it and realises that he can find this kind of love in your eyes. And as he realises it, his heart races unbearably, reminding him that he is experiencing the first part of his wish as well. He is alive and he is loved unconditionally.
Only the second part is hard to do. It wasn’t always difficult, or perhaps it was and he pretended that it wasn’t, and lately he is very aware of it, finding it hard to accept.
“Talk to me, my sweetest”, you whisper.
“It”, he begins and looks away because it is too embarrassing otherwise.
You allow him, holding his hand instead and listening to him with all your attention.
“It is difficult to be happy. I do not know what to do with myself now that I am…” he falters.
“It’s okay, take your time.”
“Namjoon is captured. He won’t ever hurt me and Jimin again. I should be happy, but I am not. I feel so lost.”
“Because we don’t have to hunt anything anymore?”
“No.”
“What then? If you want to tell me.”
“I want to tell you, but it is difficult to speak.”
“Do you want to write it down instead?”
He looks at his book. His pen. He picks it up and opens an empty page, writing down what he can’t speak. You allow him the time he needs, scratching his scalp all throughout.
Taehyung doesn’t take long. The unspeakable words aren’t much, but you know that sometimes the hardest words to speak are the shortest. I love you. I’m sorry. I need help. The words aren’t long and yet they are some of the hardest to speak for so many people. The way to the heart is short with them, which perhaps makes them so difficult to speak. Taehyung slides the book to you. You pick it up and read it.
“I feel lost and shaken, as if I am still drowning even now that I am on safe land. A scrambled mind and tortured body were my reality for decades and now I am to believe that I am free? How do I be free?”
You lift your eyes. He can barely keep up contact, but does it because he craves it.
“Oh Tae. My beloved, gentle Tae”, you get out and cradle his cheeks.
He leans into your safe touch, closing his eyes.
“I understand that the words are difficult to speak. This is a lot to feel all alone. How long have you been feeling this way?”
“Too long.”
“Gosh, come here”, you say, pulling him into a hug. You sway him gently, playing with his hair because you know that this soothes him.
Taehyung lets it happen with closed eyes and his arms tight around you. His nose is buried in the crook of your neck, his skin shares warmth with yours. The once scary words feel manageable in your arms.
“I’m so sorry that you feel this way, my darling. It must be so unfamiliar to be free after so many decades. I don’t know if you want advice from me and I honestly don’t know if I can even give you some, but I want to be there for you. That much is sure, you’re not going to figure it out alone because I’ll help you with it.”
Taehyung smiles and it is honest. He nods his head in understanding.
“Yeah, exactly. I’ll be with you. We’ll do it together. Everyone always says that healing is easy, but it’s not. Healing can be ugly and hard and scary. But we’ll do it together, okay?”
“Yes, okay”, he whispers, having to lift his head to make sure that you were truly real.
You cup his cheeks, caressing his skin. He smiles and so you smile as well.
“I’m happy right now”, he confesses in a quiet voice.
“You are?”
He nods his head.
“I doubt a lot in my life. I think the love I receive is an act of pity.”
“No-”
“Except yours. I don’t doubt your love for me. I gaze at it in wonder and awe because I find it unbelievable that you still love me after all I did, but I never doubt it.”
Your heart flutters.
“Thank you so much. You told me that your wish was to make people happy. Well, you are making me happy”, he smiles shyly, “at least happier for now.”
You laugh softly. He does too.
“You’ll be happy again, I promise”, you say and tug a strand of his dark hair behind his ear, “also thank you for saying this. I love you so, so much and it makes me happy to know that I don’t make you doubt it.”
“I love you too. I have done so ever since we snuck away from acting class and will always do so.”
“Oh my darling Taehyung”, you whisper, leaning in until you can rub your nose against his’ slowly.
“Yes, this will never change”, he whispers, matching your rhythm with his eyes closed.
“Oh my sweet, gentle Tae”, you breathe, kissing him softly afterwards.
He kisses you back, holding you in his hands as if you were the greatest treasure. And in some way you were. He feels lost and vast of happiness most of the time, but not right now. You gave him support again, an anchor to hold onto and hope to cling to. Maybe the feelings won’t last forever, but at least for a little while, Taehyung feels safe again. And that is perfectly alright for him, because sometimes just a little while is already enough to keep the soul going.
Taehyung breaks the kiss so he could hug you against his chest and feel your heartbeat this way. He cannot hear it, but that is okay for him because he can feel it match with his’ tonight. He is alive with you. He is alive and safe and loved. Taehyung presses you closer, inhaling the scent of you to make all of this realer.
“Our hearts are beating the same”, he whispers.
“I can feel it too”, you whisper.
“Wow, I really love you so much.”
You smile, “I love you too.”
“Holy fuck, I really love you.”
You laugh, “I fucking love you too, Tae.”
He laughs, “you have me cursing. That’s what you are doing to me.”
You snicker, “it’s cute.”
Wind rushes in the trees and reminds you of your own vulnerability. You and Taehyung tug the blankets tighter around your bodies, but the cold remains.
“I am very cold.”
“Yeah, me too. Maybe we should continue the cuddles inside”, you suggest, “after a warm shower and under the sheets.”
“This sounds very cozy.”
“It is cozy. Come on, we’ll get warm inside.”
“Yes, okay okay”, he says, standing up and packing his stuff so you could get inside.
Taehyung allows you to brush your teeth first because he still has to wash up for the night and will therefore take longer. So after brushing your teeth, you go to your room alone. The slit under the door of Yoongi’s and Jungkook’s room shows no light anymore. They must be asleep already. You wish then a silent good night behind the closed door and slip inside your room.
Taehyung comes inside not long after, still wrapped in a towel and nothing else.
“My bag is in the guest bedroom”, he says with a pout, “I forgot to take out my sleeping clothes.”
“Oh dear. Do you want to borrow some of my clothes?”
“Your clothes?”
“Yes, wait”, you roll out of bed to get to your bag, “luckily for you, I have another sleeping gown with me. You’ll look really fancy in it. I could also offer you some of my panties.”
He laughs, “I have to decline. My good parts are not going to stay in such little fabric.”
You snicker, “I bet it would look pretty, though. Here, I can offer you this”, you say, unravelling a long night gown, “tada.”
It is made out of lilac cotton fabric and has a rather straight cut to it. It isn't at all the prettiest nor the fanciest dress, but it is comfortable and that is all which matters.
“Oh pretty. It will do”, he says and exchanges the towel for the dress. He twists and turns in it, fixing the creases in the front, “how do I look?”
“It actually fits you perfectly, wow, you are so handsome in it. You also kind of remind me of Ebenezer Scrooge.”
“Hey”, he gasps, having to laugh, “if you were attempting to compliment me, it did not work.”
You laugh, “no, it’s cute. It fits you really well.”
“It is so comfortable. No wonder you took it with you”, he says and wiggles his hips, “oh? I feel so very free between my legs this way”, he jokes, gyrating his hips in a funny way and making you laugh with it.
“You look so handsome. Gosh, Tae you cutie you, com’ere”, you hug him, using the momentum to pull him into bed.
He falls onto you with a squeaked laugh, burying you under his weight, which makes you laugh and hug him even closer.
“Careful, ah, darling you are going to expose my bottom this way”, he giggles, trying to fight you gently.
“Com’ere you cutie, god you cutie”, you care rather little about his complaints, rolling around the sheets with his body in a tight lock.
After some rolling around and soft wrestling, you have him on his back with his face under your lips as you attack it with kisses. Taehyung lets it happen with giggles and squirms, feeling so goddamn giddy that his heart might burst in his chest.
“Mwuah”, you end your love attack with a loud sound, lifting your head so you can grin down at him. You slide your hand down his torso so you could fix the messy dress, caressing his waist afterwards.
“What?” he whispers.
“I just love looking at you.”
“Oh”, Taehyung blushes and scrunches his nose shyly, “I love looking at you too.”
“Hehe”, you let out and give him a kiss, lying down next to him afterwards.
Taehyung sits up, tugging you in under the blanket. You let it happen with a fluttering heart.
“Thankies”, you say.
“My darling should stay warm”, he says and rubs his hand up and down your covered arm, “are you warm this way?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Wonderful.”
He leans down to litter your cheek and temple with kisses. He even kisses your ear and leaves a few tender love nibbles on your neck.
“My sweetest.”
He snuggles into the pillow, holding your hand. He gives you a cute grin.
“You are right, this is very cozy.”
“Right? It’s this place. Something about this room makes everything ten times cozier.”
“I truly believe that it is because everything is placed perfectly so the energies can flow.”
“Yeah, this could actually be it. It always felt healing to be here.”
“I can imagine. I find great healing here as well and it hasn’t even been a day.”
You smile, “I’m glad that you are healing. You deserve it.”
Taehyung kisses your knuckles in gratefulness.
“Thank you”, he breathes.
“I mean it. You and Jimin, you both deserve it.”
“Thank you.”
“Mhm, I mean it”, you say and kiss his lips.
You and he stay closer afterwards, still holding hands. You gaze at each other, feeling so connected that nothing could separate your souls.
You do not know how much time passes like this, but it must have been enough to allow sleepiness to settle in your fibers.
You yawn, setting off Taehyung as well.
“Oh dear, this sleepiness came out of nowhere, wow”, you say.
“Indeed”, he agrees mid-yawn.
“Do you want to turn off the lights?”
“Yes, we could do that.”
“You have to do it, you’re closer.”
“Okay, okay”, Taehyung says and reaches for the lamp, “I started saying okay, okay because of you”, he says, switching off the light, “it is addictive, I can’t seem to want to stop.”
“It’s cute, don’t stop”, you say, “it means that we’re spending so much time together that we started picking up habits from each other. I catch myself adding rather in front of words because of you.”
“I noticed”, Taehyung says and intertwines his hand with yours, “it is like we became versions of each other.”
“Yes, definitely”, you say and close the distance between you and him to rest your forehead against his’. You kiss his nose, nuzzling your own nose against it afterwards, “I love you, Tae.”
“I love you too, my sweetest”, he says, closing his eyes.
“I hope you’ll have a good sleep tonight.”
“I will. I am with you. I will.”
You smile, burying your hand in his hair to play with it until sleep drags you down. You are with him and he is with you. Sleep is going to be good. It truly will be.
“___?”
“Yes, Tae?”
“I just…I don’t know why I called your name, I guess that I wanted to talk some more.”
You chuckle.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“Whatever. I really enjoy the sound of your voice.”
“Gosh Tae, you’re so sweet. I love your voice as well.”
He relaxes in a small wiggle, running his fingers over your scalp as best as your hair texture allows him to.
“What is your favourite colour?”
“My favourite colour?”
“Yes. Do not ask why this is my first question, I didn’t know what to ask.”
You laugh softly, “it’s a good question. Mhm, I guess my favourite colour is the colour of your blush after I called you mine.”
“___”, he gasps, “why would you say such a thing? Oh, heavens.”
He makes you laugh. He is so adorable when he flusters.
“I’m serious. It’s a very pretty colour.”
“You”, he wraps his limbs around you, shaking you around gently, “I will cuddle you to silence. Stop it.”
You giggle into his chest. Taehyung lets you go after a few moments, heart racing very noticeable.
“Do you have more questions, you cutie?”
“I do not know. I am afraid that you will use them to fluster me again.”
You laugh, “I would never do such a thing.”
“Yes, you would. You became such a flirt. I remember how shy you were in the beginning, how I always managed to fluster you and now look at what you have become.”
“Hey, do not complain about the monster you created. If you hadn’t been such a smooth talker with me all the time, I never would have learned all this stuff.”
He laughs, “I cannot even argue you on this one. You have shown me the truth.”
“See? I’ve simply learned from the best.”
Taehyung hums and tries to kiss your lips but because of the blinding darkness, he ends up snogging your nose.
“Ew Tae, that was so wet”, you whine, wiping your nose on his shirt.
“Forgive me, I aimed for your lips but I…ew? Excuse me, did you just call my kiss ew?”
“I did. Loud and proud. You completely snogged my nose.”
Taehyung closes his lips around your nose again and drags his tongue over it as sloppily as possible.
“Tae”, you squeak, fleeing him, “why did you do that?”
“This is for calling my kiss ew. Now I gave you something truly ew.”
“You’re so gross, dear god”, he makes you laugh. Wiping your nose on his shirt again, you snicker and chuckle. He does the same.
You tilt your head, touching his chin to feel for his lips. Once you found them, you make your move, claiming them in a kiss. He kisses you back eagerly, ending it with a soft bite to your lower lip. You stay close, smiling goofily.
“This was wonderful.”
“It really was. Gosh Tae, I love kissing you. It’s been so long since we shared a night of kisses.”
“Indeed, far too long. Either danger kept us apart or we fought or were forced to be separated. These past few years haven’t been very kind to our bond.”
“Yeah, they really haven’t.”
Taehyung feels for your lips and kisses you. He tastes minty, his lips are soft and so nicely moisturised. His big hand cradles your face, soaking you skin in his warmth. You touch his chest because his racing pulse feels amazing to you.
The kiss breaks because Taehyung is so human here and humans need air way sooner than vampires.
“Oh heavens”, he gasps for air, “I genuinely became out of breath.”
“Now you finally know why I have to keep breaking the kiss in real life.”
“Now I truly know. Is this also how you see when we kiss in darkness?”
“Yes, it’s exactly like that.”
“Well, this is just heartbreaking. All this time, I believed that you were seeing me at least a little bit, but there is nothing. How are you even able to figure out where to kiss?”
“Practice. I’ve only known nights to be dark, so I learned how to navigate it.”
“I see. This is still very sad, you cannot even see me.”
“I know, it’s sad. But it’s also exciting because it feels like sensory deprivation without the blindfold.”
“Oh? Oh, yes it does. Oh how exciting, if I wasn’t so utterly exhausted I would have asked you to play.”
“It’s okay. I’m really exhausted too. Bringing you all here was really tiring.”
“I can imagine”, he rubs your back, “you are truly remarkable. I do not know if I told you already, but I am very proud of you.”
“Thank you, wow”, you whisper, feeling like floating. Being praised by him will never lose its spark.
“My darling witch”, he says with a kiss to your lips. One he only breaks when air is sparse and you are both just a little droopy from it.
You touch each other innocently, both having your eyes closed without managing to open them again. Sleep is so very close. The safe intimacy and love you exchanged only strengthened the tiredness.
“What do you imagine our days to look like from now on?” he asks in a sleepy whisper.
“Peaceful. Probably exhausting for me because I need to learn control, but once I did and we managed to get rid of Superior, I think our days will be peaceful.”
“I truly hope that they will be. I wished for peace for too long.”
“I promise you that they will.”
Taehyung sighs, hugging you against his chest.
“My sweetest ___”, he whispers, “I am so entirely grateful that I never lost you. There were so many chances where you could have been taken from me, so I am entirely grateful that you never were.”
“Me too, Tae. You’re very important to me.”
He sighs again, tangling his legs with yours. He yawns into your hair and smacks his lips.
“Sleepy”, he whispers, making you snicker.
“Me too.”
“Sleep tight, my darling. This time for real.”
“Sleep tight, you cutie.” Yes, sleep will be peaceful. It really will be.
105 notes
·
View notes