#hepatica? maybe? I’m bad with flowers.

[otakween]

Cyborg 009 Manga - Hepatica Symphony, Pharaoh Virus, Modern Narcissus, The Seven Children, Invisible Strings, and Cosmo Child

Hepatica Symphony

-Well that was kinda beautiful and kinda stupid at the same time. It starts out having nothing to do with the cyborgs and then Albert just randomly shows up at the end, having a very thin tie to the main filler character. I feel like they already did this with 007 and his random old friend. Both happened on a snowy mountain too. Running out of plot lines here. 

-So...004 saved a woman from an avalanche by...shooting at snow? Like...what? The art didn’t make it clear how that works at all but okay

-It was interesting seeing Albert do something gentle for once (playing the piano). The close up of his hand definitely got me in the feels

Pharaoh Virus

-This played very similarly to the anime episode but with less action. Again I appreciated the little tidbits of history, it kinda felt like reading an Ancient Egypt kids book you’d get from the library

-I don’t really get how they went from panicking about the spread of the virus to being fine just cuz they found a single flower. Pretty sure the world’s still in danger but okay...

-Pretty timely read with the coronavirus going on lol. I learned the word for “pandemic,” “contagious disease,” and “to spread germs.” Handy!

-Why the heck did that professor’s gravestone say he only lived like 4 years? Misprint? 

-This chapter and the last one were flower centric. Either they published it that way to be clever or Ishinomori was a in a big flower mood lol 

Modern Narcissus 

-Honestly I didn’t really like this chapter. It didn’t have enough substance it was basically just Francoise telling a girl that it’s okay to have freckles lmao

-Not really sure how Francoise ended up at a fashion shoot in the first place...

-It’s mostly just cuz my Japanese isn’t up to snuff but I didn’t understand the comparison to the Narcissus myth. I thought that was supposed to be a morality fable about how vanity’s bad but the moral of this story was to love yourself?? Maybe they were trying to distinguish between obsessing over superficial beauty and accepting your true self? Let’s go with that...

-The cameraman telling them to go for a “lesbian” look was pretty gross...

The Seven Children

-WTF!? What is this random pro-life propaganda doing in my cyborg manga??? I am u n c o m f o r t a b l e...

-Seriously, this was so weird. The plot was basically 001 and 003 eavesdropping on a bunch of doctors saying that a multi-birth was dangerous and they’d have to kill the weaker babies. Francoise gives this speech about “life is a privilege! All lives are sacred under God” blah blah blah and then there’s a bunch of Christian imagery everywhere. Isn’t this a shounen manga...?

-I mean...freedom of speech and all that but just...wha??? This seriously felt like something they’d hand out to kids in church.

Invisible Strings

-Random Pinocchio reference! This was interesting to see because I know manga was originally very Disney-influenced. (I know Disney didn’t invent Pinocchio but it would be the most recognized depiction). 

-Am I supposed to take the whole chapter as a daydream Gilmore had? I thought the metaphor was kind of clever but overall I’m not really sure what the message was. Does Gilmore see the cyborgs as his kids and he doesn’t want to lose them? If so, awwwwe <3

Cosmo Child

-Okay, strapping in for a long arc. The first chapter was really short tho. I liked that it wasn’t super dialogue heavy. The art seemed more detailed and snappy than usual.

-This was adapted into a two parter in the Cyborg Soldier series. I remember it feeling pretty rushed and awkward so hopefully it will be better in its original form. 

-lol @ the panel of all of the Americans and Jet just pointing at the space colony. I’m just picturing some disaster happen in NYC and instead of running away everyone just points at it.

-006 calls their uniforms “costumes” which I found kind of funny. Is there a typical word to for superhero/sentai units’ clothes? Suits? Costumes just make it sound like they’re playing make believe lol 

-Another hilarious panel in this arc is Geronimo being tractor beamed into the space ship. Mostly because of his stiff body/expression lol 

-This really reminds me of the plot of the Cyborg 009 “Simple Series” game. Flying saucers and all of the cyborgs are separated at the beginning. Very similar vibes...

-So they randomly decided to make this a Jet-focused arc in the anime but it’s not like that at all in the manga, he barely shows up. 004 plays his role but really the focus is mostly just on the alien children, not on any specific cyborgs

-Francoise gets all deep at the end like “Ohhh the perils of humanity have been passed on to these innocent children.” Half of me thinks it was nice to add that extra layer to the story but the other half of me is rolling my eyes. 

-I have mixed feelings about this arc. It was nice to have a more action-based story but it feels really out of place. Other than the 80s movie this series doesn’t have a lot of canon aliens and they’re just treated like they’re completely normal here. Then there’s the whole forced bit about why the children can’t kill...I dunno it’s kind of clunky. Also 004 pointing his ray gun at them seemed pretty un-hero-like...

[artificialqueens]

And So We Run (ch.11) - Traumathicc

A/N: It’s time for a good ol’ trip to flashback city! In which Alyssa is a hard working single mother and Adore should definitely go see a doctor.

A relatively sunny day sometime in the beginning of April, approximately six years ago.

That’s how it had started.

It was a particularly busy day at the school, and Laganja had managed to sneak away from her mother/teachers watchful eye. She had crept down into the cellar of the schoolhouse and used a back door leading out into a relatively crowded alley. Then she’d just blended in with the crowd until she was far enough to run away from the streets and into the woods. It was relatively easy, seeing as this was far from the first time the young girl had used this escape route.

Because the schools teacher and her mother happened to be the same person, it wasn’t exactly easy for Laganja to make friends her own age. That, however, wasn’t exactly the only reason. The town was small, and everyone knew at least a thing or two about everyone else in the area.

This, of course, caused gossip and rumors to fly around town like flies on a hot summer's day. And Laganja’s mother happened to be the victim of at least half of them. Most of them stemmed from the fact that neither of the Edwards sisters shared a father, since all of them were either dead or had moved elsewhere. This unfortunate circumstance gave birth to the admittedly silly urban legend known as “Alyssa’s curse.”

The basics of it was that, in her youth, Alyssa Edwards had the misfortune of never finding love cast upon her by either an almighty god or a woodland spirit or some other junk Laganja had forgotten about. In some versions of the story it was because she had won the games. In others, like the one the blacksmiths kids down the street liked to tell, it was because the heavens wanted to punish her for being a “dirty whore,” whatever that meant. Whenever Laganja tried to ask, she would either receive a slap on the wrist or an awkward suggestion of a change in subject. The slapping usually only happened when Plastique was around to hear it, though.

And so, since their mother was apparently cursed, as the Edwards girls grew, whispers behind their backs and weird looks on the street became an everyday occurance. Plastique’s father, who was the town’s pharmacist at the time, once said that there is something about poverty that breeds superstition. Not even six months later he died of an undiscovered heart disease. Laganja guesses that it was then that her mother just sort of gave up on love and started devoting one hundred percent of her time to her children and her job.

That was an entirely different beast to tackle though, since many of the town’s mothers didn’t trust their darling children to a cursed “slut.” (Laganja had no idea what that meant either.) But persistence is a powerful weapon, and after many if’s, but’s and, as Shangela put it, ”A hell of a lot of work,” Alyssa had managed to win the trust of the town’s government and finally gotten the position as the full time teacher she’d dreamed of becoming since she started the job.

This was the pride that the Edwards family held on to. Their beacon of light after so many years of shame and mistrust, all over a stupid rumor based on coincidences. Understandingly, this caused Alyssa to begin prepping her daughters for the role of one day becoming teachers themselves. Shangela, who was fifteen, had already started helping her mother around the school, becoming an assistant of sorts. Laganja and Plastique, who were twelve and six respectively, weren’t exactly ready for that role just yet. So instead, their mother had them read virtually everything she could get her hands on.

One particular subject that Laganja fell in love with, however, was botany. She loved to take care of plants and watch them grow, their pretty shapes and colors unfolding with the help of her knowledge of their wants and needs. Her mother had even given her a small spot in their backyard where she could grow her flowers, but Laganja wanted more. She had found a small abandoned shed out in the woods one day, and had basically turned it into her own personal greenhouse. It was there that she spent most of her time, away from the town and it’s stupid gossip.

It was also there, out in the woods, that she would practice her dancing. Another hobby she’d picked up after Shangela had found an old taping of “The Swan Lake” in the school’s book and movie collection (it was much too small to be considered a library). She’d been spellbound by the women leaping across the stage in their fluffy, white dresses like angels. However, fearing her mother's disappointment, Laganja had chosen to keep her dancing a secret she was only willing to share with the woods.

And later, on that particular day in April, someone else.

She had picked a clearing where the sun shone down through the trees like a spotlight, and the green moss floor was coated in the blue dots of hepatica flowers. Seeing as she was already rather flexible, it wasn’t that difficult to get into position. The hard part was literally everything else. Luckily for Laganja, the moss was soft and broke most of her falls whenever she tripped over herself, which was something that happened more often than she would’ve liked to admit.

Just as she had been about to get up from her fifth fall that afternoon, someone had sneezed. Loudly.

This had caused her to jump up and let out a shrill scream that had sent a few birds flying like their lives depended on it. This, in turn, made the hidden figure reveal themselves from behind one of the rocks beside the clearing. She was a young girl, probably Laganja’s age, with dark brown twin braids and an oversized flannel shirt that she had tied around her neck like a superhero cape.

The two girls had stood in complete silence for about ten seconds, just looking at each other, both of them sort of dumbfounded. Then the younger one had said: “How do you dance like that? It’s pretty… I mean- my name is A-“ Then she had sneezed again.

Laganja, not seeming impressed, had replied: “I’m pretty sure this is an invasion of privacy.” And turned her back on the girl. The other girl had then said “Wait! I’m Adore! I’m a year younger than you so you don’t know me from school, but I want you to know that what Harper and Emelie and Jacob and Fritz are saying is all bullshit! My mom, all of my friends, even Ben thinks so! And I’ve never heard him use a bad word! Not ever!”

This made Laganja turn around. She wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to deal with Adore, but somehow, she had to get rid of her. “Well then, you and Ben should learn to mind your own business and stop talking about things you know nothing about!”

“But-“

“I’ve heard enough! If you want to go pick on someone… pick someone else!”

Adore had taken a step back. “I didn’t come here to attack you or anything…”

“WELL, I’M FEELING VERY ATTACKED RIGHT NOW!!” That last part had come out maybe a little stronger than Laganja had originally intended. However, Adore hadn’t started crying like Laganja feared, instead something that sounded like a snort had escaped her throat.

“What’s so funny?”

“Sorry! It’s just that… You look like a really pretty princess… and you just shouted like that… those two don’t go together at all!”

Laganja had, in some weird way, wanted to feel insulted by Adore’s remark. But the fact that she apparently looked like a princess in the other girls eyes somehow made her face turn bright pink.

”I’m… pretty?”

The reply had come out quiet, like a whisper. Not that Adore had heard it, because she’d started sneezing again.

”Sorry! I think I’m allergic to something here. Maybe it’s the liverleaves?”

”Liver- Oh! You mean the hepatica?”

”Hepatiwhat?”

”The blue flowers!”

”Oh! They have more than one name? That’s cool! My mom always calls them liverleaves, though… I can’t wait to tell her about this! It’s awesome!”

”Well, they also have a latin name, Anemone Acutiloba.”

”Wow! You know so much! And you can dance like that, too? Maybe you are, like, a real princess!”

”Please, did you even watch me? I fell like five times!”

”Yeah, but you did that- that thing with your legs… it was so freaking cool!”

Laganja just let the conversation carry on. Partly because it was really hard to get Adore to shut up, but mostly because something about her made her feel… warm. It was like coming home to a place you didn’t recognize but had missed every day of your life. Eventually, they had sat down amongst the flowers, and their small talk had turned into an hour long conversation. Adore had started picking the hepatica leisurely sometime in, and as the sun turned from yellow to orange, she’d gathered a full bouquet.

”I want you to have this” She’d smiled at Laganja as she held it forward. “Because it looks like your eyes.”

Laganja hadn’t known what to say to the girl before her in that moment. She’d just smiled and graciously accepted her gift.

As they’d begun their walk back home and the lights of downtown had become visible from the treeline, Laganja had suddenly stopped Adore and asked: “Wait… What were you even doing spying on me in the first place?!”

Then it had been Adore’s turn to blush.

“I saw you dancing a few weeks ago… but I didn’t know how to talk to you! I was afraid you’d… well…”

“So you’ve just been… watching me dance?”

Adore hid her face in her hands. “I’m sorryyyyy~”

Then. Laganja had laughed. Loudly and genuinely for the first time in what felt like eons.

“Adore! I’m… I’m glad you like my dancing.”

Adore had looked up, her face still red.

“And I just want you to know, that you’re welcome into the woods with me… anytime.”

“Does that… make us friends?”

Laganja suddenly felt very dumb for never even having considered the possibility.

“I guess… I guess it does.”

Adore’s face had then proceeded to light up like a christmas tree.

“This… is… AWESOME!! I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone else! Joslyn and Trinity and Ben and Chris and Milk are all going to love you! And I have to take you to meet my mom! A-and aunt Tammie! And-“

“Woah! Slow down please! It might take some time for me to get ready to meet all of those people!! Also did you just say Milk?”

And from that relatively sunny day in the beginning of April and forward, Adore and Laganja remained friends. Even though both of their mothers had been less than happy about their disappearance together, and both of them had come down with hay fever later that week.

[perpetually-jungshook]

Without You: Bloodstone (Part 18)

Genre: AU, bts!werewolf, fantasy, angst

Warnings: language, violence, suggestive content

Word Count: 3.9k

Summary: Werewolves, contrary to popular belief, are usually gentle creatures. Except for a very specific set of circumstances, they would never hurt a human (on purpose). The few unfortunate times when mistakes were made put a permanent dark mark on the beasts and people began labeling them as monsters. What the human population failed to recognize was the fact that they were protecting us from something much more sinister. Luckily, a few survived and the gene was passed down hereditarily until one day finding its way to me… in the form of my best friend.

Link to: Storyboard (reference pictures) | General lore post | Intimacy lore post Prologue | Previous | Masterlist | Next

Loyalty is often as blind as justice should be, as unstable as a lightning storm ought to be, and as misplaced as an opinion in the truth.

Chapter 18:

Jimin says nothing as I return his sweater, my shoulder aching from where he punched me. I don’t complain. I also don’t try to stop him as he retreats to his room, biting back the “thank you” that sits on my tongue because I think I’ve already pestered him enough for one day.

Heart climbing into my throat, I quietly make my way down the hall to Jungkook’s room, every bad scenario swimming through the front of my mind like a movie on fast forward. Had he woken up? Had he gone looking for me? Or worse, had he alerted anyone else? I slowly push the metal door open to find the raven haired boy sprawled out on his bed, face turned toward the wall. A vague sense of fear that he’s faking it permeates through me, but Jungkook’s breathing is rhythmic and he’s never been a good actor.

Keeping my footsteps quiet, I slip off my shoes, scoot him over a bit, and crawl under the blanket to lie beside him. What time is it? I glance at Yoongi’s watch, still fastened around my wrist. Four in the morning. Three hours of sleep? Here I come.

I dream about… not the demon, but the little girl who Halsahm occupies. She’s trapped in a small room that is mysteriously fitting, almost as if it’s her own skin. She is screaming.

“You look a little tired,” Seokjin sounds amused as he pushes some reheated scrambled eggs onto my plate. He made breakfast an hour ago, but I had overslept, meaning everyone but the eldest wolf, Hoseok, and I had gone outside for training. “Late night?”

You have no idea…

I smile as best as I can with my limbs feeling like concrete, “I didn’t sleep well.”

“Oh and that’s why you smell like Hepatica flowers,” Hoseok gives me a knowing smile. My cheeks flush with heat. “Don’t worry, Eun. This isn’t a prison.”

Seokjin bobs his head in agreement, “We just want you to be safe.”

Relief settles over me like a pleasantly warm blanket. Hopefully they think I just went for a walk. A really long walk. But no harm, no foul right? It’s not like I had actually done anything wrong. Jimin and I just went to that field, I had a vision… and he punched me. My skin suddenly feels a bit clammy. Why? He punched me because I was chanting Halsahm’s name.

Something settles unpleasantly in my chest, an ominous kind of feeling.

I had said a demon’s name aloud.

Hoseok’s head tilts curiously, “You okay?”

I nod, poking at the eggs on my plate. He probably knows I’m lying, but at this point it’s too late. Should I tell them? At the very least I should ask.

“What happens when you say a demon’s name out loud? Erm, Namjoon sunbae told me it was bad and I’m just curious.”

Seokjin looks to Hoseok, who shrugs and replies quietly, “Namjoon’s grandfather said something about… saying their names makes them stronger. We’ve never actually tested it.”

“Makes them stronger?”

“More powerful,” Seokjin clarifies. “We don’t know how or why but that’s the assumption that was handed to us by the old pack before they stepped down.”

“Meaning our parents and grandparents,” Hoseok throws in.

“The fact of the matter is, we don’t want to test that kind of theory, yeah?” Seokjin gives me a tight lipped smile.

“What hyung is trying to say is, don’t do it,” Hoseok adds bluntly, but then his expression softens, “We only want to  keep everyone safe. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

“Thanks,” I somehow manage to get the word around the lump in my throat. To avoid questions, I start shoveling food into my mouth, hoping the conversation moves on. It thankfully does as Seokjin mentions a restaurant fire in town which was apparently broadcast on the news this morning and Hoseok complains that it’s been clogging up his sinuses all day. I don’t really see how that’s possible, but maybe it’s a werewolf thing.

I decide not to bring up demon names again, hoping that Jimin had been wrong. He said I was muttering “Halsham,” a one letter difference to Halsahm. Could that…? Would that change anything? Had he misheard? I am too frightened to ask.

As uneventful minutes slip into hours and uneventful hours slip into days, I start to relax and my body and mind both return to some sort of equilibrium. The exhaustion from the not-exorcism wears off, the warmth of early summer bathes the abandoned village, and Munhee decides to have me practice my tolerance for magic. The progress is slow, but after a week I’m able to maintain and create the green flame.

It’s small, only about the size of a flame from a standard lighter, but it doesn’t matter. I am performing actual magic. From scratch.

“Kookie look!” I present my palm with the little flame, which is flickering proudly. Well, it’s not proud. I am. But at this point who cares? I’m doing magic.

“That’s nice,” he grunts, one arm hanging off the mattress he’s sprawled out on, the other draped over his nose, shielding his eyes from the dim light of the room.

“You didn’t even look.”

“You already showed me-”

“But this one’s bigger than before,” I’m not sure whether it’s disappointment or irritation that trickles into my chest at my friend’s lack of interest.

Jungkook lifts his arm, opening his eyes just a crack before scrunching his nose, “Looks the same to me.”

Definitely irritation.

I take a deep breath, extinguishing the flame, “Alright. I guess I’ll keep working on it.”

He must hear the change in my tone because the raven haired boy slowly pushes himself into a sitting position, “Eun, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just a little tired.”

“Okay.”

“I’m serious,” Jungkook scoots closer, letting his legs fall off the edge of the mattress until we’re sitting shoulder to shoulder. “Show me again.”

I fight a frown in favor of concentrating on my palm. I can feel the energy circling there, getting warmer, but never hot. Munhee told me to focus on this energy, notice the way that it moves like a living creature. She said I need to feel it, then condense it into as small a point as possible. And lastly, in my head, create a metaphorical spark.

As abruptly as a branch snapping, with the same kind of cracking sensation, the little green flame blossoms in my hand. It’s weightless and now familiar. I’ve noticed that the color of mine is a bit deeper than Munhee’s.

“It’s pretty,” Jungkook watches the faint flicker, a small, somewhat forced smile turning up the corners of his lips. I know he’s been out all day exercising and is probably exhausted. I don’t think I can blame him for his lack of enthusiasm at something so small. He cocks his head, “Can I touch it?”

“Sure,” I say quietly, also trying for a smile. I rest my hand in his lap and Jungkook reaches out eagerly, only hesitating just before his fingers touch the flame.

“Is it hot?”

“No. It doesn’t really feel like anything at all.”

Jungkook winces as he quickly passes his finger through the small, flickering bud of green, but then he visibly relaxes and does it again.

“Weird. I thought it would burn.”

“I did too.”

His hand drops. I withdraw mine. The pause is awkward and long, something that usually doesn’t happen between Jungkook and me. He lets out a quiet sigh attention going from the green flame sitting in my palm to my eyes.

“Noona… suggested something to me today.”

Noona? Since when had he started calling Munhee that?

“What did she say?”

Jungkook leans forward, perching himself on the edge of the mattress, gaze dropping to the floor, “She said that… we should… think about moving into different rooms.”

“What? Why?”

“Something about focusing on our ‘areas of study,’ but I think it’s really because she wants us separated. I’m tell you, Eun. There’s something not right about this place.”

I never told Jungkook about Halsahm. I never told him about my adventure to the Hepatica field with Jimin. For some reason, my instincts told me to keep it to myself. Maybe I should say something. After all, my best friend is my closest ally. Keeping Jungkook in the loop would only be beneficial. Right? He’ll probably be angry with me for waiting this long, but as they say, better late than never.

Just as I open my mouth, a knock on the door interrupts the conversation. I decide that “late” will have to be another, later time.

“Come in,” I extinguish the flame on my palm, closing my fist around it and letting the invisible energy spill out of my hand.

Of course it’s Munhee that peeks inside, “Just checking in with a quick question.”

My relationship with her has become… strange. Guilt plagues me every time we make eye contact and I have a constant, subtle fear that she’ll find out what I had done. I don’t think she would be mad, maybe disappointed or hurt. Would she stop my magic training? Would she make me leave? Or would she separate me from Jungkook, do something to him? The thought haunts me. She wouldn’t. Munhee has only been honest and open with me, mostly kind, though sometimes blunt and harsh in her words. But she’s never harmed me. She doesn’t seem like the type who would do something like that. At least, not with the pack protecting Jungkook.

Wait, would the pack protect him? Yes, he’s one of them, but does the imprint override the bond between wolves?

My mind is almost too crowded to hear Munhee’s next words, “Would either of you like to visit your parents tomorrow?”

I exchange a glance with Jungkook before asking, “Visit them?”

We’d been given access to a phone and I’ve spoken with them on several occasions, continuing to be very vague about our current situation, our “academic field trip,” but assuring them that I’m doing well. It’s kind of odd. I don’t feel homesick. Do I miss my parents? Sure. Almost anyone would. But I’m not upset about being away from them. I’m not even worried about demons “coming to get them.” The pack has it handled.

Still, it would be nice to go and physically see them.

Munhee nods, “Yeah, Namjoon’s grandfather has all the documents and everything set up. Passports, letters of recommendation, even a transcript for an abroad class or two.”

“He can do that?” Jungkook tilts his head with curiosity.

She laughs lightly, “Well, your parents already know what’s going on. All we need to do is convince Eun’s and it’s easy to forge these things when you know what they’re supposed to look like.”

I want to ask, “Why not tell them the truth?” But I understand. Werewolves? Demons? That could lead to mass hysteria. Even “witch hunts” to root out evil spirits. Or worse. When Jungkook first transformed, yes, he had been violent toward Munhee, but he had been feral. He had been protecting me, running on instinct. Could anyone blame him more than a cat protecting its kittens? A bear its cubs? The only difference is their lycanthropic nature.

I had been so afraid of what he would do to me, but… they’re just people. They might not be human, but they are sentient, logical creatures even in their wolf forms. Could the general public see that? Could my parents? Might they look past the long teeth and claws, the massive bodies, the piercing amber eyes? Or would they be just as scared as I had been? Would they try to exterminate them like cultures in the past?

“As long as I know what our story is, I’d like to go visit them,” I decide with a small smile. Jungkook nods his agreement, looking uneasy.

Munhee returns my smile, “Alright. I’ll arrange a ride and get your stories straight. Be ready to go after breakfast.”

With that, she walks back into the hallway and shuts the door behind her, leaving Jungkook and me alone again. I turn to my friend, “You okay?”

The raven haired boy takes a deep breath, replying after a long pause, “Yes and no. I’m happy I’ll get to see my parents… but what if I hurt someone?”

“Jungkook, you’ve gotten your transformations relatively under control. All you have to do is stay calm, right? Calm and happy.”

More conflict crosses his expression, “But what about you? What if something happens to-?”

“I’ll be next to you the whole time. Our parents know we’re friends. They’ll probably want to see both of us. My mom loves you,” I reassure him. “It’ll be fine.”

And everything is fine. My parents don’t suspect a thing and praise us for our fabricated studiousness. Jungkook’s parents praise us for our actual progress, his father seeming very empathetic towards me in particular.

It’s fairly refreshing to get out of the bunker and away from the forest. I guess I had been so invested in training, practice, and mysteries that my task-oriented mindset didn’t give me time to think about home all that much. My heart hurts as we leave in a nondescript black van, waving goodbye out of the tinted windows that we know our parents can’t see through anyway.

The trip is long, monotonous and the man driving says nothing, just sits there, doing his job and looking like a stereotypical badass government agent, sunglasses and all. Jungkook and I sit quietly in the back seat, our fingers laced in the space between us. It’s weird, how only a month and a half has passed, but so much has changed- and yet, some things remain the same.

Taehyung is the one who meets us at the edge of the forest instead of Namjoon, who made sure we got into the car safely this morning.

“Hey there, kids!” Taehyung waves enthusiastically, a big smile lighting his expression. He slings an arm around both of us, giving a half salute to the driver, jostling Jungkook, “Thanks for dropping them off safe, Daesuk!”

The bronze haired boy pauses, half frowning, half pouting, whispering, “Or… was it Gisu? They all look the same. But don’t tell them I said that.”

The driver continues to stare blankly ahead. Behind his sunglasses, I can’t even tell if he’s looking at us anymore. Taehyung is not off put by this. He waves animatedly again, “Tell hyung’s grandpa Taetae said hi!”

No reaction. It’s almost comical.

Still beaming, Taehyung leads us off of the road and into the forest. He warbles about little things like how it’s summer now so different flowers will be blooming and everyone will be able to stay up later, etcetera. Jungkook seems to listen intently. Meanwhile, my heart hurts. Seeing my parents reminded me what not feeling in mortal danger all the time felt like… what being able to unconditionally trust everyone around me felt like.

The sound of my name permeates through the fog of thoughts.

“Eun-ah~ do I have to kiss you to get your attention?”

But the growl is the thing that pulls me fully back to the present.

Taehyung laughs, “Relax, Kook. I wouldn’t actually kiss her. Maybe. Unless she wanted me to.”

Jungkook growls again. I laugh lightly, shaking my head to clear it, “Yeah no worries there. I wouldn’t kiss him if he paid me.”

The older of the two gasps, “Excuses me? Between my rugged good looks and witty charm, I’m irresistible.”

I roll my eyes affectionately, “Anyway…”

“Right, I was gonna ask you a question,” Taehyung trots ahead a few steps, easily hopping up on top of a fallen tree and extending his hand to help Jungkook and I over it. My raven haired friend drops down immediately, but Taehyung continues just as I reach the top, making me pause. “So are you and Jungkook a thing?”

I almost choke on air. Jungkook isn’t much better off.

“Wh-what?”

The bronze haired boy gives a genuine laugh, “I mean, you guys share a room, he’s imprinted on you, you’re best friends, it’s like a cheesy romance novel.”

I glance down at Jungkook, trying to read his expression as neither of us dare to answer. I’ve always thought he was handsome, smart, determined. Really, I could find no faults in my friend except his excessive cautiousness, which eventually turned out to be both valid and helpful, and the fact that he chews with his mouth open.

Taehyung looks amused more than anything else, so I stall for time, “Why does it matter?”

“Just wondering if you’d thought about intimate bonding yet.”

“Intimate bonding?” I ask, something about the phrasing making my heart flutter nervously.

“Yeah,” Taehyung nods, wiggling his eyebrows, “I mean no rush because that’s a big decision-”

“Like, the werewolf equivalent of getting married?” I take a shot in the dark, cringing.

He shrugs, “Something like that. But more permanent.”

My cheeks are burning.

“Werewolves are mated for life,” Taehyung hops off of the fallen tree, leaving me on top by myself. “So if that’s the path you wanna take, gotta choose wisely yknow?”

“She’s turning twenty in a few weeks,” Jungkook’s upper lip pulls back a bit. “Do we have to start talking about forever now?”

“You’re turning twenty too,” Taehyung doesn’t seem bothered by the slight aggression at all, tone light and curious. I lower myself down to the ground carefully. “All I’m asking is if you’ve thought about it.”

“No, she hasn’t-”

“Relax,” I place a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, making the small amount of bright amber that had started to crawl into his eyes dissipate. “He’s not suggesting anything. Just… making us aware.”

“Right,” the bronze haired boy gives us a boxy grin. “Aware. Anyway, let’s go. I wanna be back before dark.”

The rest of the walk back to the bunker is long, hot, and makes me a little bit sweaty and uncomfortable. Mostly sweaty. Jungkook still can’t remain in control for long after transforming, maybe ten minutes tops, so to avoid any unintentional mauling or other danger, Taehyung smartly suggests they stay in human form for a majority of the time. But this means our travel time doubles and I’m miserable for reasons that seem… slightly irrational in the grand scheme of things.

The Hepaticas are going out of season. The flowers are wilting. I can see the limp petals falling around the plants as we walk past them. Out side of the clearing, they don’t grow as densely, but they do pepper the forest floor noticeably. We’ve been here so long, living this life that I hadn’t even known was an option. I think the Hepaticas just remind me of that and a time when life was much less strange. Much less guilt ridden. I glance at Jungkook.

I use the flowers as an excuse to not think about what Taehyung said. It’s not important. Not right now. As the abandoned town comes into view, I quicken my pace to walk next to Jungkook, lacing our fingers habitually.

But then both boys stop at the smeared line that marks the edge of the forest, attention swiveling to our left. Taehyung starts bouncing excitedly, “You two know the way back from here, right?”

Jungkook looks at me, expression conflicted. I’m about to ask why, but the sound of heavy pants and claws against gravel proceeds the appearance of four massive wolves colored auburn, soft grapefruit, ochre, and blue-grey by just a handful of seconds. Seokjin, Yoongi, Hoseok, and Namjoon. They’re probably going for an evening run.

“Give me your shirt, go ahead,” I nod my encouragement. “I know the way back.”

Taehyung apparently doesn’t need any more convincing. He’s stripped down to his shorts as soon as I finish my second sentence. Jungkook hesitates though, giving my hand a squeeze before he pulls off his shirt and kicks off his socks and shoes. The instinct to follow the pack must be strong because as soon as he’s liberated of his clothes, save the elastic shorts, the telltale cracking reaches my ears and the raven colored wolf is bounding away.

I collect Taehyung’s belongings and start along the lantern marked path to the little shack that hides the entrance to the bunker. Despite holding two almost complete outfits, my hands feel… empty.

It’s quiet when I open the mistletoe doors. Setting the boys’ shoes next to the entrance, I decide to go take a shower. Maybe I’ll indulge myself after, put on a movie and idly practice magic while I watch it. A small smile lifts the corners of my lips.

My parents are okay, everyone around me has proved themselves trustworthy, Jungkook is out having fun, we’re safe here, and life is good.

As usual, time stands still in the bunker. I know it’s night outside. The stars are out and the crickets are chirping, but I can neither see them nor hear them. The soft fluorescent lights don’t change. It remains quiet. I finish the movie and extinguish the flame in my hand. They’re still out? It’s not particularly strange or worrying. I guess I’m just bored. With nothing to actively worry about, my mind will start to wander and that’s when homesickness will set in.

I put on another movie.

About halfway through, the sounds of voices and laughter cause me to press pause. The six rowdy boys file in through the mistletoe doors that I had left open a crack. Seokjin playfully pushes around Hoseok, who is cackling hysterically while Yoongi watches on with… is he smiling? Namjoon looks like he’s lecturing Taehyung, who is obviously not paying attention. Of course Jimin isn’t with them. Predictable. But Jungkook’s gaze immediately lands on me, his expression brightening.

He rushes forward, but I stop him with a hand up, hovering just in front of his chest. I wrinkle my nose, “Sweaty.”

“You or me?” Jungkook giggles, a bright flush to his cheeks and a shine on his bare chest and forehead.

“Definitely you,” my face warms and I shoo him away to take a shower.

Seokjin pops his head in to say hello, but other than that, I’m left alone as everyone goes to their rooms, probably to clean up. I don’t blame them. I turn the movie back on and am content watching it, idly playing with the green flame in my palm- until a shadow slowly slides into view. I look up and am surprised to find Jimin.

He looks bored as usual, and his voice is low with what might be irritation, “Taehyung told me to give this to you.”

The boy with the coffee colored hair presents a single Hepatica flower. My eyes widen in a mix of surprise and apprehension. It’s bright purple and hasn’t even started to wilt, but…

“Taehyung got this for me?”

Jimin scoffs, “I told him to shove it up his ass, but he insisted.”

Does this have something to do with that more than awkward discussion earlier? Was he suggesting something more than a discussion about my friendship with Jungkook? Something about himself?

I take the flower with a hint of hesitation, “Tell him I said thank you.”

Jimin gives a nod that looks suspiciously like an eye roll before taking his leave.

A small pinch forms in my throat, but I decide that I won’t say anything about this unless Taehyung brings it up.

✩✩✩♔✩✩✩

Send me your theories/questions here. Or just come say hi ;) ~🐰 xx Please include the End of Post Question number upon submission, thank you!

Support me/Donate and get some super rad ��� rewards

Much love ~🐰 xx