Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Strings of Fate. Blue strings, green strings, red strings, white strings. Colourful lines of thread connecting people in different ways. Strings that few people can see, and it’s both a blessing and a curse to be able to see them. People who have this gift often keep it to themselves, not wanting the responsibility of telling people if someone is their soulmate or not. It can be stressful for those that can see them.

You’ve had this gift since birth, yet it’s proven to be both a blessing and a curse. Having the ability to see the strings of fate proves to be both helpful and a burden all the same. You kept your sight to yourself; for the most part, only your close friends and family know about it now. 

When you were younger, you made the mistake of letting it slip that you could see them, and while at first some of your friends didn’t believe you, they soon showed their true colours and kept asking about different people. It reached a time where you wouldn’t talk to them about it and moved on with your life, making new friends along the way. You could see your strings as well.

The green strings always ended nearby, your family. The blue ones went a little further, attached to your genuine friends who you held close to your heart. The red one… your red string was too short. You saw as it hung from your heart and faded into nothing a few feet behind you. It wasn’t broken, you knew that, but whoever your soulmate was, was far away.

♥ ♥ ♥

“I told you, it doesn’t work through screens like that, Mya,” you stated, exasperated with your friend.

“Oh, come on,” She started, “Have you really tried ?” Amiyah asked, a large smile on her face as she made you watch yet another music video.

“It. Doesn’t. Work.” You repeated, frowning at her. 

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the screen. “That’s too bad,” she replied, “guess you’ll just have to see what happens in a couple of days.” She was far too excited about the prospect of either of you meeting your soulmates in the very near future. “When’s the next time we’re going to be around so many people?” She argued. She was right. 

You didn’t tend to go out in large crowds because of your ability to see the strings of fate. You always felt like you would get tangled up in them, even though the only strings you could touch were your own. You looked down at the red string that was protruding from your body. It still didn’t look any longer, and it disappeared a few feet away. 

Amiyah’s giggles brought you back from your thoughts, and you looked over at the screen to see j-hope snapping his hips forward as he sang Baepsae . The rest of your day was like that, watching BTS videos, singing along to them. A few days from now, you would have your chance to find the person your heartstring connected to, your soulmate. You lied in bed that night, twisting the string between your fingers, thinking about what kind of person it would be.

♥ ♥ ♥

“Nothing today either?” Jimin’s voice pulled Taehyung from thought as he sat in front of the fan to cool down.

Tae shook his head, “no,” he sounded disappointed, but Jimin smiled at him and touched the place where he knew the white string he and Tae shared was connected to him.

“One day, TaeTae.” Taehyung nodded silently, allowing their makeup team to clean up his makeup and dab the sweat off of him. He looked down at his red string of fate, reaching up to touch it. It disappeared a few feet away. Unbroken, but his soulmate too far for it to show him the distance. It was for the best. He would keep following it otherwise. 

He sighed and let himself relax. There would be more days. More people. More chances. He heard Yoongi finishing Seesaw and knew it was time to pull himself back together. It was time for TaeTae to hide away and time for him to be V. ARMY deserved the best, and he was going to work hard for them.

♥ ♥ ♥

“Look how sad he looks in this picture,” Amiyah held her phone up to you. On the screen, you saw Taehyung from BTS, looking out at the crowd with a discontent smile. You frowned as you looked at the picture. You’d never seen such a face on Taehyung before. “What do you think happened? Do you think he fought with one of the others?” She asked, and you shrugged, handing her phone back. 

“Tae, fighting with anyone? Maybe Jungkook? I’m sure he’ll be alright. It’s Tae, after all.” But you could feel a tug inside you that pained you more than you let on. It was a week before the concert. A week before, you were going to be in a crowd of people. You didn’t know what emotion you were feeling more; it scared you to be around so many people but excited to be going to this concert. 

You went over your plans with Amiyah time and time again, making sure you were ready. You practised not being able to see the strings. Sometimes you could manage, but it was difficult. You hoped the concert would help take your mind off of them for a while.

That week was distracting for you. You were pulling your shoes on that Monday to get lunch when you spotted a red streak in the corner of your eye. Your eyes followed it, and you quickly realised that it was connected to you. Your heart thumped in your chest as you touched the string. It extended further than it had before. Eagerly you grabbed your keys and wallet, rushing out the door. The urge to follow the string was strong, and you couldn’t stop yourself from chasing after it. You’d never seen it so long.

Before you knew it, Amiyah was calling you on your phone, and you picked up without a second thought, a bit out of breath.

“Where are you? You’ve been gone for so long. I thought you were just going to get lunch.” You hadn’t realised how long you’d been gone, nor had you realised how far you’d travelled.

“Sorry, Mya, I… I got distracted.” You followed the string with your eyes, and it kept going. You don’t know how far it went. “I’ll get lunch and come back home. I shouldn’t be much longer.”

“Are you okay?” You could hear the worry in her voice.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Sorry to make you worry.”

You cast another look at the direction your red thread went and walked the opposite direction, heading towards home rather than away from it. It was difficult not to follow, but you weren’t sure how far it went. You picked up lunch and headed home, greeting Amiyah when you got back.

“What’s going on?” You looked at her in surprise. “You wouldn’t just go off like that. What happened?”

“It’s…” You wanted to say it was nothing, but it wasn’t. It was far from nothing. “I was following my red thread.” You admitted, setting the food on the table.

“You mean it keeps going now?” She plopped into a chair at the table and started pulling food from the bag. “How far does it go?” 

You shrugged, “I don’t know. It looks like it goes pretty far, though.”

“Which direction is it in?” When you told her, she lit up. “Maybe it will be someone at the concert this weekend. If it just showed up, it means that someone recently got there. Oh man, I’m so excited for you! You’re going to meet your soulmate soon!” You nodded and twisted the string around your fingers, playing with it.

“Or it’s just someone in the city visiting someone or some business trip.” You told her sceptical about meeting your soulmate at the upcoming concert. It just sounded too easy. Too perfect.

“You have no faith in my precognition, do you?” She pouted, looking at you with her doe eyes.

“It’s not that I don’t have faith in you.” She deadpanned as you spoke, “Okay, maybe I doubt it a bit.” She frowned. “Okay! Okay! I’m sceptical about this whole thing! I just don’t think it’s going to be so unbelievable like that! You keep joking on about “what if it’s one of BTS”, and I can’t help but feel a bit stupid thinking like that!”

“It’s not stupid.” Amiyah countered, her previously happy and excited mood diminishing. “I don’t think it’s stupid.”

“Mya, I didn’t…” You sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, no.” She shifted in her seat, “I get it. How could it possibly be one of the guys from BTS? There’s like... thousands of people in the city, and your string could be attached to any one of them. The chances are too small. Seven out of thousands of people.”

“Amiyah…” You reached for her when she got up and headed toward her room. “Mya, I’m sorry.” You tried, but she shook her head and disappeared down the hall.

You deflated on the couch and twisted the string around your fingers, “Whoever you are, you better be the most amazing person in my life.”

♥ ♥ ♥

“Something wrong, Taehyung?” Jimin asked, placing a hand on his platonic soulmate’s shoulder. “You look distressed.”

The idol looked away from the window to look at the other man, “Whoever my soulmate is… they’re a lot closer than before.”

Jimin’s eyebrows lifted at the knowledge, “Do you want to go out and try to find them? I’m sure Sejin wouldn’t mind if we went out on our own for a while.”

Taehyung took Jimin’s hand and nodded, “Let’s go drive around.”

“Where are you two going?” Namjoon’s voice startled them when they were walking down the hall.

“We’re going to go see if we can find Tae’s soulmate,” Jimin remarked cheerfully.

Namjoon shook his head and gave the two younger men a sympathetic look, “we have a live tonight, you can’t just go wandering off. You know this week is busy.”

Taehyung’s heart sank, and Jimin looked down at the floor, “It would just be for a little while.”

“It’s okay, Jimin.” Taehyung spoke up, “there will be other days.”

The blonde looked up at his friend, about to argue on behalf of him, but Tae’s resolute expression told him to let it go. Namjoon was right; they had things to do. They had to focus on work. They couldn’t just run off on their own as they wanted. Taehyung put on a cheerful smile, but Jimin knew the truth. He could feel the pain the man holding his hand felt. The way his fingers squeezed his hand. The slight trembles rocking through his body.

They returned to Jimin’s room, and when they were behind closed doors, Jimin embraced his best friend, holding him tightly as he let out his frustrations. It wasn’t easy being so close to your soulmate, but so far at the same time. The blonde knew that much. It would be a rough week, and Jimin was prepared to do whatever he had to to keep Tae smiling.

♥ ♥ ♥ 

Your week was shit. Amiyah was still upset with you the next day, you could hear her playing Magic Shop and Spring Day several times. When she didn’t leave her room, you made her some lunch and some hot chocolate, hoping that your offering was enough to allow you to apologise appropriately. You knocked on her door and didn’t get a reply, so you knocked again.

“I don’t want to talk to people who don’t trust me.” She said from beyond the door.

“Will you talk to someone who brought you food and cocoa?”

There was silence for a moment and then shuffling. When the door opened, you were greeted with an unfamiliar expression. “Three minutes.”

You stepped inside and placed your peace offering on her desk, turning to her afterwards. “Mya, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you yesterday. You know I trust you with everything I have. Please never think that I would never trust you.”

“Well, you don’t seem very trusting in my precognition skills.” She crossed her arm.

“They’re not always right,” you defended. She scowled. “They’re right most of the time.”

“On the off chance that I’m wrong about some feelings, I don’t feel like this one is one of them. I can feel that I’m right. I know you’re going to find your soulmate at the concert.”

You sucked in a breath, ready to argue about the odds or the chances of that happening, but you didn’t, “I yield,” you sighed. “If you one-hundred percent think that I’m going to meet my soulmate at the concert this weekend, I trust you. I believe you.”

A smile graced her lips, “I do, one-hundred percent.”

“But you can’t expect me to believe that it’s going to be someone from BTS.” You added.

You knew she wanted to argue, but instead, she just picked up her hot chocolate and took a deep sip from the cup. “Fine, I yield.” She mimicked. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop being hopeful for you. You may not believe it’s going to be one of them, but I do.”

You let out another sigh and nodded, “You’re allowed to believe what you want.”

“Damn right, I am.” She smirked behind her cup.

“I really am sorry, forgive me?”

Amiyah set the cup back down and placed her hands on your shoulders, “I already forgave you when you brought me cocoa.”

The rest of your week was filled with strange pinning and the urge to follow after the string. You damn near walked out into traffic at least three times, Amiyah yanking you back to her side each time it happened. She scolded you with, “are you trying to kill yourself before you meet your soulmate?” and refused to let go of your hand whenever you walked around town. Each day she marked a day off the calendar. D-5, D-4, D-3, D-2… you were both nervous and excited. 

On the one hand, you were excited about the concert. You were excited to see your favourite group live for the first time. On the other hand, you were nervous. You were worried about being around so many people. You were nervous about what kind of person your soulmate would be. The entire week you were filled with longing and bouts of depression, you did your best to hide from Amiyah. It wasn’t easy, and you couldn’t help but search for what you were going through on the internet.

You read that these surges of emotion were from your soulmate. That’s when you realised they must be feeling what you’re feeling in return, and you did your best to be cheerful, but it was difficult. 

“D-1!” Amiyah exclaimed the day before the concert. She was more excited than you were. She was already decked out in BTS attire. “Hear me out,” she started. A smile was already growing on your face, “what if that string of yours connected to say… Joonie?” 

You snorted and shook your head. “Why, Namjoon?” You questioned, grinning over at her.

“Because it’s Namjoon! Okay. Okay. What about… Hobi?”

“I would die.” 

“How?” 

“Easy, I’d run out of energy and keel over.”

Amiyah laughed and couldn’t stop laughing. Honestly speaking, if your string connected to any of the seven, you felt like you’d keel over and die right there. You couldn’t see any downsides to it. No one could compete with the strings of fate. That’s just how it was. You were still sceptical as all hell about it being one of the guys, but there was still a tiny voice in your head saying, “what if…”

♥ ♥ ♥

“V,” Someone called his name, “Taehyung.” The man looked away from the direction he was staring.

“Yeah?” 

“We’ve got rehearsal, come on.” Namjoon beckoned, and Tae gave a slight nod. They had a concert that night. He was supposed to be working hard for ARMY. He couldn’t let anyone down. He’d seen the tweets and Weverse messages about his fake smile from a few days ago. He couldn’t let that happen again. The fans were so perceptive. 

“Is it this?” Jimin questioned, placing his hand on Tae’s heart, covering where he was taught the threads stemmed. Taehyung nodded and put his hand over Jimin’s. “They’re so close. Do you think they’ll be here tonight?” 

“Jimin, I can’t concentrate.” He admitted frowning. “If I can’t concentrate, I’ll mess up, and I’ll let ARMY down. I don’t want to do that again. I’m doing so well.”

“It’s okay,” Jimin replied, smiling up at his best friend, “I’ll be with you to make sure you don’t mess up. ARMY loves it when we stick together.” Tae nodded, taking Jimin’s hand in his own. If that’s what it took to keep his head clear, then so be it. He’d hold Jimin’s hand all night if he had to.

♥ ♥ ♥

“Oh, my god! Look how cute they are! Tae looks like a puppy!” Amiyah’s shoved her phone in front of your face, and it was full of shots of Tae and Jimin holding hands. There were gifs of them dancing and singing together. It made you smile. Despite the smile on Taehyung’s face, you should see a deep sadness in his eyes. It made your heart hurt. Perhaps Jimin was helping him through something. “They have to be soulmates! They’re so cute!”

“Your love for Vmin is insane.” You stated, handing the phone back to her, not wanting to feel the pain any longer. “Of course they’re soulmates; there are different kinds, you know.”

“I know, I know. You’ve told me this. There are different colours of strings that connect to people. Like you and I have a blue one, right?”

You nodded and smiled, “I’m sure Tae and Jimin have their own special colour that connects them. I bet there’s a lot of blue strings between all of them.” 

“I bet you’re excited to see that tomorrow! You’re going to have to tell me all about it!” Your smile grew, and you nodded again.

The idea of seeing the threads that connected your favourite people was exciting. Not everyone could see them. There were pictures on the internet of people drawing threads of fate between the guys, but you knew they couldn’t see them. It was evident by the placement. It had tempted you to do things like that, but you couldn’t be sure of the colours. Besides, you felt like it would out you all over again, and you weren’t prepared for that.

You were sitting there looking at pictures with Amiyah when a warmth started to spread from your red thread. It was something you’d never felt before, and it left you breathless as you placed a hand over it.

“Hey,” Amiyah asked, putting her hand on your shoulder, “Are you okay?”

You couldn’t think straight, though, and it looked as though your thread was starting to shine. How close were they to cause such a reaction? “I can feel them.” You murmured, getting up from your seat. You headed to the balcony of your apartment and stepped out, allowing the air to rush past you. You followed the red thread with your eyes, seeing which direction it went in, but you still couldn’t tell where it ended. Were they close? Were they just feeling overwhelmed? What was this?

“Maybe we should head out early? I’ve heard that people wait in line for days.”

“Let’s go.” You didn’t even hesitate. You knew that was the direction of your soulmate. 

You both packed your things and headed out, taking a cab to the next city. You watched your thread for half the drive, twisting it around your fingers in your lap. The other half of the drive was spent talking to Amiyah about how the concert would be. The cab stopped at your destination, and the number of people was staggering. You knew there would be a lot, but you still weren’t prepared for so many. 

Amiyah took your hand and smiled at you, “It’s okay. If you get overwhelmed, I’ll be your eyes.”

“You’re an angel.” You whispered, your voice not wanting to come out any louder. She pulled you by your hand and followed part of the line, finding staff from the venue to ask where you should get in line.

“If you already have a ticket, the line starts there. If you need to purchase a ticket, you need to be in that line over there,” The staff member informed.

“Thank you so much! Keep working hard!” Amiyah exclaimed and followed the already purchased ticket line. It went so far, and with every step, your thread felt heavier. Your hand was constantly against your chest, clenching your shirt as you tried to hold on to your red thread. It was so warm. So bright. It was hard to keep your mind on the area around you and not where it led. 

Your friend’s voice saying your name pulled you from your spiralling thoughts, “look at me,” you did as she asked, and she smiled at you. “I know this is a lot, but I know you can do this.”

You gave a shaky nod and sucked in a slow, deep breath as you both took a seat down on the sidewalk at the end of the line.

“Everything okay?” A woman asked, kneeling to the both of you.

“My friend here is just overwhelmed by the number of people. He rarely comes to big events like this.” Amiyah explained to her. The woman sat down next to you and handed you an unopened bottle of water.

“What’s your name?” She asked, her voice soothing you,

You murmured your name, taking the bottle of water. You opened it and took a large drink before setting it down next to you. The woman’s eyes seemed to follow something, and she smiled.

“It’s no wonder you’re having this reaction,” she spoke, her voice lower than it was before as if she didn’t want other people to hear what she was saying. “Your fate thread is glowing so brightly. I know how that feels. A kind of warmth coming from it that’s completely unexplainable. The urge to follow it to find who your heart is connected to.” You looked over at her in shock, and she smiled.

“You can see them too?” You asked, and Amiyah gasped, though she covered her mouth to keep herself quiet. The woman nodded and traced your red thread with her fingers.

“Whoever it is, they’re close. The person you're connected to is feeling the same way. Nervous and excited. Both of you followed the thread with your eyes, watching as it went straight through the wall of the stadium. Her eyes grew wide for a moment, and as did yours. There was an unspoken question that neither of you wanted to speak aloud.

“What if it’s one of the boys?” Amiyah whispered excitedly. She had seen you follow the string this time, and the way you and the woman were looking at the stadium only meant one thing. “It’s one of them or one of the many staff members inside.” A staff member, yeah. That’s who it could be. There’s no way it could be one of the members of the band.

Chapter Text

“Taehyung,” Jin’s voice ripped through the man’s thoughts, forcing him to look away from where he’d been staring. “Practice, don’t stare.” 

“Sorry,” the man murmured in reply, repositioning himself for the dance they were practising.

“Wait,” Jimin stated, stepping out of formation. “I can’t stand by anymore.” He looked at the others. Taehyung’s eyes grew wide, and he shook his head slightly, silently begging his best friend not to say anything. “Taehyung’s soulmate is out there somewhere. They’re close! He told me his string was shining so brightly. That he could feel the warmth from his thread.” Tae looked down at his feet, unsure what to do now that everyone knew what was going on.

“Your soulmate?” Hoseok’s voice exclaimed. “That’s exciting! We should go find them!”

“We don’t have time; we have to–” Jin covered Namjoon’s mouth with his hand, shutting him up.

“I know you’re the leader, but I have to agree with Hoseok. We already know the setlist. It’s not much different from last night.” The eldest member spoke. “This is an exciting thing; we should help him.” 

“We can’t leave the venue,” Yoongi spoke up, crossing his arms. “We’ll have to see if there’s a vantage point from inside. There are windows, right?” The boys looked at one another and nodded.

“Let’s go!” Jungkook stated, hurrying off.

“Kook, wait!” Namjoon called after him, making him stop. “We can’t see the threads. Tae needs to lead.”

“Oh, right.” The youngest laughed a bit and waited for the others to catch up.

Taehyung was leading the party as they made their way around the venue. Sure, there were windows, but it wasn’t that great of a view. Taehyung deflated when he realised he wasn’t going to see much of anything this way. He stopped at a blank wall, placing a hand on it. On the other side, somewhere. That’s where they were.

“TaeTae?” Jimin’s voice soothed, the man placing a hand on his shoulder. “If they’re this close, then maybe they’ll be watching tonight?” Tae nodded, resting his head against the wall as if it would help him see through it. He wasn’t sure how he was going to concentrate the rest of the day.

♥ ♥ ♥

Your head turned toward the stadium suddenly, your hand clenching your shirt once more. There were no windows to see through, but you could see the thread that connected you went through the wall.

“They’re looking for you,” The woman spoke, a smile on her face. “I bet it’s driving them just as crazy.” You both watched as the thread started heading further away. “A few more hours, and you’ll be inside. Just keep looking forward and try not to get swept up in it.”

The line was buzzing with energy with each hour. They were playing music and singing along, and you fell into the fun. You were singing along, holding Amiyah’s hand to keep yourself grounded. The woman checked on you often, and it turned out that she was there with her daughter. The four of you ordered food when you got hungry and had a wonderful meal on the sidewalk during your time waiting. 

There was a ripple effect in the line as it reached the time to enter the stadium. Your small group cleaned up and readied a bag of trash to place in the nearest trash can and readied yourselves for the best concert of your lives. You looked at your thread, still going through the wall of the stadium, and you could practically feel your soulmate’s heart beating along with yours. The line started to move as they began to let people in, and you squeezed Amiyah’s hand.

“Are you trying to break my hand out of excitement, or are you freaking out again?” She asked, squeezing back. You loosened your grip a bit and apologised, but you squeezed again the closer you got.

It took a while to reach the gates. After all, there were many people. Your heart was beating in your ears once you got inside. “There are so many people… come on, let’s find our seats. You know I bought us fantastic ones.” 

It elated you to be here at the concert. You loved the band, and you couldn’t wait to see them, so you forced the idea of your soulmate to the back of your mind, for the time being, allowing yourself to be led through the crowds to find your seats. You were led down to the stadium’s main floor, and Amiyah presented the tickets to one of the staff members who directed you to your seats. 

“You got floor tickets?” You questioned, shocked at the notion of being so close.

“Perks of being my dad’s only daughter and only child.” She replied with a wink.

“Of course,” You replied and sat in your seat. Your heartstring thrummed in your chest, and you couldn’t help but take hold of it and tug. You felt a strange resistance that you’d never felt before and tugged again; if your soulmate was so close they could feel the tugging, you thought, and just as you twisted the thread around your fingers as you always did, you felt a tug in return. You reached for your friend and grabbed her hand, getting her attention immediately.

“I tugged on it,” You told her, not worried about your voice being too loud since there were so many people around, “and they tugged back.”

Amiyah gasped and shook your hand excitedly. “That means they’re close! Which way does it go!?” You used your hand to trace your thread as far as you could reach before just pointing in the direction it went in. “So… backstage?” You both looked at one another with widened eyes. “You don’t think…?”

“Oh my god, I’ll die.” You stated, covering your mouth at the thought.

She placed her hands on your shoulders and shook you, “Which one are you hoping for?! Wait, don’t answer that; I don’t want you to be disappointed.” You laughed and stopped her insistent shaking.

“You’re going to make me sick; stop shaking me.” You warned. You weren’t nervous anymore, at least not as much anyway. You were excited and curious. Whoever it was connected to you, you would love them no matter what. If it ended up being one of the seven… your brain couldn’t function at the idea. 

It was getting louder in the stadium as more people entered and found their seats. When the chant started, you and Amiyah chanted along. Every once in a while, you would feel a tug on your thread, and you would tug back, almost as if you were trying to talk to one another. You were having fun, and you decided to pull on the string in the rhythm of the chant. You smiled when you felt a few tugs back. 

The chanting soon turned to screams when the lights started to change and music started. Your soulmate was close, and you watched intently as your thread rose from the stage on a platform. You were mesmerised by the choreography, but when they finished their song to say their speech, your attention was on the bright red thread connected to Taehyung.

You embowed Amiyah roughly, turning and whispering to her, “It’s Tae.”

“I know it’s Tae, duh.” She replied, and you hit her, widening your eyes and gesturing with your head.

“It’s Taehyung.” You repeated, though more insistently.

“I know it’s—wait. What!?” She looked at you and then looked at him and then back to you, then again at him. You were paying attention to her anymore. Your attention was back on the stage, and it felt like someone knocked the breath right out of you. Taehyung was there, hand just inches from his chest, the string tangled up around his fingers.

You brought your hand to your chest, taking hold of the thread and tugging on it. You saw it become taut, and you immediately dropped your hand from it. The surrounding fans you were screaming and chanting as Tae came closer, making the Korean heart with his fingers to the crowd—to you. You held up your hand, making the heart as well, a smile on your face as your other hand tugged playfully on the string that connected you both.

“Oh my god, you two are so cute already. Stop it.” Amiyah nudged you with a giggle, and you laughed.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You joked and watched as Taehyung made his way back over to the rest of the group. 

He whispered something to Jimin, who peeked over and grinned. The whispering spread from each member. Jimin whispered to Hoseok, who told Yoongi, who then told Namjoon. From Namjoon, it went to Jin, then to Jungkook. The entire group now knew, and they kept coming over to play the crowd and get a look at you. The concert was terrific despite the strange attention. You couldn’t help but smile as you saw the blue threads connecting each of the men. 

Jimin and Taehyung’s blue string was so bright it was nearly white, which you told Amiyah about, and she squealed at the news. Time flew by as the concert went on. The sky grew dark, and when Answer: Love Myself started, you sang along with enthusiasm. All too soon, though, the concert was over, and the stadium was emptying just as quick as it had filled. You saw the thread that connected you and Tae was stretched beyond the wall once more, and you weren’t sure what to do.

“What now?” You questioned as you and Amiyah made your way toward the doors.

“Who knows, maybe we should stick around?”

“I feel like we’d be kicked out or something.”

“You can’t just see your soulmate and walk away! That’s not how this works!”

“I know, but… what can I do?” You shrugged and, with Amiyah, walked out the gate. 

You were walking down the sidewalk along the stadium when you felt an insistent tug on your heartstring, making you follow it to where it disappeared, only it didn’t entirely disappear. It was on level with you, and it was moving. Curious, you hurried forward, dragging Amiyah with you until you reached one of the gates that led into the stadium. You saw a group of people by the doors, and you couldn’t stifle the laugh that bubbled up when you saw them rush someone out with one of the security guards. 

“I’ll leave you to it. As much as I would love to stick around, I don’t want to be a bother to you.” Amiyah said, hurrying off, “I’ll see you later, okay?” 

You gave a nod and turned your attention back to the two figures hurrying to the gate, your thread connected to one of them. The security guard reached the gate first, unlocking and opening it just enough for you to go inside. The group at the door beckoned you to hurry inside, and looking back at the sidewalk, you could see why. There were curious fans still lurking around and had spotted the commotion, and your hurried walk turned into a run along with Tae and the security guard. You didn’t have time to stop correctly and ended up barrelling into someone, though it felt more like running into a wall than anything.

“I got you,” The man spoke, and you were lost in panting and laughing at the same time. The door closed, and there was a lot of ‘thank you’s being given to the security guard.

“Hands off, Joon,” Tae’s voice broke through all the laughter, and a pair of large hands pulled you from your wall. “This person is mine.” A hand reached up and touched the red thread at your chest, and you smiled brightly up at Tae. “My soulmate.”

“I wasn’t going to steal him,” Namjoon poked at Taehyung’s shoulder. “You were the one who insisted on rushing out with the security guard. You could’ve stayed here and caught him instead.” 

“Hey, what’s your name, person of Tae?” Hoseok questioned, his sunny bright smile on his face.

You gave your name with a grin. “It’s nice to meet all of you.” 

“This is so exciting!” Jimin exclaimed, taking one of your hands as they led you down the hallway. “We have eight people to play games now!”

“Hold on,” you spoke, a little worried at the mention of it. “Aren’t I going to be hidden away from the public eye? You know, to protect me from some of the more… easily upset ARMY?” You knew how the fans could get. 

“He has a point,” Yoongi said, “some of the fans won’t be thrilled to hear about this. He could be hurt.”

You gave a slight smile, “I know ARMY is no force to be reckoned with. Some of them aren’t scared to act on bad feelings.” You explained, taking Tae’s hand with your free one. “I love ARMY, and I know there are a lot of good ones, but I wouldn’t be so quick to release such sensitive information.”

“He’s right. We should talk to Bang PD before making any decisions.” Namjoon said, giving you a thumbs up. “You’ll make a great addition to the family.” 

“Another topic of discussion,” Jungkook spoke up this time, “Is he coming with us? We have to leave in the morning.” 

You smiled over at Jungkook and nodded. “Without a doubt. All I have to do is call home and tell Amiyah, and she’ll pack whatever I need for me.”

“You have a wonderful friend,” Jin said with a smile.

“I do,” You replied, looking down at the blue thread that you often overlooked because you’d seen it so much. “We’re not soulmate friends like Tae and Jimin, but it’s close.” 

They led you to a door that led outside and to a couple of cars that were parked. Of course, they weren’t going to stick around for long; they were tired. Jimin climbed in the car first, then you and Taehyung was right behind you, squishing you between him and Jimin. 

“Never thought I’d be so lucky.” You said though, it was mostly to yourself.

“To be squished between TaeTae and me?” Jimin teased. You nodded and relaxed between them, pulling out your phone to text Amiyah. You told her what you were going to do, and she told you she’d pack a bunch of stuff for you when she got home. You leaned your head against Taehyung’s shoulder, and he squeezed your hand lightly. You felt small next to him, but it was comforting. 

“Tae, you okay?” You asked, squeezing his hand in return. He gave a slight nod, and you raised an eyebrow. You reached up and tugged the red string that was only a few inches long between you. “What happened to my smiley, excited Taehyung?” 

“I don’t want to pull you away from what you have here.” He admitted, looking a bit guilty at the idea.

“Kim Taehyung, you look at me right now.” You spoke his name with such seriousness, “This red string between us means we are bound together. You don’t have to worry about pulling me away from anyone. My best friend understands completely, and though we may miss one another, we’ll always be friends; that’s what this thread means.” Your hand moved from the red thread between the two of you to the blue one that now spanned further than you’d seen it go in a while. “No matter how far. We will be connected.” Tae’s hand reached up to cover yours as if your ideals marvelled him.

“Please don’t start making out in the car,” Jimin spoke. You noticed that he’d moved over as far as he could in the car to give you both space. “TaeTae’s my best friend and all, but that doesn’t mean I want to see you going at it.” Jimin’s words broke Taehyung out of his thoughts, making both of you laugh at the situation. You were at the hotel soon enough, and to your surprise, everyone had separate rooms, which was good for privacy if you were honest.

You walked with Taehyung, hand in hand, to his hotel room, and when the door closed behind you, he pulled you into a close embrace.

“Every day I waited,” he spoke, “every concert I hoped.” His voice trembled and sounded pained, but you knew how he was feeling. 

You slipped your arms around him, holding him tightly, “I’m here now, and we’re together.” You replied, looking up at him with a loving smile. “I never thought in a million years that I would be connected to someone so important. So many people love you, and here I am with you like this.” 

Tae placed a gentle kiss on your forehead and smiled down at you, “You are the most important person to me now.”

“You’re so sappy and awkward.” You stated, teasing him. “ARMY and BTS are just as important, so don’t you dare start slacking.” His eyes widened as he looked down at you before a large smile bloomed on his face. “What, you think I would just ask you to stop? Fuck that, V’s sexy. I don’t want to take that away from people.”

Tae raised an eyebrow and pulled away, leading you to the bed to relax. You both kicked your shoes off and made yourself comfortable on the bed, snuggling up on the pillows. Taehyung followed you and settled on the bed next to you, an arm lazily draped over your waist. “I didn’t think…” He paused, his hand playing with the back of your shirt, “I hoped…” It was like he couldn’t put what he wanted to say in words.

“You didn’t think I would be so understanding? So supportive?”

Tae frowned and moved closer to you, positioning his other arm so you could rest your head on it. “It’s not that,” he replied, still unsure of his words.

“I would never want to take you away from BTS or the fans. The other members are your family, your brothers, and ARMY is the stars in the night sky.” Your soulmate’s frown started lifting into a small smile as you spoke your words.

“I guess I’m just… relieved. I never realised how nervous I would be that whoever I was connected to would want me to stop.” He admitted, closing his eyes as he thought further.

“Taehyung, BTS isn’t just some career you can stop.” You stated, placing a hand on his chest, covering the place where your thread connected, “BTS is a dream, and no one can stop or take away someone else’s dream.” Taehyung’s eyes opened, and he looked at you. His smile grew. 

There were no more words as he leaned in to cover your lips with his own, connecting both of you. Warmth spread from your heartstring, it blossomed through you in a wave, and you felt so content, so complete. The way your mouths moulded against one another was perfect. You didn’t know how much time passed as you lied there, tangled up with one another. A knock at the door prompted you to cease your activities.

“Yes?” Tae called, not wanting to move from his spot tangled up with you.

“We ordered some fried chicken. Do you want to come to eat with us?” Jimin’s voice asked from the other side of the door. Your stomach woke up at the thought of food, and you smiled over at Tae.

“We’ll be there in a minute,” Tae replied, returning your smile with his own.

“Everyone’s in Hobi’s room,” Jimin stated before it was quiet once more.

“Fried chicken sounds amazing right now.” You said, but you quickly realised that Tae had you pinned as you attempted to sit up. He continued to smile down at you and captured your lips once again. Though this kiss wasn’t like the previous ones, it was deeper, more passionate. After a moment of melting against him and kissing him back, you parted. You bit your bottom lip lightly, a blushing smile on your face.

“Promise for another day,” He whispered, pecking your cheek and untangling himself from you. “Dinner awaits.” 

You fixed your appearance as you climbed out of bed, making sure you didn’t look too dishevelled. Your lips felt puffy, and you knew the others would see what you’ve been up to for the past… however long you were alone together. You didn’t even bother pulling on your shoes, and neither did Tae as you both made your way out of the room. Tae took your hand and led you a few doors down. The door was purposefully left ajar, and the other six members greeted you both as you entered the room. Your stomach growled when the smell of the food reached your nose. You hadn’t realised how hungry you were until now. 

“Nice of you two to join us!” Hobi greeted with a wave.

“It would be irresponsible to lose our heads the same day we meet,” Taehyung stated, plopping on the floor. You sat next to him and smiled at the implication that was just made.

“He’s right,” You agreed, “besides if we were busy, we wouldn’t be having dinner with all of you.” Tae’s words echoed in your mind, ‘Promise for another day’. He had meant what you thought he did, and your cheeks reddened a bit as your mind started to imagine how Tae would look shirtless above you, making such a sultry face…

Jungkook poked you in the side as he said your name, making you squeak and jump at the suddenness of it. “No lewd thoughts at dinner.” Your face reddened even more, though this time it was from embarrassment.

“I was not thinking of lewd things.” You lied, but from the way everyone looked at you, they had caught you with your mind in the gutter.

Slowly food was placed out on the coffee table and some chairs for more room. The table in the room wasn’t big enough for so much food, so they had to improvise. Feeding eight people took a lot of food, and there was only so much room. You all surrounded the coffee table the best you could, you sat between Taehyung and Jungkook. 

Dinner was about as quiet as you had expected, which was not. The guys were as loud as always, talking about various things and where they were going next. You were excited to be travelling since it wasn’t something you got to do. The furthest you typically go is to this city and the surrounding ones, nothing more than an hour or two away. Now you were going to be travelling the country, the world even.

“Guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but,” Your words got their attention, “I don’t have a passport.” It was something you never thought you’d need. Why would you need one if you weren’t going to travel abroad?

“How do you not have a passport?” Jungkook questioned.

“You should get one as soon as possible,” Namjoon added.

You gave a nod, agreeing with him, “I might not be able to go with you guys back to Korea.” Tae frowned at that, and you knew why. “It takes a few weeks to get a passport, sometimes longer. Tomorrow I can apply for one and then travel this country, but I can’t leave it. Not until it comes in anyway.” You explained. You turned your attention to your soulmate, who was in no way happy about the idea, “Tae, you have to go with them. You still have so much work to do.”

“He’s right, you can’t stay behind. When he gets his passport, we can fly him to us.” Namjoon stated, smiling at you.

Taehyung spent the rest of dinner quieter than he was before. He no longer joked around with the others. You could feel him tugging at the thread that connected you, and you smiled at him.

“It’s getting late; Tae and I should talk about things before tomorrow morning.” You said, standing up from your seat on the floor. No one said anything to stop you, and Jungkook helped you step over him, making sure you didn’t fall. Silently, you and Taehyung walked back to his room. “Taehyung,” You muttered his name, taking his hand as you sat with him on the bed. “it’ll be okay; it’s not forever.”

“I wanted you to be there looking up at me again.” He spoke, his voice low and quiet. “I wanted…” his voice cracked, and you placed a hand on his leg.

“Taehyung look at me, please?” You gave a soft smile when he looked over at you. His eyes were red and puffy, and your heart ached. “I don’t want to be away from you. The last thing I want is to see this thread disappear a few feet away from me again, but it can’t be helped. I can’t leave the country without a passport.”

“I know that,” He replied, pulling you to him in a tight embrace, “but that doesn’t mean I like it. I don’t want to be separated from you. I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“My sweet bear,” you spoke, hugging him tightly, your fingers reaching up to play with his hair. “it’ll be alright, we can call and text one another. This isn’t going to be forever, just a few weeks.” 

“A few hours away from you is too long,” He said, pulling back to rest his forehead on yours. “I want you there, watching me from the stands or backstage there to greet me between songs.” You could hear how broken his voice sounded, and you could see the tears starting to escape from his eyes.

You caressed the sides of his face, wiping away his tears with your thumbs. “I will be, I promise.” You spoke, putting so much feeling into your words as you could. “So don’t cry, Taehyung. I am yours, and you're mine. Once I get that passport, there will be nothing to keep me from you. I’ll be there, sitting with the other’s families in the crowd, watching you all work hard. I’ll be backstage waiting for you, cheering you on, and one day I’ll be there next to you when you want to announce it.” He nodded lightly, just enough for you to feel, and you gave him another soft smile. “So don’t cry, Winter Bear, this is still a happy day.”

How you managed to keep yourself together, you had no idea, but you did and kept your composure as you talked Taehyung through his doubts and emotions. It was nearing one in the morning before you got him calmed down enough to go to sleep. You slept curled up in his arms, holding on to one another.

Chapter Text

Jimin was the one who woke you up the following day.

“It’s time to get up,” His voice was still full of sleep like he’d just got woken up as well. “We have about an hour to get ready.” That was all he said before heading back out, and you shook Taehyung awake.

“Wakey, wakey, TaeTae.” Your voice was gentle, and you kissed his forehead lightly. “You have to get packed to go to the next place.” Slowly, Taehyung woke from his sleep and smiled tiredly up at you.

“Are you coming with me?” He asked, and you thought for a moment, you knew they had a few more concerts in the country. You had time to be with him before you had to wait. You pecked his lips and smiled.

“I am,” you replied, escaping his grasp. “I have to make a phone call, you go take a shower.” He did as you told him and got out of bed, leaving the room to go into the bathroom. You took the time to call Amiyah, hoping she wasn’t going to be too upset that you were waking her up so early in the morning.

“Why do you hate me?” Her voice groaned when she answered.

“You know I don’t hate you.” You replied with a slight chuckle. “I just need you to do me a favour.”

“Another one?”

“Can you bring my luggage to the hotel? I’ll send you the location. We’re going to be leaving in about an hour.”

“And that’s not enough time to get driven here and back before you miss their fancy jet. Alright, but you seriously owe me.” She said, you could hear her get out of bed. “I’m ordering an Uber now, so hurry with that address.” Her willingness to help you made your heart soar, and you quickly sent her your location. “We’ll be cutting it close, but I’ll make it.”

“You’re amazing. I’ll pay you back, I promise. Maybe I’ll send you a bunch of exclusive concert merch.” You heard her gasp on the other end of the line. “I take that it’s acceptable?”

“You bet it is! I’ll see you soon. Then I can say goodbye in person.”

“See you soon.” You replied, hitting the end call button. You were eager to see her again, though you knew it wasn’t going to be goodbye forever. 

You waited for Tae to get out of the shower, checking your Twitter feed in the meantime. You looked up the concert tag and hit the recent tab, reading over some tweets. There were plenty of tweets about the guys and a few good fancams that you liked and retweeted. Tae came out of the shower a short time later, nothing but a towel around his waist and one atop his head to dry his hair. 

“Are you trying to seduce me?” You questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

He grinned in reply, “is it working?” He asked, heading over to his luggage and pulling out new clothes to wear.

“Absolutely, but we don’t have time. Such a shame. Promise for another day?” You teased, pulling your shoes on. “Amiyah is coming to drop off my things. She’ll be here soon.” You watched as Tae pulled his underwear on beneath the towel, the motion of it making said cloth slip off his waist and drop to the floor. Seeing Taehyung in just his underwear was not something you were expecting so early in the morning, nor so early in your relationship, for that matter. “You’ve got a nice ass, Tae.” You said. The words left you before you had a chance to stop them. “Must be all the dancing.” 

He smirked back at you and pulled on some pants, leaving them undone as he strolled over to you. He entranced you. He easily pinned you to the bed, settling between your legs as he leaned down to kiss you. You hummed into the kiss, letting your hands roam the bare skin of his chest. The kiss was hot and passionate, and when Taehyung pulled away and stood up straight, he stayed there, grinning down at you.

“This is a pleasant look for you,” He spoke, his hands running up your sides.

You bit back a gasp and looked up at him, “I think I’ve got the better view.” Just as you were about to reach up and pull him back down to you, your phone chimed with a notification. “Another day, Winter Bear.” You stated, picking your phone up off the bed. “I have to go downstairs and get my things. You… get dressed.” He backed up and helped you up, handing you a key card so you could get back to the room.

“You look flustered,” Amiyah stated with a grin.

“Well, you try not being flustered when your new boyfriend pins you down shirtless and pants barely hanging on.” You replied to her.

“Oh my god, were you two about to do it? Did I interrupt you?”

You laughed and shook your head, pulling your backpack onto your back, “No, we’ve decided not to jump in like that. We just met, and despite being soulmates, I don’t think either of us mind waiting.”

“Still,” she fanned herself with her hand, “Tae being shirtless with his pants like that, I would’ve died. You’re so lucky.”

“Well, now that you have that image in your head, I’ll be coming home in a few weeks. I can’t leave the country without a passport, so I have to stay behind to wait for it. I’ll find somewhere to get it done and have it expedited, but it’ll still be a few weeks, and I don’t think they have that many more stops here.” You explained.

“Makes sense; how’s Tae taking it? You seem rather calm about the situation.”

You shrugged a bit, “I don’t like it one bit, but Tae took it harder than me. We’ve talked it out, though. Joon said that when I get it, they’ll get me a plane ticket to meet up with them.” 

“If it comes in before they have to leave the country, then it would be perfect, but I know what you mean. Passports are tricky.” You nodded, agreeing with her.

At that moment, a voice called to you, “I’ve been directed to retrieve you.” It was one of the staff members.

“Alright, looks like it’s time to go, don’t keep your Uber waiting any longer. I’ll text you!” You said, pulling your luggage after you as you headed to the man.

“I love you! Be safe!” Amiyah called after you. You both waved goodbye and walked down the hall to the elevator, handing the staff member the key card Tae had given you just in case. The elevator ride was brief, and you met up with the band in the parking garage; Tae immediately heading over to take your hand while someone else took your luggage and backpack.

“All settled?” He questioned, taking you to the van you’d be riding in. You nodded and allowed Jimin to help you in the van before he helped Tae in.

“Wherever we land, I’ll find a post office or something and go apply for my passport. I’ll have it expedited so that it won’t take as long. If it comes in while you’re still in the country, then there shouldn’t be a problem, but I’m prepared to wait for it if it doesn’t.” You explained, settling into the seat next to him. 

“Phone,” Jungkook stated, holding out his hand to you. You raised an eyebrow but complied, handing him your phone after unlocking it. You watched as he typed away on it, handing it back after a few minutes. “I’ve put everyone’s numbers in and installed the app we use to text. You can make an account and text Tae when you’re done. He can add you to the group chat.”

“Thank you, Kookie.” You replied, looking at the app. It didn’t take you long to fill out the sign-up information. You did what he said as well and texted Tae on it, smiling when his phone chimed. Once he had your number, he saved it and added you to their group chat, allowing everyone else to save your number as well. It was Tae’s turn to take your phone, and he opened the pay app, inputting information and saving it before handing it back to you.

“You can pay with the app now. Whatever you need, feel free.” He said, smiling at you as he slipped an arm around your shoulder.

“Did you just hook my phone up to your bank card?” You questioned in awe. “I mean, I watched you do it, but I’m still surprised.”

“You’re my soulmate; let me provide for you.” He nuzzled his face into your hair, and you smiled. 

“Feels nice to be provided for.” You admitted, settling against him.

It didn’t take you long to get to the airport, and they gave you a mask, sunglasses, and a hat to hide from any cameras. They ushered you to the plane, and it was then that you started to get nervous. You clasped your hand over your heartstring, clenching it as you walked, growing more anxious with each step. You’d never been on a plane before. You’d never flown anywhere before. It was a cosy-looking plane when you boarded it, standing to the side as you watched the members of the band come in to pick their seats.

Tae took your hand gently, removing it from your chest, “It’s okay to be nervous.” He spoke, leading you to a seat. You sat on the inside, not wanting to be by the window.

“Are you scared?” Hoseok asked, leaning over from the seat he’d chosen. “It’s not so bad. You get used to it.”

You nodded slightly and buckled up, your hand finding Taehyung’s as soon as it could once again. He helped you feel grounded, and with the situation being as it was, you were glad. Jin peeked over his seat at you, a gentle smile on his face as he unbuckled himself and got up. He hurried further in the plane before returning with a rather large stuffed RJ plush.

“This might make you feel better.” He said, setting it in your lap. “You can squeeze him tightly; he doesn’t mind.” You nodded slowly and watched him return to his seat.

At first, you weren’t sure how a stuffed RJ was going to make you feel better, but as the plane took off, you squeezed, and you squeezed hard, burying your face into the plush. You couldn’t bring yourself to look anywhere and kept your eyes closed, holding on to RJ for dear life.

Tae cooed your name softly, “It’s safe to look now.” You shook your head, keeping your face buried in RJ. “It’s not that bad; I’ll give you a kiss.” You clung to RJ harder, but the feeling of Taehyung nuzzling your hair was calming you down. “That’s it; it’s alright,” he whispered. He placed a kiss on your head, then on your temple, then he moved to your ear where he nipped. The nip had the opposite effect, and you hid your face even more, not wanting to show your embarrassment to the rest of the group. 

“TaeTae, you’re not supposed to make it worse.” Jimin’s voice stated.

“I’m not trying to.” Tae retorted.

“I bet his ears hurt.” You heard Jungkook say. “here, have some gum; it helps with the pressure.” A hand slid between your face and the RJ plush, offering a square piece of gum to you. Carefully you bit it, allowing the hand to escape. “Chew on that for a while, and your ears should feel better.” You nodded into RJ, chewing the gum slowly. 

You didn’t know what flavour it was, but it was good. It was far from quiet in the cabin as the guys started to fool around. It seemed like you were the only one not joining in on the fun, and you peeked over at Taehyung, who was surprisingly not doing anything either. He was on his phone playing some game. He smiled when he saw you move and smiled more when he spotted you peeking at him.

“Take your time, Snow Owl.” He said, placing a hand on your thigh. You smiled against the plush. You took your time relaxing, the gum helping your ears. There was a sudden pop in both your ears, and you winced at the feeling, but you felt much better afterwards. “Are you okay?” Tae asked, concerned at the face you’d made. 

You nodded, “is my nickname Snow Owl then?” You asked quietly, facing Taehyung as you still clung to RJ.

“Is Winter Bear mine?” He asked in return. You couldn’t help but smile.

“I guess it is.” You replied, releasing one of your hands from RJ to reach over to take Taehyung’s hand in yours.

“Are you feeling any better?” Jin asked, holding a bottle of water out to Tae. Slowly you pulled your head from RJ to look up at Jin, who was beaming at you, knowing full well that the plush helped you.

“I am,” You replied to him, your voice smaller than you thought it would be. 

Jin held out a bottle of water for you, and you realised you had a choice to make. Let go of Tae’s hand or let go of RJ to get the water. Your smile wavered a bit, but you allowed yourself to let go of RJ to take the water; your need to still hold Tae’s hand stronger. 

“Drink up; it’ll make you feel better.” The gum you were chewing had lost its flavour long ago, but you had still been chewing it for the sake of your ears. “Trash can,” Jin spoke, holding out a hand further down the aisle. He was quickly passed a small trash can, and you spit your gum out into it. After thanking him, you pulled your hand from Tae’s and opened the water, drinking it slowly. It was making you feel better, and soon enough, you realised how hungry you were. You hadn’t gotten any breakfast.

“TaeTae,” you held RJ close and leaned against your soulmate’s shoulder. “I’m hungry.” 

“Kookie, can you pass the snacks?” Taehyung called, leaning his head against yours. “We’re hungry over here.” 

“No problem!” Jungkook stated, getting up and heading off. It didn’t take him long to bring back a bag of snacks, handing it over to you and Taehyung to choose from. After eating, you felt even better, and it hardly felt like you were flying on a plane. You soon joined in on the jokes and talking, calmed down enough to start enjoying yourself. 

The landing wasn’t even that difficult for you, but you still clung to RJ when the plane hit turbulence. Your ears popped on their own, and though it still felt weird, you were grateful for the pressure release.

Once again, you were ushered away, covered up in your anonymous disguise, as you climbed into another van with the other members. On the way to the hotel, you found the nearest place to apply for a passport and saved the address in your maps app.

You were given a key card for your and Tae’s hotel room, and after setting your luggage down, you declared you were going to head out to get things done. Surprisingly, you were also given a bodyguard who you learned was named Iseul to go with you, and it wasn’t just Taehyung’s insistence either. Sejin, BTS’s key manager, was the one who sent one with you. He said it would be safer for you just if someone saw you and the members together at some point, and you were grateful. It was a new city, after all, and the only reason you knew which way you were going was because of the app. 

You didn’t even have to walk anywhere as you were driven where you needed to go. It didn’t take long for you to complete your application, and you were glad that Taehyung had set you up with his card because you didn’t have enough money yourself to cover the cost of the passport plus the expedited fee.

You texted the group chat on your way back to the hotel that you were on the way and asked if anyone had ordered food. Thankfully, they had gotten together and ordered a bunch and were waiting on it, which was nice for you because you were starving once again. Not having eaten anything before getting on the plane and then still not eating anything was starting to weigh on you.

Getting to the hotel, you quickly made your way to the elevator and held the key car up to the sensor so you could press the floor you were staying on. You felt like some kind of celebrity being able to do something so simple, and you figured that this was just how your life was going to be now. Your bodyguard smiled at you and made sure you reached your room before heading off, and you let out a deep sigh when you reached the privacy of your room. The room was empty, which meant that Tae was in one of the other member’s rooms with the others waiting on food, so you took the chance to get a shower you hadn’t been able to get before the fight. Taehyung had already set up the bathroom with his showering supplies, and you didn’t hesitate to use it.

You took a quick shower and dressed in some of your clothes. You pulled on pants and a short-sleeve shirt before going to Tae’s luggage and finding one of his oversized shirts. Once you were dressed, you checked your phone, seeing a message from Tae that you’d gotten while you were in the shower telling you which room they were in and that they left the door cracked for you.

“Is the food here yet?” You groaned when you finally entered the room where the members of BTS were scattered about.

“Soon,” Jungkook replied to you with a similar starving groan.

“We should’ve eaten breakfast.” You complained, falling next to your soulmate on the nearby couch.

“We could’ve if some of us hadn’t slept in,” Namjoon stated, watching as the rest of the members complained about food.

“Sejin gave us a real tongue lashing about that,” Jungkook mentioned, sitting up from laying on the floor. “Can’t help it if everyone was so excited. We’ve got an even number now.”

You smiled over at him and nodded, “I’ll be happy to play games with you guys, off-camera.”

“We still need to speak with Bang PD about all this,” Sejin’s voice came from the door as he entered the room with arms full of food. He wasn’t the only one who came in either. Two other staff members brought food, setting it down the best they could on the nearby table. “At least you all are being cautious. We don’t need anyone getting into any kind of trouble about this, especially when soulmates are involved.” He explained as he pulled the food out of the bags.

“We’ll do all we can to protect him,” Hoseok stated with a thumbs up.

“Your chivalry is admirable, Hobi.” Yoongi said lazily, “there’s more to keeping him safe than just keeping him off-camera. Odds are there’s going to be more people that can see the threads and be able to spot that Taehyung has found his match. When that happens, we have to be prepared for what’s going to happen when the fans talk about it.”

“Yoongi’s right,” you confirmed. “I met a woman at the concert that could see the threads. She helped me a lot while we were waiting in line. She didn’t see who mine was connected to in the line, but I don’t know if she saw during the concert or not.” You explained with a frown, “she didn’t seem the type to make drama, though, at least.”

“Not everyone is so kind,” Yoongi added, getting up from his comfortable spot to get himself some food.

“I’ll call Si-hyuk today and discuss the situation. For now, be careful.” Sejin said as he headed out of the room, the staff members following him.

Everyone was devouring food in a matter of minutes, passing things around to one another to share. You were enjoying yourself this time around. There was no stress of worrying about things. The only thing you had to worry about was Jungkook and Hoseok stealing food from you, which they did. You stole from them in return, stealing an entire bag of seasoned fries from Hoseok when he wasn’t looking. To get back at Jungkook, you stole some of his desserts when he wasn’t looking. Neither could retaliate since your actions were retaliation, but the food war had been started. You were sure to take plenty of pictures and selcas that you could share with Amiyah later, but for now, they were just for you. 

Lunchtime came and went, and soon you were spending your time hanging out and playing UNO with Jungkook, Hoseok, and Jimin on the floor while the others were doing their own things nearby. It wasn’t strange to you that they enjoyed being around one another, but you weren’t surprised when Yoongi announced he was returning to his room to take a nap. A nap sounded nice to you, but you were currently winning your UNO game and weren’t about to throw in the towel. The special rule that made you have to dance one of the dances was fun to play, and you enjoyed seeing which ones they chose. You ended up doing a few dances, though not nearly as graceful and skilled as the others. You lost to Hoseok in the end, who cheered and danced around the room in celebration.

“I’ll beat you next time, Hobi.” You declared with a smirk.

“I’d like to see you try.” He combated, sticking his tongue out at you.

You tossed a pillow at him, and he dodged, both of you staring in silence when it hit Jin in the back.

“Hoseok did it.” You pointed at him in defence.

“What! I did not!”

Jin turned and frowned at you both, picking up the pillow slowly. He was obviously contemplating something, which you assumed was yours and Hobi’s demise. He hit Hoseok square in the chest in one quick action, knocking the wind out of him when the pillow made contact. Hobi went down, trying to catch his breath as he laughed. You hid behind Jungkook, hoping that you weren’t next. Unfortunately, you were. Jin pounced and pinned you to the floor, going after your sides with his fingers. You flailed and laughed as he relentlessly tickled you.

“How come he only gets tickled, and I get beat with a pillow?” Hoseok questioned with a pout.

“Because he isn’t you,” Jin replied, falling to the side when Jungkook smacked him with another pillow.

“It’s war now!” the youngest exclaimed, grabbing another pillow off the bed.

You made your move and escaped from Jin’s reach, snatching the pillow Jungkook had thrown. “War it is,” you agreed. Pillows were flung across the room, and Jimin, Taehyung, and Rm soon joined in on the fun. There were only so many pillows to throw, and you had to be careful not to break anything. It was all fun and games until the hotel door opened and Yoongi was hit in the face with a stray pillow. The entire room fell silent as everyone ceased their assaults. 

“Why do you make it so difficult to sleep?” He questioned, his tired eyes scanning over the room. He looked down at the pillow he’d caught in his hands after it hit his face and frowned.

You were about to apologise, but Taehyung held you back and moved in front of you. The room was tense, and you weren’t sure what was going to happen until Yoongi wound his arm back with the pillow in hand and threw the pillow with more force than you thought he would. It was a split second, and the pillow smacked Jungkook dead in the face, forcing a grown out of him. 

“Betrayed by my own brother,” Jungkook complained, peeling the pillow off his face. With a quick throw, he hit Taehyung with it, hitting him in the stomach. “Game on.” He stated with a grin, and then Yoongi joined the war. You were all running around the hotel room, dodging and throwing pillows, though still careful not to break anything. The game screeched to a halt when the door opened again. Everyone who had pillows froze immediately as everyone watched as Sejin stepped into the room.

Chapter Text

“I can hear that everyone is getting along marvellously.” A voice from Sejin’s phone spoke. The pillows were dropped, and all the members settled down. 

“That’s correct, sir. It seems they were having a pillow war in Jungkook’s room.” Sejin spoke, closing the door behind him.

“And is he with them?”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you could please hand the phone to him so we can talk,” Sejin did as he was asked and made his way over to you, handing you his phone after taking it off the speaker.

“Good afternoon,” You answered, unsure of what to say when you held the phone to your ear.

“It’s nice to speak to you. If you could go somewhere where the boys don’t hear you.”

“Of course,” you smiled at the guys and headed to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind you. “I don’t think they can hear through the bathroom door,” you said, sitting on the edge of the tub.

“Wonderful, now,” Si-hyuk started, “you’re well aware of the situation you’re in; Sejin has told me you’re prepared to keep yourself hidden away?”

You smiled a bit to yourself, “I am. I don’t want to bring BTS any trouble or the company, so I’m willing to stay out of the spotlight. I’m not one for large crowds, anyway.”

“And your relationship with Taehyung?”

“Tae and I are connected with a red string of fate; there’s no changing that. If you’d like to have someone you trust double-check, then I’m for it. I don’t want there to be any secrets from the company.”

“There’s no need. Sejin has spoken on behalf of you.” This surprised you, and your eyes went to the bathroom door.

“Sejin can see the strings?” You wondered aloud, not meaning for it to be an actual question.

“He can, yes.” You weren’t expecting an answer either. “What will you do when your relationship status inevitably becomes public?”

“If it’s unplanned, I’ll take it in stride. I’m not expecting this to be easy. Even with a planned official statement, there’s going to be people who aren’t thrilled with the idea. There’s only one other person who knows about my relationship with Taehyung, and that’s my best friend. I’m sure she’d be willing to sign a non-disclosure statement if you need her to.”

“It seems you’ve thought this out rather thoroughly. It’s very responsible of you. What about any social media?”

“I’ve no plans on posting anything about this on my socials. I have a couple, but I hardly post to them. I typically just use them to follow people, but I can delete them or change them to private.”

“For now, you can just make them private. If things escalate, we’ll have another discussion. How are travel arrangements?”

“That is a bit of a snag. I just applied for a passport this morning, and it takes a few weeks, even with it being expedited. But I’m willing to stay behind until it comes in. We all figured I could travel with them until they need to leave the country.”

“You’re a smart person, you have a good head on your shoulders.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Lastly, what are your feelings on BTS? On Taehyung’s status as a member?”

“I’m going to support him and the rest of the members, no matter what. Just because Tae and I are connected doesn’t mean I want him to stop chasing his dream. I’m going to cheer them on from the sidelines.” You made a triumphant fist as you made your declaration to the head of BigHit. You heard a chuckle on the other side of the call, and you grinned even wider.

“Thank you for speaking with me; you’re free to leave the bathroom and return Sejin his phone.”

“Anytime! I mean it. I’m not one to shy away from important discussions.” You stated as you made your way out of the bathroom.

“That’s good to know.”

With that, you handed the phone back to Sejin, who gave a slight bow in thanks. You bowed back and returned to Tae’s side, smiling at him as you took his hand in yours.

“I’ll leave you all to your games,” Sejin announced once his call was finished. “No more pillow wars. If you need to let off steam, I’ll see if I can’t find somewhere for you to play.”

“Can we play laser tag?” Jungkook requested before the door closed.

“I’ll see what I can find,” Sejin said, closing the door as he left.

“So, what did he say?” Taehyung asked quickly.

“He just asked some questions, and I answered them. No big deal.”

“Did he seem mad? Upset?”

You shook your head with a smile, “Nope, not in the slightest. He just wanted to know where I stood on some things. Really Tae, it’s no big deal.”

“We were worried that it would force you to leave or something,” Jungkook admitted.

“You can’t separate a soulmate bond that easily, Kook,” Yoongi informed with a frown. “Band PD probably just wanted to make sure he isn’t going to be malicious toward us or letting information out that’s not supposed to be out.”

You smiled at Yoongi and nodded, “I’m completely on your guys’ side. I always have been since the beginning.” 

“Oh no…” Jimin whined, looking at you. “The very beginning? Even with all the eyeliner?” 

“Yes, Jimin, even with all the eyeliner. You guys were so adorable back then. Trying to be all big and tuff. Especially you, Kookie.” You reached out and booped him on the nose with your index finger.

“Hey, who’s your bias, anyway?” Jungkook asked, rubbing the tip of his nose. 

“That should be obvious,” Hoseok said as he relaxed on the couch.

“Just because they’re soulmates doesn’t mean that Tae was his favourite!” The youngest retorted at his groupmate.

“Actually, I’m pretty OT7. I tried not to buy things with just one member on it.” You said with a smile.

“You didn’t gravitate more toward one person?” Kook pressed, obviously curious.

You laughed lightly and ruffled his hair this time, “Sometimes, yes. I love everyone’s solo songs, and sometimes I’ll enjoy someone’s performance in a song more than the others, but it’s rare.”

Taehyung wrapped his arms around you, hugging you close to him, and you immediately relaxed. “I’m your favourite now, right?” He asked, nuzzling your hair gently.

You smiled and glanced back at him, “I can’t start playing favourites now, even if you are my soulmate. You have my heart. You may not be my favourite member of BTS, but you are my favourite person.” You replied.

Tae tightened his arms around you, bringing you closer against him. “Please, not in front of us,” Jimin complained. “If you’re going to get all mushy and horny, please go back to your room.” You couldn’t help but laugh, and it seemed like everyone had the same mindset and joined in. You were all laughing and talking about where you were most excited to travel to when Sejin returned to the room.

“Good news, I found a laser tag arena not too far from here. I’ve booked a private party for the venue until it closes tonight. The longer you take getting ready, the shorter your time is to play. They have an arcade there.” He explained. Everyone jumped into action; Jungkook grabbed some clothes from his bag and bolted into his bathroom while the others rushed out of the room, followed by you and Taehyung.

Sejin called for you as he followed you both into the hallway, stopping you before you left.

“Yes, Sejin?” You answered, pulling away from Tae to talk to the group's manager. Taehyung smiled and opened your hotel door, leaving it open enough for you to go inside when you were done talking.

“Si-hyuk has informed me you’re allowed to be filmed during this activity if you agree to it. It won’t be an episode, but there will be some BTS Bomb footage shot while you’re at the venue.” 

You smiled and nodded, “I don’t mind at all. I’m only worried about things getting out of control with ARMY and the media. I don’t want the group or the company to be unprepared if something were to get out.”

Sejin smiled at you in return, “Si-hyuk said you had a good head on your shoulders, and I agree with him completely. He’s also informed me you’re welcome to take as many pictures and videos as you like. If you wish to post them, you’ll have to do so on a private account.” You were beaming at the additional information. That BigHit trusted you so much already meant so much to you.

“Thank you, Sejin. I’ll be careful, and I don’t think I’ll be posting them on any social media. I’ll probably just send them to my friend through text. Is that okay?”

“It is. If you trust your friend not to share anything.”

“She’s an angel; she wouldn’t do that.”

“I’ll trust your judgement, now go get ready. The members get anxious when they’re made to wait.” 

You nodded and gave a slight bow before hurrying into yours and Tae’s hotel room, where your soulmate was waiting for you. He took you into his arms once again, hugging you against him.

“You heard the whole thing, right?” You asked, looking up at him with a beaming smile. He nodded in return. “Are you okay with it?” You asked, hoping that he would be.

“Of course,” He replied, smiling down at you. “To be able to share this life with you is more than I could’ve asked for.”

You reached up, slipping your arms around his neck to pull his face closer to yours, “You know something I miss about the old eras of BTS?” Taehyung hummed in reply, his hands settling on your lower back, “I miss that deep grovel your voice had back then. I love how sweet and adorable you are and how soft your singing is now, but I miss it.” You bit your bottom lip lightly as you thought about it, you could play the chorus of Boy in Luv in your head so perfectly every single time.

Taehyung grinned and leaned down to your ear, “Then I’ll have to do it just for you.” He said, his voice deep and laced with that grovel. The sound of it sent shivers up your spine. Tae’s voice was naturally deep, and you loved how it sounded when he sang with it, but it didn’t mean you didn’t love the other ways he sang. He placed a kiss just under your ear, and your breath hitched. “Are your ears sensitive?” He asked, his voice still so deep that it gave you goosebumps, that and the way his lips danced against your skin as he spoke. 

“Taehyung,” you warned, your fingers lacing themselves into the hair on the back of his head.

“Am I getting you worked up?” He teased, nipping where he’d kissed before biting the shell of your ear. You sucked in a quick breath, and he hummed with that deep voice of his which sent a shock straight down to your loins. 

You murmured his name again, though you weren’t sure if you wanted him to stop or keep going. Tae’s mouth moved back down below your ear, where he started nipping and sucking a dark purple mark on your skin. A low moan escaped your throat, and Taehyung pulled you closer against him. At that moment, your cares about going to play games with the rest of the group were slipping from your mind as your soulmate pressed against you, leaving marks just below your hairline and across your shoulder where people couldn’t see them. 

“You feel worked up,” He whispered, “would you like me to help you with that?” 

You looked up at him, your eyes half-lidded, “and how do you plan on doing that?” You asked, though you really shouldn’t have. He grinned before kissing you deeply, tangling your tongue together. You were so very worked up that your pants were now too tight. Your kiss didn’t last very long, and Tae pulled away too soon, in your opinion, but your eyes grew wide when he dropped to his knees in front of you. “Taehyung?” You breathed his name as he reached out and pushed up the shirt you were wearing, his shirt. 

“Try not to be too loud; I don’t know how thick the walls are.” You stared down at him as he spoke, your heart thumping in your chest. 

You took hold of the hem of your shirt, his shirt, holding it up and out of the way for him. His hands undid your pants with ease, and you watched as his long fingers hooked beneath the hem of your pants and underwear. With your pants undone, you could see the bulge pressing against your underwear, and when he pulled the clothing down, your erection sprung free, pulling a gasp from you at the relief. You couldn’t believe what you were looking at. Taehyung on his knees, your erect cock exposed just inches from him. You saw your dick twitch at the sight, and Tae smiled as he took it into his hand, stroking you slowly from the base to the tip.

“TaeTae,” You exhaled the breath you’d sucked in.

His voice was so captivating the way he replied with your name. “Don’t let the others hear you. They’ll tease.” He warned, and you brought the bottom hem of the shirt to your mouth. You bit the fabric, hoping that having something in your mouth would keep you from being too loud. Your hands were now free, and you weren’t sure what to do with them, so you allowed your fingers to dance slowly against your exposed abdomen. “Now that’s a sight,” Taehyung smirked, his free hand gripping your hip to hold you still as he stroked your cock. 

You bit down on the shirt, holding back a moan as Taehyung worked your cock with his hand. One of your hands slid up to play with an exposed nipple, making your soulmate groan at the sight. “You look so enticing,” He murmured, squeezing the base of your dick. 

You let out a muffled moan, and you watched him with a lustful gaze. You saw how Tae wet his lips with his tongue, and your heart sped up. He leaned in, closing the gap between your cock and his mouth, enveloping it. You gasped, one of your hands tangling itself in your soulmate’s dark hair. You let out a low moan at the way he slowly bobbed his head, working your cock with his mouth, tongue pressed against the bottom. You weren’t sure how long you were going to last at this rate. 

Kim Taehyung had your dick in his mouth, giving you head in a hotel room, and you were supposed to be getting ready to play laser tag with the rest of the group. You could feel your hips starting to move on their own, rocking forward to feel more of Taehyung’s mouth on you. 

You moaned when Tae hummed around you and again when he moved his hand so he could take the rest of you in his mouth, your hand tugging his hair when you felt him swallow around the head of your cock. You weren’t going to last very long at all. With his hand now free, he moved it to caress and play with your balls before it moved location once again, slipping beneath you. 

The hand he had on your hip slid back, gripping your ass and pulling one of your ass cheeks from the other, allowing his other hand easier access to where he wanted it. You moaned his name through your teeth, still holding the shirt in your mouth. You could feel how damp the fabric was already. Your hips snapped forward when the tip of Tae’s middle finger prodded against your entrance. Feeling the resistance, Tae pulled his mouth from you and his finger away from your entrance, combining the two instead, lubricating his fingers with his saliva before returning them to their previous places. 

He bobbed his head and swirled his tongue around you, his middle finger circling your asshole before slipping inside you with little resistance. Your eyes rolled back and closed as you were lost in the feelings of your soulmate’s attention. His long finger thrust inside you at the perfect angle, hitting that delicious bundle of nerves. You clenched around his finger as he kept thrusting it inside you, pressing against your prostate each time. You were moaning and panting through the fabric of the shirt in your mouth, your hands tangled in Taehyung’s wavy hair. 

You felt yourself growing close to your orgasm, and you knew Tae could feel it too. He pulled back to the head of your cock, swirling his tongue around it, collecting the beads of cum that were welling up. Your breathing became more erratic, and you moaned loudly when Taehyung made you bottom out in his mouth. You couldn’t hold it back. 

With a final moan of his name, you came in his mouth, opening your eyes enough to see him swallow it down. Your legs were shaking, and your mind was so foggy you couldn’t think straight. Taehyung dragged his mouth from you and sucked a dark purple mark on your inner thigh before removing his finger from your ass. He smiled up at you, and you took the chance to let your legs give out, letting him catch you and help you to the floor.

“You okay?” He asked, his voice husky from his work. 

You nodded slowly and relaxed against him, “I thought you were an angel, not some kind of incubus.” You complained, still trying to catch your breath.

“I’m your incubus.” He murmured, kissing your neck lightly. You could feel his erection against you, and you tried to press closer to him, but he stopped you. “As much as I would love to see my dick buried inside you, we have to go play laser tag, or Jungkook’s going to pout.”

“But TaeTae, it’s going to hurt.” You replied, reaching down to press your hand against the bulge in his pants. He looked like he was contemplating something before he reached down to undo his pants, pulling his straining cock from its confines.

“How quick do you think you can get me off?” He questioned, hissing as he pressed his thumb against the slit. You thought for a moment before moving away from him and lowering yourself to the floor. “You enjoy giving me amazing views, don’t you?” He huffed, watching as you lowered your face down to his cock. 

You took him into your mouth and sucked lightly. You began bobbing your head, taking more of him in your mouth each time you went down. He groaned your name when you bottomed him out and swallowed around him. He was surprisingly good at keeping himself quiet, but living in a house full of other guys was a good reason to know how to be quiet during sex. You did your best to go quickly, enjoying the way his cock felt in your mouth, the way he tasted, the faint sounds he made, the way his hand felt on your head. 

He murmured your name as he bucked his hips. He was getting close. You pulled your head back, keeping your mouth on the head of his cock while you stroked his shaft, edging him closer to his climax. He let out a satisfied moan when he came. You refused to let any of his cum escape your mouth, and you drank it down, licking the slit when he finished. 

“You’re good with your mouth.” He complimented, petting your hair. You smiled up at him and kissed his dick lightly before sitting up.

“Promises for another day, Tae.” You said, standing from your seat to change your clothes and get ready to go. 

Taehyung followed your lead, spraying some cologne on to cover the smell of sex. You did the same, using your own scented spray. You wore another one of Taehyung’s shirts, deciding that you enjoyed how they looked on you, and Tae didn’t argue. He enjoyed how they looked on you too.

“It’s about time,” Yoongi complained when the both of you met up with the group. “I get that you’re basically newlyweds, but you couldn’t wait?” Your face turned red, and you laughed silently, embarrassed that it was so obvious.

“You have no idea what we were doing,” Taehyung replied, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, sure. And Kook isn’t the youngest in the group.” Namjoon joined in, raising an eyebrow at the both of you. “If you’re going to get frisky, do it when we don’t have somewhere to be. You’re lucky we were still waiting on Jimin.”

“So we’re not the last ones to be ready?” You asked, your blush fading as you looked to see who all was present. Jimin and Jungkook were still missing, and you felt triumphant that you had finished your fooling around with Taehyung before everyone found out what you were doing. 

“What happened to waiting a while?” Hoseok teased with a beaming grin.

“We didn’t have sex.” You replied, crossing your arms. “That’s for another day. Maybe somewhere not in a hotel room.”

“Agreed,” Taehyung said, leaning down to nip your neck. You jumped at the sudden action and playfully swatted at him.

“What did I say about being horny in front of everyone?” Jimin asked when he joined the group.

“This is post horny,” Yoongi stated, smirking over at Jimin.

“Oh, come on! We weren’t even separated that long.”

“Did someone say something about post horny?” Jungkook’s voice asked from behind everyone.

“He and Taehyung were fooling around while everyone was trying to get ready to go,” Hoseok informed the youngest.

“Wow, there’s really no keeping secrets with you guys, is there?” You questioned, looking at all of them.

“There're no secrets here,” Jin replied with a smile. “Now that we’re all here, we can go meet Sejin at the van. He should have the crew ready by now.”

You and Taehyung walked hand in hand down to the van, and the ride was full of teasing. You didn’t mind, though. You were giving just as you were getting. 

Chapter Text

“We should play laser tag first.” Jungkook declared when you reached the venue.

“Laser tag it is,” Sejin confirmed as you all went inside. 

It took a while to get everything set up. Everyone’s name was on the board, even yours, though it was the nickname Taehyung had chosen for you, but they had shortened it to just ‘Snow’. You were briefed on the type of game it would be and that it would be recorded. The game was point-based; the one with the highest points at the end of the session was the winner. Since it wasn’t a Run BTS! episode, there were no punishments or prizes. It was all for fun. 

You were placed throughout the maze, and the countdown started. You were nervous not only because you’d never played laser tag before but because you were playing with BTS. You felt like you were going to lose, but you were going to try your hardest, anyway. There was no way you weren’t going to get any points. You crept through the maze, peeking around corners and being as sneaky as you could. You managed to hit Hoseok a couple of times before he ducked behind a corner, engaging you in a laser tag standoff.

“Give up! You’re surrounded!” Hoseok called.

“In your dreams, Hoseok! What’s ARMY going to think when they find out you’re the first one killed?”

“That’s not very classy of you, Snow.”

“Classy? What makes you think I’m classy ?”

You waited for a reply, but you didn’t get one. When you peeked around the section of the wall you were hiding behind, you saw him grinning, and you heard your shoulder pad chime.

“Got you!” He yelled, his sunshine grin on his face.

You pointed your laser at him, shooting several times. You hit him a few times before his gear started flashing red.

“Who’s got who, Hobi?” You teased, but you heard your gear make a noise as it started flashing red.

“You’re both too loud. Everyone in the maze can hear you. Did you forget there’s a second floor?” Jungkook asked from above, smirking down at the both of you. “Enjoy your kill, Snow. You won’t get another one.”

“Bet your ass, Jungkook.” You cursed, “When I respawn, I’m going to hunt you down, so you better go find a good place to hide.”

“Oh, a declaration of war? I didn’t know you were going to be as competitive as your boyfriend.” Just when he finished his quip back at you, Jungkook’s gear flashed red, notifying him he was killed and out stepped Taehyung from around the corner near him.

“You shouldn’t run your mouth so loud, Kook. You give away your position.” He warned as he hurried past him.

“That’s my Bear!” You called, ducking away from your blown hiding spot to find a new place to stake out. You weren’t sure that Taehyung was on your team or his own, but it didn’t matter, you were having too much fun to worry about it. Before long, your gear marked you respawned, and you started your hunt.

You were looking for Jungkook, but you found Jin instead and got a few good shots in before running away. He called after you, but you kept going, refusing to look back. You rounded a corner too quickly and ran straight into Jimin, knocking you both to the floor with a thump and groans.

“Jimin, I’m so sorry.” You groaned, rolling off of him.

“You came out of nowhere, Snow. Who are you running from?” Jimin asked, sitting up.

“Me,” Jin replied. Neither you nor Jimin waited for another second and shot Jin until his gear turned red. “Really?” Jin questioned, gesturing to himself. “Here I was, checking if you were okay. I see how it is.”

Both you and Jimin burst out laughing, “Sorry, Jin. You scared us.” You admitted, allowing him to help you off the floor. Jimin was next to get on his feet.

“You guys want to team up? Jungkook keeps killing me.” Jin said with a frown.

“Yeah, he killed me too. Sniped me from the second floor. Taehyung took him out by surprise. He’s respawned by now, though.” You replied, looking around the corner. “If we can just get upstairs, we should be safe.” 

“No good, Jungkook’s stalking the right staircase, and Yoongi is stalking around the other set,” Jimin warned with a frown.

“If we stay here, we’re easy pickings.” Jin pointed out, and you all agreed that you needed to move. You were a big enough target as it was, but you were also safer. You glanced up at the scoreboard, and to your surprise, you weren’t losing. The losing party was, in fact, Yoongi.

“What if Yoongi’s asleep or something? Look at his score. Is he even really playing?” You questioned.

“Those points are from when he killed me,” Jimin said, “What if we push Jungkook toward Yoongi? Or even Hoseok?”

“I took Hoseok out a little while ago. He’s probably trying to dodge Kook from where I left him.”

“Look what we have here,” Taehyung’s voice said as the three of you rounded another corner. “Three little ducks in a row.”

“You wouldn’t shoot your soulmate, would you?” Jimin questioned his best friend.

“Which soulmate are you referring to?” Jin asked.

“You know what,” You stated, shooting off a few lasers at Tae to get a few points, “I have no qualms with shooting my soulmate in laser tag. You guys get out of here; I’ll distract him.”

“I bet you will,” Jimin laughed as he and Jin ran the other direction. Taehyung went to chase after them, but you shot him again.

“How could you betray me like that?” Taehyung gasped, “And after I avenged your death!” 

You smiled sweetly at him and moved closer, “I’m sorry, Taehyung. All is fair in love and war.” You replied, kissing your soulmate deeply. One of his hands reached up to the back of your neck and pulled you closer, deepening the kiss. 

“You guys are gross.” Yoongi’s voice said from above. You both looked up to the second floor and spotted him leaning against the railing. “We’re playing a game here. The sooner someone wins, the sooner I can go play arcade games.”

“It’s timed, Yoongi.” You replied with a chuckle. “We can’t stop until the time runs out.”

“Oh, I can stop. I just won’t win.” He said in return. You smiled up at him and took Taehyung’s hand, leading him through the maze to the nearby staircase. Once you both were upstairs, Yoongi took his chance, killing both you and Taehyung with ease. “You made that too easy.” He stated with a frown.

“Come on, SUGA.” You teased, “You going to let baby Kook win? Don’t you think he wins enough?” The man’s eyes lit up when you used his stage name, and his frown turned into a grin. “That’s right, you know he’s up here. You have a great vantage point.”

It didn’t take long for Yoongi to get in the spirit of the game. You and Taehyung stuck together for a while, scoping out corners for one another. You found Jin and Jimin again and fended off Hoseok from killing them, saving them from their deaths.

“You teamed up with the enemy,” Jin complained when he saw that Tae was with you.

“I did not. I coerced him to join our team!” You smirked. “Yoongi’s halfway on our team. I think he just wants to win now to rub it in Kook’s face.”

“Less talking, Namjoon’s stalking close by.” Yoongi’s voice said from behind you all.

“Am I?” Namjoon took you, Tae, and Jimin out in one fell swoop. In return, Yoongi and Jin pelted him and took him out. “We’re not supposed to be teaming up.”

“There was no rule saying we couldn’t,” Jimin replied with a grin.

“It’s everyone against one another, though.” He argued.

“Namjoon,” Jin spoke softly, “Do you want to lose to Jungkook again?”

The leader frowned and gripped his gun tighter. “No, but it doesn’t seem fair.”

“What’s not fair is that we’re sitting here like a bunch of sitting ducks while Hoseok and Jungkook are on the loose by themselves.” Yoongi butted in. “Join a team or don’t join a team; that’s your choice. I’m on my own team.” The rapper rolled his eyes and headed off, done with the conversation.

Jimin looked at you and Taehyung, unsure what to do, while Jin tried to talk Namjoon down.

“I’m going with Yoongi,” You announced, “Jimin, you stay with Taehyung. Jin, you’re with Namjoon. If Hoseok and Jungkook teamed up together, we’re in big trouble.”

You didn’t wait for any further discussion, you just headed in the direction that Yoongi went. You caught up to him pretty quickly, and he shot you for following him.

“You should go back to Tae,” He scowled, keeping his aim on you.

“Nope, you’re stuck with me now. Jimin’s on Tae’s team, and Namjoon’s on Jin’s. It’s more even this way.”

“I could just keep shooting you, get points that way.” 

“You could, but I’d shoot you in retaliation.”

Yoongi growled in reply, but when Hoseok and Jungkook rounded the corner, guns at the ready, you and your partner didn’t hesitate to shoot at them. You all ended up dead, and during the respawn time, you and Yoongi darted away, hiding behind a wall.

“They’ll be chasing after us now,” Yoongi informed you.

“Yeah, I know.” You peeked around the wall and slid down until you were crouching. “If we can get above them or around them, we could get them.”

Yoongi joined you near the floor and shook his head, “Jungkook is predictable. He’ll be peeking around corners and behind him. Hoseok’s more unpredictable. We could use that to our advantage.”

Your plan ended up being that you would split up, flush Hoseok away from Kook while Yoongi stalked the upper section for him. It was easy enough to find Hobi. You jumped out from behind a wall, spooking him enough to make him yell out in surprise.

“Hey there, j-hope.” You greeted, taking him out with a couple of shots.

“You—” You ducked behind a wall when you spotted Jungkook lurking and readied yourself.

Glancing up, you couldn’t see anyone on the second floor, but you hoped Yoongi was slinking around above. You heard footsteps coming closer, and you aimed, planning on shooting first, asking questions later. You came face to face with Jungkook as he stepped around the wall, both of you taking your shots. He got a kill shot before you, and your gear flashed red.

“I’m winning, Snow.” He winked.

“Are you?” You grinned, watching his gear flash red. “You need to be more perceptive.”

You dashed away from him, taking Hoseok out once again before disappearing up the stairs with Yoongi.

“Good bait,” He smoked.

You bumped your guns together in triumph and found yourselves a good vantage point. It wasn’t long before one team came across your hideout, you and Yoongi taking Jin and Namjoon out. Jin laughed and pulled the leader away from you guys before Joon could complain, but you felt a little bad.

“You don’t think Namjoon’s too upset about the teams, do you?” You whispered to Yoongi.

He shrugged, “he’s not one to hold grudges. I think he was more annoyed that we didn’t decide it before the game started.”

“It’s not like we planned this. Besides, I think it’s more fun being on someone’s team.”

“It’s more entertaining.”

You and Yoongi took out Jungkook and Hoseok a few more times before the end of the game, and looking at the scoreboard, Yoongi came out with the most points. 

Jungkook huffed, “I want a rematch.”

“So you can lose again?” Yoongi grinned.

“We’ll do bigger teams next time,” Namjoon said, a slight smirk on his face.

“Maybe we could do paintball again,” Hoseok suggested, pulling off his gear.

“I loved that game.” You said, shedding off your gear. “Higher stakes, I think.”

“We’ll have to let Sejin know at some point,” Tae spoke up.

Laser tag was fun, but getting to play arcade games with the group was even better. You beat Jungkook at a racing game, best three out of five, but he beat you at table hockey. Yoongi, of course, beat you at the basketball game, but you had fun playing with him. You and Hoseok demolished at the whack-a-mole game, yelling each time you missed one. Before you were too tired, you suggested a DDR competition that Hoseok and Jimin dominated on, Jimin being the overall winner by only a few hundred points. You spent so long playing games with everyone that you didn’t realise that it was closing time for the venue until Sejin came to collect you. When it was time to go, the ride back to the hotel was lively, and dinner was waiting when you got there. 

Sejin advised everyone to get to bed early to be ready for the next day since everyone was going on an outing. You knew that the group typically had time in between concerts, but you never realised how much. They still had several tour dates in the country, and if there were only two concerts a week, you had more time with them than you had initially thought. At first, you wondered if you would be allowed to go with them on their outing, but you remembered that Sejin and Si-hyuk permitted you to be with the group, so you chose not to worry about it.

After dinner, you spent too long texting Amiyah the events of what happened throughout the day, leaving the blowjobs out of the retelling for your own sanity. Taehyung’s words replayed in your head again, “ As much as I would love to see my dick buried inside you… ” You squirmed in your seat at the thought of it, a light dusting of pink blossoming on your cheeks.

“Snow, you alright?” Taehyung asked, feeling you move.

“Yeah, just trying to get comfortable.” You lied, trying to push the thoughts of Taehyung fucking you into the mattress out of your head.

Your soulmate slipped his arms around your waist, pulling you with him as he laid back on the pillows. “What are you thinking about?” He questioned, spooning you from behind. The position wasn’t helping at all, and it was just making your mind reel back into perverted thoughts.

You thought about what to say to him. You thought about telling him it was nothing or that you were thinking about something else, but you couldn’t. Nothing seemed like a solid excuse, and you ended up blurting out the most basic thing that was on your mind, “Your dick.”

You felt him chuckle more than you heard him. “Eager for more already?” He asked, nuzzling his face into your still-damp hair. “I thought we decided to wait?” 

You let out a small groan of defeat and nodded, “I know, it’s just that my mind is still stuck on what happened today. It felt so amazing, and when you said... what you said. It just keeps replaying in my head.” You told him with a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t want to wait. I don’t mind waiting, but I didn’t know it would be so difficult. We’ve only known one another for a couple of days. Even though we’re soulmates, I want that grand romantic love scene.”

“Grand romantic love scene?” He repeated, sitting up on his elbow. He placed a kiss on your neck and smiled. “I can arrange that. We have a few days in between concerts. We can set something up. What kind of scene are you thinking? Something like flower petals everywhere, scented candles, a canopy bed?” 

You laughed lightly and shrugged, “I think anything can be romantic as long as it’s with you.”

“Be careful when you say ‘anything’. You don’t know what I could get you up to.” 

“Within reason, Taehyung.” He hummed like he was thinking about something and kissed your neck once again.

“We should get some sleep; there’s no telling what Sejin has for us tomorrow morning.” He laid back down, resting his head on the pillow as he pulled you close to him. “Besides, if you wake up excited, I can help you take care of it.”

“ Taehyung .” You hissed when his hand slid down to cup your crotch.

He growled your name, making you melt instantly. “Goodnight, Snow Owl.” He murmured with a smile, his hand returning to its previous place around your ribs. You were comfortable wrapped up in Tae’s embrace.

“Goodnight, Winter Bear.” You replied, relaxing into him. His warmth lulled you to sleep, and your dreams were surprisingly innocent. You woke up from a dream where you were playing cards with Namjoon and Hoseok. You weren’t sure if you were winning, but it didn’t matter; it was just a dream. A pleasant dream.

“Taehyung, your phone is ringing.” You groaned, rocking back against him, trying to wake him from his sleep. You froze when you felt something poke you in the back of the thigh, and you smiled. It wasn’t you that was waking up excited; it was Taehyung. 

The phone stopped ringing after a moment, but you ignored it completely, instead choosing to pay attention to the erection pressing against you. You thought for a moment, what was the best way to do what you were about to do. Thankfully, you were smaller than Taehyung, which made things that much easier. You moved into a position where you could feel his erection right between your thighs, just below your ass, and grinned. It was too perfect. 

Carefully you reached behind you and reached your hand into Tae’s sweatpants, your fingers wrapping around his cock gently. You stilled when he stirred, his cock freed from his pants and in your hand. You didn’t want to wake him just yet. You released him for the time being, quietly spitting into your hand before reaching back and stroking his dick, lubricating it the best you could. You finessed your night pants and underwear down. It was tricky, but you got it done. Your heart was thumping in your chest at the idea of what you were about to do, and your cock twitched to life with excitement. Holding back a gasp, you slipped Taehyung’s cock between your thighs, shivering at the wetness of your saliva slicking your thighs and balls. 

It was something you’d never done before, not that you hadn’t thought of doing it with someone like this someday. You rocked your hips, struggling to keep yourself quiet at the feeling. It was difficult to move on your own. The position didn’t allow the little spoon to have much control. You reached back, your hand settling on Taehyung’s ass to pull him forward. You weren’t expecting him to wake up so soon, and it surprised you when his hand travelled up your waist, up to your arm and followed it down to his ass, pulling it away.

“This is a nice wake-up call.” His voice was laced with sleep, and he tangled his fingers with yours as he pulled his hips back before pushing forward again, thrusting between your thighs. You held back a moan. “Here I was expecting to wake you up in some erotic manner.” He said. He moved your hands together down to your cock, stroking you with your hand. “I can’t be the only one getting off this morning.” He added. 

He snapped his hips forward, and you couldn’t contain the moan that escaped your throat. The position made you want more, but you were willing to wait. This was the closest you were going to have sex with Taehyung for the time being, and you were okay with that. It only took a few minutes before you were on edge. Taehyung was panting against your shoulder, his thrusts erratic and off rhythm. You were first to cum, and you were thankful that Tae’s hand was bigger than yours. Between both hands, you managed not to make a mess of the bed. 

You clenched your thighs together as you came, making Taehyung moan as he thrust forward once again, cumming into both of your hands. You both laid there, trying to catch your breath. It wasn’t until Taehyung pulled away that you were fully aware of your hands being full of cum.

“Hey Tae, can you get me something to clean this up with, please?” You asked, afraid to move from your position.

“Absolutely,” He replied, kissing your head before disappearing into the bathroom. He returned with a damp towel that he wrapped your hands in to avoid spilling cum onto the sheet. With your hands cleaned up, you sat up and smiled at Tae, “Good morning,”

“Good morning, Tae.” You replied, “Your phone went off; I assume it was supposed to be your actual wake up call.” You told him, watching as he picked up his phone from the nightstand.

“It was Sejin,” He said, tapping open his text messages, “he says to wear something comfortable. Do you have any comfortable shoes?”

You nodded and climbed out of bed, heading over to your luggage. “Pants, shorts? What am I preparing for?” 

“A Disney park.” Your head whipped around, and you stared at him.

“Disney park?” You questioned. He nodded. “ Disney ?!” He smiled and nodded again. “I don’t think I have anything Disney park appropriate. I mean, I guess my shoes are okay for it, but I might need new ones soon. God, Tae, Disney ?” You just couldn’t believe that you’d be going to a Disney park three days into knowing your soulmate. Three days into being with Taehyung. Three days into being with BTS. Your mind was reeling.

“You’ll be okay,” Taehyung reassured, “it’s going to be a lot of fun. We don’t have to worry about a lot of paparazzi. People will be too busy looking at everything else. Plus, I can buy you lots of things. We can even ride on rides together.” 

“You don’t have to try to convince me, TaeTae. I’ll go. I’m just... surprised, I guess? I’ve never been to a Disney park before. I’m excited.” 

“Then let’s hurry and get ready to go!” You nodded in agreement, and you decided that shorts might be the best option with the heat. You wore one of your shirts for once since you didn’t want to steal all of Tae’s clothes, not that he was short on them. You and Tae were the first ones to be ready, and you wondered if Sejin had woken you both up earlier for a specific reason . He was a smart man. You were hanging out in the hallway lounge by the large windows watching the sun come up when Jin and Namjoon joined you both.

“Romantic scene, hope we’re not interrupting,” Namjoon said, sitting on one of the sofas with a cup of tea.

“Nope,” You replied, smiling at the two of them, “we’re just waiting for everyone else to wake up.” 

“Jimin’s in the shower,” Jin said, stretching his arms out. “Jungkook went to wake up Yoongi, and Hoseok was getting dressed when I checked on him.” 

“Have you guys been to a Disney park before?” You asked, turning to lean your back against the window. 

“We have. Is this going to be your first time?” Namjoon replied. You nodded and smiled, “It’s a lot of fun. You’ll have to stick close to Taehyung though, you don’t want to get lost. It’s a big place.”

“Stick close to Tae? Not a problem at all.” You said, giving Namjoon a thumbs up. “I have to admit; I want to ride a rollercoaster with Hoseok.”

“You just want to see him scream,” Taehyung stated.

“You’re absolutely right.” You admitted with a large grin. “I don’t really know what rides are there, but I’m excited to go. I plan on taking a lot of pictures!”

“That’ll be fun. We’ll have even more pictures for the collection then.” Jin said with a smile.

Chapter Text

A short time later, the others joined your impromptu hang out in the hallway lounge. Hoseok declared he wasn’t getting on any roller coasters, but you managed to get him to agree to a single one as long as you did something he wanted to do in return. You agreed with glee. Sejin showed up shortly after, briefing everyone on the rules and security measures. Everyone would have bodyguards with them, even you, and you were all instructed to keep them with you. You were also advised not to answer questions about your identity to anyone if they asked. Easily agreeable, you decided and accepted the terms. After the briefing was completed, you were all taken to the van and drove to the park.

“What ride should we go on first?” Jungkook wondered aloud as he looked at his newly acquired map of the entire park.

“We have all day, but we should head to the more popular rides before more people arrive,” Yoongi suggested, getting nods of approval from the group.

“That’s our Yoongi, always having the best ideas,” Jimin said with a thumbs up. 

The first ride that you all reached was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, where Hoseok screamed at the drop that sent the train down in fast spiralling turns. The quick turns after that he did his best to hold back his yells by clinging to Jin, who was placed in the seat next to him. The ride itself was amazing, but you were queasy when you got off, legs wobbly and stomach-churning. It seemed like Hoseok was the same and perhaps even Yoongi, but he could hide it better than you.

“Can we get something to eat?” Jimin was the one to complain. “A roller-coaster was not the best idea for our first ride, Jungkook.” The youngest gave a sheepish smile and pointed to the marketplace a ways down. “When we get to Splash Mountain, I’m telling them to put you where you’ll get soaked.”

“I second that,” Hobi whined, raising a hand. He kept the other on his stomach.

You were smiling, but you, too, were feeling sick. Food sounded like the best option, and when you reached Ship to Shore, your stomach woke up, your hunger awakening in force. You all went easy on your breakfast, opting for assorted fruits and some water. You found a place to eat and enjoyed your food together, taking the time to figure out what else you wanted to do. Jimin reminded everyone that he wanted to ride Splash Mountain, and they decided that you’d make your way to that ride later in the afternoon.

Your group made its way to Adventureland to ride the Indiana Jones Adventure ride, where both you and Hoseok screamed at the giant boulder rolling toward your vehicle, only to be saved by the dip of the track. You knew you were perfectly safe, but it didn’t matter at that second. You and Hoseok were balls of laughter when you got off the ride. You were all talking about the ride when you heard talking from a nearby group of people.

“ Oh my god, it’s BTS. ”

“ I wonder if they’d let us get photos with them. ”

“ Or autographs? ”

“ Who’s that other person with them? He doesn’t look like staff. ”

You frowned and looked over at Iseul. He glanced at the group and directed you and the others to follow, making sure you were out of the line of sight.

“Snow?” Namjoon asked, falling back to walk next to you.

“I’m okay, Joon.” You assured him with a smile, but you couldn’t push down the sinking feeling in your gut that told you something was not okay. Taehyung tugged on the thread that connected you, and you smiled at him. “Let’s go find another ride to go on. Or find a show to watch?” You suggested, trying your best to shove your gut feeling down. The fact that you couldn’t hold Taehyung’s hand or be too close to him bothered you, but you know it was for the best. 

The feeling waned as you waited in line for another ride, the maknaes huddling up around you in excitement. After the ride, your mood was up again, and you were joking around with the group just like you had been all morning. It felt great to be with them. They then informed you that the group would go to the Downtown Disney District for better lunch options. You ended up going to Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes. 

There was so much food ordered that some of it got mixed up, and no one could tell who’s was who’s, but it didn’t matter. You were all sharing food, anyway. The one thing you didn’t share was your Cookies ‘N Cream supreme milkshake. Yoongi had to kick Taehyung under the table to stop him from leaning in to lick some chocolate drizzle off your chin.

“Behave,” He grumbled with a frown, and that’s when you noticed a blue-white thread streaming from Yoongi’s chest across the table to yours.

Tae sighed and handed you a napkin which you used to wipe the chocolate off, but your eyes didn’t leave the thread. When you were done cleaning yourself up, you reached up to your chest and tugged the bright string, watching as Yoongi flinched and immediately stared at you. Taehyung saw this exchange, and his frown immediately turned into a great smile, one that rivalled even Hoseok’s.

“Stop tugging on it.” Yoongi murmured, “It feels weird.” 

“That hasn’t been there long,” Taehyung said, reaching over to play with the string, though he couldn’t touch the one between you and Yoongi.

“What’s up?” Jin asked, mouth full of food.

“He and Yoongi are soulmates.” Tae pointed out.

“But I thought you and him were soulmates,” Jin replied, eyebrow raised as he swallowed.

“They’re soulmates like Tae and I are soulmates. Platonic soulmates, best friends.” Jimin explained happily. “This is wonderful! I knew you two got along really well!” You saw a soft smile on Yoongi’s face that you mimicked as you went back to eating.

“It’s actually… really nice to see a string like this.” You stated, swirling your straw around your milkshake, mixing it up. Yoongi nodded silently in agreement. Lunch continued without a hitch, and after you were all done stuffing your faces, you headed towards some shops nearby.

“Alright, listen up,” Namjoon said, making sure the group was paying attention. “You can’t buy more than you can carry. No large plushes. Nothing that will get broken easily and nothing so small you think you’re going to lose accidentally.” Everyone nodded, even you, though you weren’t planning on really spending any money. “Lastly, we all know this, but I’m going to remind you all, stay with your staff. Politely decline any requests for pictures and autographs. Most of all, just have fun.”

Hoseok was the first to head off, saying something about seeing a sunglasses shop not too far away. Jungkook went to the build your own remote-control car shop. Jimin and Jin headed into some clothing store, and Namjoon went into the boutique that had some weird figure in the window. That left you, Taehyung, and Yoongi standing there.

“You want to hang out with him, don’t you?” Taehyung grinned at his groupmate, who looked down a bit sheepishly. “That’s fine!” Your soulmate said excitedly, “This gives me a chance to buy you an amazing gift in secret!”

“Tae!” You exclaimed, “It’s not a secret if you tell me about it.”

“It’s still a secret if you don’t know what it is.” He replied, sticking out his tongue at you. You wanted to bite it, but you had to behave. He reached up and tugged the red thread a few times in the rhythm of I purple you, and you smiled. “I’ll meet up with you guys later. Take care of him!”

Suddenly you and Yoongi were left there, both wondering who was supposed to take care of who. “Well,” you started, “you want to go try to make BTS LEGO people?” Yoongi’s eyes lit up at the idea, and he nodded. “Let’s go then!” 

It was more challenging than you thought it would be to make each BTS member as a LEGO figure. You started with Yoongi since he was standing next to you. Yoongi was trying to make Hoseok and had his tongue just barely sticking out of his mouth in concentration. It was adorable. You managed to finish before him and pointed little SUGA’s arms out before holding it up to Yoongi.

“Jungkook, stop messing around. It’s time to be serious.” You playfully and poorly mimicked Yoongi’s tone of voice, making him burst into laughter at your silly antics. 

“That was terrible.” He laughed, wiping the tears from his eyes, “but look at little me! It is little me, isn’t it?”

“It is!” You exclaimed, “I’m so happy you could tell!” You both laughed, and when he finished little j-hope, he held him up, making him do a little shimmy dance. “Oh my god, he’s so cute.” You have no idea how long you and Yoongi sat there trying to make BTS into LEGO figures, but you somehow did. You even made a little Sejin and even one of Amiyah. “We should buy some LEGO sets later, so our little selves have somewhere to live.” You said, playing with little Taehyung.

“Snow,” Yoongi said your name, pulling you out of your vocal thoughts. When you looked at what he held up, you smiled so brightly. “Everyone has one now, even you.” You looked at the miniature LEGO version of you that Yoongi had made and reached out to take it from him carefully.

“I’m so adorable. Thank you, Yoongi.” You said, playing with your tiny arms before setting the figure down next to the others. “I can’t wait to show the others these guys. Oh!” You looked over at your best friend soulmate, eyes wide in realisation. “We have to make Si-hyuk!” Yoongi’s eyes widened, and you both started digging through the bin of pieces. It took you both another twenty minutes to put together a little LEGO Si-hyuk, and when you finished, you grouped all the figures together and took a picture of them.

“We should find a music studio set,” Yoongi said, getting up from his seat to put the bin away. You couldn’t agree with him more and carefully place the figures in a little basket you had picked up by the door. There were so many LEGO sets to choose from, and it took you a while to find one you both thought suitable. “This one looks perfect.”

“Agreed. It even has a little computer.” With all your treasures in hand, you both walked to the checkout, waiting in the short line. Yoongi was the one who bought everything and declared that he was going to treat you today since it was your first time at a Disney park.

Your next stop was World of Disney, where you both bought a few small souvenirs. Both you and Yoongi got mouse ears and wore them out of the shop, stopping at the CrazyShake Window. You got another Cookies ‘N Cream shake while Yoongi got a Coffee shake. 

“Hey, Snow,” Yoongi spoke up as you both headed away from the building. You looked over at him as you drank your shake and answered with a curious hum. “Where does the thread originate from? I can’t see them, but I can feel it when you tug on it.” You smiled at him and lowered your shake, reaching out with your free hand to touch his chest. You used your index finger to point to the exact point of the thread, waiting for him to reach up to the spot with his fingers before you moved your hand.

You traced the thread with your thumb and index finger, tugging on it lightly so he could feel it. “I’m not sure if you can touch them, but maybe if you know where it is.” You helped position his fingers around the thread, and visibly you could see him holding it. He held the blue-white string in his fingers, and you tugged it again. “Can you feel it in your hand?”

“It’s kind of warm?” He asked, tugging the thread himself, and you smiled again, nodding in reply.

“It is. Now let’s see if you can find it on your own. I’ve never tried to teach anyone how to do this.” 

Yoongi did as you asked and removed his hand from the string, waiting a moment before attempting to find it again. There was a flash of acknowledgement between the both of you when he retook the thread between his fingers, though this time he traced it out from his body.

“Can you magically see them now or something?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” he replied with a small smile, “but I can feel something here. It’s like it's solid. An invisible yet tangible thing that connects us.” 

It surprised you you could teach him to find it, but at the same time, you had a feeling that there was more to Yoongi that you wanted to find out about. “Maybe you’ve got your own special ability that you don’t know about yet?”

Yoongi shrugged and lowered his hand, bringing his milkshake up to take a sip from it, “Maybe.” He replied from around the straw. 

Together you found Hoseok relaxing at a table in the shade and joined him. He was munching on some fries and sipping on a Sprite when you sat down.

“Jungkook was here,” He pointed out the extra bags at the table, “He built a really cool car. I think he went to get pretzel bites.” You and Yoongi sat next to one another, the bodyguards seated at a table next to yours, having their own snacks and relaxation time.

“Hey Snow, Yoongi. You guys having fun?” Jungkook asked when he returned.

“We are,” You replied, and Yoongi nodded.

“I saw you guys over in the LEGO store. Were you there the entire time?”

“Most of it, yeah,” Yoongi replied with a shrug. “We had a mission to complete.” You chuckled at the term ‘mission’ and nudged him with your knee.

“We can’t tell them until the others are here.” You told him with a smile. 

“I wasn’t going to tell them.”

“You have to tell us now,” Jungkook whined with a pout. “You have us curious now.”

“Absolutely not.” 

“No”

You and Yoongi laughed and toasted together your milkshakes in victory when Jungkook deflated on the table.

“You guys break Kook?” Jimin questioned as he sat at the table next to the sulking man.

“Looks like they did,” Jin added, sitting next to Jimin. It was like they were slowly filling the table out by going around it, purposefully leaving the seat next to you empty for Taehyung.

Namjoon was the next to show up at the table, taking a seat between Jin and Jimin so that Jimin could sit next to Taehyung when he finally got there. You were all excitedly chatting about what you’d been up to when your soulmate finally showed up. He slipped his arms around your waist and leaned down, kissing the back of your neck affectionately. The kiss sent a shiver down your spine.

“Hey Tae,” Jimin greeted, patting the seat next to him. 

Tae nipped your neck lightly, making you squeak before he pulled away and sat down next to you, smiling over at Jimin. “Looks like I’m late,”

“Taehyung, you have to be cautious. We’re in public.” Yoongi scolded. The older man frowned at the younger, his eyes narrowing. You nudged your platonic soulmate with your knee and gave a small smile, and his frown wavered, “I just don’t want you getting mixed up in some big thing.” He added, sipping on his milkshake.

“There’s not even that many people around,” Taehyung argued, shrugging a bit. You offered him your milkshake, and he took a quick sip before pulling his bag into his lap. “I got you something, Snow. But you’ll have to wait until we get back to the hotel to get it.”

You smiled widely at him and nodded, “Sounds good to me!” You exclaimed, reaching for your and Yoongi’s bag, “Yoongi and I got something for everyone.” 

“You’re finally going to tell us what it is?” Jungkook whined, lifting himself off the table.

You couldn’t hold back your laugh as you nodded, “No, Kookie.” You replied, snorting as you saw him visibly deflate once again, “We’re going to show you what it is.”

“Smartass.” The youngest retorted. You stuck your tongue out at him.

“Everyone, close your eyes,” Yoongi instructed. You both watched each member of the group, making sure that no one was peeking. Once you determined it safe, you pulled out each LEGO person and carefully set them up one by one on the table. Once all of them were set out, you and Yoongi smiled and nodded to one another. “You can look now.” He said, both of you grinning widely.

“Look at that!” Jungkook blurted loudly, pointing at the miniature copies of every one. “That’s the ‘mission’ you were on? Making everyone in BTS?”

“Not just BTS,” you pointed out, picking up the LEGO version of Sejin and Si-hyuk. Yoongi picked up the LEGO version of you, and you each held the figures out. “We have these too.”

“That’s amazing, you guys!” Jin said, reaching for the miniature version of himself. The other members quickly followed, each picking up their LEGO doubles. 

“All I did was shop for clothes,” Jimin stated with a smile, “You guys did so much work. This must have been so difficult!”

“We got a little music studio set for them too. I figured we could set it up at some point when you’re not on tour anymore.” You said, setting the figures you were holding back down on the table.

“We could find a place in the living room,” Namjoon suggested, smiling at you.

“That’s a perfect idea!” Hoseok agreed, making his figure do the Anpanman pose. 

“You and Yoongi put in a lot of thought for these,” Taehyung breathed, a sweet smile on his face. You wanted to kiss him so badly, but you knew you couldn’t blow your cover like that. 

“We did; it took a while too.” You replied. Tae’s smile grew, and he nodded. “I’m eager to see the set put together and everyone in it. I want to get more sets in the future; we can have a little LEGO BTS city or something. It’ll be great.”

The others agreed with you, and after a short time of excitedly playing with the LEGO figures, you all finished your snacks and drinks, packed up, and headed back to the main park. There were a lot more people in the park than there were before you left for Downtown Disney. It was much more crowded, and you stuck close to Taehyung and Yoongi. 

There were some points where they were both holding your hands, swinging them to calm you down. They could both feel your anxiety. You were sitting with Yoongi waiting for the others near a ride when it reached its peak. You were calm for the most part, smiling up at the queue where you could see Hoseok and Taehyung fooling around in line.

“ Do you see that? ” You could barely register the voice, “ That’s Min, Yoongi. ”

“ Who’s that sitting next to him? ” Another voice, louder than the other one, asked.

“ What colour string is that, anyway? Blue? White? What are they, some kind of soulmates? ” Your heart sank, and your eyes widened. You’d forgotten that others could see the strings.

“ Look at that! ” The first voice exclaimed, “ A red one! It’s connected to Taehyung! ” 

“ What? Really?! ”

Your heart was pounding in your chest, and you reached for Yoongi. You didn’t have to reach far; he was already reaching for you.

“Yoongi…” Your voice trembled.

“This way, come on.” He instructed, pulling you from your seat and heading away from the area. “Follow us closely,” He told the bodyguards. “Make sure it’s hard to see him.” The bodyguards crowded you both, ushering you to a secluded area. You felt like you couldn’t breathe, and Yoongi helped you to the cool pavement. “Snow, hey,” his voice was gentle, “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.” He reached out and placed his hand against your chest, his fingers moving around as he tried to feel for something. “Deep breaths. In…” He instructed, and you took in a deep, stuttering breath. “Very good,” he continued. It almost felt like he had taken hold of something, but your mind was racing too fast to take much notice. “Let it out slowly, now.” You did as he said, “Again.”

You were trembling by the time Taehyung rushed through the human barricade that yours and Yoongi’s bodyguards had made around you. He called your name as he fell to his knees beside you. You curled up into him, doing your best to hold in your sobs as you ultimately came apart in his arms.

“What happened?!” Taehyung questioned, looking at Yoongi.

“People were talking. They could see the threads. He started having a panic attack, so I got him away from them as soon as I could.” Yoongi explained, worry plastered on his face.

“Good thinking, Yoongi.” Namjoon was the next to rush over. “We need to call Sejin. I don’t think we’ll be able to stay for the rest of the day.”

Hoseok and Jungkook rushed up, both panting. “We have a security breach.” Jungkook panted.

“Some people were taking pictures,” Hoseok added and took a deep breath. “We should get back to the hotel. Jimin and Jin already headed that way to throw people off.”

“Yeah, people know BTS is here now. We’re not going to get any peace anymore.” 

Namjoon clicked his tongue and hissed, “I had a feeling this might happen. Alright, listen up.” Namjoon was in full leader mode now while you were just sobbing and trembling in your soulmate’s arms. “Kook, Hoseok, you two take him. You don’t have strings attached yet, so he’ll be safest with you.” You clung to Taehyung at this plan, refusing to let him go.

“It’s alright,” Taehyung whispered to you, rocking you soothingly, “we’ll meet up again at the van. It’ll only be for a little bit.”

“We need to hurry before we’re found again.” Jungkook pressed, his head on a swivel. 

“Come on,” Yoongi said, “it’s best this way.” he pulled you away from Taehyung. You allowed this only because it was Yoongi doing it. Once you were on your feet again, Hoseok came over and wiped your face with the sleeve of his shirt, cleaning you up the best he could. “Go with Hobi, cling to him if you have to. Just get to the van. Tae and I will be there soon.” 

You did just as Yoongi said; you clung to Hoseok. You held onto him as he, Jungkook, and your bodyguards hurried to the entrance. It was more difficult with so many people, but you tried to ignore the overwhelming amount of strings everywhere. You tripped a couple of times, but Hoseok kept a good hold on you, and you kept going.

“Hobi! Kookie!” Jimin’s voice called. “Where are the others?”

“Namjoon said it would be best if we split up. He told us to bring him here to avoid any more attention.” Jungkook explained.

You felt more than you saw firm hands take your upper arms and carefully help you into the middle seat of the van. “Get some water,” Jin instructed, and within seconds they gave you a cold bottle of water that you gulped down in record time.

“Breath,” Jin’s voice said calmly as he rubbed your back. 

“I’m sorry.” You could barely get the words out. “I ruined the whole day.” 

“No, no. You did no such thing.” Jin reassured you, “It’s okay. Everything will be okay. We just have to get back to the hotel.”

You nodded and leaned against him, closing your eyes as you replayed Yoongi’s words through your head. Slow, deep breath in. Hold it. Slowly let it out. Repeat. You were dozing when you heard Yoongi's and Taehyung’s voices. 

“We’re all accounted for,” Jimin reported, and the van quickly began filling up. 

Taehyung slipped into the seat next to you, pulling you from Jin gently. Yoongi sat in the seat in front of you, and Jimin joined him. Jungkook and Hoseok were already in the far back seat of the van, ready to go. Namjoon took the passenger seat in the front, and one of the bodyguards took up driving. 

Chapter Text

You were asleep when you arrived at the hotel, and you woke up in bed sometime later. Thankfully, you weren’t alone when you woke up. You recognised the fluffy dark hair that belonged to your platonic soulmate, Yoongi. He was sleeping right next to you; his side pressed up against yours as he napped.

“Yoongi?” You whispered his name and reached out to him, your bottom lip quivering when he sleepily took your hand in his.

“It’s okay,” He murmured, his eyes opening to look at you. “There’s no need to cry. They’re getting things figured out.” You bit your bottom lip as your eyes filled with tears.

“I’m so sorry.” It was the only thing you could think of. You could only apologise for ruining what was a glorious morning. You didn’t even know what time it was.

“Don’t apologise.” He said, pulling you into a hug. “You did nothing wrong.”

“I ruined the trip,” A small sob escaped your throat, and Yoongi shook his head.

“You didn’t. There will be other times to go to the park. We’ll go again another day.” He explained. His words made you feel a bit better, but only slightly. 

“Where is everyone?” You felt small. Not because Yoongi was larger than you, he wasn’t by much, but because you felt like your entire world came crashing down on you.

“They’re in the hall where we were this morning.” He replied, “Do you want to go meet up with them?” You simply nodded and allowed Yoongi to help you out of bed. 

You quickly realised that you weren’t in Tae’s room. It was definitely Yoongi’s room, by the looks of it. You were left alone for a moment while Yoongi went to the bathroom to get a damp washcloth to clean your face up with, and you let him. You were exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally. You just wanted to curl up with your soulmate and hide away from the world. Yoongi pulled you to your feet and took your hand when he was done cleaning you up. 

You let him lead you out of the room and down the familiar hallway, stopping just where the hall opened up into the sitting area. Hoseok and Jin were sitting on one of the sofas. Jungkook was sitting against the large window, his arms crossed, looking disgruntled. Namjoon was standing, talking with Sejin a little ways away from Jungkook. On the other sofa sat Jimin and Taehyung, who were utterly silent. It was an oddity that the group of rowdy guys were so quiet and still.

“Ah,” Sejin said your name when he saw you standing with Yoongi. Please, join us. We have some things to discuss.” You nodded and walked over to the group’s manager, silently passing by your soulmate. “I’m very sorry about what happened today at the park. Are you feeling well?”

“I’m not feeling all that great if I’m honest. I just want to curl up in a dark hole somewhere.” You could feel Taehyung’s eyes on you and the tug of your heartstring when he pulled on it. “But,” you continued, “something like this was bound to happen, eventually. I didn’t think it would be so soon, but I suppose it’s best to get it over with.”

Sejin gave a sympathetic smile to you, “The good news is that the people who saw the thread between you and Taehyung have no way to prove what they saw. Their claims are, therefore, unconfirmed and deniable.”

“I don’t want to deny it, Sejin.” You snapped, though you didn’t mean it to be mean. Your nerves were frayed, and you were so overwhelmed, the idea of denying your bond with Taehyung hurt too much.

“Please let me continue,” Sejin spoke softly, not wanting to upset you any more than you were, “I’m not suggesting that you deny your relationship with Taehyung. I am stating that the person who saw the thread has no proof, and BigHit can deny their claims. I know it doesn’t sound any better, but you have to trust me. This isn’t something to be taken lightly, you know this.”

“I know,” your voice cracked, and you were shaking again. Taehyung couldn’t sit by anymore and got up, wrapping his arms around you, holding you as close to him as he could.

“We don’t have to deny anything, Snow Owl,” Tae whispered in your ear. “Sejin just wants to put a stop to any rumours that will get out of hand. We all care about you too much to have you go through any nasty stuff. You even said you were prepared for this. You can do this. We can do this.”

Having Taehyung reassuring you helped put your nerves at ease, but your anxiety flared again when Sejin’s phone rang. “Sir,” he answered; it was Si-hyuk. You knew it was. “As of right now, there isn’t much information.” You wish you could hear what the CEO of BigHit said on the other side of the line. “We’ve hidden all of his profiles and turned off his phone.” 

It hadn’t even occurred to you that someone may have already been looking you up, but it was only natural. There were probably pictures circulating on the internet already. “Yes, sir,” Sejin agreed to something. “He’s currently not feeling well. He was overwhelmed at the park. I’m certain he’ll be willing to speak with you another time.” You held out your hand to Sejin, looking at him with the bravest look you could muster. “It seems he is willing to speak with you now.” Another pause. “Of course,” He handed the phone to you, and you brought it to your ear, readying yourself for whatever Si-hyuk was going to say to you.

“Si-hyuk, sir.” You answered, your voice quieter than you had meant it to be.

“Sejin said you weren’t feeling well. Are you holding up alright?” You could hear the worry in the man’s voice, and it made you more at ease than being in your soulmate’s arms.

“I’ll be alright. This has happened before, though under different circumstances. It might take me a day or two, but I’ll bounce back.” You replied, lacing your fingers with Taehyung’s. “Is there anything you need me to do?”

“Proactive even when the stakes are high,” Si-hyuk chuckled, “I like that about you. For now, what I need you to do is get well. Sejin and the social media team will clean this up. I’ve informed him to purchase you a new phone for you to use. When you receive it, don’t sign into any social media. You’re allowed the chat app with the group, however. If you want to contact that friend of yours, make sure she keeps anything you tell her to herself. I don’t advise you to share too much information.”

“I’ll make sure she won’t say anything. I’ll text her when I get the new phone. I can delete my social media accounts; that way, there’s nothing to trace back to me. I don’t get on them much anyway, and it’ll be safer that way.”

“I’ll let Sejin know to give you back your phone for a short while to allow you to do that and get pictures and contacts from it. You’re taking this well.”

“Truth be told, I’m terrified. I know everyone’s just trying to keep me safe, and I appreciate it so much. It won’t do me any good to argue or go against any advice right now. It’s best to keep face and keep going.” Taehyung squeezed you and nuzzled into your hair, silently praising you.

“Be strong, you can count on us to settle this,” Si-hyuk said confidently.

“I know you can. I’ll give the phone back to Sejin now.” You felt yourself smiling again as you handed Sejin back his phone, and everyone watched as he headed off down the hallway to continue the damage control.

“Don’t be scared,” Jungkook said as he got up and headed over, hugging you from the front, effectively also embracing Tae. “We’ll protect you.” He added, smiling at you when he pulled away.

“That’s right,” Jimin said, giving a thumbs up.

“Don’t crowd him,” Yoongi said, moving Jungkook away gently. “He’s had enough of that today.” 

“You’ve gotten protective,” Jungkook half-frowned at the other man. 

“He can’t help it, Kookie,” Jimin said, sitting on his knees and turning to rest his arms on the back of the sofa. “I feel the same way about Taehyung.”

“Wait, really?” The youngest questioned.

Jimin nodded and smiled, “It’s strange at first. The overwhelming urge to just want your best friend to be happy. To do anything you can to cheer them up, to make them smile again. There’s just this feeling .” Yoongi nodded, and you smiled.

“Maybe one day we’ll all have blue strings.” You murmured, playing with the strings that extended from you. Your smile fell, though, the more you looked at the strings. “Sometimes, I wish I could turn this off.” You said it to yourself, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear you. Taehyung pulled away and turned you around so he could face you. For the first time, you saw a pain in his eyes you’ve never seen or ever want to see again. “Taehyung…”

“I know they’re overwhelming, but I’m happy we can see them. Think about how happy you were when you saw your connection to Yoongi. Think about how hard we fought to reach one another. Think about how exciting it will be for you to see those threads appear one by one to the others in the group. Or how happy you’ll be when you see that blue string that disappears reconnect to your friend back home.” His eyes were tearing up, and you could feel yours do the same. You reached up, cupping your hands around his face.

“I’ve never had anyone reassure me about these threads before.” You said, “I’m so lucky to have you. To have all of you.” You turned your attention to the rest of the group. “It may be hard sometimes, but I know that I have you all to help me.” Your eyes returned to Tae’s, “I have you .” 

The way Taehyung kissed you was like nothing you’d ever experienced before. You could feel how much he loved you. How much he cared. When you parted, you didn’t feel empty. You didn’t feel like you’d lost anything. You felt safe. You slipped your arms around Tae’s waist, holding onto him for a minute to give yourself time to collect your thoughts. He didn’t mind and held you close, allowing you to take as much time as you needed.

“Okay,” you said, taking a deep breath and pulling away from Tae. “Who wants to play UNO?”

“UNO?” Jungkook questioned, “you want to play right now?”

“I’ll go get it!” Hoseok exclaimed, hopping up from his seat and hurrying down the hall. You smiled at how perplexed Jungkook was about your decision.

“Kookie,” you said his name as you removed yourself from Tae, “playing games will help me keep my mind off things.” 

“Right! Hey, let me get my car! I want to show you how cool it is!” You nodded and watched him hurry off to his room. Namjoon approached you and placed a hand on your shoulder, giving you a solemn smile.

“You’re very brave.”

“Maybe a bit. I knew this was going to happen. I just didn’t think it would be so soon. Now I’m worried about going to the concert with you this weekend.” The frown on Taehyung’s face made your heart hurt. “I would still love to go, though. But only if Sejin and Si-hyuk think it’s safe for me to do so.”

“None of us want you to have to deny anything. I think it’s too soon to make an official statement about it, but I don’t want you to have to wait too long.” Namjoon said with a sigh. “We just have to trust their judgement.”

“I plan to, Joonie. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep myself and this group safe. I refuse to be a liability.” 

“You make it sound like we’re some kind of international spies or something,” Jin said with a grin.

“Maybe you are. I mean, you guys had a spy in your midst a few times. Jungkook was pretty good at it.” You replied with a smirk. “I’ll do my best to keep smiling, even when I’m scared. If you guys start to show your worry too much, ARMY will know something’s going on.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, “We just have to remember to keep smiling too. And that’ll be easier if you smile,” Hoseok said when he returned, holding up the UNO cards. “Now, let’s kick Kookie’s butt again.” 

You played Uno with the group for a few rounds before racing Jungkook’s new remote control car around with him. The activities made you feel better, but you still had that nagging at the forefront of your mind. It wasn’t until you were alone with Taehyung again that you finally let your guard down.

“Come here,” Tae said, pulling you against him when you climbed into bed. “We’ll make it through this. BTS has been through a lot; this is just another hurdle we have to jump.” You smiled and nodded against him.

“Taehyung,” you murmured his name, and he looked you in the eyes, “I’m scared.” It was hard for you to admit. To honestly admit to yourself that deep down you, it scared you. “I’m so scared I’m going to lose you. That I’m going to have to be away from you, that something’s going to take me away, and I don’t know what I would do if that happens. I can’t go back to my old life. Not after everything that’s happened.”

Your heart was thumping hard in your chest, and Tae could feel it against him. “You’re not going anywhere.” You huffed a laugh and curled up to Tae even more than you were, tangling your legs together.

“Thank you for telling me that.” You said, closing your eyes. You were tired. The energy that you’d regained playing games with everyone was now gone, and it left you drained. “I’m tired.” You muttered against your soulmate’s chest.

“Then sleep,” He replied, playing with the hem of your—his—nightshirt. “I’ll be here when you wake up.” You nodded against him and quickly dozed off to the rhythm of Taehyung’s breathing.

The following day you woke up late, and to your surprise, Tae was where he promised he would be. He was scrolling through Twitter on his phone when you rolled over and snuggled up to him. “Morning.” You murmured, half asleep. He smiled and set his phone down, pulling you into his arms to snuggle with you in return.

“Morning.”

“How bad is the Twitter feed today?” You wondered, but you weren’t sure you wanted to know.

“It’s silent. Nothing but a bunch of ARMY talking about how Jimin and I are soulmates.”

“Any pictures?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary. It seems the PR department has been hard at work all night.”

You smiled in relief, “It sounds like things are going to be okay.”

“How are you feeling today? String anxiety still flared up?”

You hummed and shook your head, “I think I’m okay today. Everyone helped calm me down last night.” 

“I think we were supposed to go out today,” Tae said as you pulled away and sat up. “But we can stay here at the hotel if you’d like?”

You thought for a moment, “I don’t want another incident happening so soon. I’ll stay here at the hotel today. You and the others can go out. I’ll be okay here.” Tae frowned and slipped his arms around you from behind, kissing the back of your neck, similar to what he did at the park, but it was more intimate now.

“I don’t want to leave you on your own, though.” He said as he settled behind you, his legs moving on either side of you to pull your back against his chest. His hands slid under your shirt almost immediately, his large hands covering your bare skin. “When I saw our string so long yesterday, I felt unsettled. I don’t want to see it that long again.”

You smiled and relaxed against him, a shiver going through your body when he slid one of his hands up your abdomen and to your heartstrings. Having him touch the string where it originated from you was a fresh experience for you, and you gasped as he pressed his fingers against it. “Tae,” You moaned his name softly, lulling your head to the side without thinking. He took this as an invitation and leaned down to nibble on your exposed neck. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready to go?”

“They’ll wait,” He replied, his mouth still on your neck, “besides, I want to leave you feeling good. Something to get your mind off anything bad.” Tae’s other hand strayed down, slipping into your night pants with ease, caressing your cock.

You gasped lightly, and your hips pressed forward on their own, attempting to gain more contact. Tae’s other hand stayed on your chest, his fingers moving to dance over one of your nipples. You were growing hard beneath his hand as he rubbed against your cock. It didn’t take him long to slip his hand into your underwear, wrapping his fingers around your waking dick, pulling another gasp from you. His mouth worked on your neck, leaving more small purple marks on your skin. You felt like you were developing polka dots. You were definitely going to need to wear a turtleneck to hide all the marks he was leaving on you.

“TaeTae,” you complained when he started suckling another mark on you, “you have to leave them somewhere else.” You felt him grin against your neck, and he began to move his mouth down your shoulder.

“Fine, fine. I’ll leave them in other places.” The way his voice sounded made you shiver, and you felt like you made some kind of great mistake. His hand left your cock, and your shirt was pulled off, exposing your unmarred skin to him. You knew you’d given him too good of an idea when he pulled away from you and moved to your front. He laid on his stomach and wrapped his arms around your waist, drawing a gasp from you when he bit your side and nipped a mark there. 

“How can you go from a sweet teddy bear to a demon so quickly?” You whined, moaning when he sucked a dark mark on your navel. He hummed in response and moved his mouth to another spot.

He traced your abdomen with his mouth, leaving marks wherever he stopped. You weren’t sure how many he was leaving; you weren’t counting. You moaned when his mouth connected with your nipple, his tongue swirling around the sensitive bud. You grew harder in your night pants. When he finished abusing one nipple, he moved to the other, giving it the same treatment all while you squirmed your hips, trying to gain some kind of friction against your hardening cock. 

The room was filled with your pants and moans as he worked you with his mouth. He trailed down, leaving more marks as he moved lower. He stopped at your bellybutton and dipped his tongue in, his hooded eyes reaching yours with a hint of mischief. You weren’t sure what was going on in that head of his, but it was hard enough to think as it was. 

He hooked his fingers beneath the hem of your bottoms—both of them—and pulled them down to your knees. Your cock twitched at the sudden cool air, but a moan left your throat when Taehyung’s mouth engulfed you down to the base. You hadn’t been expecting it and your hands flew to his hair, tugging on it as he ravaged your cock. 

After a moment, though, he pulled away. You felt the loss when his hands left you, too, feeling exposed. You didn’t have time to question him, you only had time to say his name curiously when he laid you back and flipped you to your stomach. You stammered out his name again when he lifted you to your knees. He couldn’t be doing what you thought he was about to do, was he?

His large hands caressed your ass cheeks, squeezing them as he spread them apart. You peeked back at him the best you could but it was no use, you couldn’t see what he was doing, and you only strained your neck trying. You felt him blow cool air against your asshole, and you sucked in a breath. He wasn’t kidding when he said he would keep your mind off anything bad for the day. As it was, your mind was on the way Taehyung’s tongue felt against your asshole. 

You held back a noise when his tongue slid inside you. The sound of Tae working your hole with his tongue was probably the most erotic thing you’ve experienced in your life, and you felt yourself shiver when his saliva started running down to your balls. Two of his fingers replaced his tongue, and you let out a deep moan as he buried them into you. With his tongue no longer occupied, he nipped at your ass cheeks, leaving small marks on your skin.

“I want to see my dick buried in you so badly,” He murmured against your skin, you almost couldn’t hear him. You stuttered out his name, moaning when he thrust his fingers particularly deep. “It would be so easy,” He added, pulling away and sitting on his knees. He positioned himself behind you, his hips at the perfect height if he’d only just pull his cock out and thrust it inside you. 

He didn’t, though. Instead, he slid his fingers back into you, rocking his hips forward to help thrust them deeper. You moaned again and pushed back against him, wanting more. He pulled back, giving himself room to add a third finger, not giving you a chance to get used to the feeling before thrusting forward once again, burying his fingers deep inside you, brushing against your prostate. The feeling dragged another loud moan from you. 

Taehyung gripped your hip with his free hand, holding you still as he pulled back and thrust his hips forward at the same time as his fingers. He was adequately fucking you with his fingers, and it was driving you crazy. You wanted his dick. You wanted him buried inside you, your ass flush against his groin. You squirmed when he thrust in again. You could feel your cock straining, dripping, even though you were left untouched. A few more thrusts, and you were panting Tae’s name like a mantra, your orgasm building quickly the more he rubbed against your prostate. It wasn’t until Tae thrust particularly rough against your prostate that you came. You yelped and clenched around his fingers, whining when he rocked his hips, milking your prostate. Once you rode out your orgasm, Tae slid his fingers from you, cleaning them off on the sheet. He slipped his arms around your middle, pulling you up on your knees, letting you rest against him.

“Did I tire you out?” He teased, kissing your temple. “Was it too much?” You shook your head, trying to catch your breath.

“You’re going to drive me crazy.” You replied, turning your head to nip at his jaw. “One day, we’re going to throw that romantic night out the window.”

Taehyung hummed and hugged you close, “If that ends up happening, I think I’ll be okay with it. It’s not going to change how I feel about you.” You smiled and nodded in agreement. “Let’s get cleaned up.” You nodded a second time and allowed yourself to be stripped the rest of the way. Your legs felt like jello when you stood up, and you were thankful when Tae helped you to the bathroom so you both could shower. You heard him let out a sigh of relief when he removed his pants, and you saw how hard he was. He was leaking, and you wondered how close he was to cumming with his thrusts before.

“You want some help with that?” You asked, mimicking the same tone that he’d used on you when he’d first sucked you off.

“If you’re offering.” You wasted no time in getting on your knees and taking his cock into your hand. 

You pressed the flat of your tongue against his slit, licking up the pre-cum that was beading there. You didn’t make him wait long and took him into your mouth, swallowing him down. You used your hand to stroke his shaft while you worked the head of his dick with your mouth. His hands fell to your hair, and you could taste how close he was. It didn’t take long before he was rocking his hips with your rhythm, his movements stuttering as he grew closer to his orgasm. You timed your movements perfectly because when you moved your hand to swallow him down, he came down your throat. You moaned around him and drank what he spilt out. When he softened, you pulled away, smiling at him when you stood up. He was quick to draw you to him and kiss you deeply, and you immediately melted against him. You both lost yourself in one another before pulling away to breathe.

He murmured your name lovingly, resting his forehead against yours.

“Let’s get cleaned up,” You repeated his suggestion, pulling him to the shower. Your heart fluttered at the thought of Taehyung saying those three words, but you weren’t ready just yet. You knew he loved you, and he knew you loved him, but to say it was something different. 

Your shower was relatively calm, and you managed to keep your hands off one another to get dressed for the day. You opted to wear one of your shirts instead of one of Taehyung’s and were getting ready to head out of the room when Tae stopped you.

“I didn’t get to give you the gift I got you yesterday.” He said with a soft smile. “Do you mind if I give it to you now?”

You smiled back at him, lovingly, “I don’t mind at all.” You watched as he hurried over to his bag that held his things from the park, and he pulled out a box from the bag. 

“There were some other things I thought might suit you, but this one seemed like the best one.” He explained, opening the box and carefully pulling out a gold bracelet.

Your eyes widened at the sight of it, and you couldn’t say anything as he took your hand and lifted it so he could fasten the piece of jewellery onto your wrist. “Tae…” You pulled your hand closer so you could examine the piece. It was gold, and the entire thing was the Mickey Mouse heads patterned to just look like circles, but looking at it close up, it was apparent. “This is beautiful.” You said, tracing some of the golden rings. Without another word, you hugged him tightly around the waist. “I love it. It’s amazing,” You said, leaning up to kiss him on the lips. He kissed back cheerfully and hugged you.

“I knew you’d love it.” He replied, kissing the top of your head. “Now we can go meet up with the others.” You nodded with a grin and headed out of the room. 

Chapter Text

You made a B-Line to the hallway lounge where the others were already sitting around. The spot was quickly your favourite place to hang out with them, and there was more space to spread out. It wasn’t like many people passed by it either, since the BigHit staff took up plenty of rooms in the area.

“So, what are the plans today?” You asked as you plopped onto the sofa next to Yoongi, who was playing some game on his phone.

“We’re going to film a Run BTS! episode today. Are you going to come with us?” Yoongi’s eyes reached yours, an obvious question in them.

You took a breath and huffed it back out, “I don’t know. I thought it might be better for me to stay here today.”

“If you don’t go, I’m not going,” Yoongi stated flatly. 

“That’s not fair,” You complained, poking him in the side.

He squirmed away from you, trying not to smile, “You shouldn't be alone,” He replied, trying to block your hands from poking him again.

“And what if I want to be alone today, huh?” You got your hand through his defences and started tickling, making him laugh and writhe. 

“You don’t want to.” He yelped, trying to fight you off. When he finally managed to grab your hands, he held you still. He was panting, and his smile had gone, “I know you don’t want to be alone. So come with us. You don’t have to be on camera. You just need to be there for us.” 

“But what about other people?” You asked, your smile fading.

“It’s an inside event. Only the staff is going to be there.” Jin said with a large smile, “So come with us.” 

“Yeah,” Hoseok joined in.

You took another breath and let it out slowly, “Alright, fine.” You conceded. “I’ll go with you guys.”

There were cheers in the room, and Yoongi attacked when your guard was down, launching himself at you to tickle you. You yelled and laughed, doing your best not to kick him, but it was difficult.

“You’re a lively bunch today.” Sejin entered the room with a fond smile, “I have your phone for you and your new phone. I’ve installed the apps you’ll need, but I would refrain from installing any other social media apps on it.” He explained, holding up a bag. Yoongi had stopped his assault when Sejin had shown up, and you took your chance to escape from him.

“He said he’s going to come with us to film,” Yoongi reported with a smirk.

“Wonderful to hear,” Sejin replied, handing the bag to you, “I think you’re going to enjoy what they’ll be doing today. When they’re done filming, you’ll have a chance to play around the set.”

“Set?” You questioned as you peeked in the bag. You pulled out your old phone and turned it on, watching as the startup screen appeared. “Are you guys doing a skit today?” 

“They’ll be playing capture the flag.” You raised an eyebrow and looked over at the group.

“What’s the punishment?” You grinned at Sejin knowingly.

“I can’t say, that’ll spoil the fun,” Sejin said with a chuckle. “I’ll leave you all to get ready. You have half an hour.” With that, he was off, and you took a seat next to Yoongi while your soulmate sat next to Jimin. Sure, you enjoyed being with your soulmate, but you also noticed how nice it was to be next to your platonic soulmate, and you couldn’t be attached to Tae at all times.

“Nice phone,” Jimin remarked when you pulled the new one out of the box. You kept hearing your old phone chime with notifications, but you focused on signing in to the new apps that were on the new phone for the time being.

“I’ve never had a phone this nice before.” You replied, opening up the camera to take a picture of Jimin and Taehyung, who sat across from you on the other sofa. Once you got your photo, you flipped it to selfie mode and took a silly selca with Yoongi.

“It’s the same one we all have,” Taehyung said, pulling out his phone. You nodded and pulled out the stylus to doodle a smiley face on the notepad.

“Sponsors,” You blurted, and Yoongi chuckled next to you.

“Precisely,” He said, picking up your old phone. “Ah, Snowy, your friend has texted you a bunch. You need to talk to her.” 

You raised an eyebrow at the nickname and took your phone from him, opening it to see so many messages from Amiyah. Several of them were marked urgent, so they took priority over the others. You ignored them for the time being, opting to instead transfer your contacts over, including her, and your pictures and other files that you had. You also got on your old social media pages and deactivated them. You weren’t attached to them that much, anyway. Once you were done, you opened your messages, reading over the various ones you were sent.

“ What’s going on? I saw something about BTS and a soulmate. ”

“ Answer me, what’s happening? ARMY is furious. They keep circulating pictures. ”

“ Are you okay? ”

“ Please message me. I’m really worried. ”

“ I hope you’re okay. ”

“ The pictures are being taken down, and ARMY is suspicious about them. I keep seeing tweets about BigHit taking down accounts that post about what’s going on. Please message me. ”

You sighed and went to your settings, tapping through the menu to find the factory reset option, and opted to wipe the entire phone. Once the process started, you dropped the phone into the bag.

“Time to call her,” You announced, and Yoongi gave you an encouraging smile and nodded. You looked at your new phone and opened your contacts, hitting the call button beneath Amiyah’s name. You thought for a moment that you should’ve probably texted her first, but your heart leapt when she answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey there,” You smiled, hearing her voice, “I know you’ve been worried, and I’m sorry for taking so long to reply to you.”

“Finally! What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, there was just an incident yesterday, but the company’s already taking care of it.”

“ARMY is going crazy! I didn’t get the full story. What happened?”

“Some ARMYs saw me sitting with Yoongi yesterday. It turns out that they could see the strings too and spotted my connection to Taehyung. I freaked out, had a panic attack in the middle of the park, and we escaped back to the hotel, but aside from that, I don’t know the extent of what happened.”

“So you don’t know about all the pictures?”

“What pictures?” You looked over at the group, and they all looked guilty, especially Taehyung. “What pictures?” This time, you directed your question to the group and not Amiyah.

“Listen, I’m sure they didn’t tell you because they didn’t want you to freak out any more than you were.” You heard Amiyah on the other side of the phone. “There were pictures of you and Tae. One where you were sitting at a table, and he leaned down to kiss you on the neck or something. There are also pictures of you sitting with Yoongi, probably just before you had to run. There’s even some from a restaurant. But like I said in my texts, they’ve been taken down.” Your eyes fell from the group to the floor.

“It’s probably a good thing that I didn’t know about them. Someone must have been following us all morning; it sounds like.” You weren’t mad or sad. You were annoyed. Not at the group. Not at Amiyah. You were annoyed at the person who thought it was perfectly fine to stalk people while they’re just having a good time.

“I know that tone; it’ll be okay. As you said, the company’s already taking care of it. I’m glad you finally called me.”

“I’m sorry to make you worry. I had to deactivate my socials and get a new phone.” You said, letting out a deep sigh, “We have to get ready to film an episode of Run BTS!, though, so I’ll text you more later.” 

“That’s so exciting! Snap me some bts pictures of BTS!”

“Behind the scenes pictures? You got it. If Sejin lets me do that, that is.” You laughed, already feeling better. “Talk to you later.”

“Later!” You hung up the phone and stared at it for a second. No one said anything.

Taehyung was the first to talk, saying your name, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

You looked up at Tae and smiled. “It’s okay. I’m not mad at any of you.” You said, giving him a thumbs up. “I’m annoyed at the person who took the pictures. You guys did nothing wrong. So, let’s go film you guys failing to capture flags!”

In truth, you were upset about the entire ordeal. You played up your smiles and mood, but in reality, you felt betrayed. You understood why they didn’t tell you about the pictures, why Tae didn’t tell you about them when you had asked if there were any, but you wanted the truth. You wanted nothing sugar-coated.

“Your mood turns quicker than Yoongi’s.” Jungkook said with an awkward smile, “It’s kind of scary.”

“Excuse me?” Yoongi questioned, glaring over at the maknae.

“It’s no wonder you’re best friend soulmates,” Kook replied, scrunching his face at his elder.

“Hey now, don’t you start a discourse. If you two get paired up together, it’ll be up to you to work together.” 

“It’s too bad you can’t play with us while we’re filming,” Hoseok spoke up, “it would be nice to have even teams instead of the vocal line versus the rap line.” 

“After filming, I promise.” You said, winking at Hoseok. “We can be on a team together, Hobi.” The sunshine of the group got brighter as he smiled and fisted his hand cheerfully.

You were all worked up and excitedly talking about who was going to win the games when Sejin returned to the lounge.

“All ready to go?” He asked, and you all cheered. “To the van then, we have everything prepared to film now.” He turned to you, “You’ll be wearing a staff badge and sticking with me. Anyone who sees you will think that you’re my assistant or staff.”

“Fantastic idea, Sejin.” You grinned, holding yourself to be more assistant-like.

“After we’re done filming, you’ll have a chance to play another round before it’s time to return to the hotel. Tomorrow is an off day, but you have a V-live to stream. I’ll brief you on the details of that tomorrow. For now, let us go.”

The group followed their manager, and you stuck close to him, grinning at Taehyung as he walked behind you. Things felt like they were okay. Like they were going to be just fine, but you still weren’t entirely sure if it was. You were given a mask before you left the building, and you gladly put it on, giving yourself that much more anonymity to keep yourself safe. The only thing you didn’t enjoy about the ride was that you weren’t allowed to sit next to your soulmates. They put you in the front passenger seat while Sejin drove. You knew why, though, so you couldn’t argue, and when the van left the parking garage, you could see how many people were lurking around the hotel with cameras.

“I hate reporters.” You scowled behind your mask and rolled your eyes.

“It’s just their job,” Sejin replied, “unfortunately, they’re required to be sneaky and intrusive. Which was why I’m glad you came with us today. I don’t completely trust the security of the hotel.”

You frowned at the thought of someone sneaking up to the floor you were staying on, and suddenly you felt very exposed. “I’m eager to head to the next city.” You got a few sounds of agreement from behind you, and you glanced back and smiled at them. “I can’t wait for the concerts, though. I’m excited to see another.”

“We have to rehearse soon. Will you come to rehearsals?” Jimin asked, looking at you hopefully.

“What, you expect me to sit around the hotel and do nothing all day while you guys mess around during practice? No way! I’m going to be taking stupid videos of you guys messing up on your choreo.” You teased. You were rewarded with a laugh from everyone, even Sejin. You were glad that Sejin was so caring and understanding. It made things easier for you and made you feel more included.

The venue, as it turns out, was indoors. It was similar to the laser tag venue but more colourful. There were large mats that made up obstacles and walls, and you couldn’t help but get excited about getting to play after filming. It looked fun. The guys were suited up and teamed up; the teams were split, and Taehyung, Jimin, and Hoseok were placed on one team while Namjoon, Jin, Yoongi, and Jungkook were placed on the other. It had been a completely random draw of chance. Once the teams were split, they were given their colours and sent off into the course while you and Sejin stood by to watch.

Sejin spoke up when the filming had officially started getting your attention, “Si-hyuk and I were discussing when we should make the official statement about you and Taehyung.”

“Oh?” You turned your attention to him and smiled, “Have you guys made a decision yet?”

“We were hoping you would help us. You said last night that you didn’t want to have to deny your relationship. I know how difficult it is for you right now. We want to know when you’re ready to make the announcement. As it stands, the company won’t interfere, but we will intervene if things get too serious.” He explained, “Take yesterday, for example, there were unsolicited pictures taken while you were at the park. We don’t want something worse to happen.”

“I understand; the last thing I want is to slander BTS. It’s honestly a mess. I stupidly thought that maybe I’d have more time to just be in the background of things, stay out of the spotlight. To just be on the sidelines where no one would see me. I completely forgot just how perceptive ARMY is with the guys.” You replied, crossing your arms as you spoke, “All it takes is a single person who can see the strings of fate to blow everything out of proportion, just like yesterday. I know the PR team is working hard to clean up this mess. I know they’re trying to get the pictures taken down, but once something is on the internet, it doesn’t just go away.”

“You’re brilliant,” Sejin praised, and you smiled, “you’re willingly throwing yourself to the wolves for this.”

“It’s not like I have many choices,” You stated with a shrug, “either I stand my ground and face the storm that’s coming, or I cower behind everyone and hope someone solves all my problems. I’m not one to cower.” 

“I’m glad to hear that.” 

“Sejin,” 

“Yes?”

“I want Taehyung and me to have a romantic night together, just the two of us. Not in some hotel or the dorm. Somewhere just where we can be ourselves, even if it’s just for the night. After that night, then we can do the official announcement.” 

“That can be arranged. How soon are you thinking?”

“I don’t know, not this week. But I don’t want to have to wait for too long.”

“A beach day would be a good idea if it wasn’t getting chilly. Perhaps a camping trip? Do you enjoy camping?”

“I’ve never been.” You shrugged.

“A lakeside trip then,”

“That sounds… nice, actually.” You said, surprised by the idea.

Sejin smiled and nodded, pulling out his phone, “I’ll find a nice secluded cabin by a lake for you. After the concerts this weekend, we can fly you both out there for a few days. You can meet back up with us in the next city in time for rehearsals. After that weekend, we’ll make the official statement.” 

“Sounds like a perfect plan to me.” And you weren’t lying. The idea of you and Taehyung getting alone time at some lakeside cabin excited you. Your mind strayed to what you would do, but you quickly reeled yourself back in when you realised the path your thoughts were going in. “Thank you, Sejin. For everything.”

“You’re very welcome,” He placed a hand on your shoulder reassuringly and smiled at you before turning his attention back to filming. 

You started paying attention just as you saw Yoongi chasing after Hoseok, who had their flag. You wanted to yell, to cheer them on, but you knew better. You were excited to see how Hoseok launched himself over the hurdles, and Yoongi was close to catching him until he tripped up when he tried to climb over something. 

“I got it!” Hoseok exclaimed, standing on his team’s flag. “I win!”

The first round was over, with Tae, Jimin, and Hoseok being the winners. The second game you paid more attention to. Namjoon, Jin, Jungkook, and Yoongi took a strong lead in the second round, but Tae, being as competitive as he is, managed to push back against their defences and put things into his team’s favour. It was Namjoon who took the winning place in the second round. The third round was the tiebreaker. 

Whoever won the third round was the team who got the prize. The prize, which you found out, was fried chicken while the losing team got noodles and rice. The ending round was more intense than the previous ones. The guys fought hard for their fried chicken dinner, and Tae’s team was ahead; however, Jungkook snatched their flag and bolted to the other side. With both flags in the other teams’ hands, it was up to whoever reached base first. With a quick trade-off of the flag from Jimin to Hoseok, Hobi raced to their base, making it there just before Jungkook reached the other team’s.

“V, Jimin, and j-hope are the winners!” One of the staff members yelled. You kept your cheers to yourself for the time being. They were still filming, after all. 

With their celebrations complete and the games over, the group took the time to relax, and you went over to congratulate your soulmate. You knelt next to him and kissed the side of his head before nipping the shell of his ear.

“No making out,” Jimin warned, and you grinned at him.

“But Jimin,” You pouted, “I want to congratulate my soulmate.” 

“Ugh, Hobi’s the one that won the game,” Jimin complained, pointing to Hoseok.

“Aw, does Hobi want a kiss as congratulations?” You teased with a grin.

“Maybe I do.” He teased back. Your grin stayed on your face as you winked to Taehyung and walked over to Hoseok.

“Come here, Sunshine.” You said as you took his face into your hands and kissed him on the cheek. “Congratulations on winning the chicken dinner for your team.” 

Everyone had a good laugh at that, and you made your way back to Taehyung, sitting next to him.

“So, who’s going to be on my team when we play?” You asked. 

“I will,” Tae said with a smile.

“Of course you will, that’s obvious.” You replied. You turned to Yoongi, “Will you be on my team, Yoongi?” He smiled and nodded. “That leaves one more spot.”

“Jimin is the obvious choice.” Jin pointed out, and Jimin beamed.

“Okay, Jimin, it is.” You declared. “Team soulmates for the win! Hobi, Jungkook, you’re going down!” 

“Are you kidding me?” Jungkook snorted, “Hoseok and I are the ones who are the best at this game. You’re never going to win with both of us against you.” 

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “Keep talking big, Kookie. We’ll see who wins this game.”

“I think your rivalry with Hoseok and Jungkook is worse than mine,” Taehyung pointed out with a sly grin. You shrugged a bit and smiled.

They gave you gear to match your team, and Yoongi switched gear with Hoseok before joining your team. The staff led you to your base, and you readied your strategy.

“Jungkook and Hoseok are going to do one of two things, they’ll either play hard and strong, or they’ll try to play coy. All we have to do is try to keep one at the base.” You explained.

“Hoseok is fast,” Yoongi stated, “He’ll most likely be coming in quick.” 

“That leaves Kook.” Jimin pointed out.

“We can’t forget Jin and Namjoon. They’re still on the other team.” You reminded, thinking for a moment. “Jin is a bit slow, and Joonie is clumsy. If we can get them running around, we could distract them long enough for either Jimin or me to grab the flag.”

“Sending in the smallest ones, I like it,” Taehyung said with a fist. “What about Kook?”

“You leave Kookie to me.” You said with a grin. “Jimin, if I’m busy with the rabbit, you have to grab the flag and run as fast as you can. Stick to the middle of the arena. I know it’s full of obstacles, but from your last few games, they expect you to stick to the outer walls.”

“I can try to keep the base safe,” Yoongi spoke up, “I chased Hobi around a bunch; I know his moves.”

“Sounds good. Tae, you’re in charge of Jin and Joon.” You instructed.

“Got it.” He replied.

It was another minute or so before the whistle blew, signalling the beginning of the game. You had to prove that you could beat your two rivals in more than just card games. Since you didn’t play the other rounds with them, no one knew how you played this one which you used as an advantage. You skirted around the middle of the arena, dodging Jin as you rounded a corner to the left side.

“Get back here, Snow.” He called as he chased after you. You stuck your tongue out at him and hopped over one of the obstacles. When you landed, you were face to face with Jungkook.

“Ah, I knew it would be you.” He smirked.

You grinned back at him, “Glad you weren’t expecting anyone else.” You charged for the flag at the base, but he blocked you. “You're a quick bunny.”

“I know,” He replied, blocking you from the flag once more. You played along with his game, running him in circles around the base. You baited him further out when Jimin caught your eye. He was sneaking closer, and you made one last charge at the flag, allowing Jungkook to take you down, pinning you to the mat. “Got you now!”

“Just as planned, Kookie.” You winked at him, and he swung his head around just in time to see Jimin snatch the flag and take off.

“No!” He yelled, and just as he was about to take off running, you grabbed his ankle, making him face plant into the mat.

“Don’t think so, Kook.” You smirked.

You and Jungkook play-fought for a few minutes. You were trying to keep him down while he was trying to get away to get his flag back. You were pinning one another down until he finally escaped your grasp, and you took off after him. You lost him somewhere in the middle when he rounded a corner, and you were left facing Namjoon.

“You look tired,” You told him as you dodged one of his grabs.

“So do you.” He replied, lunging at you again.

“You know,” you said as he grabbed you, “you should look for someone else. I don’t actually have your flag.” 

“You don’t have it?” Joon’s eyes widened and let you go, staring you down before hurrying off to find the actual perpetrator.

You couldn’t contain your laughter as you raced back to your own base. You met Yoongi there and noticed that your flag was also gone.

“Ah, Hobi was here, huh?” You stated, smiling when he nodded slowly. “It’s up to Jimin now.” You said, falling to the mat.

“You look rough.” He said, sitting next to you.

“Yeah,” you snorted, “Jungkook and I were duking it out at their base. 

“Have you seen Tae?” You shook your head. “He’s probably still giving Jin and Namjoon the runaround.” You both chuckled at the thought. 

A whistle blew, and one of the staff members yelled, “Game over!”

You and Yoongi got up and tried to spot the other base. “Did Hoseok make it?” Yoongi questioned as you both headed out of the arena to meet the others. 

“I almost had you,” Taehyung complained, crossing his arms. 

You saw Hoseok laughing as he left the arena. “So close, but not quick enough. You should've left someone else at the base.

Taehyung rolled his eyes, and you smiled at them. “Looks like we lost,” You said with a shrug. “It was a fun game, though.” You added.

“Sorry guys, Jin caught me,” Jimin said with a pout.

You hugged him when you reached him, “It’s okay; there will be other games.” He hugged you back before pulling away.

Sejin was smiling at you all when you were together again, “That concludes the filming,” He said, “I think you’ll be happy to know that I’ve arranged what we discussed. Si-hyuk gave the all-clear.”

You beamed at him and took hold of Taehyung’s hand, squeezing it lightly. “Thank you, Sejin.” He gave a slight bow and gestured for you all to follow.

“What did you have arranged?” Tae questioned as he walked with you.

“Just something for us, nothing to worry about.” You told him with a wink.

You loaded up into the van, making sure your mask was in place before you had gone outside. Sitting in the front seat wasn’t so bad on the way back to the hotel. It saved you from Tae’s questions, but you knew you hadn’t gotten the last of the questioning just yet, and you didn’t. Taehyung trapped you against the door inside your hotel room when you got back.

“You know we don’t keep secrets from one another,” He frowned.

“TaeTae, I’m not keeping a secret .” You replied, “I’m choosing not to tell you what I planned. It’s a surprise .” Your soulmate started to pull away, but you slipped your arms around his waist to pull him against you. “You can’t be the only one who does surprises.”

“When do I get this surprise?” He asked, his arms snaking around you to hug you closer.

You hummed and nuzzled into his shoulder, “Next week.” You heard him groan, and you smiled, “It’s not that long from now. Besides, you’ll be too busy preparing for the concert over the next few days to think about it too much.” 

Tae leaned his head against yours and sighed, “You’d never keep a secret from me, right?”

You chuckled and squeezed your soulmate, “Only with presents or surprises.” 

He hummed in response, accepting your answer. “I won’t keep secrets from you either unless it’s gifts or surprises.” He agreed.

“It’s a perfect surprise next week.” You said, pulling away from him slowly. “I’m excited about it.”

“I’m eager to know what it is,” Tae said as he led you to the bed. “To change the subject before I get too curious, would you like to watch a movie?”

Just watching a movie with Taehyung made your heart flutter, and you nodded, kicking off your shoes to climb up on the bed. “A movie sounds wonderful.”

It was nice spending time with just Taehyung in your room. You managed to jointly decide on a movie on Netflix and curled up to him as you watched it. It was so domestic. So calm. You didn’t even join the others for dinner; instead, you and Tae ordered room service and ate together in your room. You enjoyed being with the others, but it was nice to just be with your soulmate for once. You dozed during the second movie you’d picked out after dinner. You attempted to stay awake, but you couldn’t keep your eyes open no matter how hard you tried. You swore Tae said something to you before you finally drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

You woke up with a start when a loud crack of thunder shook you from sleep. Your heart was racing as you sat up and looked at the window, seeing nothing but darkness outside as heavy rain pelted the glass. Taehyung groaned, and you turned to look down at him, his hair a fluffy mess as it covered his face. He muttered your name and reached out for you. You let out the breath you were holding and took his hand, squeezing it tightly.

“Are you scared of storms?” He asked, lacing his fingers with yours.

“Not really; the thunder surprised me.” You replied with a sigh. You weren’t sure how you were supposed to sleep now.

“You coming back to sleep?” You smiled at him fondly and reached down to pet his curly locks.

“I will, you just get some more sleep.” He mumbled something else, but you couldn’t understand what he said, you weren’t even sure if it was proper words. You waited a minute or so before pulling your hand from his and climbing out of bed. 

You picked up your phone—the new one—and grabbed one of the keycards off the tv stand. You didn’t even bother putting on shoes when you left the room. You knew exactly where you wanted to go, and you weren’t surprised when you didn’t see anyone in the hallway lounge. You let out a content sigh. You hadn’t been alone in days. It was strange. It was nice, but also a little lonely. It may have only been a few days, but you were already used to having the group around you.

You grabbed one of the lounge chairs and dragged it to the window, curling up in it so you could watch the rain outside. The city lights made the clouds glow above the skyline. You relaxed in the chair and pulled out your phone. Typically, you would browse social media on nights such as this one, but you didn’t have one anymore. Instead, you turned to Google news, typing BTS in the search bar to look at what it brought up. The local news brought up the upcoming concerts, which was unsurprising. 

You read through the articles and found yourself smiling as you read them. After a while, you turned to Weverse, which was one of the apps that were already installed on the phone. You happily logged into your account, looking through the various posts that the members posted. There wasn’t much to your mindless scrolling. It was mostly a distraction. You had just started playing games when the group chat got a new message.

“ Is anyone awake? ” It was Jungkook. You were both surprised and not at the same time. Of course, Jungkook was awake. He was usually a night owl.

You smiled as you opened the chat and typed in, “Hall lounge if you’re bored.”

You saw him replying, but the bubble disappeared. You smiled a bit and turned your screen off, turning your attention back to the city skyline.

“What are you doing up so late? I thought you and Taehyung went to bed hours ago.” Jungkook said when he came into the lounge.

“The storm woke me up,” You replied, “Tae’s still asleep.”

“Me too,” he sighed and dropped himself onto one of the sofas near you. “Can’t get back to sleep. It’s nights like this I’d play games, but I’m just not feeling up to it.”

“I know that feeling. It’s odd; I’m not usually this restless.” 

“You want to go for a walk?” He suggested, and you chuckled a bit.

“Kookie, it’s pouring outside.” You gestured to the window, “And we’d probably get lost walking around the hotel or something.”

He thought for a moment and hung his head, “You’re right. Hey, so, what’s that thing you arranged with Sejin?” 

You huffed, “It’s a couple of days away for Tae and me. Just the two of us.” You told him with a soft smile. “You can’t tell him, though. If you try, I’ll smother you with a pillow.” 

He laughed at your weak threat and waved his arms in front of himself, “I’m not going to tell him. I’m not going to tell anyone.” He promised, “I can’t imagine how difficult it may be to find your soulmate while on tour like this. It sounds so stressful. Especially with everything that happened with the pictures and rumours.”

Your smile faltered a bit at the memories, “Hey Kookie, how bad is it? Truthfully. I want to know.” 

Jungkook sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and held it there with his teeth for a second before taking a breath and sighing. “Honestly?” He started, “it’s not great. Sejin is working hard with the PR team to keep it under wraps, but there’s a lot of speculation. Tweets are still going around about it. I know a lot of ARMY doesn’t know about it, but the ones that are speculating are tenacious. Sejin said we have to be wary on all our social media.”

You frowned and nodded, “Maybe I should tell Si-hyuk to go ahead and put out the statement?” You wondered aloud.

“Official statement? You mean telling the world about you and Tae?” You nodded. “When were you planning on that?”

“After next week’s concerts.”

“That’s still some time away. Are you waiting until after your trip?” You nodded again. “Maybe it should be sooner. Bite the bullet, get it over with?”

“That might be best, but I can’t get over the feeling of disappointing ARMY.”

Jungkook frowned at you and stood up from his seat, going over and placed his hands on your shoulders. “Forget ARMY,” your eyes widened at his words, “they’re always going to be disappointed by something. There’s no making everyone happy. That’s what Namjoon told me. Remember, you can’t focus on making anyone else happy until you’re happy.” You smiled at the maknae of the group and nodded.

“You’re right, Jungkook.”

“I know I am. So listen to me; Tae loves you. He loves you more than all of us and ARMY put together. What are you waiting for?”

His words made you think. What were you waiting for? The consummation? Why were you so adamant about waiting until after your trip? You frowned for a second before moving Jungkook out of the way and opening your phone. You clicked your contacts, scrolling through everyone’s number until you stopped at the one you needed. You didn’t even hesitate, though your heart was thumping hard in your chest.

Si-hyuk’s voice said your name when the other line picked up, “Is everything alright?”

You looked at Jungkook, suddenly fully aware of what you were doing. You faltered. Jungkook smiled and nodded, giving you a thumbs up. “Yes,” you started slowly, but you weren’t sure anymore.

“You got this. A storm is only as scary as you allow it to be.” He encouraged.

“Actually, no.” You said after taking a breath. “Everything's not alright. There are still rumours and posts circulating about what happened, and while I know it’s impossible to have things completely taken down, I refuse to hide away.” You heard a hum on the other side of the line, “If I keep waiting, I’ll never be ready. I have no regrets or doubts about being with Taehyung, and I’m done cowering. I say we make the official statement as soon as possible. Let the world know that Tae’s found his soulmate.” 

It was quiet on the other end for a moment, “You’re very brave; I will honour your request. Thank you for calling me directly.”

“I won’t hesitate next time.” With that, the call ended, and it left you to stare at the contact screen, heart beating wildly in your chest.

“It’s okay to be scared,” Jungkook said with a smile. “You have all of us to back you up. To protect you.” 

“I will not allow this fear to control what I do.” You sat back in the chair you had been sitting in and opened up the AppStore. You downloaded Twitter and opened it when it finished installing. You restored your deactivated account and made sure to set it to private. You took the time to update your profile, putting in a new bio with the name “Snow Owl”. Odds were high that ARMY would easily find your name with some internet searches, but you weren’t going to put it outright out there. Your username was also changed, you made it “Snow ❄️🦉” and saved it. The last thing you did was search through your selcas, finding one you liked the best with you and Taehyung. You showed your profile to Jungkook, who smiled. You made sure to set up the best authentication for your account as you could, you didn’t want to get hacked. 

“Now, we wait.” The maknae said, lounging on the sofa. You nodded in agreement.

“Couldn’t sleep before, now I really can’t sleep.” Jungkook snorted and shrugged.

“Guess we’ll just have to find something to do.” He said, opening a game on his phone.

You caught a glimmer of blue out of the corner of your eye and followed the line to your centre. It was a blue string. One similar to your shared thread with Amiyah, and a smile grew on your face.

“Jungkook,” you grabbed his attention. “Thanks for staying awake with me.”

He brightened up and smirked, “you know it’s not a problem. You may be my rival in games, but you’re still my friend.”

“I can see that,” you laughed.

He tilted his head, curiously, “huh?” He squinted at you, “what do you mean you can see that?”

You tugged the blue string that connected the two of you, “I mean, I can see it, Kookie.”

His mouth fell open, and he reached for his chest, splaying his fingers over where your string was attached. “We have one?”

“We do.”

“I’m the first one?”

“You are. I’m guessing the next one will be Hoseok.”

“This is really exciting!” 

You smiled at the maknae, “you’ll never be able to hide from me now.”

Jungkook pouted, “I guess I’ll have to work harder to beat you, then.”

You laughed and shook your head at him, “we’ll see how you do with that.”

“You’re still not going to beat me.” He quipped.

“Uh-huh, sure. You keep saying that.”

He stuck his tongue out at you, and you scrunched your face at him in reply. “You enjoy your games; I’m going to browse Twitter.” and that’s what you did. You scrolled through your Twitter feed, liking and retweeting posts. Neither you nor Jungkook ended up going back to sleep, and you watched as the storm outside dissipated and cleared up in time to see the sunrise. Sejin was the first to find you both in the hall, sitting where you had been for hours now. 

“I see you made your decision without letting me know.” He said as he looked at you.

“You were asleep, and it was a spur of the moment.” You defended, but you knew he wasn’t mad. He had a gentle smile on his face as he walked over.

“I see you’ve updated your Twitter account, a smart decision on leaving your legal name out. It’s going to get harder from here, you know that.” He said as he took a seat on the other sofa.

You answered with an ‘mhm’ and smiled to yourself, “Harder, sure.” You shrugged, “But I don’t have to hide now. Any social media backlash is just that; I’m not scared of people on the internet. I can always block people and report posts. When it comes to concerts, I’ll have everyone around me and my bodyguard. I’m not saying I’m not worried, I’d be stupid to think everything is going to go over smoothly, but I’m prepared for it.”

Sejin watched you from his seat before pulling out his phone. He typed something up and sat his phone down, “You’d better be ready for a bumpy ride today.” 

It didn’t take long for your phone to go off; the notification stating that BigHit had posted an image. You sucked in a breath and clicked the notification, opening the tweet. You read the post, and though your heart was racing, you were happy. The statement discussed how Taehyung had met his soulmate and that it was a joyous and celebratory time. It continued with talking about how you and Tae had requested privacy on the matter and that the backlash from the other day was uncalled for. After reading the statement to completion, you closed the app and slumped in your seat, trying to calm yourself down. It was only a few more minutes when Taehyung walked in quickly, his hair a complete mess. He was still wearing his pyjamas, and it looked like he’d just woken up.

He took your face in his hands when he reached you and pulled you into a deep kiss. You were more than happy to return it, slipping your arms around his neck. Sejin made himself known with a cough, and Jungkook laughed at the sudden appearance of your soulmate.

“You let them post it; I’m so happy.” He said against your lips before kissing you again. 

You smiled against his lips and pulled back with a laugh, “Tae, not here.” He pouted but complied, taking a seat on the arm of the chair. 

“I guess that means you don’t have to worry about being affectionate in public anymore.” Jungkook laughed.

“Just because it’s been announced doesn’t mean we’re going to be gross in public, Kook.” You rolled your eyes. “It just means that I don’t have to hide away from the world.”

“Precisely,” Sejin spoke up, “With the official announcement, he is now able greater freedom than he had before. This includes posting photos, within reason.”

“No thirst pictures, I know. I’ll be keeping those to myself.” To know that you could take pictures of you and Taehyung and post them to your account made your heart swell with pride. “Will I be able to post pictures of the others as well?” You looked over at Sejin curiously.

He seemed to think for a moment as if he wasn’t sure about the answer himself, “I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to as long as you post nothing about albums or comebacks.”

“I can deal with that. I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for ARMY even if they begged me to.” You replied with a grin.

There was a shuffling from the hallway, and Namjoon came into view looking tired but more put together than Tae was when he came in.

“All of you are up so early,” he complained, falling to the sofa next to Jungkook. “Are you up because of the statement?”

“Actually…” You glanced over at Jungkook, who gave a shrug and a sheepish grin.

“He and I have been up for a few hours now.” He admitted. You smiled awkwardly, knowing full well you should’ve gone back to bed.

Namjoon’s eyes opened a little more as he looked at the both of you, “So you didn’t get any sleep?”

Jungkook shook his head, and you shrugged. “I got some sleep,” you argued, “but only a few hours.”

The leader of the group let out a tired sigh, leaning back against the sofa. “Damn maknae’s.” He grumbled. 

Sejin chuckled a bit and stood up, “I suggest you two go get a few hours of sleep. You have rehearsal today, and I don’t want any slacking. The rain will have delayed some practice as it is.”

The more you thought about it, the more you realised how tired you were, and you couldn’t stifle the yawn that forced its way out of you. “Sejin’s right,” you said, looking over at Jungkook. “We should get some sleep.”

The youngest laughed lightly and nodded in agreement, standing up and stretching his arms. “I’ll see you guys later,” He said, waving himself off as he headed down the hallway. Sejin was the next to get up and give a slight bow of his head as he too went off on his way. That left you, Taehyung, and Namjoon in the hall lounge. 

“So, since the official statement’s been made, how are you feeling?” The leader asked you.

You smiled at him, “I feel excited. I’m still nervous, though. I know a lot of ARMY won’t be happy about the announcement, but in the end, it’s not up to them. This is between Taehyung and me, and that’s what matters.” You explained, taking your soulmate’s hand in yours. “I’m not going to stop loving him just because some fans are upset about it.”

Tae’s eyes lit up at your words, and you laughed lightly when he started pulling you to your shared room. You allowed yourself to be led along, and when you got to the room, he immediately took you to bed. Your thoughts were buzzing. You were excited, but you were also tired, and you couldn’t tell what was going through your soulmate’s head. It was all too clear, though, when he pinned you beneath him. 

His mouth was on yours in seconds, his tongue twisting around yours. He rutted his hips against yours, pressing his growing erection against you, dragging moans from both of you. It only took you a few minutes to grow hard beneath your soulmate, his cock pressing against yours through the fabric. You were panting when your mouths finally parted, and you stared up at Tae, trying to burn the image of how he looked into your memories. 

It appeared he was doing the same to you before he leaned down. You bit back a moan when he sank his teeth into your neck, marking you with a deep purple mark as he sucked on the sore skin. He didn’t stop at one. He marked you again and again. You knew they were in visible spots—especially the bite—and you knew he didn’t care. They were a statement. An evident proof that you belonged to him.

Taehyung’s hands trailed down your sides when he finally released your hands and took no time in pushing your shirt up to your neck, baring you to him. His mouth moved from your neck to your chest, where he darkened the marks he’d left there before. You jumped when he bit down on your nipple, licking it in apology. This side of Taehyung was something you’d only ever read about. He let out a quiet growl when you rocked your hips against him, his hands instantly taking hold of them so he could rut against you in return.

“ Taehyung .” You moaned his name and reached to tangle your fingers in his already messy hair.

He nipped at your forearm, leaving a small mark on your skin before moving back up to kiss you again. “I can’t wait any longer,” he whispered against your lips. Every other thought you had in your head stopped as he spoke, “I know you don’t want to do this in a hotel, but—” You kissed him as deeply as you could, nipping at his tongue. 

When you pulled away, you bit his bottom lip lightly, and you smiled when he swiped his tongue over where you’d bitten him. “We can make it more romantic next time. It’s time for you to make good on that promise.” It was his turn to kiss you again, and you were lost in the feel and sound of him until he pulled away to rip his shirt off and toss it somewhere. Your hands instantly roamed across his bare skin. You were memorising the way he felt under your fingers until he moved back.

You watched as he slid your pants down, taking your underwear with them. He didn’t stop at your knees; he kept going until he got them off, and they disappeared to wherever his shirt went. You took the liberty of pulling your shirt off the rest of the way, leaving you naked beneath your soulmate. He stared for a moment, drinking in the sight of you. You didn’t feel embarrassed or shy; you knew there was no reason to feel those things. You were confused for a moment when he got off the bed, but you grinned when he started rifling through his bags.

“Did you lose something?” You questioned, sitting up so you could see him better.

“Misplaced,” he corrected, digging through different pockets. It took a minute or so before he pulled out a small packet and returned to the bed. He crawled between your legs and kissed you again, laying you back down. He brought his fingers to your mouth when he pulled away, and you didn’t hesitate to suck on them, coating them with your saliva.

You opened your mouth when you were done; a string of saliva trialled after his fingers when he removed them. He moved them down, circling the rim of your asshole before pushing the first one inside. You moaned softly, rocking back against him. Seeing that you were okay with one, he added a second and then a third. You hissed lightly at the stretch but loosened when he began to spread them inside you. He continued until he added a fourth, pulling a deep moan from you as he fucked you open with his fingers. 

Your cock was leaking by the time he stopped. He wiped his hand off on his pants before stripping them off, leaving himself bare above you. He left wanting, knees up and legs spread, cock twitching from the lack of attention. Taehyung licked his lips, watching you for a moment before ripping open the packet he’d gotten. He carefully poured the lube into his hand before coating his straining cock with it. You watched him lustfully and ran your hands down your abdomen, not stopping until you reached your thighs.

There were no words as he pressed the head of his cock against your asshole. The remnants of saliva mixed with the lube made it easy for him to breach the loosened ring of muscle. You sucked in a breath and held it, which made Tae stop moving to check on you. 

“I’m okay,” you murmured, wrapping your legs around his ass to move him, “keep going.” The stretch stung a bit, but it wasn’t anything you couldn’t handle. The feeling of having him inside you made your entire body tingle. Slowly he pressed in, watching your reaction closely for any sign of pain. You didn’t let him pull away. 

“Tae, please,” you looked up at him through half-lidded eyes, “I want your cock buried inside of me.” The way you said those words to him. The way you looked at him with that expression. The way you rocked your hips against him. Something switched in his brain, and he snapped his hips forward, flushing his hips against your thighs. The sound that escaped you was nothing less than a yelp, and Tae froze, reaching down to caress your face.

“Was I too rough?” He asked, worry written all over his face.

You shook your head and nuzzled against his hand, “I’m alright,” you strained. Not that it hurt—it did a bit—it was that you suddenly felt full; too full. You took the time to catch your breath as Tae waited for you to get used to the stretch of his cock inside of you. Your soulmate’s dick was nothing like you’d experienced before. Sure, you’d used sex toys in the past, and you were by no means a virgin, but it was different with Tae. Not to mention Taehyung was pleasantly larger than the people and toys you fucked in the past. Feeling that you were relaxing, Tae rocked his hips, his cock slipping out of you slightly before he pushed himself back in. A moan left your throat as he moved.

He started slowly at first, but he soon gained speed, thrusting into you with vigour. The room was filled with the sounds of sex, moans, and panting, along with the whispers of one another’s names. With a rougher buck of Tae’s hips, you were sent reeling into a loud moan and moved your hips to meet with his thrusts.

“Again,” you begged, gripping the sheets above your head. “Tae, do it again.” He replied by snapping his hips forward, peering down at you as he watched you squirmed beneath him. He stopped his previous pace and started a new one, a rougher one. It was slower than the previous one, but it left you moaning and gasping for air each time he bucked deep into you. 

It wasn’t long before his pace changed again as he picked up speed. He hooked his arms beneath your hips, lifting your ass so he could change the angle, which forced a loud moan from you when he pressed against your prostate. You tilted your head back and reached out one of your hands to take hold of Tae’s arm, grounding yourself. The way Tae moved inside you, his cock snuggly rubbing against your prostate, drove you wild. You felt the familiar clenching in your lower abdomen and felt yourself tighten around Taehyung’s cock, drawing out a moan from him as his hips stuttered.

“So… close.” Your words were raspy, and you whined when he picked up the pace, pushing you even closer to the edge. “Fuck… Tae.” You moaned his name as you arched your back, pushing back against his thrusts. You clawed the sheets above your head, bunching them as you held onto them. Your fingers dug into Tae’s arm as your orgasm built up, your breathing speeding up. You were lost in ecstasy when Tae pulled out nearly wholly, a cry of disappointment leaving your throat only to be replaced by his name as you yelled when he bucked into you particularly roughly. “Fuck!” You moaned when he did it a second time, your insides clenching around him, refusing to let him go as you came, shooting your cum all over abdomen and chest. You panted beneath him, riding out your high as he continued his deep and quick pace. You felt him grow larger, and with a few final deep thrusts, he stuttered to a stop, rocking his hips as you felt him cum inside you. You moaned at the feeling—and the thought—of him filling you up.

He murmured your name as he rolled his hips against you. You were so overly sensitive that a whine escaped you. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was a lot. After he stopped moving, you were made painfully aware of how tired you really were after spending most of the night hanging out with Jungkook. Your eyes were slipping closed, and you nearly missed how Taehyung looked at you with a loving smile. You moaned quietly when he pulled his cock from you, and you shuttered when you felt his cum leaking from your ass. He leaned down and placed a sweet kiss on your dry lips before he got up, and you assumed he went to the bathroom.

You were already dozing when you felt a warm cloth being pressed against your navel. You opened your eyes to see Tae smiling so gently as he cleaned the cum off your skin. You flinched when the cloth was pressed against your asshole, your legs closing as if they were trying to stop Tae from touching you, but he just pushed them apart and continued cleaning, anyway. When he was done, he got up again. You watched as he tossed the cloth into the bathroom and rifled through his bag to find an oversized t-shirt that he brought back to you.

“Up we go,” He said as he lifted you to sit correctly. Your lower back was hurting now, but you did your best not to make any sounds of discomfort as he helped you pull the shirt on. “Now, let’s get some more sleep.” He moved you to the pillows and pulled the comforter up over the both of you. You were fast asleep by the time he settled you into his arms and dozed off himself.

You don’t know how long you were asleep, but you woke up well-rested and sore. Not only that, you felt sticky and uncomfortable, but you felt the familiar weight of Taehyung’s arm around you as he continued to sleep. You smiled to yourself and turned to kiss him on the cheek. You stayed like that for a few more minutes until you ultimately slipped away from him to take a well-needed shower. Tae didn’t even wake up until you were done and fully dressed. You wore tight skinny jeans, an undershirt, and a long-sleeve turtleneck sweater that hid all the marks Tae had left on you. You were careful not to pull the collar down too much due to the angry purple mark on your neck, but you weren’t hiding it because it embarrassed you.

“Tae, love,” You cooed, touching his shoulder to shake him awake. “You still have rehearsal today, you have to get up. I bet the others are waiting for you.” He grumbled and covered his face with his arm. “TaeTae,” you pouted, climbing onto the bed and sitting on his hips. The pressure against your ass made the memories flood back to your mind, and your cheeks tinged pink. “Taehyung,” you frowned, rocking your hips against him. “If you don’t get up, I’m going to go hang out with Yoongi and leave you here to sleep by yourself.”

There was another groan, and you saw as he peeked at you from under his arm, “You look cute in that,” he muttered, taking in a breath before letting it out as a sigh. “I’m awake, don’t go to Yoongi yet.” He added. He pushed himself up and placed his hands on your hips, smiling at you softly. “I love you,”

You leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips, “I love you too,” You replied, “now get out of bed and take a shower.” You climbed off him and the bed, crossing your arms at him until he finally gave in and followed you.

“I’ll be quick; wait for me?” He asked, and you nodded. He placed a kiss on your temple before disappearing into the bathroom.

In the meantime, you pulled all the bedding off the bed and tossed it by the door. You also separated your dirty clothes and Tae’s and put them into another pile. You figured that one of BTS’s staff would collect the clothes and have them cleaned, so when you found a laundry bag, you shoved the dirty clothes in there and tied it up. It had been five days since you started this trip, and your clothes were running out despite Amiyah having packed so many for you. By the time you were done cleaning up, Tae had come out, a towel around his waist, and you grinned at him.

“I’m not trying to seduce you this time,” He defended, and you laughed.

“Wear something comfortable; I’m sure they’ll be drilling you guys extra hard for lost time.” You suggested, pulling out a pair of baggy black pants for him and a loose fitted t-shirt.

“You know me well,” He said as he took the clothes from you. You tossed a pair of underwear at him, smirking when he laughed, “understood.” You watched as he got dressed, and when you finished drying off his hair with the towel, you pulled on your shoes and headed out to meet the others. 

Chapter Text

As you expected, you were the last two to join the group, and Hoseok and Yoongi were the first ones to spot you coming into the hall lounge.

“Hey!” Hoseok greeted, holding up a styrofoam container, “we have Mandu,” he said with a grin, and you happily took the box. You sat down on the sofa harder than you were expecting and hissed quietly. Yoongi, who you sat by, raised his eyebrows and smirked knowingly.

“I see,” He spoke under his breath, “that’s why you slept so long.”

You shushed him and rolled your eyes before getting some chopsticks and helping yourself to the Mandu they gave you. “I’m surprised you guys didn’t opt for Panda Express,” you said with a mouthful.

“Oh, we did,” Jimin said, picking up a tied bag and handing it to Taehyung. “We couldn’t order food without getting Tae’s favourite. It’s cold by now, but that’s your own fault.”

“Yeah,” Namjoon added, looking between you and Tae. It was apparent he knew what had happened, “If you’d gone to bed right away like you were supposed to, you wouldn’t have slept in so late.” 

Jungkook, who was currently taking a drink, coughed and choked, spilling a bit of his drink on himself, “You guys went and had sex instead of going to sleep?!”

You shrugged and continued eating. “And?”

“I thought you were going to wait.” You glared at Jungkook as a warning to not ruin your lakeside surprise, and he held up his hands in defence. “I wasn’t going to say anything. I just know you said you were trying to wait.”

“He said he loved him, so Tae lost his head.” Namjoon smirked, “He dragged poor Snow away this morning.”

“At least you had the decency to shower,” Jin spoke up, passing you a container of noodles and taking the now empty box when you finished the last Mandu. “Now hurry and eat; we’ll be late if we wait any longer.”

Tae had a mouthful of food when he reached over to wave his hand through the new thread that extended from you.

“You have a string with Kookie now?” He inquired, looking between the two of you.

Everyone’s eyes were on you and Jungkook now, and you smiled, “It happened sometime last night when we were awake.”

“Aww,” Hoseok whined, “I thought it was going to be me. That’s not fair.”

“Are you kidding?” Namjoon raised his eyebrows, “those two have had a rivalry since day one, and you’re complaining that he got the string first? I saw how they play games. They’re crazy.”

Tae smiled and nudged you, “You must be pretty excited to be getting more strings.” 

You knew what he meant. You knew he was talking about you, saying you sometimes wished you couldn’t see the strings, that you could just turn it off. Strangely enough, you were getting comfortable being able to see them all over again. You couldn’t say that you still didn’t want to turn off the ability sometimes, but it was getting easier to accept them again.

“Who do you think is going to be the next person to get a string with you?” Tae asked.

“I hope it’s me!” Jimin exclaimed, raising his hand.

“It’s probably going to be Hobi.” Jungkook said with a shrug, “if it’s anyone else, I’d be surprised.”

“I’d be surprised if Namjoon isn’t last,” Jimin replied with a pout.

“What?” The leader frowned, “Why would I be last?”

You wanted to speak up, but Jimin continued, “because you two don’t spend any time together. Not to mention when you spend time together, you tend to argue.”

“We do?” You tilted your head curiously.

“Laser tag?” The man raised an eyebrow.

“That’s not-”

“That wasn’t an argument,” Namjoon frowned.

“It was more of a lack of communication and sudden decision making.” You explained, “I wouldn’t call that arguing at all.”

You and Namjoon gave each other a sympathetic look before laughing at the idea that you guys argue. You couldn’t deny that you could get into an argument with him, but that didn’t mean you wanted to. You didn’t want to argue with any of the guys. 

“So, who do you think will be the next one to get a string with you?” Jimin asked you.

You shrugged a bit, “It doesn’t really matter. I would hope that I’ll get strings with all of you at some point. You can’t rush it.”

After that, you and Tae happily continued lunch—or rather your breakfast—and when you were finished, you helped clean up the lounge, and you all headed to the venue. It didn’t look like any fans were lining up just yet, but you knew it was coming. Soon enough, the streets would be filled with crowds, and you smiled at the thought. The group deserved it. They always worked so hard to make ARMY happy. You weren’t nervous, not really. You were mainly past that now that BigHit had made the announcement. You were more excited than anything. You were getting to see another BTS concert in a few days and then another one the night after that. Not only that, you could go to as many as you wanted. It was crazy for you to think about.

You stood on stage and looked out at the stadium, getting a feel for what it may look like to them when the seats are filled, and ARMY Bombs and cellphone lights are shining all around. 

Your thoughts were interrupted when Yoongi came over to stand next to you, “Do you want to step on stage with us?” He asked with a smile. 

“That would be amazing, but maybe not so soon? I want to give ARMY the chance to get used to things before I stand on stage with you guys.” You said, turning to watch the others play around on the stage.

“You love ARMY a lot, don’t you?” It was more a statement than a question. 

“Of course I do.” You answered. You brought your hand to your chest as if you were trying to hold your heart, “ARMY helped me through some tough times. I owe them for that. Without them, I would’ve never got to where I am now. Without ARMY, I wouldn’t have found my best friend.”

“What are you going to do about the ones that don’t like you?”

You smiled brightly at your platonic soulmate, “I’m not going to worry about it.”

Taehyung saw you smiling and hurried over, scooping you up in his arms and spun you around before setting you back down, “What’s with this smile? Hmm? Are you trying to beat Hobi?”

A laugh left you, and you shook your head, “I can’t out smile the sun.” You replied.

“Hey, Snowy!” Jungkook yelled when he ran over, “You want to come dance with us? We can see if we could make some of our dances with eight people instead of seven.”

“If you’re not too busy.” 

“Do we look busy to you?” 

You snorted and shrugged, “Teach me how to dance then.”

Hobi and Jimin perked up at the idea, and you ended up practising Go Go with them for nearly two hours. You managed to get the chorus down pretty well, and when you could do it flawlessly, they all cheered. Jungkook ended up picking you up and running around the stage only to slip on a wet spot and bring you both down. The others panicked for a second until the both of you started laughing like crazy. After that, you hung out on the other side of the stage and watched them get some actual practice done. Despite their tardiness, they worked hard, and you got some good behind the scene shots and videos. You even got a few videos of them being absolutely ridiculous.

“Hey, Sejin,” You spoke up when you spotted him checking out the camera equipment, “I’m allowed to post videos and stuff, right? I know we talked about it this morning, but I just want to make sure.” 

“Go right ahead, thank you for asking.” He replied and continued his work.

With a grin, you opened Twitter, something you hadn’t looked at since early this morning. You had a couple follow requests that you accepted, fully knowing what could happen. Before you posted anything, though, you made your profile public. Seeing that some of ARMY had already found you—you weren’t surprised—you figured just to bite the bullet. You smiled as you posted a ridiculous video of Taehyung and Hoseok dancing around on the stage with a caption of ‘ Don’t let the rain keep you down, ARMY, just keep smiling ’ and posted it. It was your first post on your newly cleared account, and you pinned it to your feed. You had also tagged the official BTS Twitter and BigHit’s Twitter account, hashtagging it with all the needed BTS tags. The likes came flooding in a few minutes later as more and more people watched the video.

You laughed when some of the comments asked how you got the video, and a few asked if you were actually Taehyung’s soulmate. You took another short video of the guys in formation dancing to Fire and posted that one, keeping your tags going. For the second video, you type in ‘ Let them be the Fire in your soul ’. More likes and more comments. You had to mute the threads so that you wouldn’t be overwhelmed. You were reading over comments when you had a great idea. You waited until the guys were done practising their choreography and hurried over to them.

“You each have ten seconds to tell ARMY you love them,” You stated as you held up your phone, “Ready? Jin first!” You hit record, and Jin brushed his hair back and made the Kpop heart.

“It’s me, worldwide handsome, Jin. I love you, ARMY; I can’t wait to see you this weekend.”

“Me next!” Jungkook bounced over, “Hi, ARMY! I love you! Are you excited about this weekend?! We’re excited to see you again!”

You turned the camera to Namjoon next, “Hey ARMY, I hope you’re ready for this weekend. We’re going to be so happy to see your faces.”

Hoseok and Yoongi were next, “Hi, ARMY!” Hobi said with a beaming smile, “It’s me, your hope! Are you ready to dance and sing with us this weekend? I love you!”

Yoongi smiled at you—which you caught on camera—and spoke, “Looking forward to seeing you, ARMY. Come see us soon!”

“Hi, ARMY!!” Jimin cheered when it was his turn, “I love you!” he blew kisses to the camera, and you tried not to laugh, “I can’t wait to see you light up the stage with all your beautiful faces!”

The last person you turned to was Taehyung, who took a moment to speak because he was too busy smiling at you.

“Tae! Come on,” Jimin said, bumping him out of his trance.

“Ah, Hi, ARMY! I purple you!” He said, holding both his hands up to the camera to make a heart. “I can’t wait to sing with you! I know you’ll be amazing!” You moved back so you could get all of them in the frame at once, and they all cheered and made hearts before you stopped the recording. You had it posted in less than a minute with a ‘ BTS loves ARMY! ’ caption, and likes were coming in even before people finished watching the video.

“Great job, guys!” You praised. Tae hurried over and took your phone, turning the camera on you as he started recording.

“Now it’s your turn, Snow.” He said, and you looked at him nervously.

“You can do it,” Yoongi said as he walked up beside Taehyung.

You bit your lip nervously and took a breath. You waved awkwardly to the camera, holding the bottom hem of your sweater with your other hand, “ Hi, ARMY. I just wanted to share how much BTS loves you all. I hope you enjoyed it. ”

“That’s not all you have to say to them.” Yoongi looked at you. “Tell them,”

You knew the camera was still recording, and you looked from Yoongi to Taehyung, to the rest of the group and then back to the camera. You felt like a deer in the headlights.

“ I …” you hesitated, you weren’t sure why, but you did. “ I love you, ARMY! Thank you for being there for BTS! Thank you for being there for me! I love you so much! ” You exclaimed; your cheeks were red with embarrassment.

You were too bewildered to react in time before Taehyung grinned and held up the phone triumphantly, “Posted!” 

“Posted?” You questioned, confused, before your eyes grew wide, “Posted?!” You gasped, trying to reach the phone from your soulmate.

“Of course! You were so cute; I had to post it.” Tae replied with a mischievous grin, “Now ARMY knows how much you love them.” Several notification sounds were going off on your phone, and all you could do was stare at it. He kept grinning as he handed your phone back to you. “Don’t stress, okay?” He said as he kissed your cheek lightly. 

You wandered to the side of the stage again so they could practice more of their performance while you muted your posts and started looking through them. In such a short time, you’d gained hundreds of followers and gotten thousands of likes and retweets. All the comments on the BTS loves ARMY! video were cheerful and adorable. When you checked yours, it was a mixed pot, but you expected as much.

You caught yourself smiling when you read a comment where someone was defending you. “ You shouldn’t act like complete shit to someone’s soulmate! Just because you don’t like the idea that Taehyung found his soulmate, and it’s not YOU, doesn’t give you the right to bash someone like this. You sound ANTI af! ” A few others were defending you as well. Another comment read, “ If you don’t like the fact that Snow Owl is Taehyung’s soulmate, you need to GTFO. Those of us who love BTS will support them no matter what; this means when they find their soulmates too. ” 

You couldn’t find yourself caring about the negative comments when there were so many positive ones standing up for you, along with the support of the members. You continued taking pictures and short videos, choosing to schedule the tweet posts instead of doing it all at once. While scheduling, you got a few tagged questions, a few rude ones where you ignored and blocked the account that had tagged you, while a few others were requests for pictures of certain members. 

You decided then that you would post a poll to see which one they wanted more. The first poll you put up was the Rap line versus the Vocal line. When the Rap line won the post, you posted the next one, RM, j-hope, or SUGA. Ultimately, j-hope won, and you called him over when they took a break to take pictures of him. He happily obliged, and you posted the photos soon after. You were having a great time at the venue. You even took a silly video of them singing to random songs in the van on the way back to the hotel. 

You got a call from Amiyah when you settled in the lounge with the group eating dinner, and you happily answered her, “Hello!” you sang, stuffing fries into your mouth.

“Your posts are so amazing! What the fuck!” You laughed at her excitement.

“You said you wanted behind the scenes. That’s what I gave you.”

“I know what I asked for. But do you have to make them so cute? Plus, that one of you is adorable.”

“Tae took that one and posted it; I didn’t really have much say in the matter.”

“Thank you, Taehyung!” She yelled through the phone, making you pull the device away from your head.

“You’re welcome!” Taehyung called back to her, and you frowned at him before breaking into a smile.

“I’m so jealous. All the support you’re getting from the fans is amazing. I know there are some bad ones in there but don’t pay them any mind.”

You laughed and rolled your eyes, “No worries on that front,” you told her, “I don’t care what they say. It’s not going to change anything. It’s not like someone can make me not Taehyung’s soulmate.” 

“Absolutely right.” she agreed, “fuck, please take more pictures! I’m dying of cuteness. I’m sad that Namjoon didn’t win the poll, though. Will you take pictures of him next?”

“Sure, why not?” You smiled, “How about one where he’s stuffing his face, just for you?”

“Oh my god, yes!”

Namjoon was half paying attention when you turned your camera one, “Joon!” You called his name, and he looked over at you, chopsticks in his mouth. You snapped a picture of him quickly, laughing when you sent it. Noodles were sticking out of his mouth still, and his cheeks were stuffed full of some other food he’d been eating before.

“This is great!” Amiyah yelled, thankfully you had turned your phone on speaker, so your ear didn’t get blown out. “I’m making this picture my background.”

“That’s cruel and unusual punishment, Snow,” Namjoon complained, his mouth still stuffed with food.

“Oh, come on, you’re adorable, Joonie.” You replied. It was then that your friend realised she was on speakerphone and could be heard by the entire group.

“Hi everyone! You’d better be taking care of him!”

“Don’t worry,” Yoongi said, “Taehyung’s taking good care of him.” 

There was a gasp, and you facepalmed. “Really, Yoongi?” You questioned him, “I can’t believe you right now.”

“You can’t believe him?!” Amiyah squealed. “You had sex with Taehyung, and you didn’t tell me about it?!”

Jungkook and Jimin both choked on their food while you stared at your phone in disbelief. “Way to put me out there,” you told Yoongi with a deadpan look.

“Payback for making us wait so long.”

“Yeah, whatever. I see how my platonic soulmate is.” 

“Platonic... soulmate?” You realised that you might have forgotten to tell her that Yoongi was your soulmate.

“Ah, well,” you started, “you know how Jimin and Taehyung are soulmates in an unromantic sense?”

“Yeah?”

“It turns out that Yoongi and I have that same bond. We have a blue-white string connecting us.”

“That is so cute. Congratulations to you both! Now I demand more pictures of you and Yoongi together.”

You and Yoongi both laughed, “Okay, okay. I’ll take more pictures.”

You ended up talking to Amiyah for a while longer before she said she was heading to bed. You all said goodnight, and you finally finished your dinner now that you weren’t on the phone. It was enjoyable, and you were having a great time with everyone.

“Good job today,” Sejin said as he made his presence known to everyone. “Si-hyuk also sends his regards. The posts you made today look good, and he appreciates the video you posted of the members giving a message to ARMY.” 

You beamed at the manager and gave a thumbs up, “I’ll be happy to take plenty more. But not too many! I don’t want to flood the internet and spoil BigHit’s posts.” 

The way Sejin smiled at you made you proud of what you were doing, “Keep up the good work. Tomorrow will be a busy day. I suggest you all go to bed early.” His eyes stayed on you before looking at Taehyung, “I mean it. Sleep.” You bit back a laugh and nodded.

“Got it,” You replied, and Taehyung frowned. “We’ll have time later, Tae. Just think about next week.” His eyes lit up, and he nodded.

“Let’s clean up then,” Jin said, getting up from his seat to pick things up. It was cleaned up in no time with everyone helping, and you and Tae headed off to your room together.

You were happy to see new bedding on the bed, and the clothes you packed up in the laundry bag were now neatly folded and placed on the table.

“I’m actually pretty tired tonight,” You said as you stripped and changed into nightclothes, which wasn’t a lie, you’d been busy most of the day.

“I’m glad you had so much fun today; I was worried you might be bored or stressed.” Tae followed suit and changed into nightclothes.

“I was nervous, but after today I think I can handle it.” You climbed into bed and beneath the clean covers, waiting for Taehyung to join you. You curled up to him once he did, and you ended up falling asleep rather quickly now that you weren’t worried or stressed about what would happen. 

A call from Sejin woke you up the following day, and this time, you didn’t miss answering it, “Morning,”

“Good morning, if you could wake Taehyung up and convince him to keep his hands to himself, please.”

You chuckled, “I’ll do my best.” You replied. The phone call was quick, and you picked your phone up to take a cute picture of Taehyung sleeping before trying to wake him. “TaeTae, wake up.” You said as you shook his shoulder.

“I’m awake,” he murmured, reaching for you as you climbed out of bed. You grinned at him as he sat up, snapping a picture of his crazy bed head.

“I’m going to go take a shower, so you hurry and wake up. I won’t be long.” And you did just that. You took your shower, and when you were done, you pulled on another pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt; though you had other plans with your shirt, you just had to see Yoongi first. “I’ll be back,” you announced while Tae was in the shower. You went a few doors down and knocked on Yoongi’s door. He answered surprisingly quickly, “Morning, Yoongi.” you greeted. You knew right away his sleepy eyes were on your neck. “Do you have a turtleneck I could borrow? I wore my only one yesterday.”

“Yeah, you can’t go out like that.” He stated as he pulled you inside. “Let me find it.” He mumbled as he started digging through his clothes. “Taehyung needs to learn not to leave marks like that.”

You laughed and shrugged, “You should see the rest of me. I’m covered in them. There’s no going around with no shirt for me for a while.” You heard Yoongi grumbled and pulled out a sleek black, long-sleeved turtleneck, tossing it to you. “Thank you; you’re the best.” You said, pulling it on. You and Yoongi were similar-sized, but he was a bit bigger than you. 

“See you at breakfast.” He said with a tired smile.

“You too,” you said as you headed back out to your room. When you got back to the room, you were greeted with the view of Taehyung in overalls with an oversized shirt underneath. “Well, you look like you’re ready to Go Go to work.”

“Jin would be proud of that joke, you know that, right?” He frowned at you, “but I’m not impressed. That was terrible.” 

“It’s not terrible if Jin would think it’s funny.” You argued, putting your hands on your hips. “Besides, it’s cute. You should wear a hat.”

He shrugged in agreement and pulled out a bandana to keep his hair out of his face. You couldn’t help but snap another picture of him after he was done. “More for the feed?” He asked, winking playfully, which you took a picture of.

“It is now.” You replied with a laugh. “Come on, let’s go prove to the others we know how to behave.” You teased as you headed out to the lounge. 

You were the first two out there, and you took a picture of the city skyline from the window. It was a calm morning, a little foggy but otherwise a pleasant start to the day. You couldn’t believe how calm you felt.

“I kind of want sausage and pancakes for breakfast,” You declared when you finished posting the pictures of Tae to your Twitter feed.

“Sounds like a good breakfast.” Tae agreed, lounging on one of the sofas.

You smiled at one of the comments you received on your pictures and sat next to your soulmate, “Take a selca with me, TaeTae.” He happily obliged, and you took several, some of them just cute while there were a few silly ones, and even somewhere he was kissing your face.

“Are you ready to share those with ARMY?” He asked as he saw you open the app. You nodded and chewed on your bottom lip, “You’re getting used to this pretty quick,” he smiled and reached over to pull the collar of the turtleneck down so he could leave another mark on your skin. 

“Can you not stretch out my shirt?” Yoongi questioned as he sat down next to you. Tae rolled his eyes and leaned against the sofa.

“What’s the fun of that?” Tae asked, looking over at Yoongi.

“The fun is me not kicking your ass for ruining my shirt.”

“Guys, guys. Enough,” you laughed and shook your head, “it’s too early to mess around.” Tae snorted at the innuendo, and Yoongi shook his head.

“I want to take selcas too,” Yoongi said, pulling you over to him. You were more than willing to take pictures with your platonic soulmate, and the three of you ended up taking selcas together.

You ended up posting them in batches on your feed, making a selca thread and linking it to your pinned thread, so it was easy to find later. The others started filing in slowly, Jimin being next to come in, followed by Jin and Hoseok. Jungkook was next, leaving Namjoon the last to show up.

“What brings you out so late?” Jin asked their leader.

“I was caught up in reading last night. Stayed up a bit too late.”

“Must have been a really good book.” You said, looking up from your phone.

“It is. You can borrow it when I’m done if you want.”

“I’d really like that.”

Namjoon nodded and gave a tired smile. Now that you were all accounted for, you got to order breakfast. You ordered just what you wanted, pancakes and sausage. You ended up getting a couple of slices of toast along with some orange juice, and you were pleased. When it came to eating, you were careful not to get any jelly or syrup on Yoongi’s sweater and once breakfast was done, it was off to the venue for another day of rehearsal for the guys and picture taking for you.

Chapter Text

Crowds were forming when you got close to the stadium. It was something that always amazed you to see. There were just so many people lined up to see BTS, and you had been one of those people. You heard the fans chanting when they spotted the van get close, and you smiled when they started screaming the names of the members. 

“Lively today,” You commented with a chuckle, “I feel bad that they’re going to be sleeping outside tonight.”

“Hey, you know there’s a pop-up store opening out there today, you should go before it gets swamped,” Hoseok said, pointing to the tents that were being set up.

“Yes, because I’m just going to use Tae’s money to buy BTS things.” You replied, turning in the passenger seat to give him an unamused face, but Tae’s was lit up by the idea. “What?”

“You should go. You could get gifts for your friend.” Taehyung proposed. He had you there. “You said you’d let me provide for you; this counts too.” He had you there too.

“Okay, fine. I’ll buy a couple of things.” That’s what you had told yourself. You said you’d buy a couple of things, and yet you were now standing in this pop-up store, a staff badge around your neck as you looked at all the exclusive merchandise. “I don’t even know where to start.” You admitted to yourself, but you browsed, anyway. 

You got yourself a hoodie, two sets of enamel pins, a t-shirt for Amiyah, along with a few other things before grabbing yourself a beret. You put on your new hat and pulled your facemask up over your nose before heading out of the store. You allowed Iseul to help you through the crowd outside, and before you got a chance to go far, you were surprisingly recognised.

“ Snow Owl! ” Someone yelled, and you stopped in your tracks. “I knew it! I knew you looked familiar. ” A girl waved her arms for you to come over. You glanced over at Iseul before giving a slight nod and warily made your way over to the fan. “ I saw your posts this morning and yesterday. They were amazing. ”

You smiled behind your mask, “ Thank you, I’m happy you liked them. ”

“ The video you took of the boys saying they love ARMY was really meaningful. Thank you so much for that. It means so much. ”

“ I knew it would; I’m so happy ARMY is enjoying the things I’m posting. ”

You heard a scoff, and you turned your attention to the girl who’d made the noise, “ I bet it’s all a rouse. I bet you’re not even Taehyung’s soulmate. ” Her words stung a bit, and you had to stop yourself from reaching up for your heartstring.

“ Hey, shut up! ” Another girl scolded. “ Don’t you dare denounce Snow like that! I can see his red thread. There’s no lying about it. ” 

“ Yeah, you’re just jealous that it’s not you. So shut your face. ” The first girl snapped.

You raised your hands and waved them a bit, “ Please, stop. There’s no need to fight. ” You said, taking a breath. “ It’s okay. ”

“ But Snow, you’re just going to let her say things like that? ” The third girl, the one that said she could see your thread, said, and for the first time, you weren’t worried about the idea that someone could.

“ It’s fine, ” You replied, this time reaching up to touch the threads that extended from you, tangling them around your fingers. “ I don’t need others to believe me. I have all the proof I need right here. So it’s okay if people don’t believe that I’m his soulmate. I’m not going to bother with them because I know what’s the truth, and that’s all that matters. ”

The two girls that were defending you smiled and the other rolled her eyes. “ Whatever, liar. ”

“ The guys would be very sad if you said something like that in front of them. ” You stated, looking at her. “ Imagine how disappointed they would be to hear that you’re upset because of fate. That you refuse to choose love over your pettiness. ” Her eyes grew wide with your words, and you were calm delivering them. “ Perhaps you missed some of the messages in their songs about love? You should go back to listen to them more. ”

The other girls looked at you in awe, breaking from their spots in the line to get closer to you. “ Can I get a picture with you, Snow? ” The string seer asked.

“ Me too! Can I have a picture? ” The first one asked.

“ Together or separate? I don’t mind at all, but the group is going to worry if I don’t get back to them soon. ”

The two girls cheered and took selfies with you. You took pictures with both of them separately before you took a few of them together.

“ I can’t wait for the concert tomorrow! Will you be there? ”

“ Of course, I will. I wouldn’t dare miss a concert. ” You smiled at both of them. “ And I’m sure you’ll be able to find me pretty easily. ” You directed to the girl who shared your ability. She smiled and nodded. “ You girls, be safe, okay? Keep warm and keep your possessions close. ”

They waved you off, and you headed into the stadium, a big smile on your face. It didn’t take long for you to get a mention on Twitter, and you pressed the like button on the pictures posted. You also retweeted them with an ‘ I met some amazing ARMYs today. Stay strong, you guys! Be safe! ’. When you got to the stage, you saw Jungkook up on the zipline, getting ready for his solo song.

“Well, that looks absolutely terrifying.” You announced, setting your bags down next to the pile of discarded jackets and sweaters.

“Welcome back!” Jungkook called from above, and you waved to him.

“Buy anything good?” Jin asked as he jogged over.

“I got a few things, but not a lot.” You replied, pointing to your hat, “Now I look like Yoongi.” You winked at your platonic soulmate and stuck your tongue out at him.

“Can’t say it’s a bad look,” Yoongi said with a grin. “If you really want to dress like me, though,” he went over and fixed the beret a bit, “you have to wear it like this.” 

You laughed and nodded, “Noted.” You kept watching Jungkook for a moment before speaking up again, “I met some ARMY while I was out there. Inevitable, but they were nice.”

“You interacted with them?” Yoongi asked, worried suddenly. “Was that the tug I felt earlier?”

“I felt it too. What happened?” Taehyung joined the three of you when he was done practising with Jimin.

“I just talked to them,” You answered, “I also took some pictures with a couple of them. One of them can see the strings as we can.”

“No one said anything mean to you, did they?” Tae asked, on the defence.

You hummed and shrugged, “One did, but it’s no big deal. I’m not worried or upset about it.”

Taehyung wrapped his arms around you and hugged you tight. “Good, because we’re the only thing that matters.”

You smiled, “Absolutely.” You agreed. “I would’ve stayed longer, but I didn’t want to worry anyone.”

“You’re so sweet,” Hoseok said, coming over to drape his arm around Taehyung. “You fit in with us so well. Always caring about us and ARMY.” 

“Bangtan,” Namjoon called, “Rehersal.” 

Smiling, you pulled away from Tae and Hoseok, “Get back to work, you guys,” You told them, “you have to work hard for ARMY. There’s a bunch of them already waiting. They’re going to go sleep outside tonight, so you’d better make sure they aren’t going to be disappointed.”

You watched as their eyes widened, and Taehyung nodded along with Jin, “No slacking!” Hoseok declared. “We can’t let ARMY down!”

The four of them hurried back to Namjoon, and you made your way to the side of the stage, sitting down and relaxing. You watched them practise a few songs before pulling your phone out to text Amiyah. You took a picture of the bag you got from the pop-up store and sent a winking emoji along with it. ‘ Got you some stuff ’ you sent afterwards. She replied almost immediately.

Queen Mya: ‘ WHAT DID YOU GET ME!? ’

Snow Owl: ‘ You’ll find out when it gets there, ’

Queen Mya: ‘ You’re so cruel,’

Snow Owl: ‘ Am I? I guess I can just keep this merch then. ’

Queen Mya: ‘ DON’T YOU DARE. I LOVE YOU ’

You smiled at your phone and sent her an emoji sticking out its tongue. 

Snow Owl: ‘ You better love me. ’

Queen Mya: ‘ Are you busy?’

You knew what she wanted, so you complied without answering her. You tapped the call button on your phone and brought the phone to your ear, “ Good morning, Mya, ” you said when she answered.

“ Hey there! Should I call you Snow Owl now? ”

“ Either is fine. It’s still a bit new to me to have a nickname like this. ” You shrugged to yourself.

“ I saw the pictures you took with those ARMY girls. They looked so happy. ”

“ They were fun to talk to. Really nice too.” You told her. “It’s kind of fun hanging out with them. ”

“ I feel like you’re going to be BTS’s ARMY coordinator or something. Wouldn’t that be fun? ”

You raised an eyebrow and frowned but smiled and waved at Yoongi when he spotted the confusion you had on your face. “ ARMY coordinator? ”

“ Yeah, you know, you go out and meet with ARMY, get them to do fun things or something. I don’t know. ”

“ You have no idea what you’re talking about, do you? ” You shook your head at Amiyah. “ Maybe I’ll make it a habit to meet a few ARMYs here and there at the concerts. ”

“ You’re going to make yourself some elusive creature that people freak out about when they know you’re lurking around. ”

You snorted and rolled your eyes, “ Just for that, I’m going to do that. Mask up, put on some sunglasses and see how long it takes people to recognise me. When they do, maybe, I’ll give them a little prize or something. ”

“ Little snow owl plushies! You know, like BT21! ” 

Her idea made you smile, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to play off BTS’s fame like that. You weren’t trying to make yourself famous. You didn’t want to be famous.

“ You don’t think that wouldn’t be weird? ”

“ You’re an insider now, you have the exclusive chance of being with BTS all the time. People already love that you’re giving us such exclusive content, and you’re not doing it to make money. You’re doing it because you want to, and that’s the biggest difference. ”

“ I guess you’re right; I’ll talk to the others about it, though. Maybe even Sejin. ”

“ I both love and think it’s weird that you’re on a first-name basis with BTS’s freaking manager. ”

“ I am with Si-hyuk too. But I’m more formal with him. ”

“ Si-hyuk? As in HitMan himself? THE Bang PD? ” 

You laughed at her shock, “ Yeah, ” you managed, “ He’s like a father figure in a way. ”

“ You’re doing so well for yourself. Not even a week ago, you were living here with me wondering what you were going to do with your life. ”

“ I couldn’t have gotten fired at a better time. ” You stated, rolling your eyes at the thought of your old job.

“ You never have to worry about money again. ”

“ That’s true; Tae said he’s more than happy to support me. That’s how I got your gifts today too. ”

“ Wait, wait, wait. Are you telling me that Taehyung technically bought the gifts you got at the shop? ”

“ Um… yes? He told me to. How was I supposed to say no? It’s not like I have any money of my own left. ”

“ You’re so lucky. ”

“ You’ve said that already, Mya. ” You teased, and she laughed.

“I t’s the truth. ”

You spent the next hour talking to Amiyah about things. You told her what the group was doing, let her listen in on some vocal rehearsal, and even sent her a quick video of them practising for Fire before she finally said she had to go.

“ Talk to you later, Mya. ” You said, a soft smile on your face.

“ You too, love you! ”

After your call, you checked your Twitter, posted another poll, and waited for the fans to decide who they wanted pictures of next. In the meantime, you took a few quick shots of the rehearsal and posted them. You watched as they worked hard, and you knew it was because they loved what they did, and they wanted to make ARMY happy. After a while, they took a break, coming over with bottles of water and sitting scattered around you.

“You guys are amazing.” You said when they settled.

“Only because we work so hard,” Namjoon replied.

“What were you and your friend talking about?” Yoongi asked, and you remembered he had seen you talking on the phone earlier.

“Just various things. She suggested I get little snow owl plushes and give them to people who recognise me when I go out to see ARMY before concerts.” You relayed, still unsure about it.

Hoseok smiled brightly, as did Jin and Jimin. “That sounds like an adorable idea,” Jin said with a nod. “We could get them made. I think they’d be cute.” 

“You guys don’t think it would be weird?” You asked.

“Not at all.” Hoseok said, “You said you were going to give them out to people. It’ll be like giving a little piece of yourself out to them. It’ll make people happy.”

“I think he’s more worried about people thinking he’s using us for some kind of fame.” Namjoon pointed out, and you nodded in agreement.

“Don’t get me wrong, the idea is cute, but I wouldn’t dare take such a drastic step so soon. I don’t want to give people the wrong impression of me.” Hoseok made an ‘oh’ face, and you smiled, “Maybe one day, but not so soon.” 

Taehyung moved over to you and kissed the side of your head lightly, “I’ll help you with whatever you decide.”

You smiled and laughed, “I know. I’m still getting used to everything. It hasn’t even been a week yet, and I feel like so much has changed.”

“It’ll get better in time,” Jimin smiled, “You just have to stick through it.”

“Yeah,” Jungkook agreed, “It took us a while to get used to all the fame and to be honest, I’m still not completely used to it.”

A few of the others nodded, including Yoongi, “I still have a hard time sometimes,” Yoongi admitted, “so it’s okay that you’re not used to it yet. You don’t know how long it will take. You just have to take your own time. It won’t be easy being Taehyung’s soulmate. You’re going to get a lot of spotlights whether or not you want it.” He explained, “I think making the best of your situation is only natural.”

You knew how supportive and encouraging BTS was; that was one of the biggest reasons you loved them so much, but to have them encouraging you and pushing you forward felt different. It may not have been a whole week just yet, but you felt so much at home with them that things just felt right . 

You spent the rest of the day watching them as they rehearsed and played around with them when they were taking breaks. It was sundown when they finally stopped and decided that they would go out to eat instead of ordering delivery. It wasn’t anything crazy, but the restaurant that you all chose was excellent. After dinner and when you were back at the hotel, you spent some time with the group before heading to yours and Tae’s room.

You knew they had to be up early the following day, so you didn’t let Taehyung get too handsy, “After the concert, if you’re up for it.” you told him, nipping his ear before you went to sleep. You woke up with his cock pressing against your ass as he rutted against you. “ Taehyung ,” You gasped when he slipped his hand into the back of your pants, his middle finger immediately pressing against the tight ring of muscle of your asshole.

He answered with your name, his voice thick with lust. You weren’t sure if you wanted to scold him that he had an early rehearsal and a concert today or if you wanted to continue. The way his slick finger slipped inside you, however, made you decide. “Do you want to?” He asked, nibbling on your shoulder.

“Fuck,” was the first thing that came out of your mouth.

“That is the idea,” You could feel him smirk against your shoulder, and he pushed his finger deeper, stroking it against your insides.

You bit back a hiss and pushed back against his hand, “Damn it, Tae,” you cursed, bringing a hand up and tangling your fingers in his messy hair.

He hummed and pulled his finger out to the tip before pushing it in again slowly, “Do you want to do it? I’ll stop if you don’t.”

For a second, you were annoyed, but it dissolved when his finger brushed your prostate, “fuck me, Tae.” You replied, and he pulled his finger from you. You couldn’t believe you were about to fuck Tae so early in the morning, but here you were, pants now kicked down to your knees as your soulmate shuffled behind you. 

It only took about a minute for him to return to his previous position, and you could feel his slicked up cock press against your bare ass. You weren’t sure when he’d gotten more lube, but there was no denying you weren’t ready for him. He hooked his arm between your legs, pulling one of them out of your night pants completely, and kept it hung over him. You were thankful that the room was still dark because this position left you feeling more exposed than the last one. Tae reached down and took hold of his cock, guiding it to your twitching hole.

“Fast or slow?” He asked, kissing the side of your head gently.

“We can save slow sex for later,” You said, reaching up to grab his hair again. You liked his hair. It was always so soft and fluffy beneath your hands, and you liked it even more when it was messy after he just woke up or after he was done fucking you.

He kissed your head again before pushing his hips forward, the head of his cock stretching you open. You let out a moan and held onto him as he sheathed himself completely. The way he had your leg up allowed him to push deeper into you, pressing against your prostate immediately with ease. He moaned your name as he pulled out and bucked into you quickly. This was a position you were going to remember, one that you wouldn’t mind having slow sex in at a later time. You turned your upper half so you could face him and captured his mouth with yours. 

You were already out of breath and panting when you broke the kiss. He was going so fast that you couldn’t keep up. You had no idea what got him so eager, but you didn’t mind it. The angle had you on edge soon after, and Tae’s thrusts stuttered. Tae was the first to finish, cumming inside you with a groan. You whined when he stopped, and he reached between your legs to wrap his hand around your cock, stroking you quickly to push you over the edge. You came with a moan, clenching around his softening dick inside you. He moaned your name and held you close, nuzzling your now dampened hair.

“Now we need to shower,” he chuckled, allowing his cock to slip from your ass. You shivered at the feeling and rolled onto your back when he got up from his spot. “Come on, Snow.” He grinned at you, looking over your fucked out body.

You groaned when he pulled you up after he’d slipped his arms beneath you in an embrace. “Winter Bear, why did you have to tire me out so early in the morning?” You complained.

He chuckled and helped you to the bathroom, sitting you on the toilet seat so he could get the shower ready. “I had a very erotic dream,” he admitted, turning on the shower. You gave him a curious look, your brain still fogged from your activities. “It was just after a concert, and you were backstage…” he continued, a hint of a blush appearing on his face, “you were wearing a huge sweater and nothing else.”

“Oh?” Your interest peaked, “And what did you do in your dream?”

“I fucked you against the wall, just offstage. It was really hot.”

You snorted and crossed your arms, “While I’m fine with wearing only a big sweater and nothing else, I’m most definitely not going to fuck you just offstage. Further backstage, probably.”

Taehyung laughed and shook his head, “Only if the others can’t walk in on us.”

“Not into voyeurism?” You teased, nudging him with your foot before getting up, shivering at the way his cum leaked out of your ass and down the back of your leg.

“Never tried it, so I might be.” He replied, helping you into the shower where you hissed at the hot water hitting your chilled skin.

You relaxed against him as he helped clean you up. Your breath hitched when he slipped a couple of fingers to drain his cum from you. “The idea sounds erotic, but I’m not sure about that.” 

Taehyung smiled and thrust his fingers slowly, pulling a soft moan from you as he drew more of his cum from you. “I wouldn’t suggest something so daring so soon, if ever.” He replied, removing his fingers from you. “I would never want to make you uncomfortable or do anything that you don’t like.”

You thought to yourself for a moment, your face turning redder at the thought of the other members catching you having sex. On the one hand, you’d thought about having sex with various members in the past; on the other hand, the idea of having sex with anyone else other than Taehyung wasn’t something that sat well with you anymore. “Maybe someday in the far future, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.” You replied, “You know if you wore a condom, we wouldn’t have so much clean up.”

He smirked at you and raised an eyebrow, “But then I wouldn’t get to fuck you with my fingers in the shower.” He was right. He was entirely right.

“Fair point.” You admitted, pulling away from him so you could grab the body wash. Washing up was quick, and you were out of the shower about fifteen minutes later, drawing on a t-shirt and an oversized hoodie. The hoodie didn’t cover the marks on your skin, but you had planned on running to a store to buy some new clothes for yourself while the group was at the stadium. 

“Can I leave another one?” Tae asked, pulling down the back of the hoodie to kiss your neck.

“Haven’t you left enough of them?” You questioned, wondering if you’ll ever be unmarked ever again.

You could feel him pout against your skin, “I enjoy seeing you covered in my marks, though.” 

You huffed and smiled back at him, “ One , Winter Bear. Only one.” It was like you just praised a puppy. You could feel his excitement as his mouth latched onto the back of your neck. You weren’t sure how dark the mark was that he left after he pulled away, but you knew it was a small one. “Better?”

He kissed the new mark and wrapped his arms around you, “Yes,” he replied, “When are you going to meet up with us today?” He asked, hugging you close to him.

“Whenever I’m done shopping,” You remarked, leaning back against him.

“And you remember what I said?” He kissed your cheek lightly.

You nodded to him and turned so you could peck him on the lips, “Don’t worry about how much things cost.” You said, mimicking the same tone Taehyung had used the night before when he told you to enjoy yourself.

“Exactly,” He replied, snuggling you before he pulled himself off of you. “I hope you have a good day.”

You smiled at him as you pulled a small messenger bag over your shoulder. It had everything you needed in it, your phone, your wallet, your BTS staff badge so you could get into the stadium with no issues. “You too, Bear.” You said, taking his hand when he had everything he needed. 

Chapter Text

“And there’s the lively couple,” Jimin announced with a knowing smirk.

“At least we’re not late,” You informed.

“That would be Kookie this morning.” Namjoon said with a sigh, “I sent Yoongi to go wake him up; it shouldn’t be too long now.” 

“Good morning,” Sejin greeted when he walked into the lounge. He paused and looked at everyone, his eyes narrowing slightly, “Where are SUGA and Jungkook?”

“They’ll be here soon,” the leader replied, “They’re taking longer than I thought they would, though.”

Sejin sighed and walked down the hall toward the rooms. And you couldn’t contain your chuckle as you wrapped your fingers around the threads you shared with Yoongi and Jungkook, tugging on them insistently. You wanted it to be annoying enough to be noticed but not feel urgent like an emergency. It wasn’t but a minute or two after that Yoongi showed up.

“Jungkook was refusing to get out of bed.” He frowned, “Sejin’s scolding him for staying up too late again.” 

“Eesh, you’d think he’d learn by now,” Hoseok hissed through his teeth, “Baby bun is going to be in a foul mood today.”

You frowned at the thought of Jungkook in a lousy mood and shook your head. When the youngest finally appeared, you went over and hugged him, gaining a grumpy groan from him, “Be good, Kookie.” You told him, “if you’re upset, the fans will notice, and they’ll worry.”

He looked at you in surprise, his mouth agape, “How are they even going to tell?”

You frowned and pulled away from him, “ARMY notices most things. Trust me, Kookie. I know you’re cranky, but you have to cheer up, okay?”

“I’ll try,” he pouted. You hugged him again, refusing to let go until he hugged you back. 

“I’ll see you guys later today,” You told them with a smile when you reached the parking garage. “Be good and work hard for everyone.”

“Have fun,” Jin replied, waving you off as you got into a separate car. 

You waved back, blew Taehyung a kiss and settled into the backseat. It was always a strange feeling when you were apart from everyone, but you knew you weren’t alone. “Be good, all of you,” You whispered down to yourself, “work hard.”

The mall you arrived at wasn’t overly busy since it was so early in the morning. However, you still pulled on a beanie and your mask, giving yourself at least a little bit of anonymity. You had two bodyguards with you now since you were likely to meet fans, and Sejin wanted you to be safe. Iseul, and the other you didn’t know just yet. You spent the first couple of hours browsing around clothing stores, picking out more turtleneck sweaters since you knew Taehyung wasn’t going to stop marking you. You also got some more pants, another pair of shoes and some more shirts. You tried not to feel bad at the checkouts, but the prices just seemed so high; you were even purposefully avoiding the more expensive stores. 

It was at the Kpop store when you finally broke, seeing all the merch you didn’t have and things you could mail to Amiyah when you got the chance. You had a bunch of BT21 keychains, an entire set, a backpack with the logo on it, a whole BT21 pillow set, and a set each of necklaces and bracelets with the members’ names and birth years on them. That was just the start. You grabbed another backpack and grabbed some more various BTS and BT21 merch for Amiyah before heading to the checkout.

“ Preparing for the concert tonight? ” The clerk asked when you started putting things up on the counter. You were thankful you had some staff with you today because they were helping you carry stuff.

“ Just a little. ” You joked, “I’m mostly buying treats for myself and gifts for my friend back home.”

“ Would you like to put the items in the backpacks? It’ll be better than carrying a bunch of separate bags around, ” she suggested, and you nodded in agreement.

“ This set of items can go into this bag, ” you instructed, separating your items from Amiyah’s, “ and this set can go into the other one. It’ll be easier to ship that way. ”

The clerk smiled and did as you asked, ringing up each item and carefully putting them into the bags. The only things that didn’t fit into the bags were the pillow plushes, which were put into two different large bags. You realised you were going to have to make a trip to the car soon, or you and your escorts were going to be over-encumbered. You didn’t even bat an eye at the total price of everything, you just held your phone above the card reader and paid for it.

“ Thank you for shopping with us! ” The clerk said with a smile. You waved goodbye to them, smiling behind your mask as you left the shop.

It wasn’t even lunchtime yet, but you already needed to drop things off at the car, which wasn’t an issue. When you got back into the mall, you aimed for a store selling luggage and picked out a nice purple set. You figured you could pack your new items into one of the smaller ones and the pillow plushies into the next size up. You were browsing around the bookstore when you got a message from the group chat.

“We’re taking a break for lunch. Are you going to be joining us?” Taehyung sent.

You smiled and typed out, “I’m not ready to meet up just yet,” You said, but quickly added in, “I’ll pick something up to eat soon, though. Don’t worry.”

Jungkook sent a frowny face emoji, and Jimin sent one crying. “We’ve been abandoned,” Jimin said.

“Both of you shut up and let him have fun on his own.” Yoongi sent.

“I’ll be back, I promise. I wouldn’t dare abandon you guys. I’ll be back before the concert!”

“See you later!” Jungkook said.

“Have fun!” Jimin added.

Taehyung sent a purple heart, and you sent one back before continuing to browse the store. You ended up buying a couple of books to read before heading to the next store. You were headed to a store when a pet shop caught your eye. For a second, you wanted to go inside, the inkling of ‘you could get a puppy’ came to mind, but you shook it off.

“Do you think Yeontan will like me?” You asked aloud, and both your bodyguards looked at you, confused for a moment.

“Yeontan?” Iseul spoke up, “I think so. He’s a very sweet dog.”

You couldn’t believe that you had forgotten all about Yeontan. He was one of Taehyung’s pride and joys. “I can’t wait to meet him.” You said, smiling and moving on. You didn’t want to torture yourself with further responsibility for a pet. You had them growing up, but it was freeing not to have to take care of something else. You had bigger responsibilities now as it was. 

It was nearly four in the afternoon when you got back to the hotel. Your bodyguards helped you get your newly purchased items to your room, “Sorry for making you have to carry so much,” You told them.

“It’s what we’re here for,” Iseul said, gifting you with a smile.

“I’m going to get changed real fast, and I’ll meet you in the lounge so we can go to one more place before we go to the stadium,” You said with a smile. They gave a bow and headed out. 

Once you were alone, you stripped down, pulling on a fresh pair of dark blue skinny jeans that looked too small and a tight-fitting, sleeveless high necked shirt that rode up when you lifted your arms. It covered nearly all the marks Taehyung had left on you, except one on your hip just above your pants and another that was just a little too far over on your shoulder where the shirt didn’t reach. You had planned for this, though, and you pulled on a loose cardigan. The long sleeves covered your arms down to your fingertips. The length of it reached just above your knees. The shoes you bought were a pair of boots that went up to your shin. Being alone today got you thinking about how others could perceive you and how you could easily change the way you looked now. 

Looking at yourself in the mirror, you smiled, happy with how you looked, but you weren’t done. Your shaggy hair was the next to change, and that was your next stop. You were headed to a salon. Not that you were unhappy with how you looked; you were never one to be self-conscious about how others looked at you. You just wanted to improve on what was already there. You pulled your ARMY Bomb from your luggage before you left your room, shoving it in your messenger bag. You smiled at the BT21 plush keychains that you’d clipped all over your bag, and as a cherry on top for your outfit, you pulled on a necklace with Taehyung’s name and birth year on it. You also put on a bracelet with Yoongi’s name and birth year on the opposite wrist from the golden bracelet that Taehyung had gotten you at the Disney park. You decided then that the next piece of jewellery you were getting would have a charm for each member of the group, that way you wouldn’t have to pick which ones to wear.

“Ready to go!” You announced to your two escorts when you entered the lounge, “Let’s find that salon.” You grinned.

Iseul chuckled and shook his head, “You’re going to give them heart attacks.” He said, smiling.

“Not bad ones, I hope.” You replied, walking with them back down to the parking garage.

“They’re going to be excited.” He assured you.

You were glad that you were getting along with the staff assigned to you. As Sejin had put it, they were your bodyguards, and you could rely on them for anything. They were there to protect you and make sure you were taken care of. Getting along with them was a big deal for you.

“Here we are,” he announced when he parked the car just outside of a fancy-looking salon.

With a nervous smile, you got out of the car, your second bodyguard, Ha-Jun, you learned his name was, following you while Iseul drove off to find a parking spot. You took a deep breath and walked into the building. It wasn’t like you were new to salons, but it was nerve-wracking for you for some reason.

“ Welcome! ” A tall man chirped from behind the counter. “ Do you have an appointment with us today? ”

You gulped down your nervousness and nodded, “ I scheduled an appointment for Snow Owl? ” 

“ Ah, right this way! ” He insisted, leading you to an empty chair, “ And what are you thinking for yourself? ”

You thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain your vision, “ Do you know of V from BTS? ” You queried.

“ I sure do, ” He answered, pulling the cover around your neck, “ Those BTS boys have so many hairstyles. Do you have a certain one in mind? ”

You nodded and pulled your phone out, quickly finding a picture online of Taehyung from Idol . “ I’d like something like this. Wavy like that. ” You explained.

“ Are you wanting a perm to keep it that way? I’m sad to say that a perm and hair dye doesn’t play well with one another. ” The stylist informed you.

“ A perm is fine; I’m not sure I’m brave enough to dye my hair just yet .”

“ Never had your hair dyed? That’s alright; your hair is a pleasant colour. It’ll look good with this hairstyle. ”

“ Let’s do it then. ” You declared, taking the chance.

“What do you think about temporary hair dye? It won’t change the effects of the perm, and you still get colour.”

You grinned, “ I like the sound of that. Could we do… pink? Not completely pink, but maybe highlights? ”

“ You have wonderful ideas, my friend. ”

Your heart was thumping in your chest, and you couldn’t tell if it was nervousness or excitement. You were glad that your hair was a light dusty blonde, perfect for hair dye, and it looked good even before the perm was started. The perm took longer than you were expecting, but it was worth the time. You loved how your hair looked wavy and slightly curly in places; the pink making it pop.

“ Are you wanting the middle part? Because I thought we could fluff it up a bit. ” The stylist suggested.

“ That sounds fun. ” You smiled.

When you were done, you almost felt like a different person. With the pink in your hair, your blonde looked lighter. You’d also gotten it cut shorter, so it wasn’t shaggy anymore. Your hair was short in the back but not quite an undercut, while the top was longer. Overall, you loved it. 

“ This looks amazing. ” You praised, and the stylist gave a deep bow.

“ It’s what I do, ” He said humbly. You tipped your stylist well before heading out with Ha-Jun to meet up with the car.

“You look ready for a concert.” Iseul chuckled when you climbed into the back seat.

“I am ready for a concert.” You remarked with a thumbs up. You got yourself buckled in, and Ha-Jun settled in the passenger seat before Iseul pulled away from the salon. 

You heard the fans before you saw them. You pulled on a mask and some sunglasses, not daring to put a hat on in fear of messing up your newly permed hair. When the car got closer, you saw how excited the fans were. They were screaming and cheering. It was much more energetic than the concert you’d gone to the week before. 

“Iseul,” you said, getting his attention, “can I get out here? I want to see if I can get BTS to hear the ARMYs.”

You saw how Ha-Jun frowned in the mirror, but Iseul thought it was a fantastic idea, “I’ll let you out just up ahead. Ha-Jun can take the car, and I’ll go with you. How’s that sound?”

You squirmed in excitement and did your best to sit still. When Iseul found a place to park temporarily, he did, getting out and hurrying around the car to help you out. Ha-Jun moved to the driver’s side, and once you were on the sidewalk, bag over your shoulders and Iseul next to you, he drove off to park.

“Come on,” You cheered, pulling your sunglasses off. The crowd amazed you. You didn’t even worry about the number of strings hanging from people, connecting people to others. You just focused on the rush.

“Careful now, Snow,” Iseul warned, sticking close to you. “Don’t get too worked up.”

“I’m okay,” You replied, never moving your attention off of the crowd. You saw a few curious fans turn your way, and a few were squinting at you like they were trying to recognise you. “ ARMY! ” You shouted as loud as you could when you pulled off your mask. You had more of their attention now, and you pulled out your phone. “ Listen up! ” You yelled, handing your phone to Iseul, who pressed record to start filming your interaction. “ BTS is in there working their butts off. What do you say to letting them know you appreciate them? ” The fans erupted in screams that travelled down the line. “ One more time! ” You yelled, “ Louder! Let them hear you! ” They screamed again. 

You couldn’t deny that you were having fun and had Iseul follow you up the line, closer to the stadium entrance. “ ARMY! ” You yelled again,”

“ Snow Owl! ” You heard familiar voices yell back at you.

You grinned toward the front of the line and waved to the two girls you’d met the day before. “ ARMY, listen to me! ” You declared. You wished you were taller. You wished you could project more. You continued, though, taking in a deep breath, “ Kim Namjoon! ” You yelled, and the fans joined in, “ Kim Seokjin! Min Yoongi! Jung Hoseok! Park Jimin! Kim Taehyung! Jeon Jungkook! BTS! ” The chant continued while you caught your breath, and you quickly learned how BTS felt having ARMY sing their songs with them. Your heart fluttered with joy, and you laughed and chanted with them.

“ Snow! Come here! ” One of the girls from before yelled for you, and you jogged over, still out of breath, but you pushed it off. “ You look amazing! ” One of the girls said.

You smiled at her, “ Thank you! ”

The second girl held out an unopened bottle of water for you, and your gaze shifted to Iseul, who was watching closely.

“ Thank you, but I have to decline. I can’t take things from fans. ” You informed them, and they smiled.

“ That’s okay, we understand. ” One of them said, “ but you should get something to drink if you’re going to be yelling a bunch. You’re going to wreck your voice if you don’t. ”

“I’ll tell Ha-Jun to bring some water,” Iseul remarked. He returned your phone to you, and you took another picture with the girls before moving away from them.

Ha-Jun appeared a few minutes later with a bag full of bottles of water, and you gladly gulped one down, sliding it into your bag so you could continue playing the crowd. You still wished you had something to stand on, but you made due. You were getting the fans to sing the chant again when you came across a light pole with a hefty base. Iseul guessed what you were planning and helped you climb on it immediately, standing nearby in case you fell.

“ ARMY! ” You yelled, waving at them from your new spot. 

You heard a few people through the screams yell, “ Snow! ”

“Let’s sing BTS a song!” You held your hand to your ear, similar to how Yoongi would do during the concerts. “ What song should we sing them? ”

There were a bunch of songs shouted out before you shouted the first few lines of Mikrokosmos . ARMY immediately started singing with you, and you pulled out your phone to record them. It was when you got a message from the group chat that your smile grew exponentially. “ They can hear you, ARMY! Keep going! ” You encouraged them. They sang louder, harder, and you sang with them, pulling out your ARMY bomb to wave along. There were tears in your eyes as they sang, and you could feel every member’s love deep in your heart. The way you felt was entirely new for you, and it warmed your soul to bring everyone such joy.

You didn’t notice until you sang “ Shine, dream, smile ” that there was a news van nearby, but you didn’t care because you were having too much fun singing with the crowd. You didn’t want to leave. You wanted to stay with everyone, have fun with them. Your heart was beating quickly as you waved your light stick in rhythm to the song.

“Snow, we should go.” Iseul proposed, helping you off your concrete platform.

“ I love you, ARMY! ” You screamed, “ BTS loves you! ” Those were your last words to the crowd before Iseul and Ha-Jun helped you make your escape before the reporter could reach you. As you slipped through the staff entrance, you could still hear the crowd singing, but hey were singing Idol this time . You finished your first bottle of water before downing a second and starting on a third.

Chapter Text

You peeked onto the stage when you reached it, watching as the group looked out at the empty stadium. They were smiling, and Jimin had his hand over his mouth in disbelief. You took your chance, rushing up to launch yourself at Taehyung’s back. He nearly fell forward when you wrapped yourself around his back, clinging to him. It served a dual purpose. No one could see you right away, but they knew you were there.

“Did you like my gift?” You asked, from behind Tae.

“You got them to do that?” Jungkook questioned.

“I sure did!” You grinned, peeking out from behind your soulmate. Jungkook’s eyes widened, and he covered his mouth, reaching for whoever was next to him to look at you. It turned out to be Jin, who immediately brightened up when he saw you.

“You had fun today, didn’t you?” Jin chuckled.

You didn’t allow Taehyung to see you just yet, clinging to his back as he twisted and turned to try to get a look at you. “Absolutely,” You told the eldest, winking at Hoseok when he started laughing.

“That’s a nice look for you,” Namjoon stated, knowing it was driving Taehyung crazy not to know what they were talking about.

Jimin grinned brightly, “I like it; it suits you.”

Yoongi was the one that finally pulled you away from Taehyung, holding you out so he could see you in all your glory, “What happened to the Snow Owl that left this morning?” Yoongi probed.

“Still here, just thought I’d update my look a bit.” You smiled.

You heard a sound from Taehyung that you never heard before and turned to look at him. His cheeks were pink, and he was staring at you like he didn’t know what to say.

“Winter Bear,” you greeted, going over and closing his mouth with your fingers. “Do you like it?”

Taehyung swallowed and nodded, still too astonished to say anything.

“I think you broke him,” Jimin quipped, erupting into laughter. 

“I was warned about this,” You informed them, “Iseul warned that I’d give you guys heart attacks.”

Slowly Taehyung’s arms embraced you, pulling you against him, “You look sexy.” He purred in your ear. His hot breath sent a shiver through you, and you turned your face toward him, allowing him to capture your lips with his own. You heard sounds of disgust from the rest of the members, and you laughed against Tae’s lips.

Jimin quickly slid his arms between the two of you, prying you apart, “What have I said?” He complained, “No one wants to see you making out like that. It’s gross.”

Yoongi was the one having the most difficulty keeping his composure, and you heard a small laugh escape from him. There was a warmth in your chest, and you watched as a thread appeared between you and Jimin. Your face lit up, and you beamed at him. Taehyung had also seen what just transpired, and he couldn’t contain his happiness, pulling both of you into a tight hug.

“I’m so happy.” He said, wiggling you both around in his arms.

Jimin looked up at his best friend, clearly confused, and you took it upon yourself to tug on the newly visible string. The man’s head snapped in your direction, and he stared, wide-eyed for a moment, before wiggling out of Tae’s embrace to hug you on his own.

“I knew it was going to be me next! I just knew it!” If Jimin had a tail, you knew it would be wagging up a storm.

“That leaves three.” Yoongi grinned, crossing his arms.

“Jin, Namjoon, and Hoseok,” Jungkook added.

“It’s probably going to be Hobi,” Tae suggested with a shrug.

While discussing this, you and Jimin were still close, and you were showing him by tugging on the thread where the feeling was coming from. If you could teach Yoongi, you knew you could teach Jimin where to find it. It helped that Jimin and Taehyung were platonic soulmates, and he knew where their string was connected.

“BTS,” Sejin called, startling all of you, “come eat before the show.” He instructed. 

You and Jimin pulled away from one another before Taehyung scooped you into his arms and carried you across the stage as you laughed and clung to him. When he stopped, he didn’t set you down. He held you in his lap after he plopped his ass down on a sofa in the green room, peppering kisses over your now exposed shoulder, your cardigan having slipped down from being jostled around as he jogged to the back.

“The stadium will be open soon; enjoy your snacks before you go on. Snow, it’s good to see you here. I heard you amping up the crowd.” Sejin said, passing out paper bags of food. He passed two to you, one for Tae and another for you, before moving on to pass out the others. 

“I can’t wait to see the concert tonight. Everyone’s so excited.” You remarked as you dug through both bags, handing Taehyung a burger before opening your own.

Jimin dropped onto the sofa next to you and Taehyung and grinned, “I think they’re going to be more energised because of you.”

You raised your eyebrows as you chewed, “you think so?” You asked through your food.

“We can feel it,” Jin informed, pressing it against his chest dramatically.

You all laughed at his goofiness, “it’s true though,” Hoseok agreed, “their energy is electric. You felt it too, didn’t you?”

You paused and looked at him, unsure of what to say before you nodded, a smile growing on your face, “when I sang with them, it was a feeling I’d never felt before. It’s like you said, electric. It makes me want to keep going, keep singing with them.”

“That’s why we keep going.” Yoongi admitted, “no matter how hard it gets.”

“ARMY keeps us going no matter what,” Jungkook added.

The room had a strange sense of calmness to it, and you felt at home. “I’m happy to be a part of them.” You said, a fond smile on your face.

“Not only are you a part of ARMY,” Taehyung started, kissing your cheek lightly, “but you’re a part of BTS now.”

Tears pricked your eyes at his declaration. “Thank you,” you muttered, “thank you for letting me be a part of all this.”

Taehyung’s arms embraced you again, hugging you tight. “Do you want to come out on stage with us?” 

You shook your head quickly, “On stage with you guys isn’t where I belong.” You countered, “I’m not BTS, not like that. I’m happy being on the side, being the one in between for both BTS and ARMY.” 

It was silent for a moment before Yoongi started speaking, “I like the sound of that. I think it’s a great idea.”

Everyone returned to eating and back to their usual rambunctious selves after that. You hopped off of Taehyung’s lap when Sejin returned to inform everyone that the fans were entering the stadium.

“You guys eat; I’m going to go play with ARMY.” You beamed. You were finished eating anyway. 

Tae walked you to the stage and grinned his boxy grin when he saw all the fans pouring in, “have fun, Snow.” He kissed the side of your head before popping you on the ass with his hand, “I’m going to have fun peeling these clothes off of you tonight.”

You stuttered for a second before pulling your cardigan on your shoulders quickly, “Only if ARMY doesn’t tire you out.” You proclaimed.

You ran to the end of the stage. You plopped down, sitting with your legs hanging over the edge, smiling as the fans found their seats. They were already cheering and yelling, some of them yelling your so-called ‘stage name’ when they saw you sitting there. You were waving at fans when one of the staff members came over and handed you a green mic. You looked at him curiously, taking the mic from him awkwardly. “What’s this for?” Just then, you got a message on your phone, and you pulled it out to look at it. All it said was ‘have fun’, and your eyes started at the contact name. “Sejin…” You gawked.

You opened your camera app and started recording, panning the camera across the filling stadium. “ ARMY ,” you sing-songed into the mic—Tae’s mic. A smile grew on your face as the fans started looking at the stage.

“ Snow! ” You heard and spotted those two girls once again. You waved to them, green mic in hand.

You licked your lips and brought the mic back to your mouth, “ You all look so excited. ” You got cheers, and you chuckled. “ I’m so happy to see you all here. You’ve been waiting outside all night. Did you sleep? ” You were just starting, but you were already having so much fun. You kept your camera going while you spoke, “ I’m proud of you, you know that? BTS heard you sing for them. They were standing here, ” you stood up and stood where the guys were when you showed up, “ and they were staring out that way, ” you pointed to where you knew the crowd was, “ their eyes were so wide, and Jimin was standing here, ” you put your hand over your mouth, “ he looked like he was about to cry. They were so happy. ”

You turned your attention back to the increasingly crowded stadium, watching as the staff directed the fans to where they were supposed to go. “ BTS is in the back eating, ” you continued, “ they’re regaining energy after rehearsing all day. ” You listened to the cheers that sounded from the crowd. “ Your voices give them more energy. I know they wish they were out here right now with me. ” You saw that some people in the sections close to the stage were already recording. You smiled at them and waved, “ You should let them know how excited you are. ” Screams erupted from the crowd, and you gave a sympathetic smile to the staff around the fans.

You walked around the stage, talking to the fans as they filled the stadium, the sky slowly growing dark, “ What do you guys want to do? Do you want to sing another song for BTS? ” You knew it was getting close to time, and you saw a message pop up on your screen. 

Carefully you checked it, keeping the camera recording while you did, “Keep going, you’re doing great. We have an amazing idea.” Namjoon sent, and then the chat was filled with excited emojis. You wanted to mention to the fans that the group was planning something, but you didn’t want to spoil their fun.

“ What song do you want to sing, ARMY? ” You asked them, hyping them up a bit. Your phone buzzed again, and you saw another message from Namjoon that said, ‘Sing Idol after this one’. You knew they were really planning something now. There was no doubting it. You held the mic out to the crowd and listened to their suggestions, hearing a few fantastic ones. Once you decided, you knelt to one of the staff members and whispered to them the song you wanted, and they passed it along to whoever was in charge of sound. 

In moments the first beat started, and you started singing Attack on Bangtan with the crowd. You were having far too much fun singing with the fans to worry about being embarrassed about any of your dancing. You had most of the stadium singing with you, and by the time the song finished, you were out of breath. “ Good job, ARMY! ” You yelled, keeping the mic far enough away as you did. “ We have time for one more song; I know just the one. ” You announced, nodding to the crew.

When Idol started, your heart thumped in your chest. You didn’t know what to expect, but you kept on anyway. “ You can call me artist! ” You started, and the crowd started singing immediately, excited for the soon to begin concert. “ You can call me idol! ” the next thing you knew was Hoseok running out, mic in hand, singing the following line of the song. You watched as he danced, and then you heard Yoongi’s voice as he rushed out, winking at you with a grin on his face. Namjoon was next, taking up his part before you felt arms slip around you, Tae gingerly lifting your hand to bring his mic up so he could sing. Jimin joined in, then Jungkook and Jin. For a moment, you were there with them on stage, having fun before you escaped from Tae, just as his next part started. You waved and allowed yourself to be helped down off the stage, dropping into the staff area in front of the stage.

“Great job!” Sejin praised when he reached you.

“Thanks,” you replied, enjoying the view of the members as they danced around.

“I didn’t know you had it in you,” Iseul said with a smile, appearing out of nowhere.

You grinned and nodded, “remember, I started as ARMY.” You replied, singing along to I’m Fine . You pulled your ARMY Bomb out and synced it up to the music, waving it to the beat as you sang. You made sure not to be in any of the ARMYs’ way for fancams and found a golden zone near the middle of the stadium, which you quickly became your favourite spot to watch from. Hoseok and Jungkook did their solo songs before everyone came back out to sing I Need U . You were thankful that you wore a cardigan to the concert because with all the dancing and bouncing around, you were getting overheated. 

You were swaying along with Namjoon’s song, Trivia: Love, when he spotted you, and for a split second, worry crossed his face. He plopped onto the edge of the stage, still singing his song before he beckoned you over. Curiously you moved closer, and he tossed you a bottle of water, shaking his head slightly. You laughed to yourself, and you popped the bottle open, downing nearly half of it when you returned to your spot. You were refreshed by the time they started DNA and were singing along once again. When the medley began, you were so full of energy that you couldn’t help but jump up and down with the crowd, yelling the lyrics with them. 

Your eyes were entirely on Taehyung when Singularity started, the beat resonating in you with each thrum of the bass. You sang along with him softly as you swayed and watched his performance. By the end, you were so relaxed that exhaustion was quickly catching up to you. When Fake Love started, your energy started to return purely because the group was just so energetic, but your high was brought back down again when Yoongi performed Seesaw. Then Jin followed after him with Epiphany . The following two songs were also more mellow up until they started Mic Drop . So What followed and then Anpanman . By the time they started Answer: Love Myself, you weren’t sure if you were going to be able to stay awake when you got back to the hotel. 

You sang with ARMY, and you sang with BTS, “ You showed me I have reasons, I should love myself, ” despite being as tired as you were. You didn’t miss a single verse of the song, waving your ARMY Bomb along with the music. When the song was coming to a close, Taehyung jogged over to the edge of the stage where you were and held out a hand to you. You smiled as you took it, letting him pull you up on stage. You walked with him offstage, waving goodbye to ARMY. You fell to the sofa backstage, exhausted and sore.

“You did a great job,” Taehyung said, kissing your forehead. 

“I wasn’t expecting you guys to come out like that.” You admitted with a small laugh, “I’m eager to see the fancams that come out of this.” 

Yoongi dropped to the sofa next to you, groaning as he relaxed. “Just think, we do this again tomorrow.”

“I’m not sure if I’m going to be alive enough tomorrow,” you laughed.

“But you did so well today,” Hoseok encouraged, “if you do it again tomorrow, we’ll find another way to have fun with you.” 

You frowned at him, “convince me to start your concert again?” You teased, “Is that what you want to do tomorrow?”

“ARMY loved that,” Jungkook exclaimed, “They were so excited when Hobi appeared and then Yoongi.” 

“You should have seen their faces when Taehyung got to you,” Jimin smirked, “You have to give it another try tomorrow. You had so much fun today.”

You hummed and waved your hand, “I’ll think about it, alright?” You yawned and stretched, shifting so you could lie across Yoongi’s lap. “I’m so tired; how do you guys do this every week?”

“We’re used to it,” Namjoon answered.

“You guys are superheroes.” You claimed, groaning when Taehyung moved your legs so he could sit down. Once he was settled, he pulled your legs into his lap. 

You were dozing on Yoongi when Sejin announced it was time to go, and you didn’t even have time to get up before Taehyung scooped you into his arms. You heard Yoongi complain about not getting carried when he’s tired, and you continued dozing in your soulmate’s arms on the way back to the hotel.

“Would you like a shower?” Tae asked when he got you to your shared room, and you shook your head.

“Can’t get my hair wet,” You muttered, wobbling when he sat you on the bed.

“Bath?” He suggested instead.

“A bath is fine.” You agreed. You couldn’t remember the last time you were so tired. With a chuckle, Tae started striping you down, kissing your bare skin when you were naked in front of him. He stripped himself and headed to the bathroom, turning on the water before coming to get you.

“My poor little owl.” He smiled, helping you to the tub. You ended up leaning back against him with his legs on either side of you in the water. “You’re so tired.” He pointed out as he cleaned the day’s sweat off of you. You hummed at the feeling of his hands on you, but you both knew nothing was going to be happening that night. 

You were fast asleep after Tae got you dressed in sleep clothes. The following day you were woken up by Taehyung’s alarm and groaned at how your muscles were stiff. You heard Taehyung mumble a tired ‘good morning’ through his pillow, and you pulled yourself out of bed.

Chapter Text

“Day two,” You told yourself. You dug through the new clothes you bought the day before and pulled on a pair of skinny blue jeans and an oversized sweater. To top it off, you buckled on a thick choker, covering the marks on your neck expertly. “Come on, TaeTae, I’m starving.” He groaned again and forced himself up to get dressed. Once you were both ready for the day, you headed to the lounge where Jin and Namjoon were already waiting.

“Morning,” Namjoon greeted.

“You still look tired,” Jin said to you with a sympathetic smile. 

“Oh, I’m still drained,” you confirmed, “I probably could’ve slept until the afternoon.”

“You could sleep in the green room when we get to the stadium,” Taehyung suggested, heading over to occupy one of the chairs by the big window. You stood there for a second, and for a second, you were sad. It was going to be your last night at this hotel, in this lounge, before you had to leave for somewhere else. It only lasted a quick minute before you remembered that tomorrow morning you and Taehyung were going to be taking a different flight and not flying with the rest of BTS to the next destination. “Don’t like my idea?” he asked, seeing your face.

“It’s not a bad idea!” You exclaimed, “I might do that… or I won’t. We’ll see how I feel.”

You felt like napping. After eating breakfast with the group and then playing around with them for half the morning and after lunch, you curled up on the sofa while they were out on stage and fell asleep. It wasn’t until Yoongi woke you up a few hours later that you even noticed you had gone to sleep in the first place.

“Hey there,” he smiled, “we texted you a few times asking what you wanted to eat for dinner. When you didn’t reply, I came to check on you.”

“Dinner?” You asked, confused. “What time is it?” 

“About five in the afternoon.” He answered, holding you down when you tried to sit up too quickly. “Don’t worry; it’s okay. No one expects you to run yourself ragged. You deserve some rest.”

“But ARMY,” you argued, sitting up slowly when he moved his hands away.

“They’re fine,” He assured, “you don’t have to do anything if you’re too tired to do it.” You adored how caring Yoongi was, and you hugged him.

“You guys work so hard for them; let me work hard for them too.” You murmured, snuggling up to him when he hugged you in return. Being this close to your platonic soulmate was both calming and energising, and when you pulled away, you pressed your forehead against his, “Thank you for being here, Yoongi.”

A smile bloomed on his face, and he pulled back, bringing his hand up to brush your hair back to kiss your forehead, “I guess you’d better get prepared then; after dinner, you’ll be playing on stage.”

“Am I going to be opening the show for you guys again?” You mused as you both stood up. “I’ll expect it this time.”

Yoongi chuckled and shrugged, “I’m sure Namjoon has a plan. He hasn’t told us what it is yet, though.” 

You took Yoongi’s hand in yours, lacing your fingers together as you left the green room. Since everyone was trying to figure out what they wanted for dinner, you figured you would join them. It turned out they were relaxing on the stage, phones in hand, as they discussed where they were going to get food.

“Has anyone suggested fried chicken?” You inquired, sitting next to Taehyung with Yoongi.

Hoseok laughed, “I did.”

“Fried chicken it is,” Jin declared, tapping away on his phone.

“Sleep well?” Tae asked, leaning over to kiss your head.

“I didn’t even realise I had fallen asleep until Yoongi came and woke me up.” You admitted. “But I’m feeling much better now.”

“You looked so peaceful; none of us wanted to wake you up,” Jimin said with a soft smile. “You must have been exhausted.”

“I guess I’m just not used to being so active.” You shrugged, “with more practice, I’ll get better at it.”

“Ordered!” Jin exclaimed, holding his phone up, “It should be here in about twenty minutes.”

“We should practice the medley one more time before the food gets here,” Jungkook suggested. 

“Actually,” you spoke up, “I’d like to discuss how you’re going to have me open for you tonight if that’s okay?” You didn’t want to throw anyone off with your question.

Namjoon chuckled and pat Jungkook on the shoulder a couple of times, “We thought that we’d come out when you sing your first song with them.” 

“The first song?” You questioned. “Do you have a suggestion as to which one I should do?”

“We were thinking of Spring Day. You know the words?” You nodded to Namjoon. “We’ll come out at the second chorus and join you. Towards the end of the song, Taehyung will help you off stage, and we’ll start the setlist.” 

“I like this plan.” You stated, “I’ll be more prepared tonight.”

Once you got your plan hashed out, you watched as they rehearsed the medley, the food arriving shortly after they finished. It was getting close for the show to start when Sejin came into the green room and beckoned you out. You went with him and quickly realised that you weren’t going to be given Tae’s mic but a headset of your own. They hooked you up, and unlike the day before, you were less nervous. Sejin told you he would have one of the staff members let you know when it was time to start the song and sent out a couple of water bottles in your bag to make sure you were hydrated, unlike yesterday. Apparently, Namjoon had told Sejin, and he lectured you before you went on stage.

“ARMY,” you sang. There were a lot more people in the stadium when you came out than you were expecting. The crowd cheered and waved at you. “ Sorry I’m late, ARMY. I was exhausted today, so I napped, ” you laughed, “ Are you ready to see BTS? ” The fans screamed. “ We’re going to sing a song for them when everyone is in here. Your voices are going to make them so happy. ” You pulled your ARMY Bomb out and turned it on to flash. “ Let’s get them excited, ” you chuckled at your own words and started the BTS fan chant. You were practising doing a wave with blinking lightsticks when a staff member on the ground waved at you. “ I think you’ve got it, ARMY! Now let’s sing a special song for BTS! ” You arranged your mic and licked your lips, you never thought you’d be standing in front of thousands of people, singing songs with them like you were.

When Spring Day started, the fans cheered, and you began with Hoseok’s verse. Your voice carried through the stadium, and it was the second verse where the crowd started singing with you. You swayed your BTS Bomb back and forth, getting the crowd to sway with you. You felt like you were doing magic with them. You got past Yoongi’s part with a tiny bit of difficulty, Korean being your second language, but you managed somehow, and you were more proud of that than playing the crowd. 

You heard Jin’s voice in full force and knew they were headed out, backing up to meet up with them for the chorus. Taehyung took one of your hands when he started singing, swaying with you. You kept singing with them, and when Tae’s verse came up, he sang it to you as he walked you to the end of the stage. It was magical, and you suddenly learned why the group sometimes cried at the end of their concerts. When the song was just about to end, Taehyung helped you off the stage, Iseul making sure you didn’t hurt yourself, and they immediately went into Idol.

You weren’t as tired by the end of the concert, but during Answer: Love Myself, Tae returned to the front of the stage and held his hand out to you once again. Iseul helped you up, and your soulmate laced his fingers together with yours. You walked with him, singing his verses with him softly. You danced with Namjoon and Hoseok when it was their turn, the latter making you perform some ridiculous dance moves with him when he took your hands. You even walked with Yoongi, making him do a silly dance for the fans. You and Yoongi met up with Taehyung and Jimin, walking together as the music continued to play. You were all smiles and laughter when you got to the green room to relax, finishing your second bottle of water and tossing it into the trash.

“Good job, Bangtan!” You shouted, full of energy.

“Taking a nap in the middle of the day really helps you with the concerts, doesn’t it.” Jin chuckled, patting your shoulder lightly.

“Apparently so,” You shrugged, “but now we go back to the hotel and pack for tomorrow.” 

“That’s right, you and TaeTae are taking a different flight tomorrow.” Jimin remembered, “I’m going to be without my soulmate for almost a week.”

Yoongi’s smile fell a bit, but enough for you to notice, “It’s just a few days, Jimin.”

“Yeah,” you added, “and just think how excited everyone will be when we’re back!”

“Can I sleep with Tae tonight?” Jimin asked you.

You saw how Taehyung was conflicted like he wanted to say no, but it was Jimin asking. “Of course you can!” You answered, “and I’ll stay with Yoongi tonight. That way, we can spend all night with our platonic soulmates before we leave.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Yoongi agreed. Tae could only concede to the decision.

“We all get up at the same time in the morning, at least.” Tae sighed.

“You won’t miss me for too long, Winter Bear.” You told him, “I’m sure Jimin’s company will be just as good.” You knew what Taehyung wanted, but you weren’t going to let him what he wanted this time around. 

“Tae just wants to get handsy.” Yoongi teased with a chuckle, “at least you can’t leave any new marks tonight.” You burst out laughing with Jimin and Jungkook at the way Tae pouted.

“You’ll have nearly all week to monopolise him, Taehyung.” Hoseok grinned.

“That’s enough of that,” Sejin announced, “the cars are ready for everyone.”

You all followed the manager out of the green room and out to the waiting vehicles. You sat with Yoongi, letting Jimin sit with Taehyung. Tae may have pouted at first, but he and Jimin quickly started enjoying themselves even before you got to the hotel. Both you and Jimin packed your luggage before heading off to your soulmates’ rooms. Taehyung helped you pack your things, musing at the plushes and backpacks that you’d gotten when you went shopping, and soon enough, you were chilling in Yoongi’s bed watching TV.

“This is relaxing.” You said, snuggling up to the rapper.

“You’re not getting mauled; I would think it’s relaxing.” He replied with a huff.

“I don’t mind it too much,” you admitted, “it’s a bit endearing. I’m going to be covered with them by the time I get back.”

Yoongi snorted, “You’re going to look like you’ve been mauled even more.”

You and Yoongi talked for a while before falling asleep together. You weren’t sure who fell asleep first, but you knew you were the one to wake up first. Since you’d taken a nap the day before, it was only natural for you to not sleep as long. Despite that, you convinced yourself to stay in bed and dozed off again about a half-hour after laying there. Yoongi was just too comfortable to move away from. 

Yoongi woke you up the second time, and you felt just as groggy as you looked. You ended up heading back to your room to shower and change your clothes, smiling at the way Taehyung and Jimin were curled up together. You pulled on another pair of skinny jeans and a comfy over-sized turtle-neck sweater before heading over to jump in bed with the two sleeping men.

“Wakey, wakey.” You said, kissing Taehyung’s face a couple of times before lightly pinching at Jimin’s cheeks. “If Yoongi and I are awake before you two, there’s a problem.” Jimin groaned in reply, and Taehyung chuckled, wrapping his arms around you. At least one of them was awake, you thought to yourself, getting an idea suddenly. “Jimin, if you don’t wake up right now, I’m going to fuck Tae while you’re laying there.” An empty threat.

Jimin sat up quickly and frowned at you, “that’s rude.” he complained. You laughed and ruffled his already messy hair.

“I wouldn’t do that,” You teased, “but really, it’s time to get up.”

Jimin headed off to his own room, and you made sure Tae took a shower and got dressed before you both headed to the lounge.

“We should take a picture here before we leave,” Jungkook suggested when everyone was present. You all ended up taking group pictures on the sofa, by the window, and even on the floor, and you had to admit, it was probably one of your favourite photo sets of BTS. After about an hour, Sejin came in and directed everyone to the vehicles. When you got to the airport, he handed you and Taehyung plane tickets for your flight.

“We’ll see you in a few days. Call me if you need anything.” He instructed.

“You know I will, Sejin.” You replied. The rest of BTS waved you off when you and Tae headed to board your plane. Since they didn’t have to worry about a commercial flight, they could stick around for a while longer. 

You were still very nervous about being on a plan for the second time in your entire life, but you were trying to remember everything you did the week before. You chewed gum; you clung to Jin’s RJ plush that, unfortunately, didn’t have, so instead, you stuck to Taehyung, and you made sure to stay hydrated. In retrospect, it was a much shorter flight than the last one you were on, and when you got off the flight, your nerves weren’t nearly as fried as they were the first time. 

Once you both got all of your luggage, you made your way to the pickup area, where you spotted a sign with your name on it and went over, greeting the man that was holding the sign. The man led you out to a van, and you were off to the lakeside getaway that you and Sejin had planned. When you got to the cabin, the man helped you carry your luggage inside and explained a few ‘house rules’ to you before leaving you both on your own and for the first time, you and Taehyung were utterly alone with no responsibilities to worry about.

You took the first few hours getting acquainted with your new surroundings, learning the layout of the house. It was fully stocked, but you had also been told that a small grocery store was just down the road that you could drive to with the utility terrain vehicle they provided. The cabin, being lakeside, had private access to a piece of the lake. From what you could tell, you didn’t have any neighbours nearby, which you felt was a good thing for multiple reasons. You were lying on the couch, your head in Taehyung’s lap as you watched a Kdrama on Netflix when you took the initiative to have a little fun. 

You reached up and slid your hands beneath Tae’s shirt, turning your head to kiss his navel. He hummed and looked down at you curiously, and you smirked up at him, nipping at the bare skin your hands exposed. 

“Are you bored with the show?” He teased, pushing your hair out of your face.

“I’m not bored with it,” you replied, scooting your head down his thighs a bit so your hands could fiddle with the button on his pants. “I would just rather do something else.”

He laughed and moved your hands out of the way, undoing his pants for you before pulling his cock out. Your mouth watered, and your hands wrapped around his hardening dick, stroking him before taking him into your mouth. You hummed around him, and he moaned, his hips jerking when you swiped your tongue against his slit. With one of his hands petting your hair, he used his other hand to slide down your body, unfastening your pants so he could slip his hand into them. 

You moaned when he cupped your cock, his long fingers nearly reaching to your asshole. You just got started, but you wanted him inside you already. You inhaled a deep breath through your nose before taking as much of Tae’s cock into your mouth as you could in the position you were in, swirling your tongue around him. He let out a deep moan and gripped your hair, his hips stuttering as he tried to keep himself from moving. You sucked him off as long as you could before having to pop off with a gasp, saliva strings connecting your lips to his cock.

“Fuck,” he panted, looking down at you. He pulled his hand from your pants, and you got up. You were about to pull off your over-sized sweater when he stopped you, “leave the sweater; everything else can go.” He instructed. You nodded and complied, stripping off everything except your sweater. It was large enough to cover down to your mid-thigh, and Tae grinned at the sight of you. “How do you want me to fuck you?” He smirked, watching you with hungry eyes.

“Passionately.” You answered, “fuck me, right here, right now.”

Taehyung growled and pulled you to him, laying you down on the couch and settling between your legs. “Do you need my fingers?” He asked, rubbing his slicked up cock against your asshole impatiently.

You gasped lightly and rocked your hips back against him, “Probably, but I don’t care.” You decided, “just fuck me, Taehyung.” He said nothing else. He pressed the head of his cock against your hole, probing you slightly before lurching his hips forward, burying himself inside you in a second. You cried out in both pain and pleasure, your body constricting around him, pulling a loud moan from him. “Fuck,” you cursed, “keep going. Don’t wait.” He nodded and started a rough pace. 

You didn’t even bother attempting to be quiet. There was no one around to hear you. You weren’t worried about the other members walking in or bothering you. You let your cries out as Tae fucked you on the couch, and you loved it. So much so you came only minutes after starting, your hole clamping around Tae’s dick so tightly it made him groan and stop moving. You were coming down from your high when he started back up again, pounding into you quickly. 

He panted your name as he got close to his orgasm, and you begged him to cum inside you. The way he was holding your hips, you knew there would be bruises, but you didn’t care. Having Taehyung fuck you into the couch like he was was like a dream. He didn’t stop when he came; he kept his hips going, spurting his cum into you, making it easier to fuck you in the process. 

After the first round, he pulled out long enough to get you to turn over on your front, pulling you to your knees before thrusting into you again. The new position gave him a better angle, and you quickly grew hard again with him abusing your prostate. You felt as he leaned down and started nipping marks on the back of your shoulders and your neck. Your head was spinning. Your nails dug into the soft cushion of the couch, and your throat was dry despite your drooling from earlier. 

His arms wrapped around your middle and pulled you up, forcing you to stand on your knees as he thrust into you. One of his hands pressed against your lower abdomen while the other snaked up your sweater and up to your neck. He didn’t squeeze, but it was erotic enough just to have his fingers pressing against your throat. The hand that pressed against your abdomen made sure to make you feel how deeply he was thrusting inside you. Your hands reached back and tangled your hands in his hair, letting your body be fucked into so perfectly. You were already moaning and panting and didn’t realise that Tae had pulled the collar of your sweater away from your neck, stretching it so he could reach your bare skin when he pulled a loud yell from you when he bit down particularly hard on your shoulder that you were brought back to reality. The pain shot through your body, and you came against the inside of your sweater. Taehyung wasn’t far behind and came deep inside you for a second time. His hips jerked every few seconds until he was done, and you stayed in that position for a minute, fucked out and exhausted. 

It wasn’t until Taehyung carefully pulled out of you and laid you down that you started coming back to yourself. You were lying on your side when you looked up at Tae and saw blood on his mouth. Your brain didn’t register until you went to reach up, and there was a pain in your shoulder. Your mind quickly caught up. You saw how worried your soulmate suddenly was, and your adrenaline kicked in.

“TaeTae, it’s okay.” You said, trying to soothe him. You pushed yourself up with your other arm and touched your fingers against your shoulder, feeling the warm wetness that was there.

“I’m so sorry,” he panted, immediately fussing about the wound. “I didn’t mean–I can’t believe I–Oh god, I’m so sorry.” You raised your left hand, your injured shoulder stinging a bit, and placed a hand on his chest.

“Taehyung,” you spoke, “I’m okay, calm down.” He looked as though he was about to cry, and you smiled at him gently. “I’ll be just fine; just help me to the bathroom.” He sprung into action, stuffing himself into his pants before scooping you off the couch and carrying you to the bathroom. He sat you down on the edge of the tub and helped you pull your bloodied sweater off. You were sad to see your new sweater ruined, but you knew it was easy to replace, and Tae was going to replace it even if you didn’t ask him to.

Tae was quick to work, grabbing a washcloth to run it under warm water before coming back to clean the blood off of you carefully. “It’s deep,” He hissed, gritting his teeth as he cleaned.

“Hey,” you smiled at him, “Tae, how many times do I have to tell you? It’s okay.”

He shook his head and pressed the cloth against your shoulder, applying pressure so it would stop bleeding. “It’s not okay,” he countered, “you’re bleeding . It looks like you might need stitches.” His voice wavered, “I can’t believe I did this to you.” 

“Well, you are my Winter Bear .” You shrugged, hissing in pain because of your shoulder. “Okay, okay. Help me clean up. We can... I don’t know, call a cab and go to the nearest clinic?” You didn’t want to admit it, but your shoulder hurt pretty badly, you weren’t sure just how hard Tae had bitten you, but it was painful. You asked for passionate sex, and he was definitely passionate about it.

Tae had you cleaned up and in clean clothes in record time, and you kept holding the rag against your shoulder so you wouldn’t bloody any of your other garments during this ordeal. You were also glad that the cab got there reasonably quickly despite your location, and you were able to direct it to the nearest clinic. Tae was still worked up, and though you couldn’t see his face very well behind his mask and sunglasses, you could feel how upset he was about what had happened. You could only hold his hand and try to calm him down with soft words. 

In the end, you ended up not getting stitches, and the doctor prescribed painkillers for the bruising and antibiotics to keep away any infection. They ordered you to stay out of the lake, which wasn’t a big deal to you; you hadn’t planned on going swimming on the account you didn’t know how to, and that you were to take your antibiotics every day for the next two weeks.

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m okay?” You asked your soulmate on the way back to the cabin. You’d been at the clinic for nearly four hours, and it was getting dark. Your adrenaline had worn off, and you were feeling exhausted. He looked down at his hands, nervously, unsure of what to say to you. The ride back was quiet, and when you got to the cabin, he could only bundle you up into his arms. You let him cry, you didn’t deny him that. He buried his face against your good shoulder and cried. 

You weren’t sure how long it was, but after a while, you started humming to calm him down, but soon you started singing the song you had been humming. “ She looks like a blue parrot… would you come fly to me? ” You sang quietly, rocking him back and forth, “ I want some good day, good day, good day. ” You continued. He snuggled up to you more, holding you tighter in his arms. “ Looks like a winter bear, you sleep so happily… I wish you a good night, good night, good night… ”

“ Good night, good night… ” Tae joined in, and you smiled.

“ Imagine your face, say hello to me. Then all the bad days, they’re nothing to me… ” You both sang together, and he finally pulled away, showing his red face to you.

“Please smile, Winter Bear.” You whispered, wiping the tears from his face with your sleeve. 

“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I can’t believe I hurt you so bad.”

You leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, “I forgive you, love.” You told him, running your thumbs under his eyes to wipe away the leftover tears that were there. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. You would never hurt me on purpose.”

You could tell he was struggling with his words, and you hugged him tightly. It would take some time for him to come to terms that you were okay, that you weren’t upset or mad at him, but you didn’t want to push him any further. You just let him hold you until he started to doze off.

“TaeTae, let’s go to bed. It’s not good to sleep on the couch.” You whispered, carefully pulling yourself away. “Up we go, Winter Bear.” You pulled him up off the couch and led him to the bedroom, sitting him on the bed before pulling out sleep clothes. It was strange to have Taehyung so quiet; it made you feel a little empty inside. You carried the clothes back to the bed and sat them down before straddling Tae’s lap, wrapping your arms loosely around his neck. “Look at me?” You urged. You gave him a gentle smile when he looked at you, “Stop apologising. I forgive you; it was an accident.” 

He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it, closing it again. You leaned forward, resting your forehead against his, “Taehyung,” you started, that gentle smile still on your face, “I love you.” He sucked in a breath, and slowly his hands touched your hips before travelling up to pull you closer. “I love you so much.” You whispered to him, “with every part of me.”

“I love you,” He replied, splaying his hands across your back, “more than anything.” You moved in to kiss him, capturing his lips lovingly. You’d both said you loved one another before, but this was different. This time it was raw and unfiltered. You stayed like that for a while, telling each other how much you loved one another through your kisses. 

Once you parted, you smiled at him again, “Let’s go to bed,” He nodded in agreement and helped you off his lap. You got your pants off on your own, but lifting your shoulder to pull your shirt off was another matter. Taehyung helped you strip your shirt off with a soft smile, replacing it with your soft nightshirt. He made sure not to linger on the wound he’d made, and once you had a shirt on, he helped you into your pants. Tae changed into his own sleep clothes, climbing in bed with you when he was done. He was careful of your shoulder as he curled up with you beneath the blanket. You fell asleep with him knowing he loved you, not that you didn’t know that already, but it was different hearing it from him.

Chapter Text

You woke up alone the following day, the sun shining in from the window onto the bed, heating the blanket enough to make it too warm. You tossed the cover off of yourself, groaning when your shoulder injury made itself known once more. You slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom, where you took the chance to take a relaxing bath. You didn’t stay in terribly long, and when you dried off and pulled on a pair of sweatpants, you turned your attention to your shoulder. You’d rinsed it off with clean water, but you did as the doctor had instructed you to do and put some ointment on it. For a shirt, you opted to grab one of Tae’s, pulling it on and letting it hang off your shoulder. Freshly dressed and ready for the day, you padded out to the living room where Tae was relaxing, watching a show you didn’t recognise.

“Morning,” you announced. He smiled brightly at you and opened his arms to embrace you when you reached him.

“Good morning, Snow Owl.” He greeted, nuzzling into your chest, “are you hungry? I could try to make something.” 

“Try is the keyword here,” you chuckled, “how about I make something? If you haven’t eaten already.” He shook his head and let you go, following you to the kitchen area. “Let’s see here,” you opened the fridge and looked at what you had, “I could make omelettes? Maybe some bacon?” 

“That sounds good.” He moved to pull the supplies you needed out and set them out for you while you acquired the ingredients. “I’m not a good cook anyhow.” He admitted.

“Oh, I know.” You mused, scrambling some eggs in a bowl.

Tae laughed and leaned against the counter, observing you as you worked. “Was it all the Run BTS episodes?”

“Yep,” you chirped.

“I can cook better now,” he tried to defend. 

“When do you have time for that?”

“That’s…” he thought for a second, “fair. That’s fair.”

“Let me do the cooking? Sometime this week, we can head to the store and get something to make together. Something special.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Your morning was oddly domestic. It was strangely refreshing. After breakfast was over, you washed the dishes you used, and after you took your painkillers for your shoulder, you sat down to watch more of that Kdrama that you were watching the day before. That was your Tuesday. You watched the sun go down as you sat in the doorway of the glass door. Tae sat behind you, arms around your middle and head resting on your uninjured shoulder. You both got excited when fireflies started blinking in and out of your vision. You didn’t catch any of them, but they were beautiful to watch all the same. You weren’t sure how late you were up; it didn’t matter. But when you finally went to bed, the moon was high in the sky, and you both passed out in minutes.

Wednesday was groggy. A storm moved in sometime in the early morning and wasn’t showing any sign of slacking. Not being one to sit around, you suggested you go to the store on the UTV, which thankfully had a plastic windshield. You wore shorts anyway and shoes that you knew were easy to replace if you needed to. Taehyung seemed excited to be going out in the rain and even splashed you by jumping into a puddle of water next to you. 

“What should we make?” You wondered as you pushed the shopping cart around the small grocery store. It was apparent that it was family-owned.

“Anything with meat.” Taehyung requested, heading over to the meat section. His eyes were wide with amazement, and you knew why. Meat wasn’t this readily available in South Korea, and so you got the best cuts you could find. 

“Do you want fried meat? Stew? Steak?”

“Stew sounds good.” He perked up, “It’s a good day for stew.” He was right. With it raining outside, it was the perfect day for beef stew.

With the cuts of beef obtained, you focused on the vegetables—potatoes, carrots, peas and green beans. You also got onions and some parsnips. You planned to make a hearty beef stew with slow-roasted vegetables on the side. You were in the produce section when you decided to add a green bean salad, which the green beans were for. For the salad, you needed cherry tomatoes and some feta cheese along with some balsamic dressing. 

“Dessert?” You questioned, stopping by the little bakery section of the store.

“Do you count?” He grinned.

You snorted and laughed, “I can.” 

“Then you’re my dessert.” You hummed in satisfaction and grabbed a loaf of French Bread before you continued. You grabbed a few Tupperware containers before heading to the checkout. With as much food as you were getting, there was definitely going to be leftovers, and you didn’t want to leave them behind when you left on Friday morning.

The drive back to the cabin was easier since the rain slacked off a bit, but you were shivering by the time you got inside. 

“You should change; you’ll get a cold if you don’t,” Taehyung suggested, and who were you to argue? You pulled on your sweatpants and changed into another shirt, still keeping your shoulder exposed to not have the cloth irritate it. You knew the clerk at the store wanted to ask about it but kept their questions to themselves, which you were thankful for. Tae was neatly setting everything out on the counter when you returned, clearly excited to get started.

“Alright, let’s begin.” You announced. You made sure that he was careful when he was cutting up the vegetables, you didn’t need another ER trip. You started with the beef stew, getting it cooking before redirecting your attention to the side dishes. You got the vegetables roasting in the oven and took a seat on the couch to wait for the food to cook. Taehyung joined you, hooking his arm over your shoulder to pull you close. He was still careful about your injury but snuggled up with you.

You stayed like that, watching TV until your timer went off, and you had to go pull the vegetables out. Tae was quick to follow you, grabbing the potholders before you got them. “I’ll get it,” he declared. You pulled open the oven, and he carefully reached in, pulling the vegetables out, setting them atop the stove.

“A real home-maker, aren’t you?” You teased, closing the hot oven and reaching to turn it off.

“I’d like to be.” He admitted, making you stop. For some reason, the way he replied made your stomach flutter. A blush bloomed on your face as you thought about it more. You and Taehyung, living together, having a domestic life where you would cook together, watch TV together, just be together. He pulled you from your thoughts—literally—when he wrapped his arms around you to embrace you, “You seem to like that idea.”

You beamed up at him, “of course I do. You’d be the perfect husband.” You snapped your mouth shut, the blush on your cheeks reddening even more. You couldn’t help what you said. It just came out. You didn’t regret it either; it was inevitable that you two would be married, yet saying it out loud was a different story.

Tae’s eyes were wide as he stared at you, his mouth slightly agape. You were confused for a moment when he pulled away and took your hand, pulling you into the living room. He placed you in the middle of the room, and you eyed him closely, your hand instantly reaching up to cover your mouth when he dropped to one knee. He spoke your name lovingly before continuing, “I know you’re my soulmate, but I still feel the need to ask.” He took your left hand and brought it to his lips, kissing your ring finger gently, “I don’t have a ring, but if you want one, I’ll get you one.” 

You smiled down at him and knelt to his level. “Taehyung, you don’t have to get me a ring. I don’t need one. I think it would be fun to do things with your traditions.”

He looked at you in surprise, “my traditions?” You nodded, “Same-sex marriages aren’t recognised in South Korea.”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes, “Big deal,” you stated, wrapping your red thread around your fingers and tugging on it, “I don’t need marriage papers when I have this.”

“Do you still want a ceremony?” You brightened up at the question.

“Can we still have one?”

He nodded, “we can have a private one. Both our families present, the rest of BTS, Amiyah.” Your heart fluttered with joy.

“I would love that. I’ll have to look up the traditions so I’ll be prepared.”

Taehyung slipped his arms around your waist and pulled you to him, standing at the same time. You hugged him in return and leaned up to peck him on the lips. You still had time before the beef stew was ready to eat, so you spent more time watching TV with your now fiance. Despite him being your soulmate, it was fun to know that you would be married one day. You were going to have to tell your family at some point that not only were you getting married but that you had found your soulmate... and that your soulmate was a multimillionaire from South Korea. You mused to yourself at the thought of your family staring at you like you had two heads when you tell them that your soulmate was Kim Taehyung of BTS. They knew about your love of the group, but they always thought it weird that you had such an ‘obsession’, as they called it for people you would never meet. You proved them wrong.

You ended up watching about three episodes–about forty minutes each–before your stew timer went off. Your stomach was more than ready to have food, and you got up with Taehyung to get the table set. You hadn’t gotten anything fancy to drink, so you just ended up pouring glasses of juice to drink with your meal. You made quick work of making the green bean salad, tossing it together before setting the bowl on the table. Tae was the one to fill up the bowls with stew and another set of bowls for the roasted vegetables. While he was setting bowls on the table, you cut up the bread, arranging it nicely on a plate before adding it to the table.

“It looks pretty fancy,” you admitted. You were about to take your phone out to take a picture, but Tae beat you to it and snapped a few good ones. He also took a few pictures of you while he was at it. “That’s not fair,” you pouted, “I want pictures of you too.” You took his phone and snapped a few before you both sat down at the table to eat.

“This is delicious!” he exclaimed, his mouth full of stew and bread. “We need to make this again.” He added.

You couldn’t deny that you were more than happy to cook with him again. Not only that, the notion of cooking a meal like this for BTS and seeing how they would react to it excited you. During dinner, the topic jumped from the TV show you were watching, to the group, to what South Korea was like and the dorm, and then it shifted to dessert. 

You hadn’t forgotten what Tae had said at the store, and you knew it would be different this time. You told him he had to help you clean up before he got any dessert, and he was eager to comply. He took the initiative to put the leftover food into the Tupperware containers while you worked on cleaning the dishes you’d dirtied. When he was done, he came over to help, drying and then putting away the ones you’d washed. After the table and the kitchen were cleaned up, you allowed him to lead you to the bedroom, where he touched you like you were made of glass. You knew he knew he didn’t have to, but it wasn’t about that.

You wrapped your arms around Tae’s middle, leaning up to meet his kiss. Even the kiss this time was more gentle than it was before, something you could undoubtedly get used to. His hands slipped beneath the shirt you were wearing, and his warm hands danced over the bare skin beneath it. You hummed into his mouth, allowing him to slide his tongue between your lips. One of his hands left your back and caressed your face, and when your kiss broke, you nuzzled your face against it. 

There was no need for words as you pulled away, allowing Taehyung to pull your shirt off and toss it to the floor. You smirked and hooked your fingers into his pants, taking him to the bed. You went to climb further up, but he caught you instead, pulling your sweatpants off with ease, leaving you bare before him. You didn’t let this stop you, and you made yourself comfortable on the pillows, using your finger to beckon him. He stripped his clothes and joined you in no time, settling between your legs, leaning in to kiss you again. 

It didn’t matter how gentle or sweet the sex was; it was still sex, and it still turned you on. Your soulmate’s touches had you rolling your hips, begging for more attention. He let out a small laugh, sitting up so he could have a good look at you. Your face was flushed along with the rest of your body. A magnificent view, he thought. Gently he moved your legs apart, bringing his fingers to his mouth to lubricate them–you needed to buy some actual lube at some point–and brought his freshly slicked up fingers to your ass, pressing and rubbing against your tight hole, coaxing it to loosen before he slid a finger inside you. You let out a small moan, gripping the bedding. 

When he added a second, then a third finger, he drew a mewl out of you, a new sound that you’d never heard yourself make before. You weren’t aware you had different sounds for different types of sex, but it made sense. Tae seemed to be encouraged by the sound you made and pressed his fingers further, pressing them against the spongy spot where your prostate was. You let out another mewl before a moan as he massaged your prostate with his fingers. You felt yourself loosen; you knew you were ready for him, and you squirmed against his fingers. Taking the hint, he removed his fingers and stroked himself with what was left of his saliva lubrication. 

You knew you weren’t expecting quick and rough sex, but nevertheless, the way Taehyung slowly filled you up as he sheathed himself made you moan. He held still, allowing you to get used to the feeling of him, allowing your breathing to slow down before he rolled his hips. His groan pulled a moan from your throat when he drew his hips back. You half expected him to ram himself forward, but he didn’t. 

Everything was different this time, the pace, the time, the feeling. It took you longer to reach your peak, but the moment you did, you were moaning his name, panting against his hand as he caressed your face. You came with a gasp of his name, tears pricking your eyes from the pleasure. Taehyung followed soon after, one of his hands holding onto your hip as he rocked into you, riding out his orgasm.

“I love you,” You murmured when you reached up to bring him down to meet you for a kiss. 

He smiled against your lips, kissing you deeply, “I love you,” He returned, his lips never leaving yours.

It was unfamiliar that you were so sensitive after sex, but here you were, forcing yourself not to squirm as Taehyung’s hips rolled against you once again. You whispered his name and held onto him, “do you want round two?”

He chuckled and nuzzled your neck, kissing it lightly, “Not tonight,” he replied, “you just feel so good around me. You’re still twitching inside.”

You kissed his shoulder and smiled up at him. “Tomorrow then?” You asked, “Have some more fun before we fly to meet the others?” 

He hummed as he thought and grinned, “I could wake you up tomorrow morning; how about that?” You nodded and ran your hands down his chest.

“We should take a bath,” you suggested, feeling the sweat on his skin.

He agreed with your idea and slowly removed himself from you, his cock sliding out, leaving you clenching around nothing. You didn’t even have to get up. He took it upon himself to carry you from the bed to the bathroom, sitting you on the edge of the tub so he could run the water. A warm bath was just what you needed, and you both took your time cleaning up. Afterwards, you didn’t bother putting on any pants. You just pulled one of Tae’s oversized shirts on and climbed into bed.

“Have you put any ointment on your shoulder?” He asked, slipping on his sweatpants.

“Not today,” you answered, cueing him to head into the bathroom to retrieve the ointment. He plopped down onto the bed next to you, and you moved the shirt so he could reach the wound. “Are you still upset about biting me?”

He frowned a bit as he rubbed the ointment onto the wound slowly, “I’m not... happy about it.” he admitted, “but you said you’re okay.”

“You know,” you started, chewing on your bottom lip lightly, “it was really hot. I came when you bit me. I’m not saying you should send me to a doctor again, but I don’t mind you marking me.” You couldn’t contain your giggle at the way he looked at you. “I guess we both have a biting kink, huh?” 

Tae fixed your shirt and put the ointment on the bedside table, his hand moving to caress your face again, “Yoongi’s going to be so upset with me when he sees that.” He started a matter-of-factly.

You laughed and nodded in agreement, “I told him I would come back with more marks.” Tae moved away to flop on the bed next to you, pulling the covers over you both when you laid down, gathering you up into his arms so you could both go to sleep.

You woke up the following day before Tae did, grinning when you realised he was still asleep. You didn’t hesitate to toss the blanket off of the both of you and straddle his hips. “Taehyung,” you murmured, rocking your hips and sliding your hands over his chest. He shifted beneath your touch, a quiet groan coming from him as he woke from his sleep. “you said you were going to wake me up,” you pouted, rolling your hips against him more insistently. 

“You didn’t sleep long enough,” he argued, his hands touching your bare thighs. “Hnn, I forgot you didn’t wear anything under this shirt.” His hands moved further up, pushing the fabric out of the way to expose you further.

You dragged your fingers down his chest, your nails leaving light red marks as you got to his abdomen. Your hands didn’t stop until they couldn’t go any further down, and you rocked your hips against him again, “TaeTae, I want to ride you.” He dug his fingers into your ass and groaned both at the feeling of you rutting against his hardening cock. 

He pushed his hips up to get more friction, a moan leaving him when you rocked against him a bit harder. “I’m not going to stop you,” he gasped, lifting you to your knees. “You need to be stretched out first, though.” Sleep was still very prominent in his voice, but he was waking up as fast as his cock was. 

“Then stretch me out.” You said assertively. Your cock was already hard, your shirt above it, so it was on display. Taehyung hummed and invited you to move further up, stopping you when your knees were on either side of his head. “I didn’t take you the type of man to be into facesitting, Tae.” You teased.

He smacked your ass and bit at the inside of your thigh, making you jerk, “You make me into a lot of things lately.” He growled, sucking a dark purple mark on your inner thigh. At least no one was going to see it except him. He guided you down, and you shivered when his breath brushed against your ass. You heard him chuckle before you jumped at the feeling of his tongue licking at your hole. 

You weren’t sure when you’d gotten so kinky, but you didn’t mind it. Were you ever going to tell Amiyah or Yoongi about it? Probably not. Maybe. You didn’t know. Your mind was filled with Tae’s tongue, rimming you. You let out a soft moan when the wet muscle breached your hole, and you couldn’t help but rock your hips, wanting more than what your soulmate’s tongue could give you. His mouth didn’t stop until he could slip one of his fingers in you with ease, then he added a second, scissoring you open. He moved his attention to your cock while his hands worked you open, licking up the bottom up to the head, sucking it in once he reached it. Your hips rolled forward, pushing your dick further into his mouth. It didn’t take long for you to beg him to let you ride him, and he released you from his grasp.

“I want to make you cum just be eating out your ass one day,” You chuckled and grinned at him as you moved back down, pulling his sweatpants down as you did, sliding your wet ass against his cock when you reached it.

“Oh, yeah?” You mused, “Maybe when we’re at the hotel.” 

Tae huffed lightly and wrapped his hand around the base of his cock, holding it still for you. He winked at you playfully, and you rolled your eyes, closing them when you lowered yourself on his dick. He moved his hand and placed it on your hip as soon as you were settled, readying to help you if you needed him to. You lifted yourself nearly to the tip of his cock before sliding back down slowly. You didn’t want to take it too fast; you wanted to enjoy fucking Tae like this. You set a leisure pace, something that wasn’t too strenuous, yet it still had your thighs burning since you weren’t used to using the muscles like you were. After a while, though, your legs wouldn’t let you raise back up again despite you trying, and Tae lifted you himself, lowering you once again, restarting the pace you had set.

“Do you want to change positions?” He questioned, keeping his eyes on you. You shook your head stubbornly, and he held you up so he could fuck up into you. At least, he was easy on you, still keeping the speed of the pace you had before. You were too stubborn to give up control, but Tae took it anyway and lowered you back down onto him before rolling you both over so he could fuck you properly. “You need to practice your leg strength,” he commented, thrusting into you. You moaned and pushed back against him, unsure if you wanted things sweet and slow or quick and rough.

“I’ll keep that,” you moaned again when he deliberately pressed against your prostate, “in mind.” You panted. It didn’t take him long to have you fucked out beneath him. You came moaning his name, and he thrust a few more times into you before pulling out and cumming on your lower abdomen. He smirked at the sight of you covered in not only your cum, but his as well. “Felt like doing something different?” You asked, eyeing him curiously.

He chuckled and nodded, “I wondered how you would look. I like the view.” He picked you up and carried you to the bathroom, sitting you on the usual spot on the side of the tub while he got a washcloth to clean you up, “I also thought we would have more time if we were spending so long getting my cum out of your ass.” You laughed, but you couldn’t disagree.

“What would you like to do today?” You asked him once you were cleaned up and dressed for the day.

“We should spend a time packing to leave tomorrow,” Tae noted, looking around at the bedroom, “maybe do some laundry while we’re here?” 

You smiled and gave a nod. “Let’s do that,” you agreed, picking up all the dirty clothes you could find. “We can watch a few more episodes while we wait too.”

You didn’t have that much laundry to do, which made it easy to focus on packing the rest of your things. You were looking forward to seeing the others again and gently tugged on Yoongi’s thread, unsure if he could feel it being so far away. Returning to your chores, you and Tae stacked your luggage up by the door, leaving out a set of clothes to wear the next day. You almost wished it had taken you longer to get ready to go, but you were happy to relax with your soulmate for one more day before getting back to the busy life that he had.

“Who’s going to cling to us first?” You pondered, “Who am I kidding? Jimin’s going to be all over you.” You teased. Taehyung laughed, nodding his head in agreement. “Yoongi’s going to be like a clingy cat. He’s going to stick close to me but not be overly touchy.” You added.

“He’s going to get Jimin to ask to sleep in my room again so you can stay in his room.” He remarked, “and we’re going to agree because we’ve missed them too much.”

You shrugged, “Not wrong.”

“Jungkook and Hoseok will be extra clingy. They’re probably going to be annoying about it too.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess I’ll just have no choice but to cuddle pile with them.”

“Jin’s going to be happy to see us, as will Namjoon, but our leader will insist that we’ve had enough time off and have to get back to working hard.”

“Joon’s always like that, though.”

“Not always; he puts up a good front.”

You smiled and settled against Tae some more, “I’m pretty excited to get back to them...” You were relaxing peacefully, thinking about how you were going to play with ARMY when you remembered the tour schedule, “Taehyung, isn’t there a concert tomorrow?”

“Don’t panic,” he soothed, petting your hair lightly, “We’re used to things like this. The setlist isn’t that different each weekend; I’m sure you’ve noticed.” You nodded, “When we get there, I’ll rehearse with them, and everything will be fine.”

You allowed yourself to relax again, “BTS is a well-oiled machine.” You stated, “there’s no doubting that. I guess I’m still getting used to things.” 

“It’s been less than two weeks; no one expects you to get used to such a life-changing event so quickly.” He played with the strands of your hair as he spoke, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you took a long time, and no one would blame you for that.”

“I’d like to think I’m doing pretty well adjusting so far; I’m still nervous about being in front of a bunch of ARMY, though.” A smile grew on your face when you remembered the way the fans made you feel, “but I understand why you guys try so hard. The feeling that ARMY gives you is amazing. I want to feel it again.”

“You will,” Tae promised, “tomorrow when we return, you can go out to the line and have fun with them. Get them to sing and be happy.”

You balled your fist and made the ‘fighting’ motion, “I’ll be able to hype them up even more for the concert. Then I’ll do it again the next day.” 

Tae kissed your hair with a smile, “I know you can do it.”

The two of you finished the first season of the drama you were watching and ended up watching some random cooking competition on Netflix. The sun had set, and knowing that you had to be up early the following day, you headed to bed. Sleep didn’t come to you quickly, and you were a bit sad your lakeside vacation was at an end. You hadn’t gone out to do much, not that there was much to do in the surrounding area, but it was still a relaxing trip. You decided that the next time you had time to go on a vacation with Taehyung with just the two of you, you wanted to go to a more populated area where you could do things instead of staying at a cabin for days on end. 

Chapter Text

To tell the truth, you didn’t know when you fell asleep, but the annoying sound of Taehyung’s alarm woke you from whatever dream you were having. This time Tae didn’t hesitate to turn it off and get up, kissing your hair lightly to help get you up. You gave him a tired smile and dragged yourself out of bed. You felt like Jungkook on the episode of Run BTS with the inflatable beds. You were grateful that Tae was there to help you get ready for the day, making sure your wound was cleaned up, ointment applied, and your antibiotic taken. He was also proactive and made sure that all the marks he’d made, especially the wound, were covered up by the soft turtleneck you wore. 

You were fully awake when the cab arrived, munching on some toast that you made recently. You had packed your leftover beef stew and sides in a bag. Lest you forget them, and you didn’t want to forget them. As long as the hotel you were staying in had a microwave, you were happy. The ride to the airport was calm, and you covered your face with a mask and sunglasses before getting out of the cab, Tae following suit. On the plane, you enjoyed the movie, mostly, but your thoughts were elsewhere. 

“Excited to see them?” Tae had asked, and you could only nod. “Soon,” he added, squeezing your hand lightly.

The landing rattled you a bit when the plane shook, but otherwise, you were okay. “Iseul and Ha-Jun are waiting for us at the pickup.” You informed Tae when you saw Iseul’s text message, and you were excited all over again. Iseul was starting to feel like an older brother to you, not that you minded, and you were even happy to see him.

“Iseul!” You called when you saw him at the pickup.

“Snow Owl, V,” he greeted, “Ha-Jun is waiting by the van for you.”

You were practically vibrating with energy when you got into the vehicle, your luggage all loaded and ready to go.

“You look like you’re going to explode,” Taehyung mentioned, grinning.

“I feel like I’m going to explode.” You admitted.

He took your hand and squeezed it, keeping you grounded on your way to the new venue. This stadium looked larger than the last one you were at, and it looked like there were more fans lined up outside the gates. You wanted to stick your head out the window to greet them, but Tae shook his head, promising you you could play with them later.

“Let’s sneak up on them,” Tae suggested when you got backstage. You couldn’t have agreed more and scoped out your platonic soulmate. Not like it was difficult.

They were rehearsing a song and facing toward the empty stadium when you and Taehyung snuck your way on stage, creeping up behind your respective soulmates. 

“Yoongi!” You shouted and pounced on him. He didn’t have time to react and stumbled with you into Jungkook but still kept on his feet.

“You’re back!” Jungkook exclaimed when he saw you.

It was then that Yoongi pried you off so he could hug you tightly, “You didn’t call or message.” He complained.

“Neither did you,” you pouted, hugging him back.

“I told them to leave you two be. They tried to bother you every day, but I wouldn’t let them.” Namjoon explained as he crossed his arms. “I was worried that you weren’t going to make it for rehearsal.”

You saw Jimin and Taehyung wrapped around one another, and you smiled, moving from hugging Yoongi to holding his hand. “Can we take a break?” Hoseok requested, looking at Namjoon.

The leader feigned a frown before breaking into his cheeky smile, “We can; we’ve been going for a bit now.”

Yoongi pulled you off the stage, followed by the others. “Sorry I didn’t contact you this whole time,” you told him, sitting with him on the couch... bench? It was a long bench with a cushion on it that made it seem almost like a couch, but it was just a bench to you. 

“You were spending time with Taehyung; it’s fine,” Yoongi replied, his fingers laced with yours. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

You nodded and smiled, “I did. We spent most of the time watching Netflix and…” you didn’t want to mention that you spent a considerable amount of time fucking, “and we cooked dinner together the other night.”

It was that moment when Jimin pulled Taehyung into the room, eyes wide as he looked at you, “Tae said you had to go to a hospital?” Yoongi’s eyes widened, and he looked at you, obviously needing an explanation.

You sighed Tae’s name, and he shrugged, “I was just telling him about our trip, and it just slipped out.” He defended. You let out a huff and looked at the six expectant pairs of eyes staring at you.

“It’s not nearly as bad as Jimin just made it sound.” You argued, “Tae and I were... well we—”

“You were having sex,” Hoseok blurted, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” you hissed at the end of the word, “We were having sex…” you repeated, it was awkward to admit it in front of everyone, “and he bit me too hard, and I was bleeding—”

“Taehyung!” Yoongi scolded, staring his groupmate down.

“No, Yoongi, it’s okay.” You explained, “I’m okay. We’ve already talked about it. Everything’s fine.” You squeezed Yoongi’s hand, “It’s not that big of a deal. The doctor at the clinic,” you specified, “gave me some ointment, painkillers, and an antibiotic. I’ll be just fine.” Tae looked guilty all over again. “Don’t blame Taehyung; it was just an accident, so don’t be mad at him.” You pleaded.

“I didn’t know Tae was so bitey,” Hoseok said, making an intrigued expression. “That sounds pretty kinky.”

“It is,” you agreed, laughing at your own words after you said them.

Yoongi was a maelstrom of emotions. At first, he was angry, then upset, then he was worried, but after you had agreed with Hoseok, he looked more amused by anything. “We should get Taehyung a muzzle.”

Tae’s guilt quickly turned into disbelief that his group mates, his brothers, would go from being angry at him to teasing him so quickly. “Is that a kink you’re into as well?” Hoseok probed, poking at your soulmate. 

Jimin couldn’t keep a straight face anymore, and Jungkook was already dying of laughter. It was hard for Jin to keep himself together, snickering behind his hand.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind a collar to go with that muzzle,” Namjoon joined in, making Jin absolutely lose it.

You made a mildly curious expression at the idea of Taehyung wearing a collar and a muzzle as he fucked you, and it was both a turn-on and a turnoff at the same time. “I’m not sure if puppy play is something I’m into.” You decided, making Yoongi snort and start laughing beside you. You giggled and grinned at Tae, getting a smile from him after a moment. “Enough of this, I’m fine, and we had a very relaxing vacation.”

“Fucking.” Hoseok added quickly, making everyone start laughing all over again, including you and Taehyung.

“It’s so good to be back with you all.” You sighed, content to be back with the group. “It’s fun to be around you, even with all the teasing.”

“We missed you guys too,” Jimin replied happily.

“Let’s all go on vacation together next time,” You suggested, “that way, we can do a bunch of fun activities together.”

“You’ll be happy to hear that we have a few weeks vacation after the tour season is over.” Jin chimed in with a grin, “I think we’re going to some mountain town or something.”

“That sounds fun,” you said, smiling at the eldest. “Is it going to be filmed, like all your other vacations?”

“Most likely,” Namjoon spoke, “I believe it would be up to you if you want to be filmed or if you’d like to be edited out.”

“I’m getting more comfortable with cameras recently.” You replied, “So if Si-hyuk allows it, then I wouldn’t mind. I don’t want to take away attention from you guys any, that’s for sure.”

“Do we have to tell you again?” Hoseok frowned, “you’re part of BTS now.”

You breathed out a laugh and shook your head. “I’m more like… BTS adjacent.” You saw the looks on their faces and tried again, “BTS but also not BTS? I’ve explained this before.”

“BTS but also ARMY,” Taehyung clarified, “a thread that connects us further to our fans.”

“The thread of fate?” You inquired, looking at your soulmate.

He nodded, “exactly. There is no BTS without ARMY, and there is no ARMY without BTS. We are forever connected with this string of fate.”

“You don’t need me to be the thread between you; that’s already there.” You admitted, “In any case, I’m perfectly happy without a fancy title. I’m just… me.” 

Jin was beaming at you, “That’s the best way to look at things.”

“Love yourself,” Namjoon agreed.

You ended up talking for nearly two hours, the rest of the group sharing what they’d done over the past few days you’d been gone. They told you they mainly did their own things; Jungkook played games online, and with Hoseok, Namjoon finished that book he was going to let you borrow and worked on some lyrics. Yoongi mainly stuck to himself when the others didn’t drag him into a game night; he even said that he came up with a new song and was working on the demo. Jimin and Hoseok went shopping, dragging Jin with them. Jin watched a good chunk of cooking shows. It seemed relaxing for everyone.

“Let us hear them,” Jungkook told you as you readied to go meet with the ARMYs waiting outside the gate. “What are you going to get them to sing for us?”

“Hmm,” you pondered, “I’ll give them a couple of easy ones and then have them sing along with Mikrokosmos .” You decided, thinking a bit more, “and maybe I’ll go buy some keychains or something and give them to people.”

“We should get a bunch of photo cards and have you pass them out to people,” Jimin suggested. “Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“Lomo or official?” You asked, thinking it was a great idea.

“We could sign them,” Jin added.

“I mean, I could go find a Kpop store and buy a bunch of photo cards for you guys to sign; it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Let’s do that!” Hoseok cheered.

“Yeah!” Jungkook agreed. 

Namjoon couldn’t deny that it sounded like a good idea, and Jin thought so as well. Yoongi shrugged and went along with it, deciding that it couldn’t hurt and you’d be able to gift ARMY with something.

“It’s decided then. I’ll take Ha-Jun and Iseul, we’ll go to the nearest Kpop store, and I’ll buy a bunch of BTS photo cards, maybe even a few small posters. I’ll bring them back here, and you guys can have a good time signing them.” You explained, already excited about the idea.

“Then you can go make ARMY sing for us,” Jungkook added with a thumbs up.

“Exactly right.” You agreed, fisting your hands triumphantly. 

You were looking up the nearest Kpop store on your phone as you walked to the car. You were thinking about the logistics of the group signing a bunch of cards for you to hand out, and you quickly realised that you wouldn’t be able to do it today, but tomorrow was another story. You had a plan, and thankfully it was still early in the day.

The nearest store turned out to be about twenty minutes away, and you aimed straight for the photo cards when you got there. You smiled as you picked out the newer card sets. You decided you would be ordering sets online after this so you wouldn’t have to raid Kpop stores for them. You didn’t bother even looking at the price; you were in a bit of a hurry, but before you left, you snagged a single ARMY bomb you were surprised wasn't sold out. After you paid for your items, you were back in the car and headed back to the stadium. The guys were still hanging out in the green room when you got back, eating lunch that they’d gotten delivered while you were gone.

“Burger?” Hoseok offered you.

You took it gleefully, glad that they seemed to have already picked up on your eating preferences. “I got a bunch of cards; we can separate them by member,” You explained as you dumped out the bag of card packs, though you were much more gentle with the ARMY Bomb. “Once we have them separated, you guys can start signing them. The ones with group pictures, you can either try to sign together or not since they’re so small.”

“I’m sure we can figure something out with them,” Namjoon said, looking over the pile before straightening the boxes up.

“These photoshoots were so fun,” Jimin chimed in, moving closer to see the cards.

You smiled behind your burger as they worked. You downed your food in record time, followed by nearly half a bottle of water before helping them. You had nine piles of cards; seven of the piles were for every single member, another for group photos, and a ninth for photo cards you weren’t going to use, which included drawn fan art that sometimes came with the packs. With all eight of you helping, it didn’t take long to get everything sorted. 

You managed to get the staff to find enough sharpies for them to use and watched as they got to work. While they signed the cards, you took more pictures, posting them on your Twitter to announce you had a special surprise for the ARMYs outside the stadium tomorrow. After a while, though, you kissed Taehyung’s head and announced that you would play with the fans outside.

Iseul stuck close but gave you enough room so you could have the freedom to roam like you enjoyed doing. “ ARMY! ” You shouted, waving your ARMY Bomb above you. “ Are you ready to see BTS?! ” The crowd cheered and screamed, and you grinned. “ My name is Snow Owl, and I’m here to be your conductor. BTS asked me to let them hear your voices, so we’re going to sing! ” The crowd cheered again, and you found a suitable spot to stand so you could see and project better. You needed a mobile mic and speaker. Maybe next time. Once you decided on a song, you started, “ I spend my whole life following the night time. Can’t see the stop sign, what you gonna say. ” The crowd all replied with the ‘hey’ and started singing along.

You had them dancing and singing with you, Iseul recording with your camera. After Dream Glow , you drank some water before starting another song. The song you started instantly had people cheering, and those that could, started singing along with you as you sang Yoongi’s part of Blood Sweat & Tears. You knew the second-day crowd was going to be just as fun and even more excited when they found out you have signed cards to give them.

“ You’re doing great, ARMY! ” You shouted, waving your hands back and forth. Things were still lively when you started Mikrokosmos , the fans putting everything they had into stinging with you. They practically screamed ‘ You got me ’ and ‘ I got you ’ when you got to the lyrics. This song made you feel the energy of the crowd, and you loved the happiness that you brought to them and the joy they brought you. You bid them goodbye after the song, but it was apparent that they weren’t done singing. They started singing Idol as you headed back into the stadium, meeting with the group on the stage.

“They’re still going,” Jungkook mused to you.

“They have a lot of energy today,” You replied.

“All the more for us,” Jin said with a smile.

“Back to rehearsing then?” You questioned, readying your phone now that you had it back from Iseul.

There were nods and sounds of confirmation, and you made yourself comfortable on the edge of the stage to watch them. You spent your time filming and posting little bits of behind-the-scenes clips and photos before you were beckoned backstage with the rest of the group. Rehearsal was complete, and it was now time for dinner. You all ended up ordering from different places and sharing most of it. You had missed this while you were gone, not that you regretted spending four days alone with your soulmate. You decided you weren’t going to excite the crowd any more than they were before the show and opted to just hang out with the group. A few minutes before the show started, you went out to find your place to watch. 

The concert was as great as ever, and you sang along and waved your ARMY Bomb with the crowd. Afterwards, you found out that the hotel you were staying at had a nice pool you could go to, and you did before you headed to bed. It was like the fans gave everyone too much energy, and everyone stayed up far later than you should have, none of you falling into bed before three or four in the morning. You slept in Yoongi’s room while Jimin stayed with Taehyung, something both you and your soulmate were expecting, and you were just fine with it.

“He got you pretty good,” Yoongi said the following morning when he saw your bite wound.

“Yeah,” you shrugged a bit, “we thought I was going to have to get stitches, but thankfully they weren’t that deep. It bruised terribly, though,” you flinched when Yoongi’s fingers touched it as he put the ointment on for you.

“I think I would’ve been angrier at him if you had stitches,” He replied, “I’m glad you both had a good time, but he needs to be more careful.”

You hummed in agreement and pulled on a tightly fitted turtleneck sweater, “I don’t mind all his little bites, you know that.”

Yoongi made a sound of disagreement, “I know you’re into that kinky shit, but you can’t keep wearing high neck clothes forever.” He retorted, “And what about in the summer? Are you going to wear long sleeves then too? Everyone saw the marks last night at the pool.”

You snorted a laugh, “I think it’s mainly newlywed syndrome. You know, where couples can’t keep their hands off one another for a while.”

“Gross.” He rolled his eyes as he got dressed.

“Speaking of which,” you turned to look at your platonic soulmate, “Taehyung and I decided to get married. I know it won’t be legally recognised, but that’s not going to stop us from having a ceremony.”

Yoongi looked surprised at your words, “Married?” He repeated. His shock quickly turned into a wide gummy smile, “That’s great to hear!”

“I still have a lot of research to do about Korean wedding traditions, but I’m willing to put in the work. You’re going to help me, right?”

“Of course!”

“That’s what I like to hear. I don’t know if he’s told Jimin just yet, but I want everyone to come to the wedding. It would be weird without you all there.”

“If Tae’s told him, he’s managing to keep it quiet. Odds are, he hasn’t because the rest of us didn’t know about it.”

Once you were both ready to go, you headed to Jungkook’s room, the predetermined meeting place of the day. You greeted the youngest and Hoseok, who made it there before you and settled down on the couch with Yoongi. When you got to the stadium, you packed your messenger bag with bottles of water, some snacks, the ARMY Bomb you’d bought the day before, and all the cards that were rubber-banded in stacks, according to the member. 

“Planning on being out there all day?” Taehyung asked, leaning against your back as you packed your supplies.

“I thought it might be fun to spend time with them today. I have a few ideas for some games since I saw that there was a park nearby.” You replied.

“You’re so cute,” Tae sighed, trapping you in a hug from behind. “You should play more games with us.”

You laughed and snuggled up to him, “I will, don’t you worry.” He kissed your head and let you go, “I wish you guys could come out and play games with us. ARMY would go crazy.”

“Maybe one day,” he smiled.

Chapter Text

You waved at the others and jogged out to the doors; Iseul and Ha-Jun close behind you with bags of supplies. You weren’t sure where they got it, but you weren’t going to worry about that. It was around ten minutes later that you were at the park setting everything up. You examined the supplies you had, trying to figure out the kinds of games you were going to play, the prize being the ARMY Bomb in your bag.

“Ha-Jun,” You spoke up, getting the attention of your second bodyguard, “is there a way for you to obtain a large speaker for me? Something I could plug my phone into so I could play music?”

He thought for a moment before nodding, “I’ll see what I can find.” You beamed at him and gave him a thumbs-up, grateful for his help.

“ Hey, Snow Owl! ” A voice called your stage name, getting your attention. A small group of five people ran up, all with big smiles on their faces, “ Are you setting something up for BTS? ”

You shook your head, “ I’m setting things up for ARMY, actually .”

“ ARMY? Are you going to host some games? ” One of them asked curiously.

“ That’s right, ” you answered, “ The winner of the games gets a prize. Well… everyone gets something, but the one who gets the most points gets a special prize. ”

“ Do you need any help? ” Another asked, and you smiled brightly at them.

“ I would love some help! ” You chimed, “ What are your guys’ names since you know mine already. ”

“ I’m Colin,” the one that had called you first spoke up. “This is Corinna, Erik, Sati, and Marc. ” He pointed to each one of his friends.

“ It’s nice to meet all of you. This is Iseul, one of my… um. ” You looked over at him, suddenly unsure of what to call him.

“ Bodyguard, ” Iseul stated, confirming your thoughts.

“ Yes, one of my bodyguards. ”

“ One of them? ” Corinna looked curious.

“I have two. My other one, Ha-Jun, went to look for a big speaker for some music. ”

Sati perked up, “ Are you going to have a singing competition? ”

You gave your best j-hope smile and nodded, “ that’s right. ”

“ This is so exciting! ” She cheered, “ This is much more fun than just waiting in line all day! I don’t care if we lose our places in line. ”

“ As long as you have your tickets at the ready, you’ll be just fine, ” You told them, “ now, let’s see what we can do with all this. Because I’m not sure what kind of games we should play. ”

Ha-Jun returned a short time later, carrying a battery-operated speaker that you could hook up to. By this time, you had more people coming over to see what you were doing. Colin and his friends were diligent workers, setting up all the games for fans to play. You had to decide how many you were going to allow; you had many cards, but you didn’t want to give them all away in one day. You ended up going with forty people, your helpers choosing to help run the games rather than take part in them, which you were thankful for the help. 

Each of the forty participants was given a number, and once everything was set up, the games started. Iseul helped you record some games, and you posted some clips when you had the time. When someone got eliminated from a game, and thus the competition, you rewarded them with a signed card of their bias. That’s how you spent most of the day. When it got down to the final five, you set up the speaker and hooked your phone to it, queuing up some songs before turning to explain the rules.

“ This game is simple; all you have to do is sing along to the songs. ” You explained, “ you don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to be good, you just have to try your best, and that’s all I’m asking for. ” 

You chose an easier song for them to sing, one with English lyrics to start, and they kept up pretty well. The crowd you had around was silent as they listened. Per Sati and Marc’s idea, the crowd watching was the judge of the last game, and you were just fine with that. Once the first song was done, you started the next, playing Spring Day ; for the third song, you chose Idol and then topped it off with DNA . After the last song was done, the crowd cheered.

“ Alright ,” You started, turning off the speaker. “Let’s hear some cheers for number nine!” The crowd roared. “Next is number twenty-eight!” The crowd cheered again. “Thirty-six!” More cheers. “ Number three! ” Cheers. “ And finally, number thirty-one !” The crowd cheered once more. You repeated the numbers once more for the crowd to decide, and you deliberated with your set up team. “ What do you guys think? ” You asked them.

“ I think number thirty-one got the loudest cheers, ” Erik suggested.

“ Numbers thirty-one and three were the two loudest. ” Corinne agreed.

“ Thirty-one definitely has this, ” Sati smiled.

“ Agreed ,” Marc chimed in.

Colin grinned and nodded, “ thirty-one, it is. ”

“ Sounds good, ” you said, turning back to the participants. “ Lucky number thirty-one! You are the winner! ” You declared with a beaming smile. The crowd hollered and cheered again. The girl with the number stepped up, and you pulled a group card from your stack and the ARMY Bomb, handing them both over to her. “ Congratulations !”

“ Okay, listen up! ” Colin yelled, his hands cupped around his mouth to project his voice, “ let’s help Snow clean up the park! Pick up all the trash and leave nothing behind! ”

You smiled at him happily and started collecting all the games as the crowd cleaned up the mess that was made in the park. It was primarily papers and water bottles, but they were still responsible for cleaning up after themselves.

“ It was nice meeting all of you. Thank you for all your help today. ” You said to Colin and his group of friends.

“ It was no problem, Snow. We had a lot of fun. It’s better than sitting in line all day doing nothing. ” Colin replied.

“ We had a lot of fun today, ” Sati said, giving a thumbs up. 

You beamed at them and pulled out your cards, “ You guys deserve more than this, but this is all I have, so I’ll give you some sets. They won’t all match, though. ”

“ Just having signed cards from the boys is enough for us. ” Corinna grinned.

You nodded in agreement and started handing out cards to the five of them, one member at a time until you got to the group pictures. “ I think I’m going to end up making my own cards like this to give out. All I need is one of those mini Polaroid printers. ”

“ That would make them even more special! ” Sati said, eyes wide.

“ I’ll work on that in the next city then. Thank you guys again. Don’t forget to get something to eat, okay? Take care of yourself. If you don’t, you’ll make BTS worry. ”

“ Can we get a picture with you before you go? ” Erik asked.

You grinned and nodded, “ I would love that. ” You spent longer than you had intended taking pictures with the group, Iseul and Ha-Jun taking several of them with different phones. “ See you in the audience! ” You called when you headed off, your two bodyguards with you.

You got a chorus of “welcome back” when you reached the green room. You were expecting them to be rehearsing, but you knew their setlist probably just, and they did by now. You noticed Jungkook looked a bit bored sitting on the bench, and Yoongi looked like he was dozing off where he was sitting. Hoseok was dancing to... something with earbuds in, but it was amusing to watch. Namjoon was reading another book while Jin and Jimin were talking about something. Taehyung was just enjoying a movie on his phone. Overall, a bit of a relaxing day, it seemed.

“So,” you started, looking over at Jungkook and then at the rest of the group, “I can’t help but notice that you guys look really bored.”

“I’m dying of boredom,” Kook complained to you.

“Jungkook, it looks like you’re the only one who’s bored,” Namjoon said from behind his book.

“I could go with something entertaining,” Yoongi said, not opening his eyes.

You thought for a moment, pacing slightly as you wracked your brain. “I could use some more dancing lessons if you’re not too engrossed in what you’re doing.” You suggested.

Jungkook sprung from his seat, “are we going to practice Go Go again?”

You nodded, “while I have the energy. Maybe I could have ARMY sing it with me tonight, and I could dance along with it.”

Yoongi pulled himself off the bench and grinned, “Let’s get to teaching you then.” 

The green room wasn’t big enough to practise in, so you made your way to the stage instead. Jungkook was getting the music set up on his phone when Hoseok and Jimin appeared.

“I heard something about teaching some more dance moves.” Hobi grinned.

Jimin jogged up and bounced a couple of times, “you can’t leave out the two best dancers of the group.”

“Four out of seven isn’t bad,” You stated, “I’m guessing that my fiance would rather watch a movie than come dance, hm?”

“Fiance?” Jungkook stared you down.

“You guys are getting married?” Jimin’s jaw slacked.

Yoongi chuckled and shook his head at you, “Taehyung didn’t say anything yet.”

You snorted and shrugged, “Well, we’re getting married.” You announced, “eventually.”

“What kind of wedding? Where’s it going to be? Who’s invited?”

“Hobi, calm down.” You laughed, reaching for him. He took hold of your shoulders and beamed at you, “It’s going to be traditional… well, as traditional as you can get with the circumstances, Korean wedding. It’ll be in South Korea. Tae’s family, my family, BTS and I hope Amiyah will come.”

Jimin practically squealed when he hugged you, “This is so exciting!” He exclaimed, “How come he didn’t tell me?”

You hugged both Jimin and Hoseok and grinned, “Maybe he wasn’t sure how to tell you guys.”

Jungkook joined in on the group hug, and when you all pulled away, you saw Namjoon, Jin, and Taehyung standing there watching you all.

“I thought you were supposed to be dancing.” Namjoon mused.

“How can we dance when we get some amazing news dropped on us like this?” Jungkook asked.

“TaeTae, how come you didn’t tell me?” Jimin asked his best friend.

“I didn’t know if it was the right time or really how to tell you,” Tae replied awkwardly.

Namjoon smiled and patted him on the back, “Congratulations either way.”

“This is exciting,” Jin said, a big grin on his face, “it feels like Taehyung is finally an adult.”

The maknae line laughed, and you couldn’t contain your small laugh. “It’s going to be fun with you all there; I just know it.”

“Let’s get to dancing!” Hoseok cheered, doing a silly dance. “Whoever’s front and centre is the spot we’ll teach.”

Everyone got into positions, and you started next to Jimin, who was the first one in front. They went slowly at first, ensuring that you had the moves down before moving on to the next member. You repeated this process until you got to the chorus, which you knew well. During practice, Hoseok decided they would dance with you instead of doing it on your own. He said he didn’t want you to feel lonely, but you felt like he enjoyed how you and Taehyung frolicked behind everyone for his part right before Namjoon’s. 

It was easier than you thought it would be to incorporate an eighth person into their choreography, but you didn’t want to make it a big thing. Go Go was one of your favourite songs to dance to aside from Anpanman , which was the next song you wanted to learn to dance to. “One song at a time,” you told yourself.

You all fell to the stage after the third time through the song. Sejin walked over with arms full of water bottles and passed them out to everyone, smiling at the sight of how hard you were all working together.

“I hope you don’t mind that I plan on using the footage that I’ve recorded for a Bangtan Bomb.” He watched as your eyes grew wide.

“You recorded that?” You questioned. It surprised you.

“I’ve sent it to Si-hyuk.” He replied, and you went slack-jawed.

“What do you think about us performing it tonight?” Jungkook asked, hopefully.

Sejin seemed to think about it for a moment, but the smile on his face was a dead giveaway of his already decided answer. “I think it’s a great idea. You could slide it in before Anpanman .”

“Now that’s a song I would love to learn.” You blurted with a grin.

“You have to get Go Go done first,” Namjoon said, watching you.

“I know, I know. I’m working hard. I’m just not a professional dancer like the rest of you.” You whined, falling back against the stage. 

“You’ll get that leg strength up the more you practise.” Taehyung quipped with a smirk. Oh, that smirk. That knowing smirk.

You groaned and glared at your soulmate, “You’re lucky I love you.”

“I know some good leg exercises if you want to learn them,” Hoseok winked at you.

“Oh my god,” you covered your face with your hands, “you guys are terrible.”

“But you love us.” Jungkook prodded.

You let out an exasperated sigh, “Yeah, I do.”

“Don’t sound so happy about it,” the youngest pouted.

You laughed and looked over at him, “I adore you, Bun.”

His pout immediately became a smile, “I know.”

“Alright, let’s get back to work,” Hoseok announced, hopping up from where he was sitting.

You ended up practising the song another few times before you had to stop for dinner. “I bet Sejin’s going to record our performance of you dancing with us,” Jungkook said when he finally sat down.

You stuffed your face with noodles and looked over at him, “that wouldn’t be too bad.” you said when you swallowed. “I don’t know what he’s going to do with it, but it’ll be fun.”

“You’re not nervous?” Jimin asked you.

“Oh, no, yeah. I’m nervous as hell.” You replied, looking over at him. “I’m afraid I’m going to trip and fall on my face or forget some choreography.”

Taehyung smiled at you, lovingly, “You can do this; you’ve been practising all afternoon.”

“I know,” you smiled in return, “but that nagging fear isn’t going to go away just like that.”

“I hit Jin in the face once.” your soulmate stated, “then I slipped and fell on my butt.”

You laughed and nodded, “I remember seeing that fancam. The look on your faces was amazing.”

“It hurt.” Jin pouted, “but it was funny to see how sorry he was after the show.”

You ended up talking about mishaps on stage until it was time for them to go on. You went to the same place that you watched the concert the night before and cheered along with the rest of the crowd when the music started. You did a few dance moves you knew from the other songs, but you did your best to remember all the practice you’d done that afternoon. When they finished So What, Namjoon announced they had a special surprise for everyone and you were pulled up on stage by Hoseok and Jimin.

“ Hi guys, ” you greeted ARMY through Hobi’s mic and took your position next to Jimin in the formation. 

When the music started, you took a deep breath and focused on what you’d learned. The moment you and Jimin broke through the others with the first line, you were already lost in what you were doing. You were having so much fun dancing with the group it didn’t occur to you, you would mess up your footing. You and Tae danced behind the others hand-in-hand during his verse and stayed with him during Namjoon’s. You were having too much fun to worry about anything. Too far into the music to care about being judged. 

You rode that high until you read comments on your Twitter while you were sitting with Yoongi back at the hotel. You and Jimin had decided to spend another night with your platonic soulmates, and now Yoongi was watching as your phone shook in your trembling hands.

“Pay them no mind,” he told you. He had a deep frown on his face. He had seen the words that caused you distress. “Don’t let them get to you.”

You took in a shaky breath and shook your head. You weren’t sure what to say. If anything. Yes, there was plenty of support for you and Tae. A wealth of people who defended you and your actions. While their words meant so much to you, the words that were against you dug deeper. You couldn’t stop yourself from thinking, “they’re right”. The feeling crept in like ice, and you shivered. It wasn’t enough for them to say nasty words. They brought up morals and the possibilities of lies. You knew this would happen. Deep down, you knew. It was a side of ARMY you were all too familiar with but never wanted to engage with.

“Deep breaths, okay?” Yoongi’s voice was quiet when he spoke. He knew exactly what you were feeling. He didn’t have to point out that if you got more worked up, Taehyung would come bursting into the room. Or Jungkook. Or Jimin. You fought back the tears—the anger. You weren’t sure what emotion was more overwhelming.

“They’re right,” you heard your unsteady voice.

“They’re not,” Yoongi argued.

“They are,” you bit. “I shouldn’t have gone on stage with you guys. I should’ve just stayed on the sidelines.” You went on, “Should’ve just kept to myself and away from the rest of ARMY.”

You jerked away from him when he reached to wipe the tears rolling down your cheeks. You didn’t realise that you were crying. You didn’t want to be comforted. Did you? You were upset and angry. You didn’t know what to do. Yoongi didn’t let you retreat from him a second time. He took hold of you, and though you wanted to escape from his grasp, you didn’t attempt.

“I should just stay out of the public eye. Stay away from ARMY.”

You felt hollow. Like you’d lost something. You also felt like a spoiled child. You shouldn’t be striving to gain ARMY’s affections. You shouldn’t be attempting to stand on the same level as BTS.

“I’m not BTS.” The words ripped through your throat. “I’m not part of BTS. I don’t want to be. I’m not trying to be.”

Yoongi said your name, trying to get you to snap out of your dark thoughts, but you didn’t listen to him. You clung to him as he held you. How you could ever think of yourself as BTS’s equal was beyond you. You were nothing. That’s what your thoughts kept saying. What people online kept saying. The only connections you had with BTS were some strings that most people couldn’t even see. Strings that you never asked for. Strings that—

“Please stop,” Yoongi’s voice shook as he spoke. “I know these feelings you’re feeling. You can’t let your mind take you to these unpleasant places.”

You whispered his name and looked over at him. His eyes were red with tears and filled with pain. You remembered the struggle he had with his self-image. With his confidence. Of course, he knew what you were feeling.

“Don’t tell Taehyung.” You whispered. You were ashamed of your feelings. “Please don’t tell him.” You pleaded.

“I won’t,” he replied. He meant it, you knew he did. “He’s going to find out, though.”

Your breath wrenched in your throat. “I know.”

“What will you do when he does?”

You stared at the floor and inhaled, “I won’t lie to him.”

You both stayed there for some time. Silent. Words unspoken yet clear. You still felt empty. Like you’d lost something, but you don’t know what it was. The enjoyment you felt when you were with ARMY, perhaps? The joy that filled you when you were on stage with BTS? You weren’t sure. Yoongi pulled away slowly, reaching his hand out to you. You silently took it. You allowed yourself to go wherever Yoongi wanted to lead you. You were in nightclothes, but you both had your shoes on. 

It was late, and most, if not all, the members were asleep except the both of you. Neither of you said anything as you walked down the hall, fingers laced together. Something was calming about being with Yoongi like this. The silent knowledge of pain from past experiences. How neither of you needed to speak to get your feelings across. Your walk brought you to the hotel pool, where you slipped your shoes off and pulled your pant legs up. You slipped your legs into the icy water, allowing it to pull the heat from your body and numb you further than you were already.

“People will say bad things,” Yoongi’s voice was so quiet, only the emptiness of the room carried it to your ears, “but you can’t let them dictate your life. There will always be someone who says terrible things about you, but you can’t let it drag you down into the darkness.”

“Was I overzealous?” Your voice was no louder than his. “Too quick to take on this role? To allow myself to be in the public eye so soon?”

You heard him take a breath before huffing it out roughly, “you know I’m not good at things like this.” He admitted, “Namjoon’s better with these things.” He joined you where you sat, hissing at the cold water when he sank his feet in. “People are quick to judge. Quick to hate and jump to conclusions.”

You kicked your feet slowly through the water, watching the ripples touch the other side of the pool and come back. “I should’ve handled this better.”

“This is unfamiliar territory for all of us. We all know where you stand, but the outside world is blind. They see only what they want to see.”

“At first, I cared too much about how people perceived me. Then too little. Now I don’t know how to perceive myself. I don’t know how to live in this world. I don’t know how to be myself around ARMY without some kind of backlash.”

“If you wear a mask all the time, then you won’t know who you are yourself.”

You scoffed and kicked one of your legs a bit too hard, splashing the water up slightly. “I guess I have to relearn everything from the Love Yourself era. Don’t I?”

You hated the feeling in your gut. You hated the self-loathing you had for yourself. The feeling of uselessness looming over you. For a moment, you thought about slipping into the pool and drifting off to the bottom, but Yoongi took hold of your hand and gripped it tightly.

“Lessons can always be relearned.” He spoke. He looked over at you with downcast eyes, “all of us are here for you. You just have to walk through that door.”

Tears pricked your eyes, and you managed a weak smile. BTS was your magic shop. They always had been. They helped you through so many trials in the past. There was no difference now. They were still your place of solace. Your safety net. It was times that you felt like this that you would play their music on repeat until you fell asleep or until you started feeling better. It never occurred to you that you may have a moment where you felt these things while being near them.

You don’t know how long you sat at the pool with Yoongi. You didn’t care. You were dozing when Yoongi’s phone alarm went off. The alarm that he’d set to make sure you both were awake to pack to get on the plane. The alarm telling you it was time to pull yourself together and face the others.

Chapter Text

You and Yoongi made it to his room without being spotted, and you stood in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to convince yourself to smile. To put on a mask, you weren’t sure you had. You thought about just letting it be, letting them see how distressed you were, but you didn’t want to make them worry. You couldn’t bring yourself to be that brave. Yoongi had said he wouldn’t tell Tae, and you held him to that. The issue lay with how perceptive some other members were—some like Namjoon and Jin.

“Bathroom,” you heard Yoongi say to someone.

You sucked in a sharp breath and stamped down the dread that filled your gut. You worked on fixing your hair to make yourself look presentable, but the darkness beneath your eyes told an entirely different story. You hadn’t slept. You weren’t sure who you were expecting, but when Tae walked into the bathroom and enveloped you in a warm embrace, you nearly lost all composure.

“Good morning, Snow.” He greeted. He smiled down at you, and right away, you could tell that he knew something was up. “You look tired.”

“G’morning.” You replied, leaning against him so you could avoid looking at his face.

His arms tightened around you protectively. It was a new feeling for you. “I’m here when you want to tell me.” He said into your messy hair. You swallowed your tears and nodded slightly, clinging to him as he held you.

“Come on, lovebirds,” Yoongi called, “Jungkook’s going to eat all the waffles if we don’t join them soon.”

“We’ll be there in a few. Save us some?” Tae replied.

The door to Yoongi’s room opened, then closed, and then there was just the sound of yours and Tae’s breathing. You could feel your eyes welling up, but you didn’t want to cry. You didn’t want to share your insecurities just yet. You couldn’t. You clenched your jaw and inhaled a shaky breath. Tae didn’t move. He held you close and allowed you to do what you needed to do. After a bit of silence, Tae began humming, then singing.

“ She looks like a blue parrot… Would you come fly to me... I want some good day, good day, good day… Good day, good day… Looks like a winter bear… You sleep so happily… I wish you a good night, good night, good night… Good night, good night... ”

You pulled away enough to breathe correctly and slowly began singing along with him, “ Imagine your face, say hello to me… Then all the bad days, they're nothing to me… With you, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh… Winter bear… Ooh, ooh, ooh… Sleep like a winter bear… Ooh, ooh, ooh… Sleep like a winter bear... ”

“Won’t you share your bad days with me, Snow Owl?” He whispered.

You couldn’t hold yourself together any longer. Your knees buckled, and he helped you to the bathroom floor. You clung to him as you cried, making a mess of yourself and his shirt. It felt like a long while before you could recollect yourself. You should’ve known you couldn’t hide anything from him. He was your soulmate. The bond you shared was stronger than anything you’d had before. Of course, he could feel how you felt. There was no one else in the world that knew you so well now.

“Take your time,” he soothed, “I’m not going anywhere.”

It didn’t occur to you that no one checked on either of you. You weren’t sure how late you were. You didn’t care. When you couldn’t bring yourself to talk, you pulled your phone out and unlocked it. Your screen was precisely where you had left it, but there were hundreds more comments now. He gingerly took the phone from you, scrolling through the comments, never letting you go for a second.

He let out a “tsk,” and you saw him close the app. “I don’t care what people say,” he wrapped his other arm around you again, “you are part of BTS, and you’re allowed to be on stage with us.”

“Stop it,” you hissed, “I’m not. I’m not part of BTS. I’ll never be. I never wanted to be.” Your words were harsh, but he didn’t argue. “No matter what any of you say, I’ll never be part of BTS. I won’t pretend to be anymore. I shouldn’t have been on stage with you from the beginning.”

You could feel him take a deep breath and swallow down his words.

“I’m just a lucky ARMY who happens to be your soulmate.”

“No.” His voice was blunt. “Don’t you dare say things like that.” He was suddenly angry, and he had every right to be, you supposed.

“I’m right, though.” You said, your heart in your throat. “In reality, I’m just a fan that got lucky. If I couldn’t see these strings, I wouldn’t be here. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I feel so worn out. I feel like I’ve overstayed my welcome. That I don’t belong here with you, even though all I want is to be with you.”

“Then just be with me.” The way he said your name. The sound of his voice pleading with you to just be with him. “Please,” he begged, “just be with me. Don’t worry about anything else.”

You said nothing for a long while. You couldn’t. You didn’t know what to say. You had so many ideas to share with ARMY, but now you weren’t sure about any of them. You weren’t sure if you were ever going to interact with them the same way again. If you were going to get them to sing with you or play games with you. If you were still going to make cute Polaroid cards to give out to them. There were many things left unsaid when you pulled away from your soulmate and stood up.

You gave him a weak smile, the best one you could muster, and held your hand out to him. You had decided that you were just going to be with Taehyung and not worry about anything else. You weren’t sure if you were going to keep posting photos of the guys, but that thought wasn’t important at the moment. You and Tae joined the others shortly after that. You greeted them with a smile, but they saw right through you.

“Yoongi told us what happened,” Jungkook said. He looked about as upset as you felt.

“You only told me not to tell Taehyung.” The rapper defended.

“It’s okay, Yoongi.” Your words felt foreign. “I’m sorry to worry everyone.”

You saw Hoseok was about to say something, but Namjoon shot a stern look at him. He settled down with a pout, and you couldn’t help but feel that much worse at making j-hope upset. The epitome of sunshine now clouded over with your gloomy emotions.

“Can we just…” You weren’t even sure what to say. “Nevermind. Talk about it. I don’t care anymore.”

They didn’t. They didn’t talk about what had happened. They didn’t really talk about anything at all. You and Tae ate breakfast, and then you were off to the airport. It was easier to hide your emptiness behind your mask and sunglasses. Easier to just exist but not feel anything at all. You weren’t sure what you’d lost, but you weren’t sure if you could ever get it back.

You slept on the plane. Curled up to Taehyung in your seat. You could barely hear the muffled voices beyond the headphones you were wearing. Tae woke you up when you landed, silently taking your hand and leading you off the aircraft. Sejin looked at you knowingly, and you assumed the group had told him what transpired while you were asleep. You couldn’t blame them. It was a sudden shift in your mood. You were fine when you were at the concert, living it up, dancing with them on stage. It was only when you doom scrolled yourself through Twitter comments you became like this. No doubt Sejin reported to Si-hyuk, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

The new hotel was fancy. There was a nice pool, a spa, and a gym. There was also a restaurant that patrons of the hotel could eat at. The one thing you loved most, however, was the lounge area that was between your rooms. It was much larger than the last one and set up nicer. There were two large sofas in the centre of the room with a table between them with some armchairs against the walls. A couple of fake potted plants decorated the room and some traditional scenic paintings on the walls. The city’s view through the windows wasn’t nearly as extravagant as the last, but it was cosy.

“Do you want to play UNO?” Hoseok asked you. He shifted like he was stepping on eggshells.

“Of course,” you gave him a smile you weren’t sure was real or not and settled onto the floor by the table. “The usual rules?”

Hoseok’s sunny smile didn’t appear as it usually did. His eyes fell to the box of cards he was holding, looking at them with a disappointed expression. “You don’t have to play just because I asked. You’re allowed to say no.”

You were torn. On the one hand, you didn’t want to do anything. On the other, you knew he was just trying to make you feel better. It hurt you to see the sunshine of the group so unhappy, and it stung more, knowing it was you who had done it.

“Hoseok,” The way you said his name had him looking up at you with pained eyes, “keep smiling, okay? I’ll get through this. So be the ray of sunshine that you are, and don’t let my dark clouds affect you.”

“I can’t,” he admitted. He closed the distance between the both of you with only a few strides, falling to his knees to pull you into a tight hug. “I can’t be sunny when the rain doesn’t stop.” You felt like you were going to cry, but you were all out of tears to shed. Your heart cried, though. It screamed out for help. You returned his hug, just as tightly, before you separated. “I’m sorry that those people upset you so badly. If there were a way I could erase all of them, I would.”

You spotted Tae watching the two of you when Hoseok pulled away. He looked sad, and you knew why. He could feel your distress. This wasn’t something you could just stomp down and ignore. No matter how many members of the group gave you kind words, there was no stopping the storm raging inside of you. It was something you were going to have to wait out.

You ended up staying behind in your and Tae’s room while the guys went to dinner at the restaurant. They’d asked you multiple times if you were sure you wanted to stay behind, and each time you said you were sure. When you were finally alone, you started up a playlist you found called Magic Shop. It was fitting. It had plenty of feel-good BTS songs that you loved, and you sang to each one. When Answer: Love Myself started playing, you hesitated to sing along with it.

“ I face you in the mirror, you Fear-stricken glare, recycled questions. ” When Yoongi’s verse started, you couldn’t follow along, Jungkook’s voice still playing in your head. “ The scene during the cold night, I turned back to hide from pity self. But did I fall so that I could be hit by those countless stars? I’m the only target to the thousand of those radiant arrows. ” Your heartbeat quickens with the beat, and when Jin’s voice started singing, you couldn’t stop yourself from tearing up as you sang with him. “ You’ve shown me I have reasons; I should love myself. My breath, the path I walked, it all answers for me. The me from yesterday, the me from today, the me for tomorrow. Without missing a single part, without leaving a single gap, everything, of me. ”

There was something liberating about singing the words. The ability to realise that it’s harder to love yourself, but you need to love yourself to love others. Namjoon’s verse resonated with something inside you as you listened. You didn’t sing his verse. ‘ It’s possible that there won’t be an answer. In a way this may not be the answer either. Even just loving myself, I needed someone else’s approval. Even now, I’m still finding myself, but I don’t want to die anymore. It’s even more beautiful. ’ 

You rewound Namjoon’s verse just so you could sing with it and then continued to Hoseok’s, “ That’s right, that beauty is there, my feelings that know that beauty is here is on the road to loving myself, my most needed work. Now for me, just for me, attitude just for me, is the behaviour I need for myself. I’ll show you what I got. I’m not afraid, because that’s my existence. ”

You listened to the rest of the song, sitting listlessly on the edge of the bed. This wasn’t the first time you’d done this with this song. You’d gone through something similar some time back, and it was BTS that helped you through your pain. You restarted the song when it was over so you could listen to it again. As if you were trying to relearn the love you had for yourself.

The thought to join the members at the restaurant popped into your head, but you decided against it. The reason being that you just felt like you needed to be alone. You needed to learn how to stand on your own again instead of leaning on the people around you. It wasn’t a simple thing; you knew it wasn’t. Nor was it something that you were going to get over quickly. You’d always had self-esteem issues, and typically you dealt with them the same way, listening to BTS. You played Love Myself for a third time before letting the playlist continue to the next song.

You kept the playlist going as you took a warm bath. You were attempting all your tricks to cheer yourself up, and it was working, albeit slowly. It wasn’t until you were relaxing in bed, wearing Taehyung’s clothes and curled up to Jin’s RJ plush that he loaned you that your solitude was interrupted.

“Watching a show?” Tae asked, climbing in bed behind you. He wrapped his arm around your middle and pulled you close, nuzzling his nose into your clean hair.

You hummed quietly and offered your phone to him, showing him the screen. You were watching an early episode of Run BTS. He smiled and kissed your neck a few times, making you squirm to hide the exposed skin.

“I miss your smiling face,” He murmured. “I know you have to take your own time to come back to yourself, but know that I’m here for you. We all are.”

His words warmed your heart. With a faint smile, you turned off your screen and sat your phone on the bedside table before turning in Tae’s arms to hug him close.

“I know,” you replied, “I love you.”

Taehyung smiled and placed a gentle kiss on your lips, “I love you too. More than anything.”

Typically, your closeness would lead to more explicit interactions, but not this time. You weren’t feeling up to anything remotely sexual. You just wanted to stay curled up to Tae, enjoying the heat from his body. The love that radiated off of him for you.

The next few days are hard for you. You spend most of your time watching old episodes of Run BTS and silly BTS videos on YouTube. When you’re not watching something, you’re listening to their music to soothe your emotions. You already knew most of their songs by heart, but now you knew them in your soul. Songs like Answer: Love Myself and Epiphany were your anthems for the time being.

After the terrible comments you’d gotten, you decided that you would limit those who could comment on your posts on Twitter. You thought about making your account private again, but you didn’t want to take away what you’d given ARMY. You didn’t get on the app much after that, choosing to remove yourself from the negativity. Amiyah had called and asked what happened since she noticed your lack of activity. When you told her, it outraged her. She ranted for nearly an hour about how shitty it was for them to say such things about you. Then she turned her anger to you when you mentioned some comments were correct. You opted to agree with her so she would stop lecturing you and promised that you would try to think more positively about yourself over the next few days.

A few days later, you sat curled up on one of the couches in the lounge, smiling at the way Jungkook and Hoseok chased one another around with the remote-controlled car that the youngest had made at the Disney park. You were recording the ordeal on your phone, small laughs bubbling up from your chest.

Jimin and Taehyung were working on some lyrics together by the wall in a language you didn’t understand. Japanese, it sounded like, but you didn’t know what they were discussing. Namjoon was doing something on his phone, glancing over at Kook and Hobi when they ran too close to him. Jin was sitting on the other couch on his laptop, working on some kind of business assignment, and Yoongi was sitting next to you, half asleep with his head leaned back against the sofa.

You let out a small laugh when Hoseok tripped over himself, and Jungkook ran the car into him, gaining stares from everyone in the room. Even Yoongi stared at you, now fully awake from his semi-nap. You stopped recording and lowered your phone to look around at each member.

“Yes?” You questioned. You felt uncomfortable being the sole object of their gazes.

Yoongi took your hand and smiled, “none of us have heard you laugh in days.”

“We haven’t seen you smile a genuine smile either,” Jin noted.

“Are you feeling better?” Jungkook asked, going over to you.

“Don’t crowd him,” Namjoon warned, watching the maknae.

You smiled at Namjoon before turning your attention to Jungkook, “A bit, yes.”

Taehyung and Jimin didn’t move from their seats, but they were both smiling over at you as you interacted with the others. Jungkook offered you the remote control, which you slowly wrapped your fingers around. Hobi beamed at you and set the car up so it could zoom around the room. You drove it around for a while, eventually falling into the game of chasing both Hobi and Kook around the room with it.

When the battery finally died, Hoseok offered to play UNO with you, “without the dancing,” he said, but you shook your head in response.

“There has to be dancing.” You told him, settling on the floor by the table, just as you had the first day you got to the hotel.

Yoongi ended up joining the game along with Jungkook, and the four of you played a few rounds. Yoongi won the first round in a landslide. You won the second round somehow. It was close between Hoseok and you, both of you having only one card left. Jungkook won the third round. Hobi whined at losing three games, and when you won the fourth game, he gave up. 

When dinner came around you, all ate in the lounge, the group refusing to eat another dinner without you around. Everyone was acting the same way as they usually did, except for you. It was like you were in your own little bubble you couldn’t escape from.

The rest of the week was the same. You weren’t expecting to get over your bout of depression so quickly. You were getting frustrated about the whole thing, but you redirected your thoughts to something else when you felt worse.

Concert day started terribly for you. Just the week before, you were jumping around and playing games with the fans; now, you were huddled up on a sofa in the green room of the venue. You weren’t sure if you were going to watch the show or just stay backstage. It pained you to be there, but per Jungkook’s begging, you ended up going with them. The first night you couldn’t face the crowd. You felt overwhelmed and lost when you peeked out at the thousands of faces.

The second day, Yoongi had told you that you would watch them perform, and you ended up being led out by Iseul to your usual viewing location. Your heart was thrumming in your chest because you weren’t sure what ARMY would think, what the surrounding people would do when they saw you. You tried to ignore the chorus of whispers. You tried to tune them out while you waited for the concert to start.

“ Psst ,” You shifted where you stood, still trying to listen to the internal radio in your head. “ Snow Owl. ” The record in your mind skipped, and you turned to look in the direction you heard your name.

You saw a small stature girl wearing a BTS hoodie and a Tata headband. She had little colourful hearts painted on her cheeks and an ARMY Bomb strapped to her wrist.

“ How are you doing? ” She asked, leaning against the guard gate.

Her genuine concern surprised you. She looked concerned. You weren’t sure what to say or how to answer her. You opened your mouth to speak, but your voice failed you, and you closed it again.

“ Not good, I see. ” She said with a sigh, “I can’t believe what those people were saying. They’re so stupid. ” She kicked her foot against the ground in frustration.

“ No ,” you frowned, “ they were right. ”

“ Bullshit !” She grabbed the gate and scowled.

“ P-Pardon? ” Her sudden anger made you take a small step back.

“ It’s bullshit! ” She repeated, “ I can’t stand how people are treating you. I-UGH-I can’t even think straight! ”

“ Lillie ,” Another girl took her by the shoulder, “ don’t .”

“ Nuh-uh. I won’t stand around while our envoy of BTS is being bullied by stupid anti fucks. ”

Lillie, her name was, was like a furious kitten. She reminded you of Yoongi a bit. The way her friend was holding on to her reminded you of how you clung to Amiyah when she stood up for you, and you smiled, a small laugh sounding from your chest.

“ Lillie ,” you said her name, redirecting her attention back to you. “ It’s okay. ” You assured her, “ I’ll be okay. ”

She shook her head and huffed, “ It’s still not okay! It’s not right. ” She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Her friend looked so frazzled. “ I know you’re going through a hard time, and it pisses me off how people think it’s okay to bully you. ”

Your conversation with Lillie had gained more attention from the surrounding fans, and a surprising number of them agreed with her. Your stomach fluttered at the resounding support for you.

“ Snow Owl, ” Lillie said, reaching out to you.

You hesitated but moved closer, allowing her to take your hand. You let out a shaky breath, your eyes never leaving her.

“ ARMY loves you. I want you to know that. You bring us new sides of BTS we’ve never seen before. Even if you think you’re not on the same level as BTS, you’re just as important to us. The real ARMY. The ARMY that loves unconditionally. ” She reached out with her other hand and pressed it against your chest to the core of your strings, her ARMY Bomb bumping into your body. “ You are our envoy. Our ambassador. Our voices to reach BTS. These strings you have are a gift, and nobody can take them away from you. ”

Tears stung your eyes, and you trembled. You couldn’t reply to her. Any words that bubbled up died in your throat. Your eyes followed her hand when it left your chest, and she motioned to the crowd.

“ Not everyone will be supportive, but you know now that there are more than a few of us who stand with you. ” She smiled up at you, “ when you’re feeling down, don’t be afraid to let us know. Everyone has their difficulties. Their ups and their downs. It’s a natural part of life. ARMY is here for you just as we are for BTS. ”

You breathed out her name, your voice trembling, “ thank you. ”

The anger that was on her face was long gone. It was now replaced with a smile that rivalled Hoseok’s. It was contagious, and despite the tears threatening to spill over, you smiled. It was then you heard the slew of outcries of support. The way people thanked you for being who you are and allowing them to be closer with the band. You didn’t even register that Idol had started. You were too lost in the crowd to notice how Taehyung faltered when he saw you interacting with the fans—too gone to notice how even Yoongi was distracted enough to nearly run into Jimin when they transitioned. You came crashing back to reality when you heard Namjoon greet the crowd.

“ ARMY, are you making Snow feel better? ”

The crowd roared in your ears, and even Lillie cheered.

“ Thank you, ARMY, ” Taehyung spoke. His accent was heavy when he spoke in English. “ Thank you for making him feel better. ”

“ Snowy’s been really down lately because of some things said online, ” Jungkook stepped forward, “ it’s been hard for all of us lately. ” Jungkook was getting a lot better at English.

“ In our songs, we try to convey self-love and loving others. ” Namjoon said, “ to have one of our own suffer as he has is distressing. ” You heard Namjoon suddenly use your actual name, and you snapped your head around to look at him. He looked at you and gave a small smile, beckoning you over to the stage.

For a moment, you were frozen, stuck to clinging to Lillie’s hand. Slowly she pulled her hand away and nudged you forward. You didn’t want to get on stage with them again. Not so soon. Not after what had happened.

“ Namjoon! ” Lillie yelled, getting the man’s attention. “ Take care of ARMY’s envoy! ”

The smile on the leader’s face was sincere as he knelt on the edge of the stage and beckoned you over again. Slowly you approached his awaiting hand, and when you reached it, he pulled you on stage with the help of Iseul from below. Taehyung hurried over to you and retrieved you from his groupmate, hugging you close to him.

“Are you okay?” He whispered, keeping his mic far enough away to keep people from hearing. You nodded slightly. “Can you look at the crowd?” You hesitated, but you turned from Tae to look out at the crowd of people. 

Lillie waved her ARMY Bomb in the air and cheered for you. Her friend followed suit, and soon enough, the roar of the stadium filled your ears again. You clung to Tae, but Yoongi jogged over and took you by the hand.

“ ARMY! ” Yoongi called into his mic. “ This is Snow. He’s your envoy for BTS. Please be kind to him. He is V’s soulmate. He is my platonic soulmate. My best friend. He is our family, and we are his. Treat him like you would treat us. ” His English was rough, but you knew he was practising. They all were. His words were easily understandable despite his accent.

You couldn’t believe how the night had turned out. It felt like they’d rehearsed this. Like they knew what they were doing. “Yoongi. Tae.” You spoke their names to get their attention. “Did you guys plan this?”

Yoongi smiled sheepishly, “we announced it yesterday.”

“Announced what?”

“Your official title of ARMY envoy or ARMY ambassador. Whichever one you like better.”

You stared at him for a moment, mouth slightly agape. “ARMY… envoy?” It dumbfounded you. “What are you talking about?”

“We can talk about it more after the concert.” Taehyung smiled. “For now, we wanted to introduce you to ARMY officially.”

“And what now? What happens now that I’ve been introduced?”

“Now start your fan events if you want. You’re in charge of that.” 

“Yeah, we’re definitely going to talk about this after the concert.”

“Snow, is there anything you want to say to ARMY before we continue?” Namjoon asked.

You thought for a moment and shook your head. “I’ll make my own announcement when I’m ready. Thank you.”

You kissed Tae on the cheek before heading to the edge of the stage. You gave a small smile to Iseul, and he gladly helped you back to your previous watching location. Lillie beamed at you, and you returned to her side.

“ Thank you, Lillie, ” you said with a smile.

“ Can I message you on Twitter some time? ” She asked.

You pulled out your phone and loaded the app you hadn’t touched in days. When you held it out to her, she searched herself up for you, and you pressed the follow button.

“ I look forward to talking with you more. ”

She squealed and nodded. You watched as BTS went through their introductions and greetings. When they finished, they started their set, immediately going into Save Me . You felt lighter. You swayed to the music and singing along to a few verses. Your mind was more at ease now than it had been all week. You knew there were still hardships to be had, but knowing BTS was there to support you along with ARMY, you felt like you could overcome anything.

Chapter Text

“ARMY envoy?” You crossed your arms and stared at the group when they finally retreated to the green room. You had left the crowd before they left the stage, bidding farewell to Lillie and her friend. You waited in the room by yourself, deliberating just what it meant to be the ARMY envoy and what it entailed. You wished you could’ve talked to Sejin before the others had come in, but you weren’t sure where he was, and you hadn’t wanted to go searching for him.

“We thought you would like the title.” Jungkook smiled. 

“You didn’t even ask me.” You frowned at them.

“You’re not mad at us… are you?”

You looked from Jungkook to the others and shook your head, “Who’s idea was this, anyway?”

They were all silent.

“I’m not mad.”

“It was Bang PD,” Hoseok spoke up.

“Bang PD?” You gaped at him. “Has he put out an official statement?”

“He’s planning to.”

“This isn’t because of the comments, is it?”

“He’s been planning this since he found out about you singing with ARMY while they were in line.”

Weeks . Si-hyuk had been planning this for weeks. “So what is it I’m to do as ARMY envoy?”

“That’s up to you,” Namjoon started. “From what we’ve been told, you’re allowed to hold fan events and host online events.”

“When were you going to tell me about this?”

“Yesterday,” Yoongi stated. “Sejin knows more than we do. We just had the honour of announcing it at the concert before the official statement. Plus, we thought it might make you feel better.”

You felt a hint of anger bubble up. “You thought that pulling me on stage to tell ARMY I was now their envoy for BTS?”

They all heard the bite in your tone.

“Yes,” Hoseok took you by the shoulders. “We knew it would make you feel better. We have been trying all week to get you to feel better, and nothing was working. ARMY was the answer. ARMY are the ones that made you feel terrible about yourself, so ARMY were the ones that were going to lift you back up.”

His words had too much logic in them, and it annoyed you. That anger still simmered in your gut, but your frown was gone. In its place was contemplation.

“Are you mad at us?” Jungkook asked, his voice quieter than he usually was.

Your eyes left Hoseok to look at the youngest member of the group. For a moment, you wondered. Were you mad at them, or were you still upset at the comments that were posted? Was there a point to being angry? If Si-hyuk had decided that you were ARMY’s envoy, then who were you to argue? Hobi took a step back, and you opened your arms, beckoning Jungkook to you. He eagerly accepted the invitation, and you hugged him close.

“I could never be mad at any of you, Jungkook.”

He hugged you back tightly, and for a moment, you stayed like that. Hoseok ended up embracing you and Jungkook, squeezing you tightly before letting you both go.

“What’s your first order of business with ARMY?” Namjoon asked when you got back to the hotel. You were all in your nightclothes, eating dinner in the lounge, packed up to head out in the morning to the next city.

“I’m not sure,” you replied, picking through your fries for the ones you thought were better than the others. “I suppose I’ll find a store to buy a Polaroid printer and a bunch of film.”

“So you’re going to accept the position?” Jimin chimed in.

You hummed, “yeah, I think so.”

“Are you still worried?” Jungkook asked, offering you a dumpling.

You took the dumpling without hesitation before replying, “Of course I am. There’s no way I wouldn’t be worried. It’s not like an apology is going to make everything magically disappear.”

Yoongi nodded slightly, understanding exactly what your feelings were on the matter. Yoongi had been your rock through this entire ordeal, and he knew you weren’t going to just get over it. Not that anyone was expecting you to.

“Guess you’re going to be taking more candid pictures of us then,” Jin spoke up, changing the subject back to something happier.

“Definitely,” you replied.

“Do you want to use my camera?” Jungkook offered, catching the topic change.

You shook your head and picked up your phone, “I think this is good enough. It’s been good to me so far.”

“I hear that there’s a nice zoo in the city we’re going to,” Hobi said with a big smile on his face. “We should go. It’s been a while since we all went somewhere together.”

You all remembered the last time you went somewhere together. Your morning was great, but the rest of the day had been ruined. You still felt terrible about the entire ordeal, despite their insistence that it wasn’t your fault. 

“I’d love to go, Hobi.” You grinned, excited about going to the zoo with him.

Taehyung agreed to go as well, and Jungkook agreed after him. It wasn’t long before everyone decided to go, and though none of you knew the itinerary for the upcoming week, you were determined to go. It wasn’t long after that you all decided it was time to head to bed, whether or not you would be sleeping. Jimin returned to his room, and you returned to Tae’s. The two of you had agreed that you’d spend the night with your platonic soulmates at least once a week, maybe two if you were feeling up to it. It gave you time to spend with Yoongi, or if you wanted, by yourself. Yoongi said before that he wouldn’t bother you if you just wanted some alone time, which you were thankful for.

Now that you were back in your room with Taehyung, you were leaning back against him, sitting between his legs with his arms wrapped around your middle. His lips peppered kisses over your bare shoulders; your shirt moved out of the way for better access. The marks he’d left previously were either nearly gone or gone altogether. The bite wound you had on your shoulder was the only real lingering mark on your skin, but even that was faded almost all the way. 

“Can I mark you again?” He pressed harder kisses against you.

“I’m going to need more high collared clothes if you keep doing that.”

“That doesn’t sound like a no.” You smirked back at him, and he greeted you with a peck on the cheek, “You know I’ll buy you whatever you need. Whatever you want.”

“You’re going to dress me in Gucci clothes and parade me around if I’m not careful.” 

“Gucci’s a good brand.”

You laughed and shook your head, “I’ll see if I can’t find some clothes this week. For now, I have some clean turtlenecks.”

Tae didn’t ask a second time if he could leave any marks. You gave him all the confirmation he needed to sink his teeth into your shoulder. A small whimper escaped your throat as he darkened the bruise on your left shoulder where he’d bitten you at the lake house. The muscle was still tender despite the time that had passed. A moment later, he moved his mouth, nipping new marks on your skin along your shoulders.

His warm hands roamed beneath your clothes, making you shiver. When he slipped one of them passed the hem of your pants, you sucked in a breath and your hand wrapped around his, stopping him from continuing.

“Not feeling up for it?” He asked, nuzzling your hair.

“It’s not that,” you replied, pulling away from him. He watched you curiously as you turned around, no hint of disappointment on his face. “I just want to face you.” You added when you returned to him, straddling his legs.

He placed his hands on your hips and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on your lips. You slipped your arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. The way Tae’s hands moved from your hips to the small of your back, urging you closer to him, made your heart swell. You were content to just kiss him for however long you wanted; your soulmate felt the same.

It wasn’t until you rocked your hips against him that he attempted to take things further. You didn’t mind his hesitation. You could understand. You hadn’t been feeling the best for the past week, and it was really only today that you were getting back to normal. It was only natural to be uncertain. It was you who pushed forward, figuratively anyway. It was Tae who moved forward in reality, laying you on your back on the bed so he could roll his hips against you.

You moaned softly at the feeling of his hardening cock against your ass, and soon the two of you lost yourselves in one another. He was especially thorough with you, getting up to four fingers inside of you to stretch you out before continuing. You squirmed beneath him, practically begging him to fuck you, but he took it slow. When he finally sunk his dick into you, you felt so full. You felt complete.

Your first time having sex in a week was gentle and full of love. More so than it had at the lake. Tae thrust into you slowly, taking his time with you. He left more marks on your bare skin, having undressed you completely sometime before. It was as though he was trying to replace all your bad feelings with nothing but him. ‘ Just be with me .’ He had begged you. The memory brought tears to your eyes, but you didn’t want to cry and ruin the mood. No one likes their partner crying when they’re having sex… usually. 

Tae spoke your name, seeing how red your eyes got from fighting back your tears, “It’s okay; I’m right here.” His voice was soft and smooth.

“I know,” you whispered, “I know. I’m okay. Don’t stop, please.” You felt like you were asking too much, but Tae did as you asked, then more.

He picked up his pace, thrusting into you a bit quicker, a bit deeper. He made sure with every thrust forward, his hips slotted against your ass perfectly, leaving no space between you. You were overwhelmed with the way his cock repeatedly pressed against your prostate. You moaned and panted, your back arching as you came, your insides clamping down around him. He moaned and kissed the side of your neck, trying to keep his rhythm. His hips stuttered a few times, and he struggled to keep his pace going.

“Tae,” you gasped, “bite me.” You moaned at a rougher thrust, “mark me.”

You moaned loudly when he sank his teeth into the right side of your neck. It wasn’t nearly as hard as when he’d sent you to the clinic, but the location made it hurt. He came when he bit you, spilling himself inside of you and then smearing it over your insides as he thrust a few more times, riding out his orgasm.

“Fuck,” you panted, trembling beneath your soulmate. You groaned when he pulled out, immediately feeling his cum leaking down your backside.

“I made a bit of a mess.” He chuckled, his voice husky.

“I’m usually a mess.” You joked.

He smiled down at you and pecked you on the lips before sitting up. “It’s a good look for you, though.”

“My ass leaking and covered in your cum?”

“That, the bite marks, naked beneath me.”

“You sound like a horny teenager.”

Tae huffed and slid to the side of the bed, helping you up when you followed him. You took a quick shower before getting back into your nightclothes and climbing back into bed. 

“Lemme see them,” Yoongi grumbled when he saw you wearing your turtleneck sweater the following day. It was the one you had with the highest collar, and the wrapper was now pulling at the fabric.

“Yoongi, it’s fine.” You told him, rolling your eyes.

He glared at you and then glared at Tae, “It’s fine,” he mimicked, crossing his arms. “I just want to make sure that bear of yours didn’t try to eat you.”

“Oh, he tried to eat me.” You confirmed, grinning at your platonic soulmate.

His eyes widened, and then he let out a disgusted sound, “I suppose you needed some serotonin.” He grumbled.

“Serotonin and protein.” Taehyung teased.

Yoongi could’ve killed Tae right then and there. You complied with Yoongi’s request, though, and pulled your collar down, allowing him to see the fresh marks on your skin.

“What the fuck, Taehyung?” He frowned at the other man, “This one was almost gone!”

“He said I could do it.” Tae defended himself.

Yoongi let out an exasperated sigh, “Your biting kink is going to get you stitches one day.”

You chuckled, “It almost did already; what’s new?”

“God, you two are too much.” He complained. “I don’t know how we’re going to deal with you guys in the dorm. I’m going to need to buy some earplugs or something.”

You smiled at the idea of living with them in the dorm, but you also felt the nagging dread of the lack of privacy you were going to have to deal with. There was no way you were ever going to request Tae to live somewhere else or even think about it, for that matter. You were just going to have to learn to keep quiet during sex. 

“ You’re going to need earplugs?” Jungkook complained, “you don’t sleep in the room next to Tae. I do.” 

“I’m close enough,” Yoongi replied.

“Good thing we don’t live in the smaller dorm now. Namjoon would be the one complaining.” Jin laughed.

“Don’t Kook and Tae sleep in makeshift rooms?” You questioned, “With dividers and what not?”

“I sleep in what’s supposed to be a lounge.” Yoongi answered, “but yes, they do.”

You facepalmed, you were really going to have to keep yourself quiet during sex or just not have it at the dorm at all. You were now questioning where you were going to put all your things. It didn’t sound like there was that much room in their luxury dorm.

“Living with you guys is going to be interesting.” You sighed.

“That’s enough of that; it’s time to go,” Namjoon announced when he came into the lounge with his carryon bag. “We can discuss room arrangements at another time.”

You hopped off the couch and grabbed your bag off the floor, slinging it over your shoulder. “Off we go to the flying terror wagon!”

“You’ve been on a plane how many times now, and you’re still scared of them?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow.

“Look,” you pouted, “I don’t think I’m ever not going to be scared of them.”

“You’ve seen too much media with plane crashes in them.”

You rolled your eyes and made your way down the hall, following after Namjoon, who had taken the lead. The drive to the airport was typical. The guys talked about several things, including how your sex life would be in the dorm.

“As long as you keep it in your room, we won’t have any issues,” Namjoon said with a smile.

You rolled your eyes for what was probably the sixth time in half an hour and turned your attention to the window. “I wasn’t planning on having sex in the same room with you guys, anyway.” Hoseok snorted and laughed, and you couldn’t help but smile.

You still hesitated when you entered the plane. It was the same as it was the last time and the time before that. Jin slipped you his RJ plush when you sat in your usual seat, and you clung to it. Jungkook passed you some gum to chew for your ears along with a bottle of water, and once you were buckled in and settled, you closed your eyes and waited for the inevitable take-off. 

The plane trip itself was only about three hours, but that was three more hours than you wanted to be on a plane. You were the type of person who enjoyed road trips, not planes. You would much rather be stuck in a vehicle for hours than in the sky. When it was safe to get up and walk around, you took the chance to start snapping pictures of people. By the time the plane landed, you had ended up with plenty of candid photos, along with some more adorable ones. You were going to be glued to your phone, taking pictures of the members when you could.

You were the first to get off the plane after returning RJ to Jin. You took a quick video and announced that you’d just landed at JFK Airport in New York City and that you were excited to meet the ARMY in the city. You also mentioned how eager you were for the concert that weekend, telling any views that it would be great. You got it posted while you waited for the guys to get off the plane. Sejin found you before BTS appeared, and you greeted him with a bright smile.

“How wonderful it is to see you smiling once again.” He smiled at you in return. “I’ve been informed that you’re aware of your official status. How are you settling in with that?”

You huffed a bit, “It would’ve been nice to know beforehand, but it helped me get out of my slump. I’m not one hundred percent just yet, but I’ll get there. I just have to keep going.”

Sejin nodded in understanding, “when Si-hyuk told me his plan, it worried me it would be bad timing. When BTS told me what they were planning for the concert, I was concerned for you. I know you’ve been going through a tough time with what was happening on social media. I didn’t want you to get overwhelmed with the news.”

You understood his hesitation, but you also understood why the guys chose to do what they did. They knew you wouldn’t be open to doing it on your own. “I’m happy that Si-hyuk trusts me to be ARMY’s envoy.” You replied, “though I feel like things are just being handed to me. I feel like I haven’t earned where I am. It still feels like I just won the fate string lotto.”

“Fates funny like that, isn’t it?” Sejin placed a hand on your shoulder, “it has given a chance of a lifetime, and you’re right to question it. To blindly accept what fate has in store for you is foolish. I’m happy to see that you have such a good head on your shoulders.”

“You and Si-hyuk always say that.” You shook your head with a smile, “you say I’m brave—that I have a good head on my shoulders—that I’m responsible. In reality, I’m flying by the seat of my pants in no particular direction. It’s terrifying.”

“We wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t the truth.”

Sejin’s words were gentle, and you beamed up at him. “I’m planning on going to the store to buy a Polaroid printer and some film to print a bunch of pictures for ARMY.” You explained, looking over at the plane where Hoseok and Jimin were headed down the stairs. “After that, I’ll see if I can’t start planing some kind of online event. A virtual meet and greet or something.”

“I will let Iseul and Ha-jun know you’re planning on heading out today. I’m sure they’ll be pleased to have time to wander the city for a while.”

“Oh, before the others get here.” You turned your sparkling eyes to BTS’s manager, “we’d all like to go to the zoo this week sometime. Can you make sure there’s time in the schedule for a day?”

Sejin chuckled and nodded, “I know for a fact that Wednesday is free.” 

“Wonderful!” You exclaimed and beamed at Hobi and Jimin when they reached you.

“Excited today, aren’t we?” Hoseok teased, pinching your cheek lightly.

You swatted his hand away with a laugh, “We’re going to the zoo on Wednesday.”

Hoseok’s smile grew wider, and he cheered. Jimin joined in on the cheer, and the three of you did little happy dances before the others got off the plane.

“Today, you’re all going to see the Statue of Liberty. We’ve booked a tour for this afternoon.” Sejin informed.

You stared at him in awe and hurried up the steps to the plane, “What’s taking you guys so long? Come on!”

You raised an eyebrow when you saw Jin, Namjoon, Jungkook, and Taehyung huddled up near the back. You were going to head over to see what they were up to, but Yoongi intercepted and led you back off the plane.

“What’s going on?” You questioned suspiciously.

“Nothing at all,” Yoongi replied with a smirk.

“Yoongi.” You pouted.

“Hobi, Jimin, you’ve lost your little owl. I told you to keep an eye on him.” Your platonic soulmate ignored your plea.

“Sorry, he just slipped away from us,” Jimin said sheepishly.

“He just got excited about seeing the Statue of Liberty this afternoon. So hurry your plotting so we can go.” Hoseok explained.

“Or don’t plot at all?” You frowned.

Yoongi rolled his eyes, “They’re plotting for you .”

“Clearly, why else would you be all suspicious and escort me off the plane.” You crossed your arms. “I thought there were no secrets in BTS.”

“Unless they’re for gifts.” Jimin pointed out.

“Or surprises,” Hoseok added.

You glared at the both of them, though it wasn’t like you were actually angry with them. “Fine,” you stated, “I’ll leave it be. But tell them to hurry. I don’t want to be late, and I have some shopping to do.”

“Oh! We’ll go!” Hoseok raised his hand excitedly.

Hobi’s sudden interest in going surprised you, but you weren’t going to complain. “I suppose you could come with me.” Your frown turned into a smile. “Plus, you could help me pick some things out.” 

Yoongi looked at Hobi and Jimin and nodded. “We’ll meet up with you guys at the hotel. You can leave your bags here in the meantime. Your bodyguards will know the address. The three of you behave, got it?” He eyed the three of you “ behave .”

“Aw, come on, Yoongs, what terrible things could we get into in New York City?” Hoseok grinned.

“Plenty, that’s the problem.” Yoongi narrowed his eyes, “Don’t you dare do anything stupid while you’re out.”

“Don’t worry, Yoongi,” You chuckled, “I’ll keep them in line.”

“Oh no, no, you won’t. You’ll be just as bad as they are.” You were shocked by his reply but not offended, though you faked it anyway. “The three of you are troublemakers on your own. I’m just glad Kook’s not going with you, or it would be a complete disaster.” 

Laughter bubbled up from you, “You sound like Joonie!”

Yoongi let out a “tsk” and swatted his hand at you, “Just give me your bag and go.”

The three of you were laughing when Yoongi jogged back to the plane with your bag. When you turned, you realised that Sejin was still there and had witnessed the entire exchange.

“A surprise, is it?” He asked, a smile on his face. “Will it be sometime soon?”

“We’ll message you the details.” Jimin chirped.

You rolled your eyes again and hooked your arms with Jimin and Hoseok’s, “Come on, you guys. Talking about it around me will only make me want to torture it out of you.” 

The two of them laughed, and Sejin shook his head with a chuckle. “This way, then.”

Sejin led you to an awaiting car where Iseul and Ha-jun were already waiting for you.

“Are you two magic, or did you get earlier flights to get here before us?” You questioned, wondering how they were always where you needed them to be.

“We had an earlier flight,” Ha-jun replied, a slight smile on his face.

“Oh, my god! Ha-jun! I’ve never seen you smile before!” You gaped.

“You’re growing on him.” Iseul grinned.

Ha-jun’s smile fell a bit, but you could still tell it was there. “Masks and sunglasses on, please.” He instructed when you, Jimin, and Hoseok climbed into the backseat.

You did as you were asked, as did the other two, and you buckled up. You felt like you were going to bounce out of your seat, you were so excited. Iseul didn’t ask where you wanted to go; he just started driving.

“Hey,” Hoseok said, getting your attention. “Let me see your phone for a second?”

Curiously, you handed it to him and watched as he typed in your access code, “How… do you know my passcode?”

“I saw you type it in one day. The numbers seemed familiar, so I took your phone while you were napping one day.”

“You what ?” You stared at him, your cheeks tinting pink.

“Mhm,” he replied, a knowing grin on his face.

“Is this passcode special or something?” Jimin questioned, poking your rosy face.

“It’s my birthday,” Hobi smirked.

“Your birthday?” Jimin’s mouth opened in shock. “Wait, wait. It’s Hoseok’s birthday and not Taehyung’s?”

“Can we not worry about that right now?” You deflected, your face growing redder by the second.

Jimin grinned, “Oh, no, you don’t. You’ve got to tell us this one. There are no secrets, remember?”

You shook your head and hid your face in your hands. “Don’t do this to me, guys.” 

“Snowy, you have to tell me.” Hobi pouted.

“ You’re my bias. ” You mumbled into your hands, in English no less.

“What was that?” Jimin grinned, poking your side. “In Korean, please.”

“Fine!” You exclaimed, “Hoseok is my bias!” Your face burned with embarrassment; even your ears were flushed red.

“Me?” Hobi grinned.

“Shut up.” You crossed your arms and looked down at your lap.

“Hobi’s your bias, huh? That would explain a few things.” Jimin chuckled.

You glanced over at him curiously, though you were sure you knew what he was about to bring up. It wasn’t that you were ashamed; you were more embarrassed than anything.

“What things?” Hoseok asked, peeking over at Jimin.

“You remember when he kissed you after capture the flag? And how he never refuses a single game you ask him to play?” You groaned and hid your face in your hands again.

You could hear the grin in Hoseok’s voice when he spoke, “Would you like more kisses, Snowy?”

You swatted at him when he reached out to you, “don’t tease me, Hobi.”

“You’re not disappointed that Tae’s your soulmate, are you?” Jimin asked, suddenly serious.

“What? No!” You snapped your attention to Jimin, “Never! Hoseok may be my bias, but Tae was always the one to steal my attention.”

“Probably because you were soulmates the entire time.” Hoseok smiled. “I won’t tease you, okay? No matter how bad I want to. We won’t tell TaeTae either. Will we, Jiminnie?”

“Nope! Won’t say a thing!” Jimin promised with a smile.

You let out a relieved sigh and sank in your seat. “Thanks.”

“Now, the real reason I needed your phone!” You looked over at Hoseok, wondering what he was talking about. Your eyes widened when you saw the video call screen with Amiyah’s name on it.

“Hello!” She greeted when she picked up, and then she screeched, “Hoseok!”

Chapter Text

“ Ah, Amiyah, please don’t do that. ” You complained. Your face was still burning red, and you couldn’t come up with a way to play the entire thing off. You never planned on anyone in BTS finding out who your actual bias was. Truthfully, you were very OT7, but you had a deep fondness for Hoseok. You always have. It was always his sunshine personality that drew you to him. That blinding smile that illuminated an entire room.

“What did you guys do to him?” Amiyah’s question drew your attention back to your phone. “He looks like a tomato.”

“Amiyah, no.” You warned.

She eyed you through the phone. “Well, you do look like a tomato.” 

“ I’ll tell you about it later, okay? ” It felt weird to speak in English again after spending so much time speaking Korean. 

Amiyah frowned and said your name, “ Do you really think they can’t understand what we’re saying right now? ”

“ I’m not stupid. ” You huffed. “ I know they can. ”

“ Then why are you trying to be secretive? ” Hobi asked with a bright grin.

“ No particular reason. ” You replied.

“Is this because you don’t want her to know that Jimin and I know who your real bias is?” Hoseok said in Korean.

You squeaked.

“Oh, no! You’re busted!” Amiyah laughed. It took her a moment to recompose herself before she could speak again. “Does Taehyung know?” 

You shook your head, “He doesn’t, and these two have promised not to tell anyone.”

Amiyah smiled, “Even if he finds out, I don’t think he’ll care. He doesn’t seem like the possessive type.”

“No, he’s not. At least, I don’t think he is. He hasn’t been possessive so far.” You told her.

“Maybe it’s because it’s so obvious that you would never stray, even with the object of your affection sitting right next to you.” She grinned.

You’d hang up on her if you were the one holding your phone. You reached for it, but Hoseok held it away from you, laughing when you kept trying to retrieve it.

“ Wait, hold up. Where are you guys right now? ” Amiyah asked in English.

You froze and looked out the window, looking out at the city. “ Oh, yeah. ”

“ Don’t you ‘oh, yeah’, me! ” She frowned.

“ We are in New York City! ” Jimin chirped, beaming at the phone. His English was adorably, heavily accented.

“ We’re on our way to Times Square, ” Hobi added. 

Amiyah gaped over the phone, “ New York City? ” She questioned, “ That’s so exciting! Where are you going to go first? ”

“ We’re on our way to go shopping right now. Later we’re going to go on a tour to see the Statue of Liberty. ” You explained, taking your phone when Hoseok offered it to you.

“ As always, I’m jealous. Either way, I’m excited for you .” She replied.

You smiled behind your mask, “ Thanks. ”

“ Oh, that reminds me, ” she held a finger to her lips, “there’s not many dates left for the States tour, is there? Does that mean you’ll be coming home for a while? Your passport hasn’t come in yet. ”

Both Jimin and Hoseok frowned at the news, and you let out a small sigh, “ I was worried about that. ” You weren’t surprised. “ I expedited it as much as I could, but even still, the wait was four to six weeks. Maybe it’ll show up next week sometime if I’m lucky. ” 

“ Ah, excuse me, ” Hobi spoke up, “ We’ll have to call you back, okay? We’ll call when we get to the hotel! Show you the view! We’re staying near Times Square. ” 

“ Hobi wh- ,” Hoseok hit the red end call button before you could stop him.

“I’m sorry,” He replied, “but you’re not going to go with us when we leave the country?”

You shrugged slightly and leaned back against the seat, “I can’t help it if my passport hasn’t come in yet; it’s not up to me. Sometimes they take a while.” You explained, “Besides, it’s not like I ever thought I would need one in the first place.”

Hoseok leaned back and sulked, “how long will you be away from us?”

“Hoseokie,” Jimin spoke, “we knew he might have to stay behind for a while. We’ve discussed it already.”

“But for how long?”

You frowned and reached over to take his hand in yours, “Don’t worry, Hobi. I won’t be gone forever. I’ll meet up with you guys wherever you are once I can.” You told him, “It’ll give me time to tell my family and pack my stuff so I can move. It’s a good thing.”

“But you’re ARMY’s envoy! You should be with us.”

“Ah, Hobi.” Jimin hissed, “It’ll be fine. Stop being childish.”

It was clear that Hoseok wasn’t happy about the news, but it was inevitable. You all knew what was going to happen, but even so, you didn’t like to think about it.

“Let’s just… focus on me here with you guys, okay, Sunshine?” You squeezed his hand lightly and gave him the best smile you could from beneath your mask, “today’s supposed to be fun, remember?”

He silently nodded and leaned his head against the window with a sigh. Your smile turned into a frown, and you looked over at Jimin for a moment, who was just as unamused by Hoseok’s childish tantrum as you were. You had an idea, though, one that you hoped would lift his spirits again. You pulled your mask down and pulled Hoseok’s hand toward Jimin, pulling him off the window. When he was close enough, you used your other hand to pull his mask down and placed a kiss on his cheek.

“Don’t be upset, Hobi. If my bias is upset, how am I supposed to be happy too? The sun can’t be cloudy.”

He looked at you for a moment, surprised for sure. Jimin said Hoseok’s name with a warning tone, and a smile grew on Hobi’s face.

“It’s okay, Jiminie. I won’t do anything. He’s TaeTae’s soulmate, after all. I’m just his bias.” He grinned playfully as he pulled his mask back up over his face. You could’ve sworn you heard him say something else, but you couldn’t hear what he said.

Jimin sighed and shook his head, slipping his arms around you to pull you away from Hoseok. “Snowy, where do you want to go shopping first?”

Your thoughts were jumbled now, you weren’t sure how you were supposed to be feeling. You honestly wish that they never found out who your bias was, and how Hoseok was acting made you wonder about things. What if your soulmate hadn’t been Taehyung? What if it had been Hoseok? How would your relationship have been if that was how things had turned out?

Jimin pulled you out of your spiralling thoughts by placing his hand over your chest, covering where your strings sprouted from. “Snowy,” He whined, leaning his head against yours, “what are you thinking about?” 

You wished you still had your mask covering your face because your cheeks tinted pink again. “Nothing important,” you stammered, your fingers twisting around your red thread that was definitely connected to Taehyung and not Hoseok. You didn’t even have a string with Hoseok yet. What colour was it going to be? Could you have more than one red string? More than one platonic soulmate? 

“I can feel your heartbeat.” Jimin mentioned, “Don’t let Hoseokie tease you like that.” Suddenly you could feel his breath against your ear, “You don’t want Taehyung to get jealous, do you?”

The idea of Taehyung getting jealous was both arousing and worrisome at the same time. Would you end up with more bites? That wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Would he be upset at Hoseok? No, you couldn’t let that happen. You didn’t want them to have arguments because of you.

“Jimin, Hoseok, stop teasing him,” Iseul spoke up, frowning at the three of you in the rear-view mirror.

Just like that, Jimin released you, and you were left sitting in the middle of the both of them, face bright red, and your brain scrambled like an egg. You couldn’t deal with the awkward silence, so you opened Line, and private messaged Yoongi. You weren’t sure if you should tell him what happened at first, but you did anyway. He was your platonic soulmate, after all, so why wouldn’t you tell him what happened.

‘You guys have been gone for 20 minutes, and they already can’t behave.’ Yoongi replied.

You spent the next fifteen minutes messaging Yoongi back and forth. When the car was in line to get into the parking garage, you got a message from Taehyung, which you didn’t hesitate to open even though you were in the middle of replying to one of Yoongi’s messages.

‘Yoongi told me what Hoseok did,’ You grimaced. ‘I’ll talk to him when we get to the hotel about teasing you.’

You chewed your lip behind your mask, ‘His teasing isn’t really bothering me.’

‘It’s bothering me.’ His response was quick.

‘It’s okay, Winter Bear. He’s harmless.’ You didn’t want Taehyung mad at Hobi. ‘It’s my fault he’s teasing me, anyway.’

“Messaging Tae?” Jimin asked, peeking at your phone.

You clicked your phone off and eyed him, “I am.”

“What are you talking about?”

“We’re being gross,” you lied, “you wouldn’t want to know.”

Jimin frowned behind his mask and shook his head, “can’t be helped then.”

You were glad to get out of the car when you finally parked. It was only about a forty-minute ride, but it felt much longer, especially after the awkward silence. When you got to the sidewalk, you were less worried about what had happened in the car and more excited about the fact that you were now in Times Square for the first time in your life.

“Don’t run off without us,” Iseul warned.

You beamed at him, “why would we do that? Yoongi said to behave, so we’re going to behave.”

“What do you call the conversation in the car?” Ha-jun raised an eyebrow at you.

You pursed your lips and tried to come up with some excuse, but Hoseok beat you to it, “Friendly teasing.”

“Enough of that,” you declared, “let’s go!” You took hold of both Jimin’s and Hoseok’s hands and started walking. You had no idea where you were going, but you would figure it out.

“How about we lead, and you follow?” Jimin suggested, swinging your hand with his.

You hummed as you thought before replying, “Sounds good!” And you were off.

You ended up wandering around Times Square for a while, taking pictures of different things, the buildings, the people, the dressed-up actors on the sidewalk. You were quickly overwhelmed with the number of people, but Jimin and Hoseok kept close to you. They were used to this. The people. The crowds. It was easier to ignore the vast amount of strings from people when Jimin held your hand.

Eventually, you found a store that sold photography supplies, which you delightfully entered. You needed a good printer, after all, and a lot of film. It wasn’t difficult to find what you needed. You ended up buying two different printers, one that printed Polaroid-style photos and one that printed 2x3 photos as well. You were already excited to print pictures. To top off your purchase, you bought a large scrapbook and a photo album along with a bulk amount of film. You were glad that you had four other people with you because you bought so much at the first store you went into.

You hadn’t realised that Jimin and Hoseok were conspiring behind your back while you were in the store, plotting a trip to an expensive designer clothing store while you shopped. They’d even called a cab for the five of you. You didn’t find out until you were looking up at a sign that said ‘Celine’.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you looked over at the two BTS members.

“Come on,” Jimin said, pulling you toward the door. “You have to pick out at least three things.”

You frowned at him, “Three things is a lot of money! You guys realise that the most expensive piece of clothing I own is a pair of $60 pants.”

Hoseok grinned behind his mask. You could tell he was positively beaming from the way his eyes lit up, “Don’t worry about the price. You just worry about finding things you like.”

“Hobi.” You hissed, but they pulled you inside the store, anyway.

At first, you didn’t want to look around. You didn’t want to end up liking something so expensive, but you found yourself gravitating to look at the shoes. They weren’t nearly as expensive as everything else in the store. Iseul stayed with you while Jimin and Hoseok wandered off to look for things on their own, Ha-jun following them.

“This is the lifestyle now, isn’t it?” You sighed and shook your head.

“I know how difficult it can be,” Iseul said from beside you. “They worked hard to get where they are, and they just want to spoil you.”

You looked over at Iseul and nodded, “I know how hard they’ve worked. They had to go through so many hoops. I know what kind of lives they came from, their hardships they went through. I may not know the extent of them, but I know enough to understand.”

“So why not let them spoil you? They just want to provide for their new little brother.” 

You thought about it. You seriously thought about it. The members of BTS had to go through so much to get where they were. They just wanted you to experience the things they weren’t able to until they were much more successful. You sucked in a breath and picked up the pair of heeled boots you’d been looking at.

“Let’s go find Jimin; I need him to help me.”

Iseul chuckled and walked with you through the shop. It wasn’t Jimin you found first but Hoseok, who pulled you back against his chest.

“Snowy,” he sang, “have you finally picked something for yourself?” He reached around to peek at the boots you’d chosen. “Are you trying to be like Jimin and wear heels so you can be taller?”

You smiled and looked up at him, “Maybe I’m just trying to be taller than you.”

“Hnn, even with those, I don’t think you’ll be taller than me.” He teased, bringing a hand up to take your chin into his hand. “Tae’s very lucky; you’re so cute.” Your face heated behind your mask. “Too bad, you’re not my soulmate. We would’ve been so good together.”

“Hoseok,” Jimin whispered harshly from where he was.

“What? It’s true, but he’s not. He’s Tae’s, and I respect that.”

“Hobi, can I ask you something?” He hummed in response to your question. “Do you like me as a brother, and you just like teasing me because you’re my bias or is it something else?”

The rapper released you and pulled away. You watched him curiously and hoped for the first answer.

“I guess my secret is out, isn’t it?” Your heart was racing. “I just like teasing you. I would never do anything you wouldn’t want.” It was a partial answer. “Teasing you is part of being your brother, isn’t it?”

You let out a sigh of relief, and you noticed that Jimin did the same.

“Sorry if I was making you uncomfortable. I won’t tease you about it so bad anymore.” 

You smiled, “Thanks, Hobi. A little teasing is fine, but I don’t want to start any discourse within the group over something so stupid.”

Jimin cleared his throat and looked at you expectantly, “I see you’ve picked something out,” He said, changing the topic.

“Ah, yes!” You replied, “I was hoping you could help me pick some things out.”

Hoseok huffed playfully, “You could’ve asked me.”

A laugh burst out of you, and you quickly covered your masked mouth with your hand.

“What?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing, it’s just…” you had to stop to giggle. “ARMY has this game we play when they see you.”

“Uh, huh. Go on.”

“It’s called ‘Did j-hope dress himself today?’.”

“Oh, this sounds like a great game.” Jimin grinned, crossing his arms.

“And what’s the consensus?” Hobi questioned.

“Well,” you started, looking up and down the man. “If you’re wearing skinny jeans or tight pants, we know the stylists dressed you. Anything with baggy shorts and oversized shirts usually means you dressed yourself.”

Jimin snickered and had to turn away, to try to compose himself. You could barely hold in your own amusement when he looked so shocked.

“What’s wrong with the way I dress?”

“Nothing, nothing! You’re just not known for being the best dressed unless you’re performing.”

“I’m deeply offended.”

Jimin’s laughs were more audible now, and he reached back to pat Hoseok on the shoulder. “They’re not wrong, though, are they?”

Hobi huffed and shook his head. “I’m just going to have to prove everyone wrong.”

You chuckled and placed the palm of your hand against Hoseok’s chest. “Don’t change who you are, Sunshine; ARMY loves you just the way you are.”

The spot where you were touching him suddenly felt warm. Similar to what happened before, you watched as a blue string slowly appeared between the two of you. Now, of all times, a string appeared. After all the awkward teasing. You pulled your mask down and beamed up at him, placing your other hand on your chest.

“Did we just?” He asked, eyes full of curiosity. You nodded. “This is great!” He exclaimed, enveloping you in a hug.

You gladly returned his hug, but before long, Jimin pulled the two of you apart. “We’re in public,” he reminded, pointing to his mask.

You smiled and nodded, recovering your face so you could hide your identity.

“Can I pick something out for you?” Hoseok asked, taking your hand in his.

“I don’t see why not? Just as long as it’s not baggy pants.”

Hoseok’s choice for you was perfect. He’d found a sleek black overcoat with deep pockets. You didn’t dare look at the price tag. You hadn’t looked at any more price tags in the store after you’d picked up your boots. 

Jimin picked out a nice pair of pants for you, along with a high-neck cream shirt with a ruffle going down the front of it. You ended up picking out another overcoat and a few different turtlenecks that you’d found as well. When you weren’t away from one another, Hoseok held your hand, refusing to let go unless you needed both hands. 

Once you were all checked out, Jimin and Hoseok having gotten some things for themselves as well, you headed out of the store. You didn’t even have time to ask where you would go next because Jimin and Hoseok started leading you down the street, clearly knowing where they wanted to go. You soon found out, however, when you saw the green of a park.

“Is that what I think it is?” You gawked, pointing ahead of you.

“Part of it, yes.” Jimin chirped.

Now you were excited. Not that you hadn’t been excited all day, anyway. They led you through the park, letting you stop to take pictures of things. It wasn’t until you saw the bridge that you knew where you were going.

“Oh!” You exclaimed, “can we take pictures here?” The both of them nodded, and you whipped out your phone and loaded the camera app. “Go on, go do model things.”

“Nope, you’re taking pictures with us.” Hoseok declared, taking your phone.

He tossed it to Iseul and pulled you onto the bridge with them. It wasn’t so much that you were simply posing for the camera. Both Jimin and Hoseok were making it fun for you, and you forgot you were even being photographed. After the bridge, the three of you ran around Victorian Gardens Amusement Park for a while. Somehow while you were there, you convinced Hoseok to get on the Family Swing with you. When you got off, you were all dizzy, but Hobi was unamused. After that, you pleaded with him to get on the Kite Flyer, telling him that it wouldn’t be too much different from the swing.

“I can’t believe I trusted you.” He complained when you all got off. 

“I didn’t think it would be that bad!” You groaned, wishing you’d gotten something to eat at some point while you were wandering around.

“Snow,” Iseul called to you while you were at one of the carnival games, “SUGA said he and the others are at the hotel now. We should get the three of you there if you want to make it to the Statue of Liberty tour.” If you had a tail, it would be wagging.

“After this game?” You asked. He nodded, and you played another round of Whac-a-Mole.

Surprisingly, you were very close to the hotel you would stay at from where you were, which excited you all over again. It was a quick ten-minute walk from the small amusement park to the hotel, and knowing that you could just go to Central Park at any time during the week made you giddy.

You all got distracted, but the Cop Cot on your way back, taking more pictures together while you were there. Yoongi wouldn’t be too upset seeing how close you were to the hotel, anyway. You were going to have to bring the others to the park with you at some point to take pictures with them too, especially Taehyung. A date in Central Park sounded like a dream. A dream you were determined to make a reality.

When you finally got to the hotel, Iseul left you to retrieve the car from the parking garage, leaving you in Ha-jun’s hands. You texted Yoongi to let him know you had arrived, and about five minutes later, he came down to meet you in the lobby.

“Enjoy your outing?” He asked, smiling at the three of you.

“We did,” You smiled, holding up your bags.

He flicked his head, motioning you all to follow. “We’ll be sharing rooms this week. As always, Hoseok and Jimin are rooming together.” He explained.

The two of them shared a high-five.

“I’m rooming with Jungkook.” Yoongi continued when you got into the elevator. “Jin and Namjoon are rooming together as well, leaving you and Tae a room to yourselves.”

“That means Hobi’s going to have a room to himself for at least a day or two when Jimin and I switch rooms.”

“We can toss Jungkook at him,” Yoongi smirked.

“I don’t mind rooming with Kook for a few nights.” Hoseok agreed. 

“You sure you want to switch this week?” Jimin asked, eyeing you. “You don’t want to spend as much time as possible with him?”

“It’ll be fine, Jiminie.” You answered, shifting your bags in your hands.

“Is there a problem?” Yoongi questioned, taking the bags with all your photography supplies in them.

Neither Jimin nor Hoseok, especially Hoseok, wanted to mention what was discussed in the car. “My passport hasn’t come in yet. There are only two more weeks of your tour in the states. I’ll have to go home soon.” 

“Ah,” Yoongi lowered his eyes, “that’s right. I think we all forgot about that.”

You took a breath and shook your head, “it’ll be fine, you guys. I’ll only be gone for as long as it takes my passport to come in. Then I’ll meet up with you guys as soon as I can.”

“But we’ll miss you.” Jimin sulked.

You couldn’t believe you were going to have to go through this discussion again, but you would if it got your point across to them. If that’s what you had to do to make them understand, then you’d do what you had to.

Chapter Text

“How did you all manage to forget?” Namjoon crossed his arms.

You were all sitting in his and Jin’s room. You and Taehyung were sitting on Jin’s bed, you sitting between Tae’s legs with his arms wrapped around your middle. Jungkook, Jin, and Namjoon were sitting in the chairs placed around the room. Jimin was sitting on the bed with you and Tae, while Hoseok and Yoongi were sitting on Namjoon’s bed.

“I haven’t forgotten,” Tae rested his chin on your shoulder.

“I know it’s not something we want to think about, but in reality, I have to go home at some point to pack. I can’t just replace all my possessions.”

“When it comes time for the parting, then we’ll take it in stride. Just like we do with everything else. It’s just another obstacle we have to overcome.” Jin said, looking at the group. “It gives him time to be with his family. His friends. Time to prepare for the move of a lifetime.”

You smiled sweetly at Jin. “He’s right. I’m fortunate I’ve loved Kpop since I was a young teenager and took the initiative to learn Korean. I can’t imagine how much more difficult this would have been if I could only speak English.”

“Moving to a new country isn’t going to be easy.” Namjoon pointed, “There’s going to be a lot of paperwork.”

“I’m not too worried,” you smiled. “It’ll be exciting to have dual citizenship.”

“What about the compulsory military service you’ll have to complete?” The leader inquired.

You didn’t hesitate, “I’ll go when Tae goes.”

“Just like that?” Jimin asked.

You nodded. “How could I be considered a citizen if I don’t follow the laws of the land?”

“You’re not worried about what it’s going to be like?” Jungkook questioned.

You had to think about your answer this time. “It’s only a little over a year, so I’m not too worried about it. I don’t think you guys understand how willing I am to take on the challenges of South Korea.”

“I think we’re more surprised about how well versed you are in the culture,” Kook replied.

“When it comes down to it, I can’t be away from Taehyung. At least, I don’t want to be. Anyway, it’s not something I need to worry about for a good few years.” You leaned back against your soulmate, “I just want to be in the here and now.”

Tae squeezed you tightly, nuzzling the side of your head, “You’re so adorable.”

You laughed and relaxed into his hold, resting your head against his shoulder. “When is Sejin going to come get us for the tour?”

“How are you not tired?” Yoongi sighed.

“All we did was walk around Times Square a bit and play in the park.” Jimin smiled “and shop a little.”

“He most likely wanted to give us time to settle in,” Jin replied.

“Well, in the meantime, I’m going to take a nap,” Yoongi said, laying back on the bed. 

“Less sleep, more eat.” You declared, pulling out your phone. “I’m so hungry.”

“Yeah, we never did get anything to eat while we were out,” Hoseok said, agreeing with you.

Jin looked surprised and then disappointed, “can’t you three take care of yourselves while you’re out?”

It turned out that you all had plenty of time to order food, eat, play a few games of UNO that you lost at, and had time for a short BTS pile nap before Sejin came to retrieve you all. No one heard the door open. What you did hear was the quiet voice that called each of your names out, one by one, even yours. 

When you opened your eyes, your face was full of Jungkook’s hair, and you realised how curled up you were to him. Taehyung was wrapped around your back. You weren’t sure who it was, but someone was lying on your legs, and you couldn’t move until they got up.

“Bangtan,” Sejin spoke, louder this time.

You brushed Jungkook’s hair out of your face and peeked over at the door, spotting BTS’s manager with his phone out, recording the entire scene.

You groaned, “Kookie, get up.” The younger curled up more. “TaeTae, come on.” Neither Jungkook nor Taehyung budged.

You moved your feet and heard a groan, and then the weight lifted off of you, “Is it time to get up now?” Namjoon questioned.

It surprised you that Namjoon had been the one laying on your legs. You weren’t sure who you were expecting, but you know it wasn’t him. Once Namjoon was up, the others followed. Jin was next to get up, then Hoseok and Jimin. It was Yoongi after that, and then Tae. Your soulmate, however, didn’t want to get up from his comfy spot, and Jungkook showed no signs of waking up from his nap.

“Psst, Namjoon.” You said, trying to wiggle away from your captures. “Pull my feet.”

The leader looked at you, your predicament, and then took hold of your shins. You nodded at him. Sejin was still recording. Namjoon pulled, and you slipped from the arms of your beloved. Hoseok and Jin both burst out laughing at the sight. You were giggling when Namjoon helped you off the bed, pulling down the back of your shirt to cover yourself back up.

“Jungkook, get up.” Yoongi scolded, going over to shake the man awake.

With you gone, Taehyung got up from where he was laying to join everyone, leaving Jungkook the only one on the bed. He didn’t stay asleep for long, not with Yoongi being the one waking him up. Once the youngest was up and functioning, you were all able to head out to the awaiting van.

The van was lively; everyone was excited. You couldn’t remember ever seeing anything about BTS going to see the Statue of Liberty; if they had, they didn’t post about it. The way they were acting, however, didn’t seem like they’d ever gotten the chance to see it. 

It was amazing to go somewhere with the group they’d never been before, and even better when you got to take pictures and videos of their reactions. The ferry ride was exciting for you since you’d never been on a boat before, but the real excitement started when you all reached the island.

There were going to be so many pictures to sort through later, but you didn’t care. You were having a great time learning the history of the statue. One thing that you all agreed on that was the worst part of the entire experience were the stairs. There were so many stairs. Not only did you have to climb up them, but you also had to go back down them to get back to the bottom! 

The view from the crown was too spectacular not to document, and you took more than plenty of pictures while inside the statue. You got even more photos when you were walking around. The next stop on the tour after the Statue of Liberty was Ellis Island, which you, of course, knew plenty about, but it was different being there in person.

By the time you returned to the city, the sun was going down. You all had tired out long ago and were all uncharacteristically quiet on the drive back to the hotel. You were leaned against Yoongi, who was leaned against you, both dozing from all the walking. When everyone finally got to Namjoon and Jin’s room, you all fell into your previous places, you, Taehyung, Yoongi, and Jungkook all piled together on the bed.

“I don’t care what we get.” Jungkook whined, “but someone, please order food.”

“I second this,” You raised your hand, weakly, “I feel like I’m dying.”

“You guys are so dramatic.” Hoseok laughed.

“And you’re not?” Jungkook frowned.

“I’m sorry, did you count how many stairs we climbed earlier?” You replied, frowning at the man.

Hoseok laughed again and settled in his chair, “Well, there are plenty of places to eat around here. We just have to pick something.”

“There’s a pizzeria just down the street,” Jin informed.

“Pizza!” Both you and Jungkook cheered.

“Looks like the maknae’s want pizza.” Namjoon grinned.

“They have pasta too,” Jin added, “they have their menu on their website.”

One large order and nearly an hour later, and you all were eating. There were at least three different kinds of pizzas, two kinds of pasta, and a bunch of salads. There was hardly anything left by the time everyone was full. Taehyung had to practically carry you to your room afterwards. Your legs still felt like jelly. 

“My poor tired Snow Owl,” He teased, booping you on the nose with his finger. “Did all those stairs tire you out today?”

You fell back on the bed, kicking your shoes off, “Don’t forget, I also wandered around Times Square and Central Park. Hobi, Jimin, and I went to a little amusement park today too.”

Taehyung hummed and helped you further up on the bed, sitting you up so he could help you change your clothes. “That’s right,” he murmured, “you guys did a lot of walking before the tour today.”

Your soulmate slipped his fingers beneath the hem of your shirt. He played with the fabric for a moment, making you wonder if there was something on his mind. “Tae?” You asked after he said nothing, “You’re not still thinking about me having to go home, are you?”

He huffed and shook his head, “No, I came to terms with that long ago.”

Your hands fell to his, lacing your fingers together, “then what is it?” You asked, “what’s bothering you?”

“What happened with Hoseok today?” His question took you by surprise.

“Hoseok?” You repeated the other man’s name, your face suddenly tinting pink. “Yoongi told you what happened.” You remembered Taehyung’s message telling you he would talk to the rapper about his teasing.

Tae squeezed your fingers, “he did.” He admitted, “Do you ever wish that it was him and not me?”

You went to turn. You tried to pull away to face him, but he kept your back firmly pressed against his chest so you couldn’t move. Your heart thumped in your chest. Jimin had asked you the same question in a way. He had asked you if you weren’t happy with Tae, and now Taehyung was asking you something similar.

“Tae…” You said his name quietly, your head spinning around the question he’d asked.

“Do you?” He asked more insistently. His hold on you tightened when you tried to move again.

“Never.” You replied, “not once have I ever wished for that.” You felt him inhale a shaky breath, “Hoseok is…” You tried to put the words in order inside your head, “he’s just my bias. Someone who I admire. Someone who I may have a small celebrity crush on.” You explained. You pushed back against your soulmate, “But you,” you started, smiling softly, “you’re my hear—my soul. You’re my everything. You are my destined person.”

Tae didn’t say anything for a while; he just sat there, holding you in his arms. It never occurred to you that Taehyung might be feeling some kind of insecurity when it came to you. You never thought that maybe he was jealous of how close you got with the others, specifically Hoseok.

“Taehyung,” You spoke, reaching back to touch his head, “I love you. You never have to worry about me fooling around with anyone. You have all of me.”

Again, he didn’t say anything, and it made you uneasy. You didn’t like how quiet he was around you. It worried you. No, it scared you. When he didn’t let you move for the third time, you gave up.

“Winter Bear,” You relaxed against him, “why won’t you talk to me?”

“I’m scared,” He admitted. “I’m scared that I’m going to lose you to someone else. To Hoseok. I’m afraid that I wasn’t your first choice, and because of that, I’m not good enough.”

“My sweet Taehyung,” You said, touching his arms that were wrapped around you. “Can I turn around, please?”

His hold loosened, allowing you to pull away and turn to look at him. You could tell by looking at his face the reason he didn’t want you to turn earlier. His eyes were red, and tears stained his cheeks. 

You reached up and wiped away the dampness beneath his eyes with your sleeves, “You are more than I could’ve ever dreamed of, Tae.” You told him softly, “I’m yours, and you’re mine.”

“What about Hoseok?”

“Hoseok is my friend, my brother. Just like he’s yours.”

“What if he shows interest?”

“Taehyung,” you frowned, taking his face between his hands, “you don’t have to worry about someone, especially Hoseok, stealing me away. I’m not going anywhere.” You pecked him on the nose, “There’s no one I’d rather be with than you.”

Your fiance took a deep breath and placed his hands on your lower back, bringing you closer to him. When you kissed him, it was gentle. There was no urgency, no doubts—just the two of you sharing your love for one another through intimate kisses. You kissed until you were both out of breath, lips swollen. You were tired from all the walking you’d done, but you didn’t want to leave Tae to any negative thoughts he might be having.

“Would you like to do anything before bed?” You asked, placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Can we stay like this for a while longer?” He asked, kissing your jaw.

You chuckled lightly and nodded, “for however long you want to.”

Time was irrelevant. You didn’t know how long you sat in his lap, wrapped up together. You didn’t have to do anything. You didn’t have to say anything. Everything was already out in the open and done with. You hoped that your words soothed Tae. You hoped that he didn’t have any more worries about you ever leaving him or messing around with someone else. Hoseok .

By the time you went to sleep, you were more than exhausted, but you didn’t care. You and Tae fell asleep wrapped up in one another, neither wanting to let go. You didn’t dream; if you did, you couldn’t remember what it was about. Tae’s morning alarm pulled you from your sleep, and before you even attempted to move from your spot, you kissed your soulmate on the forehead.

“Tae Bear,” You said, kissing his cheek next, “it’s time to get up.”

He groaned softly but slowly complied. “Why do we have to get up so early in the morning?”

You chuckled and shook your head, “let’s go do something today, just the two of us.” That got him up, and he looked down at you with a smile.

“Just the two of us?”

You nodded. 

Taehyung pulled away from you and picked up his phone, tapping his screen quickly. You assumed he was messaging someone, but you didn’t ask who it was. It wasn’t even a minute later that his phone chimed with a reply.

“Sejin said we’re free today because the venue we were going to film at was booked.”

You beamed at him and hopped out of bed. “Where would you like to go?” You asked, pulling off your shirt so you could toss it in the laundry bag.

“Can I take you shopping?” He asked, watching as you dug through your luggage for something to wear.

You wanted to say that you had enough clothes, but you decided against it. “I would love to go shopping with you.”

Tae was beaming. His smile never left his face as you showered and got dressed. You ended up wearing a pair of skinny jeans, boots, and the high-necked ruffle shirt that Jimin had picked out for you the day before. Tae admired you for a moment and grinned.

“I’m dressing you in Gucci today.” He stated.

You rolled your eyes, “Fine, but don’t go crazy, okay?”

“Crazy because of how amazing you’re going to look in it?”

“No,” you shook your head, “don’t go crazy buying me things.”

“I make no promises.” He replied, pulling on his clothes. He wore a loose fitted shirt and some nice-looking slacks. In addition, he tied on a bandana to keep his hair out of his face, and you smiled at how cute he looked.

“You’re truly a bias-wrecker.” You reached up to fix his hair a bit before placing a chaste kiss on his lips. 

“Me and Hoseok are going to change titles one day.” He declared with a grin.

You laughed and beamed up at him, “That day may be sooner than you think.”

You both left the hotel before seeing anyone else. Since Tae had asked Sejin about the schedule, the manager knew you were going out and sent Iseul to meet you in the lobby.

“I’ll follow behind you, but I won’t bother you unless you need me.” Your bodyguard promised.

It was still early in the morning, and there wasn’t much to do since nothing was quite open yet. You and Tae ended up taking a walk through Central Park for a while. You thought about taking a horse carriage ride but decided against it when you saw the number of people waiting for them. You did, however, end up taking pictures at Umpire Rock before continuing through the park.

There was plenty of time to spend, and you ended up going to several places throughout the park. You stopped at Cherry Hill, the Shakespeare Garden, then continued up to Glen Span Arch and the Huddlestone Arch, taking plenty of pictures along the way. Iseul even took pictures for you when you needed him to.

Your walk through Central Park spanned a few hours by the time you got back down near the hotel. You had decided to stop somewhere for breakfast now that places were opening and took your time eating while you were there. 

After breakfast, you made it to the store Taehyung wanted to take you to, and you were prepared to not look at any prices anywhere in the store. You didn’t want to know. You just wanted to enjoy shopping with your soulmate.

“Just let me pick things out for you,” He said with a boxy grin.

“I trust you picking out my clothes better than Hoseok.” You replied, peeking at some clothes that caught your eye.

It was hard not to think about how much these clothes were. You were in a Gucci store, for fuck's sake. There was clothing with such weird patterns that you just couldn’t wrap your mind around and some that you thought were absolutely horrendous. It was hard even to believe that you could find something you liked in this store, but you trusted your soulmate. You trusted him not to put you in anything terrible.

You were right to trust him. Tae picked out several long-sleeved tops. The tops that stood out to you the most were a black silk shirt with a neck bow and some ruffles around the sleeves and a cream button-up with sheer, flowy sleeves. He also picked out a few other tops for you, but you drew the line at bellbottom pants. You just didn’t think you could pull them off. 

He somehow convinced you to get another pair of shoes, though they were far more formal than any other pair you owned. You paid no mind to the register when it came time for him to pay. You didn’t want to know. You didn’t care to know. Taehyung just carried your bags out of the store, Iseul following behind with a smirk on his face.

“There’s one more store I want to take you to. I saw it when we were on our way here.” Tae announced, walking back up 5th street. 

You didn’t dare ask. You were glad you didn’t. You ended up at a Louis Vuitton store just the next block over. You liked Louis Vuitton clothes much more than you did Gucci; you decided. You ended up with at least seven more different tops, one of which was completely sleeveless. You were in love with it. You also ended up with yet another pair of boots, and you were wondering where you were going to put it all when you got back to the hotel.

“I think I’m going to have to go through my clothes at some point.” You thought aloud, looking down at your bags. “I’m not going to have enough room to put everything if we keep going shopping like this.”

Taehyung hummed happily, “but you had fun shopping with me, right?”

You smiled happily at your fiance, “I loved every bit.”

He beamed at you in return and kissed the side of your head, “We still have an entire afternoon to spend together.”

“I have a few ideas of what we could do,” you grinned slyly, bumping your hip into his.

He raised a curious eyebrow, “Is that so?”

“Mhm,” you hummed, skipping ahead a bit.

Tae picked up his pace with a laugh. You skipped ahead again, making him chase after you once more. You giggled when you did it a third time, enjoying this game of cat and mouse you’d started.

Iseul chuckled and took the shopping bags, allowing you to keep playing your game without worry. You hurried ahead a bit, stopping to let Taehyung nearly catch you before moving away from him again. He caught you when you stopped to wait for a crosswalk, wrapping his arms around your shoulders to kiss your hair through his mask.

When the crosswalk turned green, you escaped him. Your game continued all the way to the hotel, Taehyung playfully chasing you around the lobby before you made it to the elevator.

Taehyung pinned you back against the back wall of the elevator when you entered it. You pulled your mask down beneath your chin and beamed when he did the same. His lips were on yours in a second. You didn’t worry about anyone else around you, which, thankfully, was only Iseul.

You did your best not to make any sounds when Tae’s tongue brushed against your lips or when his hand slipped beneath the back of your shirt. You weren’t paying attention to what floor you were on or how Iseul kept strangers from getting on the elevator. Only when Iseul coughed and called your names did you part, your breathing heavy with lust.

“You can continue your intimacy in your room,” Iseul suggested, shepherding you out of the elevator and down the hall. 

You thought about picking up the game of chase again, but you reached your room too soon, and Iseul had the door open before you could make any other decisions. The man carefully placed the bags he was carrying by the table before heading out, leaving the two of you alone.

It was a stalemate for a moment. Taehyung looked at you, and you watched him like he was a predator, and you were the prey. His pupils were blown, so were yours. You both knew what you wanted, and nothing was stopping you from taking it.

Tae took a single step forward, testing you. You took a step back. He took another step forward. You took two steps back. When he lunged, you ducked around him and dodged his grasp. You weren’t quite ready to get caught again. You were enjoying your game. Either Taehyung was taking it easy on you, or you were better at not being caught than you thought. 

The idol finally caught you when you tried to dodge him by hopping around the corner of the bed. He pinned you to the bed, arms above your head, as he ravaged you with kisses. The way he had his knee slotted between your legs made it easy to rut against him, and he moaned when your thigh pressed against his stiffening cock.

Chapter Text

Your hips rocked against Taehyung’s leg, making you moan into your kisses. He was quick to pull your leg from between his legs so he could slot himself between yours. The way you could feel your fiance’s cock through not only his pants but your own made you groan with want.

“Taehyung, please,” you begged, pushing back against him.

“Please what, little bird?” You didn’t have the focus to register the nickname as he ground his hips against you.

You clenched and squirmed. He knew exactly what he was doing to you. His hands fell to your hips, gripping them in a tight hold as he stopped you from moving. He used this to his advantage and rocked against you, making sure you could feel every inch of him.

You let out a whine and arched your back, “Fuck me, please, Tae.” You moaned when he bucked against you, “Fuck me like you did at the cabin.”

A deep purr, or was it a growl, escaped the idol’s throat.

“The cabin?” He questioned, removing himself from you. “Which time? We fucked a lot that week.” 

You sat up and practically ripped your shirt off, eyeing him. “When you bit me.”

He growled again and dipped down to nip at your exposed neck, moving his mouth down slowly until he got to the mark he left on you. He had already darkened it once. The flesh was still tender, the bruise once again angry.

“Do you want another?” 

“Yes. No. Fuck, I don’t know.”

He grinned and kissed your lips again before pulling away. He made quick work of his shirt, tossing it somewhere. You had the inexplicable urge to leave Tae with a bit mark of your own when you saw his unmarred skin. He was flawless. His large hands returned to your body, sliding down your sides and down to the hem of your pants.

You watched him, your gaze filled with lust. He unbuttoned your pants, slipping them off when he pulled back and stood from the bed. You went to sit up, but he pushed you back down, smiling at you.

“Stay.” He ordered.

You bit your bottom lip as you watched him strip you from the waist down. Your underwear came off with your pants. Your shoes were removed when he got your pants to your ankles. Soon, though, you were bare before him. Stark naked, cock fully erect. You felt like prey with how he was looking at you.

“On your knees.” He said, placing his hands on your thighs to help guide you to the correct position.

You weren’t about to ask what he had on his mind. You had your suspicions. You had told him how you wanted to be fucked, and this was the position you had been in. Tae knelt behind you on the bed when he had you on your hands and knees. There was something mischievous about your soulmate, though. He was too quiet.

His hands slid up your thighs and over your ass. You felt him place a gentle kiss on your lower back, and you remembered what Tae had told you before. He spread your ass cheeks, exposing your entrance, his thumbs playing with the tight ring of muscle. You lowered your top half to the bed and reached back, your hands replacing your soulmates, holding yourself open to him.

“Fuck,” Tae murmured from behind you. “You’re spoiling me today.” You couldn’t see how he licked his lips at the sight of you. He groaned when you wiggled your ass at him and took hold of your thighs.

He blew on your asshole, grinning when you clenched. When his tongue made contact with your hole, your breath hitched. It still threw you when you thought about how Taehyung, your soulmate, multimillion-dollar world-famous Kpop idol, was doing such lewd things that fans could only dream about.

His tongue worked you open—the room filled with obscene sounds. You moaned when he rubbed two of his fingers against your entrance, applying just enough pressure to make you squirm but not enough to enter you. Tae’s other hand busied itself with your cock. He wrapped his hand around the base of your dick, stroking you slowly as he fucked you with his tongue.

Between his mouth and his hand, he brought you to your peak in no time. You were struggling to keep your hands in place, panting as he tightened his hand around your cock. You moaned his name when you came, spilling into his hand. He gave you a few more thrusts from his tongue before he pulled away.

You weren’t expecting him to move his cum covered fingers to your asshole and push them inside you with ease. Your hands dropped from your ass, your arms tired from the position you had them in for so long. You tried to push yourself up onto your elbows but fell back down when Tae’s long fingers pressed against your prostate. You were still sensitive after cumming, and your insides were still clenching and pulsing. 

“That’s it,” Taehyung coaxed, “loosen up for me.”

Your head was buzzing. Your mind was reeling. He got a third finger in you with no resistance. He already fucked you open with his tongue; now he was fucking you open with his fingers. His fingers never left you as he used his other hand to undo his pants. You heard his belt clank as he removed it, and the jostling made him press against your prostate again.

“Taehyung,” you complained, pushing yourself up with shaky arms. “Please,” you begged, looking back at him. You were already fucked out, but you were ready to continue. To have his cock buried inside you completely.

He hummed and purposefully rubbed against your prostate, pulling a moan from you. “Patience, little bird.” That nickname again. 

You huffed at him, pushing back against his fingers. A whine escaped you when he pulled away, his fingers sliding out of you, leaving you open and clenching around nothing. You felt the bed shift, and then the head of his cock pressed against your hole. Your fingers bunched up the sheets as you balled your fists, more than ready for your soulmate to fuck you properly.

He wasn’t gentle when he thrust into you, burying his cock inside you as he flushed his hips against your ass. He didn’t wait for you to get used to the feeling of him inside you before he pulled out to his head, only to thrust back in with just as much force as before, and you moaned his name as he fucked you.

You weren’t expecting him to get rougher with you, but he did. He wrapped an arm around you, pulling you up to your knees, his other hand pressed against your throat, the same position you were in at the lake.

“I’m the only one who can fuck you like this,” His voice was deep. “No one else can touch you like I can.” You groaned at his possessiveness. His fingers pressed against your chin and jaw, forcing your head to the side. “Tell me, who can have you like this?” He bucked his hips roughly, dragging another moan from you. “Tell me.”

“You,” you panted, your hand reaching up to tangle your fingers in his hair. “Only you.”

You felt him nip at your skin. You felt how he wanted to bite you—to leave his mark on you again.

“You’re my soulmate.” He growled, “Not Hoseok’s, not anyone else’s. Mine .” The mention of Hoseok confused you for a moment. That wasn’t a name that you ever thought about during sex. Your mind was always filled with Taehyung. “Do you want Hoseok to fuck you like this?”

You shook your head quickly. “Never!” You panted, “Taehyung, please .” You heard yourself say it in English.

Your soulmate said something else, but you were too unfocused to hear it properly. When you didn’t answer, he bucked his hips, and you gasped. You dropped your head back against Tae’s shoulder and moaned when he pressed into you and stayed there, spilling his cum as deeply inside of you as he could. You groaned at the feeling, your fingers tugging on his hair.

“I love you,” You panted, “I love you so much.”

Tae wrapped his arms around you, hugging you close, “I love you too.” He replied, “I’m sorry for being so rough. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

You frowned at the question, “No, no, I’m not physically hurt, but I have a request.” He hummed curiously. “Stop worrying about Hoseok. Stop thinking that you’re not good enough for me. Just… stop.” Your blissful high was being washed away by the cold realisation that your soulmate was still caught up on you having a thing for his groupmate.

“I’m sorry.” He spoke, kissing your shoulder lightly, “I couldn’t help it.”

“You are the only one who can make me feel like this. Who can touch me like this. Who can even see me like this. Only you. Only Kim, Taehyung.”

He hugged you tighter and peppered kisses all over your neck. “Thank you,” He said, placing another kiss on the bite mark.

You stayed like that for another few minutes before Tae helped you lay down, his dick still nestled inside you. You were relaxing when he shifted his hips.

“You want to go again?” You questioned with a laugh. You’d only gotten off once.

“I owe you.” He murmured in reply, rolling his hips against your ass.

You moaned softly and rocked back against him, humming softly, “by all means, make it up to me.”

It didn’t take Taehyung long to get hard again. He hooked your leg over his thigh and fucked you gently. The pace was slow; he took his time winding you up again. His hands roamed your abdomen, his fingers dancing across your skin. He stopped one of his hands at your nipple and teased it—pinching and tugging before rubbing. 

You were a panting mess by the time your orgasm started building. He wouldn’t let you touch your cock, lacing his fingers with yours to keep you from trying. You were trying to hold out. Trying not to cum. You wanted to wait for him, but it was more difficult with every thrust, every gentle press against your prostate. You couldn’t hold off any longer and groaned when you released, dropping your head against the pillow.

Tae took longer to cum than you did since he finished not long before. He moaned at the way you clenched around him as you came. He loved the sweet fucked out sounds you made as he continued. You were wrecked. When he finally got off, he buried himself as deeply as he could, once again, earning a groan from you in the process. You felt so full. There was a moment of comforting silence as you came down from your high.

You were dozing when Tae’s cock slipped from your ass as he moved to get more comfortable. You shivered when his cum leaked out. “Taehyung,” you sighed, sitting up slowly. “I need a bath or a shower. Something.”

He hummed and sat up, kissing your cheek lightly. “Let’s go do that while you’re still awake then.”

You wish you could say your bath was uneventful, but you were glad it wasn’t. You didn’t mind how Tae finger fucked a third orgasm out of you, but goddamn, were you exhausted. You felt like a limp noodle. You could barely stand by the time you got out of the tub.

“My poor little bird,” Tae chuckled as he wrapped you up in a soft bathrobe.

You pouted at him as you sat on the side of the tub. “Go get me some clothes.”

With a small laugh, he did as you asked. He came back clothed and brought you some underwear, a pair of skinny jeans, and one of your new, high-necked shirts from the Louis Vuitton store. He dressed you carefully, not wanting to jostle you around too much. He even dried and fixed your hair, making sure you looked more than presentable when he was done.

You didn’t notice until you were standing in your bedroom, Tae helping you get your shoes on, that he was wearing slacks and a nice shirt. He even styled his hair, so it looked neater than just his typical fluffy waves.

“We going somewhere special, bear?” You asked, a small smile on your face.

“I thought you might be hungry.” He replied, pulling on his shoes.

“You’re not wrong,” you replied, “but why are we dressed so nice?”

“I want to take you somewhere nice.”

Somewhere nice was an understatement. Tae took you to the most expensive restaurant you’ve ever been to in your entire life. To add to it, it wasn’t the most expensive place he’d ever been to. You felt out of place. There were people in suits and ties and women in expensive-looking dresses. You felt underdressed. Thankfully, you were more at ease when you found out it was a formal-casual place than strict suit and tie. 

“You look nervous.” Tae pointed out when you were seated at the table.

“I am actually.” You admitted with a small smile. “I feel really out of place.”

“Anything I can do to help you feel more at ease?”

You hummed softly and shook your head, “I don’t think there’s anything you can do, unfortunately.” You replied, settling into your seat.

Tae’s smile wavered slightly, “is it all the people? If that’s it, I don’t think any of them know who I am.”

You glanced around the restaurant and realised he was probably right. You were always around people who knew who BTS was, that you forgot that not everyone does.

“You’re right,” you smiled. “I’ve got nothing to worry about. Though… I’ve never been somewhere this fancy before.”

“Next time, we’ll go somewhere… less.” He promised.

Your dinner was wonderful. No one showed that they knew who Taehyung was, and if they knew, they said nothing about it. By the time you finished your meal, the sun was setting. Tae took your hand, and you walked to Central Park’s entrance, stopping at the carriage ride starting point.

“Tae?” You questioned, looping your arm with his.

“You wanted to ride one this morning, right?”

You bit back a smile and nodded.

“So let’s ride one. We can go on whichever one you want.”

You were beaming at him and made your way up to one of the carriage drivers.

“ Excuse me, are you open for a ride, or are you reserved already? ” You asked in English.

“ I apologise, but I’ve been reserved. ” The man replied.

“ No problem! Thank you! ” You returned to Tae and pulled out your phone, “it would be easier to reserve a carriage first, so let’s do that.”

Taehyung nodded and led you to the nearest empty bench he could find so you could reserve your ride. You chose a 90-minute tour around the park, no extras because it was such brief notice, but you were going to remember the picture option for another day.

“All done!” You announced, leaning against your soulmate, who had sat next to you on the bench.

Taehyung smiled at you and kissed the top of your head gently. With the sun going down, it was more difficult to recognise people, which you were okay with. It felt like you had more privacy than you did when the sun was up.

“What would you like to do in the future?” Tae asked, wrapping his arm around you so you could be more comfortable.

“The future?” You asked, peering up at him. “What kind of future?”

“After the tour. Living in the dorm. Even past that.”

You hummed and smiled, “I’ll be living in the dorm with you, or wherever you decide you want to live. I don’t think you’d be happy to stay away from the guys for very long. So, I don’t mind staying with them. As for after that…” you weren’t sure what you wanted to do. “Maybe just enjoy being ARMY’s envoy? Set up fan events and stuff.”

“Is that what you want to do with your life?” 

“I don’t really know; I suppose I’ll figure it out when I get to that point, you know?” You smiled, “What do you want to do after BTS?”

Tae was quiet for a moment but replied when he got his thoughts in order. “I want a family. I want to settle down with you and live somewhere close to the others. Maybe we’ll get a little brother for Yeontan.”

“Are you disappointed that I’m not able to birth children?”

He huffed a laugh, “no.” He replied, hugging you closer. “It never even crossed my mind.” His words calmed the brewing anxiety inside of you. “We’ll figure it out when we get to that point.” He smirked down at you.

“We can just be in the now. Stay in the present. Take it one day at a time.” You told him.

You both fell quiet after that, relaxing and enjoying one another’s company. It surprised you that no one had tried to contact you or Tae. Be it someone from the group or one of the staff members. It wasn’t like you told anyone you were going to dinner. It was why Iseul wasn’t with you. You had sneaked out of the hotel with no one knowing what you were up to.

When your alarm went off, it interrupted your comfortable silence, and you knew it was time to head back to wait on your horse-drawn carriage. You walked hand-in-hand to the stop, lost in your own little bubble of you and your soulmate. It was a few minutes before your reservation time that you made it to the pickup location, but that was fine. Tae was practically bubbling with excitement next to you when the carriage showed up. 

Once stopped, you walked over to the carriage and greeted the driver, “ Good evening .”

“ Evening ,” He replied, “ would you be… ” he checked his phone, “ Snow Owl and V? ” 

You nodded and beckoned your soulmate over, “ That would be us! ” You chirped.

Tae helped you up into the carriage before stepping up and settling next to you.

“ There’s a blanket if you need it; the nights can get pretty chilly here. ” The driver informed, making sure both of you were comfortable before starting off.

It was a very relaxing ride around Central Park. Your driver was very informative about the various places you passed. Tae pulled the blanket over your laps, and you curled up to him, enjoying the night view of the city. Even in Central Park, the lights of the city towered over everything. Near the end of the ride, you were dozing against your fiance’s shoulder. When you felt the carriage stop, you opened your eyes and realised that you were where you had started and gratefully thanked the driver for the ride and the tour.

“Come here, little bird,” Taehyung said once you were a little ways away from the pickup location. You watched him curiously when he knelt, back turned, in front of you. “I’ll carry you back.” You raised a tired eyebrow and shrugged slightly, accepting his offer.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and leaned against your soulmate, allowing him to hook his arms beneath your thighs to hold you. Once you were secured, he headed off toward the hotel, which thankfully wasn’t that far away. You snuggled your face against Tae’s fluffy hair and smiled. Being carried like this wasn’t something you were used to.

It only took about five minutes to reach the hotel, but even so, Taehyung didn’t set you down. He carried you to the elevator, where you fondly remember being caught and pinned against the wall, Tae’s mouth on yours. You hid your face in the crook of the idol’s neck. When you reached the floor you were staying on; it surprised you to meet up with the other guys as they were playing around in the hallway.

“Wait a minute,” Hoseok eyed the two of you closely. “I thought you two were sleeping after all the noise you were making earlier.”

Your eyes grew wide at the idea of the others having heard your… activities.

“You look all dressed up,” Jimin placed a hand on his hip, “go somewhere fancy?”

“We went out for dinner,” Taehyung informed.

“With no staff?” Namjoon raised an eyebrow. “What if something had happened?”

“Joonie,” you spoke up, looking over at the leader. “We’re sorry. We just wanted a day to ourselves.”

The man considered your words for a moment before sighing, “I won’t tell Sejin, but don’t make a habit of this. At least let us know in the group chat if you’re going to sneak off without the staff.”

You beamed at him and gave a thumbs-up, “Promise!”

Tae let out a sigh of relief and hopped slightly, getting you back into a secure hold.

“Is that Louis Vuitton?” Jimin questioned, going over to pick at your clothes.

“I guess he’ll let his soulmate buy things for him, but not us.” Hoseok playfully pouted.

Yoongi let out a loud sigh and pushed past the crowd, “I’ll meet you guys at the pool.”

Your eyes lit up at the rapper’s words. “You guys are going to the pool?”

Jungkook snickered, “Nah, we’re gonna go eat dinner at some five-star place in swim clothes.” He reached up and ruffled your hair as he walked past Taehyung.

You huffed at him. “Well, pardon me for not noticing your clothes.” You purposefully said ‘pardon’ in English, mimicking Jungkook’s and Namjoon’s video.

Namjoon smirked and shook his head, “It’s on the 25th floor when you’re ready to join us, lovebirds.”

Tae glanced back at you and grinned, heading to your room before you said anything. When you were finally in your shared space, he set you down. “So, the pool?”

“Sounds relaxing.” You beamed.

Your fiance shook his head, “you know it won’t be relaxing.”

You laughed and nodded, “you’re right. This is BTS we’re talking about. The only time anything is relaxing is when you’re all asleep.”

This got a laugh out of Tae, and he nodded in agreement. “You strip, and I’ll find your swim clothes.”

You didn’t hesitate. You pulled your shoes off before ridding yourself of your expensive shirt, spotting yourself in the mirror when you turned.

“I’m going to need a shirt…” You stated, touching one of your hips. Taehyung had marked you with more than just biting. Bruises had blossomed where he had been holding onto you.

The man hummed in delight and continued to dig for your clothes. “They’re going to see them anyway.”

“That’s not the point.” you bit your lip lightly, “I don’t want them to see them. They’re just for us.”

You looked over at your soulmate, who had stopped rummaging. He was now staring at you, surprise painted on his face. There was a hint of lust in his eyes, but he quelled it and went back to digging.

“I thought you were tired,” He spoke, pulling out your swim shorts and a shirt for you to wear.

You chuckled and took the clothes from him when he handed them over to you, “I am, but we haven’t seen the others all day. I thought we could spend some time with them before bed.” You stripped your pants off and pulled your swim shorts on, followed by the loose shirt Tae had given you.

“We’ll stay until you start dozing again. Deal?”

“Deal.”

The pool room wasn’t as cold as you were expecting, but it was as loud as you knew it would be. There was a hint of saltiness in the air that you found out was coming from the water when Jin informed you it was a saltwater pool. You didn’t have time to get in yourself because Yoongi scooped you up to the best of his ability and jumped in with you. You surfaced sputtering water, and Yoongi helped you to the side of the pool.

“Can we not try to drown me?” You questioned, holding onto the side of the pool.

“Someone was going to do it. Be glad it was me,” Yoongi replied.

Tae jumped into the pool with a splash, laughing when he surfaced. The absolute chaos started when the rest of the group jumped into the pool. Everyone was splashing around, dunking one another, even tossing one another around. You even managed to play a couple of games of chicken. You rode on Taehyung’s shoulders, challenging Yoongi to a match. Hoseok was the one to raise him up. It was a challenge to knock Yoongi down, but you triumphed, the rapper taking out Hoseok when he went down.

Jimin rode on Jin’s shoulders, and he proved easy to knock down. He and Jin went tumbling into the water with how unbalanced they were. You cheered and ruffled Taehyung’s hair as he did a little victory dance with you on his shoulders.

“You haven’t won yet,” Jungkook announced, letting Namjoon pick him up.

“Oh, game on, Kook.”

There were cheers from the rest of the group as you readied yourself. You and Jungkook clashed and pushed at one another playfully. It took longer for the winner to be decided, but in the end, you were knocked off into the water, and Tae pulled you up while you laughed.

“Jungkook! Jungkook!” The group cheered as Namjoon and Jungkook danced around in the water.

The next game was a race. Who could swim from one end of the pool to the other the fastest? The winner was Hoseok, and you happily cheered from the sidelines. After a while, you started dozing on one of the lounge chairs while the guys played their games. You fought off the exhaustion the best you could, but it was difficult.

“I’ll get him,” you heard a voice say before someone lifted off your chair. It was Taehyung. “You guys keep going; I’ll take him to bed.”

You clung to Taehyung’s back just as you had earlier as he carried out of the chilled room. The cool air of the hallway had you shivering slightly as he walked through the halls.

“Don’t worry; I’ll get you a change of clothes when we get to the room.”

You hummed quietly and tightened your grip, keeping your eyes closed. You were so tired. You had so much fun, but you couldn’t help but wonder if you should’ve opted out of the pool party.

Tae got you stripped, bathed from the saltwater and dressed in shorts and an oversized shirt before tucking you beneath the blankets. After a while, you weren’t sure how long, he joined you, pulling you to him and curling up around you. You fell asleep in Tae’s arms, warm and soothed by the scent of his freshly washed hair.

Chapter Text

“Good morning!” Hoseok cheered the following morning. His smile was contagious, as usual. “It’s zoo day!”

That’s right, you were going to the zoo today—all eight of you. You hadn’t been out together with them since the fiasco at the Disney park. You were nervous, of course, but it was a zoo. It was New York City. There were lots of famous people to be seen in a city like this. You tried to calm yourself down by remembering what Taehyung had told you at dinner.

“Are you excited?” Jungkook nudged you.

“I’m nervous,” you blurted.

Yoongi took your hand, lacing your fingers together, “we have you, don’t worry.”

You smiled. “Thanks.”

Breakfast was fast food. No one had wanted to order and wait for room service, so you just stopped at a McDonald’s and ordered a bunch of food. The group was buzzing with excitement. In the car, you snapped a bunch of pictures of everyone—a photo of Jungkook stuffing half a hashbrown in his mouth—Taehyung holding an entire pancake up with his fingers; he was complaining about how dry it was and how it was nothing like Korean pancakes. You had to agree with him. The pancakes from McDonald’s were typically not great. 

“We have to find somewhere that has hotteok,” Namjoon suggested.

“In this city? I’m sure you can find anything here.” You replied, finishing your oatmeal.

“What kind of Korean foods do you like?” The leader asked you.

You thought for a moment, trying to remember all the dishes you’ve tried. “Kimchi is pretty good, but I like Kimchi Jjigae more. I love mandu—a lot. I could eat it all day and not tire of it. Then there are these delicious Korean short ribs I tried back home. They were so amazing.”

“Do you like fish?” Jimin asked. You knew Jimin wasn’t fond of fish.

“Actually,” you scrunched your face a bit, “I’m not all that fond of fish...or gim. Seaweed just doesn’t do it for me.”

“Have you ever had banana milk?” Jungkook peered at you from his phone.

“I have! It’s fantastic!” You chimed, “I like the strawberry milk as well.”

“I found a Korean corner store where we can get a bunch of snacks. There’s also a restaurant where we can get some hotteok.” the youngest said, turning his phone around for everyone to see.

“Maybe we can get some tomorrow?” Taehyung perked up.

Namjoon nodded, “We have a V live tomorrow, but we’ll have time to make a snack run.”

“A V live sounds fun; I hope you guys have fun with that. I always enjoy watching them.”

“Maybe you can appear in it?” Jimin wondered.

“People watch those for you seven; I’m not about to intrude on it.”

Yoongi watched curiously, “what if they asked for you?”

The mere notion took you aback. “If they asked for me?”

The rapper nodded, “what if ARMY wants to see you?”

“Then…” you worried your bottom lip, “then I guess I’ll have to join you after you start.”

There was a bit more chatter between everyone until you got to the parking lot. Once outside the van, masked up and ready to go, Sejin started his instructions.

“Stay together,” he instructed, “don’t wander off on your own. If you have to go to the bathroom, take someone with you.” It sounded like one of your old school field trips. He gave a few more rules and instructions before you went to the gate. He had purchased the tickets ahead of time, so it didn’t take long to get inside.

While you waited, however, you were all enamoured by the zipline you could see going over the river. There were climbing structures of sorts, and you realised what it was.

“Guys!” You chirped, “we should do the climbing course! And the ziplines!” You were practically bubbling with excitement.

“Can we?” Jungkook was just as excited as you were.   “Sejin!”

BTS’s manager raised his eyebrows at you and Jungkook, fully knowing that you would ask something of him.

“Can we do the aerial course and zipline?” Kook asked, pointing toward the trees.

“Wouldn’t you rather do it on the way out?” The man questioned fondly.

“We’ll all be too tired to climb if it’s after we’re done walking around.” Jungkook pouted.

The man chuckled a bit and beckoned you all to follow him. You weren’t headed toward the zoo entrance, but toward the climbing course entrance. You and Jungkook cheered.

“You have two-and-a-half hours,” Sejin informed once he’d purchased the tickets. “That includes climbing courses and ziplines.”

The maknae line took off, you included, and you headed further down the course. Yoongi, Hoseok, Jin, and Namjoon followed the four of you, the staff following them. When you were geared up, you started small. Everyone climbed the easiest course first, the staff taking plenty of photos and videos from below.

Feeling braver and more competitive, you, Jungkook, Taehyung, and surprisingly, Namjoon went for one of the intermediate courses. You and Jungkook had a bet of mandu for the one who didn’t mess up on the course. The hours ticked by quickly, and Sejin had to coax everyone down, so you had time to go on the zipline.

“Five mandu if Hoseok screams.” Jungkook grinned.

“It’s Hoseok; of course, he’s going to scream.” You replied.

“Hey!” Hobi frowned.

“Five mandu if you scream.” the youngest corrected himself.

“Ten if you do.” You retorted.

“Deal.”

You bumped fists.

“What if both of you scream?” Jin questioned, trying to understand your logic.

You and Jungkook looked at one another, then immediately at Jin. “ Kimchi .” You said together.

Hoseok screamed. Because of course he did. It was Hoseok. Taehyung also yelled, though; it was more out of joy than terror. Namjoon and Jimin cheered. Jin screamed at first, then cheered. Yoongi cheered and whooped the whole first half. It left you and Jungkook.

“Does yelling out of joy count as screaming?” You questioned. 

“There’s a difference. If you sound like Hoseok, then you lose. If you sound like Yoongi, you’re fine.”

You nodded your head and fisted your hand. “Who goes first?” Your single game of rock, paper, scissors made you the victor, and you stepped up to the platform.

Your heart was in your throat, and you had to remind yourself that this differed from flying in a plane. This wasn’t what you feared. You feared planes, not ziplines. You swallowed hard as the attendant got you hooked up.

“Don’t scream. Don’t scream.” You murmured to yourself.

You felt a tug on your heartstring, and you looked toward where most of your threads led. Your red string tugged, and you smiled. Taehyung was on the other side. Taehyung was waiting for you. You looked back at Jungkook, who seemed worried, but his face brightened when he saw you smiling. You gave the idol a thumbs up before pushing off the platform.

You wanted to scream, but you didn’t. You cheered and laughed at the sheer thrill of the rush. When you landed on the other side, Taehyung took you in his arms and hugged you close.

“You did great,” he praised. You beamed up at your soulmate and turned to watch Jungkook zip over. 

Jungkook cheered. “Yeah!” He yelled when he landed. “That was great!”

The three of you laughed and got ready for the next platform. There was a short airwalk from one platform to the other, which you all took in stride. You could hear Hoseok scream again before you got to the second platform. Jungkook laughed, and he and Taehyung took your hands to help you hop your last step onto the platform.

“Poor Hoseokie.” You laughed.

“He’ll be okay.” Tae smiled.

“I’ll see you guys on the other side,” Jungkook announced.

You and Tae cheered for him as he zipped away. Your soulmate took his chance and pecked your cheek before pushing you forward.

“I’ll be right behind you.” He murmured. You smiled.

You weren’t as scared as you were the first time around. You zipped through the air, laughing and enjoying yourself. When you landed, Jungkook pulled you into a hug and jumped around.

“Mandu for both of us!” He cheered.

You high-fived him and joined his happy dance. When Taehyung landed, he joined both of you in your dances.

“Let’s go, you three,” Yoongi beckoned.

When you finally reached the entrance of the zoo, everyone in the group was buzzing. The ziplines had given everyone more energy, and now it was time to burn it off by walking around to look at animals.

Burn it off you did, too. You started with the buffalo, then walked your way through the World of Birds building. Taehyung, in particular, enjoyed Tiger Mountain. Hoseok was not pleased to go into the World of Reptiles, and even less so when a zookeeper had one of the snakes out for an educational show. You held his hand through the building and promised him that there was no way for any snake to get out, so he was safe.

Your favourite place was the butterfly garden. There was something about butterflies that just appealed to you, whether their meaning or beauty. Your bright pink coloured hair attracted them, too. Jungkook took more than enough pictures of you while they fluttered around you and landed on your head.

For lunch, you ate at the Dancing Crane Cafe. Between the eight of you, you made a mountain of fries. Jungkook snapped a picture of the fry mountain, and in a moment, your phone chimed, notifying you of a Weverse post.

“Kook, are you bragging about Fry Mountain on Weverse?” You questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

“It’s glorious; why wouldn’t I?”

Unlike the Disney park day, you weren’t worried about anyone seeing your threads or seeing you with BTS. You weren’t scared of what people thought. You were happy to be there with them. To be with both your soulmate and your platonic soulmate. To be with your best friends and new chosen family. It didn’t scare you anymore. You weren’t going anywhere.

Taehyung pecked you on the head, pulling you out of your headspace.

“Do you want to take a group picture with us?” He asked, smiling at you. 

“Always,” You replied.

Your fiance pulled you closer, and the rest of the group gathered together so Sejin could snap some pictures. The first one was calm. Everyone was smiling and in neutral poses. 

The second one was silly. Hoseok made a heart with his arms over his head. Jin winked at the camera and made a heart with his fingers. Namjoon also made a heart with his fingers, but smiled more. Jimin and Jungkook made a heart together with their arms. Yoongi followed Namjoon’s lead and just made a heart and smiled. You and Taehyung made silly faces, and you held both your hands out in Kpop hearts. 

The third one was chaotic. Jimin jumped on Jungkook’s back. Jin and Namjoon yelled and pointed at the camera. Hoseok picked Yoongi up in his arms, making Yoongi yelp. Taehyung attacked you with kisses, making you laugh.

After lunch, you went to ride on the Bug Carousel. It was fun to see who picked which bug to sit on. You chose some kind of caterpillar that was turning into a butterfly. The rest of the group spread out around the carousel. You could hear them cheering as the ride started. 

You took your chance to take a couple of selcas and sent them to Amiyah, to which she replied, “ You’re such a child, but I’m glad you’re having fun. ” You could tell she meant it. She knew you loved doing things like this, especially with friends.

By the time you circled back to where you had started, you were all tired. There was a collective agreement that it was time to return to the hotel when Hoseok began showing that he was tired. You weren’t sure how many pictures you took or how many everyone else took. The van was a chorus of noise. Despite everyone being tired, you were all still full of energy. It was only a little past five in the afternoon, and you’d been at the zoo since noon.

“You are all free for the rest of the day. Try not to run off unattended.” Sejin said, eyeing you and your soulmate.

“We can go play in the park,” Jungkook suggested.

“We could go shop some more?” Jimin spoke up.

“What about the pool?” Taehyung asked.

With all the ideas flying around, you wondered what you wanted to do yourself. You’d gone to the park for two days in a row. Shopping didn’t sound that appealing to you, you don’t think you could spend any more money on expensive clothes. The evening activities were left undecided. It seemed like everyone wanted to do other things, which was fine, you just didn’t know what you wanted to do. When you got to your room, you fell to your bed, your feet still planted on the floor. Taehyung pinned you to the bed, grinning down at you playfully.

“I remember this position from weeks ago,” You smiled up at him.

“It was the morning after we met.”

He leaned down and captured your lips.

You hummed into the kiss, reaching up to tangle your fingers in his messy hair. After a few minutes, your fiance pulled away and stood up, drawing you to sit up.

“What are your plans tonight?” Tae asked, kissing your forehead lightly.

You thought for a moment, still unsure what you wanted to do. “I think I’ll start posting things on Weverse.” You decided, “and I haven’t updated my Twitter feed in a few days.”

“Sounds like a relaxing night.”

You nodded in agreement.

Taehyung and Jimin went off on their own, with their staff, of course. Jungkook and Yoongi went off to do some miscellaneous shopping. Hoseok and Jin went to go searching for something. They wouldn’t tell anyone what they were looking for. Namjoon stayed at the hotel to catch up on some reading that he said was “well deserved”, and you couldn’t argue with that. 

You stayed in your room for a while, creating your Weverse profile. There wasn’t much info to fill out. It was just a picture, background picture, display name, and bio. That was it. You snapped a nice selca and used it as your profile picture. For the background, you chose a beautiful BTS night concert photo where the lightsticks in the crowd looked like stars. Your display name was Snow Owl, and you put “official” in your bio. You didn’t have many characters available for your bio, but that was fine. You did what you could.

The first picture you posted was one that was taken at the zoo—one of the three that Sejin had taken at the restaurant. Out of the three, you chose to post the silly one first but posted all three instead, making sure they were in order from most serious to the most ridiculous. Picking the pictures was easy, but coming up with something to post about it was more complicated than you thought.

‘Hello, friends! Snow Owl here! I’ve finally made a Weverse profile so I can talk to everyone here as well, and not just on Twitter.’ You paused, looking at what you’d written before continuing, ‘ Today BTS and I went to the zoo! We had an enjoyable time and saw lots of animals. j-hope screamed because of the snakes, but it’s ok. I held his hand. V really enjoyed the tiger exhibit. We also rode on the bug carousel. I hope to have many more fun days with them in the future! ’

You hit the post button and moved to Twitter. You weren’t expecting your post to get attention right away. On Twitter, you looked through your feed, liked some posts, replied to some comments, and even posted one of the selcas you took on the carousel. You were enjoying your time alone when there was a knock at the door.

“Joon?” You looked at the leader of the group curiously when you saw him.

He gave an awkward wave and held up a book.

“I was wondering if you’d like to read with me?”

You were surprised. You hadn’t expected Namjoon to come to you first to hang out. It wasn’t as if you two didn’t get along. You got along just fine, but you hung out with the maknae line more than you did the hyung line.

“It’s fine if you’re busy, I can just go back to my room.”

You panicked.

“No, no! Sorry! You just surprised me. We can read together.”

You beamed up at him and glanced at the book he was holding. You had an idea. 

“You want to go find a bookstore and buy a bunch of books to read together?”

The idol perked up, and an excited smile grew on his face.

“Sure, just let me go change.” 

You nodded in agreement, “Same. I’ll meet up with you in a few.”

Namjoon disappeared down the hall and into his and Jin’s shared room. You chuckled to yourself and changed from your lazy clothes into some skinny jeans, a loose BTS shirt that you’d gotten at one of the concerts, and a pair of boots. You grabbed a mask before you left the room and texted Iseul that you wanted to go to a bookstore. 

You met up with Namjoon in the hallway and then Iseul and Ha-Jun in the hotel’s main lobby. The four of you took the nearly ten-minute walk to a bookstore you and Joon had chosen. It was fun spending time with Namjoon. It was easy to find things you had in common with the other members, but Namjoon was a little more complicated. 

“Hey, RM,” You said, bumping into him on your way to the bookstore, “we should team up some time. Show everyone that we can get along.”

The man raised an eyebrow, “But we do get along.” He countered.

“I know that,” You chuckled.

He smiled and shook his head, “The next time we play a game, I’ll be your partner. We can beat everyone and prove we get along just fine.”

You looked back at Iseul, and he chuckled, “I don’t think you’ve had the chance to spend enough time together.”

“Then we should fix that.”

“Aren’t we doing that now?”

You and Namjoon beamed at one another.

“What kind of books should we get?” You asked, spotting the bookstore just ahead.

“We can get a few different ones and figure out what to start with.” He replied, “also, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you call me RM before.”

“We’re out in public, so I figured it’d be better suited.”

He hummed and smiled, opening the door for you when you reached the bookstore. There were so many books, but not a lot of time. The store closed in a little over an hour.

“Hey, what’s that book you had earlier? Think we can find another copy here?” 

Namjoon thought for a moment and shrugged, “We probably could; it’s an old book.”

Thus started your hunt. With it being such a large bookstore, it was bound to take a while to find it. You and Namjoon were going down one of the longer bookshelves when you heard a squeal.

“ Oh my god, it’s Namjoon! ” It sounded like the person was trying to whisper.

“ Namjoon? ” Someone else questioned.

You peeked out from behind the idol and smiled at the two obvious ARMYs that were peeking around the shelves. They ducked out of sight when they saw you, and you chuckled.

“You keep searching; I’ll see if I can’t get some help.”

Namjoon nodded, and you walked toward the fans. They were two young ladies, apparently very shocked to see Namjoon out in the wild.

“ He’s coming this way! What do we do? ” The first girl whispered.

“ I don’t know! I’ve never been in this position before! ” The other replied.

“ Ah, do either of you work here? ” You asked, smiling behind your mask.

“ N-No, ” the second shuddered. The first one shook her head.

“ That’s too bad. We were looking for a book, you see? We’re having trouble finding it. ”

You saw their eyes light up, and they looked at one another.

“ What book is it? ” The first asked. When you told them the name and the author of the book, they nodded.

“ We’ll help you find it. Even if it’s against ARMY code. ” The second spoke.

You raised an eyebrow and beamed at them. “ You’re not breaking ARMY code if you’re just interacting with me. I’m ARMYs Envoy, after all. ”

The two of them seemed surprised, looking you up and down.

“ ARMYs...envoy? ” The first girl stared at you before her eyes went wide. She reached for her friend and shook her a bit. It reminded you of your relationship with Amiyah. “ You’re Snow Owl! ” 

“ Snow Owl? ”

“ Yes, Snow Owl! I told you about him! ” 

You watched their back and forth for a moment, getting more awkward by the second.

“Snow,” Namjoon called you, “Ha-Jun found it. We should look for some others while we have time… Unless you’re busy?”

You looked back at the man and shook your head, “ Well, ” you started, “ It looks like RM found the book we needed; enjoy your night. ” 

Namjoon skirted around to another section of books, hiding away from prying eyes. You gave the two girls a slight bow and escaped after the leader, ensuring you were both hidden away.

“I didn’t know if that was about to go bad or not.” You admitted, leaning against a shelf.

“It didn’t look like it was about to go well.”

“Did Ha-Jun actually find the book?”

“No, but you looked stressed.”

You thunked the back of your head against the bookshelf and chuckled. Namjoon lied for you. He lied to get you away from a possible disaster. Sure, it could’ve been harmless, but the way the girls had shifted their moods was concerning.

“Should we just go back to the hotel?” You questioned.

The leader thought for a moment, mimicking your movements and leaning his head against the bookshelf.

“I don’t want to leave empty-handed.”

You nodded, “Let’s find a nice mystery book.” You suggested, pointing up to the section you were next to.

Namjoon smirked behind his mask and nodded, agreeing that a mystery novel would be fun to read together. You both looked through a good dozen books before you decided on one. 

On the way back to the hotel, you and Namjoon played around, doing different dances from different BTS songs. The ten-minute walk was a little longer thanks to traffic, but it went quickly with your joking around. 

“Welcome back,” Jin greeted when you and Namjoon reached his room.

“Hey, Jin.” You beamed at him and kicked off your shoes, falling to Namjoon’s bed.

Namjoon chuckled and pulled his shoes off and climbed onto his bed, leaning against the wall. You scooted up the bed and sat next to him, pulling a pillow from behind you to hold in your lap.

Jin was smiling from the other bed at the both of you, amused and happy to see you spending time together. It turned out you and Namjoon read at similar speeds, and it was effortless to share one book when you needed to. You were reading chapter three when Jimin came knocking at the door.

“Do you want to switch rooms tonight?” He asked you.

“Cuddle night with Yoongi? Sure.” You chirped.

“Looks like Hobi and Kook are sharing a room tonight,” Jin noted aloud.

Jimin beamed at you and disappeared behind the door once more. You couldn’t help but smile and shake your head.

“They’re plotting something.”

“We’re all plotting something.”

You deadpanned at Namjoon and looked over at Jin, who shrugged in response. Of course, by now, all of them have gotten informed about whatever was being plotted. Being that they haven’t included you in their secret meant that it had something to do with you, but you didn’t want to be so bold.

Pouting, you settled back into your spot and pulled the book closer, “let’s finish this chapter, then I’ll head to Yoongi and Kook’s room.”

With a laugh, Namjoon settled. Once you were finished with chapter three, you grabbed your shoes and bid Jin and Namjoon goodnight before heading off to Yoongi and Jungkook’s room.

Yoongi greeted you with a gummy smile, and you immediately flopped into the bed next to him to cuddle.

“Have fun today?” The rapper asked, resting his head atop yours.

“I had a great time. It was much better than the last time we all went out together.”

“No mental breakdown? No anxiety?”

You knew exactly what he was asking you. You knew why he was asking. You smiled and shook your head.

“Nothing to worry about, Yoongs.”

He hummed and hugged you tightly, “I’m glad to hear that.”

That was your night with Yoongi. You just talked about how you were doing and how you were feeling. It was like a therapy session for you. One that Yoongi thought you needed, and to be honest, it was nice. You told him everything. You even told him about Namjoon saving you from the awkwardness at the bookstore. Even your day date with Taehyung. It was relieving to have someone to talk to like this. Similar to the way you were with Amiyah, but closer.

Chapter Text

You woke up to Jungkook climbing in bed next to you. You weren’t sure what time it was, but you knew the sun was up since you could see the stream of sunlight through the curtains. Yoongi grumbled from beside you, peeking out from under the blanket to glare at the maknae.

A smile blossomed on your face, and you reached back to pet his hair.

“Morning Kook.”

He snuggled up to you, one of his arms reaching around your waist. Yoongi frowned at him.

“What do you want, Jungkook?” He questioned.

“I want to cuddle too.” The youngest replied, pouting at the elder.

Yoongi sighed and lifted his arm, enveloping both you and Jungkook to the best of his ability. You dozed back to sleep between them. Too comfortable to even think about getting up.

The next time you woke up, it was to a camera shutter. Yoongi groaned and tried to pull the blanket further over his face. Jungkook clung to you tighter, and you realised that you were the lightest sleeper out of the three of you. You peered out from your comfy spot to see Hoseok beaming brighter than the sun.

“Can I join?”

“No.”

Hobi’s smile didn’t falter when Yoongi answered him. Instead, Hoseok climbed in bed behind him. Making the bed another person smaller. 

“Hoseok,” Yoongi warned, but he didn’t budge. Hoseok knew Yoongi wouldn’t do anything. He was too patient. 

“I was sent to see what was taking Jungkook so long to wake you guys up.” The rapper explained, pinching Yoongi’s cheek.

“Too comfy.” You stated, refusing to move from your spot.

“Ah,” Hobi pouted, “but wouldn’t you like to play games with us today?”

You raised an eyebrow. “What kind of games?”

“Manager brought us some board games to keep us busy today.”

A yawn forced itself out of you. “Kookie,” Jungkook shifted slightly, “Kookie, I’m going to beat you at some board games today, you have to get up, or you’ll automatically lose.”

The maknae tightened his hold on you, “I can’t lose if I don’t play.”

“You can.” You replied.

“No.”

“Yeah.”

Yoongi sighed and pushed himself up, knocking Hoseok off the bed. “Jungkook, it’s time to get up.”

The youngest whined but complied, unwrapping himself from you and sitting up. Finally free, you sat up and stretched. The four of you were in Hoseok’s room a short time later with the others.

“That only took half an hour.” Jimin teased.

Hoseok scoffed and pulled out his phone, “look how I found them! All curled up with one another. They were so cute.”

Jimin cooed over the photo and took Hoseok’s phone to show the others.

Taehyung beamed at you and beckoned you over to him.

“Seems you slept well.” He said, pulling you into his arms when you got close enough.

You nodded and hugged him before pulling away.

“I slept like a log until Jungkook woke me up.”

Jungkook smiled sheepishly and shrugged, “the bed looked so inviting.”

The first game played was Sorry, and since there were only four colours, you all played rock, paper, scissors to decide your teams. The first group to go first was Jin, Namjoon, Hoseok, and you. Hobi scored first place with you and Jin soon after, leaving Namjoon last to get all his pieces to the finish.

The second game was Jungkook, Yoongi, Jimin, and Taehyung. Jungkook narrowly beat Taehyung, a single number higher than the latter. Taehyung took second place, with Jimin following behind. Yoongi finished last that round.

Unanimously, everyone decided that the first two winners of both games would go against one another while the others would go after. That left Hoseok, you, Jungkook, and Taehyung to play the third game, and Jin, Namjoon, Jimin, and Yoongi to play the fourth. 

Somehow, Hoseok won first place for a second time, and he declared to be the king of the game. Taehyung narrowly took second place. That left you and Jungkook to battle against one another. It wasn’t surprising when Jungkook took third. You only had two pieces home. 

The fourth and final game was won by Jin, who cheered. Jimin took second, then Yoongi took third, leaving you and Namjoon the losers of both your rounds. It was no big deal for you, though, and Namjoon didn’t seem bothered by it either. 

After cleaning up Sorry, Hoseok pulled out UNO. With a grin, you moved to sit next to Namjoon, announcing to the group he was your partner this time. Taehyung feigned betrayal while Yoongi only smirked. 

“I’ll take Kook, then,” Yoongi stated, nudging the youngest. Taehyung and Jimin, of course, teamed up, leaving Jin and Hoseok on a team together.

Hoseok was the one to deal the cards; the starting colour was yellow. The game started calmly. With everyone paired off, it was a quick game. Jungkook and Jimin had a reverse card war before Jimin slapped down a draw four card, making Jungkook groan and pick his cards. It was because of their battle that knocked Jungkook from being in the lead, and you excitedly slammed down your second to the last card and shouted “UNO!”. On the next round, you slapped your final card down, claiming your and Namjoon’s victory in the game.

“Another game!” Jimin exclaimed.

“ Another! ” You and Jungkook said together.

Since you won, you dealt out the cards for the second round.

“Pairs or singles?” Jin asked.

“Let’s do singles,” Jungkook replied.

Everyone agreed, and you settled in your previous spot. The winner of this round was Hoseok, and he screamed and ran around the room.

“Hobi’s really kicking butt today.” Namjoon smiled, looking over at the man that was now jumping on his bed.

“His winning streak is going to break, eventually.” Yoongi chuckled.

The next one to run out of cards was Yoongi, who joined Hoseok on the bed to watch the rest of the game. Next was Jin, who made a big spectacle out of being third. The fourth was Jungkook. Then Namjoon. Finally, you dropped your last card and hoped onto Jimin’s bed to watch the platonic soulmates play out their hands. It was tense for a few moments. It was like they were hyper-focused. Taehyung ran out of cards first, leaving Jimin to take the loss.

After a few more board games and in the middle of a random sing-along, Hoseok set up a laptop on the table. You weren’t paying attention since you were standing on Hoseok’s bed with Yoongi and Jungkook belting out Crayon by G-DRAGON when you got a notification on your phone that you ignored. You still weren’t paying attention to Hobi when Just Right by GOT7 came on. Taehyung joined your song, and when it was over, ZUTTER by BIGBANG started, and you and Yoongi had fun singing and rapping the song together.

You were mid-song when Jin started chuckling. “They still haven’t noticed.”

“Shh, they’re going to notice now since you said something.” Hoseok frowned.

You glanced over at Jin and Hobi and noticed the VLive layout immediately. If it weren’t for Yoongi holding onto you, you would’ve fallen off the bed. You hurried out of frame by jumping off the bed. 

Hoseok pouted. “If you hadn’t said anything, they would’ve continued.”

Jin shrugged slightly, “they were going to notice, eventually.”

Your heart was racing. You had no intention of being in the VLive with BTS, not unless ARMY wanted you there, and now you were on it without even knowing it. You weren’t sure what Hoseok was thinking. You could hear your heart thumping in your ears. You couldn’t believe that he would do that to you. You were panicking. 

“Come back,” Hoseok reached out to you, whining slightly.

You shook your head quickly, keeping by the entrance of the room, so you were off-camera. You nearly made a break for the door and went back to your room.

“You guys have to ask for him back.” Hobi turned to the screen with his pouty face. “He said he wouldn’t come if you guys don’t ask for him.”

You were doubtful that people wanted to see you. Unconvinced that ARMY was ready to accept you with BTS—to welcome you as their Envoy. And yet...

“Snowy,” Hoseok sang, “they said they want to see you.”

You stared at him in disbelief. “What?” Your voice felt raw, not only because of all the singing you were doing but because it didn’t want to come out.

“Go look at the comments yourself. They said they want to see you.”

You did exactly that. You tapped your VLive notification and loaded it. You were greeted with a different angle of Hoseok and Jin, who were visible in the video along with Yoongi in the background. You ignored the video. It was the comments you wanted. They always moved too fast, and sometimes you struggled to keep up with them, but you scrolled through them.

It alarmed you with how many comments there were about how cute it was that you were singing with Yoongi and Jungkook. You skimmed through, reaching the comments when you’d removed yourself from the stream. When you reached the comments where they asked for you to come back, you had to blink back tears.

“They really want to see you, little bird.” Hoseok smiled.

You worried your bottom lip and fussed with the hem of your oversized shirt, realising that you hadn’t changed your clothes since you went to the bookstore with Namjoon the evening before.

“Give him a moment; he’s very nervous. Maybe you should tell him how excited you are.” Jin said to ARMY, winking at the camera.

It felt like everyone’s eyes were on you, and they were. Every member of BTS was watching you. You weren’t sure if you were ready; it was like when you were trying to decide to tell the world about you and Taehyung all over again. You swallowed the lump in your throat and took a few nervous steps forward. You’d gone in front of ARMY so many times; what was the difference now?

“Take a deep breath,” Yoongi instructed, reaching out for you.

You looked at Yoongi and did as he said, taking in a deep breath before forcing yourself forward to take his hand. When he had a hold of you, he pulled you up, sitting you next to him on screen—the rest of the group filled in around you. Taehyung sat on the other side of you, and Jungkook sat behind you. Jimin sat next to Tae and Namjoon next to Hoseok. Everyone was on screen, and though you still felt overwhelmed, having everyone around you made you feel at ease.

“Welcome to our live, everyone.” Namjoon greeted. The seven of them bowed, and you followed the motion half a second later.

It was strange for you to be in a VLive. You weren’t sure what you should be doing. You just sat and listened to them answer questions for a while, leaning against Taehyung.

“Someone asks, ‘Snow Owl, how do you find the bravery to stand with BTS as you do?’, that’s a good question,” Jin said, glancing back at you.

You squeaked and straightened up. You took a breath, remembering what Yoongi told you. Breath. Just breath. “Well,” you started, chewing on your bottom lip slightly, “I’m actually very nervous. I’m always nervous when I do things like this. I’m always nervous that ARMY isn’t going to be happy with me or that they won’t like me.” A fond smile graced your lips, “but then I remember that no matter what, I have people rooting for me—people by my side. If you ever feel like that, remember that we’re rooting for you. BTS is rooting for you, and so am I.”

The chat burst to life like you lit a fire under it. There were so many comments coming in that you couldn’t read a single one without scrolling back up. You gave the camera double hearts with your fingers and beamed at it before settling back down against Taehyung.

There were several more questions directed at you, and you answered them earnestly. What’s your favourite food? What’s your favourite animal? What’s your favourite number? The one you didn’t want to answer was, “who’s your bias?”. Jimin and Hoseok snickered.

“It’s Taehyung, of course.” You winked playfully at the camera, and Hoseok turned to look at you in surprise.

“When did that happen?” He pouted.

“Really?” You raised an eyebrow at him.

Jin nudged Hoseok, and the dancer turned back to the camera. There would be gifs of that later, you just knew it. There was something about Hoseok’s genuine surprise that made you laugh.

The stream went on for a while longer before they were bidding goodbye to their fans. You waved and held out a finger heart before Hoseok ended the VLive.

“When did Tae become your bias?” Hobi asked, bringing it up once again.

“Is it that big of a deal?” You asked, smiling at him weakly.

He sighed and sulked. “I guess not; he is your soulmate.”

Taehyung nudged you lightly and smiled at you. “Go,” he whispered in your ear.

You chuckled and got up, pulling Hoseok into a tight hug while you stood on the bed, “You’re my bias wrecker, Hobi.” You told him. “I think that’s a promotion than just bias, don’t you think?”

He brightened up, peering up at you as he hugged you in return.

“Do you still have a crush on me?”

The room fell silent, and you glanced at Taehyung. He showed no signs of jealousy or agitation.

“I do.” You answered, “but don’t tease me about it.”

“Or what?” He stuck his tongue out at you.

“Or I’ll replace all your sprite with ginger soda.”

The look of horror on Hoseok’s face when he pulled away from you was priceless.

“What else do you know about us?” Taehyung asked, pulling you away from Hobi and settling you between him and Yoongi.

“Really? You’re asking me that now?”

“We want to know what you know.” Jungkook grinned.

You sighed and smiled, “Okay, who’s first?”

“Hoseok, of course,” Yoongi said.

You rolled your eyes but took a breath, “His favourite soda is Sprite, his favourite colour is green, he has a dog named Mickey, he doesn’t have any piercings, and he danced in a group called Neuron.” You looked at Hobi with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, “and he hates ginger.”

“Me next,” Jungkook said excitedly.

“You will eat anything, but you have a fondness for things made with flour. You have a black belt in taekwondo. You like to collect Bluetooth speakers, and you can play the guitar.”

You looked around the room for a moment before sighing again. “Taehyung can play the saxophone and doesn’t like coffee or vegetables. Namjoon likes sweets, your favourite number is one, and you’ve broken more stuff than you can count.” 

You took another breath, “Jin doesn’t like actual chocolate but likes chocolate flavoured things. He also doesn’t like strawberry flavoured things but likes strawberries. He also has two adorable sugar gliders. Jimin will dance to any music and likes spicy foods but can’t handle them. Yoongi learned how to play the piano himself. He doesn’t like to leave his studio and will eat anything on his plate.”

They all watched you, silent after you finished talking. You shrugged slightly, “You are the ones that wanted to know. Most ARMYs know these facts.”

“ARMY is like a collective hive mind of information.” Jungkook broke out into a grin.

“You’re not wrong,” You chuckled, “Once one person knows something, they’ll spread it like wildfire.”

The group talked for a while longer, having a very relaxing afternoon after your near mental breakdown from the VLive. You thought, maybe you’ll host your own live, on your own time, talk to ARMY and get to know them as their envoy.

Dinner was at the restaurant at the hotel. It was a lounge-type place that felt more welcoming than a lot of places you’d been to with BTS. 

“I’m thinking about hosting my own VLive,” you announced as you munched on your salad.

“All by yourself?” Jimin asked, looking up from his food.

You nodded, “I think it’s time. Since I was on a live with you guys, it’s only right I do one on my own.”

“I’ll let you borrow my laptop if you want.” Hoseok beamed.

“When would you like to do it?” Jin questioned.

You had to think for a moment, “tomorrow maybe? I think tonight might be a bit soon?”

“Tonight would be okay,” Taehyung spoke up, taking one of your hands. “If you wait too long, you’ll get nervous again.”

He was right. He was entirely right.

“After dinner then?” You considered.

“Sounds good.”

You were already nervous, but you decided you were going to turn that into excitement. You thought about how excited ARMY was to talk with you, how they were all commenting that they wanted you to come back on the live earlier. The worm of doubt wriggled in, however, and the idea of them asking for you was only Hoseok’s influence.

“Stop it,” Yoongi spoke firmly. “You’re going to psych yourself out.”

The man had startled you, and you looked over at him like a deer in the headlights.

“What’s up?” Namjoon questioned.

“He doubts himself again. I can feel it.”

“You two really are platonic soulmates.” Jungkook grinned.

“It’s nothing to worry about.” You tried. Yoongi shot a glare at you. “I’m serious; it was just a little thought. It’s fine.”

“You have people rooting for you—people by your side. If you ever feel like that, remember that we’re rooting for you.” Yoongi repeated your words from earlier, watching you as you fidgeted beneath his stare.

“Okay!” You exclaimed, “I’ll do the live tonight. I’ll do my best not to be nervous about it, and I’ll even have fun.”

You said that, and now you sat in front of Hoseok’s laptop in your hotel room with Taehyung staring at the website like you didn’t know what to do. You didn’t. You didn’t know how to start or what you were going to talk about, but then you remembered the number of times that you just watched a VLive to watch DJ V play music and sing along with it.

“Do you want me to click the button for you?” Taehyung was sitting next to you.

“I got this,” you said, taking a deep breath, “I got this…”

“Look at me?” Your soulmate requested. You did as he asked and turned to look at him, and he captured your mouth with his.

You groaned into the kiss, allowing yourself to be pushed down against the bed and ravished. When your head was empty of anything else except Taehyung, he pulled away, leaving you flustered and red-faced on the bed.

“Feel better?” He mused, pulling you back up into a sitting position.

“I’m feeling an entirely different thing.” You replied, eying your fiancé. 

He beamed at you and pecked you on the lips once more before sliding the laptop closer to you. “Click the button, little bird.”

You did as he said and clicked the button to start the live. You watched as he slipped off the bed and went over to the nearby table to sit. It wasn’t long before your first comments started coming in.

‘ Hello Snowy! ’

‘This is so exciting!’

‘ARMY Envoy!’

You smiled at the comments and waved at the camera.

“I’m a little nervous, guys. TaeTae’s watching me from the table. It’s kind of awkward.” You stuck your tongue out at your soulmate, and he grinned at you and ran his tongue between his bottom lip and teeth. His action made a deep blush bloom across your cheeks, and you decided right there that you had to ignore him for the remainder of the live.

‘OMG what did he do?’

‘ You turned so RED. ’