Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The lights of the club were way too bright. The speakers playing some trending pop song that Taehyung didn’t care for, tonight more so than others. His ass hurt from the uncomfortable bar stool and his hand was wet from the condensation of his half-empty drink – something another clubgoer bought for him, a young woman celebrating her engagement that thought he looked lonely. Something about wanting to ‘share the love’ or ‘spread the love’, honestly Taehyung can’t remember.

I need much more than a drink, he thought sadly. He was luckily able to put up a face long enough to thank her and congratulate her on the engagement before letting it fall once she walked back to her friends.

He decided to take a large gulp of his drink, grimacing at the burning sensation. He was never a fan of whisky (unless he was already incredibly intoxicated) but he was also not going to pass up a free drink – even if this particular drink was bought out of pity.

He needed to just finish his task so he could go back to his sad excuse of a bed, maybe steal some warmth from his roommate, and sleep until his inevitable early morning. He tipped his head back, closing his eyes, and took a deep breath. He spun his chair around and opened his eyes, spotting large amounts of people swaying and jumping on the dance floor, groups of friends chatting animatedly with bouts of laughter every so often – and, of course, the less lively club inhabitants sitting by themselves in the dark corners or at the bar, likely drinking away a rough work week or recent breakup.

He focuses on the group of friends sitting at a booth adjacent to the wall on his left. Five people, seemingly college-age, occupied the space. One was in the lap of another, both oblivious to their surroundings. Even from afar, Taehyung could see how they gravitated toward each other, seemingly unable to get close enough. Lingering touches, permanent smiles, whispered promises. Perhaps, he is looking too far into their interaction, but he can’t help but watch. Maybe this is normal romantic behavior, and he is the only one who doesn’t understand, who will likely never understand.

He knows – Taehyung knows – that he needs to stop this train of thought before he spirals, before the loneliness and helpless feelings come crashing in; the same feeling that has suffocated him for years. Despite knowing the result, he lets his mind drift, wondering what his life would look like if things were different for him, if he never lost his parents, if the supernatural world didn’t screw him over time and time again.

He could see himself going to university, majoring in some exciting but likely minimally useful topic, where he would visit friends, spend an ungodly amount of time studying, and maybe even find someone that he clicked with. Brought back to the present, Taehyung looks at the couple once more. Would he be the one with a lapful of person, snaking his arms around them in hopes to bring them infinitely closer, or would he be the one doing the lap-sitting, snuggling as tight as he could while using their shoulder as a resting place for his head?

It didn’t matter, he would be happy with either.

Taehyung snaps out of his daze and resumes sweeping the club. He looks further left, past the group, and finds a middle-aged man looking directly at him. With the distance between them, in addition to the already dark environment and random strobe lights, it was hard to distinguish much about the man, though in the grand scheme of things, looks didn’t really matter. The proverbial “good” and “bad” people were not so easily distinguished by appearance.

Taehyung gently lifted the corners of his mouth and quickly looked to his lap in what was his best attempt at a shy smile. He waited a few seconds before looking back up at the man, finding he was still being watched. The man was blatantly staring, seeming to forego blinking in an attempt to keep his gaze focused on Taehyung, slowly sipping his beer.

Taehyung knew he had the perfect attire on for alluring potential victims. Tight black jeans with rips down the front that hugged his ass and thighs perfectly. His black, flowy silk top with the first buttons undone to flash his chest and collarbones. Both items were bought for him for this exact purpose, to lure, unable to wear them on any other occasions. Though, he really didn’t have anywhere else to wear such nice clothing.

Taehyung bit his lip and looked back at his drink, trying not to grimace at the ridiculous act. He hated this part. The fake flirting and seduction, the extremely tight and revealing clothing, the mixing smell of alcohol and perfumes, the unwanted attention. All for what?

The young man snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a throat being cleared. He snapped his head to the sound to find the man standing only a couple feet to his right. Up close, he was able to see the man’s features more easily. The man was tall, with dark jeans on and a loose-fitting t shirt. The more Taehyung looked, the more he wished he could forego this little mission and hightail it out of this club. Overall, the man looked haggard, unshaven, and unkempt. The man’s hair was dark and greasy; and not the ‘gel it up and look stylish’ kind of greasy but more like ‘it has been a few days since it was washed’, and his presence brought the stench of sweat and cigarettes – we shall deem him Mr. Smoke, Taehyung mused, though Taehyung is unsure if he has used this nickname previously since he has met many people carrying a similar smell.

“Like what you see, baby?”, the man slurred after Taehyung’s scrutinizing gaze was mistaken for interest. Taehyungs eyes snapped up. Small, dark eyes looked back at him with an unmistakable hunger. The man broke the gaze and slowly made his way down Taehyung’s body, stopping at the bare skin peeking through the rips in his jeans before making his way back up to admire his partially bare chest. The man swept his tongue across his own lips, revealing a glimpse of crooked, yellow teeth, before looking back to Taehyung’s eyes. The unkempt man slowly leaned in until Taehyung could feel the man’s breath on his ear and whispered, “I know I certainly do”.

The young man tried his best not to scrunch his nose at the combination of the man’s unwanted flirting and the increased intensity of the cigarette smell that came with the other’s sudden closeness. It’ll be over soon, he thought as he pulled out and uncapped a small vial from his pocket, leaning closer to the standing man and tilting his head to return the whisper.

“You haven’t even seen the best part.”, Taehyung feels himself saying as he empties the contents of the vial into the forgotten beer bottle – the haggard man too enraptured with the other to be paying much attention to his surroundings.

Taehyung leaned back with a smirk on his face, taking the empty vial with him. The tall man showed no signs of noticing Taehyung’s action, still utterly taken with the beautiful boy on the barstool. Taehyung slowly reached for his drink.

“Here’s to a very pleasurable night.”, Taehyung said, lifting his glass up in a toast.

Mr. Smoke responded by taking his beer bottle and tapping it against the boy’s glass before lifting the drink to his lips and taking large gulps, too focused on finishing it to realize that Taehyung never brought the rim of his own glass to his lips. The unkempt man slammed the bottle back down – way too hard in Taehyung’s opinion and even gathering the attention of a few close bar inhabitants – and flashed a sly grin. The boy returned the grin and stood up from his seat.

“Ready to take me home?”, Taehyung asked with faux excitement. The man didn’t seem surprised at the sudden question like he knew all along he would be leaving the club with the stunning figure in front of him, like he knew that his charms were too irresistible.

Taehyung quietly wondered what Mr. Smoke’s success rate was in the past for him to constantly exude confidence. Maybe the man did have enough charm and charisma to lure pretty men and women into his bed on the average night. Perhaps, Mr. Smoke is an incredibly attractive man who just so happens to be having a not-so-good night for looks –

“Name is Junseo and yeah, m’ready, doll.”, the man slurred, putting as much emphasis on the pet name as his intoxicated state would allow, effectively cutting off the current train of thought. Taehyung barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes and promptly turned around, leaving the man to quickly stumble after him.

Doll. Of all the petnames and drunken terms of endearment, doll had to be the fucking worst.

The two made their way through the crowd of bodies, slowly getting closer to the exit. Junseo grabbed his hand at some point while traversing the dance floor, trying not to lose the boy while pushing through the dancing mass. Taehyung tightened the grip between the two when he noticed the man’s increased stumbling behind him, tripping over the cracks in the floor and the numerous feet in their path. Taehyung’s progress was largely undeterred by Junseo’s lack of coordination as he continued pulling the intoxicated man along.

Taehyung realizes he is being rough, but he can’t think of anything other than determining this guy’s ‘suitability’ and getting the hell out of this situation.

The cool air that greeted them was more than welcomed, cooling the sweat that accumulated on Taehyung’s forehead and neck – whether from the heat of the club or increased nerves, he is unsure. Junseo was still gripping onto his hand like a lifeline, taking one step closer to the beautiful boy before Taehyung immediately darted to the right, still dragging the man along.

Their steps are accentuated by the water that lightly coats the sidewalks but are ultimately drowned out by the music still audible from the club and the drunk clubgoers who are loudly talking and laughing near the entrance.

Taehyung ducks into the nearest ally and swings the drunk man around, making his back hit the brick wall of the club. Taehyung quickly shushed the man when he makes an attempt to talk and places his hand on the man’s chest, effectively pinning the man to the wall.

“Don’t speak unless I ask you a question.” Taehyung’s previously flirty demeaner quickly being replaced with sternness.

Junseo became uncharacteristically quiet, likely the result of the potion given to him in his drink combined with the sudden behavior change of the boy he assumed he would be taking home tonight. With the height advantage and larger build, Taehyung knows the man could easily overpower him if it wasn’t for the influence of mild magic and alcohol – his grip on the man’s shirt and the force with which he is pushing the older man into the wall increasing with the thought. Taehyung has another realization of how harsh he is treating the man when he has no idea whether this man is actually guilty of anything. He could be an outstanding Korean citizen who frequently donates to children’s charities – and Taehyung realizes yet again that he may regret treating the man this way in the future – but he continues on with the interrogation.

“Answer my questions and then we can get back to the fun part, okay?” the younger man asks with a softer voice. Even with the potion in effect, the man can’t actually be forced to do anything he doesn’t want to do. It only decreases inhibitions and slightly increases compliance and willingness to tell the truth, thus still requiring some finesse when asking certain questions. With blown pupils and heavy eyes, the unkempt man sluggishly nods.

“Okay…” Taehyung exhales heavily, thanking his very shitty luck that apparently this intoxicated man was very enthusiastic about pleasing Taehyung prior to the ingested substance, making his job much easier. He loosens his grip minutely and puts on a small smile to appease the man in front of him. “Okay.”, he finds himself saying again.

“Do you have a significant other or children or anyone that relies on you for their care?” He knows it is quite the unexpected question to most people – scratch that, this question is downright alarming to most people and almost guarantees that you will be missing and/or dead by the morning and has scared away more than a few people with this question – but has found that being blunt has been the most efficient method thus far of gathering information.

Luckily Junseo does not appear afraid or concerned if not a little confused with the questions and slowly shakes his head side to side.

“I used t’ have a wife.” the older man mutters still completely focused on the boy in front of him. “But I cheated on ‘er and she tried t’ leave me.”

Taehyung’s brows shot up. Normally, it takes a bit of coaxing to get information out of people, but this man seems to be very forthcoming. Nothing like his past experiences with hot-headed men who enjoy beating their wives for nothing more than not having dinner ready on time. Or, even worst, the cute, innocent-appearing women who are secretly spoiled brats who ordered hits on their boyfriends (with daddy’s money, of course) for not giving them a good enough gift for their birthday.

He hopes that his current impression of the man is wrong. He hopes that the rough-appearing man in front of him is an absolutely awful person, not because he wants there to be awful people, but because it can put an end to the night’s hunt. Unfortunately, as much as he dislikes the idea of being unfaithful to someone, that doesn’t quite meet his own messed up ‘criteria’ of how he chooses who to take. Though, when thinking about the man’s words…

“Thank you for being honest with me.” because honestly Taehyung is thankful, mostly for the sole fact that it makes the questioning that much easier. “What do you mean, she tried?”

This must have been the right question because the man’s lips curl into a smile and his eyes widen the slightest bit. Not exactly the expected expression of someone who is talking about a past spouse.

“The bitch tried t’ leave and I said no ‘cause she don’t have the right t’ leave, ya know?” Junseo explains with such nonchalance. As if Taehyung should be readily agreeing with this man because it is seemingly common knowledge that you should prevent your partner from leaving if they choose.

The man interprets Taehyung’s pause as an indication to continue his slurred explanation. “I kept ‘er locked up fer a while but became too much work t’ keep ‘er quiet an’ I couldn’t be there all the time.”

Taehyung nods, attempting to keep this man compliant, so he can ask his final question.

“Where is she now?”

Junseo continues to smile as he brings one of his hands up to his chest to rest over Taehyung’s. “Buried. In the forest b’hind the house.”

Ah, there it is.

Taehyung nods again at the man and slips his hand into the sweaty one overlaying it. He immediately starts walking back towards the entrance of the club while tugging the older man along. Junseo is still speaking to him while stumbling along but Taehyung is hardly listening. It is time for him to bring Junseo to the meeting spot and hopefully, with more luck, he will be sent home.

They pass the entrance of the club and continue for another block before veering into another alley, this one far enough from the club or any establishment that would still be open – and one that Taehyung is very familiar with, having come here many times in the past. It is flanked by two tall brick buildings, both mostly abandoned if you go by the broken windows and lack of lights or really lack of any sign that there are occupants. He quickly glanced behind him to see Junseo still talking animatedly – although slurring most words – something about how hard it was to ‘get the blood out’.

Holy shit, is he still talking about how he murdered his wife?

“Stop.” Taehyung demands before he can hear anymore about how he hid the evidence. Junseo immediately stops talking and focuses back on the boy he has locked hands with and finds himself pulled further into the alleyway. He pauses right before the light becomes nonexistence; before the light of the moon is unable to guide his way.

“Dongha.” Taehyung speaks into the pitch dark nearing the end of the alley.

“Took you long enough, V” someone growls from the void. Taehyung recognizes that voice, even distorted with irritation and hunger. It would be hard not to recognize the person that has been controlling his life for the last five years. The voice that haunts every nightmare and forces him to be nothing but a puppet for other’s gain.

Despite the automatic hitch in his breath and rapidly beating heart, Taehyung feigns indifference as he completes his task. He won’t allow them to feed off of his fear as well as their victims’, at least not tonight.

He pulls Junseo in front of him and shoves him hard between the shoulder blades in the direction of the darkness, watching as he stumbles and falls right before reaching it. The man tries and fails to recover from the fall, placing his feet under him just to slip and land back on his hands and knees on the wet concrete.

A pale hand reaches from the shadows and grasps Junseo by the collar of his shirt, quickly tugging him into the lightless void where Taehyung is unable to see him. A familiar figure partially emerges, silent in his movements, eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

“You’re done for tonight.” is all the person speaks before turning around. Taehyung does not wish to stay for what happens next, knowing all too well the pain the man will be subjected to.

He turns on his heels and walks to the opening of the alley, turning left and starting into a jog once he reaches the sidewalk and knows he is outside the range of prying eyes. He continues to jog until he is out of breath in front of an old, abandoned apartment building, one that has been ‘closed’ since before he came to this city, covered in moss and a dark sticky substance that Taehyung and the others have been unable to identify. A single source of light on the second floor is visible from the outside, likely from a flame due to the flickering – and lack of electricity in the building, of course. Despite the appearance that gives off the impression of ‘possible murder scene’, something about it is distinctly theirs.

Taehyung places his hand on the door and pushes his way in, stepping into the entryway. He takes a deep breath and releases the door, allowing it to shut behind him with a loud high-pitched groan, shrouding him in darkness.

Home, sweet home.

Chapter Text

Taehyung groans as his alarm goes off, rolling over to his left and reaching his hand out to blindly hit at the offending agent somewhere on the floor. His hands make contact with the floor, then the edge of the sheets, and back again. He hears movement on his other side and soon feels a hand whacking him on the shoulder.

“V” His roommate whines, changing to roughly tapping his head, “shut that thing off.”

“’m trying” he slurs, attempting and failing to find the snooze button on the device blaring the most annoying BEEP BEEP BEEP. The lack of light coming in through the window does not help. Finally, after some struggling and half-assed complaints, he manages to hit the button on top of the machine, effectively cutting off the awful noise.

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he reads the time displayed in red block front. 5:30 AM. Taehyung didn’t make it home until late last night (or early morning to be specific) and after cleaning himself up and changing, his head finally hit the pillow around 1:30 AM.

Four hours is enough, right?

“We need to get up, Z” He tries turning over and shaking the sleeping girl next to him. She mumbles under her breath, something about it being too cold.

Taehyung can’t help but agree. The temperatures are starting to drop, making the nights that much harder. Unless, of course, you were lucky enough to have warm bodies to snuggle up with. Not everyone in their group got the luxury of sharing rooms and in a place like this, without a source of heat or enough clothing or blankets, it can be the difference between health or sickness, life or death. More than a few have gotten sick due to the cold and due to the lack of access to medicine along with their malnourished bodies, most don’t recover quickly. Even if you were going to survive the illness, which was likely with how young most of them were, there was a bigger risk of being disposed of if you were unable to keep them fed.

There were about 12 total humans staying in the abandoned apartment though that number was constantly fluctuating with disappearances (read: deaths, because no one has actually escaped this place) and new additions. No one asked to be here. Most, if not all, were bought or kidnapped.

Taehyung himself was a means to pay off a debt.

From what he could remember, his childhood was that of dreams (or cheesy family movies). He was an only child with a mom and dad who absolutely adored him – he was considered a ‘miracle baby’ by his family. Apparently, Taehyung’s mom had a hard time conceiving and almost gave up. After he was born, they were unable to have another, and his parents ultimately quit trying, content with having one child, and spoiled him accordingly. Many memories of his parents revolve around park visits in the summer and drinking hot cocoa wrapped in blankets by the fire in the winter. 

One of his favorite memories was when he was six and he was obsessed with the idea of outer space, constantly asking his parents if they got him something cool, like a rocket ship toy or a planet-shaped pillow, for his birthday. His dad had read him a story about a little boy who dreamed so big he touched the moon, and it quickly became Taehyung’s favorite book. Little five-year-old Taehyung could not fathom how a kid such as himself was able to fly let alone get to the moon. He remembers sleeping in his parents’ bed that night, reading the same story with his parents using a flashlight under the covers.

Imagine his surprise when little Taehyung woke up to a dark blue and black room with colorful planets painted on the walls, no doubt done by his mother. Glow-in-the-dark stars littered the ceiling and small spaceships hung down on thin threads, slowly spinning in the air. His bedspread was no longer white with red firetrucks but was now covered in galaxies with bright orange and red rocket ships. He cried, hugged his parents, and cried some more. The looks of fondness on both of their faces were forever engraved into his mind.

“Someday, you will touch the sky, little moon.” His mother would say while cradling his face.

Those words remained on repeat as Taehyung watched his mother unable to breathe on her own in a hospital bed. A drunk driver, they had told him, who died on impact like his father. Although her breathing and heart were supported on machines, her mind had not survived the wreck and she was ultimately pronounced dead "by lack of brain activity” within a few days.

He moved in with his uncle only days after she was taken off life support. Taehyung had only met his uncle a few times in his 12 years, never speaking but a few words to him. His uncle was a quiet man, mostly keeping to himself and staying in his bedroom or study during the day. The only thing that his uncle consistently voiced were the rules of the house. The most important being that Taehyung was to go to his room at 6:00 PM, right after dinner, and not come out until morning.

Taehyung suffered the first few months of living with his uncle. He was a child that needed comfort and stability, frequently crying and angry but having no one to express these feelings to.

After the third month, in an attempt to go against his uncle in anger, he decided to go to the kitchen three hours past curfew. Every day after that night, he wished that he had never left his room. He wished that he could go back to the way things were between him and his uncle before he decided to ‘rebel’.

Because what he found was his uncle, sitting on the couch surrounded by empty beer cans, drinking straight out of a whisky bottle, extremely drunk and extremely angry.

Things changed that night. His uncle no longer avoided him but instead actively sought him out to give him chores and tasks. Sometimes he came to Taehyung just to send him unwanted words, frequently telling him that he was the reason for his parents’ death. He was the reason they were driving that day. He was the one that the new art set in the backseat was for, the one that his parents traveled across town to buy.

The harsh words turned into yelling, which then turned into throwing objects, or breaking things just to watch the boy pick up the pieces.

He shouldn’t have been surprised when his uncle became physical, not hesitating to ‘discipline’ him when he so much as missed a spot on the counter after cleaning.

Taehyung doesn’t remember much of these few years, effectively blocking them from his mind. He believes he had just learned to live like that, keeping his head down and quietly taking the hits just to help ensure that his uncle would not become more furious. That, of course, did not stop his uncle from giving him a few lasting scars, a thin one on his palm – likely from being made to quickly pick up broken glass – and a long one on his stomach (he long forgot how he obtained it).

One morning, when he was 16, two days after his parents’ death and three days before his birthday, his uncle brought others into their house. Taehyung could barely make out their conversation as two men walked into the kitchen where the boy was washing dishes, his uncle following close behind.

“That him?” the taller one asked, looking Taehyung up and down appraisingly. It was easy to see that both these men were vampires, both sporting red irises, one’s brighter than the others'. Taehyung had only met a few supernatural beings in his life since he mostly lived in a rural area of Daegu. He remembers a local charm shop owned by two witches and he thinks one of his neighbors was fae of some kind due to how unnaturally beautiful and ethereal the entire family was.

His uncle gave a quick nod of his head, swaying lightly on his feet, likely still intoxicated from the night prior.

The taller one stepped forward and roughly grabbed the boy’s arm, dragging him towards the door. Scared and confused, he stupidly fought against the two unknown men, which only ended with him kneeling on the ground with a sluggishly bleeding lip. Taehyung looked up at his uncle, eyes shining and full of question.

This was the first time he had seen his uncle in this light. The man was thin and scraggly, wearing worn and baggy clothes, looking almost small standing in the corner. He looked scared as he glanced at Taehyung and opened his mouth to reply.

“You belong to them now."

That’s how he ended up in Seoul, miles away from anything he had ever known, forced to find food or be food. He found out after leaving Daegu that his uncle owed a coven a lot of money from gambling and instead of paying it off with money – like a seemingly sane person would – he paid it off using his only nephew.

The leader of the coven, Choi Dongha, has apparently been running this so-called “operation” for decades. There are a lot of theories and speculations regarding who he is. The most common being that he is the son of an ancient vampire who, with his parents’ money and family reputation, can do whatever he pleases. Another theory states that he was enslaved by humans centuries ago and decided to take revenge once he was granted the strength and immortality of vampirism.

Regardless of his origins, Dongha is the perfect example of a stuck-up scumbag who thinks he is at the top of the food chain, forcing humans to lure his victims at night.

After being forced into the covens’ group of humans, Taehyung tried to name them in attempt to give himself and the others some form of identity. He didn’t want it to be something cheesy, like the survivors, or something particularly morbid, like the bloodbags. In the end, the name was somewhat simple but meaningful. As each person was given an English letter designation by the coven upon their arrival – the vampires not caring about using their birth names and instead treating them like cattle – it made the most sense to deem them The Humans of Letters, or more simply, The Letters.

His designation was V, with the letters before already being taken previously by other members. There were 8 at the time of his arrival, meaning that all other letters not currently taken by the group of humans had likely perished. And that does not account for how many times the coven had made its way through the alphabet.

Soon after naming the group, Taehyung named the humans who went out at night. With Lurers not being easy to pronounce – and not sounding like an actual word, Taehyung thinks – he deemed the humans who found the vampires food, Tempters.

When Taehyung first joined Letters, he was too young to be a Tempter – because apparently, the coven has enough of a conscious to not send a child out to clubs to entice people into alleyways, despite the incredibly questionable business they run – so was tasked with keeping the building clean, washing clothes, delivering packages, and making sure their stock of humans didn’t die.

Many nights were spent holding dirty cloths and scraps of clothing against people’s necks to stop the bite from bleeding further. Because while Dongha didn’t normally want to feed from his own personal group of humans, he and the other members of his clan wouldn’t hesitate if the designated human failed to bring an acceptable meal. Some nights, even if the Tempter brought someone to feed from, the coven still sank their fangs into them as well.

The humans that the coven head chose to go out at night were seemingly random and often ended up with the same person going to bars and clubs night-after-night, quickly exhausting them. Since Taehyung had been trained to be a Tempter at 18, he made an agreement with the rest of the Letters that they would share the burden equally, taking turns going out.

Dongha was downright furious the first night that Taehyung had taken Q’s place, and while it may have earned him a bite or two that night, it had ultimately set up the Letters for a more organized and equal future. Now, two of the Letters go out at night and then rotate with another two members the next night, making it so members only needed to Tempt every six nights, with some exceptions. Occasionally, Dongha and his lackies will have “friends” over from other covens, creating a higher demand for food. Less frequently, the entire coven just up and vanishes, not to be heard from for days, sometimes even weeks at a time.

For those who have been under Dongha for a longer time, there are certain freedoms granted, such as being able to leave during the day without an escort. Only Taehyung and two others have those privileges; L, the only one who has been here longer than Taehyung and ultimately a veteran in her craft, and Z, who has also been here since she was 17, just over three years ago.

Also, the one who is going to make him late for his morning shift if she doesn’t stop using her arms to be a literal octopus.

With a loud groan – and a ton of effort extracting himself from a certain death grip – Taehyung sits up and throws the blanket off them both, earning himself a death glare. Taehyung matches the glare before quickly getting up and starting his day.

While brushing his teeth and washing his face – as they have running water but no way to heat the water – he hears the tall tale signs that his roommate has also extracted herself off the makeshift bed on the floor.

Leaving the bathroom, he sees that Z has gotten herself dressed, sporting a black high-neck shirt underneath her uniform (to hide still-healing bite marks) and black jeans, currently tying up her unruly hair using the mirror in the corner. She then proceeds to put on a touch of mascara, the same she uses when Tempting.

The mirror was a recent addition to the otherwise plain room, bought using a small part of Taehyung’s last paycheck. It lays against the wall in the corner opposite the apartment door. To the right, is their “bed”, which is otherwise two sleeping bags unzipped and laid out with two threadbare blankets folded at the bottom in a neat stack. Under the window, to the right of the mirror, is a couple of small stacks of clothing. Otherwise, the room is empty, surrounded by peeling blue and white striped wallpaper. Taehyung assumes the floors used to be beautiful hardwood but now show years of water damage and decay, making a very uneven and slightly squishy base for their room.

While Z disappears into the bathroom, Taehyung nears his stack of clothes, pulling out a worn pair of jeans, gray undershirt and matching black uniform. Since he is working in the back today, likely helping cook during the morning rush and wash dishes, he doesn’t need to wear his nicer clothes.

They throw on their jackets and shoes, grab their burner phones, and head out the door after checking in on the other Letters.

They work at the same restaurant, hence the matching uniforms, that is only a few blocks away from where they live, close to the nicer part of the city. Within 20 minutes, they are standing in front of the café. Large floor-to-ceiling windows cover the entire street side, allowing ample natural light to filter in. A local artist was commissioned some years ago to paint parts of the windows, artful purple and white swirls decorate the bottoms near the sidewalk with many random additions of shimmering dots, looking like pearls in the sunlight. In the middle resides the café’s name written in large, neat letters – Singularity.

They both enter through the glass doors and start to prepare for their shift. Z puts on a black, cloth facemask and slings an apron around her waist, filling the large pockets with notebooks and pens. Taehyung slips into the kitchen and puts on the thick off-white apron, holding off on the hairnet and mask until he is asked to prepare or handle food.

“Good morning, V-ah. How are you two this morning?” Taehyung turns to find the owner of the café and his boss preparing a batch of scones. Her long, black hair is thrown up and clipped, looking two turns from escaping and cascading down her back, though somehow stays in place despite the owner’s constant movements. She turns towards the boy and gives him a grin. Despite her being around 25 years older than him, Jiyeon appears much younger. Her skin is still smooth except for the small smile lines, her eyes bright and shining, always strutting around as if she is continuously fed energy as she works, never seeming to get fatigued.

She reminds him a lot of his mother, beautiful inside and out, kind but firm when needed. She somehow always finds the ones that need help and quickly gets them back on their feet. It’s a running joke among the employees that Kim Jiyeon likes taking in strays. Taehyung wholeheartedly agrees with that statement, being one of the many strays that she has taken in.

Over three years ago, only a few months after Taehyung was granted freedom of day walking without an escort, he became lost. He had a terrible night, unable to bring an adequate meal to the coven and was punished accordingly. He slept away the morning and then slipped out the door without telling L, wanting some air and time to think.

It only took Taehyung an hour to get lost, realizing too late that this city was still extremely unfamiliar to him. He kept walking, seemingly going in circles until the skies opened up and the rain came down, quickly soaking him to the bone.

It had only taken five minutes of Taehyung crouched and crying before Jiyeon found him, offering him a dry place and hot cocoa before even knowing his name. Seeing nothing but kindness in the woman’s eyes, he accepted and walked to the same café he is in now.

They spoke for hours that day, about nothing and everything at the same time. She never asked about his situation or home life, content with knowing trivial facts like his favorite color or hobbies. By the end of the day, she had made a place in his heart.

He found himself returning to the café, sometimes speaking with the other employees but mostly sitting on a stool in the kitchen while Jiyeon worked, happy to just be in her warming presence, munching on croissants and cookies. Jiyeon had taken one look at his ripped attire and promptly began to buy him pieces of clothing. At first, it was a fuzzy pair of socks – ‘it’s getting colder, V-ah’ she had said. Sweatshirts and a large jacket were given to him next. She waved off Taehyung’s concerns, telling him that, ‘it’s been in my closet, and I don’t wear it, someone needs to’. Taehyung had refused the next gifts, telling her that he feels as if he is taking advantage of her.

Her solution was to offer him a place to work.

He quickly agreed, waiting to help her, and wanting to be able to pay for food and clothing – it helped that the job gave him more of an excuse to drop by and see her.

Some time later, when Z had finally been given daytime freedom, and Jiyeon stated she needed more help around the café, Taehyung introduced them. Jiyeon had quickly fallen in love with the shy, stuttering girl and adopted her into the makeshift family, offering her a job not too long after.

Hearing Jiyeon’s calm, soothing voice instantly puts him at ease. He finds himself flashing a genuine smile in her direction as she skillfully balances two trays on her left arm. “We are good, noona. How is your son? Last time we spoke, he was sick.” Taehyung answers, immediately thinking of the younger boy. His last shift was three days ago, and Jiyeon had mentioned that her son was completely bedridden with a bad case of the flu.

“Gyeomie is doing much better! Honestly, he was so coddled by the coven that I think he forgot he was even sick.” Jiyeon laughed, spreading butter over the croissants. Taehyung hummed in response, moving to help her finish the baked goods before the morning rush.

Yugyeom was Jiyeon’s only son, who had just recently turned 20 and is currently very close to another coven. He had heard the story from Jiyeon and then from Yugyeom himself about how he tripped down the stairs of one of the outdoor steps to the main university building, only to find himself enveloped in warm arms and a spicy vanilla scent - his favorite. He may have twisted his ankle that day, but he gained the adoration of a coven. The boy seems completely smitten with all the members if his rosy cheeks and rambling are anything to go off.

Seeing her only son falling in love has made Jiyeon incredibly happy and she fully supports the budding relationship between Yugyeom and the coven.

Although they frequently visit this café, Taehyung has yet to meet any of the coven members. Both him and Z try their best to stay away from all the café’s red-eyed guests. When Yugyeom is working, he normally is the one to fling himself towards the coven’s table, loving the attention while he gathers their food and drinks – because some vampires still partake in the act of eating human food, although too much of it can cause them to feel nauseous and sluggish throughout the day – and allows Taehyung to serve the other customers.

They both could theoretically find a different job – one that doesn’t have special booths near tinted windows with the option of curtains to block out more of the sun specifically for their more sun-intolerant visitors – but there is no way he could leave Jiyeon after everything she has done for him.

There is also a chance that Yugyeom’s soon-to-be-coven is not one of the bad ones, he has heard only great things about the coven leader, Im Jaebum, though Taehyung knows that inherently good covens don’t exist. The best he could do is deem them relatively-decent-yet-still-entirely-fucked-up-and-untrustworthy. He tried voicing this to Jiyeon when he found out about the younger boy’s potential suitors and was quickly shot down.

“Just because they are different than us, V-ah, doesn’t mean they are bad. My boy has never once come home hurt, and the coven worships the ground he walks on. He wants to be with them. If Yugyeom is happy, then you should be happy for him.”

Taehyung has not brought it up since, but he still doesn’t voice agreements when either Jiyeon or Yugyeom sing the coven’s praise, only gives them a tight-lipped smile or hum in return.

In the back of his mind, he gives some credit to the Im coven for at least appearing to care about the young boy. He has accidentally eavesdropped on multiple conversations of Yugyeom offering himself as a meal for any of the members, only to have the coven give reassurances that it is not needed.

“Hyung, please I want to.”

“We know Gyeomie. Hyungs are so happy that you would offer that part of you to us, but we don’t need to rush anything, baby. We have plenty of time.”

Taehyung is startled by a pan clattering onto the metal kitchen counters. He snaps out of his daydream and continues to help Jiyeon finish the remaining morning treats, filling the strawberry cream cheese danishes and pre-plating the coffee cakes.

A steady stream of order slips come to the kitchen and food is moving fluidly from kitchen to table. The day continues with Taehyung assisting with food preparation and washing dishes. He ends his shift with taking inventory and moving items from the freezer to the fridge for tomorrow. After being relieved by the evening shift, him and Z walk home in relative silence.

“I have a hunt tonight.” Z mentions quietly, afraid to break the calm atmosphere.

Taehyung lets out a small sigh.

While Tempters lure in humans, Hunters are a means for the coven to get rid of other vampires. Only two of the Letters go on these so-called hunts due to the extreme training needed to perform the tasks, Z and L. Z started her training only a few months after she joined, frequently spending hours every day with one of the coven members learning to fight, to kill, only to return home dead on her feet, obvious bruises and cuts littering her body. She eventually went on her first hunt at 18, successfully killing one of the lead competitors for the coven’s resources.

Some hunts, she goes with one of the coven members, pretending to be just a pretty thing hanging from their arm – sometimes she acts as a “gift” to the rival covens or solo vampire only to stab them in the back when they are distracted. Other hunts, she goes alone.

Either way, the coven treats them like some sort of object, a weapon disguised as an angel.

“I’m sorry.”, he says because Taehyung fucking hates it, hates the idea of people he cares about constantly being put in danger. But with no way to stop it - unless he takes out the entire coven, something he definitely does not have the skill nor resources to do - he is forced to be okay with merely wishing them to return home safely. “When do you plan to be back?”

“Should be back by morning.”, Z mutters, her eyes focused off in the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

“Good luck.” Taehyung knocks his shoulder with hers, flashing her a small smile. “I’ll keep the bed warm, okay?”

That gets a small upturn of her lips, her eyes moving to him, more focused than moments ago.

“With how you starfish in the night, I doubt I will have space to even begin to enjoy the warmth.”, Z says, smiling wider. "Maybe I will have D come into your room and place his freezing popsicle feet on your back, he has been dying to get you back for stealing his dumplings. Or maybe I will blast that awful new pop song you love so much to secure my rightful spot on the bed.”

Taehyung laughs while Z giggles. Hopefully, tonight goes well.

Chapter Text

The following day, Taehyung sleeps in.

His shift doesn’t start until 2 PM, ending sometime near midnight. Since there isn’t enough staff, the café has taken to having alternating morning and night hours, with a few days in a row having the hours 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM and the few days after that 2 PM to midnight. The switch to more night hours was within the last year and Taehyung has a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with Yugyeom begging his mom to make the café more welcoming for the Im coven.

With the time getting close to noon, he wakes up to an empty room. Z is nowhere to be seen and the apartment is suspiciously quiet. Worry floods his body, though he manages to somewhat keep calm. If he almost runs into the doorframe and trips over the nonexistent dip in the floor in his haste to leave his room, then no one has to know.

He quickly reaches L’s room, knowing that she has the most information on anyone in the group at any time. As he moves his hand to knock, the door opens, revealing L. The shorter woman has on a fitted black shirt tucked into green cargo pants and her long black hair is neatly tied in a bun. The top of her head only reaches Taehyung’s chin, but her presence is much larger.

Taehyung has always admired the older woman’s ability to command attention, regardless of the circumstances. She keeps her head held high and moves with purpose, constantly exuding confidence. Although her appearance and attitude resemble that of a powerful leader, all Taehyung feels is home when she gives him a small knowing smile.

“She’s okay. Just got a little banged up last night and decided to crash here.” L moves to the side, showing a person-shaped lump under the blankets on the bed. Taehyung releases a sigh, nodding slowly to L, feeling the tension in his chest lessen. L is brutally honest at the best of times, and if Z was badly hurt, she wouldn’t have hesitated in telling him.

“You’re lucky she was too tired when she got back.” L is looking down at her nails, hiding a smile. “Her and D had some pretty…interesting plans for waking you up this morning.”

Taehyung believes it. D is the youngest and definitely the most innocent of them all, thriving in social situations and absolutely loving to prank the older Letters. He has changed Taehyung’s alarm clock more than once, making him wake up 3 hours too early, or having it go off at random times during the day, making him jolt enough to spill whatever he was holding at the time. The boy was always close by, never missing out on the chance to laugh at his hyung’s pain.

“Noona.” Taehyung hears a groan to his left, causing him to turn. He sees a young boy with wavy light brown hair, part of it hanging down into his eyes. The boy’s shoulders are slumped, lips pushed out into a pout. “You aren’t supposed to tell him.”

D’s brown eyes turn towards him. Taehyung can tell that the boy is trying to act extra cute to get out of whatever trouble he was trying to cause. “Hyung,” D says sweetly, “it wasn’t that bad, I promise. I mostly was just trying to cheer Z up is all, you know ‘cuz she wasn’t feeling well.”

D eyes get that much bigger, effectively upping his ‘puppy dog face’. Taehyung must be an absolute sucker for the younger boy because he says, “Of course, D, I’m sure you were just being a good dongsaeng.”

Taehyung rolls his eyes fondly and ruffles the boy’s hair before heading back to his room to get ready for work, knowing that the boy has quit his pouting and is now likely flashing L a cheesy smile behind his back.

------------------------------------------

“Three cinnamon rolls, Table 4.”

Taehyung is seven hours into his ten-hour shift. One of their waiters called in an hour before their shift started, leaving only Jiyeon, Taehyung, and Yugyeom to run the café for the entirety of the evening shift.

And this evening had been busy.

Even without the big testosterone-infused gym rat making unwanted advances towards some of the other customers or that teenager that snuck two rabbits into the café for the third time this week – seriously, she must be some kind of witch because he swears she didn’t have two lumps hidden in the pockets of her sweatshirt when she first entered – Taehyung noticed a much larger amount of customers than usual for a Tuesday evening.

Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. He is thrilled that Jiyeon is running a very successful business. Jiyeon had told him the story of how she had worked two different full-time jobs as a young adult to have enough money to open the café with her husband, Yugyeom’s future father, and has frequently expressed so much pride in their shared creation. She later mentioned to him one late, and frankly emotional, night that she had almost lost the company after her husband was involved in a tragic accident and passed away, leaving her with a new business and small child.

Luckily, one of her closest friends was able to either run the café or watch baby Yugyeom so she could grieve properly. Jiyeon then learned to take her situation in strides and was frequently found preparing food and serving customers with her son strapped to her in some way.

So, no. Taehyung is not upset at the amount of people who have made their way through the café this evening; it was just unfortunate that they were busier than normal with one server out.

“I think Gyeom’s having a bit of trouble keeping up with the tables, V-ah. Could you go out and see if he needs any help?”

Taehyung glances up from where he is frosting the cinnamon rolls. Jiyeon appears to be keeping up with the orders with ease, skillfully finishing dishes while simultaneously cooking four more. He nods before changing to the black cloth facemask and leaving the kitchen, quickly finding a visibly frazzled Yugyeom near the cash register, counting change for three different checks.

“Where do you need me?” Taehyung asks as he walks up to the younger boy. Yugyeom’s head snaps up, eyes widening and body tense. After realizing who the owner of the voice was, the boy visibly relaxed, shoulders slumping and lungs releasing a breath.

“Hyung.” Yugyeom says with a hint of a whine. “I don’t understand why it is so busy. It’s never been like this and there was this group of 14 – like who takes that big of a group to a café, we aren’t a restaurant – and they kept sending stuff back to the kitchen, including that super good brownie batch mom made. Those have never been sent back before so I don’t know if they were purposely trying to be mean or what and there was this guy…hyung, he was being so mean and then told me I needed to get dinner with him and I…I know that he was a werewolf – the guy practically radiated alpha – so I know that he smelt the coven on me and I…I just wish the coven would come in on days like this so they could kick his stupid wolf butt…”

“Gyeom-ah.” Taehyung interrupted, cutting off Yugyeom’s rambling. The boy had been working in the café since he could walk, serving on the best and worst of days, so there are not many things that are too much for him to handle. Taehyung would say that the boy is still handling it quite well today, but Taehyung knows that Yugyeom only rambles when he is properly overwhelmed and struggling to cope.

The younger boy’s eyes snapped to his. Yugyeom opened his mouth, likely to apologize for rambling, but Taehyung wasn’t having it.

“You’re okay. Why don’t you tell me which tables those checks belong to and I will take over. You can take a break in the back for a bit.”

“No, I…I’m okay.” Yugyeom’s expression is pained, like he hates the idea of leaving his tables to take a break. “I will deliver these checks, but there are three tables I haven’t even gotten to yet. Could you take them?”

The boy appears to have needed a break – and maybe some cuddling – over an hour ago. Taehyung is about to voice this, but Yugyeom speaks before he can begin.

“I promise I will think of a break once it slows down here soon, hyung.” Just like Taehyung is an absolute pushover with D, he easily relents to the younger boy’s wide, pleading eyes. He nods to Yugyeom and quickly exchanges his kitchen apron for the black wide-pocket waiter’s apron. He gets a wide, although tired, smile in return.

“You get another 30 minutes before I drag you to the breakroom myself, regardless of the amount of people.” Taehyung grumbles. The younger boy giggles and leaves to deliver the checks and check in on his remaining tables.

Taehyung has delivered the drinks and placed the orders for two of the tables before he pauses on the third. Of course, one of the tables just so happens to be inside of the curtain-enclosed area, making Taehyung rethink his offer to cover the stray tables. He could go to Yugyeom and make some half-assed excuse about why they should switch the last table, but remembering the younger boy’s exhausted expression, he decides against it.

In and out. He doesn’t need to be speaking with any blood-drinking individuals for long.

Taehyung steels himself before knocking on the exposed wood near the curtains to announce his entrance. He steps through the split in the waterfall of curtains before reciting his introduction, keeping his gaze towards the pad and pen in his hand.

“Hello, I apologize for the wait. Welcome to Singularity. I’m V and I will be serving you. Can I get you guys started on any drinks this evening?”

“Oh, the wait is no problem, we would like to start with…” the voice is light and airy, seemingly genuine, coming from the person sitting in the middle of two others. There is a long pause before he hears a large breath being taken, “oh…”.

That gathers his attention. He looks up to the person speaking and finds a beautiful man with bright blond hair tucked snuggly under the arm of one of the others. He is staring right back at Taehyung with dark brown eyes, plump lips open in surprise.

The man to the left with their arm over the blond clears his throat and gives Taehyung a brilliant smile. The man’s dark brown hair is neatly tussled, short enough that it doesn’t hang down into his eyes. Although Taehyung expects vampires to be unnaturally pale, he finds this man has a healthy sun-kissed complexion, like he spends his days soaking up the sun’s rays every chance he gets. He squeezes the blonde's opposite shoulder, effectively snapping the gaping man out of his daze.

“I apologize on behalf of my mate.” The man’s tone is soft, dark brown eyes seemingly apologetic, as he addresses Taehyung though his voice becomes chastising as he speaks to the blonde, “apparently, he likes to forget basic manners.”

The blonde gives an apologetic smile, though appears anything but embarrassed for his blatant staring.

“Sorry, you are absolutely gorgeous, and you smell so good, totally caught me off guard.” The blonde giggles.

Taehyung visibly flinched at the blonde’s words, subconsciously taking a step back towards the opening of the curtains. Most vampires wouldn’t be stupid enough to try something in broad daylight with witnesses, but from Taehyung’s experience, it is still very possible. He feels the weight of the hidden blade near his waist, ready to be used if needed.

Twin groans come from the men sitting on either side of the small blonde.

“Hyung, you can’t just say things like that.” The man on the right is speaking now, hands scrubbing at his face as if he is trying to rub off the embarrassment. “You sound like you are going to try to bite him or something. You have a mate sitting next to you and one at home, so stop flirting with random humans.”

The blonde glares at the man who spoke, pushing his lips out in a small pout.

“Kookie-ah, I was complimenting not threatening him, and also there is nothing wrong with admiring literal art.” The blonde raises both of his hands and gestures towards Taehyung’s body as if to prove his point. The man to the left rolls his eyes fondly before addressing Taehyung again.

“Again, I am so sorry for him. We know you have a coven; we can smell it on you. We wouldn’t try to harm you regardless. We are from the Bangtan coven. I’m Jung Hoseok. Across from me is our youngest, Jeon Jungkook, and this is –“.

“Park Jimin!” the blonde shouts, enthusiastically offering his hand to Taehyung. “I think we will be good friends.” His eyes are crescents now, squished by his cheeks with the width of his smile.

Taehyung doesn’t understand why they are introducing themselves. He has also never heard of this ‘Bangtan coven’ so assumes they aren’t well-known. Although, Taehyung is quite naïve when it comes to the vampire community, so he wouldn’t know them regardless.

The blonde, Jimin, appears to be genuinely excited to meet him, but Taehyung doesn’t understand his fascination with a waiter he has known for half a second. Perhaps, he is like this with everyone he meets, ready to exchange names and phone numbers at first glance.

How exhausting.

Taehyung clears his throat, ignoring the outstretched hand. “Your order?”

Jimin visibly deflates, his smile dropping along with his hand. Taehyung doesn’t have the energy to feel bad. He doesn’t know this person, doesn’t owe him anything. It was his mate, Hoseok, who answers for him.

“Yes, of course. I will have a small strawberry shortcake. These two will have a large chocolate chip cookie and a slice of carrot cake.”

Taehyung nods and takes their menus, keeping his head down to avoid making eye contact. He slips out of the curtains and makes his way towards the kitchen to turn in their orders. He quickly checks on his two other tables and searches the café for the younger waiter, planning on sending him on a break. With no obvious signs of Yugyeom in the front, Taehyung makes his way to the kitchen, eyes widening when he sees Z helping Jiyeon with the Bangtan coven’s order. Her attire, including her signature high-necked long sleeve shirt and facemask along with a hat, is covering any bruises or cuts that may have been hiding beneath. She glances up at the movement, allowing Taehyung to see a dark patch of skin under her right eye, mostly covered with makeup.

Z can likely see the worry radiating off him and offers him a smile, eyes scrunching and cheeks lifting underneath the mask. She is notorious for pushing herself too far, not allowing her body to heal before moving onto the next task, though she has gotten much better in the last few months. Taehyung knows that L wouldn’t have let her leave the apartment if she didn’t feel that Z was ready. Z must sense his hesitation because she gives him one small, but firm, nod. I’m okay, it says. Jiyeon looks up to see why her helper has stopped, seeing Taehyung standing near the kitchen entrance.

“Oh V-ah, I hope you are doing okay out there. Z came in to help for the last couple hours, so Yugyeom went on break and called the coven.” Jiyeon flashes him a smile. “They were a bit upset that Yugyeom had a bad experience with one of the customers and asked me if they could pick my son up early from work. I wanted to talk with you, of course, before making any decisions.”

Jiyeon starts preparing another order, turning away from the other two to throw ingredients into a pan. He knows this is her way of giving him a little space to think, not wanting to force him to decide on the spot. Taehyung only takes a few seconds to decide if sending Yugyeom home is a good idea.

“He should go home, noona. It’s slowing down and I can handle the rest.” Jiyeon turns to his voice and gives a brighter smile, finishing the food prep before taking off her apron.

“I will go talk to him about heading out then.” She ruffles Taehyung’s hair as she passes, heading towards the breakroom towards the back of the café. He hears the clanking of scraping of pans start back up again, turning again to see that Z has taken over the food preparation in Jiyeon’s absence, stirring what appears to be the vegetable fillings of an omelet.

“Table seven’s order is ready.” She says, moving to the grill to start on an order of pancakes. He gives her an affirmative hum before heading back out to other side of the food window and picking up the coven’s order.

When he knocks and pushes through the curtains surrounding the table, he only finds one person on the other side. The man appears distracted, clicking quickly on his phone’s keyboard, giving Taehyung more time to observe the man.

How are all three of these men so ethereal.  

The man – Jungkook, if he remembers – has slightly longer dark brown hair that is messily falling around his head, looking almost artful in the way it frames his face along with his sharp jawline. He is wearing a fitted black t-shirt, not leaving much to the imagination with how Taehyung is easily able to see the muscle moving underneath. His left arm is covered in tattoos, with some small ones located on his hand, leaving very little skin showing through.

The man abruptly stops typing, freezing before lifting his head to Taehyung. His dark eyes are big and so very expressive, immediately locking eyes with the waiter with slightly parted lips. The man looks young, barely in his 20s.

Taehyung realizes he has been staring for entirely too long.  

He clears his throat and sets down the strawberry dessert where the other brown-haired man was sitting. He pauses with the carrot cake and chocolate chip cookie. The one who ordered – Hoseok? – hadn’t specified who wanted which dessert. Jungkook must notice his hesitation.

“Oh, mine is the carrot cake.” Taehyung nods and sets the carrot cake down in front of him before setting the cookie in the seat where Jimin was.

“Anything else I can get for you?” Taehyung asked on reflex. He really should have said ‘enjoy’ and left, not leaving the man any time to ask for more.

“Actually, um…” the boy is acting shy, wringing his hands together and looking down at his lap, shifting slightly in his seat. Jungkook bites his bottom lip and looks back up to Taehyung. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Sorry? Taehyung can’t remember anything that the man in front of him should be sorry for. He didn’t have some complex order or ridiculous demands for service. He hasn’t broken any plates or knocked over any drinks for Taehyung to clean up. He even apologized on behalf of his covenmate when he made Taehyung uncomfortable. Taehyung thinks back to any vampires he has met since moving to Seoul and he knows for a fact he has never met Jungkook or the others before today. So, why is he apologizing?

“My hyung can be a bit much at the best of times and has zero filter. It’s gotten us into trouble more than a few times and I…I know Hobi-hyung apologized to you already, but you didn’t seem like you believed it, so I just wanted to apologize again…I guess.” His rambling reminds him of Yugyeom when overwhelmed, or D when he tries talking himself out of trouble. He may even feel a tad bit of fondness for the man’s obvious nervousness. Jungkook’s large doe eyes are turned on him, waiting for a response.

“It’s okay.” Taehyung tells the man because it is okay. He doesn’t plan on seeing any of the three again, even if they come into the café so it ultimately does not matter if the first impression wasn’t the best. Jungkook does not seem convinced of his answer and his face falls slightly, dropping his gaze down to his cake, still wringing his hands in his lap. Taehyung feels himself taking in a breath, mouth opening to say…

“So, you’re the youngest?”

What the fuck, Taehyung?

He could facepalm.

Is he making small talk?

Other than his recurrent customer service lines, he hasn’t spoken to someone except Jiyeon, Yugyeom, and the Letters in years and now he is trying to make conversation with a man he just met ten minutes ago because he looked sad.

Jungkook seems to be just as surprised as he is at his question, eyes widening as he snaps his head up, hands immediately stopping their incessant movement.

“Yeah.” Jungkook says slowly, almost afraid that talking will scare the waiter off. “I was turned when I was 23 and that was a little while ago.” Taehyung finds himself nodding, unsure what to say to respond.

“How old are you, if it’s okay to ask.” He should have expected this follow-up question though he has no idea how, or if, he should answer. Dongha made it clear when he first joined that he should never give out any personal information, real name included. He has let customers guess, even Jiyeon and Yugyeom tried their best to figure it out, but he has never confirmed or denied any stated age. Honestly, he feels as if age is the least dangerous piece of information he could give out.

“22.” Taehyung murmurs. Jungkook gives him a grin, showing a straight set of teeth with two larger ones in the front, somehow adding to the man’s…cuteness? No, this is ridiculous. Taehyung can admire beauty when he sees it, but he will not start wondering how cute or attractive this man is.

Nope.

“How long have you been a part of a coven?” Jungkook’s question is innocent though Taehyung feels himself stiffening immediately. Jungkook must notice because he starts backtracking, waving his hands placatingly in front of him. “Not that you have to answer. That’s kind of a personal question and I am not trying to make you uncomfortable. I, um…I have been a part of my coven even before I was turned so I’ve been with them for around 100 years.”

Taehyung would have never been able to accurately guess his age with vampirism effectively freezing the person in time. But still, Taehyung is quite surprised. The man before him seems so genuine, so innocent, as if vampirism hasn’t changed his humanity, hasn’t made him into an apathetic killing machine. Before he can respond, Jungkook’s covenmates walk through the curtain and take their previous seats.

“You’re back and you brought the food!” Jimin exclaims, picking up the cookie and taking a large bite. He moans out loud, eyes closing as he slowly chews. After swallowing, he looks at Taehyung with eyes wide in excitement.

“V-ssi, this is amazing, seriously. Did you make this?” Jimin asks, already taking another bite. While Taehyung might have been alright with making conversation with Jungkook, the other two are unknown, and he feels himself quickly return to his customer service persona.

“No, sir. Today’s batch was made by the owner.” Once again, Jimin’s smile fades, though he does well to keep a slight upturn of his lips.

“Ah, I see. Well, please give her my thanks for making top-tier treats!” Taehyung nods, not really sure if he should make a better effort to be kind to this person.

“V-ssi, I was wondering if you could get a message back to your coven leader.” This time it was Hoseok who spoke, leisurely scooping a spoon of shortcake and strawberries. Ice cold dread filled Taehyung’s body and he feels his heart rate picking up. He has only been told to deliver a message a handful of times, and they all ended in bloodshed.

Why did they need a message delivered to the coven? Are they rivals that Taehyung didn’t know about?

Hoseok pauses, likely sensing Taehyung’s distress. He glanced up from his dessert, brown furrowing, searching Taehyung for something. He seems sad looking at the waiter in front of him.

“V-ssi, I didn’t mean…”

Someone walks into the concealed booth behind Taehyung. Before he can turn, he hears a familiar voice.

“Sorry to interrupt. V, you are needed in the kitchen.” Z says with kindness in front of the group of vampires. Taehyung sighs and nods his head, turning to follow Z back to the kitchen, glad to escape from this situation.

“Wait.” Hoseok gives a confused look to the two humans in front of him. “Of course, I don’t want to stop you from working but would we be able to continue this conversation when you have time this evening?”

“Actually, you can’t.” Z states before Taehyung has a chance to think about a reply, her tone no longer nice and understanding. She closes the curtains, hiding all possible prying eyes from the group in and around the booth. Z steps in front of Taehyung, fixing Hoseok with a steely glare. “I don’t appreciate my covenmates getting threatened and I am going to politely recommend you leave the café.”

The vampires’ eyes all widen, obviously not expecting another person, a human no doubt, to stand against all three of them. Taehyung expects anger and yelling from the seated coven, but what he doesn’t expect is for Hoseok to place his hand over his heart and bow his head.

“I am so sorry for the misunderstanding. It was never my intention to make either of you feel threatened. Please allow me a few minutes to explain.” Hoseok’s hand remains on his heart, but his gaze raises to meet Z’s. Taehyung glances at Jimin and Jungkook, finding their heads bowed, waiting for Z’s answer.

“You have two minutes.” Z murmurs, causing the corner of Hoseok’s lips to curve upward and the other two vampires to lift their heads.

“Thank you.” Hoseok says and begins to introduce himself and the other two vampires to Z. “We are part of the Bangtan coven. Our leader and his mate are part of one of the higher courts of vampires, the government of sorts for our kind. We recently had new laws passed to have better monitoring of covens within Seoul. We don’t want to control them by any means, but we believe keeping track of the numbers of supernaturals and humans within each coven would be beneficial. We think that meeting the covens in person will help those in the court to better know the vampires that they will be deciding laws for.”

Hoseok glances at his mate, who gives him a reassuring smile.

“So, as for the message I was referring to. I just wanted to let your coven know that we would love a meeting with them if possible. Our leader looks forward to any coven that he can meet, so he can better understand the problems that the supernatural community face.”

That is not what Taehyung was expecting. Taehyung just had to serve a coven who is equal in society as government officials in the human world. If Dongha hears anything about vampires so important even visiting the café let alone speaking to either him or Z, it will not end well for either of them. The best course of action would be to just lie to Bangtan and hope that they don’t come back to the café and ensure a meeting is eventually held.

“I see.” Z mumbles, clearly thinking about their next move. “Our coven is quite secretive, I’m afraid. They have been burned by the courts before so I can’t guarantee that our coven will agree, but we can pass on the message to our leader.”

The vampires slumped, tension leaving them at Z’s words and Hoseok’s smile widened.

“I understand. Thank you.” Hoseok now appears sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “I may have invited the rest of our coven after noticing that you were affiliated with a coven we haven’t met. Plus, I had heard so many good things about the desserts here that I really wanted them to try it. At the most, our leader will just want to introduce himself to you two. I’ll let him know to keep the questions to a minimum.”

Taehyung feels himself let out a breath he was holding, realizing that they may have put themselves in a rather shitty situation – meeting the coven leader who just so happens to be some bigshot in the vampire world – but, at the very least, Z bought them some time. He nods to Hoseok in understanding and grabs Z before she can reply, pulling her out of the curtains and away from the booth. He pulls her along through the remaining tables and customers until they reach the side exit, throwing open the door and stepping into the night air.

The door slams close behind them, leaving them in the dark alley way to the right of the café. The sun must have fallen a few hours ago, leaving only the moon to cast a soft glow over the area. They sit in relative silence, listening to the sounds of cars driving, breathing in the cold air…

Thinking about what they were going to do.

“Did I mess up?” Z whispers, afraid to break the silence. Taehyung looks at her beside him. She is staring unseeingly towards the building ahead of them, face only partially lit by moonlight, arms crossed over her chest.

They had two choices: tell Hoseok that they wouldn’t deliver the message and risk increasing suspicion tonight or lie and tell him that they would talk to their coven leader and risk suspicion later on when they inevitably do not get their desired meeting. Either way, they put the Letters at risk of Dongha’s retaliation for speaking with members of the vampire court. Though, the second option, the one Z stuck to, gives them both more time to figure out the safest future course of action.

“No.” Taehyung replies, just as quiet. “No, you said the best thing given the situation. Your reasoning was solid as well. We have both heard of a few covens who refuse to build relations with the courts for past wrongs. I think we are okay for now.”

If anything, Taehyung should take some blame for being in that situation in the first place. He could have just switched Yugyeom tables, he could have left as soon as they started talking about the smell of coven lingering on him. He shouldn’t have spoken to Jungkook as long as he did.

“Take a break. I’ll cover your tables.” Z turns and heads toward the door, pausing with her hand on the knob. She turns to look at the boy behind her, smirking slightly. “And maybe you can prepare to meet your cute boy’s leader.”

Taehyung immediately feels himself flush, stuttering out excuses. She gives a wink before flinging the door open and disappearing inside.

Of course, Z heard his ridiculous attempt at small talk and flir-

Nope! He was not flirting.

But what was he trying to do? Make friends? He rubs his hands over his face and can’t stop the chuckle that escapes his lips.

“What’s so funny, pretty thing?”

Taehyung freezes, hands pausing at their scrubbing. He slowly lowers his hands and turns, finding the shadow of a man in the entry of the alley. He opens his mouth to respond but the man is already a blur of movement. Tae feels himself thrown back into the brick wall of Singularity, breath knocked out of him and gasping for air. A large hand curls around the base of his throat, worsening his stuttering breaths. Taehyung throws both hands up, grabbing the man’s arms, attempting to dislodge his grip.

The man only minimally loosens his hold, allowing Taehyung to gasp out, “I’m already c-claimed.”

The man throws his head back and laughs, simultaneously tightening his grip once again. Taehyung’s hands scramble for purchase. Any air he gets through the obstruction is quickly released in a choke, Taehyung trying and failing to get enough air to stop his vision from going dark.

“Oh, I know. I love taking what’s theirs.”

Then the man is pulling Taehyung towards him, allowing Taehyung to take a gasping breath before the man buries his face in Taehyung’s neck. Tae yelps as fangs pierce his skin, the man immediately groaning and taking large, uninhibited gulps. He tries to stay still to not to jostle the teeth in his neck as the man continues to take large pulls, allowing blood to messily spill down Taehyung’s front. The man shows no sign of slowing down and Tae quickly realizes the man didn’t come to feed and run.

He came to kill.

Chapter Text

He came to kill.

The boy hurriedly slips one of his hands down into his belt to grasp at the hidden dagger under his uniform, the one gifted to him from L for this exact reason. It is well known that their coven is hated by many, and the humans involved are always easiest to target, with many of the Letters succumbing to petty rivalries.

After a life full of hits and bites and pain, Taehyung and Violence have a bitter relationship. Taehyung wishes more than anything to detach himself from it, but Violence has latched on tight, wove its way beneath his skin, and Taehyung has learned to stop struggling against it when necessary.

Spots form in Tae’s vision as he grips the handle of the knife. Before Taehyung’s vision darkens completely, he pulls the spelled knife from his sheath and thrusts it forward blindly, feeling it sink into the man’s body with a thud. The man lets out a deep guttural howl as he rips himself away from Taehyung’s neck, causing the boy to cry out in pain, blood now pouring down his neck. Something small falls off the man onto the asphalt as he staggers back, staring confusingly at the knife in his chest.

Taehyung doesn’t wait for the man to recover. He moves his hand to staunch the wound on his neck, bending to quickly pick up what fell off the man, and runs through the side door to Singularity, flinging the door open with a loud bang, unconcerned with drawing attention. All he can think about is the throbbing in his neck and his worsening dizziness.

“Z!” he hears himself yell through his blood-loss-induced haze.

He keeps stumbling through the side hall before eventually stumbling and falling to his knees in what he assumes is the dining room. He thinks he hears commotion somewhere ahead of him but is too focused on trying to control his ragged breathing to do anything but lift his head. In front of him, he sees Z round the corner of a booth, hurrying to reach him, with a group of people following behind her. He vaguely recognizes two of the bodies moving in the group as two of the three vampires he met less than an hour ago.

Z is quickly in front of him, reaching for the wound with a jacket bunched up in her hand. He feels his hands pulled away and replaced by the fabric, causing a hiss to escape his lips at the jostling. The pain pulls him slightly from his daze and towards reality, the ringing in his ears lessening, allowing him to hear the words muttered by the girl crouched in front of him.

“Hey V, you with me?” The girl’s other hand comes to lightly pat at his cheek, causing him to rapidly blink, helping to temporarily dispel the fog. He finds himself eye level with Z, her eyes wide and worried as she cups his jaw. Taehyung feels his eyes flutter, closing for just a moment before he is tapped awake again.

“V, stay awake. I need to tell me if you ingested any blood.” The words come out a little frantic, not sounding like the calm and entirely-too-cool-under-pressure girl he has known for years. He must take too long to answer because Z is asking him again.

“V, please, I need you to focus. Did they give you any blood?” Taehyung’s foggy brain can’t quite comprehend why the girl in front of him is so concerned. He is fine, feeling a little floaty – and a lot tired – but fine. He focuses his vision on the person crouched again in front of him. The scared expression Z wears must be enough to motivate him because he is shaking his head only moments later.

Her breath leaves her lungs in a large whoosh, head bending down slightly as if to compose herself.

“Okay.” She mutters, much calmer than before. She looks up to take stock of Taehyung’s condition, eyes raking up and down his body, content with not finding any more obvious wounds. “Okay.”

“Let’s get you in a chair, yeah?” Z asks, though it’s more of a statement than a question, already moving to sling his arm over her shoulders. He hears more than sees movement coming from the group, someone reaching to help before Z hisses out a ‘Don’t’. The figure quickly retreats, stepping back into the group behind them.

He hears the side door creaking open, the same door he ran through only moments ago, and stiffens, snapping his head toward the door in fear. What he sees isn’t the man from the alley coming to finish what he started, but instead Hoseok strolling in with a shorter man, a somber look decorating his face.

He hears Z murmur reassurances to him as he is slowly placed onto a chair, the table scooted away so he is more accessible. Z is crouched in front of him again, lower than before with his new seat.

“It’s okay. They went out to search the alley.” Z’s voice is soft, almost melodic, as she speaks. “Can you tell me what happened?”

Taehyung is floating somewhere between unconscious and awake, but feels himself open his mouth to answer, words feeling fuzzy as they leave his lips.

“Man in alley. He came outta nowhere. Told ‘em I was claimed. He…” Taehyung licks his dry lips, mouth pursed as he tries to remember exactly what happened. “Said ‘e didn’t care, that ‘e wanted to take what’s theirs.”

Z looks like she wants to ask more questions, but instead turns to the side and addresses one of the others in the room, asking one of them to get her bag from the kitchen.

The bag is set down a couple feet from her, the person likely being respectful of the invisible do-not-cross line that Z has seemingly established in attempt to protect her injured coven member. She brings the bag closer, rummaging around before pulling out a familiar vial of shimmering dark red substance. She pops off the top before moving it to Taehyung’s lips.

The smell has Taehyung immediately pulling back, jostling the jacket held to his neck and eliciting another hiss of pain. Z tries to offer him the potion again, but Taehyung turns his head away.

“’s gross.” Taehyung whines, all too familiar with the bitter staleness of the iron-infused potion.

“Did you really just whine?” Z is giggling now, finding Tae’s pout towards the vial in her hand way too amusing. “Just drink it you big baby, you’ve done it a million times.”

With a huff of irritation, Tae is shakily grasping the blood-replenishing potion and downing it in one gulp, unable to stop his face from scrunching. Within seconds, his head starts to clear, the numbness in his body now receding. With a large intake of air, he realizes that the adrenaline has subsequently faded as well.

Which means the bite on his neck fucking aches.

Z’s face turns sympathetic at his wince. “He tore a chunk out of your neck. Doesn’t seem like he was just trying to feed.”

V gingerly shakes his head. “Drank too fast for just feeding. Had to move a lot to get him off.”

Taehyung was trying to remain vague, now realizing the group of vampires that had just witnessed the entire post-attack conversation. Even through the blood loss, he should have been more careful about his words and what they might give away. There is a distinct lack of Jiyeon’s presence in the room – in fact, the café is entirely empty save for him, Z, and Bangtan – causing Taehyung to look at the surrounding empty tables. Z sees his confusion and explains.

“I sent Jiyeon home before you came back in. She was starting to overwork herself and when you came in injured, I sent the remaining few customers home without paying. It’s just us.”

It’s just us. That was as much of a reassurance to Taehyung that no other person saw him hurt as it was a warning that they are now alone with an entire coven.

Someone clears their throat to his right. He glances up, able to properly look at the group in front of him, focusing the most on the three he doesn’t recognize. In the front of the group is a tall, well-built man, short hair slicked back, and thin-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, contributing to his look of powerful intelligence. Taehyung has a pretty good guess of who this man is.

“Sorry to interrupt but I wanted to introduce myself and help where I can.” The man’s voice is deep, almost soothing. “I’m Kim Namjoon, coven leader of Bangtan and vampire of the high court of Seoul.”

“This,” Namjoon motions to another tall man on his left. Taehyung is unable to focus on anything except how gorgeous the man’s face is, especially with the small smile directed at him. “is my mate, Kim Seokjin, also on the high vampire court.”

“And this,” Namjoon motions to the man who came from the alley with Hoseok. He is shorter than the others except Jimin, shaggy blonde hair falling in and around his face, framing his dark cat-like eyes, sporting an almost bored expression. “is Min Yoongi, Jimin and Hoseok’s mate. If I am not mistaken, you have met my other covenmates.”

He briefly glances at the other three vampires, Jimin and Jungkook wearing expressions of concern while Hoseok’s eyebrows are scrunched in what appears to be confusion. Taehyung looks back at the leader and nods his head. Namjoon’s eyes soften and a small smile appears on his face, mirroring that of his mate’s beside him.

“I was hoping that we could meet in bit better circumstances. I am very sorry for what has happened to you. Things like this should never occur, but unfortunately have been happening at an increased rate in Seoul, hence a reason why we are trying to keep better track of covens and their non-vampire members. Hoseok mentioned some about this, correct?”

Taehyung nods again at Namjoon, allowing him to continue.

“Do you have any other injuries besides your neck?” Taehyung is slightly confused at the question, thinking that it was likely meant as a pleasant formality prior to conducting business. Taehyung shakes his head.

“I apologize if this makes you uncomfortable but, in addition to your blood, we also smell the blood of a vampire. Was he injured in some way?”

Taehyung stiffens minutely. He could play it off that the vampire was extremely injured and starving prior to biting Taehyung, giving a reason for the attack, and ultimately avoiding the coven knowing he intentionally harmed the man in the alley. He doesn’t know anything about this coven, and it is entirely likely that they may retaliate against him if they find he injured one of their kind, in self-defense or not.

But Taehyung is a bit upset, a bit pissed, that he and other Letters have been attacked multiple times over the years.

“I, um…injured him when I realized he wasn’t going to stop feeding.” Taehyung’s voice is small in his own ears as he answers. He is unable to miss how Z freezes where she is bandaging his neck, giving him a knowing look.

The knife. The knife that he left buried in the vampire when he ran. The one that could be used to track the witch who spelled it, the witch who could rat them out. He may have just put the Letters in danger.

“I am grateful that you are alright, though a bit intrigued. It is not often that humans survive these attacks. May I ask how you did it?” Namjoon may be genuinely curious or trying to find information to help protect his kind in the future.

Tae has answered the questions up until then, even if just with slight nods, but he doesn’t open his mouth to respond. Z appears to have the same idea, staying silent as she finishes securing the bandage. She abruptly stands up, slinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder, and holding out a hand for Taehyung to grab.

As Tae is standing up, Namjoon speaks again.

“I understand that we are strangers and I respect secrecy to an extent. All I ask is to please consider the possibility that we genuinely would like to help.” Namjoon’s features are twisted in sad understanding. “Would a couple of us be able to walk you two home?”

“So you can find out where we live? If you understand why we are secretive, then you understand why we can’t have you do that.” Z sounds as tired as Taehyung feels as she addresses Namjoon and the others. She gives a look around the café, taking in the blood on the floor and dirty, offset tables. She sighs as she turns to Taehyung.

“I’ll come in early tomorrow morning to clean this all up. We should head home though before unnie kills us.”

Taehyung nods his head turning towards the front door.

“Kid.” Taehyung turns to find the shorter blonde vampire – Yoongi, his memory supplies – stepping towards him. “You might want this back.”

Z starts to take a step in front of Taehyung but he holds his hand up, stopping her next to him. Yoongi slowly advances and offers a item wrapped in a kitchen cloth. The vampire slowly pulls the cloth off the top, keeping from making direct contact with the item underneath.

Taehyung’s breath hitches.

In front of him, the older vampire is holding out a cloth with Tae’s blade in it. The one he just used against the vampire in the alley.

He doesn’t understand. This coven member knew what he had done and yet, didn’t tell the others? Maybe he did. It is possible that they all knew what he had done to protect himself, what weapon he used to do it. But they were giving him a chance to tell them on his own? And now, they are giving it back?

Yoongi wraps the cloth around in blade end in his hand, offering the hilt of the dagger towards Taehyung. Taehyung looks up, searching the blondes face for any signs of malice or trickery, and finds none. He slowly reaches his hand out and takes the dagger by the handle, slowly bringing it towards him. The weapon looks exactly as it did before he used it, seemingly cleaned of blood.

Yoongi steps back into the group between his two mates before Seokjin speaks up.

“You did good, V-ah.” His voice is soft, his expression that of a proud parent. “You both did. I can tell you care for each other. You don’t need to be told, especially not by strangers, but stay safe.”

His expression is so real that it throws Taehyung for a loop. If he didn’t know the first three coven members, then he definitely doesn’t know Seokjin, but the man is acting as if they are old friends. As if he actually cares if they live or die. Tae knows he wouldn’t feel so sentimental if he wasn’t as vulnerable as he is now, only minutes after the attack.

Taehyung is unable to continue staring at the man, choosing instead to stare at the brown antiqued vinyl flooring, shoving his hands in his pocket. His fingers wrap around cool metal. He pulls it out and finds what appears to be a charm from a necklace or bracelet, a strange symbol surrounded by bare branches of a tree etched into the front of it.

Something small falls off the man onto the asphalt as he staggers back, staring confusingly at the knife in his chest.

It is possibly the only clue they have as to who the man was who attacked him. He sees Z move closer to his open hand, studying the charm as well, her hand moving to flip the charm a few times.

“I don’t recognize it.” She whispers, face showing confusion.

Taehyung nods, knowing it was likely she wouldn’t know. He could bring it back to L to examine, but that may also prove to be fruitless, and they would be back at square one. Even if L did know, it’s not like her and Z would be able to track them down by themselves. If only they had someone with more resources, more people, someone who could help them more than they can help themselves.

Someone like Bangtan.

They can’t trust them though, not yet. They have barely just met, and likely the vampires were being kind to save face rather than genuine wanting to help. If that was the case though, why would they keep up the act when no one else was here?

They could be using him and Z to get closer to Dongha’s coven, to the Letters, but with how powerful the group in front of him seems, would they even need to worm their way in knowing that they could easily overthrow the vampires who keep him and Z captive.

Taehyung looks up at Z, trying to find the answers to his predicament. By the look on her face as their eyes meet, she sees right through him, easily understanding his silent question just by studying his features. He sees confusion reflected on her face, then surprise, and ultimately hesitant understanding.

“Your choice.”, she whispers.

He doesn’t want it to be his choice, he wants someone to analyze his thoughts and determine the best course of action. He wants to be told the ‘right’ thing to do, the one that is safest for him and his human covenmates.

“Your coven wants to help.” It comes out as more of a statement than a question, getting a determined affirmation from the coven leader. Taehyung closes his eyes and takes a large breath, steeling himself for what he is about to say.

“Jungkook-ssi.” The name is loud in the silence of the room. He is surprised that that was the name that he decided to call. Even if it was only a few moments longer, he had spoken to Jungkook the most. The young vampire seemed more human than others he has spoken to, though it’s likely due to his shorter time being a creature of the night. Taehyung knows the vampire must also be surprised at his name being called, seeing as Jungkook has been staying towards the back of his coven members since the attack. Taehyung hears movement to his right but resolutely stares at the charm in his hand, as if it will give him the answers.

A twin pair of black shoes comes into view. Taehyung begins to look up, seeing Jungkook only two small steps away from him, his youthful face twisted in confused concern. Before Taehyung can talk himself out of it, he reaches his hand out, now closed around the charm. Jungkook still appears confused but doesn’t hesitate to reach an open palm, resting it directly under Taehyungs. Taehyung turns his hand and drops the charm into Jungkook’s, lingering for a moment before pulling his empty hand back to his side.

Jungkook keeps eye contact with Tae, then glances at the charm before settling back on Taehyung, trying to understand.

“It fell off the man after I…” Tae doesn’t want to talk about plunging the dagger into the man’s chest, so he continues. “If your coven actually wants to help…”

Taehyung is still staring into Jungkook’s eyes, captivated by the immense expressiveness. The younger vampire’s mouth is slightly parted into a small ‘o’, seemingly taking in every word that Taehyung says, cradling the charm to his chest as if he was entrusted with a priceless item.

Taehyung directs his gaze to the coven leader directly over Jungkook’s shoulder.

“then prove it.”

If Namjoon was upset at the possible challenge in Taehyung’s voice he doesn’t show it, instead giving Taehyung a determined nod.

“Thank you.” Tae expected Namjoon to speak but was – pleasantly? – surprised that it was Jungkook. “Thank you for trusting us with this.”

Taehyung can’t bear to see the sincerity covering the boy’s face in front of him, so he snaps his gaze downward, afraid that it was too late to hide the burning in his cheeks. He hears giggles in front of him, already knowing his suffering is the cause.

“Oh no, V.” Z’s voice is dripping with sarcasm. “Do you have a fever? You just lost a lot of blood, but your cheeks are so flushed.”

She goes as far as to feel his forehead with the back of her hand, taking Taehyung’s scowl in strides. Tae reaches a hand up and flicks her in the forehead, muttering a ‘brat’ under his breath. She starts giggling again as she covers her forehead. Tae can hear a couple chuckles from the direction of the coven, but is unable to see who it is through his determined glare at Z.

The giggles die down and the full weight of the situation hangs heavy in the air.

Taehyung just gave away the only piece of the man they had to an unknown coven.

He doesn’t want to think about it anymore. It was done, already given. The look of determination on all six of the vampires before him, even if falsified, gives him a slight reassurance that he made the right decision.

“Let’s go home.”

-----------------------------------------

The rest of the week went by uneventful. The Letters were all able to complete their Lures, Z and L completed their hunts, and the Bangtan coven has not been seen nor heard of.

Taehyung tries his best to ignore the small pang in his heart at the possibility that it was all fake, just a front put on to get any information from them. If that is the case, they would have sold out shows with their performance, though, he guesses, they all had ample time to perfect their roles.

Today is Taehyung’s day off, from both Luring and from the café. None of the Letters have seen Dongha or the other blood-drinking coven members in the past two days so it is likely that they have decided to visit ‘friends’ or whatever else they do when they disappear – though not before ‘marking’ every human with a fresh bite.

The lack of fear within the apartment is nice and Taehyung hopes they stay away for a week or two before inevitably coming back and causing despair.

With the combined funds from the ‘freer’ members of the Letters being more than enough this month to cover food, clothing, and other necessities, Tae decided to take D out for a treat – the boy has been going a bit stir crazy being locked up and forced to do house duties for weeks. Taehyung’s immediate choice would be Singularity, but after dealing with both a distraught Jiyeon and fretting Yugyeom after the attack, he is going to do his best to avoid the increased attention for at least the next decade.

D has apparently heard of a little shop specifically dedicated to sweets just down the street from the café. One of the other Letters had gone there for a pick-me-up not too long back and D has been wanting to visit ever since, something about the cinnamon rolls being to die for. Because they are unable to afford normal things for teenagers, such as phones or game consoles, Tae uses these times specifically for D. So, wherever D wants to go, D gets to go.

They find the shop quite easily, the bright pink and white décor hard to miss in the otherwise dark shop fronts. The name is written in big, white, sparkly lettering.

Epiphany.

D races in as soon as the name comes into view, leaving Taehyung to slowly walk behind him through the glass doors. The inside is just as bright and frilly, the walls a faint pink, booths a light grey and most decorations varying shades of pink and white. There is white lace lining the middle of the tables and the backs of chairs. Although the colors and items littering the area could easily be tacky, he finds that the arrangements are more tasteful than many could pull off. There are a few people sitting at the tables, drinking coffee, and eating sweet treats, some even working on their laptops.

“What would you like, little one?”

He recognizes that voice, head immediately snapping to the counter to see Kim Seokjin standing on the other side, speaking to D in front of him. D’s eyes are wide as he scans the trays of goods, likely thinking of a way to try all of them. Seokjin has a fond smile across his face, seemingly amused by the excitement of the young boy.

If Taehyung had known that Seokjin worked here, then he would have never even thought of taking D here, not because Tae is trying his hardest to avoid Bangtan but because D is extremely afraid of vampires. With Dongha’s coven being his only example, and after more than enough punishments over trivial matters, it makes sense.

D appears completely clueless of the nature of the man standing in front of him, too enraptured by the variety of treats on display. D turns towards Taehyung, brilliant smile completely overtaking his features, before addressing the older boy.

“Hyung, how many can I have?”

Seokjin turns to him then, recognition showing on his face before flashing him the same fond smile. “It’s good to see you again, V-ssi. I hope you are healing well.”

Taehyung glances at D, happy to see the boy too engrossed in choosing a dessert to hear Seokjin’s question, deciding to lower his voice regardless. “I’m fine.”

D’s gaze turns back to Taehyung, the boy standing there still waiting for an answer to his previous question, eyes pleading for a larger number.

“You can have two.” D chews on his bottom lip, looking to the case and back up towards Taehyung, thinking of a way to negotiate.

“Hyung, I kind of wanted the cinnamon roll and slice of birthday cake.” Taehyung turns to Seokjin to reiterate the order before being stopped. “But…I also want this.”

D points to what appears to be some sort of marble brownie, different flavors swirled into neat designs on the top. The younger boy crouches down to eye level with the treat, face getting closer to the glass as if needing to analyze the treat further.

“Hyung, its…they put cookie dough inside of a brownie. That…hyung, have you even heard of that? We have to try it.”

Taehyung cannot help but sigh and close his eyes, looking for strength, because surely, he will need some if he is to ever deny D of anything. The older members agreed that two would be appropriate for the youngest Letter, wanting to spoil him but also not wanting him to eat himself to sickness, or spend unnecessarily on expensive treats.

“So, what I hear is the young one gets a cinnamon roll with extra glaze and a large slice of birthday cake?” That seems to placate D because he is shooting Seokjin a blinding grin, jumping up to watch the vampire place his items in boxes, eyes not leaving the giant cinnamon roll for a moment. Seokjin sets the treats on the counter, rattling off the price before Taehyung pulls out some cash. The younger Letter takes his treats before Seokjin has finished ringing them up, turning and finding them a corner booth to sit in.

Taehyung was planning on leaving the shop once he paid for the treats, but he finds he doesn’t mind having to sit down in the quiet but content atmosphere.

D had already opened the cinnamon roll and taken a handful of bites before Taehyung has the opportunity to sit down, cheeks puffed, and hands covered in sugary goodness. Taehyung can’t help but chuckle, choosing to lean back and look out the window as the boy in front of him continues eating. He would love to lean his head back, close his eyes if only for a moment, but he knows it isn’t safe. There have been many unsuspecting Letters who have gotten attacked, even killed, by other covens or rogue vampires. Taehyung knows that he can’t fight well, that he isn’t the best one to protect D. But he knows – he knows – he would risk everything for the young boy who was thrown into this life only months ago.

He sees someone approaching them from the open end of the booth and he looks up to find Seokjin standing a couple feet away from the edge of the table, holding a small box in his hands.

“It appears I made too many of these for the display case, meaning I must give one away. I believe you both will enjoy it.” Seokjin sets down the box, cracking open the lid to reveal a cookie dough-infused brownie with whip cream on top, chocolate chips pushed into the cream. D’s gasp is audible, big eyes instantly turning to Taehyung, pleading for him to allow the treat to remain on the table.

Taehyung looks at the display case, noticing that the tray holding the brownies was still only half full. Seokjin wants something from them, likely information, maybe even going so far as to slip some sort of drug or poison into the brownie. Taehyung can’t take that risk, but he doesn’t want to seem suspicious by refusing, and as far as D knows, they have no reason to be wary of the shop owner’s intentions.

Taehyung nods his head and gives a smile to Seokjin, causing a reciprocal smile on Seokjin’s face before he turns and heads back to the counter. Taehyung slips the box into his hoodie pocket, telling D that he needs to wait until later to eat it, and stands to approach the counter once more.

“How much was it for the brownie?” Seokjin seems pleasantly surprised at his initiation of conversation, drawing swirling designs around the labels that litter the display case, and smiles before answering.

“It’s on the house. My batch was too big for this time of day, I would have had to throw it out.” He’s lying. Taehyung knows he is lying but he doesn’t understand the motive.

“Seokjin-ssi.” Taehyung’s voice is soft and not unkind. “If we are taking the dessert, then we are paying.”

Seokjin appears a bit confused, expecting them to easily accept the free item. It makes Taehyung all the more suspicious, feeling as if Seokjin will become more persistent as the conversation drags on. He hates it. He hates not knowing.

But, he does know, doesn’t he? He may not know what or why, but he knows Seokjin wants something so, Taehyung decides to just be blunt.

“Why do you want us to have it so bad?” Seokjin stops drawing for a moment to look up at Taehyung, seemingly trying to read the boy’s expression.

“I saw a boy who was elated over having a treat with his hyung.” Seokjin seemed to pause, eyebrows furrowing in contemplation. “I saw a family, a family who recently went through something traumatic.”

Seokjin seemed like he was going to continue but Taehyung heard enough.

“So, it was out of pity?”

“No, no not at all.” Seokjin’s voice is firm but soft, like he needs Taehyung to understand. “All I see is strength. It takes a lot of effort and courage to be as close as you are to your coven, at least with the two members I have seen so far.”

“You don’t know anything about us.” Taehyung places the spare brownie onto the counter, voice getting firmer as he speaks. “There isn’t anything you could gain from us so please stop trying.”

Taehyung turns before he can catch a glimpse of the vampire’s reaction and heads to the table where D is waiting, the wrapper and box in his arms. The garbage is quickly dumped into the corresponding container as they leave the shop.

-----------------------------

Taehyung counts and recounts the money in his hand, fiddling with the cuffs of his black jacket when he gets the same number every time. He walks slower and slower as he nears his destination, dragging his feet as he feels the buzzing energy in the air get stronger, mixing with the slow trickle of rain.

He hopes the cash will be enough for what they need. The prices are continuously going up, the Letters needing more money to purchase the amount they need for the month. Most of the shop customers are wealthy, from old money, choosing to throw their cards or wads of cash at the owner without even seeing the price.

Taehyung is lucky the witch is sympathetic towards him, or his coven would never have access to the potions they need.

A few of the others have visited other witches’ shops, including specific charm shops, potion shops, and even the occasional mundane store who sells a small selection of “enchanted goods”, all of which turned away his coven members due to not having their coven’s ‘blessing’. Most shops don’t allow humans in without supervision from a supernatural coven member, let alone allow them to buy enchanted items, wanting to protect their shop if a human gets injured due to inexperience with a charmed item or potion.

Taehyung was allowed into only one shop by himself after a very lengthy discussion with owner and was able to purchase his first potion after a month of continuous pleading and multiple lectures from the witch himself about safety and proper handling of magicked items. Taehyung slowly increased the number of items he bought over many months until the witch inevitably sat him down and asked who else he was buying for. Despite his denials, the owner refused to sell him anything else until he came clean.

Tae only lasted a week before coming back and giving the witch the bare minimum to satisfy his curiosity. Although the witch initially refused to continue to sell, he eventually gave in when he ‘sensed the energy’ around Taehyung and realized he couldn’t leave the boy defenseless, something about the witches’ hyungs never letting it go if he did.

With his monthly visits, he has seen a couple of the witches’ covenmates in the shop, though was only introduced to one of them, the youngest, an extremely excited young witch. He pulls up his facemask and adjusts his hat once he is standing outside of the plain, inconspicuous store front. As he opens the door and steps through the entryway, he sees that same coven member perched on the counter speaking with what Tae assumes to be a customer.

Taehyung moves silently towards the counter until he is a few feet behind the man, expecting to wait until the younger witch was ready to assist him.

“Oh, hi V-ssi.”

Taehyung recognizes the voice before he looks up, knowing he would see Bangtan’s youngest coven member looking back at him. The man was wearing black baggie cargo pants with the same black boots he was wearing at the café, a dark jacket slung over his shoulder with a tattooed arm.

“Jungkook-ah, you know V-ssi?” the young witch asks, looking back and forth between the two men in front of him. Taehyung was going to answer but was interrupted by the owner coming through the bead curtain from the back.

“Ah, I thought I sensed a human coming into the shop. I hope you and your coven are well.” Kihyun wears his signature flowy pants with a red silk robe overtop, almost as if he was wearing his pajamas to work, though Tae thinks it adds to the nonchalant nature of the witch. His eyes are a bright grey, typical of those within the same magical line (he told Taehyung as much in past visits), and his hands are covered in rings, bracelets, and charms, the most prominent being the large golden ring on his left middle finger, his coven’s sigil carved into the front of it.

Taehyung nods his head towards the witch, watching as Kihyun runs his hand along Changkyun’s back before getting situated behind the counter, pulling out a large book.

“I assume you are here to pick up your order?” The older witch questions as he runs his finger down the handwritten names and number in the large book, stopping when he reaches, what Taehyung assumes, is the order he placed the month prior. Kihyun sighs before placing his arms on the counter, resting his chin on one of his hands.

“We had a problem this month with your order.” Taehyung must appear confused because the witch continues. “We had larger amounts of orders this month from counsel officials. I wasn’t able to complete your order.”

Taehyung freezes. Kihyun hasn’t been short on an order once. He normally walks in every month, pays for his order, and carries the box of items home. The Letters rely on these potions to succeed in hunting, to survive random attacks and bouts of anger from their vampire coven members. They need these items.

“I am very sorry, V-ssi. I pride myself on completing the full order on time.” Kihyun continues talking but Taehyung stopped listening, thinking only about how he is going to keep his family alive this next month. There have been more attacks recently, and with Dongha and the others gone, there isn’t anything stopping other covens from retaliating. He needs to talk to the others.

He can feel his breathing pick up. Taehyung turns and heads through the shelves without answering, hearing his name being called as he leaves. He shoves open the door to the shop, not caring if it hits the wall at the force, stepping into the downpour of rain outside. He needs to find somewhere to calm down, to think, figure out a tentative plan, or at least ideas before going home.

He starts to run when his breathing starts to hitch, ditching his idea of making it to the nearest park and instead ducking into the closest alleyway before sliding down the wall. Tae can feel his throat slowly closing, causing his breathing to come faster and increasingly shallow as he claws at his neck. At some point he stops hearing his own ragged breath, his hearing flooded with the pulsing of rushing blood and pouring rain as his vision starts to darken around the edges.

It's been months since he had a panic attack.

He throws off his hat and facemask and counts up to 20 and back down again, trying and failing to get more air into his lungs. It is easier to focus when someone is here with him, petting his hair or telling him reassurances as he gets his breathing under control.

Tell me what you can see right now.

You’re doing good. We are here, V.  

Almost done. Can’t you feel your breathing getting easier?

Fuck, he can’t even remember his own name with how much he is panicking. Things were so much easier with the potions. The Letters could hunt more successfully with less remorse, less punishments. Taehyung had a way of healing them if they were bitten or injured. They stopped losing people every few weeks, he didn’t have to watch so many of his coven die.

He can feel sobs building up in his chest and tears stinging his eyes the longer he thinks about the awful possibilities. The ringing in his ears increases and his vision blurs further until he can hardly see the person standing in front of him.

They crouch down and Taehyung only gets a glimpse of their red-tinted eyes before falling once again into his panic-induced haze, scrambling back further into the wall, folding in on himself as more tears fall down his face, mixing with the rain. He feels something touch his hand and promptly flinches, breath hitching again as fear floods his body once again.

The thing comes back stronger now, peeling Taehyung’s hand away from his body. Tae expects a bite, a broken wrist, some sort of harm. He is surprised when he feels something intertwine with his hand – another hand? – and feels what must be a finger rubbing small circles into his skin.

They don’t move for some time, Taehyung continuing his broken breathing while the person squeezes his hand. It is a couple minutes before Taehyung has the courage to look up. The red-tinged eyes almost send him back into a panic, but then he sees the concern, the stars somehow twinkling in their eyes despite the dark clouds overhead. Their white shirt is now soaked, exposing more ink through the semi-transparent material.

Jungkook.

The vampire puts Taehyung’s hand on his chest.

“Breathe with me.”

Jungkook takes an exaggerated breath, looking at Taehyung expectedly. Tae tries to copy as best he can, eye closing in concentration as he pulls in shaky breaths.

“Focus on me, V.”

Taehyung opens his eyes again, choosing to keep eye contact with Jungkook as he struggles to mirror the other’s movements. It is another few minutes of matching the man’s breath before Tae’s vision clears slightly, his breathing deeper and more even. His eyes wander from the vampire’s, taking in the entire situation. Their clothes are soaked through, rain continuing to come down, causing little streams to run through the alley. Taehyung should be shivering but all he can feel is the heat emanating from the vampire’s chest.

“You’re warm.” Jungkook looks surprised for a split second before eliciting a small chuckle, nodding as he sends a sad smile towards the boy. Taehyung concentrates on the warmth, closing his eyes and sighing as it brings him back to reality.

Vampires are dead. They’re cold. Unless…

Taehyung quickly pulls his hand away from the vampire’s chest, startling him.

“You fed recently.” Jungkook’s smile drops before answering.

“I last fed two days ago.” Taehyung’s breath hitches. Of course he fed recently, he’s a vampire. They live off others. He may have helped him through his panic, but that doesn’t change who he is. Just as the cold started settling back in, Jungkook slowly reaches and grabs one of his hands, grasping it between two of his own. “I fed from a blood bag.”

Taehyung looks up confused, not pulling his hand back just yet, waiting for Jungkook to continue.

“Do you want me to tell you here? You are freezing. Would it be okay if we at least find somewhere out of the rain?”

Taehyung searches the vampire, wanting to find a hint of trickery, a reason to tell him no. But, all he finds is sincerity and genuine worry as the vampire slowly rubs the hand in his grasp, trying to warm it. Taehyung nods slowly, causing the vampire to smile and nod back.

“It has to be public.” Jungkook nods once more, standing up before reaching down to help Taehyung off the ground. As they walk to the mouth of the alleyway, Jungkook stops and picks up what Taehyung believes is the older man’s jacket and a small wooden box. He then turns back to the human and reaches out his hand.

“I think I know a good place.”

Chapter Text

Taehyung should have known Jungkook would take him to Epiphany.

It’s a public area, just as Taehyung had asked for, but also familiar to both Taehyung and the young vampire across from him. The eldest must have told the others that Taehyung had come here a few days prior with one of his coven members.

When Taehyung walked in and saw Seokjin filling the display case with tarts, he expected a whole barrage of questions – or at least some light scolding for dripping water all over the shop floor – but all he received was a smile and a fresh set of clothes the vampire pulled from the back.

“These are Jungkook-ah’s. He leaves them here for when he inevitably gets batter all over his clothes.”

Seokjin hands him the clothes before giving Jungkook a few tsks and a head pat, resulting in the younger vampire hitting his hand away, pushing his lips in a pout before giving a small exaggerated “Hyung.”

If Taehyung thought the vampire whining was cute, no one had to know but him.

Now, they sit opposite each other in dry clothing, both sipping on tea, an untouched strawberry tart sitting in front of Taehyung. He hasn’t even glanced at Jungkook since the alleyway, hating that the man in front of him saw him in such a state twice now. His last panic attack was months ago over a death of a Letter, and now he was seen crying over a few potions in an alleyway.

Pathetic, Dongha had called him, the last time he was found with fresh tear tracks down his face.

But, the vampire in front of him hasn’t belittled him, hasn’t told him how weak he is or how ridiculous. Instead, he brought Tae to a safe space, gave him new clothing and something to eat and drink. He hasn’t even asked him about the incident, seemingly giving the human time to bring it up on his own. Taehyung wonders if Jungkook would push for information if Taehyung decided to up and leave without a word, but immediately thinks otherwise despite his better judgement.

“You said you were going to explain.” Taehyung’s voice is rough from crying, but he is proud that he was able to get the entire sentence out without his voice breaking.

“I will tell you anything you want to know.” Jungkook says it so nonchalantly, like he wasn’t offering the human something important. Taehyung tries and fails to see any sign of anything other than sincerity from the vampire, choosing instead to ask his first question.

“You said you feed from blood bags. Is that literal or do you call all your food that?” Taehyung chuckles mirthlessly. Jungkook’s already big eyes widen in surprise then change to sadness as he answers.

“No, I mean that we feed from literal blood bags, like the ones you get from the hospital.” His voice is soft as he answers, deciding to stare at his steaming cup of tea as he continues. “There is a program that my hyung set up many years ago. One part of it includes blood donations to the hospital separate from the donations that are meant for patients. We ask for volunteers to donate blood specifically for vampires and while they are stored in a similar way, there isn’t any processing involved. The blood stays whole, and it’s distributed among vampires in Seoul based on need and availability.”

“People willingly donate their blood to feed vampires? They don’t have to get bit?” Jungkook shakes his head.

“That is a different part of the program.” Taehyung scrunches his nose. Of course, there is a part where you have teeth in your neck.

“So, how do you choose who can donate by needle and who donates by bite?” If Jungkook is annoyed by the questions, he doesn’t show it, appearing endlessly patient if not confused based on his furrowed eyebrows.

“We don’t choose, the people donating do. They have the option of having their blood drawn or getting a bite. The bite compensates more than the bag donations since we take a little more and there are more risks.”

“How many people die signing up for the bite?” Jungkook’s eyebrows shoot up at the question, catching him a little off guard.

“Zero.” Now, it’s Taehyung’s eyebrows that shoot up, not believing the number. He considers speaking with more caution, but he decides against it.

“Bullshit.”

“I’m not lying, V. Since my hyung started the official program about 80 years ago, there hasn’t been a single death. We have a lot of precautions in place to protect the ones donating.” Jungkook’s voice remains even, leaning forward slightly as if trying to convey the truth behind his words. “There is another supernatural creature as well as a physician in the room when there is a bite involved. The bite is timed, and the donor always gets food, fluids, and a blood-replenishing potion after the vampire is done feeding. If the donor wants to stop at any time before or during the feed, they can.”

Taehyung hums a bit disbelievingly. To have so many precautions seem a bit ridiculous when vampires are known for going out at night and killing anyone they believe smells good enough.

“Do your coven members not feed from bags?” Taehyung stiffens minutely, attempting to feign nonchalance as he tries to think of an answer that would satisfy the vampires curiosity while not attracting suspicion. He finds himself shaking his head after a moment, rattling off a rehearsed answer.

“They are a bit old school. They like to solely feed off of their covenmates so they know what’s in the blood.” Taehyung tries his best to redirect the questions. “How many humans are in your coven?”

“None.” Jungkook shoots a small smile towards Taehyung. “It’s just me and the other six vampires. We haven’t had a human in our coven since before I joined. You actually met him already.”

Taehyung shoots a confused look at Jungkook, choosing to sip his tea as he thinks of who it may be. If they joined before Jungkook did, which was around 100 years ago, and Taehyung has met them, then it has to be one of the vampires still in the coven, right?

“Do you want a hint?” Jungkook’s smile increases, enjoying the little game he has started. Taehyung gives him a little glare before nodding. “Should be pretty obvious as he apparently is your best friend.”

Taehyung chuckles at that, knowing it’s a pretty big hint if even he knows who it could be after only meeting some of the coven members for a few minutes. Taehyung schools his feature, looking in the distance and stroking his chin as if deep in thought.

“Definitely Yoongi-ssi.” Taehyung nods his head firmly, causing Jungkook to snort before erupting in a pile of giggles. Taehyung finds himself sporting a small smile, glad that he could make the vampire laugh. The giggles eventually die down long enough for Taehyung to continue his questions.

“Is it taboo to ask the age of your coven members?” Jungkook finishes his sip of tea before shaking his head.

“I think age is fairly common knowledge. At least a rough range of ages is common, though not even the vampires themselves are good at remembering their exact age.” Taehyung nods along, waiting for Jungkook to continue.

“I think I already told you when I was turned. I was 23 and it was about 100 years ago. Jimin-hyung was turned at 24 and is a little over 200, Hoseok-hyung and Namjoon-hyung were both turned at 25 though Hoseok-hyung is about 250 while Namjoon-hyung is nearing 400. Yoongi-hyung is a little younger around 350 but was turned at 26 so technically his body was frozen a bit older.” Taehyung’s eyes continue to get wider as Jungkook names increasingly older members.

“Wow, you guys are old.” The words spilled out of Taehyung before he could stop them, causing Jungkook to laugh again.

“The only old one is Jin-hyung, he is a harabeoji!” Jin swiftly enters the dining room from the kitchen and repeatedly hits Jungkook over the head with a notebook, causing the younger vampire to cover his head while trying to suppress his giggles.

“Old? You little brat, I’m only 600, that is still quite young for an ancient.” Seokjin whacks the younger vampire a couple more times before crossing his arms over his chest and tucking the notebook under his arm. He then turns to Taehyung with a sly smile and whispers, “We will see who is laughing when I refuse to make his blood-infused carrot cake.”

Jungkook’s giggles abruptly stop, head shooting up to shoot Seokjin a wide-eyed look. “You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t?” Seokjin shoots a smug smile towards Taehyung, missing the fear on Jungkook’s face. The older vampire starts inspecting his immaculate nails, even going so far as to start to hum a tune. Jungkook’s head drops onto the table dramatically before shooting back up.

“I’ll tell hyung you threw his favorite book in the fireplace.” Seokjin looks up from his nails, leveling Jungkook with a bored expression.

“Now, my dearest dongsang, I know you are not resorting to threats.” Jungkook visibly gulps at that, quickly shaking his head before nodding then shaking it again.

“Good! I didn’t think my precious Jungkook would start acting like his youngest hyung so soon. I think a week without your favorite dessert will suffice.” Jungkook visibly deflates at that, choosing to pout at his tea, making Taehyung hide a smile behind his hand. The vampire looks so young, so human, when interacting with his nestmates, like he wasn’t a 120-year-old vampire.

Seokjin flashes a smile again at Taehyung before walking back to the counter to help some customers. The human glances back at Jungkook to find him still pouting at his spoon, now held out of the tea in front of him, as if the spoon had personally offended him. Taehyung takes the time to study his features, now noticing a small scar on his cheek. His lashes are long and dark, framing his brown eyes beautifully.

Brown eyes. Taehyung’s smile drops.

“Why did your eyes change?” The young vampire looks up, pout gone from his lips. “Your eyes were red in the alley.”

“I didn’t realize they were red.” Jungkook is quiet when he answers. He seems to be thinking it over before his face is overcome with sad realization.

“Is that why…” Jungkook trails off, afraid to finish the question. Taehyung meets his gaze and waits for Jungkook to continue. “Is that why you were afraid?”

Afraid of me? He doesn’t say.

Taehyung doesn’t have to clarify to know what he is referring to. He didn’t forget his extreme reaction at looking up and seeing maroon eyes staring back at him, how it sent him spiraling, falling deeper into panic. Taehyung doesn’t want to answer. He doesn’t want to confirm what Jungkook already knows, further confirm that he is weak, that one look was enough to reduce him to sobs. Jungkook remains silent, waiting in case Taehyung wishes to answer.

When minutes go by without a word spoken, Taehyung starts packing up his food, gathering the wrappers to throw away. He pulls out some cash to cover his food and drink, setting it on the table before starting to stand.

A warm hand covers his over the table.

“They change with emotion.” Jungkook looks at Taehyung then to the seat and back again. Taehyung sits down slowly, not moving his hand away. “Most fledglings eyes stay red for a few years then slowly fade into their natural color. A fully grown vampire’s eyes will only change with extreme emotion. I have personally only seen my hyung’s eyes change a few times since I’ve been with them.”

Jungkook seems to get lost in thought for a moment, staring outside through the window before turning back to Taehyung. “I’ve never been able to control my eye color very well. Any relatively strong emotion changes them.”

Taehyung feels sadness wash over him. Jungkook seems upset at the fact he can’t control it, that his emotions are broadcast to anyone looking at him. But he feels sadness for another reason.

“So, you were angry with me?” Taehyung whispers it as he stars at the vampire’s hand on top of his. Jungkook tightens his hold, bringing his other hand to cup Tae’s on the table.

“No.” Taehyung looks up to see red-tinted eyes once more, sparkling under the lights of the café. “Worried and concerned maybe, but never angry.”

“And now?”

“Sad that you thought I was upset at you, angry that anyone might have made you feel scared in the past, scared that you won’t believe anything I say.” All of it leaves Jungkook in a rush, like he was trying to get it all out before losing courage.

“That’s…a lot.” Taehyung breathes out, not his finest words, but they are true. “Too much to say to a person you don’t know.”

“I know.” Jungkook doesn’t look upset at Taehyung’s words, if anything he looks proud. “Trust me I know, but every word is true.”

Taehyung nods, because what is he meant to say? Thank you for telling me your feelings because I can’t tell you mine? I’m glad that you feel something because I’m not allowed to? No, Taehyung just looks, staring into Jungkook’s eyes, unafraid, watches as his eyes darken back to their original chocolate brown.

Jungkook gives one last smile before setting Taehyung’s hand back on the cash, pushing both towards Taehyung.

“You don’t need to pay. Hyung wanted me to tell you its his treat.” Taehyung doesn’t have the energy to argue, so he relents, placing the cash back in his pocket. Jungkook grabs something from beside him, a small wooden box, the same that he grabbed from the mouth of the alley. He placed the box on the table and scooted it toward Taehyung. “Before you left, Kihyun-hyung was telling you that he was able to complete part of your order. I grabbed it after you left, figured you would want it.”

Taehyung grabs the box and opens it to find a mixture of blood-replenishing potions and truth potions (aptly named The Truth Untold). There is only half the amount, maybe closer to a third, than his normal order, but it’s something.

“How much?” Taehyung is reaching back into his pocket, pulling out the wad of cash. Jungkook just smiles as he starts to count.

“No money. You deserved it after the day you had.” Taehyung opens his mouth to argue, but instead is interrupted by Jungkook. “You don’t owe me anything. You will never owe any of my coven anything.”

Jungkook pauses a moment, thinking over his next words. “But…I do have a request.”

“What?”

“Would I be able to put my number in your phone? You don’t ever have to use it, but it would make me feel better that you had someone outside of your coven to call if needed.” Jungkook says it carefully, afraid to overstep. If Taehyung was a normal young adult, he may have deemed it a poor excuse to obtain his number, an attempt at flirting. But instead, he is far from normal, owned by a coven of vampires as no more than a slave, and another contact, especially one as powerful as Jungkook states his coven is, could be extremely helpful.

Though, there is the chance Dongha will find out about the new contact in his phone. Dongha hasn’t went through his phone in over a year, deeming Taehyung safe to roam freely without constant supervision. But there was always a chance. He could possibly put in a fake name for Jungkook’s number, maybe just put ‘Boss’ or something vague and in the off chance Dongha sees the name, Taehyung could play it off as another owner of Singularity.

Taehyung weighs the options and decides, pulling out his burner phone and handing it to the vampire across the table. Jungkook slowly extends his hand for the phone, waiting for Taehyung to change his mind and pull back. When the older grasps the phone, he sends the human a blinding toothy smile, causing his nose to scrunch.

Taehyung couldn’t help but smile back.

------------------------

It’s been a week, and Dongha has still not returned.

While the Letters are ecstatic about the lack of blood-drinking members around, there has been an increase in attacks and injuries. Whether it is due to rivals taking revenge while the stronger members are away or the fact that their coven’s claim has worn off the humans in the time the vampires have been gone, it has taken a toll on the entire group.

Two Letters have been significantly injured, bedridden for the time being as they recover. Taehyung had to use two Blood-Replenishing potions, further decreasing their already low stock and while the potions are fantastic for blood loss, it doesn’t do much to speed up general healing, leaving the two with multiple slow-healing wounds and broken bones.

One of the Letters was lucky enough to be right outside of the building when they were attacked, allowing the others to hear the struggle, Z and L quickly going out to get rid of the vampire while Taehyung tended to their injured coven member.

They have an evening shift tonight at the café, but with the lack of protection at home, and increased danger during the night, Taehyung is unsure how good of an idea it is to separate.

Taehyung spoke to the others about a plan, thinking of sending either him or Z home before the night falls while the other stays at the café and finishes the shift, but L quickly shot it down, saying they couldn’t be traveling alone.

“We stay in pairs at the very least.”, L states, voice firm but not unkind. “No one should leave the apartment without good reason.”

Everyone readily agreed, their injured group members a constant reminder of the potential danger.

Now, Taehyung and the younger girl are currently waiting tables and helping with food prep in the back. Jiyeon started fretting almost immediately after she saw the bags under his eyes, telling him to take some more time off after such a traumatic event. Even with multiple reassurances that he was completely healed, she put him on light duty, going as far as to not allow him to lift anything ‘greater than ten pounds’ – which includes practically everything he would lift on a normal shift.

He may have broken her rule just a few times, fortunately not getting caught just yet.

It is relatively slow today. A few college students trickle in here and there, having a treat after finishing classes before heading home to study. Some regulars come in as well, enjoying a late lunch or dessert after dinner before their day is over. Towards the end of the night, a few paired vampires come in to order some sweets to start their day – two were even old friends who hadn’t seen each other in fifty years, taking the time to catch up over cookies and tea.

He hadn’t seen Bangtan after running into Seokjin at Epiphany and Jungkook at the witch’s shop. He expected some sort of news regarding the emblem he handed over – the one that only Z knew about because L would be furious, and he would like to avoid her wrath for at least a little longer. He figured a coven as powerful as Bangtan supposedly would have ample connections, but perhaps he overestimated them.

Taehyung also cannot be too upset. First, they’re vampires, what else did he expect? Second, it’s not like he has tried to contact them for updates or seek them out for information. Jungkook’s number is the only number he has, and he refuses to use it for something so small.

While Taehyung is avidly trying to avoid thinking about the youngest vampire of Bangtan, he loses himself in his work. Cooking, delivering, waiting, cooking, cleaning, clean some more, repeat. This is one of the reasons he loves working here, he has done the job for so long he can run on autopilot, allowing his body to move on muscle memory while he lets his mind drift.

Before he knows it, it is midnight, time to close.

Jiyeon deep cleans the kitchen machines before starting to stock, being promptly stopped by the younger two.

“Go home, noona.” Taehyung is gathering her items from the break room in an attempt to get her to leave sooner. “You have been here since this morning. You deserve rest.”

Jiyeon starts to protest before Z joins the fight, quickly snatching Jiyeon’s phone to call Yugyeom, practically forcing Jiyeon to leave when the boy comes to pick her up – with one of his coven members in tow, of course. Since the incident with Taehyung, the Im coven has refused to let their youngest love and his mother walk anywhere, especially alone and at night, choosing instead to be their personal chaperones.

Yugyeom gives them both a quick hug, offering them a ride home. After some discussion with both Yugyeom and one of his nestmates about the danger, the Im coven members ultimately relented, heading home with only Jiyeon in tow.

The girl grabs Yugyeom’s speaker while Taehyung locks the doors and closes the blinds covering the large front windows, cutting them off from the rest of the world. Z turns on a local pop station using the cafe’s computer, connecting it to the speaker and turning up the volume. They recognize the first song, immediately belting out the lyrics while they wiggle around the café in some resemblance of dancing.

This might be Taehyung’s favorite part of his job.

He feels normal. He feels like he is a college student, working to pay for classes, able to enjoy life with friends. He can dance and sing and not be in constant fear. In the times between work and home, when the sun has set and it’s just him, – or him and a friend – he is able to actually live.

So, they continue to sing any songs they know – and some they don’t – moving chairs, cleaning counters, and closing the till. At some point, Taehyung raises his voice to rap a part of a song, effectively sending them both into a fit of giggles midway through.

The next song is interrupted by a knock on the front door.

They freeze, turning to each other with mirroring expressions of confusion. Taehyung turns down the music a couple clicks, waiting a moment to listen.

They hear a louder knock accompanied by what sounds like low arguing coming from right outside the door. Taehyung sneaks closer to the door, Z right beside him. He leans in toward the door, hoping to hear the conversation.

“Hyung, it says closed. That means that we can’t go in.”, one person whisper yells at the other, sounding familiar despite the low tone they speak in.

“I know, Kook but I have been craving the cookies since we last came here.”, another voice says, not bothering to whisper.

Kook?

Taehyung unlocks the door and opens it in one fluid motion, finding Jungkook and Jimin on the other side. Jimin is wearing tight ripped pants with a black sparkling top, looking like he came straight out of a fashion magazine, while Jungkook is wearing sweats and a sweatshirt, his hood pulled up over his head. Both vampires turn to him when the door opens.

“V!” Jimin states, throwing his hands up in celebration. “I knew that you would be here. I really really want a cookie.”

“Um, hi.” Taehyung says simply, addressing them both.

“I am so sorry, V. I swear I cannot control him and Hoseok-hyung was busy and Yoongi-hyung was still asleep so I had to wrangle him on my own.” Jungkook spills out quickly, eyes wide and hands in front of him in a placating manner. Jimin must take offence to that because he immediately spins on Jungkook, finger pointing towards the younger.

“Control me? You little brat I don’t need to be controlled. Or wrangled. I am soooo gonna have Joon-hyung stop walking around in shorts so you can’t appreciate his thighs.” Jimin threatens.

“Hyung.” Jungkook whines, covering his face with his hands.

A giggle is heard from behind him, and he turns to see Z trying and failing to stifle her laugh behind her hand, endlessly amused by the scene in front of him. He looks back at the vampires, watching as the shorter one scolds the younger…

…while standing on his tiptoes.

Taehyung can’t help but let out a small giggle, which increases the longer he watches. Two vampires – one over 100 and the other over 200 – are threatening one another with thigh admiration all because one wanted a cookie.

Taehyung’s giggles get louder until he too is trying to contain them with his hand, still holding the door open with his body. The twin sets of laughter stop the vampires mid-argument, causing them to turn once again to Taehyung. Their confusion sends Tae further into hysterics, bending over at the waist while he holds his stomach.

It takes some time, but the laughter dies down, and Taehyung looks back up to see both vampires giving him a smile. He removes his hand, clearing his throat as he regains composure.

“So, you guys came after closing because Jimin-ssi wanted a cookie?” It is a ridiculous question, but both vampires catch onto the mirth, their smiles getting wider as Jimin replies.

“Yes! I’m sorry for coming after closing, but we woke up late then there was this meeting we had to go to which was extremely boring, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the cookies all week, so here we are.” Jimin shrugs.

“I understand if you can’t.” Jimin adds on, sending a sincere and slightly bashful smile to Taehyung.

Taehyung knows they started off on the wrong foot, immediately thinking the worst when Jimin complimented his scent. But he wants to believe that they are at least decent vampires. They have yet to harm him, even praised him when defending himself against one of their own kind. Some part of him is screaming at him to open his eyes, that the ones in front of him are his enemies. He guesses that if anything happens, both him and Z should be able to stand their ground – though another part of him doesn’t feel afraid in the slightest at letting them in.

Something he can think about later.

“I think we have some cookies left.” Taehyung says cooly, eyes moving to Jungkook before continuing. “I might be able to find a slice of carrot cake, too.”

This earns him a wide toothy smile. Jungkook doesn’t wait before pushing his hyung into the café, finding a seat at a booth while Taehyung locks back up. He goes into the kitchen to find their desserts, going as far as to warm up the chocolate chip cookie. Taehyung brings the sweets to the dining room, setting them in front of the corresponding vampires.

“I made these ones.” Taehyung throws out before he leaves them to enjoy their food.

Z sidesteps in front of him before he can go too far, physically turning him around and pushing him back towards the booth. When they reach the vampires, Z uses her hands to ‘shoo’ Jungkook further into his booth seat, shoving Taehyung into the spot just outside of his, and heading back into the kitchen.

Taehyung shares a confused look with the vampires before Z comes back with his favorite dessert – strawberry cake. She sets it down in front of him before giving him a short explanation.

“I’ll finish closing.” The girl immediately leaves the booth, moving to turn up the speaker volume a couple clicks before continuing the remaining closing duties. Jimin must recognize the song because he pauses midbite and starts singing, choosing to sway his body to the rhythm as he does. Taehyung is unsure if the vampire is singing genuinely or for fun but regardless, his voice is high and melodic, matching the song perfectly. The human remains mesmerized by his singing, – perhaps Jimin was a siren before he was turned – drawn in and unable to look away until Jimin is finished.

“Wow, that um…” Taehyung is lost for words. Jimin has cherubic looks but the personality and presence of something much darker. He would be lying if he said he expected such an angelic voice to escape the blonde’s lips. “You have an amazing voice.”

Taehyung fully expected a flirty remark, possibly some cocky response, but what he didn’t expect was to see Jimin blushing. His cheeks instantly turned rosy – vampires can blush? – before looking down, choosing to poke at his cookie in lieu of answering.

“Hyung gets flustered with compliments.” Jungkook stage whispers to him, causing Jimin to snap his head up, cheeks getting darker by the second.

“I do not! I get complimented by strangers all the time.” Jimin shoots back.

“But V isn’t a stranger.” Jungkook says it so casually, like he isn’t admitting that he knows enough about V to not be strangers, taking a large bite of carrot cake after. Taehyung supposes that they can’t be considered strangers anymore. They had a couple of conversations – Taehyung, the one who hasn’t spoken to anyone outside of the coven and the Kims in years – and ate food together, twice now. Jungkook saw him near his lowest, sobbing in a dark alleyway, getting pelted by rain and panic, before the vampire put him back together.

No, Jungkook and Taehyung aren’t strangers.

Taehyung finds he isn’t as panicked as he should be, choosing instead to flash a small smile before deciding to un-stranger Jimin as well.

“Tell me about yourself, Jimin.” Taehyung is nervous. He can pride around with fake sincerity and enthusiasm for customers but finds himself starting to panic when faced with genuine conversations. Luckily, Jimin takes it in stride.

“Well, you already know I am a little over 200 and part of Bangtan.” Jimin touches his lips in thought. “There isn’t a lot to know. My favorite color is blue, I love chocolate chip cookies, and I dance at the Seoul Art Institute for a night job.”

Taehyung’s eyes widen, fork paused midway to his mouth.

“You…you dance there. Really?” Jimin nods his head enthusiastically.

“Tell me about it.” Taehyung is quiet, half listening and half lost in memories. Jimin’s smile widens, excited to talk about the place where he practices and performs.

“It’s amazing. The place is so bright, sleek but colorful in areas too. When you walk in, there is this huge…”

“…archway, with shining silvers and golds. My classmates were the first to sign it. We pushed a huge ladder up against it and used whatever our favorite paint was to mark it. I am sure if you saw it now, it would be covered with dots from all the art students.” His mother always smiled when talking about where she studied.

“Then you met dad!” That was always Taehyungs favorite part, knowing his father became totally enamored with his mom when visiting a friend at the institute.

“Yeah, baby, I met your father. He bugged me for an entire month until I agreed to a date.” His mom says it as if she is telling a secret, but Taehyung has heard this all before.

Doesn’t stop him from erupting in a fit of giggles.

“V?” Taehyung is pulled from the memory by Jungkook’s voice. He looks at the blurry vampire beside him, quickly moving his hand up to wipe his eyes, feeling them come away wet.

He didn’t realize he started crying.

“I’m sorry if I said something that upset you.” It was Jimin now, eyes wide in concern and guilt. Taehyung immediately shook his head and let out a mirthless chuckle.

“No, I…I’m sorry I didn’t mean to cry. This is ridiculous. You were talking about your job and…” He lets out a sigh, further scrubbing his eyes. At this point, he should probably just start sobbing in front of the entire coven since he has shed tears in front of two of them now. He steels himself before continuing. “I’m V. My favorite color is also blue, I love strawberry cake and I work here, as you know.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you officially then, V.” Jimin says it so softly, tone matching the look on his face as he rests his chin in his hands.

They continue to talk for a short amount of time, until their food is finished, and Z has completed all but a couple closing tasks. Jimin offers to pay, but Taehyung refuses, stating that he already owes Jungkook and therefore the coven, earning him twin voices of disagreement. He maturely denies their disagreements by grabbing their plates and running away before either could stop him, not taking the time to give a verbal response.

The vampires voice their thanks before heading towards the front door. Jimin turns before Jungkook can reach the handle.

“V, since we aren’t strangers anymore, can I give you my number?” Taehyung pauses at the question. This feels like a harder decision than when Jungkook asked it. “You have Jungkook’s so now you can have mine. I won’t even ask for your number in return.”

“Well, doesn’t that mean that I technically have a way to contact your coven. I don’t think it’s necessary to have another number.” Jimin starts to pout before Taehyung is even finished speaking, a response at the ready.

“But you do! What if you call Jungkook and he doesn’t answer?” Jimin is becoming animated, starting to speak with wild hand gestures.

“Hyung, I practically always answer my phone.” Taehyung is unsure if the younger vampire is trying to defend himself or Taehyung. Jimin turns on him quickly.

“Oh, really? So, you just don’t answer when I call?” Jimin questions, arms crossing over his chest and single eyebrow raised. Jungkook levels him with a bored expression.

“No, because I don’t want to hear about how hot Hoseok-hyung is when he dances or how sexy Yoongi-hyung is in a leather jacket.” Jungkook’s face morphs into one of disgust, shaking his head as if to get rid of the image of his hyungs looking ‘sexy’ in anything. Jimin lets out a scandalized gasp, immediately going on a rant about how he does in fact call Jungkook with important information or questions and talking about his mates was a ‘one-time thing’.

Taehyung finds himself fondly smiling at the bickering vampires, sounding more like children than ancient blood-drinking creatures. Taehyung figures he should probably cut in before they waste the night away.

“You sound like you love them.” This stops the vampires, both looking at him with question. Taehyung clarifies. “Your mates.”

A look of absolute love and adoration overcomes Jimin’s face, shoulders sagging, previous argument practically forgotten as he thinks of his two loves back home.

“They are everything to me…they saved my life.” Jimin states, voice dripping with fondness and love, dopey smile plastered on his face. “But, that’s a story for another time.”

Taehyung gives a small smile and nods, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. Jimin takes it with enthusiasm, large smile plastered on his face as he types in his number.

The vampires state their goodbyes, promising to visit the café and telling Taehyung to visit Singularity when he can. Jimin waves enthusiastically as they walk down the street, Jungkook giving a small flutter of his hand. Taehyung waves back, albeit small, until they turn around to face their destination.

Tae closes the door, locking it behind him.

What the hell am I doing?

He just willingly allowed two vampires from another coven into the café after closing, vampires who are close to the vampire council. He didn’t just serve them, he sat down with them, ate food with them.  Taehyung made small talk with them for crying out loud. He takes a large inhale, letting his head fall forward until it hits the glass door through the curtain.

“Don’t think too much about it.” Z states, sounding a few steps behind him. Taehyung takes another breath and nods, leaving the questions and doubt for his next sleepless night, when all he can do is stare at the ceiling and think. Taehyung pushes off the door, but before he can turn around, another knock echoes throughout the café.

Taehyung smiles, almost giddily, at the vampires who apparently can’t stay away from him. What will their excuse be now?

He unlocks the door, ready to give a sassy remark when the door is thrown open completely, hitting the wall with a crash and breaking the glass panes. Taehyung throws his hands up to try and block the flying glass and debris, lowering them long enough to see a hand reach for his throat. He instinctively grabs the hand, causing it to clamp down on his neck harder. As he is scrambling to get the person to loosen their hold, he hears a chuckle.

Taehyung pauses momentarily to look up at his attacker, breath stuttering even further when he recognizes them. The alleyway was dark in the night, but the man’s presence is undeniable. The bruises on Taehyung’s neck still hadn’t completely faded but it seems the man doesn’t care, hellbent on recreating them on the human’s skin.

There isn’t any visible wounds or bleeding coming from the man and Taehyung assumes he must be completely healed from the spelled blade injury.

“Hello again, pretty thing.”

Chapter Text

Ice-cold dread fills Taehyung at the voice. The fear must be obvious on his face because the man starts chuckling again, unable to contain his amusement. Taehyung hears more laughter coming from behind the man, glancing behind him to see two other men sporting smiles at the scene.

“Brought friends this time.” The man holding him in place smiles again, showing off a set of sharp incisors, the same that dug into Taehyung’s skin only a couple weeks prior. The vampire opens his mouth again to continue before letting out a loud hiss, face scrunched in pain. He loosens his hold for a half second, allowing Taehyung to slip through his grasp and take a step back. Taehyung is now able to see that Z has a blade lodged into the man’s back, near his spine without hitting bone.

The man turns and lets out a snarl, reaching back for the girl before she pulls the blade out and jumps back. The two vampires behind him spring into action, both going for Z while the man turns his attention back to the human in front of him. All amusement is gone from his face, expression replaced by anger and teeth elongated in a wide-mouth hiss.

Taehyung tries reaching for his knife, but the man is quick to move forward and grab the boy’s collar, hoisting him up in the air before throwing him backward. Taehyung feels a split second of weightless calm before slamming into the wall behind him, his breath roughly torn from him at the force. He crumbles to the floor, clutching his chest and moving around uselessly as he tries to take in a breath.

Taehyung can see through blurry vision that the man is walking toward him, his hand clutched over his injured shoulder. Taehyung is only vaguely aware of the sound of a struggle to his right, chairs and tables scraping against the floor and glass breaking.

Z, he thinks, need to help Z.

He tries to get up but can’t move, the burning pain and his spasming lungs too much for his body to overcome. The man crouches in front of him, leaning forward with his mouth open in a permanent snarl. The fear kicks Taehyung into action, lungs allowing him one large breath before he reaches for the blade handle, tearing it from its sheath and slicing towards the man’s face.

Blood splatters over the floor and Taehyung’s outstretched arm, the man letting out a bloodcurdling screech while covering his bleeding face with both hands. The raven-haired boy takes this opportunity to crawl away from the sound before stumbling onto his feet, barely catching a glimpse of one of the man’s comrades laying still on the floor, blood pooling onto the previously clean tiles. He clumsily weaves through the tables, trying to make it to the sound of fighting to offer his covenmate some help, holding his chest with one arm as his lungs slowly recover from the impact.

Between one step and the next, his leg is grabbed from behind, toppling him over. Through his view on the floor, he can see Z and the vampire circling each other, planning their next move. The girl is bleeding from her neck, one hand covering the wound while the other holds a blade up threateningly in front of her. The boy is roughly flipped over before the man is on him again, face unrecognizable under the blood and broken skin.

The vampire grabs his wrist before he can sink the blade into his body again, choosing to throw the spelled weapon across the café. He doesn’t have any more weapons, only carrying the one on him at any time. Taehyung doesn’t have any way to fight back.

The boy hears a yelp coming from the adjacent fight, knowing that the other human must have sustained another injury. At the very least, he knows that she must be fatiguing, stuck in a constant back and forth with a creature that is stronger and faster than her.

They won’t make it. They need help.

They need…

Taehyung looks around for something he can use to throw off the vampire, finding multiple plates and glasses and silverware scattered around him on the floor. A burst of energy hits Taehyung, allowing him to move himself enough to reach a knife to his right. With his hand wrapped around the handle, he heaves it into the man’s neck with a yell, causing the man to roll off him with a pained gasp. Taehyung shoves his hand in his pocket, pulling out the old silver device and flipping it open. Before he can press the call button, he is again roughly pulled, causing the phone to drop from his grip.

The vampire is on his back now, knee pushing painfully into his spine. A name remains highlighted on the cracked phone, laying just out of Taehyung’s reach. It is so close, but the vampire is leaning in again, causing fear to fill Taehyung’s body once more. A pained howl sounds throughout the café, causing the vampire above him to pause before snapping his head up. The small distraction is all Taehyung needs to inch himself forward, reaching out to press the dial button with a satisfying click.

“You little bitch.” The man above him growls out, reaching out to flip over the raven-haired human once more.

Taehyung watches in horror as the vampire’s nails elongate into claws, the man flexing them menacingly before plunging them into Taehyung’s stomach, ripping a scream out of the boy. Trails of searing pain follow the man’s nails as he drags them down Taehyung’s skin, leaving thick red lines of blood in their wake. Tears are brought to the human’s eyes as the nails leave his body.

The vampire pulls himself up, dragging Taehyung with him. Taehyung finds himself facing the others in the café, back pressed against the vampire’s front as the man wraps one arm around his chest. The vampire brings up his other hand to grab a large handful of Taehyung’s hair, yanking his entire head backwards at the action.

Z is currently trapped under the vampire’s comrade, struggling against him as he moves to overpower her. Blood is streaming down her neck, no doubt contributing to her decreasing strength and energy.

“No!” Taehyung cries out as the vampire finds a way to sink his teeth into the previous bite on the girl’s neck, taking quick, greedy gulps.

The boy finds his neck further pulled to the side, allowing more access for the vampire behind him. His breath picks up. He knows what the vampire plans to do; he’s been in this position more times than he can count. Taehyung can already imagine the familiar pain associated with bite; the feeling of blood leaving your body.

He feels the vampire’s breath on his neck, the man letting out a low rumble in appreciation. Taehyung feels the sharp tips of fangs touch his neck, causing him to yell out.

“Jungkook!”

All at once the weight against his back is gone, the hand in his hair disappearing along with it, allowing him to slump to the ground. Snarls immediately echo throughout the cafe and the sounds of commotion are heard all around him, only slightly distracting him from the burning pain of the lacerations on his stomach.

He starts to crawl forward towards his fallen coven member, simultaneously trying to escape the carnage created by the struggle behind him. The raven-haired boy finds Z laying on her back on the café floor, eyes wide open and breathing fast, one hand trying to put pressure on the actively bleeding bite. He rips a towel off a nearby table before pressing it against her neck, searching her body for more injuries.

A hand lands on his shoulder, causing him to flinch and blindly swing the arm not currently holding the towel. His arm is caught in a gently hold and pulled down, a hand immediately intertwining with his. The hand feels familiar. The skin is soft, but the hold is firm and reassuring – it’s warm.

His gaze flies up to see concern swirling in red eyes, ones that terrified him only a week ago, the same ones he now can’t help but associate with safety.

Another hand covers his overtop of the towel on Taehyung’s other side. He looks to find Jimin crouched down next to him, sending him a small smile as he pulls Taehyung’s hand off the wound.

“I got her.”, is all he says before he takes over, smile slipping and face turning serious as he tends to the injured human in front of him. Taehyung looks back at Jungkook, seeing the same worried-scared expression. The human squeezes his hand in comfort – though he is unsure if he is trying to comfort himself or the vampire in front of him. Jungkook squeezes back, borderline painful.

Taehyung’s shoulders slump, breath leaving him in a loud whoosh.

They actually received his call.

They came.

His body falls sideways into Jungkook’s, seeking comfort. The vampire’s arms immediately wrap him up in a warm embrace. His hands curl tightly into Jungkook’s shirt, nose resting in the crook between the youngest vampire’s head and shoulder. Taehyung takes large breaths in through his nose, taking in Jungkook’s warm sugary vanilla scene, feeling his heartrate starting to slow down to normal.  

It is too soon that he hears Z gasping for breath, pulling him out of his calming daze. He pulls back his head from Jungkook’s neck, gaze immediately turning to the girl on the ground. Her breaths are coming shallower than before, face scrunched up in pain. She turns her body to cough up dark blood, snapping the other human into action.

Taehyung turns his body away from Jungkook and scoots himself up to Z. Her eyes are still open, but she seems unable to focus on her surroundings. She is eventually able to recognize the boy sitting beside her, quickly opening her mouth to speak.

“Venom.” She barely gets the word out before another coughing fit starts.

Taehyung freezes.

“How much?” He asks urgently.

“A lot.”, she says in between coughing, trying and failing to sit up.

Venom is meant to calm your victims, make them more pliable and easier to feed from. If the vampire only uses it to feed and lets the human live, the venom will wear off in about an hour and other than a pretty nasty headache, it isn’t particularly harmful.

But Z has never reacted to venom like that. Her body was never made to accept the venom like most humans. Instead, her body goes to war with the venom, causing her heart to beat erratically and lungs unable to fill completely.

“Fuck.” He swears, stumbling to his feet to get his phone, finding it broken near the body of the vampire who attacked him only moments ago. He quickly dials L, rushing back to drop beside Z as it rings. The older human answers after two rings, a small ‘hello’ heard from the other end.

“I need anti-venom to the café, now.” He hears L suck in a breath, voicing an affirmative before the line goes dead. He lets the phone slip out of his hands, moving them over Z’s body uselessly, unsure how to help.

Taehyung whispers reassurances to her as the venom makes its slow progress through her body. “It’s okay.”, “Hold on.”, “Just a little longer.”, he says on repeat. Z’s gaze becomes more distant, eventually her body begins to shake as her temperature drops.

“’m okay, ‘s okay.”, she keeps whispering back.

A jacket is placed over her from above, causing Taehyung’s gaze to snap up and find the Bangtan coven leader crouching down to their level.

“I am sorry I was not here sooner. I came as soon as the others had called.” Namjoon’s gaze is full of concern and Taehyung distantly wonders how an entire coven can operate with so much worry constantly lingering under the surface. Namjoon reaches out a hand, palm up, to Taehyung. The human pauses for only a moment before laying his shaking hand on top of the leader’s. “V, I will not do anything without your permission, but please allow me to help.”

Taehyung doesn’t know what Namjoon means. There are only a few ways to rid someone’s body of poison; one is to allow the venom to run its course, and another is the antivenom potion. They don’t have the luxury of time and Taehyung doesn’t see any potions in Namjoon’s hand, leaving only one other option. He feels his eyes widen, hand tightening around Namjoon’s hand, shaking his head.

“No, please you can’t bite her.” He keeps shaking his head. “She already lost enough.”

Namjoon gently shushes him, mirroring Taehyung’s head shake. “No, I don’t plan to. I can heal her another way.”

“Hyung was a witch and he kept some of his magic after he was turned.” It is Jungkook speaking now, moving to grab the hand not currently occupied by Namjoon. “He can heal her.”

Jungkook sounds so confident, looks so certain, like there is no doubt that his older nestmate can help his own. Taehyung finds himself nodding his head at Jungkook before turning to Namjoon to do the same. The older vampire nods along with him, letting his hand go to lay his hand over Z’s heart, hand starting to emit a low glow.

“I suggest you get away from our humans.”, a voice rings out in the otherwise quiet café, causing their heads to snap up to the doorway. Three people wait just inside of the broken entry, two sporting red irises and all instantly recognized by Taehyung. The raven-haired human rips his hand out of the others’ grasp, instead moving to pull Z partially onto his lap.

When no one moves, the taller vampire speaks up again, voice characteristically monotone. “Move back.”

The members of Bangtan move then, giving the two humans on the floor some distance. The two vampires near the door move forward to Z and Tae, L following right behind them, staring down at the floor. Taehyung glances up, meeting the gaze of both Hyunwu and Minjun, Dongha’s right hand men and closest coven members. Hyunwu’s dark hair was falling in loose curls around his face, framing his thick eyebrows and prominent nose, expression bored if not completely apathetic. Minjun was the exact opposite, bright blonde hair slicked back to showcase his forehead and large, unnerving smile plastered on his face, standing a whole head below his comrade.

“Wow, you guys really got yourself into some trouble, didn’t you?” Minjun speaks first, tilting his head and leaning down, bringing his face uncomfortably close to Taehyung’s.

“Please, she has venom in her system. We have to get her help.” Taehyung’s voice is barely above a whisper, too fearful to speak any louder. Minjun freezes unsettlingly before erupting in a loud laughter, falling back and clutching his stomach. Taehyung can only watch as he continues to cackle at what the human had said. He tilts his head up to the taller vampire.

“Hyunwu.”, he whispers, causing the vampire to slowly blink and focus his gaze on the dark-haired human. Taehyung slowly tightens his hold on Z as she breaks out into another coughing fit.

Hyunwu slowly sinks to the floor, reaching his hands out to move the girl into his own lap and removing the towel covering the wound on her neck. His empty eyes lock onto the bite, watching as blood starts coming from the punctures once again. Between one breath and the next, Hyunwu leans down and sinks his fangs into the same holes, causing a pained hiss to escape Z’s lips, her hands immediately coming up to push on the vampire’s chest.

The venom is still in effect, making her unable to comprehend the situation, continuing to struggle as Hyunwu takes long pulls from her neck. Taehyung is unable to watch, snapping his eyes shut and hanging his head downward, hands squeezing tightly onto each other. Eventually she becomes weaker, running closer and closer to unconsciousness until Taehyung stops hearing her whimpers. After another few gulps, Hyunwu pulls back, handing the girl directly to Taehyung before standing up. The vampire slowly trudges to a booth, sitting down before blankly staring out the window.

L quickly moves forward, crouching down and starting to bandage the younger’s neck. The oldest human takes in the other girl’s appearance, noticing her paper white skin and quick breathing, but is unable to do anything about it.

“Dongha won’t be too happy about this.” Minjun states enthusiastically. Taehyung closes his eyes, taking deep regulated breaths. He knows, fuck, he knows that the coven leader won’t be happy. Not only were they unable to take out a few young vampires, but they attracted the attention of a coven. He hopes that the two vampires in front of him don’t recognize the Bangtan members currently standing a few feet away.

“Aww don’t be upset, V.” Minjun says cheerfully, bright smile directed at the human. “All you have to do is flash that pretty neck of yours and Dongha will forgive you.”

He makes it sound so simple, so normal, to offer your blood for forgiveness. Maybe it is. But he knows Dongha will still take his anger out on him, making the bite hurt more than usual. Minjun continues to speak, not noticing or not caring enough about Taehyung’s fear to switch topics.

“I get it. You smell amazing and taste even better.” Minjun licks his lips unconsciously. He then looks down to the floor as his smile drops completely, seemingly lost in thought. The shorter vampire lowers his voice to say the next words, personality doing an entire 180. “Afterall, we all know you’re his favorite.”

Minjun moves his eyes up to Taehyung, anger pouring from every aspect of his body, red eyes flashing as he glares holes into the human in front of him. After a moment, Minjun starts chuckling, smile returning to his face.

“You have also been hiding a few things.” Minjun taps his chin in thought, furrowing his eyes when he seemingly cannot think of them. He turns to the members of Bangtan. “What were they hiding again?”

The members of Bangtan seem extremely confused as to why Minjun is addressing them, catching on quite quickly that the vampire is not completely sane. Minjun must realize his mistake because he starts chuckling again before turning to Hyunwu.

Hyunwu continues to stare out the window, body eerily still. He moves his mouth to slowly mumble. “Potions.”

“Oh yeah!” Minjun cried out. “You were storing potions in your room. You know that’s against the rules.”

Minjun starts to stick out his lips in a pout, head tilting sideways as he addresses Taehyung. Suddenly, he throws his hands in the sky, crying out, “But it’s okay! I have an idea!”

Minjun crawls over to Taehyung, slowly moving Z into the other girl’s lap before wrapping his arms around Taehyung in a back hug. He nuzzles into the soft hair at the back of the human’s neck.

“Your bleeding, V.”, he whispers, choosing to dig his nose into the juncture between Taehyung’s neck and shoulder, humming happily. “Do you want me to help?”

Taehyung knows he is only asking as a formality, that he will take what he wants regardless. He hopes the vampire is at least sane enough to not try to force his fangs in Taehyung’s body with guests watching. He must take too long to answer because Minjun pulls back and crawls around Taehyung, plopping himself gracefully into the human’s lap.

Minjun’s stare always made him uneasy, even after all these years, fake smile always causing fear to run up Taehyung’s spine. The vampire leans in, lips brushing Taehyung’s ear as he whispers, “If I don’t get you, I go after the cute blonde.”

No, no, no.

Taehyung keeps his face impassive, choosing instead to nod and lift his hand. With any other vampire, he would immediately bring their wrist to the vampire’s mouth, but with Minjun it’s different. The vampire loved to make things messier than needed, allowing blood to stain clothes and skin and the floor. So, instead he sneaks his hand under his shirt, rubbing his hand through the warm liquid before bringing his blood-slick hand in front of Minjun.

The vampire’s smile grows wider, kissing Taehyung’s cheek before grabbing his hand. Before the vampire can bring the blood to his lips, a hand grasps Taehyung’s wrist, stopping its movement. Taehyung is too afraid to look up, but he catches the wide eyes of L beside him. No one moves or speaks for what feels like hours, the only sound in the room being the humans’ breathing.

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry!”, Minjun gasps out, causing Taehyung to peek up through his lashes. He sees Minjun in the same spot in his lap, both pale hands grasping his wrist where it hangs in front of his face. He is looking up at another person with surprise painting his features. Taehyung gathers enough strength to tilt his head towards the other person holding his arm, finding the hand lead to a tanned arm and muscled chest. Eventually his eyes travel up further, finding narrowed brown eyes fixed on the vampire below him.

“Where are my manners?” Minjun continues, smile widening as he pushes Taehyung’s blood-covered hand towards Jungkook. “Guests eat first.”

Taehyung takes in a quick breath, eyes snapping up to look at Minjun – because what the fuck. Minjun just offered Taehyung as a fucking snack to Jungkook, a vampire closely associated with the high courts, one that could mess up everything Dongha had worked for. They are absolutely screwed.

“Minjun.”, he hears L whisper harshly.

A low growl sounds from his right. Jungkook’s grip on Taehyung’s arm tightens as his brown eyes slowly bleed to red. Before a fight can occur, Minjun yelps as he is pulled from Tae’s lap by Hyunwu and Jungkook is pulled back by his coven leader.

Hyunwu drops Minjun unceremoniously on the ground before crouching in front of him to scold him. His words go unheard by Taehyung, who is looking at a still-angry Jungkook. The other vampires are trying to calm him down if Namjoon’s low murmurs are anything to go off.

“I’m sorry about him.” Hyunwu states in an emotionless voice, standing up from his crouch. “He’s incredibly fucked up.”

Minjun whines in the background, now pouting on the ground and crossing his arms over his chest like a child. Namjoon steps up from Taehyung’s right, clearing his throat before addressing the other vampires.

“You don’t need to be sorry. My nestmate was out of line for stopping you.” Namjoon says calmly, standing in front of both Jimin and Jungkook, the shorter’s arms wrapped around the younger. “I hope there is no ill feelings between our covens.”

Hyunwu gives one firm nod before turning back to the humans still crouched on the floor. Namjoon must accept because he turns to Jungkook, cupping the younger’s face between his large hands and speaking lowly to him. Taehyung is the closest to the other coven, but he can only make out a few words.

“…calm…isn’t yours…”

“belongs to…leave it”

Taehyung gathers bits and pieces, but he has no doubt about Namjoon’s final words.

“…it’s not worth it.”

Taehyung’s head drops, breath stuttering and eyes stinging. He takes large, steady breaths in an attempt to stop the tears slowly forming. He tries thinking of ways he must have misheard, of how he might be misunderstanding the coven leader’s words. Nothing comes to mind.

He just told Jungkook that none of this was worth it, that the younger should stop trying to fight, stop trying to keep any of the humans from harm.

Because it’s not worth it. Taehyung wasn’t worth it.

The human thinks about the interactions with the coven and wishes with everything they were real. Maybe they were. But it means nothing if the coven leader doesn’t agree. His words are law.

So, Taehyung stops.

He stops feeling the overwhelming sadness and wills the burning in his eyes to stop. He stops listening to the conversation around him. Taehyung stops his ridiculous internal search for something in the Bangtan coven.

The heartbroken boy just stops.

Taehyung moves over to the two girls, turning so he is crouched with his back to them. L understands without words because she helps get Z onto his back. He wraps his arms under her thighs, making sure that she doesn’t slip down, while the older Letter places the girl’s arms over his shoulders.

When he is confident she won’t fall off, he stands, keeping his gaze to the ground, waiting for L to gather their things scattered throughout the café into her black backpack.

“Dongha will want to see you.” He hears Hyunwu say somewhere in front of him. Taehyung assumes Minjun is gone because it’s completely quiet in the café save for L’s rummaging. He can only find the strength to give a slight nod, finding it harder and harder to stay completely present, finding himself drift away from everything the more he stands here.

He feels more than sees a hand grab onto his arm, leading him away from the Bangtan members towards the broken café entrance. As he is stepping through the previous doorway, he pauses at the sound of a voice.

“V.”, it sounds so broken, like Jungkook is close to tears. The raven-haired human distantly wonders if the vampire’s eyes are red, unable to contain the amount of emotion seemingly trapped in his immortal body. Taehyung feels a small spark of something deep within his chest, but he quickly tampers it down, storing it in the furthest corner of his mind.

Taehyung can’t find himself to look.

So, he steps through the doorway into the cold night.

Taehyung’s head snaps to the side at the force of the hit. He is caught between a cough and a gag at the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, the awful iron substance coating his tongue.

He knows Dongha is dialing it back, that a hit with full strength would kill him, but fuck does it hurt.

The bleeding is coming from his now split lip, throbbing in time with his bruised cheek. The wounds on his stomach are still steadily leaking blood, never actually wrapped up or cared for since the incident. Tae’s chest and neck burns at every breath, likely a result of being tossed against a wall and having hands around his throat.

A callused hand cups his opposite cheek, turning his head back to the vampire in front of him. The coven leader stands taller than him, body much more muscular than his own lithe form. His short black hair is always slicked back, only a few stray pieces falling around his face. In another life, Taehyung might have found him attractive, his cheekbones high and his jawline sharp. But his eyes…Taehyung’s never seen them any color other than deep maroon.

“You know I don’t want to do this.” Bullshit. “But we have rules, V.”

The thumb of Dongha’s hand starts slowly moving back and forth over his cheek, the pressure borderline painful.

“We care about all of you because we need you to survive. That’s why we have punishments, why we do everything to enforce the rules. You could have put all of us in danger.”

He has heard these words before, so many times. Dongha’s hand slips from his cheek as the vampire turns from him, walking towards the window in Taehyung’s small apartment. He stares out the window as he continues.

“This could have ruined everything. The humans would have been taken from us and we would have nothing. Years of work…” Dongha trails off, voice getting quieter as he goes on. Taehyung doesn’t think the vampire is even addressing him anymore. Soon, the coven leader snaps out of it, turning his head toward the human once more.

“We are replacing all the phones. No one leaves unless it is to hunt for us. No jobs, no outings, nothing. Not until possible suspicion dies down. Definitely not until I can trust you and the others again.”

Taehyung nods numbly. Dongha spoke about being left with nothing, but Taehyung is the one who is losing everything. The freedom, food, necessities, the potions, all gone.

“There is something you could do to help me regain my trust.” Dongha states, because of course there is. Taehyung knows that Dongha could ask many things of him, but he is relatively certain he knows what the vampire wants at this moment.

Dongha appears in front of him between one blink and the next, eyes hungrily scanning his face and landing on his neck. Taehyung tries to keep the disgust off his face, not wanting to anger him even further. So, instead, he tilts his neck to the side, offering his throat to the coven leader.

“All you have to do is flash that pretty neck of yours and Dongha will forgive you.”

He doesn’t want forgiveness, but he lets Dongha feed regardless, because he would rather take the pain than any of the others.

Taehyung downs another shot of liquor.

It’s a new club this time, Seoul having a never-ending supply of places to hunt. This particular hunt had only lasted twenty minutes. Taehyung had walked into the restroom to see a man with his hands around his girlfriend’s neck. And, yes, he could have walked into some crazy kink or roleplay – that was his initial thought – but the very real cries and whimpers from the girl said otherwise.

Taehyung was able to get more information out with some extra liquor, finding that the man had done some awful things in the past and planned to do even worse in the future, not emitting an ounce of remorse for his actions. So, the man followed the brown-eyed boy outside with plans of smoking, only to find himself in the grasp of multiple vampires, the screams only audible to those sinking their teeth in him.

He should be content – Taehyung had successfully brought food to the coven in record time without the use of a potion – but instead he is sitting at a barstool buying himself drinks with the man’s card.

His head is starting to feel fuzzy, but the alcohol is the only thing he has found so far to fill the hole in his chest. The human doesn’t understand what was even there in the first place, only remembering that there was numbness then pain and then nothing, only for it to repeat its cycle.

Taehyung vaguely thinks he knows what used to be there. Maybe a little want, maybe some happiness, but definitely a lot of hope.

He’s had hope before. It just never quite hurt this bad when it was inevitably ripped from him in the past.

Taehyung throws back his sixth shot, enjoying the way the world is slowing around him, edges turning fuzzy. He knows that drunk people like to dance, evident by the large number of people occupying the dance floor. Before talking himself out of it, he stands up and heads to the crowd of sweaty, swaying clubgoers, finding a small opening in the dense bodies.

The human has never danced seriously and definitely never sensually, but something about the low base of the music and the multiple pairs of roaming hands around him that has Taehyung trying, running his hand through his hair while his hips sway their own rhythm.

He dances through multiple songs, feeling better the more he moves and the longer the alcohol floods his system. If it is this good with strangers, he can’t even imagine how much fun he could have with a group of friends, maybe even a potential lover. Those thoughts leave as quickly as they came, replaced by the low thrum of music.

The songs keep coming and the people keep dancing until they’re fanning themselves off, trying to find their drink to wet their dry throats. Taehyung calls it quits after an unknown amount of time, realizing that he is probably breaking another rule by staying here later.

He throws the man’s card in a nearby dumpster outside of the club before walking home, alcohol doing way more than his coat in keeping out the cold. The buildings are bright in the otherwise dark city, looming like large stars on every corner. Taking a closer look at his surroundings, he realizes that he is in a wealthier section of the city, multiple high-end car dealerships and companies seen on his way.

Tae imagines working in one of these buildings before laughing at himself soon after. There is no way in hell he would force himself to work an office job, drinking stale coffee as he types out his third invoice of the day, constantly needing to add more reports and paperwork to his already large workload.

He walks further and further, distantly wondering if he is even heading in the right direction, admiring the tall buildings and occasional flashing billboards. The boy reads the signs, amused at some of the quirky names and catchphrases.

His feet stop.

There in front of him is an eerily familiar building despite never seeing it in person.

Seoul Art Institute.

His breath hitches, eventually being let out in a long sigh, forming visible clouds in the cold night air. His fuzzy mind doesn’t need to think too long before his feet are bringing him towards the entrance, stumbling slightly as his foot gets caught on the concrete curbs separating the walkway from the nature around him.

The boy slows as he approaches, needing to tilt his head back to see the top of the windows that cover the entirety of the building. He knows his eyes must be wide as he takes in every detail, from the small pond in the front filled with koi fish to the statues of beautiful men and women and finally to the intricate lighting, poles twisting towards the sky before ending in a bright explosion of light.

It may be night, but Taehyung can see the entire grounds perfectly, even notices two people walking together down another path further away, possibly heading to their vehicle after a long day. He can vaguely hear their quiet laughs in the otherwise still night as he heads closer.

The human didn’t have a plan, just knew he needed to take this opportunity and see the one place that his mom held dear to her heart. When he gets to the front doors, he doesn’t hesitate before peaking through the tall panes of glass, cupping his hands around his eyes to be able to see better.

The panes must have some special tinting because he isn’t able to see much, causing him to huff out. He reaches over to try the handle and is surprised when it turns easily in his palm. Taehyung pulls the door open and quickly steps inside.

His breath is taken away once more. The doors open up to a large room, the ceiling multiple levels up, allowing ample room for a large number of lights and art to be showcased. Balconies are found on each floor with multiple hallways leading in different directions. Numerous chandeliers are hung from the ceiling at varying lengths, some even seemingly floating in the air, not having an obvious suspension point, others are turning slowly, reflecting colorful light every which way. Art litters every open space. Framed portraits and scenic paintings cover the walls while sculptures and little handmake trinkets are displayed sporadically throughout the room. Towards the back of the room is…

…an arch, covered in numerous dots of color, swirling silvers and golds peeking out underneath. The arch itself is many feet higher than Taehyung, its height and beauty pulling the boy in. He quickly sees that the pops of color are dots of paint.

To others it might seem like the random dots of paint ruin the overall sleek nature of the arch, but Taehyung thinks it only adds to it. The original color is still shining through, remaining steady as the rest of it is altered with time, showing perseverance while still adapting to constant change.

He walks under and around the arch, wondering if he would even be able to count the number of dots, the number of people, who left their mark. Unfortunately, Taehyung would be unable to do so even if he wanted to, the boy becoming dizzy the moment he cranes his neck too far up, reminding him of his inebriated state.

He can faintly hear the sound of footsteps and doors closing echo throughout the large room, thinking that some people must be getting off work extremely late (or perhaps they are just starting). The footsteps get louder, closer, to the large room that only Taehyung occupies. Multiple hushed voices are speaking to each other, tone low enough the Taehyung is unable to eavesdrop. One of the people laugh loudly, making the human quirk up a corner of his lips.

How nice it would be to laugh like that, to throw his head back and let it out, stumbling at the intensity of it. Maybe he would even bump shoulders with people he was walking with. The corner of his mouth falls at the thought.

“V?”, a voice rings out to his right, causing him to turn his head in that direction. His alcohol-muddled brain takes a second to recognize the two people standing at the other end of the arch, one set of eyes wide in surprise while the others are slightly drooped, more calculating – or perhaps just tired.

Taehyung pauses, eyes switching back and forth between the two people, before coming to a decision.

He turns from them and heads to the door, slightly too quick for his uncoordinated feet to keep up, causing him to stumble before reaching the door. He hears one of the people calling his name, but he sees no reason to turn around.

Their leader made his decision and Taehyung will not be a reason for trouble. Whether they agree or not, it doesn’t matter. The two vampires behind him only met him for a few minutes, too soon to even begin to form any impressions of Taehyung. Furthermore, Taehyung doesn’t want to think about them, let alone speak to them, in fear of gaining back the feelings of utter emptiness in his chest.

So, like he does best, he runs – or attempts to.

In the back of his mind, he knows that he can’t outrun vampires, but that doesn’t stop him from sprinting down the path. As expected, he stumbles a little too much, pitching himself sideways until his butt hits the dirt harshly. His hands try their best to catch him, but do little to cushion his fall, only getting scraped on the way down.

“Ow.”, he whines out, putting his hands in front of his face to inspect the damage. His lips get pushed into the pout as he sees his palms littered with abrasions, small rocks and debris covering his skin. A figure drops into a crouch in front of him, slowly grasping his hands that are still hovering near his face.

“Let me look, sweetheart.”, a soft voice murmurs. Taehyung glanced up to find Hoseok cradling his hands, turning them every which way. “We should clean them up.”

“Here, hob-ah.”, another voice sounds behind the vampire, low gravelly voice immediately linked to Yoongi. The pale vampire stands behind his mate and holds out a bottle of water which Hoseok takes gratefully. Hoseok unscrews the cap before pouring small amounts onto Taehyung’s hands, gently rubbing away the dirt that clung to his cuts. The deliberate carefulness of Hoseok’s hands made the process practically painless, but the human knows that the alcohol and his own confusion of the situation played a role in numbing the pain.

“There.” Hoseok says with finality, gripping both of Taehyung’s hands between his own before flashing him a smile. Taehyung sits there frozen, looking over Hoseok’s smile and caring eyes, becoming more confused. He must take too long to answer because Hoseok’s smile falls as he continues.

“Are you okay? Did you hit your head on the way down?” Hoseok goes as far as to cradle his head, feeling around for any bumps or cuts. Taehyung shakes his head slowly, bringing back a small smile on Hoseok’s face. “That’s good.”

“Why?” That is the only word that Taehyung can form, eyebrows furrowing. Hoseok mirrors Taehyung’s expression of confusion. The human takes in a large breath, eyes closing as he gathers the strength to explain further. “Why ‘r you helpin’ me?”

Both Hoseok and Yoongi’s lips curl down in a frown, but it is Hoseok who answers Taehyung. “You are hurt. We have no reason not to help you.”

“But, ‘ur leader.” Taehyung is finding it harder to speak. He doesn’t understand why the vampires would follow him, let alone help him. Namjoon made it pretty clear that anything to do with the human wasn’t worth it, that he is just another human that belongs to a different coven.

Hoseok closes his eyes and lets out a large sigh. “Why don’t we go somewhere to get you warm. It’s too cold for a human.”

Taehyung purses his lip in thought. Nothing about going with them is a good idea. He finds himself shaking his head and pulling his hands from Hoseok’s grip, pulling himself up to stand.

“Don’t need pity.” Taehyung scoffs, making to walk away but instead stumbles directly into Yoongi’s arms. “S’ry.”

Yoongi’s arms encircle around him, holding him firm enough to support but soft enough that he could pull away if he wanted to. He should pull away but, Taehyung’s too tired, the late night (early morning) catching up with him, alcohol continuously slowing down his thoughts.

Yoongi keeps one arm wrapped around his waist, the other slowly lifting to rest in Taehyung’s hair, scratching his scalp lightly. Taehyung lets out a breath at the contact, head tilting forward and eyes closing.

“Can we go somewhere to get you warm, maybe get some food in your stomach? I think it would be best we talk, love.” Hoseok’s voice remains calm, soft as he addresses Taehyung, not wanting to break the peaceful moment.

All Taehyung can do is nod, content to be held against Yoongi, melting under the feeling of the vampire’s hand in his hair. He has only exchanged a few words with the elder vampire, but being surrounded by the shorter yet stronger man is nothing but comforting, holding the pieces of Taehyung together.

Chapter Text

Taehyung sips his hot cocoa slowly, enjoying its warmth as the soup settles comfortably in his belly. The food in combination with time has done wonders to decrease the alcohol in his system, allowing him to think clearer – and luckily not stumble once again into the arms of a Bangtan member.

Hoseok and Yoongi are sitting in the seats opposite Taehyung, sitting as close as the booth cushion will allow without one being in the others lap. They are speaking in a normal tone, Hoseok talking about his classes while Yoongi is listening quietly, almost as if they are allowing the human to listen in as he comes out of his drunken haze.

Taehyung doesn’t feel off balance or fuzzy anymore – hasn’t for a while now – but he would rather sit in silence than speak to the vampires in hopes of delaying the ‘talk’ that Hoseok mentioned earlier.

“How are you feeling, V?” Hoseok’s voice breaks through his thoughts, the vampire resting his head on one hand, the other hand disappearing under the booth, likely intertwined with the elder’s. Taehyung brings his eyes back to his drink, watching as the chocolate swirls within the cup, steam rising in front of his face.

He refuses to play this game – he is just too tired.

“You don’t have to keep pretending, ya know?” The boy’s words cause Hoseok to frown, eyes darting back and forth between Taehyungs as if trying to read his expression. The younger vampire opens his mouth to respond.

“I don’t…”

“Please.” Taehyung keeps his voice low, trying to be respectful of the customers around him. “Please stop pretending to care. Why would you help me, I…why did you even come after me in the first place? I don’t…I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”

Taehyung closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to ground himself. His life means nothing to them. He knows that getting worked up will only make them pity him more, so he wills himself to calm down, to exhale all the emotions he has buried deep within himself, and to face the two across from him.

“V, I know it doesn’t mean much now, not yet at least, but we both give you our word that we are not pretending. This isn’t a game to us, so please never think we would play with your life like that.” Hoseok’s voice is firm yet not unkind as he tries to reassure Taehyung. “We’re sorry we ever made you feel that way. Please allow us to understand why.”

The vampire says it so kindly, so sure, that Taehyung finds it hard to be angry at the two in front of him. Yoongi hasn’t said a word, but his gaze means so much more, eyes fixed on the human in determination, nodding to his mate’s words. All of Bangtan has been nothing but kind, and he feels that they deserve to know why he is being so accusatory.

“At the café, I heard Namjoon talking to Jungkook.” Taehyung looks up, wondering if the others heard about the incident. Based on their nods, he can assume that they heard – because of course they did. The coven seems to be close, never letting secrets linger for long. “He was calming Jungkook down and he said…he told Jungkook to leave it, that I already belonged to another coven, that I…”

Taehyung closes his eyes again, feeling the words burn as they leave his lips. “That I wasn’t worth it.”

He hears more than sees the two vampires suck in breaths at his words. Taehyung can’t face them, can’t bear to see the look of disappointment or anger on their face – some small part of him is even more afraid of seeing concern or worry, knowing his fragile heart wouldn’t know how to feel. His goal wasn’t to ever make them feel bad, so he explains.

“I’m not upset. I…I understand why he said that. I’m not…I’m no one. I’m just a human and I don’t have any cool abilities and I don’t know anyone powerful and…I understand why he wouldn’t want any one of you getting in trouble for me or trying to protect me, I…”

“Stop.” Yoongi says it firmly, causing Taehyung’s head to drop and shoulders to rise, trying to unconsciously protect himself – whether from a physical attack or rejection he isn’t sure. The human hears the vampires get up, thinking that they are going to leave due to his inability to stop rambling, but is surprised when Yoongi stands just beside him, hand held out to Taehyung. “C’mon, kid.”

Taehyung puts his hand in Yoongi’s, the vampire helping to lift the boy from his seat before putting a large amount of cash onto the table, much more than what would be needed to pay for their food and drink.

They leave the night café and start walking down the street, Yoongi’s hand never leaving Taehyung’s. Hoseok remains on his otherwise unoccupied side, occasionally bumping shoulders with him as they walk.

The younger vampire glances down at Taehyung and Yoongi’s intertwined hands, and Taehyung has a fleeting moment of fear at the thought of jealousy from Hoseok before a smile makes its way onto the taller vampire’s face. He seems happy that his mate has linked his hands with Taehyung’s.

The trio walk until they reach a small park, still occupied despite the early morning time. Yoongi is purposeful as he pulls Taehyung along, seemingly having a destination in mind. They walk down winding paths until they reach the right place, Taehyung’s breath quickly taken from him as he lays eyes on the clearing.

It’s beautiful.

Taehyung has never seen a pixie in real life, but he is pretty sure there are hundreds of them in the field they currently stand on. Small lights are littering the entirety of the clearing, some larger than others, while some have hues of blue and green mixed in with the soft whites. Some of the lights are zooming around, seemingly in some sort of indefinite chase with each other, while others stay still, content with performing little dances to their audience in lieu of playing with their family.

“It’s not fair for us to ask anything of you, V, not when we haven’t given you anything in return.”, Hoseok speaks cryptically. “Know that you have the right to do whatever you want with your life. You don’t have to listen to us, but…”

Hoseok trails off, seemingly in thought. “Just know, that fact doesn’t stop us from wanting to know you better.”

Hoseok walks a few steps in front of Taehyung before turning his head to address the human once more. “So, allow me to fully introduce myself.”

Hoseok continues walking towards the middle of the field, Yoongi pulling Taehyung behind him after a small pause. The human and older vampire find a spot on the grass to sit down, both sets of eyes trained on the spectacle before them.

Hoseok is standing in the middle of the field, drawing pixies in from all sides, lighting his body up further the closer the little lights get to his skin. After greeting many of the lights, Hoseok starts swaying, causing a small breeze to rush past Taehyung’s face in time with the vampire’s movements. Soon, Hoseok starts broadening his motions until he is dancing, slow but graceful, hitting every beat to his own silent song.

As the dance picks up, the lights begin to move along with him, the small pixies humming a tune as they sync up with the younger vampire. Hoseok seems to glow brighter the longer he dances, almost as if he is drawing light from the audience in front of him. It takes Taehyung a beat longer before he notices something encircling the vampire’s body.

He finds himself leaning closer subconsciously, trying to make out the small wire-like objects starting to make their way up the dancer’s lithe form.

“Ivy.” Yoongi whispers, and Taehyung vaguely wonders if Yoongi can read his mind, before turning his complete attention back to the performance.

“He’s beautiful.” Taehyung whispers, gaze fixed in front of him.

“You can see why I am unable to resist falling in love with him over and over.” Yoongi’s voice is so low, his words almost missed by the human. Taehyung turns for a moment towards the vampire next to him, taken back by his shining eyes and fond smile directed at his mate, looking way too human, way too in love for a vampire.

An eruption of cheers come from the clearing, causing Taehyung to snap his gaze back to the performance, only to find Hoseok bowing and thanking all the pixies still swirling around him. The vampire begins to make his way back to their little group, plopping down gracefully next to Yoongi before bringing the other vampire into a firm but chaste kiss.

Hoseok turns to Taehyung.

“I’m Jung Hoseok, former prince of the nature fairies. This meadow was mine at one point and it means a great lot to me still.” Hoseok’s smile is brilliant as he speaks to Taehyung. “It’s nice to officially meet you, V.”

Taehyung’s mouth drops open in surprise. He wasn’t even sure that fairies could be turned into vampires, or perhaps Hoseok was only half fairy, allowing him to become a different race entirely. In that case, perhaps he is like Namjoon, turned but still able to keep some perks from their former species.

“I…” Taehyung takes in a breath, not knowing how to breech this topic. He isn’t sure how to answer Hoseok’s introduction, but he is able to settle on a response that best encompasses his feelings. “You were beautiful, Hoseok-ssi.”

Hoseok’s cheeks flush pink at the praise, murmuring a small ‘thank you’ as he leans into his mate’s side.

Taehyung can honestly say he hasn’t witnessed something as breathtaking since watching his mother paint for the first time, her hands gracefully moving the brush in elegant strokes across the canvas, seemingly lost in her own form of dance.

Although breathtaking, Taehyung knows next to nothing of fae culture and finds he doesn’t understand what Hoseok was trying to portray. With the beauty of the movements and feeling of wonderment and safety that radiated through the field, he can only assume there is a much deeper meaning than he is currently grasping.

“But I don’t understand. Why show me that?”, Taehyung questions, causing Hoseok to smile at the human before answering.

“In my culture, dancing in front of someone is one of the ultimate signs of trust, only done between family members, lovers, and the closest of friends.” Hoseok says, leaning forward to further capture Taehyung’s attention, willing him to listen. “I wanted to show you so I could let you know that I hold a large amount of trust in you.”

“Hoseok-ssi, I greatly appreciate the gesture but…” Taehyung trails off, unsure how to ask the question without seeming ungrateful. “The other people in this field saw you too, right?”

If the fae-vampire was offended by the question, he doesn’t seem affected in the slightest, only widening his smile. “The strict secrecy of it is a little outdated, I admit. We don’t just reserve this display for only the closest of members to us anymore. We have now expanded to all fae-kind. Still, only those who are fae were able to see me. You are the only human who was able to see my performance just now, V.”

The more they speak the more confused Taehyung gets. The act seems to have a large cultural significance, more than what a human like him should be able to witness, so why was he allowed to see?

“Normally an act of trust is shown in response, an exchange of sorts. As I said before, I would never ask anything like that of you, but I hope my intentions still mean something and maybe in the future we could start to build that trust.”

“For now, I hope that you can start by believing in my next words.” Hoseok’s voice is low, hopeful. Taehyung finds himself nodding before he thinks too far into it, respecting the act of trust enough to hear Hoseok out. “Namjoon believes you are more than worth it. We all do.”

Taehyung’s head shakes slowly, not believing the words despite wanting to.

“I’m sorry.” Taehyung says, choosing to look down at the grass instead of the two in front of him. “But I heard him.”

“You did.” Hoseok confirms. “You are right. He said those things. All I ask is that you don’t take what you heard at face value.”

Taehyung has had Namjoon’s words in his head since the incident, initially agonizing over them, only to become numb after hours of constantly repeated them. Hoseok didn’t deny the words, instead confirmed that he didn’t hear wrong, so how could words said so sure mean anything else? Even if they weren’t true, Taehyung can’t think of a reason why the coven would go through so much for him.

“Why even try to convince me that it wasn’t real? Earning my trust doesn’t gain you or your coven anything. I don’t have any information or abilities or…anything really.”

Hoseok opens his mouth to answer but stops himself. His mouth opens and closes a few times, looking off in the distance as he figures out how to answer. The vampire’s mate sees his internal struggle, choosing to jump in to aid in the explanation.

“Because of Jungkook.” Yoongi states, earning himself a wide-eyed look from his mate beside him. Yoongi’s next words are directed at Hoseok. “If the kid was here, he would want someone to tell him.”

Hoseok lets out long breath, slumping his shoulders as he looks up to the sky as if to gather courage. “When he gets upset over this, I am making sure he knows this was solely your idea, love.”

“He will live.” Yoongi hums. “Also, he was always quick to forgive me over lamb skewers.”

That makes Hoseok snort. Both vampires sport a fond smile at the youngest’s apparent love for this dish.

“Jungkook cares about you.” Yoongi continues. “Don’t think too much about it but know that we trust in our covenmates.”

“So, when Jungkook told us that he felt something different with you, that was all the rest of us needed to hear. At first, we were going to get to know you because of him, but now…” Hoseok pauses before continuing. “Now, we are doing it because we want to.”

The boy sits there in silence, looking between the two vampires, trying to comprehend everything he has been told. This all started because of Jungkook, because he cared, but in what way? Yoongi told him not to think too much about it, but Taehyung is trying his hardest not to start freaking out. The only people he knew that ever cared about him were his parents, Yugyeom and his mother, and most of the Letters. Now, this random coven is saying they were planning on spending their time with him after their youngest met him once.

Hoseok holds out his hand, much like Namjoon did in the café before offering to help Taehyung’s covenmate. Taehyung doesn’t have to think too long before placing his hand over the vampire’s, feeling the other squeeze his hand in comfort.

“We wanted to explain sooner, but we couldn’t get a hold of you. Both Jungkook-ah and Jimin-ah tried calling you, and we went to Singularity multiple times to see if you were working.” Hoseok explains further. “Jungkook was going a little crazy, thinking that something happened to you, or that you didn’t want to speak to any of us anymore.”

Taehyung nods his head, feeling guilty for the worry and unsure what to do about the twinge of warmth that comes with Hoseok’s words.

“V, would Namjoon be able to meet with you to explain?” Hoseok asks.

“Joon-ah has been beating himself up ever since the café incident.” Yoongi murmurs, earning himself a shove from his mate. Hoseok lets out a chuckle.

“Wow, love, are you trying to tell everyone’s secrets?” His voice is chiding, but his expression is one of fond amusement for his mate. Hoseok reaches out to sweep a lock of hair behind Yoongi’s ear, causing the shorter to blush slightly as he shrugs.

Seeing the obvious love between them makes Taehyung’s heart skip a beat, feeling himself melt with the very human interaction he is witnessing. It scares him how much hope he has that the two vampires in front of him are telling the truth. Despite his relative fear of the coven leader, based both on his past experiences and Namjoon’s seeming dislike towards him, he finds it hard to deny the Bangtan members in front of him.

“Okay.” Taehyung mumbles, causing the mates to pause their conversation and turn to him. Taehyung finds himself nodding as his phone begins to ring.

Taehyung sucks in a sharp breath, heart rate immediately picking up at the fear that Dongha or one of his lackies are calling, ready to berate him for not being home yet. He should have been home hours ago. The human’s hands shake as he pulls out his phone, seeing Z’s name flash on the small front screen. He clears his throat as he answers, whispering a quiet ‘hello’ into the receiver.

“V, are you okay?” It’s actually the younger girl on the other end, instead of his suspected vampire coven member using her phone to contact him.

“Yes, sorry needed some air. Are they..?” He trails off, knowing that the other girl understands what he is saying.

“No, they haven’t come back since the hunt, so they don’t know you’re still gone.” Taehyung lets out a breath, almost immediately feeling calmer knowing he doesn’t have angry vampires waiting for him at the apartment. “But we got worried since you should have been home a while ago. I wanted to make sure you weren’t bleeding out somewhere. You know you were supposed to call me or L when you were done so we could walk you home.”

Z’s voice is chiding but he can sense the underlying worry coating her words. After all the attacks recently, he should have been more focused on the impact of his absence on his covenmates, because of course they are going to be worried.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you guys. I, um, just wanted to relax a little and then…” Taehyung trails off once again, hoping the girl doesn’t know where his train of thought is going this time.

“And then…” Z pushes, voice turning sarcastic. “What? You ran into some old buddies, decided to catch up?”

Z chuckles at her own words, trying to lighten the mood despite unknowingly not being far off from the truth. Taehyung remains silent and Z’s quiet laughter trails off.

“Oh, V, please tell me you aren’t with the person I think you are with.” Z pleads.

“I’m not with the person you think I am with.” Taehyung retorts automatically, hoping that the girl is thinking that he met up with Jungkook and therefore making it so he isn’t lying. The line goes silent for a second, the younger human thinking over Taehyung’s words.

“So, you aren’t with lover boy then?” Z asks suspiciously, causing Taehyung to scoff at her words.

“Lover boy? Jungkook isn’t even here.” Taehyung murmurs petulantly, unconsciously pushing his lips into a pout, forgetting about the younger vampire’s covenmates sitting only feet from him.

“I didn’t even mention anything about Jungkook.” Z sounds smug as she says it, content with causing the other human embarrassment. Taehyung finds himself groaning, scrubbing one hand over his face.

“You’re insufferable.”, is all Taehyung answers, causing Z to giggle on the other end of the line.

They talk for a minute more, Taehyung promising he will be heading home soon, before ending the call. He looks back to the others sitting beside him to find them both trying to hide smiles, feigning ignorance of the conversation. Taehyung’s lips push back into a pout.

“Shut up.”, he whines, falling backward into the grass so he has an uninhibited view of the stars, trying to avoid making eye contact with the vampires in hopes of preserving some dignity. Taehyung hears Hoseok let out a brilliant laugh, going as far as to fall into his mate’s lap at the force of his giggle, Yoongi unable to keep the smile off his face.

The corner of the human’s lips curl up in a smile, enjoying the friendly teasing and exchanged laughs. His mind soon drifts to their previous conversation, speaking with Z bringing up a few things he missed before.

“I don’t know if I can though.” Taehyung says, turning his head towards two of the three mates. “Meet Namjoon-ssi, I mean. My coven hasn’t allowed us out very much since the incident, would rather keep us inside where it’s safer. None of us have even been back to work.”

Hoseok and Yoongi nod to Taehyung before Hoseok speaks. “There isn’t a timeframe, V. He will always be available for you.”

Taehyung once again scans their faces, not surprised anymore to see such fondness directed at him.

He flashes them a small smile, turning back towards the sky before their expressions make the twinge in his heart more intense.

It takes another two weeks before Taehyung finds the time to even think of trying to meet up with one of the Bangtan members.

Dongha has been worse than usual, asking for twice as many humans, but never actually feeding off them. The coven leader has been making more Letters go out to hunt, but when they bring him a human, he takes one look before telling the Letters that the ‘food isn’t good enough’ and sending them back into the field only to repeat the process over and over again.

They are exhausted.

But, unless they plan to die in the hands of the coven, the group of humans need to comply with Dongha’s ridiculous demands.

So, they hunt and hunt, not a single human actually being used to feed the coven. Worry and fear have been palpable in the air of the apartment, everyone wondering what the vampires’ plans are. The main fear is that they will eventually reach starvation from refusing to feed humans and end up attacking one or more of the Letters in their bloodlust.

But, instead of a bloodbath as they expected, Dongha had taken his blood-drinking coven members, including two of his newest additions – whether Dongha turned them himself or recruited them, Taehyung doesn’t know – and told the humans that he was leaving for a week.

“Let me make something clear, V.” Dongha states, roughly running his hands through Taehyung’s dark locks until he reaches the back of Taehyung’s head, painfully grasping his hair and bringing the boy mere inches away from the vampire’s face. “If you repeat the same mistakes…if you even think about fucking up everything I worked for, it won’t matter how good you taste.”

Dongha punctuates his words with a tighter grip, ripping Taehyung’s head back for a moment, causing the human to let out a hiss of pain, before releasing him.

The leader steps around Taehyung towards Minjun and Hyunwu, giving them quick orders, before turning back around.

“We are leaving. Behave, V.”

That’s how he found himself going to visit Singularity a few hours after they left. Because if the people who are keeping him on lockdown are gone, he is going to make the most of the temporary freedom – warning be damned.

Taehyung hasn’t spoken to Yugyeom or Jiyeon in weeks. He knows they must have been distraught when they came to the café to find it completely in disarray, blood splattered on the tile, and both him and Z missing. He wants to be able to apologize and explain what happened, and to be honest, he just plain misses them.

And he is definitely not going there for the possibility of running into a member of Bangtan.

Taehyung finds that the front of the shop is completely intact, almost as if the damage never happened. A new logo is located on the windowpanes, seemingly hand-painted if the visible brush strokes in the paint mean anything.

He opens the door, bell ringing above him. Taehyung hears what he assumes to be Yugyeom calling out to him from the back.

“Sorry, we still have a few minutes until open!” Taehyung smiles at hearing his friend’s voice, walking forward until he is at the counter, leaning his elbows onto the smooth wood. He waits only a few moments before he hears footsteps rounding the door to the kitchen.

“Sorry, we…” Yugyeom stops in his tracks when he sees who had walked through the doors, pausing only a moment before sniffling and throwing himself at Taehyung. “Hyung!”

“We thought you were dead.” The younger boy tries and fails to hold in his tears, quickly wetting Taehyung’s black shirt. Taehyung knew he caused them a lot of distress, but he never thought that they had believed he might never come back. The older human wraps his arms around Yugyeom a little tighter, attempting to ground the boy in his arms.

Jiyeon rushes out of the kitchen at her son’s cries. As she sees the scene in front of her, she also breaks down, rushing over to the boys to wrap them both in a tight hug. She whispers reassurances – for her son or Taehyung, it’s unclear – as she slowly rocks them side to side.

They stand there for some time, basking in the warmth of two other bodies pressed to theirs. Eventually, the youngest’s sniffles die down completely and he lifts his head to peer at Taehyung.

Then promptly begins to hit him repeatedly in the chest.

“You are so stupid, hyung! Do you know how worried we were about you?” Yugyeom continues to deliver hits, aiming for any piece of Taehyung he can reach, his arms, chest, stomach, none of which contain any real force.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” Taehyung continues yelling apologies until the younger finally gives up, flashing Taehyung a pout before letting out a long sigh.

“Why didn’t you let us know you were okay?” His voice is so low, so vulnerable now that it causes a wave of sadness to wash over Taehyung. The Letter opens his mouth to explain, not wanting either of the Kim’s to think he meant to give them radio silence.

“I couldn’t. We were attacked and Z was injured pretty badly. After that, our coven decided that it’s safest if we don’t leave the house. They also replaced our phones since both of ours broke.” It’s not the complete truth and their phones survived the struggle, but he is unable to tell them.

The Kim’s nod their heads, immediately asking if Z and him healed well. He gives them enough of the story, with some additional fluff, to quiet their concern, leaving them without any more questions. Taehyung makes sure to apologize some more and mentions how happy he is that the café got fixed.

“Well, you can think your boys for that.” Jiyeon says, back to her normal energetic self. Taehyung’s furrowed brows are immediately seen, prompting Jiyeon to continue. “The tall one with the glasses offered to pay for all the damages and sales lost, stating that he was a friend of yours, and had a team here same day. I’d say it only took them two or three days before the place was completed.”

He only knows one tall person with glasses, especially one who would even have close to enough money to casually offer to pay for the entire storefront, and the realization leaves him more confused. The man who said he wasn’t worth it, offered to fix everything at no cost, only mere hours after the attack. Though, he could have done that to please Jiyeon in hopes she doesn’t report a vampire attack and risk the possibility of belittling the vampire court’s attempts at reducing said attacks.

Regardless, he already told Hoseok and Yoongi that he agreed to meet with him. There isn’t any point agonizing over the coven leader’s intentions now.

“I’m glad he was able to help.” Taehyung flashes her a small smile, one that he knows Jiyeon sees through, but for his sake, she doesn’t call him out. The boy is grateful and switches the topic to ask what days this week he can help at the café.

Both Kims deny his offers but eventually give in when Taehyung complains that he missed a lot of workdays and needs the money – low blow, for sure, but it worked. That’s how he found himself working a normal morning shift, glad to be back in the busy environment, realizing that his mind had quieted for the first time in weeks.

Nearing the end of the shift, Taehyung starts cleaning some machines in the kitchen, only interrupted by a conversation between Jiyeon and a customer.

“Please, Jiyeon-ssi.”, the person pleads. “I caught his scent when I walked in. Please, at least tell me if he is okay.”

Taehyung pauses at the words, taking a moment too long to recognize the voice. He feels his heart speed up, for the first time not in fear. He finishes cleaning the machine he is on as quickly as he can before passing through the doorway from the kitchen into the dining room.

As he expected, Jiyeon is leaning on one arm behind the counter, mischievous smirk on her face pointed towards the vampire in front of her. Between one breath and the next, Jungkook is snapping his gaze to Taehyung, eyes widening at the sight of the boy alive and well in front of him.

They stare at each other for longer than what is likely socially acceptable, both sporting twin looks of surprise despite having good suspicion that they would see the other. They are broken out of their stare by Jiyeon clearing her throat.

“V, Gyeom-ah and I can take over. Go sit down, you guys seem like you need to talk.” Jiyeon flashes them both a smile, seeming like a proud parent seeing their kid with their crush, as she heads back to the kitchen.

Taehyung doesn’t even try to correct her, instead choosing to focus back on the vampire in front of him. He looks good, Taehyung thinks, not being very subtle about raking his eyes over the vampire’s body. Jungkook is wearing black cargo pants tucked into his signature thick boots, bomber jacket thrown over a white shirt, and his hair is completely tucked into a black cap. When he reaches the other’s eyes, he finds Jungkook also looking him over with concern, as if searching for injuries.

“Hi.” Taehyung says lowly. Jungkook’s eyes snap back to Taehyung’s before answering.

“Hi.” Jungkook replies, still a bit dazed from seeing the boy in front of him. The vampire clears his throat. “I, um…was worried. I couldn’t find you after that night.”

“You…were looking for me?” Taehyung questions.

“No, no, I mean…” Jungkook stutters, putting his hands out in front of him placatingly. “Yes, I was looking but like not in a stalker way but more of a concerned-that-you-might-have-been-hurt kind of way.”

Taehyung smiles as Jungkook’s gaze drops, arm lifting to scratch the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Thank you, Jungkook-ssi.” Taehyung mutters, causing the vampire’s head to snap back to the human in surprise. “For worrying about me, I mean.”

“Don’t ever thank me for worrying about you.” The vampire is sporting that same expression of fond endearment that Taehyung still doesn’t know what to do with. “I will say I wasn’t the only one worried about you, though. The hyungs were, too. Namjoon-hyung, he…”

Jungkook’s expression becomes troubled, eyebrows furrowing, when he mentions his coven leader.

“Hyung, are you actually going to take this man out to talk or stand here and continue to awkwardly exchange words.” Yugyeom’s teasing voice comes from the kitchen. Taehyung rolls his eyes in fond exasperation as he turns to find the younger boy leaning against the doorway with a shit-eating grin in his face.

“Yah, why are all my dongsangs so mean to me?” Taehyung fake whines, causing Yugyeom to giggle. Taehyung smiles then, walking toward Jungkook before dramatically continuing, shaking his head slowly. “I guess that a certain cinnamon-roll-loving kid I know won’t be getting anymore of his favorite treats.”

The giggles stop abruptly before Yugyeom is whining at Taehyung. “Hyung, don’t threaten me with food, especially not rolls because that is a low blow.”

Taehyung had already grabbed Jungkook’s hand, leading him towards the entrance of the café while throwing a hand up in goodbye to the boy behind him. They continue to hear Yugyeom’s complaints until they cross the threshold between café and the outside world, the door shutting softly behind them.

“Where to?” Taehyung asks, realizing he didn’t have a plan past leaving the café, trying his best to tone down the embarrassment from randomly grabbing Jungkook and pulling him along.

Jungkook hums in thought. “Well, we could go to a local park or go get you something to eat, or we could always go to Euphoria again. It’s not open right now, but Jin-hyung is always ready to feed an army.”

Taehyung finds himself agreeing quickly, looking forward to enjoying the calming atmosphere that comes with eating in the bakery.

---------------------------

Seokjin flashes Taehyung a large smile, immediately asking about his well-being, checking him over for any bumps, bruises or signs of pain. When the eldest was satisfied with his assessment and deemed Taehyung well enough, he led the human to a seat, instantly disappearing into the kitchen and bringing back out multiple options of food and drink, much more than Taehyung could ever eat on his own.

Taehyung thanks Seokjin, earning himself a soft pat on the head, surprising himself when he only slightly flinches.

Then, they talk.

Jungkook talks about his concern, how he kept coming back to the café almost every day in hopes to catch Taehyung and make sure he was okay – and with a little stuttering and sheepish smiles – how he called the human both from his phone and Jimin’s in case Taehyung was upset with him. Their conversation turns to his covenmates and how happy he had been when Hoseok and Yoongi told the youngest that they had seen and even spoken to the human. Of course, they added quite a bit of teasing and apparently even told Jungkook about Taehyung indirectly referring to Jungkook as “lover boy”, which Taehyung adamantly denied.

Taehyung listens with rapt attention, for once not tampering down the warm feeling in his chest, trying all of Seokjin’s food and drinks, making sure to praise the eldest for his delicious treats.

“Umm…” Jungkook clears his throat, gathering enough strength for his next words. “The hyungs mentioned that you might be okay with meeting with Namjoon-hyung in person.”

Taehyung takes a breath, not quite ready to steer away from the lighthearted conversation but still aware that the topic needed to be discussed. He finishes his herbal tea and sets down the cup, leaning both arms onto the table to give Jungkook his full attention.

“Yeah, they uh…they said that I had heard him right, but he didn’t mean it.” Taehyung mutters, rubbing his hands together nervously. “I don’t really know him, obviously, but they said he felt bad and that, i-if I wanted to, he would like to explain.”

“No one will force you to do anything, especially not something that scares you.” Jungkook states firmly. Taehyung shakes his head, wanting to ease Jungkook’s worries.

“I’m not scared, I…”

“But you are, V.” Jungkook cuts off, voice firm but still caring. “And that’s okay. You don’t have to pretend, and you certainly don’t have force yourself to meet with Namjoon-hyung.”

Taehyung finds himself pausing a moment to consider Jungkook’s words. The vampire’s gaze is fixed on the human, steady, meaningful, and making Taehyung really think about his next move. He makes a show of looking out the window deep in thought, though he knows his answer is final.

“I am scared, and I hate it.” Taehyung admits. “I hate it, but I don’t want it to stop me.”

Jungkook’s lips curl up in a smile, seemingly proud of Taehyung’s words. The vampire’s eyes soften as he responds.

“Thank you, V. I hope one day I can hear your story.” Taehyung’s eyes widen a fraction, not sure how to feel about those words. Is he just saying that to be friendly or is Taehyung that obvious?

“Hello, my little loves.” Seokjin interrupts Taehyung’s train of thought, swooping in to sit next to his youngest covenmate. “I don’t mean to interrupt but I am afraid my extremely handsome but very scatter-brained mate is currently on his way. I tried calling but if my assumptions are correct, he has broken his phone for the fourth time in just as many months.”

Both boys snap their heads to Seokjin, Taehyung’s eyes widening in surprise and a hint of fear.

“V, we will not make you stay. I know you agreed to meet him, but you can take your time. Kook-ah can take you somewhere or I can even meet him out front. Completely up to you.” Seokjin gives him a warm smile, making it hard for Taehyung to believe he is being anything but sincere.

He didn’t think he would be facing the coven leader so soon, completely unprepared for a serious discussion with the intimidating vampire. Despite the praises Namjoon gets from the rest of the coven, it will take some more time before the human is remotely comfortable around him, especially alone. Taehyung didn’t hear anything about him having to meet the elder alone, so theoretically Jungkook and Seokjin could stay with him. Taehyung finds both vampires looking at him with concern as he thinks it over.

“Can you guys stay?” Taehyung speaks lowly, only heard due to the vampire’s enhanced hearing. Jungkook’s brows burrow even further, only a few seconds away from calling off the meeting himself. Seokjin on the other hand gives Taehyung a smile.

“Of course we can.” Seokjin’s head perks up then, smile widening. “Perfect timing. It seems my darling is here.”

Taehyung continues to take slow, calculated breaths, trying to calm his racing heart. He feels a body slide into the booth beside him, initially tensing before smelling Jungkook’s delicious vanilla scent, feeling his shoulders immediately sag. The older slides his hand into Taehyung’s, giving it a little squeeze in encouragement.

“Say the word and we leave, okay?” Jungkook whispers, knowing his hyungs are conversing only a few feet away. Taehyung finds himself nodding, trying not to tense when footsteps near their seating. Two bodies slide into the booth opposite them. The human tries to be brave but finds he is unable to lift his head, instead staring resolutely at the table. After a few moments of silence, someone clears their voice.

“Hello, V.”, comes a deep voice, leaving no room for question about who the voice belongs to. Taehyung feels himself bite his lip hard before answering.

“H-hello, Namjoon-ssi.”, he says politely, bowing as far as he can with the table in the way.

“Ah, you are very sweet, but you don’t have to be so formal with me and though it is hard to trust my word, I promise there isn’t a need to be nervous.” Namjoon speaks slowly, allowing the human time to grasp his sincerity. “I wanted to explain myself back at the café. You are welcome to interrupt anytime, say whatever you like, or you may just listen if you wish.”

Taehyung nods along to Namjoon’s words, liking that he doesn’t seem to be obviously pressured into speaking. Namjoon takes a moment to gather his thoughts, releasing a long sigh before starting.

“I want to start out by expressing how sorry I am. Hoseok-ah and Yoongi-ah told me that you had heard what I said at the café. It is true that I had said those things, but I want to be clear about what was said.” Taehyung nods along to the vampire’s words.

“As you might have heard, I told Jungkook to calm down because you weren’t his to protect.” The human’s breath hitches. He already knows this but hearing it again from the leader causes a twinge of hurt to course through his body. “I kept reminding him that you belonged to another coven, one that we do not associate with and therefore he should leave this problem alone.”

Taehyung feels his eyes start to sting. The coven leader initially apologized but why does it feel like he is explaining Taehyung’s lack of worth all over again? What does Taehyung gain from Namjoon repeating all the hurtful words?

“I explained the situation so he would understand the severity of it and how much more trouble we could have caused by interfering.”

Fuck, this was never supposed to be a real apology, just a coven leader making sure a lowly human understands his place. Namjoon is just like Dongha, offering some sort of hope before making Taehyung feel worse than he did prior.

Over the years, Taehyung has gotten immune to his own coven leader’s attempt at being ‘nice’, choosing to pretend to believe the nonsense before inevitably being injured. With Namjoon, it was different. Taehyung had hope that the leader would be kind…human even.

“It wasn’t worth it.”

Taehyung feels his heart break just a little.

“Please stop.” Taehyung pleads, trying and failing to control the shaking in his hands. His eyes are closed now, trying to contain the wetness behind closed lids. “I’m sorry. I know that it’s pointless and that I’m worthless. I know. I won’t bother your coven again, I promise, just please stop.”

The human pushes on Jungkook, trying to get the older to move so he can leave. He has heard all these words before from his coven. How worthless he is other than his blood. How he doesn’t belong to himself anymore. Taehyung has gotten used to their words, but this is different.

Jungkook relents to Taehyung’s pushing, sliding himself out of the booth but never letting go of the brown-haired boy’s hand. He hears both vampires across from him let out noises of concerns, immediately asking if he’s okay.

Taehyung makes it a few steps, dragging Jungkook behind him before an arm wraps around his waist, lightly holding him from leaving.

“Hey, V, breathe. You’re okay.” Jungkook whispers to him, repeating reassurances as the younger tries to hold back tears. The vampire slowly turns Taehyung to face him, cupping his face softly with both hands, running the pads of his thumbs over both cheeks. Taehyung tries not to get caught up in the vampire’s doe eyes, choosing to focus his attention on the other two standing near the booth.

Seokjin and Namjoon are speaking to each other quickly, making wild hand gestures as they talk. Namjoon’s brows are furrowed, and lips are pulled down into a frown. He looks angry – or at the very least upset – bringing a hand up to roughly run through his hair in frustration.

Taehyung should have watched his mouth. He never wanted the coven members to fight with each other. He steps toward the couple to apologize when Namjoon turns toward him, freezing Taehyung in his tracks.

The leader doesn’t look upset, he looks pissed. Namjoon’s lips are downturned even further, hair tussled once again by a rough hand. He sets his hard gaze onto Taehyung before stepping toward the human.

Taehyung is unable to stop the hitch in his breath as he takes in the familiar display. Dongha’s brows furrow the same way when he’s upset, moments before taking it out on one of the Letters, before sinking his teeth into the nearest human. The coven leader has a good reason to be angry, Taehyung interrupted and practically demanded he stop, as if he has any say.

The human thinks Namjoon goes to bite his own lip but all he can see is the vampire’s sharp incisors in a terrifying display. Taehyung holds in his tears as Namjoon takes another step, knowing that Dongha always became further irritated if he isn’t strong enough to hold them back.

The coven leader lifts a hand towards Taehyung and all the human can see is Dongha in front of him, reaching out to roughly grasp his chin or his neck – the back of his head still throbs where the vampire grabbed him the day before.

Tae does the only thing he knows to do to placate a vampire.

He squeezes his hands into fists by his side, snapping his eyes shut tight.

And turns his head to offer his neck.

He waits for the pain of rough hands on his body, the sharp cutting sensation of fangs cutting into his skin.

But, after a few more moments without pain, he opens his eyes.

Jungkook is standing right beside him, irises shining red with emotion, mouth parted in surprise. He moves his eyes to the other two, finding the coven leader three steps back from where he was, hands raised in a peaceful gesture and eyes looking suspiciously wet. Seokjin stands beside him, rubbing a hand down his back while looking at Taehyung with such sadness.

Taehyung looks at all of them again in confusion, breath still increased at the unknown.

“V.” Namjoon’s voice is barely above a whisper. “I am so so very sorry. My intention was never to berate you and definitely was never to harm you, but I can see how that is exactly how my words and actions came off. I was under the false impression that telling you every word I uttered in the café would show that I was able to give you full transparency of my actions. When I was walking towards you, I merely wished to offer my hand as a sign of trust, much like I had done in the past.”

Taehyung takes in Namjoon’s words and his unthreatening position, calming himself enough to turn his head back to the leader. Much like what Hoseok did after their first meeting, Namjoon places his hand over his heart, dipping his head as he speaks the next words.

“I don’t deserve it, but I hope one day you can forgive me for my tactlessness, and for scaring you.”

Taehyung thought it odd that Hoseok bowed his head in apology, so seeing a 400-year-old vampire coven leader – who happens to also be one of the highest-ranking vampire government officials in miles – cover his heart and apologize with such sincerity, throws Taehyung for a loop.

“Let me be clear.” Namjoon continues, head still bowed. “Not as a vampire or as a coven leader, but as someone who wishes to become closer to you.”

The vampire lifts his head now, hand still in place over his heart. “You will never be expected to bare your throat for me, or any of my covenmates.”

Taehyung hears the truth behind his words, sees the look of sadness and despair and fucking regret all over Namjoon’s face. Seokjin has moved his hand up to rub soothing circles between his mate’s shoulders, eventually massaging over the back of his neck, taking care not to interfere with his apology.

The eldest’s face is scrunched in obvious concern, looking back and forth between his mate and the human. Taehyung isn’t sure whether the worry is directed at only his mate or towards them both.

Tae hears a small hiccup of breath to his left, turning his head slowly to the vampire beside him. Jungkook has his bottom lip trapped between his teeth, biting down hard enough to turn them a dark red. When Taehyung meets the vampire’s gaze, he finds himself looking into blood-red irises, the older’s eyes constantly shifting their gaze between Taehyung’s own.

“Can I…?”, Jungkook begins but stops himself. His hands are clenching and unclenching at his side, almost as if he wants to touch but isn’t sure it would be welcome. Taehyung doesn’t know what Jungkook is asking, but he finds that he doesn’t think his answer would change. The human nods his head.

Jungkook lets out all his air in a swoosh, bridging the gap between him and Taehyung with a step. He brings his hands up slowly, allowing the human ample time to pull away, before resting them softly on Tae’s cheeks. Jungkook rubs his thumbs over the beautiful boy’s cheeks, his touch featherlight.

Taehyung’s eyes flutter, finding himself wanting to move further into the youngest vampire’s hands. His palms are warm where they rest on his face, thumbs leaving tingling skin in their wake. The brown-haired boy thinks that even if Jungkook wasn’t warm, that he would still enjoy this moment, this touch.

Taehyung only wishes he could feel more.

So, before he can think about it too much, he lifts his arms and places them over Jungkook’s shoulders, crossing them behind the vampire’s neck before pulling them together in an embrace.

Taehyung sighs, feeling his body relax. Jungkook is so warm, body somehow both soft and firm against the younger. Sweet vanilla practically radiates off the red-eyed boy, making Taehyung turn his head so his nose sits between the juncture of Jungkook’s head and shoulder.

“Turns out Namjoon-ah did break his phone.” Seokjin randomly states. “That would be the fourth phone he has ruined this year.”

Taehyung doesn’t understand what this has to do with the current situation, but he chooses to listen to the conversation regardless.

“The first one, he left in his back pocket and stumbled trying to reach a book in our library, landed right on his bottom, shattering it.”

“The second one,” Jungkook continues, catching onto Seokjin’s point. “Hyung was watching koi fish in one of the local gardens and went to answer his phone, only to fumble it and drop it in the water.”

“He did the same with his third, same koi pond and everything.” Seokjin finishes, letting out a long-drawn-out sigh. Taehyung tilts his head, wanting to catch a glimpse of the other two a few feet away. He finds Seokjin’s head tilted back, almost as if looking towards the heavens for strength, fond smile curling his lips.

“One day, Jimin-hyung and I were looking for him because Namjoon-hyung had been gone for hours.” Jungkook jumps in again. “We found him watering and talking to his collection of bonzai trees, telling them how pretty they were and that the plants had to survive so that they could grow with the coven. He even named them and everything.”

For some reason, he can’t see the well-built vampire speaking to anything like that, but Taehyung finds he likes hearing the smile in Jungkook’s voice as the youngest vampire speaks.

“Just a few months ago, my love brought home a crab to nurse back to health.” Seokjin drops his head to meet Taehyung’s gaze. “Yes, a crab, those little orange sea creatures with the many legs.”

“Darling.” Namjoon sounds fondly exasperated, changing his gaze from his mate to the human. “I was walking the beach and accidentally stepped on it, breaking part of its shell. I had to bring it home because it was my fault that it was hurt.”

“What about last month, hyung?” Jungkook says with a chuckle. “Did you accidentally step on that crab, too?”

Taehyung finds himself letting out a quiet giggle, unsure how to act in this situation. Seokjin lets out a bright laugh at the questioning while petting through Namjoon’s hair, endlessly amused by the conversation.

“That one had a rare species of barnacle growing on it. I wanted to show the coven.” Namjoon states, wanting the others to believe him but also not seeming genuinely put off by the teasing. “Why is it all of a sudden time for teasing?”

“I think V-ah deserves to hear some…amusing stories about you, love. You did give him quite a scare.” Seokjin tries keeping the tone light, but the underlying concern was still very much present.

Taehyung thinks that the teasing might have worked, allowing him to see Namjoon as something other than a coven leader. The vampire seemed to be taking the teasing in stride, apparently used to their attempts at poking fun. If anything, the fond quips may have been for Namjoon’s sake as well, reminding the vampire that although immortal, he is still human, bound to make mistakes.

Tae knows that Jungkook would never let the coven push for any explanations, but the human feels they deserve one after the tense moment of despair he had caused. He quickly formulates a vague mistruth.

“My previous coven leader, they…they weren’t good.” Taehyung starts, trying and failing to keep his voice steady. “Always just took from us and didn’t take no for an answer. When they were angry, the only way to stop them from hurting us more was to offer up our neck and let them feed.”

He places his head back into Jungkook’s neck, not wanting to see the expressions on the others’ faces, not even embarrassed to snuggle further into the vampire’s warmth.

“I’m sorry that I freaked out.” Taehyung murmured, becoming more tired as today’s events go on.

“Thank you for sharing that. It means a lot that you would trust us with that information.” Namjoon says, still sounding a bit sad. “Please, don’t be sorry, V. I should have been better about this entire thing.”

Taehyung doesn’t think he has heard so many apologies from anyone but himself in his entire life.

He is unsure why, but that fact makes him both happy and sad.

Happy that someone cares enough about his feelings to express their apologies. Happy that there is someone – multiple someones – who care about him enough to want him comfortable.

Sad that he was the reason that a proud, loved coven leader was practically forced to bow their head in shame and regret because of him.

He doesn’t want that.

Taehyung has been put down since he lived with his uncle, been bullied into constant apologies that were ultimately for the other’s pleasure. He decided long ago that he doesn’t want anyone he cares about to feel that way.

That makes Taehyung pause. Does he care about Namjoon? He hardly knows him and honestly has had some admittedly rough interactions with the older vampire. But the other members of Bangtan trust him with everything. They have been so kind. Would good people follow someone that wasn’t also good?

“Namjoon-ssi.”, the human murmurs, turning away from the red-eyed vampire to meet Namjoon’s gaze. “Can we restart from when you sat down with Seokjin-ssi?”

Namjoon smiles then, showcasing a set of dimples that makes Taehyung’s breath hitch a moment.

“I would really like that, V.”

Chapter Text

Holy shit, dimples.

Taehyung noticed them for the first time only minutes ago, but Namjoon has been giving him an all-access pass to the double dimple show and the human isn’t sure what to do except be very distracted.

Namjoon decided to sit them all back down and has purposely avoided talking about the café incident, instead filling the group’s ears with his “adventures” prior to coming to his mate’s workplace. Since he had a meeting early this morning, he has yet to sleep since the day prior, choosing instead to stay up and enjoy the day either by himself or with coven members.

After the meeting, the vampire had taken a walk through one of his favorite parks, the one that just-so-happens to include Hoseok’s meadow, trying to clear his mind of the morning’s stress.

“I was making way to the clearing when I had spotted a chipmunk with a beautiful white stripe down its back, practically glowing in the underbrush.” Namjoon had started. “But then I realized that it was glowing.”

Taehyung slowly sips his new mug of soothing herbal tea as he listens to the coven leader with rapt attention, realizing that the vampire’s low rumbly voice was perfect for telling stories. One of Tae’s hands remained encompassed by the hands of the youngest vampire as the leader speaks – just in case he gets a little scared, of course.

“I thought that maybe I had found some rare species or that the little guy had somehow stumbled into a potion or spell by accident.” Namjoon’s voice rises now, words coming quicker in his obvious excitement, hands waving around in crazy gestures. “I immediately summoned my spell book and notepad and began writing down observations and researching what could have caused a small animal to be emitting such a glow. I also brought out my guide of rare animal species to see if anything like this has been documented.”

Namjoon pauses to take a sip of his Blood Orange Tea – the blood-infused citrus tea aptly named by Seokjin and only available to the blood-drinking members of the community. The human finds he doesn’t mind that fact, appreciating Seokjin’s transparency with the items he is bringing to the table, and liking how the orange and lemon overcomes any potential iron smell that may come from the drink.

Namjoon clears his throat and puts on a sheepish smile. “Turns out that it wasn’t any of those things.”

“What was it then, love?” Seokjin asks, nibbling on some small squares of fudge.

“Turns out that the chipmunk had eaten one of the pixies in the park, hence causing the animal to glow.” Taehyung’s eyes widen, wondering if that means the pixie was gravely injured, or even worse, dead – he is unsure Hoseok’s true relationship with the pixies, but he assumes the fae-vampire would be fairly upset if he found that one of them was literally eaten by one of the woodland creatures. The human doesn’t have to wonder for long because Namjoon quickly continues. “I was able to get the pixie out, mostly unharmed save for its pride. The animal’s appearance returned to normal within a few minutes.”

“Unfortunately, while I was busy helping get the pixie out, I had set my phone down in the grass. It seems the other pixies wanted to play a game because when I had turned back around, they were throwing it between themselves, giggling.”

Taehyung had never had any experience with pixies other than with Hoseok and Yoongi, but he had heard stories from his parents about how they thrive off playful tricks. They had ample opportunity to play their games with Taehyung in the meadow but assumes that they held back largely due to Hoseok’s presence.

“I thought Hoseok-ah spoke with them about playing games with the rest of the coven.” Seokjin states, causing Jungkook to start giggling. Both of the older vampires glance at the younger in confusion, Seokjin’s mouth stretching in a small smile. “Little love, I’m sure you will explain what’s so funny.”

“Nothing’s funny, hyung.” Jungkook’s giggles become a little louder, unable to control his amusement at the situation. “Hoseok-hyung spoke to them about their games. I was there.”

“And what exactly did our lovely fae say to his little pixie friends?” Seokjin asks, already knowing where the conversation is going. Jungkook’s smile remains on his face as he shrugs, not wanting to tell his oldest hyungs about Hoseok’s mischief.

Seokjin sighs, fond smile still present, as he addresses his mate. “It appears our little prince has yet to give up his own tricks and games, love.”

Namjoon matches his mate’s look of fond amusement, not looking even slightly upset at the events. “Well, it was the pixies who ultimately had hit the phone against a tree while flying. So, perhaps we could blame this broken phone on Hoseok-ah?”

Namjoon pushes his lips out at Seokjin – the leader is full-on pouting – trying to get his mate to agree. It only takes a moment of feigned thought before Seokjin is nodding his head towards Namjoon, the older rolling his eyes when his mate sends him a blinding smile and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

Taehyung finds himself smiling at the display, realizing how Namjoon appears more human the longer he observes the vampire, the leader showing such fondness for his coven and such love for his mate beside him.

The dimples might help, too.

The group talks about seemingly random things, bouncing between stories of the past and plans for the future – and Seokjin might have dropped a few hints about wanting Tae to call him ‘hyung’ but luckily didn’t press the matter except some light teasing. 

"I'll die without the love of my newest dongsaeng.", Seokjin had stated, grasping his chest in faux pain, causing the human to giggle over the rim of his cup. 

Taehyung learns that the two mates in front of him met when Namjoon was human, taking notes and sketching the wildlife near a riverbank, the youngest known witch to complete their training at the time. Seokjin had been alone for years, separating from his birth coven soon after coming of age. The eldest doesn’t seem embarrassed in the slightest at having watched the human from afar for hours, noting that he wasn’t above some ‘light-stalking’ if it meant he could ‘look at his Namjoonie longer’, causing his mate to blush and the younger two to giggle.

Once Seokjin revealed himself, Namjoon was so startled and taken back by the older’s beauty – Namjoon’s words not Taehyung’s, though honestly agrees that Seokjin must have been sculpted by the gods themselves – that he promptly fell back into the river, causing the vampire to jump in after him in some romantic act of heroism.

“Almost like a fairytale.” Taehyung finds himself saying, smiling softly at the mates in front of him, getting bright smiles in return.

He quickly checks his phone, realizing that he had spent the rest of his day with Bangtan in this café.

“I have to go.”, he says reluctantly, knowing he can’t stay here the entire night conversing with the coven, though some part of him wishes he could. He sees the other three smile and nod their heads. The human begins to gather his things, taking in the calming atmosphere of Euphoria once more, wondering why this café gives off such intense soothing vibes.

Singularity has always brought him a sense of warmth, mostly due to the never-ending feelings of good that radiate off both Jiyeon and Yugyeom, but it doesn’t hold a flame to the constant warmth-safety-content that radiates off Seokjin’s store.

Speaking of Singularity, “Thank you for taking care of the mess at the café, Namjoon-ssi. You didn’t have to, but I am grateful you did.”

Namjoon flashes him a warm smile. “You don’t have to thank me. The vampire counsel has funds specifically for supernatural damages and a list of employees that take care of organizing repairs and so forth. I would have done it regardless, but I can’t take too much credit.”

Taehyung still doesn’t understand the intricacies of the High Vampire Court, but he knows that helping people affected by supernatural disturbances seems like a good thing, albeit a little concerning if it happens often enough to have an entire team dedicated to the cause. The human finds himself returning the smile before nodding, picking the remainder of his things before Namjoon speaks up again.

“V, I would like to say one last thing.”, the vampire’s voice is low, calming as he speaks. Taehyung nods his head, not as afraid to hear what the leader has to say. “Although it's true you belong to a different coven, nothing else I said was real.”

“You mean a lot to us, human or not.” Namjoon leans forward, bracing both elbows against the table.

“And you are more than worth it.”

When Taehyung promised himself that he would take advantage of the week without Dongha, he meant it.

Taehyung has worked the last few days, meeting up with a member of Bangtan either before or after every time.

Yesterday, he left the café and ran into Jimin just outside the entrance, ready to drag Taehyung around town to his favorite spots, starting with an ice cream shop down the street. Taehyung walked into the shop with a very determined Jimin, the vampire ready to have him sample all the flavors because Tae couldn’t remember which flavor he liked.

“How long has it been since you had ice cream? Actually, don’t answer that. We need an intervention because not knowing what ice cream you like is a literal crime.” Jimin states, immediately going up to the counter and proceeding to order one scoop of every ice cream available – leaving a hefty tip for the worker once he was completed.

Taehyung had tried stopping the smaller blonde, but as the human quickly found out, when the blonde has his mind set on something, it’ll take nothing less than a nuclear explosion to deter him.

Even then, it would be difficult to sway him from his path.

So, Taehyung tried all 32 flavors of ice cream, Jimin also taking bites here and there of flavors he knows he likes or ones he hasn’t tried yet. The vampire decided to tell him embarrassing stories about his covenmates as the human ate, stories that the blonde states would get him thrown in the ‘time-rift’ if they found out he told Taehyung – the human isn’t sure if it was a figure of speak or the coven actually has access to some sort of alternate time-warping dimension.

One story was of how Hoseok and Yoongi had fought for a week over a missing necklace, one that was given to them by Jimin very early into their relationship, both thinking that the other had lost it. Apparently, they had spoiled Jimin that whole week in hopes that he wouldn’t notice the missing enchanted item. Turns out their youngest love had broken the chain and had to bring it to a jeweler and subsequently Namjoon so he could weave a strengthening spell into the newly fixed chain.

Jimin had laughed for days over the incident.

Another story started with the youngest coven member sleepily reaching for his blood-infused energy tonic in the fridge soon after waking up, only to grab one of Namjoon’s potions-in-progress. After drinking it, he proceeded to hiccup bubbles for three whole days until the coven leader could whip up something to reverse the odd effects.

Needless to say, Taehyung found himself laughing along with Jimin for the majority of their time over the table of frozen desserts.

On the way to their next destination, Jimin had bought the human some chicken fried rice before taking him to sit along the edge of a large river in the middle of Seoul, tilting his head back and seemingly enjoying the warmth of the sun on his skin – courtesy of a “sunscreen potion” that allows vampires and other light-sensitive species to bask in the sun’s rays without any adverse effects.

“This is a pretty special place to me.”, Jimin states, turning his head towards Tae. The human hums an answer through a bite of rice, causing the vampire to smile before continuing. “Yoongi-hyung, Hoseok-hyung, and I mated here.”

Taehyung pauses, immediately staring at Jimin like he grew two heads.

“Ewww, I don’t want to know where you and your mates…did that.”, Taehyung waves both hands in the air, shaking his head as if to dispel the images of the three Bangtan members.

“You think…” Jimin starts before erupting in a fit of giggles, holding his stomach with both hands as he tries to steady his body. He laughs even harder at Taehyung’s mortified face, causing him to lean into the human before ultimately falling back onto the grass.

When the vampire can calm down enough, he explains further, not missing the opportunity to tease. “No, we didn’t mate here, we got mated here. I didn’t know your mind was so dirty, V.”

Taehyung must still seem confused because he continues. “Our mating ceremony was here. My mates had already been mated for years before I came along so I was to give them a mating bite and they were to give me one. It is similar to human marriage, where close friends and family come to witness the bites.”

Taehyung nods along, not knowing anything about vampire mating ceremonies, or really any species for that matter, but glad to learn about their customs, nonetheless. Jimin’s smile turns cocky before leaning in towards the human.

“The fun part was saved for later.”, Jimin states lowly, exaggeratedly wiggling his eyebrows once he was done.

Taehyung starts laughing, pushing Jimin away from him as the vampire starts to giggle once again.

Their day ended at a clothing store that was way out of Taehyung’s price range, but one Jimin was dying to take him to, stating that the human would need an outfit for his future dates with a special someone. Taehyung denied both his plans for dating anytime soon and his need for expensive clothing, which were quickly dismissed with a wave of the vampire’s hands.

“Let me spoil you, V.”, Jimin stated, piling some clothes into Taehyung’s arms. “Hyung pays. Let’s buy a few things for your covenmates, too.”

That’s how he brought home an armload of items for the rest of the Letters, enjoying the look on D’s face when the boy saw the new pair of converse and Gucci shirt placed on his sleeping area – with a strict warning to never let any of the vampires see it. Z was equally thrilled with her new combat boots, stating that she was long overdue.

“So, which rich Bangtan member should I thank?”, Z asks cheekily, walking around to break in the new boots. Taehyung doesn’t even try to deny it.

“Jimin.”, Tae states, seeing the look of confusion on Z’s face. “The shorter blonde who always looks like he came straight out of a fashion magazine.”

“They all look like they came out of a fashion magazine.”, Z says, choosing to sit down next to Taehyung in their shared room. “Seriously, how did you manage to bag six of the most attractive men I have ever seen?”

Taehyung smiles and nudges her with his shoulder. “I’m not bagging anyone. They’re all mated anyway.”

Except one, he doesn’t say, because the girl beside him already knows. They sit in relative silence as they both get lost in their own thoughts. Taehyung sees his covenmate rubbing her hands together slowly, switching her crossed feet every few moments in fidgety restlessness.

“Just say it.”, Tae murmurs, ready for the girl to chastise him for putting the rest of the Letters in danger.

The girl turns towards him, searching his face for something.

“What do you think I’m going to say?”, Z whispers.

There’s a long list of things he knows she wants to say, that he likely needs to hear. He is directly disobeying Dongha without any concern for the repercussions, no concern for the well-being of the other humans. And for what? For the hope that he might make friends, the hope that he’ll find freedom? Who is he to put himself before the others? His life doesn’t mean more than theirs.

He turns to Z to tell her all of that, only to find her smiling softly at him, catching him off guard.

“I’m proud of you.”, she whispers, causing his breath to hitch.

What?

“You haven’t had any resemblance of a life in years, V. You’ve dedicated your life to the other humans here, done more for them than anyone. If anyone of us deserves to find true happiness, it’s you.”, she says without any trace of doubt.

She sounds so sure, so genuine, that it makes V look away, trying to hide his watery eyes. It’s not true, but the sentiment is the same. Every one of the humans here deserve happiness after being ripped away so harshly from their previous lives. He starts shaking his head, ready to refuse the words of the human beside him.

“Don’t think too much about it.”, Z states, echoing her words from before the attack when Jimin and Jungkook had left the café.

There is so much to think about, so much to attempt to plan. But Taehyung is still buzzing with energy from his time with Jimin, still thinking of his time with Namjoon and Seokjin, still constantly missing Jungkook.

Fuck, he wishes it wasn’t this hard.

“It’s selfish.”, Tae whispers weakly, unsure why he is even still fighting.

“Then, please, for the sake of the Letters, for me,” Z starts firmly.

“Be selfish.”

Taehyung finds himself with a day off from Singularity.

And no better way to spend it than with a member of Bangtan, specifically the youngest member, exploring the city in a definitely-just-as-friends-and-not-at-all-a-date kind of way, wrapped in warmth from his jacket and the vampire’s excited rambling.

Jungkook is currently going on about what his hyungs are up to while traveling to their destination, explaining that Namjoon has been working on a potion for humans that reduce the length of symptoms of colds and other common ailments without exposing them to ingredients with high side effect profiles.

Taehyung happily listens to the vampire, contentedly distracted by the beautiful specimen beside him. Jungkook’s skin is slightly flushed in the daylight, likely a combination of the sun’s rays and a recent feed if Taehyung had to guess, making him appear younger, more alive. His eyes are wide in happiness and his lips are pink and stretched around a smile as he speaks, endlessly showcasing the love he has for his covenmates. Jungkook licks his lips once before continuing causing Taehyung’s breath to hitch.

The human snaps his gaze to the path in front of them, hoping he can calm down before the vampire inevitably hears his racing heartbeat and starts fretting.

“Hyung is getting closer, but his most recent attempt caused a witch to sprout little plants all over their body.”

Taehyung lets out a disbelieving laugh, unsure if Jungkook is serious or just checking if the human is still listening. Jungkook lets out a small chuckle of his own.

“Seriously?” Taehyung asks, getting a nod in return. “How does that even happen?”

“Namjoon-hyung explained it but honestly I only caught maybe a quarter of what he said.”, Jungkook says, smile still very much apparent. “He is super nerdy, as you may have caught. He mentioned something about an ingredient promoting growth of healthy cells but somehow mixed with another ingredient made it so healthy plant cells grew instead.”

Jungkook shrugs, flashing a smile at Taehyung. “Very normal afternoon for us.”

Taehyung finds himself chuckling and shaking his head, unsure how anything about this situation is normal. Though, he supposes, with his past and complete lack of normalcy, this should count as an average day in the life of the supernatural.

“I wanted to show you something before going somewhere more fun.”, Jungkook says lowly, refusing to meet the human’s gaze. “You can say no.”

Taehyung finds it easy to nod his head, prompting Jungkook to continue.

“Do you remember when I was explaining the feeding system that hyung created? The one where people can donate their blood for vampires.”

Taehyung nods his head slowly, confusion growing as the conversation continues.

“You didn’t seem to believe me, which is completely understandable, I would never hold that against you.” Jungkook starts, eyebrows furrowing as he tries to think of how to explain his intentions. “But I wanted to show you the system in-person, not because I want you to believe me – well, scratch that I really want you to believe me, but I am hoping that it shows that I was truthful and that my coven and I don’t go feeding off any human we find on the street and…”

The vampire trails off again, seemingly unable to properly explain his thoughts.

“Jungkook-ssi.”, Taehyung calls lightly, causing the vampire to turn toward him. Jungkook eyes are wide, lip caught between his teeth as if he is afraid that the human will immediately refuse. “What exactly did you want me to see?”

“Well…” Jungkook trails off again. “I wanted to show you whatever you are comfortable with. One of our coven’s buildings is on the way. People are donating on the first floor throughout the day so I thought that I could show you around and explain the process a little better. Maybe I could introduce you to some of our regulars and they could answer any questions or talk about their own experience.”

Taehyung should be worried about the vampire’s desire to convince him, but instead all he feels is touched that Jungkook seems so dedicated in making the human feel relaxed, safer in the coven’s presence.

He has been interested in knowing more about the seemingly impossible process of humans willingly giving vampires blood ever since hearing about it their first time together in Jin’s café. The idea of an entire process dedicated to feeding the vampires of Seoul without harm seems farfetched, but Taehyung also knows that he doesn’t know much about the outside world with him being sheltered for most of his life. If there was a source of blood from willing humans, how would that change his perspective?

Taehyung finds himself thinking it over, realizing that there aren’t many downsides to touring the building and meeting other humans except the likelihood of running into other vampires.

Alongside Jungkook, that idea doesn’t scare him as much.

“Okay.” Taehyung agrees, giving Jungkook a firm nod of his head. “I think I would like that.”

If Jungkook grabbing his hand and sending him a blinding smile made his heart skip a beat, no one had to know but him.

The coven’s donation center looks like any other tall office building from the outside and Taehyung fully expected the inside to be covered in metals of muted greys and whites with the typical stoic workers in nicely pressed suits carrying briefcases and constantly checking their watches – Taehyung has never actually been inside an office building, sue him. He also had a fleeting thought that it would likely resemble a doctor’s office, covered top to bottom in white save for the grey carpet, always carrying the strong smell of antiseptic.

What he didn’t expect was the absolute burst of color that greeted him once he walked through the doors. Instead of shades of grey, he found seafoam green coloring the walls with interspersed darker greens, browns, and blues littering the entire first floor. The entryway was open enough to allow an impressively large water fountain to reside in near the front windows lining the building and still have ample space to hold chairs, tables, children’s games, and so much more.

Perhaps the only grey in the expansive room was the light tile flooring that was littered with what appeared to be small crystals, twinkling in the sunlight that filtered through the windows.

Multiple people were walking around while others chose to sit in the chairs scattered throughout the room, speaking among each other and admiring the beauty surrounding them. A few children were even running around, eventually choosing to sit near the fountain and watch the water shoot out in impressive arcs.

The most surprising thing of all was the amount of plant life everywhere. Potted ferns, trees, and flowers were placed at every table and tucked into every corner. Multiple colors of ivy wrapped around poles and lights and even covered the center portion of the fountain. A large amount even cascaded down an entire wall, causing the human to tilt his head up to attempt to see where the ivy ends.

“Not what you were expecting?”, Jungkook questions him after a moment. Taehyung doesn’t bother hiding his surprised expression as he shakes his head, still admiring the plants and décor of the supposed donation center.

“Namjoon-hyung was the one who decided on the interior with a little help from Hoseok-hyung. He wanted the environment to be welcoming to those who donate or receive the donations but needed to have plants that wouldn’t cause allergies to act up.” Taehyung nodded his head along to Jungkook’s words, just now taking time to observe the items in the middle of the room.

Two women stood behind what appeared to be a desk, a large slab of finished walnut serving to be the surface, both covered and surrounded by lilies, hydrangeas, and white roses. They both were currently working on their laptops, scribbling away on papers and answering phones as they rang.

Small rose blooms spelled out a name on the front of the desk.

“Why Indigo?”, Taehyung couldn’t help but ask.

“Ah, Namjoon-hyung came up with it after a lengthy philosophical debate with himself.” Taehyung glanced at the vampire to find him smirking back. “You should ask him next time you see him.”

Taehyung couldn’t help but give Jungkook a confused look. Although he wouldn’t mind speaking with Namjoon again, the youngest vampire had never deferred the answer to a question to one of his covenmates, priding himself on being open with the human. Though based on his smirk, Taehyung can only assume it was a particularly comical event of the coven leader agonizing and finally deciding on a somewhat simple name for the donation office.

Through the stories of the somewhat clumsy and apparently lovable leader, the human quickly forms an image in his head of Namjoon sitting in a greenhouse with glasses perched on his nose, rubbing his chin as he converses with his bonsais and whatever animal he has hostage at the moment.

Even if he is entirely off about the process, the thought still brings a small smile to his face.

“Mr. Kim?”, he hears a light, airy voice call from the desk. A small spark of fear makes its way through his body at somebody knowing him – he hasn’t heard his real name in years – but that recedes quickly when he realizes that the woman behind the desk isn’t addressing him.

She appears young, though most supernatural creatures do. Multiple lilies are intertwined in her dark blue hair and some even sneak down and wrap around her wrists, slowly swaying to a non-existent breeze.

“Wheein-ah, I’ve told you just to call me Jungkook. Mr. Kim makes me feel old.” The vampire makes his way to the desk, flashing her a smile as the other woman starts chuckling at her. The one who spoke, Wheein, doesn’t seemed affected in the slightest at the other’s laugh and instead gains a teasing glint in her light blue eyes as she addresses the vampire again.

“But you are old.”, Wheein states, causing the other to start smacking her on the shoulder.

“Yah, I’m older than him. Are you calling me old?” Wheein starts giggling at that, throwing her arms around the other woman’s neck, pressing her nose into the juncture between her neck and shoulder.

“And I thought I was the wolf in this relationship.”, the older mutters, a fond smile adorning her face as her lover scents her.

Jungkook gives a chuckle, amused but not surprised with the couple’s interactions. “V, this is Wheein and her mate, Moonbyul. Wheein is a forest fae and Moonbyul is a wolf, as you might have heard. Guys, this is V.”

Moonbyul smiles and waves at the human right as Wheein lets out a squeal, letting go of the elder wolf and leaning over the counter to get a better look.

“Oh my gosh, he is gorgeous. Where did you find him?”, Wheein says shamelessly, causing the human to blush and sputter out a denial. Both the vampire and wolf chuckle at the interaction.

“T-thank you.” Taehyung stutters, clearing his throat right after. “I love your hair, and your eyes, and honestly everything. You are very pretty.”

I have no idea how to compliment people, he screams internally.

The others must not see his struggle or are too nice to call attention to it because they all flash him smiles, Wheein’s brighter than the others.

“Thank you! You are too sweet. May I ask how old you are? Humans always age weird.”

He finds it comical that he is currently talking with a vampire over 100 years old, a wolf older than that, and a fae of unknown age who all appear to be in their 20s and yet somehow humans are the ones that age weird.

“I’m 22.”, he states, causing the other to pout.

“You aren’t going to ask me my age?” Wheein asks, causing both her lover and Jungkook to give a fond eye roll at her antics.

Luckily, Taehyung’s mom always prepared him for this.

“I was taught to never ask a woman her age.”, he says truthfully, though he decides to omit the fact that he was told never to ask older women their age. His answer must be good because Wheein puts one hand over her head and falls into her mate’s side in faux fainting.

“He’s cute and has good manners.” The vampire and wolf giggle, some of their amusement rubbing off on the human. This time is Moonbyul who speaks.

“She stopped aging around 26, though she is a little over 50 now. I’m somewhere around 220 and our other mate, Solar, a vampire, is even older.”

If Taehyung was surprised with a fae and werewolf mating, he is even more so at the prospect of a wolf, fae and vampire all mating. From his limited understanding, most supernatural creatures stick to their own species with few exceptions. Vampires stay in covens and wolves stay in packs. He remembers from school that the fae are one of the most secretive species, never interacting with others for long and mating only with other fae to keep bloodlines pure. Tae even distinctly remembers his teacher taking an entire day going over the ancient hatred between vampires and wolves, the same feud that ultimately caused multiple wars over the years.

Though, he supposes, Namjoon and Hoseok were a witch and fae respectively prior to going through the turning, so perhaps the idea of interspecies mating isn’t that crazy of a concept.

“Jungkook-ah.” Tae’s train of thought is interrupted, causing them all to turn toward the source.

An older woman in a floor-length dress and thick jacket was making their way towards them, sporting a smile wide enough to showcase the fine wrinkles at the corner of her lips. Her long grey hair cascaded down her shoulders, colorful leather strips woven into braids of varying thickness.

“Mina-ssi.” Jungkook calls back to her, already closing the distance to wrap the woman up in a warm embrace. “How have you been?”

“Ah, I told you not to be so formal with me.”, the older woman chides, brushing off the front of Jungkook’s shirt and straightening his coat out. The woman, Mina, grasps his cheeks with both hands and turns his face back and forth, giving him a good look-over before tsking at what she sees. Jungkook chuckles at Mina’s antics but makes no move to remove her hands from his face. “Aish, you seem pale, have you been eating enough?”

Jungkook nods his head as the woman releases his face, seemingly finished with her analysis. The two banter and tease as if they are old friends, perhaps they are. If she is human, Taehyung knows it’s possible that Jungkook could have known her since birth – or known her mother or even her grandmother for all he knows.

At some point, both Mina and Jungkook look his way, giving bright smiles and low laughs as they continue to speak – likely about him. Mina points towards Taehyung and back at Jungkook while speaking lowly, causing the vampire to look away and smile bashfully at the floor. The human is intrigued now, wondering what the woman could have said to cause such a reaction.

He is mildly distracted with the way that Jungkook’s cheeks start to pink, slowly darkening his pale skin – somehow still appearing mildly sunkissed in the warm sunlight – and slowly moving until the tips of his ears even turn a faint red.  Taehyung can’t deny that the vampire flushes so prettily at the woman’s words, making him seem younger, more innocent.

Jungkook turns back to Taehyung, taking a few steps toward him before pulling him by the hand towards Mina. “Mina-ah, this is V. He is interested in learning about hyung’s program. V, this is Mina. I’ve known her for quite a few years.”

Tae finds himself bowing and giving a soft ‘nice to meet you’ before straightening up. The woman’s gaze is nothing short of fond as she takes in the human, brown eyes so soft as she steps forward and places a hand on his cheek, almost purposeful with the slow speed with which she performs the motions. The instant burst of warmth and comfort and familiarity as Mina touches him almost takes Taehyung’s breath away.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, V.”, the woman says softly, eyes harboring a hint of sadness as she gives one soft swipe of her thumb across his cheek before pulling away. “I’m sorry. That was a bit invasive. I should have asked or at the very least, warned you.”

Tae is still a little spacey from the unexpected burst of happy-fond-comfort that turned to soft sadness, finding it hard to gather his thoughts into something coherent.

“Mina-ah comes from a family of empaths. Somewhere in her ancestry is a witch, making her a bit more sensitive to supernatural presences and able to sense and transmit emotions.” Taehyung finds that Jungkook’s eyes are wide, almost fearful as he says the words. “Sometimes, emotions are strong, and she isn’t able to stop herself from feeling them out properly and helping where she can.”

Oh. Oh.

Taehyung’s constant fear-despair-sadness, even pushed to the back of his mind when he is with Jungkook, was still present enough to cause Mina’s empathic abilities to spike. The human has never heard of an empath and certainly never met one, so he is unsure the extent of their senses. Are they able to just feel and alter emotions or are they able to see the memories and images that come with the emotions? Perhaps, they are like Oracles or Seers and can see glimpses of the future with a small brush of skin. He hopes it’s the former and didn’t just accidentally show Mina a glimpse of his stellar life, knowing that she is likely to spill everything to Jungkook before Taehyung has a chance to stop her.

A power like that could be extremely invasive, especially without proper warning, but Taehyung can’t shake the feeling of good that came with the woman’s hand on his cheek. He knows those emotions were not his own and can only assume Mina was projecting them, likely just trying to sooth the bone-deep ache that the human has carried around for years.

Although he should be mad at the somewhat forced lack of privacy between him and a stranger, he can’t find it in himself to be upset, knowing that he enjoyed the feeling of her skin on his, even if the emotions weren’t his.

And he is an absolute sucker for the pout that Jungkook is currently sporting.

He finds himself waving off their worries with a smile, focusing on getting to know the empath as they sit in a few of the plush chairs near the ivy wall. The strong woman was in her late 60s and according to her, had lived a fulfilling and thrilling life, constantly testing fate and seeking adrenaline at every turn. It apparently only took one look from a sweet, ‘exceedingly handsome’ vampire for her to ditch her lifestyle and settle down with her new love, having a child with him only a few years later.

Turns out, a ‘mere’ 40 years prior – Jungkook’s words, not his own – Mina had sought out the Bangtan coven for help with her daughter. When giving blood to her 4-year-old little love – apparently the age most half-vampires start adding the iron–rich beverage into their diet – her daughter became ill and was unable to keep down any sort of blood products.

Knowing Kim Namjoon had ample experience in the medical field and more resources than the entirety of Seoul combined, she asked for a meeting with the coven leader.

Not unexpectedly, Namjoon had dedicated himself to helping the starving child almost immediately, quickly getting into contact with Korea’s best physicians and supernatural healers to try and figure out the next best step.

A month into research and blood trials, they had tested different routes of getting blood into the girl’s system, including IV, tablets, and chewable supplements and altered the speed with which the girl consumed it, trying to space feedings or supplements out further without success. The group then incrementally decreased the doses of blood and even tried mixing it into human food she normally enjoys. All efforts ended up making the half-vampire ill, her body slowly losing the fight to starvation.

The witch then began testing different types of blood, starting with human blood types and moving to blood of different species. After the 25^th trial, they found that the girl was able to best tolerate a mix of fae and vampire blood.

The entirety of the Bangtan coven fell in love with the girl during the course of her stay and collectively cried when she was able to successfully feed for the first time from Hoseok without the blood immediately coming back up.

Indigo then took on the task of supplying the girl’s feeds, finding a way to mix donated vampire and fae blood so it stays fresh for a couple weeks on top of Hoseok’s almost too-frequent donations.

“I think Hoseok-hyung would have donated himself dry if it wasn’t for the others stopping him from coming here every day.”, Jungkook says with fond exasperation.

Thinking of Hoseok’s bubbly personality and unwavering loyalty, Taehyung doesn’t doubt that statement.

“I started donating here once my husband passed away a few years back.”, Mina finishes, looping back the story to the present day. “It’s my way of supporting the coven and trying to pay them back for everything they did for my daughter.”

Jungkook goes to voice his displeasure at the woman donating to supposedly uphold her end of a nonexistent deal, but is quickly waved off by a stern Mina, the woman stating that she can do whatever she chooses with her free time. Taehyung wipes his eyes, finding them a bit damp from the admittedly touching story, as the other two engage in lighthearted bickering.

“Have you come to feed? I was just going to donate.” Mina’s voice cuts through.

Jungkook starts chuckling, looking towards the ceiling in exasperation. “You know I don’t feed from any of the donors.”

“I know that you tell me that, but it isn’t going to stop me from offering a meal.” The older woman shrugs her shoulders and stands up, not put off in the slightest with Jungkook’s choice of words. She smirks and gives Jungkook’s leg a little kick as she walks past him, eliciting a little yelp from the vampire. “Don’t sass me, kid.”

Jungkook just scoffs. “Kid? I’m older than you.”

“Hm, would have fooled me.”, the woman snaps back, looking behind her to give a little wink in Taehyung’s direction, causing him to lift his hand in attempt to hide his giggles. She walks a few steps towards the hallway to the left of the main room before looking back at the younger human. “Are you coming, V?”

Taehyung’s giggles die off as he looks back at Mina. Did he miss a part of the conversation as they were teasing and taunting each other? He glances back at Jungkook whose confused expression mirrors his own – guess not. Both their gazes snap back to the woman when she lets out a rather exaggerated sigh, head tilted back in faux annoyance – though the fond twitch of her lips was a dead giveaway.

“You are here to learn about the program, right?”, the woman says, tilting her head ever so slightly in Tae’s direction and catching his small nod.

“What better way to learn than to see it in action?”

Chapter Text

Mina isn’t bossy per say, but she might be just a tad…aggressive with her requests and doesn’t necessarily take no for an answer.

Okay yeah, she’s bossy.

Taehyung can’t find it in himself to be upset or put off in the slightest though because he knows if Mina didn’t practically drag him back where the donating rooms are, he would have never agreed to it willingly.

He wants to know the system. He just needed a firm nudge to get his ass in the “observation seats” – as Mina so helpfully called the sole chair placed next to the medical cot. Taehyung is sitting against the wall to Mina’s left as they finish the final questions before Mina offers her neck to the vampire sitting next to her.

Imagine Taehyung’s surprise when he was greeted by one of Yugyeom’s covenmates as he crossed the threshold between the proverbial safety (the hallway) and the biting room. He had only met BamBam a handful of times over the course of the Im covens’ plan to “Woo the Gyeom” and found the previous maknae had only been kind and respectful with their interactions.

But Taehyung can’t help but be a little fearful of the fact that someone who knows him – even as distant acquaintances – has seen him here. He knows he shouldn’t be here though he isn’t sure whether it’s mostly due to Dongha’s warnings or the small incessant fear that he will be the one forced on the table instead of Mina.

Plus, BamBam is bound to tell Yugyeom that he was here. Taehyung fully expects his Kim dongsaeng to pull him to the side for some intense questioning the next time he sees him. There aren’t any answers that Taehyung can provide – at least not truthfully – and he is getting pretty tired of spilling lies to everyone he knows.

“Ready Mina-ssi?”, he hears BamBam say, causing him to snap his head up from where he was staring at the floor. BamBam was sitting on the bed to Mina’s right, on the opposite side of the machines hooked up to monitor her vitals, body turned toward her and waiting for her to make the first move.

Jungkook stands alongside the physician, a middle-aged witch, both near the two sitting on the bed. The young vampire offered to be the designated supervising supernatural during the feeding and Taehyung can only assume they allowed him because of his coven affiliation.

He doesn’t know why the vampire volunteered but Taehyung’s slowly softening heart couldn’t help but hope it was done to make the human more comfortable by limiting the number of unknown people in the room.

“Of course.”, Mina says confidently, moving to offer her wrist.

With a nod from both supervising parties, BamBam carefully grasps the woman’s hand and brings it up to his mouth.

Taehyung was planning on staying as far away from the bite as possible but seeing Mina’s thin wrist steadily move towards the vampire’s elongated fangs has him subconsciously leaning forward in his seat.

If he’s going to be here with his proverbial “protector” only a few feet away, he might as well get the best view possible.

Taehyung’s breath hitches as he sees the vampire’s teeth puncture her skin. His heart picks up speed as he waits for Mina to inevitably flinch or let out a hiss at the sharp sting. He fully expects her to start pulling her arm away reflexively to get away from the pain, or at the very least grimace after having teeth sink into her arm.

The human finds his eyes widening when he sees nothing of the sort.

Mina’s face remains calm and composed. Tae might even see the small upturn at the corners of her lips as she watches the vampire feed, the only noise in the room being the constant beeping of the heart monitor and the quiet gulps as BamBam takes shallow pulls from the human’s wrist.

Either Mina has an extremely high pain tolerance or Jungkook was right in saying the bite should be virtually painless. Based on Mina’s relaxed body language and steady heart rate, he would have never assumed she was actively being fed on.

It doesn’t make any sense. The bites always hurt. The initial sting always turns into bright white pain that radiates down his neck and shoulders, leaving him aching for days after.

Taehyung would assume that Mina was given some sort of anesthetic if it wasn’t for the fact that he was here watching the entire process only a few feet away. She didn’t take any medications, there was no numbing cream, the witch didn’t perform a spell and she certainly didn’t get any injections prior to offering her blood.

There must be something to it, though. Perhaps BamBam has special venom that immediately numbs the area. Taehyung refuses to believe that the bite can be painless. The number of times he screamed in agony over being pierced with fangs and this is what it’s supposed to be like.

Taehyung doesn’t know why he is even surprised. If anything, he should exhale the breath he’s been holding in relief because of course Dongha and the others will do anything to inflict as much pain and suffering as possible. This only confirms what he already knew; that things didn’t have to be this way for him; there didn’t have to be so much suffering.

The timer is going off sooner than he expected and with a gentle coax from the physician, BamBam releases Mina’s wrist and licks over the wounds. Taehyung would be grossed out at the sight if he didn’t see the puncture wounds heal before his very eyes. No one seems to be surprised at the immediate healing so Taehyung can only assume that vampires apparently have magical saliva – holy shit – and he never knew.

They thank each other and Mina receives the proper aftercare, including a blood-replenishing potion as Jungkook had mentioned before. Even BamBam gets a good exam before he is allowed to leave with a smile and a wave over his shoulder towards Taehyung. Tae barely lifts a hand in response before the second youngest Im coven member is out the door, mind still a little slow and fuzzy after all his knowledge around bites has just been proven wrong.

Jungkook must see his struggle, because they quickly say their goodbyes – with a firm request from Mina to see her again – before they are back out onto the street. The cold air surrounds Taehyung as he takes large breaths, wanting to debrief with himself but also wanting to forget it all – or at least put it all to the back of his mind until he feels he can properly deal with it.

“Fun time?”, Jungkook asks, laughing at Tae’s immediate nod. He reaches for the human’s hand and pulls him along to their next destination.

“Fun time.”, the vampire confirms.

“V, do you think you can do this?” Jungkook is standing to his left, serious expression covering his face as he searches the human’s face for any discomfort. “It’s okay if it’s too much.”

Taehyung takes a long breath, closing his eyes and steeling himself for what he’s about to do.

This is it. There’s no room for error, nothing allowed except the best he can give. They have been working tirelessly towards this and he knows that Jungkook would never outright be upset with him but can’t help but assume the kind-hearted vampire will be disappointed if Tae is not completely ready to take this step.

He cradles the object in his hand, knowing it’s crucial in the last act, the only thing that will allow them to achieve their goal. “I can do it.”, Taehyung says, setting his feet and pulling his shoulders back to make him appear more confident than he feels. Jungkook nods.

“I know you can.” The vampire says it with such conviction that Taehyung can’t help but hang on to every word. No, he can’t be distracted, not now. “Whatever happens, it’ll be okay.”

The human nods. He knows things will be okay, but he can’t let Jungkook down, not after everything they have been through to get here. They need this.

Taehyung takes a step forward, brings his arm back and tosses the object in front of him.

The ball rolls a small distance before sinking itself into the corner hole for 100 points, allowing them to beat the previous high score.

“Yes!”, they both yell, throwing their hands up.

When Jungkook had brought Taehyung to the arcade a few hours prior, the human almost laughed at the seemingly childish fun, but realized that there really is no better way to pass the time than let your inner child out.

And Taehyung hadn’t been to the arcade in years. In fact, he could only vaguely remember short snippets of his time playing crane games and shooting hoops with his family, loving the feeling of bringing a handful of tickets to the counter and choosing his prize.

Apparently, Jungkook had come here many times over the years and considered himself somewhat of a Skee Ball master, prompting the vampire to teach Taehyung how to play.

What started as simple instructions turned into Jungkook showing the correct form and technique, which later turned into an all-out battle to achieve the highest score and win the most tickets.

Skee Ball never stood a chance.

Jungkook wraps his arms around Taehyung and lifts him up, spinning him around in circles in celebration, letting out excited whoops as the human giggles above him.

“Let’s go!”, Jungkook shouts gleefully before setting Taehyung down to allow him to collect their winnings.

They lock their hands and practically run to the prize counter in their excitement. With that last win, they finally have enough tickets. They must have the same idea because they both ask the other to close their eyes as they choose the prize, both choosing something to give the other without them knowing – because they’re cute boys pinning over each other, of course.

After choosing their gifts and giving the extra tickets to a cute little girl next to the ticket machine, they sit down in the adjacent pizza parlor for some food. Taehyung orders a small pizza for himself with a promise from Jungkook that the vampire will have a piece.

On the way to their final destination, Taehyung presents the doe-eyed vampire with his gift. Jungkook sputters as he takes the fluffy grey bunny, caught between a laugh and utter disbelief.

“This is Floppy.”, Taehyung says with a smile. “He reminded me of you.”

Jungkook outright groans at that, tilting his head back in exaggeration. “Did the hyungs put you up to this?”

At Taehyung’s confused look, Jungkook shakes his head and continues. “My nickname used to be ‘bun’ when I had first joined the coven. They still tease me with it occasionally. I figured Jimin-hyung must have told you.”

“I wasn’t told anything about it.”, Taehyung says through a laugh. “But you can’t blame them, just look at Floppy’s big eyes and cute teeth. It’s like a compact, cuddly version of yourself.”

“I can be cuddly.” Jungkook pouts, looking at the rabbit as if it personally offended him. “My hyungs say I give great cuddles.”

Taehyung laughs again at the vampire’s put-off expression, unable to stop himself from fondly rolling his eyes at the older’s antics. Jungkook then puts the stuffed bunny into his bag and pulls out an equally fluffy stuffed animal, presenting it to the other with a huge smile.

“This is Honey.” Jungkook says with a shit-eating grin. “He reminded me of you.”

Taehyung burst out laughing at the elder’s repeated words, hugging the bear close to him as his giggles eventually subsided. “And why exactly did the bear remind you of me?”

“Just look at his cute brown eyes and his round cheeks, he looks just like you when you puff up your cheeks in concentration.” Jungkook chooses to lean over and exaggeratedly lower his voice. “He’s like a compact, cuddly version of yourself.”

The human starts giggling again as he pushes Jungkook away from him, shaking his head at the absolutely ridiculous impression attempt. He is unable to stop smiling as they continue to walk, brushing shoulders while they stew in the palpable happiness radiating off the both of them.

Jungkook decides to take the bear from Taehyung’s grasp and place the animal in his bag – “Because Floppy needs a friend, V-ah.” – before grabbing the younger’s hand and leading him off the sidewalk and into the adjacent woodland area, weaving him through trees and shrubbery until they arrive at a secluded area along the Han river.

The small opening is completely surrounded by greenery, enclosing them from all sides except where the river touches the sandy bank in front of them. The slowly lowering sun is creating large shadows with the buildings and other structures in Seoul and painting the sky with beautiful hues of red and orange, the same colors that are perfectly reflected in the slow-moving water. It is plenty light outside, the numerous lights that Taehyung knows litter every surface of Seoul still hidden.

Jungkook sits down in the sun-warmed grass, pulling Taehyung down with him until they are seated side-by-side, knees and shoulders brushing softly.

“Hoseok-hyung and Jimin-hyung got to show off their special place.” Jungkook starts, getting lost in the picturesque scenery. “This is mine.”

Taehyung hums, prompting the other to continue.

“I used to go to the river in Busan after long days or when I just needed to think or escape.” Jungkook breathes out. “I did a lot of that when I was human. My mother died when I was young, and it completely changed my father. They were so…in love that I don’t think he could handle having to live a life without her. He threw himself into work, would leave before it became light and came back after dark. When that wasn’t enough, he turned to gambling which turned into drinking and it didn’t take long before things escalated.”

Jungkook’s face remains impassive as he speaks, the pain either hidden deep within him or gone with time – the human hopes it’s the latter. Taehyung grabs his hand, holding it between both of his own, causing Jungkook to look over at their intertwined hands with a smile.

“I ran off to the river anytime things got bad. If he threw things, I ran to the river. If he started yelling, I left and headed straight to the river. It was my safe space for a long time.” Jungkook shoots him a fond smile. “Imagine my surprise when one day, someone was sitting next to the river in my spot.”

Taehyung’s eyes widen as he leans in subconsciously, completely enraptured in the older’s story.

“Namjoon-hyung was so immersed in his soil analysis that he didn’t notice me for a whole fifteen minutes. I thought about leaving when I saw him but…he was murmuring to himself about the biochemistry of the soil and water, and I couldn’t help but find it cute.” Jungkook drops his head in embarrassment at his admission, cheeks turning a faint pink.

“You had a crush on him.”, Taehyung states, unable to contain his smile at the vampire’s reaction, finding it endearing that young human Jungkook had an almost immediate infatuation with the gentle giant. “Now, Jimin-ssi’s comment about you admiring his thighs makes a lot more sense.”

Jungkook’s groan echoes through the surrounding brush as he dramatically falls onto his back and covers his face with his free hand.

“I’m gonna die of embarrassment.”, the vampire says resolutely.

“From which part, the soft stalking or making heart eyes at Namjoon-ssi’s thighs?” Taehyung can’t help but giggle at his own words when the vampire groans again, rolling away from the human to wallow in embarrassment face-down. He hasn’t been able to joke with someone so freely outside of his coven in so long. But with Jungkook, it comes…so easily, the brown-haired boy can’t help but bask in the familiarity of the conversation, knowing that he loves the back-and-forth banter he finds himself in. “I won’t lie. Imagining little baby Jungkook looking up to the literal brick house of a man that is your coven leader…it’s kinda cute.”

“I wasn’t a baby. In my late teens maybe, but not a baby. Though, by the way Jin-hyung squished my cheeks, swaddled me with like three blankets and hand fed me seasoned pork the first time he met me, I must have been pretty cute.” Jungkook’s smile is wide and his eyes twinkle as he regards Taehyung, head resting on top of his crossed arms, still flopped out on his belly in the grass. “The other hyungs took to me pretty quickly, too. I think they guessed things at home weren’t the best, but they never asked, just did what they could to distract me while I was with one of them.”

Taehyung is smiling, too, so endeared by the fond far-away look in the vampire’s eyes. He doesn’t want to break the contentedness radiating from the vampire but chooses to ask a question regardless. “Why didn’t you leave?”

Jungkook looks at Taehyung, still smiling softly, seemingly not at all upset at the question. “I had a little brother, much younger than me. I couldn’t leave him…not with my father the way he was. We had plans to leave together when he was old enough.”

“Is that how you got away? You and your brother left?” Jungkook’s smile dims in the slightest.

“Is…Are you sure you want to know? It’s not all happy.” Taehyung feels himself nodding, wanting to know everything about the boy in front of him. Jungkook searches his face, looking for any signs of discomfort or unsureness. The vampire pulls himself up from the grass and resumes his previous position, slowly reaching for Tae’s hand until their hands are loosely wrapped together.

“Over the years, the coven and I became closer, and I eventually told them what was going on. They immediately asked us both to come with them to a different city. I wanted so badly to go to them but was just waiting for the right moment, the time when I could take Junghyun and run without worrying about our father taking him back.” Jungkook pauses, taking a moment to rub his thumb over Taehyung’s hand. “Junghyun and I had everything packed. We planned on leaving in the middle of the night, when he was at the local bar, and the coven would meet us at our spot by the river. But as we were walking through the door, our father came back.”

Taehyung’s breath stutters for a moment. Jungkook glances up to him, offering him a small smile and a tight squeeze of his hand. “I had never seen him so angry and prior to that point I never fought back, but I had to get Junghyun out of there. I told him to run, told him to find the coven. I was able to get out of the house not long after him and went right for the river. I didn’t see any of the hyungs or my brother when I made it to the water, so I panicked, didn’t even realize my father had followed me the whole way until he was on top of me. He told me over and over again that I looked too much like my mother, constantly reminded him of something he lost.”

“I don’t think it was that long before the coven found me, but…by that point, I was already dying.” The tears that Taehyung had done so well holding back finally fell. A warm hand immediately raised up and wiped them away, allowing a blurry Jungkook to appear. “V, you don’t need to be sad. It was a little sooner than planned but I still got what I wanted. I had the opportunity to be with the coven forever and my brother was finally free.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.”, Taehyung says, words cracking at the end. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Junghyun lived a long, happy life, even had some children of his own. It wasn’t the best introduction to a new life, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. Being with the coven…” Jungkook takes a large breath, steadying himself as he continues to rub his thumb back and forth over the human’s cheek. “I’m happy, V.”

The similarity between Jungkook’s story and his own is a bit mind-numbing. Both were betrayed by people who were supposed to be their family. Jungkook endured for his brother, waiting for the best time to leave, just like how the boy across from him has stayed with Dongha for the sake of the other Letters.

But Tae stopped trying to leave a while ago.

“I’m glad.”, Taehyung whispers. “You deserve to be happy.”

“So do you.”, Jungkook immediately replies. “You may not think so now...but I promise I will do everything I can to make you feel worthy of happiness.”

Taehyung smiles wider at him then. Whether it be the vampire’s default or due to the calming, warm atmosphere near the river, the Bangtan maknae is an absolute sap and the younger can’t help but gravitate towards the constant feelings of good that radiate off the other.

“Okay.”, he whispers, fighting down the constant feelings of doubt and disbelief that threaten to spill out. Jungkook’s hand leaves his face with a soft caress.

“I have a very important question to ask you.” Before Taehyung can throw himself into full-blown panic, the vampire’s smile becomes playful. “How good are you at skipping rocks?”

Turns out not good. He hasn’t skipped rocks since he was a child, playing with the neighbors’ kids near one of the local ponds, a parental figure hovering closely behind. Tae doesn’t remember being this bad, throwing one rock with too high of an arch and the next directly into the water, neither doing a single skip.

Jungkook, on the other hand, was scarily good, and Taehyung wonders if that is just how he is, naturally skilled and making up for the rest with sheer determination and competitive spirit. No one should be able to skip a rock seven times for crying out loud.

The human blames it on supernatural strength and coordination. He tells Jungkook as much and gets a laugh in return as the older throws another six-skipper across the river. When Taehyung finally gets a rock to skip twice, they call it quits, plopping down on the grass with heavy breaths and pink cheeks, unable to stop the wide goofy smiles they flash at each other.

The sun has dipped lower, a breath away from touching the water on the horizon. The sky has changed from oranges and yellows to deeper reds and pinks, allowing a fuzzy warmth to settle over them both as they admire the city in the changing light.

“V.” Jungkook calls softly, causing the other boy to turn their head to the sound. “I won’t bring it up again if you don’t want but I feel like I need to make something clear.”

Taehyung nods his head, maintaining eye contact with Jungkook. “It’s about you baring your neck. I know that you had bad experiences with vampires in the past, but I want you to understand what it means to a lot of vampires, what it means to us.” Taehyung finds himself nodding again, wanting to understand the action and secretly loving any information Jungkook can give him.

“Baring your neck should never be forced.” Jungkook says determinedly. “It can be intimate like showing your mate you are willing to give them every part of you. But it can also just mean trust or understanding between people close to you.”

“When we saw you in the café, bleeding, and Namjoon had said those things.” Jungkook’s speech is broken, like it physically pains him to relive those memories. “We fought and I was just so angry, but he explained and after a lot of talking, I showed him my throat. Not because he’s the leader or I was scared but because he has never done anything without a valid, well-thought-out reason. He always puts his mate and the rest of the coven first. So, even though I was beyond upset, I still trusted him with everything I had. I still love him as my hyung and covenmate.”

Taehyung feels his eyes widen as he takes in Jungkook’s words, unsure if he should focus more on the fact that Jungkook fought with his own coven because of the human or ponder over the meaning of baring your neck. He has shown his neck willingly many times over the years, but never to portray trust or understanding, always performing the act due to fear. Always showing submission in hopes that the vampire will show some semblance of mercy at his actions, whether it be for himself or his human coven member.

Other than the misunderstanding with Namjoon their first real meeting at Singularity, Taehyung has never felt the need to show submission to any of the coven members. In fact, they have all tried convincing him to show strength, to never be forced to do anything he doesn’t want to.

Taehyung finds he does want to, though.

He wants to be able to trust. He wants to be able to feel safe. He wants to believe in someone enough to be vulnerable in front of them.

He finds himself turning toward Jungkook on the grass, legs folded underneath him, staring into Jungkook’s unwavering gaze. The sweet vampire somehow wiggled his way into Taehyung’s life without the human even knowing. The human thinks that it should scare him that he is willing to throw away years of survival instincts, years of fear and uncertainty for the vampire in front of him.

The dark-haired boy searches deep inside himself for any residual fear or hesitance regarding the youngest Bangtan member.

And finds none.

The human takes a deep breath, steeling himself for what he is about to do, glancing once again into Jungkook’s eyes before closing his own. Taehyung leaves his body facing Jungkook and turns his head to the side, showcasing the side of his neck to the vampire. Jungkook takes a stuttering breath at his actions, not doing anything to further break the silence.

Taehyung waits a few moments before hearing Jungkook moving softly in the grass. He finds himself reflexively scrunching his eyes closed tighter, hands bunching into his pants as a small spark of fear shows itself, breath moving a little quicker.

He feels a warm hand cover his, softly coaxing the human’s hand from his thigh so that Jungkook can intertwine their fingers, palms pressed firmly against one another.

The human takes long breaths, calming his racing heart. This isn’t Dongha or Hyunwu or Minjun. This isn’t any of the other vampires in his coven or the ones who roam the street looking to dig their fangs into any human they catch alone. The man in front of him is not his uncle, the blood-relative that always had a hand lifted and ready to give physical punishment. This is Jungkook, the same vampire who tried protecting him against his own coven, repercussions be damned, the one who has always put the human’s needs first, always made sure he was comfortable. He wills himself to calm, knowing that the young vampire has no intention of harming him.

The vampire slowly comes closer. Taehyung knows that the overlapping scars of previous bites on his neck likely shine silver in the dying light but doesn’t feel it in himself to be self-conscious about them, only focused on the shifting of the grass as Jungkook leans forward.

Taehyung can now feel Jungkook’s breath fanning over his neck, causing goosebumps to erupt over his skin. Jungkook gives his hand a comforting squeeze before leaning in the last half inch and pressing his lips softly over the area where Taehyung knows his most prominent scar lay, causing a stuttering breath to escape his chest.

The act is so simple yet so meaningful, showing such gentle care to an area of previous harm, showing Taehyung that he can be vulnerable without risk, without fear or pain. Taehyung keeps his eyes shut, basking in the feeling of safety, the feeling of soft warmth from Jungkook’s lips.

Taehyung feels tears fall down his cheeks, unsure when the burse of emotion became too much to hold in, as the vampire leaves one last quick press of lips before pulling back, keeping his hand tightly wove with the human’s.

A hand reaches up and softly grasps Taehyung’s chin, slowly turning the human’s face back towards the vampire in front of him. He feels a thumb brush over his cheeks, clearing the tear trails, only serving to make room for more. Taehyung opens his eyes, finding it easy to ignore his watery lashes as he immediately gets lost in the expanse of Jungkook’s red eyes.

Taehyung liked the way the vampire’s eyes sparkled in the daylight, but finds he loves the way his deep red eyes shine in the dimming light, as if a collection of stars settled behind his eyelids, only to come out for the human he cares for.

“Thank you.”, Taehyung whispers, leaning his head into Jungkook’s palm.

“You’re…” Jungkook cuts himself off with a choked sound, dropping his chin to his chest as his shoulder start to shake. “You’re thanking me?”

Jungkook looks up to see Taehyung’s confused face, cheek still cradled in his hand, trying and failing to keep his eyes dry.

“I should be thanking you.”, he whispers with a wet laugh. “You…you put so much trust in me. I can’t…I… thank you, V. You are way too pure for this world.”

Another tear makes its way down the human’s face at the words, causing the vampire to move his thumb to once again gently wipe it away. “I promise that I would never abuse that trust.”

Taehyung nods, already knowing but liking to hear it slip from Jungkook’s lips, sending a small smile to the other. “If you do, I’ll tell Jimin-ssi to beat you up.”

Jungkook full-on chuckles at that, unable to keep his shoulders from jumping up and down. “You tell Jimin-hyung and the whole coven will beat me up to avenge their new maknae.”

Taehyung can’t stop himself from letting out a watery chuckle in return, finding himself tilt forward completely into Jungkook, wrapping his arms around the vampire’s neck as arms wrap around his waist in return. He nuzzles into Jungkook’s neck, enjoying the warmth radiating from every aspect of the body in front of him, letting himself slowly be pulled into the other’s lap.

They stay there, wrapped together tightly, as they watch the sun set fully over the water.

Taehyung was still riding on the high of his time with Jungkook as he slowly walks home.

After it started getting too cold to stay sitting on the ground, the two parted ways, not without Jungkook offering to walk him home or wait for one of his covenmates to come pick the human up a half dozen times. Taehyung waved the vampire off, letting him know one of the humans will be waiting for him a few blocks away.

It was a little lie, but Taehyung hasn’t been able to stop his cheeks from heating, endlessly scrunched by the smile that has refused to leave his face since he started walking home, and he was not looking forward to the teasing he was bound to get from whichever Letter had come to meet him.

Nearing the apartment, he takes large, steady breaths, willing his heart to calm and his cheeks to turn back to their normal color. He can’t help the small upturn of his lips as he steps into the abandoned building and climbs the stairway. He sees Z immediately, leaning against the wall in the middle of the hallway, head tilted toward the floor.

“Hey, Z.”, Tae calls. The girl doesn’t move, keeping her gaze resolutely on the broken floorboards in front of her. Looking further, he sees that all of the Letters are gathered in the hallway, lined against the side and back walls, most sitting with their heads tilted down. “Z?”

A loud giggle rings out behind him, making him jump and turn quickly to the source, finding Minjun leaning against the doorway to one of the rooms.

“You really did it this time, V.” he says sweetly, head tilting to the side as he rakes his eyes down Taehyung’s body. His smile dims as he looks off in the distance before a blinding smile takes over his face as he addresses someone over Taehyung’s shoulder. “Can I finally have a taste?”

He senses more than hears someone behind him, choosing not to turn around. A hand settles itself on the back of his head, squeezing painfully for a moment before forcing Tae’s body to turn around. The humans head tilts up to meet Dongha’s red-eyed gaze, the vampire’s expression giving nothing away.

“Where were you?”, he asks lowly. Taehyung opens his mouth to give an automatic excuse before a hand is roughly placed over his mouth. “Why is it that the only things that come out of your mouth are lies?”

The hand behind his neck and covering his mouth grip tighter, causing Taehyung to grimace in pain. “Let me make this easy.”

“Which of them were you with?” Taehyung’s eyes snap open. Dongha couldn’t actually know. The vampire has been gone. This is just one of his games, pretending to know in hopes that the other will give up the information. Dongha’s eyes move back and forth between his own, searching for something. His hand remains tight on Taehyung’s face, preventing the human from answering even if he wanted to.

Dongha then releases the back of his head, the other hand slowly moves from his mouth to his cheek, rubbing small circles over his cheekbone. The vampire leans in and buries his nose into the human’s hair, taking greedy gulps of his scent. “It’s okay. I know. I know who it was.”

Taehyung feels himself shaking now. Dongha has always had a small obsession with him, constantly possessive without actively staking any claim. But the vampire had never been so open with his desires, rubbing his face over Taehyung’s hair in front of the others, trying to pick up as much of the human’s scent as possible. He leans back after a moment.

“I’ll take care of it.”, he murmurs, red eyes once again meeting Taehyung’s. Dongha steps back from Taehyung and heads toward the exit, taking his vampire covenmates with him. 

Chapter Text

The Letters have been confined to the apartment for two days.

The only ones allowed to leave are Z and L, tasked with hunting throughout the night and even during the day. Dongha and the others haven’t been back since leaving, not forgetting to tell the humans to “stay put” before exiting the second floor.

The morning of the third day is when things hit the proverbial fan.

Taehyung was roughly woken up by shouting and broken glass, quickly pulled out of bed, and made to watch his and Z’s room get torn apart by some of the younger vampires of the coven. Their beds were shredded, clothes thrown outside, and the mirror they had saved up money for now shattered on the broken floorboards.

Z was waiting near the entrance to their shared room, surprisingly unscathed despite an entire night of hunting. When Taehyung shot her a confused look, she only gave a small smile in return, shaking her head to let him know to keep quiet as their room was upturned.

Once there was nothing left to break, the vampires left without a word, leaving the humans standing in the hall in confusion. Z leisurely made her way into the far corner of the room, quickly peeling off one of the floorboards to retrieve a full bottle of whiskey and two small drinking glasses.

Z couldn’t afford to drink in the past, never wanting to be impaired in any way if Dongha called upon her to scout or carry out one of their bloody tasks. Taehyung grew increasingly worried as he caught sight of L heading to her room, head hung low and tears streaming down her face.

Z didn’t drink. L never cried. Something happened. They must have…

“Drink with me?”, he hears a soft voice call to him. He turns his head back to the younger girl now sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, a half-full glass in her outstretched hand. She wears the same soft smile on her face, seemingly unaffected by the destruction around her.

Taehyung slowly moves into the room, sliding down the wall as he takes the offered drink. The girl raises her glass in what appears to be a toast, Tae following not long after.

“To my first failed mission.” Z taps her drink against the boys’, placing the glass to her lips and downing it all in one go. Taehyung’s blood freezes as he registers her words, glass hanging uselessly from his hand. Z had never failed a mission before. The Hunters aren’t allowed to fail missions because as soon as you fail a mission, you’re considered disposable, unable to do the one thing that the coven needs of you.

The last Hunter to fail was roughly a year ago, and he didn’t even make it to the apartment before he was being fed to the newest blood-drinking coven members. The coven didn’t take precautions to keep the feeding quiet, allowing his screams to echo through the street as the other members could do nothing but sit and listen until the noise finally stopped.

Failing a mission is a death sentence. And yet, Z appears completely at ease at his side, filling up her glass now for a third time. Taehyung is shaking his head now, realizing he was going to lose someone he loves if he doesn’t act.

“I’ll take it.”, Taehyung says determinedly. “I’ll take the punishment, Z. You need to leave. Take D and go.”

She slowly shakes her head. “We made a promise.” She murmurs, staring down into her lap.

And they had, years ago, when they realized that taking the other’s punishments made things that much worse. After months of Taehyung offering to take Z’s punishments and her taking his. After the hits and bites kept coming and coming and fucking coming until inevitably one or both were broken and almost drained, so close to death.

The coven absolutely thrived off seeing people suffer, and to them both, the worst pain came from watching the other forced into a state so far into pain that death seemed the better option.

Weakness, the coven had called it.

So, they had both agreed, promised, that they would never offer to switch places with the other.

“There is no way in hell I am letting you back out of it now.” Z’s eyes are locked onto him, unwavering when he finally gets the courage to glance up at her. He had always admired her spirit, her unmatched resolve, completely dedicated to protecting those close to her. When his life went to shit, she wormed her way into his heart, allowing him to make an ally, but more than that, a friend.

As he’s looking, he finds himself taking it all in, memorizing her features – because he knows this may be the last time he sees her like this.

Because he knows he will be forced to watch her die.

“Taehyung.” He whispers shakily. “My name is Taehyung.”

Z sends him a watery smile as hot tears trail down his face.

Taehyung is running.

He tries to speed up, to push himself further, but there is only so much he can do when carrying another person. His footsteps are loud in the otherwise quiet street, but he can’t hear them, too focused on the high-pitched wheezing coming from the girl on his back.

He should have taken it. He should have completely disregarded the promise and taken her punishment, rather than be forced to watch them hit and feed and break her.  

When they finally left her alone, almost at dawn, he was numb.

Taehyung stared at the unmoving body on the floor, blood still seeping into the carpet of the apartment hallway. The hours of screaming on repeat in his mind, unable to blink without thinking of the sound of teeth tearing into flesh.

A sting on his cheek stopped the noises. He glanced up to find L, her hand raised in a threatening position almost as if she –

Smack

Her hand had come across his cheek hard, effectively snapping him out of his daze, his hearing slowly returning.

“V!”, she yelled, “you need to go.” She spins around and kneels next to the body on the ground, reaching her hands under the shoulders to get a grip.

“V, snap out of it!”, she yells again when he remains in the same position, “She is still breathing so if you want to give her a chance you need to leave. Now!” A large volume of air immediately fills his lungs, and his eyes begin to tear again as he makes his way to the girl lying on the floor.

With L’s help, he was able to get Z on his back and burst out the door right at sunrise.

Taehyung doesn’t know what to do. No plan other than the constant thoughts of go go go.

His initial thoughts were to take her to the hospital, but the closest one would take him at least 20 minutes to get there – 20 minutes he didn’t think he had. Even if they did make it in time, he knows that Dongha will be able to track her once night falls.

So, he does the only other thing he can think of and runs for the bakery past Whippin’ Café, unable to stop until he reaches for the door handle of Epiphany and flings it open. He steps through the doorway, chest heaving and eyes blurring with another round of tears.

“Jungkook-ssi!”, he yells into the space, realizing that there doesn’t seem to be any sign of life. The lights are off, as well as the ovens and mixers he can see through the window to the kitchen. It’s silent. “Seokjin-ssi!”

Again, no answer.

A sob is ripped from Taehyung’s chest as he realizes that no one is there. Of course, they aren’t here! The sun has barely come up, too early for most places to have staff, let alone be open to the public. His sobs get louder at the thoughts.

“V?”

Taehyung’s head snaps up, seeing the familiar face of Jungkook’s eldest nestmate. He must have been in the kitchen and had just rounded the corner, heading towards the source of the yelling. Seokjin’s eyes widen at the sight of Taehyung covered in blood, though audibly inhales when his eyes catch on the limp figure Taehyung is holding.

“Please help.”, Taehyung begs, his voice barely over a whisper.

Seokjin pauses for a moment before flying into action, immediately grabbing Taehyung’s shirt and pulling him to the back room, already pulling out his phone to call someone. Taehyung is pulled along until they reach a door in the far back corner of the kitchen. Seokjin says something to the person on the other end of the line, pausing for only a moment before throwing open the door and pulling Taehyung along.

They end up in what appears to be a living area of some sort. A dark red love seat with matching chairs sits around a lit fireplace, a glass tea set sitting neatly on a cart in the middle. A large rug covers a portion of the dark wooden floor.

“Joon-ah!” Seokjin yells. All at once, the sound of multiple pairs of running feet becomes louder in the otherwise quiet room. Seokjin continues to direct Taehyung to another part of the area – someone’s house? They end up in a bright room with white walls and white tile flooring. There are multiple beds with white sheets, long countertops, and shelving units lining the entire back wall, all filled with metal instruments and medical equipment.

Footsteps are sounding all around him, bodies moving too quickly for him to see, but he’s frozen, unable to contribute to the conversation as he stares unblinkingly at his red footprints on the otherwise pristine floor.

Taehyung feels someone start to pull Z away from him, making him spin quickly to put himself between her and the danger. Namjoon is standing in front of him, both hands raised placatingly. He’s brought back to Epiphany when the coven leader’s presence was enough to scare him into a panic.

But Namjoon doesn’t appear angry, only sad and concerned, a sense of urgency painted on his features. Taehyung forces himself to remember who stands in front of him, the same vampire who has the perfect soothing narrating voice. The coven leader who has brought home numerous plants and animals in the hope of healing them, the one who wears thick-framed glasses – not because he actually needs them to see, but because the vampire thinks it helps him concentrate. The man who doesn’t hesitate to flash his dimples at any of his covenmates for the simplest of things.

This isn’t just a vampire coven leader standing in front of him, it’s Namjoon.

The vampire takes a few steps towards a bed, gesturing towards it. “V, you need to set her down. I want to help her, but I can’t if she is on your back.”

help Z, help Z, help Z

Taehyung nods, taking steps towards the bed before turning his back to Namjoon and sitting down, giving him the best angle to safely get the human off his back and onto the bed. Multiple pairs of hands are reaching out, maneuvering the girl so she is lying on the now-bloody sheets.

The boy gets up and steps back, finding more tears leave his eyes as he takes in her appearance. The apartment’s scattered candles and oil lamps did nothing to show how truly injured she was. Her face was extremely pale and covered with cuts and bruises, her body sluggishly bleeding from multiple bites on her neck, arms, and legs. Her left wrist was incredibly swollen from being snapped by one of the younger vampires and Taehyung knows that her right leg likely looks very similar.

Namjoon has both hands hovering over her chest, glowing a faint blue as he tries to heal the damage done to her ribs. Hoseok quickly rushes past him with multiple bags of blood while Seokjin and Jimin start holding pressure on the bites.

Someone steps in front of him and shields his view. He feels himself shaking but is unable to stop blankly staring through the vampire’s chest as the younger girl’s appearance stays at the forefront of his mind. Jungkook places a hand on his cheek, slowly rubbing patterns over the bloodied skin.

“Let’s go get you cleaned up.”, the vampire suggests, causing Taehyung to shake his head. Before he can refuse, Jungkook speaks again. “There’s nothing you or I can do right now. She’ll be okay, the hyungs will make sure of it, but I need to make sure you’re okay, too.”

Taehyung only nods, giving one last glance at his coven member before being tugged out of the room.

Taehyung now sits in the living area, freshly showered and dressed in sweats and a sweatshirt that are both drenched in Jungkook’s vanilla scent. He doesn’t remember much between leaving the coven and now, stuck in a fuzzy haze to avoid thinking of what’s happening in the other room.

Tae doesn’t know how long has passed, content staring at the fire flickering in the hearth, focusing on Jungkook’s warm hand rubbing soothingly up and down his back. The vampire hadn’t left his side since showering and even then, he stood right outside the door in case he was needed.

He closes his eyes and keeps floating, knowing that if he slips back to full wakefulness, he’ll be plagued with the memories of what happened hours ago, forced to relive the sound of Z’s screams. After everything, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to handle hearing the snap of bones under pressure once again in his mind.

Taehyung distantly hears movement, the soft thuds of footsteps around him, perhaps even some mumbling, but he doesn’t want to think about it. He chooses not to focus on it, wanting to keep hovering in the comfortable daze he’s in, just a moment longer.

He feels something start brushing along his cheek, startling him enough to bring him slightly back to the surface. His mind jumps at the opportunity to show him Dongha’s face. The coven leader didn’t participate in the punishment, content with holding Taehyung’s chin towards the bloody scene in front of them, drinking in the look of despair painted on the boy’s face. Dongha had leaned in and whispered little things throughout it all, letting Tae know that he wouldn’t have had to do this if he “had just listened”.

The human scrunches his eyes, feeling his hands tighten on the couch as he tries to ground himself, trying to focus on anything but the feeling of the man’s breath on his cheek.

“Taehyung.”

His eyes snap open at that, finding himself face-to-face with Seokjin, the vampire kneeling on the rug in front of him with one hand caressing the human’s face. The coven leader’s mate gives him a small smile.

It takes Taehyung a few moments to realize that his mind didn’t conjure up the sound of his name and it instead came from the vampire in front of him.

“Your coven member was murmuring it.”, Seokjin says softly. “We assumed it was your name.”

Taehyung nods his head, causing Seokjin’s smile to widen. “I’m glad, Taehyung-ah.”

The human takes a stuttering breath, eyes immediately filling with tears. Seokjin’s smile drops as he wipes both tear tracks away with his thumbs. “Little one?”

“I haven’t heard my name in so long.”, Taehyung whispers, leaning his head into one of Seokjin’s palms. He hears a small intake of breath from his right, where the youngest vampire is still pressed up against him. The human tries his best to not get too overwhelmed, focusing instead on his injured coven member. “Z. Is she okay?”

“She’s okay.”, Seokjin answers quickly, causing the human to let out a breath, feeling like he could breathe a little easier knowing that she’s okay. Taehyung looks back up, choosing to look around the room to the other vampires. Jimin and Hoseok were sitting on the adjacent couch, both snuggled up to Yoongi, attention fixed on the human in front of them. The coven leader was sitting in the middle of the rug, likely trying to give Taehyung and his mate a little space.

All of them look so tired.

“We need to talk about what happened.” Taehyung’s eyes close at the words. He knows, he knows that he needs to tell them something, even if it’s not the entire truth. “You aren’t obligated to tell us anything, but we are worried, Taehyung-ah. We know that you and your coven are secretive, you have every right to be, but…”

Seokjin appears conflicted, pausing a moment before continuing. “Z survived, she’s healing, but she had just as much chance of not being okay.”

The human feels a sob building in his chest. He knew that the coven never had any intentions of letting her live but hearing that it was a close call even with Bangtan’s help made the situation that much more real.

“I’m not saying this to scare you. I know that you understand the situation, but I want you to know that we just want to help. You mean a lot to us, and we want you and your family to be safe.”

Only weeks ago, he was terrified of the members of Bangtan, constantly worried about their intentions and what they could mean for his coven. He can’t pinpoint the exact moment it changed but now only thinks of how caring they have been, how kind.

Hoseok apologized so sincerely during their first meeting over a misunderstanding and showed him a formerly sacred act of trust for the fae. Yoongi gave him back his knife without any further questions and was quick to wrap up the human and get him somewhere warm after his alcohol-induced tumble. Jimin seemed so concerned when Taehyung cried while explaining Seoul Institute, quick to apologize despite not doing anything wrong. Seokjin gave him space when he asked, only to offer comfort when he needed it. Namjoon was so distraught over the words he uttered during the attack, doing everything in his power to make up for the hurt he caused, to show that he was nothing like Dongha.

And Jungkook. Fuck, Jungkook has been nothing but a sweetheart, endlessly patient and helpful, constantly advocating and protecting the ones he loves. Protecting Taehyung.

Taehyung prided himself on keeping it together, only breaking down behind closed doors, silently sobbing in his empty room away from the others. He decided long ago he wouldn’t be the one to add any extra despair to the already depressing atmosphere that seemed to follow his coven around. He forced himself to take as much of the burden as he could, pushed himself past the breaking point, and barely kept himself from falling apart, only to do it over again the next day. But now, with Seokjin’s hand holding the broken pieces of himself together, he can’t help but wish he didn’t have to. 

Taehyung opens his mouth to explain, to say something but as he looks into the worried eyes of the coven, the caring eyes of the warm vampire beside him, only a sob escapes him. Taehyung puts his head down and tries to keep himself together, but he’s so tired and scared and…

“Hyung.”

He can feel Seokjin’s hand freeze on his face, a short inhale barely audible over his own breathing. The vampire practically begged Taehyung to call him that at Epiphany and Taehyung is so tired of having to carry everything on his shoulders. Of course, the human had to break down and call him hyung when he and Z are fine now, knowing it likely made the elder uncomfortable.

Before he can spiral further, one of Seokjin’s hands sneaks behind his head while the other wraps around his back.

“Come here, little one.”, Seokjin states, pulling the human towards him with urgency. Taehyung can’t help but fall into the vampire’s embrace, finding only warmth envelope him as he is unceremoniously pulled into his lap. He throws his arms around the elder’s neck.

And allows himself to cry.

“Hyung, ‘m sorry. I should’ve told you. I should’ve…’m sorry.” Taehyung keeps sobbing, allowing everything to come out while he grips Seokjin like a lifeline. He cries for Z, the girl who was forced to become a weapon at only 17. He cries for himself, whose life was taken away at 12, who wants nothing more than for his family to be safe. He cries for D and for L, for all the others who lost their lives to Dongha and his coven.

Seokjin holds him through everything, hand soothingly rubbing up and down his back. Taehyung tries to pull away to give the elder space but is only shushed and brought right back to the vampire’s chest as he continues to cry into the soft fabric of Seokjin’s blue sweater.

After his sobs die down, and nothing but his sniffles and stuttering breaths can be heard, he tells them everything.

He tells them of his parents, his father’s steady presence, and his mom’s beautiful smile. He tells them of his abusive uncle who took away four years of his life only to sell him to another who took away even more. He tells them of Dongha and Minjun and Hyunwu, of the Letters, past and present.

Tae tells them of Hunters and Tempters and what they are made to do, the number of people they have ultimately sent to their deaths to save the people they care about. Taehyung feels numb by the end of it, fatigue catching up with him as he buries his face in the eldest vampire’s neck.

“Them being killers wasn’t enough.”, he whispers. “They made us into them, too.”

He pulls back from Seokjin’s embrace, still seated comfortably on the other’s thighs, as he addresses the coven leader. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I understand if you think differently of my coven and me. If you need us to leave, we will.”

The room is silent, not an ounce of breathing heard, as Taehyung slowly unwinds his arms from the vampire’s neck. He waits another moment, heart beating more erratically the longer he is made to wait. Taehyung nods his head, realizing the implications of the prolonged silence. The human shakily moves out of Seokjin’s lap and starts to stand, thinking of plans for how he is going to get the unconscious girl on his back to leave.

Taehyung is only mildly startled when strong arms wrap around his waist and pull him back to the floor, quickly wrapping the human up in a tight embrace.

“Stay.”, Jungkook whispers pleadingly, face buried in the human’s neck. Taehyung feels himself sinking back into his embrace, eyes fluttering close and unconsciously tilting his head to allow Jungkook more access to rub his nose over his exposed neck.

“I think we should be the ones apologizing, Taehyung.”, Namjoon speaks, causing the human’s eyes to open once again. The coven leader is closer now, arms wrapped tightly around his mate from behind. “We already knew. We knew after the incident at the café that you were not completely safe with your coven. They had no concern for your wellbeing and when the blonde vampire had offered a completely unknown coven your blood, especially when you had just been through a traumatic experience and were injured…”

Namjoon’s eyebrows furrow as he shakes his head, squeezing his mate tighter. “That’s not how a real coven should act. Not even close. That is why I said those things in the café. We could have confronted your vampire covenmates, and we could have gotten you and the other two away from them, but we also knew that you had other human coven members who would have been put into more danger if we had acted. I knew that I couldn’t mention any of what I was thinking because they would have heard me. I needed them to believe that you didn’t mean anything to us, that we wouldn’t try to help anymore, that you belonged to them.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”, Taehyung whispers. Namjoon sends a guilty look Taehyung’s way, eyes flickering from the human to Jungkook and back again.

“Would you have told us if we asked?”, Namjoon questions, not a hint of judgment lining his features. Taehyung had been purposely keeping them in the dark the entire time he’s known them, making sure he didn’t slip, didn’t get too close in case they figured out enough to get himself or his coven hurt. It was only recently that the human began opening to Jungkook, to the rest of the vampires sitting around him. He needed to get to this point, the point where he had lost someone he cared about, only to have the coven swoop in and bring them back from the edge. Taehyung needed the coven to show him that even if they didn’t understand the situation, they would immediately throw themselves into the mix to help if needed. The human isn’t surprised at Namjoon’s question and is even less surprised at his answer.

“No.”, Taehyung states, shaking his head slowly. “I would have distanced myself. I would have closed myself off again.”

The coven leader nods his head at that. “We were afraid of that. Even if you and your human coven members were in danger, we couldn’t risk scaring you away.”

The human thinks he understands. The subtle care, the apologies, the distance between his heart and theirs slowly closing. Anything faster, and he would have panicked. Hell, he still panicked even with the snail-like speed.

“You don’t have to answer.”, Jungkook mumbles, shifting slightly into a more comfortable position, face twisted in confusion. “But…did the blonde…ask you to give him blood like that?”

Taehyung immediately knew what Jungkook was referring to, could vividly remember the small vampire on his lap, waiting for him to run his fingers through his blood so Minjun could lick them clean.

“No, not that time.”

“That time?”, Jungkook almost hisses. While the sound would normally cause his breathing to catch and his heart to pick up, he can’t help but focus on the emotion soaking the raven-haired boy’s voice.

“That’s the way he likes it. He would rather get blood everywhere and have to lick it off than feed normally. It’s very…messy.” Disgust clouds Taehyung’s words, nose scrunching at the memories of Minjun’s feeding habits.

“But…he told you something, didn’t he?” Taehyung can once again feel Minjun’s body in his lap, the vampire’s breath fanning over his ear.

If I don’t get you, I go after the cute blonde.

“He’s used to getting his way pretty quickly, even throws tantrums if he doesn’t.” Taehyung turns slightly into Jungkook as he looks at the three mates sitting on the couch. “I hesitated and he…he said he would attack Jimin if I didn’t give him what he wanted.”

He sees Hoseok’s eyes widen while Yoongi’s narrow, both tightening their hold on the mentioned mate. Jimin’s eyes widen in what Taehyung assumes is fear before settling on determination. Jimin slides out of his mate’s grasp and moves toward the human, gracefully plopping down next to him. The vampire grabs one of his hands in both of his own.

“Thank you for protecting me.”, Jimin says sincerely, flashing him a closed-mouth smile. “But I need you to listen.”

Taehyung watches his hand be turned slowly back in forth in Jimin’s small ones, rings throwing off small flashes of lights as he does. He expected the other’s hands to be smooth and flawless, but as he looked closer, he found that Jimin’s hands were littered with tiny scars, some long and thin, while others appeared to be caused by small knicks in the skin. The marks extend to his wrists where Taehyung sees a flash of scar hiding just beneath the sleeve of his sweater. Jimin subtly shifts his arm, allowing the sleeve to ride up just enough for the human to see the pale, silvery outline of a bite.

His eyes automatically shift to the other side, quickly seeing two more overlapping bites, one with jagged edges, like someone tore into him.

Taehyung’s eyes snap up to the vampire’s neck automatically, searching for more. He sees two semicircular bites, one on each side of his neck, both darker than the others, almost appearing a shimmery purple in the low light of the living room. They don’t look jagged or uneven, but perfect, like the owners took their time to make sure it was just right.

Hoseok and Yoongi.

They are beautiful.

Almost beautiful enough to distract you from the multitude of healed puncture wounds surrounding Jimin’s neck, extending down to areas that you can’t even properly feed off, areas that must have been painful, all bone and no flesh.

“I understand more than anyone here what you’ve had to go through.”,  Jimin whispers, eyes flicking back and forth between Taehyung’s, willing the human to understand. “So, please…”

“Don’t ever take any sort of pain for me.”

Jungkook’s arms are tight around him, one arm completely encompassing his waist while the other is wrapped around his shoulders. A hand is buried in Taehyung’s unruly hair, scratching lightly at his scalp as the human starts to drift off.

They have been in the same spot for what feels like hours, content with bathing in the warmth between them, their bodies folded into one another.

Taehyun isn’t crying anymore. He can’t, not when he’s cried more than enough for a lifetime. Just when he thought he had given every tear possible to Seokjin’s sweater, he found his cheeks wetting once again with warm trails when he saw the endless scars covering Jimin’s body. The implications behind the blonde vampire’s words were enough to flood him with sadness, finding himself thrown into the vampire’s embrace.

The stayed curled up for a long while, eventually laying themselves onto the rug just so they could wrap up each other more comfortably. Neither boy said a word, choosing instead to just hold each other tight, giving small comforting squeezes when one seemed to get too far into their own head.

They were slightly startled when Taehyung’s phone gave a single buzz, alerting them of an incoming message. The human thought he would instantly panic, but instead he just felt tired – having Jimin’s fluffy blonde hair to hide his face in certainly helped. He quickly pulled it out, wanting to read it and be done. A single message from L appeared on the screen.

Two days to grieve, V.

Taehyung stayed silent, offering his phone to the closest vampire. Jin took it from his hands, eventually showing the others what it read. No one spoke of it out loud, and for that Taehyung was grateful.

The coven leader called it a night when Jimin eventually dropped off, the second youngest vampire breathing slowly as his hands remained curled in Taehyung’s borrowed sweatshirt. Hoseok was gentle when prying his mate from the human, a fond smile plastered on his face the entire time. Both he and Yoongi wished him a good night before taking themselves and their snoozing little mate to their shared bedroom.

Jungkook was there waiting for him, hand outstretched as Taehyung sat up. After a promise from the eldest two vampires that they would watch over Z during the night, Jungkook showed him to the bathroom and then his room, quickly getting the human settled into the vampire’s bed and gingerly kissing Taehyung’s forehead. Jungkook started mentioning the couch as a sleeping option – something about not wanting to make the human uncomfortable or equally ridiculous – but before Jungkook could finish his sentence, Taehyung was reaching out for his shirt with a soft “stay”.

And now, surrounded by warmth and vanilla sugary goodness, Taehyung only wished that it was under different circumstances. Because this was nice. The human’s head was tucked under Jungkook’s chin, his arms curled in front of his chest between them. He feels small. Not like the small he feels when Dongha looks at him, or the small he feels when he thinks he is unable to stop his family from hurting.

No, this is different. With Jungkook’s body completely encompassing him, he feels protected and cared for. He feels how he thinks Jimin feels when his mates are leaning in from both sides, how Jin might feel when Namjoon embraces him from behind, chin hooking over the elder’s shoulder. He feels safe.

That doesn’t scare him like it should, like it used to when it was all new and unfamiliar.

Taehyung thought he would quickly fall asleep, comfortable and completely exhausted from today’s event. His hands fiddle with Jungkook’s shirt, wanting something to distract him from the sheer number of thoughts and feelings he can’t seem to escape.

It isn’t completely dark in the room. There is a small nightlight at the other end of the room and Taehyung has a sneaking suspicion the doe-eyed vampire turned it on for him to help him feel less afraid. The human isn’t scared of the dark. In fact, he would love to lay in the middle of the forest at midnight just to stare at the stars for a while. It’s what lingers in the dark that has him keeping lights on and staying close to the streetlamps in hopes it’ll be enough to deter whatever scurries around past the edges of the light.

It’s because of the nightlight that he’s able to roughly see what’s in front of him. With his head smooshed against the vampire’s chest, there isn’t much he can see of Jungkook. But, with a little focus, he can make out the slowly moving blue cotton shirt in front of him, a patch of skin visible just above the neckline. He doesn’t know why he seeks it out, but he looks for the darkened bite right at the junction of Jungkook’s neck and shoulder, the one he knows is there.

He finds it easily, the darker color contrasting just enough against Jungkook’s skin to be seen in the low light. Taehyung begins wondering why he has one. Jimin’s must be his mating marks, but, as far as the human knows, Jungkook never had a mate. The positioning of the bite must have caused pain to shoot down his arm, the skin had to have been angry and red for a while before healing but as Taehyung looks closer, all he sees is a perfect outline. No jagged edges or raised skin.

Before he thinks better of it, the brown-haired boy raises his hand and ghosts a finger over the mark, causing Jungkook to take in a large breath.

“Tae?”, he whispers, shivering lightly as the human continues to gently trail his finger over the crescent-shaped mark. The human’s hand leaves Jungkook’s skin and quickly gets tucked back between their chests.

“Sorry.”, he whispers back even quieter.

Jungkook is silent for a moment before slowly grabbing Taehyung’s hand, bringing it back up to cover the mark on his neck.

“It’s a coven bite. You can touch it’s okay.” Taehyung’s too tired to question the vampire, choosing instead to pick back up where he left off. “It’s the bite that Namjoon turned me with. It also tied me to the coven at the same time. That’s why it’s darker.”

“It’s…pretty.” Taehyung can’t help but be mesmerized. Jimin’s bites were beautiful as well, perfectly placed on either side of his neck. Getting a closer look only makes Taehyung realize just how pretty the bites really are, a beautiful light purple with crisp borders, the skin hardly raised under his fingertips.

“Thank you.” Jungkook slips down a tad, coming face to face with the human. “Coven and mating bites are special. So, it means a lot that you like them.”

Jungkook smiles softly at the other. “You’re having a hard time falling asleep.” It was more of a statement than a question, the vampire being able to tell from his heartbeat that Taehyung hadn’t been anywhere near sleep since lying down. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Taehyung shakes his head. “I just…wanna thank you again. You and your coven…you guys have helped me more than I could have ever asked for.”

Jungkook is the one to shake his head, opening his mouth to refute. “Don’t…don’t say that I don’t need to thank you or that anyone would have done it because that isn’t true. Most people wouldn’t help. They would just move on with their day or worse, join in. And you have been so sweet and caring and just you, so please…please just take my thanks.”

The vampire is stunned for a moment, opening and closing his mouth, completely lost for words. Taehyung starts to worry – he came on too strong again and now he’s going to scare away the first person to mean this much to him. He decides to tilt forward and bury his face back in the vampire’s chest because at least if Jungkook is going to tell him off, he would rather it be done without having to see the look on Jungkook’s face as he does it.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t make it, Jungkook quick to gently grab under his chin and tilt the human’s head back up.

Fuck, he’s right there, Taehyung’s attempts at curling in on himself only brought their faces closer. Jungkook’s brows are scrunched as his eyes flicker over the human.

“I’ll take the thanks, but I don’t need it. I don’t want it. I don’t want you to ever feel indebted or like you need to do anything because we showed you some decency. You deserve the world, Taehyung, and honestly, I would do anything to give you that and more. I care about you so fucking much and I’m sorry if that’s too much but I just…”

Jungkook’s rambling on but all Taehyung can focus on are the words the other already said. He cares, he cares a lot, and he wants to give the human everything. And fuck if Taehyung doesn’t want that, too. He would give Jungkook anything, everything, if that meant the sweet man in front of him could be at his happiest.

The vampire’s brows are furrowed once again, lips moving so fast that Taehyung doesn’t know if he would be able to understand them even if he was listening. His eyes run over the expressive eyes, the high cheeks, the sharp jaw and land on the raven-haired man’s plump lips, thinking of only Jungkook, Jungkook, Jungkook.

Taehyung leans in, slowly at first, before crashing their lips together, soft lips meeting his own as he effectively cuts off the vampire’s words. It only takes a moment of stunned silence before Jungkook wraps his arms around Taehyung tighter, one hand sneaking up to gently curl in the curly locks as he presses further into the kiss.

Taehyung’s breath stutters as the vampire disconnects their lips only to press right back into him, moving their lips languidly against one another. The human falls until he’s mostly on his back, Jungkook following him easily. Taehyung uses the new position to freely explore the vampire’s body, running his hands down the large expanse of Jungkook’s back and looping back up his chest. Jungkook is slow, methodical even, as he takes Taehyung apart only to pull him back together again moments later.

Fuck, a kiss has never felt like this before. His past kisses were always rushed, and both parties were quick to get it over with or run the risk of getting caught. There were never any feelings involved and even if there were, they never would have had any time to properly explore them.

Jungkook is gentle but firm, grasping Taehyung’s hair in one hand while the other holds his body over the human, not wanting to crowd the other. While the human appreciates the sentiment, he craves a little more. So, with a burst of courage, he wraps his arms around the man above him and gives one firm tug down, startling Jungkook enough to drop his weight.

Taehyung groans at the sudden pressure, loving the way his and Jungkook’s bodies are pressed so completely together, fitting against each other so nicely. Jungkook is all around him now, his burning warmth and vanilla scent blanketing him on every side. It’s too much and too little at the same time, overwhelming him in the best way possible.

Jungkook moves one arm from beside his head and brings it to the human’s face, cupping his cheek tenderly as their lips slow. Jungkook leaves one last peck on his lips before pulling back, keeping himself as close to Taehyung as possible as he starts to litter little kisses across his face.

Taehyung watches the vampire leave soft touches of lips on his forehead and both cheeks. Jungkook pulls back after one last peck on the human’s nose, eyes opening to admire the human under him. The only sound in the room is their labored breathing and Taehyung can’t help but feel his breath pick up even more when he sees Jungkook’s red-eyed gaze meet his. The human’s hand slips up to slowly rub under Jungkook’s eye.

“What do you feel now?”, the human breathes out, hesitant to break the quiet atmosphere.

“A lot.” Jungkook’s breath fans over Taehyung’s lips as he speaks. The vampire closes his eyes and shakes his head slowly. “Everything, Tae. You make me feel everything.”

Taehyung can’t help but feel the same. Tears sting at his eyes as he nods along with the other’s words, feeling way too much all at once. The human doesn’t trust himself to speak, not wanting to shed any more tears. So, he does the only thing he knows will show just how much he feels, show Jungkook how much he means to the boy.

Taehyung turns his head to the side, cheek resting on the bed as his neck goes on full display. Jungkook takes a stuttering breath at the act before leaning in with a small push from Taehyung’s hand. The human feels the vampire’s warm breath against his neck before Jungkook’s nose lightly touches the skin, causing Tae’s eyes to flutter shut.

What started as little movements became long, gentle drags of Jungkook’s nose up and down his neck, effectively spreading his scent over the human. The sudden burst of spicy vanilla causes the human to go boneless under Jungkook, the human basking in the feeling of someone showing so much caution in such a vulnerable place.

Jungkook leaves a soft peck on his neck before pulling back and giving the human one last lingering kiss.

“Let’s go to bed, love.” Jungkook rolls to his side, pulling the human with him and tucking him under his chin.

Surrounded by the comfort of Jungkook’s warm body – and the warm, fuzzy feelings lingering in his chest – Taehyung quickly falls asleep.

If his dreams are filled with doe eyes and surrounded by a syrupy vanilla haze, nobody has to know but him.

Chapter Text

“Tae-ah.”, his mom mutters, brushing the hair out of his face. The touch is so warm and soft on his forehead, causing him to burrow further into his pillow, chasing the fuzzy contentedness of sleep. Taehyung’s mom laughs at his actions.

“Litte moon.”, she calls again, barely able to keep the soft chuckle out of her voice. “It’s time to get up. Your father made your favorite.”

Little Taehyung shoots up at that. “Strawberry pancakes?”

His mom laughs again, airy and beautiful, before placing her finger to her lips and sneaking out of Taehyung’s room. The little boy quickly scrambles out of bed and follows, unable to fully stifle his own giggles at the prospect of scaring his father.

His father portrayed quite the scare at their combined “boo”, grasping his chest and falling to the floor dramatically. Taehyung is quick to pounce, quickly jumping on his father and burying himself in the larger man’s chest.

With a joyful laugh, his father gets up, making sure to spin the boy around a few times before heading out of the kitchen. The boy squeezes his arms around his father, burying his face in the man’s neck before looking back up at his mom.

His smile drops as he sees the bodies lying on the kitchen floor. His mother stands in the middle of them all, blood dripping from her fingertips.

Taehyung takes a sharp breath as his eyes open, initially panicking before recognizing the dark walls that surround him. A source of warmth presses up tight against his back, one arm slung over his waist, a hand tangled in one of his own. He sighs as he begins to relax into the warmth, taking deep breaths in attempt to disperse the panic caused by the dream.

Taehyung has had that dream so many times in the past, but never in the years since it occurred has it ended like that. His mother was always so kind, so gentle, choosing to solve any situation with soft but firm words instead. She can’t even stand the sight of blood, let alone shed it.  Tae can still remember a time when his father cut himself while slicing vegetables, causing a small but steady stream of blood to pour from his hand. His mother immediately covered it with shaky hands, refusing to look anywhere near the blood, choosing to look at the furthest corner of the kitchen and take large inhales of breath.

So, the idea of her bloodying her hands doing anything but helping is downright ridiculous. Taehyung knows this, even if his mind decides to disregard logic and torture him in his sleep. Even minutes after he calms his breathing, he still feels unsettled, mind constantly flashing back to his mother. He decides to ditch the idea of finding sleep again, knowing it won’t come even if he can still feel the bone-deep exhaustion threatening to pull him down.

Also, he really has to use the bathroom.

The human is barely able to untangle himself from Jungkook’s hold without waking him, settling him with a soft kiss to his forehead before slipping out the door. He’s met with a long hallway, realizing that he has absolutely no idea how to find his way around the house, let alone find a bathroom. Deciding to take his chances instead of waking Jungkook, he begins to wander aimlessly through the multiple hallways and random rooms he travels through. As if the universe was giving him a small win, he managed to pass an open door that just-so-happened to hold a toilet and sink.

And as if the universe is giving him another nudge in the right direction – because honestly, he deserves a bit of good luck with how shitty the last few days (read: years) have been – he hears a low rumble of what sounds like humming coming from his right. Without much thought, he follows the sound. The humming quickly turns into low airy singing, and Taehyung finds himself in the same living area as yesterday. The room is dark except the fireplace, the fire seeming to be just as bright as it was before he went to bed. With the lack of light coming in from the windows, he assumes it’s either still dark out or Bangtan has the world’s best functioning blackout curtains.

“Taehyung.”, a soft voice calls, pulling his attention from the fire. He startles when he sees Seokjin there, having not noticed him until he spoke. The vampire sends him a soft smile as he notices the eldest’s hand cradling something in his lap. It’s then he realizes that there is another distinctly human-shaped figure lying across the couch with their head pillowed in Seokjin’s lap.

“He was a bit tired from using so much magic. Normally healing your friend wouldn’t have been so tiring for him but alas our strong leader has decided to neglect himself yet again and forget to sleep for the last few weeks in favor of studying a new potion a neighboring witch gave him.” Seokjin’s smile is fond as he stares at the messy hair of his mate, running his fingers soothingly through it.

Guilt immediately hit Taehyung, making his smile drop. Seokjin must have seen it because he opened his mouth, likely to erase the doubts plaguing the human’s head. Before he can get the words out, Taehyung is heading to the coven leader, trying to be light in his steps so he doesn’t wake the other. As he nears, he sees Namjoon facing away from him, face buried into Seokjin’s stomach.

He looks awful.

The coven leader’s normally tanned skin is now paper-white, lips lacking the rich pink Taehyung has seen on multiple occasions. His breaths are coming out much harsher than expected for someone who doesn’t necessarily have to breath to live. Seokjin’s hand reaches for his own, pulling him to sit on the couch next to him. The vampire immediately wraps his arm around the human’s back, pulling Taehyung snug against him.

“Little one, Joonie is fine.” Seokjin soothes, rubbing his hand along Taehyung’s opposite side. “He forgot to feed regularly as well the last couple weeks. That’s why he looks a bit run down. I wasn’t able to coax him into eating before he fell asleep. He’ll be right as rain when he gets a little something in his system.”

“But hyung…” Taehyung can’t help but lightly persist, gaze flickering over Namjoon’s face. “He looks…sick.”

Seokjin hums, reaching up and threading his hand into Taehyung’s unruly locks. “He isn’t sick. Despite his appearance, he would easily be able to fight an entire army by himself. Though…”

Seokjin’s smile turns teasing then. “I’ll make sure to let our dear coven leader that he looked so downright dreadful that our youngest little love couldn’t even stand to look at him without almost bursting into tears and…”

“No, no you can’t just say that to him.” Taehyung whisper-yells, cutting the vampire’s sentence off with brisk waves of his hands, even going as far as to put one of his hands over the vampire’s mouth. Seokjin immediately stops talking, looking down at Taehyung’s hand and back up to meet the human’s gaze, one eyebrow quirking up in question.

He should be scared having just effectively shushed an ancient vampire with his hand, but then Seokjin’s mouth quirks up at the edges, giving Taehyung only a moment of confusion before something warm and wet touches his hand.

Taehyung yelps and pulls back his hand, looking at the vampire like he grew two heads. Seokjin takes one look at his expression and immediately throws his head back in laughter, effectively jostling Namjoon on his lap. The vampire grumbles something unintelligible before sitting up and surveying the scene with squinted eyes.

Seokjin was still cracking up, starting to catch his breath only to restart his laughing full force with each additional glance at the human. Taehyung pouts and turns to Namjoon. The vampire is still pale, a little colorless, but he appears better now that he’s awake.

“Namjoon-ssi…”, he whines, cradling his hand as if it was injured. “Your mate is being mean to me.”

Namjoon’s squinting gaze turns fond, and his lips curl up at the edges. “Is that so?”, he rumbles reaching out for Taehyung’s hand.

“Please call me hyung, little one.” Warmth fills Taehyung as he reaches out the offending limb, Namjoon quickly cradling it, turning it this way and that way as if looking for a wound. “What exactly did my mate do to earn your pout?”

Taehyung’s pout dropped and he glanced back up to meet Namjoon’s gaze, trying to muster up the most serious face he could. “He licked me.”

Namjoon pauses, face tilting up to look at the human in confusion. He turns to Seokjin, noticing the large smile plastered on his eldest coven mates face. The noise of the fireplace crackling was the only sound for a few small moments, Namjoon noticeably unsure how to approach this.

“He…he licked you?”, Namjoon asked incredulously, causing Seokjin to snort. Taehyung nods his head in determination, not taking his eyes off Namjoon. The coven leader has different ideas because he turns his head to regard the vampire sitting next to him. “Hyung, you are an ancient vampire, supposed to be one of the most dignified people on the planet –"

“Oh, but love I still am.”, Seokjin starts up, quick to cut off the younger vampire. “That was one of the most dignified things I have ever done. It’s a shame that not more people could have witnessed the absolute glory of that well-placed lick.”

That has Namjoon dropping his head between his shoulders to hide his smile and Seokjin starts laughing once again. Taehyung sees Namjoon’s shoulder start to shake in laughter as his own lips threaten to curl up.

“Hyung…”, Taehyung starts, trying and failing to keep the amusement out of his voice. “Seokjin-hyung was literally trying to turn me into a human popsicle…”.

Namjoon full on chuckles at that, dimples displayed proudly on both cheeks as he tilts his head back up to regard the human. “I’ll make sure he gets the maximum punishment.”

Taehyung beams at that as Seokjin gasps, turning to Namjoon with a faux hurt expression. “And what exactly is the maximum punishment, Joon-ah?”

Namjoon pauses for only a moment before opening his mouth to reply.

“Tae?”, a small voice interrupts, causing Taehyung and the other two to turn towards the source. Z is leaning heavily on the doorframe between the living area and the medical room. She looks better than when Taehyung first brought her here, the sickly white of her skin somehow still an improvement from the swollen and blood-covered state she arrived in. Taehyung quickly jumps up and makes his way toward her, wanting to pull her into a hug but holding himself back due to fear of exacerbating any injuries she carries. The girl doesn’t seem to have the same reservations because she falls into Taehyung’s chest, circling her good arm around his back. He quickly wraps her up in a soft hug, still careful of her injuries.

“You’re okay.”, he murmurs, both for her and himself. “We’re okay.”

Z pulls away after a moment and stumbles as she puts weight on her injured leg. Taehyung quickly catches her and leads her to the couch adjacent to the two vampire mates. She sits wordlessly, gaze unfocused and blinking rapidly as she tries to make sense of her surroundings. Namjoon gets up from his spot on the couch and slowly makes his way over to the girl, crouching down in front of her.

“N’mjoon-ssi.”, Z mutters, swaying slightly in her seat. Namjoon gives her a smile, slowly reaching out and taking one of her hands, giving her a small squeeze.

“How are you feeling, Z? Any pain?” Z leans heavily into Taehyung’s side, opening her mouth to speak only to close it again. She raises the hand not currently being held by the coven leader and clumsily rubs at her face.

“No, um…I don’t…maybe?”, Z slurs, unable to string together a coherent thought. Namjoon only smiles at her as he hovers his hand over the girl’s head and chest, seemingly checking her condition. His hand moves to her broken wrist and leg, hovering there for a few moments before moving onto the next injury.

“Joon-ah gave you strong medicine for the pain and to speed up your healing.”, Seokjin offered from his place on the couch. “It can be a lot for the human body. That’s why you are feeling so fuzzy at the moment.”

Namjoon hummed his agreement as he moved his hand back to her face, softly hovering over her cheek as his hand produced a shimmery glow.

“You are healing well.” Namjoon finishes his work on the girl’s cheek, bringing his hand down to join his other where it still rests over Z’s. “Though you are still very much exhausted. Unfortunately, I can only do so much to help. While I think we are out of the danger period, the medicines and magic are drawing from your own reserved energy. You should get some more rest while your body finishes healing.”

Z still appears distant, strength diminishing enough that she is unable to hold herself up properly against Taehyung, shivering slightly even with their nearness to the blazing fire. Seokjin leaves and reappears with a sweatshirt a moment later. The boy helps her get on the item of clothing and maneuvers her with Namjoon’s help so that she is laying across the couch, head pillowed in his lap. Seokjin retrieves a blanket and throws it over the girl, Z already drifting off to sleep.

“She’s strong.”, Namjoon states, voice deep and soothing as he regards them both. “You both are.”

Taehyung chews on his lip in thought. There is no doubt that Z is one of the strongest people he knows but he has nowhere near that level of strength, highly doubts that he would have made it through what the girl did.

Namjoon seems so sure of himself, expression not showing anything but open truthfulness. He still appears run-down, the darkness under his eyes more apparent without the distraction of a dimpled smile, fatigue weighing down his body.

“You need to feed, hyung.”, Taehyung murmurs, hoping he doesn’t overstep in telling the vampire that he looks like he needs a drink. Namjoon gives him a wry smile and nods his head, not even attempting to dispute the human’s words. The coven leader glances back and forth between Taehyung and Z seemingly as if looking them over one last time or as if he’s…waiting for something. Taehyung feels his heart kick up because surely Namjoon wouldn’t be waiting for that, right?

But the coven leader has done so much for him, healed Z without any questions, helped them in the cafe, he’s done more than enough to deserve something in return. Taehyung knows the leader is not like Dongha – and even if he was, it’s not likely Jungkook would allow the coven leader to physically hurt him – but if Namjoon was human, he wouldn’t hesitate to offer something in return.

He doesn’t have much, knows that he doesn’t have money or possession – not that Namjoon would have any purpose for either of those things anyway – but…

Taehyung does have something else to offer.

The thought doesn’t scare him as much as it should, not when Namjoon has been nothing but kind to him, nothing but soft edges and gentle touches.

But those nice thoughts don’t stop him from wishing that he had anything else to give.

“Here, hyung.” Taehyung reaches out his hand, figuring the wrist is a little less intimidating than the neck. “I’m sorry you had to use up so much of your own energy but I’m grateful nonetheless.”

Namjoon sleepily glances at Taehyung’s wrist before taking it between both of his own hands, cradling like something precious. Namjoon starts rubbing small circles into the pulse point of the human’s wrist before leaning down and giving a few short nuzzles into Taehyung’s palm.

“You should get some more rest as well.” Namjoon says with one final nuzzle before releasing Taehyung’s hand and standing up. The vampire moves one of the ottomans over to the human so he can prop up his feet, Seokjin appearing with a pillow and additional blanket not long after.

“I’ll take care of Joonie and then we will both be back to watch over the two of you.”, Seokjin states with a smile, giving the human’s cheek one last caress before offering an arm to his mate.

“How chivalrous of you, hyung.”, Namjoon teases, flashing a dimpled smile to the elder vampire as he takes the offered arm. “Thank you, good sir.”

“Of course, my love, though every knight needs a proper name. With your endless love for mathematics, perhaps I could be deemed Sir-Cumference, the knight of many angles.” Seokjin throws his head back with a laugh as he leads them both down the hallway.

Their voices fade the further they get away. Taehyung wants to bask in the warmth of their laughter, the familiarity and love with which they regard each other but he’s unable to take his mind off the lack of a fresh bite on his wrist. He rubs a thumb over the previous scars, remembering the pain associated with every single one. Namjoon could have mistaken his offered wrist as nothing more than seeking comfort but despite his clumsiness, the coven leader is smart. He earned his place as the head of one of the most powerful covens in Seoul. It is much more likely that Namjoon understood what he was offering and just…didn’t take it.

Taehyung isn’t sure whether he should be relieved or wearier moving forward. He wonders if he’ll ever not feel worried, if there will ever be a time he won’t have to worry about ulterior motives or people always wanting more.

He focuses on Z’s breathing and matches it, soon following her into sleep.

Fingers once again brushing the hair out of his face.

“Litte moon.”, his mom calls. “It’s time to get up. Your father made your favorite.”

He feels himself shoot up again. “Strawberry pancakes?”

His mom’s laugh rings through the air as she sneaks out of his room, younger him sneaking along with her. They find his father in the kitchen, surrounded by a cloud of strawberry sweetness. The light is shining down on him from the window, lighting up his hair and causing a makeshift halo to form around his hair.

Taehyung’s father turns around quickly, panicked eyes searching the room until he spots Taehyung and his mom near the kitchen entrance. He starts running toward them, the distance from the hallway and kitchen expanding the more he runs.

“You can’t have them!”, his fathers voice rings out in the distance between them, his father’s mouth not moving along with the words.

The bodies are back, dripping blood as they block his father from reaching them. His face is pulled to the side where his mother is crouched, looking at him with wide eyes. Her lips are moving but he can’t make out what she’s saying, only knows that she stands up and runs towards his father.

Taehyung looks back to the scene, finding both his parents fighting off the endless sea of bodies, spilling more and more blood as they go. Cuts start to litter their skin.

It’s then he finally hears what his mother was saying.

“Taehyung, run!”

Taehyung wakes up with a gasp, feeling hands grasping his body. He immediately thinks of the bodies surrounding his parents and panics, throwing the hands off himself and thrashing around. His hands connect with something, and he hears a loud thump accompanied by a hiss of pain.

His eyes blink open at that, surveying the scene in front of him. He’s sitting on the couch in the living area, fire still creating a cozy warmth on the other side of the room. Jungkook is crouched right next to him, holding his hands soft enough not to hurt him but firm enough that he isn’t able to move them much. Jungkook’s eyes are wide as they flick back and forth between the human and the ground.

Taehyung follows his gaze and finds Z sitting on the ground, arm cradling her sides as she sucks in deep breaths. Hoseok is crouched next to her, hands hovering a few inches from her as if to help but unsure how to.

“Taehyung.”, Jungkook calls to him. “Are you okay?”

Taehyung nods his head, still looking at Z on the floor. “What happened?”

“I think you were having a nightmare, Tae-ah.” Hoseok fills in from his place on the floor, looking up to send the human a pinched smile. “You started moving around a lot and when Z and Jungkook tried to wake you, you kind of…threw a few punches.”

 He’s never reacted so violently to a nightmare before. L once told him he occasionally mumbles in his sleep, but he’s never thrashed around and dished out punches before. That would at least explain why his covenmate is currently on the floor instead of the couch where she fell asleep – because apparently if he doesn’t get good dreams then Z deserves a well-placed hit to the ribs.

“Shit –”, Taehyung starts, throwing off the blankets and stumbling off the couch onto the floor where the girl currently sits. “Z, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to. Are you hurt? What do you need?”

“M’okay.”, Z groans, still taking large inhales. “I – fuck – I think you rebroke a rib.”

Taehyung’s eyes widen at that, scrambling to stand up and search for Namjoon or Seokjin or anybody who can magic Z back together.

“Wait, wait, wait.” A hand wraps around his own before he can take a step, looking down to see Z tugging him back down again. “I’m kidding, V, it hurts but I’m fine. Just need a minute.”

Taehyung nods at that, hovering near Z in case she needs anything. The girl’s complexion has improved from the night before, her eyes appearing more focused and less glazed over. Her breathing slowly returns to normal, and Hoseok sits back on his heels.

“Where are they?”, Z questions, gaze turning up to Taehyung. “Did…did anyone get out? Are they all still at the apartment?”

Taehyung figured Z would ask about the others, wondering if any of them were saved in the aftermath of her almost-death, but he wasn’t prepared for her pleading expression. He doesn’t know how he is supposed to tell her that even with her sacrifice, they are right back to square one, their loved ones still in immediate danger.

Z only had one request between the four shots of whiskey and her punishment – ‘get them out’ – and Taehyung couldn’t grant it. Seeing her expression so open, so vulnerable, after something so traumatic causes a sharp pain to shoot throughout his chest.

In the end, he doesn’t have to say anything. Z reads him like an open book, face falling as she gives a little nod of her head.

“I’m sorry.”, Taehyung whispers. “For not…”

For not taking your punishment.

For not grabbing D and getting him away from there.

For not being able to do the one thing you asked.

He doesn’t know which one he’s most sorry for, doesn’t know which one Z wants to hear most, so he doesn’t finish his sentence. Guilt eats away at him for not being able to give her some assurance, some semblance of positivity out of the situation.

But Z understands.

“We got you out.” Z sends him a small smile. “That’s more than worth what happened.”

She says it so sincerely, as if she really believes the pain she went through was worth getting Taehyung out of the apartment, away from the coven. Taehyung isn’t even out, at least not permanently. The two days until he returns get shorter every moment.

He should be saying those words instead of Z, because even though she was brought to death’s doorstep, she was here now. The girl is away from the coven, away from hunting and the bites and pain. She was safe.

A warm hand presses into his back, a silent show of support from the vampire behind him. He finds himself leaning further into the touch until his back is pressed up against Jungkook’s chest, the vampire rubbing soothing circles onto his hip and stomach.

Z shifts onto her knees and leans forward, lifting her hands to bring up Taehyung’s sleeve, turning his wrist over – once, twice – before moving onto the other to do the same. The boy lets her, knowing that she needs just as much assurance that he’s okay as he does. Taehyung lets himself be moved this way and that until Z has looked over every exposed piece of skin, every pulse point.

“See. All good.” Taehyung flashes her a reassuring smile, only to be met with a quirk of one of Z’s brows.

“Jungkook-ssi.” Z gives the youngest vampire a glance before returning her gaze back to V. “Try his ribs.”

Taehyung furrows his brows, trying to read Z’s expression, as Jungkook slowly starts prodding his chest to look for sore spots. The human is fine, though. He doesn’t feel any pain, never being injured in any way during the night. Z seems determined, confident that she’s missing something, so he lets Jungkook do his thing, trying not to squirm as Jungkook completes his thorough examination of his chest and abdomen.

Just as Jungkook was moving onto his opposite side, he decides to reassure Z once more. “I really wasn’t hurt. I –”

He flinches and sucks in a sharp breath as Jungkook pushes on a particularly sore spot, breathing getting caught in his chest as his hand flies to the vampire to pull off the offending limb. Turns out it isn’t needed because Jungkook startles at his reaction, quickly pulling his hand away from the painful area as his other arm curls protectively over his stomach.

Why did that hurt? He wasn’t attacked. Yes, he was sore from running through the street with the girl on his back, possibly bumping into doorways on the way down the stairs in the apartment but nothing that could cause this level of soreness to his side. And for Z to know, it didn’t make any sense –

“I saw how tight he was grabbing you.” Z’s voice was low. Jungkook tensed for a moment before curling more over Taehyung and hooking his chin over the human’s shoulder.

Dongha had a hold of him the entire time the coven was playing with Z. He remembers the hand gripping his chin, forcing him to watch, but at the time was too distracted to register the rest of his body screaming out. Sharp pain had shot down his neck where his head was held at an awkward angle, his scalp throbbing where Dongha had curled a fist into his hair and yanked. Dongha had wrapped an arm around his chest to keep him still while he whispered awful things to him, digging his fingers into his side when Taehyung so much as breathed wrong. The vampire’s grip became tighter and tighter as the night progressed, the human becoming numb when he could only manage small volumes of breath without feeling as if his ribcage would break under the pressure.

The pain had been nonexistent since then, numbness dulling the initial injury until panic took over, not able to think about anything but saving his coven member.

“Adrenaline is both a blessing and a curse.” Namjoon’s soothing voice interrupts his thoughts as the coven leader enters the room, Seokjin not far behind. He flashes Taehyung a dimpled smile before addressing Jungkook.

“Can you get him comfortable on the couch, baby?” Namjoon rolls up his sleeve as he approaches the duo, Z quickly getting to her feet and taking a step back to make room. “I would like to look at his ribs and see what I can do for him.”

Jungkook follows the request easily, taking Taehyung with him as he stands and deposits him gently on the couch. The vampire detaches from him for only a moment before plastering himself to Taehyung’s uninjured side.

“I’m fine.”, Taehyung assures, not wanting something as small as a little soreness to waste the leader’s energy. He musters up a sincere smile, sending it towards Namjoon in hopes of placating him enough to not fuss too much over him. “It’s just a little sore, probably not even bruised. I don’t need healing.”

Namjoon drops down to a crouch in front of the human despite his words, resting a calming hand on the Taehyung’s knee.

“Could I take a peek? If it doesn’t seem bad, I will let it heal on its own.”, Namjoon croons, sending yet again another dimply smile, unknowingly – or very much knowingly – melting Taehyung’s hesitance until nothings left. Taehyung unconsciously pouts but gives a nod anyway.

The human leans towards Jungkook, gently lifting his borrowed sweatshirt enough that his side is visible to the second eldest vampire. Hoseok lifts himself off the ground and shuffles over, giving Taehyung a heart-shaped smile on his way that quickly drops once he lays eyes on the exposed skin.

Taehyung looks down to find a majority of the left side of his chest a mottled black and purple, extending from the middle of his chest to his flanks. Multiple dark and distinctly finger-shaped spots appear in the area where Dongha’s hand laid the longest, the area he likely pressed the pads of his fingers in the hardest.

Namjoon slowly raises a hand and presses lightly around the damaged area, asking simple questions about Taehyung’s breathing and his pain level. By the end, Namjoon’s expression is pinched – either in concern or thought, Taehyung isn’t sure – and his lips pressed into a line.

Namjoon’s deep brown eyes raised up to the human as Taehyung gave a nervous smile. “I really didn’t think it was going to look that bad.”

The vampire’s head tilts to the ceiling as if looking for strength, a fond smile gracing his lips. “We are going to have to watch you closely, aren’t we?”

“Of course we are.”, Seokjin pipes up from behind his mate, entering the room with confident strides, a brilliant smile covering his face. “Our littlest dear likes to downplay his injuries.”

“But I didn’t –”

“I know, little one, I was only teasing.”, the vampire soothed, gracefully sitting down on the adjacent couch. He reached over to grab Hoseok’s hand and pulled the other down next to him on the couch, tucking him snug against his side. The younger vampire looks extra soft today, sweats bunching at his feet and bright yellow sweatshirt a few sizes too large for his frame. His hair looked artfully tussled as if he just climbed out of bed but the lack of sleepiness in his features says otherwise. “Let Joonie heal you and then we will take a look at your covenmate.”

Taehyung gave an exaggerated sigh, slouching further into Jungkook as Namjoon held his now-warm hand over the bruising, causing a small shimmer to douse the surrounding area. His lips were a healthy pink, now a similar color to the coven leader’s cheeks. His skin has retaken the sun-kissed appearance that Taehyung is so familiar with, a stark contrast to the washed-out color that the underfed vampire was sporting a few hours prior.

“You look better, hyung.”, Taehyung murmurs, allowing his body to sag as the warmth from Namjoon’s hand spreads throughout his body. The coven leader hums, finishing his task with a small flick of his fingers.

“Let’s just say even I am not immune to a proper wrangling from Jin-hyung.” Namjoon winks, sending him a dimpled smile.

Nope, nope, his heart did not just skip a beat.

“Z, dear, do you mind sitting down so Joonie can look you over as well?”, Seokjin pipes up, effectively distracting Taehyung from his dimple admiration. Hoseok is snuggled into Seokjin’s side, watching the scene in front of him with interest as the elder runs a hand through his hair.

He looks over to where he thought Z was and finds her four steps further away. She’s eyeing the scene in front of her with a blank expression, the one Taehyung knows is caution instead of indifference. The girl doesn’t move a muscle from her spot across the room, constantly looking between the vampires in front of her.

Taehyung leans forward and reaches out, beckoning Z closer. The girl gives him a glance before making her way slowly to the couch, eyes flickering over all the vampires in the room. All except Jungkook. She sits down on the edge of the couch, as far away from the vampire in front of him as she could manage.

“Can I look at your wounds, Z?” Namjoon’s rumbling voice was deep and soothing though did nothing to ease the tension in the girl’s posture. The girl shakes her head, mustering up a smile that appeared to be more like a grimace than anything.

“It’s okay Namjoon-ssi.” She brings herself into as much of a bow as her body allows, almost hiding the wince near the bottom. “You’ve already done so much for me. I know you likely didn’t want to but did anyway so thank you.”

“Nonsense. I wanted to help.” Raising his hand again, the coven leader attempts to coax the human on the couch once more only to be met by the human quickly shooting up off the couch. The girl seems utterly confused, brows furrowed and eyes flickering from each of the vampires like she expected one of them to pounce. Her gaze lands on Taehyung. After a few silent moments, Z’s eyes widened as if she figured out what about the situation was so confusion.

“Did you tell them who I am?”, Z asks. Having not been expecting that question, Taehyung remains in stunned silence, a silence that was more than enough of an answer, causing Z to heave a big sigh and place her face in her hands, roughly rubbing at the skin there. “You let them heal me without even telling them what I do?”

“It doesn’t change anything –” Taehyung starts only to be cut off.

“Of course it does, Taehyung. We’ve hated people for less. What do you think they’ll do when they –” It’s then that the remaining two members of the coven enter the room. Despite the assumption that they just woke up, Jimin and Yoongi appear to have been awake for some time, the newly-woken-up sleepy haze nowhere to be found. It was likely they had heard the conversation prior to walking in. Jimin drags Yoongi by the hand over to their other mate, ungracefully plopping himself on Hoseok’s lap before addressing Z.

“I don’t think we’ve done proper introductions and if we did, you might not remember.” If Taehyung had anything to say about it, the smile on Jimin’s face was enough to disarm an entire army of angry individuals, all scrunched cheeks and crescent eyes.

“I’m Jimin. The small grump next to me is Yoongi and the thick thighs I now sit on belong to Hoseok, both sexy as hell.” Jimin sends Z another smile, spreading himself out so his head lands in Seokjin’s lap and his feet are propped on Yoongi’s lap. “Both mated to yours truly.”

Seems even Z is a little weak for adorable men.

“Z…I’m Z.” The girl’s voice is low and a lot uncertain. She continuously wrings her hands together in front of her, not taking her eyes off Jimin. “Thank you…um…for the boots.”

Jimin sits up at that. “Did they fit? I really hope they fit well. Taehyung was agonizing over which ones you wanted, and I swear we looked at like thirty pairs of boots before finally deciding. He was going to buy you off-brand combat boots – can you believe that? – but no need to worry because we got you the best of the best.”

Z bites her bottom lip at that, raking her eyes over Jimin as if to see any hint of deceit, finding none. “Tragedy averted, then.”

Jimin smiles at her again, laying back onto the thighs of the eldest vampire, now cushioned with a couch pillow courtesy of Seokjin.

“I’m Seokjin. The one crouched is my dearest mate and our coven leader.” Seokjin then gestures to Jungkook. “And the one currently acting as an octopus around your coven member is our youngest little vampire, Jungkook.”

After a nod and a moment of internal debate, the girl finally releases a sigh, dropping her shoulders where they had been tensed upward. She makes her way to the vacant spot on Taehyung’s other side. The coven leader takes that as a good sign and offers to look at her injuries once again.

“You should know everything first. You might not want to help me.”, Z states lowly. Namjoon seems to think for a moment before relenting. After standing up and placing himself on the adjacent couch opposite the four vampires, the coven leader gives an encouraging nod, and the girl turns to address the entire coven. “Did V tell you the roles that each of us play in our coven?”

“We were told of Hunters and Tempters and what they do.”, Hoseok speaks up, earning nods from the remaining coven members. Z nods along with them before answering.

“I’m a Hunter.” Taehyung expected a reaction from the coven, anger or harsh words – at least a flinch – but instead Z was met with only patient expressions and relaxed postures. “My job is to kill the vampires that pose a threat to Dongha.”

Z explained what her role entails, not leaving out any details of what she’s capable of or what she has needed to do to protect her family. Taehyung’s initial apprehension of giving them so much detail quickly faded away to understanding as the girl continued her explanation. While the coven has expressed that the humans don’t need to thank them in any way, Z feels the need to be transparent about the situation, likely feels like the coven deserves to know just exactly who they saved.

“I failed my mission yesterday. I couldn’t get rid of the vampire they wanted me to.” Z’s expression gives nothing away as she meets the gaze of every vampire in the room. “That’s grounds for disposal in our coven.”

Silence followed, the vampires of the coven letting her words sink in. Failing a mission was uncharacteristic of Z. The girl always did everything she could to finish a mission, coming home more broken than not, pushing way past her limits to ensure the job gets done. Z would much rather die than have to face Dongha and the Letters as a failure. As Taehyung thinks back to the night of the mission, he once again remembers how Z was untouched, clothes as clean as they were when she left, no blood or bruises to be found. He questioned her then only for the question to be waved away.

“What really happened that night, Z?”, Taehyung asks. Z immediately shook her head, staring resolutely at the carpet. She’s never hidden something from him like this, at least not deliberately. It’s possible that Z was just done with being a lapdog to the coven, only to continue to watch the others die despite following Dongha’s orders. But she’s been doing this for years. Why now? Perhaps the situation wasn’t ideal, the mission bound to fail due to the circumstances, but she’s been in unfavorable situations before and always found a way around it. She was completely unscathed, as if she called it all off before they even started.

“Z.”, Taehyung pleaded, leaning forward to catch her gaze. “Who was the target?”

The girl closed her eyes at that, shaking her head again as she wrung her hands together. She opened them a moment later to glance at Taehyung despite knowing that she would tell him everything after seeing the concerned expression on his face.  

“I didn’t know who it was…not at first.”, Z starts quietly. “L had a photo of who we were looking for. Normally I memorize their faces, so I know who I’m looking for without having to hover over the picture but that night it really didn’t matter to me. If I needed to wait, then so be it.”

The girl shrugs her shoulders, shifting slightly in her seat and wincing as the movement causes sharp pain to shoot through her body. “We went to what we thought was a club. We’ve been in clubs before, but this one was different. There were so many people and guards at every corner, but we had orders, so we kept going.”

“I swear I had no idea.”, Z states, pleading expression now directed to the coven leader. “If I would have known who it was, I would’ve never even left the apartment. I…”

Z closes her mouth and directs her gaze back down to the floor. “As soon as L pulled out the picture, I told her we needed to leave. As soon as I saw the picture of Jungkook, I called it all off, told her that I would take the blame.”

Taehyung heard the sharp inhale of breath from Jimin on the adjacent couch, but otherwise the coven was quiet. Namjoon and Seokjin appeared deep in thought as their eyes roamed from Z to the floor and back again.

“I saw you that night.”, Jungkook stated softly on Taehyung’s other side. “You were dragging another girl to the exit.”

“I saw you looking.” Z bit her lip in thought, turning towards Jungkook to gauge his reaction. “I was terrified you come after us.”

Jungkook’s face scrunches up in confusion. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t have hurt you.”

The girl gives a soft smile as she shakes her head. “I was more afraid that you would ask questions we couldn’t give the answers to.”

A tense silence follows as the coven thinks over Z’s words, seemingly fighting between anger and understanding. Taehyung believes they have every right to be angry. Z was sent to kill their youngest coven member, and even though ultimately, she called it off, she could have just as easily followed through with the mission.

“Why didn’t you?” It’s Jungkook again who breaks the silence. “Try to kill me, I mean.”

Z regards him silently, looking away to glance at Taehyung for a moment only to bring her gaze right back to the vampire.

“How could I take away the one thing that made him truly happy?”

It’s Taehyung’s turn to take an audible breath in, feeling too sad to be embarrassed about her giving away his infatuation for the vampire, knowing that somewhere along the way he made Z feel somehow less than Jungkook in his eyes. At what point did she think that giving up her life for Jungkook’s was the answer?

“Thank you.” Sincerity bleeds into Jungkook’s voice. “For risking so much for me.”

“You’re thanking me for not killing you?” Z shakes her head, letting out a disbelieving laugh. “I likely wouldn’t have even been able to touch you. With the coven you’re in, I’m sure your trained to deal with much greater threats than a couple of humans.”

Two sides. There’s two sides that Taehyung wishes to support. One being Z and her self-deprecating thoughts, especially revolving around being human. Even though she speaks of Hunting, the boy can’t help but want to reassure her that being human isn’t a bad thing, even if Dongha and the other coven vampires say otherwise. Z is good at what she does. There is a reason that she has survived this long doing the most dangerous tasks available in the coven.

The second being Jungkook and his covenmates, wanting to tell them that they are strong, and they would likely be able to take on any threat that comes their way, even if facing that threat alone.

Supporting one side would only shine a negative light on the other, so Taehyung remains quiet.

“We looked into the coven emblem that Taehyung gave us.” It’s Namjoon who breaks the silence, expression giving away nothing of his emotions. “In fact, we found who it belonged to within 48 hours. Once we went to the last known address, though, we found what we assume to be the entire coven already dead.”

The coven leader meets Z’s gaze, causing the girl to drop her head. “But you already knew that.”

The silence was deafening, the boy’s confusion only increasing as the conversation continued. There wasn’t any knowledge of who the coven was and where they resided. Why would Z know of their deaths?

Taehyung became even more surprised when Z nodded her head. “I assume your coven leader sent you to dispose of them?”

Gnawing on her bottom lip, Z shakes her head. “Dongha didn’t know. It was just L and I.”

“Only you and another human took out the entire coven?” Surprise bleeds into Seokjin’s voice as he looks over the human girl in front of him. Confusing the surprise for anger, the girl shrinks into herself and gives a small nod of her head.

“Seems to me like you and your covenmate are a force to be reckoned with. Not someone I would let my guard down around.” Not an ounce of anger is apparent in Yoongi’s voice, only neutrality like he is stating a well-known fact. Though, Z seems unsure of what was meant by the comment, caught between shrinking further into herself with the thought that the coven considered her a threat and straightening up because a group of vampires took a human seriously.

“I’m grateful for you not harming our coven member.” A half-dimpled smile is sent to the girl on the adjacent couch. “I hope that you and the other Hunter will fight alongside us when the time comes.”

Snapping her head up so quickly that Taehyung was afraid of her aggravating her injuries, the girl gives Namjoon a wide-eyed look. “You mean it? You would allow humans to fight with you?”

“Human or not, you three seem like badasses.” Jimin smiles at Z once more, letting out a little squeak when Yoongi pinches his side for the poorly timed comment. The girl chuckles at that, finally allowing a genuine smile to slip through.

“Yeah, we’ll be on your side when the time comes.”

Despite taking a lot of convincing from every human and vampire in the room, the girl finally allowed Namjoon to work a little magic on her aching body and healing bones. Although mostly healed now, the magic had taken a lot of her own energy to heal her, making her start to doze off at Taehyung’s side. It took another few minutes of coaxing before they were able to get the girl to a proper bed for rest.

Bangtan decided to convene to determine the next best course of action. When Taehyung got up to join them, he was quickly pulled away by Jungkook, the youngest vampire excusing them both to give the younger a ‘proper tour’.

It may have been a poor excuse to keep Taehyung’s mind off of anything inherently stressful, but the boy appreciates the sentiment, nonetheless. Jungkook had enthusiastically grabbed the other’s hand and pulled him along, starting to chat about the décor and his favorite rooms before they could step foot outside the living area.

They had spent what felt like hours exploring the house (read: mansion) and Taehyung couldn’t help but laugh when Jungkook had pointed out yet another bathroom – why would they need more bathrooms than there were people? – not losing the opportunity to tease the vampire for it. The human was surprised to find a large kitchen, fully stocked with human food and all the necessary tools to make actual meals.

“The others can show you their bedrooms later.”, Jungkook had said while they walked through the hallways, passing a few of the others sleeping areas. Taehyung didn’t dwell on that statement too much, knowing that he would only battle between warmth in thinking that he would be able to stay long enough to enjoy those moments and sadness in thinking there likely wouldn’t be a later.

Seemingly satisfied with the tour, Jungkook led them to his bedroom. The room was too dark to see the night before, but with the light shining through the magically-tinted windows, Taehyung was able to appreciate the room’s dark walls, art pieces scattered throughout. A board of photos hung on the largest wall, immediately pulling Taehyung towards it. He had noticed the other members of Bangtan within almost every photo, Jimin’s crescent-eyed smile making an appearance in many of them. He sees Namjoon and Seokjin in front of the Eiffel Tower and the throuple in fields of grass in front of moss-covered castles.

Most of the photos, though, weren’t staged, seeming as though the members had no idea the photo was being taken. There were pictures of Seokjin cooking from the side, face focused on the pan in front of him, the sun set just perfectly in the background. A picture of Hoseok mid-dance, eyes closed, and arms thrown out. Others of Namjoon reading, Yoongi sleeping with Jimin curled up on top of him.

The click of a camera had startled out of his admiration, turning to find Jungkook hidden behind a camera. Another click sounded as the shutters closed once again.

Jungkook had only sent him a smile and took him to the other end of the room where a window seat resided next to a large four-poster bed.

That’s how they find themselves hours later, sitting opposite of each other on the same cushion. Keeping his head turned towards the window, the boy can’t help but sneak glances at the vampire across from him. Jungkook’s skin glowed in the moonlight, the stars reflecting in his dark brown eyes.

He was breathtakingly beautiful, frozen in this form for eternity.

“Hyung told me you offered your wrist to him.” Jungkook doesn’t sound angry – perhaps concerned but not angry – and going off his body language, he doesn’t appear upset, tension nowhere to be found as he lounges on the opposite end of the window cushion.

“I did.”, Taehyung answers simply, watching through the window instead of meeting Jungkook’s gaze. He doesn’t want to know what kind of expression Jungkook is wearing, unsure the effect it would have on him. He doesn’t think he did anything wrong, but he’s also aware that he isn’t the most well-versed in vampire etiquette – or really any social structure outside of his own human covenmates.

“Can I ask why?”, Jungkook inquires, no ounce of judgment in his tone. Taehyung thinks it over.

Why did he offer?

“He had done a lot for us…for me. I just wanted to offer something in return.” It sounds so simple, as if Taehyung wasn’t offering a vital part of himself. The vampire nods along to Taehyung’s words.

“Did you feel obligated to offer?”, Jungkook asks.

“No, no I…” Taehyung shakes his head. “I didn’t feel like I was forced to but I felt like I needed to because he had given up so much and he looked sick and he shouldn’t feel that way because of me.”

“So, you didn’t offer because you wanted to?” The vampire’s face is scrunched in confusion, trying to understand the thought process behind the offer. Taehyung didn’t want that face, would rather have Jungkook’s fond smile or previously relaxed expression back.

“No, I did. I wanted to give something back.” Nodding his head, Jungkook hums, not looking away from the boy in front of him for a second.

“If you had something else to give, would you have still offered your blood?” The softness of Jungkook’s voice made Taehyung’s heart flutter. The thoughts of wishing he had anything else to offer Namjoon sneak back into his mind, causing him to trap his bottom lip between his teeth.

“When you have everything else to offer and still want to offer your blood…when giving blood benefits you more than it does the other, then you can offer it.” Jungkook flashes him a smile. “Focus on healing, Tae. You don’t ever have to do anything you don’t want to. Not with us, not with me.”

Lips curling up in a smile, Taehyung nods his head, liking the way the words roll off the vampire’s lips. He can’t think of anything except how good that sounds, being able to focus on himself and not be forced to give anything up he isn’t ready for.

“Tell me something about you.”, Jungkook changes the subject, dark eyes meeting lighter ones. Many things flash through his mind, many of which aren’t pleasant. Not wanting to ruin the soft, comforting mood, he sticks to the things that he knows brought him joy.

Talking about his parents was easier than he expected. With Jungkook, everything was just so easy, came so naturally that if he wasn’t completely sure, he’d assumed they were long-lost friends, meeting up after a time apart. Jungkook smiled at the lightness in the boy’s voice when speaking about something so important to him. He spoke of how beautiful his mother was, how she lit up every room with just a smile. Kindness and light followed his mom everywhere she went, making it so easy to see why his father’s calming presence was constantly right by her side, never missing a chance to wrap her and his son up with love.

“She sounds beautiful.”, Jungkook had told him, making Taehyung’s lips curl up further.

“She was. Made beautiful things as well, even studied at Seoul Art Institute.” Chuckling at Jungkook’s surprised expression, he continued. “Her class was the one to put up the arch in the entryway. Her mark is up there somewhere.”

“So, when Jimin was talking about SAI…”, Jungkook trails off.

“All I could think about was her.” Taehyung closes his eyes, leans his head back against the wall. He remembers it all, her small hand cupping his face, her bright smile as she pointed out constellations.

“She always told me I would reach the stars one day.” Taehyung feels his cheeks heating at his next words. “Even called me her little moon.”

“Little moon?”, Jungkook questions. “That’s…that’s perfect.”

What Taehyung thought was a teasing comment turned out to be a sincere statement, Jungkook’s face not carrying that playful glint that he’d become familiar with. The look was enough to pause Taehyung’s thoughts.

“The moon is a beautiful thing that is hidden when most people are awake. People plead to the moon and stars for safety. They use the moon for guidance when the sun hides away.” The vampire sits up and scoots closer to the other. He looks over Taehyung as if he can’t take his eyes away, gaze moving from his eyes to his lips and back up again.

“The moon lights up the darkest of nights.”, Jungkook whispers, cupping Taehyung’s cheek. “So, yeah, I think its perfect.”

They had stayed there until Taehyung felt himself nodding off, eventually deciding to find the others. He expected to see the eldest mates on one couch and the throuple grouped up on another.

What they didn’t expect was to walk into the living area and see Z awake and visibly upset.

“He only gave three days?!”, Z hisses, quickly getting up and grabbing a backpack off one of the tables. “I’m going back.”

“You’re still healing, we can’t –”

“We don’t have time.” Z says determinedly, pulling her now clean, albeit still ripped, hunting gear over her head. She grabs her weapons belt, filling it with whatever knives and potions had made it to Bangtan’s place. “He’s going to know I’m still alive and when he does, he’s going to kill them.”

Taehyung takes this moment to jump in, not completing understanding the situation but knowing he needs to stop the girl from leaving. “Z, you’re going to be killed if you go. You can’t take them all on –”

“It doesn’t matter as long as I can get D out.” Taehyung shakes his head at that, opening his mouth to respond before being cut off again by the girl. “The rest of us decided a long time ago, when D had only just joined. The only thing that matters to us is that you and D get out.”

“If one of us gets out, then all of us do.”, Taehyung states determinedly, repeating the same words he’s uttered to his coven members in the past. Z’s expression mirrors his own, brows furrowed and shaking her head.

"That isn't true anymore.", the girl states as the older human walks up to Z. The girl can see his frustration in his clenched jaw and bunched up fists at his side. "D is young. Innocent.”

"I know that. I want D to get out just as much as you do. But why only the two of us? Why can't we all plan to get out together?” Tae feels lost. He's talked this over with his coven members in the past, so many times. They always agreed that if there was a time they could escape the coven, they’d do it together. 

"I’m grateful to you for getting me out of there and bringing me somewhere that gave me a chance at living." The girl’s voice is quieter now, sincerity bleeding into her words. “But I never planned on making it out of there alive. No one else has ever got away and let’s be honest, after everything I've done, I don't know if I deserve to live a good life. At least, if you both get out, then it wouldn’t all be for nothing.”

"What the fuck, Z?" Taehyung runs his hands through his hair in frustration, his voice raising the more he speaks. "You and the others can't just decide which members get to live. You and I both deserve to live whether you believe it or not. All of us have been made to do terrible things, but it wasn't by choice. I wish that you didn't feel that way, and I understand being so guilty that you aren't sure if you should keep going but you need to."

Z gives him a sad smile, the same one she gave him when they spoke of freedom, curled up in their shared sleeping bag in the dead of winter. It's the soft, fond smile she gives him when she doesn't exactly agree but is still willing to entertain his hypothetical stories. "You’ve sacrificed more than anyone in the coven, taken punishments for every member at some point. You created a better schedule so all of us were more likely to be alive at the end of the night. You're the one that came up with the idea of using potions so we could sleep a little bit better, knowing that we didn't lead innocent people to their deaths over and over again. If anyone other than D deserves to have a life away from the coven, it's you."

The coven is quiet as they sit around the two humans, all silently watching with worried expressions. Taehyung finds himself speechless, stuck between the dedication of his human covenmates and the irritation at them planning something like this behind his back. Z continues her explanation, willing Taehyung to understand. "Taehyung, please…you didn't hear the things that Dongha said. You and I both know he isn't a good person but the way he is with you…"

The girl closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before continuing. "Before you got there, when they were tearing our room apart, he talked about you. He kept saying how he had plans for you, how he was going to find a way to keep you with him forever. You aren't just some human that tastes good to him anymore, V. He is obsessed with you, willing to kill the entire coven if it means he can have you, and if there's any way that we can keep you away from him, then it would all be worth it."

The boy knows that the coven leader had been acting differently lately, more intense, more aggressive in his affection. But if the vampire was speaking of forever, if he was going to turn him, Tae would've expected him to do it years ago. 

Blood tastes differently once you become a fledgling. If Donga had some crazed taste for Taehyung’s blood, he would lose that as soon as the human transitioned to immortality. 

“He isn’t just after Taehyung.” Z addresses the coven leader, turning her body slightly towards him, arm wrapping gently around her side. “He thinks that Jungkook is taking what’s his. Dongha plans to have him killed one way or another.”

The coven leader’s gaze darkens further for a split second before he schools his emotions. “It sounds like he sent you to do the job.”

Z flashes a deprecating smile. “He technically did, yes, but he knew I wouldn’t be able to go through with it when I found out who the target was.”

“Then why would he send you?”, the older human questions. The girls smile drops from her face, tilting her head once more to meet Taehyung’s gaze.

“He knew I would fail the mission. He wanted to make you watch as he killed one of the people you hold closest. Dongha wanted to break you, Taehyung. My understanding is that he thought it would make you more vulnerable, more compliant. Then he could swoop in and do whatever he wanted.”

Taehyung remembers the nearly catatonic state he was in once they left Z. The numbness was almost welcomed after so much guilt and fear and sadness. He can’t help but think that Dongha succeeded in throwing him into a state of intense vulnerability. He is only more grateful now that L snapped him out of it.

Z glances around the room, subtly looking over the members of the Bangtan coven. Her gaze stops at the blonde vampire sitting on the floor between Hoseok’s legs.

“Jimin-ssi?” Jimin’s eyes snap to her, meeting her gaze head-on. The girl’s expression seems conflicted, opening her mouth just to close it a moment later.

“Whatever you want to say, I promise I won’t be mad.” Jimin says sweetly, flashing her a small smile as his mate’s fingers run through his hair. Z just shakes her head slowly, looking Jimin up and down as if trying to find something.

“Do you know Minjun?”, she asks softly after a moment. Jimin pauses, clearly not expecting the question. He takes it seriously, nonetheless, taking a moment to look at the far corner of the room in thought.

“Other than meeting him at Singularity, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before.” Z shakes her head at that, seemingly conflicted.

“He knows you.”, she states lowly, shifting uncomfortably. “He talked a lot about you. I don’t remember much but he…he talked about knowing you when you were still human.”

The entire coven froze at her words. Both Yoongi and Hoseok stiffened, and a fear flashed across Jimin’s face before he schooled his expression. Taehyung knew of the bites littering Jimin’s skin, of the pain that must have come with them. Jimin said he would understand more than anyone what the human was going through, but how similar their stories were he didn’t know. The tension in the air was palpable as Yoongi leaned forward.

“What exactly did he say?” Yoongi’s voice was low, demanding as he regarded Z. The girl shook her head and opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry, I don’t –”

“Anything you remember will be helpful. You said he talked a lot about Jimin-ah. What things did he say?”, Yoongi pressed further, face twisting up. If Taehyung didn’t know better, he would say he looked angry. But Taehyung does know better, recognizes the same expression the vampire wore when he regarded a tipsy and cold Taehyung sitting on the damp ground, the same expression he had last night when Jimin’s past was brought up.

He was worried.

Z stiffened at Yoongi’s tone, the action minute but sensed by everyone in the room, Yoongi included. The vampire’s face fell, immediately leaning back into Hoseok’s side.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so stern.” Z meets the vampire’s gaze for a few moments before relaxing her body with a sigh, rubbing her face with both of her hands.

“It’s okay.”, Z responds into her hands, taking a moment before uncovering her face. “He’s important to you.”

The words were so simple but rang so true that Yoongi couldn’t help but give her a smile. “They are everything to me.”

“And they are everything to me.”, the girl utters, meeting Yoongi’s gaze head-on. A silent understanding formed between them; one made of mutual need to protect the one’s closest to them. Taehyung had noticed that the girl had stopped packing, now seemingly lost in thought.

“We’ll make sure Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung are somewhere safe.”, Namjoon states, leaving no room for argument. The girl lets out a large breath, shoulders sagging as she nods along to the leader’s words.

“You too, Z.” Taehyung tries being stern, but his voice comes out more pleading than anything. Sitting down on the vacant couch, the girl taps the empty spot next to her. With only a moment of waiting, Taehyung takes the offer and sits down next to the girl. He stares at his hands resting on his lap, unable to meet the gaze of the others.

Another moment of silence passes before there’s movement to his left, a head of shaggy blonde hair landing in his lap a second later.

“I hear that giving me head rubs is a great stress reliever.”, Jimin states, smiling wide at Taehyung above him. Taehyung splutters at the statement, chuckling as one hand finds itself in the vampire’s hair.

“You sure your mates weren’t just being nice to you?”, Taehyung teases, earning a gasp and a light slap on the chest. Jimin fake grumbles something about ‘being a brat’ before turning his face into Taehyung’s stomach, making himself comfortable.

Glancing up, he’s only met by fond smiles from the rest of the coven. Jungkook has moved from his standing position to one between Namjoon and Seokjin, somehow finding a way to curl around both of them at once.

“It’s a little rude that you’re planning on sacrificing so much for me and yet, I don’t even know your name.”, Taehyung states, trying to lighten the tension between them, giving the girl a quirk of his lips. Z smiles back sadly.

“I would have given it to you if I remembered it.” The older human pauses his fingers from where they were running through Jimin’s hair – turns out the vampire wasn’t lying; it is a fantastic stress reliever – and turns towards Z with confusion. “You’re the only one that remembers anything before Dongha. For the rest of us, the first memories we have are being brought to the coven.”

Taehyung had no idea that the others didn’t have any memories of what life was like before. He had assumed that the others were just secretive or unwilling to relive tragic memories. But instead, they had just been forgotten? Erased? Why would Taehyung be the only one who remembers anything?

“So, L? And D? They don’t…” Taehyung trails off, not feeling like he needs to complete his thought. The girl just shakes her head.

“No one remembers but you. We had all assumed it was some sort of precaution Dongha took to make sure we didn’t try finding our way back to friends or family.” It makes sense. The coven leader hasn’t been caught in years for a reason. He’s thorough, always calculated in his moves. Getting rid of the human’s connections outside the coven would decrease the chances of them seeking help, of wandering to familiarity.

He remembers the love he received from his parents, from his neighbors and the nice fae shop owner in town. Perhaps the memories of that affection are what kept him going the last 10 years, what allowed him to seek connection within the coven – and outside of it.

“Once this is all over with, maybe Namjoon-hyung can work his magic fingers and get your memories back.” Taehyung raises his hand and wiggles his fingers while sporting a smile, causing the vampire on his lap to giggle and Z to smile back.

“Jin-hyung knows all about Namjoon-hyung’s magic fingers, right hyung?”, Jungkook asks cheekily, causing the eldest to let out an offended squawk and start to attack the youngest vampire with a plethora of tickles. The rest of the coven chuckles at that, endlessly fond of the scene in front of them.

With every person sporting a smile, his hand carding through Jimin’s soft hair, it’s easy to forget for a moment that there’s only a day and a half until he needs to go back.

Chapter Text

Taehyung’s running.

A day…they were supposed to have a day, and yet…

Everything went from bad to worse so quickly.

It was only hours after Z had threatened to leave. A few hours after the girl had mentioned her missing memories and Jimin had used Taehyung’s lap for a pillow.

They were laughing, enjoying each other’s time, the mates wrapped up together while they talked endlessly about anything and everything other than the impending deadline. Instead of continuing preparations, the coven did what they could to rid the humans of their anger and guilt and worry, even just for a moment.

When Namjoon and Hoseok jumped from the couch at the same time, Hoseok’s whisper of ‘the wards’ resonating through the silent room like a gunshot, the coven quickly jumped into action, trying to usher the humans to a safe place before the room erupted into utter chaos as supernaturals flooded the house.

Vampires tore the doors down first, soon breaking through the windows overlooking the outskirts of the city. Taehyung ducked his head and threw his arms up in an attempt to shield himself from the rain of broken glass. Snapping his eyes back up, the human had seen tens of vampires poised and ready to attack, claws and fangs elongated in a menacing display. A sharp inhale from the human was all it took for the vampires to snap their attention to him and pounce.

Jungkook pulled him roughly back by the shirt, immediately meeting the first vampire that reached him head-on. Other members rushed forward, fighting multiple supernatural creatures to tear their claws through the vampire currently struggling with their youngest. Snarls echoed through the room as Taehyung was pulled up from the floor.

“Go!” Namjoon’s voice cut through the deafening sounds of tearing flesh and dull thuds of bodies hitting the floor. Z’s grip tightened as she pulled him to the hallway, blood already covering the once-pristine floor. They pushed themselves to go faster as they heard footsteps behind them, their pursuers’ immortality making it easy for them to reach the humans.

So, Taehyung was running. He thinks, looking back, that he never really stopped running.

Z took a sharp turn, throwing Taehyung to the side as she plunged a dagger into the chest of the first vampire to round the corner, quickly pulling it out only to be faced with another. This one was quicker, likely seeing their fallen comrade and expecting her. With a movement faster than Taehyung could comprehend, the vampire had her pinned against the wall, elongated teeth only inches from her face.

Taehyung didn’t think before jumping forward, kneeling to grab the dagger hidden at Z’s ankles and thrusting it into the closest part of the vampire. With a silver dagger now embedded in his leg, the vampire stumbled with a snarl, allowing the girl to deal a well-placed kick to the stomach, pulling the blade out of his leg only to stab it into his neck.

More footsteps approached, prompting Z to push off the wall and shove Taehyung forward. Unsure of the layout of the house and where they would find safety, Taehyung ran as fast as his legs would take him, taking random turns in hope to slow their attackers.  

A dark figure appeared out of the corner of his vision and before he could react, a solid body collided with his, sending him through the nearest doorway and landing harshly on his opposite shoulder. He ignored the pain and rolled to the side, trying to get back to his feet. Just as Taehyung pulled his knees under him, a boot slammed into his back, pushing him down and effectively pinning him to the floor.

The vampire pressed his heel between Taehyung’s shoulder blades, causing the human’s breath to get caught in his throat. Only a moment later, that weight leaves his back, and he scrambles up to a crouched position.

He sees Z holding her own against his attacker. Two more vampires quickly enter the room, both going for the girl currently thrusting her knife into the vampire’s stomach. They are quick to tackle her, one of her blades sliding away during the tussle. Taehyung pulls himself up completely and moves to assist his covenmate while the younger quickly rolls back to her feet.

Taehyung only manages a step before another vampire burst through the floor-to-ceiling window next to him, wrapping Z up tightly from behind, pinning her arms to her side. Even with the girl’s struggle to free herself, the creature’s grip is unrelenting and the other two vampires switch targets, stalking to Taehyung with purpose.

He may not be as well-versed in fighting as his Hunter counterparts, especially against two opponents, but with the mandated coven training – and the recent increase in need for violence – he can at least stand his ground. But he can’t focus on his own survival. Not when Z is still healing, likely reinjuring her ribs and opening her wounds with how tightly she’s being squeezed. Not to mention that he doesn’t even have a weapon. Taehyung needs to buy them time, even a few extra seconds might be enough to allow one of the Bangtan clan to find them.  

Taehyung’s eyes meet Z’s, the girl’s eyes wide in fear as the two vampires close in on him. Then, between one blink and the next, the fear dissipates and is replaced by determination.

Z bites down hard on the vampire’s arm, the only part she’s able to reach with her limited mobility, making the vampire howl out in pain and loosen his grip. She only has enough time to free her arms and grab onto the two heading for Taehyung. With the two vampires held tight in front of her, she glances at the other human before shoving herself backwards, causing the vampire at her back to stumble through the broken window.

Pulling her and the two other vampires with him.

“Z!”, Taehyung screams, stumbling towards the opening. Just as he reaches the window to look down, he’s grabbed from behind. Before the boy has a chance to struggle, he’s quickly turned around and brought into a tight embrace.

“Tae, fuck, you’re okay.” Jungkook’s breathing is labored, body sticky where blood stains his skin. He grips Taehyung like a lifeline.

“Kook.”, he chokes out, fumbling to grasp the other with shaky hands. “Z, she…the window…I have to...we need to –”

Jungkook wraps him up tighter, placing one hand behind his head as he whispers reassurances in his ear. “We’ll get her, okay? Hyungs will find her and help her, but we need to get somewhere safe.”

He wants to argue, tell Jungkook that she needs help now but before he can, a figure is flying by, slamming into the wall next to Taehyung. Jungkook quickly pulls him away and toward the door. Just as the unknown vampire straightens up from his position on the floor, Jimin strides in and quickly wraps his arms around the vampire’s neck.

Before Jimin can deliver the final blow, Taehyung is whisked away to a different part of the house. Jungkook is noticeably alert, constantly turning his head this way and that to look for danger, murmuring little reassurances as they run.

“Just need to get there.”

“We’ll be okay.”

“We’re so close.”

Taehyung is unsure if the vampire says it for his own benefit or Taehyung’s, but he finds himself hanging onto every word regardless. They run through the maze of hallways, constantly dodging furniture and changing direction. There’s no pattern to the rooms they pass, seemingly just trying to pick random paths in hopes of confusing whoever may be following them.

It’s when they pass the same ornate mirror for the third time that they get to a big metal door and Jungkook slows. The material seems thick, expanding past the door edges to cover the entire wall. The human would guess that it must be relatively new, no obvious signs that the door had ever been used.

Taehyung looks behind them as Jungkook starts to work on the keypad, typing in a series of codes. If Taehyung wasn’t so fearful of the current situation, he may balk at how amazing it is that one of the most powerful covens in Seoul has an actual panic room in their house.

It’s no secret that Bangtan is incredibly protective of their members, especially the younger two, and it would only make sense that they would be prepared for the worst, creating secret escape routes and installing human-sized safes when all else fails. Taehyung finds himself thinking that even if he was one of the strongest existing creatures, he would also still create a place that is practically impenetrable, somewhere that his loved ones would be protected and safe in case he couldn’t be there for them.

A beep sounds from the keypad and Jungkook moves to pull open the door. It must be heavy because Jungkook struggles to move the metal more than a few inches at a time. The human steps forward with the intention of helping when he feels a breath at the back of his neck.

“Jung—”, he’s cut off before he can finish, a hand yanking him to the ground from behind. Turning quickly, Jungkook jumps into action only to be stopped by two figures that place themselves between the raven-haired boy and Taehyung.

The brunette is dragged by the back of his sweatshirt, struggling to get free but unable to with the person’s unyielding grip and the sweatshirt currently cutting into his neck.

“Stop fucking struggling.”, the person growls, hoisting him up by the front of his clothing only to throw him against the nearest wall, knocking the air from his lungs. As the man closes the distance between them, Taehyung’s able to make out the elongated snout and yellow eyes of a lycan, the half-shifted form that few werewolves are able to obtain.

While fully shifted wolves have the means to fight and protect, the lycan anatomy is much more suited for stalking and eliminating enemies, carrying both the strength and abilities of a wolf while maintaining the mobility of human joints.  

Chest aching and eyes blurry from pain, he barely makes out a figure across the room. Sees a blur of blonde hair as three vampires fall, eyes staring unseeingly upward as blood sluggishly leaks from fatal wounds.

Yoongi is clearly a force to be reckoned with, anger emanating from him as he continues to take down vampires, witches and wolves alike. The lycan reaches him, grabbing his neck again to pull him up, slamming him so hard against the wall that Taehyung becomes dizzy.

“Hyung.”, he whimpers, immediately drawing the attention of the smaller vampire, eyes widening as he takes in the injured human. It takes only a moment for him to dispatch the enemies surrounding him and appear behind the unsuspecting wolf, using claws to rip out his throat with a deafening snarl.

Taehyung slumps to the ground as the hand leaves him, trying desperately to get air into his spasming lungs. Blood-covered hands cover his own, causing his eyes to snap up and meet chocolate brown ones.

“Hey kid, you okay?”, Yoongi asks, concern evident in his tone as he looks the human over for any obvious wounds. He quickly shakes his head.

“J-Jungkook, he…he needs help.”, he stutters out through gasping breaths. Yoongi wraps a hand around the back of his neck, giving a comforting squeeze.

“Jungkook’s okay. Jin is with him now.”, Yoongi soothes and before Taehyung can ask how exactly the vampire knows that, the door opposite of them breaks down with a loud crack. Yoongi flips around faster than the human can see, poised and ready to defend.

What he doesn’t expect to see is Hoseok lying on the ground a few feet from the broken door, bloody and scrambling to his feet as a dark beast enters the room. The thing is huge, just as tall as Hoseok and likely weighing ten times as much. Shadows seemingly surround its muscled figure as it stalks ahead, red eyes fixed on the lithe vampire in front of it.

Its…it’s a fucking hellhound.

Taehyung has only ever heard of encounters with hell beasts, viscous animal-like creatures who relentlessly stalk and attack whoever the summoner chooses. Although the human has never seen one in person, he has no doubt that’s what stands just past Hoseok. No doubt it’s the reason that the vampire is bleeding, slight limp noticeable as he favors one side.

The vampire-fae must be its target.

Hellhounds are notoriously hard to summon, requiring an advanced witch or a demon to perform the ritual properly. Witches powerful enough to hold a contract with a hell beast, even a temporary one, are hard to come by and full-fledged demons even more-so. It’s possible that Dongha found a half-demon for an ally, but how could he have found one that was capable of such a feat and wanted to side with him. Regardless, its sights are set on the tallest of the throuple, eyes not leaving him for a moment.

“Fuck.”, Yoongi swears turning back to Taehyung. “Sweetheart, I need you to run, okay? You need to find Namjoon.”

The beast lunges for the fae, growls echoing off the walls as Hoseok skillfully dodges its attack. Taehyung shakes his head. “Where…I don’t know where he’s at or…or where I’m going.”

“The house will guide you, Tae.”, Yoongi says simply, turning abruptly when Hoseok lets out a shout of pain. The hound is currently on top of him, somehow able to catch him despite being extremely quick on his feet, and has its canines buried deep in the vampire’s shoulder.

Yoongi is off in an instant, going from crouching in front of Taehyung to prying the hound off Hoseok in a fraction of a second. He grasps the beast’s muzzle and pulls apart its jaw, freeing the fae’s shoulder and shoving it back a few steps. Yoongi immediately advances, delivering blows that stagger the hound and knock it back while using his claws to tear through its soft underbelly and neck.

His mate tries to get up but quickly falls back to the ground when his arm gives out, weakly covering the wound on his opposite shoulder in hopes of stopping the bleeding. Completely disregarding Yoongi’s words, Taehyung doesn’t think twice before running to him.

The younger vampire’s eyes are squeezed shut, jaw clenched and breaths coming in pants as the pain wracks his body. The human drops down to his knees, quickly taking off his sweatshirt and pressing it to the wound.

The pressure startles Hoseok, causing his eyes to fly open in panic before settling on Taehyung.

“Hyung.”, Taehyung pleads, nearing tears. “What do I do?”

“Go.”, Hoseok croaks, moving his uninjured arm to press lightly at Taehyung’s chest. “Hyungs will be okay, little love. I promise. But you need to go.”

How? How can he leave when Hoseok is losing so much blood? He can help. He’ll find a way to help and then Hoseok can heal and help his mate…

Taehyung yelps as arms wrap around him from behind, tugging him forcefully away from the fae. He struggles as much as he can, but the grip is tight, already making it difficult for his lungs to expand without added movement.

“Tae!”, the dancer yells, trying and failing to push himself up from the ground, his arm quickly giving up partway through. The vampire tries again and as Taehyung is pulled around the corner and out of view, Hoseok’s eyes flutter and his body loses strength.

“No! Hyung!”, Taehyung yells, still kicking and squirming in attempt to dislodge – or at least loosen – his captors hold. The person doesn’t appear to budge, unfazed by the human’s persistent movements. He’s quickly being pulled into yet another room, this one containing a large bed and sofa. Before Taehyung can get a word out, the vampire drags him to one of the few windows in the room, raising his fist to break through the glass before hauling Taehyung up and through the opening.

He's most of the way through the window when the vampire stops moving him, fist clenched in the human’s shirt as he holds him over the multiple-story distance between the window and the ground. The backs of his thighs press painfully into the remaining shards of glass on the windowsill, hands scrambling to find purchase on the vampire’s clothing.

Rapidly approaching footsteps cause Taehyung to look in the doorway, pleading for one of his hyungs to enter. His wish is granted when both Jungkook and Jimin appear, both wide-eyed expressions turning angry at the scene in front of them.

Taehyung opens his mouth, wanting to say something, anything to the two boys across the room but a flicker of movement stops him. The unfamiliar vampire glances behind him at the two vampires before turning back to the human. The corner of the vampire’s lips curl up in an ugly smirk before he’s releasing his hold on Taehyung’s shirt, causing the human to slip completely through the window.

“Taehyung!”, a twin set of voices yell as he starts his sudden decent to the ground.

What a way to go, Taehyung thinks crudely. Survive years of torture and blood and pain, only to die being thrown out a fucking window.

The ground comes quickly, but before he can become more familiar with the grass slab below him, he hits a firm body, bouncing off the figure and landing harshly on the solid ground, causing the air to rush out of his lungs yet again.

The groan that leaves him is entirely involuntary, weakly clutching his shoulder as he registers the burning pain that the fall caused, trying to push himself up off the ground. He only makes it to his knees before the figure reappears next to him, lifting a booted foot and shoving it into his ribs, sending him flying a few feet back.

The human scrambles up much quicker now, realizing that there are three red-eyed figures slowly closing in. With another stumble, he pushes himself to his feet and begins to run, only to be blocked by yet another person. This one doesn’t wear the same mundane clothing the others do but instead wears a form-fitting leather suit, dark hood thrown up to cover most of their face.

When the woman lifts her hand and starts muttering under her breath, Taehyung realizes too late the distinct aura of the witch in front of him. Before he can switch directions, the air around him shimmers and he’s thrown into another moment of weightlessness, landing harshly on his back yet again.

Opening his eyes, he finds a familiar ceiling, damp and rotten from years of neglect, the same ceiling that doubled as the floor to the Letters’ rooms. He’s…he’s back at the apartments?

A scream sounds from upstairs, snapping Taehyung into action, hoisting himself up and stumbling over the stairs in his haste. He reaches the second floor in record time, throwing open the door that leads to the human’s living quarters.

What greets him is a massacre. The bodies of his fellow humans, of his friends, lay motionless on the floor, some propped up against the wall as if their bodies had given up before they reached the ground, others are curled up into themselves, face peaceful despite the blood that covers their skin.

The blood is everywhere. It covers the carpeted floor and sprays across the walls, staining the hallway red. And at the very end of the hallway, past the last room, reads a message written in blood.

Welcome home, V.

A quiet stuttered gasp causes his head to snap to the source, finding a figure leaning over one of his fallen covenmates. It takes only a moment to recognize the long dark hair, recognize the clothing, knowing that Jimin had allowed the girl to borrow the items only this morning.

“Z.”, he breaths out, rushing to the girl’s side. Her shirt is ripped, revealing steadily oozing wounds across her side. The younger is curled over L’s lifeless form, hands and face buried in her stomach.

No, no she can’t be. L is the best fighter they have, she couldn’t have lost…couldn’t have died, not without a tough fight. But for all the Letters to have been taken out simultaneously, something else must have happened, something none of them prepared for.

Z’s body trembles where it rests over the older girl.

“Z?”, Taehyung questions, causing the younger to freeze. She slowly slips away from the woman on the ground, allowing the boy to see the very faint rise and fall of the eldest’s chest, the rise that wouldn’t have been visible if not for L being deathly still.

“She’s breathing.”, Taehyung breaths out, small amounts of relief slipping through the overwhelming panic. He starts gathering the girl in his arms. “We need to get her help, Z. We need to…”

Ice floods his body as he lifts his head and sees bright red eyes staring back at him.

Z’s red eyes.

The sight startles him, causing him to fall and scramble back away from the unmoving girl.

No, no, no. Not her. Please, not her.

“Z?”, he whispers, eyes burning with unshed tears. She doesn’t respond, in fact she hasn’t moved, hasn’t even breathed since she lifted her gaze, staring unseeingly at the human before her. There are small scratches littering her face but what draws his attention is the distinct trails of old blood tracking from her mouth to her chin.

As if she fed recently.

Taehyung digs his fingers into the soiled carpet, trying to hide the shaking in his body, a sob caught in his throat. Even in a bloodlust haze, every part of his body screams at him that his coven member wouldn’t have done this, couldn’t have done this.

“She’s a fantastic pet, V.”, a deep voice states from behind, causing him to jump quickly to his feet and flip around. He finds Dongha leaning casually against the opposite wall, jacket scraping against the blood message, flanked by Minjun and Hyunwu. Vampires slowly make themselves visible, some appearing in a blur at the coven leader’s side and others peaking through the entries of multiple bedrooms. “I should have taken her humanity away sooner.”

He suspected – no, he knew – that was the most plausible reason for her behavior, for her eyes, but to hear it confirmed by the coven leader only served to increase the crushing sensation in his chest. Someone had to have given her blood…

No, they wouldn’t have needed to, Taehyung realizes, remembering the girl sinking her human teeth into the vampire’s arm – likely breaking skin – long enough to stun him before throwing herself out the window. Did she die when she hit the ground, or did she survive only to have the younger vampires take advantage of her injuries?

He begins to back away but stops, torn between wanting to flee and needing to stay to help his coven members.

“Kill him.”, Dongha commands lowly, not bothering to move from his relaxed position, seemingly enjoying the scene in front of him. The girl slowly stands up and turns, blood-red gaze fixated on the human, Taehyung slowly stepping backwards to put some distance between them.

And just as she takes her first step, she meets the human’s gaze and winks.

Taken back, Taehyung freezes his movements, entirely unsure whether he had witnessed the action or not. She continues her slow, calculated steps, blood oozing down her flanks with every movement.

The door behind him bursts open, revealing Jimin and Jungkook, both disheveled but relatively unharmed. Taehyung sees the moment they take in Z’s appearance, eyes widening in realization, before throwing themselves in front of the human.

They both growl, causing the girl’s steps to falter. Taehyung doesn’t need protecting, not from her. Never from the girl who has chosen his life over her own so many times.

Vampire or not, genuine wink or not, she’s still Z.

He reaches forward and grabs onto the vampires, pulling them both to his sides with some effort. They become confused but relent, staying at his sides only a step behind him as the girl reaches him. She doesn’t stop until their bodies crash together, hands fisting into Taehyung’s shirt, nose buried in his neck.

“’s smells good.”, she slurs, making Taehyung tense. Fuck, with the number of times he’s heard that, it shouldn’t affect him as much as it does, but he never expected it from his younger coven member. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe she was never trying to give him some sort of signal. Maybe she really is too far gone to help right now.

“In our room.”, she says lowly before turning abruptly and throwing something toward Dongha, movements too quick for Taehyung’s human vision. He doesn’t see the blade flying through the air until it buries itself in his coven leader’s chest.

And for the first time in all Taehyung’s years with the coven, he sees Dongha look fucking surprised, eyes wide as he slowly reaches for the blade in his upper chest, just missing his heart.

“You fucking bitch.”, he hisses out, but Z is already a step ahead, bending down next to L to grab another blade as Jimin and Jungkook step back to their previous positions in front of him. The coven jumps into action then, the younger members flying toward them in a flurry of snarls and bared teeth.

And chaos erupts again.

Flashes of figures consume Taehyung’s vision as the three make a dedicated barrier between the coven and the human. He can’t think of anything other than the deafening sounds of growls and splintering wood, seeing some of his previous blood-drinking coven members slump to the ground in defeat in the aftermath.

Taehyung catches glimpses of Z, blood covering her hands, red eyes remaining completely focused on the task ahead of her. She may be younger, completely new to the immortal world, but her training speaks for itself as she disposes of vampires with ease.

Watching the girl reminds him of her words, knowing he needs to go before the situation becomes worse. Taehyung doesn’t have to go far to reach his previous room, only needing to take a few steps towards the mass of fighting before slipping through the open doorway.

With no candles or lanterns, darkness covers the small room, though based on the small amount of light filtering through the window, the room appears to be in a similar state as it was when he left, clothing strewn everywhere and the mirror broken in the corner. She told him to come here, needing him to find something among the mess.

But he doesn’t see anything.

A small noise causes him to snap his head up, almost inaudible over the sounds of fighting outside the room. He stumbles further in, quickly seeing a flicker of movement within the closet. With caution, he moves towards the source, a muffled sob audible only a few feet away.

“D?”, he questions, causing the little cries to cease before a body crashes into him, knocking him to the floor.

“Hyung.”, D sobs, digging his hands into Taehyung’s back. “Hyung, they…our family.”

The boy’s body starts shaking again and Taehyung’s shoulder quickly gets wet with tears. The older wants to comfort, be the rock that D deserves, but there isn’t time. After – when they’re safe – he’ll cuddle with him for days if needed, make him his favorite drinks, buy as many of Seokjin’s treats as he can eat. But for now, he needs to make sure the sweet teenager is out of harm’s way.

“I know, D-ah.”, he soothes, bringing them both to their feet, keeping an arm around the boy’s thin waist. “I know. But we need to go, okay?”

Taehyung is already pushing them to the entrance of him and Z’s shared room, speaking soothing words the entire way.

“Close your eyes.”, he tells D, not wanting him to see – or see again – the horrible sight of their human covenmates bloodied and broken on the floor. He complies easily, closing his eyes and burying his face in Taehyung’s neck, body still shaking with sobs.

Taehyung keeps his head down, keeps his focus solely on getting the boy out. They stumble to the stairs leading to the first floor, movement limited by the destruction around them and their awkward huddled position.

Where do they go? Taehyung’s plan only got them down the stairs to the apartment entrance. They could attempt to make it to Singularity, but they will likely be followed and a heavy weight sinks in his heart at the thought of putting Jiyeon or Yugyeom in danger. Epiphany is another option, but with the other Bangtan members likely still stuck at their mansion, no one will be able to take the boy in and protect him. They’ll be alone and although getting away from here is the top priority, Taehyung can’t have them escape just to put D right back in danger because he can’t fight a hoard of bloodthirsty vampires by himself.

But D isn’t their target. Not really. The Letters were attacked because of Dongha’s want for Taehyung to return; they were killed to serve as punishment for the human he’s obsessed with.

So, if he doesn’t leave with the younger, then D should be safer.

He makes up his mind as they reach the door, pulling the tearful boy away from his side to cup his cheeks.

“Listen, D, okay?”, he pleads, meeting D’s gaze. “You’re going to leave the apartments and you’re going to run.”

“No, hyung…” D starts, tears streaming down his face, gripping the hands on his face like a lifeline.

“You are going to run to Jiyeon.”, Taehyung cuts off, willing D to listen. “Tell them to call Yugyeom’s coven. Stay with them. Don’t leave. Don’t look back, okay?”

“No, I…I can’t, hyung. I…”

“We love you, D.”, Taehyung states, giving the boy a quick kiss on the forehead before pushing him to the stairs, shutting the door behind him. He hopes with everything he has that D makes it, that he didn’t make a wrong decision.

Taehyung thinks blatantly that he might understand now what Z was talking about back at Bangtan’s residence. No matter what happens, even if he doesn’t make it through tonight, it will have all been worth it if D finds safety.

“V.”, a voice says behind him, way too soft for the person it belongs to. Taehyung closes his eyes, steadying himself before turning around, meeting Dongha’s gaze immediately. The man is only a few inches from him, breath fanning out over his face as he raises a hand, cupping his face way too gently for the situation they’re in.

The vampire’s hand moves to the back of Taehyung’s head, grasping a handful of hair and pulling his head to the side, burying his nose in the human’s neck. The coven leader lets out pleased growls as he runs his nose up and down his neck, making Taehyung feel sick at the contact.

A yelp draws Taehyung’s attention back to the chaos, seeing Z and Jungkook tangling with Hyunwu while Jimin fights Minjun one-on-one. They are seemingly the only ones left standing, the remaining vampires under Dongha’s command either dead or decided to flee when they realized the fight was pointless.

Jungkook and Z don’t seem to be faring too well against the much older vampire, multiple wounds dripping blood and one of Z’s arms being cradled to her chest. Hyunwu doesn’t seem to be breaking a sweat, only minor injuries visible on his face as he advances once again to the other two.

Z is only a fledgling and by vampire standards, Jungkook is still so young. Even together, their chances of gravely injuring the much older vampire are slim to none. The two younger, even actively bleeding and movements slowing, don’t show any signs of giving up, quickly popping up to their feet and meeting the vampire head-on.

Jimin appears to be in a similar situation, though Minjun sports quite a few more injuries than his coven member. While Hyunwu is the epitome of indifference, Minjun appears to be having fun, lips split in a blinding smile and eyes sparkling in amusement as he giggles his way through a few swipes to Jimin’s abdomen. The younger backs away and clutches his stomach as the new wound immediately starts leaking blood.

They aren’t going to win this alone.

Surely with the coven’s ability to know where their members are and what state, the hyungs can sense the distinct lack of the two youngest coven members’ presence in the house, right? Can’t they feel the pain they’re in, the desperation resonating through their bonds?

Almost at once, Jungkook and Jimin snap their heads to the opposite end of the hallway, silence taking over the once-deafening roar of fighting. Taehyung follows their gaze, finding Z slumped in front of Hyunwu, the vampire’s claws tore through her abdomen. The girl’s eyes flutter as the vampire steps back, her body collapsing on the floor only a moment later.

“Z!”, he yells, trying to push Dongha away to help. Jimin and Jungkook’s gaze snap to him at the outburst, both eyes widening at his trapped position against the door. The coven leader gives a deep chuckle.

“Sorry, doll. Perhaps you would like a better view.” Dongha flips their position, turning Taehyung out to face the others, pulling the human back firmly against his chest. The vampire brings his wrist up to his lips and bites, then pushing it towards the human to drink. Taehyung throws his head away from the offered limb and struggles, trying to get out of Dognha’s iron grip. Both Bangtan members move to try to get to him but are quickly intercepted.

With Jimin’s focus partially on Taehyung, he’s unable to adequately block several attacks from Minjun, eventually leading him to be pressed against the wall, the older vampire’s hand pushing his throat. Jimin scrambles to dislodge his hand but Minjun moves in, digging his fangs into the blonde’s neck, groaning as he starts to feed.

He pulls away only a moment later, blood leaking from his lips as he throws his head back and laughs. “You were delicious as a human but, fuck, even after turning, your blood is still so fucking sweet.”

The older dives back in, no signs of stopping now that he had Jimin where he wanted. Jimin’s eyes flutter and one of his hands slip away from Minjun, body slowly losing strength. Taehyung struggles even harder, needing to get free and help before it’s too late.

“Hyung, no!”, he yells, quickly being cut off by a wrist forcefully pressing to his mouth. He splutters and coughs as the taste of blood fills his mouth. He tries moving his head away once again but is held firmly by a hand at the back of his head. Taehyung refuses to ingest any of the blood and tries to spit it out around Dongha’s wrist, but the vampire pulls it away and instead seals his entire hand over the brunette’s mouth.

After his continued refusal, Dongha growls and sinks his teeth in Taehyung’s neck, causing him to hiss out a noise of pain and choke on the blood, his body reflexively swallowing some of the liquid.

All that’s left is for Taehyung’s heart to stop, allowing the blood to take over.

Tears pool in his eyes at the thought of how easily the vampire could end his life and force him to turn now that he succeeded in feeding the human his blood.

Taehyung hears Jungkook yell his name. Opening his eyes, he sees Jungkook held against the wall much like Jimin was only moments before, not breaking eye contact as Hyunwu leans in.

The human always thought it was easy knowing what Jungkook was thinking, doe-eyes always shining with emotion regardless of what exactly that emotion was. But, looking at those eyes now, Taehyung can’t be sure of anything. He thinks he sees sadness mixed in with relinquishment, seeming as if the vampire has finally given up the fight, knowing that the situation is hopeless. But that doesn’t sound like the boy he’s come to care about, the same one who doesn’t back down from a challenge – the one who protects the people he cares about regardless of his own life.

Perhaps it wasn’t surrender he saw but content that the last thing he will see, even bloody and bruised, will be the human he’s come to love.

Tears fall from his watery eyes. He wishes he could say something to the vampire, tell him to keep fighting, to leave and get himself out. He finds that no words would be enough to tell Jungkook how he feels but, maybe in another life, he’ll have the time to at least say, thank you.

A body collides with Hyunwu, throwing him off the younger and to the floor. He rolls fluidly to his feet before being thrown to the floor once more. Taehyung thinks that maybe one of their hyungs finally found them, finally came to help.

He didn’t expect Jimin to be the one relentlessly attacking Hyunwu, not leaving any room for the other vampire to fight back and barely any time to protect himself from the onslaught of claws and fangs. The shorter vampire is pale, blood flowing freely from his neck, but the way he fights is unlike anything Taehyung has ever seen. He’s faster, more aggressive in his attacks, snarls and growls leaving his lips.

And the dark brown eyes that Taehyung has become so familiar with are now blood red.

“A fully grown vampire’s eyes will only change with extreme emotion.”, Jungkook had said, sitting across from Taehyung in Epiphany. “I have personally only seen my hyungs’ eyes change a few times since I’ve been with them.”

Looking back to the spot where the blond was near unconscious, he finds Minjun’s body sprawled out on the floor, neck roughly tore through, insane smile still adorning his face. Something in the sweet blonde vampire must have flipped. Gone is the bright smiles and the cheerful giggles that always serve to bring smiles to his mate’s face. In its place is pure rage, an emotion the human had yet to see.

It seems Jimin’s anger was enough to capture the attention of even Dongha, the man pulling his fangs from the boy’s neck as he watches the fight, seemingly in no hurry to jump in to help his covenmate.

Jungkook slowly joins the fight once more and after a few moments of joint effort, Hyunwu stands in the middle of the hallway, surprise painted on his features as he regards the silver-dipped blade in his chest. Jimin doesn’t wait for the vampire to fall to the floor on his own, instead shoving him down with a kick, leaving the knife through his heart.

The small blonde staggers then, staying conscious just long enough for Jungkook to reach him, collapsing in the younger’s arms. Jungkook kneels to the floor, his hyung cradled gently to his chest.

Jimin looks awful.

His body hangs limp in Jungkook’s hold, skin sickly pale and chest moving with quick, shallow breaths. Wounds cover his body, parts of his neck and abdomen looking like they were mauled. Dongha hums behind him, appearing much too calm for losing all his coven in the span of a few minutes.

“Minjun always said Park Jimin had a bit of spark.”, Dongha mentions offhandedly, tightening his grip on Taehyung’s waist. “Made him exceptionally fun to play with as a human.”

Jungkook snaps his head up, angry gaze fixed on the vampire.

“He’ll never get to fucking touch him again.”, Jungkook hisses, bringing Jimin closer to him.

Dongha shrugs and hums nonchalantly, clearly not fazed by the young vampire’s aggression.

“Time to choose, little Jungkook.”, the coven leader croons, cradling Taehyung’s jaw in one hand. “Save your covenmate or save your human.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened, looking back and forth between Taehyung and Jimin. He quickly shakes his head, opening his mouth to refute.

“Based on the sound of his heart, I’d say you have…” Dongha starts tapping his chin in faux thought. “Less than a minute before he dies.”

Jungkook curls into himself, shaking from unshed tears, and Taehyung’s heart breaks. He wouldn’t be able to choose in his position, wouldn’t be able to choose between Jungkook and Z if asked, loves them both too much – even if deep down, he knew that he loved them in entirely different ways.

If he attempts to free Taehyung from Dongha’s grasp, Jimin will inevitably lose the last remaining blood his body is so desperately trying to hold on to and if Jungkook gives Jimin enough blood to keep him alive – especially after already losing so much blood in the fight – he will be much too weak to do anything against Dongha.

So, Taehyung makes the choice for him.

“Jimin.”, Taehyung whispers, gathering Jungkook’s attention. “Choose Jimin.”

“No.” Jungkook shakes his head. “No, Tae, I’m not…I can’t…”

“Time’s up.”, Dongha declares, pulling a hiss from the human as his fangs reenter the same wounds.

Jungkook moves on instinct, starting to set Jimin down to rush to Taehyung’s aid.

“Kook, look at me.”, Taehyung urges, stopping the vampire in his tracks. Their eyes lock, and this time he has no problem recognizing the emotion in his eyes, clearly seeing the despair – the longing – written on his features. “It’s okay. Save Jimin.”

Dongha digs his teeth further, drawing more blood out. Taehyung’s vision is blurry now, pain and blood loss mixing, but he wills himself to keep his eyes from closing, needing Jungkook to help Jimin before it’s too late.

“Baby.”, Taehyung pleads, ripping a growl from Dongha’s throat. “Help Minie.”

Jungkook must find something in his gaze, because he bites into his wrist with a sob and pushes it against Jimin’s mouth.

“I’m sorry.” Jungkook cries. “Tae, I’m sorry.”

Through the pain of teeth tearing through his neck, Dongha’s grip too tight on his waist, and the darkness slowly closing in on him, he found Jungkook’s eyes and smiled, genuine and fond.

Because this is the way he wants Jungkook to remember this moment, wants him to forget the desperation he felt and instead see the human he’s grown fond of smile at the decision he made.

If he dies, he’ll be happy knowing that three of the boys he cares most about will be okay.

If he survives, he just hopes Jungkook can forgive him.

Chapter Text

Seokjin and Namjoon burst through the portal, finally able to run to their coven members after what seemed like hours of fighting.

It was all a setup.

One of the higher ups, the one who knew everything about the current situation regarding human blood trafficking, one who everyone reported to in the high vampire court, was supporting the illegal business, supporting people like Dongha, from the shadows.

God, he wishes he could that bitch’s throat out again – because once was nowhere near enough.

The coven leader realized quickly after their home was attacked that they needed help. While his coven could have disposed of the supernatural creatures with a lot of time and effort, trying to protect the humans and prevent them from being targeting, from being taken, was too much even for their admittedly powerful group.

So, they called in for reinforcements from the high courts.

Only for it to be answered by the vampire who wanted them to fail and instead of getting highly trained guards courtesy of the city’s most powerful vampires, they were ambushed by a group of supernaturals hellbent on making sure that they couldn’t reach their youngest members.

The same supernatural group had an extremely powerful witch, one strong enough to form a temporary contract with a hellhound. She immediately sent it after Hoseok, knowing that if the vampire-fae was a target, it was likely to preoccupy his mates as well, making it easier for them to get Taehyung alone.

It was only moments after realizing help wasn’t coming that Namjoon was able to send a distress signal to all the neighboring clans that they trusted – which admittedly wasn’t many. Even with access to portals, the clans needed time to gather themselves and run to Bangtan’s aide.

Enough time for a massacre to happen.

The sight that greats them is awful. Bodies littered every empty space, blood pooling under their shoes as they take in the scene. Most of them appear to be vampires but dread pools at the pit of Seokjin’s stomach at the realization that the humans lying motionless on the ground are likely Taehyung’s covenmates.

The last place they sensed their youngests was in this building, but looking around, they don’t find anyone upright, no doe-eyes or wide smiles to greet them, only unmoving bodies.

Seokjin feels his eyes watering as he makes out the smell of the blood of his loved ones, can easily pick out the distinct smell of Jimin and Jungkook at the doorway. The smell of blood from the bodies overwhelms the entire space, but the eldest finds he can only focus on the familiar citrus and vanilla of his coven members.

Seokjin closes his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself. They must have been so scared, fighting so many people alone, wondering when their hyungs would find them.

The older members have always come to the youngers’ aide, always immediately by their side if so much as a paper cut occurred. Anger and guilt flares up in his chest at the thought of failing their nestlings when they needed them most.

“No.”, Namjoon whispers, voice breaking halfway through the word. He’s staring unseeingly in the middle of the hallway. Seokjin follows his gaze to find their youngest vampire curled on the ground, deathly still in the blood surrounding his body.

Seokjin speeds to Jungkook, eyes burning and pleads spilling from his lips. He can’t be dead, fuck, please say we aren’t too late. He quickly scoops up the youngest, biting his own wrist before pressing it to the younger’s open mouth. Namjoon quickly takes up Jungkook’s other side, hand pressing to his chest as his magic flares up bright and fearful.

For a moment, nothing happens. Jungkook’s skin remains ashen, body slack in the eldest’s arms. The mates don’t move, don’t breathe, as they wait for something – anything – to happen.

Jungkook’s throat moves then, just a twitch, before he starts drinking, throat bobbing slowly. Seokjin and Namjoon let out the breath they were holding, shoulders sagging as the young vampire in their arms starts drinking with more purpose, hand moving up to hold Seokjin’s wrist.

“There you go, Jungkookie.”, the coven leader croons, relief evident in his voice. He runs his fingers through the youngest’s hair, eyes jumping from his face to his body, taking note of the wounds around his stomach and neck. Namjoon takes a large breath before looking back up at his mate. “I’m going to look for the others.”

Seokjin nods, planting a kiss on Jungkook’s forehead before cradling him against his chest. How much longer did he have? Minutes? An hour? It was too close, way too close. Seokjin tries to avoid thinking of what would have happened, avoids the squeezing sensation in his chest when thinking about them being too late, because Jungkook is here in his arms now, alive.

But what of the others?

He isn’t sure if he wants Jimin and Taehyung to be here. On the one hand, he wants them next to him, wants to hold them and tell them it’ll be okay. Wrap them up in fucking bubble wrap for the next century to shield them from the horrors of the world.

On the other hand, the apartment was silent when they walked in. There was no movement, no sounds of air entering and leaving lungs, the entire floor lacking the distinct sound of a heartbeat. If they are here, they are likely in just as bad or worse condition as Jungkook.

He wouldn’t be able to deal with a death in the coven. His breath stutters at the thought of being the one to go up to Yoongi and Hoseok, the younger lying injured in their shared bed while Yoongi hovers over him, and tell them both that their mate was gone.

And Jungkook, he hasn’t known Taehyung that long but it’s obvious they are meant to be, drawn together by some unseen force, unknowingly already bonded despite no mating or coven bite. It would break him to have to look the boy in the eyes and tell him that he couldn’t have a future with the human, his life taken away before their love could fully blossom.

Jungkook stirs now, eyebrows scrunching and eyes fluttering as his drinking slows. Seokjin notes that his heart has recovered, now beating strong where it was previously too quiet to hear. He slows to a stop and weakly pushes away his covenmate’s hand, looking around in confusion. It takes one look at Seokjin’s concerned features before the younger is bursting into tears.

“Hyung.”, he cries, clawing into Seokjin’s shirt to get closer. “They’re gone.”

Seokjin holds him tighter, rocking them back and forth in some semblance of comfort. Jungkook is a beautifully emotional person, always wears his heart on his sleeve, isn’t afraid to be sad or angry or loving but Seokjin hasn’t seen him break down like this since they turned him about a century ago, when he realized his life had changed so drastically without having a choice.

Namjoon appears in front of them and starts rubbing the boy’s back, giving Seokjin a quick shake of his head. He didn’t find them. And since he’s currently with them instead of healing, he can only assume that Taehyung’s coven…didn’t make it.

“He took ‘em. He took Tae n’ ‘min-hyung.”, Jungkook sobs, slurring his words. “Hyung, ‘m sorry…’m sorry. I tried but I-I couldn’t…”

Seokjin shushes him, squeezing him tighter despite there being no distance between the two. His glances up to his mate before closing his eyes, already so overwhelmed with the feeling of the younger vampire’s grief that he’s unsure he can handle the broken expression Namjoon currently wears.

Jungkook sobs lessen for a moment before he turns his head, looking at something behind the eldest’s mate. He wiggles weakly until Seokjin lets him go, rolling over and attempting to stand, stumbling over towards the end of the hallway.

Jungkook collapses in front of a body, his two nestmates close behind. He clumsily brings the person closer, lifting their head to rest on his elbow before bringing his other wrist to his mouth. Namjoon appears next to him and stops him from piercing his skin, confusion written on his face as he gazes into the glossy eyes of the younger vampire.

“Baby?”, Namjoon asks, rubbing the inside of his wrist.

“Blood.”, Jungkook murmurs, staring down at the unmoving girl, body swaying lightly like he doesn’t have the strength to hold himself up anymore. “Told Tae we would…we’d protect ‘er.”

Namjoon looks down, finding Z laying in his covenmate’s arms. She’s pale and bloody, wounds most evident on her stomach, but otherwise she looks peaceful. If Namjoon didn’t know better, he would assume she was just sleeping. But he does know better, knows he doesn’t hear her heart beating, doesn’t hear her body attempting to expand her lungs.

“Hyung, please.”, Jungkook’s eyes flutter, body leaning to the side before snapping his eyes back open and righting himself. “Z…‘s turned.”

Namjoon looks up at Jungkook again, watching him fight back the blood loss and exhaustion and willing his coven leader to understand. The older doesn’t understand – not really – but finds himself nodding regardless, taking the limp girl from his hold just as the youngest falls back into Seokjin’s arms.

They need to get him back to the house and get him fed. He had barely taken enough from his mate to stay conscious and would likely require multiple bags of blood before he is even able to get out of bed.

But Jungkook asked him to help her, and he’d be damned if he didn’t do everything possible to do so. Namjoon rests one of his hands over her stomach, pushing as much magic as he can into healing the wounds but finds that it does nothing. He then leans in towards the girl, taking careful sniffs around her neck.

She smells of vampire blood, of Jungkook from where he was holding onto her, but she lacks the distinct sweetness of fledging. Leaning closer though he can admit she doesn’t really smell human anymore either. Willing to try anything, he brings his own wrist to his mouth and bites, deep enough that blood flows freely in one neat stream. The coven leader tilts her head back and hovers his wrist over her mouth, allowing the blood to hit her lips and roll onto her tongue.

They sit there for a good few minutes, waiting for any changes. Jungkook had lost the last of his energy quickly after Namjoon had pierced his wrist and currently lay slumped against the eldest, eyes closed and breathing steadily.

Nothing happens.

Namjoon waits a few more moments but ultimately pulls back, licking the wound to seal it before trying to heal her wounds once more. It doesn’t make a difference, the girl’s body doesn’t move, still ice cold to the touch. If Z really was a fledgling suffering from bloodloss, she should have shown signs of improvement with how much he has given her.

The vampire-witch can heal practically any wound, clear almost any toxin, and bring many back from the brink of death, but his abilities do nothing to those who are already gone.

“You did what you could, love.”, Seokjin says softly, a lone tear falling down his face, moving Jungkook across his body to stand. The older’s voice breaks as he continues. “We’ll take the humans and when we find Taehyung and Jimin, we can give them a proper burial.”

Namjoon’s heart clenches, eyes closing in defeat. They were victims of awful circumstances, forced to do terrible things for the pleasure of fucked up supernatural beings. Perhaps he should look at the bright side. At least now, they are at peace, finally resting after years of torment.

But Taehyung loved them and if Z’s actions toward the other human are in any way a representation of their other covenmates, then they loved Taehyung as well. He’s going to be devastated.

A soft sound brings him out of his thoughts. He looks up towards his mate, expecting the man to be moving away but he remains still, looking at Namjoon in confusion. Did he hear it as well?

It sounds again, a soft distant thump that has both the vampire’s eyes widening. He looks down at the girl to see that her condition hasn’t changed but leans down and rests an ear over her chest regardless. A moment passes, then another.

Thump.

Namjoon sucks in a breath, head lifting and hand moving to heal the girl. It’s slow but he feels her body responding, light and unsure. Another thump sounds from her chest as another starts up behind Seokjin. The older turns, eyes searching to find the source.

Another starts, and then another, all seemingly beating in sync with one another.

“Oh my.”, Seokjin whispers.

Taehyung listens to his parents talk in hushed voices in the living room.

“He doesn’t show any signs.”, his mother whispered. “And I…I don’t know whether to be grateful or not.”

His mother sounds stressed, calm and soothing like she normally does but with a hint of tenseness that Taehyung has rarely heard.

“Love…”, his father starts, reaching up to cup one hand over her cheek. “You can feel any way you need to feel but…he has at least some affinity. I can feel it. When we’re outside, he…”

Taehyung’s father trials off, searching his mother’s face for a reaction, for any clue as to how she may feel about that news.

The scene changes.

“Mom, it looks gross.” Little seven-year-old Taehyung scrunches his nose at the glass in front of him. The dark liquid still clings to the side of the cup from when his mother had jostled it when setting it on the table. He’s had juices – loves them in fact, his favorite being the apple juice made fresh from their orchard – but this lacks the distinctly sweet smell that fruit juices seem to carry.

“I know, Tae-baby.”, his mother sits across the table from him, trying to maintain her smile despite the worry evident in her eyes. “Just take a little sip and see if you like it.”

Taehyung wants to be good, wants the concern to bleed out of his mother’s expression and her real smile to return, so he reaches to pick up the cup, closing both hands around the glass. He tries not to look at the drink as he brings it to his lips but is unable to stop the gag he lets out when the thick metallic scent hits his nose.

The glass quickly leaves his hands, and he’s wrapped up in a warm embrace. “Okay, little moon, okay. You did so good.”

Pain breaks through the darkness, starting from his neck and making its way down his arm.

“Nature is all around us.”, his father explains. “Near the top of the tallest of buildings and underneath cities, even in our breaths—”

“In our breaths? There is nature in our lungs?!”, Taehyung cuts off, eyes wide in amazement. His father laughs at his expression, reaching a hand to ruffle his hair playfully.

“You would be surprised. Plant spores and even some seeds are small enough to float in the air, its actually quite common for people and animals to breath them in, even in places such as the city.”

Taehyung’s mouth turns into a little ‘o’ at his father’s words, thinking about how crazy it was that people breath in little baby plants without knowing. In his excitement, he becomes lost in thought and his father wonders a few steps ahead.

“Tae-ah.”, his father calls, beckoning him near an old oak tree. They’ve visited the same oak countless times in the past, always stopping by on their many adventures to say hello. Taehyung quickly runs over, stumbling on a branch before plopping down beside his father.

“What are they saying today?”, Taehyung says, looking wide-eyed at his father’s hand resting on the bark. His father hums before grabbing Taehyung’s hand and placing it next to his own on the oak. Taehyung knows the drill by now, knows that his father will ask him to feel the tree, ask him to connect with it and hear its words.

The small boy closes his eyes, focuses on the grooves of the tree’s rough outer layer, the dryness of the wood mixing with the slight stickiness of sap.

“Send them some of your emotions, your energy, and they will send you some of theirs in return.” The words are the same that his father utters every time they visit the tree and every time, he squeezes his eyes shut, pushes his hand a little harder into the base of the tree and wills it to feel him.

And just like every other time, he feels nothing. Not a whisper or a pulse of…anything. Taehyung lets his arm fall from the tree, shoulders sagging in defeat. He knows his father won’t be upset, always gives him a soft smile and a ‘we’ll try again next time’, but he can’t help but feel like he’s failing.

“You did good.” His father rubs up and down his back softly, smile evident in his words. “Perhaps, we should call you something else. Like sprout or maybe little bug.”

Taehyung opens his eyes to give his dad an unimpressed look, causing his father to let out a brilliant laugh.

“Alright, little moon. We won’t change it.” Ducking his head back down, the boy can’t help but grin at the name.

Unbeknownst to him, his father had seen the plants turned toward the boy to listen, felt the ground soften under his son’s legs, the oak tree shifting ever so slightly to shield the boy from the sun’s afternoon rays. His father had witnessed Taehyung’s tentative stream of hope flow into the tree only to receive tenfold more energy from the forest around them.

The pain is moving back up, curling up behind his ear and filling the back of his head. The pressure builds and builds as he is thrown into another memory.

“We can’t ask them to help.”, his mother states frantically, trying to keep her voice barely over a whisper as her and his father speak in their bedroom.

“Love, it wouldn’t hurt to ask…”

“No.” His mother’s voice is firm, quickly cutting his father off. “They have children, Daehyun. Shinah and Yeri already had to go back to hiding and the fae families just welcomed a little boy, we can’t…they can’t…”

His mother’s voice breaks, quiet sobs reaching Taehyung easily in the otherwise silent house. He hates listening in on his parents, but they’ve been different, staying up late instead of heading to bed, avoiding going outside more than absolutely needed.

And his mom…she looks so exhausted, body sluggish and circles more apparent under her already pale skin.

“If it comes down to us, to only our family, and them.”, his father states with conviction. “We fight with everything we have.”

Taehyung sees flashes of images. Feeding a chipmunk a peanut from his trail mix, sending his father a smile when a bunny comes up to him next. A shy girl with red-tinted eyes, hiding behind her mother. A baby with beautiful tiny fae wings sprouting from his back.

They are running. Taehyung’s body barely keeps up with his mothers as they make their way through the forest. His mother had woken him up in the middle of the night, telling him to quickly pack a bag before throwing him into the car. Despite the car never giving them any troubles in the past, the engine did nothing but turn over as his mother turned the key, refusing to start. Taehyung was just as quickly pulled out of the car and down a moonlight lit path near their house.

Taehyung knew they were running towards his father and away from…something. The forest was eerily silent besides their footsteps and heavy breathing.

They run and run until he feels sore, his 12-year-old body athletic but still human, unable to run infinitely. A gasp pulls his focus away from his aching body and to his mother, a look of horror written on her face as she stops.

Looking in the same direction as her gaze, he finds his father, fighting with everything he has against multiple figures. Hands immediately grasp his shoulders as his mother’s face blocks his view.

“Taehyung, listen to me.”, his mother pleads. “Your father and I just wanted what’s best for you. We just wanted to keep you safe. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I wish we had more time, but you need to go, okay?”

Tears run down his mother’s face, her beautiful brown eyes tinting red. “Whatever happens, just know we love you with everything we have.”

Her lips keep moving but he can’t make out what she’s saying, only knows that she stands up and runs

right into the fight beside his father.

Taehyung thinks the exhaustion must be catching up with him. He doesn’t understand the way the trees seem to move along with his father, how the ground shifts to stumble the unknown people, seemingly aiding him in his defense and attacks. Branches of the biggest trees are moving down, swiping and grasping, while the plants on the ground surge up to hold unsuspecting feet.

He’s never seen his mother hurt anyone and perhaps that’s the reason he can’t make sense of the inhuman way his mother moves, the way she tears through her opponents like she’s done so countless times before. The women who refused to even look at a drop of blood now stands covered in the substance, face set in determination and body poised to fight.

“You can’t have them!”, his father’s voice rings out in the distance between them.

It’s then he finally hears what his mother was saying.

“Taehyung, run!”

And then…nothing.

He sees his family’s orchard in winter, completely void of fruit. The same baby fae now grown enough to toddle around, blue hair shimmering in the sunlight. Saying goodbye to the girl he called his friend, knowing she doesn’t have a choice but to go back into hiding. His mother laying in a hospital bed.

“Who are you?”, Taehyung accuses, eyeing the unfamiliar man in his mother’s hospital room. He had been coming here for months and his mother never had any visitors, the people who were once her friends never bothered to show up after the accident.

But they wanted to, right? They wanted to but they couldn’t. There was something they were running from, something that they couldn’t risk putting their family in danger for.

“She had been starving herself.”, the man says regarding his mother on the bed, shaking his head slowly. His eyes are full of concern, eyebrows furrowed as he ignores Taehyung.

“Hey, I asked you a question.”, Taehyung states again louder – sue him he’s angry – as he moves closer to the unfamiliar man. He’s been alone since the accident, his mom the only real family he has left. Her and his father protected him and now it was his turn to protect her.

“You’re Taehyung.”, the man states, giving the boy a quick glance. Taehyung scrunches his nose in annoyance at the man’s words, realizing yet again that he disregarded his question. The boy is about to speak up again when the man continues. “I’m a friend of your mothers.”

“I’ve never met you.”, Taehyung accuses, throwing a glare his direction.

“You are a bit feisty, aren’t you?”, the man asks, a large sigh leaving his lips. “I never meant for this to happen. I hadn’t expected her to be so weak. She wasn’t supposed to fight so hard for you.”

The boy is lost, unable to follow the other’s words.

“She always had a bit of a…picky diet.”, the man states, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “I imagine it was hard for her to find food.”

Taehyung is about to snap at the man for touching her but a moment later, the man appears crouched in front of him.

“The only thing you’ll remember from this is that your parents were in a bad car accident. Your father died right away, and your mother died shortly after in the hospital.”

He thinks he remembers the sound of his mother’s heart stopping on the machine shortly after.

Taehyung’s head throbs as he opens his eyes, dim lights almost blinding above him. He groans out in pain as he moves his aching limbs, body feeling heavy and uncoordinated as he maneuvers into a sitting position. He’s alone in a mostly empty room, entirely made of metal. Metal floors, metal walls, a thick metal door across from him. The only thing in the room is a chair and small table pushed to the corner, seeming so out of place.

Black spots dot his vision, and the rooms spins as he changes position. He closes his eyes and takes deep steadying breaths.

His vision soon returns to him and his focus is brought back to the throbbing in his neck. He reaches up and gingerly touches the spot, hissing in pain at the contact. Things come back to him slowly, in pieces at first before stringing together into coherent thoughts.

Bangtan was attacked and he was herded to the Letters apartment where Dongha proceeded to force feed him blood and drink until he passed out. He can’t even be concerned about his own health when he remembers how hurt the others were.

Fuck, Hoseok was bitten by a hellhound and then there’s Jimin and Jungkook – he can’t even bare to think of the blonde’s condition, pale and bloody and so close to death.

And the images he seen. Were they memories?

The sound of metal scrapping against metal sounds throughout the room, something sliding in – or out – of place outside the door. The door then swings open, revealing the last person he wants to see.

“I imagine you seen some…interesting things while you were unconscious.” Dongha says, head tilted as he maintains eye contact. He’s used to the emotionless expression the vampire wears, but this is different, chilling him from the inside. “Tell me, V, what did you see?”

Taehyung doesn’t want to answer, would rather tell the other to kindly fuck off, but he knows Dongha knows more and he plans on getting answers.

“My parents, they…they weren’t human.”, Taehyung whispers, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “But…I am?”

“You never did share either of their abilities.” Dongha hums. “At least not enough to matter. I suppose your mother may have been happy about that. What else?”

“T-they were running from something.”

Dongha looks him over, face impassive as he waits for more. After another moment of silence, he speaks. “What were they running from?”

Taehyung shakes his head, curling into himself. He doesn’t know. The images are fuzzy at best, completely unreadable at worst and no matter how many times he runs through the memories he can’t see the danger.

“Come on, V. Think.” His voice is darker now, more irritated and Taehyung is trying to remember but nothing is making sense. He combs through the flashes of the past, unable to put together anything. Dongha growls fill the room, getting louder every second Taehyung doesn’t answer. The boy shakes his head again.

“V, you need to remember. What the fuck where they running from?”, he snarls out, boots clanging loudly against the metal floor. Taehyung tries to remember and wills himself to dive further, focusing on his parent’s fear, on his mother’s distress.

What was she so afraid of? Why couldn’t they go outside anymore?

“Answer me!”, Dongha roars, flashing his sharp canines before grabbing the chair and throwing it against the wall next to Taehyung. The crack of metal-on-metal deafening in the otherwise empty room, causing Taehyung to flinch and cover his head.

“I don’t know!”, he shouts, causing the vampire to let out a snarl before appearing in front of Taehyung a moment later. The human is roughly grabbed and thrown back against the wall, held there by Dongha’s firm hand.

He’s pissed, eyes flashing dangerously as he bares his teeth.

Taehyung closes his eyes, so wrapped in fear yet again that he doesn’t know if he can focus on anything but the painful press of a hand against his chest. He sees shadows around every corner, sinister smiles hiding in the dark. His mom didn’t mention a name but was always so alert when walking the street, only getting more paranoid leading up to their deaths.

“You’re Taehyung.”, the man had said.

Who was it? He had never seen him before so who…?

Then, it clicks.

It all becomes clearer now. The face haunting his mother’s dreams, the person he thought wasn’t real following him home from school. The same person who visited his mother at the hospital just before she died.

“You.”, Taehyung whispers, tears clouding his vision. “They were running from you.”

Dongha releases his hold, and Taehyung slides down the hall to the floor once again.

“I met your mother when she first started learning at the art institute.”, Dongha starts, moving to pick up the chair from where it laid toppled over. “Needless to say, I was quickly infatuated with her. She was beautiful and strong. She smelled so sweet and I knew that she was meant to be mine.”

Dongha drops into the chair, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.  

“It was supposed to be her and I against the world. I had showed her all of me, but she started changing, became more and more distant, telling me she didn’t understand why I did what I did, why I would hurt people.” Dongha gave a weak chuckle. “She told me she loved me only to leave at the first sign of something unpleasant.”

Dongha leans forward in his chair, resting his arms on his knees.

“That’s when that fucking forest spirit showed up.”, Dongha scoffed, shaking his head at the memory. “She fell for him and him for her. They were always around, flaunting their relationship. Baekhyun was mine and he took her, ran away like a coward. It took me years to find them, hidden away in some small town. Imagine my surprise when I saw her carrying around a little boy who looked suspiciously like the man I hated most.”

“I was hurt. I loved her and yet she ran away with someone else, had a child with someone else.” Dongha’s hands clasp together so tightly that his knuckles turn white.

“You didn’t love her.”, Taehyung whispers, afraid to speak but needing to say something. “That wasn’t love. It was obsession.”

Dongha raises his eyes from the floor, meeting Taehyung’s gaze head-on. The human expected anger but instead he got a small smirk.

“And you would know what love is, right?”, Dongha teases. “A fucked up kid that falls for the first person to show him the time of day? Tell me. Do you think it’s real affection or just pity on his part?”

Taehyung refuses to believe him, defiant in the way he doesn’t drop his gaze.

“Oh? Someone has gotten bold in their time away from me.”, Dongha’s lips curl up in a smirk before dropping once again. “I planned on taking you from the moment I learned of your existence. If Daehyun took the thing that I cared about most, then it was only fair I returned the favor. They would have to live with the knowledge that you were taken because of their own selfishness. It’s your parents fault they got in the way.”

Taehyung’s breath catches, eyes squeezing shut in attempt to stop the tears from flowing. It was him. It was always Dongha working in the background, pulling the strings. He’s the reason his parents were so afraid, why years were wasted on worry instead of happiness. Dongha was the reason they were gone.

“You may look like your father but…you are just like your mother. It made me want to break you like I wanted to break her; hurt you like she hurt me. It was easy bribing your alcoholic uncle to take you, easy to let you keep most of your memories in hopes that all the death and despair would eventually bring you down but…” Dongha smiles then, tilting his head and raking his eyes over the boy. “It didn’t. In fact, it only made you more resilient it seems, always trying to protect the ones around you. It reminded me yet again of your mother. So, I thought, if I couldn’t have her, then maybe I can have you instead.”

“I can’t be a replacement for my mom.”, Taehyung snaps, hot tears trailing down his face. He doesn’t know if they’re coming from sadness or fear, but he finds himself unable to stop once the first one falls.

“Oh, doll, but you’re not. Not anymore.”, Dongha croons, crouching down next to Taehyung to gently wipe his tears. “Initially it was all about Baekhyun but then you were…different, so much more than she was. You were stronger, tasted sweeter than she ever did. Loyal. I’ve grown alliances, gained power in the years since your mother and by the end of this all…you will be mine in a way she never was.”

“I’ll never be yours.” Anger pulses through Taehyung at the absurdity of the situation. He hurt so many people, killed hundreds – maybe even more in the years prior to his birth – all for some fucked up obsession that he mistakes for love. And for that obsession to turn to anger and revenge only to turn right back to obsession when he had seen that Taehyung doesn’t break easily.

What a fucking joke.

Taehyung’s fear melts away at the ridiculousness of it all, a laugh bubbling up in his throat. Dongha really believes that he’s somehow going to agree to be owned by him. After everything Dongha ruined, after everything he put the human through, no fucking way he was going to give him the satisfaction.

“Last chance, V.”, Dongha says lowly, only serving to increase the human’s laughter.

“Torture me, kill me, fuck, you can even turn me.” Taehyung tilts his head back against the metal wall, body still seated on the floor. He looks unwaveringly into Dongha’s eyes, uncaring about the pain he may be subjected to after running his mouth. “But nothing will make me yours. I belong to myself and if I have to belong to anyone…it’s the vampire you tried fucking over by making him choose between people he loves.”

Dongha doesn’t speak. He doesn’t move from his spot in the middle of the room, searching Taehyung for anything other than the laid-back expression he sports from his place on the floor. After another moment, he turns, heading toward the door and opening it.

Dongha disappears through the doorway, returning with another person. They stumble through the doorway and land harshly on the floor when Dongha pushes them. Their clothes are covered in blood, hands and feet chained to each other with thick iron cuffs. A bag covers their head, making it hard to identify them from their body alone. Somehow, he can feel it though, knows that he’ll recognize the person underneath.

That has him scrambling forward, quickly reaching the person and pulling off the hood. His heart sinks, dread pooling in his gut as he takes in the person’s features. Their blond hair is matted in spots with blood, eyes closed, and face twisted in pain as their breaths come in short pants.

Taehyung looks up and sees Dongha’s smirking face before the door is slammed shut, a lock sliding into place, leaving him and Jimin in the room alone.

He turns back to Jimin, quickly gathering him in his lap and leaning against one of the walls.

-----

It’s been hours since Dongha left and Jimin still hasn’t woken up. The vampire makes small movements but ultimately keeps his eyes shut, unresponsive to anything Taehyung says or does.

How is he even here? Taehyung knew that Dongha would eventually succeed in dragging him from Bangtan, but he never expected any of the others to be taken as well. He had assumed that Jungkook and Jimin would stay at the apartment, safe and alive when the hyungs inevitably showed up.

The last he remembers is Jungkook feeding Jimin. The younger must have given enough for him to live – based on Jimin’s not-good but very much not-dead condition – but not enough for his wounds to heal. Did Jungkook pass out before he was able to give him more or was Jimin taken away from the youngest when he became too weak?

Ultimately, it didn’t matter. Jimin was here and that complicated things.

When it was just him in Dongha’s grasp, he threw caution to the wind and practically told him to fuck off in a few sentences. Now that Jimin is here…

He kind of wishes he kept his mouth shut.

The vampire’s still bleeding sluggishly from the wounds on his neck and abdomen, leaving Taehyung’s hands and shirt sticky from the new blood. It worries Taehyung that all the blood Jungkook gave him is now slowly leaking back out.

Taehyung isn’t super familiar with the specifics of vampire anatomy, just knows that significant blood loss completely disables them and bleeding out was a foolproof way of making sure they never wake up. Based on Jungkook’s reaction in the apartment, he assumes Dongha was correct in saying that Jimin was only moments from death.

But Taehyung doesn’t have that sixth sense. He can’t hear Jimin’s heartbeat or the specifics of his breathing and determine how much blood he’s lost. The human doesn’t have super strength to break down the door or take down enemies.

Really, Taehyung can’t do much of anything. Here he is in a locked metal room, someone he loves bleeding out because of him. Maybe if he avoided Jungkook better, left Epiphany the moment he realized who worked there, never agreed to meet up with Namjoon, then Bangtan would never have been in danger. Jimin wouldn’t have been moment away from death just to be brought back and stuck in a stupid metal box.

The younger breathes out harshly, trying to stop his spiraling thoughts. For the most part, he’s useless. If Jimin was awake, maybe he could contact the coven or find a way through the door or something.

Wait. If Jimin was awake…

Taehyung looks at Jimin’s pale face, to the wounds dripping blood onto his sweats. Maybe Taehyung can do something. Without thinking much else about it, he brings his wrist to Jimin’s mouth, hoping the vampire will follow his instincts and take over. Jimin doesn’t and Taehyung realizes that his sharp canines are nowhere to be found, blunt human teeth in their place.

The human moves back his wrist before searching Jimin’s shackles, trying to find a sharp corner. The cuffs are smooth, chains straight and unbroken. He looks around the room, immediately spotting the chair that Dongha had thrown. Setting the blonde down, he quickly shuffles over to the object, shifting and turning it until he finds a metal shard on the ground next to it, likely broken off upon impact with the wall.

He takes it and returns to his position against the wall, Jimin in his lap once again. Closing his eyes and stealing himself, he makes a quick swipe over his wrist with the metal shard, taking care to not make the cut too deep. Blood wells to the surface quickly, almost spilling over by the time he places the oozing limb over Jimin’s mouth.

The result is almost instant, the vampire sealing his lips over the laceration and sucking, swallowing quickly. Taehyung releases the breath he’s holding, relief overcoming any fear he might have had. As the vampire continues to get the small amount of blood, Taehyung realizes that he wasn’t afraid – at least not like he usually is regarding bites – the only fear was of Jimin not drinking.

Instinct must kick in because Taehyung feels the pinprick of fangs only a moment before they are slicing into his arm. He jolts but realizes quickly that it was less because of pain and more due to being startled. In fact, he doesn’t feel much of anything, a slight tingling that resembles numbness but otherwise, it’s almost…pleasant.

He finds himself relaxing against the wall, curling Jimin as close as he can without jostling his arm. The vampire comes easily, face lacking any indication of pain as he slowly continues to drink.

Taehyung becomes lightheaded much too quickly for his liking. He realizes that Dongha took a lot the last time he was conscious and it’s likely been less than a day since the apartment incident, but he still finds himself irritated at not being able to give the vampire more.

The human plans to try regardless and maneuvers them so Taehyung is laying down next to the blonde, temporarily ridding his vision of black spots only for them to return a few seconds later. The dark-haired boy’s eyes flutter. He can go a little longer, Jimin needs it…

“Tae?”, a voice rings out, stopping him from being pulled fully into darkness. His head throbs as he tries to open his eyes, but his body feels too heavy to move.

“Fuck, Tae, wake up.”, the voice is more urgent now, sounding very familiar and all too worried. He feels his body being shaken, causing him to take a large inhale of breath. A cold hand cradles his cheek, bringing him further and further from sleep.

He squeezes his eyes shut before peeling them open with difficulty. When his vision clears, he sees Jimin awake, eyes wide as he regards Taehyung.

“Jimin-hyung.”, he whispers, eyes burning as he takes the vampire in. He still looks sickly but he’s awake and talking and it takes everything Taehyung has to actively hold back tears. “You’re okay.”

Jimin throws his arms over the human’s head, allowing his arms to wrap around his neck as the chains rattle loudly, pulling the younger to his chest.

“You idiot why would you feed me?”, Jimin whispers, tightening his grip on the other. For a moment, Taehyung basks in the comfort of being wrapped snuggly in an embrace, his head now tucked under Jimin’s jaw.

“Couldn’t watch you die.”, he mutters. Jimin tenses for a beat before moving his hand so he can run his fingers through the other’s hair. Taehyung’s nose touches the vampire’s neck, and he swears under the scent of blood and dirt, he can smell something sweet, something fruity. Taehyung moves a little closer and can make out the faint scent of lemons.

It’s calming, much like Jungkook’s scent is, and seems to wrap around him the longer he stays tucked to the other’s side.  

“Smell good, hyung.”, he murmurs, eyes closing once again as he basks the pleasant smell. Jimin hums, chuckling under his breath.

“I can’t imagine I smell very good right now.”

“Lemons. ‘s nice.” Jimin tenses again before loosening his hold and scooting down, making them eye level.

“You can smell that?”, Jimin asks, seemingly in awe. Taehyung nods through half-closed eyes, wanting to bury himself back where the smell is most potent. “It’s my scent but…I’m surprised you picked that up.”

Taehyung hums, moving his heavy limbs and tugging Jimin back in. The vampire lets him, restarting the movement of his fingers through his hair. Taehyung buries his face back in the older’s neck, quickly finding the place with the lemoniest smell.

“Yoongi-hyung smells like tangerines.”, Jimin whispers, reluctant to break the silence but needing to fill the space with something other than despair and uncertainty. Taehyung chuckles to himself.

“I would expect him to smell like something a little less sweet, like brimstone or black coffee or something.” Jimin giggles at that, nodding his head along with the human.

“Actually Jin-hyung smells kind of like that. Based off what he does, people expect him to smell sugary and sweet but really his scent is more warm and smoky, like sitting next to a fire in winter, or the smell of wood after it burns.” Taehyung hums, letting Jimin know he’s listening.

“Namjoon-hyung smells like the forest, like moss and trees or the smell of earth after it rains. We’ve joked that he spent so much time around plants that he probably started to turn into one.” Taehyung smiles at that, a longing starting in his chest to be able to pick up the member’s scent. Maybe one day he’ll be able to.

“Hoseokie-hyung smells like the sun. He always says that the sun doesn’t have a smell but…I honestly can’t think of anything better to explain. He smells like warmth and summer, like how I imagine it would feel laying in the sun after swimming. And Jungkookie –”

“Smells like vanilla.” Taehyung finished for him. “Like melted sugar and glaze, like cookies as you bake them, sometimes a little spicy like chai but he…” Taehyung tries to think of anything else, tries to relieve the squeezing in his chest because, fuck, he misses Jungkook. “He smells like home.”

Jimin nods along with his words, giving him a small squeeze. The human focuses again on the fresh scent coming from the other, wanting to forget the world just for a moment.

That is when the door unlocks and vampires file into the room. Jimin is quick to pull them both up, Taehyung leaning heavily on the other. He lashes out at the first two, their bodies hitting the floor not long after.

But more pour into the small space and Jimin is still weak from blood loss, unable to stop the group from dragging him to the corner of the room, grabbing his cuffs and hooking them to metal loops protruding from the wall. Taehyung has slumped to the floor, head throbbing and dizzy as he tries to stay conscious.

Dongha strides in, clearing the room with a flick of his hand until only the three of them remain. He glances at Taehyung’s weakened form and scoffs.

“A fucking waste of blood.”, he spits out, crouching next to Jimin’s struggling form.

“Don’t.” Taehyung says, trying to get his numb body to cooperate. Despite being unable to move more than an inch, he continues. “Don’t touch him.”

“It’s too late for all that.”, Dongha states, face remaining impassive as he moves his hand over the blonde vampire’s body. “Maybe if you watch him die, you’ll finally fucking listen.”

Dongha extends his claws and digs them into Jimin’s stomach, slowly dragging them down the vampire’s body. Jimin hisses out and squirms, but the cuffs are tight around his wrists, tight where they meet the wall, and he’s forced to bear the full weight of the lacerations.

“Please.”, Taehyung sobs out, frustrated with his bodies lack of cooperation, unable to stop himself from breaking down. “Please Dongha, stop. You don’t need to do this.”

“But don’t I?”, Dongha questions, tilting his head to regard the boy before him. “I’ve given you so many chances, even practically killed that Hunter in front of you, and it wasn’t enough.”

The coven leader wraps his hand around Jimin’s thigh and presses until a snap is heard. Jimin cries out, head thrown back and face scrunched in pain. Jimin’s breathing is hard now, eyes fluttering in an attempt to stay awake. Blood oozes from the wounds at his stomach, pooling on the floor around him.

Taehyung drops his chin to his chest, unable to watch anymore. Jimin’s going to die. The beautiful soul that befriended him without any knowledge of who he was. The vampire who smiles so hard that his cheeks bunch up and eyes scrunch.

He could never look into Hoseok’s eyes, wouldn’t be able to face Yoongi if Jimin died. Another snap resonates through the room and Taehyung sobs, body shaking with the force of it.

“I’ll do anything! I’m yours!” Taehyung yells, voice cutting out with the effort. “I’m yours!”

Dongha is in front of him then, reaching out his hands to cup Taehyung’s cheeks. A sinister smile covers his face, fangs elongating as he speaks. “Finally, you’re mine, Taehyung.”

The vampire digs his fangs into the human’s neck hard.

Taehyung screams.

Z wakes up, body aching and mind repeating the same memories she’s been plagued with since she arrived at the apartment.

“Dad, I don’t wanna do this.”, she had said at barely six years old.

“I know.”, her father had said in a sigh, a grimace set on his otherwise smooth features. He bends down to her height, runs his hand through her hair. “I don’t want you to do this either, love, but you have to.”

The girl nods her head, wanting to be good but…

She can’t help the tears that pool in her eyes. Her father’s expression breaks, and she finds herself enveloped in a warm hug.

“I’m sorry.”, her father whispers, squeezing the girl a little tighter. “I wish it was different. I wish there weren’t bad people after us.”

“But there are, sweetheart.”, he mutters, pulling away to meet her gaze. Her father’s red eyes always invoked fear in others, but to her, it was home. “And you need to be able to protect you and your mom.”

The girl nods, wanting to be strong enough to protect her human mother. She picks up her twin daggers and readies herself.

She feels a difference in her body, familiar power curling through her veins. It’s excited in the way it spreads throughout her body though still tentative in its movements as if afraid it’ll be ripped away once more.

It’s…overwhelming, to say the least.

What was once a normal buzz of energy has turned to more, the tingles of power caught underneath skin borderline painful now after the extended time apart.

“Meet Taehyung.”, her mother had said, smiling ever so gently. The girl peaks an eye past her mom’s legs, not releasing her grip on her silk pants. She sees a boy with a big boxy smile, eyes wide in excitement.

Nope, dad said to stay away from boys. She hides back behind a leg, causing a giggle to escape her mom and the unknown woman in front of her.

“No need to be shy, baby. Taehyung wants to be your friend.”

That gains the little girl’s attention, and she peeks out once again, looking at the boy in front of her. A friend? She was never allowed to make friends under her father’s rules, always warned of the dangers of getting close to anyone.

Her father’s status made it hard to have fun.

“I’m Yeri.”, she says, causing the boy to smile once more.

She met Taehyung when she was only a child, knew him for years before her father had to go back, before her and her mother went into hiding. Those memories were ripped away from her along with her abilities.

Yeri sits up, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. The room is familiar, the white tile floors still cool under her feet. When she was here before, being carefully cared for by the eldests of the Bangtan coven, there were only two beds closest to the door, medical equipment filling the remainder of the room. The room is arranged the same, though now holds a dozen beds comfortably, as if the room expanded another twenty feet.

Perhaps it has. With the energy buzzing throughout her body, she can make out the distinct life that flows through the house, lining every wall and filling the air. It’s possible one of the Bangtan members created parts of this house with their own essence, essentially pushing sentience into the structure and allowing the house to grow as it deems necessary.

“Yeri!”, her mom screamed as smoke filled their little house. The smoke burned more than just her lungs, causing large patches of redness on her skin. What the hell was this stuff? The girl stumbled around, trying and failing to locate her mom before feeling a sharp sting on her neck.

Swinging around, she quickly brought her attacker to his knees, plunging one of her beloved blades into his neck. The man drops an empty syringe as his body falls to the floor, the fire starting to spread through her body at whatever was injected.

“Mom!”, she yelled, fumbling through the smoke-filled haze, feeling her body slowly weaken, a numbness spreading through her chest.

Yeri clutches her chest as heaviness weighs her down.

The girl lost feeling in her legs minutes ago, arms feeling like lead where they’re held behind her back. She doesn’t recognize the men, nor does she smell the sulfur that most demons typically carry. Her father, despite being a quite powerful demon, never smelled like sulfur, always smelled more of brimstone than anything.

And her mother, the beautiful woman currently bleeding out on the floor, always smelled of rain, of the fresh scent of mist in a greenhouse.

A tear rolls down her face. Even if she’s now reliving the memory, it was still years ago, her mother’s death too far in the past to start the grieving process all over again. But that doesn’t stop the anger that comes at the realization that Dongha was the one who delivered the final blow, standing in the corner as her mom took her last breaths.

Tilting her head up from the floor, she notices that most of the beds are filled, her coven members occupying all but three. Yeri gets up, breath hitching at the bone-deep ache that covers every inch of her body and goes to the closest member. They’re breathing well, face relaxed and free of pain as they rest, no visible signs of injuries.

The rest of her search is much of the same, finding the rest of the members seemingly healed and resting comfortably, all sporting an aura of something distinctly inhuman.

Upon walking into the living area and closing the door behind her, a blur of blue crashes into her, long lanky arms circling her neck.

“Z!”, D all but yells, clawing at her shirt to get closer despite already completely engulfing the shorter. The girl wraps him up quickly, spluttering at the set of wings attached to the boy’s back.

“A fairy?”, she breaths out, unable to look away from the fluttering masses of shimmery blue. Of all the supernatural things for D to be, a fae makes so much sense – the mischievousness, the need to latch himself on the closest coven member, the boy always found sitting in the sun to soak up its rays.

D pulls back, showing off his now-dark-blue eyes, new freckles littering his otherwise clear skin. A chuckle is ripped from Yeri, the girl reaching her arms up to cup the boy’s face.

“Suits you.” D’s smile is blinding, closing his eyes for a moment to nuzzle into one of her hands.

“Hueningkai.”, he whispers. “My mom called me Hueningie. And I’m only half-fae.”

“I’m Kim Yerim.”, she whispers right back. “My nickname was Yeri.”

“Yeri-ah.”, comes a voice, the girl turning to find L standing a few feet away, smiling softly at the display in front of her. “Ahn Hyejin, third generation witch, but my friends had called me Hwasa.”

For the first time in years, Yeri finds herself sporting a large, genuine smile. They are probably all smiling like idiots at each other, basking in the regained memories. After years of fighting for their lives alongside each other, they finally share their names. It’s something so simple, but so meaningful that she feels the familiar sting of tears in her eyes.

But someone is missing.

Her face falls as she looks around the room, not seeing the dark-haired boy anywhere. The members of Bangtan are in the room as well, staying a little further away. Namjoon and his mate are giving them all soft smiles, the others trying to do the same though their smiles aren’t as convincing.

Jungkook stands alone, arms wrapped around his middle. Hoseok and Yoongi are sitting on one of the couches, the younger appearing pale and leaning heavily on his mate.

Taehyung and Jimin are nowhere to be seen.

“Dongha took them both.”, Jungkook says, voice wobbly and eyes red from tears. Yeri’s eyes widen. She passed out before she could see the result of the fight at the apartments, knowing that Minjun and Hyunwu were killed shortly before the world turned black. Maybe if she hadn’t been so overwhelmed at the memories, so overcome with her reawakened blood, she could have done more.

“Don’t.”, Hwasa states firmly. “There wasn’t anything you could do.”

Maybe, maybe not. But the past is the past and the only thing she can do is move forward.

“Do we know where they are? How long have I been out?”, she questions quickly.

“It’s been about 12 hours since they were taken.”, Namjoon jumps in. “We haven’t been able to locate them.”

It’s only been half a day, but 12 hours is a long time to be with Dongha, especially with how downright pissed he’s going to be at the turn of events.

“We’re assuming they are together, but no one from the courts or neighboring clans have seen them, and my magic has been extremely unbalanced since awakening so I can’t even attempt to track them.”, Hwasa states lowly, receiving a nod from the younger girl. “Namjoon-ssi tried as well and…nothing. He likely put a block on tracking magic.”

A few ideas flood Yeri’s mind as she tries to find a way to find them as quickly as possible. But she’s been without her natural abilities as well, likely in the same situation as Hwasa.

The faint smell of sulfur reaches her nose, causing the younger girl to look toward the two vampires on the couch.

Why not test it out?

Within a few moments, she’s crouched in front of the vampire-fae, the smell of sulfur increasing the closer she gets to the man. Yeri looks over Hoseok’s form, eventually finding a bandage peeking out from under his oversized shirt.

“Hellhound might have gotten me.”, Hoseok states, voice cracking as he musters up the most sincere smile he can despite the pain. “That poison is potent stuff.”

Yeri nods her head, remembering the numerous times she ingested the stuff herself, trying to build up a similar tolerance to that of a full-blood demon. She places a knee at Hoseok’s side, bending down just enough to move his shirt out of the way, seeing the blood-soaked bandages underneath.

“Can I see?”, the girl asks, looking between both vampires. Yoongi appears wary but concedes quickly after looking once again at his mate’s ashy complexion. His shirt is discarded within a few moments, bandage being cut away to reveal a festering wound, blood and black sludge steadily leaking out. The skin around it is inflamed, black veins spidering out where the poison reached the bloodstream.

It’s without thought that she reaches up, curling her hand gently over the wound. Hoseok hisses in pain at the touch but doesn’t move. She can feel the poison spreading, likely will reach his heart in a matter of days. An older, relatively powerful vampire like Hoseok would survive but it would be days, maybe weeks of torture. Yeri may be out of practice but when she wills the poison to her, it moves easily.

Dark spidery veins appear on her hand, slowly traveling up her arm the longer she pulls from the wound. After only a minute or two, the poison slows, turning to a slow trickle up her arm until nothing remains. The girl stays for a moment more, feeling out the wound to be sure there isn’t any residual demonic essence.

Pulling her hand away, she finds the wound already knitting itself together, Hoseok’s regeneration working overtime after being inhibited for so long. The vampire’s previous paleness has melted away to his usual sun-kissed skin, a dopey smile spread out across his lips, finally pain-free.

“What about you?”, Yoongi questions, softly grabbing her arm to see the lightly pulsing black trails.

“I’m immune.”, she states, giving them a smile. “Perks of being a half-demon.”

Surprise paints their features.

“Thank you.”, Yoongi whispers, causing the girl’s smile to widen. Her father’s blood pulses more comfortably now, the ache becoming less and less as it settles. With how easily she was able to call on her abilities, she has no doubts she can find Jimin and Taehyung.

“I need something of Jimin’s, preferably something he always has with him.”

Yoongi is gone in a blur of movement. Yeri stands up only to have black spots cloud her vision, feet staggering at the unexpected dizziness. Warm hands steady her and after a few deep breaths, she smiles at Jungkook beside her.

The girl straightens up with a small ‘thank you’ and makes work of rearranging the living room, pushing the couches to the edge of the room – except the one the vampire-fae currently resides on – and throws the rug to the corner. Requesting something sharp, a small blade is placed in her hand by Jungkook. Yeri regards the blade for a moment before looking back at the youngest vampire.

“What happened after Hyunwu died?”, she questions lowly. Jungkook shifts on his feet, face scrunched in a grimace.

“Jimin-hyung was hurt. He was…he was dying and Dongha had Tae and he…”, Jungkook takes a stuttering breath. “He told me to choose and I couldn’t and...”

“Tae chose for you.” Yeri states, now remembering glimpses of the words Taehyung pleaded to Jungkook, when her body seemed to shut down. Jungkook nods his head, looking away to avoid the betrayed look he knows he’ll find on Yeri’s face.

“Thank you.” Yeri whispers, reaching over to lightly grasp the vampire’s hand. Jungkook’s eyes shoot up questioningly. Instead of anger, he finds a small smile on the girl’s face. “I know you feel like you somehow failed Tae by choosing Jimin, but Taehyung hasn’t had any control over his life in years. He’s always just been told what to do, always made to obey. You honored his decision. So, thank you for allowing him to finally have a choice. Thank you for allowing him to do something on his terms.”

“Let’s get our boys back, yeah?”, Yeri states with a smile. Jungkook nods and squeezes her hand in thanks just as Yoongi returns.

“It was a gift from Hoseok and I.”, he says simply, placing a necklace in Yeri’s outstretched hand.

The whole thing is pure gold, clearly embedded with magic with the slight hum she feels against her palm. In the center is a small red stone, likely a gem created from both Yoongi and Hoseok’s blood, meant to show their commitment to the younger.

“It’s beautiful.”

Yeri kneels, quickly slicing a small cut on her wrist, before drawing symbols on the ground using the blood gathered at her skin.

For years, she’s been weak. Despite the training as a child, she couldn’t protect the one person she promised her father she would. She was unable to stop herself from being taken, couldn’t stop the memories from being ripped from her mind. Even with the additional training as a human, she had to watch as her coven members died one after another.

A muttered chant falls from her lips as she finishes the symbols – search, protect, energy being a few of the many at her feet. She clasps the necklace between both of her hands, room heating up until the air becomes stuffy.

Yeri watched her mom die right in front of her, all at the hands of a vampire psychopath hellbent on control. If there is anything that the girl believes, it’s that there’s no fucking way he was taking Taehyung from her too.

Dongha may have found a way to completely block tracking with magic, but Yeri would bet he has no way of stopping a hellhound from finding them. 

When Taehyung wakes up, his head throbs.

Attempting to open his eyes is difficult, seemingly glued shut in his sleepy daze. He takes a few deep breaths, trying to regain enough strength to open them, to move, to do anything. His body is cold. So cold but he feels there is something covering him.

A blanket maybe? It feels soft, he thinks. He peels his eyes open only to slam them shut again, the brightness of the light causing a groan to escape his lips.

“You’re okay.”, a voice soothes from his left. “Take your time.”

That voice is so familiar, thinks he’s heard it many times, but he can’t remember where. He takes the advice and slows down, trying to give his body time to fully wake up. Everything feels numb and weak, like he’s been sitting in a bath for too long or was caught out in a snowstorm. Taehyung’s able to twitch a finger, and then his hand and arm until the numbness dissipates and he can slowly move every part of his body.

He cracks his eyes open to find the light much dimmer than it was, likely thanks to the person next to him. The boy turns his head, finding a dark-haired man sitting in a chair next to the bed he’s currently laying in. The man’s face is flawless with high cheekbones and sharp jawline. His hair is dark, maybe even black, and partially combed back, like he had gelled it back at one point only for it to come loose.

The most prominent feature was the eyes, a deep maroon color. He’s seen these eyes; knows he has when a shiver runs through his body. A name pops up.

“Dongha?”, he questions, tongue feeling too big for his mouth. The man smiles, a perfect set of white teeth showing through his lips, slightly longer-than-average canines visible. Taehyung’s breath stutters a beat before regaining its normal rhythm.

This is Dongha. He knows him, he thinks, has at least seen him before but his mind is too fuzzy to think clearly. He’s obviously a vampire. Taehyung has known vampires before, but he can’t remember who or why that matters.

“Hi, Taehyung. How are you feeling?”, Dongha questions, reaching up to run his fingers through the human’s hair. It feels…good. A small bit of warmth radiates from the vampire’s hand, causing Taehyung to unconsciously tilt his head up in search of more. A chuckle sounds from the man beside him, making him open his eyes from where they involuntarily closed.

“Are you hurting anywhere? You must be cold.” The man sounds so genuine in his concern that Taehyung can’t help but want to soothe him.

“’m okay.”, he slurs, eyes fluttering again when Dongha resumes his petting. “Just a little cold.”

The man hums, low and soothing, and the human can’t help but melt a little at the comfort the voice provides. He can’t remember but he must have known this man before if his body reacts so pleasantly with him around.

“Let’s get you warm and fed.”, Dongha proposes, removing his hand and standing to help Taehyung. It’s a slow process but eventually Taehyung gets to his feet, finding himself only in a thin shirt and pants, body starting to shiver outside of the warmth of the fluffy blanket. The human feels his body ache, feels the bone-deep chill that’s constantly present, and he wonders if maybe he’s sick.

The vampire takes a step and stops, waiting for the boy to follow. He tries, he really does, but that one step seems to be too much for his body, and he starts crumbling to the ground. Luckily, he’s caught before he falls completely and is offered to be carried by the bigger man beside him.

That’s how he finds himself clung to the back of the vampire; arms wrapped around his neck as they travel through the artificially lit corridors. Everything is metal and cold and so unrecognizable that Taehyung doesn’t think he’s ever been to this place. He wants to ask Dongha where they are, but he’s already caused so much trouble for him, even making the vampire carry him because he couldn’t walk around himself.

So, he stays quiet, listening to the echo of the man’s footsteps and the pulse beating at his neck. Without conscious effort, he tilts his head down and digs his nose into the space between his neck and shoulder. A burst of metallic scent hits his nose, something that isn’t inherently good but something that still immediately soothes the aches in his body, warming him up slowly from the inside.

Taehyung doesn’t remember the man other than his name, but he can’t help but think that being with the man isn’t a bad thing. He felt awful and now, after wrapping his body around him and placing his nose in the right spot, he doesn’t. As if his body knows it needs to be around him to feel okay.

A phone starts ringing and the little warmth he acquired quickly sucked out of him when he hears ‘They’re here’ on the other end. Dongha stops in the middle of the hallway, not breathing as he continues to hold the phone up to his ear.

A low ringing started, causing Taehyung to look around for the source. Only…there wasn’t one. Wherever he moved, the sound follows. It picked up until it drowns out every other sound, making him unable to hear the conversation happening in front of him.

After a moment, Dongha is moving, zipping through corridors and random rooms, seemingly familiar with the layout of the building they are in. The abrupt movements and persistent ringing made Taehyung dizzy so he finds himself burying his face in the man’s neck again, trying to find comfort in the scent that greats him.

Dongha had then stopped once more, and Taehyung felt himself being gently set down on his feet. The vampire stepped forward to undo what he believes is the locking mechanism for the door in front of them. Even with only a step between them, Taehyung felt his breath pick up, body aching again full force. His mouth started to hurt, gums feeling as if needles were stabbing through them. Body shaking and arms wrapping around himself, he can’t help but wish he was back in bed, warm blankets piled over his curled-up form.

The door is finally thrown open, bringing about a fresh whiff of outside air and…

Danger.

Taehyung quickly takes a wobbly step, plastering himself to Dongha’s back as his body thinks danger hide-hide-hide. His fists curled into the back of the vampire’s shirt, pressing his nose between the man’s shoulder blades.

“Where is he?”, a deep voice growled, causing Taehyung to grasp the shirt tighter. He can’t catch any scent other than Dongha’s but he can feel the power seemingly radiating from the person – or people – in front of him, an aura of danger-power-scary filling the small room.

“And who exactly are you looking for?”, Dongha’s voice is unwavering, calm as he speaks though Taehyung knows the tenseness in his shoulders says otherwise. A snarl echoes throughout the space in answer, coming from a person in front of him.

“Oh, I don’t know. How about the fucking human you stole?”, a different voice growls out, sarcasm tinting the anger in his voice. The vampire doesn’t seem to react to the voice, and only moves to tilt his head to the side as he regards those in front of him.

“I’m afraid there aren’t any humans here.”, Dongha says simply, reaching a hand around to gently touch Taehyung’s side, causing him to jump at the contact. The vampire turns his head, glancing behind him to speak to the human. “Perhaps you would like to greet our guests?”

Him? No, no, no. He doesn’t want anything to do with the people who growl so deeply, who have such terrifying presences that he can’t help but tremble.

But, Dongha asked him so nicely.

Taehyung gathers his strength and slowly peaks up and over Dongha’s shoulder, finding six figures in the doorway. They’re big and intimidating and red-eyed and…and angry. They all snap their gaze to Taehyung’s when he finally peaks his eyes out from behind the vampire.

If Taehyung didn’t know any better, he would say that the vampire’s expressions all seem to break collectively as they regard him. Scrunched faces and bared teeth all melting into surprise and…sadness.

Why the sudden change?

Taehyung doesn’t understand what’s happening, doesn’t recognize the people in front of him. He just wants to leave and hide away and not have to think about what’s going on. So, he does the only thing he can and hides his face into the warm back he’s pressed up against.

“You fucking turned him?”, yet another voice snarls out. Dongha doesn’t have the chance to respond before he’s being roughly ripped away from the boy behind him, causing Taehyung to stumble in attempt to keep his grip.

The immediate ache in his legs cause him to fall, landing harshly on his knees and palms. A presence is felt in front of him, and he immediately moves to scramble back. Taehyung tries to stand but finds his body much weaker than it was when he woke so he continues his backward crawl until his back hits one of the metal walls.

The ringing in his ears is back, causing him to throw his hands over them in attempt to muffle the obnoxious sound.

The action does nothing but worsen the ringing and cause his body to tremble. He feels the presence in front of him getting closer, causing him to curl up in hopes of appearing smaller. Maybe if he hides away, if he curls up tight enough, the person will take pity on him leave him alone. He just wants to feel safe, hating the constant fear he’s been feeling since…

But Dongha was safe, wasn’t he?

Being away from the vampire seemed to clear his mind a little, that constant daze lifting just enough that he feels entirely unsure if he did in fact feel safer with the man.

“Kill me and he dies.”, Dongha snarls from across the room. Taehyung lifts his head enough to peak at the vampire, finding him pinned roughly to the wall by the neck, one of the large, broad-shouldered men looming over him menacingly. “The bond is already settled.”

The man staring him down falters, seemingly taken back by Dongha’s words, sneaking a glance at Taehyung. “You’re lying.”

“Taehyung.”, Dongha croons softly, sending a smirk to the other men in the room. “Come here.”

Taehyung doesn’t want to move, feels way too sick to do much of anything.

“You don’t ever have to do anything you don’t want to.”

But the command was clear, creating an overwhelming pull towards Dongha. Taehyung tries, he tries with everything he has to crawl forward, to somehow lighten the burning need throughout his body to listen.

“Not with us, not with me.”

He only gets halfway to the man before needing to stop, breath coming out in large pants and feeling a wave of dizziness hit him.

“Come on.”, Dongha requests, voice turning almost demanding as he forces the human to crawl further despite the pain resonating throughout his body. His gums ache something fierce, throat burning every time he tries to swallow. Why would Dongha force him to do this?

“Enough.”, someone demands, cutting off the increasing need to move, causing Taehyung to slump to the floor. His head is caught in a gentle hold, and he’s slowly placed into a lap. He starts to struggle, trying to get away from the unknown body now pressed up against his, but a scent floods his system and oh.

It’s so sweet and syrupy and so good that Taehyung feels his body relax, almost forgetting entirely why he felt the need to escape their grasp. The scent is so so familiar, the vanilla surrounding him like a warm blanket. He thought Dongha had warmed his body but this…this is warmth and so much more. Like he’s snuggled up with hot cocoa and a blanket, like he’s in front of a never-ending fire.

Like he’s finally come home.

There are voices echoing off the metal walls, arguments happening only a few steps away, but he can’t find it in himself to care. He’s so tired, eyes closing involuntarily, breaths slowing down as his body falls limp. The voices get more frantic every second that ticks by until his body is slowly being lifted. A welcomed weightlessness surrounds him as the person takes a few steps and deposits him into another’s arms.

A burning rubbery scent – completely opposite of the sweet creamy vanilla – invades his nose, causing him to grimace. He must be with Dongha, though Taehyung’s fatigued mind can’t comprehend why he was so roughly taken away just to be brought right back. The man starts shifting and a rich metallic scent is filling the air around him, causing Taehyung to seek the source. The smell is delicious, and the human is so hungry, so tired of the constant pain, that he can’t think about much other than finding the scent and taking it.

“Drink.” Dongha commands, low and authoritative. Unlike Taehyung’s previous eagerness to obey the vampire, he finds himself fighting against every voice in his head to do it. Because he knows, he knows there’s more than this. Whether his body wants it or not, his mind is stuck on crescent-eye smiles, deep dimples showing through even the smallest of lip curls, tight embraces from a certain short but powerful hyung, beautiful fae dances…

Plush lips and smooth vanilla scents.

“And you are more than worth it.” The lack of dimples didn’t scare Taehyung, but the sincerity in the coven leaders voice did.

“…that fact doesn’t stop us from wanting to know you better.”, Hoseok stated, so sweetly as he curled up to Yoongi, the vampire that had held him in his arms so snugly only an hour prior.

“All I see is strength.”, Seokjin had muttered in his café.

“What do you feel now?”, the human had breathed out, hesitant to break the quiet atmosphere but wanting to know the reasoning behind the red eyes that shone back at him.

“A lot.” Jungkook’s breath fanned over Taehyung’s lips as he spoke. The vampire then closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “Everything, Tae. You make me feel everything.”

The amount of emotion is enough to pull a sob from him, but he refrains, trying to let his instincts guide him in a different direction. Taehyung seeks out the source of this pull to Dongha, the reason behind his body’s unwavering want to please him, finding it forcing itself into a place in his chest. He feels around it, pushing and prodding, until he finds a spot where it leaves his body toward the vampire, the string thin and stretched as if it never possessed strength to begin with, like it was never meant to stay.

But something else is there, nestled at the bottom of the vampire’s chest. It’s small but seems to hold some power, the small pulse of energy familiar to Taehyung though he can’t pinpoint where he’s felt it before. His body responds before his mind can comprehend, laying a palm over Dongha’s chest and sending back some of the last traces of energy he has left.

“Taehyung, drink.”, Dongha growls out, patience thinning from his hesitance. The human snuggles into the vampire’s chest further as if seeking comfort. Dongha growls approvingly, squeezing his waist a little tighter.

Taehyung opens his eyes, finding blood oozing through a wound in the vampire’s neck, likely the source of the delicious-smelling metallic scent. He glances up, finding Jungkook’s eyes easily.

They’re beautiful, even with the deep sadness and guilt written all over his face. Brown or red, it really didn’t matter, the lights reflected off them just the same.

The small source of power has grown, turning into the familiar feeling of life under his palm. He continues to push more emotions, more sadness and fear and anger into the vampire’s chest.

“Dongha.”, he whispers, soft and pliant, just like the vampire likes. He receives a hum in return.

Even the artificial lights hanging above their heads sparkled like stars in Jungkook’s eyes, the human not taking his eyes away from the vampire crouched opposite him.

“Someday, you will touch the sky, little moon.”, his mother had whispered to him, cradling his face so gently between both of her hands. “There will come a day where you find your star, the one that guides your way.”

He feels the life grow bigger, stronger, taking up vital space within Dongha’s chest.

“Nature is all around us.”, his father explained. “Even in our breaths—”

He leans further in, brushing his lips over the bleeding vampire’s ear, earning himself another satisfied squeeze.

“Fuck you.”, he whispers, roughly grabbing the connecting string within his chest and severing it. His previous coven leader tenses before doubling over in pain with a gasp. Taehyung takes the chance and shoves Dongha away, throwing himself off the man’s lap.

Things seem to slow down as he lands on his stomach, upper body partially propped up at his elbows. Taehyung finds Jungkook’s eyes easily, so much emotion trapped in such small spaces, too many feelings gathered up in the young vampire’s heart. Confusion, surprise, fear…it all flashes through his features seemingly at once, cycling through his shining eyes as he takes in the boy’s prone form. He sees Jungkook settle on fear, leaning forward and reaching out a hand.

“And when you do find your star,”, his mother continued, lips curling in a knowing smile. “you reach for it.”

So, he does, finds himself reaching without much thought.

Dongha’s enraged screams turn to coughs and shouts of pain as the little oak seedling grows, bursting from his lungs and chest.

Taehyung doesn’t watch, knowing what will come of Dongha. He doesn’t have the energy to do anything but throw his arms around Jungkook, pressing as tight as possible, digging his nose into the space between his neck and shoulder.

Breathing in the smell of home, he thinks that he would always reach for Jungkook, knowing even in the darkest of times, he will always find his way back to the man he loves.

Chapter Text

The first thing Taehyung registers is warmth wrapping around both of his hands, something pressing into his stomach.

He wasn’t dreaming, at least he doesn’t remember if he was, so he finds himself opening his eyes easily.

He’s in Jungkook’s room. The wall of photos stares back at him from where he lay curled up on his side in the vampire’s bed. Movement in front of him catches his attention and he finds Jungkook kneeling at the side of the bed, sound asleep as his head rests on top of the comforter, head pressing snuggly into Taehyung’s abdomen. One of his hands is covering both of the younger’s near his face. He looks so peaceful, worry-free as he takes slow, even breaths.

Everything comes back to him slowly. The attack. Ending up at the apartment. Jungkook and Jimin….

Fuck, Jimin!

Taehyung finds himself jolting up, startling Jungkook along the way. He reaches out and grabs onto the other’s shoulders to steady him, watching as the vampire’s eyes gain focus. Taehyung doesn’t wait for him to wake up completely.

“Hyung, Jimin. Dongha, he…oh my god please tell me he’s okay. What about the others? Did D get out?” Taehyung rambles on, panic evident in his voice. Jungkook cups Taehyung’s face, surprise and sadness mixing as he regards the younger. He pauses for a second too long and Taehyung’s mind fills with awful thoughts.

Jimin didn’t make it. He didn’t make it and that’s why he’s so sad. That’s why he can’t even speak. He doesn’t want to tell me that I’m the reason he’s…

“Tae.”, the other breaths out. “Jimin’s fine, he’s okay now. Everyone is okay. I just…”

Taehyung’s relief is short-lived, tears quickly filling Jungkook’s eyes as he looks from Taehyung’s eyes to his lips and chest and back up again. “You almost died, multiple times, and Namjoon-hyung said you were going to be okay but…I thought I lost you.”

The last words were no more than a whisper, but the human heard them clearly. He throws himself at Jungkook, wrapping his arms around his neck. The force is enough to knock the vampire onto his butt, but Jungkook wastes no time in holding the other back just as tight, nose finding a place on his shoulder as he takes in deep breaths.

“I’m here. You didn’t lose me.”, Taehyung whispers, running a hand through Jungkook’s hair. “As long as you want me, I’ll always be here.”

Jungkook scoffs at that. “Someone would have to use a crowbar – fuck that, twenty crowbars – to even try to get me away from you. I will always want you.”

A pleasant shiver runs up Taehyung’s spine at Jungkook’s words and before he can think anything through, he’s pulling back only to surge forward again, crashing their lips together. The vampire reciprocates quickly, nipping and biting on the human’s lips.

Dongha is gone. He’s free and Taehyung can’t help but be relieved at not having to look over his shoulder or go back to those shitty apartments where there was more pain than not.  He’s relieved for the others, for his family and Bangtan.

So, he doesn’t hold back, easily coaxes Jungkook’s mouth open in his need to be closer. Their tongues meet and a groan is ripped from the vampire’s mouth, hands squeezing his waist a little tighter. He never enjoyed being grabbed, always associated it with pain but this…this is different. Jungkook holds him with want, squeezes a little more when his body is struggling to stay still at everything Taehyung is giving him.

And he finds he likes it. He likes the possessive way he hangs onto him, refusing to let the human go for a second, and moves his hips just to further feel the weight of Jungkook’s hands on his waist. Jungkook’s breath hitches at the movement and Taehyung is only confused for a moment before realizing their position.

In his near-tackle of Jungkook, he finds that he landed directly in his lap, thighs bracketing Jungkook’s own. He was fucking straddling him. In the middle of the floor. Heat curls in his belly at the position, can only imagine what they both must look like, lips bitten red and hair tussled. Jungkook breaks apart abruptly, forehead resting against Taehyung’s own.

“Fuck, Tae, you’re gonna be the death of me.” He’s panting, eyes closed, and cheeks flushed as he wills himself to calm down. “As much as I want to give you everything – and god, I’d literally give you everything – the hyungs and your covenmates have been worried about you.”

Taehyung’s eyes flutter close, warmth seeping into his own body from where Jungkook leans into him.

“Sorry.”, he mutters. “I’m just relieved. I thought…I thought people I loved were dying all around me and I thought I was going to be forced to be his forever but…but I’m not and now I’m here with you and…I-I’m just so fucking happy, hyung.”

Kisses litter Taehyung’s face causing him to let out a breathless chuckle that soon turned into a giggle as Jungkook made it a personal goal to reach every part of his body and leave a quick peck, ending with one final lingering kiss to his lips.

“Ready?”, Jungkook asked, earning a nod.

Ready to see Bangtan? To see the covenmates he thought he lost? Ready to see Jimin alive?

Fuck, yeah.

Okay maybe he wasn’t quite ready physically because as soon as he tried to get up, the room started spinning and Jungkook had to catch him before he made a hard reunion with the floor.

That’s how he finds himself on Jungkook’s back being carried to the living area where supposedly everyone was. Black spots no longer dotted his vision, but fatigue now clung to his form like a heavy blanket, previous soreness now making a comeback as they traverse the long hallways.

“Taehyungie!”, he hears from ahead, making him open his eyes where they’d previously been closed to minimize dizziness. He hears some grunting and a not-so-hidden “Let me go.”

That gains his attention, body going rigid with the thought that someone is grabbing onto Jimin, trying to hurt him yet again. But what he finds is Jimin’s back pressed to Hoseok’s chest where they lie on the couch, the older’s arms wrapping around Jimin’s small, wiggling frame. “How dare you hold me back from him, you ass –”

“Jiminie.”, Yoongi sighs from where he’s sitting at the end of the same couch, an exasperated smile adorning his face. “He might need some space, baby.”

“Hyung.”, Taehyung whispers to Jimin, voice lost in the older vampire’s increased struggling and sudden cry of betrayal.  

“No, what he needs is me giving him the cuddles of a fucking lifetime while I make sure he’s okay.”

With the amount of struggling and lack of pain evident in his features, Jimin appears to be okay, at least physically. No longer is he covered in blood, battered and broken, lying on a concrete floor but instead appears vibrant, flushed with replenished blood. A small smudge of red is noticeable in the corner of his mouth, making Taehyung worry for a split second before seeing the open bite on Hoseok’s shoulder.

“Min-hyung.” His voice is louder, effectively cutting off all bickering. Jimin stills instantly, eyes snapping from his mates to Taehyung. “You okay?”

It’s tentative the way he asks, like he’s unsure of the response. He doesn’t think that Jimin is upset with him, at least not genuinely angry, but he would understand if the vampire held some resentment toward him for putting him and his mates in a dangerous situation. It’s also so quiet in the room now that he doesn’t feel the need to speak any louder than a murmur, not wanting to break the heavy silence.

“Yeah, Tae.”, Jimin responds just as low, nodding his head slowly. “Are you?”

Taehyung finds he doesn’t need to think much about his answer, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he responds. “Yeah. I…I’m okay.”

Jimin nods at that, though continues to look troubled. Honestly, Taehyung can’t blame him. The human feels…unsettled, like he doesn’t know if Jimin is actually alright. He taps Jungkook’s shoulder, telling the vampire to let him down. He’s unsteadied on his feet but uses Jungkook as support to walk a little closer. He debates holding out his hand for Jimin to pull him into a hug but finds that he doesn’t think that would be enough either.

So, he does the next best thing and puts one knee on the couch, letting his body collapse on top of Jimin. He’s caught easily, wrapped up tightly in Jimin’s arms as he buries his face in his neck. The sweet smell of lemons greets him.

He doesn’t know how long it’s been. Doesn’t think it’s been more than a few days but honestly it doesn’t matter because regardless, he missed Jimin. The tears that sting his eyes surprise Taehyung more than anyone else in the room. Jimin’s scent becomes stronger, a sour edge tinging the otherwise sugary scent. His breath stutters and his shoulders start to shake at the fact that he may have never been able to bask in the other’s scents if Dongha had gotten a little further, pushed Jimin a little harder to break Taehyung.

Hoseok’s arms thread through Jimin’s, buried in the human’s hair as he silently cries. He tells them all how worried he was, from Hoseok getting bitten by the hellhound to Jungkook almost bleeding out to save his hyung. He tells them how Dongha did something so that he didn’t remember them, and he felt like his body wasn’t his anymore.

They all listened silently. After a while, the tears subsided, and he just felt drained. Knowing he couldn’t hide in Jimin’s arms the entire time – though he’s sure the vampire would adamantly refute that claim – he tilted his head up.

Hoseok sent him a fond smile, rubbing the tear tracks under his eyes. He softly says, “Hey, honey.”

“Hi, hyung.”, he states back just as soft, eyes immediately finding the shoulder that was tore through the last time he saw the fae-vampire. “You okay?”

Hoseok hums, moving his thumb to brush under the other eye. “I’m much better now thanks to your covenmate.”

His covenmate? His eyes scrunched up in confusion, causing the older to send him a sad smile. “There is a lot we need to catch you up on.”

Taehyung just nods, accepting that explanation as he leans his head into Hoseok’s palm. He takes a deep breath in, basking in overwhelming comfort when he notices something. Turning his cheek further into the offered palm, he takes another deep breath only to pull back and smile.

“Jiminie-hyung was right.”, he giggles, earning himself a confused look. “You smell like the sun.”

The vampire under him giggles as well and a few chuckles can be heard throughout the room. Taehyung takes this opportunity to clumsily sit up, now partially on Jimin’s outstretched legs as he reaches for Yoongi.

The vampire reaches out immediately, steadying him as he plops down and leans heavily on Yoongi’s side. Moving took way more effort than expected and his vision swims where he rests his head on the vampire’s shoulder. Blindly reaching out, he grasps Yoongi’s opposite arm and pulls it to his face, placing his nose where he knows he’ll find the most potent scents. The tangy smell of tangerines fills his nose, immediately decreasing the vertigo. He opens his eyes and smiles at Yoongi, already receiving a fond smile back.

“Let me guess. Jiminie was right?”, the vampire teases. Taehyung hums in agreeance, flashing Yoongi a sly smile.

“Your sweet, hyung.”

That earns him a shy smile from Yoongi, the other turning away to hopefully hide his blushing face. Jimin giggles again delighted, wiggling his legs in amusement as Hoseok sends a blinding smile to the pair across the couch. Yoongi turns back then, his smile slipping off his face as he looks Taehyung over with a now-pained expression.

Taehyung drops the other’s arm, immediately panicking that he may have made Yoongi uncomfortable but before he can think about it much further, he’s being pulled into the smaller’s lap and squeezed within an inch of his life. With Jungkook and Jimin, being pulled into laps and wrestled into snuggles seems normal – expected even – but never had he thought that his stoic hyung would initiate so much contact.

“Hyung?” It startled Taehyung a bit, thinking that perhaps something had to be seriously wrong for Yoongi to wrap him up so unexpectedly. It alarms him even more when the vampire starts taking deep calculated breaths.

“Sorry, little love, just…give me a minute.” Taehyung nods, rubbing his nose in Yoongi’s hair.

“The kid might kill me for saying this.”, Yoongi mutters before pulling back, cupping Taehyung’s face between his large hands. “Min and Jungkookie told us what you did. How you sacrificed yourself to save them and please know that I never want anything to happen to you – you are so fucking important to us – but…I was so fucking happy that Jimin was okay. I…I just want to say thank you. From all of us but especially from Hoseok and I, thank you for saving our mate.”

The vampire emphasizes every word of his last statement, punching the air right out of Taehyung’s lungs at the sincerity in his voice, the unwavering gaze as he keeps eye contact with the boy draped across his lap. A sharp inhale of breath pulls his attention away for a moment, noticing Hoseok’s pinched expression as he rubs his nose up and down Jimin’s neck, still embracing him from behind. Jimin sent him a sad smile as Hoseok held onto him just a bit tighter, afraid the younger would be taken away if his hold loosened by only a fraction.

“Jungkook will likely kill me for saying this too.” Taehyung states, turning his attention back to Yoongi. He moves his hands from the vampire’s shoulders to cover Yoongi’s own on his face. “I would do it all over again if it meant he was okay.”

Jungkook groans behind him, his head hitting Taehyung’s back where he was perched at Yoongi’s feet.

“Nooooo.”, the vampire whines out, shaking his head against Taehyung’s back. “Nope. No. I refuse. You will never do something like that again. You will not go off and start being a hero to everyone and giving them your blood and risking your life. Nope. Jimin and I will tie you to a fucking chair if we have to.”

Jimin nods in agreement, face the epitome of seriousness. “We will take turns handfeeding you nutritious food that Jin-hyung makes – he already fully agreed to this plan – “

Taehyung shoots Seokjin with a wide-eyed look where he sits on the opposite couch with Namjoon, snuggling up against the leader. Seokjin only flashes him an innocent smile before lifting a steaming mug of something back to his lips and taking a long sip, telling Taehyung all he needs to know. He’s a traitor.

“—and we will make sure you aren’t bored so we’ll play board games and cards and watch movies and anything else we need to do to occupy you, so you don’t even have time to think of doing something stupid again.”

“We will have to move the pieces or roll for you during the board game but yeah it should work.”, Jungkook shrugs, words slightly muffled as he speaks into Taehyung’s shirt. Taehyung’s brows furrow at that because why would someone have to play for him when he’s right there?

“It’s safest that your arms are bound, too.” Jimin answers nonchalantly as if reading Taehyung’s mind. Jungkook nods along with him, giving a firm “of course”.

“Of course.”, Taehyung echoes back, shooting Namjoon a pleading gaze from across the room. Namjoon gives him a dimpled, sympathetic smile in return because of course Seokjin easily pulled him onto their side. The human groans and thunks his head on Yoongi’s shoulder before quickly perking back up and giving the vampire a bright smile.

“Hyung, since I like saved Jimin and all – which was pretty cool of me to do – I can cash in a favor, right?” Yoongi smiled right back at him, chuckling under his breath.

“I’d be careful about your answer, hyung.”, Jimin says sweetly, smiling innocently at his mate. “Hobi-hyung and I can make the next few weeks torture.”

“You wouldn’t be here to threaten me if he didn’t do what he did, baby.”, Yoongi quips back just as sweet. He pats Taehyung’s thighs lightly. “Don’t worry kid, I got your back.”

Taehyung gives a celebratory whoop and crashes back into Yoongi for an embrace. “Traitors, hyung, all of them. Us non-traitors gotta stick together.”

A small woof cuts off the vampire’s next words. Taehyung slowly separates from Yoongi, confusion written on his face as he looked around the room because the last time he checked, none of his hyungs had anything that barked.

Another woof sounds and his eyes are brought towards Yoongi’s feet, where a small mass of black and tan fluff sits a few feet away. The thing was tiny, likely fitting perfectly in a pair of arms, and had big, dark eyes that bore into the human’s face. It looked like…a Pomeranian?

Perhaps Bangtan got a dog to celebrate their win. Or maybe they always had a dog and Taehyung’s just never seen him until now. Though, he’s pretty sure owning an extremely cute fluff ball would have come up at some point in their many conversations.

The dog stares at Taehyung, body unmoving as his dark eyes look only at the human on the vampire’s lap. It was oddly…familiar, thought he’s only really met one dog in his life.

“Yeontan?”, Taehyung whispers. The dog hops onto all fours, tail wagging before suddenly tensing. The dog’s body contorts and grows, bones breaking and fur melting away to dark skin. After a moment, a hell beast stands in front of him, heat radiating off the creature in waves as dark simmering clouds surround its form. It should be scary, especially after watching Hoseok get attacked, but all he feels is elation.

“Tannie!” Taehyung throws himself at the beast, arms wrapping around its thick neck. The beast growls lowly in its throat, more of a purr than anything. From one moment to the next, Taehyung is laying on his back with the hellhound laying on top of him, careful not to crush him. A well-placed lick to his cheek makes him sputter and cover his face. The hell beast is relentless, pushing his arms around with his massive head while sneaking licks when Taehyung is turned the other way.

“Ewww.”, Taehyung whines in mock disgust, giggling until Yeontan finally stops his assault and places his head on the human’s chest. He starts stroking the rough skin between the hound’s eyes and down his snout. “I missed you, buddy.”

The beast gives a deep growl at that, huffing a warm breath over his face. It’s only after the giggles die down that the situation hits him. Yeontan, loyal blood hound to his childhood best friend, is here, right in front of him in Bangtan’s living room of all places.

“How are you here?”, he whispers lowly. The hellhound lifts his head to regard Taehyung for a moment before standing up and stalking to the unoccupied couch facing the hallway. He stops right before the couch and reaches his head down to nose at a lump of blankets.

Taehyung assumes he wants him to follow, so he pushes himself up on shaky arms and tries to stand. He gets one leg under him before realizing that he is extremely weak, pulling his leg back as he pants on his hands and knees from the exertion. A hand rubs up and down his back soothingly. He pulls his head up and sees everyone at the edge of their seats on the couch, Jimin already standing and reaching out a few steps away.

“I’m okay.”, he says tiredly, giving them reassuring smiles.

“Your body has gone through a big change, Taehyung.” Namjoon’s voice is soothing, his smile even more-so. “You’re okay. I promise you’re okay now but there are still some things that we need to talk about.”

A little bit of fear ran through his body, but also relief, because Namjoon, the coven’s big-scary-always-overthinking leader said everything would be fine. Taehyung can’t help but hang onto those words, pushing away the fact that apparently Taehyung’s changed so much that they need to have a whole-ass discussion about it.

Yeontan whines then, pulling Taehyung’s attention once more. The beast closes his jaw around the corner of the pile of blankets and walks backward, taking the rectangular mass with him. It must be some sort of mat by the way it all comes neatly toward him, not jostling anything on the way. The hound lets go once it’s right in front of him. Up closer, the human can see something distinctly human-shaped under a heavy blanket.

Without wondering too much, the human reaches up and slowly peels off the blanket, revealing three familiar people. D is lying on his stomach, arms tucked into his sides as Z and L bracket him. Their arms are thrown over him, though even in sleep they are cautious not to crush the beautiful blue wings sprouting from the boy’s back.

He crawls up to their heads and runs his fingers through D’s hair, now a bright blue. Recognizing him comes easy, punching a gasp out of him. All this time, the boy who the fae families welcomed, the baby with the tiny fae wings that grew into an energetic blue-haired toddler, was the same one who had been with them for months under Dongha’s command.

His other hand reaches up, moving a strand of hair from Z’s face. She’s grown so much in the years they were apart, but he finds he easily knows this girl is the same half-demon he grew up with, the only one who could summon the hellhound behind him. A quick look to the side shows another familiar face, the daughter of one of his father’s closest friends. The last he saw her, she was just coming into her power, studying to be a witch from her aunt.

The human buries his face in his hands. This is what Dongha meant when he said that his coven members would be loyal to him. It wasn’t just their time in the coven that made them loyal, but the time they spent growing up together. Dongha took them because he knew they would never be able to do anything to hurt him once they gained their memories back, even if he was still under Dongha’s control.

Sheets rustle underneath him but he’s too ashamed, too close to crying to move his hands. He hopes whoever is moving stays asleep so he can avoid the overwhelming guilt looming over his head, at least for a few more minutes.

“Hyung?” No luck then. Moving his hands, he finds D propping up on his elbows, looking at him with concern.

“Hyuka.” The fae’s eyes grow wide at the nickname, tears wetting his lashes. The boy sits up on his heels, looking up at Taehyung like he’s trying to hold back. Taehyung whispers, “Come here.”

Huening Kai all but throws himself at Taehyung as sobs rip through him. The human falls back at the force but is quickly steadied by a hand. He thinks he can smell faint traces of the forest, of mosses and wet grass over the fruity scent coming from the boy so he assumes that it’s Namjoon.

“You remember us?”, the boy questions around sobs. Taehyung takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and resting it on the boy’s shoulder.

“I remember you stealing the last of mom’s apple pie and trying your mother’s enchanted fae drink behind her back.” Huening Kai lets out a soft chuckle at that.

“She always made the best pies!”, he exclaimed, squeezing Taehyung tighter. The boy had stopped crying and although the atmosphere was a little lighter, there was still so much lingering sadness. Taehyung lifts his head and regards the two girls on the sleeping mat. Even with the jostling from the boy waking up and throwing himself at Taehyung, they hadn’t moved from their spots, causing the human’s concern to rise.

“They’re okay, hyung. Just tired. They used a lot of energy clearing a path for Seokjin-hyung’s coven.” The idea that they exhausted themselves from ‘clearing a path’ concerned the human but also confused them because what exactly were they making a path through? Disregarding Taehyung’s concern, the half-fae only became more animated. “You should’ve seen them, hyung, they were sooo cool! They went all badass on Dongha’s stupid army and Yeri-noona and Yeontan even took on a bunch of hellhounds by themselves and then made them come to our side. The witch was like ‘how did you do that?’ all angry and noona said something super cool about how a witch can’t have a real bond with a hellhound and how its all about transferring energy or something – honestly, I don’t remember the whole thing – but it was so cool!”

There was no way Taehyung was able to keep the surprise off his expression as he searched the Bangtan member’s expressions because certainly the boy is exaggeration – at least a little, right? – but all he found were excited smiles and head nods from the group.

“They were threatening me with tying me up if I do stupid stuff but it’s you guys who need to be confined to the world’s strongest blanket burritos until you’re too old to move.”, Taehyung groans, once again dropping his head to knock against the boy’s shoulder.

The girls soon woke up, both having emotional reunions with the human as well as some fairly warm snuggles from the fully-shifted hell beast – Jimin and Jungkook included, of course. After many giggles and thinly veiled threats to lock the other up indefinitely for their self-sacrificing deeds, they filled in each other with the events that took place.

Turns out, the half-fae wasn’t lying when he said that Yeri and Tannie took on multiple witch-controlled hell beasts by themselves in an effort to drain their energy reserves so Yeri could form a new bond with them with way more strength. And with their newly acquired allies, the entirety of the Letters, who Taehyung just recently learned were all some form of half-human breeds, took on enough of Dongha’s followers to allow Bangtan to enter the building that both Jimin and Taehyung were in.

With Hoseok and Yoongi now able to sense Jimin within the building, it only took moments before the two mates tore through any obstacles and found their youngest unconscious in one of the holding cells. Knowing that it was a huge possibility that he would be injured, they brought blood bags as well as drank more than enough themselves in order to feed him straight from the vein if needed. Luckily, a few blood bags were more than enough to wake Jimin up and have him ready to burn the whole place down. Not even his mates were able to stop his anger-induced rampage as they all tried finding their precious human.

Taehyung similarly told them of the memories he regained, starting with the ones of Yeri and Huening Kai, most of which were filled with happiness except when he had unknowingly seen them for the last time. Then, everything switched to his parents.

“My dad had a connection with nature but didn’t have wings like a fae. Dongha had called him a ‘forest spirit’ but neither of them told me what they were, only that they were different.”, Taehyung had said, curled up with Jungkook in front of the fire while all of the Letters sported a cup of steaming strawberry tea courtesy of Seokjin. “He was able to transfer energy to plants and the earth and receive a different energy in return. I remember seeing him fight for the first time and the plants just listened. They fought with him.”

A nymph, Namjoon had supplied. That was the most likely species that his father was, though he’s unsure if he was full-blooded or was a hybrid of some sort. The coven leader had explained that many years prior, nymphs were referred to as ‘forest spirits’ due to their deep connection with nature and the need to frequently visit familiar woods, even more so than fae species, in order to live a healthy life. And while many fae have some sort of elemental affinity, it was very rare for fae to have the ability to become one with the forest like his father had.

“My mother was a vampire, I think.” Taehyung paused, because really, he wasn’t sure. “She only ate human food in front of me, but she sometimes had glasses of blood at night and my parents had spoken about her feeding after I had gone to bed. She was starving, though. I think something must have been wrong with the blood. Dongha had said that she was a ‘picky eater’ but I’m not sure what that means. The night she died was the first time I had seen her look anything other than human.”

Yeri had supplied that perhaps she was a blood demon, such as her and her father, and only needed to drink blood occasionally unless critically injured. A blood demon, or at least part blood demon, would explain the need for occasional feeds and the red eyes but Namjoon had countered that blood demons typically don’t have blood preferences like vampires do. Yeri agreed and added that she would have been able to tell if she was a demon based on her smell so quickly refuted her own supplied possibility. So, his mother being a vampire or part vampire was much more likely.

Jimin had already filled them in on what he remembers after the apartment including being locked in a room with Taehyung and Dongha threatening to kill him. The human – or perhaps, hybrid now – had explained that his previous coven leader kept telling him that the human was his and his alone and after thinking that Jimin was going to die, had given the vampire just that.

“I just told him I was his and then he came over and bit me…hard.” Him and Jungkook had moved to lay down, his three coven members now eating some of the half-fae’s favorite treats from Epiphany as well as a delicious dinner from Yoongi and Seokjin. “And I woke up and couldn’t remember anything but his name. I don’t remember what happened up until that point, just that there was a vampire in front of me who was nice and smelled...well, he didn’t smell good necessarily but comforting. When you guys had showed up, all I could think was how dangerous you felt and how I needed to hide.”

“Then he told me to come to him and I just…” Taehyung shudders and lays his head on Jungkook’s chest. “I couldn’t do anything but listen and it hurt to try to resist. Honestly, everything hurt after that, and I felt like throwing up and passing out at the same time. I –”

Things were fuzzy after waking up to Dongha’s face, especially the moments leading to Dongha’s death, but he distinctly remembers smelling something mouth-watering at the time. Jungkook smelled delicious – always has – but there was something else, something that Dongha needed him to do.

Taehyung sits up with a jolt. Dongha was trying to get him to drink. He was bleeding from his neck and told Taehyung to drink multiple times. Why the fuck would he be trying to get him to drink his blood? He already succeeded at the apartment so why would he need more? He had ample opportunity to turn him if he wanted.

And why does he remember being placed in Dongha’s arms after being in Jungkook’s?

“Tae-ah.” Namjoon’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts. The coven leader is now crouched in front of him, eyes filled with concern. He doesn’t know how long he’s been silent, but he can’t find it in himself to care.

“Why?”, the boy whispers, the inklings of betrayal filling him. The coven leader tilts his head in confusion. “Why did you give me back to him?”

Namjoon’s face breaks at that, worsening the sadness filling his chest because if Namjoon is looking so sad, so guilty, then his memory must serve him correctly. They must have had a reason, though, Taehyung thinks. It wouldn’t make sense to go through the effort of saving him after Jimin if they planned on giving him right back.

“Would you mind coming up here and sitting with us, little love?” Seokjin’s voice rings through the quiet room, effectively cutting both Namjoon and Taehyung out of their downward spiral. Taehyung nods, and with Namjoon’s help, finds himself squished between the eldest members of the Bangtan coven. He was leaning heavily against Seokjin’s side, both hands intertwined with the coven leader and his mate. A quick glance at his covenmates showed all three had snuggled up and were now sleeping deeply, still exhausted from the last few days.

Namjoon had started off by saying he had a theory, which given his history of academics and overall philosophical nature, was not that surprising. He explained that after hearing about Taehyung’s parents, he assumes that they both were likely half-human – due to Taehyung’s scent still being very much human – and while Taehyung had both vampire and nymph genes, they were likely dormant.

At least up until now.

When they found Taehyung with Dongha, his red eyes were a dead giveaway that he wasn’t necessarily human anymore. Namjoon stated that he smelled much more vampire than human, making the coven think that the vampire had turned him. Fueled by rage, Namjoon and Seokjin could only think of tearing the vampire’s head from his shoulders, though Dongha’s mention of a ‘bond’ stopped them.  

“Bonds are made between two vampires and can be very beneficial when its consensual. It can allow you to have a deeper connection with another. You can exchange blood with more benefits and be able to sense if the other is in danger. Many years ago, vampires could force bonds with other vampires, especially fledglings since they are more vulnerable right after the change. They used this to control fledglings and younger vampires. The bond made them dependent and unable to leave the one who forced the bond. Any vampire who would be able to resist the bond long enough to kill the other would find themselves killed as well.” Namjoon’s face was pinched, like he couldn’t fathom how others could be so cruel. He began to rub a thumb soothingly over the back of Taehyung’s hand. “Newer generations of vampires, starting about a millennium ago, were unable to have the bond forced onto them. I believe it was some sort of evolutionary change but honestly, it’s poorly studied and even less understood.”

Seokjin had jumped in then, telling Taehyung that they all believed that his previous coven leader was lying and planned on killing him regardless of his words.

“Though, when you were unable to disobey him despite the pain you felt, we realized we were wrong.”

Taehyung voiced his confusion. He wasn’t a vampire and even if he was, if what Namjoon said was true about newer generations resisting a forced bond, he definitely did not allow Dongha to form a bond with him.

“You may not have consented to a bond specifically but after hearing your story, I believe that he used Jimin to push you into a state where your body was willing to accept anything to save him, giving him a loophole of sorts to open a bond.” Namjoon had turned now, facing the human where he still perched his head on Seokjin’s shoulder. “You were human, Taehyung, possibly with nymph abilities if we go off your memories, but I think the bond awakened dormant genes on your mother’s side. That would explain the change in scent, the red eyes, and your hunger.”

The half-human wanted to refute Namjoon’s words, tell him that he doesn’t hunger for anything and never did but is quickly cut off by his own thoughts. He was just agonizing about how Dongha’s blood had smelled good only 30 minutes prior.

In the heat of the moment, with the bond seemingly in place, disposing of Dongha would only cause the bond to retaliate and kill Taehyung as well. Both Seokjin and Namjoon had reiterated that he was weak and obviously feeling the effects of blood deprivation on a dangerous level.

“You were dying, love.”, Yoongi had said after a prolonged silence, the coven leader and his mate wanting to find the best way of explaining his dire state. “We didn’t know what to do except have you feed but with the bond so new, the only option we had was for him to feed you.”

Taehyung was conflicted. He didn’t want to die but being handed back to him – even to save his life – still feels like a punch to the gut.

“It killed me, killed us, to hand you over to that fucker.”, Jungkook states lowly. “Looking back, it was probably selfish of us, but we needed you to live Taehyung. I needed you to live.”

Taehyung looks away, unable to see Jungkook’s watery eyes as he sits curled up on the floor without breaking. He wants to be mad, feels like he should be, because the people who he’s come to trust had given him over to the man who destroyed his entire life.

But he’s not. He can’t be.

Because if Taehyung was in Bangtan’s position, he would have chosen the same.

Namjoon lifts a hand and gently cups Taehyung’s cheek to turn the boy toward him.

“There aren’t words to express how sorry we are to put you in that position. I can’t imagine how scared you must have been, how betrayed you felt. I promise that we will do everything we can to make it up to you if you’ll let us. And…if you need space from us, just for a bit or –”

Taehyung doesn’t allow Namjoon to finish before he’s clumsily crawling onto Namjoon’s lap and sneaking his arms between the vampire’s neck and couch, trapping him in a tight embrace. The coven leader is quick to reciprocate, burying one of his hands in the boy’s hair.

“Wanna stay, hyung.”, he whispers. “As long as you’ll let me, I wanna stay.”

Namjoon squeezes him a little tighter, rubbing his nose in the other’s hair. Namjoon may not be that much taller, but he feels so large, completely encompassing the younger. The hug is warm and comforting and everything Taehyung needed to feel safe.

“As long you want to stay, sweetheart, we will want you.”

Fuck, those words combined with the intense fatigue he feels brings him close to tears. Being wrapped up between muscular arms and the firm pecs of the vampire was almost enough to rid him of the bone-deep ache resonation through his body.

Almost.

Because as much as he wishes he could enjoy this much needed snuggle, he can’t think much past the steadily worsening dizziness.

“Hyung.”, he whines, lifting his heavy head to rest his nose in the crook of Namjoon’s neck. He takes long pulls of the woodsy scent emanating from the vampire in hopes of soothing some of the increasing nausea. “Don’t feel good.”

Namjoon tenses a moment before trying to move Taehyung’s head away from his neck. He’s quickly met with another whine from Taehyung, the boy repeating ‘no, no, no’ every time he tries to move him because he knows without the pleasant smell of grass and moss, he is definitely going to throw up all over the coven’s pristine wooden floors.

“Baby, hey.”, he soothes, cradling the trembling boy further into his lap. “I wish I had more time to ease you into this, but your body is different now. You have different needs and abilities and what comes with that is the need to feed.”

Taehyung whimpers because fuck no he doesn’t want anything to do with blood, let alone put it anywhere near his mouth. His mind immediately conjures up the image of him seeking out Dongha’s blood but quickly shakes it away because those were dire circumstances, something that Taehyung will gladly blame the bond for and nothing else.

“Taehyung.”, he rumbles, placing his hand over Taehyung’s stomach, a faint blue glowing between his fingertips. “There’s nothing wrong with you, little one. This is something that might have happened regardless of the stress your body has been through. What I can feel, though, is that you are starving. I know it’s a lot to take in, but you will continue getting sicker if we don’t get a little blood in your system.”

I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.

He doesn’t want to be like them, doesn’t want to rely on other’s life sources to live. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and he definitely doesn’t want to crave the same substance that he’s been harmed for in the past.

“Here, darling.”, a soothing voice calls from beside him, coaxing him partially out of Namjoon’s neck. Seokjin sits facing him on Namjoon’s other side, holding up a dark metal flask. “You don’t even have to look at it if you don’t want to.”

The coven leader’s mate passes the object over to Namjoon, quickly ushering the other vampires to a different room, a few of them slipping their arms under his slumbering covenmates to carry them through the hallway. Jungkook takes his place, ending right in Taehyung’s field of view, smiling softly as he slowly pushes the flask to the boy’s mouth.

Taehyung pulls his head away, momentarily exacerbating the vertigo and increasing the churning in his stomach. The smell hits him moments later, making his eyes snap open where they had closed to ward off the impending headache. It’s a sweet, almost tangy scent that permeates the air, and while he originally panicked about not being able to control himself, he finds that he can easily think past the simmering desire to snatch the container out of Jungkook’s hands.

“See? You’re still in control, baby.” And – oh – Jungkook’s calming voice is working wonders for his anxiety, allowing him to push it in the back of his mind so he can finally think clearly. “This is from one of our coven donors. They get a little extra incentive for solely donating units of blood to our coven. No one was hurt getting this and it’ll make you feel so much better if you have a few sips.”

It seems so simple. Drink ethically-sourced blood from the program he’s seen in person and he starts feeling better. But although is body is begging for some relief, he can’t simply get over the mental hurdle he’s placed in front of himself.

Namjoon and Jungkook both share a look before the younger vampire shifts the boy to his own lap, quickly popping open the flash and downing the substance in a few deep gulps. While Taehyung has quite enjoyed moving closer to the older, he can’t help but be confused because wasn’t that supposed to be for him?

Namjoon snags the flask, quickly screwing the lid back on and placing it on the side table. Jungkook turns to him with a soft smile, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before pulling back again.

“Watch Namjoon-hyung, baby.”, he murmurs, not taking his eyes off Taehyung. The coven leader stands then, stepping in front of Jungkook before bending down. He cups both of Jungkook’s cheeks, placing a firm but loving kiss to his forehead before gently tipping his head away from Taehyung with a few fingers.

Jungkook relents easily, body noticeably relaxed and eyes fluttering closed. The older vampire leans down further, rubbing his nose softly over the expanse of Jungkook’s neck, head now tucked between the youngest vampire and the boy in his lap.

The pure softness of it all makes Taehyung’s breath stutter because the coven leader is so gentle with his ministrations, focused on only Jungkook’s comfort as he rubs his soothing scent into his skin. He finds he can’t look away as Namjoon’s hand slowly caresses the other side of his jaw, a low rumble emitting from the coven leader’s throat.

With one final fleeting kiss to Jungkook’s neck, the older vampire’s teeth unsheathe, and he pierces the skin halfway between the younger’s jaw and the crook of his neck. Jungkook doesn’t flinch, only lets out a sigh before slipping a hand underneath Taehyung’s shirt and rubbing small circles above the man’s hip. Sweet, sugary vanilla and spices fill the room, making the human’s mouth water.

He remembers the shock when watching one of Yugyeom’s coven members feed off Mina, how the woman remained utterly relaxed and pain-free, the vampire not looking to cause any pain as he fed unhurriedly.

But this…this was something else entirely. Everything is so much softer, so much more loving, only able to be accomplished by those who trust each other more than anything. And Taehyung can’t help but feel like his insides are melting at the sickly sweetness of it all, knowing he would love nothing more to be included but unsure if he wants to be the one feeding from Jungkook or being fed from by the gentle-safe-soothing giant of a coven leader.

After taking three shallow pulls from Jungkook, the leader pulls back, dropping another soft kiss to the vampire’s head before pulling back. Jungkook’s expression was soft as he regarded his coven leader, flashing a smile at the older before turning to Taehyung. The movement caused a small trickle of blood to flow from the other’s neck, making Taehyung snap his gaze to the still-open wounds.

“C’mere, Tae.”, he whispers, placing a hand on the back of the human’s head and slowly coaxing him closer. Taehyung doesn’t fight it, doesn’t want to, after watching the soft display only moments before and realizes that Namjoon hadn’t cared for the wounds on purpose, making it so easy for the younger to lean in closer.

He takes a deep breath in, eyes fluttering at the spicy goodness that greets him. Giving Jungkook a short peck above the bite in thanks, he closes the remaining distance, taking unsure kitten-licks before instincts take over, sealing his mouth over the bite and taking long pulls.

It’s heavenly – the taste of the blood, the slowly-resolving ache and fatigue, Jungkook’s warm hand slipping into his hair and rubbing his scalp just right. Taehyung squeezes closer despite there being no space between their bodies, bringing an arm up to rub his thumb gently over the vampire’s jaw.

Feeding is not anything like he thought it would be. He’s still him, still has coherent thoughts and distinctly not in a blood-craving daze as he drinks in the liquid that tastes like sweet chai and sugar cookies. He finds that he can feel Jungkook’s pleasant buzzing happiness – whether from the taste of his blood or just plain instinct – bounce softly off his own contentedness, fueling his feelings of love and safety.

Body slowing down on its own, it’s only a few more pulls before he detaches his mouth, tongue instinctively shooting out to catch the last remaining drops and help to seal the wound. With the wound practically healed, Taehyung lays his head in the crook of the other’s neck, breathing deeply and basking in the light buzzing in his veins.

Now that his body isn’t aching something fierce, he’s exhausted, but not in a sickly fatigued way like he was earlier, his body now thrumming with an overly-sated comfort. The smell of warmth and burnt wood reaches him, a soft hand cradling his cheek moments later, making him stir. Partially opening his eyes, he sees Seokjin crouching in front of him, the softest of smiles joining his already-fond expression.

“You did good, little love.” A short kiss is pressed to his temple, a hand brushing away some stray hairs as Jungkook receives a similar kiss. “It’ll be okay, sweetheart, take a nap. We’ll be here when you wake up.”

Taehyung flashes them a tired smile, quickly turning to press a chaste kiss to Seokjin’s palm before sinking deeper into Jungkook’s embrace.

Yeah, he thinks, it’ll be okay.

“Ew!”, Taehyung exclaims in disgust, pushing Jimin away from him land harshly on the other side of the older’s bed. “Why would you do that?!”

Jimin is already giggling madly, curling himself into the human’s side and rubbing his nose over the taller’s shoulder. Despite being grossed out, he’s quick to turn towards the vampire and wrap Jimin back up in a tight hug.

After a long nap and a thorough scenting from the entire coven, Taehyung was whisked away by Jimin, the latter exclaiming he needed some much-need soulmate time – no mates or mates-to-be allowed per his demands.

With a quick introduction to Jimin’s room, including his massive walk-in-closet – holy shit how many clothes can one person have? – they ended up looking through thick albums hidden away under the vampire’s bed, filled with memories of the trio as well as snapshots of the coven leader and his mate, and eventually Jungkook.

One photo stood out to him, though, and when he pointed it out to Jimin, the vampire stared at it quietly for a few moments before taking the black and white photo out of its protective packaging. It was old, the edges worn and creases apparent where it had been handled in the past. The photo included the trio of mates, Hoseok and Yoongi sitting on opposite sides of the couch while Jimin lay sleeping between the two, head placed on Hoseok’s lap.

At first glance, it seemed like a normal photo of the mates having some quality bonding time, but something had caught Taehyung’s eye. The Jimin in the photo was swaddled in a large blanket, wool socks and dark breeches poking out the bottom. Jimin looked small, fragile, where he lay curled up tight, a far cry from the confident, sassy Jimin he’s come to know and love.

Hoseok’s hand was hovering over Jimin’s head, the older vampires sharing a look of concern. They looked worried, almost uncertain, in their actions, much different than the comfortable way they share affection now.

Taehyung is convinced that none of the photo’s inhabitants knew the photo was being taken.

“This is the first photo we have of us three.”, Jimin had whispered, staring at the picture in his hands. “I was still human.”

With a quick pull, Taehyung found himself snuggled up to the other vampire, his head now resting on Jimin’s shoulder as they both took in the photo.

Then, Jimin told his story.

He was born within a small village, his parents having just enough money for food and the ever-increasing taxes. Regardless of the lack of many necessities, he was loved, never finding himself feeling lonely or left out in any way. Jimin was young, thinks he was 7, when the raiders came and burned down his village, taking his parents with them in the destruction.

An orphanage from a nearby town had taken him in, giving him food and a roof over his head until a famine had broken out years later, leaving the eldest in the orphanage to go hungry. Eventually, famine had taken more and more lives, causing the orphanage to become so overwhelmed with new children that they were forced to give the teenagers a small sack of food and send them on their way.

Adjusting to a new life without a home, Jimin found himself in many unfavorable conditions, learning the hard way which parts of town weren’t safe. Forced to steal and gamble for his next meal, the next few years of Jimin’s life were unpleasant to say the least.

Then, he met Minjun.

“He was nice, always smiled so sweetly to me when he saw me.” Jimin rested his head over Taehyung’s, dropping the photo into his lap. “He brought me food and blankets and would say how sorry he was about my parents. He…made me feel better than I had in a long time. He went by a different name back then. I didn’t even recognize him until the night of the attack.”

After months of Minjun visiting him, he didn’t hesitate in taking the vampire’s hand when offered a home within his coven. What started as hope for a sweet friendship turned into a fearful situation where Jimin was immediately placed in the coven’s group of humans as a blood slave.

“They had a bunch of rules. Don’t talk, don’t struggle. If you broke them, they only bit you that much harder, and took that much more blood the next time around.” Jimin had scooted them down, now facing each other in the older’s bed. The sunlight was filtering through the tinted windows behind him, now appearing more orange in the dying light. “It was months, maybe years that I was with them and…honestly, I gave up trying to escape. I stopped even thinking of a better life. Thought maybe someone who has lost everything didn’t deserve anything better.”

Taehyung’s face screwed up in sadness, wanting to comfort him but unwilling to interrupt. Minjun, it seems, was always the worst to the human, constantly obsessing over where he was and who he fed, even though the human had no choice in the matter. He was the first to inflict pain when given the chance. And fuck, doesn’t Taehyung know. In the few hundred years since Minjun had his hands on Jimin, he obviously hadn’t changed.

Jimin’s coven would make the human’s go out during the day for any supplies the coven may need. The vampire explained that he barely dragged himself out of bed one day, having been fed from by multiple vampires the night before. He stumbled in between two shops in hopes of taking a shortcut to his last stop when he was attacked by two humans looking to steal some coin.

“I didn’t even try fighting back. I just hoped that they would end it quickly, ya know?” Jimin looked up to meet Taehyung’s eyes, a fond smile covering his face. “A vampire just-so-happened to be passing by and helped me, took me to his coven when I inevitably passed out from fatigue and blood-loss.”

Jimin had obviously freaked out when he woke up in an unknown place, surrounded by vampires no less. He pleaded with them to let him go, saying that he had his own coven to return to. After an hour of being asked questions by the coven leader, he walked out their door, right back to Minjun and the others.

Surprisingly to Jimin, the vampire coven made themselves known quite frequently on his day-time runs, checking in on him every other day to ask him simple questions. Was he eating well? Did he sleep okay during the night?

“I was especially drawn to two of them. They were beautiful on their own, both soft demeaners and hard edges but together…” Jimin took a sharp inhale. “Together they were perfect. They fit with each other so well and I kind of hated them for it.”

Jimin had chuckled at the while Taehyung gave a sad smile. He understood all too well the deprecating thoughts that came with seeing a couple so happy while he was forced to suffer. Jimin explained that he snapped at them, told them to leave him alone if they were going to throw everything he couldn’t have in his face.

That night, Jimin’s closest friend in the coven was killed by one of the fledglings. Apparently, the coven had been turning humans against their will and forcing them to starve just so they could watch the bloody aftermath. They fed off the death and despair that a rogue fledgling could cause, sitting back and enjoying the view from a distance.

Her death was the last straw for Jimin, and he found himself seeking out the Bangtan coven the following day, demanding them to help.  

“Namjoon tried to find a way to be civilized about it, but the courts weren’t as well established as they are now, and he figured out really quickly there wasn’t much of an option.” Jimin smiles then. “Hobi-hyung and Yoongi-hyung were ready to cause a massacre as soon as they saw me covered in blood.”

With Namjoon’s say-so, Hoseok and Yoongi had, in fact, destroyed the entire coven in under 24 hours, burning everything to the ground when they were finished. While that act had worked to gain Jimin’s trust of the coven – or at least trust the two vampires he found himself infatuated with – it wasn’t easy once Jimin was with Bangtan.

“I was always scared…which meant I was always angry at everything. I snapped constantly, wouldn’t let anyone help despite needing it.”, Jimin stated lowly, a sad smile spread on his face as he tucked the human into his chest, running his fingers through his hair. “I said some awful things to everyone, especially at my future mates.

“One day, they were just so…nice. Brought me food when I didn’t want to leave my room, heated up my towels before I went to take a bath, and kept smiling at me even when I was mean. It made me angry because why would they go through the trouble and why would they make me fall for them even more when they had each other? I thought they had to be playing with my emotions, taking my heart one moment and breaking it the next.

“And I just snapped. I screamed at them and called them awful names…said I hated them so many times. I – I fucking threw a vase at Hobi and he…he just stood there at let it break against him, still smiled at me after.” Jimin had separated from him slightly, chuckling mirthlessly. “I just broke down and cried when I saw a small cut start to bleed on his cheek. I was sad and angry, and I was so confused. Yoongi-hyung just stepped forward and hugged me the entire time I cried, whispering how it was okay to be angry, that they would always be there for me, that they would hold me through everything if I wanted them to. Hoseok-hyung kneeled and wrapped his arms around both of us and told me they loved me like they loved each other.”

“This was the aftermath.” Jimin had held up the photo once more. “I fell asleep exhausted, and they just sat there the whole time I was sleeping. There was still so much uncertainty but…this was the first real step we all took. I’m assuming Jin-hyung took the photo because he gave it to me as a mating gift years later, telling me that it was to remind me of all that I’ve overcome – that we’ve overcome.”

Fuck, Taehyung had felt like crying because if that wasn’t the saddest beginning to a love story, he isn’t sure what is. Jimin’s anger and sadness and fear resonates so deeply with Taehyung that he couldn’t help but feel his eyes burn with the threat of unshed tears. Jimin had told him repeatedly that there was nothing to be sad about, reassuring him that that he was fine. More than fine, in fact, because he had finally destroyed the one that haunted his dreams, no longer needing to look over his shoulder for a certain crazed blonde vampire.

But, alas, his reassurances were in vain, so as a last-ditch effort to stop the human from crying, Jimin decided to take a page out of Seokjin’s book and lick him. Jimin had come at him so quickly, licking his cheek before Taehyung had the time to even process what had happened, leading to a prolonged pause and then an undignified squeal as the human pushed Jimin away from himself.

“Jin-hyung licked my hand a few days ago and I’m still traumatized.”, he muttered minutes after the vampire finally stopped giggling, sending the other a pouty glare, causing the vampire to laugh once more.

“Where do you think I learned it from?”, he asks sweetly, sending the human a smile. Taehyung scrunches his nose, shaking his head at the faux innocence. “It’s entirely his fault. I was the sweetest, most innocent being on the planet before Jin-hyung’s bad influence.”

Taehyung hums, shaking his head once more before tilting his head against the other’s.

“Thank you for telling me.”, he whispers softly, basking in Jimin’s muted lemony scent. He knew of the marks on Jimin’s body, how he understood the human’s pain more than anyone in the coven, but he didn’t realize how similar their stories were. Both lost their parents and were placed in less than pleasant situations, easily snatched up by covens to be human servants. It was also surprising how they escaped, both pushed to seek help because of a covenmate. He's just glad Namjoon was able to save his.

But what of the others? The ones Taehyung has lost leading up to their escape. Once they perished, he doesn’t know where the vampires took them, doesn’t even think they were buried with the vampire’s overwhelming lack of respect for human life.

And his parents…fuck, his dad died in that field and his mother in the hospital. Was his father’s body ever found? Was his mother buried in a random grave the hospital chose for unclaimed bodies?

The thought makes him shudder against Jimin, the vampire quickly pulling him tighter. He voices his thoughts, his sadness over not knowing what happened to his loved ones. The vampire was quick to reassure him, telling him that they could likely track the bodies if they have something of theirs, and the hospitals should be able to find his mother’s resting place.

“We can hold a ceremony for them if you’d like. Give them a final goodbye so they can rest peacefully.” Taehyung nods at that, a little shaky breath releasing from his body. Jimin picks up his phone, arms still snaked around the other.

“What’s your parents' names, sweetheart? I’ll have the hyungs start looking.” Taehyung rattled off his father’s name, Jimin’s fingers typing behind him.

“My mom’s name is Park Baekhyun.”

Jimin freezes at that, room quickly becoming silent as the vampire doesn’t even breathe. His gaze snaps to Taehyung.

“Your mom’s name is…Park Baekhyun?” Taehyung scrunched his eyebrows as he nodded to Jimin’s question. “When was her birthday?”

Taehyung stated his mother’s birthday slowly, Jimin’s eyes widening as he finished. The vampire quickly sat up in bed, startling the human.

“Oh my god.”

Chapter Text

Taehyung was not freaking out, not even a little.

Yes, he had been pacing the empty café’s floors for 18 minutes now and he might have been too anxious to eat or drink anything Jungkook had gotten for him, and he may have needed to talk himself down from a panic attack at least twice but…he’s fine, completely and utterly calm.

Walking up a down the expanse of the treat shop reminds him of how glad he is that the coven owned a comfy shop and Seokjin was kind enough to close his doors for today, allowing Taehyung and Jungkook privacy with their intended guest without needing to meet anywhere unfamiliar – and unprotected, per Namjoon’s words, the coven leader’s instinctive need to protect still very much at the forefront of his brain after recent events.

“Why don’t you drink your tea and eat your strawberry cake?”, Jungkook says sweetly, reaching an arm out to grasp his wrist on his 20^th pass through the shop, gently tugging him towards their booth. “We aren’t in a hurry.”

Taehyung nods his head in agreement but finds that the lack of urgency is the problem. There’s too many thoughts going to his head, too many ‘what ifs’, to relax even a fraction. He just wants to have the conversation and move on.

“Whether we are right or not, it’ll be okay.” Jungkook reaches out a hand, intertwining their fingers on the table because of course Jungkook sees right through him, knowing exactly what’s going through his head.  

He doesn’t even know what the better option would be. Would it be best if it wasn’t true and he could move on just as he had before, or would it be better knowing that the coven was right? And what happens if they are right and the person…doesn’t want it to be? What if they are upset – ridiculous, Taehyung thinks, of course they are going to be upset – but what if they are angry at the knowledge, not wanting anything to do with the broken boy?

A soft knock is heard at Epiphany’s locked doors and Jungkook gives a small squeeze to his hand before standing up. Taehyung can’t find the strength to lift his head, would rather stay hidden within his own thoughts than face the person the vampire is letting into the building.

Sweet pleasantries are exchanges along with tight hugs and he finds himself standing unconsciously to greet the person. He may be freaking out internally but that hasn’t caused him to lose his manners. Though, he is still unable to lift his head, biting his bottom lip as a pair of shoes step into his vision.

“Taehyung-ah.”, the soft voice greets, amusement coloring their tone. “I don’t even have to feel your emotions to know you’re a nervous wreck.”

A small chuckle is pulled out of him as he finally looks up, taking in Mina’s appearance. Her long greying hair is now thrown up in a messy bun, pieces pulled out near the front and framing her face nicely. She is wearing jeans and a blouse, a heavier jacket thrown over top to shield her from the frigid weather.

She’s beautiful, small wrinkles around her eyes and mouth doing nothing to dampen her beauty, as she sends him a fond smile. Mina lifts her arms and steps forward, Taehyung meeting her halfway in a tight embrace. He finds himself setting his cheek on the top of her head, enjoying the warmth the smaller woman emits.

“Oh, honey.”, she whispers, pulling back to cup his cheek. “What’s got you feeling like that, huh? Is Jungkook not treating you right?”

An offended ‘hey’ breaks the serious atmosphere, causing Taehyung to let out a wet laugh, as he takes in Jungkook’s affronted expression, giving Mina a pouty glare. She waves it away with her hand, her smile not dampening in the slightest as she pushes Taehyung in the seat next to Jungkook and sits opposite of them both.

The café is silent again, Taehyung wringing his hands together as the others allow him time to compose himself. Jungkook slowly places a hand on his thigh, a show of silent support as Taehyung takes a deep breath.

“Mina-ssi.”, he says softly, not meeting her eyes. “I know this is random but…are you in contact with your daughter?”

If the woman is surprised, she hides it well, taking a small sip of the tea Jungkook had offered her. Taehyung doesn’t know what the lack of response means, so he glances up. Mina’s lips are pursed and…she seems sad.

“No.” Mina lets out the word in a large exhale. “I haven’t seen her in many years.”

“I’m sorry.”, Taehyung says, nodding along to Mina’s words. He can tell those words hurt to say, and he feels awful for bringing up unpleasant feelings. He tells Mina so, earning himself a smile.

“I figure you wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important.”, the woman states matter-of-factly. “Do you want to know more?”

She doesn’t seem upset – confused, yes, if the furrow between her brow is anything to go off – so Taehyung finds the strength to nod his head.

“My baby was talented, studying to become an artist. She dabbled in music but that never held a flame to painting. She made the most…beautiful paintings, always had a way with colors to make the picture seem like so much more than paint on canvas.”, the woman smiles wistfully, taking another sip as she stared unseeingly out the window. “She met a man in college, and I just knew, she found the one. He was kind, caring, always looked at her like she hung the moon and treated her just the same.”

Mina turned back to the two opposite her and Taehyung couldn’t help but lift one of his hands to rest on the table between them, palm up in offering. A smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she laid her hand over his, a pulse of thankfulness reaching Taehyung a few moments later.

“It all changed a few months later. She became distant, her and her love being careful of what they said around me. Anytime I held her hand or hugged her, her emotions were muted, like she was trying to hide them and the times she couldn’t, I only felt fear and uncertainty.” Mina’s eyes held a glossy sheen of unshed tears. “One day, I had gone to visit them and found a note in their apartment, stating that they had left, that they needed to leave to keep me and her father safe. It said that they both loved us with everything and when the danger passed, we would be the first ones they would come to.”

Mina paused, a lone tear drifting down her face. “I haven’t seen either of them, since.”

Taehyung closes his eyes, flooded by his own emotions as well as Mina’s. He feels wet, hot tears trail down his face because if there was any doubt before, there isn’t now. There’s no way it’s all a coincidence and that makes him cry even harder, shoulders shaking in the effort to muffle the sobs.

Mina releases his hand, likely thinking the thrum of her emotions through their contact was causing his state, but Taehyung is quick to move forward, cradling her hand between his own.

“I’m sorry.”, he croaks, not able to stop the words once he’s started. “I’m so sorry. My parents…they didn’t want to leave but they had to and we lived on the outskirts of a different town trying to run from him and..”

Choking on his own sobs, he pauses a moment to try and regain some control. He’s not even sure Mina could understand him, words slurring and muffled with tears.

“Tae-ah, dear…”, she starts, placing her other hand over one of his, both their hands now clasped together. Jungkook moves closer, moving his hand from his thigh to around his back, leaning in to rub his nose over Taehyung’s cheek. “I’m so sorry that had happened to you but…honey, I’m sorry I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

Taehyung nods his head because of course she doesn’t understand his random rambling. Jungkook’s scent permeates the space around him, causing him to take deep inhales as he gathers the strength to say the words he’s been wanting to say since Jimin startled him in bed the day prior.

“My dad’s name was Kim Daehyun and my mom…my mom was Park Baekhyun.”

He doesn’t want to see her emotions, doesn’t want to see any form of disappointment from her, but he finds himself unable to look away. Mina was confused, then surprised and then…

“You…”, she starts, taking a shaky inhale as her gaze flutters over Taehyung’s face. “You’re Daehyun and Baekhyun’s boy? Your…you’re my baby’s son?”

When Jimin had initially told him of his suspicions, he quickly dismissed him, because what were the chances? He stopped thinking rationally and ignored the facts. But, with Mina looking at him the way she is now, he realizes it all makes sense. His mother’s starving state and her inability to feed fit the situation of Mina’s little girl so perfectly all those years ago. Taehyung’s mother tried to feed after they fled, but her body wasn’t made to drink anything but fae and vampire blood, and once she was forced to leave Seoul, she couldn’t get the blood from Bangtan’s company any further.

She wasn’t fucking picky, as Dongha had put it. Baekhyun was just unfortunate enough to be a human-vampire hybrid whose body physically could not handle anything other blood.

Taehyung breaks, dropping his head onto their clasped hands, as he sobs. There is the sound of something hitting the ground and next thing he knows, he’s being yanked out of the booth and pulled into a bone-crushing embrace. He wraps his own arms around the woman, burying his face in her neck.

“I knew you felt different when I met you but, I –“, Mina gasps in a breath and Taehyung feels his shoulder becoming wet as the older’s body trembles against him. “I didn’t realize…I-I didn’t even know you existed, Taehyung.”

Fresh tears pour down his face as the woman starts sobbing, neither doing anything to muffle their sounds. Taehyung can feel the despair mixed with relief and sadness radiating from Mina and he imagines what Mina is getting from him can’t be much different.

Looking back, he remembers the familiarity he felt at her touch when he met her. He believed that it was the soothing aspect of her touch and abilities that reminded him of the comforting embrace of a loved one, but he thinks now that maybe he was feeling Mina’s familiarity through her projected emotions, her body unconsciously recognizing Taehyung as hers.

Opening his eyes, he finds Jungkook standing near the booth a few feet away, watching them with a small smile. The tear tracks shining on the vampire’s face was all he needed to reach out a hand, coaxing the vampire closer. Jungkook doesn’t hesitate, quickly wrapping them both up, dropping a kiss to the human’s temple.

Emotions are high. He still has to tell Mina what happened, has to tell her that her daughter and son-in-law are gone and fuck, he’s dreading it all so much.

But, he thinks, with the support of the coven, of the man he loves right next to him and his Halmeoni in his arms –

It’ll be okay.

5 MONTHS LATER

“Hyung.”, Taehyung calls softly, tucked in on a cushion among the many plants in Namjoon’s greenhouse. “Why Indigo?”

The adolescent whisper whisps are leaning in, gentling caressing his cheeks as they curl around various parts of his body, settling into the comfortable nooks of his sweatshirt hood and pockets, wiggling in excitement when they find an especially cozy place amongst Taehyung’s warmth.

He’s found himself here more often than not, loving the feeling of life as soon as he steps through the enchanted doorway leading to the coven leader’s impressive display of flora.

The coven had told him quite early on that the house had a ‘mind of its own’, but Taehyung didn’t fully grasp the meaning until he walked into the kitchen and found Jungkook laying in his bed, in the middle of the vampire’s room, the room that Taehyung distinctly remembered leaving only a minute ago in search of food.

Jungkook had looked up at him, seeing his love’s arms distinctly empty of snacks and asked if he found the kitchen to which the human had confusedly replied ‘this is the kitchen?’, earning him a slow-blinking stare from Jungkook.

The vampire had walked out of his bedroom and let out an amused ‘ahhh’ at seeing a huge sitting room instead of the hallway, giggling at Taehyung’s admittedly confused expression. With some soft pats to the wall and a request to put his room back, they had both turned to see the kitchen back in its normal position, almost as if the event never happened.

“The house was just feeling playful.”, Jungkook had said, grabbing his hand and leading him into the kitchen.

Taehyung had then understood, the house did, in fact, have a mind of its own – a result of multiple powerful vampire’s pouring their essence and magic into the walls for many years – and often felt like playing pranks. Or matchmaker, since the house seems to have a soft spot for Taehyung and Jungkook, often leading one to the other on the rare occurrences that they were separated.

It seems, this ability extends to the greenhouse as well – which he recently learned resided on a different plane of existence due to Namjoon’s extensive abilities – meaning that members of the coven only made it to the greenhouse if the house allowed it. Jungkook has more than once returned to Taehyung with a pout after attempting to reach Namjoon in the greenhouse because the house was being ‘finicky’.

Other than Namjoon, due to their nature, Hoseok and Taehyung were the most likely to be granted access, the hybrid rarely finding himself blocked from heading to the greenhouse, even when the coven leader wasn’t there. He didn’t waste an opportunity to brag to the coven about the greenhouse’s fondness for him, earning himself many fond smiles and a few sulking pouts from the youngest vampires.

The best was the proud smile Namjoon sported after he wandered into the greenhouse alone without even meaning to, because if Taehyung learned anything about the leader in his time with the coven, it’s that his flora babies were loved second only to his coven members, all species being carefully nurtured by the witch since infancy.

What was initially uncertainty regarding Taehyung’s mixed race of species was figured out soon after his tearful reunion with Mina, the woman stating that his mother was, obviously, half vampire and half human while his father was half human and half nymph.

So, Taehyung was an interesting mix of half human and quarter nymph and vampire, with abilities from both sides. Although he hasn’t been able to fully direct the flora since Dongha’s death, he found that he could still understand the plants and animals around him, feeling their intentions without hearing any actual words. Other than Namjoon, the plants seemingly always gravitated to him, moving of their own volition to run through his hair and sneak into his clothes.

The first time Taehyung had seen the collection of Bonzai trees, a bright smile lit up his face. They were so happy, slowly swaying to their own songs as they greeted the hybrid, whispering sweet nothings into the air.

“They’re so happy, hyung.”, he whispered in awe, giggling when a wandering branch caught in his hair. “They love you.”

The vampire had known that he was loved by every plant in that greenhouse – hell, they all wiggled excitedly for their turn to greet the healer – but it didn’t stop Namjoon from sending him a bright smile and dimples at the knowledge.

His newly-awakened vampire genes were still very much apparent as well, though to a lesser extent. Depending on his health, he only needed to feed once or twice a month. Refusing to drink straight from humans – which the coven wholeheartedly understood and supported – he had attempted to consume blood bags only to find that the smell was absolutely revolting, causing him to gag before a drop even made it to his mouth.

The one time he was able to take a few drinks of a flavored bag, courtesy of Seokjin’s cooking skills, he kept it down for almost a full minute before he was sprinting to the bathroom to throw it up, feeling nauseous for days afterwards. They stopped trying blood bags after that, stating resolutely that Taehyung will be feeding off the other members indefinitely.

Man did that start a war, the closest coven member sprinting to sweep him up and offer a neck or wrist if he so much as appeared tired. Sometimes he found himself stuck in an amusing game of tug-a-war between two coven members, most often Jimin and Jungkook. The makeshift game never ceased to make him blush at the attention.

With the addition of a small amount of blood into his diet, he found that he was able to stay up longer, heal a little faster – figured out regretfully after a tumble down the stairs that left him with a definitely-sprained-but-likely-broken ankle that had healed itself within 24 hours without Namjoon’s magic – and almost never found himself sick.

The greatest part of it all was that his ability to pick up the coven’s scents never went away, making scenting and being scented his favorite thing to do.

Namjoon turns to Taehyung where he was trimming some leaves for a potion only a few feet away, fondly looking at the plants snuggling up to the hybrid before setting down his ingredients and joining him on the window cushion.

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask sooner.”, Namjoon says simply, voice low and rumbly as he leans his head against the window, dimples on full display as he regards the younger.

It’s been months but Taehyung is still not used to that smile directed at him, finds his breath taken away more times than not when the second eldest vampire gives him that look.

He realizes very quickly that he’s an absolute sap for all of Bangtan, ranting to Jungkook on more than one occasion about how gorgeous they all are, inside and out. While Yoongi’s gummy smile, Hoseok’s flying kisses, and Seokjin doing anything are enough to cause his heart to flutter, often, it’s the coven leader that leaves him flustered.

He’s just so big and safe and so fucking sweet that Taehyung can’t help but love him. Since the attack, Namjoon always makes it a point to check in on him at least once a day to check him over and give him a light scenting with a kiss on the forehead. Many times, he ends up cuddled up with the leader and just watching whatever tasks the older was completing.

“Come here, sweetheart.”, he would say, when Taehyung found him sitting on one of the plush sofas in the library, holding a thick tome in his hands. In a few moments, he was leaning up against the leader with a blanket, listening to the other speak about his findings. “Do you remember the glowing chipmunk when we first met? I found an extinct subspecies written in this book that were born with magic embedded in their fur, causing them to emit a glowing light during the night…”

It’s nothing that they speak about and somehow means everything at the same time, the half-human enjoying every moment he has with the taller.

Unfortunately, Namjoon isn’t the only one that leaves him blushing because Jimin is an absolute menace. If the man had any inhibitions before, he lost them, constantly finding a way to flirt with and fluster the younger.

Despite getting flirty winks and dealing with lingering touches almost daily, it never fails in sending a blushing Taehyung to Jungkook’s room to tell him about the fucking audacity of the shorter vampire, sending Jungkook into a fit of laughter.

“They’re easy to love, aren’t they?.”, Jungkook had whispered to him, the younger laying on his chest as the rest of Bangtan played a very intense version of UNO, Jimin and Seokjin currently having a heated discussion about the proper rules while Namjoon sneakily magicked two of his cards to disappear. Yoongi laid heavily against Hoseok, unbothered as the younger stole his +4s and skips.

“Yeah.”, he had agreed easily, nodding his head against Jungkook’s chest. “They make it hard not to love them.”

Luckily for him, he’s not the only one who is the target of flirty advances.

Currently, Hwasa, Yeri and Huenging Kai are all being courted by covens and although the half-fae is currently being courted platonically by a mixed-species coven – he’s still only just turned 17 – the girls’ groups are trying to be anything but platonic.

Taehyung had brought the Letters to Indigo not long after they gained freedom, showing them the side of vampires many had never seen before. He wanted to show them all the good the coven has done and build off that.

It took only a moment of Hwasa and Wheein meeting eyes before it was game-over.

“Oh.”, Wheein stated dumbly, starying at Hwasa with wide blue eyes. The fae was finishing last minute paperwork when she went to greet Jungkook and Taehyung, pausing at the eldest Letter when she was introduced.

Hwasa was in a similar state, staring unwaveringly at the fae in behind the desk. A light wind whipped through the entryway, displacing the papers Wheein had been working on. She didn’t even notice everything on her desk falling to the floor.

“Wheein-ah, who is using magic in the—” Moonbyul pauses in her rush to reach Wheein in the center of the large room, eyes locking with the witch next to Taehyung. Her eyes turned deep red and within a few quick strides was cupping Hwasa’s cheeks with both hands.

“Hi.”, she whispered, rubbing a thumb soothingly over the witch’s cheek. The wind continued to flow through the mostly empty room, gently moving the girls’ longer hair. A tear started making its way down Hwasa’s cheek, quickly wiped away by the wolf. The older raised her voice to address the fae behind her. “Wheein-ah, baby, call Solar please.”

An instant bond. Very rare according to Jungkook and the others and since Hwasa wasn’t bonded to them like the wolf, fae, and vampire were to each other, she was hit hard. The tour was effectively cut short as the Letters swarmed the witch with concern. Because newly-formed bonds, especially unexpected ones such as this, brought out a slew of protective and territorial instincts, the group only made it a few steps before being stopped by a deep growl from the wolf and moments later, their vampire leader, Solar.

Despite Jungkook’s attempts at diffusing the aggression, Taehyung’s sure an all-out-brawl would have started if not for Namjoon’s timely entrance, having felt Jungkook’s need for assistance through the coven bond.

Needless to say, their oldest coven member found a pack quite unexpectedly, and once tensions dropped and the bond finally settled, Taehyung can say that Solar’s pack-coven is delightful and Hwasa is downright thriving in their care.

Yeri and Huening’s introduction to their prospective coven’s came much more gradual. TXT was a younger group consisting of three vampires and one fae and had been mentoring under Hoseok and Yoongi for years before finally separating to form their own coven when Soobin reached the minimum required age for a coven leader. The group had agreed to take in Taehyung’s youngest covenmate when Huening Kai refused to separate from the fae the first time they met TXT, something about ‘exchanging energy’. When Taehyung asked about it, he received a ‘hyung you wouldn’t understand’ before Hueningie buried further into Taehyun’s embrace with a smile.

Amongst the seemingly never-ending supply of food – including loads of treats from Epiphany – and ample snuggles the half-fae receives on the daily, Taehyung has fully approved of the spoiling the teenager is getting.

Yeri and the rest of Taehyung’s coven had decided to make their own little group – jokingly named The Misfits – in lieu of finding their own separate covens to join, with both Bangtan and the Im coven acting as primary coven guardians and pseudo-leaders until the group could find their footing within the supernatural community.

That all changed when Yeontan started acting weird – even for a two-ton hell beast – whining and nudging the half-demon until she inevitably set him loose, the hound taking off immediately in a seemingly random direction. She had chased him for hours until finally, he had found what he was looking for. Yeri had never met another half-demon but once she saw Tannie comforting an injured and very confused Seulgi – who had unfortunately taken quite a fall that left her with a minor concussion – she knew she couldn’t stay away.

Red Velvet was one of three of Bangtan’s closest allies, along with TXT and the Im coven, and didn’t hesitate in offering the half-demon a temporary place in their coven. Irene had admittedly offered the position with the intent to court – Seulgi was smitten from day one – but told Namjoon that she didn’t want to overwhelm the young girl with advances so soon after meeting.

Yeri was hesitant to accept the courting offer only two months prior, but with many late-night discussions and reassurances from the Letters, she had left them with a parting gift.

“Leave us with what?”, Minji (previously O) asked, sprawled over two other coven members, looking at the half-demon on the opposite couch.

“A name.”, Yeri started. “I just…I wanted this coven to have a new beginning, away from Dongha and the others and I want to believe that even without Dongha’s interference, we all would have met eventually.”

“Like fate?”, Huening Kai had asked from his spot next to Yeri, the half-fae’s head resting on her shoulder. The girl chuckled.

“Something like that.”

Serendipity, she had named it. In other words, their group of ragtag half-humans and hybrids who met due to a ‘stroke of luck’ and now thrived under each other’s care. With a small council meeting courtesy of Seokjin, the previously known Letters were approved to become members of the newly-formed Serendipity coven.

So, with the two girls currently being courted and appearing pink-cheeked and flustered more often than not, he is admittedly having way too much fun teasing his prior covenmates.

He hopes that one day, he may not be affected by the coven’s advances, but for now, looking at Namjoon’s thin-rimmed glasses perched on sunlit skin, he can’t help but feel his cheeks heat up.

“I had been wondering since I first seen the building.” Taehyung shrugs, returning the smile. “Kookie told me that I should ask you because the reasoning was long and a bit philosophical.”

The coven leader gives a soft chuckle at that, smile brightening just a tad before nodding. “I suppose there isn’t many things I do that don’t include some sort of philosophical meaning.”

“For Indigo, though, there is quite a few different things it represents.” Namjoon’s voice is low and soothing as he looks out the window in thought. “I always favored the ocean, even as a human. I enjoyed how it could be calm one moment, waves gently lapping at the shore, and angry the next. It felt wild in a way I never understood. Because of this, blue was always my favorite color.”

“Bangtan is violet.” Namjoon reaches out and pets a stray branch of Lilith Tree seeking attention. The plant slowly curls its leaves around each one of the witch’s fingers. “We are wise and thoughtful while also being imaginative and quirky. In one aspect, Indigo is the combination of me as a person and Bangtan as a whole. It represented what I could bring to the coven and how we can be beautiful when together. Indigo has also been known to represent spirituality and intuition, though, neither of these are my favorite meaning.”

The Lilith Tree blooms under Namjoon’s slightly shimmering hands, showing off its brilliant purple flowers as it sways lightly overhead. Namjoon seems to be waiting for a response, and Taehyung is too curious not to give him one.

“What’s your favorite?”, he whispers softly, not wanting to disrupt the shy Tiriss saplings wrapping around their feet. Namjoon’s lips curve into a small smile.

“Indigo was thought to be the seventh color added to the rainbow. In our coven, seven has quite a significant meaning.”, Namjoon states cryptically, only increasing Taehyung’s curiosity.

“Why seven?” Taehyung leans forward in his seat at the question, the whisps following him as he does. Namjoon pauses in his caressing of the plants newest flowering buds, locking his eyes with Taehyung. He seems conflicted for only a moment before opening his arms. The half-human moves slowly, careful not to jostle the plants around him before settling sideway in Namjoon’s lap. The vampire leans down to scent him softly.

“I love you.”, the leader says easily, causing a stuttering breath to escape Taehyung, the boy hanging onto the coven leader a little tighter. “We all do, so much. You know that, right?”

Taehyung nods, not once questioning the authenticity of those statements. “I know, hyung. I love you, too.”

A few lengths of bright purple Liyard vines wind their way around them both, petting Taehyung’s cheek gently before snuggling into the crook of his neck. The vampire gives a small smile to the little vine before leaning in to press a chaste kiss to the half-human’s hair.

“When Jin and I mated, we quickly realized that we would be blessed with a coven in the future. We hadn’t met any of the others yet, but we could feel them. We had known there would always be seven of us so it very quickly became a valued number, something we would remind ourselves of when things became difficult.” Taehyung’s eyes widened in surprise. It seemed amazing that the vampires were able to sense this but also saddening because they knew about the members and didn’t know when they would ever meet them.

Taehyung bites his lips in thought, because Namjoon said seven, and there are currently six vampires in his coven. He can’t help but hope, his heart doing little somersaults at the thought of him joining the coven – but Namjoon hasn’t asked, hadn’t ever even brought it up to the younger. Perhaps, the vampire can sense who belongs in his coven right when meeting them, and found that even with Taehyung and Jungkook’s relationship, Taehyung wasn’t their intended seventh.

Namjoon pulls Taehyung’s bottom lip from between his teeth, giving him an all-knowing smile. “Just say what’s on your mind, sweetheart.”

“I just…”, Taehyung trails off. He doesn’t want to ask in fear of being too straightforward. If he asks and he’s correct in assuming that he isn’t their destined seventh, Taehyung isn’t sure if his heart can take it. He knows that the coven would keep him around, even if just for Jungkook’s sake, but the thought that it was never meant to be causes a pang of hurt to resonate through him. He settles for saying something else. “I don’t understand.”

“Jin always said I took too long to get to the point.” Namjoon chuckles, shaking his head lightly. “For us, not just anyone could become our covenmate. It was something predestined, fate if you will. Even before each of them were born, they were meant to find the coven, always nudged towards us even if they strayed from the path. Our seventh will be just as much made for us as we are for them.”

That sharp pain in his chest is back. Namjoon is talking about their seventh like the younger’s not even here. The half-human is irritated at himself because of course he isn’t their intended member. If the coven leader could sense that Taehyung was one of them, wouldn’t he have been more adamant on getting Taehyung away from Dongha sooner instead of allowing him to lie about their coven life? Wouldn’t Taehyung have felt something as well?

“I hope you find them soon, hyung.”, he says lowly, dropping his head to start out the window instead of Namjoon’s. Even if it hurts to say, it’s not a lie. He can’t imagine having to wait so long for someone and the coven is so great, Taehyung can’t help but hope they come along quickly.

“Tae-ah.”, Namjoon says gently, trying and failing to coax Taehyung to look back at him. He can’t though, doesn’t trust himself to not tear up if he has to look at the vampire’s longing expression directed at someone he wishes was him. “We don’t always know right away. But…I think subconsciously Jungkook knew from the beginning.”

Knew what? Bless Namjoon and his over-explanative self, but Taehyung’s chest is incredibly tight and he’s going to break if the vampire doesn’t just tell him. He takes in a stuttering breath, trying to be strong despite the burn of unshed tears.

“Tae-ah.” Namjoon urges, cupping his cheek with one hand and tilting his head back so Taehyung has no choice but to meet the vampire’s gaze. “What I’m trying to say is in every path, every lifetime, you were always meant to be ours.”

Oh.

Oh.

Hot tears run down his face and the human doesn’t try to hold them back. He doesn’t look away now, searching his face for any signs of mistruth, because surely Namjoon must be mistaken.

“We’ve known since the attack. We had just found our last little love, our seventh, and it broke us that you were taken away from us so quickly.”, Namjoon whispers, pulling Taehyung’s body tighter and running his nose gently over Taehyung’s hair.

Namjoon takes a large breath before lifting his head in the direction of the greenhouse. He lets out a light chuckle. “Couldn’t wait, loves?”

Taehyung cranes his head back, finding the remainder of the coven standing in the middle of the flora, only a few feet from the small fountains that feed the pond. They all look…nervous as they maintain their distance.

Namjoon slowly moves the half-human from his lap, turning him so he’s facing the coven leader, both hands clasped between the vampire’s larger ones. A soft smile adorns Namjoon’s face as he leans in and presses a light kiss onto the other’s hands.

“You will never be forced to do anything you don’t want. No matter what you choose, nothing will change for us. A part of us will always belong to you. Even if you never wanted to officially join the coven, you would always have a home here. You would always be loved.” Taehyung’s tears start back up again as he looks into the coven leader’s eyes. “Kim Taehyung, we would be honored if you were to join our coven and complete our family after centuries of searching.”

The greenhouse becomes uncharacteristically quiet, no humming from happy bonzai’s, no whispers from the overhanging vines, all silent as they seemingly wait for an answer. Taehyung lets a bright smile overtake his face before throwing himself at the coven leader. “Yes, hyung, yes.”

The cheers and laughs that echo through the plant life are completely expected, as is getting tackled enthusiastically by Jimin and Jungkook, the rest quickly moving in for a large group embrace. By the end of the celebration, Taehyung is floating high on the intense amount of scenting he was subjected to from each of his future coven members, eventually falling asleep between Yoongi’s smaller body and Namjoon’s rumbling chest.

“Where are we going?”, Taehyung laughs out, stumbling for the third time in just as many minutes. Jungkook catches him easily, a little chuckle escaping his chest.

“When did you forget how to walk?”, he teases, tightening his hold around Taehyung’s shoulders. The half-human stops, turning to where he thinks Jungkook is and gives him the best unimpressed expression. Unfortunately, the vampire can’t see his glare – courtesy of the blindfold that Jungkook had thrown on him – but he’s sure his one cocked eyebrow and pursed lips are evident enough.

The vampire only laughs at the expression, quickly wrapping Taehyung up again before continuing their way.

Taehyung had been working for weeks trying to learn and relearn basic painting styles and build his portfolio to apply to the Seoul Art Institute before the summer enrollment deadline had passed. The coven had repeatedly told him not to push himself, that he was still recovering mentally if not physically, but the hybrid just gave them a sweet, reassuring smile and waved them off. He isn’t sure why he necessarily felt the need to meet the summer deadline in particular, but he couldn’t help but feel like this was the time he wanted to jump back into school.

At first, he had been extremely hesitant to even think of returning to school, partly because it had been so long and partly due to worry regarding what he would need to accomplish before meeting the college’s application requirements. He never finished high school, due to living in his uncle’s household and eventually being taken in by his old coven at 16, so he was sure he would at least need to get a high school equivalent degree before even looking at applying.

Fortunately, he opened up to Hoseok about his concerns – when he was floating on the high of Hoseok’s most recent fae dance in his dedicated forest, the fae practically glowing in the moonlight – and the fae-vampire had simply given him a ‘Joonie will take care of it’ before tugging Taehyung into the next dance.

The piece of mail had come only two days later, stating that due to unexpected circumstances, Taehyung would be able to apply to their program regardless of any prerequisites as long as his portfolio was up to standard. But Taehyung hadn’t painted in years, the last time being with his mother as she did a commissioned piece for one of the townspeople. And despite having an entire year to apply before the registration office’s offer expired, Taehyung felt the need to do it as soon as he was able.

He submitted his application 30 minutes before the deadline, checking and rechecking his work the entire week in advance until one of the hyungs freed him from his anxiety by reaching over, clicking ‘submit’ and shutting his laptop, ignoring his feeble protests and dragging him to the kitchen to be generously fed by a smiling Seokjin.

This morning, a piece of mail had come from SAI, unknowingly to Taehyung, and was opened accidentally by a sleepy Namjoon, the elder having been awake for the last four days perfecting a new blood replenishing potion for the local hospitals. After a certain vampire had peeked over the coven leader’s shoulder, Taehyung was startled awake by an energetic Jimin, the vampire jumping onto his bed and draping himself over Taehyung to yell congratulatory statements as he wiggled excitedly.

Riding the initial fear then excitement radiating from Jimin, he was ecstatic to find that he was accepted for summer registration, the college giving him 2 weeks to meet with an advisor and finalize his schedule for the beginning quarter.

A proclaimed part of his celebration for being accepted, Jungkook treated him to his favorite restaurant, treats from Epiphany later in the afternoon, and had promptly slapped a blindfold over him. Despite his lack of vision, he knew he had been in a car for a short while and was now walking outside on what he guessed was concrete if the clicks of their shoes were anything to go off. The sound of splashes of water were heard to his left before a door was being opened and he was walking into a comfortably heated area.

Before he was able to question where they were at, Jungkook was pulling him along, the tap of their shoes loud in the otherwise quiet room, soft music echoing off the walls. They stop for a moment, seemingly at their destination.

“Okay, you gotta climb.” Taehyung makes a noise of concern, opening his mouth to tell Jungkook that he wasn’t climbing anything blindfolded. “It’s alright, I’ll be right with you.”

Letting out a dramatic sigh with a quirk of his lips, Taehyung shakes his head and allows Jungkook to maneuver him, both hands being placed on cool metal. A ladder, most likely. He beings climbing, hearing Jungkook’s voice get a little further away until being told to stop.

Taehyung’s hands tighten on the metal as it begins to move slightly, the young vampire seemingly hurrying up the other side until meeting the half-human at the top. The vampire takes a deep breath, tapping his hands next to the other’s.

“Any day, Kook.”, Taehyung says around a laugh, already able to picture the vampire’s nervous expression and fidgeting as he draws out the younger’s waiting. The vampire clears his throat before slowly lifting off the blindfold. Blinking quickly at the sudden change in light, Taehyung takes in their surroundings.

They’re on the main floor of SAI in the grand display room Taehyung had seen before, both on a rather tall ladder, resting right underneath a part of the huge metal arch.

“Woah..”, Taehyung whispers, wanting to look at all of it but unable to determine where to start. He knew it was beautiful when he had seen it from the ground but up close, it’s stunning. The original metal of the archway barely peaks through the hundreds of spots of color, shimmering gold and silvers reflecting off the many lights suspended in the air. The blots of colors are all so unique, no rhyme or reason for their placement, not one dot the same as another. Right under each dallop are the names and dates of the people who left them in small black writing, almost blending in with the sleek metal.

K. Jinhyu, ’06; J. Jaedyun, ’15…the list goes on and on. He’s unsure he would be able to count how many names there were just within reach, let alone the entire structure. He sends Jungkook a bright smile. “This is amazing. It’s so beautiful up close.”

“It is.”, Jungkook agrees easily, staring resolutely at Taehyung with a small smile. “But there was something in particular I wanted to show you.”

Taehyung tilts his head in confusion, earning himself a bigger upturn of lips. The vampire reaches a hand up and hovers a finger over a spot to the younger’s right. The half-human leans closer, squinting his eyes as he tries to find what the other is referring to.

Then, he sees it. A purply-blue in a sea of oranges and reds, the top of the paint curling up perfectly. Even without the name, he knows he would recognize the paints anywhere. They were expensive so his mother was rarely able to use them, but he remembers her telling him about the soft, fluffiness of the mixture that gave any painting something a little extra. His eyes burn before ever looking down at the small print of words underneath.

P. Baekhyun, ‘93

“It took me a while to find it.”, Jungkook admittedly quietly, one hand moving forward to enclose one of Taehyung’s. A lone tear makes its way down his face, glancing quickly at the vampire before snapping his gaze back because how can he look away? He reaches the closest hand up, hovering over the paint. He shouldn’t touch though, shouldn’t ruin the only part of his mom he has left, a piece of her froze in time in the place she loved.

His vision blurs as more tears fall. He’s sad, so extremely sad that he lost her and his father, but he’s also relieved because some small part of him was so upset at knowing that he had nothing of his mother but a gravestone. But now…now he had this and he knows his mother was so excited, so happy to be the first class to place their mark, all those emotions poured into one small spot. He looks back at Jungkook, the vampire rubbing his thumb soothingly over the back of his hand.

“I…I can’t even…thank you, hyung.”, he eventually settles on, causing the vampire to send a smile his way.

“When you graduate, if you want, you can place yours right next to hers.” Taehyung’s eyes widen, immediately nodding his head to Jungkook’s words because he’ll get to be with her even in some small way.

Some tears later and ample amounts of admiration for the large art piece, they find themselves in one of the private painting rooms on the third floor, the vampire having had Jimin rent out the space to give Taehyung more time at the institute without anyone bothering him. The older had sheepishly admitted that he had tried renting out the entire building before Namjoon stepped in and talked some sense into him, reminding him that there were hundreds of other students that needed that space for completing projects and speaking with faculty.

Taehyung smiled at his attempts regardless.

The room had floor to ceiling windows for optimal natural light, the same light that was now dimming, the sun dipping below Seoul’s skyline. Just like Taehyung’s first time at the Bangtan residence, he finds him and the vampire sitting across from each other on a plush window seat, the ends sporting multiple pillows and even a few lap blankets.

“Tae.”, Jungkook calls softly. Taehyung turns his head towards the other, sucking in a breath of air at the sight.

The light from the sunset bounces off his clear skin, painting him in a soft, warm glow. He’s always been stunning, always pulling Taehyung’s attention. But here, under the evening sun, eyes appearing more golden than dark brown, he was beautiful.

“Taehyung, I –”

“I love you.”, Taehyung rushes out, cutting off Jungkook’s words. The vampire appears surprised, mouth dropping open and eyes widening. He can’t even find it in himself to feel embarrassed, knowing that he wanted – no needed – to say those words les he combusts. The atmosphere was too intimate, too perfect, to not take advantage of and say the words that have been on his mind for weeks now.

“You idiot.”, Jungkook says, laughing brightly. “You couldn’t have waited two more seconds so I could say it first?”

Taehyung smiles at that, shaking his head much to Jungkook’s exasperation. “I don’t think I could have.”

Jungkook surges forward then, crashing his lips against the other’s. It’s messy and uncoordinated, their smiles getting in the way of effectively kissing but it’s everything Taehyung could have wanted and more.

“I love you.”, Jungkook murmurs against his lips. “With everything I have, I love you.”

It’s so sickeningly sweet that Taehyung has to actively will himself not to tear up. The vampire leaves no room for doubt or wonder, and the half-human thinks he’s never been so sure of something in his entire life, knowing that Jungkook was and always would be the younger’s star, always there even if not seen, leading him in the right direction.

Just as Taehyung would always be his moon, his brightness in the dark – like how the first photo Jungkook had taken of Taehyung was placed in the center of his photo collage – the boy would always be the center, the focus, of his entire world.

Fin.