Chapter Text
Entering the dorms usually felt like home, but this time as you followed Hoseok and Jin inside, everything felt off. The usual sweet smell of melting caramel and vanilla was replaced with bitterness and betrayal. All excitement left your body as you were left face to face with the other members.
You tried to ignore the cage behind them to the best of your abilities.
"Baby, come sit down-" Namjoon patted the couch cushion next to him. His voice sounded sourly condescending as if you were a child who just awoke from a nightmare.
"No, I don't think I will," You crossed your arms and leaned all your weight on one foot- you were truly, and royally, pissed with the entire day. "I want answers before I even think of moving from this doorway."
The men exchanged guilty glances, looking back and forth at each other as if having a silent conversation they didn't want you to hear. What hurt the most was when your eyes landed on Jungkook. The youngest sat crisscrossed on the big comfy chair, avoiding any eye contact. He looked defeated and genuinely remorseful.
As you looked him over, you felt your shoulders relax ever so slightly. What were the chances he was complicit in all of this? He was the one who told Jimin to let you out of the cage after all.
But then, you remembered his smirk. He was entertained this morning. The man you trusted and, dare you say loved, was equally as complicit as the others. He was no saint.
"We really think you should sit down-" As you stared Jimin in the eye, you plopped yourself onto the floor wordlessly. He looked flabbergasted, mouth slightly ajar at your actions, but quickly straightened up from the slightest nudge by Namjoon.
The leader cleared his throat, drawing your attention to him. Namjoon had his jaw clenched, visibly growing annoyed with your actions.
"You're a subordinate. Come here, now."
"Not anymore," you quipped, voice seeping with sass, "I'm not a HYBE employee anymore."
"You're still on the payroll. Come." Namjoon beckoned you over to him with his finger. "Now, little girl."
Before you could stand up, hands grabbed you from under your armpits, lifting you up. Your head turned to the side to see Hoseok's face, calm and stoic as he carried you towards Namjoon. Even though you wanted to kick and squirm your way out of his grasp, you kept your legs and arms crossed with all your strength solely out of spite.
"I'm sat," you said after Hoseok gently sat you down on the couch chase next to Taehyung. Now that you were within arm's reach, Namjoon's serious and slightly pissed demeanor made your cocky confidence waver. With all eyes on you, you became shy and focused your attention on the floor.
"So, we have a... proposition." It was Jimin who broke the silent tension, rubbing his thigh out of nervousness. Looking around, you noticed everyone looking rather nervous and uncomfortable, making you even more curious yet anxious about what they wanted.
"We want you to be our baby."
The room filled with an uncomfortable silence, all eyes on you, awaiting your response. All you could do was stare back at Jimin in utter confusion. Baby? Did they want you to be their girlfriend? That simply wasn't possible.
In front of you were seven Gods, perfectly sculpted from their tireless days exercising and rehearsing. Untouchable, unobtainable; A young girl's fantasy. Ultimately that led to the big question- why you? You were a chubby, plain postgraduate who felt blessed to even be working at the same company as these cultural icons, better yet as their girlfriend.
Your eyes fell to the ground. The breath you had been unknowingly holding in was released, and you let it all out.
"Why would I? Being close to you got me fired. What's in it for me?"
No one seemed to have an answer to your question at first, only glances of reassurance from their other members. Realizing you wouldn't be getting an answer, you stood up to leave the dorm.
"I should-"
"We'd take care of you. You wouldn't be alone. No strings attached." Jungkook arose a short second after you, desperate to keep you from leaving. His hand reached for yours, pulling you back towards him. "Please. Don't leave us. Don't leave me."
Oh, Jungkook, you thought. You could never say no to him, and he knew it.
There was shuffling behind you of bodies and papers. You turned, hand still in Jungkook's, to see a document on the coffee table alongside a pen. 'Document' was to be used lightly- it was a thick packet, almost the size of a novel or dictionary. Squinting, you could barely read the text from where you stood.
"It's just for official purposes and protection. Basically, don't ask, don't tell. Sign it and you can stay. Otherwise, we'll be out of your hair."
Your eyes flickered up from the papers to Yoongi, who up until now remained silent and emotionless. Even he now looked anxious, much different from his usual calm and cool persona. Yoongi was always trustworthy, but for some reason, his reassurance felt off.
"Don't ask? But what about the cage-"
"Don't ask, don't tell." His voice was more forceful than reassuring this time- you were pushing some limits. With a sigh, you gave one look around the room at each of the members. They all looked serious, yet held a glimmer of happiness and hope that you would agree. Everything was a haze in your head- you weren't even sure what was in the contract. You felt an outsider watching as your body knelt on the floor, taking the pen in your hand, and signing on the dotted line.
What did you just sign yourself up for?
———
A week had passed before you were assigned any new projects at work. For the past week, you hadn't moved an inch from your bed. No one, not even the guys, had reached out to you during your week-long depression, making you feel even more isolated and dirty.
The early morning commute was quiet and dreary as if everyone else was still in the semi-depression that you just spent the past week in. You'd like to forget everything, like BTS, the document, the drunken party, and just start anew. In a way, you could. At any point, you could decide to put all that behind you and start fresh. But were you really clean?
As you walked through the building, coworkers and colleagues side-eyed you, gossiping amongst themselves. Ah, you thought, everyone still remembered. Everyone knew. So much for starting fresh.
Before you could turn into a bathroom to cry, someone grabbed your hand from behind you, pulling you further down the hallway and into a dark conference room. Once inside, you yanked your hand away and turned to face the one and only Jung Hoseok.
The older man did not look too impressed.
"You're actually fucking kidding me," you said, crossing your arms. "For not supposed to be seeing you, you sure are making yourself present."
"I don't recall asking for sass, y/n." Hoseok was a very cheerful, happy person, but when he was mad, it was a rather frightening scene. You had a feeling you were nearing that breaking point.
"Why have you been ignoring us all week?"
"What?" You exclaimed, not sure what he exactly meant. "You got it wrong, dude. You guys have been ignoring me all week."
"After you left that night, we have been constantly calling and texting you, but you never answered. You made us worried sick."
"I'm pretty certain I..." your voice trailed off as you checked your phone, only to just now notice all the silenced notifications from the past week. A sheepish, guilty smile crept up on your face as you slowly put your phone back into your pocket, avoiding Hoseok's gaze.
"You signed the contract, y/n. You need to follow it."
"I don't even know what's in-" Hoseok firmly grabbed your shoulder, guiding you out of the room before you could finish your sentence. Wordlessly, the two of you exited the building. Though your head was down, you were certain the two of you had passed your boss during your walk of shame. Great.
Neither of you said a word as Hoseok drove to the dorm. He didn't explain anything and didn't elaborate about the contract. All you could do was follow Hobi's lead and hopefully get some sort of explanation.
Once parked, the two of you sat in silence. Hoseok knew you had questions, and waited until you dared to speak. You took a big breath to calm yourself before speaking.
"Can you please tell me what's going on, Hobi?"
At first, you thought Hoseok just ignored you, too preoccupied with his cell phone. Eventually, he lowered the device slightly and looked over at you with a reassuring smile.
"We care for you, y/n. You don't need to worry about anything anymore."
"Oh, my god. Stop being so fucking cryptic!" You threw your head back in exasperation, letting the back of your head hit the headrest. Nothing was making sense, everyone was acting as if they were hiding something, and you seemed to be at the center of everything. If you didn't know any better, you would have guessed that the members of BTS were planning on sacrificing you or something.
The dorm was empty except for Seokjin and Jimin in the kitchen. As soon as the door closed behind you and Hoseok, their heads popped up comically around the corner.
"y/n!" They exclaimed, rushing towards you and engulfing you in a tight embrace. All you could do was just accept it, letting them take your bag from you and usher you into the living room. You remained silent as they gently scolded you for ignoring them, the same general spiel that Hoseok gave you earlier.
Sitting down on the couch, you kept your head down and ignored the three of them. Everything had been so weird recently. Especially now, with Jin and Jimin fussing over you like a mother. You knew they were hiding something, but you just had no proof.
"Can I have some water?" You asked, your throat dry and scratchy from anxiety. Jin and Jimin both went quiet, quickly realizing you weren't listening to a single thing they were saying.
"Of course, baby," Jimin said, excusing himself to go back to the kitchen. Finally, you looked up to meet Seokjin's eyes.
"Why do you care so much about me? Why do I always end up here?" You deadpanned. Seokjin gave you a sad smile before sitting down next to you and pulling you onto his lap. He gently nuzzled the top of your head, cuddling you close.
"Because we love you."
With those words, you felt every part of your body tense up and freeze. Did he say what you think he said? No, it was impossible. Seokjin was known to be blatant for comedic effect, but you had a feeling this wasn't meant to be funny.
You stammered over your words, not entirely sure what to say. Your hands pushed against Jin's chest, trying to escape the hold he had on you, but he had much more strength than you. The older man just held you closer until Jimin came back with your water.
In a sippy cup.
"Is this a joke?" You asked as you bursted out laughing. You looked at Jimin and Seokjin, only to realize they were not laughing with you. Jimin held out the sippy cup towards you, and when you didn't take it quick enough handed it to Jin.
"Where's Hoseok? I bet he would find it funny," you tried to justify the humor you found in the situation, but the two men paid you no mind. Seokjin stood up, gently shifting you onto the couch and placing the sippy cup on your lap. The cup was a translucent pink with musical instruments all over it, except for the clear nipple and the teal handles.
"Come on, we gotta get to the studio," Hoseok said, coming back into the living room with your backpack. You completely forgot that he left with it earlier.
"You mean the place you took me from?" You sassed him, "Why would you bring me here, give me a sippy cup, and then take me back there?"
Everyone ignored you and your questions and focused more on getting prepared to go to work. You looked around the room in search of the hidden camera for whatever prank they were pulling on you. A pair of hands grabbed you and lifted you off the couch. Instinctively, you wiggled and squirmed, but Jin was much stronger than you and held you easily in his grip. Just like a toddler, he held you on the side of his hip. You grasped onto the fabric of his shirt, feeling unsteady at the unfamiliar hold. They were talking to you, but you couldn't comprehend a single word. Whether out of panic or confusion, you didn't know. All you knew was that Seokjin was holding you like a child while walking out of the apartment.
And in your hands remained the sippy cup.