Chapter Text
You had never slept better. Rich people's mattresses were no joke. You definitely had to invest in one when you got money. Of course, assuming you found money on the street, as you were a broke college student.
Ah...
'But it's so soft...' You rolled on to your back and sighed.
'How much can I sell a kidney for?' You wondered. Was it worth it? Well, you could pend time in the comfy bed after the surgery so there was that.
Usually, waking up in a foreign apartment resulted in a much more panicked attitude. Right now, you would probably be picking up your clothes from the floor, sneakily dressing and tiptoeing out of the door. However, that wasn't the case when the bed was empty except for you, your borrowed clothes were neatly arranged on a chair and the scent of fresh ground up coffee was filling your lungs. Ah! And to think you could have been in a cold cell now, waiting for a trial! Life was truly strange.
As you got up, you winced. The cuts still hurt. Jin had done a good job, but he was no miracle worker.
Yet, as your toes got immersed in a very fluffy carpet, it seemed like it had been worth it. Seemed. You still had to see about that.
You put on the clothes Yoongi had, surprisingly, lent you last night. He was the closest to your frame so the pants were just a tad long. You were grateful for them being baggy, as the boy was definitely skinnier than you. The shirt was also nice, even though you were dressed way darker than you used to. But you were obviously not complaining. You didn’t have many opportunities to be this fashionable first thing in the morning.
'I wonder why's that?'
Well, it’s not like you tried that hard. Usually, when you had courses early dressing up was the last thing on your mind.You shrugged it off and left for the kitchen.
In front of the guest bedroom you had slept in was J-hope's room. Music could be heard from inside, so you assumed they didn't have anything scheduled for this morning. You would have gone and asked him if he was alright after fainting last night, but you assumed that was crossing way too many boundaries. Letting you sleep here had been more than nice from them. Talking to you didn't have to be included. After all, you could have been a killer with great storytelling skills for all they knew. J-hope was probably scared enough of you already, and you didn't want to give him any more reasons for that. Sure, yesterday he might have "dozed off", as he excused himself after Jin slapped him awake, but you didn't buy it. Whatever, meeting a mythological being who’s got killing someone as their goal would sound pretty disconcerting to anyone.
You groaned loudly and proceeded to ask yourself something you've been avoiding.
What would you do now?
You had to return to your own life. To your apartment, to your major, to your weekly kdramas. Yet, after everything that had happened yesterday, your daily life sounded awfully boring. This whole experience had passed like a dream... Or a nightmare, at times. But you couldn't deny meeting your favorite band was neat. And sleeping in their house. And talking to them. And wearing one's clothes. You hugged your form clothed in Yoongi's silky shirt. Damn! It was so soft! Now you had to invest in a new mattress AND a silky shirt. Not the same as this one, of course. It could probably buy you a whole bed.
As you entered the living room, you saw Taehyung sitting on the floor playing on some console. His back looked incredibly good in the t-shirt he was wearing. Wow. Could you also invest in one of these? You inhaled deeply. You meant the t-shirt. Of course. Why not.
You really needed a boyfriend.
'And a hot one like him.' Your subconscious added.
You shut her up. You didn’t have time to be pinning after a pop star right now.
The blonde didn't seem to notice you entering, but right when you wanted to announce your presence...
"It's definitely not ethically correct, you know, as it's essentially cold blooded revenge. But the premise is that it's committed as a reaction to another unethical act: the kidnapping. Yet, that can't be considered an excuse. Like, it's still murder. Also, we have to take into account the vindictive nature of the nymph species. I read about that last night and-"
"Good morning." You interrupted him, smiling as if you didn't hear anything.
Namjoon was rambling as he ate whatever Jin was cooking. The elder didn't seem to listen to him, likely being focused on the ingredients he was handling.
"Good morning!" Namjoon exclaimed abruptly.
You had surprised him.
Sure, he wasn't gossiping. He was just analizing the situation... Yet, he still felt embarrassed when caught in the act.
"Pancakes?" He asked, redeemingly.
Your morning got a hundred times better with just one word. Sure, hearing the rapper judge your intentions was a step back, but pancakes!
"I'll have another portion ready in a minute. Those are already cold." Jin complained, stopping you from accepting the other member's offer.
You had never been this hungry. You gulped as you took a seat and waited for the promised goodies. You hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, before you left for the park.
Damn!
The park! Your clothes!
You were definitely not getting them back anymore...
... Your keys!
You really needed those! The landlord was in vacation for another week. And sure, you could stay at your step mother's, but it would turn out hard to explain how you lost your keys. You were usually very careful. And you were so tired of explaining yourself.
You started to panic. Your phone was inside your apartment! What if they called you about the job you had interviewed for 2 days ago?! God, you really needed the money for some renovations. That apartment was a dumpster... And your notebooks! You had courses on Monday! Really early! And the Prof was a prick!
What to do?!...What to do?!
"What's up?" A deep voice could be heard above your internal yelling. In the seat next to you sat Taehyung, with his head resting on his arm. He was eyeing you from below his long eyelashes. V-neck shirt Taehyung.
"Fuck." You muttered, too absorbed by your crisis to think about how good the boy looked. You really couldn't have left a pair of keys under your entrance mat or anything?! How could you have been so stupid?
"You look worried." He continued, furrowing his brows.
At that, you woke up. There was an idol in front of you, TALKING to you, and you were rather condemning your own stupidity than acknowledging anything he was saying. You really had to get your priorities in order.
"Did you not sleep well?"
Was he an actual angel?
"Oh, no, no, sorry. I slept really well, thank you! It's just, I left my keys in the park and I really don't know how I'll get in my apartment. And I don't want to bother you guys anymore really, you were very kind anyway." You rumbled. He looked amused. Namjoon also had a soft smile on his lips as Jin sent him an indecipherable look.
What was that about?
Anyway. You had our own conversation to focus on.
"I'll go look for them, right after this." You pointed at the pancakes Jin was placing with dexterity on a large plate.
You hoped you weren’t salivating.
"It’s not like I have other options...” You continued under your breath.
You really didn't. At least, not any worth considering.
"I mean, even if someone stole my clothes, maybe they left the keys?"
You finished in a quiet note. Ah. You definitely weren't going into that apartment this week. You had to borrow a phone to call your step mother. At least announce her you were a failure before turning up at her doorstep.
"I'll come with you." What?
"What?"
You weren't expecting that.
"To look for your keys. It's better in two."
Don't think about something naughty. Don't think about something naughty. Fuck! You thought. Well, the low tone in which he said that definitely didn't help. So, not your fault entirely.
You were clearly staring at him by now.
You looked up, feigning unaffectedness.
"Oh, sure. That's nice of you, thanks!"
You managed to get all of that out without your voice cracking. You clearly deserved a prize. Oh! Maybe your prize was going with Taehyung to the park... That sounded about right!
Jin put a plate of pancakes in front of you and you thanked him. As you devoured the sweet breakfast, you were grateful. You were truly grateful that now, with your mouth full, you didn't have to talk anymore and risk saying something stupid.
"You should change, though. I will give you a shirt. That one looks good on you, but it's quite transparent."
You choked.
Taehyung was amused. He was bored and you amused him.
Easy.
However, the logical part of his mind reminded him, at times, that yesterday you said you had to kill a man.
Also, a you were a fish. Sometimes.
...
Oh...well. Nobody's perfect.
And you were pretty and cute.
And he had just volunteered to help you search for your keys, yet Namjoon and Jin were very obviously frowning at him.
He sent them a look that meant "It's fine, I'm just playing."
They did not seem convinced.
Taehyung sighed and got up from his seat. 'What happened to the "You're all grown men!" Jin resorted to when they didn't wash their dishes?!' he wondered.
"We're free today, right?" He asked his elders.
They answered "yeah" half heartedly, watching the younger man leave.
"Come." Taehyung said, already in the hallway.
You shoved half a pancake in your mouth, thanked Jin for the food and huried after the blonde.
Oh, you had eaten way too fast.
As you took a turn, you saw him calmly walking towards his room. You followed and noted that he had a very nice back. And bottom. He was over all, very nice. Indeed. And, for a short moment, you felt awkward in this gorgeous apartment, walking behind this gorgeous man. Yesterday, you were fan. Last night, you were an intruder. Now, you were walking to a member’s room without having washed your teeth.
But then it passed, and you were back at staring at his ass.
However, despite how pleasurable this whole experience was turning out to be, you were curious. Curious why Taehyung was doing what he was doing when around 9 hours ago he heard you say you wanted to kill a man. It truly intrigued you. That whole storytelling thing worked out better than expected, as they pretty much pitied your situation. And it was clearly better than calling you crazy.
After J-hope fainted, some shocked faces didn't seem like that bad of a reaction, really. Sure, you weren't paying that much attention to them: You were too busy shaking the passed out boy. So, maybe their expressions were worse than you glimpsed.
"That's a joke, right? It's not very funny." You remembered Jin pointing out. He seemed dead serious, so you did whatever someone in your position would have done.
"Yeah, it's a joke. Hahaha. Can't believe you guys fell for that." You laughed, unconvincingly. It was a stupid thing to do, you weren't denying that. You could have actually tried to pass it off as a joke. Yet, you didn't feel like lying to them. They had been civil with you. Mostly.
"You sure?" Yoongi asked, as you predicted he'd do.
"No." A pause. For good luck. You were going to be honest with them. And for that, you needed luck. A shot of vodka would have done the job too, but it was quite inappropriate to ask for one now.
"I don't really know what I'm going to do." You confessed.
"I don't want to kill someone. Of course I don't, I'm not a psychopath."
You hoped they believed you.
"But I feel like I should avenge my mother in some way. I don't know if that's what she would want. You see, I didn't know her that well, since I was five when they took me away. Yet, a part of me, that feels kind of foreign, is screaming revenge. And I think he deserves it and I can't stop but feel guilty about actually wanting to hurt him. And there's just me, who cried for 3 hours after accidentally stepping on a cat's tail."
You sighed.
They stared.
You felt uncomfortable as fuck.
They kept staring.
Maybe you should have just let them think you were a psychopath.
You sighed.
Still, silence.
Oh, well, you checked sharing your feelings off this lifetime's bucket list. 'There goes something I won't do ever again.'
And then, Namjoon got up. He took the wet cup from you and held your hand in his large ones.
"It's alright." He mumbled.
He took a deep breath, looked right at you and continued.
"I don't want to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. It's just... What happened to your mother is not your fault. At all. So by trying to hurt him, try not to hurt yourself more. Don’t force yourself to be someone you aren't."
And then, he half hugged you and you felt fucking blessed. His words had touched you pretty deeply. Sure, hadn't convinced you. You weren't blaming yourself for anything. Even if he'd been genuine, he was a bit off the mark. You weren't blaming anyone but your father. And fate. And the other factors...
'At least I think not.' you mused.
Also, you didn't want to cry and shit. You liked your almost badass vibe.
But, at that moment, Yoongi offered you some clothes to sleep in and to wear the following day and something inside of you cracked.
Why were these guys so damn pure?
And all that brought you to this point, inside of Taehyung's room, leaning awkwardly on the door while he was looking inside his closet.
"Hmm... Maybe this will fit?" He was thinking out loud, and you would have deemed it cute if he wasn't holding a very lacy shirt.
"I don't think that's meant to be worn in the park, while I'm fumbling in the grass for my keys." You indicated, sarcastically.
He sent you a very sharp look.
You raised your hands defensively.
"No offense, though!"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Then I'll wear it." He said, as an ultimatum, before he reached to take his t-shirt off.
'Yes!' Something inside of you screamed.
"Wait!" You told the blonde before he could undress himself.
He sent you a questioning look.
You turned around and heard the clothing roll off his body and fall to the ground. What was this? Sure, you didn't mind the show, but yesterday you would have been just another crazed fangirl. Now he was undressing in front of you? This was going from 0 to 100 real quick. It didn't seem natural.
"At least let me turn around, God... " you mumbled, facing the door. You heard him walk towards his closet, probably shuffling for pants.
"Does it bother you that much?”
You wouldn’t say bother, but still. Yet, he didn’t let you answer.
“It wouldn't be the first time you see me taking my shirt off though, would it?"
Huh? What was he-...?
Oh!
Ohhhh....!
So that's what it was all about.
"I was a fish! You changed in front of me!" You retorted.
As you heard him zipping, you guessed, his pants, he stepped closer to your form.
"But you watched." His deep voice vibrated close enough behind for you to feel intimidated. And a bit hot.
You felt his warm breath prickling at your skin.
Okay, maybe a bit more.
You couldn't deny Taehyung gave off an awfully sexual vibe. Particularly when he used that tone of voice. And you couldn't deny it did things to you. He seemed like the perfect person for a Naiad with a high libido. But you had to remind yourself who each of you was. He, an idol from one of the biggest k-pop bands of the moment. He held concerts, photoshoots and had people paid to fan him when he got hot. You, one of the people who had him as your phone's wallpaper. The conjuncture never resulted in these two people saying more than some passing words to each other. Yet, here you were. And you knew he was untouchable.
You didn't know, however, what to say back right now. Or if he wanted you to.
You heard him move away and, next, the atmosphere was shattered by a shirt landing on your head. You heard a chuckle and instantly turned around to see him sitting on a very comfortable looking bed. He winked, with a smirk on his face.
"Just kidding. Don't get so worked up."
...
'Tease!'
Namjoon sneezed. Jin looked at him worryingly. Something bad was happening.
The weather was...good. The park was...nice. You felt... really uncomfortable.
There was something about walking next to an idol of Taehyung's popularity that made you nervous. Maybe it was the eminent vibe he was giving off even with his face covered by a face mask and cap. Or maybe it was his height. Who knew? You looked behind to see he had stopped on the bridge above one of the fish ponds.
Whatever.
Point is, something about him intimidated you.
Yet, that feeling was quickly gone when he leaned over the handrail to look at the fish swimming underneath. How could someone go from cool to cute this quickly? He looked at you, smiling with his eyes and beckoned you to come closer. As you joined him on the bridge, you thanked God he did not actually wear that lacy blouse to the park. People would have been staring. And you liked your diy disguise. It made you feel like an important person, a celebrity even. These days you had to make up a famous persona.
Truth is, both of you were pretty unrecognizable. You had borrowed a face mask and some sunglasses from Namjoon, who still didn't look entirely happy Taehyung was coming with you the park. And even if the blonde exuded nobles through every pore, you looked like an average couple taking a stroll. A couple that didn't like the sun very much, sure.
"Aren't they beautiful?" He was attentively following the koi fish’s below fluid movements.
You had almost forgotten this man was a singer, but you were reminded every time he opened his mouth. His deep voice was weirdly both soothing and erotic at the same time, a combination you never thought you'd be into until you met him.
"You like fish?"
Way to go. He had just told you they were beautiful!
"Assuming I tried to buy one but ended up with you." He chuckled. You felt mildly offended.
He must have seen your presence waver, because he continued. He took his face mask off so you could hear him better.
"Just kidding. You don't meet a Naiad everyday, so you're more interesting than a fish. Do you have any pets?"
Okay. Normal conversation. Don't fuck up.
"I used to. I mean, I grew up around lots of animals. Fish, turtles, so many birds..." You were looking at the people passing by, hoping they wouldn’t recognize Taehyung and interrupt your conversation.
"But once I came to Seoul I was way too rebellious against the people that took me from my mom to be thinking about anything else. After my dad left I wanted a dog, but my step mom is allergic. So I guess I never really had a pet. You?"
He lifted his gaze from the water and his eyes meet yours. Their tenderness surprised him. You hoped he didn't pity you. Sure, pity had saved you the last night, but you weren't a fan of it.
"I have Yeontan. He's a pomeranian and so tiny." He lifted his hand for comparison.
"He's just a bit bigger than this."
Taehyung's hands were the size of a small dog. You didn’t know what to make of that piece of information. It was kind of amusing that he could pet the dog in just one stroke, though.
"I don't see him much these days since we're pretty busy. This weekend our manager let us relax, but usually we aren't home that much. We also have tours or periods with lots of concerts when it's hard to take care of a dog. You can barely take care of yourself."
He was charming even when he talked about his dog. Good God.
"Why don't you hire someone to look after him? That way you could see him more often." It seemed only logical, they definitely had enough money.
"I don't like the thought of leaving him with a stranger, you know? So he's at my parents'. Actually, that's why I wanted a fish. It's easier to take care of. Sure, you can't pet it, but hotel rooms get lonely at night."
He sounded kind of sad and it almost broke your heart.
Now you started to understand what these boys' lives were like. Yeah, they were filthy rich. However, they couldn't commit to anything. Their schedules didn't allow it.
You couldn’t imagine how living with so limited freedom was like. It definitely wasn’t your type of lifestyle. And they were so young when they started this... Did they even realize what they were signing up for? Was all the Gucci worth it?
Yet, just when you wanted to ask Taehyung that, he smiled and locked his eyes in yours.
“But, you know, fish are very pretty.”
Then, he winked. And you forgot what you wanted to say.