Chapter Text
Yoongi wakes up in the middle of the night thanks to a wet tongue repeatedly licking his cheeks, then his nose and finally his forehead. He becomes aware of the warm feeling the tongue leaves on his skin., and how quickly it turns cold when air comes into contact with the trails of said tongue.
“Joonie?”
The wolf chirps. He’s even more excited now that Yoongi is awake. The alpha sits properly on his bed and lets himself be smothered by his mate. An airy laugh escapes his lips; it’s dark except for the faint light that comes from the moonlight.
Yoongi caresses Namjoon, who is objectively way bigger than the last time he saw him like this. And it’s obvious Namjoon can’t tell the difference, because he keeps moving and jumping around as if he were the little pup Yoongi and everyone else coddled. He’s Baby again. The realization makes Yoongi gasp in surprise.
“Joonie, wait! You’re--”
Namjoon headbuts him in the chin. Yoongi blinks at the sudden sting. Sometimes, Namjoon doesn’t realize how strong he is, so it makes sense that even a wolf Namjoon can’t handle his own strength. The big pup is unaware of Yoongi’s thought process, focusing instead on finding a place on Yoongi’s lap.
Yoongi laughs again, cheeks red and heart swollen as he hugs Namjoon. Soft fur and jasmine all around him. The alpha is giddy with happiness.
“You’re just a big pup, aren’t you?”
He says, not really expecting him to reply. The pup chirps again. This time he stays put between Yoongi’s arms and the alpha sighs. Namjoon has shifted for the first time. They had been putting that off until Namjoon felt comfortable with the idea. The alpha and the beta had respected Namjoon’s hesitance to shift.
When you shift, your bones and muscles burn as they break and rearrange in their new form. It’s a pain that, while it doesn’t really go away, you simply get used to it with time. ‘It’s the same pain as getting your eyebrows waxed but on your entire body’. Or at least that’s the closest explanation Yoongi could find when Namjoon had first asked. Hoseok laughed but also didn’t contradict him so the alpha took it as a win. For Namjoon though, his entire body would burn for days.
The pup snuggles him and Yoongi’s arms give him a little squeeze.
Namjoon has shifted, for the first time, and he looks happy and not in pain. He’s resilient, he has been through so much already, it’s impressive. Yoongi’s chest fills with pride. He can’t wait to tell everyone all about it!
…
“Don’t you ever get... tired?” Jackson’s eyebrows meet in the middle.
“Like… walking? Not really, no. I have a lot of stamina now, besides I like walking with hyung” he explains. Seokjin had been the one to drop both Hosek and Namjoon off, both shifters decided to walk the rest of the way to Hoseok’s studio, so Seokjin wouldn’t be too late to his latest audition. It’s hot and a little humid outside but he doesn’t really mind it.
Jackson sighs and shakes his head no; an endeared laugh leaves his lips. He looks even smaller than Namjoon remembers him. The omega beams at Jackson’s laugh. It takes him back to before. Nice memories of just them come to mind. Back when life was harder and Jackson was the only person he had. Sure, it probably wasn’t his best time, but he can still look back on those moments with fondness.
“Joon, I mean of them,” he extends his arms towards the same direction of Hoseok’s dance studio. Namjoon looks at him confused. The human continues, “Like, I’m not tryin’ to imply anything bad it’s just… you used to hate being around people so much, it’s weird seeing you like this,”
Both of them begin to walk towards their destination, a nice cafe they used to hang out in after tests. Namjoon blinks. He doesn’t really understand, did he do anything weird? He understood that Jackson may have some trouble getting adjusted to what happened, which is why he tried to not act too… non-human-y in front of him. He makes a mental checklist of everything that happened, anything that could have weirded him out. He even scented Hoseok on the car so as to not make Jackson uncomfortable. It’s not like Jackson would be a jerk about it but Namjoon wasn’t going to find out if he decided to be one right now. “Like what?”
Jackson opens and closes his mouth. They stop at a traffic light. The human snorts and teasingly bumps his shoulder with his own.
“You know what? Forget it. Happiness looks good on you, I’m happy for you,”
The omega laughs. A blush creeps up his face and promptly bumps him back. He is happy. After years and years of feeling alone and alienated by most of his peers, Namjoon can finally feel like he belongs.
“Me too,”
…
Seokjin sighs. He’s been rejected. Again.
It’s summer and, unlike everyone else he’s seen all day, his shirt doesn’t stick to his back; he doesn’t sweat. He takes heavy steps towards his home. He has to call his agent tomorrow and he really doesn’t want to. You were amazing, Seokjin-ssi. The director had said, his lips suppressed a grimace that Seokjin knew how to recognize all too well. We’re just not sure you’re… what we need right now.
Seokjin snorts. Bullshit. He had thought, but then he had simply smiled, the same smile he does that never reaches his eyes, and nodded. Thank you for your time, ahjussi. Have a good day. He had replied and politely bowed because if he wants to debut as an actor he has to kiss asses and play nice no matter what.
It’s not that he’s a bad actor. He’s good. He knows he’s good. The only problem is, unsurprisingly, that he’s a vampire. Nobody wants a vampire on tv. Humans would throw a fit, actors would claim to be uncomfortable and there would be more bad days than good days. He lets out a huff. (No one complains when they see vampires in porn, of course. That’s the only thing all vampires are good for: to be exploited. In a way, he understands now why vampires would kill humans for fun. Some deserve it).
Magazines? Good. Online Photoshoots? Great. Clothes Modeling? Amazing. Tv? Movies? Nope. Bad. Indecent. No one wants to work with a vampire. That’s the way it is. It’s not like vampires want to work. At least the ones that are lucky enough to be free. They don’t need to.
He is one of those lucky few that don’t need to, he already worked his ass off and saved money all around the continent (most of it isn’t even valuable anymore). So why is he so upset at not finding a job? Why? Why? Why?
“They said no again?”
He looks up and sees Namjoon staring back at him. Seokjin lets out a deep sigh. Home. He thinks to himself. He’s home and home is good. He loves his home.
“They think I’m too ‘indecent’ for open tv or something,” Seokjin takes a seat next to Namjoon and scowls.
“Did they say that?”
“Not but I know that’s what they think,” The vampire sighs, “We’re all creatures of the night that want to defile and be defiled, didn’t you get the memo?”
Namjoon purses his lips. “You know it’s not like that,” anymore, goes unsaid.
“Tell that to the directors and writers that don’t want to cast me,”
“Want me to send them a heated email, hyung? I can be like, really freaking mean and spam them.”
The sincerity in his voice makes Seokjin laugh.. “Just don’t go too hard on them, okay? I gotta kiss ass or I’ll get blacklisted.”
It’s summer. Namjoon is wearing one of Yoongi’s oversized tank tops that fit Namjoon perfectly. He’s sweaty and the shorts he’s wearing would get him killed in a time that Seokjin never really liked. He’s hot and sweaty and he hugs Seokjin with one arm. Namjoon’s sweat becomes more pungent and the vampire realizes it’s because he’s been running. He pretends to be disgusted. Namjoon laughs.
They stay like that for a while. Seokjin listens to Namjoon’s heartbeat and hums to it in a made up song. He made one with all of the boys’ heartbeat, until he realized all of their heartbeats had synced. He wonders if he’ll get to become familiar with Namjoon’s own heartbeat before he syncs with them. He makes sure to remember the melody in his head. He hums the song until his problems feel small enough for him to be over them.
It’s past 9 p.m and Namjoon’s skin glistens with sweat under the porch light. He softly says: “You’ll get casted, hyung. I know it.”
Seokjin smiles, the smile that reaches his eyes, and nods. It’s good to be home. “It’s whatever. Let’s go inside so you can shower, stinky,”
Namjoon giggles.
…
Namjoon’s back hurts. His wrists hurt too and so does his fingers, and he’s pretty sure it’s dark outside, too but he’s too afraid to check and realize his assumptions are right. He’s been in Yoongi’s studio for a while now. He looks at his phone on the desk, it lays there silent and unmoving. He had silenced it more out of habit than anything. He reaches for it and once the screen turns on he sees every missed notification and winces.
He hadn’t really meant to stay all day holed up in the studio, though, but he just learned how to use the music production software Yoongi uses and he’s excited to finally get his way around it by himself. It’s nothing like the free bootleg version he used to mess around with occasionally.
The omega lets out a whine, more canine than human if you asked anyone.
It was barely Yoongi’s third day out but he missed the alpha already. He’s supposedly going to spend 3 weeks doing promotions for his newest mixtape. The alpha didn’t want to, but he was on a contract and it’s not like he could say no to the money that came with it.
Sometimes Namjoon couldn’t even believe Yoongi wasn’t just his alpha, Min Yoongi, nap aficionado and professional cuddler but also Agust D, rapper. songwriter and producer of most of the country’s recent biggest hits.
He smiles at the memories of Jackson freaking out. Unlike Namjoon, it took him more than a couple of days to get around to the idea of his new life. Namjoon doesn’t even bother to understand most of the things around him anymore. He doesn’t need to understand if he’s happy. And honestly? That’s all that matters. He spent years of his life yearning for a family and now that he has it he sure as hell he’s not going to question it.
He yawns and decides to save the file. He spent most of the time just messing around, after feeling comfortable enough he decided to see if he could actually start a project. And he did! a small piano arrangement he found deep in an abandoned project he found mixed with some beats he created around it, but hey, better than nothing, or at least that’s what he told himself. It was pretty rough and basic if you asked him. But it was enough to make Namjoon proud. For a moment he had been worried about forgetting how to make his way around music equipment. He’s rather proud that figuring out the music editing software felt the same way riding a bike does.
He couldn’t wait to finish it and show everyone else! He finally has people to show the stuff he creates. People on his corner, Jackson had said during their last date; ice cream melting on his hands unlike Namjoon who had decided to eat ice cream on a cup. The omega smiles
Quietly, he turned the computer off and left the studio. It was only after walking out that he realized just how well Yoongi’s sound proof walls worked.
He put a pin on the thought as he walked towards the living room, where Jungkook and Hoseok were cuddling while watching Jimin and Seokjin argue about a subject that both seemed very passionate about.
“What’s—?”
“We were playing charades and Hyung got world war two and Jimin guessed wrong and now they’re screaming at each other.”
“You met the man, Jimin! How could you not recognize him?!”
“Stop saying that! It sounds wrong! So fucking wrong, oh my god,—”
“I chose it thinking you’d get it! this is so rigged I want a new partner! someone that can play well!” Seokjin looks up, as if he knew Taehyung would be listening from his room upstairs. “Taehyung-ah! Come play charades with Hyung!”
“NO!” Taehyung promptly replies. His voice is distorted by the walls. Jungkook and Hoseok chuckle. Seokjin fake gasps indignantly.
“Fuck off!” Jimin yelled, both of his fists closed. Both of which hide under his sweater sleeves. Namjoon suppressed a laugh at the vampire’s endearing mannerisms. “I passed him by on a train once! That's not knowing him!” Jimin extends his arms. Namjoon guesses if Jimin were human he’d probably be red with exasperation. “Besides! How the fuck was I supposed to guess when all you did was pretend your finger was a mustache?! What the fuck?!”
Seokjin blinks. He bites his lips to suppress a smirk. Namjoon hides his grin into one of his fists. Only Seokjin knows how to properly push Jimin’s buttons to this extent. It’s interesting seeing this side of Jimin that only Seokjin hyung can bring out; his immature, petty side. The one that Jimin never really brings out with the others. Namjoon guesses that with the amount of time they have known each other, it would be weirder if they didn’t rile each other up like this just for fun. He wonders if they ever miss the times when it was only the two of them against the world.
“It’s called ‘imagination’, Jimin. Look it up,”
Namjoon’s eyes open wide. Probably not.
“You motherfucker!” Jimin hastily grabs another card from the pile on the coffee table. “I’ll show you how to fucking charade you lazy fuck!”
Namjoon nods. He blinks and nods again, for good measure.
Just a Thursday summer evening.
…
Namjoon holds his breath in without realizing until he actually breathes again. He’s watching Yoongi react to the song he made for him. The song is short, less than two minutes, and the alpha hasn’t moved at all.
Namjoon’s hands are getting clammy. The song ends and Yoongi doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe, doesn't do anything.
He’s just...there.
The only hint of him being alive is his left hand being intertwined with Namjoon’s right one.
They stayed still for a couple of seconds. The silence felt heavy in Namjoon’s heart until…
“This is beautiful, Namjoon-ah. Thank you.”
…
Taehyung stares intently at Namjoon. He’s sitting on a tree log and Taehyung recognizes it as the tree log where Yoongi naps during winter. The soil under his bare feet is warm. The tree’s protect it from being completely hot. He likes summer the most.
“Hyungie!” Taeyung greets. The omega looks up and smiles at Taehyung.
“Taehyung-ah, how did you find me?”
The nymph blushes and looks away. He presses his lips together and smiles.
“I asked the trees.”
Namjoon’s eyes open wide. “Did you really?!”
The nymph shrugs and laughs. “Yeah but they never reply, so I just followed your footsteps.”
Namjoon looks at the trees with fascination and sighs longingly. “I wish I could talk to trees,”
“Me too,” The nymph walks towards him and quietly takes a seat next to him. They stay in silence under the tree’s shade. It protects them from the summer's blazing sun. It’s nice. He closes his eyes and quickly finds a comfortable position on top of the tree logs. It’s sturdy and it died a couple of years before Jungkook was born. It was a nice resilient tree, or so the other trees say. Taehyung hums. “My dad could talk to trees.”
Namjoon stills. He clears his throat and looks up. Taehyung thinks it’s cute. His hyung is always cute. He understands why Yoongi hyung fell in love so easily. It reminds him of him and Jimin.
“Could he really?”
“Mhm… Trees are little shits but like, honestly, I’d be more surprised if he didn’t and he just said he could, to be cool.”
Namjoon chokes. The nymph continues. “Okay, okay, not all of them, really. The forest kinda likes us but it’s mostly because we treat it kindly. City trees? They hate our guts, for sure.”
“Aw, I really like trees,” Namjoon sighs.
Taehyung opens one of his eyes to see Namjoon. He’s delicately playing with a loose leaf. Taehyung’s heart warms at the sight. It’s in his nature to care for the forest and mountains. He has to keep peace as much as he can. Or at least that’s what his parents used to say. The trees whisper gently. They never really reply to him. He doesn’t think they’ll ever do. It took his dad many years for the trees to accept him and start talking to him, or at least that’s what he always said. But trees are really chatty beings. They love talking. They always do; whispers that Taehyung can hear. He finds it amusing. A conversation that trees haven’t deemed him worthy of joining, yet.
nymph came again
nymph is nice
nymph bring me water
they are cluttering our space
nice wolf
very nice
the sun is nice
he's sitting on the great one
he’s the great wolf’s mate
long live the great one
the great one is dead
nymph where's my water
when are they leaving
thank you for looking after my leaf
he is kind
he is good to us
thank you now please leave
don't step on my leaf
wolf's mate bring me water
Taehyung smiles. “They like you too,” he assures. The omega smiles.
“Really?!” The nymph nods.
“Wow that’s so cool,” Namjoon says out loud for the trees to hear. “Thank you trees. I like you too!”
Okay now bring me water
Taehyung laughs.
…
Jimin is sitting in Taehyung’s lap. Both men lounge on their only hammock, probably pretending to be asleep to get out of helping.
Summer has been here for a while and everyone is excited for the change in weather. Summer means no school, water gun fights and beach trips. The vampire doesn’t really mind the heat, he hasn’t for a couple of decades, really. But he likes it when his pack is happy, so he, too, gets excited at the prospect of a different weather.
It’s sunny outside and it’s Sunday. They’re having a picnic, of sorts.
It was long due, Seokjin thinks, as he sees Hoseok follow Namjoon around in their wolf form. Jungkook comes out of the house, big cooler in his arms with Yoongi behind him, the alpha carrying pincers on one hand and two cans of beer on the other.
Seokjin smiles. He’s been on grill duty for a while now, and even though he doesn't mind, he enjoys the power that comes with responsibilities like this. Especially his favorite part: the banter.
“Yah! Couldn’t you be any more slower!? Did you go hunt the meat or what?!”
Jungkook huffs before dropping the cooler next to Yoongi. He wipes the sweat of his forehead with the back of his hand.
“Hyung took too long choosing the meat! He kept on changing his mind! I was just the muscles. Blame it on him.”
“Yah, kookie, way to let hyung down like that.”
Seokjin smiles. He takes one of the beer cans from Yoongi’s hand and opens it. It’s cold. Really cold. The kind of cold that he can feel. He smiles gratefully and drinks it happily. He doesn’t like beer, he doesn’t find any flavor in it, but drinking it with Yoongi makes it worth it. Besides, the sensation the beer leaves in his mouth is nice.
“I'm sorry, hyung.” He’s not though, by the way his lips curl up on the corners of his mouth. “But Jin hyung is scarier.”
“Yah! You brat! Handsome face like mine can’t be scary, take it back!”
“You’re right.” Jungkook pats the vampire on the shoulder. “It’s terrifying!”
The hybrid runs off, laughing and screaming as he takes off towards Jimin and Taehyung.
Seokjin shakes his head. The vampire and the wolf settle into a comforting silence as they get the meat ready to grill. They have done this so many times before it's a nice routine to fall into.
Seokjin hums one of Yoongi’s older songs as he helps the alpha prepare the meat.
And he can’t help but feel happy.
Because right here, right now.
Life is good.
When he can hear Jimin and Jungkook play fight with Hoseok and Namjoon, Taehyung cheers for all of them in the background.
Yoongi whistles the same song Seokjin is humming as he puts the meat in the grill and flips other pieces.
It’s summer, the day is hot and there’s no cloud in sight.
And Seokjin is happy.
He’s happy and life is good, and he’s sure he’ll remember this day for a thousand years, too.