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Chapter Text

Jimin stirred in his sleep, his head pulsing as his dreams turned to nothing but flashes of red and gold and black, pictures quickly appearing and immediately going out of focus before he could decipher what they were. Suddenly he awoke, his head still pulsing, and he tried catching his breath. His stomach felt tight, and when he closed his eyes again, another picture flashed and quickly faded away. He rubbed his temples as he sat up, his head barely clearing the ceiling of the tiny house’s loft. He let his eyes adjust to the light so he could get a better bearing on his surroundings, trying to ignore the pulses going through his head that encouraged him to close his eyes.

The dim light seeping through the narrow windows at the base of the loft told him it was dawn, but just—when only the earliest of birds were up to start singing, and the grass was still covered in dew and everything else in fog. He looked to his sides, where Jin and Namjoon were asleep on the queen-sized mattress that took up virtually the entire loft’s space. Both of them were still sleeping, with Namjoon snoring rather loudly, but when Jimin started scooting off the bed to get to the ladder to leave the loft, Jin gently grabbed his wrist.

“You okay, baby?” Jin asked sleepily, having to speak above a whisper due to Namjoon’s snoring.

“Do you know where Yoongi hyung is?” Jimin asked, his own voice hoarse from sleepiness too.

“Pretty sure he and the others went to sleep in the camper.” Jin rubbed his eyes and looked at Jimin with better attention. He brought his hand to Jimin’s forehead, then to his cheek. “You having a vision? Is it a bad one?”

“Yeah, I can’t tell how bad yet though.”

“You want me to walk you over to him?”

Jimin took Jin’s hand in his own, kissing his knuckles before placing his hand back to the mattress. “That’s okay, hyung. Stay with Joonie hyung.”

Jimin watched the elder consider whether to insist further, but ultimately his resolve diminished in the comfortable bed and early morning.

“Alright, if you’re sure, baby,” Jin mumbled as he laid back down, scooting closer to Namjoon and giving him a quick nudge to silence his snoring.

Jimin smiled at his sleepy hyungs before his pulsing headache reminded him of the task at hand, and he scooted to and climbed down the ladder. Passing the small sitting area and tiny kitchen, Jimin walked out the door of the tiny house and into the fresh morning air.

The cool air felt good on his skin, and a blanket of fog covered the woodland area where they had their set up. The lawn of unkempt, but soft, weedy grass was where they had their three living spaces: two tiny homes and a renovated camper, set up in a half circle, with the trucks that could tow them parked off to the side. In the middle of the half circle was a fire pit with camping chairs around it, and behind the half circle was a forest, while in front of it was the dirt road they had come up on and beyond that, a clearing with a lake.

Jimin, without even having thought to put on shoes, let his feet fall onto the dew-covered grass, and he could feel the pebbly soil underneath the plant growth as his weight shifted from one foot to the other. By the time he made it across the lawn to the teal and white camper, his feet and ankles were soaked, and he scrunched his toes against the welcome mat at the base of the step up to the camper.

He did his best to quietly open the door and close it behind him. He had to stand still for a moment for his eyes to readjust to the black darkness of the camper after being in the subdued morning light of the outdoors as the sun had been rising from behind the woods. In the darkness, a sudden flash of gold passed over him, and he nearly doubled over as his stomach convulsed and his knees grew weak.

He let out a sickly sigh as his eyes searched to make out the bunk beds at the end of the camper. As he carefully walked over to them, he was able to spot Taehyung and Hoseok on the top bunk, and Yoongi with Jungkook on the bottom. Jungkook was more tucked against the wall while Yoongi was near the edge of the bed, with the maknae’s head on his chest.

Jimin dropped onto his knees and gently nudged Yoongi’s shoulder, whispering “Yoongi hyung.”

Yoongi only groaned at first, but soon opened his eyes. “Jimin-ah?” Much like Jin, Yoongi’s eyes grew more awake and concerned as his waking mind assessed the situation. “A vision?”

Jimin nodded.

“Alright.” Yoongi looked at the boy asleep in his arms, and Jimin couldn’t blame him for the pained expression of having to leave their precious maknae. But after a beat, Yoongi skillfully slipped his arm out from under Kook and sat up to leave the bed. Jimin stood up and the two of them walked to the camper’s door, Yoongi’s hands reaching to Jimin’s sides, ready to catch him if his knees gave out.

Once they were out of the camper, the door closed firmly behind them, Yoongi said, “Where do you wanna go, sweetheart? The other tiny?”

“Can we lay out in the truck bed? The morning air feels nice,” Jimin said, annoyed at the strain in his voice, but his gut was starting to feel like it was on fire.

Yoongi gave a small smile at the younger boy, and placed a kiss on his temple. “Of course, baby. Want me to carry you?”

“That’s okay, hyung, I think I can make it,” Jimin said in a quieter voice, his head growing fuzzy. He reached out and found Yoongi’s hand, and their fingers intertwined. Luckily the camper was closest to the vehicles, but even still, in the brief time it took them to walk over to them, Jimin was rendered completely useless. He couldn’t fight the urge to close his eyes, and Yoongi had wrapped one arm around Jimin’s waist, holding Jimin’s hand with his other, leading him to the trucks. Jimin winced as he was set against the car.

“Can you lean here while I put some blankets in the truck bed?” Yoongi asked, still holding his hand.

Jimin bit his lip, trying to keep a grasp on reality for a bit longer, and he forced a nod. Eyes tightly closed as his stomach felt like a hurricane, he heard Yoongi shuffling around, opening and closing the doors of the truck. Eventually Jimin felt a hand on his shoulder, and with all his might, Jimin opened his eyes. He wanted to see Yoongi before the vision completely took over.

In the group, Jimin was one of the strongest of the Touched. It was thought that Touchedness occurred on a spectrum rather than being a simple cut and dry, Touched or Untouched, but there was no doubt that Jimin was on the farther end of that spectrum. His Touch was visions, prophetic abilities. His mind would become overwhelmed by something he couldn’t control and he would see things that he had no prior knowledge of or means to imagine—when this happened, his body would grow weak or sick because it took so much out of him.

But that was the thing about being Touched—to have mental abilities beyond normal human capacity took a toll on the physical body—just like everything in life, there were tradeoffs. Naturally, it was common for Touched people to have Untoucheds care for them, whether it be in a familial, platonic, or often romantic relationship. However, Toucheds were also drawn to one another as well; rarer than Untoucheds, they shared a common fondness in not feeling alone or like a freak, and could often help one another strengthen their abilities. So, it became somewhat common for love groups of Toucheds and Untoucheds to form—some as big as communes, others just small, polyamorous relationships—where the Untoucheds would take of the Toucheds while benefiting from whatever abilities the Toucheds possessed.

Jimin had been so grateful when the sevens’ love group had formed, and in the years that they had all been together, their bond only ever seemed to grow stronger. They understood each other and knew well how to care for one another. And it was well understood that when Jimin had a particularly daunting vision, he wanted to be with Yoongi.

Yoongi was Untouched, and Jimin had found that he was best at caring for him when he was in the depths of a vision, where he lost consciousness and his ability to control his body. While Jin, also Untouched, was a great caretaker too, there was something about Yoongi that was especially calming to Jimin during his visions. Yoongi never became panicked, he never worried over or doubted Jimin’s ability to handle a vision—his trust allowed Jimin to relax in times that previously would have riddled him with anxiety.

As Jimin forced his eyes open to see Yoongi, even though the pulses in his mind were enough to make him want to scream, he saw the calm expression of his hyung; soft, cat-like eyes meeting his own.

Yoongi’s hand had moved to Jimin’s neck, lightly massaging it. “Remember to breathe, Jimin-ah. Relax your muscles if you can.”

Jimin nodded, but had to close his eyes again. He considered his hyung’s words, and after tightening his muscles on an inhale, he was able to relax them as he exhaled. This relieved a good portion of his tension, and he reached out to Yoongi, his hand finding his chest and moving up to his neck, grabbing a fistful of his shirt’s collar. He pulled the shirt towards him, and he felt Yoongi’s body shuffle closer, but Jimin didn’t stop pulling at the shirt until he felt Yoongi’s lips lightly touch his own. He weakly kissed Yoongi back, the tactile sensation a reprieve from the throbbing of his mind, and he let go of Yoongi’s shirt to wrap his arms around his neck.

However, after too soon, Yoongi tugged at his arms and broke away from the kiss. He stayed close though, and Jimin whimpered as he buried his face into the crook of Yoongi’s neck.

“You’re shaking, baby. Let’s go lie down in the truck bed, okay?” he said softly into Jimin’s ear.

It was only after Yoongi pointed it out that Jimin realized his whole body was trembling. His brain was started to feel like it was moving, like it was falling up and down, like he was jumping on some ridiculously intense trampoline, even though he was standing still. It made it difficult to come up with the words or gestures to respond, and suddenly his mind was transported to a scene of an empty field with a rumbling sensation coming from the ground, it grew louder and louder until there was a fast, incredibly loud noise, like a clap of thunder.

Jimin let out a short scream and his knees gave out as his mind was brought back to reality, and Yoongi held onto him. Yoongi shuffled his grip on the boy until he was properly holding Jimin, carrying him to the truck bed.

“Okay, I got you, it’s okay. Are you with me, Jimin-ah? Did you leave already? Huh, are you here, or are you somewhere else?” Yoongi cooed.

“H-hyung,” Jimin croaked. He felt himself being placed on a pile of quilts, and felt the truck bed sink slightly as Yoongi climbed in too.

“Scoot up this way for me if you can, baby,” Yoongi said, helping Jimin to lie his head down on a pillow. “Comfortable?”

Jimin managed to nod, and he reached out blindly to find his hyung. He didn’t have to reach out far, since Yoongi had lied down right next to him, and Jimin ran his hand up to Yoongi’s cheek.

“H-hyung,” Jimin repeated. “I-I’ll be gone soon.”

Yoongi kissed Jimin’s forehead, running his fingers gingerly through his hair. “I’ll be right here the whole time.”

“There w-was thunder, hyung,” Jimin said, his breathing becoming rapid and his heartrate increasing. He felt dizzy, he felt like he was spinning. He could tell he was shaking, but he couldn’t feel anything—he couldn’t feel the truck bed, he couldn’t feel Yoongi, but he felt the air—it felt stiff and cruel to his lungs. “There was a field, and it was shaking and—”

Jimin’s words cut off as he let out a scream due to the high pitch noise that suddenly pierced through his mind, and he felt his whole body lurch forward, it felt like every atom of his being was suddenly pushed off a cliff, but instead of falling, he just fell unconscious. It was brief, and when he woke up, he was gone.

There was no longer a high pitch noise. In fact, there was no noise at all. It was deadly silent, and Jimin was back in the meadow. He looked around but couldn’t make out much of anything else, until the rumbling started up again. It was subtle at first, but grew, and it almost felt like something was growing closer, coming towards him from all sides. He looked around and couldn’t see anything, until the rumbling was so loud that he could feel the vibrations in his chest, and then he saw masses of black approaching him from all around. He couldn’t quite decipher what the black masses were, but he thought they almost took on the shape of a stampede of horses, and the rumbling became so strong that it knocked him to his knees.

As he fell to his knees, however, he was transported through the ground of the field, and suddenly he was under water. It was dark blue, with bubbles all around him, floating upwards. Jimin, holding his breath, felt the need to follow those bubbles, and he pushed himself up with them. Normally one would see a light source when coming to the surface of water, but Jimin could only see more water, and when his lungs started to ache, craving oxygen, it was only when they filled with pain did the water rush past him and he breathed in deeply. Still in water, he found himself in a pool in a dark cave, only lit by glowing white crystals imbedded in the cavern’s walls. His limbs felt abnormally heavy as he pulled himself out of the water, and he collapsed onto the cold rock floor, coughing.

When he heard something, he lifted his head, but missed seeing whatever had scurried past him down a corner of the cavern. Seeming to follow after it, a man walked into view and stopped to look at Jimin.

Jimin’s eyes managed to focus, and he furrowed his brow. “T-Taehyung?”

Tae brought his index finger to his lips. “We must be quiet.”

“Why?” Jimin asked, shivering, but he felt the all too familiar feeling of his atoms being lurched away from the scene. Taehyung walked past him towards the corner of the cavern, and as the scene blurred, Jimin shouted, reaching out for him, “Taehyung! Why—why?!”

The cave went black and Jimin felt himself being pulled aggressively backwards. The high pitch noise returned, and Jimin saw a dazzle of red and gold flashes in the blackness.

He sat up just as he thought he was about to puke. He didn’t though, and it was the warmth of the sun and buzzing of insects that made him realize that he was back. His eyes were having trouble focusing, so the world appeared blurry, and he realized he was shaking and covered in sweat. His breaths were heavy, and he felt a hand on his shoulder. It made him jolt, but when he looked, although fuzzy, he recognized Yoongi’s presence, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“Lie back down, Jimin-ah,” Yoongi’s voice said, softly but with sternness.

He obeyed, his head finding the pillow soon enough. “H-hyung—” he stopped himself, surprised at how weak his voice sounded when it had been fine just moments ago in the cave.

He felt Yoongi’s fingers comb through his hair, which made him relax, releasing tension in his muscles that he hadn’t even realized he had been holding.

“Rest, baby,” Yoongi said as Jimin’s eyes struggled to stay open. “We can talk about your vision later, right now you need to rest. It was a long one, baby, you were gone for nearly three hours.”

Jimin groaned. It explained why his muscles were aching, but that was one of the worst things about visions—they felt like mere minutes, if that, to Jimin, when in reality they took at least an hour to pass. Part of Jimin wanted to protest his caretaker’s insistence of rest—he wanted to say that he might forget the vision if he fell asleep again, but that was never true. He could never forget them. Besides, the lack of a pulsing headache made him realize how tired he was, and as his eyes fell closed, it was a relief that there was only the darkness of the backs of his eyelids.

~

Yoongi watched as it took no time for Jimin to fall into a deep sleep. He decided he would let him sleep for only a couple hours at most, because Jimin would need food and water after such a long spell of a vision. Plus, he would be frustrated at Yoongi if he let him sleep the whole day away. Yoongi yawned, considering to let himself take a nap as well. For hours, as the sun rose through the woods, he watched over the boy, wiping away tears and sweat, holding him as he whimpered or trembled, cooing in response to his incoherent mumbles and groans—although Yoongi knew Jimin couldn’t hear him, he had noticed over the years that his voice did seem to help subdue Jimin’s convulsing and movements.

Yoongi caressed the boy’s cheek, finally able to relax now that he slept peacefully. Yoongi had been with Jimin through many visions, he knew he was strong and would always make it through, but still, every time Yoongi couldn’t help the sense of relief that would wash over him once they were over. He glanced out to the lawn, noticing Jin walking towards the truck. Yoongi sat up more as Jin walked over to the side of the truck he was sitting on. Jin rested his elbows on the truck’s edge, taking a glance at Jimin.

“He make it through okay?” Jin asked.

Yoongi nodded. “Yeah, just fell asleep.”

“Really? That’s a pretty long one. How’d you hold up?” Jin asked, reaching his hand out to Yoongi’s nape. Yoongi leaned into the loving squeeze and sighed.

“I’m fine, hyung.”

“Mmhmm.” Jin’s hand moved up through Yoongi’s hair, massaging his scalp. Yoongi closed his eyes, leaning further into his hyung’s affection. “You want me to take over for a bit?”

“What about the others? They could need you.”

“Oh, they’re all sleeping. It’s still pretty early, you know.”

“Mm.” Yoongi turned to place his arms against the side of the truck bed, coming face to face with Jin, and gave a small smile. “I’m alright, hyung, you should stay with them, just in case. I’ll take a nap with Jiminie, we should be okay to do that now.”

Jin smiled in return before lightly kissing Yoongi. “Alright. I’ll come check on you two in a bit. Come get me if you need anything.”

“Okay, hyung.” Yoongi pecked his lips again before Jin left the truck’s side, walking back to the tiny homes. He lied back down with Jimin, carefully placing his arm over his side as he cuddled up against him and closed his eyes.

Chapter Text

Hoseok pushed the sleeping mask off his eyes and onto his forehead, blinking as he opened his eyes. The camper was well lit, the sunlight seeping through the cloth curtains that hung from the camper’s small windows. He turned to the boy still asleep at his side, but had to bring a hand up to his face, covering his eyes. Taehyung must have been having a pleasant dream, because his yellow gold aura was especially bright and large, the tiny orbs of golden light forming rapidly off his skin and floating several inches away before fading into nothing.

Hoseok groaned, keeping his eyes closed as he scooted towards the edge of the bed. “Yoongi hyung, you awake? Do you know where my—?”

He hung his torso down to see the bottom bunk, but only the more subdued silver glow of Jungkook’s aura was present, the small silver specs softly floating and fading just above his skin. Yoongi must have gotten up already, which stumped Hoseok—it was rare for the Untouched to leave unannounced. He sat up, and struggled to undo Taehyung’s grip around his stomach.

“Ah, Tae, lemme go, I’m getting up,” Hoseok said, digging at Tae’s fingers.

Taehyung, still asleep, let out a groan as Hoseok escaped and hopped off the top bunk. He looked at the boy, and it seemed that his glow had subdued some, which wasn’t surprising—everyone’s auras glowed brightest when they were together. But still, a more than healthy amount of golden floating specs formed off his skin and danced around his body.

Hobi ruffled the younger’s hair and placed a kiss on his forehead. “Cuddle with Jungkook if you like. Looks like he’s been left alone too.”

He walked the length of the cozy camper, grabbing an apple from a bowl of fruit resting on the table of the teal and white booth. He spotted his sunglasses on the table too, and, with a sigh of relief, snatched them up before stepping outside.

On the spectrum of Touchedness, Hoseok was in the middle of the group. There was certainly no doubt that he had mental abilities, having had to learn in his childhood that not everyone saw people with auras of varying colors and brightness, but his powers’ physical limitations were never as dire as Jimin’s or Taehyung’s. At most, his eyesight was somewhat impaired, his eyes often growing tired from the brightness that people possessed, but more often than not, simple fixes like sunglasses and sleeping masks were enough to remedy the ailment. 

It was a sunny morning, and Hoseok stretched out his arms, grateful for the nice weather. While the tiny houses were quaint and cozy, they could begin to feel cramped and crowded on long days of poorer weather, so the seven took to the outdoors whenever it was optimal. He spotted Jin and Namjoon sitting by the fire pit. Jin’s rose gold aura had a quieter glow to it this morning, and Namjoon, with his nose in a book, was glowing warmly, his small orbs of light a white gold with just a hint of reflective blue. Hoseok admired their auras for a moment before putting on the sunglasses, which made everything duller but much easier to take in.

“Morning,” Hoseok greeted as he approached them.

“Morning, sunshine,” Jin said as Hoseok leaned down, giving him a quick kiss before he walked over to Namjoon, draping his arms around his neck and snuggling his cheek to Joon’s as he looked at the book in his hands.

“Whoa, what language are you reading today?” Hoseok asked.

“Arabic. I think I’ve nearly got it mastered,” Namjoon answered, before turning to smile at Hobi. “Morning, by the way.”

Hoseok smiled too, pecking his lips. “So how many does that put you up to?”

“Ahh, eight? Nine, maybe.”

Namjoon was on the lower end of the Touched spectrum, and they could never think of a better way to describe his power other than simply hyper intelligence. It was more specific than that though, as anyone of higher intellect tends to have a specific field of study they excel in, and Namjoon’s was language. He had a strong power and understanding of words, and because of it, he was able to learn languages at the drop of a hat.

His physical limitation was difficult to pin down too, but Namjoon liked to explain it as a lack of dexterity. He wasn’t coordinated at all, and sometimes went through rough bouts where he could barely use his hands. Despite having beautiful handwriting, Namjoon struggled with the task—it took much focus and time for him to be able to write just a paragraph. “It’s the greatest irony of my life,” he once explained, “Words will be racing through my mind a mile a minute but I lack the ability to place them anywhere tangible, for others to see.” He coped by carrying around a voice recorder, talking whenever his hands truly failed him, but he also constantly carried around small moleskin notebooks, using them just as much, if not more frequently, than the recorder. He insisted that practice helped him overcome his ailment, and often when he wasn’t reading, he was writing.

Hoseok sat down next to Joon, who had returned to reading, and looked to Jin. “Where’s Yoongi hyung, by the way? He wasn’t in the bunk.”

Jin’s aura seemed to dull down a bit as he glanced over to the trucks. “Jiminie started having a vision at dawn. They’re resting now.”

Hoseok nodded—he should have realized that when Yoongi was missing. He bit into the apple he had grabbed from the camper, and decided to change the subject so Jin could have a break from worrying over Jimin, which he always did during the visions.

“Seems like we got a good set up here, hyung,” he said to Jin. “You think we’ll stay here awhile?”

Jin gave a small smile, glancing around the tinys. “I don’t see why not. It’s quiet and private, there’s plenty of space. I could see us staying here at least til the fall.”

Hobi nodded in agreement. “I think so too. We were lucky to find it.”

Namjoon mumbled something incoherently about luck, causing the other two to look over to him.

“What, Joonie?” Jin asked.

Namjoon glanced up from his book and shrugged before his eyes dropped back to the page. “I was just thinking out loud, hyung. Ignore me.”

Jin smirked before leaning closer to Joon, nuzzling his cheek. “Never.”

This made Namjoon break his focus and shyly flash his dimples, turning to touch his nose to Jin’s, and the two shared a sweet kiss. Hobi couldn’t help but smile as the rose and white gold orbs danced excitedly around one another, mixing into a bright display of affection. Due to his power, as much as Hobi enjoyed kissing and other forms of intimacy, he often enjoyed watching the others just as much, if not more.

He soon became distracted from the two when he glanced towards the trucks. It appeared that Yoongi and Jimin were returning, and Hobi got up to meet them half way. Often Yoongi liked to have Hoseok’s insight on Jimin’s aura after his visions to make sure he was recovering alright. Jimin was being carried on Yoongi’s back, his head resting on the older’s shoulder with his arms around his neck, Yoongi holding onto his legs. The three met at the front end of the camper, and Yoongi gently placed Jimin on his feet.

Jimin’s aura was rose gold in color too, perhaps slightly pinker in shade to Jin’s, and right now it was pretty pitiful. Only small clusters of lights formed off his skin, and they faded as soon as they hit the air around his skin.

Hoseok stretched out his arms. “Come here, little one. I heard you had a vision this morning, huh?”

Jimin sleepily rubbed his eye with his sweater paw of a fist before obliging Hobi and stepping into a hug. Jimin buried his face into Hoseok’s neck, and Hobi placed his hand on the back of Jimin’s head, stroking his hair. He looked down to see a few more specs floating off his skin, but they still faded quickly.

Hoseok looked to Yoongi, his silver aura also quiet, but healthy. His was a darker silver than Kook’s, almost a gun mental coloring, but not quite so harsh.

“Have you gotten him to eat anything?” he asked.

Yoongi shook his head, also sleepily. “He insists that he wants to talk to Taehyung before anything.”

Hoseok looked quizzically at him for a moment before lightly pulling Jimin away from his chest in order to meet his eyes. “Jiminie, you have to take care of yourself first, that’s the rule.”

“It’ll only take a minute,” Jimin whined, “I swear.”

“He’s being stubborn on this one, Hoseok,” Yoongi said. “The sooner he talks to Tae the sooner we’ll get food in him.”

Hoseok pursed his lips, but ultimately gave in. The two walked Jimin to the camper’s door, but Jimin insisted on going in alone.

“We’ll be right out here if you need anything, baby. Please don’t take too long,” Yoongi said as Jimin stepped into the camper. Once the door closed behind him, Yoongi sighed, resting his head on Hoseok’s shoulder.

Hoseok wrapped his arm around Yoongi and placed a kiss to his head. “You do well with him.”

Yoongi sighed again, and turned his body into Hoseok’s in order to be properly held. “I hope you’re not just saying that.”

Hoseok let out a small laugh and just rubbed his hyung’s back to comfort him.

~

For a second time that morning, Jimin found himself weakly walking through the camper. After visions, Jimin would always feel worn out and groggy, almost like a hangover, and this time he felt especially weak. Yoongi kept insisting that food would help, but Jimin’s stomach still felt uneasy enough to not make any food sound appetizing.

When Jimin had woken up from the nap, he tried to sneak away, but it was like Yoongi was born to be an Untouched caretaker, because he immediately stirred awake as soon as Jimin started moving. It was just as well—Jimin was so weak that his attempt to leave on his own was pretty pitiful.

“Where’re you going in such a hurry, baby? Sick of me already?” Yoongi had teased, gently tugging at Jimin’s arm that was propping him up in his attempt to scoot down from the truck bed.

“I have to talk to Taehyung,” Jimin said, his voice feeble.

Yoongi sat up to be able to look at Jimin better, and pushed the hair away from Jimin’s forehead, examining his face. “You need to eat, baby. Tae’s still asleep, he’s not going anywhere.”

“You don’t understand, hyung—he was in my vision.”

Jimin’s visions always tended to be cryptic, full of symbols and feelings rather than what would literally happen in the future. He did his best to interpret them, often feeling like a failure—what good’s a seer who can only make sense of his visions with hindsight?—but over the years he had learned to understand a few things about them. First, the settings were always real. Even if dark, rumbling masses weren’t literally going to stampede towards him, that field he had been transported to was real, that cave he had been in existed somewhere. And secondly, similarly, whenever a person he knew was in the visions, they were definitely involved somehow. It was concerning enough to have Taehyung alone in a vision, let alone the overarching sense of worry Jimin had felt throughout that part of the vision, which made Jimin want to check on and talk to Tae as soon as possible.

Jimin summarized the vision to Yoongi, hoping he would understand his sense of urgency. However, Yoongi remained calm, having pulled Jimin into his lap as he listened, massaging his tense shoulders as he spoke, and he handed Jimin a water bottle when he finished speaking. The massage felt amazing, and before he knew it, Jimin was melting into Yoongi’s chest, and the water bottle, which Jimin didn’t even know that Yoongi had, was a nice touch too. But that was the kind of caretaker Yoongi was—subtle yet well timed, perfectly able to understand what you needed before you even knew you had been craving it. Even though Jimin’s stomach didn’t want food, his throat was dry after talking, and he happily gulped the water, which seemed to settle at least some of Yoongi’s worries.

“So don’t you see? I need to go to Tae. Even you have to admit it’s concerning,” Jimin said, screwing the cap back on the bottle.

“I never said it wasn’t concerning. But making sure you’re healthy is just as much a concern of mine, beautiful,” Yoongi said. Still massaging his neck and shoulders, Yoongi leaned to kiss Jimin’s ear before speaking softly, “Why don’t you lie on your stomach so I can massage your whole back, baby?”

Yoongi’s voice in his ear made Jimin’s insides flutter, and the massage was awfully tempting, knowing what Yoongi was capable of—not to mention what it would often lead to, if Jimin had the energy for it. But Jimin fought these desires, because he had to prove to Yoongi his resolve was strong. This vision was worrying, and until he saw Tae for himself, he’d be half convinced he was gone already.

Jimin turned to face Yoongi better. “Hyung, can we please do that later? I really need to find Tae now.”

Yoongi’s eyes search over Jimin’s face, and his expression grew tired. “It’s that bad, you think?”

Jimin opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, and ultimately shrugged. “I don’t know, hyung. I just feel really…uneasy, about this one.”

Yoongi took in a deep breath, nodding. He brought his hand to Jimin’s cheek, making sure they held each other’s gaze. “Okay, but only if you promise to eat right after you talk to him.”

“Throw in that back massage and you got a deal,” Jimin said, which made Yoongi smile before pulling him into a kiss.

Yoongi’s attention had distracted Jimin from his physical state (another one of his talents as a caretaker), but when the two went to leave the truck bed, he was reminded of how worn out he still was, needing Yoongi to carry him back to the tinys.

Now, standing in the camper on his own, away from his hyungs, he almost wished that he hadn’t had the sense of urgency that he did. But he wanted to be able to understand his visions, and something inside him compelled to talk to Tae, so even though massages and attention sounded nicer, he forced himself to take heavy steps across the camper, leaning against the counter when he needed to.

When he got to the bunk bed, he wasn’t surprised to see the two younger boys together on the bottom bunk. Taehyung was on top of Jungkook, his knees straddling his waist and he was leaning down to kiss Kook passionately. Jimin leaned himself against the wall, crossing his arms and smiling at how the two were so caught up in each other that they didn’t even realize he was there.

“I hate to interrupt,” Jimin said as loudly as he could get his voice to muster, and Taehyung bumped his head when he pulled away from Kook in surprise.

“Then join us instead,” he said, smirking as he rubbed the back of his head.

Jungkook, keeping his eyes on Jimin, sat up, pulling himself out from under Tae. “He’s not up for that. He’s upset about something.”

Jimin just hugged his arms tighter to himself, knowing there was no point in denying it. For most of Jungkook’s life, he had been assumed to be Untouched, because he was physically very fit and never showed any obvious signs of having a Touch. But within the first year of the love group, everyone noticed Jungkook’s unusually powerful knack for empathy. He had the ability to immediately take on the mood or feeling of anyone he was around, without needing any context or reason for the feeling.

 While it was a lighter Touch, which perhaps explained the lack of a physical downside, his empathy, the group soon learned, was a double-edged sword that allowed Jungkook to walk the line between being Touched and Untouched. He was a wonderful caretaker in times where the others were feeling more reserved or trying to hide their feelings—he could immediately pick up on it and be at their side for comfort without turning it into some big scene. Alternatively, in moments of more heated or intense emotions, Kook would easily become overwhelmed and end up being the one in need of a caretaker.

Now, Jimin felt guilty for Kook’s sudden downturned expression, knowing that he was now filled with the worries and exhaustion that he felt.

“I need to talk to Tae—why don’t you go sit outside with the hyungs, Kookie?” Jimin suggested, trying to sound light-hearted even though he knew there wasn’t a point in feigning anything with him.

Jungkook sighed and stood up, walking over to Jimin for a moment. “You had a vision, didn’t you?”

Jimin nodded, placing a hand on Kook’s arm. “Yes. Don’t worry, though.”

Kook twitched his head in a quick tilt. “Easier said than done.”

Jimin gave a small smile, gently squeezing his arm. “I know.”

Jungkook smiled too, and quickly placed a kiss on Jimin’s cheek before walking passed him to exit the camper. Jimin watched him leave, making a mental note that he would have to make it up to Kookie—first making Yoongi leave him at dawn, then separating him from Tae—but once he was out the door, Jimin’s eyes moved to Taehyung. He was sitting on the bed cross-legged and expectant, looking almost as if a kid in trouble.

 Jimin felt his heart fill with a weird mixture of warmth and sorrow—typically he would tell the whole group about his vision and they would discuss it together, which was likely to happen later today. But right now he had a gut instinct that talking with Tae could be his chance at gaining further insight to decide what it all meant, which would only help when he went to talk with everyone else. He wanted to be able to tell them what he thought it meant, rather than just being confused and useless as a seer. So, as he went to sit next to Taehyung, he considered what he would say and what he should expect to understand better from their conversation.

Chapter Text

When Jungkook stepped out of the camper, he noticed Hoseok and Yoongi standing off to the side in an embrace. Both turned their heads in reaction to the door opening and closing, and Jungkook nodded a weak acknowledgement. He could sense Yoongi’s exhaustion, but with Hobi there, some of it was relieved. They seemed caught up in themselves, so Jungkook decided not to bother them, spotting Jin and Namjoon by the firepit with breakfast, which was his main interest anyway.

He pulled the hood of his jacket onto his head as he walked over to his hyungs. Kook couldn’t help feeling a bit grumpy, between the interruption of his morning with Tae and the concerning vibes Jimin was giving off—he hoped his hyungs were feeling more stable, as the older two often were, even in times of concern. Usually when one of the others’ feelings were becoming too overwhelming, consuming Kook until he couldn’t reason out why he felt the way he did or how to get himself out of it, he would turn to Namjoon. Namjoon always maintained a level-headedness that helped Jungkook steady his emotions; even in times where Joon was frustrated, he remained calm and reasonable about it. Kookie thought it might have had to do with his Touch—he was so smart, he could reason beyond feelings in a capacity Kook wished he understood, wished he was able to do.

Jin also had a knack for lifting Kookie’s spirits. It was usually Jin who would be the first to notice when Jungkook was becoming overwhelmed, the one to separate him from the others and be able to read what Kookie needed, whether it was a more comforting support or a lighthearted teasing to lift his mood. As he approached them, Jungkook was already beginning to feel his mood brighten.

From the plate sitting on Jin’s lap, Jungkook grabbed a blueberry muffin as he mumbled a greeting, taking a bite of the sweet pastry.

Jin gave an exaggerated look of exasperation. “That was mine!”

Jungkook grinned. “Aren’t there more in the kitchen?”

“Yeah, and you better go get me one!” Jin huffed, teasingly kicking at Kook’s ankles.

Jungkook stepped out of reach of Jin’s sweeping kicks, going closer to Namjoon. “I will in a minute.”

“Ah, this is how you treat your hyung, really,” Jin said, giving up and leaning back in his chair, starting to eat the fruit on his plate.

Jungkook giggled, taking another bite of the muffin. “In a minute. I promise.” He looked down at Namjoon, who had a moleskin journal open and pencil in hand. He was pretending not to notice their bickering, but Kook could see his small smile that proved otherwise. Kook nudged his shoulder, suddenly craving his attention after realizing he was trying to ignore them. “Hey.”

Namjoon glanced up at him, giving a warm smile. “Hi, baby.”

There was something about the way Namjoon said baby that always gave Jungkook a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest. His voice was smooth and confident, and when Jungkook smiled back at him, he also moved to sit in Joon’s lap. Namjoon shifted, arranging Kook to where his back was against Joon’s chest, and he was able to still write in the notebook with his arms around Kook’s waist, wrists resting against his thighs. Jungkook felt content again, happily leaning against his hyung.

“So, what’s going on over there?” Jin spoke up, glancing over to Yoongi and Hoseok, who were still waiting by the camper.

“Jimin wanted to talk to Taehyung alone,” Kook said before taking another bite of the muffin. His eyes watched Joon slowly write in characters he didn’t recognize.

Kook could feel Jin’s lightheartedness dip into faint concern.

“That’s strange. Normally he talks to all of us,” Jin said.

Kook’s smile faded, and he just shrugged in response.

“How was Taehyung this morning?” Jin asked.

Kookie shrugged again. “Fine. Pretty normal.”

Jin sighed, looking between Kook and the two across the lawn.

“We’ll find out soon, hyung,” Namjoon said, his calm voice washing on Kook’s growing anxiety. “We’ll all end up talking about it like we always do.”

Joon seemed to have a similar effect on Jin, and he smiled with genuine ease when he looked at Namjoon. “You’re right.” He stood up, grabbing his empty plate, and jokingly shot a glare at Kookie. “I guess I’ll go get another muffin.”

Jungkook just finished eating the one he had grabbed from Seokjin’s plate, and he smiled sheepishly at his hyung. “I can go get it hyung, you don’t have to get up.”

But Jin was already walking past them towards the tiny. He stopped to ruffle Kook’s hair, grinning at the boy. “Don’t worry about it. I want to fix a plate for Jimin anyway.”

Jungkook grabbed Jin’s hand out his hair, holding onto it as he walked away, stretching out and only letting go when Jin was completely out of reach. Kook’s smile returned, and he went back to watching Joon write in the moleskin notebook. His pace was slow, taking time with each symbol as he filled up the page. Jungkook noticed the slight tremor in his hand when he would pause between words.

“How’re your hands today?” Kook asked.

Namjoon set the pencil down in the spine of the notebook, closing it and setting it aside. He held up his slightly shaky hand. “Been better, but certainly have been worse, too.”

Jungkook placed his hand to Joon’s wrist, gently bringing it closer to him. He gingerly moved his fingers over the back of Joon’s hand, turning his palm to face towards him. Kook ran his other hand across his palm, lifting Namjoon’s fingers out of the way for him to bring his lips down to softly kiss the palm of his hand.

When his lips left his palm, Joon’s fingers curled to touch the younger’s cheek, moving down to his jawline and prompting the younger to meet his eyes. Jungkook shifted so he could better face Namjoon, and as the two smiled at each other, Joon’s hand lightly pulled at Kook’s neck, urging him forward until they were kissing.

After a long moment of kissing Joon, fingers entangled in his hair, Jungkook pulled away, their noses still touching. He asked in a breathy voice, “Do you think we have time to sneak away?”

Namjoon glanced to the side, and his dazed expression changed to one of disappointment. “Doesn’t look that way.”

Kook followed his gaze to see the four guys walking from camper towards the fire pit, with Jimin piggybacking on Tae. Jungkook bit his lip and breathed out through his nose in frustration. Park Jimin kept ruining his day.

Focused on his frustration, he was surprised when Joon kissed his ear, whispering, “We’ll continue this later, baby.”

The sensation of his breath on his ear sent tingles down Jungkook’s spine, and he couldn’t help but shiver before he readjusted to sitting with his back against the older. Jin too returned from the kitchen, and soon all seven of the love group were together, arranging to sit around the fire pit to discuss what had occurred that morning while most of them had been asleep.

~

When Jimin had come into the camper, asking Jungkook to leave before crawling into the bottom bunk with him, Taehyung didn’t bother feeling alarmed. Even though he could tell Jimin had had a worrying vision, and the only reason he would need to talk to him was if it somehow involved him, he couldn’t be worried or upset. Because it would be nothing new.

 Tae was used to being the cause of problems for the group—he and Jimin often bonded together over their strong Touches, confiding in each other when they began to feel like burdens to the group. But at least Jimin’s ailments were predictable—within the first few months of the love group, everyone knew what to expect and Yoongi had figured out how to take care of him. Not to mention Jimin could always feel them coming, could get himself to one of the others in time before something happened. And Jimin’s Touch wasn’t uncommon—seers were a well-known type of Touched. Tae had never met anyone who had a similar Touch to his, hadn’t even met anyone who had ever known someone to have a Touch like his.

In fact, it was so unique, and Tae had such a difficult time describing it, that he had spent a few of his teenage years in a mental institution, wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia. He had tried to explain the voices he would hear and talked to, the faint whispers he could see and feel, but no one believed that they were real. Of course it was obvious to Tae that they were, and he protested the first two years he was in the mental institution, until he realized that the more he insisted that the spirits were real, the more others became certain that they were in his mind. In the last year he was there, he had grown defeated, starting to believe that his whole life would be spent there unless he found a way to escape, but even that seemed wildly unrealistic.

It was thanks to Taehyung’s grandmother that he got out. A Touched herself, she had always believed Tae, fought when his parents took him to the institution, even offering to take Tae in under her wing. But that was part of the reason why Tae had to be admitted—he was a challenge to take care of, with unpredictable and randomly occurring ailments. She got him out thanks to the help of some Touched Rights activists, having found a lawyer that dealt with the exact issue at hand—Toucheds who had wrongly been diagnosed. After months of a fight that Taehyung was certain from the beginning would never succeed, he was out of the institution and finally off those terrible meds.

His grandmother became his legal guardian, but there was still no denying the truth that she was too old to properly take care of him, and by that point he was reaching adulthood anyway. The lawyer had been the one to explain to them about love groups.

“They often form naturally, but as someone with such a strong and unique Touch, you may want to seek one out. A love group would be really beneficial for you since you require so much care,” she had explained.

Not long after that, the seven’s love group formed. It was mostly natural, the seven of them finding one another at university, feeling drawn to and becoming close with each other on their own, but it was Tae that introduced and explained the possibility of them forming a love group. And that’s what they always told him, whenever he felt down about being such a burden to the six of them. “Without you, we may have never fallen in love,” they would remind him, and it was always comforting. But he still was all too aware of just how much his Touch was to handle.

So, if Jimin was coming to him with concern over a vision, if he was coming to tell Taehyung he may be in some kind of trouble in the future, Tae couldn’t be bothered. It barely felt like a future prediction, as he already accepted it as the inevitable.

Jimin sat next to him, placing his back against the wall like Tae was, and after a moment, he rested his head on Taehyung’s shoulder. The subtle affection made Taehyung smile, and he reached down to find Jimin’s hand at his side, wrapping his own around it. This made Jimin snuggle close to him, and he let out a tired sigh as he did so.

“I wish I could better explain the things I saw,” Jimin said, his voice strained and quiet.

Tae intertwined his fingers with Jimin’s, laying his head against his. “I wish I could explain the things I hear, and see, and feel. I wish I could explain them at all.”

Jimin sniffed a weak laugh. “Why are we like this, Taehyung?”

Tae pressed his lips into a thin line, but ultimately just wrapped his arm around Jimin’s shoulders, pulling him closer and grabbing his hand again. “I dunno. But we are, so maybe that’s a pointless question.”

Jimin played with their hands, intertwining and untwining their fingers, twirling his thumb around Tae’s, running the pads of his fingers over his knuckles. “You were in my vision. You were alone.”

“That’s odd.”

Because of the unpredictability of Tae’s ailments, the group had established a rule to never leave him alone. Of course, they allowed him privacy, and if he wanted time to himself, he could be on his own, but it was always under the conditions that they knew where he was and that at least one of the other members was within earshot, in case something was to start happening.

Jimin buried his face into Taehyung’s neck. “It’s worried me, Taetae. I want you to be safe.”

Taehyung’s heart ached, but only over Jimin’s emotional reaction to the vision. He didn’t worry about himself being safe. It was hard to explain, but sometimes the others counted it as part of his ailments, althought he sometimes wondered if it was more a byproduct of having been trapped unwarranted in an institution for so long—whatever the cause, he completely lacked a sense of fear, often not thinking about consequences before he acted (another reason for the rule of him never being alone).

“It’s okay, Jiminie, I’ll be safe. You guys take care of me, you’ll make sure I’m safe,” Tae said, placing a kiss on Jimin’s head.

Jimin pulled back so he could meet Tae’s eyes. His were suddenly stern, not filled with sadness or worry like Tae would have expected. Sure, they were tired, but they were still strong.

“I want to understand my visions,” Jimin said. “One day, I’ll be a good seer. And I’ll understand right away. But right now, all I know, is that something’s going to happen to you. Something’s going to happen to you because we’re here. Tell me about the spirits you’ve encountered at this place.”

Taehyung’s eyes widened. Jimin was never so sure of his visions—even his descriptions to the group were full of hesitation and doubt—to hear him say something like that with such certainty startled Tae. He relaxed slightly as he processed Jimin’s request.

“I-I dunno. We just got here, I haven’t had many encounters yet. None have been out of the ordinary.”

That was the thing about spirits, and something he had trouble describing. He discussed it as hearing and seeing them, and talking back, but his encounters were much more based in perception and feelings. Namjoon comforted him often, and would remind the group, that his Touch tapped into a world that ordinary people had created no language for. “It’d be like a bird trying to explain the colors that human eyes are incapable of seeing,” he once said. Tae didn’t know how to talk about it, but sometimes he believed he was simply privy to a facet of the world that others weren’t—just as before microscopes humans couldn’t perceive bacteria, they had no means to perceive what Tae ultimately referred to as “spirits” or “whispers.” And being privy to that world, there were many times that Tae was ignored by them; it was only the more observant whispers that recognized Tae’s perception of them, and would interact with him. They had just set up the tinys in this location over the last two days—none of the spirits had yet to really notice Tae, and he had been busy helping with the set up to actively try to communicate with any.

After explaining this, he watched Jimin’s resolve fade, blinking as his head dropped a little and his shoulders sagged.

“Damn. I really thought I was onto something there for a minute.”

Tae rubbed Jimin’s arm in reassurance. “Maybe you are. I’ll try to pay more attention.”

Jimin pursed his lips, clearly still unsatisfied, but also realizing there was nothing he could really do about it. “Okay.”

Jimin’s voice was noticeably weaker, and this did cause concern for Taehyung. He brought his hand to lift Jimin’s chin, making him meet his eyes again. Tae better noticed just how tired they looked. “Have you eaten?”

He shook his head, his eyelids growing heavy.

Tae tsked at him. “I know we complain about the rules, Jiminie, but they’re there for a reason. Let’s get you to breakfast before you pass out on me.”

“Okay,” Jimin mumbled.

He was weak enough that Taehyung had to give him a piggyback ride out of the camper, and insisted he was well enough to carry him when both Hobi and Yoongi came rushing forward when he stepped out to the lawn.

The four of them walked over to the other three, and Tae set Jimin down once they reached the chairs, then went over to sit next to Kook and Namjoon. He watched Jimin settle into Hobi’s lap while Jin went over to him, kissing him and speaking close to his lips before handing him a large plate of food. Yoongi sat down next to Hobi, taking some food off the generous plate to eat himself, and Jin sat between Hobi and Tae.

At first Jimin only picked at the breakfast, focusing more of telling the group about his vision, but by the time he finished his description, he was scarfing down the food.

“Jiminie told me he thinks it has something to do with this place,” Tae added, and Jimin nodded, his mouth too full to actually respond.

“This place? But, how? What about it?” Jin asked.

“I don’t know,” Jimin said. “It’s just the scenes, where I was…I think they’re nearby, and I think, I dunno, I think—”

“That we were drawn here,” Namjoon completed Jimin’s faltering sentence. Everyone turned to look at him, and when no one spoke up, he glanced between them all. “Really? There’s no way I’m the only one who feels that.”

The other six exchanged glances. Kook shuffled in Joon’s lap. Tae was the first to speak up.

“We haven’t been here that long, I hadn’t even thought about it. But now that you mention it…,” his voice trailed off as he glanced around. He noticed spirits wandering nearby, in the woods behind them, but when he felt a shiver run through his body, he turned around. He didn’t want to accidentally start anything.

“I don’t get it, though,” Yoongi said. “Why would we be drawn here? It’s just another field.”

The group fell into silence. Jimin hugged closer to Hobi, and Kook continued to restlessly fidget in Namjoon’s hold.

Jin spoke up first. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves. It’s a nice spot, and if there is something off about it, we can always just leave. But let’s give it a chance first, okay?”

Everyone agreed with Jin, and Tae couldn’t help but wonder if they did so too easily. Maybe part of being drawn somewhere was subconsciously not wanting to leave either. He even noticed within himself that he didn’t like the idea of leaving, that despite the ominous tone of Jimin’s vision, now that he was aware of his compulsion towards this place, he only wanted to explore it all the more. But then he wondered how much of that was due to his inherent lack of fear.

The group had continued talking while Tae sat with his thoughts, and after a few minutes, he realized Kook’s eyes were on him, watching him with a downturned expression.

Yoongi was the first to stand up. “Well, if that’s settled for now—Jimin-ah, I think I owe you a back massage, if you’re feeling up to it.”

“Of course, hyung,” Jimin said, much perkier after having eaten. “Can Hobi hyung come too?”

Yoongi smiled, looking at Hoseok. “Hobi?”

“I certainly wouldn’t say no to that,” Hoseok said, helping Jimin stand before getting up himself.

The three of them headed to the blue tiny house that was settled between the cabin tiny and the camper, behind where they had been sitting. After a beat, Namjoon patted Kook’s side, snapping him out of zoning out.

“Still interested in sneaking away?” he asked.

Jungkook’s eyes softened as he looked at Joon, and a shy smile melted across his face as he nodded. The two began to walk towards the camper, but Jungkook stopped to bend down to Jin, whispering something into his ear. Their eyes met as Jin responded to whatever he had said with a soft “okay” and the two briefly kissed before Kook continued walking away with Joon.

The remaining two sat in the quiet for a moment, Tae still deep in his thoughts more than anything, until he felt Jin’s hand on the nape of his neck. He turned to look at the caretaker, who was searching his face with his deep brown eyes.

“You doing okay, honey? Feel something coming on?” Jin asked lightly. He knew Tae didn’t like discussing his ailments or how the group would worry over him, and Jin always managed to bring it up in a lighthearted manner.

Tae shook his head. “I think I’m okay.” After a moment of enjoying Jin’s fingers running lightly through his hair, he met his eyes again and smirked. “Looks like you got stuck with me, hyung.”

Jin let out a contented sigh with a warm smile, leaning to place a kiss on Tae’s temple. “Good. You’re who I really wanted to be with.”

Tae gave a small laugh. “I bet you say that to all of us.”

Jin hummed, placing another kiss on Tae while wrapping his arms around his neck. “I do. And I always mean it. I’m good at getting what I want. And in this moment, I want only you.”

Tae felt himself blushing at his hyung’s words, and he couldn’t fight the smile the flattery caused before turning to kiss him.

Chapter Text

Jimin exhaled deeply as the heels of Yoongi’s palms pushed into his tense back muscles up towards his shoulders. He was lying on his stomach shirtless with Yoongi sitting on his ass, straddling him with his knees on either side of his waist, and he could feel Yoongi’s torso lean over him and glide back up as his hands fell over Jimin’s bare skin.

Sitting on the trunk that was at the end of the bed, Hoseok was also pampering Jimin, running his hands through his hair, or intertwining his fingers with Jimin’s, kissing him constantly as Yoongi massaged him.

Jimin broke from Hoseok’s lips to catch his breath, a moan escaping him as Yoongi dug into his back. “That feels so good, hyung.”

“Mm, glad to hear it, beautiful,” Yoongi said, leaning down to where Jimin could feel the cloth of his tshirt touch his bare skin, and he placed a light kiss on the back of Jimin’s neck. “How’s he looking, Hobi?”

Hoseok’s sunglasses were pushed up in his hair, as he liked to admire auras in full view during times like this. He smiled at the many small rose gold orbs floating off Jimin’s skin, and how more would form and dance around wherever Yoongi’s hands lied. Hoseok ran his hand through Jimin’s hair to push it away from his face, and he met the younger’s eyes, also expectant at hearing his analysis. “Finally back to normal, I’d say. I think we could still make him brighter though.”

Yoongi’s dark silver orbs danced excitedly at his words, and he smirked. “I like the way you think.”

He leaned forward to Hoseok, and Hoseok leaned in too so they could kiss over Jimin.

“Hey, I thought you were supposed to be taking care of me,” Jimin whined when the kiss lingered on too long.

Yoongi gripped Jimin’s nape. “We are, but that doesn’t mean you get to be greedy.”

“S-sorry, hyung.”

Hoseok watched the older’s expression soften, and Yoongi bent down to kiss Jimin’s neck again.

“It’s okay, baby,” he spoke into his ear, placing kisses down Jimin’s spine as he continued speaking. “What do you think, baby? Are you up for more?”

Yoongi’s aura was so strong it practically made Hoseok want to put on his sunglasses, and Jimin’s shimmered beautifully under Yoongi’s teasing kisses.

“Yes, hyung, I am.”

Yoongi was halfway down Jimin’s back, hands gripping his waist. His lips lingered against Jimin’s skin as he spoke, and to Hoseok it almost looked as though he was breathing in Jimin’s aura, the silver and gold orbs beginning to twirl around together. “I dunno, maybe you’ve had enough, maybe we should just rest.”

“H-hyung, please,” Jimin whimpered, burying his face in the pillow under him while slightly arching his lower back, either to tempt Yoongi or to show he was alright for more.

Hoseok brought his hand to the back of Jimin’s head, massaging his scalp and neck. “Come on, hyung, don’t tease the poor kid. He’s had a rough day.”

Yoongi went back to sitting up, this time over Jimin’s thighs, with his hands strongly massaging Jimin’s lower back, occasionally moving to grip his prominent hip bones. He smirked at Hoseok. “You spoil him.”

“I spoil him? Sure, hyung,” Hoseok said with a grin.

Yoongi shrugged shamelessly, and Jimin let out a shaky gasp when Yoongi’s hands moved to massaging his ass. His fingers hooked into Jimin’s boxers to pull them off, and he went back to placing kisses into Jimin’s lower back. He moved lower and lower until Jimin gripped fistfuls of the pillow, letting out a moan of intense pleasure and desire.

Hoseok admired the heightened auras, how there were so many rose gold and silver specs dancing around their bodies that it was impossible to tell which were coming from who. He admired their brightness, their height off their skin, floating all the way to the ceiling before fading, practically filling the entire room. It filled him with desire, and he returned to kissing Jimin.

~

“Taehyung feels off, I think he’s upset or something. Will you make sure he’s okay, hyung?” Jungkook had whispered to Jin before he left to the camper with Namjoon.

Jin had nodded, of course having planned to stay with Tae anyway. He knew Tae would likely be feeling vulnerable about Jimin’s vision, even if he wouldn’t admit to it himself. Jin had been taking care of Taehyung basically since they first met in university, and he felt he knew more than most just how deep seeded Taehyung’s insecurities about his Touch were. He so often found himself wishing that he could convey to Taehyung how his Touch didn’t weigh in to how much they loved him—whether he woke up one day to never see another spirit again, or saw tenfold the amount he did now, the six others would love him and want him there all the same. He believed Tae knew this deep down, but he hoped that Tae’s insecurities didn’t cloud his judgment, and Jin did what he could to reassure him of it.

Seokjin had learned over the years that Taehyung was quite opposite to Namjoon in this regard, and, as words often failed him, they also did little to comfort him. Tae was much more responsive to actions than words of affirmation, and when the two started kissing outside by the fire pit, Jin was able to relax as he felt Tae’s tension melting away.

Tae broke from Jin’s lips to move to kissing his neck, and Jin hummed, a smile broaching his lips as he dug his fingers into Tae’s hair. He leaned down to speak into Tae’s ear as Tae moved to his collarbone.

“Should we move to the tiny, sweetheart?”

“Mmhmm,” Tae murmured, refusing to break away from Seokjin’s skin.

Jin let out a deep laugh, running his hands to Tae’s neck to pull him away. “Okay, let’s go then.”

They walked into the tiny house that was designed to look like a log cabin, and they stopped, kissing for a minute before Jin sent Tae up the ladder to the loft. He followed up, watching Tae crawl onto the queen mattress and waiting for Jin to follow. Jin settled next to Tae, both sitting on their knees across from one another. He cupped Tae’s face in his hands, searching the boy’s eyes. He wanted to be able to tell that Tae really was feeling better, wondering what was going through his mind, or if there was something more he should be doing to help the boy.

Tae must have realized Jin’s hesitation. He grew impatient and whined. “Hyung, I’m okay, I promise.”

Unlike Tae, Jin did take well to words of affirmation—he had a trusting relationship with all six of them, and he knew firsthand that Tae was willing to open up when he did need to talk about something wrong, even if he struggled to find the right words. Based on his whines and the lustful glimmer in his eyes, Jin softened, settling his concerns and appreciating the beautiful boy in front of him.

“What? I can’t want to look at you without there being something wrong?” he teased, running his thumbs over Tae’s cheekbones.

Jin placed a kiss on his nose as he giggled, and Tae pulled Jin’s hands away from his face so he could better wrap his arms around Jin’s neck and kiss him. Jin’s arms fell to wrap around Taehyung’s waist, and their kissing grew from soft to something more lustful. Soon Jin was unbuttoning and pushing the flannel Tae had been wearing off his shoulders, lowering himself so he could taste the younger’s skin, kissing his collar bones and chest. Tae’s already deep voice seemed to drop another octave as he let out a moan, and this only encouraged Jin more, quickly pulling of his own shirt before moving to suck a spot on Taehyung’s neck.

“Ah, hyung,” Tae moaned, probably recognizing that his voice turned Jin on. The pads of his fingertips lightly ran over Jin’s back, and Jin wrapped his arms tightly around Taehyung, pulling him close enough to feel his bare chest against his own. They lied down in the bed to continue kissing and feeling one another.

~

Namjoon caught his breath as the younger settled next to him, resting his head on his chest. His arm lied across his stomach, fingers running circles into Namjoon’s skin. Joon brought his hand up, no longer shaky like before, to meet Kook’s. Jungkook took his hand in his own, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles, and Joon let out a contented sigh, embracing the moment of reprieve from any soreness or shaking in his hands. He didn’t understand why, but it always seemed that affection helped settled his ailment, and Jungkook, while often working to handle and mask his feelings, when in the right mood, gave the most endearing affection out of the love group. Maybe Namjoon just had a soft spot for the boy, but he found that anytime he had Kookie’s attention, he was able to feel calm and his hands could relax. It’s why Joon often insisted that Jungkook could take on a caretaker role, even in times that Jin and Yoongi would have doubts and worry over him.

Jungkook snuggled closer to him, placing a kiss where his neck and shoulder meet.

“Hyung?” he breathed, his lips tickling Joon’s skin.

“Yes, baby?”

He felt Kook exhale against his neck, before placing another kiss there. “Never mind.”

Namjoon smiled at the younger’s affection, and with his free hand, gently nudged him away from the crook of his neck. He brushed Kook’s somewhat sweat soaked hair away from his face and off his forehead so he could better see the boy. “What is it, Kookie? Talk to me.”

Jungkook met his eyes briefly before down casting them shyly. “Mm. It’s just—what you said earlier, about being drawn here.”

“Yeah?” Joon moved his hand from Jungkook’s hair to his cheek, and Kook’s eyes lifted back up to meet his again.

“Well…after you said that, I could tell—I could sense—everyone got a bit, well, I don’t know how to describe it. Uneasy, maybe. Everyone except Yoongi and Jin hyung.” He paused for a moment before asking, “Hyung, what if only Toucheds are drawn here?”

Namjoon bit his lip, considering what to say. He ran his thumb over Kookie’s cheek, searching his eyes. “What about you? Did you feel it?”

Jungkook gave a quick nod.

Namjoon’s hand dropped to his side, his eyes wandering around the room as he kept thinking about Kook’s observation. “It did seem like Jin and Yoongi were the most confused when I said it.”

“But what does it mean, hyung?”

Namjoon’s mind was racing with thoughts, and he was trying to recall the days before, when they had first come across this field. After university, when they all decided to form a love group, the next major life step they made was to become nomadic. Due to Tae’s encounters with spirits, the longer he stayed in one place the more spirits would find him, and with some having worse reactions than others, it was best to play it safe and change locations every few months or so. Additionally, Hobi and Jungkook’s abilities made it a challenge for them to be around large crowds of people, especially cities, so the nomadic lifestyle of roaming around the countryside suited their Touches well too. They had heard of tiny homes before, and after saving up enough funds to buy them—the first year they just had the cabin tiny and the camper, which made for a much more crowded living situation—they set about travelling the country.

He worked to remember when they came across this lawn and woods—Jin, Yoongi, and Jungkook had been driving. He had been in the car with Yoongi, in the middle of the three vehicles. If he remembered correctly, Jungkook had been driving in the lead. He hadn’t been there to witness why Kook chose to turn down this road, or if whoever had been in the car with him—Jimin, if Namjoon’s memory served him well—had suggested he take the turn. Joon did know that as they went up the dirt road, it felt right, and when they stopped, all of them agreed that the spot was picturesque; it was a much easier conversation than normal for them to decide on camping there. It had left Joon wondering, so when Jimin had said he felt his vision was relevant to the place, it seemed that his suspicions were being confirmed. The problem was that beyond the sensation, he didn’t know what his suspicions were. He just knew he had them.

And now, Kook’s latest observation only made his vague suspicions grow. As scholarly as he was in subjects like language, his knowledge on Toucheds was little—though not a fault of his own, as there were little written on the matter. Toucheds, as their group so well demonstrated, were not easily defined, and thus it made them hard to explain or study. Joon wracked his brain on what he had read about them in the past, considering if there was anything that Toucheds could detect or be drawn to that Untoucheds couldn’t, but nothing came to the forefront of his mind.

“Hyung?”

Namjoon snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes meeting Kookie’s again. Kook, propped up on his elbow looking down at Joon, held a worried expression, and Joon realized that his thoughts and suspicions were the cause of it. Joon knew anytime he showed concern, Kookie became very upset, since he normally was so calm. So, Namjoon took in a deep breath, and smiled, letting go of his thoughts on the strange matter and instead taking in the beauty of boy in front of him, his lips parted and eyes full of feeling.

Joon brought his hand to his nape, tugging him lightly towards himself. “Come here, baby.” He lightly kissed Jungkook’s lips. “Your observation is a good point that we should consider, but what Jin hyung said earlier still holds true. There’s no reason to get ahead of ourselves. We’ll figure out what we need to do in time, like we always do.”

Jungkook pressed his lips to Namjoon’s again and let out a sigh, relaxing. “Okay, hyung.”

Namjoon kissed him again, this time more lingering, and soon Jungkook was moving to lie onto his back, pulling Namjoon on top of him, both of their worries melting away for the time being.

~

Jimin stirred awake, the light of the tiny house dull, and he rubbed his eyes, accidentally elbowing Yoongi, who was spooning him. Yoongi let out a groan, rolling onto his back.

“Sorry, hyung.” He sat up and looked out the window. “It looks like we slept through the afternoon.”

“Can’t really blame us after all that fucking,” Yoongi grumbled.

“Very romantic, hyung. I’m going to take a shower.”

Yoongi sniffed a laugh, running his hand over his face, his eyes still closed. “Okay. Hobi still over there?”

Jimin turned to his other side to see Hobi’s bare form, sleep mask over his eyes and limbs relaxed in sleep. “Yep.”

Jimin crawled out of the king-sized bed, finding a pair of boxers that had been discarded, though who’s they originally were, Jimin couldn’t say. He pulled them on and was about to step out of the back room of the tiny, when Yoongi mumbled something at him. Jimin looked over to see his arm outstretched towards him, so he walked over to his hyung, taking his hand.

“What is it?” he asked, smiling at the way Yoongi squinted his eyes open, clearly still craving sleep.

“Could you start a pot of coffee for me? I’ll need caffeine if I’m going to help make dinner. Assuming everyone else hasn’t fucked themselves to sleep too.”

Jimin laughed. “It’s certainly possible. But sure, I’ll make coffee.” He placed a kiss on Yoongi’s forehead, and Yoongi ran his hand over Jimin’s arm, squeezing onto his hand.

“I love you, Jimin-ah.”

Jimin smiled. “I love you too, hyung.”

The two looked over as Hobi rolled onto his side. “What about me?”

They laughed, and Yoongi remarked, “I thought you were asleep.”

Hobi pulled off his sleeping mask to gape at him, but ended up wincing instead. Apparently they had gotten pretty bright earlier, and so his eyes were especially sensitive.

Yoongi scooted closer to him, bringing a hand up to gently pull the sleeping mask back down. “Keep resting your eyes, sunshine. Of course I love you too.”

Jimin left the room as Yoongi peppered kisses up Hoseok’s shoulder and neck, closing the sliding pocket door behind him. He turned on the coffee pot in the kitchen before hopping in the shower. The blue tiny was their biggest and newest of the three, and they had designated it as the private space. Anytime one—or any number—of them needed some personal or intimate time, the blue tiny was the place to do it. It wasn’t as functional as the cabin tiny, which had the loft that allowed for more space for a bigger kitchen, but the blue did have the largest bedroom, with an actual, king-sized bed, as opposed to the mattress thrown in the loft of the cabin. It was often where Jimin and Yoongi would go during Jimin’s visions, or where Tae would rest during his particularly bad spells. It also frequently was used for times like this, among all seven of them. It made for a good system, with a first come first serve policy—if someone was in the blue tiny, unless you were invited in, you were not to open its door.

Jimin dried off after his shower, and pulled on a t-shirt and jeans he had grabbed from the bedroom. He went back into the kitchen to pour a mug of coffee to take to Yoongi, gazing out the window as he did so. It was still early enough in the evening to where there was light, but as the sun started its descent for the night, a faded golden hue took over the scenery. It seemed quiet and Jimin chuckled to himself, thinking that Yoongi probably wasn’t far off in saying that they had all fucked themselves to sleep. But that was when he stopped pouring the coffee, his hand, his everything, coming to a halt. Because stepping into the view of the window, Jimin saw Tae. And he was alone.

Jimin should have thought about what he was doing. He should have gotten Yoongi, or found Jin, he should have at the very least told someone where he was going, that he was leaving the tiny. But he didn’t. When he saw Taehyung alone, wandering the empty lawn, his body felt like he had just jumped off a cliff, that falling sensation happened in his stomach and his heart, and his mind went blank—he didn’t think when he stepped outside of the blue tiny to go out to him.

“Taetae! Taehyung!” Jimin called, once again barefoot as he strode across the lawn.

Taehyung was mumbling, looking up and around him, his expression wistful. Occasionally his hand would outstretch, upwards, and he would smile as he murmured something. Jimin, calling his name the whole time, was within a few feet of Taehyung before he noticed him.

“Oh, Jimin! Isn’t it incredible?” he said, turning away and looking upward briefly, but Jimin saw nothing. “I think Joonie hyung was right, I think we were supposed to come here. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Taehyung, what’re you out here doing alone?” Jimin demanded.

“I had to come out. They were waiting for me.”

Tae continued looking around, reaching out occasionally.

“Well, why didn’t you bring Jin hyung or someone? You were just saying it to me earlier, we have the rules for a reason, Taehyung.”

Tae started walking past the fire pit, out towards the dirt road. “Well, you’re here now, so I’m not alone. Right?”

Jimin stammered. He technically wasn’t wrong, but Jimin was rarely the one to care for Tae during his encounters, at least not completely on his own. “W-we should get the others, at least tell them wh—”

“There’s no time, come on,” Tae said. Jimin was thrown, because Tae didn’t sound urgent, or worried, or scared. Jimin had witnessed Tae during bad encounters, ones that would leave him crying, shaking, sometimes screaming. He couldn’t fathom the things Tae saw, but it wasn’t uncommon for him to be grateful for that, knowing that there were the horrors that Tae sometimes came across. This time wasn’t like that though. Tae was relaxed, and almost happy—but something about it was still off, something about it was eery. Tae was acting languid, like he was high, or in a dream.

Jimin had enough experience that he knew better than to touch Tae out of the blue. During his encounters, he was overstimulated, and anything sudden could jump start an ailment. So as much as Jimin wanted to grab his arm, drag him back to the tinys, he knew he couldn’t. He should have gone back to get some help, but he also feared that Tae was moving too fast. Already across the dirt road, on his way to the lake, Jimin knew by the time he woke anyone up, Taehyung could be out of sight. And the thought of Tae disappearing altogether scared Jimin to his core. So Jimin did the only thing he could think to do—he followed him, and kept talking to him, keeping him in check with reality.

“Tae, this seems bad,” he said at one point, as they walked around the lake, where the seven of them hadn’t even had the chance to explore yet. “We should go back.”

“We’re fine, Jiminie hyung,” Tae responded. He wouldn’t ever look at Jimin. He kept his eyes forward, often up high, and sometimes he would murmur incomprehensible things, complete with reactions to whatever was there that Jimin couldn’t see.

“Taehyung, your nose—it’s bleeding,” Jimin said at one point while the walked.

Taehyung touched his fingers to his nose, and then casually wiped the back of his hand across the top of his lip, blood streaking onto his skin. “I’m okay.”

They kept walking until they had made it to the other side of the lake, now much, much farther from the campsite than Jimin was comfortable with. After walking up a hill from the lake’s shore, when Jimin’s eyes fell upon the sight in from of them, he practically could have collapsed.

It was the field from his vision. Without a shadow of the doubt, the meadow with tall, golden grass blowing in the wind, where masses had swarmed him before he collapsed into water—perhaps from the lake just below—it was all laid out in front of him.

“Taehyung,” Jimin said, his voice shaky, his hands trembling. He reached towards him, hoping Tae would notice his distress, but Tae was too involved in his encounter. His voice turned into a strained whisper. “Taehyung, let’s leave. Please. Let’s go back.

But Tae was already stepping down the hill into the field. “No, Jimin, we’re supposed to go this way. Come on. I think we’re getting close, right?”

Jimin was shaking, but he had no choice but to go forward. The field seemed to wrap around the back of the lakeshore, and while they never went to the center of field, soon they were upon a woods, and that’s when Jimin’s head started hurting.

He winced and closed his eyes. “Ah, Taehyung, I-I can’t—”

He took a few more steps before he stopped, flashes of gold blocking his sight. “Oh no.” He nearly dropped to his knees, and he was suddenly no longer just scared for Tae, but for himself. He was distraught, confused, as he let out a gasp at another round of flashes—never before had a vision snuck up on him, came on so fast. He always could tell when they were coming, he always had at the very least, twenty minutes to prepare. But this had come out of nowhere.

“Tae—I-I think I’m having a vision. Tae, I need to go back, I need help, I—”

“They say to push through it, Jimin, they say to keep going. It’ll be worth it, Jimin, we’re nearly there, look.”

Jimin was too distraught to be pissed off at Tae’s bizarre indifference, but when he managed to open his eyes and look like Taehyung told him to, he nearly screamed, grabbing his stomach and bending over as his muscles convulsed. They were at an entrance to a cave, just like the one from his vision.

Jimin let himself fall to his knees, shaking his head vigorously. “No, don’t go in there, my vision—w-we need to go back.”

“Shh, Jimin, you’re scaring them. Be quiet.” Taehyung said, still eerily at ease.

“Tae, please,” Jimin said, but the younger was already entering the cave, becoming a silhouetted figure as he entered the darkness.

“I can’t make you come, go back if you must. But you’ll really be missing out,” was the last thing Taehyung said before he was gone.

Jimin’s sight was failing, he had to strain to keep his eyes open, causing them to start watering. He gasped for air as flashes of color overtook his mind, a vision teasing but never truly starting, his muscles tightening and aching as he reached out a hand to the boy who was no longer there.

Chapter Text

Yoongi had snuggled up to Hoseok, and a good fifteen minutes passed where Yoongi figured Jimin was just taking a long shower. Another ten minutes went by, and he still wasn’t concerned, expecting to find Jimin eating in the kitchen as he got out of bed. But when he slid open the bedroom door to the tiny’s living and kitchen area, it appeared empty. He walked over to open the bathroom door to find it empty as well, and he stopped at the counter, picking up the half-filled cup of coffee that was barely still warm. That’s when he grew suspicious and mildly concerned.

But there was no reason to jump to conclusions just yet, he told himself. Jimin could have gone to one of the other tinys. It did strike Yoongi odd that he wouldn’t have told him though, and that he would have stopped filling a mug of coffee just to do so. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became.

“Hobi, did you hear Jimin leave earlier?” Yoongi called out to the bedroom.

“Leave? I dunno. The door’s pretty quiet, it’d be hard to say.” Hoseok appeared at the doorframe, sunglasses on despite their being inside. “Is he not here?”

“Yeah.”

“He probably just went to be with the others.”

“Maybe. Will you come check with me?”

The two left the blue tiny, and when there was no one outside, Hoseok went to check the camper while Yoongi went to the cabin tiny. The bottom floor of the cabin was empty, and Yoongi felt a sense of dread falling over him as he climbed up to the loft, where he found Jin asleep, shirtless with a sheet falling just over his waist. Yoongi sat on the mattress, shaking Jin’s shoulder until he stirred awake from his deep sleep.

Seokjin looked up at him dazedly, seeming confused to find Yoongi waking him.

“Hyung, I can’t find Jimin,” Yoongi said, and after a pause, he felt dumb, but worse than that, he felt a pit form in his stomach. “Where’s Tae?”

His words made Jin immediately sit up, turning to his side to see the lack of a body next to him. “He—he had fallen asleep right next to me.” Jin looked to Yoongi and the two shared a moment of sheer panic as they put two and two together.

By the time they hurried down the loft and outside of the cabin, Hoseok, Namjoon, and Jungkook were already outside. Yoongi knew that it was a slim chance that the two boys would have been with them, but seeing for certain that they weren’t only made him feel more sick to his stomach, more guilt over missing Jimin leaving. How could this have happened?

“Taehyung’s gone too,” Yoongi said. “Jimin and Taehyung are gone.”

“What th—” Jungkook started.

“Where would they have gone?” Hoseok interrupted. “Should we look for them?”

“Where would we start? We don’t know anything about the area, they could have gone anywhere,” Namjoon said.

“Should we split up? Have at least one of us stay here in case they come back,” Jin said.

“How did you lose sight of Tae—isn’t that a rule? Why did you leave him alone?” Jungkook said frantically.

“We were asleep, I didn’t hear him get up,” Jin said.

As the four of them continued to bicker, Yoongi stopped paying attention, trying to figure out what to do. To go off somehow seemed foolish, after Jimin’s ominous vision and two of them disappearing without a trace, but to just wait at camp felt wrong, neglectful. He feared for what could be happening, but how would wandering off into the woods help them any better? His mind was reeling when he let his eyes search the horizon, and they focused on a figure down by the lake.

He felt a strange mix of relief and panic, as his voice stated flatly, “Jimin.”

He said it loud enough for everyone to stop and look at him, and then look out to where his eyes were focused. He didn’t wait for them to respond though.

“Jimin!” He broke into a run, and faster than he would have thought himself capable of, he was across the dirt road and at the lakeshore, falling to his knees in front of Jimin, who had already fallen down, struggling to stand again, propped up by his elbows with his stomach to the ground.

His face and clothes were scratched and dirty—it obviously wasn’t the first time he had collapsed and forced himself back up. He was shaky, and when Yoongi got a better look at his face, he saw tears streaming from Jimin’s eyes, and Yoongi could feel his heartbreaking, his mind racing with all the worst-case scenarios that could have happened to two of the boys he loved with his entire being.

“Jimin-ah,” he choked, for the first time ever unsure of his movements, afraid to touch the boy who looked so fragile that he might break at the wrong touch.

“H-hyung,” Jimin sobbed. “I’m so sorry. I-I tried to stop him.”

~

Jin and the others froze when Yoongi ran to Jimin—perhaps they were used to Yoongi being the one to care for Jimin in his most dire states, so their instincts told them to not smother the boy. They all watched as Yoongi picked Jimin up and walked him back over to the group. They were all still frozen when Yoongi set Jimin on his feet, but Jimin immediately collapsed again, perhaps intentionally, adjusting on the grass to hug his knees to his chest. Yoongi bent down next to him, rubbing his back and whispering something into his ear. It appeared that Jimin was crying, and Jin’s heart sank. Finally, he reminded himself that he was capable of movement, and he went over to the boy as well.

Crouching down next to Jimin, he gingerly brought his hand to Jimin’s face, compelling him to meet his eyes. Jimin obliged, and Jin searched his somewhat dirty and tear stained face.

“Are you hurt, Jimin-ah?” he asked, surprised at how thick his voice sounded, a lump forming in his throat.

“I-I think I’m okay, hyung,” Jimin said, his breath hitching.

Seokjin knew he could have been worse off, that he should be relieved at Jimin’s answer, but he wasn’t. He pressed his lips in a thin line for a moment before speaking up again. “We should get you cleaned up, make sure you are okay.”

Jimin gave a slight nod and started to move to get up. That was when Jungkook spoke up.

“Where’s Taehyung?”

Jimin, barely starting to stand, immediately gave up trying and fell back on his butt, his eyes staying on the ground. He didn’t respond. He just swallowed, hard.

“Jimin, where is Taehyung?” Jungkook repeated.

Seeing tears forming in Jimin’s eyes, Jin snapped. “Not now, Kook.”

“The fuck do you mean ‘not now’?!” Jungkook said, his voice raised, but not yet shouting.

Jin stood up to face Jungkook, whose expression was tense, a mix of anger and distress. Jin tried to remember to breath, to calm down, he tried to remember that growing angry at Kook would only spiral his emotions out of control. He spoke steadily but sternly. “Jimin clearly isn’t in a place to talk about it yet, give him a chance to—”

 “What? To be coddled? Taehyung’s gone, he could be hurt, or dead, but you’re right, why question precious Jiminie—”

“He’s not dead,” Jimin said loudly, but then his voice faltered. “At least, he wasn’t last I saw him.”

“So you were with him?” Jungkook said.

“Of course I was.”

“So then why isn’t he here?” Jungkook seethed, taking strides towards Jimin, but Yoongi stood up and stepped in front of him.

“Lay off, Jungkook,” Yoongi warned.

“Why should I? We’re all mad, this isn’t just me,” Jungkook said, looking around at all of them before looking back to Jimin. “Do you know where he is?”

Jin was tempted to intervene again, but he couldn’t help but want to know the answer to that question, and it seemed that everyone did. Jimin glanced around at them before weakly responding.

“He went in the cave from my vision.”

Jin watched the others exchanging looks, except for Jungkook, who crossed his arms.

“And you know where this cave is?”

“Generally.”

“Then what’re we still doing here? Let’s go,” Jungkook said, starting to stride past Jimin towards the lake.

But a panicked noise escaped Jimin, and he grabbed Kook’s arm, holding him back and shaking his head vigorously. “No, Jungkook, don’t go there. You can’t, please, it’s dangerous.”

Jungkook snapped his arm out of Jimin’s grip and yelled. “Isn’t that all the more reason we should go? Don’t you care about Taehyung at all? Do any of you?”

“Taehyung seemed okay, I mean it’s dangerous for the rest of us, I think—”

“Oh, so that makes it okay for you to abandon him?!”

“I had to, I—”

“You only look out for yourself, that’s not how this is supposed to work, Jimin!”

“Jungkook, shut the fuck up,” Yoongi said, walking over to him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, you’re making an ass of yourself and it’s about time you shut your goddamn mouth.”

Jungkook scowled at him. “Fuck off, Yoongi, I—”

“Jeon Jungkook!” Jin said sternly enough to stop him on the spot. Jin walked over to the two arguing, coming between them. He shook his head at himself—he should have intervened sooner. Taking in a deep breath, Jin met Jungkook’s eyes, quivering with anger and hurt, not far from tearing up. “Go to the blue tiny.”

“What?! No, I’m going after Taehyung, we can’t just—”

“Jungkook. Go to the blue tiny. Now.”

“But hyung—”

“You know as well as I do that you won’t be saving anyone if you’re this worked up. So go to the tiny. And cool down. Before I drag you there myself.”

Seokjin held his gaze firmly, and he watched Jungkook stare him down before swirling his tongue in his cheek, twitching his head, and turning on his heel to storm off to the blue tiny house. Jin let out a sigh of relief when its door closed behind Jungkook, and he noticed Yoongi standing at his side.

“Looks like we need a game plan for two of our children now,” he said after a beat. Being the two oldest, and the two caretakers of the group, it wasn’t uncommon for Yoongi and Jin to refer to their boyfriends as children to one another.

Jin sighed, still staring at the tiny. “Should we send Joon in there? To help him calm down?”

“I think Joon’s already busy elsewhere.”

Jin looked to Yoongi, who had turned around, and Jin did too to follow his gaze. His eyes fell on Namjoon, who had sat on the ground and pulled Jimin into his lap. Jimin appeared to be making himself as small as possible, curled up in a ball with his face buried in the crook of Joon’s neck. Namjoon appeared to be whispering into Jimin’s ear and rubbing his back, and Jimin would occasionally nod or seem to respond in some way. This was the first moment of genuine relief Jin had felt since Yoongi had woken him up.

“You stay here, help Joon,” Yoongi said after a moment. “Jungkook doesn’t need to feel calm. He needs to let his anger out. I’ll deal with him.”

Jin looked at him. “You sure that’s the best idea?”

“Yes, hyung, he shouldn’t always have to suppress his emotions, the same way we don’t have Jimin fight his visions or Tae his encounters. Let him be angry. He can be angry at me. Besides,” Yoongi said, his voice breaking as his eyes moved back to Jimin and Joon, “I can’t really be with Jimin right now.”

Jin suddenly understood—Yoongi felt guilty for what happened. Of course Jin felt guilty for Tae sneaking away too, but he had been asleep—as far as he understood, Yoongi had been awake when Jimin left, but he hadn’t noticed. Jin would never place blame on Yoongi, but he knew Yoongi and he knew what it was like to be a caretaker. The responsibilities you placed on yourself were sometimes impossible standards to reach, and anytime something went even slightly badly, you couldn’t help but ask yourself what you did wrong. It was especially difficult for Yoongi to see Jimin this way because he hadn’t prevented it from happening, and perhaps he wanted to face Jungkook because he felt he deserved to be yelled at.

Jin placed a hand on Yoongi’s shoulder, gently tugging at him so he’d face him instead of the scene. “Okay, but don’t let him be too hard on you, yeah?”

Yoongi shrugged. “It’ll be fine.”

Jin gave his shoulder a shake. “I’m serious. I know you’re upset, and I get it. I feel like we failed too, but now is not the time to sit in it, okay? If you think Jungkook letting his anger out is productive, then go for it. But don’t punish yourself for this, please.”

Yoongi’s eyes looked up to the sky, and it seemed he was holding back tears too. “I know you’re right. I’ll try, hyung.”

Jin cupped Yoongi’s face in his hands, bending his head down to close his eyes and touch his forehead to Yoongi’s. He needed a moment with the fellow caretaker, the only other Untouched among the seven—he needed to feel that they were in this together, and that they were going to be okay. He lightly kissed Yoongi’s lips before sighing, whispering, “That’s all I ask.”

~

Jungkook had his torso hanging out the narrow window on the backside of the blue tiny, and he was looking down to see how far from the ground it was, debating whether or not to crawl out head or feet first.

“You know, that’s the funny thing about our caretaker hyungs.”

Jungkook stopped wriggling in the tight fit of the window and sighed. He debated just ignoring the voice, pushing himself through the window and hurrying away. But it was too late—he had been caught. So, he pulled himself back into the living space of the tiny to face Hoseok.

“What is?” he obliged.

Hoseok pushed the sunglasses he was wearing off his eyes and into his hair. “Sometimes they underestimate your stubbornness.”

Hoseok was calm, and it made it difficult for Kookie to feel angry, but he managed to stay frustrated, swiping his tongue into the side of his cheek. “And so you’re gonna be the one to stop me?”

Hobi looked between him and the window, and stepped over to it, peeking through it. “Even if you manage to not get your butt stuck in the window, what’s your plan, exactly?”

“I’m going to go find Tae and bring him back.”

Hoseok nodded. “I gathered that part. But how? You don’t know where this cave is.”

“I can head in the direction Jimin came from. Maybe it’ll be easy to spot.”

“And if it’s not?”

Jungkook stammered and crossed his arms. “I’ll figure it out.”

Hobi turned back to look at him. “Uh-huh. And then what—do you expect to find Tae there, waiting to head back?”

“Well, no, but—”

“What if you do come across something dangerous? Or what if Tae refuses to come back? You know Jimin wouldn’t have left him behind if he was trying to come home too. He would have helped him.”

“I’ll make him come back. I’ll carry him if I have to, I’ve done it before.”

“Disrupt him during an encounter?” he asked with raised eyebrows, and then shook his head. “Fine, then you can be the one to sit with him while he throws up for a week straight.”

Jungkook sighed, and suddenly he felt tired. His arms dropped to his sides. “Okay, so I don’t have a plan. But I can’t just—sit here, and do nothing!”

His eyes met Hobi’s, and he wasn’t sure if the sadness he was feeling was more his or his own. Hoseok stepped over to him, placing his hands on Kook’s arms, gently running them up and down.

“We’re not asking you to do nothing. We’re just asking you to wait until there’s something we can do. Please don’t run off like this,” Hoseok said, moving his hands to Kook’s cheeks, “It’ll only break our hearts more.”

Jungkook closed his eyes, the sadness of Hobi’s worrying washing over him, and he nodded as he felt the pads of Hobi’s thumbs running back and forth over his cheeks. He whispered, “Okay.”

He felt the relief that overcame Hoseok, who pulled him into a hug, keeping one hand on the nape of his neck. Jungkook nuzzled against Hobi’s neck, breathing in his scent. He felt guilty for allowing himself a moment of reprieve when Taehyung was still out there, missing, but Hobi was right. Him wandering the woods alone, in this place that seemed shrouded in mystery, would only worsen the problem at this point.

As the two held each other, they heard the door open. Jungkook lifted his head to see Yoongi walking into the tiny, who faltered at seeing the two’s embrace.

“Sorry, uh—I’m glad you’re in here, Hobi, we, uh, weren’t sure where you went,” he said fumblingly.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Jungkook scowled, the anger that had faded with Hobi slowly bubbling back to the surface.

Hoseok squeezed the back of his neck. “Hey. Play nice, Kookie.”

“It’s okay, Hoseok. Umm, would you mind going to check on Jimin’s aura? They’re in the cabin tiny.”

Hoseok stepped away from Jungkook, only further worsening his mood. Hobi stopped as he approached Yoongi. “Sure. Who’s going to check on you though, hyung? You’re not looking too great yourself.”

Hoseok brought a hand to Yoongi’s cheek, but Yoongi gently grabbed it with his own, pulling it down and urging Hoseok to keep moving towards the door.

“I’m fine, Hobi,” he said quietly.

Hoseok hesitated, but ultimately gave one last glance and nod towards Jungkook before heading out the door. As it shut, the two remaining didn’t get any closer to each other. Yoongi leaned against the kitchen counter, and Jungkook crossed his arms, standing firmly in place.

After a long, silent moment, Yoongi sighed. “You can be mad at me and Jin. Hell, I know we’re mad at ourselves. But don’t be mad at Jimin. Yell at me, get it out here, now, but I’m not letting you do that to Jimin.”

Jungkook scoffed. “Of course, that is your priority right now. Forget about Tae, as long as Jimin’s feelings don’t get hurt.”

Yoongi shook his head, and Jungkook could feel anger rising within him. He was glad—he wanted Yoongi to be mad too, not just some punching bag for Kook to throw insults at—that’s no true way to get anger out.

“Why are you hellbent on thinking I don’t care about Tae? Did you see Jimin? He’s the one we got back, he’s the one in our hands that we can physically take care of right now, Jungkook, and that’s what I do. I love Tae, just like I love every goddamn one of you, but I can’t take care of someone who’s missing,” Yoongi spat out his words, stepping closer to Jungkook. “Why are you being so mean to Jimin anyway? He feels terrible and you’re making it ten times worse.”

“Why?! Because he lost Tae!” Jungkook shouted. “Just like you and Jin! You all are the reason he’s gone!”

“Tae lost himself!” Yoongi yelled back, loud and suddenly enough that Jungkook stopped, and there was a dead silence in the air. Yoongi’s voice dropped back to normal. “He needs to be taken care of, yes, but there’s only so much we can do. He’s still his own person, Jungkook. He’s still the one making the actions and decisions he does.”

Jungkook shook his head. “You’re saying this is Tae’s fault?”

Yoongi’s gaze dropped to the floor, and he shrugged. “It’s not anybody’s fault. It’s just what happened.”

“Is that what you and Jin are telling yourselves?” he said bitterly. “What if Taehyung never comes back? What if we never find him? Is that what you’ll say? ‘Stuff just happens’.”

Kook knew he had hit a nerve as he felt anger freshly boil through Yoongi. He had expected the comment to make him sad, but instead he only further fueled the anger.

“Alright, Kook, have it your way. Place the blame on me—I’ll take it all,” he said, then dramatically looked around, gesturing with his hands, “Oh, look at that—Tae’s still not here.”

Yoongi stepped even closer to Jungkook, getting in his face. “You’re young, so let me give you a quick life lesson—who’s fault it is doesn’t mean shit. Tae’s still missing, and Jimin’s still hurt. So pout all you want, stay mad and bitter and petty all you want—it won’t change a damned thing.”

Jungkook held his ground for a moment, staring at Yoongi, but he broke, stepping away, letting out a frustrated scream. “Okay, you win! But you know what? It may not help anything, but I’d rather stay mad than, than—”

His back was to Yoongi, he was looking out a window but his eyes weren’t focusing on anything.

“Than what, Jungkook?”

“Than be scared!” Jungkook said, spinning around to face Yoongi again, revealing the wetness forming in his eyes. “I don’t like this place, it scares me. I was going to ask us to leave tomorrow morning but now we can’t because Tae—Tae’s—”

He broke down sobbing, and Yoongi didn’t waste a single second in hurrying over to him, pulling him into his arms. The backroom was open, and Yoongi led them to where they could sit on the bed, and Jungkook cried, burying his face into Yoongi’s neck.

“I know, I know,” Yoongi cooed into his ear, every ounce of anger gone from his voice and body. He threaded his fingers through Kook’s hair as he continued crying. “We’ll find him, Kook-ah. We’ll find him and we’ll leave this place.”

“What if we don’t?” Jungkook choked.

“We will. We have to, so we will. Do you believe me?”

Jungkook sniffled. “Yes.”

“Good.” There was a long moment where the two just cuddled next to one another, Jungkook still softly crying, until Yoongi stopped rubbing his back to nudge his side, prompting Jungkook to meet his eyes.

“Was I too harsh a moment ago?” he asked quietly.

Kookie couldn’t help the small, cathartic smile that fell across his face. “No, hyung. Was I?”

Yoongi wrapped his arm around Kook’s waist, pulling him closer. “My sweet baby boy. Of course not.” He placed a kiss on Kook’s temple. “You know I love you, right?”

Jungkook nodded, leaning in to touch his forehead to Yoongi’s. “I love you too.”

They shared a soft, somewhat lingering, kiss before Yoongi suggested they go check on the others, and they left the blue tiny, holding hands.

Chapter Text

Namjoon knew that Jimin liked hearing him talk in other languages. He always told Joon how his ability was so cool, and he’d often ask him to speak in certain languages, impressed even if Namjoon wasn’t very confident in his pronunciation or accent. Namjoon also knew that Jimin was distraught, and that there was not much he could say that would make him feel any better. But he didn’t need to listen to the others fighting.

So Namjoon sat down next to him on the ground, where he was curled up with his face buried in his hands. At first, he just lightly placed his hand on Jimin’s back to get his attention. When Jimin looked at him with tear filled eyes, Joon pulled him in as close as he could, and Jimin curled up in his lap, crying softly. He knew there weren’t any words to fix this, so he nuzzled Jimin and spoke softly into his ear in different languages, pausing between each to tell him what language it was. It seemed to work in calming Jimin down, and after a little while he was no longer crying. Namjoon sighed and spoke again one last time.

“What language is that?” Jimin asked after a few moments, when Joon didn’t say.

“French.”

“What did you say?”

Joon brought his hand to cup Jimin’s face, and he softly kissed his cheek. “I said I’m glad to be holding you in my arms.”

Jimin sniffled and lifted his head up from Joon’s shoulder. He kept his eyes downcast, his fingers playing with Namjoon’s shirt. “How do you say ‘I’m sorry’ in French?”

Joon shook his head, lightly brushing Jimin’s tangled hair away from his face. “This isn’t your fault, baby.”

Jimin pouted, still refusing to meet Namjoon’s gaze, so he spoke up again. “You tried; you stayed with him as long as you could. No one can fault you for that.”

“But it wasn’t enough,” Jimin said, finally looking at Joon. His eyes were sad, and incredibly tired.

Joon placed his hand back on Jimin’s cheek, staring back at him intently. “That’s okay.”

It was hard to say whether or not he trusted Joon’s reassurance or if he was just too tired to protest, but Jimin leaned into Joon’s hand and closed his eyes, exhaling softly. That was when Jin walked over to them, crouching down and touching Jimin’s arm to get his attention.

“Should we get you cleaned up now?” he asked softly, in his classic caretaker voice.

Jimin nodded and stretched out his arms. Jin managed to get a good grip on him and pick him up out of Joon’s lap, and the three of them went to the cabin tiny.

The tinys were too small to have a bathtub, but the cabin tiny had a shower with a seat and showerhead that could be handheld, so Jin had Jimin sit down in the shower after helping him undress, and once the water was warm, he ran the water over Jimin’s skin and through his hair. He shampooed Jimin’s hair, rinsing it out thoroughly before moving on to gently washing the rest of his body. Jimin was quiet, only wincing when soap would go in some of the cuts and scrapes he had on his arms, knees, and hands.

Jin had Namjoon find him some clean clothes, and in the meantime, he picked out the fluffiest towel he could find to help dry off Jimin. Jin could tell Jimin didn’t want to talk, and he felt that was perfectly understandable—in a lot of ways, he didn’t really want to talk either. But the way Jimin kept his head down, his eyes avoiding looking at Jin, worried him.

He ruffled Jimin’s hair gently with the towel before laying it over his back and shoulders, and he brought his hand gently to Jimin’s chin, lifting and turning his head in ways to examine what marks remained on his face after having cleaned off the dirt. There was one particularly bad scrape on his jawline near his chin, and a smaller cut on his cheek, but otherwise his face was okay. Jin then went on to examine his hands, which were scraped up pretty badly, probably from the times he would try to catch himself falling.

Jin turned to the medicine cabinet over the sink. “There should be first aid stuff in here.”

Namjoon came back with a set of clothing as Jin worked on covering Jimin’s scrapes with antibiotic ointment and bandaids, Jimin being quiet and compliant the whole time. Jin helped Jimin into a tshirt and boxers, and led him to sit on an arm chair in the living area of the tiny.

“What else do you need, baby? Want me to fix you something to eat?” Jin asked, sitting on the arm of the chair and gently playing with Jimin’s damp hair.

Before he could answer—although it didn’t seem like he would’ve said much anyway—Hoseok knocked on the door before entering the tiny. Jin met Hoseok’s eyes and sighed, stepping out of the way for him to look at Jimin. He knew what Hoseok would see, though—it didn’t take a Touch to know Jimin wasn’t doing well.

Hobi went over to Jimin, crouching in front of him to be able to meet his downcast eyes, slipping his hands into Jimin’s. Jin watched as the two stared at one another, unsure of what either was thinking. He felt an arm fall onto his shoulders, and he glanced over to see Namjoon at his side. He sighed, wrapping his own arm around Joon’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder. He was tired. They all were, and who could blame them? By this point it was already fairly late into the night. Who knows exactly how many hours it had been since Tae had gone missing. The thought made Jin’s heart ache, so he closed his eyes and breathed in Namjoon’s scent, wishing everything could go back to normal, back to when he knew how to take care of his lovers without worry or doubt. At one point he had been so good at it, where had it all gone wrong—

Hoseok spoke, stirring Jin away from his thoughts. “He’s super faint. Rest is probably what he needs most right now.” Hoseok kissed Jimin’s knuckles before letting go of his hands and standing up. “Would you agree, Jiminie sweetie? Want some sleep?”

Jimin nodded dazedly. “Yes, but I—I kind of want to sleep alone, if that’s okay, hyung.”

His eyes finally fell to Jin, who was at first surprised, until he remembered he was the caretaker in the situation. He was somewhat surprised to hear this, as any of them rarely slept alone, and Jimin had the tendency to be especially cuddly. But at the same time, after all that had happened, Jin could understand appeal of having a big soft bed to yourself.

He looked to Hoseok. “You think that’d be okay?”

Hoseok pressed his lips together in consideration, looking down at Jimin, placing his hand briefly on Jimin’s cheek before letting it fall back to his side. “Yeah, it should be.”

Jin stepped away from Joon and towards Jimin. “Alright. I’ll just help you get settled up in the loft, baby.”

Jimin was weak enough that he struggled to get up the ladder, but with Jin’s help, soon enough he was crawling onto the large mattress. Jin pulled the blankets up to his waist as Jimin laid his head on a pillow. He lightly pushed Jimin’s hair off his forehead so he could place a kiss there, and continued stroking Jimin’s hair for a moment. He was somewhat relieved to have Jimin finally willing to meet his eyes.

“I’ll be right downstairs if you need anything,” Seokjin said.

“Okay hyung. Thank you.”

Jin gave a small smile, and couldn’t help but lean down and kiss his forehead again. “Of course, baby. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

When Jin went downstairs, Joon and Hoseok were sitting in one of the armchairs, and he joined them, sitting in the one next to it. “It’s late, if you two want to go get some sleep in the camper.”

“What about you, hyung? You look like you could use some rest too,” Hoseok said.

Jin gave a tired sigh. “I need to stay here, in case Jiminie needs me.” When the two exchanged hesitant glances, Jin spoke up again, “Seriously, guys. It’s late. Go get some sleep, so we can be ready for tomorrow.”

They still hesitated, but Hoseok and Namjoon got up, heading towards the door. Namjoon stopped and leaned down to kiss Jin briefly, and then spoke into his ear before they left the tiny. “Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, hyung.”

With the two gone, and Jimin falling asleep in the loft, it was the first time in the hours since the afternoon that Jin was reminded what silence sounded like. Living with six other guys, it was something he rarely got the opportunity to experience, and after the day they all had been having, he especially appreciated it. He settled more deeply into the arm chair and allowed himself to doze off a bit, knowing that he was pretty easy to wake up, if Jimin or any of the others did end up needing him.

~

Jungkook was hesitant when Yoongi led him to the cabin tiny, and they stood outside its door together.

“He probably doesn’t want to be anywhere near me,” Jungkook said.

“Do you know Jimin at all? If you apologize he’ll melt,” Yoongi replied softly. “Come on, Kook-ah. Trust me.”

Yoongi opened the door and placed his hand on Kook’s back to nudge him in before himself. Jungkook stepped into the tiny, and walking past the kitchen, he spotted Jin, who stirred in the arm chair where he was sitting. He stood up when he saw Jungkook, appearing tired but ready to be combative if necessary. He calmed when he noticed Yoongi following behind Jungkook.

“Hi, hyung. Where’s Jimin?” Jungkook asked, glancing back at Yoongi. He was still hesitant about the idea of talking to him so soon after yelling at him, but Yoongi gave him a small nod.

“He’s upstairs sleeping,” Jin said. “He wanted to be alone.”

“Oh.” Jungkook turned to Yoongi, unsure of what to do now.

Yoongi stepped next to him. “Did he just get up there?”

“Yeah, about five minutes ago.”

“Would it be okay if Kook-ah went up there? If Jimin’s not asleep yet, he wants to apologize.”

Jin looked between the two of them, and Jungkook gave a nod when their eyes met, hoping that Jin realized he was sincere and it wasn’t just Yoongi making him do it. The longer it took Jin to respond, the more worried Kook became that he would protest, so he spoke up before Jin could.

“I should apologize to you too, hyung. Both of you, actually. I made the situation worse, because I let my emotions get the better of me. I’m sorry.”

Jungkook felt Yoongi’s hand rub small circles on his back, and he glanced over to see his hyung giving him a small smile. His gaze returned to Jin, who had stepped closer to him. It was hard for Kook to sense his emotions because all he mostly felt from Jin was tiredness. But Jin stepped up to him, placing an arm on his shoulder before leaning in and nuzzling his nose to Kook’s.

“It’s okay, baby,” he breathed against Jungkook’s lips.

Jungkook closed his eyes and hummed in response, feeling relief and warmth from his two hyungs’ affection. Jin kissed him, and pulled away sooner than Kook would have preferred, but he opened his eyes to look at him.

“You can go check, but don’t wake him if he’s asleep.”

“Thanks, hyung.”

As Jungkook started up the ladder, the closer he got to the loft, the more he was overcome with an enveloping feeling of sadness. It was so strong that he had to fight back the sensation of tears forming in his eyes, and he took a deep breath before peeking into the loft. Still standing on the final steps of the ladder, his eyes adjusted to the slightly darker room, and they fell on Jimin, who was lying on his side, awake. Their eyes met for a moment before Jimin shifted his gaze away.

Jungkook swallowed hard before speaking. He had never felt so much sadness coming off of just one person before. It was overwhelming, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty for it. Tears stung at his eyes, and his voice was strained, but he still did his best to speak softly.

“Could I join you? I promise I won’t yell this time,” he said shyly.

He was relieved when Jimin nodded, and his heart could have burst when Jimin outstretched his arms with grabby hands for Kook to come cuddle him. Jungkook crawled onto the mattress and sat up against the wall, his head barely clearing the ceiling. He pulled Jimin’s legs up onto his lap and wrapped his arm around his waist, letting Jimin burying his face into his chest. The sadness still loomed over the loft, and for a moment Kookie just rubbed the small of Jimin’s back, doing his best to fight back tears.

Jimin grabbed a fistful of Kook’s shirt, and nuzzled against his neck, and that’s when Kook couldn’t hold them back anymore.

“I’m so sorry, Jimin,” he said, his voice incapable of anything above a whisper, “I’m so sorry I yelled at you. I shouldn’t have been so mad at you.”

“It’s okay,” Jimin murmured against his skin. “It’s your Touch. I was just easiest target to take it out on.”

“That doesn’t make it okay,” Jungkook whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks. “You’re so sad, Jiminie hyung, I can feel it now. I want to be a caretaker but I only made you feel worse, I feel like I have no control over my Touch and now I’ve hurt you because of it and—”

“Shh,” Jimin interrupted him, lifting his head off his chest to see Kook’s tear stained face. He brought his hands to Jungkook’s face, thumbing away the tears rolling down from his eyes. Jimin stared into Kook’s eyes for a long moment, until Kook realized that Jimin felt less overwhelmingly sad. He took in a deep breath and managed to stop crying.

Once he stopped, Jimin gave a quick, small smile, before it faded as he sighed, laying his head on Kook’s shoulder. “None of us have control over our Touches, Kookie. We wouldn’t be in this mess at all if we did.”

Jungkook sighed too. “I know. But still, Jimin hyung, I’m sorry. Touch or not, I was scared—I still am scared—for Tae, but I regret yelling at you, or making you feel any worse than you already did. You didn’t deserve that.”

Jimin threaded his fingers in Kook’s hair, and lifted his head slightly so he could better meet his gaze. Jungkook was somewhat surprised when Jimin pecked his lips. “I forgive you, Jungkookie.”

Jungkook felt a twinge of happiness amongst all the sadness in Jimin that made him smile. He leaned into Jimin and kissed him, holding him tighter as they kept kissing. By the time Jungkook pulled away, Jimin was lying on his back, and Jungkook was on his side, propped up by his elbow, hovering over Jimin.

“Jiminie hyung, shouldn’t you be getting to sleep?” he said, remembering Jin’s concern over him getting rest.

Jimin pouted, rubbing his thumb over Kook’s cheekbone. “Stay with me til I fall asleep? I just want to kiss a little bit longer.”

Jungkook smiled, and he settled in better, laying down on his side. Jimin turned on his side too to face Jungkook, and the two scooted as close together as possible, their legs intertwining and their noses bumping before they went back to softly kissing. Soon enough, Jimin’s kissing became slow and lazy, and Jungkook went to pecking his cheeks and eyelids instead. Jimin let out one last contented hum before Jungkook was soon certain that he was asleep. Still intertwined with his hyung, he decided to settle into the pillow and rest his eyes, finally acknowledging that he too was a bit sleepy.

~

Hoseok awoke the next morning the way one often does from a deep sleep; dazedly, and without immediately remembering all that had happened the day before, until, as your eyes blink open and you shuffle in bed, the memories come back to the forefront of your mind. It had been nearly a whole day since Tae had gone missing. It was a depressing reminder to wake up to.

He sat up in the king bed of the blue tiny—the night before, Yoongi had joined him and Namjoon in the camper (Jin insisted on staying in the cabin, despite Kook and Jimin making up, he informed them), and the three of them moved to the blue tiny when none of them wanting to sleep alone on the top bunk, the bunks only being big enough to hold two people.

Yoongi had looked duller and fainter than Hoseok approved of, so he had him sleep in the middle, and turning to his side, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Joon spooning Yoongi. Yoongi’s gunmental orbs were still few and only floating a few inches off his skin, but it was better than it had been, so Hoseok was mildly comforted. And seeing Joon’s bluish white ones dance near his, seeming to encourage more of the dark silver ones to form and float about, made for a soft and pretty sight.

Hobi stretched and got out of the bed, glancing out the window to see the figures of the other three out at the firepit. He went back to the bed, reluctant to wake them, but still gently nudging Joon and Yoongi.

“Looks like we’re the last ones up, sleepyheads,” he said as they groaned and squinted up at him.

The three of them got up and made their way out to join the others. No one’s aura was exactly up to par, but Hoseok couldn’t expect them to be—everyone had woken up with the reminder that Tae was missing, and even just to have the six of them together without him felt wrong. Jin’s and Yoongi’s were the faintest, which made Hobi sigh. Jungkook could feel it a little too sometimes, but often Hoseok felt that he was the only one who truly realized how much their caretakers would strain themselves to make sure the rest of them were alright. But at least Jimin’s was looking much improved since he last saw him.

“Jiminie, you’re looking much better,” Hoseok said as they approached. He went over to Jimin, who was sitting in Kook’s lap, and cupped his face, bending down to kiss him quickly.

Jimin gave a small smile. “Thanks, hyung. I’m feeling a bit better.” As they all settled into chairs around the fire pit, Jimin’s smile faded, and he sighed. “I guess I owe you guys a better explanation of what happened.”

Hoseok watched as everyone listened to Jimin’s story, of how he spotted Tae wandering around until they came to the field and then the cave. How he couldn’t go on anymore because it felt like he was having a vision, and he struggled to make his way back to camp. How Tae seemed calm but heavily involved in his encounter the whole time.

“So wait, did you—have another vision?” Yoongi asked, somewhat sheepishly.

Jimin shook his head. “No. I’ve never experienced anything like it before. It was almost like that feeling when you need to sneeze, but you just can’t. The symptoms were there, the flashes were starting, it felt like it would happen any moment, but it just—wouldn’t. So the ailments just kept happening. It was…painful.”

Jimin hugged his arms, and Hoseok could see the collective drop in everyone’s auras, and especially Yoongi’s. It made sense—Yoongi was best at caring for Jimin, which meant he out of all of them would know how bad Jimin’s lead up to a vision could be. To see Yoongi’s aura react so strongly made Hoseok worry over how much Jimin must have suffered—sure, he returned with only cuts and scrapes, but maybe they had underestimated exactly how much Jimin had gone through.

Jimin spoke up again when it seemed clear no one else knew what to say. “But I realized as I tried to get back here, the farther I was getting away from the cave…the less symptoms I was having. By the time Yoongi hyung ran over to me, they were completely gone. I never had a vision, and I didn’t feel like I was going to anymore.”

“Do you think if you had stayed, you would’ve?” Namjoon asked.

Jimin nodded. “I think it didn’t happen because I was fighting it, and trying to get away, back here. I was scared. I never have visions so close together though, you guys know that. I’ve never even had two in the same week, let alone the same day.”

“You’re saying the cave triggered it?”

Jimin nodded again.

“Do you think that’s what’s drawn us to this place?” Jungkook spoke up, exchanging a glance with Namjoon.

“I-I don’t know. But if it was affecting me as strongly as it was…I think it’s why Tae was so heavily involved in his encounter. He wouldn’t normally be so careless about me needing help, even if spirits were bothering him. But what I’m worried about is,” Jimin paused. “Well, I usually feel the worst of my ailments before a vision. Tae’s are more unpredictable, sure, but he typically feels the worst—”

“After,” Jin interrupted, staring wide-eyed with concern at Jimin, then at Yoongi.

“Yeah. I think the cave will sustain his encounter longer than usual, but,” Jimin shook his head, looking among all of them, “We gotta find him.”

Chapter Text

Taehyung had awoken when he heard two voices murmuring to each other. They were soft and unrecognizable to him, and as he stirred, rubbing his eyes as he sat up, he saw two spirits hovering above him. It startled him, and he jolted a bit—it wasn’t the first time he had seen spirits in the tinys, or awoken to some in his personal space, but all the same, it was something he wasn’t convinced he’d ever get used to.

One was small—no bigger than the palm of his hand—and white, giving off a bluish light almost like a hot flame would. It had dark blue specs that served as eyes but otherwise lacked any other notable features. The other was larger, but still relatively small—about the size of a rabbit. It was similar to the other one in structure, except it was more of a pastel orange color and gave off an orange flame-like light and had dark brown specs for eyes. They looked at Tae when he jolted, and then turned to one another.

“See? I told you he could sense us. We should bring him back with us, she would be pleased,” the blue one communicated.

“You know how it goes though, it never works,” the orange one responded.

“This one is obviously different. We should see what Joo thinks.”

“Who’s Joo?” Taehyung asked. The two whispers went from looking at each other back to Tae, and then back to each other. It was like they had forgotten already that he could understand them.

“Well he does communicate very clearly,” the orange one said.

“See! Different.” The blue one turned to Taehyung. “Joo is just outside. Come with us, yeah?”

Taehyung looked down at the sleeping form of Jin, who seemed so dull and shadowed in comparison to the spirits. That was one thing that Tae noticed when he had a strong encounter: the spirits became vivid, and the rest of the world became duller. He was reaching out to Jin, about to wake him up, when the orange spirit flew over in front of his hand to stop him.

“Not him,” it expressed sternly, its brown specs of eyes squinting at him.

“W-why not? He helps—”

“Not. Him.” The spirit repeated.

The blue one floated closer to his face, and it gave off a more cheerful vibe. “Just come meet Joo, Joo’s right outside. You don’t need this other…person, for that, right?”

Taehyung shrugged. “I guess not.”

In the back of his mind, he knew he was doing something wrong, breaking the rule. He knew he could have been more insistent to the spirits about waking up Jin. But it was that lack of fear, and there was something about the two bickering spirits he liked, especially the little blue one. Not to mention he was curious about this Joo they were talking about, and if it was just outside—what harm could that be?

He was surprised that he managed to get to the end of the bed and down the loft without disturbing Jin, who normally was ready to wake up at the drop of a hat. The little blue spirit stayed near Taehyung as he climbed down the ladder, and once he was on the ground floor, the orange one flew down to join them. Tae opened the door, and he was amused that the two spirits used it to leave the tiny, even though he knew spirits didn’t need them.

When they stepped out to the firepit, Tae marveled at the sight he beheld. A giant figure, taller than the camper, was crouching over it, its head inside of the camper. The spirit was grey, giving off a pale yellowish light, and it had more human-like features. Instead of looking like flames, it had limbs, two very tall, lanky legs that were bent as it crouched, and perhaps equally lengthy arms that held onto the camper.

“Joo! What did you find?” the little blue one expressed.

Joo pulled away from the camper, revealing its simple face (most spirits had simple faces), of white eyes and a thin line of what could be a mouth. Its means of communication was deep and slow, much like one would expect from such a large figure.

“Four and one. None like her. You?”

“One and one. One like her! Look at him!”

Joo managed to crouch even further, bringing itself just above Tae’s eye level, long arms wrapping around its long, bent legs. Tae smiled, amazed—he had never seen such a gentle, giant spirit before—and he reached out with his hand. Joo’s eyes widened, but after a moment it reached out too, and Tae’s hand felt the cool, airy presence of Joo’s being.

“Wow,” Tae breathed.

The blue whisper flew from floating near Tae’s face excitedly up to Joo’s. “We should bring him, right?”

Joo eyed the blue whisper, and dropped its hand from Taehyung’s reach, standing up to his full height, about three times as tall as Tae. “Yes. He should come.”

“Where?” Tae asked.

Joo looked down at him, and then across the lake. “Home.”

“Oh great, there’s another one!” the orange flame spirit sarcastically exclaimed out of nowhere.

“Taehyung.” It was Jimin. Taehyung watched the orange spirit swirl around him, and Joo look down at him.

The blue whisper stayed by Taehyung, perched at his shoulder. “Taehyung? Is that your name?”

Taehyung nodded. “Yes. What’s yours?”

“Bea.”

“That’s nice.”

“Thanks.”

“Taehyung!”

Taehyung really had to focus in order to properly take in Jimin—being around 3 spirits made his other senses extremely dulled down. “Oh, Jimin! Isn’t it incredible?”

He smiled as he looked up at Joo. As Jimin kept bickering at him, Tae did his best to respond, but he couldn’t help how distracted he was by the spirits. He watched, amused at how the orange one finally stopped flying around Jimin and came back over to Joo, and how Bea stayed right at his side, seeming perfectly content.

Joo sighed. “We should get going.”

The large spirit turned towards the lake, and started up with long, lethargic strides. Tae started too, and when Jimin’s voice was still insisting on something, Tae decided to try to focus better.

“Why didn’t you bring Jin hyung or someone? You were just saying to me earlier, we have the rules for a reason, Taehyung,” Jimin said.

He glanced up to Joo, who seemed to sense what was going on. Tae didn’t even need to try expressing his question for Joo to answer.

“He can come too. He’s powerful, like you. He might make it.”

Tae started walking, and said to Jimin, “Well, you’re here now, so I’m not alone. Right?”

With Jimin still protesting, Tae picked up his pace, Joo’s long strides carrying itself across the dirt road, and Tae wanted to keep up. “There’s no time, come on.”

They made their way across the field and into the woods in a similar fashion, of Jimin saying stuff that Tae couldn’t really focus much on, with the spirits leading the way and communicating to one another and with Tae too, until they reached the cave. Joo looked down at him and the two small spirits.

“This is the way you’ll go,” Joo said. “Hib and Bea will show you. I will see you in there.”

“What about Jimin?” Tae asked as Joo began to step away. Jimin seemed to be having a hard time, and was refusing to go further.

“If he can’t go, he can’t go. It’s neither here nor there.” And with that, Joo left, striding away into the woods.

“Just as well,” Hib, the orange spirit, expressed with a hint of bitterness. “He was slowing us down. And so loud there at the end, too. Come on. We need to get going.”

That was when Tae left Jimin. He didn’t understand why Jimin was so worried, and why he didn’t want him going into the cave. If Jimin’s vision had included him being in the cave, didn’t that mean he was supposed to go in there? Now that he was there, at its entrance, it seemed like it had always been inevitable. He wasn’t scared—sure, he felt guilty for breaking the rules, and leaving Jimin behind—but he was overpowered by this encounter, and the cave almost seemed to beacon him to enter, and with the spirits’ encouragement too, he couldn’t help his curiosity as he walked down into it.

~

The cave’s interior was so beautiful that it distracted Tae from the pain forming in his abdomen. The rock walls were black and it would have been impossible to see, except that they were also littered with crystals that gave off a reflective silvery light. Tae sniffled as his eyes wandered over the walls and ceiling of the cave, following Bea and Hib down a path. They continued ahead of him excitedly as they turned a corner past an opening of water, where the ceiling of the cave became larger, and as Tae walked past it, for some reason, he thought of Jimin. He glanced at the body of water, trying to figure out why it reminded him of Jimin, but when he realized the two were out of sight, he just kept going.

The cave was immense, and the path seemed to go on forever. It turned out that initial body of water was just a cove, one outlet of what was likely a truly massive body of water in this underground system. There were a few tight places in the path as they continued on, but soon it opened up to a huge area with a tall ceiling and wide walls. With such a large body of water, the crystals’ light was reflective in the pool, making the space brighter than the cavern path had been. When Tae’s eyes adjusted, he gasped, because among the spirits, he wasn’t the only human.

Joo had arrived sooner than them, and he was crouched down in the cavern, facing a girl who’s back was to Taehyung. She had white blonde hair, and was wearing a tattered, long black dress. She was sitting on a rock that was in the water, and she was communicating quietly with Joo, until it looked up as Bea and Hib floated over the water, away from Tae and towards her. She turned to greet them, revealing her side profile as she reached out with her palm up until Bea was settled in her hand. She smiled as she looked between the two, and her smile faded as she turned her head, looking to Taehyung.

She was super pale, and each of her eyes was a different color—one a dark, dark brown and the other a blue with splotches of the dark brown in it. She blinked at Taehyung, her mouth slightly agape, and her hand dropped to her side as Bea flew back over to Taehyung.

Taehyung was about to speak when he doubled over, his stomach suddenly filled with sharp pains. He started coughing as he held onto his stomach, and for the first time since the encounter, he truly regretted breaking the group’s rule, missing Jin and Yoongi’s attentive care, as well as the others’ cuddles and comfort.

“Put your feet in the water, it helps.” The girl’s voice was light and airy, but it echoed through the otherwise quiet cave.

Taehyung was in enough pain to not question the logic of such a request, and realizing for the first time that he had left the cabin barefooted, he sat at the edge of the water and dipped his feet in. The water was tepid, neither cool nor warm, and it was smooth, almost soft. Tae’s pains eased and he felt himself relax some.

Bea perked up next to him, its blue flame-like light swirling around its form. “Better?”

Tae gave a small smile. “Yes.”

“So it’s true—you can see them too?” the girl spoke. She turned to completely face him, sitting cross-legged on the rock.

“Yeah, i-it’s my Touch.”

The girl smiled, looking down for a moment. “I’ve never met someone else who could see them.”

“Me either.”

She looked up again, flicking her light hair out of her face. “What’s your name?”

“Taehyung. Yours?”

“Cassandra.”

Tae smiled before shaking his head. “I-I have so many questions, I don’t even know where to start. What is this place? Have you been here long?”

The girl glanced around the large cavern, smiling at Hib, who was still by her side. She reached over and ran her hand over its presence, almost as if it truly was a rabbit, and it seemed content at her affection. “I’ve lost track of time, to be honest. A while. The more I learn, the less time seems to matter as a construct.”

Tae wasn’t exactly sure what she meant. He splashed his feet up and down in the water, and he was happy to for once have an encounter that wasn’t cut short due to ailments. He looked at the water. “This place makes Touches stronger, doesn’t it?”

“Mm-hmm. Would you like to see?”

Again, Tae wasn’t sure what she was referring to. He thought it made sense though, if she was alone here, except for spirits. Communicating with them was much different to language—it was briefer, more reliant on feelings and perceptions, so it would make sense that if she hadn’t talked to another human in a while, she would perhaps naturally bring that vagueness to her speech.

But once again, Tae’s lack of fear and curiosity didn’t make him consider questioning her, and he simply went, “Sure.”

Cassandra gave a small smile before scooting to the edge of the rock, her feet hovering above the water. “You still have a lot you could learn about your Touch. You and I, we’re powerful. There’re some things that, together, I bet we could really tap into.”

After she spoke, she let her feet delicately fall into the water, and the water around them lit up with a bright yellowish light. The light swirled out with the ripples from her feet entering the water, and soon the whole body of water in the cavern was lit. Mere seconds after, about a dozen spirits of all sizes and shapes arose from the water, and Cassandra giggled as she greeted them.

The highest number of spirits Tae had ever had an encounter with at once was four, and he had muscle spasms so badly afterwards that he was virtually bedridden for a week. To see Cassandra, directly interacting with so many, so easily—not to mention the fact that she had somehow summoned them—was mind-blowing to Taehyung.

As Cassandra giggled and interacted with them, a few of them started noticing Taehyung, and while he was fascinated as an observer, when a few came over to him, causing a few more to look his way and come over too, he was quickly—way too quickly—becoming overwhelmed.

There were so many trying to communicate with him all at once that he couldn’t properly understand or express anything coherent to any of them. Maybe they were excited by another human, but his freaking out didn’t stop them from persisting.

Cassandra tried to speak out to them, “Hey, calm down! It’s too much, all of you!”

And when it became too overwhelming—perhaps this was fear—Taehyung pulled his feet out of the water to stand up and back away from them all. That was a mistake.

“No! Taehy—” Cassandra didn’t even get through her exclamation before Taehyung let out a terrible scream.

Without his feet in the water, Taehyung’s ailments came back full force and then some. Taehyung fell back, rolling onto his side as his stomach felt on fire, his muscles ached, and his head felt a sharp pain piercing through it. He rolled onto his stomach, and he ran his hand under his nose—fresh blood was there. He blinked, hard, and got onto his knees, then managed to get onto his feet. All the while, spirits were still coming at him—he had to move, he had to leave.

“All of you, stop, leave him alone! Taehyung!” Cassandra was shouting in the back, but Taehyung had lost his ability to comprehend or think or make any decisions other than the instinct his body was screaming at him: to get out.

Taehyung desperately made his way back to the path he had come from, falling occasionally, picking himself up again, and all the while pushing through the various pains of his body shutting down. As he left the big opening of the cave, some of the spirits had given up or listened to Cassandra’s demands, but those that still bothered him were determined.

The whole time, Bea was worriedly at his side as the other spirits trailed behind and fought each other to swirl around him.

“What’s happening, Taehyung?” Bea’s whisper-like communication, perhaps due to proximity and the spirit’s more gentle nature, was the only thing Tae could make sense of.

“It’s too much,” Tae breathed. “My body can’t handle it all.”

“What do you need?”

Tae collapsed again. “Out of here. Get me out of here. Back to my hyungs.”

Bea managed to lead Taehyung out of the cave, but it was exhausting, and when he reached the entrance that led to the world’s surface, Taehyung gasped, gulping in the night air as if he had been underwater. There were still three determined spirits though, and as they kept swirling around Tae, he stumbled through the woods, screaming at them to leave him alone. Suddenly, he fell over, landing hard on his side, causing unbearable pain, and he passed out.

When he regained consciousness, it was still dark. He blinked hard, head feeling heavy and fuzzy, and as he became more aware, he wished that he didn’t. So much of him was aching he couldn’t even decipher what was worst. He made a move to get up, but the moment he was propped up on his elbows, his stomach lurched and he puked. He pushed himself onto his back to roll away from the vomit, and when he turned his head, he saw Bea. Bea’s light was faint, and it seemed cautious, tentative to communicate with Tae.

Tae sighed. “Are the others…gone?”

“They left when you stopped being responsive. Are you okay?”

Tae groaned, his stomach lurching again, but this time he just brought his hand to his stomach. “I’ve been better.”

He managed to sit up, and he looked around. “Will they come back?”

“I don’t know. I can warn you if they do.”

“Mmkay. Thanks, Bea.” He wasn’t sure if it was due to the spirit’s small form, or its overall gentle presence, but Bea didn’t seem to bother him the way others did. Actually, Tae was glad that he wasn’t entirely alone. He felt a pang of guilt as he remembered his boyfriends. How much must the group be worried about him? And what about Jimin—was he okay? Tae rolled his head back.

“Idiot,” he grumbled to himself.

He attempted to stand, but when his knees gave out immediately, he resorted to crawling. Even that exhausted him that. He made his way, hoping it was the right direction towards the camp, until he couldn’t get his muscles to work anymore. He groaned once more—he had the dreadful feeling that he hadn’t made it very far. He found himself settled under a tree, and something about the cover and the soft dirt at its base felt like Tae’s best stopping point for now.

Bea floated near his face as he laid down onto his side.

“I can’t keep going. I need to rest again,” Tae said.

“I’ll do what I can to keep them away, if they come.”

Tae couldn’t help but smile, because what could this small, sweet little spirit do in the face of several, much larger, aggressive ones? But all the same, he appreciated knowing that something was looking out for him in this strange place.

“Thanks, Bea,” he said again as his vision became fuzzy, and he laid his head in the dirt to give in to his tiredness, unsure of if he’d ever make it back to his home.

Chapter Text

“We gotta find him.”

Once Jimin said that, the group set immediately to coming up with a plan to find Tae. They all seemed to sit more on the edge of their seats, leaning closer to one another, and Jimin moved from Kook’s lap to sit in a chair in front of the six of them.

“How’re we going to do this?” Jungkook asked.

“We’ll do like we always have,” Yoongi said. “We’ll make rules.”

When the seven first formed a love group back in university, none of them had been in more than just a monogamous relationship before—they had no idea what they were doing. They knew it would take getting used to, but one of the first things they did was establish ground rules, like no jealously between them and very open communication. Ever since, they used rules as a way to communicate and take care of one another—it was how they determined Yoongi was best at caring for Jimin during visions, and how Tae should never be left completely alone.

Jimin nodded. “There’s an even number of us. I say we split into groups of two. If I’m right about the cave, and if affects Touches, we can go based on that. Yoongi hyung, I need you to be with me in case I start having another vision.”

Yoongi nodded.

“I’ll go with Hobi then,” Jin said. “Joon can keep Kookie’s emotions in check, and Kook is good to help with his ailments.”

Jimin nodded. “So that’s rule number one. Stay with your person—no one goes anywhere alone. Rule number two: we’ll all search in different places across the lake, but let’s all agree to meet back here in an hour, no matter what.” Jimin looked around as they all nodded in agreement, and he dropped his head for a moment. “You guys aren’t going to like it, but for the third rule, I want no one to actually go in the cave.”

“What? But isn’t that our best bet of finding him?” Jungkook said.

“We need to start with what’s manageable. If the cave is like it was in my vision, I think it’s more expansive than it looks from its entrance. If we don’t find Tae in the surrounding forest, we’ll need to meet again to plan what to do next, especially if it involves going in there. I don’t think two of us should just blindly go in there—it’s not safe.”

Everyone exchanged glances, as if they were all waiting for one of them to be brave enough to protest. But Yoongi spoke up.

“He’s right. Our goal is to find Tae, but our priority should be to not lose anyone else.”

Everyone solemnly agreed, but Jimin didn’t speak up again. He wasn’t sure what else needed to be said.

“What about if we actually find Tae?” Hoseok said. “I mean, obviously if he’s compliant, we bring him back here, but what if he’s still like before? In an encounter, or doesn’t want to come back for whatever reason?”

Jimin glanced to Jin, who had the most experience with taking care of Taehyung, and everyone else’s gaze followed. Jin sighed. “I hate the idea of forcing him during an encounter; it’s a risky choice. I can’t imagine he’d still be in one though, not for this long.”

Jimin nodded. “We may just have to make that call once we actually see what kind of state he’s in. If we’re lucky enough to find him.”

They didn’t waste much more time in getting ready and heading across the lake. Jimin sent Namjoon and Jungkook to go around the lake in the opposite direction, in case there was another opening to the cave that Tae could have left from, or if he had gotten turned around in trying to find the camp. Once the remaining four got to the woods just past the field, Jimin had them split off. He warned them which direction the cave was.

“Hoseok, I don’t know how it would affect you, but if you start feeling something, don’t ignore it like I tried to at first,” Jimin said. “Just turn back. Head back to camp, okay?”

Hoseok nodded resolutely, and he and Jin departed into the woods. Jimin sighed as he turned around, meeting Yoongi’s gaze briefly before they started walking, glancing around the woods.

It wasn’t long before Jimin sighed again, and Yoongi grabbed his arm, stopping their pace so they could stand and face each other.

“Are you sure you’re feeling up to doing this? We can go back to camp if it’s too much,” Yoongi said, squeezing Jimin’s hand.

Jimin shook his head. “I’m fine, hyung, I’m sure. I want to help.”

“Okay.” Yoongi’s head dropped, and he made no move to keep walking, still holding onto Jimin’s hand. Jimin looked at him expectantly, but Yoongi wouldn’t meet his eyes.

After a long moment, he finally spoke. “I’m sorry for what happened, Jimin-ah. To both you and Tae. I was awake, I should’ve noticed you had—”

It was Jimin’s turn to squeeze Yoongi’s hand, and he stepped closer to his hyung. “Yoongi hyung, don’t do what I did all last night. Don’t place blame on yourself.”

“I know, and I’m not, really. I guess it’s just, ah,” he faltered, glancing upwards for a moment while pausing, and then he met Jimin’s eyes. “The idea of you having to go through a vision alone—I wish I could have been there for you, baby.”

Jimin warmed at the love of his caretaker. He remembered the times before he had been with Yoongi, the scary moments in his youth when the visions first started happening—he didn’t know what to do or who to turn to. It was with the group, and with Yoongi, now that he no longer feared his visions—he was able to face them, and it was because he was no longer alone. He rested his hands on Yoongi’s chest and nuzzled their noses together. “It’s okay. You’re here now, hyung.”

Jimin kissed Yoongi, who gripped Jimin’s hips to pull him closer as the kiss deepened. When their lips broke apart, Yoongi cupped Jimin’s face, sternly looking into his eyes.

“Promise not to strain yourself out here. Like you told Hoseok, promise to tell me the moment you feel anything, okay? I’m not having you go through that a third time in such a short span,” he said.

Jimin nuzzled Yoongi’s nose again—there was something about when he became stern that Jimin found so attractive. But he knew better than to grow distracted, so his hands came to Yoongi’s wrists, gently pulling them down so they could start walking again. “Yes, hyung.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Yoongi hesitated before pecking Jimin’s lips. “You better.”

They continued walking, holding hands, but besides the comfort of having one another there, the situation felt futile. Where they were searching was quiet, and there were no signs of disturbance. Jimin wasn’t too surprised, though—he was keeping them a decent distant from the cave, justifiably since Yoongi was threatening to take him back if he felt any symptoms, but equally because he didn’t want to have to go through feeling the harsh ailments again. He had little hope that Tae would have wandered this far from the cave, but he wanted to keep looking, just in case. His biggest hope was that the others would have better luck.

~

Jungkook huffed as he swatted at some shrubs in his and Namjoon’s way. “You noticed how he sent us the farthest away from the cave, right?”

“Yes, and it makes sense. Keeping the pair who both have Touches away from where they would be affected—I thought it was very tactful,” Joon said.

“But I don’t even have ailments,” Jungkook whined.

“That you know of. Maybe your body just handles them well enough that they go undetected, and if this cave amplifies them in anyway, you could become affected,” Namjoon said.

“I hadn’t thought of that. Besides, I thought you would’ve said that my Touch is also my ailment,” Jungkook said, as it was something Namjoon had talked about with him before. How absorbing others’ emotions was a power, but it already came with its downsides naturally.

“Well, I figured now wasn’t the best time to bring that up,” Joon said. “How many times have you cried in the last 24 hours?”

Jungkook turned back to him, crossing his arms. “Only twice,” he pouted.

Joon smiled, flashing his dimples before stepping over to him and placing a kiss on his cheek. “That’s good, baby.”

Jungkook huffed again before turning to keep walking. “Still, I don’t like just wandering through the woods, nowhere near where Tae had gone.”

“Jimin wouldn’t have sent us off aimlessly. He thinks it could be a network of caves—we could come across another entrance, which could be useful down the line in finding Tae if the others don’t find him.”

“But we still can’t go in it.”

“No. But we’ll be all the closer to understanding, and there’s great power in understanding,” Joon said. “And I don’t think Jimin was wrong. We may be standing over the cave at this very moment.”

“What’re you talking—” Jungkook said, but his voice dropped when he turned around to see Namjoon standing there with his hands held out. They were shaking, his fingers twitching and curling much more than normal, maybe more than he had ever seen before. Kook’s eyes grew wide, and he rushed over to Namjoon. He held out his own hands for Joon to rest his in. “Hyung, are you okay? We should go back—”

“No, let’s keep going,” Joon said, followed by something in another language.

“What? Hyung, you’re worrying me.”

“Just a little farther, baby.” Namjoon’s hands jerked away from Kook’s, and he walked ahead of Jungkook, who followed after him.

Kook’s heart was starting to beat faster, and his breathing was becoming shallow. Was this just worry over Namjoon? Or his Touch—was this what Joon was feeling? Or was this an undiscovered ailment of his own kicking in? He closed his eyes briefly, tried to take in a deeper breath, but it still felt too shallow. Joon spoke to him and he opened his eyes.

“What?”

Namjoon blinked, and spoke again, but it was still in a language Kook didn’t know. Jungkook shook his head, and Namjoon bit his lip in contemplation. He was also shakily rubbing his forearms, as if the pain he felt in his hands had graduated up into his arms as well.

“Maybe,” Joon said with a pause, and when Jungkook nodded, he continued, “We should go back.”

“Please,” Jungkook said, ready to turn on his heel and hurry back to camp, but Joon wouldn’t move. “Joonie hyung?”

Namjoon muttered something quickly and under his breath, again in another language. He looked at Kook, and blinked hard, wincing and grasping one of his forearms to his chest.

“Ah—I know this sounds odd, Kook-ah, but,” Joon took in a deep breath, closing his eyes again. He opened them, but seemed to have trouble focusing on Jungkook’s eyes. “I need you to make me leave.”

“Hyung?” Jungkook was thoroughly confused, and his racing heart didn’t help.

Namjoon closed his eyes again. “Jungkook. I’m not Tae. Make me come with you. Because if you don’t, I won’t.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened at his bluntness, and Kook didn’t understand what was going on. Jimin had made it sound like the cave’s affect was horrible, and Namjoon was clearly in pain, so why would he want to stay? But so had Tae. Whatever was happening to Namjoon, he had been aware enough to tell Jungkook to make him leave, and the longer he kept his eyes closed the more worried Jungkook became that that wouldn’t remain the case. Our priority should be to not lose anyone else. This set Jungkook to into action—there was no way he was going to be the one to fail on their priority, there was no way he was losing Namjoon.

He strode over to Namjoon, but he didn’t want to grab his hands out of fear of hurting him further, so wrapped his arm around Joon’s waist. When that wasn’t enough to get him moving, Jungkook went behind him and blatantly pushed Joon until he started stepping back in the direction they had come from. Once he was walking it became easier, and Jungkook moved to his side, his arm around Joon’s waist. He wanted to go at a faster pace than Joon was, so he was practically dragging his hyung along, but most importantly, they were moving.

Jungkook began to fear that his panic would cause him to become lost in the woods, but to his relief, they stumbled upon the lake, and from there were able to spot the camp and return to the tinys. Jungkook sat them down at the firepit and checked the time—the hour was nearly up, so everyone else would be returning soon, which Jungkook was grateful for.

After catching his breath, he turned to Namjoon. “The fuck was that, hyung?”

Namjoon shook his head, digging in his pockets for a moment. “Ah, I need my recorder, I think it’s in the camper. I’m sorry, Kook-ah, I really can’t say quite yet. I need to record it, get my thoughts in order. I’ll stay in the camper, okay?”

Jungkook hesitated. What would Jin or Yoongi do? Would they even know what to do? Namjoon rarely needed much help, and certainly nothing like this had ever happened before. He wanted to trust his hyung, but he wasn’t sure if as a caretaker, he was supposed to.

“You won’t—try to go back there, will you?” he said sheepishly.

Namjoon smiled, and it was genuine in a way that assured Jungkook that he was out of whatever weird state he had been in before. “You and I both know I’m incapable of sneaking anywhere. I’ll stay right inside, baby, I promise.”

Jungkook gave a small smile too, and nodded. “Okay.”

Joon went inside, and Jungkook laid his head back, looking up at the sky. What the fuck just happened?

~

Jin yawned as he and Hoseok were walking through the woods. He had fallen asleep in the arm chair in the cabin the night before, but he hadn’t gotten much sleep. He was relieved that Jimin was feeling more back to normal, and that Jungkook was no longer angry, but until they found Taehyung, Jin wasn’t convinced he would ever feel fully rested again. Wandering around the woods felt useless, and Jin couldn’t help the fact that he was naturally heading in the direction Jimin had said the cave was. If anyone could get safely close to it, it would be him, and maybe Hoseok too—what harm could it do to auras?

“I wish you and Yoongi hyung wouldn’t strain yourselves so much for the rest of us,” Hobi spoke up.

Jin stopped walking to face him. “It’s just part of it sometimes, Hobi. It’s okay.”

Hoseok stepped over to him, placing his hand on Jin’s cheek. “You’re so faint, though. You didn’t sleep well, did you?”

Jin allowed himself a moment to close his eyes, melt into Hobi’s soft touch. He brought his hand to cover Hobi’s, and met the younger’s eyes. “I can rest when we find Tae.”

Hoseok sighed. “Fine. But whatever happens, there’s no way you’re sleeping alone again tonight, okay?”

Jin smiled. He could never be sure what exactly the world looked like to Hoseok, but the boy was always adamant that touch and affection were important. He had been pretty upset when Jin admitted that he slept in the arm chair and not in the loft with Kook and Jimin. He brought Hoseok’s hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles. “Only if it’s with you, sunshine.”

Hobi rolled his eyes, but still broke into a smile. “You’re such a flatterer. Always have been.”

The two kept walking for a while longer, until Jin asked Hobi for the time, and he checked his watch.

“Ah, hour’s almost up, hyung. We better head back. Wouldn’t want to break a rule,” he said, and Jin’s heart sank. He hadn’t had much hope in the first place, but to definitely not have found him—

He stopped walking.

“Hyung? What is it?”

“Shh. Did you hear that?”

Jin turned and started walking through a thicket of bushes, Hobi following after him. As he kept walking, he started to think he had just willed himself to hear coughing, that it was just in his imagination. He was about to give up and turn back when Hobi, at his side, gasped.

“Oh my god, there,” he said, pointing at a magnolia tree with low hanging branches.

Jin didn’t see it at first, but then he spotted the collapsed body in the shadow of the branches. “Holy fuck.”

They ran over to Taehyung, and Jin skirted onto his knees. Tae was lying on his side, facing away from them, towards the trunk of the tree. He was covered in dirt and his clothes were torn. Jin hesitated, his hand hovering over his shoulder. He waited a moment, trying to read Tae’s behavior just from his back—he would cough and sigh, but otherwise he was quiet. No murmuring, no fidgeting, no signs that he was in an encounter. So Jin place his hand on Tae’s shoulder, gently rolled him onto his back.

His face was dirty, but not scraped up the way Jimin’s had been. There was blood caked and stained under his nose, and a dried mess around the corner of his mouth that told Jin he had already thrown up at least once. The boy could barely open his eyes.

“Jin hyung?”

Jin could have cried at hearing his beautiful, deep voice, and he pulled Taehyung’s torso into his lap, cradling his head in his arms. “Yes, beautiful, I’m here. You’re safe now.”

Taehyung made no response, other than closing his eyes and nuzzling against Jin, making him hug him tighter. Jin looked to Hoseok, who was right next to them.

“How does he look?”

Hobi shook his head. “Weird. Faint, but—I’m not sure how to describe it.” He reached out and ran his fingers over the back of Tae’s hand. “He’s responsive, though. That’s a good sign. We should get him back to camp.”

Jin nodded, and looked back down at the boy in his arms. “Tae, can you hear me?”

He didn’t respond, and Jin sighed. It didn’t matter that he was unconscious now, he was here, he was alive. Jin looked at Hobi again. “I’ll have to carry him. Looks like we’ll be breaking the second rule after all.”

Chapter Text

Jungkook hadn’t expected any good news. When Yoongi and Jimin returned with no news, he figured maybe that was better than if something bad or odd had happened to them the way it had with Joon. He just starting to tell them about it when he stopped, looking out towards the lake, and his mind went numb. The figures of Jin and Hobi were walking towards them, and Jin was carrying another figure in his arms. For once, it felt like Jungkook didn’t feel anything. But maybe that was because he was feeling to many things at once—relief, fear, joy, worry—to determine a singular one from any of the others. He was pretty sure Jimin and Yoongi were in the same boat, and it took them all a long time to accept the image in front of them as reality.

Much like Yoongi had with Jimin the day before, Jin, clearly exhausted—they must have gone out farther into the woods than planned—placed Taehyung’s unconscious form on the grass, staying crouched by him. Everyone was weirdly silent, in deep shock as they all realized none of them had actually expected that they’d find Taehyung. Jungkook surprised himself when he was the first to make a move, and he walked over to them. He crouched on the other side of Tae, facing Jin, and he stared at him sternly.

“Let me take care of him,” he said to his hyung.

Jin was out of breath, and he had dark bags under his eyes—Jungkook could feel how desperately tired he was—but still, he looked down at Tae, feeling a pang of sorrow at the thought of leaving him in the hands of someone else.

“Hyung. Let me do this,” Kook said, doing everything he could to fight the sound of emotions from taking over his voice. “Let me be a caretaker right now. Please.”

Jin continued staring at Tae, only breathing and blinking, and it was Yoongi who spoke up.

“Jin hyung, he can do it.”

Seokjin finally looked back to Kook, and he nodded. “We’re not going to have the blue tiny’s privacy rule. Any of us can come check on him. And come get me if anything happens.”

Jungkook nodded. “That’s fair. I will, hyung.”

He took Tae into his arms, lifting him with ease, and Jin stood with him. Before turning to go to the tiny, he said, “Joon is in the camper. You might want to go see him.”

Kookie felt guilty for the immediate amount of fear that washed over Jin.

“Why? What happened?”

“He’s okay, hyung, it’s—ah, I’m not sure. Just, go see him, yeah?”

When Jin nodded, Jungkook felt slightly relieved. He did want Jin to go check on Namjoon to make sure he was okay, but equally, if Jungkook knew Namjoon at all, and his relationship with Jin, he knew that Joon would help him prioritize taking care of himself too, even if Tae was back. It was a rule the Toucheds of the group came up with that the other two liked to forget: even the caretakers needed to be taken care of.

With Jin headed towards the camper, Jungkook started to the blue tiny, looking down at his hyung in his arms. Tae wasn’t as light as Jimin, but he still was easy to carry, especially in this state. Jungkook managed to get the door to the tiny open, and it seemed to startle Taehyung awake. Still incredibly dreary, he moaned before blinking, and suddenly he smiled.

“Kookie,” he said in a weak but happy voice. His hand weakly grabbed at Jungkook’s shirt, and he breathed into Jungkook’s chest. “Kook-ah, it’s so good to see you.”

“You too, Tae,” Jungkook said, fighting back tears. He carried him through the tiny to its bathroom. “You really gave us a scare.”

“M’sorry,” Tae mumbled, nuzzling even more against Jungkook.

“Don’t worry about it right now, hyung,” Kook said as he sat Tae down in the seat of the shower. “Let’s get you cleaned up. How do you feel right now? Are you hurt?” Kook asked as he undressed Tae.

“Not hurt, just…tired,” Tae said, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes.

Jungkook, unable to pick up on any of Tae’s feelings, believed that he had dipped back into unconsciousness, which wasn’t surprising, considering the boy’s state. Jungkook grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom’s cabinet and ran it under warm water. He used the cloth to clean Tae’s face, making sure to be gentle, and feeling relieved at washing away the blood under his nose and on his top lip. Tae hummed contentedly as Jungkook finished cleaning his face.

Kook held the showerhead in his hand, checking to make sure its water was warm. “I’m going to wash your hair now, okay?”

“Mmhmm.”

Jungkook was happy for even the slight response, and he continued getting Taehyung clean. Once he was done, he wrapped Tae up in a towel before picking him up again to carry him out of the bathroom. Again, Tae clung to his shirt and nuzzled his chest.

“Kook-ah,” he whispered, and Jungkook felt warm over the surprising amount of contentedness that an ill Taehyung could feel.

Jungkook placed him on the giant bed of the tiny, and crouched down to the drawers of clothes that were under the bed. “What do you want to sleep in, sweetheart? A tshirt?”

“Hoodie,” Tae responded, lying on the bed and rolling onto his stomach.

 As Jungkook searched through the drawer, he felt a hand in his hair and he glanced up, seeing Taehyung smiling at him, his fingers playing Kook’s hair. Jungkook smiled too, and he pulled out one of Yoongi’s black, oversized hoodies. “Will this do?”

Tae nodded, and Jungkook helped sit him up and put in on him. He winced when his arms lifted up to pull the hoodie on, and once it was on, he rolled onto his side, clutching his stomach.

“Kookie, I might puke,” he said, burying his face into the comforter on the bed.

“That’s okay,” Jungkook said, going over to the corner of the room, where there was a small trashcan. It wasn’t uncommon for Tae to have such ailments, so they liked keeping small trashcans in all of the tinys’ rooms. He brought it over and set it on the side of the bed next to Tae. He didn’t puke though, but just continued clutching his stomach and shuddering through pains.

Jungkook gently ran his hand through Tae’s hair, hoping it would help soothe him. “Let me get you something mild to eat, hyung. Maybe it will help settle your stomach.”

Taehyung let out a whine.

“Hyung. I bet you haven’t eaten since you left here, have you?”

Tae shook his head slightly, and buried his face deeper in the comforter. Jungkook grabbed a pillow from the front of the bed—Taehyung was lying across the bed’s side—and lifted his head slightly to tuck the pillow under him. He then pressed a kiss onto Tae’s forehead. “I’ll grab you something to munch on real quick, okay?”

Taehyung whined as Jungkook stepped away, but he still went to the kitchen, finding crackers and pouring a glass of water for him. When he got back to the bed, Tae was hugging the pillow, burying his face into it with sobs, and Jungkook took a deep breath, trying not to panic or start crying himself.

“Come here, sweetheart,” Kook said, setting the stuff on the night stand before rubbing Tae’s back. “Would it hurt if I moved you?”

“It’s okay,” Tae said, reaching a hand out to Jungkook.

Once again, Jungkook took Taehyung into his arms and he settled them both at the front of the bed, sitting against the headboard while keeping Tae in his lap. Tae only winced a little as they moved, his face in the crook of Kookie’s neck. Jungkook brought his hand to Tae’s cheek, wiping away a tear as he prompted Tae to lift his head. He handed him the glass of water.

“Try to drink a little,” Kook said softly.

Tae sniffled and grabbed the glass. He took a couple sips before taking a longer drink from it, and then handed it back to Kook. Jungkook managed to get him to eat some too, and Taehyung’s pains seemed to subside at least a little.

“I’m so t-tired, Kook-ah,” Taehyung murmured.

“Go ahead and rest. I’ll be right here,” Jungkook said.

Taehyung groggily moved out of Kook’s lap to lie down in the bed, and Jungkook lied down next to him, pulling the comforter over them. They lied facing each other, noses practically touching. Taehyung’s hand found Jungkook’s, and he ran the pads of his fingertips over Kook’s knuckles. Meeting Taehyung’s tired eyes, Jungkook leaned closer to him and lightly kissed his lips. Taehyung sleepily kissed him back, and Jungkook closed his eyes, embracing the feeling, the one he had feared he may never get to experience again. But Taehyung was really there, back in their bed, back with their hyungs—he was home, and the group was complete again.

Jungkook broke from the kiss, taking in a shaky breath. “I love you, Taehyung. Now get some rest.”

“I love you too, Kookie,” Tae said as he began to sink into the pillow, closing his eyes. “If the hyungs come in while I’m asleep, tell them I love them too.”

Jungkook smiled, pressing a kiss into Tae’s forehead. “Sure thing.”

~

Namjoon was pacing around the camper as he spoke into the voice recorder he was holding. He had been sitting in the booth, but it was like his thoughts were racing so fast that his body needed to move too to keep up. Unlike before, out in the woods, he was now aware that he was slipping in and out of different languages. It was more in his control, and he did it simply because he needed to use whatever words he could think of—the playback of the recording was for himself anyway, so he knew it didn’t matter since he’d be able to understand it. Besides, it took multiple languages to be able to describe the sensation he had felt, and the thoughts that had occurred to him out there.

He sat back down as he was beginning to wind down, finally feeling like he got the rush of thoughts out, his mind calming. He set the recorder down on the table, still talking, so he could rub his wrists and arms, but his hands were still shaky. They had felt on fire out in the woods, and he had had no control over them. Now back home, they were still terribly sore and achy. Between the racing thoughts of his mind and the shakiness of his hands, he barely felt he had control over anything. And this was all foregoing the main issue of why they had gone out in the first place.

He stopped the recording and laid his hands flat on the table in hopes that would settle them. He glanced around to try to place a clock for the time—would the others be back by now? Would any of them have news regarding Tae, or perhaps an occurrence like his? He sighed, hanging his head as his index finger twitched. What he had felt—whatever it was—had been powerful. If it was anything akin to what Tae had experienced, with his unique power and severe ailments—Namjoon shook his head, suddenly clouded by worry. He tensed his hands into fists and then released them, hoping this would ease some of the pain, but it didn’t.

“Dammit,” he muttered.

Although it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, Namjoon startled when the door of the camper opened. He stood up as Jin stepped into the camper, concerned over Jin’s tired eyes, damp with tears. He grew confused when Jin smiled.

“We found him,” Jin said in a trembling voice, tears streaming down face. “We found Tae.”

Namjoon was hit with a wave of shock, but it didn’t stop him from hurrying over to Jin. He attempted to bring his hands up to Jin’s face, to wipe away his tears, but when they were too shaky, he just pulled Jin into a hug, letting Jin bury his face into his chest.

“Is—is he okay?” Namjoon said, almost afraid to ask in fear of the answer.

“All things considered, he seems pretty okay,” Jin said through heavy breaths. “Jungkook is taking care of him.”

“That’s good. That’s good,” Joon said, pressing his face against Jin’s hair, speaking softly into his ear. He ran a shaky hand over the back of Jin’s head, gripping his nape as best as he could. Jin kept his arms tightly around Namjoon’s waist, but he lifted his head, then gently took hold of Joon’s arm to examine his hand.

“How bad are they hurting you?” Jin asked.

Joon sighed. He couldn’t lie. “Pretty bad. All the way up my forearms.”

Jin raised an eyebrow before leading Joon to sit down at the booth. “That’s unusual. Has that ever happened before?”

“No.”

They sat across from one another at the booth, and Jin had Namjoon lay his arms out, which he did, resting them palms up. Jin sniffled, running the back of his hand over his face to wipe the tears away. He then took Joon’s left hand and started massaging it, striking a balance between too gentle and too firm as he worked out Joon’s tense muscles.

“Tell me if it’s too much,” Jin said as when Namjoon winced.

“No, it’s good, hyung.”

Jin stared at his hand in a dazed manner, watching his own thumbs and fingers press and knead Joon’s palm before running down his wrist and forearm. “Kook mentioned that something happened—you wanna talk about it?”

Joon sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to focus on the feeling of Jin’s fingers running over his skin rather than the throbbing pain that had been there before. He then explained what had happened as best he could. “It was bizarre, hyung. I was hit with this overwhelming power, I had so many thoughts, suddenly I felt like I could understand things that I’ve struggled to grasp before, like I could have learned things in minutes that normally would have taken me days, and it was…intoxicating. I had to have Kookie physically force me away.”

Namjoon watched as Jin continued to stare at his hands, having started massaging his right hand now. Jin blinked hard, his head dipping a little before he took in a sharp breath.

“I—I don’t know what to make of that,” he admitted.

Namjoon realized then how far gone Jin was, probably filled with relief, but also still confused and worried, and more than anything, exhausted. He scolded himself for not realizing it sooner, the moment he came into the camper, and Joon got up, moved to sit next to Jin on the same side of the booth. He put his arm around Jin’s shoulders, pulling him in to rest his head on his shoulder.

“I wouldn’t expect you too, hyung,” Joon said, kissing his hairline. “You don’t have to be on top of everything all the time, you know. You can rest too, baby.”

He lifted his head. “Now? No, I really should go make sure Jungkook’s okay with—”

Joon brought his hand to Jin’s cheek. His hands were still sore, but they were at least no longer shaky. He ran his thumb over Jin’s cheek. “Kook is fine, Jin hyung. He can get Yoongi’s help if he needs to.”

Conflict flickered in Jin’s eyes. It was clear that he wanted to do everything he could to fulfill his caretaker duty, and being away from Tae after just having found him must have been difficult, but even he couldn’t deny his exhaustion. Namjoon touched his forehead to Jin’s.

“Please, hyung. The rest of the group would feel better if you were well rested—especially Tae, he wouldn’t want to see you this strung out because of him.”

Jin let out a shaky breath. “Dammit, I hate when you make convincing arguments. Which is all the time, by the way.”

Namjoon sniffed a laugh. “Sorry, I have a way with words.”

Jin laughed too before kissing Joon softly. “I don’t want to keep any of you from Tae, but—stay with me?”

Joon smiled. “Of course, hyung. I’m sure Tae’s gonna get plenty of attention as it is. You want to go to the cabin? That bed is much comfier.”

Jin nodded, and the two slipped out of the booth and Namjoon kept his arm around Jin’s waist as they walked outside. Yoongi, Jimin, and Hoseok were still sitting outside, talking. Hoseok immediately stood up and walked over to them, bringing a hand to Jin’s cheek.

“Don’t worry, sunshine, we’re going to the cabin so I can sleep,” Jin said before Hobi could say anything.

Hoseok’s expression remained concerned, and he brought his other hand up to cup Jin’s face. He touched his forehead to Jin’s before kissing him, and Jin’s hands went to Hobi’s hips, pulling him closer. When their lips broke apart, Hoseok said, “I’m joining you guys.”

“Hobi, wouldn’t you rather see Tae? I don’t want to st—”

“Honestly hyung, I’m more concerned about you right now,” he breathed against Jin’s lips, and then, perhaps recognizing the concern he might have been raising, said in a more cheerful voice, “Besides, you said you wanted to fall asleep with me, remember?”

Jin smiled, his eyes still closed from the kiss. “I remember, sunshine.”

His hand still on Jin’s back, Namjoon felt him waver, swaying in his stance. He tried to better grab hold of him, but winced at the attempt to exert his sore muscles. “Whoa, hyung—umm, Hobi, could you?”

Yoongi made a move to stand up when Hoseok spoke. “Don’t worry, I got him.”

He turned around and slightly crouched so he could hoist Jin onto his back. “Let’s get you in bed, hyung. Don’t fall asleep just yet, you gotta make it up to the loft.”

“Mmkay,” Jin murmured as the three of them started to the cabin tiny.

They managed to get up the loft—Namjoon actually had more trouble pulling himself up the ladder than Jin did—and the three cuddled up with Jin in the middle. Namjoon spooned him, nuzzling and placing kisses on his nape and shoulders, while Hobi lied on his other side, facing him and kissing his lips softly.

“Don’t let me sleep for more than a couple hours,” Jin murmured between kisses, “And wake me up if Tae asks for me.”

“Of course, hyung,” Hoseok said, placing one last kiss on his lips. “Go to sleep, now.”

The loft fell quiet to nothing but the soft, airy sounds of breathing, and Namjoon lifted his head slightly. Of course, Jin was already gone, beautiful in sleep and finally relaxed. Namjoon was somewhat surprised when he saw that Hobi too had his eyes peacefully closed, his lips relaxed and pouty in the cute shape they would make sometimes. He saw Hobi’s hand still in Jin’s, resting between their chests, and Namjoon smiled, feeling warmth and comfort in the beauty of two of his sleeping boyfriends together. He laid his head back down on the pillow and allowed his own eyes to close as well. Maybe sleep would do him some good too, and the others could always come wake them up if they needed to.

~

With only him and Jimin left outside, Yoongi was about to suggest they get up to go see Tae, when they heard the door of the blue tiny open. Both he and Jimin turned to see Jungkook peering out of the door frame.

“Hyungs, could you come join us?” he asked. “Tae wants more company.”

It didn’t take more than a second for Yoongi and Jimin to pop up from their seats, hurrying towards the door.

“He’s still super fatigued, but he’s having trouble actually sleeping,” Jungkook updated them as they approached the tiny. “And Jimin hyung, he really wants to see you, he feels bad for—”

As they stepped into the tiny, Tae’s voice rang out.

“JIMINIE!!”

“TAETAE!” Jimin immediately responded, and he practically flew through the tiny to the bedroom, where Tae was lying. Jimin clambered onto the bed and on top of Taehyung. Yoongi was about to scold him to not crush the ill boy, but he stopped himself when he realized Jimin had positioned himself on top of Tae in the delicate way he could, without actually putting any weight on him.

“Jiminie I’m s-sorry, I’m so sorry I left you out there,” Tae was saying, hugging onto Jimin with what little might he had in him, while Jimin was burying his face into Tae’s neck, moving around his jawline, showering him in light kisses.

“It’s okay, Taetae, I’m okay,” he reassured, lifting his head to meet Taehyung’s eyes. “I’m just glad you’re back and you’re not hurt. I love you so much.”

Jimin didn’t wait for a response before kissing Tae full on the mouth, and Tae, for what little energy he had, didn’t hesitate in kissing him back. Yoongi smiled at the two boys kissing, feeling a sense of relief and joy that he felt like he hadn’t been able to experience in decades. Warmth rushed over him as he thought about how much he loved the boys, and how they were all there, with him, safe and, all things considered, unharmed. He wanted to remember this moment. He knew now more than ever that those were things he should never take for granted.

After a moment of cherishing the two younger boys kissing, he turned to look at the youngest, who was right by him, leaning against the kitchen counter. Jungkook was also watching the other two, a faint but genuine smile on his lips. Yoongi brought his hand to Kook’s nape, and Jungkook glanced to smile at him.

“How’re you holding up?”

“I’m good, hyung. Where’re the others, by the way?”

“Finally making Jin rest,” he said with a scoff, both relating to Jin’s need to keep caring for the others, but for the exact same reason frustrated that Jin would push his limits so far.

Jungkook nodded. “Good. Tae’s pretty restless—he wants to see everyone, but the three of us can keep him occupied for some time.”

Yoongi massaged Jungkook’s nape, watching as his gaze returned to Tae and Jimin. “Hey. I’m proud of you, baby.”

Jungkook blushed, flashing a wider smile as he glanced again to Yoongi. “Thanks, hyung. Come on, don’t you want to see Tae too?”

Jungkook pushed himself off the counter, wrapping his arm around Yoongi’s shoulders, and Yoongi’s arm wrapped around his waist in return as they walked over to the bed. Jimin was now lying next to Tae, both of them on their sides, facing each other, kissing softly and cooing at one another. Jimin noticed Yoongi and Kook at the side of the bed first, and when he smiled up at them, Tae turned to see Yoongi, a smile growing on his face.

“Hyung,” he said warmly, lying onto his back to better face Yoongi.

Yoongi smiled, sitting down on the edge of the bed and grabbing Taehyung’s hand, holding it between his own. He couldn’t help the emotion in his voice when he said quietly, but with a fond, melancholy laugh, “You scared the shit out of me, Taehyung.”

Tae’s smile faded, and he swallowed hard. “I-I’m sorry, hyung.”

Yoongi squeezed his hand, then gently nudged his shoulder. “Here, let me lay down with you, baby.”

Jimin and Taehyung scooted to make room for Yoongi and Jungkook, and Yoongi pulled Taehyung into his arms. He breathed in Tae’s hair and then spoke softly into his ear, “You would tell me if you were hurt, right? You’re not just trying to be strong—you're really okay?”

“Yes, hyung, I’m okay,” Tae said into Yoongi’s collar, and Yoongi hummed.

He pulled Tae away to where he could more comfortably lie down, and once he was settled, Yoongi placed a light kiss on his lips. “I love you, punk. Kookie tells me you haven’t been able to sleep much—you want me to make you some tea to help you relax?”

Yoongi played with the collar of the hoodie Tae was wearing, feeling an odd satisfaction in recognizing it as his own.

Tae hummed, grabbing Yoongi’s hand that had been playing with the hoodie and kissing his fingers. “Maybe later, hyung. Right now I just want to cuddle with you all. I bet that’ll make me feel better.”

Yoongi smiled, placing a kiss on Tae’s forehead. “Alright, beautiful. Speak up the minute you need anything though. We’re all going to take care of you.”

Chapter Text

Jin startled awake when he heard someone coming up the ladder. It felt like he had been asleep for many hours, which upset him considering he had asked to be woken up after just two. But maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him and hadn’t actually been that long. He sat up, still between Hoseok and Namjoon, to see Yoongi climbing up the ladder.

“Everything’s fine, hyung,” Yoongi said before Jin could even ask. “I just thought I’d come see if you guys wanted to see Tae. He’s been missing his hyungs.”

Jin blinked hard for a moment, clearing his head from sleep. “How long’s it been? Is he doing okay?”

“You slept for a few hours. And he’s doing about as well you can expect,” Yoongi said, moving to sit on the edge of the mattress. “You know how he can get insomnia sometimes. He’s really tired but he can’t seem to get much actual sleep. So all he wants to do is cuddle.”

Jin was scooting down to the end of the mattress too, careful not to crush the boys on either side of him, and he sat next Yoongi for a moment. Yoongi brought his hand to Jin’s cheek and leaned in, touching their foreheads together.

“How’re you, hyung? Did you rest well?” he asked, closing his eyes as he lightly nuzzled his nose against Jin’s.

Jin hummed, bringing a hand to Yoongi’s nape. “I did, sweetheart.”

Yoongi nuzzled closer to him, practically touching his lips to Jin’s, teasing a kiss before speaking softly instead. “I can’t do this without you, you know. That means you gotta take care of yourself too.”

Jin moved his hands to Yoongi’s cheeks, cupping his face and kissing his lips. “I would never make you do this alone. I’m sorry I pushed my limits, but I am okay, I promise.”

Yoongi huffed out a breath before pulling Jin into a more lingering kiss.  He pulled away, looking over at the other two who were still asleep. “I’ll stay here, wake them up in a few minutes. I figure you might want some time one on one with Tae before we all crowd in there.”

Jin smiled, running his thumb over Yoongi’s cheekbone before placing a kiss on his forehead. “I love you, you know.”

Yoongi smiled. “I do. And I love you too.”

They kissed one last time before trading places, Yoongi settling between the two sleeping boys and Jin climbing down the ladder of the loft. He left the tiny and was thrown to find that it was already evening, the sun setting behind the woods. It had been barely two days since Tae had first disappeared, but it somehow felt so much longer. Jin couldn’t help that his pace was hurried as he crossed the lawn over to the blue tiny, and he didn’t hesitate when he opened the door and stepped inside.

It felt warmer in the tiny than the cool evening air outside, and it smelled of home, of the boys Seokjin lived with. He was able to see the three youngest in the bed from where he had walked in, and he faltered, stopping to stare at them. Taehyung was of course in between Jimin and Jungkook, the three of them sitting up a bit, leaning against the headboard, and they all looked towards Jin, having heard the door open. Jin wasn’t sure what kind of expression he held, if anything discernable at all—all he knew was that his eyes fell on Taehyung and refused to leave.

A lump formed in his throat that made it hard to swallow, and he blinked as he stood there, staring at the beautiful boy he had earlier carried in his arms. Tae stared back at him in a similar fashion, nothing exceptionally distinguishable in his expression other than his eyes filled with longing as he kept them on Jin.

Jungkook reached over Tae to lightly nudge Jimin. “Come on, hyung, maybe you and I could start cooking dinner for everyone.”

“That’s a good idea,” Jimin agreed, placing a kiss on Tae’s cheek before crawling out of bed and meeting up with Jungkook at the end of the bed to walk out together.

They stopped in front of Jin, each murmuring to ask if he was okay and if he rested well. He smiled at his adorable, loving dongsaengs, taking the time to place a hand on each of their cheeks, giving them forehead kisses and reassuring them that he was doing better. He watched them leave the tiny before turning back to Tae, who somehow managed to look so small in the big and now empty bed. It was clear that he didn’t like its empty feeling, as he kept fidgeting, eyes staring longingly at Jin before shyly darting away, and then ultimately returning to him.

Jin wasted no more time in walking over to the bed. As much as he wanted to rush and scoop Tae up into his arms, he knew the boy was likely in a fragile state, so he restrained himself, carefully getting into the bed to sit next to him. When his eyes met Tae’s again, now much closer, he could see how blood shot and tired they were. He brought his hand to Tae’s cheek, and the boy melted into his touch.

Jin’s mind kept wandering to the memories of when he first met Tae, and he couldn’t stop thinking about the feeling of falling in love with him. He remembered the many nights he would spend awake, taking care of the boy, the reassurances he would have to feed him that he wanted to be there. He remembered holding a sleepy Tae in his arms and he remembered the joy he would feel once Tae was back in good health, skipping around the dormitory, giggling and smiling while chatting with others. He remembered the first time they kissed, sitting on the window sill in Tae’s room, the cool night breeze blowing over them as their lips touched.

And now here he was again. In front of the beautiful, tired boy, who gave him the scare of his life, and he felt that same feeling. He felt himself falling in love.

He leaned in and kissed Tae’s lips, closing his eyes as Tae kissed him back. Taehyung scooted closer to him as they kissed, and Jin wrapped his arm around his waist while his other hand remained on Tae’s cheek. One of Tae’s hands ended up on Jin’s chest, fingers curling around the collar of his shirt, the backs of his fingers running against Jin’s skin.

After a long moment, Jin pulled away, not wanting to get carried away with the boy, even if he whined when Jin’s lips were off of his. Jin smiled, nuzzling his nose to Taehyung’s, whispering against his lips, “I love you so much, Taehyung. Do you remember what I told you that night, when we first kissed?” Jin said, knowing Tae would.

“I remember, hyung,” Tae whispered, lightly touching his lips to Jin’s again.

“Do you know it’s still true? That it will always be true?”

“Yes, hyung.”

Jin kissed him again. “I love you.”

“I love you too, hyung. I love you so much.”

Jin took in a deep breath, his eyes closed and forehead against Tae’s. “Baby, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you left, I don’t know why I didn’t wake up, normally—”

“Hyung, I don’t think it was your fault,” Tae said so matter-of-factly that it made Jin pulled away so he could look at him. Taehyung’s cheeks flushed, and his gaze dropped to the bed. “They—they didn’t want you to come.”

Jin’s expression grew concerned, if not also confused, and he brushed his hand through Tae’s hair, deliberating out of the many questions he had which was the best to ask. “How many did you encounter, baby?”

Tae’s gaze continued to stare at the sheets of the bed. “Three, for most of it. But…but t-then…”

Taehyung’s voice went shaky and his breath hitched as he stopped talking altogether. When Jin could see the tears forming in his eyes, he gently pulled Tae into his arms, and Taehyung buried his face into Jin’s shirt, crying softly.

Jin rubbed his back as he spoke softly, “Shh, it’s okay, beautiful. We don’t have to talk about it yet, shh…just let it out, baby, it’s okay. I’m here, it’s okay.”

“It hurts, hyung,” Taehyung said into his chest.

Jin kept rubbing his back, and going into caretaker mode, remained calm. “What does, baby?”

Tae hiccupped. “Everything.”

“I need you to be more specific, beautiful. What can I do? How can we make it feel better?” Jin asked patiently, placing a kiss in his hair.

“I’m so achy, hyung,” Tae said, fidgeting in Jin’s hold, “I can’t get comfortable and I can’t relax but I’m so tired. I’m so tired it’s making my head hurt.”

Jin lifted Tae away from his chest, placing his hand to his cheek and then his forehead. “I think you have a fever too, Taehyungie.”

Taehyung ran the back of his hand over his damp eyes as he sniffled. Jin placed a kiss on his forehead before moving to get up. “I’m going to get you some ibuprofen to break the fever, okay? Have you eaten at all?”

“Kookie’s been feeding me snacks,” Taehyung said, pouting at Jin as he left the bed.

“That’s good.” Jin went into the bathroom’s medicine cabinet, finding the small bottle and taking one of the pills inside it. He also filled a cup with water and brought it over to Taehyung, who was sitting up in the bed, hugging his knees to his chest.

Jin held out the pill in his palm for Tae to take, but Tae turned his head, resting his chin on his knee. Jin sighed, setting the cup of water down and sitting on the bed next to Tae. He kissed Tae’s temple, running a hand through his hair.

Jin knew Taehyung hated taking medicine, the result of being forced to take pills for three years that only subdued him in terrible ways. He made an agreement with Tae long ago to only ever have him take something when he absolutely needed to, and even then, Tae would become gloomy and reluctant.

“Just one small pill, that’s all I’m asking,” Jin coaxed.

Tae met Jin’s eyes, and after a beat with a pouty expression, he took the pill from Jin’s hand and popped it in his mouth, swallowing and turning his head back to rest on his knee. Jin continued stroking his hand through Tae’s hair, resting his hand on his nape and lightly massaging the back of his head.

“Thank you, sweetheart. You should be staying hydrated too. Do you want water or should I get you something else?”

“Water’s fine,” Tae mumbled, lifting his head and taking the cup that Jin handed him, drinking from it readily. Once the cup was empty, he handed it back to Jin for him to place on the nightstand as he went back to lying down.

The two returned to cuddling, and as much as Jin wanted to understand what had happened to the younger boy, he knew it wasn’t the right time to ask. He could tell Tae was still having trouble getting comfortable, shifting and fidgeting more than a relaxed person would, and he hoped the medicine would start to kick in soon.

~

It was late in the night, and all seven of the boys were crowded on the king bed, cuddling. Jin had made them wait for Tae’s fever to break before allowing all of them to pile in together, but it only took a couple hours, and then, finally, Hoseok and Namjoon got to see Taehyung. Neither patient enough to wait for one to get to cuddle their dongsaeng before the other, they both crawled into the bed, equally showering him in kisses and nuzzles, resulting in many giggles from the boy. After several minutes of just the two of them giving Tae attention—with Jin in bed, leaning against the headboard and smiling at the scene—Yoongi, Jimin, and Jungkook walked into the tiny, and the three made their way to fit onto the bed with the rest.

It would be an exaggeration to say the seven rarely all cuddled together, because it was a relatively frequent occurrence (and another reason they loved the addition of the blue tiny, with a huge king-sized bed to fit them all, unlike in their university days when they would throw a few of the dorm’s twin sized mattresses down on the floor so they could all lie together), but it was rare for them to all actually fall asleep together in that fashion.

Hoseok was the last of the seven to fall asleep, because he was too enamored in watching the auras of all of them dance together, the most beautiful mix of metallic colors, shimmering and intermingling as they floated and faded into the ceiling of the tiny. He looked to one side, lying next to Taehyung, who was cuddled up closely to Jin. Seeing both of them in deep sleep, Jin’s rose gold and Taehyung’s yellow gold orbs blending together softly, gave Hoseok such a strong feeling of warmth and security, like everything was finally back to normal. On the other side of Jin, Jimin was snuggled up to his back, and Namjoon was spooning Jimin, his arm tucked under one of Jimin’s arms, hugging him close to his back, as if he were a body pillow. Hoseok smiled, because it wasn’t too different of a sight from his other side, where Jungkook was lying on his chest, and Yoongi was spooning the maknae, his stomach pressing into Kook’s back and his hand reaching past him to rest on Hoseok’s stomach. Hoseok, in all his contentedness, was finally starting to feel his eyes grow heavy, and although he could have admired the auras of his boyfriends for the entirety of the night, he decided to join them all in sleep.

When he awoke the following morning, there was a leaner body in his arms. Hobi squinted his eyes open to see that Yoongi was now cuddled up to his chest, and when Hoseok ran his hand up to Yoongi’s hair, the older lifted his head and smiled.

“Wasn’t here was someone between us earlier?” Hoseok greeted, his voice low and thick from still waking up.

Yoongi sniffed a grin. “Pretty sure Kookie went to take a shower.”

“Ah. That’s the one downside about these tinys,” Hoseok said, lazily running his hand up and down Yoongi’s arm as he rested his head back down on Hobi’s chest. “I miss the community showers at the dorm.”

Yoongi chuckled. “Me too. Next place we camp should be near our university. It’d be nice to go back and visit.”

Hoseok hummed in agreement, placing a kiss on Yoongi’s hairline. He smiled when he felt Yoongi move to press his lips to softly kiss his neck.

The rest of the morning continued in domestic bliss, with the six moving about the tiny, taking turns showering while others cooked and ate, with at least one person always staying in bed to cuddle with Tae. He had finally gotten a good amount of sleep and was feeling better, but remained sore and somewhat achy, so the group all thought it best that he stayed resting in bed.

Everyone was in high spirits, Hoseok keeping his sunglasses on due to the bright and abundant auras that filled the tiny as everyone went about, backhugging and kissing one another while moving throughout the tiny.

It had reached afternoon, but Hoseok found himself pouring a cup of coffee in the kitchen, with Jimin leaning against the counter, waiting to pour a cup for himself, and Jungkook reaching over him into the cabinet for a snack. Namjoon and Yoongi were in the arm chairs in the living area right next to the kitchen, and Jin was with Taehyung in bed. Everything was fine in that moment. Then, in the peacefulness of the tiny, Hoseok could hear Jin’s voice, slightly raised and full of concern.

“Tae? Baby, what’s happening?”

Hoseok set the coffee pot down, immediately looking across to the bedroom, noticing Joon and Yoongi doing the same, and surely the two behind him did as well. The two were sitting up in bed, and Jin—his rose gold orbs duller and lower against his skin—was slightly behind Tae, hand reaching out but hesitating to touch him. Taehyung was looking up at nothing and his aura was weird, with his orbs still bright and bold, but clinging to his skin rather than floating out and away (quite the opposite to when they had found him—Hoseok had only spotted his body because even though his orbs were glowing faintly, they rose high and outwards, causing him to notice them in the branches of the magnolia Tae had been lying under).

“They’re back,” Tae said. “They say I have to go with them.”

Hoseok could practically feel everyone’s heart drop, and for a brief moment the room stilled, everyone frozen in fear of what to do and what was going to happen. Yoongi stood up, starting over to the bed.

Jin was about to speak when Tae started to move to the end of the bed, saying mindlessly, “I have to go.”

A panic coming over Jin, he lurched forward towards Tae, “No!”

And then everything that was okay, suddenly wasn’t.

There wasn’t much that Hoseok saw before it happened. He thought he saw Jin collapse on the bed, he thought he felt thuds to the floor, and he thought he saw Tae standing up. But all of this was through an incredible brightness. Everywhere that he normally saw the auras, the orbs were becoming impossibly bright, lacking their distinctive colors as they grew brighter, consuming his field of vision as they grew even brighter, closing his eyes but seeing only the brightness, until, like a lightbulb bursting, the light broke from its center and fell out in a ripple until there was only darkness.

He had slide down to sitting on the kitchen floor, holding his face in his hands that felt damp with tears. With the all-consuming brightness gone, his other senses started returning. He could hear screaming and shouting and panic, but as he lifted his head out of his hands, there was still only darkness. Even when Hoseok opened his eyes, there was only darkness.

Chapter Text

Yoongi had never passed out before, and he wasn’t sure what had caused him to. He hadn’t felt anything coming on, other than worry over what Tae was saying, but in his strides to reach the boy, he must have collapsed. He blacked out—it was nothing more than that, and when he stirred awake he had no sense of how long he had been out. But it didn’t matter, because when he awoke, all that mattered was the screaming that he heard as his senses returned.

He felt groggy, and getting up hurt a bit, but overall, he didn’t seem to have become injured from his fall. His vision was a tad blurry from waking up, and he rubbed his eyes to make them clear quicker. As he stood in the middle of the tiny, he tried to gage the situation.

Jin was still unconscious, on the bed, otherwise unharmed. Namjoon was still in the arm chair, conscious, but not in great shape. His head dropped and his eyes closed, he seemed to be crying, wincing, murmuring to himself. Normally that would’ve been enough to send Yoongi rushing over to help him—to see Namjoon cry was a rare and heartbreaking sight—but he wasn’t the source of the desperate screams that forced Yoongi’s priorities elsewhere.

He stepped closer to the kitchen to find the other boys. Hoseok was sitting on the floor, curled up in the ball. His face was hidden, and he too wasn’t the source of the screaming. Yoongi’s heart simultaneously sank and started rapidly beating in panic as he discovered that it was the two remaining boys who were.

Jimin was the main source of the screaming. He seemed to be in the midst of vision, but one more intense than Yoongi had ever sat through with him. Jungkook was holding him in his arms, both on them stretched out on the kitchen floor. Jimin’s body would go from being scarily slack to immediately tensing, convulsing, and he would scream, loudly, incoherently, screams of such genuine pain it shook Yoongi to his core. Tears would stream down Jimin’s face and his body would shudder and tremble as he would return to going limp, and the process would repeat itself over.

Jungkook’s reaction to this process was little better than Jimin’s. He held onto his hyung, but only loosely, as it was all he was capable of through the incredibly intense sobs he was heaving. Every time Jimin screamed, he would scream too, closing his eyes, shaking his head, shouting things like, “No, not again, no,” and would start choking out more sobs.

The situation was a difficult one to view, and Yoongi felt a pit in his stomach, he felt shaky and panicky—in the years he had been with his boyfriends, he would have his moments of doubt or worry over being their caretaker, wondering if he was enough, but never before had he experienced a moment like this, where he knew for sure he wasn’t. He was just one person, one person with no powers and no greater understanding of any of it. He was just someone who had fallen in love with these boys and now he was witnessing their pain with no idea what he could even begin to do to fix it, how to help—

He stopped himself, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath to prevent those panicking thoughts. Even if he didn’t know what to do, even if he wasn’t enough, his panicking would only make the situation worse. So, he took in another deep breath, opened his eyes, and walked over to Jungkook and Jimin. He crouched down and placed his hand on Jungkook’s shoulder.

It was in a moment where Jimin was limp, and Jungkook was just sobbing to himself. Feeling Yoongi’s hand, he managed to look up at him, blinking through tears and sniffling.

“H-hyung, Jimin’s—there’s—there’s s-so much—” Jungkook tried to speak, but his breathing was too shallow and his sobbing too frequent for him to form a sentence.

“Let me help,” Yoongi said.

When Jungkook hesitated, slightly tightening his hold on Jimin, Yoongi brought a hand to Jungkook’s cheek, wiping at the tears that kept coming. “Kook-ah, I won’t hurt him, I promise. Let me hold him, give you a chance to catch your breath, yeah?”

It was taking all of Yoongi’s power to keep his voice soft and calm, to stop himself from crying while witnessing Jungkook unable to control his tears. Kook’s breath hitched and he choked out another sob as he lifted Jimin slightly off of himself. Yoongi took hold Jimin’s deadweight, scooting himself into Jungkook’s place as Kook moved down some, leaning against the cabinets and curling up into a ball, allowing himself to continue sobbing.

Yoongi had just settled himself well, keeping Jimin’s back against his chest, his and Jimin’s legs stretched out and his arms settling against his stomach, when he felt Jimin begin to tense.

Jungkook suddenly screamed into his knees that he was hugging to his chest. “Hyung it’s happening again! Oh god, no, no—”

Jimin let out a scream, his body tensing, his head tilting upwards and he strained so much that the veins in his neck showed. He was barely breathing through his tension, choking and gasping as tears streamed down his cheeks. His back arched and he twisted in Yoongi’s hold as he screamed. Yoongi moved him carefully, scooping up his legs and placing an arm behind his back to pull him better into his lap, and even though Jimin was letting out cries, Yoongi did his best to hold him close and do the only thing he knew to do.

He leaned close to Jimin’s ear and spoke, “Shh, hyung’s here, Jimin-ah. I’m right here, you’re gonna be okay, remember to breathe, Jimin-ah. That’s it, baby…”

He kept one hand around Jimin’s back and brought his other hand to his face, wiping away the tears and pushing his hair away from his face as he continued murmuring to Jimin. Soon enough, Jimin stopped his screams and his body began to relax, shudders occasionally taking over his body, until his head lolled lifelessly, Yoongi shifting him to where he could rest against his shoulder. He watched Jimin’s parted lips, the way his chest was lightly but quickly rising and falling, and he let out a shaky sigh.

“Fuck,” he whispered to himself before looking over to Jungkook, who was hugging himself tightly and still choking back tears. He tried to hear Namjoon but couldn’t, and he looked over to Hoseok, who eerily hadn’t moved and was still all too quiet.

Jimin started trembling and murmuring incoherently, and Yoongi moved his hand to rub Jimin’s arm, hoping there was some kind of reassurance he could give. Yoongi looked up from the boy when he heard footsteps, and he felt a wave of relief when Jin appeared from around the corner. Similarly to Yoongi, he was glancing about the tiny, assessing the situation.

“Hyung, are you okay?” Yoongi asked.

Jin looked down at him and nodded. “Yeah, are you?”

Yoongi nodded too. “I think we’re the only ones though.”

Jin’s lips pressed in a thin line, he crouched down next to Yoongi, looking at the trembling boy in his arms for a moment before meeting Yoongi’s gaze again. “Where’s Tae?”

Yoongi was thrown by the question, especially in the wake of the four others’ conditions. “Well, gone with the spirits, I assume. I didn’t see him leave but he said he had to—”

“I’m going after him,” Jin said abruptly.

Shocked, Yoongi reached out and grabbed Jin’s forearm as the older began to stand, forcing him to look back at him. “What? You can’t go, not now, not when everything’s like this.”

“But Tae—”

“What about everyone else?! Look around you.”

Jin barely glanced around, eyes mostly glued to the front door, worry strewn over his face. “But he could be—”

Yoongi was appalled. The fact that he was having to speak over a sobbing Jungkook and shaking Jimin he thought was enough to prove his point. “We know where Tae is going, and we know he’s made it out of there fine before. But this—this has never happened, hyung. I don’t know what’s going on, but they’re in pain. You can’t leave!”

He watched Jin’s eyes move, still mostly focusing on the door, and Yoongi tightened his grip when he could sense Jin’s temptation to pull out of it and leave the tiny.

“Jin hyung, please,” Yoongi said, not even fighting the desperation in his voice, or the tears forming in his eyes, “You said I would never have to do this alone.”

Finally, this seemed to snap Jin out of his narrow train of thought. He met Yoongi’s eyes and stared at him, unyielding, for a long moment, until his head dropped as he exhaled. He brought his free hand into Yoongi’s grip, giving his hand a squeeze.

“You’re right. And you don’t have to. What do you need me to do?”

Yoongi let out a shaky sigh of relief, letting go of his grip on Jin to hold his hand in return. He glanced around the tiny, trying to assess the situation. Based on what he had seen, Jungkook’s issues seemed to be derived from proximity to Jimin—even getting him out from under Jimin seemed to have slightly subdued his panic.

He looked at Jin firmly, and said in a confident command, “Get Jungkook out of here.”

Jungkook, seemingly hyperaware of everything, looked over to them wide-eyed, tears still heavily streaming down his face. His voice was weak and cracking as he spoke, “What? No! No, I have to stay here.”

Jin and Yoongi shared another look, one of understanding, and Jin stood, walking over to the boy who was curled up against the kitchen cabinets.

“We’ll just go right outside, Kook-ah,” Jin tried softly.

“No,” Jungkook shrieked, backing away from Jin. He started shaking his head, his breathing becoming more hitched and heavier tears forming in his eyes. “No, no, you don’t understand, Jimin’s in pain, he needs me, no else can feel it, he needs me, he’s in pain, he—”

Jungkook kept desperately repeating these phrases, becoming more panicked and louder, to the point of yelling as Jin got hold of his wrists and pulled him up onto his feet.

“Shh, Kook-ah, Yoongi’s going to take care of him, come on, you can’t stay in this state,” Jin said, doing his best to talk over Jungkook without yelling.

He was trying to get an arm around the boy to lead him to the front door, but Jungkook fought him, still backing up, and pushing away Jin’s hands anytime he got near.

“No, I got to stay, no, you can’t—NO!” Jungkook screamed when Jin managed to get a grip on him—despite Kook being strong and lacking ailments, Jin could be just as strong when he needed to be—and he hoisted Jungkook’s waist onto his shoulder, keeping one arm around his rump and the other hugging onto his legs as Jungkook’s torso hung over Jin’s back, his hands curled in fists to beat at Jin’s back, words turning into incoherent screams as Jin managed to carry him out the door.

Whether it was due to the door blocking the noise or Jin getting him out of there, Yoongi could no longer hear Jungkook’s screaming, and that alone gave him much reprieve. That is, until Jimin started convulsing again.

Yoongi sat with Jimin on the kitchen floor through another round of tension and convulsions. He tried to time in his head how long it lasted, but it was hard to focus—his best guess was no longer than a few minutes, thank god. When Jimin seemed to relax again—or at least was only shivering—Yoongi picked him up off the floor to take him to the bed. This last round his convulsions were strong enough that it was difficult to hold onto him, and Yoongi would rather surround him with pillows on a mattress than remain in a corner on the kitchen floor.

Once the younger was settled on the bed and seemed relatively calm for the moment, Yoongi caught his breath and called out to Hoseok.

“Seok-ah, you okay?” Yoongi didn’t hear a response, and, although hesitant to leave Jimin, he stepped off the bed and walked to get a look at Hoseok. “You want to come over here, tell me how Jimin’s looking?”

Hobi was sitting in the same spot he had been the whole time, still hugging onto his knees. He spoke flatly. “I can’t see.”

Yoongi furrowed his brow. “You can’t see auras?”

“I can’t see. At all.”

“Fuck,” Yoongi said under his breath after a moment of shock wore off. Once again, he glanced towards Jimin, who seemed safely in the middle of the giant bed, and he cursed at having to make such a difficult choice, stepping away to crouch down by Hobi.

Yoongi reached out to set his hand on Hoseok’s. Hobi lifted his head up, but his eyes were filled with a grey fog, his pupils barely distinguishable from his irises beneath the cloudiness. He blinked and Yoongi could tell that Hoseok wasn’t seeing him despite staring right in his direction. Yoongi squeezed his hand.

“Do you—think it’s permanent?” he asked.

Hobi dropped his head and shrugged. “How would I be able to tell?”

“I don’t know. Are you in—” Yoongi’s question was interrupted by a scream from Jimin in the other room. “Shit.”

“Go, hyung. Take care of Jimin, he needs you more than I do. I’m just going to sit here for now,” Hoseok said.

Yoongi bit his lip, hating to see Hoseok this way, and he gently brought his hands to the younger’s cheeks. “I’m here if you do need me. I love you and I’m going to take care of you no matter what this is. We all will.”

When Jimin let out another scream, Hoseok pushed Yoongi’s hands away. “Go, hyung. I’m alright, go to him.”

Yoongi didn’t want to leave Hoseok, but Jimin’s screams didn’t allow him to hesitate any longer and he rushed back over to the bed.

Jimin’s convulsions were so bad this time that Yoongi had to pin Jimin down on the bed. He was relieved they were no longer on the floor, certain that this round would have left Jimin bruised at the very least. It was even difficult to keep him pinned down, Yoongi’s hands on his wrists over his head and one knee on Jimin’s lower back. He didn’t like manhandling Jimin, or hearing his screams and sobs against the mattress, his desperate gasps for breaths, his trembling voice in incoherent murmurs, but he had to keep him steady.

Yoongi got off of Jimin the moment he felt the boy’s tense muscles relax, and he leaned down to examine Jimin’s face. As he reached out to wipe away Jimin’s tears, he realized how shaky his own hands were, and his vision began to blur as his eyes welled with tears. He rested his hand on Jimin’s cheek, then moving to hover the backs of his fingers over Jimin’s parted lips, feeling the warmth of his faint breath against them. He sniffled, trying to keep his crying quiet.

“Hyung.”

Yoongi let out a small gasp, quickly wiping the back of his hand across his face before turning to face Namjoon.

“Joon-ah, I w-was just about to come check on you,” he said, getting off the bed to walk over to the younger.

“Hyung, listen, I think—I think it’s going to wear off,” he said.

Yoongi stood in front of Namjoon, reaching up and shakily wiping away tears that Joon had neglected to wipe from his face. “H-how do you know?”

Joon sighed, leaning in to Yoongi’s touch, and he said softly, “Because a few minutes ago I was paralyzed.”

“Wh—” Yoongi couldn’t even get through the word without choking. He closed his eyes and leaned against Namjoon’s chest, understanding by the lack of his affection, when he normally would’ve wrapped Yoongi into a huge, comforting embrace, that Joon couldn’t move his arms. “What is happening, Namjoon?”

“I’m not sure,” Joon said, “but hyung—you’re doing well, okay?”

“I’m n—”

“You are. Yoongi hyung, you’re strong, and Jimin’s strong too. You’ll get him through this.”

Yoongi lifted his head to meet Namjoon’s eyes, and he realized the younger’s words had stilled his crying. The two shared a moment of just sitting in the calm before the storm of Jimin’s next round, and they seemed to understand one another without speaking. Yoongi sighed, dropping his hands from Joon’s chest to fall at his sides, and he glanced back to Jimin, who he knew he would have to return to soon.

“Could you go to Seok?” he asked quietly. “If you’re right about this, he’s the one who needs to hear that right now.”

“Of course, hyung,” Joon said, leaning down to touch his forehead to Yoongi’s, nuzzling their noses together. “If I can get him up, we’ll go outside, see how Jin and Kook are doing. You focus on Jimin, okay? We all need you too.”

Yoongi felt Joon’s left hand weakly lift, lightly touching Yoongi’s fingers, and he carefully took Joon’s hand in his own. He closed his eyes and took in a breath, appreciating Joon’s calming nature for one lingering moment before he returned to Jimin’s side.

~

Namjoon took heavy steps over to Hoseok, wiggling the fingers of his left hand as he went. He was starting to gain control over it again, but he found much frustration in the fact that his dominant hand was still rendered useless. The pain had subsided, but the numbness wasn’t exactly reassuring. He hoped what he told Yoongi was true, and that just as he was regaining control of his left, his right hand would soon recover as well.

Namjoon had witnessed it all probably better than anyone. He watched Yoongi collapse to the floor and before his limbs started searing in pain, he had realized he was incapable of moving, his brain willing him to get up to go to Yoongi’s side, but his body refusing to listen. Between the pain and confusion, he was unable to get his voice to work, to call out to Taehyung as the boy walked dazedly out of the tiny, barely able to take notice those around him.

Stuck where he had been sitting, Joon had to watch the others be consumed in pain like his own. Jin out of his sight, he assumed him to be unconscious like Yoongi, and Jimin had fallen to the ground too, out of sight behind the kitchen counter, after an initial bout of screams. He saw Hoseok bury his face in his hands, wincing and crying out, until he also dropped to the floor and out of sight. Jungkook was the last one standing, but he didn’t last long either. It broke Namjoon’s heart to watch the maknae’s eyes fill with panic and tears, letting out sobs and shouting, doubling over and screaming before he too dropped out of sight behind the kitchen counter.

With all of his boyfriends except Yoongi out of his line of sight, unable to move and becoming overwhelmed by his own pain that he had no means to even try to remedy, he let his head drop, closing his eyes, and he allowed himself to become consumed by his thoughts. He had been able to feel the itch in his mind, to let his thoughts run, to race and flow the way they had when he had been out in the woods with Jungkook, but he had fought it to watch his boyfriends, hoping he would find a way to help them. But when he still couldn’t move, he thought maybe he could become useful in trying to understand what was happening. So he closed his eyes, tears streaming involuntarily due to his pain, and he let his mind go.

He wasn’t sure that he lost consciousness per se, but he did lose himself in his thoughts, forgoing the pain he felt and the sounds filling the tiny. He reflected inward, trying to understand how everything had been okay until Tae seemed to have another encounter, and his mind started to consider the possibilities about the power of spirits.

He had little sense of time as his train of thought ran through these ideas, sorting through his memories, logs of Tae’s experiences he had witnessed, what the boy had described to him over the years, along with what he had read about Toucheds, until he realized he had begun lightly rocking back and forth. He opened his eyes, virtually shutting down this mindful experience and returning to reality, hearing Jimin’s screaming, but only Jimin’s.

He glanced around, noticing immediately that Yoongi’s form was no longer on the floor by him, and he tapped his feet on the ground, meaning that he could control his feet again, much to his relief. His hope died down somewhat when he tried to grip the arms of the chair he had been sitting in to pull himself up and they didn’t so much as twitch. Joon sighed, taking in a breath before managing to scoot himself to the edge of the armchair and stand up out of it without the help of his arms. That was when he went over to find Yoongi on the bed with Jimin.

Now, in walking over to Hoseok, it seemed his dominant hand would be the last holdout of the paralysis he had experienced. He began to wonder if there was any correlation of his symptoms wearing off to his inward reflection, taking full advantage of his Touch when the rest of his body failed him. He shook his head—it didn’t exactly make sense, and it shouldn’t be his priority either, which he realized even more so when he laid eyes on Hoseok. His boyfriend was curled up on the floor, his head lifted and moving around, allowing Joon to catch a glimpse of his clouded eyes, and Joon could easily deduce that he was blind.

Namjoon sat down on his knees in front of Hoseok. “Hobi.”

Hoseok faced him, but his eyes remained blank and unfocused. “Joon-ah?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” Joon said. It took all of his strength and will power to force his left hand upward to touch Hoseok’s hand. Seok’s fingers curled around his hand, and Joon had to release the muscles holding it up, causing both of their hands to fall to the floor. Hobi didn’t seem to mind though, and he kept his fingers around Joon’s hand, his thumb lightly rubbing over his knuckles. Maybe with the lack of sight, the tactile sensation was grounding for him.

“Did anything happen to you?” Hoseok asked.

“Yeah, but it’s wearing off,” Joon said, using all his strength again to give Hobi’s hand a weak squeeze. “I think yours will too.”

“R-really?” Hobi said, letting out a shaky breath. “I hope you’re right, Joon. I—I don’t think I can stand to be blind.”

Joon knew what Hoseok meant—more than anybody he had ever met, Hoseok loved his Touch. He loved seeing the auras, of his boyfriends, of new people he met, of everyone. For a lot of people, like Tae and Jimin and even Jungkook, Touches caused doubts, arose insecurities, made them question their identity, their purpose in life. But Hoseok—his Touch was an integral part of his identity and always had been. He derived joy from the world he saw, and he understood others via their auras. To lose that would be to lose a huge part of himself.

And this moment became the most frustrating part of Joon’s ailment. Forget the pain, forget the soreness or shakiness that was likely to follow once he regained full control—none of that mattered compared to not being able to properly comfort Hoseok. He couldn’t pull Hobi into an embrace, he didn’t even have the strength to lift up his one working hand to bring to Hoseok’s face, to run his thumb over his cheekbone or stroke his hair in affection. Just like when Yoongi was crying against his chest moments ago, the pain of not being able to comfort the others was more dire to him than anything he had felt due to his ailments. All he could do was weakly squeeze Hoseok’s hand in his again.

“I know, sunshine. I really don’t think you’ll have to, okay?” Joon said, and before Hobi could respond, they heard Jimin begin screaming again.

“Jimin’s doesn’t sound like it’s wearing off,” Hoseok said in a concerned voice.

“Jimin’s Touch is a hell of a lot different than ours,” Joon said. “He’s in a vision. Seems like with those, if it’s starts out bad, it’s gonna be bad the whole way through. But it will end, and he’ll be okay.”

“H-how can you be so sure?”

Joon couldn’t admit that he wasn’t. He couldn’t admit that he said it with confidence because if he allowed himself to believe any different, consider the worse possibilities, he would break down with heartache and worry. He just had to believe that Jimin was strong. He had to believe that if he himself could go from being unable to move to walking over to Hoseok and holding his hand, then Jimin could get through a hellish vision.

He took in a deep breath and gave Hoseok’s hand another squeeze. “Come on. Between the two of us, we can make it outside. Jin and Jungkook are out there, we should join them.”

~

Jungkook’s punches to his back were weak by the time Jin carried him over to the outside of the cabin tiny. He set him on his feet, but kept the boy against the tiny’s wall, his arms on either side of Kook, keeping him caged in. Despite his desperation, Jungkook had enough sense to know that it was futile to fight against Jin. So instead he sobbed, letting out a final yell before burying his face in his hands.

“Jungkook, you gotta calm down,” Jin said, breathing heavy from having fought and carried him out of the blue tiny.

“How?” Jungkook snapped, lifting his head to glare at Jin. “How am I supposed to do that? You’re not calm! Yoongi hyung’s not calm, no one’s fucking calm! Tae’s gone again, the others are in pain, and I feel it, I feel it all, how the fuck am I supposed to be calm?!”

“Okay, okay, point taken,” Jin said gently, moving his hands to Jungkook’s shoulders, as the boy was swaying slightly in his sobbing. “I won’t ask you to be calm—you’re right, I’m not calm—I just need you to stop panicking. Baby, this is bad, and we can work to fix it if you can get yourself in a better head space.”

“I can’t, I don’t know how,” Jungkook sobbed, his hands coming up to his face again.

Jin stepped closer to him, gently pressing him against the wall again to stabilize him. Jungkook was more compliant, his sobs quiet but still constant, and Jin moved his hands up and down Kook’s arms in reassurance. He took in a deep breath before he leaned in, starting to speak softly into Jungkook’s ear. He said things that he knew could help himself too, because while his senses weren’t heightened like Kook’s, he was still filled with confusion, panic, and heartache too, and as he spoke, he hoped to steady his own emotions as much as Jungkook’s.

“Okay, it’s okay. Keep your eyes closed for now,” he said, closing his own eyes too. “Focus on what’s around you—feel the ground under your feet, feel the wall on your back. Focus on what you can hear—we’re outside, there’re insects buzzing, there’re birds chirping—listen to them. Take in a deep breath, focus on what you can smell—maybe the grass, the fresh air—”

“You,” Jungkook said softly, causing Jin to fall silent and opened his eyes in surprise. The younger still had his eyes closed, but he moved his hands away from his face to place them on Jin’s chest. “I can smell you. I can hear you.” His fingers delicately traced up to Jin’s neck. “I can feel you.”

Jin closed his eyes again, his hands moving to lightly hold the boy’s wrists as Jungkook thumbed at his jawline. Jin leaned in and touched his forehead to Jungkook’s. He could feel his breath, still somewhat rapid, but not quite as badly as before.

“Are you gonna be alright?” Jin asked softly.

“I-I think so.”

Jin sighed, nuzzling his nose to Kook’s. Having allowed his brain to calm down, he was better able to consider what he had seen the blue tiny. Apart from his worry of Tae’s absence, he realized now—as Yoongi had so desperately tried pointing out to him—how bad of shape they were all in. He thought of Jimin. Even just how shaken Jungkook was as a result of Jimin’s experience was telling enough. Not to mention his other two boyfriends—had he even noticed their states? How many of his loved ones were in danger, and how was he so lost, so unable to help them?

He took in a deep breath as he felt Jungkook nuzzle him in return. He wasn’t sure if the boy’s Touch was still heightened out of control, but he had little doubt that Jungkook knew his feelings were far from positive or hopeful. Normally when things were going astray in the group, Jin felt that as a caretaker he should do what he could to remain calm and positive, even if it was often forced. Only in reflection would he ever admit to his suppressed feelings of worry or despair. But this was too much, and he knew Jungkook would already know anyway.

“Kook-ah?” he breathed, moving his hands over Jungkook’s.

“Yes hyung?”

“I’m scared.”

Jungkook sniffled, his crying finally having subsided. “I know, hyung. I am too. We all are.”

Jin didn’t hesitate in stepping closer to Jungkook and wrapping his arms around him in an embrace. Jungkook hugged Jin back tightly, and the two stayed like that a long while, unsure of how to move on and just grateful to have each other’s comfort. It was when they heard the door of the blue tiny that they each lifted their heads to see Hoseok and Namjoon cautiously stepping outside.

They hurried over to the two, who stayed right outside the tiny, Hobi leaning against the wall and Namjoon holding his hand. When they reached them, Jungkook immediately was drawn to Hoseok, going over to him and gently cupping his face, leaning and whispering into his ear. Hoseok’s eyes closed as Jungkook talked to him, his hands reaching out and finding Kook’s chest, and he seemed to melt into the younger. Jin didn’t completely understand, but he recognized it as one of the times that Kook’s Touch was useful to his caretaking, and he figured it best to not interrupt. He turned to Namjoon, who like him, had been watching the other two, but then met his eyes.

“Are you—okay?” Jin said, almost afraid to ask.

Joon gave a weak smile. “I’m getting there. My dominant hand is being especially stubborn though, I can’t move the damned thing.”

Jin looked down at Namjoon’s hands resting at his sides, and his left hand lifted up as if to demonstrate. Jin met his eyes again, trying to gage how worried he should be, and he glanced back at the other two. “What about Hobi?”

“He—he can’t see right now, hyung, but I have hope his vision will come back.”

Jin looked at him wide-eyed, and his voice came out shaky when he knew there was still one left to check about. “A-and Jimin?”

Namjoon’s expression and gaze dropped, causing Jin’s heart to do the same. He shook his head slightly. “Yoongi’s taking good care of him, but…” he lowered his voice, “I can’t lie to you, hyung, it’s bad.”

Jin found his breath to be even shakier, and he blinked, looking away when Namjoon lifted his eyes to meet his again. Joon stepped closer to him, weakly lifting his hand and taking Jin’s.

“What’s going on, Joon?” Seokjin managed to say. “What’re we going to do?”

Namjoon leaned his head closer to Jin’s, their foreheads almost touching. His eyes were bold as he spoke. “I—I have an idea.”

Chapter Text

“Hyung.”

Jungkook’s voice spoke lowly into his ear, his breath warm on Hoseok’s skin. Jungkook’s hands held his face, gently but strongly, and Hobi reached out, his hands falling on the younger’s pecks, learning how closely the younger was standing to him. He felt comfort as he allowed his remaining senses to fill in the presence of Jungkook, as the boy became the first thing he felt confident in perceiving without sight.

“Hyung, I’m right here with you, okay?” Jungkook was saying, moving one of his hands down to Hobi’s shoulder so he could press his cheek against his, his lips right against Hobi’s ear. Hoseok wasn’t sure how, but it was clear that the boy understood what was going on, and he continued speaking. “I know it seems really bad right now, I know how you feel—everything’s wrong, it’s all a mess, but…I don’t know, hyung, I just, I think we can get through it. I’m here, I’ll stay with you, yeah?”

Hoseok wrapped his arms around Jungkook, resting a hand on his nape, threading his fingers through Kook’s soft hair. He leaned more into Kook, letting most of his weight fall into the boy’s hold when his arms went around Hobi’s waist. It wasn’t that he was weak, that he needed to be carried or anything, but rather, just the comfort of knowing that Jungkook could hold him gave him a sense of reprieve.

“Yours wore off too, didn’t it?” Hoseok said quietly. “I heard you in the tiny earlier—you’re better now, aren’t you?”

“Y-yeah, I think so.”

“You and Joonie are getting back to normal, but I’m—I’m still—”

Jungkook starting rubbing his back, lightly shushing him. “Jimin hyung’s still going through his stuff too. Ours Touches have never been good for direct comparisons, Hobi hyung—yours may take more time to recover, that’s all.”

“Kook-ah…I’m really afraid—what if that’s not the case?”

Jungkook hummed, pressing a kiss to Hoseok’s temple. “Just…rest your eyes for now, okay? Keep them closed. I’ll be here, and maybe when you open them again you’ll start to see. Maybe they just need rest right now. If you like we could go lie down in the camper.”

“No, we should stay with everyone else, just in case—”

Jin’s voice rang out enough to distract Hoseok from what he was saying. “That’s your big idea? To sit around and wait for Jimin’s vision to be over?”

“That’s part of my idea, hyung,” Namjoon responded, at a lower volume.

“Should we see what they’re on about?” Jungkook asked when Hoseok settled more firmly back on his own feet.

Hoseok nodded, and when Kook made a move to step somewhere out of his immediate proximity, he tightened his grip around Kook to pull him back. Right now, Jungkook was his grounding on the world, and the boy stepping away was a scary reminder of how lost he felt.

“Kook-ah.”

“Yes, hyung?” Jungkook’s hands returned to his waist.

“I just—don’t let go of me, yeah?”

Jungkook grabbed one of Hobi’s hands, intertwining their fingers together. “I won’t let go, hyung, I promise.”

Jungkook led him a few feet away from where they had been standing, Jin and Namjoon’s voices becoming clearer as they approached.

“If it’s all the more amplified, he could be like this for hours, can we risk losing that much time?” Jin was saying.

“What Jimin’s seeing now is likely vital information. We’ll be able to act better with the more knowledge we have.”

“We don’t even know if that’s what Jimin’s vision is about.”

“Come on, hyung, Jimin’s visions are always of the immediate future, I can’t imagine it not being about this. Besides, we’re assuming—” Joon stopped himself.

“What?”

“We’re assuming the cave is malevolent. Tae chose to go back, I just—I think there’s a chance he could be learning about himself there.”

“You think all of what just happened here isn’t malevolent? What’s happening to Jimin? What about Hobi?”

“Whoa, hyung, timing,” Jungkook said, squeezing Hoseok’s hand.

Joon spoke up again. “Jin hyung, I’m sorry, but that didn’t happen in the cave. I think what happened here was to get Tae back to the cave. With us all incapacitated, nothing was there to stop him from going. Clearly whatever hurt us didn’t hurt him, so why would it lead him somewhere just to hurt him after it specifically avoided doing so in the tiny?”

Hoseok heard Jin’s voice falter and then sigh. “I-I don’t know.”

“That’s my point, hyung. It wouldn’t be bad to know more before we act rashly. And Jimin’s our best chance at that right now.”

There was a long pause, and Hobi hated how clueless he was as to what was going on. He could about imagine the amount of body language and auras’ glows that would have allowed him to better read the situation, understand what was going on. Now he had to just stand there, waiting, and trust that everyone was saying what they meant. He wouldn’t be able to help, to tell if Jin or Joon were looking faint, or if Jungkook was only feigning strength for his sake. It felt like he just had to exist uselessly until—if ever—his sight returned. He wasn’t sure what was going on in the silence, but he needed to speak his mind too.

“Hyung, Joonie’s right,” Hoseok said, and he didn’t need to see to be able to tell that him speaking up surprised the others. “Even besides what Jimin might find out, besides whether or not Tae is in danger—right now I’m useless, I need Jungkook with me, and Yoongi has to stay Jimin. If Joon isn’t fully recovered either…we’re just not in a position to go after him right now.”

He felt Jungkook’s free hand move to his arm, giving him an affectionate squeeze, and he heard Jin sigh again, more tired than before.

“Well, Yoongi deserves to know what’s going on. He should have a say in all this. And I should check on him anyway,” Jin said after a beat, and Hoseok heard his footsteps in the grass and then a door open and close.

“He’s having a hard time, isn’t he?” Hoseok asked Jungkook. The two of them often felt like the monitors of the group, Jungkook perceiving their feelings and Hoseok reading their auras. Hobi wished it wasn’t all on Kook, he wished he could assess the situation himself, but if there was anyone in the group he’d trust to judge the others’ well-beings, it would be Kook.

“He’s scared,” Jungkook said simply, and after a beat, he patted Hoseok’s arm. “Come on, it may be while. Let’s at least go sit down.”

~

Jin stepped into the tiny, and he noticed Yoongi run the back of his hand over his face before he looked up to meet Jin’s gaze. Jimin was still and quiet, but based on the way Yoongi was sitting, on his knees, hovering over him, Jin figured that it was only temporary.

“Wanted to come check on you,” he said as he walked over to the bed.

Yoongi’s hand ran over his face again. “The others are more stable, I take it?”

“For the most part. Jungkook’s doing much better, he’s taking care of Hoseok, who’s…still having trouble. And Joon-ah is fine, he’s…he has some ideas, but anyway,” Jin said, sitting down on the side of the bed, Jimin lying in between him and Yoongi. “How’re things here? Not good, I’m guessing?”

Yoongi shook his head, his eyes constantly on Jimin. “He just keeps going, hyung, but at this intensity, I don’t know how much longer his body can take it.”

Jin’s heart sank—Yoongi was always about being realistic, sometimes to the point of pessimism, but to hear him this worried, this hopeless sounding, was achingly disheartening. “Is there anything we can do?”

“That’s the worst part. I don’t think there is.”

Jimin shifted between the two of them, letting out a cough before rolling onto his side and pulling his knees up. Sweat covered his forehead, his hair pushed back from Yoongi’s continuous stroking, and his eyes were tightly shut, trails of tears smeared over his cheeks. When Jin looked up at Yoongi, he wasn’t much better, tears and stress covering his face. Jin reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder, making Yoongi’s gaze finally break from the boy.

“Go take a breather, I’ll sit with him,” Jin said.

“What? No, hyung, I should stay here.”

Jin squeezed his shoulder. “Yoongi, I’m not asking you to leave the tiny. Get some water, take a piss, just—step away for a moment, okay? I can watch him for a minute.”

Yoongi hesitated, but ultimately obliged Jin, getting out of the bed and stepping into the tiny’s bathroom. Jin settled himself better in the bed next to Jimin, who occasionally coughed or moaned, trembling as Jin placed his hand up to his cheek. He didn’t feel feverish, but that wasn’t a typical symptom of his anyway.

He started running his fingers through the boy’s hair. “Jiminie, I know you probably can’t hear me, but…ah, maybe I’m selfish, or impatient, but…I just want you back, okay? You and Tae…all of you. I just want all of you safe.”

Yoongi returned to the bedroom with a water bottle in one hand and wash cloth in the other, his own face washed. “I want that too, hyung.”

He sat down on the other side of Jimin, taking the wash cloth to wipe the sweat from the boy’s brow, who suddenly gasped violently and coughed, turning onto his back as his muscles began tensing. It was sudden enough to startle Jin, but Yoongi just grabbed Jimin’s shoulders to steady him.

“I hate that I’m getting used to that,” he said, a strained noise escaping Jimin’s mouth. “He’s run his voice raw too, his screams are hardly even that anymore. He just sounds like—”

Yoongi stopped himself, his head dropping to avoid Jin’s gaze. But Jin knew what he was going to say—like a dying animal. The scary thing was that could very well be what Jimin was, but they had no way of knowing for sure, or what to do or how to help. All Jin could do is stare, until the convulsions were over, Yoongi pulling Jimin into his chest as the boy shivered and cried.

“Shh, it’s okay, baby, I’m here, I love you,” Yoongi was speaking softly to Jimin’s limp form lying on his chest.

When everything seemed settled down again, Jin reached out, placing his hand on Yoongi’s nape, and he scooted closer to him on the bed so he could lightly massage his neck and shoulders as they talked during this calm phase.

“Do you want me to stay and help?” Jin asked.

“No, hyung. Well—my guess is we’ll be here a long time. If you could just come check on us every now and then, so I can take breathers. I think that makes the most sense. There’s really no need for us both to go through this for hours.”

Jin sighed, placing a kiss on Yoongi’s shoulder before trailing a hand down the younger’s arm, resting it on his hand that was on Jimin’s arm. He felt Yoongi’s back lean into his chest slightly, and he rested his chin on Yoongi’s shoulder.

“Joon thinks Jimin’s vision will help us. That it’s be about Tae, and the cave.”

“Of course it is,” Yoongi said with such confidence that it surprised Jin. “Jimin’s behavior is reflective of what he’s seeing. I can never understand what he’s saying when he speaks during them, but I’ve sat through enough visions to be able to tell which are pleasant and which aren’t. He’s going through hell right now, hyung.”

Jin raised his head, looking at Yoongi wide eyed and concerned. “Does that mean Tae’s going through hell too? Do you think we should act now, to prevent it from happening?”

Yoongi gave a bitter laugh. “That’s the unfortunate thing about seeing the future, hyung. The hell he’s seeing could be because you decided leave now instead of waiting. But if you stay, the hell could be because of that. Point is, whatever he’s seeing, it’s the way it is. If you try to change that you’ll only end up causing it. You can’t act to prevent, you can only either act blindly or with the knowledge of the inevitable.”  

Jin blinked. “So you think it’s better we wait too.”

“I think it’s best that whatever you do, no matter what happens, you don’t blame it on this decision. But yes. I don’t want to go near that damn cave without knowing what to expect.”

Jin rested his head on Yoongi’s shoulder again. “You’re right.” After a pause, he added, “I’m sorry I almost left earlier.”

Yoongi turned his head slightly to look at him. “You didn’t though. That’s what matters, hyung. You listened to what I needed and you stayed. That’s the only way we’re going to get through this—listening to each other. With any luck, we’ll be listening to Jiminie here soon.”

Yoongi moved his hand to Jimin’s, his fingers stroking Jimin’s palm. The boy’s fingers twitched, then delicately moved, weakly gripping Yoongi’s. Something about that gave both of them a wave of comfort.

Jin took in a breath, exhaling slowly and placing a kiss on Yoongi’s temple. “I’ll come check back in an hour, and I’ll be right outside if you need me sooner. You’re never alone in this, beautiful. Remember that.”

“I know, hyung. I trust you.”

~

Jimin hadn’t felt a headache, he didn’t see the flashes of colors or hear the high-pitched noises—he had no warnings when his vision started. One minute he was in the kitchen, about to pour a cup of coffee, then suddenly every atom of his being lurched forward, pulled at his core, and slammed him somewhere else. It knocked the wind out of him, his lungs on fire and his heart beating so fast he thought it would either explode out of his chest or give up altogether. He had trouble breathing, and his head stung. His vision was blurry and even though he was able to deduce that he had been thrown more suddenly than ever into a vision, he felt incredibly disoriented.

It was dark, and his eyes took a long time to adjust. He could hear voices, and slowly he managed to stand up, his muscles already aching from the sudden fall into the vision. He walked, heavy-footed, to where the two voices were coming from, and he realized in no time that of course, he was in the cave. He walked into a huge opening with a giant pool of water, and he saw Taehyung. He was more surprised when he saw, across the pool, another person. A girl with white hair, who was talking to Tae.

“You and I could do this, we could—” the girl was saying, and Jimin wanted to listen, but a flash of gold blinded him, seared through his mind and made him fall onto his knees.

“No,” Jimin said, not wanting to be pulled away from the scene. “Taehyung—Taehyung, please—”

Taehyung’s eyes wandered around the cave, and Jimin dug his hands into the dark, rocky soil of the cave, trying to hold on like he never had before in a vision. Tae was saying something but he couldn’t hear, and suddenly a flash of red attacked Jimin’s sight, and the cave started trembling, thunderous quaking rocked Jimin, pulling at him to leave the scene, but he fought to hold on, to try to see if Tae was hurt or in danger but it only seemed like he was talking, saying things that Jimin couldn’t hear as a high-pitched noise screeched through his ears. He was screaming, he wanted to hold on, but his cells were on fire and his knuckles were turning white in the black soil, until he gasped, forced to let go.

His body sank into the ground that had quaked and formed in cracks, like quicksand he was sucked downward, flashes of light and color taking over until he fell again, the same sensations as last time leaving him winded and panicked over breathing.

When he opened his eyes, he blinked, at first thinking that the flashes were still taking over, but they weren’t. He was lying on his back, and he was still in the cave, but in a different section, one that was narrower, more like a hall, and the air was covered in sparks. The crystals of the cavern made it light, but more than that, the air was filled with sparks, floating and shining bright enough that the whole cavern was a light as the outside world. Jimin continued lying there, staring in awe at the light, trying to catch his breath. His hearing wasn’t good, like he was under water, and when he shifted to turn his head it only became worse. He blinked, at first unsure of the two forms within sight.

“H-hyungs?” Jimin breathed, confused at seeing Namjoon and Hoseok in the cave.

Namjoon stayed against the wall, his hands reaching out and touching the crystals, while Hoseok talked frantically, his arms gesturing about as he weaved among the sparks.

Jimin groaned as he made a move to sit up, his muscles burning. He wanted to get closer, to understand more, but just as he was able to sit up, Joon and Hoseok ran past him, down a corridor. But even that didn’t matter, as his stomach convulsed, and the scene in front of him shifted with a strike of thunder.

“What—no, no not yet,” Jimin moaned, rolling onto his side. He reached his hand out towards the corridor the two had ran down. “I—I got to understand. Th-this can’t be it, I don’t understand.”

But his atoms were lurched out of the space again, a high pitch noise growing in his mind, and this time it was too much, and he did blackout. When he regained consciousness, he was under water, and when he started to swim, he looked beneath him, and the water below him was glowing red. The redness seemed to be growing, reaching towards him, and he panicked, starting to swim upward, but he knew he wouldn’t make it. His lungs ached, demanding to be filled with air, but only water surrounded him, and the red light consumed him, reaching past him, upward as his hand stretched out. Voices took over him along with the light, murmurs and shouts that he couldn’t comprehend, but so many and so haunting that he felt cold and scared.

He couldn’t reach the surface of the water no matter how hard he swam, and just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, a clap of thunder struck and his body was lurched forward again.

This jump didn’t seem as long or hard though, and when his hands took in fistfuls of damp, black soil, he realized his clothes were wet, soaked, as if he had willed himself to move out of the body of water, and was now at the shore of the pool. He was on his hands and knees, gasping and coughing to catch his breath, water dripping from his hair, the droplets echoing out in his hearing and his mind, a dull red glow still in the water. When he finally had enough strength to lift his head, he was shocked.

His hearing was bad, but it was enough to be able to decipher their talking.

“Jungkook-ah, you can’t!” Jin was saying.

“Hyung, I have to,” Jungkook replied. “I have to try.”

“I can’t lose you too!” Jin shouted. Jimin wasn’t sure if it was his altered hearing in the vision, or if truly there were gusts of wind, loud disturbances making it difficult for them to hear one another.

Jimin’s heart raced. Too? Did that mean…Tae? He was too weak to turn around, to look out into the pool for Taehyung or that mysterious girl.

Jungkook turned away from Jin, staring out across the water, and Jimin got a good look at his face in the glowing red light of the cave. “You’re not losing anybody.”

Jimin was wrought with panic, yelled alongside of Jin in protest as Jungkook dove into the water. He continued screaming, annoyed at his blurred vision, unsure if it was him being sucked away or the tears forming in his eyes, and he saw other forms coming forward to join Jin—Jimin thought it looked like Yoongi, and like he was carrying someone on his back, but his vision only continued to blur, until a white light overcame his sight, blinding him until once more he was violently pulled from the scene.

Jimin was startled, uncomfortable even, when he found himself in one of their trucks. Everything was still and quiet and bright. He squinted his eyes, his head pulsating with aches, and he brought up his hand to look out the vehicle’s window.

“W-what the—”

He was more confused than ever when he realized that he was at their old university. He moved, shakily grabbing at the door handle to open it, and he fell as he stumbled out of the truck. He fell hard on his side on the pavement, coughing at the sharp pain in his core. He managed to stand up, but none of it made sense. Why was he here? He was outside of a dormitory building, and there wasn’t anyone in sight. For some reason, after all that he had seen, that was the final straw.

He screamed. He lifted his head to the obnoxiously blue, sunny sky, and he screamed.

“What does this mean?!” he shouted, tears forming in his eyes. “I want to understand! Did we all die? Is this the goddamn afterlife? Am I already dead, is this my hell?!”

He sobbed, collapsing onto his knees when a flash of gold burn at his eyes. “No—where’s Jungkook? What about Tae? Jin—d-did they make it? Why is my stupid Touch so useless?”

He closed his eyes, losing himself to crying so much that he barely felt the lurch, one gentler than ever before, and when he opened his eyes, he was back in the truck. He looked around, forced to squinting again. “W-what the—”

This time someone else opened the door. It was Yoongi. “You slept the whole ride here.”

Jimin grew wide-eyed.

“Well, you gonna join us or keep napping?” Yoongi offered his hand, and Jimin timidly took it, afraid to speak and accidentally break himself out of the vision, or move on to another scene. Yoongi’s hand was warm, comforting—maybe if this was hell, it wasn’t so bad.

Of course, he spoke too soon. Hell wouldn’t be so nice, but hell also wouldn’t be so familiar. He wasn’t sure he could stand anymore of the high pitched noise, of the flashes and the thunder, but this time his being was being pulled backwards. It was harsh and fast and it felt like it took a lifetime of being pulling at his gut, everything rushing backward, a loss of all of his senses other than the feeling like that of falling taking over him.

Suddenly he was sitting up in bed, gasping, only to then cough, his throat raw and his eyes stinging with tears, his head throbbing, his muscles aching and he was so, so tired. He couldn’t hold himself up, and he fell backward, but arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a warm chest. He took in a breath filled with Yoongi’s scent, and he weakly fought to open his eyes, seeing a blurry vision of his hyung.

“I-is it over, Jimin-ah? Are you back? Are you okay?” Yoongi asked.

Jimin took in another breath, closing his eyes. He was so weak, he couldn’t even fight to stay awake, yet he managed to breathe, “It’s over, hyung.”

~

Yoongi knew it was over the moment Jimin met his eyes. Six hours. Six hours of sitting with him in the tiny—six hours before Yoongi could breathe easy. When Jimin passed out immediately after telling him it was over, he settled the boy onto a pillow on the bed, and he held the backs of his fingers over Jimin’s lips, making sure he was breathing steadily. When he felt the warm puffs of air hit his skin, he moved his hand to Jimin’s chest, feeling his heartbeat—it was fast and prominent, but nothing overwhelming or dangerous.

And then Yoongi sat there for a moment. He sat in the silence, still on edge, practically waiting for Jimin to start screaming or crying again, but he didn’t. The boy just slept. And Yoongi let out a sob, bringing his hands to his face, crying out one last time.

“Thank fuck,” he said to himself before wiping his tears away and getting out of the bed.

He went to the bathroom, washed his face, and then went to the front door of the tiny, opening and leaning out of it.

“Hyung,” he called out, and three of his boyfriends turned from where they were sitting—a fire crackling in the firepit they sat around—to look at him. “It’s over. It’s finally over.”

Jin stood up first, looking around at the rest of them before two more stood up. Jungkook was carrying Hoseok, and as the group approached the tiny, Yoongi saw that he had fallen asleep in Jungkook’s arms.

“He passed out right when it ended, but—it’s over,” Yoongi told them all once they were at the door. He didn’t wait for a response, and turned to go back to the bed, crawling into it next to Jimin.

The others soon followed after him, understanding that he went to tell them because he wanted them to all be together. It was night time, and Jimin was likely to sleep for a long time, and Yoongi could use the rest too. He didn’t want to sleep alone, he didn’t want to keep Jimin from the others, he didn’t want them waiting—he wanted them all together. And they understood that without needing to speak.

Jin crawled into the bed next to Yoongi, reaching over him and lightly running a hand over Jimin’s finally peaceful form, faintly smiling at Yoongi and placing a kiss on his temple. Jungkook set a still sleeping Hoseok on the bed next to Jin, pulling him back into his arms once he too was settled on the bed. Namjoon went to the other side of Jimin, Yoongi noticing that he was able to use both of his hands again as he got comfortable, delicately wrapping an arm around Jimin to cuddle him before reaching out and giving Yoongi’s hand a squeeze.

“I told you you’d get him through this. You did well, hyung,” Joon said softly.

Jin hummed in agreement, nuzzling Yoongi’s cheek before placing another kiss on him. Yoongi was lost for words, too tired to speak or think of what to say, so he just smiled faintly and nodded before placing his head down on the same pillow as Jimin, their faces inches apart. Jin’s arm wrapped around his stomach, and he breathed in calmly for the first time in hours. As he fell asleep, he only wished that Tae was there too.

Chapter Text

Ever since Taehyung had returned to the tinys and was being cared for by his boyfriends, he would notice Bea come and go. The little bluish white spirit would flit about the tiny, never coming too near him, but just stay floating in a corner, and then would fly away through the ceiling. Tae was too achy and exhausted to try to communicate with it, and it never stayed long anyway; likely the spirit was coming to check on him, and could probably sense Tae’s weak state, leaving so he could rest and returning later to note any progress in his health.

It wasn’t until the morning when he awoke that he actually communicated with Bea. He did so stealthily in order to not grab the attention of his boyfriends, which he could only manage to do because Bea was such a small, sweet whisper, easy to communicate with and caused him seemingly no ailments.

“Cassandra feels awful for what happened. She wants to know if you’re okay,” Bea said, floating on Tae’s chest as he was still lying in bed.

“I still don’t even fully understand what happened, Bea,” Tae communicated, careful to stay nonverbal, with Namjoon and Jungkook lying in the bed with him. “Her powers must be much greater than mine.”

“Joo says they’ve grown over time.”

“How long has she been there, Bea?”

Bea’s light flickered in what Tae interpreted as a shrug. “Years confuse me, and she was already there when I came. Joo might know though. You can ask when Joo comes.”

“Joo’s coming here?” Tae coughed, fighting to suppress his voice.

Namjoon lifted his head from the book he was reading, looking to Taehyung. “You okay, baby?”

Taehyung gave a smile and nodded—it was cute how attentive his boyfriends were when he was ill. “I’m alright, hyung.”

When Joon’s gaze returned to his book, Tae looked back at Bea. “Bea, when is Joo coming?”

Bea shifted, its bluish flame-like light dulling somewhat. “Later.”

Tae sighed, realizing that the spirit’s sense of time wasn’t exactly in human increments, so he knew that was about the best answer he was going to get.

After a moment, Bea floated closer to him, sheepishly expressing, “She wants you to come back. Do you want to come back?”

Taehyung’s eyes searched the tiny, going from Bea to look around at his boyfriends, at his home. He was annoyed with himself that his answer wasn’t an immediate no. He was annoyed that he was curious.

“Could…could she really help me understand all this, Bea? Could she really help me with my Touch?”

Bea nodded.

He hesitated again. “But…would have I to stay there?”

“I don’t know.”

“Because I couldn’t do that. Does she realize that? Would she still want me to come back if I would have to leave soon?”

Before Bea could respond, Tae became distracted when Jungkook lifted his head off the pillow next to him, propping himself up on an elbow and looking at Tae.

“Are you alright, hyung?” he asked softly. “You feel a bit distressed all of the sudden.”

Tae blinked at the younger before bringing his hand up to ruffle his hair, smiling. “Aish, you’re getting good at that, aren’t you, Kookie?” He leaned over to quickly kiss the boy’s lips. “I’m fine, sweetheart, just a little stomach ache.”

Jungkook grinned, grabbing Tae’s hand out of his hair and pulling the older towards him, lying onto his back and pulling Tae on top of him. Taehyung couldn’t help but giggle in the younger’s hold, and by the time he looked up again, Bea was gone. Kook’s grip loosened on him.

“Hey, you sure you’re okay?” he asked.

Tae turned back to face Jungkook, bowing his head down to touch their noses together. “I can’t hide much from you, huh?” he whispered against the boy’s lips.

Jungkook smiled. “You’ve never had to.”

Tae hummed before kissing him. He was going to just peck his lips, but he hummed again and deepened the kiss, pushing his worries of Joo and Bea to the back of his mind as he enjoyed the soft, warm feeling of Jungkook’s lips and tongue.

It was in the afternoon that Joo arrived. Bea flew into the tiny beforehand to warn Tae.

“Joo’s on the way.”

Tae sat up from cuddling Jin, knowing that he probably wouldn’t be able to hide his interaction with such large spirit. He glanced down to see Jin still dozing off, not yet bothered by Tae’s movement, and he figured that could buy him some time.

He tried not to gasp when Joo crouched into the tiny, the spirit’s presence a breathtaking combination of strong yet calm. It tilted its head at Taehyung, eyeing him for a moment before communicating.

“Are you unwell?” Joo asked.

Tae swallowed, suppressing his voice. “I’m alright.”

The spirit tilted its head again, it’s large eyes blinking slowly. “You’ll return to see Cassandra again?”

“I—should I?”

Joo did the spirit equivalent of sighing, and looked about the room, a long pause before it acknowledged Tae again. “Cassandra has plans. She needs your help, in different ways than she thinks.”

Tae blinked, trying to take in what the spirit was trying to imply. Joo communicated with an air of wisdom, but also with a vagueness that only made its wisdom feel cryptic. Tae wondered the extent of Joo’s powers, its perception and abilities in the world—he didn’t understand much about spirits, but it was easy to perceive that Joo was powerful.

Tae sat up more, scooting toward the front of the bed. “I can’t stay there for long. But—you know that already, don’t you? And you still think I should go?”

This time Tae’s movement did cause Jin to stir, the older sitting up, rubbing his eyes and looking to Tae. “Baby, what’s happening?”

But Taehyung could barely hear it, so strongly enraptured by Joo’s presence. Tae rarely described spirits with emotions, but something about Joo seemed very heavy hearted. The spirit looked at him in a way that expressed a kindness, but also a concern.

It spoke slowly, calmly. “There’s a lot you’ll learn in what you will experience as a short time. I have no intent to share any further what I have seen, but I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t see it necessary that you return to her.”

Tae’s eyes widened as he realized that Joo had some knowledge of future events. He remembered the odd remark that Cassandra had said about time back in the cave, and he wondered if Joo’s perception of the world was beyond a human’s, which was restrained by time. It also made him think of Jimin’s Touch, and maybe he wasn’t so disconnected from this world of spirits that Taehyung was privy to.

And Tae knew then. His heart raced, he was filled with curiosity and still some hesitation because of his boyfriends, but he knew.

“They’re back,” Tae used his voice to respond to Jin, but kept his eyes on Joo. “They say I have to go with them.”

There was a still in the room, and Tae communicated to Joo. “What about them? They won’t just let me leave.”

Joo barely glanced about at the others. “They have their part in this too, but for now you have to go on your own—leave that to me?”

Tae gave a small nod, and then moved to the end of the bed. “I have to go.”

“Bea will take you back,” Joo said, and Bea flew down from where it had been floating to fly next to Tae.

Taehyung barely heard Jin protest. He didn’t see or hear the others, but simply walked out the door, so focused on Joo and Bea, trying to interpret it all and anticipate what he and the others were going to endure.

~

It didn’t take long for them to return to the cave. Once inside, Bea led the way again because of the complex turns and split offs of the cavern, but they easily found their way back to the large, open cavern where Cassandra stayed. Tae was somewhat surprised that he didn’t have any ailments as they went deeper into the cave, but there was something about the atmosphere that seemed calmer, somewhat stilled.

Once they were in the open cavern, Tae saw Cassandra, not on the rock in the water, but on the shore, pacing back and forth, with Hib following slightly behind at her ankles. There were no other spirits in the cavern, not even Joo was back yet.

Cassandra stopped in her pacing when she saw Tae, halting in her steps so abruptly that Hib didn’t react fast enough, floating through her calf before becoming disoriented, turning around to look up at her and then to Tae.

“I-I wasn’t sure you’d come back,” she said, her voice airy and light, barely above a whisper. She clasped her hands together in waiting, but Tae didn’t respond. She dropped her head, hair falling into her face. “I’m sorry for before—I’d forgotten how scary it can be sometimes.”

Tae walked until he too was at the shore of the pool, still several feet away from the girl. He stuck his hands in his pockets, kicked at the black sand of the shore. There was still so much he didn’t understand about this girl, and he wasn’t sure what to say. He had so many questions that he decided he might as well start by asking them. “So you used to have trouble too? You—haven’t always been this powerful?”

She gave a small smile, pushing the flighty blonde hair out of her face. “No, certainly not. It wasn’t until I was drawn here—staying here, I’ve honed in my ability. I’ve learned much.”

“You were drawn here too? I—we felt drawn here, those of us with Touches anyway,” Tae said, and Cassandra nodded. “Do you know why?”

He was somewhat confused when she gestured to the pool, and she gave a small giggle at his confusion.

“This is…ah, how to describe it with words?” She faced out to the pool of water, black and reflecting the light of the glowing white crystals embedded in the cavern walls. She thought for a long moment before turning back to Tae. “The spirits are only visitors to our world. Some wander far, some stay as permanent guests in our world, but all come from places like these. This cave is a hub, a pathway from their world to ours.”

Tae looked out to the pool too, and even though this was all new to him, explanations to things he had been experiencing for the better half of his life with no idea what any of it was or how to explain it to others, when Cassandra explained it, he wasn’t surprised. It all made sense, as if somewhere deep down, he had known it all along, inherently.

He recalled what Cassandra had done the last time he was in the cave, with the water. “So the other day, those spirits were—?”

She smiled and nodded. “Coming over from their world, to visit.” Her smile faded, and her gaze dropped to the ground again before stepping sheepishly closer to Tae. “I am sorry about that—I think they were just excited to see another human. They’re used to only having me to communicate with.”

“I know. It certainly wasn’t the first time that a spirit got excited over me noticing them,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She nodded knowingly, and stopped walking once she was just a foot away from Taehyung. “You’re not the first one to come here. Toucheds are often drawn to this place, but none have ever seen the spirits like you and I do. They’d always leave, like it was too much—you’re the first to come back. You’re the first to understand.”

“Did you find this place on your own? Who took care of you before you came here?”

Tae realized he hit a sour note when Cassandra crossed her arms, her expression turning bitter. “No one took care of me.”

She turned away from Tae, sitting down in the sand next to the pool, hugging her knees to her chest as she continued more softly, “Those horrible Untoucheds, they—they thought I was a monster. Where I’m from, they’re ignorant. They claimed I was possessed by demons, would punish me and tell me I was going to hell. By the time I was old enough to run away and know I could make it, I did.”

She looked at Hib, who had been quietly at her side the whole time, and ran her hand over his flame-like light. “A spirit found me when I was in bad shape, and led me hear, knowing Joo could help me. I haven’t left since.”

Tae sighed. He wasn’t one to generalize all Untoucheds, especially when he knew there were many like Jin and Yoongi, nothing but loving and accepting, wonderful caretakers, but sometimes it was hard to ignore the darker, more ignorant ones that were out there. Even outside of his experience of being forced into and fighting to get out of the psyche ward, he had his fair share of being called insane, getting disgusted stares. It was one of the reasons he liked their group’s nomadic life in the country side, where he rarely had to deal with people, and certainly never alone. He never fared well when called crazy, not to even mention the number of nightmares he’d have where he was back in the psyche ward, trapped and without a true voice or even identity—it was enough to understand Cassandra’s desire to never leave this magical cave again.

“I’m sorry you went through that. For a while I—I was put away because they thought I was insane,” Tae told her, his faint voice carrying throughout the cavern.

She met Tae’s eyes, her unique blue and dark brown eyes blinking with a mixture of sorrow and compassion. “You really are the first person to understand.”

Their conversation continued for hours, Cassandra beginning to share with Tae the means through which he could gain better control over his power, secrets to detecting or even subduing some of his ailments. She continued to talk about spirits and their world. “Even I don’t completely get it,” she admitted at one point, “But I’m pretty sure all Toucheds have some kind of connection to their world, that’s where our powers come from.” She helped Tae try to summon spirits from the pool, ones that were certain to be gentle and kind, and she encouraged him to use the water in aiding with his ailments but to still ease out in order to not build a complete dependency on its healing elements.

“Joo gets mad at me for that. Says I rely on it too much,” she told Taehyung.

They were lying in the sand, their feet dangling and splashing in the tepid water of the pool. Bea and Hib stayed floating near them calmly, communicating with each other, and otherwise the cave was empty, quiet.

“Joo probably knows best,” Tae said listlessly, his mind still focused on all the information he had gained from Cassandra, and starting to wonder what he was supposed to do now. Joo had implied that Cassandra needed his help, and that his boyfriends would become involved too, but everything had been incredibly peaceful so far. Maybe he would be able to just go home to his boyfriends, better off now than ever before, and what they had first thought of as a dangerous situation turned out to be for the best.

Cassandra propped herself up on an elbow to look at Tae. “You know, I’ve had this idea for awhile. Joo always said I wouldn’t be strong enough to do it, but with you here—I think the two of us could do it.”

Tae turned, the sand shifting against his neck with his movement. “Do what?”

She smiled. “I think we could go to the spirits’ world.”

Chapter Text

Hoseok stirred awake, but he was hesitant to open his eyes in fear of what it would mean if, after all this time and rest, he still couldn’t see. He knew it would be confirmation that he would be blind permanently, and just the possibility made him want to fall back asleep and forget about it again. But his mind was wide awake, haunted with the idea now, so that wasn’t going to happen. Instead, he rolled onto his back, and felt a twinge of hope when the backs of his eyelids seemed to brighten the way they do when facing light. He took in a deep breath, building up the gumption to accept his fate, and he opened his eyes.

He immediately blinked at the light hitting his eyes—they stung a little, and at first everything was blurry, but a grin spread across his face as he was wrought with relief. After blinking a few more times, his smile only grew wider, as his eyes adjusted to the brightness and his vision cleared. He stared at the ceiling of the blue tiny, morning sunlight pouring in from the windows, and he had never been happier to see the wooden panels of the ceiling.

Hoseok, lying at the edge of the bed, turned onto his side, and he could have cried at seeing the light silver orbs floating softly about Jungkook’s skin. The boy was asleep, facing Hobi, his lips slightly parted and his eyelashes softly flushed against his skin in sleep. Hoseok couldn’t resist though, and he reached over, running the backs of his fingers over the maknae’s soft cheek. This caused the younger to stir, his eyes blinking rapidly for a moment before he lifted his head off the pillow.

When his eyes met Hoseok’s, it must have been clear that Hobi was looking back, because a wide smile grew across his face and a flux of bright, bold silver orbs flew off and around his skin. Hobi smiled too, but brought a hand to cover his eyes.

“Whoa, don’t get too excited. You’re so bright you’re gonna blind me again,” Hoseok said, a laugh escaping his lips.

In one fluid motion, Jungkook grabbed the wrist of his hand that was covering his face, pulled him closer and leaned in, kissing him fully. The two were so happy—perhaps feeding off of one another’s relief and joy—that they could barely kiss through their smiling. Still, Hoseok threaded his hands through Kook’s hair, kissing him as best he could and holding him close when their lips broke apart.

“You just needed rest after all, hyung,” Jungkook said, nuzzling his nose against Hobi’s.

Hoseok hummed, opening his eyes to look at Jungkook, and then pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Yeah, you were right, baby boy. Thank you for staying with me through it.”

Jungkook snuck another quick kiss from Hobi. “Of course, hyung.”

Hoseok sat up properly so he could look around more, and Jungkook leaned against the headboard, giving Hoseok clearance to see the other two forms still lying in the bed with them. Yoongi and Jimin, both fast asleep, were lying facing one another, their hands piled together between their chests that were rising and falling rhythmically in sleep.

“H-how do they look?” Jungkook asked, his voice quiet and filled with concern over the answer.

Hobi watched them for a moment, Yoongi’s gunmetal orbs only slightly more prominent than Jimin’s faint and few rose gold ones. Both were faint, but in the pattern of their sleep, the orbs were steadily forming and rising out above their skin to then fade away.

Hobi sighed. “They’re faint, but certainly not in the worst shape I’ve ever seen. Sleep is doing them good.”

Jungkook nodded, then sat up, slipping his hand into Hobi’s. “Let’s leave them to keep sleeping then. Come on, Joon and Jin hyung must be in the kitchen.”

~

Jin had been the first one to wake up, and once he was out of bed, he went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Holding the warm mug to his lips, feeling the steam that indicated the liquid was still too hot to drink, he stared out the kitchen window. The morning fog lingered over the dew-covered grass, and Jin wished more than anything that Taehyung would come walking through it, back home, back into his arms. But he knew that wouldn’t be the case, not based on what Yoongi had said about Jimin’s vision. He blinked heavily, taking in a breath.

That was a whole other worry to tackle, and the wait before knowing what wild things Jimin had seen was excruciating. Of course, he had to prioritize both his and Yoongi’s health, so he would sit through however many hours it would take before they were both well rested and ready to move forward—that didn’t make it any more bearable, though.

“Hyung?”

Seokjin turned around at hearing Namjoon’s voice and leaned against the kitchen counter as Joon approached him.

“What’re you thinking, hyung?” he asked softly.

Jin glanced out the window again, and sniffed a tired laugh. “I’m thinking I wish I could stop thinking.”

Joon gave him a sympathetic smile as he stood in front of Jin, placing his hands on Jin’s that still held the mug. “I know that feeling all too well.”

Jin smiled, moving to set down the cup and turn back to the younger, taking his hands in his. “I’m sure you do, sweetheart. Any advice for how to stop it?”

“Normally, maybe, but with everything we’re going through—I don’t think there’s anything that could get our minds off it.”

Jin sighed. “You’re right.”

He watched as the younger looked out the window too, and Jin realized he wasn’t the only one longing for Tae’s return—of course he wasn’t, he knew that, but there was something about seeing Joon’s expression that especially reminded him. Namjoon had done what he could to remain calm, to reassure the others, Jin included, that everything would be okay, that maybe Tae wasn’t even in danger. He did it so convincingly that Jin sometimes forgot that he could be putting on a face for the group, being strong when the rest of them were having a hard time keeping it together. In the ways that Jungkook was physically able to be a caretaker, often Namjoon mentally made a great one too, and did it so well that it often went unnoticed.

Jin smiled fondly at him, reaching out and placing his hand on Joon’s cheek, causing him to meet his eyes.

“You didn’t get to see him for long before he was gone again. I’m sorry for that,” Seokjin said quietly, and Joon blinked shyly, dropping his gaze to the floor. “I’m selfish sometimes, Joon-ah, I forget that you miss him too.”

Joon leaned into his touch, seeming to melt at the way Jin ran his thumb over his cheekbone. “You’re not selfish, hyung, you’re worried. About Tae, about Jimin and Hobi. I’m okay, so I’m low priority right now. That’s understandable.”

Jin immediately shook his head, stepping closer and bringing his other hand to cup Joon’s face. “No. You’re never low priority. None of you are. Okay?”

“It’s pragmatic, hyung,” Namjoon argued weakly.

But Jin spoke sternly, making sure to hold the younger’s gaze. “I don’t care what it is. It’s not true. You and your wellbeing are no less on my mind than any of the others. I appreciate you being strong in all of this but you don’t have to be all the time. Because if you need me I’m here for you. Okay?”

Namjoon closed his eyes, taking in a breath. “Okay.”

Jin wrapped his arms around the younger’s neck, pulling him into an embrace, and Namjoon wrapped his arms around Jin’s waist. After a moment of nuzzling against the crook of his neck, Joon lifted his face up, so he could speak softly into Jin’s ear.

“Jin hyung?”

“Yes sweetheart?”

“I do have a feeling he’s not in danger, but…I’m still scared, hyung. This place is powerful, I—I’m scared that he won’t be able to leave.”

Jin pulled away so he could look at Namjoon, but the younger’s worried expression didn’t bring him any comfort. “Tae…Tae wouldn’t leave us for power.”

“He’s left twice, hyung,” Namjoon whispered, clearly pained at even expressing it.

Jin’s heart sank, because technically he wasn’t wrong. Namjoon was like that—he was good at noticing the things emotions would try to suppress.

“He came back, though,” Jin said. “He came back, he—he wanted to be back with us.”

“Yeah. He wants to be with us, I don’t doubt that, but…he’s drawn there. What if—I don’t know—what if he’s supposed to be there?”

Jin pressed his lips in a thin line, considering it for a moment but ultimately deciding he needed to be the strong one for the fears that Joon had been withholding from the rest. He brought his hand to Namjoon’s face again, looking him sternly in the eyes.

“We’ll all figure it out together. When we find him, we’ll figure out what the right thing to do is then. But Tae loves us as much as we love him—no matter what, that’s not going to change, okay? A lot is happening and a lot may change, but we all love each other now, and we will by the end of this too. Yeah?”

Joon bit his lip and nodded, leaning his forehead to touch Jin’s. “Yeah.”

Jin kissed his lips softly. “Do you believe me or are you just saying that?”

Joon sniffed a laugh and kissed him again. “I believe you. Of course I believe you, hyung.”

Jin sighed, grateful for the brief moment of relief. “Good.”

After kissing him another time, Jin broke away, and ended up making Joon a cup of tea too. They stayed in the kitchen, mostly quietly sipping on their drinks, keeping their fingers intertwined, until the pocket door to the bedroom, closed so as not to disturb the sleeping boys, slid open. He and Namjoon looked over to see Jungkook stepping out. The maknae grinned as he met their glances.

“Hyungs, someone wants to see you,” he said, smiling widely, and getting slapped on the arm as Hoseok stepped out from behind him.

“I can’t believe you just said that,” Hobi said, but he was grinning at the boy, and only grinned more as his eyes fell on Jin and Namjoon.

Jin was flooded with warmth and joy and relief as Hoseok walked over to them, and he walked to meet him halfway. The younger was pulling the sunglasses that were in his hair down to his eyes.

“Still a bit sensitive,” he explained.

Jin reached him, placing his hands on his arms at first. “May I see?” he asked, and when Hoseok nodded, Jin delicately lowered the glasses enough to where he could see Hobi’s eyes—brown, warm, and filled with joy, no grey fog clouding them like before.

He placed the glasses back up on the bridge of his nose and cupped the younger’s face, smiling. “Beautiful.”

Hoseok hummed, his hands on Jin’s wrists, and Jin kissed him.

“I’m so relieved, sunshine, we really needed good news,” Jin admitted, causing Hobi to kiss him again.

“Trust me, hyung, I’m relieved too,” he said, smiling again, and then breaking away so he could greet Namjoon.

Joon, who had been hugging onto Jungkook and smiling at the two, stepped over to Hoseok, placing one hand on his cheek and the other on his hip as he kissed him. Jungkook went over to stand by Jin, who glanced at him quickly, sneaking his arm around the boy’s waist to pull him closer to his side as they watched the other two kiss.

Breaking from his lips, Namjoon searched Hoseok’s eyes through the lens of the sunglasses. “And you’re seeing…everything?”

Hoseok nodded, running his hands over Joon’s arms and bringing his hands up to kiss his knuckles. “I am. You’re okay too, right?”

Namjoon nodded, smiling at him before glancing at the other two. “We all seem to be okay. Hopefully that means Jimin is too.”

“I think he is. He looked pretty much the way he always does after a vision, which is comforting. He’s like me—he just needed some rest and good care.”

“Speaking of that, I think I’ll go check on our sleeping beauties,” Jin spoke up, stepping away from the maknae and facing them all as he headed towards the back of the tiny. “You all should make something to eat. Make enough for these two as well, yeah?”

Jungkook nodded, and so Jin turned to slide open the pocket door and tuck into the bedroom, shutting it behind him.

~

Jimin awoke suddenly, his mind flooding with memories of his vision that sent him sitting up, and when he attempted to speak, he ended up coughing instead. Shit, his throat hurt. He swallowed dryly, his throat so raw that his eyes stung with tears, but when he felt a hand massage at his nape, he relaxed a little.

“Shh, baby, it’s okay,” Yoongi’s voice soothed. “Here, lean back with hyung, yeah? Come here.”

Jimin, eyes still closed and sniffling from the coughing fit, let Yoongi’s hand guide him to lean back against the headboard of the bed, and he turned a little to where his cheek was pressed to Yoongi’s chest. He felt a kiss on the top of his head, and Yoongi’s hand rubbed circles into his back.

He sniffled again before letting out a whimper. “H-hyung…I—how long?”

Yoongi’s hand paused for a moment as if to express his hesitation in answering the question. “D-don’t worry about that, beautiful, just rest a little more.”

Jimin didn’t like the tone of Yoongi’s voice, the worry or the hesitation. He opened his eyes, sitting up so he could look at Yoongi. His hyung seemed solemn, his lips pressed in a thin line and his eyes heavy. “Hyung.”

The older sighed. “Six hours.”

Jimin’s mouth dropped open and stayed agape, shocked—had he ever had a vision last so long? He licked his dry lips, blinking and looking down, trying to process it all. It would explain his achy muscles, and his raw throat probably meant the shouting he had done in the vision had carried over, if not then some. Six hours. He looked up at Yoongi again.

His voice was raspy. “And—and you were with me the whole time?”

Yoongi glanced down, grabbing Jimin’s hand and shrugging. “Well, Jin hyung would come be with you to give me breaks sometimes—”

Both looked up when Jin entered the room, immediately speaking up. “Yoongi don’t you dare downplay what you did for him. Jimin, he never left your side for more than five minutes.”

The younger looked between Jin and Yoongi, noticing Yoongi blushing and keeping his gaze down at their hands for a long moment. Jimin squeezed his hand, making the older meet his eyes. Jimin felt his chest swell with warmth, with gratitude and appreciation for his caretaker. Without bothering to say anything else, he looked intently into Yoongi’s eyes for a moment before leaning in and kissing him.

He reveled in the feeling of Yoongi kissing him back, the older’s hands moving to delicately hold his face as his lips and tongue softly pressed into Jimin’s. Jimin found himself lying down, pulling Yoongi on top of him, wanting to kiss him deeper, further, until Jin spoke up again.

“Hey, slow down you two, geez.”

Yoongi broke their kiss, smirking and sitting up again, off of Jimin, who pouted at Jin.

Seokjin gave a sympathetic smile, sniffing a laugh as he reached out and ran his fingers through his hair. “You know I normally wouldn’t protest, baby, but you really need to take it easy, okay?”

Jimin wanted to protest, but when his throat stung at his attempt to speak and sitting up again was challenging due to how sore his muscles were, he knew the older was right. It was just unfortunate. With Yoongi’s help, he leaned back against the headboard again.  His voice a gravelly mess, he managed, “Okay, hyung.”

Jin smiled, threading his fingers through Jimin’s hair again. “I’ll go get you some water, okay? The others are making food for us all, so you’ll have something good to eat here soon.”

Jimin normally would’ve thanked his hyung, but not wanting to strain his voice, he gave a small smile and nodded. Jin smiled in return, leaning down and kissing his forehead, pausing, and then kissing his cheek too, as if for good measure. This made Jimin giggle softly, and he watched Jin lean over him to kiss Yoongi’s cheek as well.

“I think there’re cough drops in the medicine cabinet too, if you could grab those, hyung,” Yoongi said.

Jin hummed in agreement as he turned and briskly left the room.

Jimin grabbed Yoongi’s hand again, giving it another squeeze. Meeting the older’s eyes, he whispered, “I love you.”

It seemed that whatever tension Yoongi had managed to hold onto melted at hearing those words, and he brought his hand to Jimin’s cheek, leaning in and kissing him softly but briefly. “I love you too. So goddamn much.”

The two went back to cuddling, but by the time Jin returned, the others wanted to see them as well. Yoongi’s grin grew especially wide when he saw Hoseok, opening his arms up for his dongsaeng to come over into his hold.

“Seok-ah! You can see again, oh my god,” he said, wrapping his arms firmly around the younger’s torso once he was sat on the bed too. “Fuck, baby, I was worried.”

“Me too, hyung,” Hobi said, pulling back to see Yoongi’s face, bringing a hand to his cheek before kissing him briefly. “What would I have done if I couldn’t see your beautiful aura ever again?”

“Shut up, you flatterer,” Yoongi said, kissing him again.

“W-wait—what happened? Hobi hyung, you couldn’t see?” Jimin spoke up, having drank the glass of water Jin had handed him, and popping a cough drop into his mouth, the honey flavored candy soothing his sore throat.

Jimin looked among his boyfriends as they all fell silent, the room taking on a more somber atmosphere.

“Right, I guess you wouldn’t have realized, but, well, we all…went through something earlier, when your vision started,” Namjoon, sitting at Jimin’s side and rubbing his back, explained hesitantly.

“Well, you all did,” Jin clarified, grabbing Jimin’s hand. “Yoongi and I just passed out, but your Touches all seemed to have been…affected by something.”

Jimin nodded—it explained why the vision had started more abruptly than ever before, and perhaps why it had been so intensive, and so long lasting. Once again, he glanced around at his boyfriends (of course, based on the vision and what he remembered from before it started, he already knew without bothering to ask that Tae was gone again). His eyes fell on Hoseok.

“So y-you went blind?”

Hobi reached over Yoongi to give the boy’s arm a squeeze. “I’m okay now, little one, don’t worry. We all are.”

Jimin looked at them all, and this time, he thought of his vision. He thought about what he saw, and what little he could make sense of, only knowing that once they left this room, this tiny house, they were going to undergo many things. It was when his eyes fell on Jungkook, who was standing at the end of the bed, smiling calmly while watching the others all lying on it, that he felt his heart pound in his chest, remembering the vision of Jungkook jumping into the deep, red water. Jungkook met his eyes, and his smile faded. The two stared at one another as the others kept talking.

“You wanna come get something to eat, honey? We made plenty of food,” Jin offered. “Maybe we can talk about what you saw too, hmm?”

“I-in a minute. I-I’ll talk to everyone in a bit, but—can I just be with Jungkook for a minute?” Jimin said, knowing it was a request that would leave everyone wondering. But his boyfriends were respectful, and after a beat they agreed, all leaving the tiny except for Jungkook, who stayed in the doorframe until everyone was gone.

Then he went over to the bed, getting into it with Jimin, and Jimin could tell that he was curious, if not also nervous about what Jimin had to say.

“Jiminie hyung?” Kook asked expectantly.

But Jimin wasn’t ready to talk just yet. Maybe he was being greedy, maybe he was being selfish, but after what he had seen, with all of its confusion and little reassurance of a safe future, Jimin needed Jungkook in this present moment. Ignoring his sore muscles, he moved, sitting onto his knees, and placed his hands on Jungkook’s cheeks, pulling him in and kissing him. For a brief moment Jungkook seemed startled, but when Jimin refused to let up, the boy melted, kissing him back. He wrapped his arms around Jimin’s waist, pulling him over to where Jimin was straddling his lap.

The older threaded his hands through Kook’s hair before wrapping his arms around his neck, pulling him as close as possible, pressing their chests together, until Jungkook finally broke away. He gently grabbed Jimin’s arms, pulling them away from his neck and having Jimin sit back, more on his thighs than his lap at that point.

“Hyung, what’s going on? You’re kissing me like it’s your last cha—” Jungkook’s voice dropped and he paled, eyes going wide and beginning to fill with panic. “Hyung—?”

Realizing Jungkook’s thought process, Jimin grew wide-eyed, immediately feeling guilty for giving the younger such a dark scare.

“Shit, Kookie, sweetheart, no, I—” Jimin grew flustered, sitting up on his knees to lean closer, bringing his hands to Jungkook’s face again. His words failed him though, because what had he seen? What could he tell Jungkook with true assurance? He sat back again, this time bringing his hands to cover his own face. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t see anything morbid, god, not like that anyway, I—” Jimin dropped his head, burying his face further in his hands. “I’m sorry.”

There was a moment where the two were quiet, and Jimin felt too bad for scaring Jungkook to look at him. Eventually Jungkook’s hands came to Jimin’s wrists, encouraging him to uncover his face, and he did, meeting the younger’s eyes again.

“Okay, that’s…okay. But then, why—?”

Jimin chewed on his lip because he didn’t really know why. He just felt that he had to see Jungkook, after the vision of him diving into the red water, he felt like he needed to convey something to him. Jimin closed his eyes and thought for a moment, tried to understand his feelings, his vision, anything. He opened his eyes and placed his hands on Jungkook’s chest, looking at him sternly.

“A lot is going to happen, Jungkook. I’ll tell you all what I saw, even if I can’t make sense of it. Right now, I can’t explain it, but I just—I can sense that there’s something I need you to understand, okay?” Jimin said, pushing on the younger’s chest for emphasis, and Jungkook nodded, holding Jimin’s gaze, waiting for him to continue. “You…you’re brave, okay? You’re strong and you’re brave and I know you doubt it sometimes, but your Touch is powerful, okay? What’s going to happen, what you have to do—you can’t doubt yourself. You have to know that you’re strong, and you are. And I fucking love you. We all do.”

Jungkook’s hands shifted at Jimin’s waist, still gripping his sides. The boy’s eyes were glistening and he swallowed hard. His voice was barely above a whisper. “H-hyung, the way you’re talking still makes it sound like I’m going to—”

Jimin grabbed fistfuls of Jungkook’s shirt and pulled him in close. “Shut up,” he whispered, his own eyes filling with tears as he kissed him. “Shut up, I don’t know, shut up, I love you, okay, I just, I love you,” he repeated between kisses, until Jungkook was breathing back “Okay, I love you too,” until they were just kissing and softly crying together.

Jimin pulled Jungkook into his hold, the younger pressing his face into the crook of Jimin’s neck, and Jimin caressing his nape as the boy let out soft sobs.

“I-I’m scared, hyung,” Jungkook said, and Jimin hugged him tighter.

“Shh, baby, i-it’s gonna be okay,” Jimin said.

“Do you know for sure?”

Jimin hesitated. He was compelled to say yes, but at the same time, technically, he didn’t know for sure. He hadn’t seen everything, and his visions always had a convoluted air to them that made it hard to interpret anything concretely. But somehow that felt wrong to say to Jungkook, so he thought through his words carefully, expressing what he hoped was the truth.

“N-not exactly, but…listen, baby, I-I think I would know if any of us died. I’d be able to feel it, because I-we wouldn’t be whole, and I just—I think I could sense if that happened, and I didn’t. Okay?” When Jungkook didn’t respond, Jimin pulled back to he could look at the boy, and he sniffed a weak laugh as he wiped at the younger’s tears. “Hopefully it’s not just a romantic notion.”

Jungkook sniffled, his crying seeming to have subdued. “No—well, it is, but it also makes sense.”

Jimin nodded, bringing his nose to Jungkook’s in a nuzzle. “We’re all gonna get through this, baby. Let’s go talk to the others, but do remember what I said, okay? You’re strong.”

Jungkook took in a shaky breath. “Okay. I’m strong.”

In that moment, Jimin admired Kook. He knew what he was imposing on the boy was a lot. He knew Jungkook had his insecurities, his worries and fears, and what he was telling the boy had little reassurance. What Jimin told him was more of a command, but he knew it would work, because that was in Kook’s nature—he was determined. If one of his hyungs told him he needed to do something, he would do everything in his power to make it happen. So Jimin knew when he spoke to Jungkook, when he told him to be strong, that Jungkook would take that to heart. Jimin knew Jungkook could be strong, because he already was.

Chapter Text

Taehyung watched as Cassandra stood up and offered him a hand. He blinked before taking it and standing up. “I-I don’t understand. You want to go to their world?”

“Yes. If they can come here, why couldn’t we do the same?”

“I—I don’t know.” Her logic made sense, but it was still a lot for him to take in all at once, especially with the implications of what she was asking him to do.

She continued, “Spirits are visitors here, but some choose to stay. Some like it better, like it’s where they’re meant to be. What if—well, what if we’re like that too? What if their world is better for us than it is here?”

Tae blinked again. “But, this world is fine.”

Cassandra sighed, her smiling fading and her voice growing weak as her eyes downcast to the ground. “Taehyung, we’ve both gone through so much. We’re different than everyone else, we’re not understood, and we may never be accepted here. Maybe it’s a sign, maybe since we can see them, that means that we could be better off in their world.”

“But, Cassandra, I—I’m fine here. I’m better than fine, I have a life here. I don’t know if Joo or these two told you, but I have this love group, t-they accept me, we love each other. I couldn’t leave them like that.”

Cassandra stepped closer to him. “But, aren’t you curious?”

Tae hated that he was—he was, really, really curious. More so, however, he was surprised at her complete disregard at the mention of his loved ones. “That doesn’t matter. I won’t leave them, Cassandra.”

Cass shrugged. “You wouldn’t have to stay. You could be a visitor who returns to their world. Plenty of spirits are like that.” When Tae didn’t protest, she smiled. “You could come with me, see what it’s like, then you could do whatever you want. Stay for a while, go back immediately, whatever.”

Again, Tae paused, considering the proposal. He wasn’t sure of the risks that would come with entering the spirits’ world (his inherent lack of fear made it easy for him to disregard them anyway), but the idea of seeing where they came from did sound amazing. He could end up with even more answers, a deeper understanding to this part of him that had caused him so much strife and conflict before. To finally see its source, to view a world beyond the one humans know—it was thrilling. And Cassandra was right—spirits came and went as they pleased—could he really go and come right back? He wouldn’t have to give up his life or loved ones in order to experience it. Could it really be that easy?

Cassandra stepped closer to him. “Taehyung, please. I—I can’t say that I understand why you’d want to stay here, it is your choice though. But please, I’ve wanted to go for so long. Our combined abilities may be my only chance to get there. Even if you don’t want to go, please, at least help me get there.”

Tae met Cassandra’s eyes, so filled with the hurt and ache from the past that Taehyung figured she never really felt that she escaped from. Tae had been fortunate enough to get out of his tough situation. He had found a better place, a place where he belonged, with people that helped him truly heal and feel acceptance. But he could see in Cassandra’s eyes now, that she was still searching for it. And if she felt that she could find it in another world—who was he to deny her that?

~

Jimin was annoyed that he was having to debate with his hyungs instead of them all leaving to go after Tae. “This is a waste of time, I’m going.”

He realized that his statement would’ve been a lot more convincing if he wasn’t sitting in Jin’s lap, being cuddled after having explained his vision to everyone.

“Baby, you’ve barely had time to recover,” Jin argued. “It was so long, and you’re still not in the best health—you can barely walk, sweetheart.”

“And what about what happened last time you got to the cave?” Namjoon added. “Could your body handle another vision right now?”

Jimin crossed his arms. “That was different, I didn’t know what was going on then. I know now. You guys need me, I’ve seen the most. I know more than any of you what the cave looks like, where in it we’ll be able to find Tae.”

He felt like he was winning, as none of them could deny that point, and he watched as they all exchanged looks with one another.

After a beat, Hoseok spoke up hesitantly. “I dunno, Jiminie. You’re still looking pretty faint. I know it’s hard, but we just want what’s best—”

“It’s ultimately my decision. It’s my body and my Touch. I know you all take care of me and want what’s best, but I get the final say, and I say I’m going,” Jimin insisted.

Everyone was surprised when Jungkook spoke up next. When he and Jimin had come out to the firepit he stayed quiet, rather distant, and Jimin knew he was trying to keep composed. He had been concerned, but luckily after going to sit with Jin, Yoongi seemed to notice Jungkook’s state, and the younger was now situated in his lap, hopefully feeling some comfort from his hyung’s subtle attentiveness. Even still, during the discussion of the vision, especially when Jimin recalled watching Jungkook dive into the red water despite Jin’s protests, the maknae stared off wide-eyed. So Jimin was surprised with what Jungkook had to say.

“He should come. How could we leave any of us behind at this point? We need each other.”

Yoongi patted Jungkook’s thigh comfortingly before glancing around at everyone else. “I agree with Kook-ah. I know Jimin’s not in the best state right now, but leaving him behind feels more wrong. We’ll get through it together as a group, like we always do.”

Jimin’s other hyungs seemed to have their hesitations, but ultimately agreed, knowing that Jungkook and Yoongi were right. It had been their mentality since they first formed a love group that, no matter what happened, they would be together through it all.

Since there was nothing more to debate over, the hardest part was actually going. It felt like there should have been more that they could do to prepare, but all there was to do was actually head out, down the path by the lake and towards the woods. Jin carried Jimin on his back, and while Jimin was annoyed at how it slowed their pace, he knew that if he tried walking himself it would only slow them down even more.

Jin tilt his head slightly to address the younger, speaking loud enough for the others to hear as well. “Your vision makes it seem like we’ll get split up.”

Jimin was able to catch his glance quickly before he laid his cheek against the oldest’s shoulder, feeling the sway of the rise and fall of Jin’s steps. “Yeah, it does. From what I’ve seen, the cave seems to have a lot of different paths. Maybe we split up to find Tae.”

Jin paused, hoisting Jimin a little to gain a better grip on him. The younger knew he was doing the best he could, so he tried to suppress wincing at his sore muscles bumping against Jin’s body. “Do you think we all end up in the same place?”

Jimin considered the question. He found it frustrating how he had inklings about certain things, because he never knew whether they were accurate, more subtle parts of the vision and his seer ability that he was picking up on, or just biases and hopes that he wanted to interpret into them. He preferred airing on the side of caution, and he thought about what he had seen in the vision.

“Well, at one point it looked like Yoongi was walking up to join you, so there’s a chance. I have a feeling that we do, but I…maybe I just hope so.”

“We should make sure we all leave the cave together,” Hoseok spoke up. “That way we’ll know we have everybody back and safe. Since we don’t know how long this’ll take, it’s not like we can choose a time to meet back at the tinys like we have in the past. We should search for each other until we’ll all together again.”

“Makes sense to me,” Yoongi agreed.

Jimin watched Seokjin’s attention wander over the group, perhaps assessing everyone’s wellbeing as they entered the forest. They were getting so close to the cave, it was becoming nerve-wracking, Jimin hoping deeply that he wouldn’t start having ailments like the time before.

“What’re you thinking, Joon-ah?” Jin asked after the group had been quiet for a while.

Namjoon, walking silently next to them, continued staring ahead as he spoke up. “The girl that Jimin mentioned. I keep trying to figure what her plan with Tae is. I—I think she must have a Touch too. And what if—what if she can see spirits like Tae? What if her plan has something to do with them?”

“How do you figure?” Yoongi asked as he reached out to Jin. “Here hyung, I can take Minnie, you’ve carried him a long time.”

The group stopped their pace for Jin place Jimin on his feet, and while the boy was hoping he would feel well enough to insist that he could walk on his own, instead he groaned, knees weak at his own body weight, and willingly accepted Yoongi coming over to adjust him onto his back. They listened to Joon’s explanation as this happened.

“Well, I figure if she has a Touch, it’d explain why she’s in the cave—she was probably drawn there, like the rest of us. And just, I think—why would she want Tae to come back, but have no interest in the rest of us, even if we have Touches too? Makes me think her plan has something to do with his Touch specifically.”

“Tae did mention he encountered a lot of spirits in the cave,” Jin said, “but he never mentioned another human. We didn’t get to talk about it much, but still—it’s surprising.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, but they fell back into silence for a moment as they started up walking again.

“If her plan has to do with spirits though, what are we going to do? We know nothing about them, we can’t detect them at all,” Jungkook said.

“I wish I had seen more about what her plan was,” Jimin said, hugging onto Yoongi’s neck while looking over at Jungkook. “We don’t even know if it was bad. I mean, the way Tae was with her in the vision, he…he didn’t seem scared. Maybe he wants to do whatever it is.”

“But the rest of your vision—you’re still worried?” Yoongi asked over his shoulder.

Jimin rested his forehead to Yoongi’s nape for a moment before lifting his face up to answer. “Yes. The longer the vision went on the more it became…unnerving.”

“Maybe he wants to but it goes wrong?” Namjoon guessed.

Jimin grew wide-eyed for a moment before sighing and dropping his head against Yoongi’s shoulder. “That makes a lot of sense, actually.”

“As we work towards finding Tae, we should also try to figure out what could go wrong. So we can warn him, or be able to help better if things do take a turn for the worse,” Namjoon said. Before anyone could add anything to Joon’s suggestion, Jungkook spoke up, his voice flat.

 “There it is.”

Everyone looked ahead to see the entrance of the cave, dark and low bearing despite its relatively large opening, as if to lead one down into the depths of the earth. Jimin tried to ignore the headache forming as they drew ever closer to it.

“No turning back now, huh?” Hoseok said, the first to step away from the grass and leaf litter of the forest, into the lip of the cave’s entrance.

“Let’s stick together as long as possible. Remember, we’re going to try to find each other before leaving, so no one gets lost or left behind,” Jin was saying, but Jimin was having trouble hearing as a high-pitched noise came over him. It was less intense than the ones from his previous visions, enough that he was convincing himself that he could subdue or ignore it, but of course, Jungkook picked up on his discomfort.

“Hyung?” he said, looking at Jimin and causing everyone else to as well.

That was when Jimin closed his eyes, a flash of gold and then red taking over his sight. His hold on Yoongi tensed. “Shit.”

~

Yoongi had wanted to insist on Jimin staying behind. Deep down, he had wanted Jimin to be safe, knowing the risk they were taking in bringing him along. But he knew Jimin, he saw his resolve, and when Jungkook defended the seer too, he couldn’t insist that he stay behind. Even if he had stood up for him out of respect for Jimin’s autonomy, and truly believed they should conquer this as a group, now he felt like an idiot for his romantic notion. How did they possibly think they would get to the cave without something happening to Jimin?

Yoongi had set Jimin on the ground before the cave’s entrance, the boy’s eyes shut tightly and his body writhing slightly.

“You need to get him out of here,” Jin said.

“He’ll kill me if I take him back to the tinys now,” Yoongi said, pulling the boy to lay his head on his lap.

“Yoongi, he can’t stay here. He’ll be in this state the whole time!” Jin said.

“I know, but—” Yoongi faltered. What argument did he have? He knew he should take Jimin back to safety, but it felt so wrong, to already be giving up, leaving the search for Tae to everyone but them, and what if Jimin saw something else vital? All the way back at the tinys, they’d have no way of telling anyone. To sit around and wait seemed torturous, and—

Everyone startled when Jimin let out a dramatic gasp, as if he had just resurfaced from being underwater. The boy had reached out and grabbed Yoongi’s neck, jerking him to bend down, and Yoongi was wide-eyed, staring back into Jimin’s conscious eyes. He had never seen Jimin come back from a vision so fast.

Jimin’s grip on Yoongi was firm, almost painful. “Go left for Tae, stay right for answers. If you get lost, it all ends up in the middle.”

“Wh-what?” was all that could escape Yoongi’s lips.

“There’s no time—we need to keep going. All of us—me too.”

But then Jimin let out another gasp, this time more as if preparing to hold his breath again, like he was about to be submerged underwater, and then his grip fell from Yoongi and his eyes closed again. He went fairly limp in Yoongi’s lap for a moment, but then his muscles tensed slightly and he started writhing again, this time murmuring a little under his breath as well.

Yoongi looked up at the others, figuring his expression hadn’t been dissimilar to theirs now—wide eyed, staring at Jimin. “Well, you heard him.”

He stood up and worked to pick up Jimin—luckily the boy’s movements were weak and subtle enough that they didn’t present a problem in carrying the boy.

Jin spoke up. “Yoongi, are you sure—”

“We know where to go now. And he said he had to keep going too. It’s not our call, it’s his,” Yoongi said sternly. “So let’s go.”

The way Yoongi looked at Jin was enough for him to understand, and he nodded. Yoongi just hoped that he wouldn’t come to regret obliging Jimin’s request. The group waited for Yoongi, with Jimin in his arms, to reach the lip of the cave, and then they all made their way inside.

Chapter Text

It was a good thing Jimin had told them which direction led where, because Namjoon felt so strongly drawn to the right that if Jimin hadn’t have spoken up, he likely would’ve done everything in his power to convince the whole group to go to the right when they hit the first fork in the path of the cave. The path was narrow, forcing the group to walk in a single line, Jin and Jungkook in the front with Yoongi carrying Jimin in the back.

Namjoon held out his hand, somewhat shaky, and let his fingers graze over the cavern wall, his fingertips occasionally brushing over the jagged edges of a crystal embedded there. His eyes focused on the crystals, his mind wandering and taking note of the patterns they fell into—the fact that they fell into a pattern at all had his mind reeling, and his gut instinct prompted him to believe they weren’t randomly placed there. He was so deep in this thought that he nearly bumped into Hoseok, everyone in front of him having stopped due to the bifurcating path.

He managed to look past the others and studied the crystals, seeing their trail continue, more densely clustered on the right side than the left, and maybe that was why he wanted to continue that way. There was something about their light, their arrangement, that made Namjoon compelled to follow them.

“Right for answers, left for Tae,” Jin said.

“It all meets in the middle,” Yoongi added.

There was a pause, all of them hesitant to separate from one another, even if they knew it was inevitably going to happen. Jimin murmured softly in Yoongi’s arms as they all exchanged looks with one another.

“We all know how it’s going to split up anyway,” Hoseok said, turning to place an arm on Joon’s shoulder. “Joon-ah, are we going for answers?”

Namjoon glanced around the cave, noting the crystals that extended up to the ceiling, the ones that lit up the right path in a way that gave Namjoon a thrilling surge of curiosity and, oddly enough, hope. He looked to Hobi. “Yeah. Makes sense anyway, Jin and Kook don’t have ailments, we don’t know what Tae’s going through—he’ll likely need our two most physically abled people.”

“What about Jimin and Yoongi?” Jin asked, looking past them to meet Yoongi’s eyes.

Yoongi shifted his hold on Jimin, a look of uncertainty in his gaze. “We’re going to be slow going, I think, I don’t want to hold any of you back. I think we’ll head towards Tae though—in case Jimin sees anything dire, we’ll want to be in closer reach to him or those that can get to him fastest.”

Namjoon nodded. “Makes sense. Well—” he turned to look at Hoseok. “Should we go try to find some answers?”

Hobi gave a smile, giving Joon’s shoulder a squeeze. “Let’s do it.”

Namjoon looked towards Jin and Jungkook, then to Yoongi and Jimin, before his eyes finally settled on meeting Jin’s. “Hopefully we’ll all meet in the middle.”

They knew better than to make it a dramatic exchange. To say goodbye would take too much time and would only make it more difficult to depart from one another. Joon wished he could say something more, perhaps give comfort to Kook or Yoongi, but he knew it wasn’t really his place—there wasn’t much left to say, other than the hope that they’d all come out the other side together.

Jin held his gaze for a moment, and they both seemed to understand this, so he nodded. “We’ll see you there.”

And with that, the group split and walked different paths, moving forward, deeper into the earth.

~

Taehyung turned his head to look at Bea, who was floating by his shoulder. He didn’t mean to become distracted by the little spirit, but there was something about its sweet nature that he was drawn too.

“What’s the spirit world like?”

Bea floated, bobbing up and down for a moment while considering. “Umm…more thin. But also more busy.”

Taehyung sighed. Whether it was a language barrier or a matter of differences in perception, Bea’s descriptions were useless to him. Thinner? What did that even mean? He didn’t bother to ask, knowing the bubbly spirit wouldn’t be able to give any more of an explanation of the spirit world to him than he could explain spirits to humans that couldn’t see them. He would just have to wait and found out.

“Do you think we’ll like it there?”

Bea’s light flickered for a second before dulling down to normal again. “No.”

Tae couldn’t help but smile at the spirit’s blatant honesty. “Why not?”

Bea paused, its face turning about as if looking at their surroundings. “There’s none of this.”

“None of what?”

Bea did the spirit equivalent of sighing and almost seemed to shrug. “There’re no trees in the spirit world.”

Taehyung grinned. It was why he liked Bea—something about its childlike nature, the spirit carried an innocence and simplistic view of the world that he found endearing, that he could appreciate. It wasn’t unlike himself after he started healing from his numbed years in the psyche ward, once he started feeling again—even small things like trees he appreciated more once he was free. Maybe Bea felt similar when it had come to visit this world for the first time. Maybe it was how Cass would feel in the spirit world. “You like trees?”

“Yes. You should too.”

He giggled. “I suppose I do.”

Cassandra walked up to the two of them, brushing her hair out of her face before giving a soft smile. “What’re you two talking about?”

“Trees,” Tae said.

“They’re not in the spirit world,” Bea elaborated.

Cassandra sighed in a way that sounded tired, but ultimately shook her head, still smiling. “You get that from Joo, Bea? That old spirit always goes on about the trees to me.”

“Where is Joo anyway?” Taehyung asked, realizing that even though they had been in the cave for many hours, he hadn’t seen the old spirit come in like the first time.

Cassandra stepped away, walking along the shore of the pool. “Joo leaves for long periods of time. Maybe it’s off admiring the trees.”

“What does Joo think about you going to the spirit world?”

She hesitated, staring into the pool of the water. “Joo and I…try not to talk about it much. Joo tells me to appreciate the world I’m in, and I just…I don’t get that, coming from them. Joo left to come here, they should—” Her voice dropped and she shook her head, whitish blonde hair falling into her face. “Anyway. Joo probably doesn’t want to be around for when we open this portal.”

The back of Taehyung’s mind couldn’t help but pick at the comment, wonder if it was a red flag that Joo, a wise and old spirit, refused to be present for opening the portal, and also seemed to warn Cassandra against going to the spirit world. He remembered Joo telling him that Cassandra needed his help in a different way than what she thought, so was he messing up by helping her with what she asked him to? Was he supposed to refuse?

He suddenly wished that Joo had told him more, that the spirit had been specific about what he was supposed to do and how he could help this lost girl. He knew how much Cassandra wanted this, he understood it more than probably anyone, but what if he messed up? And what about his boyfriends? Joo had said they had a part in this too, but where were they? What were they supposed to do about any of it? None of it made sense and he just wanted to do what was right—

“Taehyung? Are you okay?” Cassandra stepped over to him again.

His breathing suddenly heavy and fast, he brought his hands to his face, feeling overwhelmed. “I—we don’t know what we’re doing, Cass.”

“Whoa, hey,” she placed her hands on Tae’s arms, rubbing them lightly. “That’s okay. I’ve learned so much being here, just from being close to the hub of the spirit world—imagine how much we’ll get to know once we’re actually there.”

When Tae didn’t reply, and simply shook his head in his hands, Bea communicated softly. “Tae.”

Taehyung glanced up at Bea, seeing in his peripherals that Cassandra looked up at the spirit too.

“Yeah?”

“Joo…Joo sent you here knowing you would do whatever you do.”

Tae took in a deep breath, wondering how much the small spirit could sense of his thoughts or feelings—it made him think of Jungkook for a moment, which only made him ache for his boyfriends more. But then he considered what the spirit was trying to imply, and he relaxed a little. Joo would’ve said more if it needed to—the spirit came to get Taehyung back here, and was leaving the rest to play out in whatever way it would, which meant Tae shouldn’t have to question his choices. At least, he hoped that was what Bea meant.

Tae sniffled before letting out a laugh, causing Cassandra to look at him. Her expression was still confused when Tae met her eyes. “You know, for as much as we’re hoping to learn from the spirit world, they’re always so vague, aren’t they?” He watched a smile form at her lips. “So, how’re we gonna do this?”

~

Hoseok held onto Namjoon’s hand when they departed from the others, and even if it was difficult in the narrow path, he didn’t let go as they continued walking forward, towards the right. Every fork or divide in the cave, they would go right, and Namjoon went confidently, taking the lead while Hoseok just held onto him.

It was odd, because it wasn’t exactly scary—it wasn’t dark, not with all the light coming off the walls, in fact it was eerily bright—but something about it still made Hoseok feel on-edge. Maybe it was just the separation from the others. Without Jimin or a means to communicate with the others, they had no idea what was ahead of them, what would happen to the others, or how they would be able to find out. For now, it was just him and Namjoon, and even he seemed wildly distracted—another reason Hoseok felt insistent on holding his hand. But Hobi watched as his other hand trailed along the cave’s walls, occasionally pausing and lingering over specific areas for longer moments than others.

“Joon-ah, why’re you doing that?” Hoseok asked.

“Hmm?” he sounded distracted, and it took him a moment to turn and look at Hoseok. Even then, his eyes quickly returned to the walls. “Oh, it’s just…these crystals, I feel like…like they mean something, I—”

Joon began speaking in another language, and Hoseok realized he was saying his thoughts out loud, and that he wasn’t really talking to him anymore. He wasn’t too concerned yet, and figured it was just best to let Joon be—if anyone was going to be able to figure out any answers, it would be him. Hoseok figured he would be able to decipher when or if Joon would ever needed help, even if he wasn’t speaking a language he understood.

After walking at a slow pace for a few minutes, Namjoon’s grip on his hand tightened and he suddenly jerked Hoseok forward in a hurried way. They rushed around a corridor of the cave before the narrow pathway revealed a wide-open space, and Hoseok had to cover his eyes, letting go of Namjoon’s hand. Hobi felt in his hair and was relieved to find that he still had sunglasses propped on his head, pulling them down to cover his eyes before looking at Joon.

Namjoon was facing the large wall, his hands shaking but reaching out and touching the wall, covered densely in crystals. Joon’s hands fell over them, and he mumbled in several languages, seeming to switch between them and Hoseok was lucky if he could pick up on any of the words.

Hoseok let him be for a few minutes, but eventually spoke up. “Joon-ah? What does this mean?”

Namjoon started to speak, but had to pause and consider his words to speak in the right language for Hoseok to understand. “There’s…they’re in a pattern, I think they…I think it’s like a language, but I feel like I’m—I’m missing parts, I’m not seeing the whole picture, it’s—Hobi why do you have your sunglasses on in this dark cave?”

Hoseok blinked, raising his eyebrows. “Dark? You’re kidding, right? All of these…I dunno, sparks? The reflection of the crystals you’re talking about, they’re making it so fucking bright in here—wait, do you not see that?”

He felt self-conscious at the way Namjoon was staring at him so wide-eyed, mouth agape. Then Joon stopped, dropping his head and looking about. “Like, here? In the open space, you see more light fixtures?”

“Well, yeah, like—” Hoseok walked over to them, a few feet away from the wall and started gesturing, making a circular motion. “Like there’s one here. And another here. And here—”

“Are they just made of light? What happens if you touch them?”

Hoseok hesitated, his hand hovering above one of these clusters of sparks that were not so dissimilar to auras, except they glowed a redish orange and yellow color, and were perhaps denser and harsher, and stood alone, taking on distinct shapes in way that Namjoon would likely be able to find meaning in. He ran his hand through one, and it shimmered, shifted a little, but ultimately fell back into place.

Hoseok walked around the open area, among the clusters of sparks, turning as he went, touching some occasionally, and noting the order they were arranged in, the pattern they created in the empty space of this large, otherwise dull cavern. He wondered what it all looked like for Namjoon, for anyone else who had ever come here. What was he seeing, what was he privy to that no one else was? Did it have any meaning? He suddenly was met with a strong urge he’d never felt before—he had never been one to question his Touch, wonder what the auras meant, if anything at all, but suddenly here, with these fixtures, he wanted to know. He wanted to understand. Why could he see these things, why couldn’t anyone else? What were they, if anything beyond light waves that his eyes were able to detect better than normal humans?

He made his way about the space, moving among the clusters of sparks, until his back was against the wall, standing next to Namjoon, and he looked over at his boyfriend, lifting the sunglasses off his eyes so he could properly meet his gaze. They seemed to both understand that they had found where the answers were.

“They’re distinct shapes. They mean something Joon, there’s a story here, I can feel it,” Hoseok spoke softly.

Namjoon brought his trembling hands to hold Hoseok’s face, and he leaned in, touching his forehead to Hobi’s. “There was a reason why it was the two of us that ended up here. We can only understand it with both of our Touches together.”

Hoseok brought his hands to Joon’s, closing his eyes for a moment. It felt bizarre, to know that the moment Jimin had foreseen had now come to fruition, and to wonder if Jimin hadn’t have told them, would they have known to go together? Would they be able to figure it out? Hoseok made the mental note to remind Jimin that his vision was useful, that it did help them immensely.

Namjoon dropped his hold on Hoseok to dig through his pockets, pulling out a small moleskin journal and pen. “You…you can draw them, right?”

Hoseok took the notebook and pen, feeling grateful for his art degree from the university where they had first met, where Namjoon majored in linguistics—it was all coming together. “I certainly can try.”

~

Jimin opened his eyes to darkness, and he flexed his hands, realizing he was gripping onto someone. “Yoongi.”

“Beautiful, you’re here?” Yoongi asked. He had been walking, carrying Jimin, but his strides stopped and he crouched down, setting Jimin on the earth, against a rocky wall.

Jimin’s eyes adjusted, and he realized they were in the cave. He glanced ahead and saw Jin and Jungkook, who stopped in their pace to look back at them.  “How long was I out?”

“Not long, baby, maybe fifteen minutes,” Yoongi said. “You…you told us which way to go, we’re trusting you on that. We’re on the path to find Tae, and Namjoon and Hoseok went to find the answers.”

“I know,” Jimin said, glancing around as he sat up more. He was trying to gage where he was, not just in place at the cave, but in time. His mind had been giving him flashes of scenes, quick ones in several places, and he had the feeling that they were all going on at once, not too long from now. But it felt weird to be back fully in the present, and he was trying to grasp where this moment fit into the puzzle of the mini visions he had just seen.

“You…you do?”

“Yes. I’m—I’m seeing a lot of things, Yoongi hyung. Small, quick things. They’re just flashes of what could be, and they’re so quick that they’re not like my other visions. I think they’re much closer in time to now than my usual visions are.”

“Oh. Does it…does it still hurt?”

Jimin bit his lip. “No, it doesn’t hurt. But I still get tired. I’m sorry, hyung, but I don’t think I’ll be able to go on without you carrying me.”

Yoongi gave a faint smile. “That’s okay, Jimin-ah, that’s what I’m here for. I’m just glad you’re not in pain anymore.”

Jungkook spoke up as he and Jin walked over to them. “Wh-what else did you see?”

Jimin eyed the boy for a moment, tilting his head as he considered what to say. “I saw Tae again.”

“Is he—okay?” Jin asked.

Jimin nodded. “For now. He’s agreed to the girl’s plan. They’re getting started.”

“Do you know better what it is now?” Yoongi asked.

“Something to do with visiting spirits,” Jimin said. The scene he saw was short, of Taehyung and the girl talking, each one of them going to opposite ends of a giant pool of water.

“So Joon was right,” Jin said.

Jimin nodded. “Joon and Hobi are finding out a lot now. Hopefully the timing of everything is right, they’re going to want to tell us what they learn before Tae does anything too drastic.”

Jimin felt a tugging sensation in his gut and he knew what it meant. He looked at Jin and Jungkook. “You two stay alert, and go ahead of us. We’ll just slow you down, and they’ll need you. I think they’ll need you soon.”

“You’ll be alright, baby?” Jin asked, crouching down and taking Jimin’s hand before looking at Yoongi. “Both of you?”

Jimin squeezed his hand. “Yes, hyung. And trust Jungkook, okay?”

“Of course.” Jin squeezed his hand in return, looked at Yoongi and gave a nod before he stood up and went to Jungkook, placing his arm around the boy’s shoulders. “Let’s go, sweetheart. We’ll all be reunited soon.”

Jungkook met Jimin’s eyes, keeping his gaze on him a long while before turning and walking with Jin into the darkness of the narrow path. Jimin watched their figures fade away before turning to Yoongi.

“I’m going to be out again in a minute, Yoongi hyung,” Jimin said quietly.

“Is it—is it going to be bad?”

Jimin gave a small smile, bringing his hand up to his caretaker’s cheek. “No, my love. For once, I feel like I have a grasp on all this. Hopefully I won’t be gone long. Will you be alright on your own, with my deadweight?”

“I’ll have to be, won’t I?”

“I’m sorry to do that to you.”

“Don’t be. The more you see, the less scared I become. You don’t seem scared anymore, Jimin-ah. It’s comforting.”

Jimin smiled, rubbing his thumb over Yoongi’s cheekbone. He wished he wasn’t so tired, but the pulling at his gut prompted him to feel sleepy, to want to close his eyes. “I’ll tell you what I see. We’ll get there too, you know. We’ll all be there for Tae.”

Jimin wished he had more time. More time to explain to Yoongi, more time to better think about and reflect on the quick flashes of the future he was having. More time to recover, to not feel exhausted before entering another round of mini visions. More time to know that his words of reassurance to Yoongi were the complete truth, and not just him littering hope in places he thought could help make a difference. Jimin wished he had more time, but his eyes were already fluttering closed, his hand growing heavy and dropping from Yoongi’s cheek, his mind drifting off into the future.

Chapter Text

“Jimin? Jimin, why are you crying?”

The boy had just woken up from another set of small visions, and this time, much to Yoongi’s dismay, he had started crying softly. Yoongi could tell it was different than before, with his previous, harsher vision. He could tell the boy wasn’t crying out of pain—he was crying out of sadness.

“It’s Tae,” Jimin said between gentle sobs. “He’s…he’s sorry, hyung.”

Yoongi’s heart sank, his eyes immediately welled with tears. “Wh-what?”

Tears rolled down Jimin’s cheeks as he closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a shaky breath. “Goddammit, I love him so much, hyung.”

“I-I do too. Jimin-ah, what’s—is he going to be okay?” Yoongi said, trying not to choke on his words despite the lump that had formed in his throat.

Yoongi wasn’t comforted when Jimin ignored the question. Instead, he simply, having been lying on the cave floor as Yoongi rested from carrying him, worked to stand up on his own. “C-come on, hyung. I’ll walk a little ways. I’ll tell you what I saw, that way you’ll know what’s going on once we get there.”

~

Hoseok wished they didn’t feel rushed, but knowing what all was to come based on Jimin’s vision, as well as the pressure to figure out if there was anything to warn Tae about in order to help save him, he and Namjoon were forced to work quickly. So, he tried to go about it tactfully. The first thing he drew was a rough sketch of all the clusters on one sheet—all together, the whole picture, just lacking in detail.

He gave that to Namjoon first, and then he set about drawing each individual cluster, one per page, giving himself more space to include the intricacies, the details of the curves and juts that the sparks fell into within a cluster.

“It’s difficult to draw them perfectly because they’re three dimensional,” Hoseok had explained to Namjoon, who kept turning between the rough sketch in his hand and the wall of crystals, his only physical reference to aid in what was going on. “I’m drawing them right now from your perspective, the angle they look like when you’re against the wall, but I may draw them from the opposite side too so you can get a fuller view, if you think that’d be helpful.”

“And if we have time. And enough paper,” Joon commented.

Hoseok set down the next detailed drawing, laying them down on the ground underneath the cluster itself, so Namjoon could stay familiar with their placement and pattern. He had only just finished the fourth, with at least another dozen left to draw.

“I know. If I had realized I would be doing this I would’ve packed one of my giant sketchpads. Maybe some nicer pencils too,” Hoseok said, trying to laugh off his frustration at drawing in the small notebook with a ballpoint pen.

“We’re lucky I even had that with me.”

“True. How—how’s it going on your end? Any breakthroughs?”

Namjoon shook his head, his frustration also evident, and he strode over to Hoseok’s more detailed drawings, crouching down to compare them to the rough sketch. “Not exactly. I mean, normally something like this would take me months to figure out, but now—I’m just, I’m trying to let my mind go, I’m trying to hone in my Touch so I can crack this, it’s—”

Namjoon slipped into another language, his words becoming more and more rushed, his hands trembling, and Hoseok had to interrupt him. “Whoa, Joon-ah. Breathe.”

“There’s no time,” Joon’s voice was strained.

“To breathe? There has to be,” Hoseok said with a weak laugh, crouching down next to him and placing a hand on his back. He watched Namjoon looked up and meet his gaze, his eyes focused yet also quick to stray off, only to then focus on him again.

Namjoon took in a deep breath, swallowed hard, and nodded as his eyes stared off again. “Breathe…right.” He paused, reaching out and touching one of the drawings that was on the ground. “It’s really just right here?”

Namjoon was pointing directly at the cluster, his index finger nearly touching it.

Hoseok nodded. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Of course not…” Namjoon’s voice faded as he looked over to the next drawing, lifting up the rough sketch in his hand to compare. “Right. K-keep drawing, Seok, I think I’m getting somewhere.”

Hoseok gave his shoulder a final reassuring squeeze before he stood up and walked over to the next cluster, putting pen to paper in an attempt to draw it.

~

Jin knew it couldn’t have been too long, but the narrow and curving path of the cave made it impossible to see much ahead, and that only made their journey feel like an eternity. He couldn’t help but feel like he’d spend the rest of his life circling through this cave, searching for Tae, or even just the smallest sign of him. Seokjin trusted Jimin’s instructions of staying to the left to find him, but he wished there had been more to it than that—he didn’t know what to expect once they found Tae and this mysterious girl. He didn’t know what to do once he got there, and his mind kept reeling, arguing with itself over whether it would be worth it to try to prevent whatever it was that would cause Jungkook to have to dive into water, that would prompt him to feel like he was losing his loved ones. Jin remembered what Yoongi had said during Jimin’s harsh vision, how it was what was going to happen, no matter whether one tried to prevent it or not, but how could Jin accept that as the inevitable?

“Jin hyung,” Jungkook’s voice echoed through the cave, and it startled Jin. Ever since the group had first departed, the youngest had been exceptionally quiet. Jin had let him be, understanding that what Jimin had seen in regards to him was difficult to cope with, along with likely feeling everyone else’s fears and worries on top of his own. Seokjin knew Kook didn’t like being babied all the time, so rather than fixate on the boy’s quietness, he just left him alone as they went through the cave. So, he was surprised when Jungkook did speak up.

He turned to catch a glimpse of the boy walking behind him. “What is it, baby?”

“You’re getting pretty worked up, hyung. I can feel it.”

Jin stopped in his pace so he could properly face Jungkook, figuring the two could take a quick breather from their seemingly never-ending trek anyway. “Oh, I—sorry, hun, my thoughts were getting away from me.” He hesitated, meeting Jungkook’s eyes for a moment before reaching out and placing his hand under the boy’s chin, thumbing at his jawline. “You’re pretty sensitive in here, huh?”

Jungkook chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before nodding. “I—Jimin hyung told me…he told me that my Touch was stronger than I think. I don’t know if he meant in general or just here in the cave, but…I guess I’m starting to believe him.”

Jin gave a weak smile, and raised his eyebrow, having the feeling there was more to what Jungkook was saying. “But?”

Kook blinked, his eyes darting up to the ceiling and his lips pouting. “But I don’t see how my Touch is going to be useful in saving Taehyung. Even if it is stronger, what good is empathy going to do if he’s in danger?”

Jin smiled again, stepping closer and bringing his other hand up so he could hold the maknae’s face, prompting him to meet his eyes again. “Empathy is never a bad thing, Kook-ah. We’re all having trouble understanding why Tae is doing this, and we have no idea what this girl is about—maybe you’ll be able to figure that out better than any of us.”

“Well when you put it like that,” Jungkook said, his face dropping, resting in Jin’s hold, his expression still pouty as he mumbled, “I hope you’re right, hyung.”

Jin couldn’t help but press a kiss to Kook’s forehead, hoping to give the boy some small piece of comfort before they continued towards their inevitably intense future. “I certainly don’t want you to feel pressured, but—I hope I am too.”

Jungkook gave a shy smile before bringing his hands up to Jin’s, pulling them down from his face. “Come on, hyung. We better keep going.”

They continued walking for several minutes, Jin trying to keep his thoughts calm, somewhat nonexistent, so as not to upset Jungkook—and in a way, he didn’t want to think much himself either, realizing there was little benefit to getting worked up before whatever was going to happen. At some point in their walking, Jungkook had gotten ahead of him on the small path, and Jin nearly bumped into him when the younger suddenly stopped.

“Kook-ah?”

“We’re close. We’re almost there, I can feel them,” Jungkook said, eyes wide as he stared forward.

Jin watched Jungkook stare ahead, and when he peered over the younger’s shoulder, he saw that in the curve of the path, against the cave’s wall, there was a glowing red reflectance.

“Oh my god,” Jin said, practically in disbelief that they had actually made it—they were reaching the moment Jimin had foresaw, they were finally going to find Taehyung. Jin found himself gripping Jungkook’s arm. “Let’s go.”

It was only around one last bend in the path until it opened up to a wide cavern, and the two were suddenly hit with a large gust of wind that refused to let up. The large space, with a tall ceiling over a pool of water, just as Jimin had described, was all glowing red, the source of light seeming to be from underneath the water. Jin had to squint his eyes to adjust to the wind as well as the odd lighting of the setting, and he scanned the cavern, searching for Taehyung. At first disconcerted, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest when he spotted the boy, on a ledge out over the pool, his legs dangling over and into the water, staring into the red light before glancing up and looking across the water. Jin followed his gaze and he spotted the girl, on the opposite side of the pool, in a similar position.

Jin rushed to the edge of the shore, where the cavern floor turned to an ashy black sand, and in his peripherals, he could see Jungkook following suit.

“Taehyung!” Jin called out, surprised at how loudly his own voice echoed throughout the cave despite the wind.

He watched his boyfriend’s head jerk to immediately turn towards him, watched him squint his eyes too, sitting up better to really look at him. “Jin hyung? Jungkook?”

The girl one the other side of the pool yelled, “Taehyung, what’re they doing here? They’re not supposed to be here!”

Tae’s gaze shifted between Jin and the girl. “I—I don’t know.”

“Tae,” Jin shouted over the wind, trying to maintain eye contact with the boy, but he was so far away. “Taehyung, you—you can’t do this,” Jin found himself saying, even though he still didn’t fully understand what it was that Tae was doing.

“See, Taehyung?! These Untoucheds, they’re always trying to control us, trying to tell us what we can and can’t do,” the girl shouted, growing more distraught as she spoke.

Tae looked at her, raising his hands and shaking his head. “No, it’s not like that—it-it’s not what he means, he’s just trying to protect me, I—”

“We have to go,” the girl said, scooting herself down the ledge she was on to lower herself into the water. “We have to go now.”

“Cassandra, wait, can’t we—”

“There’s no time! We can only keep it open for so long, it has to be now,” the girl said as she fully entered the water. She swam to the center of the pool, closer to Taehyung. “I remember what you said, I do, but I need you for this part. Please, Taehyung.”

Taehyung looked from her over to Jin, and the oldest’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, because he could see it. He had seen Tae through a lot, grew to be able to read him, sense his needs or emotions. While there were things about his Touch Jin recognized he could never fully understand, he understood so much about the boy, and one of the things he knew about Taehyung was his resolve.

Taehyung had no fear, sometimes to a fault, but because of it, he also lived unapologetically. He had been through so much and he had lost years of his life to the psyche ward. Ever since Jin had known him, that was Tae’s ultimate goal in life—to feel everything, to experience everything. The boy would do rash, sometimes stupid things, but he never regretted them, because for a long time, he wouldn’t have had the freedom do so.

And who was Jin to stop him now? Jin didn’t know what he was doing, where they were going, but he saw Tae’s resolve in it—no matter the consequences, Tae looked at everyday as one gained, one he once believed he wouldn’t have ever been able to have, and that’s what was happening now. It wasn’t to say he didn’t care about the consequences—Tae hated causing trouble for the love group, he only ever wanted them to be happy—but rather, he had this resolve that acknowledged the consequences were worth the risk of truly living. That was all Tae ever wanted to do—he wanted to live.

Jin watched Tae’s eyes shift between his and Jungkook’s, and he spoke. “I’ll come back.”

“Taehyung—” was all Jin could get out before his voice failed him, a lump forming in his throat as he choked back sobs. The back of his mind wondered why Jungkook was being so quiet, but his eyes refused to leave the sight of Taehyung, as the boy scooted to the very edge of the pool.

Taehyung nodded towards Cassandra before looking up at the two of them one last time, and Jin thought he could see a streak of tears coming down the boy’s face. “I’m sorry.”

Jin’s legs gave out on him, and he collapsed to his knees as he watched Tae jump into the water. He cried as Tae reached the girl, and the two of them dove under the water, out of sight, and Jin sobbed, making fists in the sand and shaking his head. He cried not only because Tae was gone, potentially risking his life for something Jin didn’t understand, but also because of how genuine Tae’s words had been. The boy was truly sorry for his choice, for his actions that he knew caused distress for the ones he loved, and something about that broke Jin’s heart.

Jin was crying so violently that he barely registered when someone crouched to his side, wrapping their arm around his shoulders and starting speaking into his ear.

~

With Hoseok finishing up the last drawing, Namjoon recognized that he had mostly the whole picture now. As much as his mind wanted to be able to decipher the language perfectly, he had to accept that it wasn’t going to happen, and so there was another part of him that thought more about the nature of the language. Why could only Hoseok see these parts? What kind of beings would make a language out of light? And, most importantly to Namjoon now, how did this tie into what Taehyung was doing?

Continuing to glance between the drawings and the cave wall, Joon worked to make sense of it. The patterns in the lights Hoseok was seeing were not entirely dissimilar to the patterns of the crystals, just more complex, and Joon deciphered roughly what he could. Suddenly, he started gathering up the drawings, keeping them in order with Hoseok’s rough sketch on top.

Hoseok glanced over at him. “Whoa, Joonie, what about their placement?”

“It’s fine, I think I got it. I got enough, anyway,” Namjoon said, going over to him and pointing at his drawing. “Are you done with that? We need to get going.”

“I—yeah, sure. D-did you figure it out?” Hoseok said, handing off the final drawing.

Joon looked down at it, studied it for a moment and found that it looked just as he expected it to. “Sort of. Come on, I’ll explain on the way.”

Namjoon started jogging down the path, usually choosing the left fork whenever one came up since Jimin had said those lead to Tae, but not worrying too much about it since they all supposedly led to the middle eventually. He figured as long as they went at a quick pace, they would make it to the others soon.

“It’s the spirits,” he told Hoseok as the two hurried through the cave, “It’s their language, the lights you’re seeing. They’re trying to communicate to humans too, that’s why the crystals are arranged in a certain way too, it’s like they realized that we couldn’t see their lights.”

“What—what are they trying to tell us though?”

“That this is where they come from. Their composition is completely different ours, Hoseok, that’s the problem,” Joon said, slowing in his pace so he could talk without getting out of breath. “I think they’re able to come here from their—I don’t know—dimension, I guess, and this is one of the places they get here from. And that’s why we’re all so affected.”

“Joon-ah, I’m not following.”

Namjoon sighed, frustrated, knowing that it was starting to make more and more sense in his head but his speech couldn’t keep up with his thoughts to explain it properly. He stopped for a moment, turning to face Hoseok. “Our Touches, I believe, come from their energy. Places like this, where they enter our world, lets their energy kind of leak through to our world, throughout it, and some people have reactions to it—their Touches. But that’s the problem with what Tae’s doing, it’s not going to work.”

“Wh-what do you think Tae’s doing?”

“If he and this girl can see spirits, and they’re at the place where the spirits connect their world to ours, well—shit, Seok, what would do you if you were them?”

Hoseok stared at him blankly, shaking his head and shrugging. Joon gave a slight laugh, shaking his head.

“They’re going to try to do the same thing, the girl must think they’re equivalents—Hobi, they’re going to try to go to the spirits’ dimension.”

Hoseok grew wide eyed, but Joon turned to continue their pace across the path. Hoseok spoke as he followed after him. “And, you think this won’t work—that they’re not equivalent?”

“Exactly.” Namjoon slowed again to look back at Hobi. “They’re made of energy. Their language, is energy. And some kind of energy that’s not like the kind here, that goes undetected. It’s why almost no one can see them, and think about that—if the sentient beings aren’t made of a matter, what would their world be like? I don’t know if it’s possible, but their dimension might be purely made of energy, so two organic life forms traveling there won’t end well. Even if I’m wrong and they do have matter of some kind, it won’t be organic, there won’t be oxygen—”

“You’re telling me if they succeed, they’re going to combust or suffocate?” Hoseok said.

“Essentially.”

“Then we better fucking hurry up and find them,” Hoseok said, pushing past Joon and full on running down the path, Namjoon hurrying right behind him.

They reached the opening of the large cavern just in time to see Jin yell out and collapse to his knees. The two didn’t take the time to wholly take in the scene, but rather rushed down towards them. Hoseok went and knelt over Jin, who was crying, and Jungkook walked over to meet Namjoon.

“Hyung?” the younger seemed surprised at their sudden presence, his eyes wet from tears.

“Kook-ah, I wish there was more time for me to explain,” Joon said, trying to speak while catching his breath at the same time. “B-but there’s not. They can’t make it, where they’re trying to go. I-if they go there, t-they’ll die.”

Namjoon watched as the boy turned away from him, looking out to the pool and stepping away from him without another word, towards its edge. As much as he wanted to stop Jungkook, he knew he couldn’t. He knew what Jimin had seen. He knew Jungkook was their best chance at saving Tae. He knew that Jungkook realized it too, and he was amazed at how Jungkook lacked any hesitation, how he showed no fear—only strength.

~

Yoongi saw the glowing red light against the curve of the cave’s path as Jimin finished explaining. He had gone back to carrying the boy, but set him down again once they were around the bend, hoping the boy would be able to stand on his own again.

“And I think that’s all happened by now,” the boy was saying, and Yoongi wasn’t sure if Jimin’s tone was due to a sense of defeat or just exhaustion. They could see the others down at the shore of the pool, a fair distance away.

“But then, what’s going to happen now?” Yoongi asked.

“Have you forgotten my harsher vision already, hyung?”

Yoongi looked at Jimin, who was looking down at the others, and he turned his gaze to them as well. He saw Jungkook step towards the edge of the pool, and his heart dropped. “No.”

Chapter Text

Jungkook walked to the edge of the water, next to where Hoseok was crouching by Jin, and Jungkook assumed he had explained to the oldest what Joon had to him. He watched as Jin, in a panic, reached out towards the water, but when his hand touched it, he immediately retracted, pulling his hand to his chest.

“Hyung?” Hoseok asked.

“T-the water—how are they in it? It’s burning hot,” Jin said.

Jungkook furrowed his brow, confused at Jin’s claim. He crouched down and slowly, delicately, touched his fingers to the water—it was tepid. He let the rest of his hand fall into the deep pool, and he took in a breath, surprised at how for a moment, it seemed to clear his head from the all emotions that he constantly felt hanging over him. He pulled his hand out and they all came rushing back, but he knew what it meant.

“It doesn’t hurt Toucheds,” Jungkook said, standing up and looking out at the water, knowing the time had finally come.

 Jin seemed to realize what he was thinking, and reached out, grabbing his wrist. “Jungkook, you can’t,” he said.

Jungkook stared out across the water, the red light shimmering in the ripples of the pool that Taehyung and that girl had made when they dove down, underneath its surface. They hadn’t been under long, and Jungkook was a good swimmer—he could probably still reach them in time. He looked to Jin, seeing his hyung’s tear stained face shrouded in the red light. “Hyung, I have to. I have to try.”

“I-I can’t lose you too!”

Jungkook’s heart was racing, tears stinging at his eyes, but he took in a deep breath as he remembered what Jimin had told him: “You’re strong.” He knew what Jimin meant now, why he had been compelled to tell Jungkook back in the tiny, what seemed now like an eternity ago. It had to be him, it always had had to be him—he was the strongest, he was the oddity he always had been, the one with a Touch yet no ailments. If anyone stood a chance of pulling these two people away from the danger they were heading towards, it was him.

Jungkook could feel Jin’s panicking, his distress in losing Taehyung and his conflict in letting Jungkook follow after him, but deep down, Jin knew he had to—they all did. They had all known for some time now, just without the details, and now that those were in place too, in so many ways, to Kook, they almost didn’t matter. In that moment he recognized himself for all he truly was: a young boy who had fallen in love with his six hyungs, and he would do anything in the world for any one of them. That was all this moment amounted to. It suddenly felt so simple. It suddenly felt so easy.

Jungkook looked out across the water, the wind blowing his hair away from his face, and his eyes squinting to see if there was any clear way to go, any signs of the two who had dived under, but there was nothing. Finally, he pulled his arm out of Jin’s grip, and stepped to the very edge of the water.

“You’re not losing anybody,” he said, and in one quick motion, before anybody could do anything to stop or convince him otherwise, before he could let the fear sink in or his bravery falter, his feet pushed off the edge of the shore, shifting the sand underneath, and he dove into the water.

~

Jin let out a scream, tears streaming down his face as he watched Jungkook fall beneath the water, out of sight and after Taehyung. He brought his hand to his mouth, closing his eyes and choking back sobs because what more could he do? He felt Hoseok hugging onto him, his head on his shoulder, his thin shirt dampening with Hoseok’s tears, but both of them looked up when they heard another scream.

“We have to go after them!”

From one of the paths, Yoongi was rushing down to the shore with no signs of stopping. Realizing the information that Yoongi was missing, Jin managed to stand up in time to collide with Yoongi, tackling him to the ground to stop him before he reached the water. But Yoongi wasn’t giving up just like that, distraught and crying, he tried to wrestle himself out from under Jin.

“Didn’t you hear? They’re going to die, they’re going to die down there, we have to stop them,” he was shouting as he tried to get out of Jin’s grip.

Jin had rolled onto his side but managed to keep a hold of Yoongi’s arm, pulling him back and managing to wrap his other arm around Yoongi’s midsection as he rolled onto his back and sat up, pulling the younger’s back to his chest.

“We can’t!” Jin shouted over him. “We can’t, Yoongi, the water! Only Toucheds can go in it, you’ll only hurt yourself!”

“We have to try,” Yoongi sobbed, his hand extended towards the pool, but he had given up on fighting Jin’s hold on him, his back slumping into his chest as he gave in to his crying.

“That’s what Jungkook is doing,” Jin said, resting his head onto Yoongi’s shoulder, relaxing his arms and turning his hold on the younger into one more of comfort than restraint. “We have to trust that he can do this on his own.”

“They’re our babies, Jin,” Yoongi said, his voice thick and his breathing shaky, and Jin felt his heart break a little more, because Yoongi was right. The group’s two youngest were the ones in danger, and the two of them, the oldest, the supposed caretakers, could do nothing to help them.

Jin hugged Yoongi a little tighter, buried his face into the back of his neck a little more. “I know,” he was all he could whisper.

He felt a hand on his back that made him lift up his head, and he met Namjoon’s damp eyes. He freed a hand from around Yoongi’s stomach to reach out and tug at Namjoon’s arm, pulling him down to join them. Joon sat down in the sand with them, and when his hand fell on Yoongi, the older looked up briefly from where he had buried his face in his hands to continue sobbing.

“Joon,” Yoongi choked, rolling out of Jin’s embrace and burying his face into Namjoon’s chest.

Namjoon held onto Yoongi, wrapping one arm around him and rubbing his back, and after a moment he reached out with his other to grab Jin’s hand. Jin squeezed his hand in return, giving him a look to express his appreciation in helping comfort Yoongi before he turned to scan the cave for the remaining two boyfriends.

He had lost track of Hobi whenever Yoongi had come through, but now he spotted Hoseok a few meters away, still at the edge of the water, but with Jimin. Jimin was sitting on his knees, seeming to look in the water, and Hoseok had his arm around the boy. The two were talking. Jin was surprised that he could feel any kind of relief, but as he sat there, his gaze shifting among the boyfriends present on shore, he realized that if Jungkook succeeded, if he and Taehyung got out of the water, that they’d all be together again. And that was really the only solace he had left to hold onto.

~

Hoseok watched when Jin had to hold back Yoongi, he would’ve tried to help if he thought he could’ve, but then his gaze caught sight of Jimin. Purposefully staying away from the others, Jimin slowly walked to the edge of the water, and Hoseok decided to go over to him, make sure he wasn’t having a similar rash train of thought like Yoongi was. As Hoseok approached him, he didn’t seem to be—the boy looked tired, his rose gold aura terribly faint, and he just sat on his knees, his expression blank as he stared into the water.

Doing his best to compose himself from crying, Hoseok crouched down next to him, gently placing an arm on his shoulders. “It’s a lot to take in.”

Jimin continued staring ahead, and he took in a shaky breath. “I think I pushed it too far.”

“Pushed what, little one?”

He watched the boy swallow hard before speaking.

“The more I saw, the more I wanted to see. I wanted to be able to tell everyone it was going to be alright. I thought I’d be able to see the end of this. But I-I can’t,” he said, his breath hitching on the last part. “I’m too tired, I can’t force it to happen anymore. I feel like I failed you all.”

At first Hoseok was shocked at Jimin’s confession, but then he felt a hint of anger. He knew Yoongi and Jin would be pissed if they found out Jimin had been trying to force visions to occur, especially if it was a straining feat, but that part he understood—to an extent, it wasn’t different from what Joon had been doing to crack the language—something about this cave made them want to use their Touches more fully. Maybe it was the spirits’ energy, like what Namjoon had been talking about earlier. Either way though, Joon hadn’t pushed himself to complete exhaustion—Jimin went too far, and still managed to fault himself for it. That was what really upset Hoseok.

He squeezed Jimin’s shoulder, giving him a gentle shake. “No, Jimin-ah. You’ve never been so wrong. We would have never found this place without you. Joon and I needed each other to figure out what we did, we wouldn’t’ve known to go together without you. There’s no way we could’ve saved Tae without what you’ve told us.”

Jimin lifted his head, turning to meet Hoseok’s eyes, and he blinked tiredly before sighing. “I know you’re right, but…I still wish I could know that they’ll be okay.”

Hoseok wrapped his arms around Jimin, backhugging him and resting his head on the younger’s shoulder. “I do too. But we’ll find out soon enough, I think.” Hoseok said with both hope and worry, as he figured they could only stay under the water for so long. And it had already felt too long.

~

Jungkook strained to keep his eyes open, struggled to see as the red light became stronger, more blinding, the deeper he moved into the pool. He couldn’t tell how deep the pool was, but it felt immense, like he could try to sink down it for ages and never reach the bottom. As he kept moving, his eyes focused in on two dark figures below him, silhouettes blocking the main source of the light, and he knew it was them. Lungs already beginning to strain, to crave oxygen, he forced his way deeper to reach them.

They seemed to be having a difficult time, not simply swimming down as Jungkook had been. Rather, they were struggling, twisting and turning about in the water as they tried to continue downwards. As Jungkook approached them, he could somewhat understand why, as there seemed to be some kind of force propelling forward from the light source at the bottom of the pool. Jungkook watched as Taehyung swam low, but was suddenly forced backward with a pulse in the light, floating up closer to him.

The light itself was incredibly powerful as well, and seemed to pulse whenever the two got near it. Between the force and light, Jungkook struggled for a long moment before he was able to grab Taehyung. And when he did, his mind flashed, something jolted within him—suddenly he saw clusters of beings, things he could hardly describe, rushing upwards and out of the light source at such rapid speeds it was impossible for him to see a single one of them properly. They seemed to speak too, but not exactly in words, and again, there were too many to be able to even attempt understanding them. This sight freaked Jungkook out so badly that he immediately dropped his grip on Tae, and suddenly his mind jolted again—everything went back to normal.

He was confused, startled, but most importantly, losing air. His head shook, the water rushing around him slowing the movement, and he managed to notice that Tae was looking at him, wide-eyed. Jungkook returned the look and made a gesture pointing upwards, shaking his head, trying to communicate that they needed to go back to the surface. Either Tae was too surprised at Kook’s presence, or he didn’t understand, so Jungkook had to grab him again.

Once more, he experienced the same thing, and as he held on to Taehyung, these beings didn’t fade or go away—they were there, they were really there, and when his eyes fell onto the girl, below them, closer to the light source and struggling more than the two of them, he realized he was seeing what they saw.

Taehyung tugged at Jungkook’s arm to get his attention, and then pointed at her. Jungkook understood that Taehyung wanted to make sure that they didn’t abandon her, so with the last bought of energy Jungkook had, his propelled himself downward, grabbing the girl’s arm, and then pushed upward, relaxing to let his body’s weight pull them back up to the water’s surface.

The girl at first fought it, prying at Jungkook’s grip, but suddenly the light went out underneath them and she went lax in his hold.

Lungs burning with the need for oxygen, Jungkook was in pain, worrying they weren’t going to make it to the surface. With the red light gone, it was difficult to see anything in the water, and he only held onto Taehyung and the girl, pleading with his lungs to hold out, just a moment longer, just another second—

The boy gulped for air the moment his face breached the water’s surface, gasping and coughing, his lungs still in pain but reprieved from their previous strain. In his relief at hitting the air, he had lost grip of the two, and it took him a long moment to compose himself, but he didn’t care. He had stopped them. That was all that mattered.

~

Tae knew it was his fault that the portal closed. He knew as he spotted Cassandra weakly swimming to the rock in the center of the pool that she was devastated, and in a way, it was his fault.

It had taken the two of them focusing their energy under the water to open it in the first place. It took a lot of concentration, and more mind power than Tae had previously ever attempted to use—he had never tapped into his Touch like that before, but Cassandra helped guide him and with their combined powers, a red light formed and spirits had started pouring out of the water in such a dramatic rush that it stirred up a wind within the cavern.

“Wh-why is this happening?” Tae had asked Cassandra when it first started, when it had still just been the two of them.

“I think with the portal open, spirits can get through easier. Maybe we’ve excited them,” Cassandra shouted across the pool.

Tae figured she must have been right, because the spirits flooded out of the cave, perhaps eager to explore the world without even noticing him or Cassandra.

Once they were under the water, they had thought it would be simple: the portal would open at the bottom of the pool, they would go through it—what more was there to expect? But as they approached the source of the bright light, everything became disorienting. So many spirits were forcing past them, so many were concentrated at the source of the light, and there seemed to be some kind of energy force around it as well. It made it nearly impossible to approach, almost like a forcefield. The one time Tae managed to get near it, reach out and touch the light, it stung, like an electric shock, and forced him backwards—it hurt bad enough for him not to try again.

But Cassandra was more determined. It was like she thought if she could force herself into it the right way, she’d be able to get past the forcefield and onto the other side. It wasn’t working though, and Tae watched her become weaker and more panicked the longer she tried. About to swim to her to convince her to return to the surface, as Tae’s lungs were starting to strain, he was startled by the physical grab on his arm that immediately let go.

Seeing Jungkook was confusing, even though the boy had been at the shore. He never would’ve expected anyone to come after him, but the way the boy was gesturing told him it was only because he felt he had to stop them. Jungkook grabbed his arm again, and Tae looked down at Cassandra, who still wasn’t letting up, only growing more desperate. Jungkook swam down to her, pulled her up with them, and as they floated away, that was when it fully hit Taehyung that they had failed. That it wasn’t going to work—they couldn’t go to the spirit world. So, he let go on his concentration—he stopped focusing on the energy, on the light, the water, and the spirits. He closed his eyes and let go, only felt the water he was rushing through and Jungkook’s weakening grip on him.

The light went out, the rush of spirits ceased as the final bout rushed away, and it was only a matter of time before they reached the surface of the pool, and they were back in the cave—they had never even left, really.

Taehyung watched Cassandra swim away from the two of them, weakly draping her arms and torso on the rock and allowing the rest of her body to wade in the water.

“Is that w-what you see a-all the time?!” Jungkook said through heavy breaths, and Taehyung turned his attention to the younger.

“What?”

“Those…t-those things—I could see them when I touched you. Is that what you always see? What’ve you been experiencing a-all these years?”

Taehyung grew wide-eyed. He didn’t understand how it was possible for Jungkook to see them, but Jungkook awaited an answer. “Uh, normally there’s not that many, b-but, yeah.”

Jungkook swallowed hard, still breathing heavy, and he nodded. “Are you two okay?”

“I’m fine, I think Cass is—” his voice faded when he turned to look at the girl, his eyes growing wide as he saw Joo, crouching down over Cassandra. The rest of the cave was free of spirits, except for Bea and Hib, who were always nearby. As with every time Tae encountered the giant spirit, Joo overwhelmed him.

“What…? Tae, what?” Jungkook reached out and touched Tae’s arm. “Oh—my god.”

“It’s okay,” Taehyung said, struggling to break his gaze away from Joo to glance over at Kook. “They’re friends.”

Jungkook stared with his mouth slightly agape, and Taehyung nudged him. “You okay?”

The younger blinked, finally bringing his focus to Tae, and he nodded. “Yeah, I think so. Let’s go back to shore.”

Tae looked back to Cassandra and Joo. “We can’t leave without her, Kook.”

The two still treading water, Jungkook gently tugged at Tae to bring him closer. “I-I know. We can wait for her there though.”

Breaking his gaze from the two on the rock, he met Jungkook’s eyes, saw the way the boy searched his face, and suddenly he smiled. “I’m okay, Kookie. I promise.”

The boy stopped searching Tae’s face, settling on his eyes, but his expression remained stern, and in a quick motion, he jerked Taehyung towards himself, pulling the older into a kiss. It was brief, the two still catching their breath, and it was difficult to kiss while treading water, but Tae still brought his hand to Jungkook’s neck, feeling warmth and relief, suddenly quite glad that they hadn’t left this world. Taehyung was reminded that this was where he was supposed to be, the only place he wanted to be, and he placed a final quick kiss on Jungkook’s lips again when the boy started to pull away.

“Come on,” Jungkook breathed, trying not to kick the older as their bodies were closely tangled together, afloat in the water, “The hyungs are probably dying to see you.”

They swam to the shore and were barely out of the water before everyone came rushing over to them, practically tackling the two to the ground, the rest falling as well, all huddling together and holding onto whoever they could grab.

Jin was hugging Taehyung from behind on one side, his arms wrapping around the boy’s shoulders before bringing a hand to Tae’s cheek and prompting him to turn to meet his eyes.

“Are you hurt?” Jin asked, his voice shaky. “Tell me if you’re not okay. We’re here, we’ll take care of you.”

Tae closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the way the pad of Jin’s thumb ran over his cheekbone, wiping away the droplets that fell onto his skin from his damp hair. He took in a deep breath and met his eyes again. “I’m okay, hyung. I’m so sorry I scared you. I’m so sorry I scared all of you.”

Jin pressed a kiss to Tae’s forehead. “You’re safe now, that’s what matters. We’re safe now. We are safe, right?”

Jin looked up from Tae and over to Namjoon, who was hugging Taehyung from behind too, on his other side, his arms around Tae’s midsection.

“I think so, it looks like the portal’s closed. Right, Tae?” Joon asked.

Taehyung looked out to the water, where only Cassandra and Joo remained. “Yeah.”

Yoongi was huddled next to Namjoon, with Jungkook lying between Yoongi and Tae, his head on Tae’s chest. Jimin was opposite to Jungkook, under Jin and face nuzzled into Taehyung’s neck, and Hoseok was hugging onto Jimin, practically leaning over him to be close to everyone despite being more on the outside of the huddle, which was easy enough to do with the way Jimin could make himself so small.

“What about you, Kook-ah? You’re okay too?” Joon asked, watching as Yoongi gently stroked the boy’s damp hair away from his face.

“Mm-hmm,” Jungkook breathed, his eyes closed as he remained plastered to Tae.

“What about the girl? What’s happening over there?” Jin asked, causing the other six to lift their heads and look out at the pool.

Jungkook lifted his head completely off Tae’s chest and sat up, a confused expression strewn on his face. He looked down, grabbing Tae’s hand, and then bit his lip. Suddenly, he started scooting down to the water, still holding Taehyung’s hand.

“Kookie?” Yoongi asked, startled by the maknae’s movement towards the pool.

“Come on, I wanna see again,” Jungkook mumbled, and Taehyung understood. The two pulled away from the group, moving down the shore and sitting down, placing their feet into the water. Jungkook gasped again, and Tae figured he was once again in awe at the sight of Joo, and he gave the younger’s hand a squeeze.

The others cautiously walked towards them, still unclear on what was going on. Jungkook looked at Tae, biting his lip as if considering something, and then glanced up at them, reaching his hand out.

“Jimin, come here,” he said. “I wanna try something.”

Jimin glanced around at the others before hesitantly crouching down to Kook, cautiously placing his hand into Jungkook’s extended hand. Jungkook’s eyes closed, and suddenly Jimin gasped.

“Oh my god—what is—wait, is that?” Jimin looked between Taehyung and Jungkook after staring out at the pool.

Jungkook opened his eyes and smiled in his certain way, the way he would when he discovered yet another thing he was good at.

“Kookie, did you make Jimin see too? H-how?” Tae stumbled over his words.

Jungkook glanced between the two of them, eyes ultimately ending up on Jimin. “You were right, hyung—my Touch is more powerful than I thought.” He then turned to glance at the others who were still behind them. “Come here, hyungs. Come see.”

Slowly, and one at a time, the three’s hyungs joined them, circling around Jungkook, reaching out and touching a part of his skin. First Namjoon, placing his hand on the boy’s wrist, near Jimin’s hold, then Hoseok, resting his hand on Jungkook’s shoulder, his fingers grazing the skin where the collar of his shirt ended. Yoongi and Jin were more hesitant, seemed more skeptical and worried while the others awed at what they saw.

Yoongi was the first one to crouch down, next to Taehyung, and he didn’t yet put his hand on the maknae. “What if…what if we can’t?”

“There’s only one way to find out, hyung,” Jungkook said.

Yoongi still hesitated, his hand hovering near the boy, and after taking a deep breath, he laid it down on Jungkook’s neck.

“H-holy shit. Oh my god, this is—Taehyung, oh my god,” Yoongi said, and at his words, Jin no longer hesitated, sitting down behind Jungkook and placing his hand on the boy’s nape.

“Whoa,” escaped the eldest’s lips.

Jungkook closed his eyes and laid back slowly, resting his head onto Jin’s lap and still holding a firm grip on Tae’s hand. They all fell silent as their focus turned to Joo and Cassandra, the old spirit communicating with the girl. Taehyung knew they were all seeing it, but he wasn’t sure if they were able to understand the spirits too, in the way that he and Cassandra could. He hoped they did though.

“You were only going to find out this way. No matter what, you wouldn’t listen to me. You had to experience it,” Joo said. The spirit wasn’t angry, but rather just stating a fact.

“I should be there,” Cassandra sobbed to the spirit, still in the water, hanging onto the rock. “I should be there, I don’t belong here.”

“You can’t be there. There won’t solve the problems you have faced here anyway. And neither will staying in this cave, not anymore. Your time here has been worthwhile, but it has gone on too long now. You and I both know this. It is time for you to move on.”

“I can’t,” Cassandra said, her crying softer but still constant. “I can’t go back into this world, it’ll break me all over again. I barely made it here the first time, don’t make me go back.”

“Cassandra,” Joo said, crouching further, aligning it’s large, plain face with hers. “It can be different than before. Look at who you met. I wanted you to see Taehyung. I wanted you to see what he had, because you can have that too. Not everything is bad in your world, even if that has been your experience. There is good in it too, that is out there for you to find.”

Cassandra wept quietly, burying her face in the crook of her arm for a moment. “But what about you? How can I leave you, after all you’ve shown me?”

Joo straightened a bit more, seeming to glance beyond Cassandra, out to something else, as if looking into the distance. “Human lives are very temporal. You should experience everything you can to the fullest, and you’ve done that here now. There is more out there that you can experience fully. Don’t remain here out of fear when there is beauty for you to find. You will find it, Cassandra.”

The girl sniffled, lifting her head to look at the spirit once more, but Taehyung’s focus was pulled away from the scene when he heard Jin’s voice, raised and concerned.

“Jungkook?!”

Tae immediately looked down to the younger, registering how the boy’s grip on him had become increasingly strong, and he began to panic.

Jungkook was spasming, worse and worse as seconds went by, and he had a nose bleed. His eyes were closed tight and his face was construed with pain. The others all focused on Jungkook now too, they let go of him, Jin still holding the boy, steadying him in his lap.

“It’s too much, he pushed himself too far,” Jimin said.

“Ailments, they’re like Tae’s ailments,” Namjoon added.

All freezing with panic, it was Yoongi who quickly turned to Taehyung. “Let go, Taehyung, let go of his hand!”

But Taehyung couldn’t, Jungkook was holding his hand so tightly it hurt, and he couldn’t shake it free. His voice was strained, tears starting to form as Jungkook started coughing, making rough choking sounds as his body kept shaking. “I can’t, I can’t—h-he won’t let go!”

“The water!” Jimin said. “Pull him out of the water!”

Jin immediately listened to Jimin, wrapping his arms under Kook’s and pulling the boy up from his lap, falling onto his back as he pulled the boy onto his chest until his feet were out of the water.

The moment they were, Jungkook let go of Tae’s hand, taking in a dramatic gasp of air, as if coming up from the water all over again. He rolled off of Jin and onto his side, coughing and catching his breath, bringing a shaky hand to his face.

When he let go of Taehyung’s hand, Tae pushed himself away from Jungkook, standing up and continuing to back away. As he watched the younger still coughing and recovering, he backed himself against the cave wall, as if being as far away from him as possible would help the boy heal. Tears in his eyes, Tae brought a hand to cover his mouth, shaking his head.

The other five surrounding Kookie, making sure he was breathing okay and that he wasn’t terribly hurt, it was Yoongi who noticed him first. After glancing as if to make sure Jungkook was properly being looked after, Yoongi slowly walked over to Taehyung.

Tae only pressed his back harder against the cavern wall as Yoongi approached, started shaking his head more vigorously.

“Stay back, hyung, I’ll hurt you,” he said, his voice weak.

Yoongi stopped his pace at Tae’s panicked words, but his expression softened, and he shook his head. “No, baby, you won’t hurt me, you won’t hurt anybody.”

“I-I did though, I-I hurt Kookie,” Tae said, tears streaming down his face at his own words. “I c-could hurt you too.”

“Shh, Taehyung, that wasn’t you, okay? That was his Touch, baby, he just pushed himself a little too far, but he’s okay. It wasn’t your fault,” Yoongi said, slowly taking another couple of steps closer to Taehyung.

“What if you’re wrong?” Tae said. “What if it was me?”

“I don’t think I am, beautiful,” Yoongi said, his voice so calm and low it was near impossible not to feel soothed, “Besides, once you were out of the water Kook was okay. And we’re no where near the water now, right? Take my hand, baby? You won’t hurt me.”

Yoongi reached out his hand, held it out, and Taehyung’s crying subdued a little. Yoongi’s logic made sense, and despite being afraid, despite his long hesitation, the older kept his hand outreached, waiting patiently and determinedly for Taehyung to take his hand. The younger finally took in a shaky breath as he reached out and cautiously slipped his hand into Yoongi’s, the older intertwining their fingers, and he smiled at the boy.

“See?” Yoongi said, stepping closer to him and wiping away Tae’s tears with his free hand. “I’m okay. You’re okay, you’re not hurting anybody.”

Tears continued to stream down Tae’s face, and he dropped his head. “This is all my fault, hyung. I made you all come here, I put us in danger, I’m so sorry.”

“Shh,” Yoongi’s hand moved down to Tae’s neck and rested on his nape, pulling the boy down rest his face into the crook of his neck. “It’s okay, baby. None of us are mad at you, not even a little bit, okay? This place had an effect on all of you, there’s no one to blame for that. We all love you so much.”

Tae sniffled, his crying finally stopped. Yoongi’s voice was confident yet calm, stern in a way that exuded love, the older’s hand massaged at his nape in a comforting way. “I love you all too,” Tae murmured against his skin.

He lifted his head off of Yoongi’s shoulder when there was a splash across the cave, and the two looked up to see Cassandra swimming towards them. Joo was gone, and Hib and Bea were following her.

“I better go help her,” Tae said, leaving Yoongi’s arms to go help the girl get out of the water.

“Joo said it’s time for me to leave,” Cassandra said. She was no longer crying, but her voice was thick and flat, defeated almost, and her expression was solemn.

“I heard,” Tae replied, rubbing her damp sleeve-clad arms in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

She sighed, hanging her head for a moment before looking up, around at the cave. “Joo said you would help me…you and your loved ones.”

Taehyung glanced over his shoulder, to see his boyfriends all together, watching them, perhaps waiting to see what they should do now. He gave a small smile. “We will.”

Chapter Text

Yoongi went back over to the others as Tae led Cassandra away from the water to meet them as well. They were all still crouched down, hovering over Jungkook, who was lying in Jin’s lap again. Yoongi met the eldest’s eyes.

“He passed out,” Jin said weakly. “He’s breathing and his heart is beating, but that’s about all I know.”

Yoongi felt his heart grow heavy, and he glanced around the group. Watching Jimin idly play with one of Jungkook’s hands, running his fingers over the younger’s knuckles, he was reminded that not too long ago that was the position Jimin had been in—Yoongi had watched him in pain and unconsciousness, only able to make sure that he was alive. Here they were again, with the youngest this time. He turned his attention to Hoseok, and didn’t exactly feel comforted by his expression or heavy looking eyes.

“Any insight, Seok-ah?” he asked.

Hobi just shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment and rubbing them, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He’s really faint, hyung, kind of jittery too. I think he put himself into shock.”

Yoongi noted Seok’s gesture, recognizing he might be under strain too, and he glanced over to Namjoon as well. On the other side of Jungkook, he too looked exhausted, his hands tensed in fists that told Yoongi he was trying to conceal the amount of pain he was in. Knowing he himself was exhausted after carrying Jimin for so long, and Jin was doing all he could to hold up under the pressure, Yoongi dropped his head for a moment, sighing. They were a sorry lot.

“But—he’ll be okay, right?” Taehyung’s deep voice spoke up next to Yoongi, and he looked to see Tae and the girl standing near the group.

Jin let out a deep breath, the backs of his fingers trailing over Kook’s cheek, hovering softly over the boy’s slightly parted lips. “If Hoseok is right, then yeah, the shock will wear off and he’ll be fine, if not just a little sick from it.”

“I—should we put him in the water? It helped me that one time,” Tae asked softly to Cassandra, who was leaning against him for support.

The girl solemnly shook her head. “There’s a dependency that comes with using the water for healing. If we’re leaving, it’d be better to just leave and let him heal naturally on his own.”

“Then let’s leave already,” Jin said, making everyone turn to look at him. “I’ll carry Jungkook. We should get out of here.”

“Bea can lead the way. The little blue spirit, if you noticed—it got me out of here pretty fast the first time I left,” Tae offered.

The group all worked on standing up and heading out, trying to gauge who was able to walk or if anyone needed help. Namjoon went with Jimin, the younger wrapping an arm around Joon’s waist and leaning on him for support, while Joon rested one of his arms over the boy’s small frame. Taking the lead, Taehyung had to carry Cassandra, who was extremely weak after leaving the water, and Hoseok stayed by the two of them, in case Tae became weak as well.

Yoongi hung slightly back behind the three of them after sensing that Cassandra didn’t seem comfortable with him being too close. He had a feeling it may be because he was Untouched, but how she could know that, he wasn’t sure. And Yoongi didn’t have the energy to prove himself amicable to her, especially after everything the group had gone through because of her, so he just stayed back.

As they walked through the narrow paths, Yoongi watched them, noting how the girl seemed hesitant and tense being around the group, only looking at or talking to Tae, and it made him feel somewhat guilty for his bitter thoughts—maybe she was harmless, scared, and just like Tae wasn’t to blame, she wasn’t either. After some time, Yoongi was impressed, although not entirely surprised, at the way Hoseok casually worked his way into conversation with the two of them, charming his way into making the girl feel comfortable with him. Yoongi realized Seok was being smart—the younger had the foresight to recognize Tae’s strength wouldn’t last long, and the girl had to feel at ease with at least some of them in order to be able to help her.

Sure enough, after about fifteen minutes of walking, Taehyung stumbled, nearly falling to his knees with Cassandra in his arms. Hoseok steadied him.

“Here, Tae, let me help. Don’t want you two collapsing on us,” Hobi said in a cheerful manner that made it a comfortable transition for him to take Cassandra into his arms.

“Taehyung, you okay to keep walking?” Yoongi called out ahead.

“I’m okay, hyung,” the boy insisted, but another five minutes later and he fell onto his knees, and Yoongi didn’t give him an option that time.

 Carrying the boy on his back, he could feel Tae’s deadweight lull on him as the boy grew more tired, eventually resting his head on his shoulder.

“Just stay on this path and we’ll be out in a few minutes, hyung,” Tae said, and Yoongi knew that meant he was slipping into sleep.

“Okay, baby,” Yoongi said. Turning his head as much as he could, he saw Tae’s eyes close, his cheek squished up against his shoulder. Yoongi looked over to Hoseok, and Cassandra too was unconscious. “You’re doing okay?”

Hoseok forced a weak smile. “If I’m not will you carry all three of us?”

Yoongi smirked. “I could try.”

Hobi sniffed a laugh, looking down at the girl he was carrying. “It may not be that difficult, she’s…” his smile faded, and he looked back to Yoongi. “I didn’t want to say it in case of scaring Tae or her, but she weighs a feather, hyung. And, well…I don’t know if I’m just too tired or what, but…I can’t see her aura. I’ve never met someone without an aura, I would think only—”

“You don’t think she’s dying?” Yoongi asked, his voice low, hoping it wouldn’t echo through for the others to hear. He didn’t need to add to their worries.

Hoseok pursed his lips in consideration. “I don’t know. I think at the very least, she hasn’t been properly taking care of herself.”

“I suppose that’s not a far stretch. If she’s been down here for a while…” Yoongi’s voice trailed off, thinking about how she was there alone, with nothing but spirits and that weird, magical water. She had mentioned something about a dependency on the water, and now that she was leaving it, it only made sense that she was struggling.

Hoseok nodded in understanding, glancing down at her again. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do, but we’ll need to get out of here. We’ll need some kind of help.”

Yoongi nodded, and went back to looking ahead as a source of light caught his eye. They had reached the opening of the cave, and it was disorienting to believe that it was day time, to see the sun and the forest and the fresh air. He had no idea how long they were in there, but he sighed with relief as he stepped into the open air. They were finally gone from that cave, if not all safe, at least all together.

~

By the time they all arrived back to the tiny homes, Jimin had little energy to do anything except observe the others. Jungkook was still unconscious, but Taehyung and Cassandra had awoken again, seeming somewhat restless in the way Tae would often get after encounters. Hoseok had set the girl down in a chair at the campsite, and she was wearing his sunglasses, her eyes sensitive to the sunlight after being in the dark cave for so long. Her pale, bony figure, and shaking, sickly state had become evident to everyone now that they were in broad daylight.

“As much as we could use the rest, we have to leave,” Hoseok was saying, “we don’t really have the resources to stay. We’ve used up most of our food and water—we normally would’ve done a supply run by now.”

It was one of the downsides to the tinys—small living spaces also meant small storage space, and with seven mouths to feed and bodies to shower, even when they camped in the countryside, they had to take a truck into the nearest town for supply runs frequently. With everything that had been happening though, that duty had been neglected, and they were finally facing the consequences of it.

“There’s no way we can hook up the tinys to the trucks now, though, none of us have the energy for that, and they make driving that much harder,” Yoongi said.

“We’ll just have to leave them here,” Jin spoke up, crouched over Jungkook, who he had laid in the grass. He combed through the boy’s hair for a moment before looking up at the group. “We’ll have to come back for them once we’ve recovered.”

“But where are we going to go?” Namjoon, sitting next to Jimin, asked, his voice low and tired.

Jin took a heavy breath. “I guess we’ll stop somewhere for supplies, but beyond that, I dunno. I think we may need to take her to a hospital.”

“Hyung, no.” When Taehyung spoke, he stood up, swaying a bit as he did so, but his voice was firm if not with a hint of panic. It made Jimin’s heart ache for Tae, and everyone else too, the whole atmosphere turning solemn, as they knew how difficult it was for him.

Taehyung refused to go to doctors, he hadn’t stepped foot in a hospital since his time at the psyche ward. It was a deep seeded fear for him, if not also something that brought up the insecurities from his past, the idea that he could be reduced down to something diagnosable, fixed and silenced. Jimin could about imagine that for Tae, to put someone, the first person he’d ever met with the same Touch, into that setting was unthinkable.

Jin stood to go over to Taehyung, approaching the younger calmly, knowing how distressing this was for the younger. But Tae didn’t let his defensive demeanor down. “Taehyung, sweetie I’m sorry, but she’s malnourished at least, she needs help—”

“We can help her!” he interrupted. “She’s strong and with our help she’ll get better. She doesn’t need them, you don’t know what they’ll do—”

“It would just be for physical stuff, Tae, they wouldn’t even have to know about—”

“Yes, they would!” Tae shouted, the strain in his voice enough to pain everyone. “They would ask, they would find out. How else would we explain it—how she got like this, how she went so long without eating—they would find out, and t-they would…they would…” Tae looked down at the ground, and his voice became barely above a whisper. “People like us go into hospitals, and we don’t get to come out.”

Jin met the boy’s eyes for a long moment, and then his head dropped as he let out a sigh, running his hand over his face. He looked back up to Tae, and stepped over to him, closing the what was left of gap between them. “Okay.”

“Hyung?” Tae said, biting his lip in question, as if he was surprised that Jin hadn’t insisted further, that he didn’t have to fight it more.

“Okay,” Jin repeated, his voice light, gingerly reaching out and placing his hands on Tae’s arms. “We’ll try to help her on our own, we’ll do what we can. But if she gets worse, if it becomes more than we can handle, I’ll have to draw the line at some point. I’ll trust you on this if you trust me on that call, okay?”

Taehyung continued chewing on his lip, his eyes glistening as he looked at his hyung. He nodded before stepping into Jin, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and burying his face into Jin’s neck. Jimin felt a collective sigh of relief from the rest of the group, watching as Jin held onto the younger, closing his eyes and turning his face into Tae’s hair, whispering softly into his ear as Taehyung shuddered heavy breaths against him.

Jimin was grateful that they were going to do what they could in a way that Tae was more comfortable with, but he couldn’t help but think about what they were supposed to do now. If they were going to help Cassandra and recover themselves, but leave the tinys behind, where were they—

Jimin suddenly gasped, reaching out and taking Namjoon’s hand. The older immediately looked over to him. “Jimin-ah, you okay? What’s wrong?”

Jimin looked at him for a moment before blinking, looking around to realize he had gained everyone’s attention. He smiled, giving Joon’s hand a comforting squeeze, and he stood up, walking over to Jin and Taehyung, who had broken apart when he gasped. He wrapped his arms around Tae’s stomach, leaning his head into his chest, and Tae wrapped his arms around Jimin’s shoulders, the two equally putting their weight on one another to hold each other up.

“I know where we’re gonna go. I can’t believe I forgot,” Jimin said. He met Jin’s eyes as the elder reached out, brushing a piece of his hair out of his eyes. “Hyung, do you know anyone who’s still at our university?”

~

Jin and Yoongi managed to get Jungkook into the backseat of one of the trucks together, with Namjoon offering to sit in the back to keep an eye on him. The boy was still unconscious, but now that they had at least an idea of a plan, Jin was trying not to let his worrying take over. He tried reminding himself that the others with ailments would often pass out or need plenty of time to rest, and now Jungkook was just experiencing that for the first time. He tried assuring himself that Jungkook would wake soon enough, and he would be in Namjoon’s capable care if it was when they were on the road. Only Yoongi and Jin were able to drive, so their plan was to crowd everyone into two of the cars—with Joon and Jungkook in the back of one, and a resting Taehyung and Cassandra in the other, it was manageable enough.

“We’ll stop at the first convenience store we come to, yeah?” Yoongi said to Jin, getting out of the car as Joon had taken his place. “Anyone who’s still awake will want food, and I’ll need some coffee if we’re gonna make it all the way back to campus.”

“Agreed,” Jin said, carefully closing the car door. “And hopefully there’ll be a signal wherever we stop, so I can call to make sure it’s okay that we’re showing up.”

Since their nomadic lifestyle in the tinys, the group only owned a few cell phones—where they normally set up camp was remote enough to not have cell reception, and so that was why they didn’t each have their own—the phones were really only used when they went to towns for supply runs or during their longer stays in the rare sites that actually got a signal.

Jin continued, “I hope Jimin’s right about this. I can’t think of who else would be able to help us at the university, but I’m not even sure she’s still there—it’s kind of a shot in the dark.”

Jin hadn’t stayed in touch with many people from university outside of the group, but when Jimin asked of anyone who would still be there, one person came to mind. Last Jin had heard, Minah had gotten a job doing administrative work at the university, coordinating housing and in charge of the RAs. But that was a year ago, and it had been even longer since he had talked to her—it was going to make for an interesting phone call to say the least.

“It’s where we ended up in his vision, so if that’s the only contact you have, it must be right,” Yoongi said. He paused for a moment, pressing his lips into a thin line. “Are you okay with calling her?”

Jin blinked, at first confused by the question (it was their best chance to take care of everyone, so Jin figured it was irrelevant if it would be weird to reconnect with his ex), but then he couldn’t help the smile that formed at his lips as he looked at Yoongi, his old friend that many years ago, he never would’ve expected to fall in love with. “Yeah—are you okay with me calling her?”

Yoongi scoffed, but Jin thought he could see a noticeable shade of pink forming on Yoongi’s cheeks. The younger pushed at Jin lightly when he stepped closer. “Yeah.”

Jin hugged onto Yoongi, the younger turning and jokingly trying to break away from his hyung’s attention. “I thought we had a no jealously rule, hmm?”

Yoongi tried prying Jin’s hands apart to break out of his hold. “The rule is no jealously within the group, hyung.”

“Right, my mistake,” Jin whispered, nuzzling and lightly kissing his ear.

“Hyung, focus,” Yoongi whined, “we need to get out of here, Jungkook, Tae, and the girl are still—”

“Joon’s watching Jungkook, Tae and Cassandra are resting. Hobi and Jimin are still packing the bags. I can hug you for a minute, yeah?”

Yoongi sighed, and when Jin thought he was going to protest more, instead, the younger turned into his hold, suddenly burying his face into Jin’s neck. Jin felt him relax a little against his chest as he hugged him tighter.

Jin couldn’t help tease him a little more. “I gotta enjoy this, I never get to see you jealous.”

“I’m not—oh, forget it,” Yoongi replied, burying his face deeper into Jin and pressing a small kiss to his collarbone. “Why’re you like this, hyung?”

Jin sniffed a laugh, his hand running up and down Yoongi’s spine. “You love me.”

“Obviously.”

“Aww, hyungs, you’re so cute,” Jimin said, walking over to them, a backpack slung over his shoulder, and setting down a duffle bag he had been struggling to carrying over. “Hobi hyung is loading up the other truck. We packed up most the clothes, some pillows and blankets too. One’s in here for Kookie, in case he starts getting shivers like Tae does sometimes.”

Jin smiled, reaching out and putting an arm around Jimin, pulling him in closer to him and Yoongi. “Thanks, sweetheart. So then are we ready to head out?”

Jimin nodded, and Jin looked back to Yoongi. “You wanna lead or follow?”

“I’ll follow. But I’m stopping at the first store we come to, even if you miss it. I need coffee as soon as possible.”

“That’s fair. Hobi has the other phone. Hopefully we’ll get a signal soon—call if anything happens with the others, yeah?”

“Sure thing, hyung.”

Jin kissed Yoongi quickly before the younger ruffled Jimin’s hair and walked away to the other car.

Once they were on the road, Jin couldn’t help using the rearview mirror to look back at Joon and Jungkook, hoping to find that the boy had stirred awake, but as they travelled the empty highway, the boy remained quiet and still. He was somewhat leaning onto Namjoon, his head lying on his shoulder, and Namjoon had begun nodding off too, his head lying lightly on the younger’s.

Jimin sat in the passenger’s seat, phone in hand to note when they got a signal, in the meantime mindlessly playing on it, probably taking selfies, looking over them, and immediately deleting them. After some time, Jimin must have grew bored of it, and he set the phone in the car door’s pocket.

Focused on the road, Jin felt Jimin’s fingers graze over his hand that was resting on the gearshift. Jin wrapped his hand around Jimin’s, but he winced when Jimin’s skin touched his fingertips. He had forgotten about the pain that he had grown used to over the last couple hours, that had become numb except for the stinging that occurred when he touched something, that even then he tried to ignore. The younger grew more alert at Jin’s reaction to touch, gingerly taking Jin’s hand into both of his to examine it, and Jin knew he had been discovered.

“Hyung…hyung, you’re hurt,” Jimin said, keeping his voice soft so as not to disturb the two in the back.

“It’s just a couple small burns, nothing to worry about,” Jin said.

“From when you touched the water? You’ve been hiding it all this time? The others would be pissed if they found out you were hiding an injury.”

“It’s hardly enough to call an injury. And I wasn’t hiding it, there were just more pressing matters,” the older debated.

“Hyung,” Jimin scolded before sitting up more and opening the car’s glovebox. “You keep first aid kits in the trucks, don’t you?”

“Underneath the seat, sweetheart.”

Jimin pulled out the first aid kit, and as Jin drove one-handed, he let the boy tend to the burns on the pads of his fingers. The ointment seemed to cool and soothe the stinging sensation, and Jimin was careful in making sure the bandaids weren’t wrapped too tightly over the three fingers that had been burned.

“Hopefully they’ll heal alright, even though you ignored it for so long” Jimin said. “I can’t believe you carried Jungkook all that way with your hand hurt like that.”

“I had to, I was the only one who wasn’t too exhausted. Besides, I think the adrenaline made it not so bad or something, you know? It wasn’t a big deal. Thanks for taking care of it though, baby,” Jin said, examining the younger’s work before placing his hand on top of Jimin’s.

“Of course, hyung,” Jimin said, leaning back in the seat, intertwining his fingers with Jin’s. He yawned as he looked out the window, staring the trees and fields they were speeding past. “Hyung?”

“Hmm?”

“I…I think everything’s going to be alright. I really do.”

Jin glanced over at him, meeting the boy’s warm eyes, and he squeezed his hand. “I’ll trust you on that, Jimin-ah.”

~

Jungkook jerked awake, taking in a sharp breath but then coughing a bunch, his muscles aching and his gut twisting. His eyes forced closed as he coughed, but he could tell he was sitting up, leaning against the back of a seat, and he was disoriented, a pulsing sensation going through his head. He brought a hand to rub his temple and the other to cover his mouth as he kept coughing. After calming a bit, he began to fill in more senses, like the tug of the seatbelt across his shoulder and the coolness of the car window he was leaning against. He felt a hand on his shoulder, lightly massaging his nape, and he instinctively leaned into the touch, finding himself pressing his face into a warm, comforting chest.

“W-where are we?” he managed through a hoarse voice.

“We’re in the truck, on the road,” Namjoon’s voice explained softly enough that it made Jungkook relax further into his hold. “How’re you feeling?”

“Mm,” Jungkook laid a hand onto Joon’s chest, his fingers clutching a fistful of the older’s shirt. “Remember that time we all caught the flu from each other?”

“We should’ve realized how easily it would spread among us,” Joon agreed warmly.

“And that other time when we went to a haunted house and I felt awful because the hyungs were so scared?”

“You were fine once me and Tae got you away from the rest of the group.”

“Well, it feels like I tried going through a haunted house with the hyungs while having the flu. And also maybe I got stabbed a few times.”

Namjoon rubbed Jungkook’s back and cooed at him. “Oh, poor baby. Keep resting, and we’ll make sure you get what you need. Jin hyung is driving right now, but I’m sure he’ll want to check on you once we stop again.”

Jungkook took in a deep breath, trying to ignore the pulsing headache, and he scrunched his face, lifting his head up to look at Namjoon. “Wait, where’re we going? What about everyone else? I’m so confused,” he whined, resting his head back down when it became too much energy to hold it up. “How long was I out, hyung?”

“A long time, baby. We think you really pushed your limits.”

“I’m sorry, I thought I had it under control, I felt it but then i-it slipped, I—” Jungkook’s breath hitched, tears stinging at his eyes as a lump formed in his throat.

“Shh, whoa, Kook-ah, it’s alright. You’re okay, baby, we’re all okay too, don’t worry.”

Jungkook whimpered and snuggled closer to Namjoon, upset with himself that he was getting emotional, but he couldn’t help it—everything felt overly sensitive, and the thought that he had caused his hyungs even more worry was too much.

Luckily Namjoon just hugged him tighter, continuing to soothingly rub his back as he cried softly. “It’s okay, Kook-ah, let it out. I love you so much, everything’s okay.”

It only took a few minutes of Namjoon’s calming comfort for Jungkook to settle down again, and once he did, he heard a voice from the front of the car speak up.

 “Jungkookie?”

When Jungkook lifted his head and met the soft, wide brown eyes of his boyfriend peeking out from the passenger seat, Jimin lifted his head and smiled excitedly. “Thank god, you’re finally awake!”

“Jimin, hey, be careful!” Jin warned to little avail as Jimin unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out of the passenger’s seat, awkwardly making his way to the back.

Namjoon scooted over so he could take the middle seat next to Jungkook. Jimin was good about being cautious with his ailment-struck boyfriends, and just like with Tae, he managed to place himself lightly in his embrace of the younger, wrapping his arms around Jungkook and petting his hair. For Jungkook, it was a relief to feel such happiness, and even if it made his muscles ache a little, it felt good to be able to giggle.

“Kookie,” Jimin whispered, and Jungkook met his eyes. “You did it. You were strong.”

Jungkook felt his cheeks turn pink, and a small smile escaped him. “I dunno, hyung, I messed up too, I—”

“Shh, no you didn’t,” Jimin said, bringing a hand up to cup Jungkook’s cheek and he placed a kiss on the other. “You were stronger than I ever thought you could be.”

“I never would’ve thought I could be if you hadn’t have told me I was, hyung.”

Jimin smiled before lightly kissing his lips. “I love you. Now get some more rest.”

Eyes growing heavy, Jungkook couldn’t bother arguing, even if he still had questions, and he found himself slipping into sleep rather quickly.

Chapter Text

Cutting the truck’s engine off, Yoongi looked out the window and saw Jin helping Namjoon and Jungkook out of the car next to them.

“Looks like Kookie’s awake,” he said to the others in the car, that is, if anyone was awake.

Hoseok had been keeping him company sitting up front, helping him stay awake by talking with him until they got to a store and Yoongi got his coffee. But Hoseok’s eyes had been bothering him, and so he had pulled out a sleeping mask to put on. At first he kept talking with Yoongi, but once they were on the road for a while, their conversation dropped, Hoseok’s hand clasped in Yoongi’s went limp, and he knew the younger had drifted off to sleep.

Taehyung and Cassandra had drifted in and out of sleep the whole ride, but they mostly stayed quiet or talked with one another. As far as Yoongi could tell they were still raw around the edges, to say the very least, from all that had happened, so Yoongi did little more than to offer them food and water. Taehyung was receptive to the offers, and Yoongi was glad to have gotten him well fed and hydrated by the time they reached campus. Cassandra, on the other hand, would only take water—she seemed averse to eating, and Yoongi wasn’t about to force her to do anything. He figured it was a problem they could address better once they got more help.

“Thank fuck,” Taehyung now whispered in the otherwise quiet car, causing Yoongi to turn around in his seat to better look at him.

He was slouched in the backseat with Cassandra asleep, lying against his shoulder. His eyes had dark circles underneath them, and overall, he looked disheveled. Yoongi noted to make sure Taehyung got plenty of care once they were settled in like they hoped to be. The older had a feeling that Tae was still putting on a strong face for Cassandra—maybe Kookie too—and Yoongi hoped if Minah was able to help with her, Taehyung would be able to relax and ask for help a little easier.

Yoongi gave the boy a weak smile. “I know. Should we go see him?”

Taehyung pressed his lips into a thin line, looking down at Cassandra. “Go ahead, hyung. I’ll try to wake up Cass and make sure she’s okay.”

Yoongi pursed his lips, hesitating, but he decided it best not to fight with the boy. “Alright, baby.” Yoongi then looked back to the passenger’s seat, reaching out and holding Hoseok’s wrist, giving it a little shake. “Seok-ah, sunshine, we’re here.”

“Mm,” Hoseok murmured before pushing the sleep mask off his eyes, and he groggily looked around for a moment. Sleepy Hoseok was adorable, and Yoongi couldn’t help but smile a bit more.

“Rest well?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Kookie’s awake, it looks like. I’m gonna go check on him and the others. You wanna stay here, help Tae with Cassandra?”

Still waking up and allowing his eyes to adjust, Hoseok squinted at Yoongi before glancing towards the backseat. “Sure, hyung.”

“Thanks, babe,” Yoongi said, leaning over and stealing a quick kiss from the younger’s lips. “Take your time, but come get me or Jin if any of you need anything.”

He heard mumbled sounds of agreement as he opened the car door and stepped outside. They had driven through the night, and now it was well into the next morning, the sky blue and sun shining high in the sky. Walking over to the others, he could see Jin hovering over Jungkook, probably checking to make sure he was okay and offering him anything he hadn’t been able to while driving. Namjoon stood with his arm around the youngest, and caught Yoongi’s eye as he walked up, giving him a wide, dimple-filled smile.

“How’s everyone on your end?” Joon asked as he closed the gap in his approach.

Yoongi gave a small smirk and shrug. “Sleepy, but accounted for. I see our youngest has decided to join the living again.”

Jungkook’s gaze broke away from Jin, and a shy smile formed at his lips. “Hyung.”

Yoongi couldn’t help his smile growing wider, and he lifted up his arms in an open gesture. “Come here, baby boy.”

Jungkook was quick to oblige, immediately stepping into his hyung’s embrace, and Yoongi held him tightly around his waist. “How’re you, hmm?”

“I’m okay,” Jungkook mumbled against his skin.

“Yeah?” Yoongi met Seokjin’s eyes as the older stepped towards them, reaching out and petting the back of Kook’s head as his face remained buried in Yoongi’s neck.

“He’s had a bit of a tough time, but he’s handling it like a champ,” Jin said, and Namjoon hummed in agreement.

Yoongi felt Jungkook melt a little at the reassurance, and he grinned, rubbing the boy’s lower back. “How come that doesn’t surprise me? Even without being used to ailments, you’re taking it so well, hmm?”

“I try,” Jungkook breathed, and it was enough for Yoongi to fall in love with the kid all over again, the way he did anytime Jungkook did something terribly endearing.

Jin smiled fondly, and the two caretakers shared a moment of reprieve together, the kind they often shared whenever one of their boyfriends had taken ill and was finally showing signs of recovering. It was the first step in the relief, not quite out of the gate, but knowing they were on their way to being okay, the moment when the two of them felt that maybe they actually could handle taking care of their beautifully Touched boyfriends.

A car door closing shut broke Yoongi from his thoughts and from his gaze with Jin as the four of them looked over to see Hoseok helping Tae and Cassandra out of the truck. Namjoon immediately started walking towards them, and Yoongi smiled at the sight of Joon hugging a sleepy Tae.

“You wanna go see them too?” Yoongi asked Jungkook, continuing to rub his back, but he was surprised when Jungkook tensed and shrunk himself into his hold more.

“T-that’s okay, hyung,” the boy said quietly before wincing, bringing a hand to his temple.

Yoongi looked back to Jin, and the oldest put his hands on the boy’s shoulders, urging him to turn towards him, bringing a hand to his cheek and then forehead.

“You need more medicine, baby?” Jin murmured to the youngest, who shook his head and buried his face into Jin’s chest, and the older obligingly holding onto him.

Yoongi glanced around quickly before meeting Jin’s eyes again. “Where’s Jimin?”

Jin’s expression, concerned over Kook, softened as he tilted his head with a slight smile teasing at his lips. “He had just fallen asleep a half hour ago. I felt bad waking him.”

Yoongi smiled. “I’ll get him.”

Walking around the front of the car to the passenger’s side, Yoongi carefully opened the car door, but it still startled Jimin awake. Yoongi sniffed a laugh at first, but grew a bit concerned as Jimin just stared at him wide-eyed.

Shifting on his feet, he offered his hand after an awkward beat. “Well, are you gonna join us or keep napping?”

Jimin still stared at him, but hesitantly reached out and slowly slipped his hand into Yoongi’s. The older tried smiling at him as he got out of the car.

“You alright, baby?”

“I—yeah. Yeah, I’m good, hyung,” Jimin said as they rounded the corner, his eyes softening as they scanned the scene in front of them, all of their boyfriends present and tending to one another.

“Go ahead and see Tae,” Yoongi said when he noticed Jimin’s eyes longing after the boy still standing by the other truck. “I’m gonna talk to Jin about what’s going on, and then I’ll join you guys.”

“Alright,” Jimin said cheerfully, fingers slipping out of Yoongi’s hand as he scurried over to join Joon and Taehyung’s hug.

Yoongi smiled at the scene as he walked back over to Jin, who was lightly swaying side to side with Jungkook still buried in his hold. Jin rested his chin on the top of Kook’s head as he met Yoongi’s eyes.

“So what’s the plan?” Yoongi asked. “Hear from Minah yet?”

“I just texted her that we got here. She had said on the phone that we could meet at this dorm building, so she should be here any minute. I figure I’ll talk to her first, and then maybe Taehyung can help introduce Cassandra once we work out…whatever it is we’re going to do,” Jin said, sighing and mindlessly running his fingers through Jungkook’s hair. He gave a weak smile. “Maybe I am more nervous than I thought.”

Yoongi gave a knowing smile and shrugged casually. “Maybe I am a little jealous.”

He said it to make Jin laugh, and it worked, even if it was just a small chuckle. Yoongi reached out and took Jin’s free hand from Jungkook’s waist, and he held Jin’s hand, noticing the bandaids on his fingertips. He looked at Jin, raising his eyebrows in question.

“Nothing to worry about,” Jin whispered, and added when Yoongi gave a scolding look, “Seriously.”

Yoongi just pursed his lips, raising Jin’s hand up and placing a light kiss on the backs of his fingers, below the bandages. “If you say so.”

It was then that a small silver car pulled up near the trucks. Yoongi watched Jin swallow hard and turn his gaze from the car back to him, forcing a smile.

“Here, take this one? Pretty sure he’s dozed off again,” Jin said, passing off the barely conscious Jungkook into Yoongi’s arms. “And wish me luck?”

“It’s gonna be fine, hyung,” Yoongi said, doing his best to exude confidence in the statement, and he figured it must have worked, because Jin seemed to relax a little.

The older leaned down and left a lingering kiss on Yoongi’s lips, then ran his fingers through Kook’s hair one last time with a fond look before turning away and walking over to the car, where a young woman in casual clothing was stepping out of it. Yoongi tried not to notice that she had long, dark brown curls that cascaded fully over her shoulders, or that the white tee and jeans she was wearing framed her figure nicely. He tried not to notice that she smiled at Jin when he walked up, and he tried not to wonder if Jin smiled back.

Yoongi felt an arm go around his shoulders, and he glanced towards his side, finding Hoseok there.

“Do you think Jin ever misses being with a girl?” Yoongi asked, knowing as he said it that it was a foolish question.

But Hoseok was kind, and he considered the question as he rested his chin on Yoongi’s shoulder, his hand reaching out and caressing Jungkook’s hair softly. Yoongi felt Hoseok’s eyes shift from to the boy to himself.

“No,” Hoseok said softly but confidently. “I don’t think that’s how love works, hyung.”

Yoongi nodded in agreement, but his gaze continued watching Jin and Minah walk together as they went up the steps to the building’s entrance. He finally looked away when Hoseok kissed his cheek, and he smiled at the younger.

Yoongi bent his knees, adjusting his grip on the youngest, and he scooped Jungkook up to where he was carrying him. “Come on, let’s find a place to sit and wait. Jin’s got a lot of explaining to do.”

~

There was a small courtyard garden on the side of the dorm building Jin and Minah had walked into, with a few picnic tables around patches of flowers and shrubs, and a small fountain in the center. The others sat at the tables, but Taehyung stayed with Cassandra, sitting on the edge of the fountain. He awed at the way she was able to smile at Bea and Hib chasing one another, spinning around the fountain. The two spirits had led them out of the cave, joined them in the car ride, stayed with them the whole time, and now they seemed excited by the new place they found themselves in. They were adorable to watch, and Tae was glad to see that Cass could find some enjoyment despite everything that had happened.

Taehyung was feeling pretty shit himself—his usual muscle aches, shivers, and queasiness (how he had managed not to puke was beyond him) were present, but more so was an uncomfortable craving, rather than a headache, more like an itch, a pick in his mind he couldn’t satisfy. He knew it was the water, the energy in the cave. It had been too powerful when the portal was open, but when the cave’s water was in its normal state, the water was just right, a soothing yet invigorating force, and he missed it. He didn’t like that he missed it, hated the withdrawals, the itch—it was unnerving, and only seemed to heighten the discomfort he felt with his normal ailments. If he was feeling this uncomfortable, and he had only ever been in the water a couple of times, he couldn’t imagine how terrible Cassandra must have felt.

He realized that she used the water for everything. The energy from the cave, from the spirits, she used to keep herself alive. But just like the spirit world wasn’t compatible with their organic bodies, the energy and the water could keep her mentally strong, and meanwhile, perhaps even without her realizing it, her physical body was deteriorating.

“It’s what Joo meant, when it said I couldn’t be there anymore,” Cassandra had whispered to Tae at one point early on during the ride there. She said it with a certain solemnness, one that was a raw mixture of ache but also melancholy acceptance. She sniffled, looking up to meet Tae’s eyes. “Joo knew I was dying.”

Taehyung had recognized the calmness in her voice, the apathy in her gaze as she stared out the car window. He remembered a time where he felt that, where he knew nothing of hope, where it felt like if he died, nothing would really have even changed. “You wanted to die in the cave.”

Cassandra lifted her head, swaying a bit as she looked at Tae. “I was never sure just how soon it would happen, but yes, I did expect to live the rest of my life out there, even if it was shortened.” Her gaze dropped back to beyond Tae, out the window. “I never saw any worth in going back out, to the world run by Untoucheds. I still don’t, really.”

“But—we changed your mind?” Taehyung guessed with doubting hesitancy.

Cassandra gave a soft smirk. “Joo changed my mind. Joo’s shown me more wisdom and understanding than I’ll likely ever know again. I trust when it says I have something beautiful to find out here. And I trust that it would send me away with you because you can help me find it. That’s why I’m here. Instead of dying in a cave.” She scoffed, leaning her head against the car’s window. “I guess that would’ve been a pretty sad way to go.”

Taehyung sniffed a laugh, and she did too, smiling at him despite her heavy eyelids and dark eye bags that indicated she would be asleep again soon. Tae knew her apathy was still present, but he was relieved to know that Joo had been able to instill at least the tiniest glimmer of hope for her. Sometimes just a spark was all that was needed to reignite a fire, to start a whole new life. Tae knew that better than anyone.

Now, watching Bea and Hib float about the fountain, she gave a light laugh, one of her hands trailing through the water, perhaps out of habit, or maybe as a placebo for the craving she was likely feeling. She blinked as she looked over at Taehyung, pushing her light blonde hair out of her face.

“So who is that girl we came all the way here for again?” Cassandra asked.

During the car ride Taehyung had tried explaining to Cassandra that they were going to back the university where the seven of them had met at, because they knew they could get help there, but she had been so fatigued, it seemed she had trouble listening.

“Her name is Minah. We knew her from going to this school. Well, Jin knew her best, anyway,” Tae said. “They both used to be RAs. You know, students in charge of dorm halls.”

Cassandra nodded, but it seemed like she had trouble staying interested in the subject. Her eyes fell to the fountain, her fingers gently swirling back and forth in the water. “And what’s her Touch?”

“She…she’s Untouched,” Tae replied, watching Cassandra’s hand freeze for a split second before continuing to sway back and forth.

“So,” she said after a long pause, “We’re letting two Untoucheds decide what’s going to happen to us.”

“No, Cass. We’re letting two people help us. They just happen to be Untouched,” he replied.

Cassandra didn’t say anything. She just let her long hair fall back over her face, her gaze remaining on the water and her expression turned stoic. They sat like that for a long moment.

“I know what you’re going to say,” she said suddenly, lightly splashing at the water, “That not all Untoucheds are bad. And I can see that—don’t think I didn’t notice how the one listened to you when you didn’t want us going to a hospital. I’m just…it’s hard, Tae. I-I’m scared.” She blinked, glancing up briefly from the water. “I surrounded myself with spirits because I’ve never gotten along with people. I don’t see how that will have changed after all this time. Even if good ones are out there, I don’t see why any Untouched would want anything to do with me.”

Tae paused, glancing around, remembering the early days of his time here at the university. When he first started meeting people, when he was first re-introduced to the real world. “I get that. When I first got out of the ward, I thought I would have to hide the way I am. I tried to ignore my Touch and ailments. But as I met my boyfriends, as we all got into our relationship, and I open up about everything…they believed me. They accepted me in ways I never thought I could be.”

 Taehyung looked up from where his gaze had also fallen to the water, blinking as he saw that Bea and Hib had stopped chasing one another and were instead facing him, listening right along with Cassandra. He gave a faint smile at them before meeting the girl’s eyes. “We all love and look after each other, and when you do that, you learn…you learn that your Touch isn’t you. It’s just a detail, like…like freckles on someone’s face. You don’t love someone based on whether or not they have freckles. When you love someone, you just end up loving…whatever is on their face,” Tae said, slipping into a laugh at the last part. He was never great with words, or extended metaphors. He wondered if he had Namjoon talk to Cassandra, maybe he’d have a more eloquent and poetic way of putting it.

But Tae was relieved when Cass started giggling along with him.

“Well, you and I have quite the freckles,” she said.

“Yeah, but they’re still freckles.”

She pursed her lips, but ultimately nodded. “I get what you mean. I—I just wonder if you got lucky though, you know?”

Taehyung gave a warm smile, placing his hand on her shoulder. He looked over to the picnic tables, where his boyfriends were resting together. “To be honest, I wonder that all the time too. But if I got lucky—I did six times over. I bet you can at least once too.”

When Taehyung met Cassandra’s eyes again, she was smiling softly, and her eyes sparkled fondly, in a way that for every ounce of skepticism she still had, there was also comfort and hope.

~

Jin sat at the table in the dorm’s first floor kitchen while Minah grabbed mugs out of the cabinet, pouring coffee into them from the pot she had put on.

“So you found this girl in a cave, and she had been living there for—how long?” she asked, setting a mug in front of Jin and then sitting across from him.

Jin gave a small smile at Minah and the disbelief in her voice—it didn’t convey doubt or mistrust, but more so bewilderment, and Jin couldn’t blame her. If he hadn’t been there himself, he knew he would’ve had a hard time understanding it all. He appreciated Minah’s patience, her willingness to talk about it seriously. Even in their initial phone call, she was understanding and open to helping, and Jin was reminded of the respect he had for her.

His hands went around the mug, the bandages on his fingertips blocking some of the heat from the ceramic. “We don’t know. Years, possibly. And I don’t ask me how that works, either,” he said with chuckle. “You can ask her, or maybe Joon, he seemed to learn some things down there…anyway, she has the same Touch as Taehyung, that had a lot to do with it.”

Minah raised her own mug to her lips, taking a small sip of the coffee before setting it down. “And you’re asking me to…take care of this girl?”

Jin nodded. “Or help us find someone who will. But I figured you’d make a great fit.”

Minah gave a polite, if not nervous, laugh, looking down and playing with the handle of the mug. “What makes you think that? I—I haven’t directly taken care of someone in years, not since back when we were RAs.”

“Don’t you miss it? You loved taking care of people,” Jin said, braving a sip of the hot liquid.

“You did too,” she said, meeting his gaze. “It’s one of the reasons why we didn’t work out. We both wanted to take care of each other, but neither of us wanted to be taken care of.”

Jin gave a knowing smile. She was right. In the early years of his time as a student, he and Minah had become fond of one another, bonding over their similar, nurturing natures. They dated for a while, but they had been young—it hadn’t been meant to last. They had ended on relatively okay terms.

“There’re a lot of reasons why we didn’t work out,” he said warmly.

She smiled too, as though they were both reflecting on what had been, each now so much more mature and certain of who they were. “Yeah.”

“Anyway, you avoided the question. Don’t you miss it?”

Minah gave a small scoff, looking back to her mug’s contents. “I mean, yeah, but—I’m rusty, if this girl needs as much help as you make it seem—”

“You’re a natural,” Jin said. “I wouldn’t trust anyone else to handle this.”

Jin could see Minah’s resolve crumbling. He could see she was tempted.

“At least try it out for a few days? We’ll stick around too, you won’t be alone.” Jin waited, but she still didn’t respond, continuing to look down at her drink in consideration. He sighed. He didn’t want to pressure her, but he had to tell the truth. Even if the truth made him sound desperate. “I can’t lie, Minah, I don’t know what we’ll do if you say no.”

This made her eyes lift from the coffee cup, meeting Jin’s. Her brown eyes were soft, and maybe even a little curious. Most of all, they were kind, and Jin was able to relax a little.

~

Jungkook was awake again, even if he didn’t want to be. He still felt pretty terrible, even though Jin had given him ibuprofen, along with food and plenty of water. He had dull aches all over his body, but those he could tolerate thanks to the medicine—the worst part was just how sensitive he felt, to everything. Every noise seemed too loud, every movement too fast, every emotion too intense—everything was amplified. It put him on edge. He hoped rest and time would remedy him the way it did for the others with ailments, because it was exhausting and difficult to handle—he was constantly having to fight back tears and break downs, and he hated it.

Luckily his hyungs seemed to understand decently well what was going on, and they made sure to be extra gentle and compassionate towards the boy, whispering soft reassurances and giving him light kisses. With little more that medicine could do to help, Hoseok had turned to his policy that affection was an equally useful remedy, and as they sat at the picnic tables, the older had Jungkook leaning against his chest, allowing him to stretch his legs out on the rest of the bench. Hobi kept one arm firmly around his waist, while his other hand played with Kook’s. He would press light kisses to Jungkook’s temple and hairline, whispering soft words of comfort or asking if he was okay, to which he would only nod.

Across from them, Yoongi was resting with his head on his arms on the table. After some debate, the four of them had convinced him that it was okay that he rested, the caffeine wearing off as he grew more and more tired from the long drive. Finally he stopped resisting, and now with his face down on the table, he seemed to have dozed off to sleep. Namjoon and Jimin sat on either side of him, both occasionally smiling fondly and reaching out to stroke Yoongi’s hair or lightly massage his nape.

Jungkook winced when, to all of their surprise, Jin suddenly swung open the door to the building, peering his head out. While everyone else’s eyes fell to the eldest, Jungkook just twisted around, nearly falling off the bench, but instead sitting up so he could turn and bury his face into Hobi’s neck. Hoseok’s arm wrapped around his back, one hand gently holding his nape and the other steadying his waist.

“It’s okay, baby,” Hoseok whispered.

Jungkook just pressed himself closer to Hoseok as a response.

“Tae, you wanna come in, introduce Cass to Minah?” Jin’s voice said all too loudly.

“Sure, hyung. If you’re feeling up to it, Cassandra,” Tae replied.

Jungkook didn’t hear her response—perhaps she only nodded—but he braved himself to look up and watch the two of them walking from the fountain over to the door where Jin was. Jungkook softly gasped when Tae’s eyes fell on him, and he felt himself shrink at the older’s strong gaze. He felt woozy and broke their gaze, burying his face back into Hobi’s neck. He refused to lift his head up again until he heard the door shut—again, all too loudly.

“Hey,” Hobi said gently, but this time above a whisper, “What was that about?”

“Hmm?” Jungkook tried to play dumb, even if he knew with Hoseok it wouldn’t work.

“Your aura was just shot, when Tae looked at you—what’s going on?”

Without even looking, he could sense Jimin’s and Namjoon’s eyes fall on him, he could feel their worry heighten. It made him tense, made him want to shrink until he disappeared.

“Yoongi mentioned that you didn’t want to see him earlier either, baby—is something wrong?” Namjoon added gently.

“Umm, I—” Jungkook wavered, he could feel the lump in his throat forming. His eyes dropped to the table as he had trouble finding any words.

He felt Hoseok’s hand gently rub his back. “It’s okay, take your time.”

Kook swallowed hard, closing his eyes as he said it. “Taehyung’s mad at me.”

“What?” Jimin said, genuinely shocked. “I’m sure he’s not—”

“I can feel it, hyung, anytime I look at him, I—something’s not right,” Jungkook said, his voice growing weaker as tears started to well up, one escaping and falling down his cheek. “I-I think he’s mad because I’m the one who stopped them down in the water, I’m the one who messed up their plan.”

“Kook-ah, you saved them. I think they realized that,” Namjoon said. “Maybe you should talk to Tae—”

Jungkook vigorously shook his head, the very idea of having to go face to face with Tae, his intense stare and harsh emotions, too much to handle. “Tae doesn’t want to talk to me, that’s for sure, he—he doesn’t want to be n-near me.”

By this point heavy tears were falling down his face, and he was shaky, growing weak as he had gotten himself worked up so badly. Hoseok kept his arm firmly around him, keeping him stable, until Namjoon got up and moved to that side of the table. He sat down on the side opposite to Hobi, grabbing one of Kook’s hands.

“Hey, why don’t we go find somewhere to lie down, hmm?” Namjoon said, thumb running over Jungkook’s knuckles. “I bet we can find a comfy place in this dorm, yeah?”

Jungkook sniffled. “Okay.”

Hoseok helped Jungkook stand up, and Namjoon wrapped an arm around him.

“Either of you want to join us?” Joon asked.

Jimin looked between the two of them, a hand covering his mouth and his eyes wide with concern. “I—no, you better go without me. I don’t want my emotions to upset Kookie more.”

While Jungkook didn’t exactly want to be without any of his boyfriends, he was somewhat relieved at Jimin’s response—more than any of them, Jimin hated when there were fights in the group. Even if he wasn’t involved, Jimin would become angry or worried anytime a couple of them weren’t getting along. He appreciated that Jimin recognized his own distress over the two youngest not doing well, and that it would only worsen Kook’s condition.

“Yeah, you two go ahead. We’ll keep an eye on Yoongi hyung,” Hoseok said, attempting to sound cheerful as he walked over to sit down and put an arm around Jimin.

Once in the dorm building, Jungkook made Namjoon go into the lounge room, where the other four were sitting, alone because he was afraid to be in the same room as Tae and Cassandra, or in front of Jin after he had so obviously had another break down. Namjoon, of course, was very smooth about it all, politely asking Minah if she had a key to any of the rooms—he made sure to downplay how Kook was, only saying he wanted a place to take a nap, and Minah offered him a key with no further questions asked.

Soon enough, Namjoon and Jungkook were settled into one of the bedrooms of the first floor, cuddled up together in a small bed of a bare and empty room, the blinds of the window closed, making the room look almost faded, soft around the edges.

“You wanna talk about it?” Namjoon asked softly once they were comfortable.

Jungkook sniffled, curling up to Joon’s chest.

“We don’t have to,” Joon reassured him, seeming to understand Kook’s gestures as a ‘no.’ “Can you listen to me for just a minute though?”

Jungkook nodded against him.

Namjoon pressed a kiss to his head before speaking, rubbing his back as he did so. “I know you are good at reading emotions, but I want to remind you that they’re not always black and white. It’s very possible Tae has some angry or upset feelings that he’s subconsciously projecting towards you, but that doesn’t mean he’s mad at you, okay?”

Jungkook took in a deep breath, exhaling shakily. “I hope so.”

Joon moved his hand to tuck under Jungkook’s chin, prompting the younger to look at up him. Namjoon gave a soft smile and nuzzled his nose to Kook’s. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s nothing you two won’t work out in time. A lot happened, and we’re all still processing it, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jungkook agreed, and Namjoon caught his pouty lip in a chaste kiss. It made Jungkook smile a little, and he rested his head back down to Joon’s chest, closing his eyes and hoping to drift to sleep.

Chapter Text

Jimin sighed, lying on his stomach on a bed in the dorm, propped up on his elbows and phone in hand. He glanced over to the desk in the room, where Hoseok was sitting, charcoal pencil in hand and sketchpad in front of him. Namjoon was hovering over his shoulder, looking down at what he was drawing. Pinned up to the wall were over a dozen drawings on regular paper, crumpled and unfolded from having been shoved in Namjoon’s pocket what now seemed like ages ago, even if only a week had gone by since they left the cave.

“See, this hooked part here, is it the same as in this one?” Namjoon was saying, lifting his head and pointing to one of the other drawings.

Hoseok stared up at the drawing, considering for a long moment. “Maybe. What are you thinking?”

“Well, that kind of shaped hook is always followed by a gap, I think it could indicate the end of a thought, like the end of a sentence.”

“Okay, yeah, I think I see what you mean—so then, what about this part?”

Jungkook, sitting on the edge of the bed by Jimin’s feet, was watching the hyungs, and he let out a whine. “Hyung, come on, let me try again. It’ll make it easier for Hobi to understand…”

“It’s okay, baby,” Joon said, looking up from Hoseok’s drawing to place a hand on Kook’s shoulder. “You’re still recovering, remember what we decided?”

Jungkook’s gaze dropped to his hands in his lap. “Not to push it.”

Hobi looked up too, smiling at him. “Don’t worry about it, Kookie, there’s no rush. You’ll get it in time.”

Jungkook nodded weakly, as if he doubted that last statement. “Maybe.”

Jimin sighed, rolling onto his back and then onto his side, purposefully slipping out of the bed and landing on his feet. “You’ll only get it if you stop trying so much, Kookie. None of us control our Touches, you know.”

“You did.”

Jimin bit his lip. “That was an exception.”

“Maybe not. Maybe things changed, have you tried—”

“I wouldn’t want to!” Jimin surprised himself at how loudly he spoke, how his hands were balled into fists at his sides. He relaxed a little, hunching his shoulders and glaring as he spat out bitterly, “Aren’t there other things you should be more concerned about, anyway?”

Jungkook at first stared back at him with a fighting gaze, but then his head dropped a little, and part of Jimin felt bad for his comment. But another part of him was stubborn—another part of him wondered if since it had been this long, maybe Jungkook needed a little tough love.

“Jimin-ah.”

Jimin turned around, and where his back had been facing the door, stood Yoongi, leaning in its entrance. His arms were crossed, and he didn’t look mad per se, but his voice had been stern.

“Hyung, I’m just saying, don’t you think—”

“Jimin,” Yoongi cut him off, pushing himself off the doorframe and extending a hand. “Let’s go for a walk, okay? I think you could use some fresh air.”

Jimin huffed, realizing his hands were still in small fists, and for a split second he debated arguing with his hyung. But he held Yoongi’s gaze as he did so, the older’s eyes a mixture of stern and calm that suggested he wasn’t interested in or about to tolerate a fight. So Jimin just relaxed his hands and started walking towards him.

“Fine, let’s go.”

Jimin stormed out of the room, and Yoongi trailed right behind him in the hallway. When they reached the room to the dorm’s kitchen, Yoongi opened it, leaning in. Jimin stopped in his tracks to turn around, standing on tiptoes to look over Yoongi’s shoulder and peer into the room too.

Minah was at the stove cooking, while Taehyung and Cassandra were sitting at the table. Jin was putting away clean dishes, but stopped when he noticed the two at the door.

“Jin hyung, you might want to go check on Jungkook,” Yoongi said, and Jimin could tell he was trying to sound nonchalant.

Jin walked over to the table, placing his hand on Tae’s shoulder when the younger straightened up, concern strewn on his face.

“Is he okay?” Taehyung asked.

“He’s fi—”

Jimin pushed the door more open and stepped in Yoongi’s way, “If you actually cared, you could always go ask him yourself, you know, why don’t you—”

But Jimin didn’t get to finish his rant, as Yoongi’s hand went to his chest and firmly pulled him backwards out of the door. Still fighting to get back into the kitchen, once Yoongi was in front of him, he pushed Jimin—not too hard, but the younger still stumbled back into the corridor’s wall.

“Hey!” Jimin shouted.

“You’re in a combative mood today,” Yoongi said flatly. “What’d Jungkook say that got you so pissed off, huh? Come on, outside.”

Jimin stayed against the wall, glaring at his hyung for a minute, breathing heavy. But when Jin stepped out of the kitchen, eyeing the two, he huffed again and stormed off—he didn’t need two caretakers on his back. He didn’t have to glance behind him to know that Yoongi was following after him. He slammed into the front door of the dorm, opening it and hurrying outside.

He finally stopped at the fountain, turning on his heel and speaking before his eyes could even properly focus on Yoongi. “It’s been a week, hyung! A whole week, and they won’t even be in the same room as each other! And—and you’re all acting like, like it’s fine! You’re just going along with it, letting them, and…and it’s not okay. It’s not okay.”

“They need time.”

“They’ve had time!” Jimin shouted. He brought his hands to his face as he took in a choked breath, turning away from Yoongi and walking up to the edge of the fountain. He took a few deep breaths, refusing to let himself get to the point of crying, and he heard Yoongi’s footsteps as the older walked over to stand next to him.

“I don’t disagree with you, Jimin-ah, but—yelling at them isn’t going to make them talk to each other,” Yoongi said. “We can’t make them do anything.”

Jimin further buried his face in his hands. He didn’t understand why Jungkook was so convinced that Taehyung was mad at him, or why Taehyung wouldn’t just talk to Jungkook, reassure him that he wasn’t. But anytime he tried bringing it up to either of them, they’d quickly change the subject, or make an excuse to leave the conversation. Jimin figured the solution would be as easy as them giving each other a chance, but they refused to.

“They’re so stupid,” he said in a muffled voice.

Expecting to get scolded, Jimin lifted his face from his hands when he heard Yoongi chuckle. The older looked at him with soft, sympathetic eyes, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I know it’s difficult for you to see your dongsaengs fighting, but you just have to trust them. They’ll come around. It’s a small dorm, anyway, they’re bound to end up in the same room together at some point.”

“They’ve managed avoiding each other this long,” Jimin mumbled, leaning his head onto Yoongi’s shoulder.

“Yeah, but you gotta admit, a good percentage of that time was spent sleeping,” Yoongi said, and Jimin sighed, nodding, because he wasn’t wrong.

The two youngest had been sleeping. A lot. Jungkook seemed to get better each day, less sensitive and more back to himself, but he still turned to sleep as an aid whenever he did have breakdowns, and even if they were less frequent, it still put him in an odd sleeping schedule. Taehyung wasn’t much better. He described this addictive withdrawal sensation about the water, and that sleep seemed to be the best distraction from it—for once Tae wasn’t having insomnia as an ailment, and so the boy took advantage of that fact, sleeping long hours at a time. Like Jungkook, he seemed to get stronger each day, but he still was fatigued and slow going.

For the rest of the group, it meant calm days of nothing to do. Yoongi and Jin tended to caretaking needs, helping Minah, often with setting up the dorm’s first floor for them all to stay in. With her job in the housing department, she had been able to pull some strings and allow them to stay there until it was move-in time for students. “You’re lucky it’s the summer,” Minah had said, and of course, they were all grateful, and made sure to pull their weight in cooking and helping with Cassandra as long as they were there. In the meantime, Jin often spent his free time looking for land nearby where they could put the tinys, since they were all finding comforting in returning to the university, and there was a good chance Cassandra and Minah would appreciate having them close by even after they had to leave the dorm.

Meanwhile, Namjoon and Hoseok had turned to the drawings and language they had found in the cave as a task to waste away the time, and that left Jimin with little to do himself. Sure, he’d help out occasionally with the others or cuddle one of the sleepy dongsaengs, but after the long and intense days he had experienced at the cave, having grown used to the constant possibility of visions and working towards saving someone, he now found it difficult to settle down. He had little patience to just sit idly in the dorm.

“What did you mean when you said you wouldn’t want to?” Yoongi said, his voice breaking Jimin from his thoughts. “When I walked in the room a minute ago?”

“Huh? Oh,” Jimin’s shook his head and rolled his eyes, hoping Yoongi couldn’t see. “Jungkook, since the cave…you know, he wants to do that—that empathy thing again…and he thinks I could control my visions too or some shit.”

“You did in the cave, didn’t you?”

Jimin crossed his arms, staring into the fountain’s water. “For a little bit. But I mean, that was there, and I took it too far anyway.” Jimin scoffed. “He’s so cocky sometimes, he’s acting like what he did didn’t hurt him, like I should want to be able to have visions at my whim, as if the time I did didn’t cause this—block.”

“Jimin?”

The younger blinked, looking up to meet Yoongi’s eyes. The older brought his hand to Jimin’s cheek, thumbing at his cheekbone.

“It’s only been a week, baby. You’ll have visions again.”

Jimin’s heart skipped a beat, a lump forming in his throat as he shook his head and stepped away from Yoongi. “You don’t know that, hyung.”

“It’s not uncommon for you to go long spells without any, you’ve gone months without one before. This is normal,” Yoongi said.

Jimin turned away from him, taking a few more steps away, hugging his arms to his stomach. He knew Yoongi was right, he realized that he was being paranoid, that one was bound to sneak up on him eventually, the way they always had before. But after being able to will the visions, to then lose that ability so suddenly, had shaken him more than he’d been willing to admit. He thought about how he lost the ability while still in the cave, after he had gotten too confident and pushed it too far. It made him worry—what if he hadn’t just lost the control, but the Touch altogether?

Jimin sniffled, running the back of his hand over his eyes. “It’s so stupid, I—I used to think my Touch was such a pain. It would cause me hurt and the visions were confusing and I never could make sense of any of it—I should be glad at the prospect of losing it…so why does it scare me so much—the idea of never having another vision again?”

Yoongi walked over to him and wrapped the boy in a hug, letting him burying his face into the crook of his neck. He stroked Jimin’s hair as he spoke, “Because it’s a part of you, baby, you’ve been having them since you were a kid. It’s perfectly understandable you wouldn’t want to lose that.”

Jimin nuzzled against Yoongi’s neck until the older pulled away, moving his hands to cup Jimin’s face, wiping away his tears. “Your Touch is a part of you, you’re not going to lose that—”

“Bu—”

“Listen to hyung, please,” Yoongi said, still gently thumbing at Jimin’s cheeks. “You went through so much, baby. You had more visions in those few days than you sometimes have in months. You had one so harsh it scared me into thinking you weren’t going to make it—”

“Hyung—” Jimin had known that his six hour long vision had been intense, and a lot for Yoongi while he was taking care of him, but he never realized it was quite that serious.

“Shh. Now I know you may feel bored and restless here, but your body is still recovering, Jimin-ah. Think about it—you never have visions when you’re feeling ill or overworked. Your body knows what it’s doing. You’ll have visions again, baby, I don’t doubt it. Just give it time. Okay?”

Jimin took in a deep breath and nodded in Yoongi’s hands. He brought his own up to hold Yoongi’s, pulling them down from his face so he could lean in and kiss his hyung. It was soft and Jimin lingered in it, his way of assuring Yoongi that he was there—that he had made it. When their lips broke apart, they kept their foreheads touching, and Jimin hummed.

“I should probably go apologize to those two, huh?” he said.

“Mm, let’s give them some time,” Yoongi said, interlocking his fingers with Jimin’s. “We can still go on that walk first.”

~

Jungkook braved himself to go into the kitchen, only after Jin’s comfort and with his support was he able to do so. Standing outside the door with Jin at his side, he took in a deep breath and pushed it open. Before he could chicken out, he glued his eyes to Taehyung’s and spoke quickly.

“Can we go—somewhere?” he said, faltering at the last part despite what he had planned to sound confident.

Taehyung, at first wide-eyed, hesitated, and Jungkook could feel a mixture of things—nerves, guilt, but even still, the anger was there. It pierced at Jungkook in a way that made him want to flee, but he knew he couldn’t anymore. In the seconds that felt like eons, Taehyung finally nodded, standing up and walking over to him.

“You sure you’re okay to go?” Jin asked softly. He pressed a kiss to Kook’s temple when he nodded, and as Tae walked up to them, Jin leaned into him and whispered, “Play nice,” before kissing his cheek and then walking past him to the kitchen table.

Jungkook swallowed hard, eyeing Taehyung for just a moment before opening the kitchen door. “Let’s go.”

They walked down the long hallway, taking a side exit of the dorm to walk down the sidewalk of the university. Jungkook was leading the way, with Taehyung a step behind him, but he could feel Tae’s emotions lingering over them like a grey cloud, and he didn’t dare look back at him. Jungkook took a turn past a couple of buildings that would normally hold classes, and they continued across the campus.

“Where are we going?” Taehyung asked, his voice flat.

“You know,” Jungkook replied, braving a glance behind him. Taehyung, hands in his pockets as he walked, dropped his head and gave a small nod.

The gate to the athletic field was always unlocked, a certain mistake by lackadaisical coaches and staff, or perhaps intentional because enough of the students liked using the track and field that they just decided to keep it open. The only times it was empty were the nights when there were no games being held, or so late into the night that they were already over. And of course, now, in the summer, before any students had returned for the upcoming semester. It was in these moments that the field usually so full of excitement and clamor would serve as a place of peace, the tall, silver bleachers reaching up high and looking over the expanse of the wide open, green lawn, and beyond its fence, an old field that had been left to grow wild.

Jungkook hoped he didn’t overexert them by walking the steps all the way to the top of the bleachers, and he turned around, catching his own breath, to check on Taehyung. A few steps down, Tae paused when he noticed Jungkook looking at him, making the younger grow shy and drop his gaze.

At the top of the bleachers, Jungkook turned to look out in the direction opposite of the sports field, and instead let his eyes fall over the many buildings of campus that extended out beyond the stadium. It was a relatively small campus, and just from that point of view, Jungkook could note the library and the art building, and he knew what paths to take that would lead to other buildings he had taken classes in over the years. He could see the dorm they had just come from, and he knew the way to the dorm where they had all lived and met. It wasn’t until this moment that Jungkook realized being at back at the school, in many ways, felt like being back home.

In his peripherals, he could tell Taehyung had gotten up the final steps and was standing next to him, he too looking out across the campus. He could hear him catching his breath, and he gave him a minute before he decided to start talking.

“Can you just tell me?” Jungkook said suddenly, his voice almost startling himself, loud against only the sounds of their breathing and the light breeze.

“Tell you what?” Taehyung asked, again, his voice flat.

Jungkook looked over at him. His hand rested on the chain-link fence they were looking through, and his eyes stayed straight forward, gazing upon campus, his expression otherwise blank. It reminded Jungkook of earlier times with Taehyung, how back then it wasn’t uncommon for him to have quiet, somber passages of time. He would come up with an excuse for the hyungs when they would begin to worry, about being tired or stressed with classes, but Jungkook could always feel the true sadness behind them. They rarely lasted long before Taehyung would be back to his normal, happier self, but there were plenty of those times where Jungkook would sit with him. They wouldn’t talk, he knew Tae wouldn’t want to. They would just go somewhere, usually outside, and sit and feel sad together. Because it was okay to feel sad sometimes.

Jungkook turned his gaze back to the view. “Why you’re mad at me.”

In his peripherals, he could sense Tae immediately turn his head to look at him. “I’m not mad at you.”

Jungkook gave a weak laugh, looking down at his shoes, where his feet were holding him up on the thin metal line of a seat that was the bleacher. “Taehyung, you can’t lie to me about that. I can feel it. You’re mad at me.”

“No I’m not.” His voice had turned from flat to something sterner.

“You don’t have to deny it, I don’t get why you’re even trying—”

“I’m not mad at you.”

Jungkook could feel Tae’s anger bubbling up, and it made him start to become irritated too. “I’d rather you just tell me why than deny it, just admit it. Come on, why are you mad at—”

“Not at you!” Taehyung suddenly shouted.

Jungkook looked up at him, wide-eyed, and Taehyung, breathing heavy, dropped his head, bringing both hands up to the chain-link fence, leaning against it a little. The wind blew over them, swaying Tae’s long locks across his forehead. It was like the anger that had been there had been a bubble, and after growing too large, it popped. It left Jungkook feeling mostly confused.

“I’m mad,” Tae said more calmly, “But not at you.”

Jungkook furrowed his brow. “But—but I feel it, whenever you look at me, and, and you’ve been avoiding me. It has to be me you’re mad at.”

“It’s me,” Tae said, head still hanging, “I’m mad at myself. About you.”

“H-huh?”

Taehyung shook his head, and finally looked up to meet Jungkook’s eyes. “Whenever I look at you, I see how tired or ill you are, I remember how you looked back in the cave, how we weren’t sure when you’d wake up…You shouldn’t have had to go after me. And I shouldn’t have let you use my Touch as long as you did, I should’ve known it would end badly…I’m your hyung, I should’ve…I should’ve protected you, but instead I hurt you.”

Jungkook must’ve stared at him for a solid minute, feeling oddly frozen, still processing that the anger he had felt wasn’t due to what he had expected at all. “I…Tae, you didn’t hurt me. That was my Touch. It wasn’t your fault.”

Tae shook his head again. “And you have ailments now, because of what you untapped in the water. I brought that upon you, Kookie. I should’ve done better…why’re you smiling?”

Jungkook realized that he was experiencing one of those rare moments where his own emotions were so strong that they overpowered whatever ones he was feeling from someone else. He brought a hand to cover his mouth as he couldn’t stop smiling widely, and he closed his eyes, shaking his head.

“Because all this time I thought you were mad at me. All this time I thought I’d done something wrong but you were…you were avoiding me because you were mad at yourself. You saw that I was hurting and you didn’t want me to feel that too. I’m right, aren’t I?”

Taehyung’s ears and cheeks flushed a shade of pink. “Well, I…I mean, yeah. But, aren’t you mad at me for it?”

“Do you want me to be?” Jungkook said, still smiling widely and stepping closer to Taehyung.

The older looked Jungkook up and down, taking a small step back, as if startled by his joyful mood. “You—you should be! You should be mad at me, after the pain I’ve caused you.”

“You’re so dramatic sometimes, hyung,” Jungkook said, stepping closer to him again. “I don’t care if it comes with ailments, I’m not sorry for what happened. It was all worth it, to get to see the way you do. For us all to. I—I like that part of my Touch. And I wouldn’t have ever known about it if not for all that happened.”

Jungkook closed the small, remaining gap between them, and, reaching out, he let his fingertips fall onto Taehyung’s shirt, spreading out until his palm was pressed over Taehyung’s heart. He met his hyung’s eyes, warm and filled with awe. “Please, hyung, don’t be mad anymore.”

Tae’s lips parted as his eyes searched Jungkook’s face for a long time. Then he lifted his hand and hesitantly brought it to Kook’s cheek. “Kookie…”

Thumb running softly over his cheekbone, relief and a warm happiness flooded over him, and Jungkook’s eyes fluttered closed at the sensation of it all. He leaned into Tae’s hand, realizing just how much he had missed the older’s touch during this long week without him. His fingers curled around a fistful of Tae’s shirt, and he tugged slightly, until Tae leaned in and he felt his lips on his own. They lingered in the kiss, Jungkook relieved and thrilled to breath in Taehyung, and when their lips broke apart, he immediately wrapped his arms around him, holding him as close as he could.

“Please never do that again, please don’t go a whole week without me,” Jungkook found himself saying, hugging onto Tae tightly.

“I won’t. I won’t, I promise,” Taehyung said, hugging him back just as tightly. “I love you, Jungkook-ah, I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” Jungkook closed his eyes, bringing a hand to hold Tae’s nape, keeping his chest pressed against him.

After a long moment of holding and breathing in Taehyung, Jungkook relaxed a little, opening his eyes, and he sniffed a laugh at what he saw. “Damn, Jimin was right.”

“Jimin? About what?” Tae asked, still holding onto him but pulling away enough to look at his face.

Jungkook met his eyes and then looked up just above them, where a little blue spirit was hovering over the chain-link fence. “I did just have to stop trying.”

“You—you can see it?” Tae said, and Jungkook nodded, smiling softly. The older leaned into Jungkook as he continued looking at the spirit, nuzzling his temple. “That’s Bea. I never get ailments with it, it’s a gentle spirit.”

Jungkook’s smile widened a little, still eyeing the spirit as Taehyung kissed his ear. Becoming distracted, he turned into Tae, finding and kissing his lips, and when he looked up again, the sight of the spirit was gone.

“Lose it?” Tae guessed when his smile faded slightly.

“Yeah, but that’s okay,” Jungkook said, looking away from where the spirit had been to meet Tae’s eyes. “It was enough.”

Jungkook hadn’t been able to tap into that part of his Touch since the one time in the cave, even when he tried. He had started to lose hope, thinking that it had happened more because of the water’s energy than his own power. He had been trying to hone in on it, because like he had told Tae, it was a part of his Touch that he liked. To have empathy so strong to experience the Touch of others, of his boyfriends—to see how Namjoon thought, or how Hobi saw people—it was a thrilling prospect. Having no luck doing it on his own, he had began to console himself that it had been a one-time experience. So now, even if it was small, even if it was only just for a brief moment, Jungkook was happy to see that it was something within him. Even if Jimin was right, and it was something he wouldn’t be able to perfectly control, he was glad it was still there, certain that it was something he would enjoy.

He was distracted from his thoughts when Tae tickled under his chin, and Jungkook smiled, meeting his eyes quickly before leaning in and kissing him again.

~

Once Jungkook and Taehyung were on their way down the hall, Jin returned to the dorm room where he had left Namjoon and Hoseok.

“Everything okay?” Namjoon asked.

“I think it will be,” Jin said, giving a small, comforting smile. He reached the desk where they two were working, placing a hand on Hobi’s nape while looking around at all the drawings. “Why don’t you two take a break, huh? There’s still some food in the kitchen.”

“I dunno, hyung, I think we were just getting onto something,” Namjoon said, leaning over the desk to look at Hoseok’s drawing.

“Maybe you were. I’ve just been getting hungry,” Hoseok said with a laugh, scooting the chair out to stand up behind Seokjin, throwing his arms around him.

Jin grabbed one of Hoseok’s charcoal covered hands when the younger attempted to touch his face. “Hobi, don’t you dare—”

But as he was speaking, Hoseok took advantage of Jin’s weakened grip and managed to smear the charcoal onto Jin’s cheek. Letting out a mischievous laugh, Hoseok escaped Jin’s grip and hurried to the door.

“Jung Hoseok! I will come get you for this!” Jin shouted in his teasingly dramatic tone, and he could hear Hobi giggling in the doorway.

“Oh, is that a threat or a promise?” The younger teased in return, laughing and quickly darting away when Jin made a step in his direction.

The oldest let out a soft chuckle, assuming that Hoseok had ran to the kitchen, and he turned back to face Namjoon.

“Here,” the younger said, raising his hands up, one to tuck under Jin’s chin while the other worked at the spot Hoseok had left.

Jin watched as Namjoon’s eyes focused on the spot, his thumb firmly rubbing at his skin for a moment before his hands dropped to Jin’s shoulders. He blinked, smiled, and then shifted his gaze to meet Jin’s eyes. Jin smiled in return, bringing his hand up to Joon’s cheek, his thumb running over the younger’s dimple.

“You work too much,” Jin told him.

Joon let out a short laugh, his eyes darting to the ground in the way they did whenever he got shy. “But I like working.”

“Then I’m sure you’ll appreciate it all the more when you come back to it after taking a break,” Jin said.

Joon smiled at him fondly, wrapping his arms around Jin’s neck to pull him in closer. “Yeah, alright,” he mumbled before leaning in and kissing the older.

Jin hummed into the kiss—he had missed this. Just living with his boyfriends, teasing and kissing and caring for one another. With Jungkook and Taehyung talking things out, everything was finally going back to the way it should be, where they were all together and safe and happy.

Pulling away from Joon’s lips, Jin brought his hands to Joon’s arms. “Come on, love, let’s join the others in the kitchen.”

Hoseok was sitting at the kitchen table with Minah and Cassandra when the two walked in, and he stood up when he locked eyes with Jin, seeming to gauge whether or not he needed to flee, a playful smile teasing at his lips.

“Don’t think you’ll get away again,” Jin said as he approached Hoseok, lunging out and grabbing his wrist right in time before he could get away. The younger laughed as Jin pulled him into his arms, side-hugging him obnoxiously tight. “You gonna apologize or what?”

“What?” Hoseok said, grinning until one of Jin’s hands started tickling relentlessly as his sides, and he let out a screeching laugh, wriggling in Jin’s hold. “Aish, okay, okay, I yield, I’m sorry, hyungie, I’m sorry—”

Jin stopped tickling him and plopped into the chair he had been sitting in, pulling at the younger’s arm until Hobi was sitting in his lap. “I guess I’ll forgive you.”

“You’re too kind, hyung,” Hobi said, wrapping his arms around Jin’s neck and leaning in to kiss him.

Minah sniffed a laugh, scooting her chair back and grabbing her mug off the table. “You guys are too much.”

“Unnie, will you make more pancakes?” Cassandra said when Minah walked over to the kitchen counter to refill her mug.

Minah let out a soft laugh, spinning around and leaning against the counter. “Right now? I just made you some an hour ago.”

“Please?”

Jin couldn’t help but note the fondness in Minah’s eyes as she smiled at Cassandra. The two had certainly warmed up to one another over the course of the week, but then again, how couldn’t they? By the end of the first day, Minah had gotten Cassandra set up in a dorm room, lending her blankets and pillows, as well as some clean clothes. But as dire as her condition was, Minah ended up staying in the room with her to help her through the nights as well. If Cassandra was hesitant about Minah as a caretaker at first, that quickly melted away within the first few days, and the two seemed to really fit well together.

Minah’s smile turned to a smirk, and she turned to grab an apple, setting it in front of Cassandra. “Have some fruit now, and I’ll make you pancakes in a little bit, deal? You can’t survive on just pancakes, you know,” she added when Cassandra pouted, pushing the free strand of Cassandra’s otherwise braided hair behind her ear.

One of the biggest challenges was getting Cassandra to eat again, and by chance, Minah had discovered the younger’s vice—pancakes. Since it was all Cassandra would agree to eat at first, for a solid day, the kitchen smelled of flour and butter and syrup. Slowly, Minah was working on getting her to expand her diet, and in good time, she hoped to get Cassandra’s blood work done so they could figure out what she was still deficient in and work her diet accordingly.

“Alright,” Cassandra obliged, picking up the piece of red fruit and biting into it.

Minah smiled as she sat back down next to Cassandra, the table now full, with Joon sitting down next to Jin and Hobi, the later sneaking pieces of food off of Namjoon’s plate. The four ate and talked amongst each other for a long while, until Jimin and Yoongi walked into the room as well, holding hands and looking much more cheerful than when they had left.

“Hey cutie, feeling better?” Jin greeted, reaching his hand out for Jimin to grab as he walked over.

Jimin held onto his hand and nodded. “Yes, I’m sorry about earlier. I need to go apologize to Tae and Kookie.”

“Well, they’ve gone to talk things out, actually,” Jin told him.

“Yeah, so maybe you don’t have to feel sorry after all,” Hoseok added.

“How long have they been talking?” Yoongi asked, taking a seat in Namjoon’s lap when the younger scooted his chair out for him to better sit down.

Yoongi casually pressed a kiss to Namjoon’s temple as he answered, while looking to Jin, “Gosh, a long time now, right hyung?”

Jin glanced at the clock, surprised to realize how much time had passed. “You’re right…maybe we should go check on them. Kook was insistent that they’d be fine, but they are both still recovering.”

“I still need to apologize to them anyway, hyung,” Jimin said, “If it’s been long enough I’m sure they won’t mind.”

Hoseok got up so Jin could stand, and he and Jimin led the way, the other three trailing behind, down the hall to go check the few dorm rooms they had taken over for the week. In this small dorm, the group was using four rooms of the first floor, and much like the tinys, delegated the rooms as either private, for only one or two people at a time, up to a more communal one, where they threw a few twin mattresses together like they used to back in their own university days, that made for better cuddling.

Jin knew that Jungkook had taken Tae out of the dorm, and as they checked the first couple rooms, he began to worry that they wouldn’t be there, and that they would have to search campus. Jin tried to calm himself, but knowing of their still fragile conditions, he couldn’t help the worrying thought of finding the two collapsed somewhere outside—

Hearing Jimin giggle as he opened the next door, Jin was automatically relieved of his worry, and he peered over the boy’s small frame to see what he was giggling at. Of course, Jin gave a wide smile at the sight too.

On the mattresses pushed together on the floor, under the sheets and lying on their sides, Taehyung and Jungkook were wrapped around each other, kissing and hands running over one another’s skin. It was a beautiful sight, and Jin’s heart melted at seeing the two boys.

Hearing Jimin’s giggling, they stopped kissing one another and broke into blushing smiles when they saw their boyfriends in the door way.

“Taetae, Kookie, I was gonna apologize,” Jimin said, a more smirk-like grin forming at his lips, “but now I’m not sure I’m that sorry.”

Taehyung laughed fully, Jungkook still smiling more shyly. Tae reached out, making grabby hands at Jimin. “I’m okay with that, Jiminie. Come here, yeah?”

That was all it took for Jimin to hurry over, piling himself onto the younger boys, the three of them giggling as they wrapped their arms around Jimin, Tae jokingly smacking his ass while he was at it.

The hyungs all crowded around the door, smiling fondly at their maknaes, and Jin knew it was Yoongi when a hand slipped into his own, giving it a squeeze. Quickly eyeing him, the two caretakers shared a knowing glance before Jimin spoke up.

“Come on, hyungs! We haven’t had a proper cuddle in ages,” he said as both Tae and Kookie placed kisses on his ears and cheeks, purposefully squishing his face.

Jin smiled, eager to step forward and pull Yoongi along with him, knowing that Namjoon and Hoseok would also follow. The seven surrounded themselves with each other, full of joy and love and the overwhelming sense of belonging.

The End