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In the dark, evil lurks . That was what Hoseok always told himself since age eleven. And yet, the only job he had managed to get was cashier at this convenience store two blocks away from his flat. Cashier for the night shift. Hoseok literally hated his luck. And today wasn’t any different: he looked at the clock on the wall opposite him to notice that his colleague was late by fifteen minutes already; and that didn’t bode well by Hoseok’s book. Hoseok slipped a hand into the front pocket of his apron - because yes, to take the cake his employee uniform was an apron and not a vest - to fish his phone, tapping the tip of his fingers onto the screen, highly tempted to call Seokjin. But with his luck, Seokjin was probably hunting his dinner and just thinking of it made a shudder run along Hoseok’s spine. Yikes. Unpleasant images started popping in his mind and it took Hoseok great efforts to will them away.
“Sorry!”
The high-pitched apology boomed and literally made Hoseok jump out of his skin while Yugyeom bolted right through the glass door.
“Gyeom! What the hell?!”
Yugyeom offered him a sheepish grin as he slipped on his own apron.
“Didn't mean to scare you.”
“Yeah, well you still did.” Hoseok glared at him all the while slipping the apron off over his head.
Hoseok wanted to ask why he was so late but his eyes fell on the clock, making another shiver run along his spine.
“Fuck.” He muttered, earning himself an eyebrow quirked from Yugyeom. “Nothing, just late.”
“Ooooh!” Yugyeom's eyes disappeared as he smiled large and teasing. “You got someone waiting at home, right?”
Yugyeom whistled low, adding a waggle of eyebrows for emphasis. Hoseok’s first instinct was to argue back, just like he would with Jungkook, but he simply shook his head with a sigh. Hoseok liked the kid, he was fun to hang out with but sometimes Hoseok wished he could stab him, or throttle him, depending on his mood. Which again made him think about Jungkook, how he liked to be nosy and annoyed him just for the fun of it. All things considered, Jungkook looked to be around the same age as Yugyeom, and Jungkook could use a friend outside their little group.
“Hyung?” Yugyeom waved a hand in front of Hoseok’s eyes. “Everything okay?”
“Uh yeah.” Hoseok cleared his throat. “Anyway, see you tomorrow.”
Yugyeom walked him to the glass door, promising him to be careful of weird looking people that may walk in. Hoseok waved at him one last time then left, eager to already reach the comfort and safety of his flat. Theoretically, the flat was his since only his name appeared on the lease. Technically, their flat was a more appropriate wording, since according to the facts, Hoseok didn’t live alone.
Hoseok pushed the earbuds in and drew his beanie down his ears, eyes darting left and right to check any weird shadow looming behind him. Deep down, he felt like he was ridiculous but at the same time, he couldn’t help it. Hoseok was a chicken. Always scared, anything could trigger his fight or flight response - though it was most likely his brain would go for the flight option. People laughed at the way he introduced himself - “Hi, I’m Hoseok, professional scaredy-cat, nice to meet you!” - only to very quickly find out that he’d have a heart attack from a simple hand slammed a little too hard on his shoulder. For a few steps, Hoseok debated whether he should put music at a very low volume to calm his nerves but still be able to hear outside noises or to keep the earbuds pretence to hear everything.
“Jesus fuck!” He swore, nearly dropping his phone on the ground as it buzzed with a message.
Hoseok opened it, one hand on his chest to try and calm his frantic heart. It was from Jimin. He grimaced, noticing it had been sent in the group chat.
“Thanks buddy.” He muttered bitterly.
As much as Hoseok’s instinct often told him to seek safety - home meant being safe - he hated to make people worry. But Jimin was the type to notice things fast and to spill at the first occasion, at least where Hoseok was concerned. His little group of… Of what exactly, Hoseok wasn’t sure. But this small gathering of… people? Did the word apply to them? Anyway, Hoseok’s little bunch had a tendency to overprotect. He couldn’t really blame them, given their own nature, their stories and - this goes without saying - Hoseok’s constant state of hyper-vigilance. So Hoseok typed his reply to the group chat, unhappy that Jimin noticed him, and making it known to the whole universe, being late.
Hoseok didn't live that far from his workplace. Still, the journey home always felt like it was taking him too long. His phone buzzed again, another message. This time Hoseok couldn't help the smile as he read the few words on the screen. He quickly replied to Seokjin who still seemed to be hunting. Even on those nights, Seokjin was as gentle and kind as ever. Obviously, Hoseok would’ve prefered it if he could walk home with him by his side like they usually did from time to time but hunting could take long and Seokjin needed to be discreet.
A sigh of relief escaped Hoseok, whose chest deflated almost like a balloon, at the sight of his building. Once the passcode entered, he bolted toward the staircase, not even bothering to take the elevator, fairly certain it was out of order. Again . The walk up to the eighth level wasn’t that long but the stairs were a tad bit steep and climbing them up two by two was sport in itself. Hoseok didn’t mind, if it could keep him in shape enough to outrun an assailant, it was fine by him.
There was music coming from the 2001, like often, not very loud since it was already 4:45am but loud enough to be heard from outside. However, everything seemed to be calm in his own flat, the 1206, and for the umpteenth time since they moved here, Hoseok wondered who and how the heck they numbered the flats.
Calm and quiet were often an appearance in their flat, it was always buzzing with energy, almost literally speaking. But today, when Hoseok opened the door, the hall was dark and silent. The only light was apparently coming from the tv screen, in the living room down the corridor. It was rare but sometimes, the whole house slept all at the same time, even Yoongi and Jimin. Which was maybe the case tonight and Hoseok seriously looked forward to a peaceful sleeping as well, without weird noises or fighting sounds outside his door. He closed the door behind him and decided to not light the hall, hanging his backpack on the coat rack, and started to take off his shoes.
Except the left one didn’t want to leave his foot, stubbornly holding on. Balancing on just one foot, Hoseok tugged on the damn shoe, grunting with the effort. He tugged, again and again, the sneaker giving away a bit but not coming off. Hoseok swore, tugged harder after adjusting his grip and swore again as he nearly lost balance, hopping just in time. He could sit down and undo the shoelaces but they were neatly tied and he didn’t want to spend time tying them once more. Hoseok hopped again with a yelp, his fight with the sneaker almost coming to an end. And he would be victorious. There was a bit of noise, like rustling close to the floor and Hoseok would’ve stopped to listen but he was too focused. Another hop, this time on something that definitely made him lose balance and Hoseok screamed, both from terror and surprise, as he fell flat on his ass. His scream was echoed, though it sounded more painful.
In a heartbeat, the door behind Hoseok slammed open and Seokjin was grabbing him with force, pulling him far from the danger. The hall suddenly lit up, Taehyung and Jimin brandishing both their respective weapon and Jungkook was kneeling down, back to them. Hoseok blinked, realised he was still screaming and closed his mouth. Seokjin looked him up and down, making sure he was okay.
“What the hell was that?!” Jimin asked, frown deep.
Hoseok waved the shoe he had finally beaten. “Was trying to take it off. Stepped on something.”
“Actually, I think you stepped on Joon.” Taehyung said with a nod toward Jungkook.
“Oh my god!” Hoseok lamented, a pang of guilt blooming in his chest.
Hoseok forgot about his shoe, dropping it on the floor as he knelt next to Jungkook. Namjoon was lying down on one of his plump giant cushions that were disseminated around the flat, whining low as he licked his tail.
“C’mon, let me see.” Jungkook insisted with a voice as gentle as a caress.
“Oh god, I’m sorry Joon-ah, I didn’t see you.”
Hoseok’s hand hovered over Namjoon’s head who bumped his forehead against his palm, as if it to forgive him. It was distraction enough for Jungkook to be able to check out Namjoon’s tail and for a few silent beats, everyone held their breath. Namjoon was still weak from the last full moon and Hoseok felt terrible for having stepped on the poor wolf.
“I think he’s fine.” Jungkook eventually said as he straightened up. “More frightened than hurt.”
Everyone heaved out a collective sigh of relief. Hoseok dropped his shoe next to the other, rubbing a hand over his heart again. Seokjin hovered behind him as everyone was ushered in direction of the living room by Taehyung. Hoseok caught Yoongi’s eyes as he was helping Namjoon to his usual spot by the bay window and Yoongi shot him a brief but reassuring smile. Hoseok let himself fall on the couch, Seokjin already wrapping an arm around his shoulders while Taehyung claimed his thighs as a pillow, his body as warm as the bright mane on Taehyun’s head let on.
“You’re a furnace.” Hoseok chuckled.
Smiling large, Taehyung turned to face him, his back to the tv screen. “Are you complaining?”
“Not in the least.” Hoseok ruffled his red hair.
Next to them, the couch dipped a bit as Jungkook sat as well. In the armchair on the left, Jimin was already turned toward the television, feet dangling from the armrest. It was a bit hard to make out with just the light from the screen but Hoseok still distinguished the silhouette of Namjoon, his impossibly long body huddled up on half of the cushion to make space for Yoongi. He was most certainly spooning Namjoon, but from his spot, Hoseok could only see one tiny arm wrapped around Namjoon’s waist.
When he glanced back at Taehyung, he had his eyes closed, breathing evenly. Beside him, Jungkook was blinking slowly, trying to follow whatever program was being shown. Taehyung’s legs were on his lap and it made Hoseok smile. Hoseok was distracted, or more like called to attention, by a small squeeze on his shoulder right when Jungkook tilted his head in his palm for support. Hoseok looked at Seokjin who simply pressed a closed lip kiss on his forehead.
“How was the hunt?”
Seokjin knew it was more a polite formula than a real inquiry about his feeding and Hoseok was grateful to only get “It went fine.” without further explanation.
“How was your shift?” Seokjin’s voice came out a bit muffled as Hoseok laid his head on his shoulder.
“Slow. Boring. The usual.”
Seokjin laughed at that, softly, and it felt a bit lulling. Despite the earlier fright, Hoseok was grateful to be home. On the screen, he saw the generic of what he vaguely recognized as a paranormal program. Had he been more awake, Hoseok would’ve cared and immediately changed the channel. But he was already far too sleepy, frankly speaking. The last thing that Hoseok remembered was the pages of a book turning and the word bestiary on its cover. Funnily enough, with his people sprinkled across the living room, Hoseok had his own personal bestiary. If someone had told him that a few years ago, Hoseok professional scaredy-cat would’ve laughed before running away. But truthfully, now that Hoseok was actually living with creatures from a bestiary, he found that he didn’t mind that much.