Work Text:
It had been a long day. Work had been busy and with winter rolling around, people were desperate for Christmas gifts. And when people got desperate for new paints, sketchbooks and colouring pencils that were not in stock, suddenly every retail worker was no longer human. They became a punching bag.
Yoongi was tired. He wanted to lay down and not move until the weekend was over.
And yet somehow, he ended up standing in his living room, in a pile of broken glass mixed with drops of blood. His eyes stared at the creature in front of him. It wasn’t quite an animal, though it had a long tail like that of a snake, probably twice Yoongi’s height in length; it also wasn’t completely human, it’s upper half like that of a human, despite the high contrast scales littering it’s skin. Long, inky hair laid across the hardwood floor, matted with fresh blood, tiny shards of glass laced between the strands.
The creature was awake, though it’s eyes looked heavy, closing for extended periods, hiding the striking yellow irises. Yoongi felt completely frozen, but a pained groan from the creature pushed him into action, darting over to his bathroom to grab a cloth and his first aid kit. Regardless of what that monster was, he wasn’t about to let it die on his living room floor.
Thankfully, it was still awake when he returned, eyes watching Yoongi tiredly as he knelt down on the floor. Carefully, he helped the creature to sit up and though it wobbled for a moment, it quickly steadied itself. Blood trailed down it’s forehead and Yoongi was quick to wipe it up with the cloth, a gentle hand settled on the being’s cheek.
“Can you talk?” Yoongi asked as he carefully pulled the shards of glass from the creature’s hair, watching it clatter to the floor as he quickly pressed the cloth to the source of the bleeding.
“I can,” the creature responded, flinching at the contact before relaxing a bit, allowing Yoongi to put pressure on his wound.
Honestly, Yoongi hadn’t been expecting it to answer, but it made things much easier.
“Good cause I have a few questions,” Yoongi started as he wiped down the bloody strands of hair, watching the creature lower his eyes, almost as if it was embarrassed. “What are you and what are you doing here? Why did you break through my window?”
“I’m a Lamia. I was exiled from my clan not too long ago and have been trying to find a source for food,” it murmured, a frown pulling at it’s lips as it looked at Yoongi, clawed hands settled in it’s lap. “Then I saw the cat and figured it was too much for a human to eat and when I tried lunging for it, well… I was not expecting a barrier to be in the way.” As it spoke, it picked up one of the shards of glass from the floor before dropping it back to the pile.
Yoongi glanced over his shoulder to his room and in the darkness, he could see the faint reflection of Ashton’s eyes, watching the Lamia cautiously. Turning back to the creature in front of him, he let himself assess how much of a danger it was to have it in his home, and honestly, despite the claws and fangs, it really didn’t look that threatening. It’s guard was very clearly down, his shoulders hunched and head lowered, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
“My cat is not food. He is a pet,” Yoongi huffed, watching shame cover the Lamia’s face, eyes lowering back to the floor. “If you see an animal in someone’s house, or even just an animal on the street, you can’t just eat it.”
“How else am I supposed to eat?” It seemed like a genuine question and, for a moment, Yoongi was stumped. It seemed there were some differences in how their societies worked and what was and was not acceptable. It seemed eating any and every animal available was normal for wherever this creature was from.
“Let’s get you cleaned up and then I’ll make you something to eat,” Yoongi suggested, though he wasn’t exactly sure what he would have that the Lamia could eat. He didn’t know, well, anything about Lamia. It was his first time hearing the term and he could only assume it was the name for the snake/human creatures.
Now that he felt a bit calmer with the creature next to him, he finally had a moment to take in it’s beauty. Or, he , if Yoongi had to make a guess from the human portion of the body. He wondered if a Lamia would know what pronouns were.
Yoongi’s eyes traced down the creature’s torso, over the beautiful tribal ink that covered much of the human portion of his body, geometric shapes littering his skin. It almost looked like there was script woven between some of the shapes, but it wasn’t one that Yoongi recognized, so he couldn’t be completely sure. He wondered if Lamia used a different language and, if so, how did this one know how to speak Korean so easily.
Lowering his eyes from the inked lines on tanned skin, he instead watched the shift from skin to black and white scales that lead to the massive tail that laid across his floor.
“Do you have a name?” He hadn’t expected the question, and at first he was confused. Of course he had a name! But looking at the creature in front of him, he could tell that it hadn’t interacted with humans often, if at all.
“Yoongi. What about you?”
“Jimin. It’s nice to meet you, Yoongi,” the creature, Jimin murmured, a small smile spreading over his lips. Yoongi watched the way his whole face shifted a bit from that tiny lift of his lips and, looking closely, he could see a very thin line extending from the corners of Jimin’s lips up to his cheekbones. It was unsettling, but Yoongi quickly moved his gaze away, not wanting to make Jimin uncomfortable with his staring.
“I wish we had met under different conditions.” As he said it, Yoongi pulled the bloodsoaked cloth away from Jimin’s head, waiting for a moment to see that the gash seemed to have stopped bleeding, which was good, considering Yoongi had no idea how he would patch up the wound if it had continued to bleed. Now that he could actually see it, the wound wasn’t actually that bad, but it would still take a bit to heal. “Let’s get you some food and then we can wash the blood out of your hair.”
Pushing the first aid kit to the side, Yoongi stood and made his way to the kitchen, pulling out his phone along the way. He should probably call his landlord and tell her about the broken window, though he’d have to come up with a lie as to what happened to it.
However, Yoongi’s thumb paused over the contact the moment he glanced over his shoulder, eyes widening as he watched Jimin lift himself up, slithering closer to Yoongi and holy fuck, he’s huge.
When using his tail, Jimin stood a good foot above Yoongi, though as he neared, he lowered himself a bit, now only a few inches taller. Glancing back at the living room, Yoongi could see the Lamia’s tail trailing through half the small apartment. He knew his place was small but he hadn’t realized how small until that moment.
“S-so,” Yoongi stuttered out, turning his gaze back to the monster in front of him and really, he shouldn’t be nervous. Honestly, Jimin looked more nervous out of the two of them. “What do you eat?”
“Any meat is fine.” Oh, boy. It had been a while since Yoongi had gone grocery shopping. He wasn’t sure what meat he even had or if what he had would be enough for a Lamia
Opening the freezer, there were a few packs of beef and a chicken that was meant for Christmas dinner with his friends.
With a reluctant sigh, he pulled the chicken from the freezer, feeling his solid it was in his hands.
“It might take a bit before you can eat it,” Yoongi murmured, walking to the sink to stick it in some water to thaw. “It’s completely frozen.”
A quiet sound left Jimin’s lips as he moved closer, watching Yoongi fill the sink, the chicken becoming completely engulfed in water. He looked sad as he stared at the frozen meat and Yoongi couldn’t help but feel bad.
“How long has it been since you’ve eaten?” Yoongi asked, shutting off the water and leaning against the counter.
“A few days. Typically, we can go weeks without eating, but,” Jimin paused, glancing out the broken window, his shoulders drawing up a bit. “The temperature is dropping and I need to eat a lot if I expect to survive out there.”
“You hibernate?” Yoongi asked, earning a quiet laugh from Jimin as he nodded.
“Basically, yeah.”
Jimin seemed to be a lot more snake than Yoongi thought. For a moment, they simply stood there, but with one glance at the barely thawed chicken, Yoongi waved Jimin over to the bathroom.
“Lets go clean your hair. The chicken will take a bit to thaw.” Jimin followed behind Yoongi, the drag of his tail against the hardwood almost completely silent.
Almost like he was a predator.
Just that thought had Yoongi’s heart racing, seeing himself in the mirror, a massive creature looming behind him. If he really wanted to, Jimin could easily kill Yoongi, and like a fool, Yoongi was trusting him not to.
Starting the water, Yoongi really hadn’t expected Jimjn to get so excited, darting forward into the tub, a sharp giggle leaving his lips. His tail barely fit into the bath, most of it curled on the floor around Yoongi, but Jimin didn’t seem to mind as he felt the warm water against his skin.
“This is incredible! It’s so warm!” Jimin exclaimed, cupping his hands under the tap, letting the water fill his palms before he poured it over his head, smiling.
Cute.
It really shocked Yoongi how adorable the creature was, an almost childlike wonder in his eyes as he stared at the running water.
“Can it go warmer?” Jimin asked, reaching for the tap but was quickly stopped by Yoongi’s hand in his wrist. The water was already warm and turning it any more could seriously hurt Jimin’s skin.
“It can but it could burn you,” Yoongi let go of Jimin’s wrist once his hand fell back to the water, an almost disappointed look on his face, though he seemed to understand.
Yoongi helped Jimin wash his messy hair, watching the water turn a mucky brown, a mixture of blood and dirt water. Thankfully, due to his cat's size, baths were a common occurance and he had some pet-safe shampoo, so he was able to safely wash Jimin’s hair out.
Jimin entertained himself with the bubbles as Yoongi lathered his hair, combing through the tangled strands until they were soft to the touch.
Washing Jimin’s hair was easy, but drying it was a whole other story. The second Yoongi turned on the hair dryer, Jimin bared his teeth, tail lashing around them and within seconds, Yoongi was turning off the dryer, setting it down.
He decided to just try to towel dry it and then pulled it into a braid, wanting to keep it as neat as possible. Jimin seemed to like having his hair played with, as he was sitting happily in front of the couch, a content smile on his lips.
Eventually, Ashton made his way out from the room, though he steered clear of Jimin, darting down the hall to his litterbox. Glancing down, Yoongi watched Jimin’s eyes crack open, pupils watching the cat’s movements.
“Hey.” Yoongi tugged a bit on the braid, grabbing Jimin’s attention. “He’s not food.”
“He looks like he’d taste good,” Jimin murmured, but Yoongi quickly shook his head.
“I can assure you, he wouldn’t. He smells funny.” At that, Jimin’s nose wrinkled a bit, disgust painted on his face. Yoongi couldn’t help but laugh and he tied Jimin’s braid up, standing from the couch. “Now, just wait a minute. I have to call my landlord.”
As Yoongi walked to the kitchen to grab his phone, he could see Jimin coil his tail up, using it as a sort of pillow as he watched Yoongi. Under the eyes of the creature, Yoongi felt nervous, so he turned around as he dialed his landlord's number.
He blamed it on some kids down the street, said they’d been playing catch and the ball had hit the window and thankfully, due to his insurance, he was covered for accidental damages. They’d send someone the next day to come size the glass and within the week, he’d have a new window.
A sigh of relief left his lips knowing he wouldn’t have to pay for it.
Setting down his phone, he turned back to see Jimin watching as Ashton who slowly approached, tail down and eyes wide. Yoongi could see Jimin’s slitted pupils hone in on the cat and quickly, he darted forward and picked up Ashton. In that moment, he completely forgot how fucking heavy his cat was, more focused on getting him out of dangers way.
He carefully ushered the cat into the bedroom and closed the door before turning around to look at Jimin.
“What did I say about eating my cat?” He huffed and Jimin looked offended, arms crossing over his chest.
“I wasn’t gonna eat him! He came towards me!” Jimin tried defending himself, but Yoongi didn’t believe it. He knew what he saw. He’d just have to keep Ashton in the bedroom until Jimin left.
With a sigh, Yoongi walked to the kitchen to check on the chicken, poking at the still frozen meat, wondering how thawed it would have to be for Jimin to eat it.
“The markings on your hand,” Jimin’s sudden voice startled Yoongi, pulling a sharp gasp from his lips as he whipped around to see the Lamia at the entrance to the kitchen. He was staring at Yoongi’s hand and with a glance down, Yoongi was met with the sight of his tattoos, a meaningless geometric pattern he’d gotten years ago. It had faded over time, but all the lines were still clear, spanning down each finger, over the back of his hand and up his arm, blending into the rest of the ink on his arm. “It matches mine.”
Yoongi turned to see Jimin moving closer, holding out his hand and sure enough, their tattoos were very similar, though there were slight differences, barely even noticeable. Yoongi lifted his hand next to Jimin’s, comparing the similarities with awe. He hadn’t even noticed the tattoos on Jimin’s hands, not with all the ink covering the rest of his body or, well, the massive tail he had instead of legs.
“Do they do these back in your clan?” Yoongi asked, lifting his eyes back to Jimin’s, watching the snake smile, giving a small nod.
“We would be granted more markings as a sign of age and accomplishments,” Jimin said with a wide smile, moving his hand to instead trace his fingers over Yoongi’s tattoos. “I got this after my first hunting mission. One marking for every piece of food I brought back.” With every word, Jimin traced a line on Yoongi’s tattoo, sending a shiver down the human’s spine. He could feel the brush of claws on his skin, sending a shot of fear through his chest, but he never tried to pull his hand away. “What do humans achieve to get them?”
“We don’t do anything,” Yoongi admitted, a small smile on his lips as he watched Jimin examine their tattoos. “I just paid someone to tattoo me.”
Jimin made a small sound of amazement as he looked at Yoongi, a bright smile spreading over his lips, sharp fangs on full display. Yoongi couldn’t help but realize how pretty Jimin’s smile was.
“It can't be coincidence that we have the same markings,” Jimin hummed, holding Yoongi’s hand in his own, slithering forward a bit so he had Yoong crowded against the counter.
Now he felt a hint of fear spike through his chest, looking up at the large creature in front of him, smiling at him with the biggest fangs Yoongi had ever seen.
“We must be meant to court.”
Huh?
“Pardon me?” Yoongi asked slowly, leaning back against the counter, feeling the edge dig into his back.
“Well, in my clan, you will get matching markings with your mate once courting is done and,” Jimin help up their hands with a wide smile. “You and I seem to have skipped the courting step and now we must correct that.”
Yoongi could feel his cheeks absolutely burning as he turned around to check the chicken that he knew hadn’t thawed anymore. He just needed something to distract himself from the creature looming behind him.
“I’m gonna run this under warm water to help it thaw faster,” he said, breaking the heavy tension in the air, and he hoped the sudden change in subject would indicate that he wanted the conversation to end, and yet there was still a small pair of clawed hands settling on his waist.
“Do you not wish to do the courting?” Jimin asked, his body pressed close to Yoongi’s back and his soft words sending a shiver down his spine. He wasn’t exactly sure how to feel, as he wasn’t uncomfortable but also—
“We don’t know each other,” Yoongi turned around, Jimin’s hands lifting away for a moment before they settled back on Yoongi’s waist. He blinked, almost confused, his eyes searching over Yoongi’s face.
“That’s what the courting is for. We will learn more about each other and—”
Yoongi was quick to pull away, shaking his head. He didn’t need to be convinced that they should be together. He knew he couldn’t quite fault Jimin for his words, since they were from vastly different cultures, but he had to put his foot down.
“No, Jimin, I just,” Yoongi paused, rubbing a hand over his face as he walked away from the kitchen. “Listen, we’re not even the same species and once you eat, you’ll be on your way. It just won’t work.”
Silently, Jimin watched Yoongi, giving a slow nod. It was good to know that, despite being a different species, Jimin understood boundaries.
“Good,” Yoongi sighed in relief, giving a small smile to Jimin. “Now, go back to the living room. I’m gonna finish thawing this.”
Jimin followed Yoongi’s instructions, but still spoke from where he was curled up on the couch, his large tail spilling over the edge onto the hardwood.
“What is human courting like?” Yoongi glanced over from where he was filling the sink with warmer water. It seemed Jimin was a very curious creature.
“There’s lots of different ways it can work, but they’re all basically the same thing. Meet someone, get to know them and, if you have feelings for them, ask them out. If they refuse, that’s it.” Yoongi wasn’t sure he was explaining it well, though he’d never had to explain what relationships were like before.
Shutting off the water, he wiped off his hands and walked back to the living room. Glass crunched under his shoes that he still hadn’t removed. Kneeling down, he began to pick up some of the glass carefully, piling it in his palm.
“Of course, if you like someone and they reject you, it hurts, but there’s nothing you can really do other than accept it. It doesn’t mean your feelings will go away, or that they won’t start to like you as well.”
“It sounds complicated.” Jimin’s words had Yoongi laughing, a smile spread over his lips.
“Trust me, it is.” Walking over to the garbage, Yoongi threw out the glass in his palm before grabbing the dustpan, figuring it to be easier.
“You’ve been courted before?” Jimin asked slowly, moving from his spot on the couch to help Yoongi pick up the glass.
“I’ve had a few relationships, but nothing serious.” Jimin looked shocked, blinking wide eyes from where he was holding a bloody piece of glass.
“You can break the courtship after it’s been completed?”
Oh, boy.
For almost an hour, Yoongi did his best to explain human relationships, how there was commitment but it was completely permanent and could always be ended. He even tried explaining marriage and divorce and though Jimin nodded through the whole thing, Yoongi wasn’t sure any of it was actually sticking.
Yoongi stopped talking when there was a low grumble and Jimin quickly pressed a hand to his stomach, looking a bit embarrassed. Quickly checking the chicken, it seemed like it was almost done thawing, though he was sure the centre was still frozen. Jimin, however, didn’t seem to mind. The moment Yoongi said it was mostly done, Jimin slithered over to the kitchen, the two of them crowded around the sink.
“It’s fine if it’s still a bit frozen,” Jimin murmured, picking it up out of the water only for Yoongi to swiftly stop him, not sure that Jimin realized there was plastic still around the meat.
Once he peeled away the plastic, then Yoongi handed the chicken to Jimin. The Lamia had excitement painted across his face, eyes sparkling as he looked at the raw meat. His tail slid against the tiles of the kitchen, coiling around itself, the tip curling happily.
And though Yoongi had noticed the thin lines extending from Jimin’s lips to his cheekbones, he hadn’t really given it much thought. That was until Jimin opened his mouth and then the lines slowly opened to expose more and more of his mouth, his jaw opened unnaturally wide. It made Yoongi almost sick but he couldn’t turn away, his stomach churning as he watched Jimin latch onto the chicken, head tipping back to help him bite further onto the meal, fangs digging into the raw meat.
It was such an unsettling process to watch, seeing something so human suddenly morph into a monster, and yet Yoongi still wasn’t scared. It was fascinating, watching how Jimin’s throat and chest flexed to accommodate the large meal.
And then it was over, Jimin’s jaw slowly closing, returning back to normal, and though he looked a bit bloated, he looked the exact same as before, his body working quickly on breaking down the food. He looked content, his eyes bright as he looked at Yoongi like he hadn’t just consumed an entire chicken in one bite.
“Thank you,” Jimin said with a bright smile, his fangs poking against his lower lip. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
Yoongi couldn’t seem to find any words to say, still in complete shock from what he’d just witnessed. Having a half snake person break into his apartment wasn’t enough for one day. Now he’d seen said snake person eat an entire raw chicken and he was strangely fascinated and intrigued by it. Seeing the way Jimin’s jaw had stretched open without issue, how his body could easily mould itself to consume meals of incredible sizes, it had Yoongi feeling—
Oh no, he was not about to think about that.
“Sorry, yes, you’re welcome,” Yoongi spoke quickly, stumbling over his words as he tried to form a semi-coherent sentence. Jimin seemed concerned by Yoongi’s deminor but didn’t say anything, though a frown pulled at his lips. Quickly, Yoongi tried to change the subject. “You should be on your way. It’s getting dark out now, so you should be able to get out without many people seeing you.”
Jimin looked shocked with how suddenly he was being kicked out, but really, Yoongi couldn’t have him around any longer, not with how muddled his thoughts were getting.
“Oh, okay,” Jimin murmured, his tail moving slowly over the tile floor as he backed out of the kitchen, disappointment clear on his face. Yoongi almost felt a bit bad asking him to leave, but it was for the best.
Yoongi opened up the window so Jimin could leave without cutting himself on the jagged glass. They stared at each other for a moment, Jimin’s eyes flicking over Yoongi’s face before lowering to the hand that was settled on the window frame.
“Thank you,” Jimin lifted his gaze back to Yoongi’s, the moonlight reflecting off of his yellow eyes, making them almost glow. “I’m sorry about trying to eat your cat and about breaking into your home.”
“Just don’t do it to anyone else, okay? Not many humans would treat you like this.”
With a small smile, Jimin nodded and after another silent moment, Jimin was slithering through the open window, his tail disappearing over the edge. Yoongi could see his figure on the dark street, disappearing into an alley.
And Yoongi really thought that was it. He thought that would be the last time he’d see Jimin and that he would move on with his life like nothing had happened, like it would all be a fever dream.
It really felt unreal, the idea that he’d seen such a creature in real life, that they actually existed. He did some research after Jimin had left and though there were claims of people seeing Lamia, nothing was concrete.
He would have really thought he’d imagined the whole situation if not for the missing chicken in his freezer and the shattered window that was only patched with a tarp and some plywood.
But then a couple days passed. The window still hadn’t been fixed as it was the weekend and maintenance wasn’t open, and though it was making his apartment a bit colder, it wasn’t anything unbearable.
He was curled up on the couch, a sketchbook in his lap as he did some quick sketches for his next painting. Ashton was snoring next to him on the couch and next to him was a steaming cup of coffee. It was a good day off, a calm one.
Until the tarp over his window shifted and at first, Yoongi thought it was simply the wind, but it persisted, uneven scratches against the plastic, starting Ashton awake.
“Yoongi?” The voice was familiar, quiet, muffled by the crisp wind and the plastic tarp between them. But despite all that, Yoongi knew who it was.
Setting down his sketchbook, Yoongi rushed to the window and opened it up, meeting Jimin’s bright yellow gaze and friendly smile. It was startling to see someone outside of his window, especially when the ground was almost three metres below.
“Jimin, what are you doing here?” Yoongi hissed, quickly ushering the snake into his apartment, away from the view of the street. He lived in a fairly quiet area, not many people out, especially during the winter, but he was sure there must have been someone watching from their apartment.
“I’m hungry,” Jimin smiled as he slithered over to the kitchen like he owned the place, the tip of his tail flicking excitedly as he searched around the cupboards. Yoongi was completely frozen, shocked and also confused.
“I don’t have anything. I wasn’t expecting you to come back,” Yoongi said, walking towards the kitchen. Jimin stopped his search and turned around, a frown spread over his lips.
“But you fed me last time.” He sounded just as confused as Yoongi felt, the two of them staring at each other from across the room. Then it clicked. Though Jimin could speak and think similar to a human, he was still like a wild animal, running off of primal instinct. And Yoongi had been a source of food when Jimin had needed it. Much like feeding a raccoon or a stray cat, Jimin was coming back for more because Yoongi had shown that he can provide food.
Except he couldn’t. Not when he didn’t have anything in his apartment that Jimin could eat.
With a quiet curse, Yoongi pulled out his phone and opened up his delivery app, chewing on his lip. He hoped to god they had something he could order for Jimin.
“You’ll just have to wait a bit, okay? I’ll get some food for you.” Jimin moved closer, a hint of guilt in his eyes as he looked at Yoongi, his shoulders drooping slightly.
“Is it a lot of trouble?” He asked quietly, and the sad tone of voice had Yoongi’s heart clenching, his eyes lifting away from his phone.
“No, no, it’s okay, I promise.” Yoongi quickly guided Jimin to the living room, grabbing Ashton off the couch so Jimin could make himself comfortable. “It might just take a bit, but I’ll get you something.”
With Ashton safe in the bedroom and Jimin coiled up on the couch, Yoongi scrolled through the grocery stores that did delivery and finally, he found one that had raw meats, and though it was a bit expensive, he still ordered it.
Glancing at Jimin, he could see the Lamia was staring at his hands, picking at a shedding scale from his tail, lips pushed out in a pout.
“I tried to catch food,” Jimin murmured, his shoulders pulled up to his ears. “But a lot of animals have already gone into hiding now that it’s cold. I only caught a rabbit, but it was fairly small and didn’t fill me up much.”
“Well, I just ordered a good amount of meat for you.” Yoongi wasn’t exactly sure what a ‘good amount’ was for a Lamia, but for a human, it was more than enough.
His words did little to calm Jimin, the snake still looking pretty upset, refusing to meet Yoongi’s eyes. So, with a sigh, Yoongi shifted closer, a frown on his lips.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look so upset?” He asked and that finally prompted Jimin to lift his eyes a bit, glancing over at Yoongi. For a moment, he didn’t speak, but eventually, he did let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders dropping.
“I used to be the best hunter in my clan. I did so well providing for everyone, but now I feel so useless,” he huffed, his leaning to the side to his head laid against his tail, coiling it tighter around himself. “I’m relying on a human to feed me when I should eat humans.”
Those words sent a shiver down Yoongi’s spine and quickly, Jimin sat up, shaking his head, eyes wide.
“No, I don’t mean that I’ll try to eat you! You’re my destined mate, I can’t eat you!” He spoke quickly before slapping a hand over his mouth, staring at Yoongi with wide eyes. “Sorry, I know you said humans don’t pursue after they’ve been rejected.”
Yoongi couldn’t blame Jimin for continuing about the mating stuff, not when that was how he was raised, but it still made him a bit uneasy. Growing up, Yoongi had never really believed in fate or destiny when it came to love. After watching the fall of his parents' relationship after years of them seeming like the perfect couple, he wasn’t sure he’d ever have a normal relationship, knowing what could happen over just a matter of years. Fate just wasn’t something he could believe in anymore.
However, he didn’t want to be too harsh on Jimin’s beliefs, so he simply waved a hand, giving a small smile.
“It’s fine, don’t worry too much.” Despite the words, Jimin still looked embarrassed, a blush spread over his cheeks, up to his ears.
They fell into silence, a bit awkward with how often Jimin kept shifting around, practically radiating nervousness.
“What is this?” Surprisingly, Jimin was the first to break the silence, pointing to the sketchbook laid on the coffee table, a messy thumbnail sketch spread across the page. It wasn’t detailed by any means, mostly shapeless blobs with some notes jotted along the corners of the page. The actual piece was supposed to go on the blank canvas sitting in his room.
Jimin was careful as he picked up the sketchbook, handling it like it was glass. Not a book that he’d had for three years just to do quick planning sketches in.
“It’s for a painting I’m planning out,” Yoongi explained, moving closer so he could look at the page.
“What is it supposed to be?” Jimin asked and immediately, Yoongi felt his cheeks warm, his eyes lowering back to the page, looking over the messy lines, knowing it was heavily inspired by his meeting with Jimin.
In fact, Jimin was the main subject.
As days passed after their meeting, Yoongi hadn’t been able to get the thought of Jimin out of his head, constantly plagued by the memory of his high contrast tail, piercing yellow eyes, tanned skin covered in dark tattoos and beautiful features. So every day at work, while mindlessly stocking shelves, he’d been mentally planning out what he wanted to paint using Jimin as the subject and now, with a day off, he planned on finally starting it.
He expected to never see Jimin again, so painting something using his likeness wouldn’t have been an issue. But now they were seated next to each other on the couch and Yoongi was meant to explain the piece to him. Should he lie?
Jimin watched him, waiting expectantly for Yoongi to begin explaining, his claws playing with the corner of the page.
“It’s you,” Yoongi finally admitted and he could see the shock paint Jimin’s face as he turned back the crude drawing, tilting it back and forth to try and see it. “I promise you it will look better when I paint it, but for now, this is just the idea.” Reaching out, he traced his fingers over the page, their shoulders pressed close together as he explained. “It’s gonna be very green, lots of trees and plants. This line is your tail, winding through all of the trees here. Then your body will be closer, laid on the ground. Almost like how I found you when we met. This is your hair, these are your arms. The light will be from the back top left, so it’ll be coming through the trees.”
The more Yoongi talked about it, the more embarrassed he got, his hand trembling slightly as he traced over the lines before he took the sketchbook away, closing the cover.
“I won’t do it if you’re not comfortable with it. I’m just—”
“Please, do it.” Quickly, Jimin took Yoonig’s hand in his own, watching him with wide eyes. “It sounds beautiful and knowing that you were inspired by me makes me really happy.”
They stared at each other for a moment and slowly, a small smile spread over Jimin’s lips, his hand squeezing Yoongi’s gently and just that small gesture had Yoongi’s heart hammering in his chest.
The only reason he pulled away was his phone buzzing on the couch, indicating his order had been dropped off at the front doors.
“Foods here,” Yoongi said quickly, darting from his spot on the couch, his entire body feeling hot after the conversation. Fuck, how is he making me feel like this?
The pattern continued for a few days, where Jimin would return to Yoongi’s window, though he began showing up later in the night (Yoongi’s request) to avoid being seen by any pedestrians. Hunting was scarce and Jimin would return every few days and over time, Yoongi began stocking food specifically for Jimin. It was expensive, but similar to a pet, he felt responsible for Jimin. He couldn’t just let him starve.
Sometimes, Jimin would stay for a bit longer after his meal, normally when Yoongi was in the midst of a movie or playing a game. They’d settle together on the couch and Jimin would watch silently, staring at the TV screen in awe.
He would even sit and watch Yoongi paint sometimes, silence filling the room around them as Yoongi concentrated on his work.
So when Jimin stopped showing up, Yoongi couldn’t help but worry. For a couple weeks, Jimin would show up every so often to eat, but days passed since his last visit and there wasn’t a single sign of the Lamia. Radio silence.
Yoongi wondered if maybe his clan had accepted him back. He hoped that was the case and it had nothing to do with the sudden drop in temperatures. In the mornings, Yoongi would wake up to see frost on the windows and the weather was well below zero.
He was so incredibly worried.
Some nights, he would sit by the window and wait, watching the empty street, searching for any sign on his friend, a sign that he was alive and okay.
And on the fifth night, he finally saw it, a shadow moving through the dark alley, slowly, sluggishly, unlike Jimin had ever moved before, but he would recognize that patterned tail anywhere.
Quickly, Yoongi opened the window, leaning out into the chilly evening air, meeting Jimin’s glowing eyes staring up at him, tired and dull.
“Jimin, come inside,” Yoongi said, holding his hands out for Jimin to take and after a moment, the snake lifted himself from the ground, accepting Yoongi’s help to get into the apartment. He was so cold under Yoongi’s hands, his body trembling slightly and his movements slow. Without a second thought, Yoongi helped Jimin over to his bedroom, ushering the massive creature under the covers before he turned up the heat in his room and crawled into bed as well.
He had so many questions, like where Jimin had been, why he hadn’t showed up, what had happened to him, but he could see that the Lamia was barely conscious, eyes closed and pain twisted across his face.
So instead, Yoongi crawled under the thick duvet and wrapped his arms around Jimin, pressing their bodies as close as possible, his nose buried in Jimin’s hair. He could feel short, weak breaths fan across his collarbone and the shaky touch of Jimin’s cold hands against his back.
And regardless of how cold it was, regardless of how long he stayed there, Yoongi didn’t leave. He held onto Jimin, doing his best to raise his body temperature a bit. At some point, though it was quite slow, Jimin pulled his tail up under the covers, taking up a good portion of the bed.
Yoongi pet his fingers through Jimin’s tangled hair, brushing it away from his face, staring at the pale, tired face. At least his eyes were opened now, staring up at Yoongi, though it didn’t seem like he was really registering anything that was happening.
“Here, let’s get you into some warm water,” Yoongi murmured, slipping from the bed, guiding the weak creature behind him, carrying a good portion of his weight as they made it to the bathroom. Carefully, Jimin was lowered into the tub and Yoongi turned on the water, taking care to not make it too warm as to not shock Jimin’s body. “Hey, don’t close your eyes. Look at me, okay?” Yoongi quickly turned Jimin’s head from where it was leaning against the side of the tub, yellow eyes turning to look at him.
The water seemed to help, and though Jimin was still fairly sluggish, his body was warming slowly, and everytime he felt it was safe, Yoongi would put a bit more warm water in the tub, gradually heating it to a good temperature. Once he felt the water was a suitable warmth, Yoongi set to work cleaning Jimin’s dirty hair, using a cup to pour water over his head before lathering the shampoo through his long hair, taking his time in working it through. The gentle massage against his scalp seemed to relax Jimin a bit more, his shoulders drooping and his eyes slipping shut.
“I tried to come back,” Jimin finally spoke, his voice hoarse as it echoed around the walls of the shower. “I wanted to come see you, but it got so cold and I had no choice but to try and find shelter until it got warm. But I couldn’t find a den big enough, and eventually, got stuck out in the cold. I kept thinking of you, if I would see you again. I wanted to see you again.” Blinking open his eyes, Jimin turned his tired gaze to Yoongi, a small smile spreading over his pretty lips. “I’m glad I got to see you again.”
Yoongi felt his chest tighten as he looked at the tired, worn out expression on Jimin’s face, and heard the fatigue in his voice, in his words. Tears burned behind his eyes as Yoongi gently brushed some hair from Jimin’s forehead, tucking it behind his ear before he let his fingers trace feather-light over the Lamia’s cheek.
“I’m so glad you’re back, that you’re safe. I was so worried when you didn’t show up.” Dipping his hands in the water, Yoongi washed the shampoo from his fingers before he returned his touch to Jimin’s skin, cupping his cheeks gently. “You aren’t leaving again, okay? Not until the weather warms up. I’m going to keep you here, safe and warm.”
Even despite his exhaustion, Jimin’s eyes still widened, shock clear in his eyes as he looked at Yoongi. Slowly, he lifted a hand from the water and rested it over Yoongi’s and despite being such a large creature, his hand barely covered the back of Yoongi’s palm. He looked happy, a small smile returning to his lips.
“Thank you. I promise I won’t be too much trouble.” Quickly, Yoongi shushed him, shaking his head. He knew Jimin wouldn’t be trouble. Even though he’d tried to eat Ashton and had broken the window, he had quickly learned that those things were wrong. He listened to Yoongi well, learned how humans lived.
“I’ll set up a bed for you in the art room,” Yoongi smiled, unable to take his hands away from where he was holding Jimin, not really wanting to break the contact. But he also knew that the sooner he got Jimin out of the water, the sooner they could clear the art supplies from the spare room and set up a sleeping area for Jimin. It would probably be good for Jimin to get some proper rest after being stuck out in the cold.
Jimin stayed in the bath for a bit longer as Yoongi moved all of his art supplies to one side of the room so he could set up Jimin’s bed on the other end. That “bed” ended up being a big pile of pillows and blankets that Yoongi had in his storage closet and he worried it wouldn’t be enough, but the second he saw excitement light up Jimin’s eyes, the feelings were extinguished.
Skin still damp, Jimin didn’t hesitate to curl up on the big pile of bedding, a dreamy sigh leaving his lips as he settled his head against one of the pillows.
“Let me tie up your hair so it doesn’t get tangled,” Yoongi said with a small laugh, stepping over Jimin and settling himself in the nest, a brush and elastic in his hands. Jimin could barely keep his eyes open as Yoongi brushed through his long hair and the moment he started braiding, the Lamia was quick to settle his head back on the pillows, eyes sliding closed.
The smile never disappeared from Yoongi’s face, his fingers moving slowly through the soft hair strands, eyes unmoving from Jimin’s face, taking in every detail of his relaxed expression.
Jimin was incredibly beautiful, from the fullness of his lips to the gentle slope of his nose. His round cheeks and sharp jawline. Human-like but also far too perfect to be the face of a human.
“Can you stay with me?” Jimin’s voice startled Yoongi as he started to crawl from the nest. Yellow eyes watched him, pleading for him to stay, and Yoongi couldn’t say no.
He didn’t want to say no.
“Let me turn off the lights first,” Yoongi nodded, climbing out the bedding and shutting off the lights. In the kitchen, he could see Ashton sprawled across the floor, fast asleep, but just for his cat's safety and his own peace of mind, Yoongi closed the door. Jimin wouldn’t hurt Ashton, but he was tired and hungry, so Yoongi just wanted to be sure.
Curled up next to Jimin, Yoongi could already feel that his body was much warmer, though just to be sure, he pulled one of the blankets over them and pressed himself as close to Jimin as possible. Yoongi told himself it was only so he could help keep Jimin warm.
He tried not to think about how nice it felt to be wrapped up in Jimin’s embrace, the strong tail coiled around them and wrapped around one of his legs.
He also tried to ignore how easily he fell asleep in the nest with Jimin.
Yoongi had always liked time alone, time to himself. The reason he decided to live alone, though it was more expensive, was due to his inability to comfortably live with someone else.
Yet with Jimin, it felt different. He liked the presence, though it may have been due to how often Jimin would stay in his nest, tired and sluggish from the cold weather. Even with the heat on in the room, Jimin still stayed put, sleeping away most of the days.
But Yoongi even found himself going to Jimin’s room, sitting with him, actively trying to spend time with him. Something about Jimin made it easy for them to get along.
Curled up in his nest, Jimin watched Yoongi paint, the room completely silent other than the small scrape of the bristles on canvas. Ashton was curled up on the edge of the nest, napping quietly, completely used to Jimin’s presence.
The canvas was a mess of bright greens and yellows, coming together nicely as the background of his current painting, the one he’d been sketching out of Jimin.
As weeks passed, Yoongi quickly learned that Jimin enjoyed watching him paint, fascinated by the process.
“Of course there are artists back in our clan, but none of the paints look quite this vibrant,” Jimin had explained, wide eyes flicking over one of Yoongi’s old paintings. “My mother was an artist.”
Yoongi would ask about Jimin’s clan, what it was like, if he missed it, what happened to get him exiled. He really had been expecting the reason to not even be Jimin’s fault.
“Our leader’s mate was attracted to me. I never made any advances on her. In fact, I’m not even attracted to females, but the leader felt threatened. It wasn’t even my fault. He just exiled me.” Annoyance had been clear in Jimin’s words as he spoke, lips pushed into a pout.
Despite the situation, Yoongi’s mind was stuck on one simple part of Jimin’s words. I’m not even attracted to females.
It had been six days since that conversation and Yoongi hadn’t stopped thinking about it. Or more accurately, he hadn’t stopped wondering if Jimin was potentially attracted to him. And every time that thought would work it’s way into his head, Yoongi would quickly try to think of something else.
He knew Jimin had the instinct to court Yoongi solely due to their tattoos, but he wondered if there was more to it.
Dropping his paintbrush back to the palette, Yoongi glanced at his phone. For the first time, he was thankful that he had work soon. He couldn’t let his thoughts of Jimin continue to wander.
“I’m gonna get going,” Yoongi said as he gathered all of his supplies he had to wash, glancing over to look at Jimin. He could see disappointment spread over the Lamia’s face, lips pushed into a pout.
“When will you be back?” Jimin asked quietly, his fingers kneading at the fluffy blanket under his hand and seeing him all wrapped up in his nest, Yoongi really didn’t want to leave.
“I’ll be home before sundown.” Yoongi had long since stopped using actual time measurements when he’d realized Jimin had no idea how to tell time. Glancing out the window, the pout on Jimin’s lips only deepened before looking back at Yoongi.
“That’s so far away.”
A fond smile spread over Yoongi’s lips as he set down his painting supplies and knelt next to the nest, gently brushing some of the loose strands of hair from Jimin’s face.
“Why don’t you rest while I’m gone? And if you’re hungry, there’s some steak in the fridge.” At the mention of food, Jimin’s eyes lit up, a smile spreading over his lips as he quickly nodded, as if he hadn’t just been disappointed about Yoongi leaving. He wasn’t sure if he should be offended or relieved.
Work went by fairly quickly as Yoongi got to spend most of his time in the back, gathering up all the Christmas stock they had left and bringing it to the floor. He felt bad for any of his coworkers that had to deal with customers.
As he dug through all the stock, he found a paint set they’d gotten in, one he’d been excited for the release of. One that he’d had multiple customers ask for, yet they only got a box of three sets in.
The bonus in working in an art store was that Yoongi always got first dibs on products, so when he returned hope with a new paint set, he couldn’t help but be excited. He’d seen so many reviews on the paints and he knew they would work beautifully on his painting of Jimin.
“You’re home!” Jimin smiled as he darted over to Yoongi, looking over his shoulder at the paint set in his hands. “I missed you.”
Those words shouldn’t have made Yoongi’s heart flip like it did, and yet his entire face felt hot and his stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies.
It only got worse the moment Yoongi turned around to face Jimin and was met with the sight of a single white rose, clutched between Jimin’s clawed fingers. Hesitantly, Yoongi reached out and took the flower and within seconds, Jimin’s smile stretched incredibly wide, his eyes bright.
“What’s this for?” Yoongi asked, twirling the flower to look at all of the smooth, white petals.
“It’s for you. I found it and thought of you.” Jimin’s words only raised more questions.
“Where did you find it?” It was the middle of winter. There was no way Jimin could have found it outside. Most plants were dead or at least about to. And the rose in his hands looked store bought, which there was no way Jimin could have left to go to a store.
Then Yoongi noticed the slight hint of guilt in Jimin’s eyes, along with the sudden break of eye contact.
And then Yoongi remembered walking past a bouquet of flowers in the hallway, outside of someone’s door. They’d been nicely wrapped, most likely a gift.
“Jimin,” the name left his lips as a heavy sigh and the Lamia was quick to wrap Yoongi’s hands up in his own, worry filling his gaze.
“Don’t make me put it back, I have no other gift to give you,” Jimin spoke quickly and Yoongi really did his best to not focus on how nice Jimin’s hands felt against his own. “There were so many, they won’t notice if one is gone.”
For a moment, Yoongi wasn’t sure what to do, but reluctantly, he sighed. He didn’t want to get rid of the rose anyways. Not when Jimin gave it to him.
His apartment had a lack of vases, so Yoongi ended up putting it in a cup of water and he set it on the table, and though it looked a bit ridiculous, he still smiled as he stared at the petals practically glowing in the sunlight.
Yoongi really expected the flower to be the only gift, but as time continued, he found that Jimin continued with the surprises. On more than one occasion, Yoongi could come home to the apartment completely cleaned, all of his art supplies spotless and organized. It also seemed that all the times Jimin had curiously watched Yoongi do his laundry had paid off, as he would also find his clothes washed and neatly folded on his bed.
And one night, he came home from work to hear running water in the bathroom, and at first, he figured it to be Jimin taking a bath, but soon he saw the Lamia darting from the bathroom, a bright smile on his lips.
“Ah, you’re finally back! I drew a bath for you!” Jimin sounded excited as he dragged Yoongi over to the bathroom, the sound of a bath bomb fizzing mixed in with the sound of the bath running, the heavy scent of roses floating through the air. “You’ve said how tired you’ve been recently so I thought a nice bath would help!”
Yoongi was completely frozen in shock and only snapped out of it when he felt Jimin’s hands tugging at his shirt, trying to pull it off. Quickly, his hands grabbed Jimin’s arms, turning wide eyes to the creature.
“If I’m taking a bath, you have to leave,” Yoongi laughed out of pure bafflement, his cheeks warming a bit. Jimin, however, seemed very confused by Yoongi’s words.
“But I planned on washing your hair. You do it for me all the time.” He blinked, innocence clear in his bright, yellow eyes. Oh, he thinks that—
“Human bodies are a bit different that yours,” Yoongi smiled, lowering Jimin’s hands away from his shirt, taking a small step back, just for good measure. “It’s why we wear clothes in the first place. We can’t hide our…” He trailed off, unsure of how to properly word his thoughts, but it seemed he didn’t have to, as Jimin was very quickly straightening, eyes wide.
“They’re just out all the time?!” A dark blush was clear on his cheeks as his eyes lowered and oh god, Yoongi could feel his skin burning under Jimin’s gaze.
“They are, so I need you to leave. I’ll come to your room once I’m done.” Yoongi gave a smile, and though he seemed reluctant, Jimin ended up leaving.
The bath was much needed and Yoongi was really happy Jimin decided to do that for him. He stayed in the water for far too long, his fingers all wrinkled and the water soon getting cold. He really didn’t want to get out, but eventually he pulled a towel around his waist and made his way to his bedroom, smiling when he saw his favourite cotton pajamas folded nicely on his bed.
For a moment, he simply sat on the edge of his bed and traced his finger over the neatly folded seam, a small smile on his lips. Warmth spread through his chest as he thought about Jimin taking the time out of his day to not only help Yoongi around the apartment, but also do such kind gestures.
He was starting to think he didn’t want Jimin to leave once winter was over, not because of the work that the Lamia was putting in, but because he would really miss Jimin. He would miss having him around, having someone to talk to. He’d miss the nights where Jimin would ask him to stay and they’d curl up in his nest together, the heavy weight of Jimin’s tail coiling around them easily lulling Yoongi to sleep.
“Hey,” Jimin’s soft voice from the door pulled Yoongi from his thoughts. The Lamia smiled from where he was peeking around the doorframe, claws tapping gently on the wood. “When you get changed, would you want to sleep with me tonight? It’s been a few nights since you’ve stayed and I’ve missed having you there.”
Yoongi nodded because he knew deep in his chest that he’d missed Jimin in those nights as well.
The first shed that Jimin had while staying with Yoongi came as quite the surprise. Yoongi had noticed that Jimin had been pretty sleepy and sluggish for the days leading up to it, but Jimin hadn’t said what was wrong. He kept saying he was cold, saying it was too dry, but never said he had a shed coming.
When Yoongi left for work, Jimin was fast asleep in his room, wrapped up in his blankets despite the room being unbearably warm. Normally, he could say goodbye to Yoongi, but he didn’t even move, quiet snores coming from under the blanket. So, without his usual goodbye, Yoongi left for work.
All day he’d been worried about Jimin and when his shift was over, he rushed home, hoping that Jimin was feeling okay. What he came home to was Jimin curled up in the bath, a thin layer of skin floating in the water around him as he pulled more off of his tail, stopping the moment his eyes met Yoongi’s. He looked horrified, as if he’d been caught doing something wrong.
And for a moment, Yoongi panicked, unsure of what was happening. He rushed to Jimin, gently taking his hands away from the peeling skin, eyes wide as he let Jimin’s tired gaze.
“Are you okay? What’s going on?” Yoongi lowered his eyes to the skin all around them and he felt the harsh burn of tears behind him, scared and confused.
“It’s okay, I’m just shedding,” Jimin murmured comfortingly, though his face looked the complete opposite of ‘comfortable’. “I was hoping to finish before you got home because it’s a pretty gross sight. But I’m having a lot of trouble getting all of my tail. Normally clanmates would help out, but… It’s just me here.”
Yoongi lifted his eyes to Jimin’s before letting out a soft, relieved sigh. It was just a shed, nothing bad. But seeing the discomfort on Jimin’s face had Yoongi’s chest aching and he was quick to close the door behind him, letting the hot water in the tub steam up the room a bit more.
“Let me help you,” he knelt down again and helped Jimin pull his dripping tail from the tub. There was a moment where he simply stared at the tail, hands hovering over the peeling layer of skin, unsure of what to do. Jimin was quick to speak up, a small smile on his lips.
“Just set your hands on the shed here,” Jimin pointed right to the edge of the shedding skin and gently, Yoongi set his hands on Jimin’s tail, not applying too much pressure, though he was unsure on what exactly this would do to help. But the moment Jimin started pulling his tail, Yoongi’s hands helped to roll the shed off of his scales slowly. It was sickening in a way, but also satisfying to see the dull, shedding skin peel away from Jimin’s tail, revealing the vibrancy of his tail underneath, even if his scales were only black and white.
Jimin’s face was twisted with discomfort as he pulled at his tail, eyebrows pulling together with the more skin they pulled off. Unable to watch the pull of his shed, Yoongi kept his eyes on Jimin’s face, murmuring soft praise every so often, letting Jimin know he was close to being done, or that he was doing really good. The words seemed to help, a small smile pulling at the corners of Jimin’s lips every time Yoongi spoke.
And after what felt like hours, Jimin’s tail was pulled free from the long strip of shed that had rolled up in Yoongi’s hands. It was massive and Yoongi was quick to put it in the trash, tying up the bag and setting it to the side to throw out in a few minutes.
Jimin looked tired, his head leaned back against the wall of the tub, eyes closed. His breaths were heavy and Yoongi was quick to take his hands, pulling him from the tub. Jimin didn’t fight at all as he was brought to his room and tucked into his nest, nuzzling into his pillow.
“You did really good, Jimin,” Yoongi murmured again, sitting next to the nest, petting Jimin’s head gently. The Lamia didn’t respond, his eyes closed and his face buried in the pillow. He seemed completely worn out and Yoongi felt bad that he hadn’t been there to help earlier. How long had Jimin been trying to get his own shed off, struggling with how long his tail was?
Pressing a soft kiss to Jimin’s head, Yoongi left to go clean up the bathroom, only pausing once he’d walked out of his apartment, the bag of shed in his hand. It was only then that it clicked what he’d done, that he’d kissed Jimin. Though it had only been on the top of his head, nothing too serious, it had Yoongi’s heart soaring. And slowly, a smile spread over his lips, feeling so incredibly giddy as he thought about it. Because everything about it felt really right.
The painting of Jimin was coming along nicely. Just as expected, the new paints Yoongi had bought worked beautifully, the black making the contrast of Jimin’s tattoos and scales even more prominent.
Out of the entire piece, the tattoos were the hardest part. Yoongi even got Jimin to lay down in the exact position so he could get every detail of the geometric lines perfect. It took hours of glancing over at Jimin and then back to his painting to get it right and by the time he leaned back from the canvas, his eyes were aching from all the focus it had taken. Setting down his paintbrush, Yoongi sighed, letting his eyes fall shut.
“How does it look?” The soft sound of rustling filled the room and Jimin slithered out of his nest, moving closer to Yoongi to look at the canvas. Without opening his eyes, Yoongi smiled, his head tipping back a bit.
“It looks good, but I don’t think I could do you justice.” When silence filled the room, Yoongi blinked open his eyes to find Jimin settled right in front of him, a soft smile on his lips.
“I think it’s beautiful.” Jimin’s eyes didn’t even turn to the canvas as he said it, eyes unwavering from Yoongi’s face. Within seconds, his heartbeat was picking up, his mouth completely dry.
When Jimin finally broke their eye contact, it was to pick up one of the tubes of paint, a bright sky blue, twirling it between his fingers.
“This is a nice colour,” Jimin murmured, holding it up in front of Yoongi’s face, as if he couldn’t see it otherwise. The colour complimented Jimin’s tanned skin nicely and a thought popped into his head. Without a second thought, he voiced his sudden thought.
“Why don’t I paint your tattoos?” Jimin seemed shocked by the proposition, but quickly, a smile spread over his lips and without a second thought, he nodded.
“That sounds nice. I’d like that.”
Yoongi wasn’t sure what made him suggest it, but all through the process of putting paints on his palette and getting some brushes ready, he couldn’t stop the hammering of his heart or the slight tremble to his hands. What made it even worse was how calm Jimin looked as he watched Yoongi, a smile ever present on his pretty lips.
The first spot of paint began on Jimin’s shoulder, thin lines forming interlocking triangles tattooed into his skin. Yoongi did his best to stay within the lines, though on occasion his hand would tremble a bit and jolt outside of the lines. A mixture of blues, purples, pinks and reds spread from Jimin’s shoulder to his chest and collarbone before going down his bicep. As Yoongi continued to paint, the more his heart began to calm, his hand began to steady and he felt at ease. Like he was painting on a normal canvas.
Though a normal canvas was much less beautiful than the creature under his brush at that moment.
The whole time Yoongi painted, as his brush traced over Jimin’s skin, filling in between every dark line, he could feel eyes on him. Jimin followed his every move, though his gaze would always come back to rest on Yoongi’s face, watching him quietly.
Moving to Jimin’s other shoulder, Yoongi strayed from painting inside of the lines and instead began to add onto them in different ways. In the midst of the triangles on his other arm, Yoongi dipped his brush into some white paint, smiling as he began to trace out the shapes of small roses poking through the black lines. The white petals reminded him of the rose that Jimin had given him. It had been almost a month since that had happened and they’d since thrown out the flower after it had wilted and died. He could remember the disappointment on Jimin’s face when he realized that they’d have to throw it out.
“I’ll get you another one, okay?” He’d promised it, but there hadn’t been any more flower deliveries for a bit, so to cheer him up, Yoongi began to bring back white roses from the flower shop down the street every so often.
He wasn’t sure what had compelled him to do it, but it felt right, seeing Jimin smile as he placed the new flower in the vase Yoongi had picked up from work.
As those memories came back to him, Yoongi slowly pulled his brush away from Jimin’s skin, lifting his eyes to meet Jimin’s gaze.
“Did you ever stop trying to court me?” Yoongi asked, realizing that all of the gifts, all of the gestures may have been Jimin’s attempts and courting him. He could see a bit of embarrassment on the Lamia’s face, his gaze quickly flicking away.
“I didn’t try to do it, but I really…” Pausing, Jimin pressed his lips together, eyes lowering to the floor, staring at the unmoving palette of paints. “I really like you and I think I continued to do it instinctively. I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t apologize,” Yoongi quickly cut him off, Jimin’s eyes wide as he lifted them back to Yoongi’s faze, confusion in his eyes. Swallowing, Yoongi set down his paintbrush before he lifted his hands to Jimin’s cheeks, thumb’s slowly brushing over the soft skin. And feeling Jimin’s face under his fingers, hearing the gentle hitch in Jimin’s breaths, seeing his eyes widen all solidified the thoughts in Yoongi’s head. “I’m glad you didn’t stop.”
“Yoongi,” his name left Jimin’s lips as a breathless whisper, his shocked gaze searching Yoongi’s eyes, as if trying to find any signs of a lie until finally he whispered, “Are you accepting my courtship?”
“Yes.” The word barely left his lips before Jimin’s hands took Yoongi’s cheeks and their lips crashed together, messy and heated, the only thought on either of their minds was each other. Every inch of Yoongi’s body burned under Jimin’s touch, at the slide of clawed hands down his sides, tugging him closer and closer. Yoongi’s hands smeared the paint across Jimin’s chest, but neither of them cared when the slow slide of their lips distracted from that.
Yoongi parted first, mostly due to lack of air and he felt Jimin chase his lips, catching another small kiss before they looked at each other, chests heaving and lips swollen. Butterflies fluttered in Yoongi’s stomach and they only got worse when Jimin smiled, his eyes scrunching up as he leaned his forehead against Yoongi’s.
Gently, Yoongi took Jimin’s hand in his own and glanced down at their tattoos, so similar but with the slightest differences. The sign of their courtship before they even knew each other. It sounded completely ridiculous, but it had Yoongi smiling, their fingers twining together.
The morning sun was blinding as Yoongi walked to the kitchen to get Ashton’s food ready. The curtains of Jimin’s room had been drawn, cloaking the entire room in darkness, so Yoongi hadn’t been aware of how bright the sun was. He squinted against the light as he maneuvered his way around the kitchen, a quiet moews following him indicating how hungry Ashton was.
With the disgusting wet food all mixed up in a bowl, Yoongi walked over to the food dish and set it down, his cat setting to work devouring it quickly.
The door creaked slightly, pulling Yoongi’s attention to where Jimin was leaving his room, blinking sleepily as he slithered over to Yoongi, rubbing at his eyes. It was a bit startling when Jimin moved easily around him, his large tail coiling around Yoongi’s body to the point that he couldn’t move. Much more awake from the sudden panic rising in his chest, he looked up at Jimin looming above him.
They had only settled their courtship the night before and Yoongi wasn’t sure about Lamia customs, but he wasn’t sure this was one of them. He watched Jimin’s mouth open, his jaw stretching unnaturally wide, sending a shot of fear through Yoongi’s chest.
And then a loud yawn left Jimin’s lips as he closed his mouth again, forked tongue flicking over his lips as he lowered his gaze to Yoongi, a lazy smile on his lips as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Yoongi’s forehead.
“Good morning,” he said easily, as if he hadn’t just given Yoongi a heart attack. Letting out a breathless laugh, Yoongi leaned his forehead against Jimin’s shoulder, feeling the crack of dried paint on the creature’s chest.
“Good morning to you too.” Yoongi felt a warm feeling bubble up in his chest, replacing the previous panic easily. He shouldn’t have worried about Jimin eating him, not when they’d spent months together without a single incident.
Yoongi had thought for a long time that he would never have a normal relationship, and though he wouldn’t consider what he and Jimin had as ‘normal’, it was close. It was a relationship, one he could see himself committing to, one that he wanted to commit himself to, despite the fear he had of such things.
When Yoongi had found a creature that looked straight out of myths, bleeding out on his living room floor, he hadn’t expected he’d meet Jimin, and he hadn’t expected to fall in love.
But as he looked at the sleepy Lamia wrapped around him, large tail coiled around their bodies, holding them close together, Yoongi couldn’t ask for anything else.