Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

a resounding slam reverberated through the basement, causing the pens, mini organizers, and a previously used, now empty glass to jingle on the table. the abrupt noise made the gang members instinctively flinch in response.

jungkook was never characterized as hot-tempered; in fact, he exuded remarkable patience. this quality not only contributed to the success of his business but also elevated his name to fame throughout the city, particularly within the circles of other gangs.

gangs were never jungkook's choice. he had no desire to be a part of any gang, but circumstances didn't leave him much of a choice. as an only child, his father was adamant about not giving up the family business. it wasn't the typical violent, drug-dealing gang; instead, they operated within legal boundaries. their success and immense wealth were derived from a business that had thrived for two generations, with jungkook now shouldering the responsibility as the third generation in charge.

he has undeniably achieved success, maintaining an impressive track record of treating his employees well, even when navigating the occasional legal gray area. however, at present, jungkook has no intention of revealing this aspect of himself to those who admire and reciprocate his respect.

jungkook's fist is clenched onto the table, his fingernails digging into his palm, knuckles white as frustration coursed through him. gritting his teeth in annoyance, he had hoped tonight would be one of those rare moments for relaxation. a much-needed breather from the suffocating grip his job had on him for the past few weeks. however, that hope shattered when one of his men rushed back, panting like a dog, delivering the news that the operation was "down" – a clear indication that the guns and money were either stolen or lost in transit. 

yet, jungkook, sharp and perceptive, knew better. this situation had become a recurring theme over the years. though no longer surprised, the perpetual frustration never failed to infuriate him.

“the Kims,” jungkook hissed in annoyance. “what the fuck did they do this time?!” 

his men stood motionless, frozen in place before him, heads bowed and hands clasped in front of them. it was as though they feared any sound might provoke jungkook into a lethal response.

"whis," jungkook called out. the man who was addressed flinched, swiftly adjusting his stance and meeting jungkook's gaze with a mixture of fear and obedience. "what happened?" 

jungkook massaged his temples, his face scrunched as he observed the man before him. the man seemed at a loss for words, opening his mouth several times as if his thoughts were in disarray. jungkook, ever patient, decided to give him the time he needed.

"take a deep breath and tell me what happened," jungkook gently encouraged, his reassuring tone cutting through the tension. "stop panicking, it's just me."

the man listened attentively, taking a deep breath before speaking. "i contacted the logistics manager we assigned, and they assured me that the shipment was successful. but… we found out that the deliveries did not match our stuffs; they weren't ours. "

jungkook absorbed this information, maintaining his composure. remaining patient, he sought to approach the situation with reason and logic, considering the possibility of a mistake by one of his team members. "have you verified the cargo number?" he asked. the man nodded in affirmation. "and the barcode of the packages?" another nod followed. "we conducted several inspections, boss, but the items didn't belong to us. our schedule is accurate; it was supposed to be received tonight."

jungkook sighed, placing both hands on the table and lowering his head, conveying a sense of weariness and acceptance of the unfortunate outcome. he knew it. 

jungkook nodded after a few moments. it’s evident that the error didn't come from his team's end; someone had tampered with their shipment data. jungkook was well aware, particularly of the someone who’s more likely responsible for the switch.

—

the journey to the port stretched on for about forty minutes, during which time his frustration had visibly manifested through the subtle flaring of his nose. their usual business transactions involved discreet sea deliveries to avoid drawing unnecessary attention- it was safer that way. he is well aware that the firearms and the funds intended for payment hadn't disappeared; they were just delayed . waiting for another two months for the delivery felt like an eternity for jungkook, especially considering the anticipation building up among his clients.

he parked his vehicle about a kilometer away from the port. as he stepped out, his gaze fell upon a distant white car. jungkook couldn't help but smirk; he had anticipated this . 

swiftly exiting his car, he made sure to grab both his gun and knife, deftly tucking them inside his leather jacket before closing the door. he moved with purpose, approaching the cargo area as he spotted a figure with their back turned, seemingly engrossed in inspecting the cargo. 

luckily, the port was shrouded in darkness, with only the lighthouse casting its glow to the right. it provided just enough light for jungkook to discern the person's silhouette. retrieving a small knife from his pocket, he crouched and silently advanced towards the unsuspecting individual. he could shoot him from a distance, but he didn’t come here to kill the man.

said man has no idea— too engrossed in his task, tilting his head while scanning and studying the items around him.

jungkook, unfazed by the scent of blood emanating from the ship, quickly takes cover behind another cargo when the man turns around, cautiously checking for any presence behind him.

fucking vampires. jungkook thinks. always messing me up.  

once he deemed it safe, he cautiously peered around the corner. the man remained inside the ship, meticulously inspecting the blood bags. summoning newfound confidence and courage, he decided to approach, preferring a less lethal approach.

jungkook was never one for taking lives; it went against his principles. perhaps inflicting a minor injury would be enough to dissuade the man from bothering him and meddling in his affairs.

just as jungkook believed he could execute his plan successfully, the man abruptly turns, jungkook blinks and suddenly he groaned at the impact when his back and hand were firmly pressed against the cold metal of the cargo. the pressure was so intense that the knife slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground.

"well, well, well, look who's dropped by, my little bunny . if you were yearning for my presence, a simple message through your lackeys would have been enough," taehyung teased, his tone laced with flirtation. 

jungkook squirms in his hold, “fucking let me go kim!” he spits.

taehyung merely grinned, his head tilting as his eyes flashed red, “only if you ask nicely, baby”

the first time jungkook encountered those eyes almost made him shit on his pants— terror had coursed through him. yet, after years of such encounters, fear and anxiety had given way to a peculiar mix of madness and warmth in the pit of his stomach. jungkook ignored the latter though.

“i’m not playing with you, bastard” jungkook hissed.

taehyung hums, his other hand resting on jungkook's chest to pin him better. "oh? i assumed you were, especially since you were gearing up to stab me from behind,"

jungkook looks away. “why the fuck did you mess with my deliveries?!”

taehyung reaches out with an empty hand, lightly brushing against jungkook's cheek. his nails delicately trace patterns, sending shivers down jungkook's spine. "i believe you already have the answer, love ," he remarks, nodding toward the blood bags behind them.

jungkook laughs, “why?” he turns to look at taehyung’s face, “got ran out of humans to suck?,”

his mouth dropped open as he swiftly recognized the wrong choice of words. stupid!

“hmm.. not really, but if you’re interested, i can suck you- ow!”

jungkook swiftly turns them around with all the strength he has, putting a halt to taehyung's mischief with a well-placed kick. 

now, with a bit of distance between them, he could finally catch his breath. "i don't care if you're hungry, taehyung. just don't mess with my deliveries."

taehyung chuckled, recovering from the kick's impact as he confidently advanced towards jungkook. "where's the fun in that? i love seeing you all worked up. you're cute when you're mad," he remarked with a glint in his eyes, treating jungkook's frustration as if it were a delightful spectacle.

jungkook swiftly retrieved his knife, pressing taehyung against the same wall from moments before., “i’m not fucking with you-”

“well we could change that,”

jungkook tightened the grip of the knife against his throat, a thin line of blood emerging and tingling on the vampire's attire. “leave my business alone, i’m serious,” jungkook ignores how close they are. his breath fanning against taehyung's face, evident in the gentle sway of taehyung's bangs with each breath.

“and if we don’t?” taehyung provokes, seemingly unfazed by jungkook's anger and the sharp bite of the knife.

“then i’ll leave you and your coven starving.”

jungkook knows he hit a nerve the moment the coven was mentioned. 

“don’t you fucking dare lay your hands on them.” taehyung snarls, seizing jungkook's hand, firmly gripping it against the latter's throat and skillfully tries to break free from the hold. 

“then don’t fucking mess with my business, bloodsuckers!”

—

jungkook sat on his balcony, a glass of soda in hand, feeling nervous with the daunting task of informing his clients that their deliveries would face further delays. it stung his pride, a rare occurrence for him, as he usually does a great job with his business. timely deliveries, consistently high-quality firearms, and unwavering customer satisfaction had always been his trademarks. the prospect of tarnishing that reputation weighed heavily on his mind.

ever since the arrival of the Kims, his business and reputation have been damned. the Kims consistently interfered with deliveries, a perplexing behavior that eluded his understanding. vampires, by their nature, operated under a separate government, designed to manage vampire affairs without disrupting human matters. the puzzling meddling from the kim clan remained a constant source of his confusion. 

now, jungkook prides himself on being a decent human being, and the thought of snitching on the Kims to the government has never crossed his mind. even so, their interference with his business continues to frustrate him.

this ongoing interference has persisted for a year, and despite the prolonged tension, jungkook's direct interactions with the Kims have been minimal. typically, he communicates through the men he sends to the kim coven to convey his threats. the recent encounter with taehyung marked the first significant interaction jungkook had with any of the Kims.

the Kims, a powerful vampire clan, are no strangers to jungkook. he witnessed them all once during an event he attended to welcome the vampires to the city. although he couldn't fathom why every gang had to be present, it became clear that it served as a warning. the Kims, all bonded mates, exuded a formidable presence, signaling to everyone not to mess with one of the most influential vampire clans in the city.

he wasn't naive; jungkook understood he stood no chance against them. 

vampires, with their swift movements, uncanny reflexes, and heightened night vision, held a clear advantage. jungkook, armed only with his muscular physique and martial arts he’s learned, lacked the supernatural abilities to match their speed and agility. while he could hold his own in a fight and defend himself, the reality remained that his speed and reflexes paled in comparison to those of the vampires.

jungkook sighed and gulped down the soda he’s holding. it’s a pretty night, and he can see the moon right in front of him. the breeze is perfect against his face. he doesn’t appreciate the pollution in the city, so he’s currently passing the night in the apartment he purchased just near the port. he gently puts down the glass and leans back.

as he takes a moment to reflect, the events from earlier flood his thoughts. with the fading rush of adrenaline, clarity settles in, allowing him to revisit each moment like scenes from a movie. kim taehyung was pretty. so undeniably fucking pretty. he recalls their proximity— so close that he could discern the details of taehyung's face, even managed to count the moles on the vampire’s face. there's a particular mole by taehyung's waterline that seems perfectly placed, adding to his otherworldly charm.

jungkook isn’t blind, he finds taehyung pretty and anyone with eyes can see it. even from a distance, in their previous encounters, jungkook couldn't help but admire taehyung's beauty and now that jungkook had come face to face with a man that’s sending jungkook in a gay panic— in a closer proximity that typically reserved for couples, a subtle blush warms the human’s cheeks.

he wasn't harboring a mere crush; being gay, he understood that it was natural for him to feel this way when he sees a pretty man. the flashing of red eyes was the cherry on top. 

taehyung's brown eyes were undeniable, but red? oh, they’re doing things to jungkook. he couldn’t help but wonder how pretty the rest of his mates were up close.

stop.

don’t.

stop thinking about it.

jungkook shook his head, rising from his seat with a determined frown. 

no , having a crush was out of the question. he cannot find them attractive; they were simply distracting him from his work. instead of dwelling on such thoughts and having an episode of epiphany that he might be developing a crush, he needed to focus on preparing for tomorrow's client meetings.

jungkook returned to his bedroom, slipping beneath the cozy embrace of a thick blanket.

—

"shad, did you update the clients?" jungkook inquired as he settled into his seat. it was eight in the morning, and he hadn't even had breakfast yet; too anxious to swallow any food. he had requested shad to handle the client communication on his way to the office.

with no response from shad, jungkook hastened to make it to the office himself. 

jungkook unzipped his leather jacket and carefully draped it over the back of his chair. he turned his attention to the man, his brow furrowing and eyes widening in a moment of panic. despite his tough exterior, jungkook had a tendency to be easily frightened. a very amusing example of this was his fear of the microwave, a seemingly ironic phobia given his proficiency with explosives and firearms.

despite being renowned among other gangs, jungkook was undeniably introverted. the mere idea of socializing caused his knees to go weak. which is why he couldn’t help but let out a damn exhale the moment shad looks at him in fear.

"ah, sir," shad stutters, his hand visibly trembling as he extends the phone towards jungkook. a resounding shout emanates from the device, the call not even on speaker, yet jungkook's heart races within his chest.

jungkook's eyebrows furrowed deeper as he glanced between shad and the phone. "what?"

shad appeared unfazed by the annoyance evident on jungkook's face. despite the latter's clear irritation, shad maintained his composure, choosing to avert his gaze and feign interest in his surroundings. he deliberately avoided making eye contact with jungkook, seemingly absorbed in scanning the area and appreciating the ceiling to maintain a sense of detachment.

sighing, jungkook allows his head to drop for a moment before reaching over to grab the phone from shad to take the call. he clears his throat, and casually places a hand on his hip, preparing to navigate the conversation with the client. 

jungkook is more sensitive than anyone thinks. he’s a soft bean but he’s got to be tough— understanding the necessity of projecting strength in certain situations. like this one. 

“jungkook of golden gang, speaking-”

“you stupid motherfucker! what do you mean i need to wait another two months?!”

jungkook takes a moment to address the matter at hand. he releases a calming breath through his nose, deliberately easing the tension in his nerves to prevent the onset of panic.

“ah sir, unfortunately, there has been an issue with our shipment data so the items will be delayed. rest assured that we are actively addressing the situation. your items are in good hands.” jungkook sincerely hopes that this explanation will alleviate any concerns the man may have.

the man sneered, "i couldn't care less! you're our supplier, and the responsibility rests squarely on your shoulders! you made a promise!"

jungkook remained silent, fully aware of his accountability. offering any further explanations would only cast him and his business in a negative light. the man on the call would likely perceive it as unprofessionalism, reducing jungkook to a mere supplier making excuses to evade responsibility.

sighing, the man continued, "you've been slacking, jk. i don't appreciate it." disappointment laced his tone. if his suspicions were correct, it was bound to fuck things up for him. fucking Kims.

"sir, i-i assure you, we'll get your items here as quickly as possible," jungkook stammered, his eyes filled with panic as he glanced at shad.

"i have a strong aversion to people who lack diligence, jungkook. experiencing it once was tolerable, but encountering it for the second time ceases to be a mere coincidence. with it happening for the third time, it appears more intentional than accidental. tell me, are you trying to get on my bad side?”

jungkook nervously swallows, bites his lip, and gazes down at the floor before responding, "no, sir."

the man grunted, seemingly settling into his seat. "so, what happened? i can overlook it once, maybe twice, but a third time?" the client sighed, "jungkook, this is a hard decision to make but i don't believe that we should continue working together anymore. i’ve had enough.”

“no sir i-”

the call ends.  

jungkook closed his eyes and exhaled. his hands are shaking both from panic and frustration. 

fuck, he just lost a business partner, his enemies would have a field day if they find out that the jeon- golden gang, who is known for transparency, quality and reliability is fucking slacking. he should have snitch the Kims— it’s their fault! 

the frustrations overpowered his dissipating anxiety, so what he does next is something he never knew he would do. throwing the phone across the room as he yells in frustration.

for fuck’s sake, he knew this would happen, and there are at least two clients waiting for him. 

are they also going to back out and break the partnership? jungkook doesn’t know. 

he doesn’t have the answer. it’s only eight, which means that it was the first call. he could still fix it and do his best to assure his partners. 

legal or illegal business, there’s always shit things happening .

"leave," jungkook exhales sharply. he catched shad nodding in his peripheral vision, hastily scrambling to flee from his office.

jungkook’s stomach emitted a low growl, prompting him to furrow his brow in frustration.  

fuck.  

his tantrums seemed to be a combination of hunger and a desperate need for caffeine.

“well, that was an interesting episode,” a voice chimed in from the doorway, its teasing tone suggesting an intentional attempt to provoke jungkook. “didn’t know you’re good at begging but— only in legal terms.”

jungkook looks up. 

fucking kim seokjin.

the sire of the kim coven. 

how come he did not notice him come inside?

“what the fuck are you doing here?” he asks, gritting his teeth. the frustration building up even more.

seokjin smiles. “can we go back to using legal terms? the curse words that your spewing does not really suit your pretty little mouth.”

“what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

seokjin rolls his eyes. “can’t you tell? i literally just said that it was an interesting episode.”

jungkook clenches his jaw, watching seokjin roam around the room. admiring the complexity of the designs, furnitures and the guns embedded the wall. the sire has his lips pout in concentration, and jungkook is not sure if he’s genuinely captivated by the decor or merely putting on a facade. jungkook can't deny that, even in his anger, he still finds seokjin undeniably attractive. the unreal quality of seokjin's side profile doesn't escape him.

he shook his head. 

he’s just hungry.

“i heard you attacked one of my mates,” seokjin starts, taking a seat on the loveseat opposite jungkook's table. his feet casually hung over the armrest, drawing attention to the shapely curves of his thighs outlined by the fitted leather pants.

jungkook gulps, looking away. “he told you that?” jungkook scoffs, “i did not attack him. he was the one who pinned me against the wall—”

“bet you liked it. taehyungie does it all the time.” 

jungkook’s brain freezes for a moment, turning to seokjin, the latter casually dangles his feet, observing jungkook with an air of amusement. “what?” 

jungkook hates the smug look on his face.

seokjin chuckled, tilting his head back, his throat exposed. jungkook couldn't help but swallow nervously at the sight. he doesn’t need the information that seokjin has a beautiful small throat. “what i’m saying is that maybe you liked our taehyungie pinning you against the wall—”

“what the fuck you’re crazy— of course i did not.” jungkook exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice. being the target of humiliation for the second time in a row irked him to no end, it only intensifies the boiling rage within him. 

are vampires really this freaky? insane? perhaps, given their centuries-long existence, they might have lost touch with sanity, enduring countless pains and memories that never faded away.

seokjin laughs, standing up and strolling over to jungkook. the sound of his laughter sent a shiver down jungkook's spine, a peculiar blend of eerie and authentic.

“he said you were going to stab him. from the back.” seokjin leans in, his lips mere centimeters from jungkook's. “i’m taking you love doing it from behind?”

jungkook's eyes widened as he gazed at seokjin up close. the pinkish, plump allure of seokjin's lips became more apparent, and jungkook couldn't help but notice the softness of his nose. a paradoxical mix of softness and intimidation emerged as jungkook observed the combination of seokjin's thick eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes. it felt suffocating to jungkook, as if seokjin exuded an aura of authority that enveloped him completely.

"shut up! just— what the fuck is wrong with you?" jungkook stammers, averting his gaze from seokjin's. 

perhaps being in such close quarters with a strikingly handsome man is driving jungkook to the edge of his sanity. 

in an unexpected move, he pushes seokjin away, hoping to pass off the blush on his face as a result of frustration rather than the undeniable proximity between them.

however, seokjin is strong, showing no sign of weakness as he stood unwavering. he’s just standing there watching jungkook gain his composure. 

“and i did not attack your little boyfriend, i was just—” he paused, taking a deep breath and feeling a twinge of guilt. “i was just… attempting to do it but it was to warn—” jungkook stammered, his voice tapering off uncertainly.

seokjin’s eyes flash red.

in a blink, the vampire has jungkook cornered against the table. seokjin’s leg is in between jungkook’s and it’s dangerously close to his private area. jungkook’s eyes widen, gripping the edge of the table overwhelmed by the unexpected closeness.

“so you did plan to hurt him.” he says bitterly clicking his tongue. “do you know what happens to people who hurt my mates. ” 

silence. 

it’s not a question. it was a statement.

“we eat them.” seokjin eyes him up and down, licking his lips, “and i don’t mind if it’s you.” he adds, leaning in to whisper in jungkook's ear. jungkook takes a sharp breath, feeling a wave of dizziness. “you’d make a great meal,” jungkook thinks he’s going to lose his fucking mind. 

he feels so dizzy. he almost moaned. seokjin smells so good, akin to the sweet fragrance of an addictive flower. his hand that is groping the table becomes so clammy that it’s sliding off the wooden surface, trembling.

in a sudden surge of panic, jungkook instinctively slapped seokjin across the face. the sharp sound of skin meeting skin jolted jungkook awake, as if a splash of cold water had snapped him to attention. his mouth opened, as if to speak, but shock rendered him momentarily speechless; he closed it, only to open it once more, struggling to find the right words in the aftermath of the impulsive action.

“and do you know what happens to bloodsuckers that meddle with my business?” jungkook chose to say, trying to mask his internal struggles. 

seokjin glares at him, irritation evident in his expression as he casually wipes the blood from the corner of his lip with the back of his hand. jungkook is sure he did not slap him that hard, but maybe he did out of control.

“i fuck up their meal,” he says, hoping it sounded threatening enough to cover up the trembling of his voice. 

seokjin’s lips twitch, until he couldn’t help it and he’s leaning back, laughing. the squeaky sounds echoing through the room. jungkook cannot help but noticed a droplet of blood staining his fang. 

“you’re funny.” seokjin says, wiping the tears that gathered on his eyes. “i’d love to see you try.” 

there’s a hint of sarcasm in there, but jungkook remained his cool expression to seem unaffected. 

jungkook glared at the spot seokjin disappeared into.

maybe he should’ve just killed taehyung. 

—

fortunately for jungkook, as the sun set, he didn't lose any more clients. the two remaining clients didn't call, which should make him feel relieved, but it also makes him anxious. 

no communication among the gang can mean two things:

1. they don't mind because they understand and;
2. they're secretly working to overthrow him.

while the remaining clients are known to be nice for jungkook, he can't shake off a sense of fear. 

nicest people are the scariest ones, after all.

these clients are very loyal to the jeon family. they trusted jungkook as soon as he took over running the family business. even though jungkook's parents thought of them as good friends, in the gang world, friendships usually involve owing each other something. 

as far as jungkook knows, his parents didn't leave him with any debts to deal with. s

trangely, the business was doing really well and didn't have any problems when his parents died. it's like they took care of everything before they passed away. this makes jungkook suspicious and he can't help but think that their deaths were planned.

jungkook's parents passed away due to a sickness he can't quite remember. all he knows is that they died peacefully in their sleep, with pale lips and no breath. it wasn't jungkook who found them, but his parents' assistant. 

since he wasn't very close to his parents, he managed to move on from the sadness fairly easily. jungkook was already 18 when they passed away, and on his birthday, just the night before they left the world, his dad had given him a silver bracelet as a gift, along with a reminder to always wear it.

even after four years, jungkook still wears a bracelet on his left wrist. it's tucked under the sleeve of his sweatshirt. jungkook usually doesn't like jewelry because it bothers him, but this bracelet feels light on his skin, almost like it's not there. he only notices it when he sees it, and he kind of likes having it on. he appreciates that it's the one piece of jewelry that stays on without getting on his nerves if worn too long.

his phone buzzed, pulling him from his thoughts. it was a message from one of his guys.

he tapped the message notification and reads, “all clear, sir.”

jungkook smirks. finally, he thinks, revenge time.

even though his day began badly, a bit of caffeine and some sweet snacks helped improve his mood. it's almost 10 pm now, and he's wearing a simple grey sweatshirt and sweatpants to blend in and not attract any suspicious looks from anyone who might be watching him. the Kims might be keeping an eye on him because of the threat and, well, the unfortunate attempted murder of taehyung and the disagreement with seokjin that ends in a slap. he really hopes seokjin doesn't count it as an assault, though.

he reached the port twenty minutes later. it's almost midnight, and there are hardly any cars on the highway. as the men spotted jungkook, they all scrambled to make a way for him, bowing down to show respect. 

jungkook told them many times to stop doing it because he doesn’t like when people think highly of him, but his men didn’t listen because, “ we are grateful that you gave us a job sir,” and really, it’s not a big deal. 

in the past, he might have scolded them, but he doesn't have the time to do it right now. it's a now-or-never situation.

jungkook plans to steal the deliveries of the Kims. he lost one of his biggest and wealthiest clients after all. 

an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. 

the Kims can count their blessings that jungkook isn't as sinister as they are. his only intention is to discreetly hide these blood bags away temporarily, intending to return them in precisely two months— the deadline coinciding with the delivery of the items jungkook is eagerly awaiting.

he aims to put an end to the Kims' interference with their shipment data. this is intended as a clear warning and jungkook is determined to prove he means what he says and can indeed disrupt their supplies— to leave them starving. 

jungkook fished his flashlight out of his pocket and unlatched the cargo, revealing seven neatly arranged boxes within. 

as his men pry open one of the boxes, an overwhelming sight greets them — a myriad of blood bags. the exact count suprise jungkook, perhaps a hundred or even a thousand. regardless, it's an abundant supply, enough to sustain the coven for at least a year.

one of his men steps forward, offering an explanation, "sir, they schedule these deliveries every two months. that's how they manage to tamper with our shipment data; it aligns with our deliveries."

jungkook clicked his tongue in realization. it all fell into place now. the Kims weren't just messing around; they were involved in something clandestine with the vampire government. otherwise, why opt for cargo as the method for selecting deliveries? with planes available, the quickest way to receive deliveries, there had to be a hidden agenda at play.

he hums, “hmm.. blood bags business then.” jungkook is not stupid, his experience in this industry has made him keenly aware of the situation.

jungkook scans the cargo and turns to his men, “can you help me put all of these in my car?”

with the last box he’s carrying towards his car, he waved his men off. “good job today, i’ll raise your pay. rest up,” the men smile, thanking jungkook as he watched them got on their respective cars and drive off.

jungkook follows a rule: he prefers to be the one watching his team drive away, rather than having them watch him. as the leader, he takes on the responsibility of ensuring their safety. grateful that his team chose to work with him instead of other gangs, he feels fortunate to have trustworthy members who allow him to be a bit more open. jungkook acknowledges that his business wouldn't have reached its current success without this dedicated gangs.

he grins widely as he hops into his car and drives away, feeling overjoyed that he has finally managed to give the Kims a dose of their own medicine. he acknowledges it's a bit petty, and usually, people who mess with others face serious consequences, even death. 

jungkook, however, isn't a fan of that; he dislikes taking lives. that's why he's behaving more like a high school student who retaliated by putting a rock in a classmate's bag after they hid his phone.

besides, there’s no way vampires can starve though. they are mates, they can just suck each other’s neck for blood in case they get hungry. 

they can survive.

jungkook smiles. 

—

today marks the seventh day since jungkook took the blood bags, and surprisingly, he's not in trouble yet. everything is going smoothly for him—he's eating well, sleeping well and, most importantly, the talks with the remaining clients went well. they assured jungkook that they wouldn't back out and continues to trust him with the task. they even offered to help deal with those causing trouble with the data to which jungkook just chuckled and reassured them, saying, "no need to worry, i've got it under control for now." though, in reality, all he's really doing is speeding up the delivery, but at least he has the Kims blood bags. 

he strolls towards the coffee shop, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the logistics talk. the loyalty of his gang members who are responsible for handling logistics, is unwavering and are not easily swayed by money. jungkook can't help but find the situation amusing, prompting a light-hearted chuckle from him.

the gentle chime of the bell marked his entrance. the room is adorned in a palette of soothing purples, bathed in the glow of both warm and neon led lights that artfully outlined the ‘welcome’ sign hanging above the counter. 

jungkook approached the cashier, his order voiced with ease, accompanied by a warm smile. as a token of appreciation, he handed her a generous tip in cash before ascending the stairs in search of the perfect spot. discovering a secluded nook at the back, he settled into a booth where the lighting was just right—neither too harsh nor too dim, the ambiance avoiding the crush of a crowd.

upstairs, a trio occupies the space— jungkook and the tender-hearted lesbian couple, who are engaged in a muted conversation, their voices carefully restrained to avoid disrupting those nearby. 

they seem deeply in love, gazing at each other with eyes full of sparkle, and it warms jungkook's heart. the way they look at each other suggests that they are the only people in the world.

in matters of romance, jungkook is a true romantic at heart. being gay, he also wishes for a romantic relationship just like everyone else. at the age of twenty-three, an age when many expect to delve into the realms of love, he should be experiencing that, but instead, he's leading a double life— leading a gang and running a secret business concealed from government’s radar. 

he hasn't had a boyfriend yet, only some crushes, but they were never serious— more akin to puppy love or momentary fixations. although this lack of romantic experience doesn't weigh heavily on him, there is an undeniable yearning within him. sitting amidst the ambiance of the two people, he can't help but long for a connection that mirrors the affection shared by the couple tables away from him.

a male staff member gracefully ascended the stairs and approached jungkook's table to bring his orders. before the staff member could depart, jungkook kindly handed him a tip, accompanied by a warm smile. the man then returned downstairs to resume his duties.

reid— one of his men, was right. 

the coffee coats his tongue deliciously, and the cupcake tastes so sweet. jungkook has a sweet tooth, and consuming these kind of foods gets him going. the moment is perfect, he’s leaned back as he eats and drinks his orders, moaning at the taste of the food. going to the cafe wasn’t really planned, but maybe he could spend the whole day here, and watch the world get dark before he goes home. 

it’s so cozy, so warm, and so relaxing. clearly a vibe that his own apartment fails to radiate.

he lifted his fork to his mouth. just when he was about to take another bite, a cold hand suddenly gripped his wrist, interrupting his meal. annoyed, he glanced up, frowning. but that frown vanished when he saw the most mesmerizing human species jungkook had ever laid his eyes upon.

park jimin.

park jimin is locking eyes with him, peering deep into his soul. jimin's intense gaze is having an effect on jungkook. 

“how nice of you to eat while we’re starving.” jimin grits.

jungkook arched an eyebrow, casually releasing the fork he held in his hand. the metallic clang reverberated through the room. 

jimin rolled his eyes. "don't play dumb, jungkook. i know it was you who took the items. just give them back."

jungkook scoffed. "why would i do that?" he doesn’t intend to lie— he’s willing to keep up the facade just to annoy the shit out of them.

jimin's frustration peaked, prompting him to grab jungkook's collar. his eyes flashed red. 

jungkook suddenly became aware of their proximity, realizing it might give the wrong impression. worried about the nearby couple, he quickly shifted his gaze over jimin's shoulder, only to find that they had already left.

jimin shook his hold on jungkook’s collar to get his attention back. “is this how you really wanna play?

“you started this, and now i'm done.” jungkook is so tired, he just wanna drink his damn coffee and eat his stupid sweet cupcake. why does everyone ruin his day just when he thought nothing could go wrong?

“you don’t get to decide which players to fuck over,” jimin states as he yanks jungkook up.

in a blink, they teleported. 

jungkook realized they are now in the parking lot. jungkook looked at jimin in panic, feeling like he's gonna throw up “wha—”

“you’ve left us no choice, jeon.” jimin says coldly. 

jungkook squirms in his hold but jimin quickly lifts him up higher and threw him in the air. 

jungkook found himself in a state of utter shock, rendered speechless and unable to muster a yell. 

his mind frozen. 

the scene before his eyes refused to register in his brain as everything unfolded in a whirlwind. 

time seemed to slow down, panic gripped him as his vocal cords refused to cooperate. 

the fear of jimin's potential wrath loomed over him. 

fuck, is jimin gonna kill him? is he gonna die today?

bracing himself for the impending impact, jungkook closed his eyes, resigning himself to the inevitable fate of a bloody encounter with the floor.

except—

…

it doesn’t come.

he felt like someone is gripping tight on his back.

someone catched him.

“honored to meet you finally, golden boy.”

jungkook opened his eyes.

namjoon.

the primo. the leader of the kim coven.

oh he’s fucked.

his back is warm against namjoon’s chest, the primo has his arm enveloping jungkook's chest, his large palm and slender fingers resting precisely over jungkook's heart. he’s sure the other could feel it rapidly beating. 

jungkook looks up at the realization, only to find that namjoon is already looking down at him, smirking. 

events unfolded in a blur. in the blink of an eye, namjoon swiftly turns them around. 

before jungkook could even catch his breath, he found himself pressed against the wall. a jolt of horror ran through him as the realization hit that the familiar solidity of the parking lot was no longer beneath his feet. he’s fucking floating.

jungkook scanned his surroundings with frantic eyes, breaths escaping him in quick pants. 

to his bewilderment, neither namjoon nor jimin had a hold on him. stood perfectly still, observing jungkook's suspended form in mid-air. 

desperation ate jungkook as he attempted to move his arms, but they remained frozen. a searing heat is pressed against his skin— an invisible force that seemed to be pinning him.

it’s namjoon. but…

oh…

oh.

jungkook looked at him, eyes shiny and wide.

namjoon found amusement in jungkook's predicament. "we won't ask politely a second time, jungkook," he warned, advancing towards him. "where have you taken the blood bags?"

as the primo draws near, jungkook feels a surge of nervousness intensify within him. 

the paleness of the primo’s face doesn’t go unnoticed. 

namjoon looks so pale. his lips are almost close to purple. he glances over at jimin, and he’s no different either. 

jungkook is sure jimin doesn’t look close to that earlier. 

jungkook shook his head, “im not telling you,” the human is fully aware of the consequence in challenging this powerful vampire clan. he knew it was unwise to find oneself on the wrong side of such coven that could kill him anytime. 

while he acknowledges their supernatural abilities, jungkook was determined to convey that having such abilities did not entitle them to treat him with disdain simply because he was human.

jungkook sensed a shiver running down his spine as namjoon flashed a smirk. namjoon gestured for jimin to come closer, smoothly wrapping his arm around jimin's waist. "so, jimin?" namjoon said, tilting his head in jungkook's direction.

"allow me, primo," jimin turned to namjoon with a mischievous smile. "you always have my permission, baby," namjoon replied, sealing his words with a kiss in front of jungkook.

a small whimper escaped followed the sound of the lips smacking. to jungkook’s horror, he realized that the sound had originated from his own mouth. he couldn't believe he had just whined at the sight before him. he would admit the scene made his stomach flutter with a strange heat, but jungkook desperately hoped the pair hadn't noticed his reaction to their kiss, thinking it was more out of fear than anything else.

luckily, jimin and namjoon paid no attention to his whines. jimin shifted his focus to jungkook and whispered something to him. then, he gently held jungkook's chin, locking eyes with him. “tell me where you hid the bags,”

jungkook defiantly shook his head and spat on the ground. “im not telling you shit, idiot,”

jimin and namjoon exchanged surprised glances, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.

“no way…” namjoon murmured. “jimin— baby, try again”

and jimin did. he took a deep breath and focused on jungkook's eyes, eyes now a fiery red. “tell me where you hid the blood bags.”

jungkook forcefully shook his head, trying to break free from jimin's grasp. “fucking let me down! im not telling you shit!” he yelled. jungkook was certain they were in a secluded spot or time had somehow stood still, because there's no way his loud voice hadn't drawn any one with all these cars around.

namjoon blinked in surprise, causing jungkook to lose his balance and tumble to the ground. jimin also released his grip on jungkook's chin, panting heavily and heart racing at an alarming speed.

jungkook glances up, observing jimin walking alongside namjoon. “you guys have been fucking messing with my deliveries, not once but many times and i’m tired. one of my clients cut ties with me and you’ve left me no choice but to do this.” jungkook declares. jimin raises an eyebrow, causing jungkook to scoff.

“oh yeah of course you doesn’t know, shithead. what could you possibly know?" jungkook sneers, his hand tightening into a fist.

namjoon firmly held jimin's hand, his voice steady but resolute. "don't talk to my mate that way." 

jungkook glanced up, tilting his head with a challenging expression. "who do you think you are, telling me what to do?"

jungkook's words seemed to strike a nerve, triggering an unexpected reaction. suddenly, namjoon's eyes glowed red, and in a quick motion, he lifted his hand, hovering in front of jungkook. with fangs bared, namjoon confronted jungkook. "you just tried to harm one of my friends and attacked another."

jungkook fidgets uncomfortably, “that's because your little mate wouldn't fucking leave my business alone, and the other one won't stop spewing shit.” his gaze landed on jimin just beside namjoon, and well, jimin stays silent with a poker face, but looking clearly upset.

"but that doesn't give you the right to harm them," namjoon says through clenched teeth. his sharp teeth and breath against jungkook's throat send shivers down his spine.

“yes i do. you all think too highly of yourselves— thinking you have the right to treat me like i’m a pushover just because i’m a human. i asked you to leave me alone— too many to count and yet you never did. you kept on stepping on me— you kept belittling me. ” jungkook spits, trying to push namjoon away by placing his hand on namjoon's chest.

when neither replied, jungkook continued. “if you don’t leave me alone, i’m afraid i would have to do something all of you wouldn’t really like. something that would cause all of you to crumble down. filled with regret for messing with me in the first place.” he threatens. 

jungkook disliked the situation. it bothered him that things had escalated to physical confrontation, and he couldn't help but feel responsible. but had he truly gone too far? 

the Kims had been causing trouble for him three times already, and yet, when jungkook finally stood up for himself, it nearly resulted in a life-threatening situation.

“you know your threats won’t really work, do you? we’re not planning on leaving you alone anytime soon either so you’re just really wasting your energy spewing such bullshit.” jimin retorts.

jungkook grins, "yeah? and i don't think i'm the one with a draining energy. i look perfectly fine right now— and both of you look visibly pale"

namjoon tightened his grip on jungkook's collar, a sinister smile playing on his lips. "oh yeah? i think it would be enjoyable for us to see you as pale as a ghost once i sink my teeth into your throat and drain you dry right now."

jungkook struggled to muffle his whine, enduring the prolonged pressure that was impairing both his hearing and vision. he felt a sense of desperation as the seconds ticked by.

"just end him, hyung," jimin urged, prompting jungkook's eyes to widen as he instinctively clutched namjoon's hand, fingers digging into the skin.

namjoon pondered for a moment, his gaze shifting between the floor and jungkook. in that intense moment, jungkook realized his life hung in the balance, subject to namjoon's whims on an ordinary weekday.

to jungkook's relief, namjoon decided to release his hold, allowing him a gasp of air. however, the reprieve was short-lived as namjoon crouched in front of him, ominous words leaving a lingering chill in the air. 

"we're not done yet. we'll meet again soon." 

it was the last thing jungkook heard before namjoon and jimin vanished into thin air.

—

it had been three days since the incident, and jungkook hadn't stepped outside his house or gone to work during that time.

while the events didn't traumatize him, they did scare him enough to keep him indoors. his members tried reaching out, updating him on deliveries and transactions. fortunately, working from home was an option, so they didn't press him further about why he suddenly stopped going to his usual basement to finish the paperworks.

everything has been incredibly confusing. 

three days flew by in the blink of an eye. at this moment, sitting in a loveseat just across from his couch doesn't even feel real. it's as if his soul has been disconnected from his body, like someone else is taking charge of everything for him.

his mind struggled to comprehend the fact that namjoon had somehow pushed him against the wall without physically touching him— it was what cause him to zone out most of the times. 

could vampires really be that strong? do they have telekinesis?

jungkook was equally puzzled by jimin's actions that day as well. was jimin attempting to make him talk? if so, how? what was jimin quietly muttering before he suddenly instructed jungkook to reveal the location of the blood bags?

jungkook was never one to pry into others' affairs, is usually kept to himself. however, he just couldn't shake his curiosity about vampires and their extraordinary abilities.

if they could teleport on top of their already impressive abilities, then jungkook never really stood a chance against them.

namjoon had his fangs dangerously close to jungkook's vein that day. he was certain that one bite would be enough to end his life.

jungkook ran his hands through his hair, gripping it tightly and letting out a frustrated groan.

it's no surprise that the kim clan is powerful. if jimin alone can teleport by himself and namjoon can make him float in the air without even touching him, he can’t imagine how strong the others must be. 

busy with his life, the human never really delved into understanding their kind. he simply relied on what he heard without bothering to verify it. he couldn't be bothered to care about the details of their kind. 

as long as jungkook's business thrived, he was content. and maybe, he should’ve put more effort into knowing his enemies well before he plotted his revenge that would annoy them and worst, would lead to his demise .

maybe his revenge plan was a mistake. picturing himself plotting to make them feel the way they did seemed like a good idea before, but now, doubts were creeping in.

he slouched further into his seat, pulling his legs up onto the couch, resting his arms on his knees, and burying his face. 

he needs to breathe and think everything through. 

if he were to confront the Kims now and admit his fault,  he would seem weak and pathetic. 

in reality, jungkook believes he's not at fault. at all.

his recent actions were merely reactions to the Kims troublesome behavior. if they hadn't interfered with jungkook's business, he wouldn't have been driven to attempt harm on their youngest mate. 

on the other hand, not confessing his deeds by withholding the blood bags might endanger him, yes, considering the vampires would stop at nothing to get their hands on the blood.

both choices appear undesirable, but jungkook leans towards the latter.

the blame lies squarely on the Kims. they're responsible for everything.

jungkook has let it slide three times already. allowing it for the fourth time would be foolish and would only pave the way for the coven to belittle him even more.

"nice couch you've got here," a deep, honeyed voice remarked as its owner slumped onto the furniture with a loud thud, causing jungkook to flinch.

yoongi— min yoongi— is present in his home.

"hyung, don't scare the poor baby," a cheerful voice to his left cooed, prompting him to turn his head.

jung hoseok. 

two of namjoon’s mate are in his house.

jungkook's mouth hung open, his eyes wide and gleaming as he observed yoongi tapping his lap, motioning for hoseok to join him. "come here, baby," yoongi called, and jungkook watched as hoseok made his way to sit on yoongi's lap on the other side of the couch, directly across from him.

for a moment, jungkook remained frozen, witnessing the two share smiles while they glance at him. 

"stop daydreaming, jungkook. just hand over the blood bags and we won't bother you again," yoongi declared, adjusting himself in his seat while half-hugging hoseok on his lap.

in an attempt to conceal his anxiety, jungkook responded with a sarcastic laugh, "what's this, a tag team now? first jimin and namjoon, and now it's the two of you?" despite his attempt to mask his fear, jungkook is visibly failing. 

he acknowledged his inability to stand a chance against even one of them, and facing both would surely spell a quick demise. in essence, confronting this vampire clan amounted to a different kind of suicide.

jungkook observes as hoseok rises from his seat, walking towards him, then kneeling in front with a gentle smile. "darling, just hand the blood bags over," hoseok softly urges, his voice carrying a tender tone. “we’re all tired— and we’ll keep our word; we will be out of your sight. out of mind.” his mouth curves into a heart-shaped smile, creating an illusion of sweetness.

to an outsider, it might seem like a plea from hoseok. 

perhaps, this is their strategy. jungkook can't deny the emotional pull, but he remains cautious. 

these people are still strangers, and this apparent vulnerability could be a tactic to exploit him. jungkook acknowledges the impact to his emotions but uncertainty lingers— are they genuinely appealing to him, or is it a ploy to weaken him for their gain, possibly leading to harm once they achieve their objective?

upon closer inspection, jungkook noticed that hoseok appeared a bit pale. hoseok's lips had a subtle purplish tint. his nose was sharp and perfectly sculpted, as if someone had meticulously crafted it. hoseok's almond-shaped eyes were so clear that staring into them felt hypnotic to jungkook. 

despite all these observations, jungkook didn't vocalize any of his thoughts. 

instead, he clenched his fists in his lap and mustered the courage to meet hoseok's gaze. "what if i said no?"

hoseok's response transformed his once warm smile into the coldest expression jungkook had ever witnessed. the heart-shaped lips that had been gently curved moments ago now formed a tight, straight line, highlighting a small mole near the corner of his mouth.

in the blink of an eye, a sudden gust of wind struck jungkook, and when he reopened his eyes, yoongi stood directly in front of him. 

yoongi's knees were wedged between jungkook's legs, and his cold, pale hands gripped jungkook's throat. jungkook coughed, realizing the uncomfortable position he was in; his head leaned back on the loveseat, hands tightly gripping the armrest of the couch.

yoongi growls, "then you’re asking for death." his eyes blaze with an intense fiery red, so fierce that it's as if flames are reflected in them. 

unlike hoseok, yoongi has a gentle mouth and nose, but his sharp monolid eyes give him a menacing look. 

both yoongi and hoseok share a pale complexion, but what adds to yoongi's eerie appearance are his lips, tinted with a dark shade of purple.

hoseok quickly moves to the back of jungkook's couch. 

"you know, roundie," hoseok comments, "jimin and joonie were kind enough not to finish you off. if it were up to me, you'd be nothing but dust by now."

jungkook stayed silent, emitting a low whine as he kept his gaze locked with yoongi's. yoongi glanced over jungkook's shoulder, addressing his lover with a slight tilt of his head, "come on, hoba." jungkook sensed the tremble in yoongi's hand. 

the older vampire shifted his attention back to jungkook, "even if mini was a bit feisty, we both know he wouldn't harm someone as cute as him." jungkook was unsure about the dynamics at play among these vampires, but that particular statement tugged at his heartstrings.

hoseok chuckled sweetly and gently. "you're right, hyung." he lifted his upper body a bit, placing his chin on his palm, thoroughly entertained by the scene unfolding. "but, joonie?" hoseok snorted.

"your 'joonie' gave me trauma. that guy lifted me up in the air— both of them treated me like a toy. " jungkook complained.

yoongi tightened his grip around jungkook's throat, his words cutting through the air, "i didn't ask you to speak, human. " the tone was undeniably disdainful, but before jungkook could respond to the derogatory remark, hoseok swiftly intervened. 

“hyung,” hoseok, now walking over to yoongi, gently grips the arm that was restricting jungkook's breath. "cut the cutie some slack.” he urged, his gaze fixed on yoongi with restrained intensity. 

ignoring hoseok, yoongi hissed, “i’m getting hungry— i-i can’t. i don't have time for this game.” jungkook couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear.

was yoongi going to devour him? what the hell? 

“yes, but—” hoseok began. his words were abruptly halted as yoongi shot him a glare. the familiar silent communication between them ensued, intense eye contact suggesting a debate in progress, with hoseok clearly taking a stance against whatever they were deliberating.

in the tense silence, yoongi's grip on jungkook's throat starts to loosen. 

sensing an opportunity, jungkook quickly surveys the living room, searching for anything he can use to defend himself. the room, reflecting jungkook's minimalist preferences, lacks clutter and disarray. 

frustration sets in as he realizes that in this moment, he'd rather endure a messy environment than face the prospect of being defenseless. 

just as despair starts to creep in, jungkook's eyes land on the coffee table.

he spots the ceramic mug from his earlier coffee, forgotten amidst the chaos of his thoughts about jimin and namjoon.

jungkook carefully watched the pair, noticing that they were still locked in a gaze. 

seizing the moment while they were preoccupied, he skillfully slipped away from yoongi's grasp. moving swiftly as he reached for a ceramic mug on the table. 

just as he was about to use it to strike yoongi, the cup unexpectedly shattered, sparing yoongi from the impending blow.

“what the fuck is your problem!” yoongi yelled, glaring at the broken mug scattered on the floor. he then clenched his hand back around jungkook's throat, this time with a stronger grip that ensure jungkook’s death. 

“y-you! you’re my problem.” he coughs, “get out of my fucking house! get lost!” he manages to say in a choking voice, vision blurring.

hoseok let out a sigh, closing his eyes briefly before fixing a pitying gaze on jungkook. despite the evident defeat on hoseok's face due to jungkook's stubbornness, he refused to back down. “we apologize for coming unannounced but we really really need the blood bags. as soon as possible. just fucking give it to us.” 

jungkook shook his head, his voice reduced to a breathy tone, "no, not until my deliveries arrive. you messed with mine first!" he coughs the moment he finishes speaking.

as jungkook felt yoongi tightening his grip around his neck, instinctively, jungkook used his left hand to grab yoongi's wrist, fearing that yoongi might squeeze a vein and kill him. 

a violent cough escaped jungkook when yoongi suddenly released his hold. jungkook immediately reached for his neck, rubbing and massaging the tender spot where yoongi’s hand was.

the sound of yoongi hissing in pain caught jungkook's attention. looking up, he saw yoongi staring at his own wrist, eyes widened in surprise. 

"you," yoongi uttered, glancing from jungkook's hand to his eyes. 

still recovering from the coughing fit, jungkook frowned, confused by yoongi's reaction. following yoongi's gaze, he quickly grasped the reason behind it.

ah.

silver.

jungkook’s silver bracelet burned yoongi’s skin. 

how could he be so forgetful? vampires can't go near anything silver, let alone touch it. it literally burns them! if silver makes prolonged contact with their skin, it could even be fatal.

the realization made jungkook smirk, confidently lifting his silver bracelet to showcase it to the two vampires facing him.

"if you want to go home with a new design imprinted on your arm, then i’m willing to be your artist and tattoo my art on your skin." he challenged, feeling so self-assured that he didn't need a ceramic mug or a sharp knife to defend himself, after all.

jungkook instantly regretted his words when someone's arm swiftly wrapped around his waist. before he could even brush the bracelet against the skin that was holding him, a blazing fire erupted right in front of him— its intense heat and brightness caught him off guard. 

it was too much—too bright, too hot—panic surged through him, prompting a startled yell.

"go on and your remains will float through the air in a heartbeat," hoseok warned, his breath sending shivers down jungkook's spine as he spoke near his ear. in response, jungkook instinctively leaned back, hoping to put some distance between himself and the fiery sensation. only then did he realize he had unwittingly exposed his neck, vulnerable to the vampire standing behind him.

“good idea because i’ve always dreamed of flying, but thanks for the uplifting offer though.” jungkook doesn’t know where he gets the confidence of bullshitting right now bu that’s just how he is.

"just hand it over, jungkook. this is my last warning." hoseok murmurs, getting frustrated as he holds onto the human with a firm grip around his waist. 

jungkook shuts his eyes, still rejecting the idea. "no," he whispers back. 

feeling cornered, he contemplates his options. he can't surrender easily; if he does, it's a lost cause. if he meets his demise, the Kims might discover the precious blood bags before he's laid to rest. that would render his sacrifice meaningless—his life wasted due to his stubbornness and pride.

“we’re really trying to play nice.” yoongi says. “stop making it hard for all of us.”

“playing nice is our forte, yoongi-ssi. if this was easier, then where’s the fun in it?” jungkook retorts. 

hoseok adjusted his grip around jungkook's waist, his lips close to jungkook's ear as he spoke softly, "i know you dislike this as much as we do— trust me, this is something we didn’t want to resort to." 

“you think if this was something i like i wouldn’t be sitting on the bench and cheering for you to find it? besides, i’m competitive. i’m not known to back down. y’all can suck my dick and go starve.” 

yoongi grins. “we would’ve loved doing it in another time but you’re starting to really piss us off.”

“tell me about it— that’s what being in a gang does to you,”

the fire in front of jungkook's face, its brightness and temperature, persists without any signs of fading. it seems hoseok isn't intending to harm him with the flames, as there's no indication of burning on any exposed part of jungkook's skin as a warning. 

jungkook expected a warning burn on any exposed skin and yet, no such heat arrives. 

growing weary of the game, he decisively presses the silver bracelet against hoseok's skin without hesitation. 

hoseok grunts in pain, providing jungkook the chance to break free from his grasp. 

he took the opportunity and evaded a fireball thrown by hoseok, narrowly avoiding it just in time as it instead catches onto a nearby curtain.

yoongi rushed over to hoseok, swiftly wrapping his arm around him and gently supporting the burnt one.

he turned towards jungkook, his eyes filled with sharp anger and fiery red intensity. "you're such an asshole, you know? this is the second time you've hurt my third time."

“that makes it a tie— or should i aim for a fourth to keep the lead?”

“there’d be no fourth, and you’re certainly going to end up homeless.” yoongi says, glancing at the flickering fire with disdain before fixing his gaze on jungkook. 

"you brought this upon yourself. we’ve been sparing you long enough and patience isn’t known to remain thick.”

“if patience were a virtue, i’m afraid to tell you that you’d be bankrupt by now.”

yoongi scoffs before he turns back to hoseok. jungkook watches them with annoyance in his eyes, looking stupid while standing.

“you don’t get to tell me that i deserve this. fuck you— all of you! your stupid fucking coven have been messing up with my business— my reputation is getting tainted just because i wasn’t able to meet the deadlines and that's because of you! i let it slide three times, but it seems like i’m nothing but a pushover to all of you. because it keeps happening over and over again! if you just knew how to stay within the boundaries, it wouldn’t have to reach this point— just like how you claim that you didn’t want to resort to this” 

“and now— now that i wanted to give you the taste of your medicine, i’m the bad guy? don’t play innocent. you’re just as at fault as me. just because your kind holds more advantage in terms of abilities, doesn't mean you have it all." 

for years, jungkook had been bottling up his frustration. he isn’t mad about the fact that he’s lost his client or that his reputation is getting tainted— he was mad because of how arrogant the coven is. 

they think that they’re always above anyone else, and it’s frustrating because jungkook had been their victim. 

the entire time he spoke, the two vampires remained on their spot. not paring jungkookk a glance but he knew they were listening.

“we’re not done here yet jungkook,” yoongi says as he stood up, assisting hoseok to do the same.

“am i supposed to keep that threat on myschedule? why not schedule having your mouth fix since you all have been saying the same threat like a broken plaque.” 

hoseok glares, “i’ll fucking end you before i die.” he threatens, gritting his teeth while covering the burn on his skin. from jungkook's perspective, it looks pretty severe, but he's reached his limit and doesn't feel any sympathy.

“could have worked on me if i didn’t find out that silvers and starvation could kill you. such easy target, it doesn't seem too challenging for you all to meet your end,”

meanwhile, yoongi's hand tightened on hoseok's shoulder, a mixture of panic and protectiveness evident as he guarded his mate, especially now that hoseok appeared vulnerable.

yoongi shot a fierce glare at the flames flickering behind jungkook. 

glancing over his shoulder, jungkook observed the fire slowly spreading across the roof, growing in size. the fire's intensity mirrored the sharpness in yoongi's eyes. 

jungkook turned back, realizing that yoongi was likely manipulating the fire. "you, son of a—" he cuts himself off as he noticed that the two are gone. 

—

it wasn't until three hours later that the flames finally calmed, and another four hours passed before his home completely crumbled away.

great. things took a turn for the worst. one minute, he was happily strolling down the street, excited to finally taste that delicious cupcake and coffee. the next, he found himself in distress after running into namjoon and jimin. and now, he's without a home after his horrible fuckass encounter with hoseok and yoongi. 

despite his best efforts, he couldn't contain the fire that engulfed his house. even after trying three different fire extinguishers he had at home, the flames continued to spread. he couldn’t do anything except stand there and helplessly watch it burn. it hit him that his attempts were only causing more harm than good so jungkook decided to just let it happen, feeling helpless.

it was eerie. the flames raged on relentlessly until the entire house was reduced to ashes. jungkook couldn't salvage anything except for himself, his wallet tucked in his pajama pocket, and his car keys.

luckily, he doesn't have any neighbors, so there won't be any help or compensation for the destruction caused by the fire.

it's getting on his nerves; his disheveled appearance is hard to ignore, clad in a somewhat ridiculous set of plaid blue pajamas. 

the clock is inching toward midnight, and the chill in the air is seeping through his clothes, failing to provide any warmth. 

the last time he ate was around noon, and now his stomach is loudly protesting its emptiness. 

fatigue weighs heavy on him, with his eyes practically pleading for just a brief respite after hoseok-  fucking hoseok dared to light a fire directly in front of him.

thankfully, his facial features remain unscathed, with no signs of burns or bruises. his limbs, on the other hand, are tingling with a mix of numbness and electric sensation from standing for too long.

jungkook lets out a sigh, lowering his head. everything felt so draining. all he wanted was a moment to rest.

—

his feet had decided to bring him to the port— where the blood bags are hidden inside of one of these cargo ships. he hasn’t plan to stay here tonight, but this would do. besides, this is the only place closest to his place, after all.

that evening he stole the deliveries, jungkook planned to stash them at his place. however, there were too many of them so he made a quick trip back to the port, purchased an entire cargo ship, and stowed all the blood bags into a massive container filled with ice to keep them from spoiling— which is done by his men to ensure that the blood stays fresh.

upon checking, the blood bags remains securely stored in the cargo, untouched and safe. the unpleasant odor he noticed inside the cargo during his first visit was absent this time. 

he cautiously peered behind the open cargo door before navigating to another corner, where additional packs of blood bags were stored in containers. as he opened one, he was hit with a potent scent of blood that nearly made him gag. despite the pristine condition of the ice and the cleanliness inside the containers, it was clear that someone from his team had taken the initiative to clean them before his arrival. 

fuck. even if you offered jungkook a million dollars, he wouldn't dare take a sip from these bags— the scent alone is enough to make him prefer death.

a sudden loud bang of the cargo from outside made jungkook jump. 

“fuck,” 

his heart raced as he paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before rushing near the doorway. itching off his flashlight, he cautiously approached the doorway, peering carefully to check if anyone was nearby. 

in contrast to movie clichés, jungkook refrained from shouting, "who's there?" 

instead, he opted to stay silent, waiting to see if the disturbance was simply caused by a heavy object colliding with the cargo.

bang.

now it’s certainly not a wind. it sounded more like someone relentlessly pounding on the metal of the cargo ship from the outside. 

jungkook instinctively crouched beside the open door where it hides his sillohuette, opting not to shut it in case he found himself trapped inside— a situation he definitely wanted to avoid.

who could it be? it’s already late at ight, whoever is assaulting the cargo ship had jungkook on edge. for fuck’s sake, he’s already been enough today— he’s too drained.

is it the Kims? was jungkook being trailed by them? it would make sense since he just got into a serious fight with hoseok and yoongi— perhaps they had decided that enough is enough. 

“blood…” a groggy voice echoes from outside, barely audible.  it seems distant from where jungkook is hiding but enough for him to hear it.

a vampire then. a vampire hungry for blood.  jungkook’s eyes widen in realization. “shit, can the vampire smell the blood bags from the outside?” 

in that tense moment, jungkook found himself torn between two choices:

confront whoever is banging on the cargo,

or

bolt towards the door to secure himself inside with the blood bags safe.

he knew he shouldn’t opt for the former since it’s plainly stupid; he doesn’t know if the person on the other side of this ship was armed or not. 

opting for the latter, however, would mean that he is safe but also, it’s dark, and the lack of open spaces could potentially kill him from the lack of oxygen, additionally, the thought of enduring the strong smell of blood makes him cry in disgust.

still, he has to keep himself safe; ultimately deciding to just lock himself inside. 

“fucking hell jungkook this is fucking stupid. i’m going to die,” jungkook curses under his breath.

“i know you’re there, human,” the voice now felt unnervingly close, prompting jungkook to flinch.

“fuck,” 

the human sprints towards the door, but as just as he's about to shut it, a cold, eerie hand with grimy nails grabs him. 

“not so fast,” a menacing voice warns. the vampire's foul breath wafts over jungkook, smelling like something rotten. 

he quickly drops his phone, using his hand to shield his nose from the unpleasant odor.

“sell me these bloods, and i'll release you," the vampire proposed. jungkook heard those word enough today that it makes his ears bleed. 

although the temptation of the offer lingered, these items didn't belong to jungkook and he wasn't one to take what wasn't rightfully his. 

in a moment of hesitation, jungkook uttered words he pleasantly regrets but felt compelled to say, "no. this isn't mine, i can't—"

the vampire drew closer, inhaling jungkook, which prompted jungkook to lean back to create some distance. “Kims. you reek of the Kims.” the vampire growls, and jungkook caught his eyes turns red.

“you- you know the Kims?”

as if that was the funniest thing ever, the vampire laughed, causing his hold on jungkook’s dominant right hand to loosen a bit. “of course i do? who wouldn’t know them?”

the vampire leans in closer again. “since you smell like Kims “that means you may have meet them. you reek of them and the scent is unmistakable.” jungkook arched an eyebrow in response, squirming in the tight  grip and trying to free his hand.

“i’m sorry sir but i have to go now.” jungkook lies.

jungkook gasped as the vampire tilts jungkook’s head to the side, his mouth near the human’s ear and jaw. "forget about the blood then. you smell better.” 

jungkook's fear gripped him as the vampire’s eerie words sent shivers down his spine. the atmosphere was so unsettling that it felt like he was conversing with death itself. 

just as jungkook attempted to break free, a sudden surge of pain raced through his body, seizing him. 

the agony was intense; a sharp, piercing feeling clawed at his jugular, making his entire body to convulse. 

each movement, guided by the vampire’s firm grip, brought forth another wave of pain. the pain was stifling, leaving him unable to breathe, speak, or even let out a scream. 

helplessly held by the vampire, jungkook's limbs hung loosely at his sides, his mouth gaped open in a silent scream.

time stretched out as if an eternity passed before the man finally released him, and jungkook crumpled to the floor. 

he landed on his side, the spot where the man had bitten him throbbing with pain. 

wide-eyed, jungkook gazed at his assailant, struggling to find his voice. 

every attempt to speak ended in stuttered silence, his entire body twitching from the lingering pain.

"i wasn't mistaken," the vampire remarked, his tone slightly improved from earlier. "you taste just as delightful as you smell," he added, wiping the blood that had collected at the corner of his mouth. with those words, the vampire departed, not forgetting to close the door slightly,leaving a gap as if he pitied that jungkook was going to die in the dark. 

he turned his back against jungkook as if he hadn’t just killed the poor human— as if he just came out of a grocery store happily after purchasing his groceries.

jungkook observed the vampire's limping gait as he walked away. 

when jungkook blinked away the unnoticed tears, the vampire had vanished.

now, jungkook was left in the embrace of death, feeling cold and alone in the darkness.

—

jungkook found himself stretched out on his side in the cargo ship, unsure of how much time had passed. his men should have long gone to swap out the ice; he was certain the blood would be spoiled, and the Kims would be so mad . yet, the sun had risen and set three times, and still, none of them had appeared. once he regained his strength, jungkook promised himself he'd give them kick on the ass. if they had only shown up, he wouldn't be stuck here wondering what day it was. perhaps with their help, he could have avoided spending another day confined and in the verge of death. they could have assisted him in getting to the hospital to allow him the chance to heal and recover.

he's been in a daze for way too long, losing track of time. he recalls falling asleep at night and waking up with the sun setting, although he's unsure if it's the next day or the day after. everything is confusing, but jungkook tries not to sleep for too long— for which he's obviously failing at.

he can recall the night he got bitten, but the exact number of days since that horrible night remains unclear to him. jungkook speculates that the vampire who attacked him might have believed he was dead, as he watches the feral vampire striding away with confidence and not sparing jungkook a second glance. 

now, if that vampire discovered he was still alive, would he bite and try to kill him once more? 

oddly, jungkook doesn't feel much– his body remains numb. he knows his heart is beating in a slow beat but he can’t feel it. by now, it would be hammering so hard in his chest that he could feel it in his ribs. 

a blink, and it was nighttime again.

he found himself unable to get up due to the intense pain that had left him numb. attempting to lie on his back didn't provide relief; any movement, especially in his shoulders, brought him to tears. 

every part of him ached, as if his own limbs were refusing to cooperate, trapping him in a state of torment within his own body. the numbness was so severe that even when he attempted to twitch his fingers, he couldn't feel a thing.

what the fuck is happening?

it doesn’t help that his clothes are torn and dirty, soaked in blood and emitting a foul stench. if he doesn't get up soon, he's convinced he will die of hypothermia. 

the cargo around him is made of metal, which only intensifies the biting cold. aside from that, he can't quite discern if he's hungry, yet he's certain his stomach hasn't audibly protested— at least not when he’s conscious. 

to add to his misery, he found himself unable to cry out for help, restricted to whimpering silently due to the dryness of his throat. all he can do is whimper in pain and gaze outside through a small opening, feeling the torment within. 

on top of that, an overwhelming thirst tormented him. even swallowing his own saliva brought little relief, causing more pain to his already parched throat. with no other option, jungkook resorted to breathing through his nose. he endured the discomfort, even as his nose became numb, unable to scrunch it for a much-needed breath of oxygen in the biting cold. each attempt felt like icy knives piercing his lungs. it fucking hurts.

jungkook could only sigh in defeat, closing his eyes as tears streamed down his face.

is he actually going to die like this? the thought crossed his mind that it might have been preferable to meet his end at the hands of the Kims. if they were going to drain his blood, at least they might consider tossing his lifeless body back into his apartment. it would be better than facing death in this foul-smelling cargo ship. at least then, his demise would be known to everyone.

the strong scent of gasoline suddenly hit jungkook's nose, causing an immediate reaction.

oh yeah— that too.  

his sense of smell has gone into overdrive. it's like he can catch a whiff of everything around him, and it's getting on his nerves. he can even pick up the scent of grilled pork, and he's pretty certain there's no nearby restaurant in this port. 

is he just imagining things due to hunger? it's a possibility because he's so hungry that he might be hallucinating. 

to add to the weirdness, his eyesight got a major upgrade— it's like he traded in his regular vision for a high-definition version, even better than 24k quality. it's as if he's got a brand-new set of eyes. he's pretty sure no amount of lasik surgeries could ever achieve this level of clarity. the first time he noticed it, he was completely freaked out. suddenly, he could witness fish frolicking beneath the distant sea, despite the darkness surrounding them. the only source of light was a lighthouse roughly hundred kilometers away from the cargo ship he occupied, along with the faint glow of the moon.

with his newly sensitive eyes, he found himself at a disadvantage in the daylight. everything seemed too bright, perhaps explaining why he struggled to stay awake during the day. was it possible that his body instinctively knew about his light sensitivity? most likely.

jungkook whimpered suddenly, gripped by a sharp pain that made him cry out. 

that wasn't the only thing bothering him. it was as if a construction crew had set up shop inside his ears, amplifying every sound around him. the distant roar of a car on a faraway highway and the gentle rolling of a submerged rock against the sand—all of it was overwhelming him. 

the sensory overload was new and too much for him to handle.

it felt as if he was enduring a relentless torture, with hunger gnawing at him, the biting cold seeping into his bones, and an overwhelming flood of sensations leaving him disoriented. 

if jungkook were to pass away today, he might become one of those restless ghosts, unable to find peace because his death was sudden and unexpected.

he had a lot of dreams and plans that he won't get a chance to fulfill due to the abrupt end of his life.

the only thing he was proud of was achieving wealth at just twenty-three and crossing paths with the Kims.

jungkook couldn't deny the fact that the Kims were incredibly good-looking, almost like greek gods. he wished they had a chance to meet under better circumstances instead of constantly biting each other’s ass, a feud that tragically led to jungkook's untimely death. 

as he pondered his fate, jungkook couldn't help but wonder: would the Kims feel remorse if they discovered he had died?

maybe they won't. remembering their previous encounters, jungkook always felt a sense of impending doom whenever they approached him too closely. besides, there was always the threat that they would kill him or worse before vanishing into thin air. so, maybe not.

jungkook couldn’t help but cry, the sound of his cries so pitiful that his body shook. 

he’s not one to drown himself in sadness, but it’s been a while since he felt this way. 

alone and unimportant.

he couldn't figure out the reason behind this overwhelming emotion that greeted him as he woke up. it was like a weight pressing down on his chest preventing him to stand up— body aches beside the point. he couldn't quite pinpoint why he felt this way— maybe the realization of his impending demise was sinking in? but that doesn't quite explain this intense neediness, this yearning for someone to do something for him. 

this emotional burden is making him extremely distressed, almost as if he's been rejected and abandoned, leaving him even more confused about the source of these emotions.

who is it that he's searching for and why?

he's at a loss, feeling even more crushed because he lacks the answer. 

there's nothing more upsetting than searching for something when you can't even figure out what it is or why you're looking for it. it's so distressing that it's driving him to the brink of feeling like he's losing his mind. the question keeps echoing in his mind, but there's no answer in sight.

but one thing is for sure: he feels loneliness clawing at his heart. 

in the past, due to his feelings of loneliness, he found himself spending each night gazing up at his ceiling. he often questioned if there was something inherently wrong with him since he never had any friends. this lack of social connections meant he never got to experience what dating was like. 

throughout his entire life, he grappled with this sense of isolation, managing to keep his sanity intact out of sheer necessity. 

while he didn't necessarily mind being alone initially, the absence of companionship became more challenging as he grew older, surrounded by very few people. the persistent feeling of loneliness took a toll on him, to the point where it began to make him feel unimportant.

he didn't want to experience that pain again. his work served as a helpful distraction, keeping his mind busy and preventing it from dwelling on those troublesome thoughts. 

instead of letting himself be overwhelmed and paralyzed by the pain caused by his own mind, he found solace in focusing on his business. however, just when he was starting to find comfort in his work, the Kims decided to spoil it all and made his business-life difficult.

he didn't realize how much he was crying until he automatically moved his hand to wipe away the tears.

the moment his bracelet grazed his cheek, a sudden sharp pain made him scream. the sound that escaped his mouth was unfamiliar even to himself.

what the fuck?!

as he glanced at his wrist, dismissing the ache and cramps in his arm, he began to breathe heavily. 

his wrists appeared red and almost as if they were melting . he could have sworn he evem saw a wisp of smoke rising from his skin.

the realization kicks in— nobody was cooking grilled pork, it was the smell of his wrist— the burning of his wrist. 

jungkook felt lost, unsure of how or why this was happening. 

despite teetering on the brink of death, his instincts kicked in, urging him to use his remaining strength to remove his bracelet. 

even a mere touch of his fingertips on the silver band sent searing pain through him. it was no longer a sting but a relentless burn that brought made him sob. desperation washed over him as he grappled with the unbearable agony.

he desperately shook his wrist, but the stubborn bracelet refused to budge. his feet kicked involuntarily, toes curling in agony as the searing pain intensified. hyperawareness set in, making every sensation more vivid.

his fingers are turning red and emitting smoke, but he can't bring himself to stop. he knows he should take it off; it's painful. the sensation of being burned is more agonizing than the actual burn. 

is this what yoongi and hoseok experienced when he pressed the silver jewelry onto their skin? no wonder yoongi was furious—

no way.

gasp. 

jungkook inhales a sharp intake of breath, eyes widening.

oh.

oh—

jungkook's voice trembles, “am i- am i a vampire?” 

it's the first time he's spoken since the bite, and the horrifying realization sends his head spinning, overwhelmed by the flood of sensations. 

it was all too much, making him feel nauseous. 

a sudden awareness of his body cramps, the throbbing pain from the bite on his neck, pulsating in rhythm with his heartbeat— he can feel his heart!  

ribs aching with every breath, and suddenly, it hits him— he's having a panic attack. 

his surroundings blur, his vision becoming hazy. the bite on his neck, a constant reminder, tightens its grip on his senses. 

a rush of heightened perception reveals details—his nose twitches, catching a scent lingering in the air. 

he let out an involuntary whine. 

the echoing sound of shoes on metal ground assaulted his ears, each noise feeling unbearably loud as if blood is dripping out of his ears. 

“look who’s here.” a deep voice on the door way speaks, interrupting jungkook’s panic episode. “humans invented beds for a reason, why the hell would you choose to lie down there.?” clicking his tongue, the guy continues, “did hobi and yoongi really went that far? you must have made them really mad then. you know what they say, someone with the patience of a seed has a temper like a fire .” 

jungkook narrowed his eyes, clutching his wrist where the bracelet had scorched his skin. he struggled to identify the person before him, his feet fidgeting. the burning pain made it hard for him to focus, and his mind was too tired to make sense of the situation. 

the guy probably noticed his difficulty because jungkook heard him chuckle. at least that person could see it. “oh, you’re really out of it, huh?”

he whimpered in response, and suddenly, he heard the man sniff and sharply inhale. 

a moment of silence passed, and then the guy cursed, “shit,” whoever he was, it seemed like he could sense the scent of blood or saw the state jungkook was in. 

"you reek of death ,"

jungkook eagerly breathed in the air, hoping to catch a hint of the mysterious individual's identity. 

as the familiar scent reached his senses, jungkook's mind, after a few attempts, confidently identified the person— a fellow vampire.

namjoon. 

namjoon's voice cut through the tense air, his concern evident. “what the fuck happened to you?” he asked firmly. “yoongi hyung and hobi didn’t tell me they hurt you this bad.”

because they did not. it wasn’t them, jungkook thinks.

jungkook could only cry and whimper, the burning sensation continuous to overwhelm him.

namjoon took a sharp breath. “holy fuck,” he exclaimed, his voice rising. “you were fucking turned?!” his loud words only intensified jungkook's dizziness.

jungkook used all his power to speak, opening his mouth. “not them… ‘t wasn’t… them… ”

namjoon seemed to notice the distress on jungkook's face and took a seat in front of him, apologizing. “okay okay- fuck- okay i’m sorry i-,” namjoon sighs. “i got it. it’s not them yes. it wasn’t my mates but— but you gotta put those mouth to good use by talking to me, otherwise i won’t know what’s happening. if you can speak, please that would be good.”

if jungkook were in a better state of mind, he might have felt the urge to punch namjoon for making a crude joke. however, all he could manage was to shake his head and cry even louder in response.

namjoon massages his temple, face scrunched. “god jeon,” namjoon mutters, his english accent slipping.

“i’m not a mind reader—. i know you got bit— i can smell it but you gotta try and speak so i would know what to do,” namjoon sounds oddly calm.

now, jungkook couldn’t help but frowns at that. 

what does namjoon mean? 

is he planning to save him? 

but if he does, would that mean he owes this coven?

jungkook winced, shutting his eyes tight, a mix of pain and distress etched on his face. 

he summoned the strength to raise his trembling arm instead, revealing the hand scorched by the bracelet. 

namjoon's audible gasp reached jungkook's ears, cursing for the millionth time at the sight. 

there was a brief shuffling of items, prompting jungkook to sneak a peek with one eye.

namjoon, dressed in a striking all-black ensemble, seemed determined as he rummaged through a black backpack. 

jungkook couldn't fathom why someone would carry a backpack with such an elegant outfit. 

the primo sported a black button-up shirt, matching slacks, and boots, topped with a large unbuttoned coat that exposed a corset cinching his waist.

damn .

namjoon's brown mullet hair is neatly swept back, yet despite his current state of panic as he frantically searches for something, he manages to exude an undeniable sexiness. jungkook can't help but feel a bit inferior, hunching over in a vulnerable posture, suddenly self-conscious about his appearance next to namjoon.

namjoon let out a frustrated curse, tossing his bag to the opposite corner of the room, making jungkook flinch. the bag's loud thud against the cargo's metal walls echoed in his ears. namjoon seemed unable to control his strength. “i don't have the vampiric veil with me right now, damn it.”

jungkook didn't understand what the vampiric veil was, but it seemed significant enough for namjoon to react so strongly.

namjoon paused, catching jungkook's eye, who quickly looked away. in a surprising move, namjoon unbuttoned his coat and tossed it aside, revealing a shirtless torso. jungkook closed his eyes, trying to resist the temptation to sneak a peek. 

what the fuck you’re literally going to die right now and you’re thirsting over a sexy vampire!

“this will hurt, but i want you to focus on me.” namjoon murmurs, tugging at the sleeve of his button-up shirt and rolling it up. 

the vampire gently lifts jungkook, settling him on his lap and guiding his head to rest against the comforting warmth of his chest. 

jungkook feels like he could drift off to sleep here indefinitely, not minding if he lost his breath, as long as it meant he could be in the secure embrace of namjoon's strong arms and buff chest.

he probably spoke too loudly because he caught namjoon snickering as adjusted jungkook in his arms and lap, attempting to find a more comfortable position.

jungkook gritted his teeth, swallowing the embarrassment. 

“okay,” namjoon says, settling into a more comfortable position with jungkook in his arms. “i will wrap this around my hand and i will try to pull it out—” namjoon winced. 

“fuck, your skin looks pretty horrible right now,” he muttered, holding his wrist and assessing the damage.

jungkook couldn't help but cry at the sight, realizing that his once flawless and smooth honey-colored arm was now going to be scarred.

namjoon suddenly shushes him, “no- no- fuck- i-” he exhales. “listen, i’m a healer and i can basically telikinetic this shit out of you right now but my power— it doesn’t work on any silver things. it’s— it’s limited to it.”

jungkook, feeling lost and overwhelmed, keeps his eyes shut, bracing for potential pain.

“hell you really seem out of shit right now but i will pull this thing out of your wrist.” namjoon wiggles the arm close to jungkook’s face, “grip my arm if it’s too much, i can handle the pain so don’t worry”

jungkook could only nod, closing his eyes tightly. he hid his face against namjoon’s neck as if that would protect him from any pain that would come. 

"th-three," jungkook slurs, his words a bit shaky. his nose twitches as he takes a deep breath with  his nose resting against namjoon's neck. namjoon smells amazing—sweet and addictive. the scent seems to chase away jungkook's negative thoughts, lifting the heaviness from his heart.

namjoon frowns, “what?”

"take it off on three…" jungkook murmurs weakly, his voice rough. 

namjoon snorts, “such a kid, but okay.”

namjoon pulls him closer than ever. 

“you ready?” namjoon asked, checking his face for any signs of discomfort.

jungkook nods.

namjoon nods as well. “okay well, here we go. one, two—”

jungkook let out a sharp cry as a sudden pain sliced through his wrist. the sensation was gradual, each inch marked by a searing burn. “fuck!” namjoon yells as his hand shook, expression contorted in agony.

“the metal is thick, it’s so hard to remove—” namjoon broke off, wincing from the pain. 

without raising his gaze, jungkook tightly grasped namjoon's bicep, burying his face further into namjoon's neck. 

“brace yourself, this is gonna hurt.” 

before jungkook could fully grasp the words, sudden agony struck, causing his heart to skip a beat. a silent scream escaped his open mouth as the pain surged through him, making his vision blur and his head throb. 

his body convulsing nonstop within namjoon's grip. 

out of his control, jungkook blacked out, slumping against namjoon's chest.

Chapter Text

the next time jungkook opened his eyes, he found himself in the same confusing state: unsure of the day, his stomach loudly protesting its emptiness. the familiar discomfort of hunger rang in his ears. his body ached all over, and his throat throbbed with pain. the only change was that he no longer felt the biting cold. the weight on his heart persisted though, causing him to release a distressed whine. he was too disoriented to make sense of what had happened before.

tears welled up in jungkook's eyes, his mind a blank canvas. above him, the black expanse of the ceiling held a dimly lit chandelier, but he was too consumed by emotions to register it. his eyes burned hot, the sensation searing behind closed lids. succumbing to the wave of emotion, he allowed silent tears to stream down his face. his body trembled with the intensity of his silent sobs, his throat aching from the suppressed whimpers that escaped him. the distress manifested in high-pitched whines, his mouth open but unwilling to release the unconscious cries.

jungkook couldn't pinpoint the source of his anguish. an indescribable yearning consumed him, intensifying his distress as he searched for someone elusive. the frustration deepened as the person he sought remained elusive, the conflicting emotions swirling within him. his heart bore a burdensome weight, and unfortunately, sleep offered no solace for his troubled soul.

why did you leave?

why was i left behind?

aren't i likeable?

didn't they like me?

why?

why? 

why-

these thoughts echo in jungkook's mind, puzzling and unsettling. whom are they directed to?

jungkook couldn't hold back his loud cries any longer. he lay on his back, eyes tightly shut, still clad in the same outfit from that fateful night. the same shirt does nothing but brings back the painful memory that haunted him, adding to his distress. he couldn't bring himself to discard the once-expensive clothing that now appeared almost unrecognizable. he refused to be topless. the shirt is now stained with dried blood, the collar, once shiny white, now bore shades of beige and black, turning brown. 

jungkook forced himself to calm down, attempting to regain composure,

 slowly, the sobs reduced to sniffles, and his breathing returned to normal. his body twitched slightly, remnants of the intense crying session he had just endured.

he cringed as he realized his face might be covered in snot and tears, so he delicately wiped them away while softly sniffling.

as he opened his eyes, a wave of surprise hit him. he was no longer in that gloomy cargo ship.

damn. 

he hadn't even noticed. was he really that out?

his mind feels scrambled, like someone played hopscotch with his thoughts, and there's this foggy haze making some details of what happened unclear. 

rather than getting up, he stays put, lying on his back. 

his eyes wander around the room, taking in the surroundings.

the room's walls are painted a deep, dark red, creating a cozy atmosphere. the lighting is set to a soothing maroon glow, a relief for jungkook, who is sensitive to bright lights. the dimness not only spares his eyes from the harsh memories of the cargo ship's blinding brightness but also provides enough illumination to observe his surroundings.

resting on a large, plush bed, jungkook plants his elbows to lift his head and take in the details. the soft, silky blanket beneath him confirms his location – he's in a spacious bed, much larger than his own. it's like four times the size, big enough for three people to comfortably fit. 

he glanced to the side and spotted a coffee table in the far left corner of the room. a red and white candle sat atop it, casting a warm glow. surprisingly, with his newfound vision, he could see that the candle wasn't melting, and there were no drips of wax in sight.

damn, where is he? 

his brain might be fucked up for a moment, but he’s sure that he’s already homeless. so why is he in a nicest room jungkook has ever been?

surveying the room's interior, it resembles a mystical and gothic bedroom you might find on pinterest. despite the eerie ambiance, he finds it appealing. however, the creepiness sets in when he's alone.

his gaze drifts to the vintage window wall, where curtains gently drape on each side, revealing the night outside. thankfully, it's not as chilly as before. 

but then, how many days have slipped by, and how many hours has he actually slept?

he doesn’t know, but the fear is only a faint presence in his mind. oddly, he finds a sense of comfort in this unfamiliar room. despite spending days confined to that cargo ship without shedding a tear, here in this unfamiliar place, vulnerability feels permissible. there's no inner struggle about whether he should show his emotions; it just feels like a space where he can be vulnerable.

the situation simply demanded it. silence was his only refuge, compelled by a sore throat and the looming threat of the killer's return. looking back, keeping quiet hardly offers any real protection. jungkook is far from safe, and the fear lingers, casting doubt on the possibility of ever feeling secure again.

jungkook allowed himself to slump back on the bed, feeling a twinge of pain on the side of his neck as he settled onto the mattress. he winced and hissed at the sharp discomfort.

he sighed, taking in the plainness of the room. it was all very simple, as if the only activity in the place was sleeping—no other signs of life.

but then again, he isn’t sure. he’s literally in a room, and even for some rich like him, he acknowledges that this room is almost as large as his bedroom and bathroom combined. why the need for such a big space when he lives alone? after all, it's not like he has someone to share it with.

jungkook gently shook his head, warding off the looming negative thoughts. for fuck’s sake, he was fed up with all the tears. they not only drained him emotionally but left him feeling even more exhausted. plus, no matter how much he slept, it didn't erase the gnawing hunger within him. 

unable to ignore the gnawing hunger any longer, he contemplates. perhaps, whoever brought him here might have something to offer for him to eat. if not, he would leave, though he wasn't even sure how he got here in the first place. maybe asking about that would shed some light. all he could recall was passing out, and that was the extent of his memory.

with his newfound ability, jungkook takes a deep breath, checking for potential dangers. to his surprise, the air is filled with an irresistible aroma that makes his mouth water. 

the scent is so captivating, even surpassing the sweetness of the cupcake he enjoyed at the café last time.

it's nighttime, and the thick fog suggests it's close to midnight. could the homeowners be preparing a late-night meal? 

jungkook, fueled by curiosity and unafraid of challenges, decides to investigate. he contemplates stepping outside just in case they ask he leaves when they see he can walk by himself. but he's determined to taste whatever they're cooking before making his exit.

despite his excitement about food, he reminded himself to be gentle. with a careful effort, he flexed his hands, relieved to find movement with minimal discomfort. grateful that it wasn't too painful, he tightened and then released his fists, as though shaking off numbness.

turning his attention to his feet, he curled his toes and stretched his legs. while his lower body felt light, an unusual heaviness lingered in his upper body, perhaps due to the lingering bite. oddly, it hadn't healed.

nonetheless, his focus remained fixed on the idea of food. slowly sitting up, he placed his feet on the floor, shivering at the chilly touch of the wooden surface against his skin. once fully seated on the bed, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and prepared himself for whatever challenges lay ahead.

breathe in.

breathe out.

inhaling deeply, jungkook wrinkles his nose at his own unpleasant odor. damn, he definitely needed a shower. perhaps he could also check if he could use theirs.

exhale.

he blinked open his eyes,  attempting to shake off the unpleasant odor lingering around his nose. groggily, he ran a shaky hand over his shirt, examining it closely; the lower half was torn, revealing his well-defined abs. his nipples peeked through a hole in the fabric. 

panicking, he swiftly covered himself with his hand, fumbling to locate the end of the blanket beneath him for additional modesty.

what the fuck? had the vampire caused this? he couldn't recall being fully conscious during the bite though.

but holy shit, was lying on his back all this time with his abs and nipples exposed?  

does that mean the people who brought him here probably seen this?! what the fuck! 

the embarrassment hit jungkook like a ton of bricks, so much so that he failed to notice the figure in front of him until it spoke in a deep voice, snapping him out of his overwhelming embarassment.

“you need a shower,” 

jungkook jolted, recoiling against the wall with a shiver. the sudden chill made him wince.

taehyung. 

taehyung is right in front of him, standing with his arms crossed, an amused eyebrow raised, smirking at jungkook.

his hair flowed in a vibrant shade of blue, reaching down to the nape of his neck, eyes a striking gray, and clad in a distinctive coat that's uniquely divided in color – one side is sleek black, while the other boasts a crisp white.

jungkook didn't realize that he had a blanket partially covering his face. taehyung couldn't help but smirk in amusement, a grin playing on his lips like a predator sizing up its prey as he noticed the flicker of fear in jungkook's eyes.

jungkook couldn't help but sneak a glance at taehyung's attractive face and physique. the moment he realized what he was doing, he let out a surprised yelp and quickly hid under the blanket.

what the fuck? 

what the fuck is he doing here?

he heard taehyung soffs, “you’re at the guest room, and you’re at our coven.”

suddenly, it struck jungkook, and he realized—

namjoon.

“yeah, joonie hyung found you,”

what the fuck? can he read minds? 

taehyung snickered, "no, i can't. you're just talking too loud. just get up, you need to eat– and shower.”

jungkook sat there, still and uneasy, his fingers restlessly fidgeting.

"look," taehyung sighed, concern etched on his face. "i don't want to scare you, but you really need to eat. otherwise, you'll only get sicker."

jungkook was well aware of the consequences. he knew that if he didn't satisfy his hunger now, things could escalate. he could feel it. 

“and what is it to you if i get sick or not?”

taehyung snorted, "it's not about me. but joonie hyung is worried—" 

jungkook smirked, even though taehyung couldn't see it under the blanket. "and you're not?" 

"hell yeah, i'm not—" 

despite taehyung's resistance, jungkook knew he had the upper hand. the former was just being defensive.

“really? then why would you go all the way here, in the middle of the midnight, and answer all my questions that i wasn’t even directly asking?” jungkook pressed. suck it, taehyung!

there was a brief silence, and jungkook considered it a small victory. "gotcha," he declared, bouncing a bit on the mattress. 

eventually, jungkook admitted, "i can't get up. my whole body aches." 

it hurt, a lot. even his back, pressed against the wall during his panic, felt uneven. if he were human, he was sure slamming into the wall that hard would result in a coma. 

"of course it would. who in their right mind would backed away against that damn wall with a body aching like you got run over but ten trucks," taehyung remarked before walking away.

jungkook is a bit relieved that he walked away without jungkook telling him to. he couldn’t honestly know how to face him after he just attempted to unalive him, but still it wasn’t even close to murder… just some, you know, inflicted pain. 

jungkook peaked outside the blanket and when it confirms that taehyung is no longer on the sight, he slowly pulled it out of him.

if he were a human, he would’ve died in heat inside that damn blanket. he hadn’t realize how thick it was until now that he’s gripping it.

taehyung must have gotten tired coaxing him out of the blanket. besides who wouldn’t? it’s literally time for sleep, but jungkook feels wide awake, his body’s vibrating with something he cannot explain. he feels so active yet his senses are a bit clogged off. 

jungkook's nose twitched. his sense of smell was still recovering, but it was sensitive enough to catch a scent lingering behind the door. 

he wasn't caught off guard when the knock came. he remained silent, simply fixing his gaze on the door. whoever was on the other side likely knew he was already awake. taehyung must have tipped them off.

what surprised him though is who was knocking—

seokjin.

the person that he instinctively slapped across the face.

jungkook braced himself for the expected retaliation, anticipating a forceful slap that would jolt his head sideways. however, what greeted him was unexpected. 

seokjin appeared at the door, wearing a gentle smile, holding a tray with a mug on it.

seokjin could have been as agile as taehyung, but unlike taehyung, the eldest vampire still held a level of respect for jungkook.

he observed seokjin as he kicked the door open with his hip, striding over to where jungkook was seated.

“hey, you’re hurt.”

jungkook just blinks at him, seokjin chuckles.

“oh don’t stare at me like that, cute boy.”

now what the fuck?

“ pardon?” despite having cold skin since being turned, jungkook oddly feels a familiar warmth spreading across his face and down his neck, causing him to instinctively clear his throat.

“anyway, i brought you this vitaefee,” seokjin says with a smile as he hands it over. “don’t worry, i didn't tamper with it or anything. i just want you to feel better and recover quickly.”

jungkook glanced at the mug, then back at seokjin, his head tilting in curiosity. "vitae-fee? what's that?" he leaned in closer to get a better look at the mug and— holy fuck– jungkook backs away, covering his nose, “what the fuck— is that a fucking blood?”

seokjin grinned. "yep, it sure is. but think of it as a 'vitamin blood. this one is more like a herbal medicine humans take for body aches. it does not only satisfies the thirst, but also helps heal the bite."

even though jungkook is holding his nose to avoid the smell and breathing heavily to block the scent from reaching his airways, he can't ignore the sweet aroma wafting from the mug.

"okay. comparing this sweet potion to human herbal medicines is not really it because those are usually bitter, but don’t worry!" seokjin lifts the mug, smiling. "this one's sweet. taehyung used to drink something similar every day, even when he wasn't sick, which wasn't good. these are meant for times when you're really ill, like you are now," he explains, nodding towards you.

well okay, maybe it isn’t too bad to take it, but—

jungkook narrowed his eyes, his suspicion evident. "why should i trust you?" it made sense for him to be cautious. while he wanted to heal, there was no telling what seokjin might have added to the mix that could potentially make his condition worse.

seokjin snorts, rolling his eyes with a hint of amusement. “i’m not here to gain your trust, i’m just here to make sure you get better.”

“yeah but-”

“jungkook.” seokjin calls, and that tone sends shivers down his spine. 

seokjin lets out a sigh, “i see no reason for you to trust me— to trust us, but you really should take this unless you want to become a feral vampire who goes around the town trying to drink blood off of people.”

jungkook frowned and was about to speak, but before he could say anything, seokjin swiftly placed a mug over his mouth.

jungkook frowned, shooting an angry glare at seokjin, who simply smiled back at him. "good boy."

the action was rude and unethical. and before he could even snap at seokjin about it, the taste of the liquid hit him, widening his eyes in surprise.

without even realizing it, his instincts kicked in. swiftly grabbing the mug from seokjin's hands. “slow down!”

jungkook ignored any warnings and proceed to gulp down the drink in one go, savoring its delicious flavor as his eyes closed in delight. 

it was unlike anything he had ever tasted before. he didn't realize how much he had taken in, and soon the liquid overflowed from his mouth, spilling onto the bed and his pants.

"fuck, laundry sucks. washing this blanket is gonna be a nightmare," seokjin grumbled to himself.

he gently grabbed jungkook's wrist, concern in his voice. "i said slow down. i know it's delicious, but you need to take your time or you'll make yourself sick."

the mug was completely empty by the time he's dined. not a single drop left, just his lip prints on the rim.

if the poison tastes that good, jungkook is happy to have another sip before he meets his end.

“stop– i told you it’s not poison.”

he must have said it out loud again.

“anyway, you’re going to fall asleep later because the dosage of this one is high for your age– you’re just a nestling so this one will knock you out for at least three days.”

“three days?”

seokjin confirms with a nod, perched on the edge of the bed and placing the mug carefully on the tray by the bedside. “yeah. three days. this is the smallest dosage we’ve ever got.” 

jungkook only hums, gaze averting from seokjin to look at his clothes.

“don’t worry, you can change now. i’m sorry, joonie isn’t here to change you himself and we obviously didn’t want to do it without your consent.”

jungkook arch an eyebrow at that, “oh wow how considerate. you literally just shoved the mug on my mouth. i appreciate the gesture.”

“my pleasure,” seokjin says, putting his hand on his chest as he bows down his head. 

jungkook scoffs at his sarcasm before he asks the real question. “how long was i out?”

“seven days.” 

jungkook’s jaw dropped, “seven days?!” 

“hmmm…”

god— he must be stinking right now. he was… out… in here… nipples out and abs on display… for seven days…

“no worries— none of us entered this room for seven days, but taehyung smelled your breathing pattern earlier so he went inside without your knowledge,” 

“vampires… can smell the change of breathing pattern?” 

seokjin nods. “yeah we does.”

“so, like a dog knows when their owners are awake?”

“okay that’s a bad comparison but yeah something like that. when someone is awake, there are changes of the chemical in their nose and mouth. that’s how taehyung could tell even if he didn’t enter.”

jungkook nods, processing the explanation. 

“anyways,” seokjin said, standing up and giving a formal bow. “i apologize on behalf of him,”

jungkook couldn't help but feel a little proud at the display—was this some sort of vampire etiquette? but at the same time, he found it embarrassing. he leaned forward, tapping seokjin on the shoulder.

“stop— don’t do that. the formality is weird, considering that i literally slapped you across the face once.” 

“oh, don’t mention that.” seokjin stands up, straight. “i won’t forget that it ever happened, but i will not hold it against you.” he says with a smile.

jungkook has no idea about what to feel about that, so he doesn’t answer.

“by the way, where is namjoon…. -ssi?” the long pause was needed because he didn't know what to address namjoon as. 

"ah," seokjin's expression turned into a slight pout. "he's not around right now. been absent since the night he brought you here. he’s got some business to attend to." 

jungkook narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "does that business involve... blood?" his tone left no room for doubt. 

seokjin arched an eyebrow. "what?" 

jungkook shifted uneasily. "don't act clueless. i know about your blood bag operation." he tried to assert himself, revealing his knowledge of their clan's secret. 

seokjin's lips pressed into a tight line as he closed his mouth. "i'm not sure what you're implying."

jungkook’s face dropped to a blank expression. “don’t fucking play with me now, i know you’re running bloodbag business— isn’t that why you kept switching our shipment data–”

“no, you got it wrong.”

“don’t interrupt me when i’m talking!” jungkook hisses.

wow, just a moment ago, jungkook felt his heart warming up to seokjin's kindness, as he brought him vitaefee for his body aches and the bite. 

however, what really gets under jungkook's skin is when people lie blatantly, especially when the evidence is right there in front of him, and they still don't own up to it.

maybe he'll feel guilty about it later, but for now, seokjin's really starting to irritate him.

"if it weren't for your dumb business, i wouldn't have ended up like this," he spat out, the bitterness evident in his tone. it felt as if his very existence had been stolen from him in an instant. 

seokjin muttered something softly before locking eyes with jungkook. "i really don't understand what you're saying, jungkook—" 

but before seokjin could finish his sentence, jungkook abruptly stood up, his hand tightening around seokjin's throat, pinning him against the wall. 

everything felt blurry, like a fog had descended over jungkook's mind. 

throughout the scene, he struggled to comprehend his own actions as he tried to grasp seokjin, as if he was being controlled by someone else.

seokjin let out a grunt as his back slammed harshly against the wall, his face contorting in pain. 

interesting. he had always assumed vampires were immune to physical force, but it seemed that when pitted against another vampire, their strength could falter? very interesting. 

as seokjin leaned against the wall, he noticed its uneven surface, cracks spiderwebbing across its worn facade. jungkook swore he could see puffs of dust escaping from the vibrations caused by the impact.

"i can't stand being lied to, kim seokjin," jungkook spat, his grip tightening around seokjin's throat. "you and your coven— messing up my business and burning down my house— you all have done too much to be lying at this point." 

seokjin stared back with fiery red eyes, his glare boring into jungkook's skull. "now that i'm in the same league as all of you," he began, only to be cut off by a grunt as jungkook's grip tightened further.

jungkook was talking nonsense—he didn't mean the last part, and obviously, he wasn't going to fight these people. he just wanted to intimidate them, but it seemed to have backfired because seokjin effortlessly turned their position.

seokjin has now jungkook pinned against the bed in a blink. 

seokjin speaks with a sarcastic teasing tone. "we're not on the same level. you're a nestling, sweetheart, and you couldn't do much on your own right now unless your sire looks after you and feeds you to make you like us."

sire.

sire.

that word…

it felt…

it felt like…

it felt like it was the word jungkook has to hear, and that sire was someone he was— he was looking and longing— for.

sire.

jungkook blinks, and suddenly, seokjin is gone from above him. 

"we're not on the same level, jungkook. you don't even have a sire." seokjin spits before slamming the door loudly on his way out. 

jungkook cries.

sire.

his sire.

time slips away unnoticed, and jungkook finds himself still on his back. 

when exactly did he lay down?

he doesn’t know, but since seokjin left the room, his mind couldn’t stop thinking about his sire.

he remains stretched out, gazing upwards, his arms resting at his sides. the chandelier's shadow dances across the ceiling, and tears threaten to spill from his eyes.

seokjin said the liquid he drank earlier would knock him out, but it’s opposite to the state he’s in right now; he’s very much awake and distressed. 

he couldn't pinpoint why hearing soekjin mention the word "sire" affected him so deeply. 

it's not like he understood what it meant anyway. yet, just hearing it shattered something inside him. 

the tone in seokjin's voice felt like a cruel taunt, as if it carried the message that jungkook was abandoned and helpless, only worthy of care if his sire returned.

if it turns out that the vampire who turned him without his permission, and the one he's hiding from just in case they return to kill him is his sire, then jungkook would prefer death.

in reality, jungkook wouldn't have a problem staying with the kims until he recovered, but the interaction both he and and seokjin had is enough for the rest of the coven members to kick him out. 

jungkook nervously nibbled on his lip, his anxiety mounting. would the kims kick him out for being disrespectful? what if he ended up with nowhere to go? i mean— going back home isn’t even an option because hoseok and yoongi burned it. additionally, it might also mean facing the wild and unpredictable feral vampire again. 

on the other hand, staying here with the kins meant safety, even if they test his patience. but he guesses that acting on his temper is better than acting on his instincts.

said instinct is currently pushing him to leave and look for his sire. he doesn’t even know what that word means. 

how could he find someone he has no idea about? 

how could he look for someone who just robbed him his whole life?

his emotions are all already over the place; guilt, anxious, longing— all of it at the same time. 

his body feels a bit better now, thankfully. 

maybe seokjin hadn't poison him after all, considering he feels light, as if he had just sipped a soothing tea. 

a soft, gentle knock on his door stirred his attention. he remained silent, deeply entrenched in his comfort, unwilling to disrupt the tranquil ambiance of the early dawn. silence was something he cherish, and he appreciates the delicate tap on his door, mindful of the immense strength possessed by a vampire.

as the door creaked open, jungkook didn't shift his gaze. he detected the faint sound of footsteps padding across the wooden floor. 

“are you all calm now?”

yoongi. 

jungkook glanced sideways at him, noticing yet another mug in his hand.

“not sure. probably calm enough to rethink how you and your mate burned my house down.”

jungkook averts his gaze. “is that a real poison now?” jungkook asks. well he’s pretty valid for that.

yoongi chuckles, “oh trust me. it would take you more than a poison to get you killed.”

“i don’t think so. maybe i just got poisoned considering i feel really shitty now.” that’s not a lie, because he does feel shitty inside but that might be because of the anxiety.

“well seokjin hyung looks pretty shitty right now,”

jungkook nervously nibbles on his bottom lip, feeling it ache from the constant biting he's been doing for the past hour. it's already turned a pinkish-red.

yoongi puts the mug on the bedside table. “because jinnie hyung’s head’s covered in blood. damn, you hit him pretty hard,”

“i did not hit him!” well, jungkook technically didn’t. all he did was slam him against the wall and— that’s it! he did not hit him!

yoongi snorts, “you don’t have to punch a person in the face to technically say you hit them,” 

“because i did not!”

“yeah, whatever.”

unlike seokjin, yoongi remained standing. “sorry about your house.”

“if apologies could bring it back, then i wouldn't mind hearing you say the same word all over again.” jungkook says boredly.

yoongi snickers before he nods toward the nestling’s direction, “how’s your bite?”

jungkook brings his hand to brush against it– “the pain’s subsiding… thanks for the poison, at least i wouldn’t die with that ugly ass bite mark on my neck.”

yoongi ignores his words.

“but why are you here? aren’t yall supposed to be resting?” now that was a projection. 

strangely, yoongi’s presence had a calming effect on him, almost lulling him to sleep. or maybe it was just the previous drink that is finally taking its toll on his body. 

yeah, that was likely it. 

"i'm not sure if you know this, but vampires are active at night. what time did the vampire attack you?" yoongi asked.

oh— it makes sense. “ night…”

yoongi nods, “our night is basically our day, that’s when we’re the most functional.”

“that’s weird, human’s melatonin drops at night, but do ours decreased during the day? that’s odd but interesting,”

yoongi shrugs, “probably. who knows? maybe namjoon does. you should ask him,” 

jungkook couldn't fathom why yoongi believed he had the audacity to pull off such moves, especially when moments ago he had forcefully pinned one of his sires– his mates– against the wall, no less, his right hand on the coven.

as jungkook blinked, a delightful sight greeted him: a bunny-shaped ceramic mug came into focus, capturing his attention.

“drink this,” yoongi offers.

jungkook's eyes narrow with suspicion, but before he can voice his doubts, yoongi interrupts him. “i know you have no reason to trust us, but this is to sate your hunger. if you go feral, then i’m afraid we might have to let the council handle you and if things escalate, you can get locked up in the dungeon—”

jungkook gets up and snatches the mug from yoongi, gulping down its contents hastily. it tastes awful, but maybe it'll start working its magic soon.

“what the fuck is this taste?”

“it’s an animal blood— a small one. we shouldn’t feed you all at once, otherwise you'll get sick.”

jungkook finds he doesn’t mind. its taste getting better the longer the texture coats his tongue. “that’s fine. can i get some more? i—”

yoongi shook his head firmly. "no. if you get sick, it'll be tough for us to take care of you. you're the first nestling we've ever had in the coven, and we're not quite sure how to handle it yet..." jungkook frowned at yoongi's stutter, but yoongi quickly cleared his throat to cover it up. "sorry, just a cold."

jungkook's frown deepened. vampires getting fevers? he was just about to ask when yoongi interrupted, slamming the ceramic bunny mug back onto the bedside table with a loud clatter.

"we'll give you one when you wake up. it's time to rest now. after all, you're still a—" 

"wait," jungkook interrupts, grabbing yoongi's wrist to get his attention, causing yoongi to raise an eyebrow. "what... is a nestling?" jungkook asks, tilting his head in confusion.

yoongi bits his bottom lip, quickly looking away from jungkook. “i-it… it means you’re a baby vampire.”

“baby vampire.” jungkook mutters, gently letting go of yoongi’s wrist. “as a baby vampire, what do i need to know about being one?”

if he's going to be here until he's recovered, then he might as well be knowledgeable of his new identity and what is there to know. even if that meant asking the one of the guy who just burned his damn house. 

"actually, what's happening is that your body is going through a lot of changes, which makes you more sensitive both emotionally and physically. it's all because of your hormones and everything else inside you shifting around. we haven't dealt with a situation like this before, but we've picked up enough knowledge along the way."

"oh... i think i get it now," jungkook fidgets, adjusting his position. "so, this is why... why i'm feeling like this?"

jungkook realizes he shouldn't really be confiding in yoongi, considering he saw with his own eyes that the vampire could take down a whole house without using jis hand. however, he can't ignore that little, tiny bit of instinct telling him he can trust him more than anyone else in the coven. 

even more than namjoon— who had literally rescued him. 

there's just something about yoongi— something reassuring. jungkook acknowledges it might sound like stockholm syndrome but how could it be considered one when he wasn't even taken against his will? 

but then again, namjoon was not able to ask about his consent since he technically blacked out.

“what do you mean feeling this way?”

jungkook hesitates, feeling the weight of his vulnerability pressing down on him. it's a feeling he's been grappling with for days when he was in the cargo that emerged again when he woke up. he’s kept his thoughts confined to the inner recesses of his mind, fearing that giving them voice would only expose his insecurities. 

but jungkook has always been one to cautiously navigate his emotions, testing the waters before fully committing to them.

"um, could you... sit here?" he murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper as he gestures to the empty space beside him. he knows it's loud enough for yoongi to hear; speaking any louder might risk the attention of others nearby. after all, they are powerful vampires, capable of hearing even the faintest of sounds.

this is so stupid even to jungkook, but he’s got no choice. 

yoongi narrows his eyes suspiciously. 

"yoongi-ssi, trust me. even i isn't comfortable admitting this to you but you're the only one who i can talk to right now. so, please…”

yoongi sighed, taking a seat next to jungkook.

"um... i've been feeling something strange lately," jungkook begins, his voice a little shaky. "it's like there's this weight on my chest, you know? like someone's squishing my heart. and i can't shake this feeling of being left behind or forgotten, but i don't even know why. it just makes me really sad, and it's like i can't get rid of it. it's driving me crazy, and i hate it."

yoongi kept nodding as he listened to the explanations. "is that why you snapped at seokjin hyung earlier?" 

"i... i think so," jungkook fidgeted with his fingers. "i mean, you mentioned that i'm emotionally sensitive because i'm a baby vampire…”

yoongi chuckles, “nah, you’re just really easy to rile up,”

jungkook groans. 

yoongi laughs harder, “see? i’m barely doing anything.”

jungkook just looks at him angrily, eyebrows furrowed, lips unconsciously pouting.

“but seriously,”yoongi starts, his gaze drifting from jungkook for a moment. "i think i might have a clue about what you're dealing with. i could be wrong, though." 

jungkook's eyes light up with hope. “tell me,”

yoongi hums softly. "there could be two reasons why you're feeling like this," he begins, holding up his index finger to emphasize his points. "first, you might be going through a transition..."

“oh like from straight to gay–”

“no jungkook—” yoongi sighs. “okay maybe, but like more serious. it's like your body is changing from human to vampire, down to the cellular level. that could explain why your moods are all over the place. but," he added, holding up his middle finger to join his index finger. "since you said it's mainly emotions, i don't think the physical changes are the main issue."

“okay,” jungkook replied with a nod, his fingers gently tracing the mole beneath his bottom lip as he absorbed yoongi's words. “okay— so what’s the second one?”

“the second one might be because of your sire.” yoongi says, as he subtly moves closer to jungkook. “see, every vampire has a sire— in our coven, we don't have a sire since we are technically born a vampire, but i’ve witness cases from my family whenever they acquire a new nestling— a new addition to the family. when a nestling gets ditched by their sire, you start feeling... off. your emotions go haywire because your sire's supposed to be there for you. since you just got turned, you're more prone to anxiety and depression—” 

jungkook snorts. huh, even a vampire is not safe from such mental illness.

"but because some wild vampire turned you and then skipped town, it's no wonder you're feeling all over the place. and i don't think that bastard would come back anytime soon.”

yoongi turns to jungkook better, his facial expression serious. “jungkook. if i’m being hinest, our coven can't really fill that emotional gap for you. we're not your sires. all we can do is make sure you're fed and well taken care of, physically."

wow that just made jungkook feel even more shitty.

"wait... does that mean i'll be stuck with this feeling forever?" jungkook's voice wavers with fear. the thought of enduring this forever feels unbearable. 

"well, not forever," the response comes gently. "but you'll have to endure it for about seven decades— maximum, until you're a fully grown vampire. the tricky part is, the emotional turbulence you're experiencing now could affect your behavior once you're fully transitioned."

“like?”

“like you might find yourself getting more easily frustrated, maybe even with a tendency of borderline anger issues." 

jungkook clicks his tongue. “vampire or or not, there's just always a downside to everything."

yoongi hums, nodding in agreement. “everything has its downside. and if you don’t sleep now, it will negatively affect your health. you’re only a what? weeks old nestling? you should go to sleep. it’s already three in the morning.”

yoongi was scrambling on his feet when jungkook grabs the hem of his shirt. he will regret this, really, but he thinks that this is the right thing to do right now. “can you— can you stay with me here tonight…”

jungkook wasn't meeting yoongi's gaze; instead, he was staring down at the bed, nervously biting his lip, again . 

yoongi couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. but as soon as jungkook glanced up at him with a pleading expression, yoongi's grin vanished instantly.

"please?" jungkook asked softly, his voice filled with hope.

“okay fine, since you’re too needy.” yoongi grumbles, rolling his eyes before plopping down onto the bed. 

jungkook grins at that. he’s stupid, but he’ll worry about the consequences later. 

"night, yoongi-ssi. and hey, no sneaky attempts on my life while i sleep, okay? no setting me up on fire just like you did to my house. i'm just a baby vampire here. you gotta look out for the baby vampire. and by baby vampire, i mean me. i'm the baby vampire—"

“oh my god jeon jungkoook shut the fuck up.” yoongi says, slinging his arm to cover his face.

jungkook lay down, facing away from yoongi, but slowly edged closer until he felt his back touching against yoongi’s side. 

jungkook is stupid because he's too naice to trust a person. 

but he hopes that his stupidity doesn't lead to him waking up with his bed or body set on fire. 

—

seokjin, being true to his words, indeed knocked jungkook with the liquid he gave him for three days. 

he was woken by yoongi, asking him to come down and join them for the breakfast. which is weird because the sun is literally setting to call it a ‘breakfast’. 

at first, jungkook didn't want to— which led to another bickering between him and yoongi until he gave up and just join them. realizing that it would be much easier to eat his meal knowing he can see if they would tamper his food with anything in case they poison him for real this time.  

all the seven of them are here— including namjoon who was absent since jungkook was brought here by him.

“who would’ve thought there comes a time when a human would join us at the table,” jimin says a bit loud while mixing his rice with the dish on his place, earning a playful nudge from taehyung.

“careful with what you’re implying minnie, he might feel a little bit too special if we tell him he’s the first human ever” taehyung teased, shooting a playful smirk at jungkook.

it was nearly five in the evening, and they all appeared as if they had just rolled out of bed. everyone seemed fresh and well put-together except for jungkook, who looked a bit disheveled in comparison— hair all over the place and face bloated from sleeping too long. 

at least jungkook had managed to change out of his old, dirty clothes. 

before joining them at the dinner table, he took a quick shower and threw on some borrowed attire: a pair of loose sweatpants and an oversized shirt covered in doodles, both of which he wasn't sure belonged to whom.

jungkook scoffs, his fork poking at his meal as he casually surveyed the rest of the food on his plate. “and do you think that’s maybe because no human ever wanted to be friends with you?”

now jungkook didn’t want to snap and ruin the mood. he could’ve just ignored them, really, but there’s just something about the tandem of the youngest male in the coven that easily rile jungkook up.

at his rebutt, seokjin sets his chopsticks down and gazes directly at jungkook. “excuse you young man,” he says, lifting a hand to rest it beneath his chin. "with a face like this, i could probably start my own nation if i wanted to."

jungkook laughs, "exactly, a place without dumb humans wouldn't really be a proper country, now would it?"

“hey!”

jungkook pretends not to notice him, regretting his decision to sit in this particular spot. 

seokjin, jimin, and taehyung occupy the seats across him, while he finds himself sandwiched between yoongi and hoseok. namjoon, naturally, claims the prime position at the far left corner of the table; after all, he's the primo.

"are we actually going to eat, or are we just going to stand here and watch you guys fight?” hoseok chimed in, stifling a yawn.

“my bad,” seokjin apologized with a bow, prompting giggles from both jimin and taehyung. 

menaces.

hoseok rolled his eyes and then pierced a piece of meat with his fork.

all he wanted was to eat and satisfy his growling stomach. he woke up feeling lighter, with less of that gnawing ache in his belly. thanks to vitaefee seokjin and yoongi had brought him two nights ago. 

to jungkook's relief, his senses still react to the enticing aroma of human food. 

as jungkook stabs a piece of meat, a troubling thought interrupts his meal. he gazes up, meeting seokjin's eyes, as he was the one who prepared the breakfast. 

“is this a human flesh or a pork?” he blurts out. 

jimin and taehyung gagged, their mouths full. “what the fuck?” jimin curses. 

jungkook dropped his utensils, arms raised in disbelief. "i just want to be sure! you never know with you guys... if you eat humans too..."

taehyung fixed him with a stern look. "look again," he commanded, his eyes narrowed and his expression unreadable.

jungkook shrugged. "answering a question with another question isn't really giving an answer. you're just making things complicated. i asked one thing, and you replied with two sentences. do you enjoy making life difficult for yourself?"

“ you make my life difficult. the answer is right there, staring you in the face, yet you insist on asking the most obvious questions. do you actually enjoy wasting your energy overthinking such trivial shits?" taehyung fired back.

"i just wanna eat in peace," yoongi grumbled, surrendering with a sigh. he closed his eyes, hoping to block out the chaos unfolding right in the middle of his meal.

“god you’re so fucking annoying— i wouldn’t have asked if i knew the answer! i was, a human. how the fuck would i know shit about vampires and what you guys eat?”  

“that’s not a human flesh.” namjoon intervenes, catching the attention of the six vampires. "we still have some human biology left, so we do consume human foods sometimes. for your peace of mind, we don't feast on human flesh or organs— just blood."

“well thank you for that.” jungkook said with a slight bow, then turned to taehyung. “see how easy it is to answer?” he added sarcastically before popping a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

he noticed taehyung giving jimin a sly glance from the corner of his eye before calmly picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite of his food.

jungkook glanced down at his plate, intent on savoring every bite of his meal instead. 

he breathed a sigh of relief; his sense of taste was finally returning. now, he could fully enjoy the flavors bursting in his mouth. though he's tempted to gobble up the entire dish, he restrained himself. after all, he still has some dignity left. doesn't want to embarrass himself in front of the others. he already feels like a bit of a joke for being turned into this, and he doesn't want to give them any more reason to become their laughingstock.

jungkook stops munching as the epiphany strucks. 

vampires do not eat food, but why— ?

“you guys don’t have to adjust. you can drink blood in front of me because i don’t really care.” jungkook said sincerely. 

maybe he sounded a bit blunt, but he meant every word. he felt like he should be the one making adjustments, given that he's essentially in their coven– his enemies' coven, to be exact.

namjoon looked up from his plate, eyeing jungkook before continuing to eat. "yeah, but we've been holding back because we weren't sure how you'd feel about it," he said.

"but there's no need for that. i mean, i literally drank blood twice two nights ago. what's the big deal? besides, it's not like i'm turning back into a human again. i just think it'd be better to start getting used to it while i still feel like i can handle it."

the idea of seeing the six of them devouring blood made jungkook feel uneasy, but he knew he'd be joining them soon. so, why be afraid? it made sense to start adapting now, making it less daunting when the moment arrived.

hoseok clicks his tongue. “yeah. we know. but we don't want to pile too much on you," he says gently. "it might be overwhelming, especially since you're still a nestling.”

jungkook breathes a laugh, shaking his head. “how thoughtful. it almost did the trick of me believing you if it weren't for you throwing a ball of fire on my curtain.” 

nobody dared to retort back to what jungkook just said, and for some reason, that made him feel a bit better. feeling like he has the upper hand so long as he's in here. 

the rest of the meal was spent in silent. only the sound of utensils clicking against the plate could be heard. 

—

“why did you bring me here?” jungkook asks namjoon.

it was the first time one of them spoke, despite wandering through the forest for the past hour. 

jungkook was puzzled by namjoon's sudden request to accompany him. namjoon hadn't given much explanation, except, "hey, can you come with me for a second?"

thankfully, his strength is enough to allow him to walk and stand for a long time because he certainly did not want namjoon assisting him throughout the walk. 

besides, namjoon told him earlier— before they took off, that he was visiting jungkook’s room for three whole days to heal him using his magic when the primo asked about how he's feeling. 

as of the moment, they stood together before a towering tree, its lush green leaves swaying gently in the breeze. 

jungkook savored the moment, letting his gaze wander over the tree's natural beauty, its leaves dancing in the air and scattered on the ground below.

namjoon turned to jungkook with a soft hum. “well, just wanted some fresh air.”

jungkook raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "right, but that's not really what i meant. why did you bring me here, to your place... to your coven?"

namjoon shrugged, a hint of mystery in his eyes. "you ask a lot of questions." 

jungkook sighed, feeling a bit frustrated. "yeah, and all of you seem to enjoy dancing around the point instead of just going straight at it."

“that’s because you should already know the answer to that by now.”

jungkook frowns, “how the hell am i supposed to know everything instantly? i am asking you, with all due respect primo, because i genuinely do not know .”

namjoon's face remained serious even as he shifted his gaze from jungkook to the tree beside them. "it's simple. i saw you, and obviously, i couldn't just let you die."

"but you could have. i mean, i straight-up stole and hid your blood bags. that's reason enough for you to let me bite the dust, right?"

jungkook kept his eyes fixed on namjoon, noticing the slight raise of namjoon's eyebrow, hinting at his amusement with jungkook's response. “don’t worry about the bloodbags. we’ve already had them.”

jungkook could’t help but roll his eyes. “i figured.”

“besides, that’s not enough reason for me to let you just die there, jungkook. we did you bad just as much you did to us. so, think again. why do you think i went through all that just to bring you here?"

“i... i don't know…” he mutters.

 jungkook let his arms drop to his sides, hands slapping against his thighs. "i... you know what? i give up," he sighed. "if you don't want to answer my question, just say so. stop making me look stupid by—”

“because we’re not a horrible person.” namjoon said earnestly, meeting his gaze with sincerity. 

“sure, my mates and i admit that we all threatened to kill you or threw you around in the air— hell even went to the point of burning your house, but that doesn't mean i would just let you die. nor my mates would. trust me, if it were one of my mates that found you, they would have done the same.” 

jungkook couldn't take his eyes off him, captivated by the genuine sparkle in his gaze. 

“how about you jungkook?” namjoon asked, facing him directly now. his arms folded across his chest. “would you have done the same if the roles were reversed?”

jungkook snorted, turning his gaze elsewhere. "you lots won't get turned anyway. you're already vampires.”

namjoon chuckles, “yeah but werewolves could literally attack us you know.”

"werewolves exist?!" jungkook exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief, gleaming with fascination.

"absolutely, they are. but let's clarify, in terms of race, we're not really enemies like those mythical stories depict. we're just living alongside each other, much like humans do—although there is some tension with vampires and werewolves official."

“how about fairies? are they real?"

"i answered your question to my question, so it's only fair if you answer mine now. if the roles were reversed, would you have acted the same way the way i did?"

finding the right answer to this isn't simple. 

the kims have been causing trouble for his business, which is hurting both his reputation and how smoothly things run. but despite all this, jungkook still has morals. 

“of course i would.” jungkook replied with a smile, relieving namjoon's tension. but then his smile turned mischievous. “of course, i would not help you.”

the way namjoon flinched and the swift shift in his expression made him laugh.

"seriously though," jungkook coughs lightly. "even if you guys can be a bunch of annoying buffed shitheads, literally causing a fire to my house, interrupting my meal, messing with my business— i would still save you. i’m not a horrible person. except i might not crash at the same place, who knows? i mean-  you guys might eat me and—”

“would you like that? for us to eat you?”

“with all due respect primo, shut the fuck up. you and your green jokes are really annoying.”

namjoon chuckled softly, prompting a smile to grace his lips. in response, jungkook's expression shifted, his brow furrowing slightly in annoyance as he didn't find the situation funny.

"ever feel your forehead just can't catch a break from all that frowning?" namjoon's hand reaches out, smoothing away the lines on jungkook's brow. 

jungkook flinches at first but doesn't pull away. "but it's reassuring to hear that , jungkook-ah," namjoon continues, his thumbs working gently. 

jungkook closes his eyes, letting himself focus on the soothing sensation. namjoon's touch feels like a balm, as if it's healing something deep inside him. 

"it's nice to know you're still willing to save us from something akin to death, after what we all did."

“since when did we drop the formality?” 

jungkook felt namjoon's hand pause briefly before continuing. “apologies, jungkook-ssi.”

“that’s better.” jungkook giggles. 

for what felt like forever, silence hung in the air.

namjoon's touch was like silk against jungkook's skin. with one hand cradling the back of jungkook's neck and the other gently kneading his temples, it felt like a balm to his soul.

it was almost miraculous, like one of those fancy, high-end massage gadgets you see advertised but could never afford. namjoon's hands had a magic touch, soothing away any tension or worry.

jungkook was grateful for his own restraint. despite the overwhelming pleasure, he managed to keep quiet. the pressure namjoon applied was just perfect, lulling him into a peaceful state, almost on the verge of sleep.

“by the way, how did you fix my wrist? there’s no scar— it's like the bracelet didn't even burn me. it feels much better now. thank you,” jungkook says as herotate his wrist to test it before gently running his palm against the beautiful smooth skin.

"oh, about that. i basically separated your hand and wrist and then put them back together—"

“you fucking what?!”

"i'm a healer!” namjoon extracts his hands from jungkook’s skin. “so it's not risky or anything! and hey, your wrist feels better, right? besides, i had no other option. the metal was silver and my healing ability is limited to it, i had to improvise!"

—

two hours had passed since namjoon confessed something deeply disturbing, leaving jungkook more awake than ever. he sat in the center of the living room, his mind reeling.

jungkook was a highly visual learner and thinker. the vivid image of namjoon separating his hand and wrist haunted him, etched into his mind with painful clarity.

that was why he blacked out. thankfully, the absence of blood flowing through his veins spared him from reliving the trauma over and over again in his mind.

jungkook shook his head, trying to erase the thoughts away.

it was just ten o'clock, not too long since he and namjoon went back to the house. 

he doesn't wanna sleep yet, so he opted in getting familiar with the room. besides, this is the first time he's ever been left alone in the living room— having passed out for the previous nights. he hasn't really roam around the house to study the layout, but he already knows what the house looks like outside when namjoon had taken him outside— for the first time since he got here. 

jungkook glanced around the room, taking in the surroundings as he sinks into the plush velvet couch. 

the place was simple, much like the room he slept in.

earlier, they were in a kitchen painted in beige, softly lit with dim lights in every corner of the ceiling.

contrasting with that, the living room boasted walls painted a deep wine-red. thick black curtains completely covered the window, yet his keen eyes could still see through them.

the room is cozy, with just a few pieces of furniture: a velvet couch nestled between two love seats, all centered around a small coffee table. opposite them sits a built-in television, which perfectly completes the setup just like any other modern house. 

he rose cautiously, testing his strength to ensure he could bear his weight. satisfied, he stood and made his way to the first frame.

seven frames adorned the wall before him, each spaced apart generously to fill the wide gap.

based on the filters used, it's clear these photos are ancient, possibly dating back centuries. the images exude a cozy warmth, with grainy textures, and all captured in classic black and white. 

each photo is nestled within beige frames adorned with detailed patterns, which add to their timeless appeal.

the first frame captures seokjin in a striking pose, his upper body framed tightly in the photo. he's donned in a sleek black suit, with a crisp white polo underneath that adds a touch of refinement. the collar sits perfectly straight, but it's the subtle yet elegant texture that catches the eye. glittering leaves adorn one side of the suit, while a delicate flower graces the hem, adding a hint of whimsy to the ensemble.

seokjin's gaze pierces through the lens, his plush lips set in a determined line. his fiery red eyes exude confidence and power, making him appear utterly commanding and formidable.

jungkook moves to the next frame; yoongi. 

in the photo, just like seokjin, yoongi is captured from his face down to his waist, clearly seated on a stool. he's clad in a sleek suit, topped with a large coat that wraps snugly around him. underneath, a crisp white polo, also featuring a charming ruched collar akin to seokjin's attire. yoongi's hair cascades in long, curly locks, with one side neatly slicked back while the other frames his right cheek. his gaze pierces directly into the camera, but unlike seokjin's, jungkook feels a subtle allure emanating from yoongi's cat-like eyes, as if being seduced by their captivating stare. damn. he is so pretty. 

jungkook's gaze shifts to the photo next to him, featuring hoseok. in the image, hoseok stands on top of rocks– probably taken in the mountain. he sports a sleek, modern hairstyle despite the photo's aged, sepia tones indicating it's from a bygone era. hoseok's fashion sense is striking; he's dressed head to toe in black—a look that screams chic. if jungkook were transported back to that time, he'd swear hoseok hailed from the future. hoseok's attire comprises a black turtleneck, glossy pants, and a long, sophisticated coat cinched at the waist with a corset, adding a touch of elegance. completing the ensemble are sturdy boots. adorning his neck are various chains and necklaces, tangible reminders of familial connections; jungkook recognizes one necklace from his mother's collection, a piece passed down through generations of women in their family. the tradition, though puzzling to jungkook, remains steadfast, as his first female cousin now posses the same jewelry since jungkook is well— not a woman.

returning to hoseok, the vampire appears quite intimidating in the photo. not to overshare, but jungkook confesses he's submissive and would kneel on the ground and lick hoseok's shoe if hoseok asked him to. jungkook knows hoseok is too kind to ever make him do that, but then again, as the saying goes, the nicest people can be the most frightening when angered.

jungkook looked away, shifting his gaze to the fourth frame— namjoon, the primo . his eyebrows raised in surprise when he noticed a stark difference: while all the other frames bore the same color, namjoon's was a deep shade of red, adorned with a crown symbol atop it. not only that, namjoon in the photo looks so fucking scary.

namjoon, clad in all black like hoseok, sported a snug turtle neck beneath his oversized coat, enveloping his figure. his outfit was complete with black slacks and matching boots. his hair was neatly parted just above his left eyebrow, with the rest of his locks intentionally tousled on the left side. he’s  lounging in an armchair, nestled in what seems like a cozy living room. the scene is framed by a vintage lamp and curtains draping on either side. his legs are casually crossed, a delicate crane figurine balanced on his thigh. propped up on his hand, he gazes intently at the camera before him. 

even in a mere image, namjoon's piercing presence sends shivers down his spine.

sure, he told namjoon to, ‘ shut the fuck up!’ just earlier but both of them knows it was a joke. namjoon exudes a commanding presence, like he's overflowing with authority. even without saying a word, you feel compelled to follow his lead and keep your mouth shut.

it's no surprise that namjoon is the primo – he's got that commanding presence. even from a photo, jungkook could tell that he's confident in whatever he does, and those piercing dragon-like eyes of his only amplify the effect.

jungkook found it hard to tear his gaze away from namjoon's picture, his neck remained stuck to namjoon’s photo until his peripheral catched on the next frame— jimin. 

just like namjoon, jimin's eyes had an unusual quality, a blend of cat-like slits and dragon-like intensity. jimin stood gracefully on a bench, playing a flute with the poise of a ballerina. dressed all in black, his vest had a stylish vent at the front, while the back flowed elegantly behind him. his snug slacks accentuated his figure, paired with heeled boots that added to his height. even the way he held the flute exuded elegance.

jungkook couldn't help but wonder about jimin's hair. it was a faded blonde, which puzzled him because if this were an old photo, how had jimin managed to dye his hair? perhaps it was some kind of magic. nonetheless, jimin's hair was parted in the middle, framing his eyes perfectly.

since the moment jungkook laid eyes on jimin at the gathering, he was completely captivated. maybe it was because jungkook is gay, and jimin is undeniably stunning. but it just sucks that both jimin and taehyung seem to get off by getting on jungkook's nerves.

speaking of the devil, there lies a photo of a handsome man— taehyung. 

taehyung's photo stands out from the rest with its distinctive charm. in the picture, he's strolling alongside a horse, gracefully holding its reins while giving a confident gaze towards the camera. he sports a sleek look, with his dark hair neatly parted and a sharp suit adorned with a tie. over the suit, he layers a stylish blazer featuring diamond prints, adding a touch of elegance to his ensemble. completing his outfit is a well-fitted coat that drapes perfectly around his hips, forming a flattering u-shape. his tailored slacks are tucked neatly into flat-heeled knee boots, completing the sophisticated yet casual vibe he effortlessly exudes.

taehyung has this captivating presence that makes it impossible to look away from him. it's like he has a magnetic pull that draws people in, and jungkook has been feeling it ever since he first laid eyes on seokjin's artwork.

staring at the individual portraits of six attractive guys didn't fully prepare jungkook for what came next—the large frame right after taehyung's.

jungkook couldn't shake the feeling that the arrangement of these picture frames was all wrong. i mean, seriously, who in their right mind puts a big frame right after six smaller ones? it's like whoever did this skipped the important part about interior designing. 

anyway, what matters right now is the six boys in a large frame— from left to right, seokjin, namjoon, and taehyung are seated in the front. behind them stands hoseok, yoongi and jimin. 

and boy they all look so hot that jungkook could feel sweat beading on his temple even though his skin is physically cold. 

they all wore sleek, all-black outfits, each adding their own flair to the look. seokjin sported a corset cinched around his waist, while namjoon opted for a coat, its belt tied snugly around his middle. taehyung layered a snug turtle neck beneath an open v-neck shirt, topped with a roomy coat that enveloped his figure. hoseok chose a turtle neck paired with a generously sized coat, topped with a cropped jacket for added style. yoongi donned a turtle neck, draped elegantly with what appeared to be a cloak. lastly, jimin rocked a cozy knitted turtle neck under a coat reminiscent of namjoon's, but stopping at his hips for a chic touch.

each of them clearly has a keen eye for fashion—maybe that compensates for the questionable taste in interior design hanging before him. 

these vampires clearly know their style, effortlessly standing out despite wearing identical outfits. 

meanwhile, jungkook's home portrait depicts him in oversized sweats and ripped jeans, playfully pouting with a peace sign. the embarrassment sends heat rushing to his cheeks, but who's going to see it anyway? his house was burned to ashes and wasn't able to save anything besides his wallet and car keys. 

“enjoying the view?” 

jungkook jumped in surprise as a voice sounded from behind him.

jimin.

“not really," jungkook remarked, gesturing towards the frames. "i mean, who'd want to admire these when they're stuck up so awkwardly and the frames look like they were hung by someone with no sense of style?"

“i’ll tell seokjin hyung you spoke badly of his taste in decor.”

jimin approached him, keeping a comfortable distance as he stood by his side, carefully studying each picture as if it were his first glimpse. “but admit it, we all look so good right?”

of course, jungkook will not give him the satisfaction. “maybe. it’s okay though.”

jimin scoffs, “what do you mean ‘just okay ?”

jungkook shrugs, “i said what i said.”

“if you aren’t injured i would’ve beat your ass.”

“nothing could scare me considering you literally threw me away in the air once.”

“and i’ll do it again.”

jungkook pouts, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow in a playful expression. “i’m no longer a human and who knows? i might be stronger than you now.”

"you're just a nestling— it'll probably take you a thousand years before you can even come close to my level."

jungkook playfully raises his arm, almost as if he's teasing jimin about his height. "oh yeah? i think i’m even more above your level now—"

“now you piece of shit—”

“both of you shut the fuck up!”

a loud, deep voice stopped jimin and jungkook’s bickering in an instant. their death glare remains on each other, though.

“it’s almost midnight, what the fuck are you guys so loud for?” seokjin scolds, his voice cutting through the commotion. "and jungkook," he adds, turning his attention to the younger boy, "you need to be in bed, resting. your body just recovered from those aches; you shouldn't be pushing yourself too hard."

“but–” 

seokjin placed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. "no more excuses," he instructed, pointing upstairs. "go."

jungkook bit his lip, shooting a glare at jimin before swiftly darting away.

—

"jungkook, i want you to understand, that i wasn't showing favoritism towards jimin," seokjin clarifies, perched on the bed, keeping a respectful distance from where jungkook lies.

jungkook remains on his side, his back against seokjin.

“i don’t really care if you favor him or not,” because i know you would, he’s your mate after all.

seokjin sighs, “yeah i know. but i thought i should let you know.”

jungkook scoffs in response, “how nice. why would my feelings matter? it’s not like we’re friends or whatever— i'm just a nestling who was abandoned by his sire.”

“of course it’s important. like you said, you’re a nestling. therefore, your emotions are sensitive— it’s all over the place. i just wanted to reassure you that i don't play favorites or anything like that. it would really bother me if you ever felt like you don't belong here."

the words yoongi told him nights ago played in his mind; “our coven can't really fill that emotional gap for you. all we can do is make sure you're fed and taken care of, physically."

maybe, jungkook realizes, that seokjin is attempting to comfort him— soothing his mental and emotional well-being as gentle as possible. that even though they’re not in the capacity to fill his emotional needs, they’re still trying.

but that’s still confusing to him. 

jungkook frowns as he shifts his gaze towards seokjin, who meets his eyes with a soft, caring look. “again, why should any of that even matter? and don't act like you all didn't practically fight me to death. for fuck’s sake— hoseok-ssi and yoongi-ssi literally burned my house down. tell me, am i still supposed to be all thankful and grateful for this? i sure didn't ask namjoon-ssi to come rescue me when i was practically at death's door. i didn't ask for any of this." jungkook's words came out bitterly, and he paused as a tear slipped down his cheek.

seokjin remained silent, patiently allowing him to compose himself before speaking. "i understand it hasn't been smooth sailing since we got off on the wrong foot but believe me, if you're open to giving it a chance— to actually talk because there's so much to talk about, we're all willing to do the same—we can sit down and fix things together."

jungkook let out a strained laugh, but it lacked any real mirth. it was a sound tinged with pain and frustration, a reflection of the turmoil brewing inside him. “no need— it’s not like i have a business to get back to anyway. it's not like i would be able to get my things back from the house that is now burned to ashes. it's not like i could go back to my life before. besides, i don't intend to make friends before i leave, it might feel a bit bittersweet for you all.” 

seokjin's lips tightened. "are you considering going back to your business?"

jungkook didn't speak, but he nodded. "it's all i've got.” 

he noticed a brief change in seokjin's expression, like it wavered for a moment, but as jungkook blinked away his tears, it disappeared.

“but is that what you want?”

jungkook remained silent at that. is it what he wants? jungkook is not sure. he doesn't have the answer, nor is sure of what to answer, so he didn't open his mouth. 

"alright, forget i ask that— you don't have to answer the question.” seokjin waves his hand left and right. “but if you really want to go back there, then it's important for you to recover soon," seokjin said, motioning for jungkook to lie down. jungkook complied.

jungkook felt a rush of panic, realizing that he might have to sleep alone. “am i— are you… going to leave?”

seokjin raised an eyebrow and paused, slipping off his slippers to give jungkook his full attention. suddenly, it dawned on seokjin, and his mouth formed a perfect 'o' of understanding. "oh... right," he said slowly, settling back into the bed. "apologies. nestlings aren't meant to sleep alone. but are you sure you want me here? i could try and get yoongi—"

“no no no— it's fine… it's you i want to sleep with tonight.” 

seokjin smiles at that, “careful with the word you're using, little one.” 

jungkook opens his mouth, and then closing it again. he was too spechless to speak.

on the other hand, seokjin ignored his internal struggle and proceeds to lie down on the bed, grunting as he shifts to find a comfortable position. 

when jungkook recovers, he mimics seokjin and shifts to find himself a comfortable position. "why?" 

“hmmm?”

“why are nestlings not meant to sleep alone?”

“oh…” seokjin mutters, “nestlings are at their most vulnerable when they sleep," he explained. "it's like they have this instinct that tells them they're not safe unless they're with their sire. besides, since you’re going through a transition, your senses are still enhancing— which means that if you are asleep, your senses deactivate along with it. that explains why they feel the safest when they're snuggled up with their sire because they trust them that they would protect them."

jungkook nods, “interesting.” 

“it is. but im afraid i couldn't do much more because i’m not your sire so i'm not really sure if you would feel “safe” if i sleep next to you.”

“no no i— this is great help. it's enough.”

seokjin is the second member he's slept with after yoongi. he's not going to lie, but the two vampires have been helpful so far. 

the only reason he wanted to sleep with someone was because sleeping alone reminded him of the painful days and lonely night he had spent in that cargo ship. somehow, sleeping with the people who did him wrong and he did him wrong in slightest, brings enough comfort to put him to sleep without a struggle. 

jungkook turned to seokjin with a grateful smile. “thanks for sleeping beside me here, seokjin-ssi.” i feel really safe right now, jungkook thinks, but he stopped himself. 

seokjin hums, “no worries. but i might not be able to do this for a long time. i am very busy person, jungkook-ssi.”

“right. what are you guys so busy with anyway? i mean you probably have lots of money by now considering you guys are alive for— i don’t know, an eon?”

seokjin chuckled. "true, but being wealthy doesn't exempt us from responsibilities. even if we've been around for what feels like forever, we still need to work. not for us— okay maybe for us considering both jimin and taehyung spend a fortune in their fashion style but— in general, we work for us ." 

"understandable. but if i had loads of cash, i'd probably quit work and just live however i want— i'm a pretty lazy person by nature."

“well, i hope we can say the same but let’s just say our lives are pretty tied up in politics. we have responsibilities that keep us busy, and we can't afford to slack off. if we were to wish, then we would have to wait for our whole species to pass before we can truly start living our lives."

“hold on— you guys are in the politics?”

seokjin nods. "yes, yoongi and hoseok work for the police, and as for me and joonie, we hold positions in the upper echelons of the vampire government."

so not only this vampire must have some magic involved, but they also have a position in the government. damn.  

if jungkook could go back in time, he'd smack himself hard for ever considering hurting taehyung — and even more so for actually doing it. this coven could've easily made jungkook meet death himself if they wanted to.

“while taehyungie and jiminie handle the logistics.”

“wait— so were they the one messing up with my shipments? and those blood bags, they're not for anything legit? like, illegal stuff?"

"wait," seokjin pivoted fully towards jungkook, who was now lying on his side. "to answer your concern, yes, they do. but did you really think we were conducting shady dealings behind closed doors?"

"yes! i mean— there are loads of boxes! and if you weren't, why on earth would you have them delivered to a place where illegal substances and firearms are also placed?"

seokjin burst into laughter, his voice ringing out loudly. "because those are blood bags! human government would kill us if the human items reek of bloody scent! we can't just mix them in with human belongings, you know!"

jungkook bit his lip. well…that makes sense. at least jungkook got his answered.

“okay but can't you just find another port to get them delivered instead of the port where i do mine?”

seokjin rolls his eyes. “i wish it was that easy, but we don't plan on staying here longer so we opted for the nearest port where it's convenient for us.”

“makes sense. why not opt for planes or something? i mean— deliveries would be faster that way.”

“you have a point, but we don’t want to opt to that since a lot of humans use it.”

“why not buy for a private jet or something?”

seokjin snorts in disbelief. “we don’t want to ruin the planet earth now, would we? the carbon emissions are literally going to kill us soon.”

“okay, then what was the reason behind you and your mates attacking me over it?”

“oh— that.” seokjin awkwardly scratch his nape. “that's because even if we are all vampires— originals rather, the thirst could be unbearable. there have been records of originals going feral due to hunger and we don't want to go around and bite humans— even worse, possibly kill them or turn them. that's just a boundary we would never cross. so, those blood bags you hid were our food. it's from humans’ donation and please don't be disgusted— they're safe and healthy and undergo a lot of tests before distributing it to the market.”

alright, jungkook felt really guilty now. he bit his lip nervously. “okay, then how did you… sruvvie it? i mean— the hunger?”

“i’m telling you, we did not. joon couldn’t satiate our hunger all alone because it’s going to drain him really bad. we’re just lucky that, we managed to find it before we actually go around and kill people.” seokjin looks for his reaction before he giggles. “no i’m kidding. of course, we did drunk on each other but we had to keep it low because we were just draining each other. it’s enough to satiate our hunger while we look for ways where you hid the bloodbags.”

"well, if you guys had just told me earlier, we could've worked something out— i would've agreed for negotiation or anything. it didn't have to reach to the point of us fighting each other or me losing my house and you guys starving!”

"you're absolutely right. we messed up by not telling you, and we own up to that. i know i apologized to you last night, and it must be tiring to hear it all over again— but again, i apologize. the other's would too. they are, too."

jungkook nods slowly. he realize that he never once explicitly said that he accepts their apologies,  it's either a nod or just a hum of answers he gives them. 

accepting an apology is not easy. most of the time, it's used as an upfront to ease the guilt of the person at fault. for jungkook, he wanted to make sure that these vampires are apologetic for what they did and not for the guilt and pity they feel for the nestling knowing they were partly the reason why jungkook is in this condition. if they didn't mess with his business, then jungkook wouldn't have gone as too far to hide their blood bags. and if jungkook hadn't go to check the cargo ship, he wouldn't have turned. 

at the same time, it felt wrong to place a blame to the coven alone— he too did just as bad; he tried inflicting pain to taehyung, slapped seokjin across the face, burned hoseok and yoongi’s skin, starved them for so long— it was just as bad and they were equally at fault. 

a moment of silence filled the room, broken only by the soft murmur of voices and the sound of footsteps coming from outside, audible to both jungkook and seokjin.

jungkook broke the silence with a gentle tone. “i’m sorry i starved you guys.”

seokjin hums, turning to jungkook. “and i’m sorry you lost your house because of hobi and yoonie. i’m sorry that you lost clients and got your business fucked over. i’m sorry that you got turned.”

jungkook snorts. “you don't have to apologize on behalf of those people, specifically the one who turned me. it wasn't your fault.”

“but it was because of us.”

seokjin shifts his gaze on the ceiling. “don’t worry about hiding the blood bags. we’ve got it all sorted out.”

“i know, namjoon-ssi told me.”

seokjin chuckled, "you weren't exactly a master of hiding, you know. as soon as you met hobi and yoonie, i made it my mission to keep an eye on you. the others thought it was creepy, but i couldn’t handle the hunger anymore so i had to do what i had to do. it's impressive none of your men told you."

“i’m sorry about that. i was supposed to keep it for two months but damn, karma caught up with me quicker than i expected."

seokjin looked back at him, this time with a serious expression. "i'm sorry about what happened, jungkook-ssi."

jungkook nodded. "enough apologies and hear me out.” jungkook swallows his nervousness before he speaks. “ i apologize for causing your head to bleed the other day.”

seokjin smiled warmly. "no worries. i understand you were feeling sensitive and unwell back then.”

jungkook smiled in return, but it slowly faded as he looked closely at seokjin. he realized just how angelic seokjin looked up close. his face is a mix of sharp angles and soft curves, creating a strangely appealing harmony. 

jungkook’s eyes blinked slowly, indicating that he's drifting off soon. he tries to fight it just to ask the important question he’s been meaning to know. “how long… how long do you think it would take for me to be fully healed?”

“i think, a month? we have never really handled something like this, but based on what we know, it takes a month.”

—

seokjin, once again, wasn't exaggerating when he mentioned a month. when he learned that he'd be spending an entire month with the coven. 

the idea of spending so much time with them, rather than just a day or two, was overwhelming. sure, it might sound a tad dramatic, but that's just how jungkook is— dramatic . 

but there was something jungkook hadn't thought about—the fact that time moves quicker for vampires.

jungkook can hardly recall what he did yesterday or the day before, but he knows for sure that today marks a whole week since he started sleeping beside seokjin. 

the eldest has been constantly sleeping with him without a missed, and no doubt that their alone time spent together made the two develop a closeness. 

as time passed, nothing have really changed— seokjin and yoongi often feed him from time to time three times a day— with yoongi apologizing nonstop for being the cause of how he lost his house. of course, jungkookk would apologize as well for burning his and hoseok’s skin until they both agree that they were equally at fault. jungkook's also been able to hold a conversation with namjoon about anything, mostly about jungkook’s previous lives that jungkook is not ashamed to talk about. 

right now, the only thing that has changed is being with hoseok, who is currently dragging him to the backyard where privacy is granted.. 

taehyung and jimin hasn't really been home lately, at least the last time he saw them together was the bickering that happened in the kitchen during their meal and that was it. 

seokjin did mention they were at the logistics, and maybe they were busy about it so jungkook hadn't really inquired anymore. it's best if he minds his own business just until he gets better. after all, he did tell seokjin that he wasn't willing to make friends while he's in here.  

hoseok stops on his track and face jungkook better. “i know that yoongi hyung have talked to you and apologized about the house— even joonie and seokjin hyung but i want you to know that i’m also apologetic as well.” hoseok starts. “you’ve probably heard the same words for lots of time and i’m probably the millionth time but— jungkook, i know what we did was wrong. i know this is gonna hurt your ears and it’s probably gonna bleed by how much you’re hearing the same reasons and apology but, i really am apologetic, jungkook. i know i went overboard by using my magic on you, but i also hope you understand that all of us weren’t in the right mind while we were doing it— while we were desperately going after you.”

jungkook watches hoseok with careful eyes as the vampires keeps on fidgeting his fingers trying to gain his composure. 

“hoseok-ssi.”

hoseok meets his gaze, and jungkook sees worries in those eyes.

“through out the whole time i was spending with you, i admit it’s tiring to hear the same words all over again. but there are six of you, which means i’ve got to hear the same thing all over again, while all of you get to hear mine for the first time.”

“jungkook, what do you mean?”

“what i’m trying to say is, i am just as at fault as you are. i have so much time to think about it, and no matter how much i try to think logically, both your coven and i are just equally at fault. i have already told seokjin-ssi about this. if you’re going to apologize, that means i’m always going to do the same thing as well. so, hoseok-ssi.” jungkook walks closer, holding hoseok’s hands. “i apologize for burning your skin. i also ask for your understanding that it was a moment that i fear for my life so i had to do what i had to do to protect myself.” 

hoseok’s, eyebrows furrowed and his mouth formed like ㅅ as his eyes darts left and right. “jungkook…”

“even though i said it’s tiring to hear, it’s also nice that you all know what you did wrong. i hope you don’t take me wrong for using the word “tiring” to refer to your apology because it doesn’t hold any negative meaning. i appreciate the gesture, that i always do.” 

—

right now, he's chilling on a bench in their backyard, squeezed in between hoseok and namjoon. 

to his relief, it's not much noisy at night; only the echoes of crickets and birds calling for mates or flying in the air are the only noise he could hear. his senses are no longer that sensitive, but he doesn't dare abuse it yet. 

jungkook figures it must be close to midnight, having grown accustomed to the subtle changes in the night breeze.

before he became a vampire, jungkook loved staying up late into the night. the quietness brought him a sense of peace, almost like the whole world paused just for him. he cherished the calm breeze and the gentle rustle of the trees swaying in the wind, feeling like he was the only one existing in that moment.

now, as a vampire with a reversed sleeping schedule, jungkook finds joy in the darkness. daytime feels overwhelming and chaotic to him, with too much happening all at once, draining his energy. but in the stillness of the night, he feels at home; where everything slows down and he can truly be himself.

"you know," hoseok says, breaking the silence, "i thought you'd be more as restless and sensitive as other younglings."

jungkook, feeling like the three of them almost too close, with their thighs touching, furrows his brows. "what do you mean?"

namjoon cleared his throat, signaling that he wanted to take the lead in explaining. he gently placed his arm behind jungkook's, offering a reassuring touch as they both leaned back against the bench.

"well, nestlings face one of the toughest phases. usually, you're stuck in bed most of the time because every part of your body aches," namjoon explained simply.

“i was stucked— though. like i was asleep most of the time when i was at the cargo ship, and was passed out for a week when you brought me here.” 

hoseok lets out a soft chuckle. "yeah, what we're saying is, you pulled through in just twenty-five days. it’s too short for nestlings. for others, it can be really scary and beyond frustrating. like you want to peel out of your own skin just to get some relief."

“oh, don’t even get me started with senses.” namjoon snorts. “when you’re a nestling, everything's overwhelming. sounds feel too loud, you could spot a bird way up in the sky with crystal clarity. even worse, when your sense of smell is too strong you can practically taste it on your tongue.”

"yeah, i've been feeling like that since day one, but it’s slowly getting better." even so, jungkook still has to wear noise-canceling headphones when the sun rises because the bird chirping becomes too overwhelming for him. though he sleeps during the day, yoongi or seokjin makes sure to put them on him before 6 am so he can rest undisturbed.

“a nestling with a sensory overload could potentially make them go feral if it isn’t controlled and prevented.” said by seokjin once.

hoseok nodded appreciatively. "yeah, we're just glad you didn't starved badly to the point of biting people who comes your way. nestlings can get pretty dangerous when they're super hungry. they could wipe out a whole village if they wanted to."

jungkook gasped, his eyes widening dramatically. "seriously? i thought that only happened in twilight!"

hoseok snorted, while namjoon couldn't help but chuckle.

"well, you know, twilight got a lot of thingswrong—except for the whole supernatural powers bit. that's pretty spot on." 

"yeah," hoseok agreed. "they missed the mark on highlighting our witch bloodline, though. that's where a lot of our power comes from." 

"magic?" 

"exactly," namjoon confirmed. "we're born with it. hobi here wields fire magic; hence why he was able to burn your house down." 

"and you?" 

"i've got a bit of healing magic, and a touch of telekinesis," 

"oh, don't downplay yourself, joonie," 

"i didn't know vampires could have magical abilities," jungkook remarked, a hint of surprise in his tone. 

"that's because humans overlooked our lineage," namjoon explained. "we didn't just pop into existence. our kind was rooted in witchcraft." 

"witches?"

hoseok nodded, edging closer to jungkook. "yeah, a while back, there was this lone witch who got jealous of another witch. see, the one who did the cursing was envious because the other witch had everything she wanted. she had all these cool magical powers that went beyond just being a regular witch, and because of that, she gained recognition among their peers."

jungkook scoffs, "so, basically, like a human? it's hard to imagine even non-human creatures getting jealous of their own kind." he shakes his head, and turned to hoseok. "what happened next?”

hoseok sighed heavily, recounting the tale. "so, out of pure spite, the wicked witch cursed the other woman to bear a child who, instead of being a blessing, turned out to be a monstrous being in human form. this child inherited the powers of the cursed witch, but instead of using them for good, they became twisted and harmful. the child used those newfound abilities to kill people. he attacked the village where the witches reside; most died but half were turned into vampires— even worse, the child didn’t even knew that what he was doing was wrong. ”

“how was he stopped?”

“oh— the child got killed. poor kiddo didn’t know how to live right before could even meet his demise.” hoseok replies sadly.

namjoon brushes jungkook’s hair at the back of his head. “the only reason we were able to learn anything about vampire was because a scholar— who was a researcher got turned. he put so much into work of studying of what happened to him. i think he even performed an experiment to another scholar but with consent. it took a lot of trial and error to finally understand our species.”

jungkook nods, eagerly waiting for them to continue, hoping there was more to the story. but it seemed like that was the end of it.

jungkook raised both his eyebrows in surprise. "seriously? that's all?" 

hoseok chuckled, cooing at jungkook’s cuteness. "yep, that's all. that’s the whole thing— basically the summary of what happened."

"i thought it would be something more magical or serious, but it sounds more like a myth than a historical event."

"well, it's certainly significant," namjoon chimed in. "the essence of the tale teaches us how even beings beyond our kind can succumb to envy and harm others for personal gain."

jungkook fell silent, mulling over namjoon's words.

"it underscores the universal truth that whether human or not, selfish desires like greed and envy know no bounds. they see through every corner of existence. greed itself isn't inherently evil; it's how one chooses to wield it that determines its morality," namjoon explained.

jungkook frowned, pondering. "like what?"

"maybe the witch could have used that ambition to improve their magical abilities instead of causing harm to others."

"but isn't greed always bad?" jungkook asked.

"it becomes destructive when used to exploit or harm others," namjoon clarified.

—

as if hoseok had jinx it, jungkook got sick days later. 

it was even worse because none of them saw it coming. 

the whole coven was frustrated, that even jimin and taehyung had rushed home— who were apparently in the middle of doing something important .

jungkook felt awful , but he couldn’t control his body. let alone the pitiful noises escaping his lips.

“hyung, we shouldn’t have kept feeding him human food.” namjoon says on his right, his distress evident. “he’s not even recovered fully yet…” namjoon mutters, a worried expression crossing his face.

jungkook, along with seokjin, namjoon, and yoongi, are crowded into the bathroom. the rest of the members are hovered near the sink, watching with concern as jungkook doubled over, heaving. 

it was quite the scene, but jungkok has no energy left to care about his dignity at all. besides, it’s not like the kims would humiliate him about it because if they do, then the six of them wouldn’t be here in the bathroom, scrambling and shifting every now and then to make themselves fit and keep their eyes on jungkook.

namjoon and seokjin gently stroke jungkook's back, trying to comfort him, while yoongi sits behind him, tenderly brushing his hair and wiping away the sweat that had gathered on his forehead with a towel.

“but we have no choice, it’s not like he was ready to drink some blood. at least even a little portion.” 

as if on cue, jungkook’s body lurched forward again, prompting yoongi to yelp and instinctively grab the nestling’s hair gently to prevent his head from bumping against the toilet seat. it’s not like it could kill him but yoongi reacted out of instint of protecting a nestling in their vulnerable state. 

jungkook’s body continued to convulse, breathing shakily. 

seokjin winced, gently hushing the youngest member with whispered words of comfort, as though he believed his soothing voice could magically erase the pain.

"if this keeps up, his health could get worse. vomiting could make him dehydrated, hyung," yoongi said, now gently wiping the sweat off jungkook's neck and nape.

jungkook is utterly lost in a whirlwind of confusion. his stomach feels like it's being crushed under a heavy weight, sending waves of agony through him. he can't control the involuntary twitches wracking his body. everything is a blur; his vision is hazy, and he struggles to make out the voices around him. it's as if he's submerged underwater, with sounds muffled and distant, echoing in his ears.

it’s frustrating how just as he was starting to get better, the fate decided that it would be nice to put him back to square one. his bites just healed, his body just got better, and now he’s yet to heal from this stupid stomach ache he couldn’t understand.

seokjin turned his gaze from yoongi and leaned in towards jungkook, his hand gently returning to caress jungkook's cheek. "does it still hurt, sweetheart?" his voice was soft, almost a whisper, as if he was speaking only for jungkook's ears.

jungkook whimpered, nodding as tears streamed down his cheeks. "it hurts... it hurts so bad." he squeezed his eyes shut, the pain intensifying with every sniffle, causing him to clutch his stomach tightly. 

seokjin bit his lip, his heart aching for jungkook. "i'm sorry," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to jungkook's sweaty forehead. "it'll be alright, i promise."

no one seemed to react to what seokjin had just done. in fact, nobody even batted an eye. it was like it was just another part of their daily routine, something they were all used to. if jungkook weren’t distracted with the pain, he would have run away from seokjin the moment his lips made contact against his skin. they were getting close, yes, but they haven’t established going that far.

“yoongi,” seokjin reaches for yoongi’s hand squeezing it. “do you think he’s allergic?”

seokjin was the logical choice to pose this question. both of them are expert in cooking human meals and had been the only ones preparing food for jungkook ever since the nestling arrived. 

“i-i don’t think so? i mean.” yoongi sighed, gently lifting jungkook's shirt to inspect for any signs of a rash, squeezing seokjin's hand in relief when he found none. “i know he’s no longer a human but there’s no rashes indicating that he’s allergic, hyung.”

seokjin clicked his tongue, his brow furrowing with concern. none of them had any clue what might be causing jungkook's stomach ache. “i’m just worried that he would think we really poisoned him.”

jungkook was concious enough to comprehend it, so he quickly shook his head. 

1. no, jungkook no longer thinks that way. his doubt has been cleared ever since that day they all ate in the kitchen. even better when seokjin or yoongi would always taste the food first before jungkook does.

“n-no… not y-your fault… mine…” jungkook managed to say.

seokjin just held him tighter, “i’m sorry…”

jungkook has been fine earlier, exchanging smiles and gratitude with seokjin and yoongi for the meal before heading back to his room. 

but as the four members of the coven were settling down on the bed in their nest room, they were jolted by the sound of a whimper and the unmistakable scent of illness. panic gripped them as they rushed out of the nest to find where the smell was coming from— jungkook’s room. jungkook.  

jungkook himself couldn't recall what happened next. all he knew was an intense wave of pain, like being hit by a bullet, surged through him, rendering him incapable of doing anything but whimper . he couldn't even scream—the slightest sound caused more pain in his stomach.

“what if…” jimin interjected from the doorway, drawing everyone's focus. he was still clad in his sharp red suit, his hair neatly styled back. “what if we try feeding him soup— human soup? i mean it could be because he kept eating pork and vegetables which makes it hard for his vampire digestive system to digest.”

jimin has a point. seokjin and yoongi have been feeding jungkook regular human meals for weeks, and it could be the cause of his digestive issues. perhaps his vampire body is struggling to process the hard food properly, leading to a sort of 'clogging' effect in his digestive system.

hoseok nodded in approval, planting a gentle kiss on jimin's cheek to commend his cleverness. “try that hyung,” he suggested, turning to face seokjin who knelt beside nestling. “i— you’ll cook and taehyungie and i will feed him.” he explained, casting a glance at the younger members flanking him. “jiminie, taehyungie, you go upstairs and change out of your clothes.” jimin and taehyung complied, ensuring to give hoseok kisses on both cheeks before they departed, hand in hand.

jungkook is gasping for breath now, his body wracked with exhaustion. he feels the urge to vomit, but nothing comes out except dry heaves. he's been kneeling in front of the toilet for what feels like forever, and his muscles ache from the strain. sweat drenches his clothes, and his throat stings from the acid reflux.

“w-water…” 

jungkook doesn’t know who rushed to give him one, but in a blink, there was a bottled of water in front of him. with trembling hands, he snatched it up and guzzled it down in one big gulp. his body was shaking so much that most of the water likely ended up spilling onto the tiled floor.

however, his stomach decided that drinking water was a mistake.his stomach rebelled, rejecting the liquid just as fiercely. 

the bottle slipped from his grasp as he lurched forward, expelling the water he had just consumed. he doubled over in agony, his eyes wide with the force of his vomiting. each retch was accompanied by terrible gagging sounds, eliciting whimpers from him whenever the spasms momentarily ceased. the violent expulsion strained his stomach muscles, intensifying the pain even further.

fuck, when will this misery end?

—

namjoon managed to make the pain under control. he could have done this earlier in the bathroom, but nerves got the best of him, making it impossible to focus properly. he found it was wiser to wait until he wasn't overwhelmed by distress so could accurately identify what needed healing and avoid making jungkook's condition worse. 

it was quite the work; he distressedly and patiently waited until jungkook passed out in pain before he used his healing magic. it turned out that jungkook's digestive system was clogged because of the human food he had consumed, which left him even weaker since his vampire body wasn't getting the necessary nutrients.

jungkook is lying down on the bed in their nest room; all of them on edge, knowing that the nestling is vulnerable. 

at first, namjoon thought it was absurd that he wanted jungkook in the room where he's deemed safe. he was willing to beg seokjin and his remaining coven mates to let jungkook into their space; a space of safety and security . 

turns out he didn’t need to beg, because even before he talked right after healing jungkook, seokjin told him to rest and proceeded to carry jungkook onto their bed. the others seemed relieved by seokjin’s action, as if they wanted to do the same thing namjoon had exactly in mind.

"beloveds," he speaks, his eyes not leaving jungkook. the youngling is now settled between seokjin and namjoon, while hoseok and jimin are cuddled at the foot of jungkook, and yoongi and taehyung are both cuddling on the sofa. all of them are engaged in the same activity: watching jungkook until namjoon calls for their attention.

the primo caught seokjin looks at him upon being called. “what, baby?”

namjoon smiles at the endearment. “are you sure that all of you… are okay with this?”

with the emphasis, all of them looked at namjoon; even jimin, whose face was deeply buried in hoseok’s neck.

all of them knew what namjoon was referring to, especially jimin, but namjoon refused to look at jimin for longer so as not to put him under pressure by being put on the spot.

seokjin clarified, “do you mean making him sleep in the nest room?” 

namjoon nodded. “yes, i—” the primo sighed, “i have wanted to put him here, but i was worried that all of you would protest. my instincts are telling me that he should be here because it’s safer, and we could protect him here in case anything bad happens.” namjoon explained. 

“silly,” seokjin said. “of course, i would want him here. and all of you do too, considering you're all here watching the youngling with hawk eyes.”

everyone giggled at that.

jimin clears his throat. “i mean, i have seen this coming…”

yoonig nods. “the little one is kind, and he’s proven it to us.” since jungkook's arrival, there hadn't been any physical altercations—except for the time seokjin got pushed against a wall, but that was more because jungkook was a bit of a mess, both mentally and physically. still, the sire didn't hold it against him. if he had, seokjin wouldn't be here with them now.

taehyung let out a scoff beside yoongi, more amused than anything. “he tried inflicting pain on me though.”

all of them snickered at that. namjoon would admit he was the first one who got mad about it, but as he thinks back on all the things that happened and they had done, he realizes that they were at fault— no matter how much jungkook argues that he was equally at fault. 

they were the reason why jungkook had to spring into action that was against his will. poor little one literally lost a client, possibly going bankrupt, house burned to nothing but ashes that are now floating in their— maybe not even visible to the human eye, and now his whole life changed forever for being turned. 

“yeah, but joonie hyung and i spook the shit out of him for you,” jimin jokes.

“and the brat burned my skin with his bracelet!” hoseok whines pouting.

"yah, he slapped me across the face! it didn't sting, but that really took me aback," seokjin giggles.

"that's because you kept using sexually suggestive language. the poor youngling was flustered," hoseok chuckles.

namjoon chuckles at that. those memories now remain just that— memories. memories that didn't start well but became a means to grow closer to the vulnerable youngling now passed out between the primo and the sire.

jungkook looks much better now; his ragged breaths have returned to normal. the color has returned to his lips and cheeks, and his face appears peaceful, like that of an angel. 

namjoon sighed, watching jungkook's eyeballs move left and right behind his closed lids, indicating that he was sleeping. "do you think... we should tell him?"

everyone's heads lowered at that, even jimin, who had gotten up from hoseok's neck, had gone back to burying his head deep in hoseok's neck. even hoseok shifted his gaze to his lap.

"of course, we should. he should know," seokjin said, with no hesitance, as if it were already logical and expected, the right thing to do.

"but what if he rejects us?" taehyung's voice sounded sad, but namjoon found he had the right to feel that way.

"then we would let him," yoongi replied in a whisper, looking taehyung in the eye. "he must know that even if he belongs to us, it doesn't mean he doesn't have the freedom to choose for himself. he’s been through enough, we shouldn’t deny him the freedom of making decisions."

namjoon recalled talking about greed with jungkook. would it be selfish if namjoon wants jungkook to stay?

would it be greedy to wantjungkook all for himself? all for them?

after all, he belongs to them.

“my vision,” jimin speaks, his voice muffled. “it doesn’t show me the whole picture of the future, but so far, i don’t see jungkook rejecting us.” and jimin secretly hopes that he wouldn’t see it, to never see it.

namjoon realizes that if it’s hard for all of them once jungkook rejects them, then it’s going to be harder for jimin because he sees it happen firsthand.

being a seer isn’t a great thing. it feels like there’s more disadvantage than advantage.

“i hope he gets better soon. i badly want to talk to him about this,” namjoon says honestly.

ever since that night, he was eager to get jungkook back to health so they could talk. the rest of the coven already knows; namjoon told them the same night he had jungkook on his arms, distressed and crying as he grips the nestling who was passed out from the pain tightly to his embrace. 

besides, even if the primo didn’t tell them, they would have felt it. 

“but his sire…” hoseok mutters.

namjoon pinches his eyes closed tightly. it’s another problem.

“his sire could come back and snatch him from us—”

“we wouldn’t let him,” seokjin says firmly. he leans closer to the sleeping figure of the nestling, brushing his hair gently. “no one could take him away from us.”

namjoon opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling. 

“there must be a way. there will be,” namjoon absentmindedly says, looking at seokjin.

“what could that be?” yoongi asks from the loveseat where taehyung is wrapped around him like a koala.

namjoon turns his head toward his direction, meeting his eyes over seokjin’s shoulder. “if there’s no way, then we’ll make one.”

—

when jungkook woke, he felt a lightness. his head was clear; his senses weren’t going haywire. the room smelled good, just the right amount of scent that didn’t overwhelm his sense of smell. his sense of hearing was just right; though he could make out feet walking around the floor, his eyes were clear as day, and the brightness did not give him migraines.

upon opening his eyes, he realized he was in an unfamiliar room. this one was comfier than the one he usually slept in; the walls were beige, contrasting the dark color of his usual room. there was also a loveseat couch in the right corner of the room. the lights were dimmed to a warm temperature. the bed was big, and it could fit seven people—just like his recent bed. oddly, this one was more comfortable to sleep in. maybe the bed had some magic. still, he didn’t know where he was, though he knew he was still inside the coven’s house.

he had also changed out of his clothes—now dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, probably so he wouldn’t get cold. jungkook chuckled. it was useless since his body was physically cold anyway.

jungkook sat straight up slowly and gently, touching his stomach and finding no pain than he last remembered. 

he doesn’t quite remember everything that happened while he was sick. it seems like ever since he got here, his brain has been having a hard time remembering such details. he actually asked seokjin about it, and he says that it’s because he’s a nestling. it’s common for nestlings to have bad memories when they’re in the middle of transitioning, since his brain feeds energy to his body to complete his rebirth.

a knock on the door stole his attention. just like when he first woke up in this house, he didn’t answer; he waited for it to open. he still does that, ever since he got here, even though he’s been here longer than he actually recalls.

it’s as if the vampire behind the door knew that jungkook does this all the time because it was actually three minutes before he opens the door. it was something seokjin and yoongi do most of the time, and maybe the two vampires have told the rest about it, so they started picking up on it and doing it as well.

when the door opens, it’s namjoon, who is smiling gently at him, dimples in sight. the elder is dressed in a plain white shirt and black sweats.

“how are you feeling?” he asks, gently closing the door as he walks over to the bed and settles beside jungkook.

“great. the pain is gone. thank you… i feel so light.”

namjoon nods. “no worries. we did what we think we should do. sorry that you had to suffer in pain longer before i healed you.”

jungkook shakes his head. “no, i— i get it. you have to be in the right headspace to be able to properly heal me. don’t worry, i’m not mad. i’m very thankful.” jungkook sucks his tongue. “but— but what was the problem, though?”

“we found that your stomach was clogged with human foods. your digestive system was in a bad condition when i managed to have a look at it.”

jungkook panics for a bit. he thought of it literally only to realize that namjoon meant seeing through it but in his mind.

“so, i’m afraid you would have to stop eating human foods for the rest of the month.”

jungkook makes a questioning noise, his face looking like OJO in confusion. “why is that?” a month is too long, and he’s not exactly sure what he would do every time he has to eat and drink. the coven had started eating bloods in front of him, but surprisingly, it didn’t even gag jungkook with disgust. however, seeing someone eat and drink blood is different from actually doing it yourself; they're entirely two different things.

“well, eating human foods isn’t advised but not prohibited either. but you were consuming lots of human foods than blood, so your stomach glitched a bit.” namjoon makes a vague gesture in the air to express himself. “you are a vampire now, jungkook, so the food you eat should be balanced— most importantly, should be blood most of the time.”

jungkook nods in understanding. still, even though the thought of drinking blood disgusts him, he needs to do it. besides, this isn’t some temporary thing; he actually has to do this for a long, long time, wherever his feet bring him— as long as he’s alive. living alone, how he’s surviving, how he will have to move from town to town so people wouldn’t recognize him for not aging, are all problems for his later self to deal with. right now, his stomach growls from hunger from being left empty for too long since he vomited.

“okay,” jungkook sighs. it’s not like he has a choice. he just wants to get better so he can heal fully and go back to the city. although it’s much better here anyways.

“okay?” namjoon’s eyebrows furrowed, turning his body to face jungkook. “you’re accepting that easily?” namjoon questions.

“yeah, it’s not like i have a choice,” jungkook shrugs.

namjoon perks up at that, gripping jungkook’s shoulder to make him look again. “listen to me. you always have a choice, jungkook. i’m sorry that you don’t have a choice for this one because it could literally make you suffer more.”

once again, that’s a double entendre. he knows by the look of namjoon’s eyes that there’s an underlying meaning behind those words, but jungkook doesn’t get what he means by that, so he just nods in confusion.

“okay… uhm, so where’s the blood?” jungkook looks around but finds that namjoon wasn’t actually carrying anything when he went inside the room.

namjoon lets go of jungkook’s shoulder as he clears his throat. “you want it now?”

jungkook nods. “yeah, i’m hungry…” the youngling admits shyly, his eyes flashing red.

namjoon’s eyes widen at what just happened. it looks like jungkook’s unaware of what he just did, so he quickly brought his hands back on jungkook and settled on his waist, gripping it gently. “do you consent to me touching you?”

jungkook snorts but nods anyway.

namjoon looks up at him, squeezing his waist gently. “words, darling.”

jungkook blushes at the endearment. “yes, i consent.”

namjoon smiles. “great.”

just like that, namjoon manhandles jungkook onto his lap. jungkook’s breath hitches, eyes widening at how easy for namjoon to carry him like a doll. he’s literally straddling namjoon’s thick thighs and hips. jungkook braces himself on namjoon’s shoulders for support.

“now, you can drink from me. it’s better if you drink blood from me since my healing magic flows through my veins; it would make your healing faster.”

jungkook doesn’t answer, just staring at namjoon with wide eyes, beautiful shiny doe eyes moving left and right as he looks at namjoon’s eyes.

“come on, youngling,” namjoon tilts his head to the side to gesture which side he should bite. “i thought you were hungry? bite.” he sounds full of authority, and that does something to jungkook; like he was supposed to obey what namjoon has to ask him to do.

the nestling nods absentmindedly, slowly leaning into namjoon’s neck that is now fully tilted to the side to give him better access.

jungkook’s heart is racing, and he knows he barely has a heartbeat anymore since he’s now a vampire, but fuck he feels excited and thrilled— all at the same time.

namjoon feels his breath ghosting over his skin, and jungkook’s lips make contact with his neck. but before the nestling can bite, he backs away again. “can’t i just bite your wrist?” jungkook’s face, ears, and neck are all red, but namjoon doesn’t comment on it in case the youngling feels even more anxious and decides not to drink blood out of humiliation.

namjoon gives him a reassuring smile. “the purpose of you drinking straight from my neck is because the vein here is strong.” he lets go of his grip from jungkook’s waist to point his finger to the vein. “meaning, the magic that flows in my blood is all here.”

“okay… okay, but i don’t know how to—”

namjoon shushes him, detecting that the youngling is working himself into distress. “your vampire instinct knows what to do, just let your fang brush against my skin, and it’ll know how to pierce the skin properly.”

jungkook closes his eyes, breathing deeply, trying to gain composure of himself. “okay,” he says to himself. “here i go.”

“good, take your time.”

jungkook nods and shifts his position.

jungkook leans in slowly again, opening his mouth to let his fangs touch namjoon’s neck.

jungkook’s eyes widen the moment it makes contact against the primo’s neck. it feels like he was possessed, like someone inside him took over his body and pierced the skin expertly before he gulped everything that was coming out of namjoon’s neck.

“good job. that’s it, darling, take what you need,” namjoon encourages, brushing jungkook’s back softly as he hoists him up when he felt the nestling lowering down from his lap.

jungkook closes his eyes, letting himself relax and savor the taste and take all he could, expertly lapping the skin, pouting his mouth to catch the droplets of blood, trying not to waste anything of it.

it feels like heaven. the blood tastes so fucking good; he’s in cloud nine.

jungkook feels hazy, like he’s eating the sweetest food on earth; it feels like he’s ascending to heaven by how delicious it was; his vision is white.

maybe the coffee commercials weren’t an over exaggeration for producing advertisements where the actress is brought to heaven or sitting in a cloud nine the moment they take a sip of coffee.

because that’s exactly how jungkook feels.

it took thirty minutes for jungkook to be satisfied. he gently backs away from namjoon, head lowered down in shame at what he just did. “t-thank you,” he stutters.

namjoon just hums, leaning on his back supported by his hand as he watches jungkook. namjoon lifts his hand to tilt jungkook’s chin, swiping the blood on the corner of the youngling’s mouth and licking it off himself. “you’re welcome.”

—

“thank you for bathing me.” jungkook says, looking both at jimin and taehyung. giving them both a smile.

“no worries. thank you for being cooperative and not complaining.” jimin jokes.

jungkook chuckles at that.

out of the coven members, taehyung and jimin were the members he barely got close to. the two were always busy, always had somewhere else to be. 

last night, he was too exhausted to go shower after feeding from namjoon so the moment he woke up, he ran to the bathroom. his mouth was sticky and his shirt were drying with blood which makes him feel disgusted. 

but before he could make it to the bathroom, jimin and taehyung volunteered, claiming that they wanted their turns in taking care of the nestling because they never had the chance to do so since they were always absent.

“i’m sorry for interrupting your meal at the coffee shop and for throwing you in the air.” jimin suddenly says. “i’m really not great at controlling with my anger, and i feel really guilty for doing that to you. i know you got scared, and i deeply apologized for that.”

jimin didn’t let him speak until they’re sat on the bed. jimin remained standing, while taehyung sits beside jungkook to dry jungkook’s hair with a towel. 

“suddenly?” jungkook asks.

jimin snorts. “there’s really not a right or wrong time when you apologize you know? it’s only a matter of time when you feel guilty.” 

jungkook only nods.

jimin clears his throat, “i do not ask to be forgiven today, tomorrow or the next day. i just want you to know that i’m apologizing because i knew that what i did went overboard.”

jungkook doesn’t have the time to reply to that because taehyung speaks after him. “i apologize for messing up with your deliveries. it was very shitty i admit, and i know you’ve heard this a thousand times before from joonie hyung or any of us, but i still want to apologize for it.” taehyung stands beside jimin, holding jimin’s hands.

the two stared at each other for a long time, as if they’re talking in their minds.

they turned to jungkook, and as if on cue, they both gave him a bow. a ninety degrees bow .

jungkook’s mouth agape at the action. he doesn’t know what to do. what to say.

“oh god— can’t we just go back to fighting? formality is so serious and it’s making my skin itch.”

although it sounded harsh, jungkook said it with a happy tears in his eyes. 

“if you really want me to forgive both of you, replace the cupcakes and the coffee i had that day.”

of course, he got a firm “no.”

—

whatever bond or connection he has formed with the other two, made the other coven member’s jealous— not really a toxic jealous type, but more like an amusement and fondness. 

it started from jungkook hanging out more often with the two, until he can finally be comfortable in accepting their physical touches. sometimes jungkook would find himself enjoying being in their arms more than he expects to. 

right now, under the tree, where jungkook lies on jimin’s lap while taehyung’s on jimin’s other side lying on his shoulder, it all feels too right.

the sun rise is setting, and the brightness doesn’t make his eyes hurt.

jimin and taehyung took a long time convincing the other’s to allow the three of them to go out. at first, namjoon gave them a firm “no” but eventually succumb to whatever tactics jimin and taehyung were up to.

jungkook knows that once the primo says, “no.” then it is a no. so, whatever jimin and taehyung had done, it must have really affected the primo deeply to take back his words and allows them to go out in the end.

hoseok had told them firmly that they shouldn’t cross within the boundaries outside the boundary of their coven before he left. of course, not forgetting to give the two a kiss in the forehead, while a kiss on the back of jungkook’s hand. 

“i have a question, jimin-ssi.” jungkook asks.

jimin hums, brushing jungkook’s hair out of his face when the wind swept his bangs towards his eyes. 

“that day you and namjoon-ssi came to me and brought me to the parking lot, you were doing this thing where you kind of commanding me to tell you where the blood bags are.”

that was one thing that bothered jungkook. he was sure that some magic were involved when they both encountered each other for the first time. it was also evident by the way jimin’s face fell when jungkook didn’t answer what he was commanding him to say to.

at the question, jimin’s hand stops from brushing jungkook’s head. instead he settled it on jungkook’s tummy and rub gentle circles through the material. a gesture of comfort. 

“i can manipulate things, and i’m a seer.” jimn explains. 

“wow…” jungkook says. “that’s so cool. you can see the future? how do you see it— like a video player?”

jimin shakes his head. “no. it’s actually realistic— like you are there in that moment. there’s nothing cool about being a seer, everything is a spoiler and it’s very draining.”

“still, being able to see what happens next has its advantage, yeah?”

“it does sometimes, but for you, there was none.” jimin admits.

“what do you mean?” jung asks in confusion.

“it means that i have never seen you in my vision— let alone when you robbed and hid the blood bags. that day in the parking lot, i was trying to get you to admit it. i’m sorry about that, i usually don’t do that but the hunger was unbearable so i just…” jimin sighs. “i’m sorry. i know it was wrong because it was without your consent.”

“we’ve already established about the apologies, didn’t we?” jungkook chuckles. “anyway,  is that why you were shock when i didn’t admit where i hid it?”

jimin nods. “hmm… that was the first time someone has resist my magic, especially a human too.”

“but how about now? can you see me in your vision now?”

jimin furrows his eyebrows, trying to remember. “yes, i can. the day you arrived, i saw it for the first time. i rushed home with taehyung, that’s why he was there when you woke up.”

“cool.” jungkook responds. “does that mean you saw my almost-naked body?”

“no. but i did see that you were covered by joonie hyung’s blazer though. that’s all. that was the last and the most recent.” 

“speaking of when you woke up,” taehyung suddenly says, extracting himself from jimin and moves closer to where jungkook’s lying on his lap. “and i may have… another thing to apologize for— two , actually…” he says anxiously, biting his bottom lip. 

jungkook frowns in confusion, “what?”

taehyung clears his throat. “remember when i kept answering your questions when you hid under the blanket out of panic? well—” taehyung nervously rubs the back of his neck. “i actually have to apologize for not knocking before i enter and… .” taehyung pauses to look at jimin. “and for reading your mind.”

jungkook gets up, “wait—”

“jungkook, i’m not going to beat around the bush but i’m a mind reader. i can read and hear your thoughts. i got too excited to talk to you so i made you think that you were just talking to yourself loudly…. in short, i literally lied.” 

taehyung adjusted his position and sat on his legs, head bowing. “i apologize for not respecting your space and for reading your mind without your consent.”

now, jungkook’s face is fixed in utter confusion.

“again, i appreciate that you learn how to be direct to the point but—” jungkook turns to taehyung, “but… you,” he points to taehyung. “are a mind reader?” 

taehyung nods.

“and you…” he turns to jimin, pointing the same finger at him. “are a seer with a manipulation magic?”

both male nod.

“okay. okay…” jungkook went back to lying down on jimin’s lap. “so jimin-ssi, you said you are a seer but you’ve never see me in your visions— which means that you technically never saw me hiding your bloodbags either.”

jimin clicks his finger. “exactly, and up until now, we are still wondering about the same thing. i have never realized that i never see you not until you attempted to inflict pain on taehyung. usually, i would always be able to see it first hand because they are mates— i am bonded with them which means my magic are also connected to them. however, i wasn’t even able to see you harming taehyung. i thought that maybe i was just tired so i forgot but even when jinnie hyung comes to you, or hobi hyung or yoongi hyung, there were none. not even a glimpse. i thought that maybe it was the hunger but no— i literally never seen you once until i saw joonie hyung saved you from the cargo.”

“the same thing happened with me.” taehyung adds. “when you were a human, i couldn’t even read your mind, which is why i wasn’t prepared that you were sneaking behind me. so, imagine my surprise when i found you in the guest room and the way i could hear your thoughts as if you were talking in a normal voice.”

“you both make it sound like i’m magical or something.” jungkook teases. 

jimin chuckles, “i wish we were joking but we’re not.”

Chapter Text

jungkook’s life changed over the course of the month.

just the other day, he sat at the table alone, but now he shares meals with a group of six. 

just the other day, he slept in solitude, but now he finds comfort in the warmth of at least two others snuggled close when night falls. 

just the other day, he clashed fists with the kims, but now those very hands cradle him with tenderness, treating him like something precious that must be safeguarded at all costs, as though he warrants only the gentlest of caresses and nothing more.

throughout the time he spent here, it became undeniable that jungkook was bound to fall in love. it might sound wild, but even from the start, he had those typical crushes on the six of them, purely based on their looks. however, things got complicated when the kims began messing with him, leading to unnecessary fights that escalated to putting knife on each other’s throats.

it wasn't just about silly crushes anymore-  jungkook realize that his emotions weren't just shallow infatuations.  jungkook felt something deeper that he couldn't quite grasp-  something he struggled to define. admitting this out loud might make him sound crazy, and he was certain anyone who heard him would burst into laughter.

but— 

but there's this strong bond with the six—it's like an invisible string tying him to them, and a force like a magnet that keeps drawing jungkook back to them. 

it's gotten to the point where his search for his maker is overshadowed by his attachment to the six.

he's relieved that he's no longer driven by his vampire instincts to seek out his sire—a feeling he's come to find silly and frustrating. but his emotions towards the six others weigh heavily on him, leaving him struggling to find the right words to express how he feels.

he can't pinpoint when these feelings began, but jungkook has attempted to articulate them without success. it's as if this emotion defies simple description.

the feelings crept up on him quietly, almost unnoticed at first. it was the fluttering of his barely-human heart, racing whenever he found himself near the others—like when seokjin would lean in behind him to grab something from the top shelf, or when yoongi's hand accidentally brushed against his own, or when hoseok planted a casual kiss on his head, warmly welcomed, or when namjoon would rest his hand on jungkook's waist as he settled onto his lap for a drink.

technically, jungkook didn't need to drink from the original anymore, especially not from his neck, but both of them kept up the charade for the sake of each other. the real benefit lay in their proximity, an excuse to be close to each other physically.

then there were taehyung and jimin, who would boldly intertwine their fingers with his every time they went for a walk.

he used to think his reactions were just normal because of course! those very good-looking boys are all touchy-feely with him! it’s only natural to feel that way!

but now, things were getting weird. they don’t even have to engage in physical contact for jungkook to see and feel those emotions behind their eyes.

with just a glance, he could see it all: seokjin's eyes held fondness, namjoon's glowed with love, hoseok's sparkled with adoration, yoongi's conveyed care, jimin's reflected desire, and taehyung's shimmered with gentleness.

in the beginning, he thought his brain was only playing with him—but no , it’s not.

he would have believed it was just the trick of the light, but their eyes speak for their actions.

seokjin often tenderly caressed jungkook's face, looking deeply into his eyes as he ran his fingers through his hair during their cuddle sessions. jungkook would softly sing to him, and when he finished, seokjin would whisper sweet words in his ear, praising his talent and worth.

namjoon was always there for jungkook during his moments of distress, holding him tightly as he cried about the uncertainty of living alone once he recovered. namjoon reassured him that he didn't have to face it alone, comforting him with gentle back rubs until he calmed down. later, namjoon would offer jungkook a drink, and jungkook, feeling reassured, would eventually drift off to sleep in namjoon's comforting embrace.

hoseok loved embracing jungkook whenever the younger one showcased his improving agility, playfully chasing him around until jungkook collapsed with laughter. hoseok would gently catch him, looking at him with pure admiration as he cooed about how adorable jungkook was.

yoongi would sometimes wrap his arm around jungkook's waist when they were walking downstairs, offering support in case jungkook tripped. he would also rush to jungkook's side to offer tea the moment the younger one complained of a migraine from light sensitivity.

jimin would eagerly express his desire to spend nights sleeping beside jungkook, as he found it difficult to sleep alone. he also shared his deepest thoughts with jungkook, wanting to spend the entire day together under a tree, finding solace in jungkook's calming presence.

taehyung would patiently assist jungkook in training his abilities, always speaking gently and reassuringly, reminding jungkook that it's okay to take time because nothing comes easy at the beginning.

all of it— all of those actions that seemed normal but never failed to tug at his heart.

what made jungkook realize his feelings was when he kissed namjoon on the lips. 

as usual, jungkook’s day would end with him feeding from namjoon—straddling his hips, sitting on the primo’s lap.

jungkook can now drink from blood bags, but he complains about how it tastes like shit, so he still seeks the primo for his own.

of course, namjoon would only laugh. “you like me that much?” he would say just to tease him.

jungkook, already drunk just from the sip, would detach from where he’s biting the neck to hum his answer and giggle. “i do. i really like you, primo,” he slurs.

namjoon has no idea if those words hold truth in them—so he allows his mind to think that the nestling was only kidding. the primo chooses not to think too much about how jungkook casually throws that word around. so, namjoon would only respond with laughter as he held him close.

after that, jungkook would usually let himself go limp in his hold, letting the primo lay him down on the bed. that was their routine, and both of them were familiar with it.

now, imagine his surprise when the night after jungkook said those words, jungkook detaches himself again from his neck to press a peck on namjoon’s lips.

“thank you, primo,” jungkook casually says, eyes closing as he puts his head on namjoon’s shoulders to sleep, breathing evenly.

namjoon remained frozen at that—of course, he didn’t know what to do, or should he even do anything at all? he waits for a beat in case jungkook would get up and cry about how he didn’t mean to do that and how he was just so out of it but…none… it didn’t come.

so, namjoon decides he won’t ask; maybe jungkook was too sleepy to register his actions.

but then, the next night, it happens again .

this time, namjoon didn't just let jungkook drift off to sleep as usual.

“tastes so good,” jungkook murmurs, planting a gentle kiss on namjoon's lips before licking away the blood that gathered on his lips. then relaxing against namjoon's body, nestled in his embrace. 

"baby, jungkook," namjoon calls softly. 

"hmm?" jungkook murmurs. 

"you know what you just did, right?" 

"yeah," jungkook nods. 

"i kissed you," he says casually. 

"good. i'm glad you're aware. can i ask why you kissed me though?" j

ungkook shifts just enough to face namjoon. "because i wanted to?" 

namjoon chuckles. "you can't just kiss someone on the mouth because you feel like it, jungkook."

 jungkook rolls his eyes. "you should know the answer by now." 

namjoon can't help but facepalm at jungkook's response. 

jungkook giggles, then plants another kiss on namjoon's lips. "i'll let you off this time. i like you. i like all of you. now, let's sleep," he yawns, snuggling back into namjoon's shoulder. "i'm sleepy…" 

namjoon finds it hard to sleep that night.

—

again, jungkook is not stupid. he knows the coven feels the same way he does, he could feel it. 

besides, jungkook values boundaries. he wouldn’t have kiss namjoon on the lips had he not overheard the elder whispering with a broken voice, “i love you. little one. we’ve been yearning for you for so long.” followed by a forehead kiss when the primo thought jungkook was asleep, intoxicated by blood. 

when jungkook woke up, he was utterly bewildered at first. then, unexpectedly, tears welled up in his eyes. but these weren't tears of sorrow; they were tears of sheer joy. he couldn't quite grasp it, but it felt like something deep within him had finally clicked into place. 

he was grateful that namjoon wasn't there to witness his emotional outburst; otherwise, he would have spent the whole day feeling irritated, trying to suppress the overwhelming feelings he needed to let out and in feat that namjoon might worry about him.

moreover, kissing namjoon on the lips was meant to be an experiment— an attempt to gauge how namjoon would react if jungkook were to take the initiative; signalling that he wants namjoon just like how he wants the the other five. he didn’t mean to catch him off guard, but jungkook just couldn’t resist the urge so he just went with it, disregarding any potential consequences because he knew mere words wouldn't convince namjoon.

so now, after the kissing incident occured for the second time, he wasn’t really surprised when namjoon called and sat all of them for a meeting .

“the darling kissed me last night.” namjoon says.

five pairs of eyes widened, as they all yelled the same word. “what?!”

jungkook giggled as he nestled himself between yoongi and seokjin, his hand covering his face in embarrassment before nervously scratching his earlobe.

"i did," jungkook chimed in, trying to sound confident despite his obvious nervousness showing through his actions and mannerisms.

“wait what the fuck— hold on —” seokjin turns to jungkook, “i thought it’s gonna be me?” seokjin points to himself, eyes wide. 

“no! i thought the first would be me ?” yoongi adds, disbelief in his tone.

“what— no yoongi!” seokjin looks at yoongi over jungkook’s shoulder. “i was the one who took care of him when he woke!”

“oh come on, i was the first he asked to sleep beside him!” yoongi counters.

“and i was the first one who greeted him!” taehyung chimed in.

jungkook snorts. “telling me to take a shower wasn’t really a greeting hyung,”

they all chuckled.

“okay so, since when? i mean— when did you kiss joonie?” hoseok asks. 

“the other night and last night.” namjoon answers.

seokjin, yoongi, and taehyung gasps. 

“dramatic,” jimin mutters, causing hoseok, who has the smaller vampire on his lap, to chuckle and give him a playful pinch on the side.

“i guess it’s valid for yoongi hyung and seokjinnie hyung to be surprise but taehyungie hyung and everyone, sorry… it’s just” he clicks his tongue, eyeing the primo from head to toe. “can’t resist namjoon hyung.”

that was another thing that had changed; referring to them as hyung. in return, he let them address him informally. but you hardly ever hear his name in this place because the six of them prefer using adorable pet names instead.

“brat.” taehyung remarks from where he’s hugging hoseok’s side.

“that i am.” jungkook says, grinning as he bows.

jimin giggles.

“okay but the real question— why did you kiss hyung? not that i am jealous or mad or anything, i’m just really curious.” taehyung inquires. “what made you kiss joonie hyung?”

“argh, so many questions.” jungkook pretended to scrunch his face as he massages his temple. “do i really have to repeat myself?” jungkook turns to namjoon, “primo, can’t you just tell him— tell them yourself?”

namjoon smiles, shaking his head. “i’m not on the position to do that, little one.”

jungkook rolls his eyes. “well i guess i’ll say it myself.” jungkook lifts his head, aiming to appear confident. “ i like joonie hyung. i like all of you, alot— actually.”

“i told you, you wouldn’t be able to resist my face.” seokjin jokes.

“actually you’re right, i can’t— but i don’t feel the need to build a country for you, yet.”

“wait jungkook–” hoseok straightens up, adjusting jimin on his lap. “are you serious? do you even know what you’re committing to? i mean—”

“hobi hyung.” jungkook calls. “im twenty three, i am very much aware of what i am feeling, and i know what i feel. thank you very much.”

jungkook might have been single for as long as he can remember but that didn't mean he was clueless about love and emotions. even though he hadn't been in a relationship before, he was still pretty good at understanding his feelings and knowing what they meant.

“but how do we know that it isn’t because you just— i don’t know, feeling grateful?” taehyung asks, glancing at hoseok beside him before he looks at jungkook.

“good point. that was actually the first thought i have— i thought it was stockholm syndrome, but the more i thought about it, the more it doesn’t make sense— you guys didn’t kidnap me.”

“yeah we didn’t— it’s not like you have a choice because you were literally passed out on my arms.” namjoon counters.

“and we didn’t let you go out either.” yoongi agrees.

jungkook sighs. "but i could have left if i really wanted to," he said, gesturing to his own body and making eye contact with each member of the coven. "do you really think i wouldn't have run away the first time joonie hyung took me outside? or that i wouldn't have found a way to escape every time one of you left me alone? remember that time i was alone in the living room, staring at each of your portraits? i may be grateful, but i know the difference between that and genuine love."

everyone stays silent as he speaks, six pairs of eyes shining with tears. 

jungkook's frustration was creeping in. surely, he hadn't misinterpreted the situation, had he? if he had, then he would drop on his knees, beg for forgiveness from the coven for overstepping boundaries and kissing the primo.

but he couldn't have misread it, could he?

“i— jungkook.” namjoon begins, interrupting jungkook’s thoughts. “do you know why i didn’t heal you firsthand when i brought you here?”

“you did though, my wrist is just fine.” jungkook replied, examining his once-injured wrist, which now had flawless, honey-colored skin without any scars.

namjoon shakes his head, “no. i did not.”

jungkook thinks back to the memory, but finds that he’s unable to do so because he was literally so out of it. “okay let’s say you did not, but i do remember my body aching before i realized that you were the one who brought me here. if you didn’t then how come my wrist is fine?”

“i did use my magic to heal your wrist— but did not use it to… heal your bites and the rest.”

jungkook frowns, confusion growing inside him. “why?”

“your bite— was the cause of your body aches, your migraines and such things. biologically, it should be your sire healing you— my magic can heal it but it won’t be as bearable as with your sire. for your wrist, the bracelet was metal and it was the only thing i can heal. it was my morbid luck that i didn’t bring my vampiric veil so i had to, you know, torn apart your wrist.” namjoon explains, making jungkook wince at the memory.

“the only one that can come close to healing your body aches and the bite are… your mates .” namjoon looks at him with seriousness. “your mates can help with that since we’re all born with magic, or at least even little amount of magic. the bond you share with them surpasses any instinct you may have. it's why covens often stick together when their sire is also their mate."

jungkook's expression shifts to one of seriousness as he begins to understand what the primo is getting at. “and… our magic, my magic — it reacts to my mate and it can trigger the bond between me and my mates.”

“now that you’ve mentioned it, i can tell that it may have started when i had a bad stomach ache— when you healed me using your magic…” jungkook trails off, then his eyes widen with realization as the pieces start to fit together in his mind.

stop.

oh.

so—

jungkook gasps, “then that means im your—”

namjoon nods, smiling. “you are our mate, jungkook. the one we’ve spent years looking for centuries.”

jungkook stares at namjoon, dumbfounded.  

“the moment i was able to remove your bracelet, i felt it. ” namjoon adds.

“i— felt what?” is it the emotion? was it the same emotion he’s been feeling as well? hopefully.

“the connection, jungkook. the bond. i’m surprised you didn’t feel it when you woke up here.” namjoon adds.

“i’m… lost? what… bond?” jungkook frowns. maybe there’s something more to this? much deeper than he knows? “i don’t get it. what even is the relevance of this to my confession? i— what—”

“okay, calm down.” jimin said gently, easing away from hoseok's lap. i get that this is a lot to take in all at once, but yeah, you heard correctly. you're our mate. the reason why we’re telling you this is because we wanted to know— to make sure that you weren’t mistaking your feelings towards us. mistaking gratitude for something romantic because— because it would hurt us so much if in the long term, you realized it was just gratitude and not genuine affection."

jungkook raises his eyebrows, finally grasping what they mean. “oh— oh.” his mouth opens, “okay i get it now and to clarify, no. my feelings are very real and i already told you that i’ve done a lot of thinking before i was finally able to name it. besides, we’re mates! i’m your mate! i’m not gonna lie, it was very confusing and even though that did confuse me, i’m just happy it distracts me from thinking about the motherfucker who turned me to this.”

all of them giggles at his cussing. 

“you have such a beautiful adorable face that nobody would suspect your mouth could spew unholy words.” hoseok remarks.

“oh, wanna see what unholy things this mouth can do—”

“jungkook, behave.” namjoon firmly says, clearing his throat which prompted jungkook to shut his mouth after uttering an apology.

“i don’t know what to do with you.” 

“do you want to hear my suggestions? i have a few—”

namjoon’s eyes flashed red when they landed on the nestling. “what did i say about behaving, jungkook?” 

seokjin face broke into a smile in amusement. “okay. now that we’ve explained ourselves, honey, do you have a question?”

jungkook nods, “i do.” he turns to look at them. “what about the bracelet? it’s confusing me. what does that have to do with my bond with all six of you?”

“so your bracelet.” namjoon begins, “i found out that your bracelet had something— some magic on it. the witch i brought it to discovered that it had a protection magic; it was meant to protect you from our kinds— vampires .”

jungkook's head throbbed with a flood of new information. “i didn’t know that? my parents gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday and i never once took it off not until i got turned. they’re dead now, though.”

“we know.” taehyung says. 

“i was able to see through it. yoongi hyung cursed the bracelet to be broken, while i manipulated it to show me the past. i saw that your mother... actually inherited it from the lineage of the witch who cursed the witch that gave birth to our kind..." jimin's voice trailed off before refocusing on jungkook. "did you ever get the feeling that the deaths of your parents were planned?" he asked with curiosity.

jungkook nods. "yeah, i do. it seemed pretty obvious. everything was going smoothly with the business when i took over. but just before they passed, they were strangely saying goodbye to their friends. it was weird but i didn't dwell on it much since i wasn't very close to them anyway."

jimin hums. “right. that’s because to get that bracelet… you should be willing to bet anything— you should be willing to die. to bet on your life.”

“i don’t get it, then why would they want to get it in the first place? and why would they give it to me?”

they exchanged knowing glances, as if they shared a secret jungkook wasn't privy to.

namjoon clears his throat, “are you sure you really want to know the answer to that? we don’t have to tell you right now.”

"no, please, just tell me everything. i want to know," he insisted. it was better to hear it all in one go rather than dragging it out. even if it meant his brain needed time to process the flood of information, it was better to have it done in one sitting.

“they got those bracelet to keep you in the shadow— for vampires not to detect you. hence, why our magics didn’t work on you— why jimin wasn’t able to see you in his visions, neither why taehyung couldn’t read your mind. but the bond of the connection was strong, hence why we were able to get close to you. bond is hard to break jungkook, no other magic can be used to break it— unless you die. the reason why i didn’t use my magic on you the first night i saved you. i didn't want to punish you for your emotions or risk triggering the silver lining. you were already dealing with enough because of your sire." namjoon shifted in his seat. "jimin saw your mom getting those bracelets. she went to the witch to ask for them."

“do you know… why?”

jimin took a deep breath, summoning up all his courage before he spoke. when he finally opened his eyes, he avoided looking directly at jungkook, instead, his gaze drifted downwards to the floor. “because she wanted to keep you alive— not because to protect you but because they wanted you to do the business. they fought with a vampire clan even before you were born, and they were afraid that if they lost you, they wouldn’t be able to have someone to run the business and beat the vampire opponents. that’s why they chose to bet their lives— why they chose to die to keep you alive.”

jungkook always knew. discovering these truth from others rather than uncovering it himself felt humiliating.

his parents always loved to keep to themselves.jungkook couldn't even recall if they had ever cradled him as a toddler. from his attire to his meals, their decisions dictated his life. so, it doesn’t hurt. it doesn’t hurt much. because he always knew. despite acquiring the knowledge, there’s still a sting making its presence known inside him. “they chose to keep me alive because they were selfish… not because they wanted me to live, but because they wanted me alive to handle their business. it was never for me as a person, but as an object and their extension.”

“i’m sorry.” yoongi says.

jungkook turns to yoongi with brimming tears in his eyes. “no. you have nothing to apologize for. all of you have nothing to apologize for. you’re not at fault— you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“yes we did,” hoseok starts. “we messed with your business— jiminie and joonie belittled you, me and yoongi hyung burned your house— we literally did all of those!”

"we've had this conversation so many times— i—” he sighs in defeat. “do you even realize if i actually enjoyed running that business? i only did it because i didn't know how to live by myself. i didn't know how to navigate life because growing up, i had people who were only concerned about themselves dictating how i should live. when those people were gone, i felt lost— i felt stupid in everything. yes i was good at running it for years, but that was because it was the only thing i was able to learn— that by forcing myself. it took a lot of effort. and that house? yes, i got mad about it— but do you understand how lonely i felt inside everytime i was there? it never even felt like home." jungkook confessed.

for years, the human refused to acknowledge it. he could easily take care of his basic needs and had the money to do so. but when it came to his emotional needs, that was a different story. no matter how much he tried, money couldn't fill that void. he could buy whatever he desired, but the satisfaction never lasted. it was like trying to fix something that just wouldn't stay fixed.

“meeting you and getting to know you, it was the best course of my 23 years in this earth. even if i had to leave today or tomorrow, this moment would always be the one i treasure the most. finding out that you are my mates, it really makes me happy. but the longer this conversation goes, i can't help but wonder if everything you're doing is just because of our bond.”

that’s what crossed his minds. it was an uncomfortable question, but jungkook didn't want to feel loved just because he was their mate.

he wants the six to love him for who he is— not for what his role is in their lives.

but then. he had his own realizations. “but then— but then namjoon hyung saved me. he saved me even before he knew i was one of his mate. he chose to save me even though i once attempted to murder tae hyung, slapped seokjinnie hyung across the face. burned hobi and yoongi hyung’s arm. you saved me because you weren’t a horrible person, you saved me not because out of obligation, you saved me because you knew that was the right thing…” jungkook says, tears rolling down his cheek. 

“and just like all of you, i love you all. with connections or not, i love you all. thank you for showing me kindness— i love you.”

at that, jungkook heard everyone sniffle.

“remember your question earlier about what your mouth can do?” seokjin says in between his tears. “that mouth can spew words that could make us cry.” seokjin leans closer to hug him, which made jungkook automatically buries his face onto his neck. “i love you, baby.”

jungkook exhales, nodding his head.

“me too. i love you…”

after a beat, everyone had gathered to where he was; suddenly, there are a lot of hands holding him everywhere; brushing his hair, caressing his cheeks, holding his hands— as they each whispered how much they love the nestling. how much they are happy that he’s finally in their embrace.

this was the touch and feelings that wanted to drown himself in; full of love, assurance, and care.

this was the moment he wanted to experience forever.

he wants to wake up in namjoon’s arms.

he wants to spend his day with taehyung and jimin, bickering about stupid games until they all end up messily making out on the couch, which eventually turns into giggles and waves of laughter.

he wants to fall asleep cuddled with seokjin, whispering "i love you" to each other's ears until they both become emotional about how much they love each other and their mates.

he wants to learn about hoseok’s powers only to come home after experiencing different kinds of heat because jungkook is weak for pretty boys, especially when said pretty boy knows exactly how to push jungkook’s buttons.

he wants to hear yoongi’s reassurance every time his emotions get to him—negative thoughts filling his head until yoongi talks him out of it. and yoongi, his yoongi hyung, just knows which words to say to subside the negative feelings.

all of it, he wants. 

—

after everyone has calmed down, they went to the nest room, now lying in the nest room with jungkook in the middle. hoseok and seokjin on both of his sides, namjoon behind seokjin as the primo peppers kisses on seokjin’s neck, jimin and taehyung wrapped around yoongi by jungkook’s feet.

“do you want to be courted by us to be our mate, and to be a member of this coven, jungkook?” namjoon asks.

jungkook closes his eyes feeling hoseok's gentle fingers in his hair and seokjin's soft caress on his face. he lets the offer sit in his mind, making sure to process it properly. and then— he processes it, making his heart feel alive, making his cold skin warm.

but one thing crosses his mind— “i want to, i really do. but— the sire, the vampire who turned me, what’s gonna happen will he come back for me?”

he was too excited and too distracted that he almost forgot about to feral vampire. he doesn’t want that asshole to come back just to ruin his life all over again. 

“oh. don’t worry about that. that motherfucker has been captured, locked in the dungeon, and is on death row. funny thing is, he doesn’t know when will he die.”

jungkook feels bad, he’s just empathetic like that. but then, that was the same vampire who messed jungkook’s life— the reason why he’s half alive and half awake. “is there… a backstory to that?”

taehyung breathed a laugh. “there is. that was the vampire who went feral for overconsuming blood. he was wanted for a long time, and was also the one who killed his coven.” 

“well then, i guess our soft kookie doesn’t have to feel bad anymore.” hoseok smiles.

jungkook returns his smile. “if so then… namjoon hyung, i’ll give you my answer.” he shifts in his position to look at namjoon’s eyes. “i do. i want to be in this coven. i want to be your mate. i want to be here,” he says, relieved murmurs echoing around him.

“how about your business?” seokjin inquires.

jungkook, smiling, shakes his head. “i want to live for myself.”

“thanked fucking gosh we no longer have to work—your business is incredible but the paperwork sucks!” taehyung cheers.

jungkook tilts his head a little to look at the latter. “what are you saying?”

jimin giggles. “the baby has no idea. you look so cute when you’re confused— all pouty and adorable.”

suddenly, jimin gets up, detaching himself from yoongi, making the elder whine in protest, prompting taehyung to kiss yoongi to sate him.

jimin ignores yoongi’s whines and kisses jungkook on the lips. “i can’t believe i have the privilege to kiss your pout away.”

jungkook bites his lip in embarrassment, fighting off a smile that’s attempting to spread on his lips. he hides his face on hoseok’s chest when he can no longer hide it, making hoseok coo and jimin laugh. he feels his ears and neck get warm.

“since i’m nice enough, i’d like you to know that taetae and i have been working on your behalf. don’t worry though, your three trusted men knew you were with us. your business has been going well too— but if you decide to quit, it’s fine too,” jimin explains.

jungkook detaches his face from hoseok. “i would feel bad for leaving those three, but i don’t want to go back to something that i didn’t like doing. i have the opportunity to give them help and offer one if they need to, but i cannot let the opportunity pass of being with you over something i got used to because i didn’t know what i want, nor how i want to live.”

jungkook is not selfish; the type to harm others just for his gain. he is selfish in a way that wants nothing but happiness for him and his mates, wanting and longing for belongingness after being lost for his whole life. 

now that he can make a choice to live for himself, he chooses to live this life with the people he loves and cherishes the most.

jungkook gets up, holding namjoon’s hand, their joined hands now resting on seokjin’s hip. the words he said next make the six vampires cry in happiness.

“i, jeon jungkook, accept the courting and the offer of being a part of this coven. i choose to spend my eternity with the six people i love and cherish the most.”

jungkook has an eternity to spend looking for his life and what he wants to do, and he cannot wait to spend those never-ending times with the people who helped him find his place.

he’s home. 

and inside here, he belongs.

— fin.