Chapter Text
Hoseok’s brain has been aloof lately, his attention definitely not focused on the novella he should be writing.
It’s that time of the year again.
The time he dreads to his bones.
It’s October, a week before Halloween, Hoseok’s least favorite day on Earth. As usual, he made telltale plans to politely decline his friends’ pleadings to go trick-or-treating.
They’re adults, for fuck’s sake. They’re not twelve anymore. And even though they swear up and down there will be no tricking of any kind, no pranks to make him have a heart attack and no scaring him of any sort, Hoseok knows better. He’s been friends with these little fibbers for over ten years now. They can’t fool him anymore.
Hoseok sighs for the millionth time, giving up staring at the blank page over and over again and making his way to the kitchen. Maybe coffee will help, he tells himself while refilling his mug for the third time. It’s only 10 PM — which is the morning for him because he woke up two hours ago.
He's bringing the mug to his lips when he hears a loud thud.
Startled, he places his hand on his heart. It's beating so fast that Hoseok thinks it might stop due to overload. His head snaps towards the sound, eyes wide open in attention. He knows the noise came from outside, and judging by how it sounded, something hit his window. But there's nothing there.
Hoseok used to watch enough horror movies to know that Michael Myers could be lurking just outside, waiting for him to go take a look.
He also knows Ghostface could damn well be creating noises for Hoseok to lock himself inside with him .
Granted, his only plausible option is to open a hole in the ground and crawl his way to the other side of the globe.
But, damn, the fucking cockroaches.
His phone rings and he's sure he's going to die.
“I don't have a favorite horror movie because I hate all of them equally — also, if you could please kill me right now instead of in seven days it would be much appreciated because I will not endure seven days of psychological torture and I will end things up myself and you will be a jobless vengeful spirit.” Hoseok blurts out to whatever kind of threat is on the other line.
“Damn, hyung, are you okay?”
Oh . It’s just Taehyung. The little beast of all his friends, the one who always promises there will be no spooking around and then — BAM! — Hoseok is screaming for his life. Taehyung, the little pest that tries to scare Hoseok on a daily basis, and it’s successful most of the time.
The little pest beast.
“Hi, Taehyungie,” Hoseok breathes out, his guard lowering just a bit. “What’s up?”
“I should be the one asking that question. What the fuck was that about?”
“I heard a noise on my window and now I’m positive there’s a serial killer stalking me in the shadows.”
“Oh, now that makes sense.” Hoseok can sense the laugh tinged across Taehyung’s voice. “You know, Hobi-hyung, you’re probably right. Halloween is five days from now so all the killers in town must be hurrying to complete their goals before their day off.”
“Ha-ha. So funny,” Hoseok rolls his eyes. “Why did you call?”
“Just wanted to see how my favorite hyung is doing. But now I want to know what hit your window.”
“Ain’t no way I’m going outside. I won’t be having my head chopped off tonight, thank you.”
“Stop being silly and go see what that was.”
“You know that’s the type of dumb decision that gets people killed in movies, right?”
“You are not in a movie, hyung, for Christ’s sake. Just go.”
Hoseok sighs, extremely against the idea of going outside, but he knows he’s overreacting and Taehyung is right. He’s not in a movie and he lives in a really safe neighborhood; there’s no reason for him to worry. So, he goes.
He keeps the phone pressed to his ear while unlocking the door to his backyard — but not before turning the lights on and checking through the window to see if there’s anybody there first. The autumn wind hits him hard in the face as he steps outside, greeting him along with the sound of cicadas singing. He looks around, seeing nothing and no one.
Then he hears a screech.
It’s low and weak and he takes a while to notice it’s coming from under him. Well, actually, not under him , but under the rocking chair next to him. Hesitantly, he gets on his knees, bending downwards to see whatever is under the rocking chair.
Wilted against the wall, there’s a small bat.
“So, did you find anything?”
Hoseok jolts his torso, hitting the top of his head in the bump out of the rocking chair’s seat. He writhes with the pain, grimacing as a hiss escapes his mouth. He forgot about Taehyung on the phone.
“What? What happened? Why did you hiss? Who is there? Is there a killer? I’ll call the cops because I will not be going over there by myself if there is one.”
“Everything’s fine, it’s just a bat,” Hoseok says, bending down again. “I think it’s hurt. Do you know anything about bats?”
“I know they might have rabies. Don’t touch it.”
“I think I have an idea!”
Hoseok runs back to his kitchen, grabbing a ladle spoon and filling it with water. He goes back outside and places the spoon in front of the bat.
“What are you doing?” Taehyung asks over the phone.
“I’m giving it water. I know rabies can cause hydrophobia. If it has it, it won’t drink water. Plus, it will be aggressive. Then I’ll call the vets.”
“Wait, is that a real thing?” Taehyung exclaims. “Now that’s a reason to be scared. Get away from this bat, I don’t want my favorite hyung to have rabies!”
“It’s drinking!” Hoseok squeaks, trying to contain himself in the next second, afraid it might scare the bat.
“I’m so sure that’s not how you find out if an animal is infected…” Taehyung trails off, but Hoseok shushes him.
“I guess it’s fine. I’ll call you later, Tae-yah!”
And he hangs up.
Hoseok watches as the bat leans more into the spoon. He drinks slowly, with apparent difficulty. Hoseok wonders what kind of food bats eat. He heard something about fruits, but he has nothing other than bananas. Hoseok makes a mental note to google about bats later, after he takes care of this one.
He waits for the bat to back off from the ladle spoon, seemingly satisfied, before reaching out for it. Frightened, the bat quickly retreats, backing up against the wall. It squeals to him, attacking Hoseok’s hands when he tries to get closer, attempting to bite it.
“Wait, I’m not going to hurt you,” Hoseok explains, trying again. No success. “I just want to see if you’re hurt.”
The bat swings its wings. Hoseok notices that one of them doesn’t really move out of the floor. It seems to be hurt, limping as the other one flaps around, trying to set flight.
“Stop doing that,” Hoseok says, voice soft as if the bat could actually understand him. “You’re hurt and it’s only going to make it worse. Let me take care of you.”
Hoseok places his hand on the floor, palms up. He doesn’t try to reach for the bat this time — instead, he keeps his hand still, waiting for the bat to come to him willingly. He doesn’t know if this is going to work, after all, he’s dealing with a bat, not a dog or cat. He has absolutely no idea how to attract a bat or how to take care of one.
However, to his surprise, the bat takes the bait. Slowly, it takes a few clumsy steps towards Hoseok’s hand, smelling it before climbing onto it.
“Here we go,” Hoseok says with a smile, wrapping his fingers gently around the bat’s body and standing up. “Let’s get you inside now. Do you like bananas?”
The bat squeaks, which makes Hoseok come to a halt. For a second, Hoseok thinks it understood what he said — which is crazy; Hoseok doesn’t know a lot about bats, but he is definitely sure they don’t speak any human language. He cocks a brow but resumes walking back to the kitchen, placing the bat delicately on the kitchen counter.
Hoseok fetches a banana from the fridge and peels it, cutting it into small pieces. He puts them on a cup plate, placing it in front of the bat.
“Eat up,” he says, slightly moving the plate closer to the animal. “I bought these bananas yesterday, so they must be really good now.”
The bat doesn’t move an inch.
“Do you not like bananas?” Hoseok props his elbows on the counter, leaning on them. “I mean, it's okay if you don’t. I can go out and buy you a different fruit. But you should eat this anyway tonight to give you strength to heal.”
The bat chirps. For Hoseok’s ears, it sounds like a whine, and that only adds to his distress. It really seems like the bat is answering him, which is crazy — maybe it is Hoseok’s lack of sleep or inability to focus today that’s causing him to think that?
Hoseok’s phone rings again, but this time it doesn’t cause him to jump in fear. He picks it up from his back pocket to answer.
“Hi?”
“It’s Jimin,” he says in a somewhat amused voice. “I’m with Taetae next to me. He said you might be dead.”
“Well, I’m clearly not,” Hoseok answers, turning around to fetch a glass of water. “It’s all good. I found an injured animal.”
“Yes. Taetae said you might have rabies by now,” Jimin adds.
“Tell Taehyung-ah to stop being crazy, I’m fine .” Hoseok rolls his eyes. He takes a few sips of his cold water.
“Yah! I can hear you!” Taehyung shouts from the other side. “Are you sure the bat isn’t a vampire in disguise? You know, he might drink you up while you’re asleep.”
“Okay, Taetae, stop it now. You’re going to freak hyung out.” Jimin chides, but there’s still amusement in his tone — almost like he’s actually having fun over Taehyung teasing Hoseok. “Did you invite the bat in, Hobi-hyung?”
“Okay, stop it, you two. Aish! It’s just a little bat.” Hoseok looks over his shoulder to check on the animal, which is now with stuffed cheeks, relishing itself in banana pieces. “It’s rather cute, actually. I gave him some bananas and it’s eating them now. Maybe it’ll be better in a day or two.”
“What’s the matter with it?” Jimin asks.
“I haven’t checked, but I guess it hurt its wing.”
“Did you call a vet yet?”
Oh. Yeah, maybe Hoseok should call a vet. He completely forgot that calling a vet is probably the best idea, instead of just trying to deal with it by himself.
But what if the vet tries to take the bat away? Hoseok doesn’t want that to happen. Somehow, in some strange way, in less than five minutes Hoseok already feels like the animal is his friend, his companion. Call him crazy all you want, but he wants to keep it for now. He wants to nurse it. He wants to be able to see it return to nature after it’s all healed and strong again.
He may or may not be having a little mental meltdown because of Halloween. Well, at least, if the bat really is a vampire in disguise, it might put his prankish friends in their places.
“I didn't,” he confesses. “Didn't even think about it, but I'll call Namjoon as soon as you hang up.”
“Namjoon is not a vet, hyung.”
“I know, but he'll know how to help regardless. Now, stop calling me so I can take care of the bat.”
“Okay. Bye, hyung.”
Hoseok is ready to hang up, but he hears Jimin's voice on the other side still, murmuring “I think hyung has officially gone mad.” Once again, he rolls his eyes and puts the phone down, already busying himself up by being enamored with the bat. And then Hoseok jolts, picking the phone up again: Hoseok really needs to call Namjoon. He quickly goes through his contact list, finding Namjoon's personal number saved amongst three other different Namjoons. He presses the dial and holds it against his ear.
“Joon-ah,” Hoseok says the second he hears the click in the other line, “I need your help.”
“It’s 11 PM, Hob-ah,” Namjoon murmurs against the phone, voice heavy with sleep. “I’ll have a shift in…” There’s a pause, and then Namjoon continues, “Three hours.”
“Well, I’m in the middle of an emergency now!” Hoseok insists. “I can pay you, if that’s the problem.”
“Can you pay me with more time to sleep, though?” Namjoon sighs. “Whatever. You woke me up already. What is the emergency?”
“So, I was getting myself some coffee when I heard a loud bang on the window,” Hoseok starts. He looks down at the bat, who is eating the last of the banana. “I thought it was a killer coming for me, but it wasn’t, of course.”
“Don’t tell me Taehyung played a prank on you and ended up unconscious on the floor,” Namjoon suggests, his voice already getting a little wary.
“What? No, of course not,” Hoseok denies quickly. “It was a bat! A bat hit my window and hurt itself.”
Hoseok's eagerness is almost palpable. On the other side of the line, Namjoon sighs heavily. He clicks his tongue, but refrain from speaking. Then, he sighs again.
“Hoseok-ah, have you called a vet ?”
“Of course not. I'm calling you .” he answers proudly.
“... As much as I'm honored that you think of me as your personal savior when these things happen,” Namjoon starts, a condescending tone laced in his voice, “You know I’m not a vet, right? I’m a nurse .”
“Okay, but you know enough about broken bones and wounds to check if my bat is fine, don't you?”
“ Your bat?” Namjoon drawls.
“Yeah. I'm keeping it until it's all healed and ready to go.”
There's silence on the other line again, broken only by the clicking of Namjoon's tongue. Hoseok risks reaching over to touch the bat, which weirdly allows him. Hoseok scratches the top of its head right between the tiny ears, watching as it crumples up in delight.
“I think you finally lost your mind,” Namjoon concludes.
“It's so cute, though. Wait til you see it!”
“Damn it, Hob-ah. What won't I do for you, huh?”
Hoseok snorts, “See you in a bit, then.”
Namjoon doesn’t take more than a few minutes to get to Hoseok’s house. The moment the doorbell rings, Hoseok sprints to the front door to open it, a wide smile painted on his lips. Namjoon is standing there with his hands inside his jacket pockets, lips pursed as he clenches his jaw, looking just like Kim fucking Namjoon would.
But with huge dark circles under his eyes, which makes Hoseok feel guilty for interrupting his sleep.
“Where’s the poor animal you’re holding hostage?” he asks, entering the house as if it was his.
And it kind of is. Hoseok gave a copy of the keys to all of his friends — although Namjoon keeps forgetting his and ringing the doorbell instead.
“It’s on the kitchen counter. I was feeding him some banana, and—”
“Did you put a possibly rabid bat in your kitchen ?” Namjoon widens his eyes. “You should’ve kept it outside, inside a box if you wanted to keep it.”
“ Then I would be making it my hostage, and I don’t wanna. Plus, I gave him water and it’s not afraid of it.” Hoseok smiles warm-heartedly again. “It drank everything!”
“That's not exactly how you find that out, Hob-ah.” Namjoon sighs.
They enter the kitchen to find the little bat still standing on the counter, looking at the new stranger with quizzical eyes. It tilts its head to the side.
“Alright, where does it hurt, little mouse?” Namjoon asks, leaning over the bat and reaching out for him.
The bat instantly gives in to Namjoon’s touch, letting him move it around. Namjoon checks his puffy eyes first, trying to find anything weird — there’s nothing. Then, he moves to his ears, but everything also seems okay — no sign of any type of infection.
“Could you lay on your back for me, cutie?” Namjoon asks the bat, who weirdly obeys.
Namjoon looks at Hoseok with a cocked brow, both of them sharing the same curious look.
“Do you think it understands us?” Hoseok asks.
“Don’t be silly, of course not. It must’ve been trained. I wonder if it got away from its owner?”
The bat nips at Namjoon’s index finger. It doesn’t hurt him, but he pulls his hand slightly, taken by surprise.
“I don’t think it used to have an owner, Joonie.” Hoseok laughs. “Is everything okay with it?”
Namjoon resumes inspecting the animal. He presses its tummy and checks its back and feet, checking the wings lastly. He stretches them ever so gently, just enough to see if there’s any wound or broken bone. Everything seems okay with the right one, but the left is slightly bruised, and the bat flinches when Namjoon touches its elongated fingers.
“Shh, it’s okay, little mouse. It’s just a little sprained, right?” Namjoon turns to Hoseok. “The bat’s fine. It probably hurt its wing by getting it tangled in something. It doesn’t seem serious though, just feed it and keep it hydrated.”
“Do you need to immobilize it?”
“No need. Although, I would keep it inside a box or a cage, if you have one, for a couple of days to make sure it won’t try to take flight.”
The bat squeaks.
“I won’t cage it,” Hoseok says, sounding absolutely offended. “I told you, I’m not going to keep it here like a prisoner.” Then, he turns to the bat, voice soft as if talking to a baby, “Will you avoid flying until your wings are healed, batty?”
The bat warbles in what seems to be an agreement sound, which again evokes a suspecting look from Namjoon. Hoseok smiles, a big, heart-shaped one that seems to shine brighter than anything. Never had he ever thought about having a bat , out of all animals, to be his pet — even if only for a few days — but here he is. Nursing a bat and wanting it to be comfortable.
“I guess we're done here, then,” Namjoon states, putting his hands back into his pocket. “I really think you should take it to a vet, though.”
“I'll think about it. Thank you, Joonie!”
The next day, Hoseok did end up taking the bat to the vet.
Probably after looking up on the Internet — not at all related to his friends insisting on doing this — he decided it would be the best idea.
Thankfully, all of the animal's exams were clear, and the doctor recommended a medicine to help with the strained wing.
After getting home, Hoseok chopped another banana for it. He placed the teacup next to him on the table and resumed his studies regarding the new novella, looking for inspiration online. He’s moving his hands slowly on the keyboard, with his eyes glued on the screen when he feels something tickling him in the arms. He looks down at the tiny bat poking him.
“What's the matter?” Hoseok tilts his head. The bat pokes him again. “Are you tired? You didn’t touch your banana.”
The bat screeches, long and lowly.
“Why don't you go take a rest?” Hoseok suggests. The bat doesn’t stop poking him, so he puts his arm to rest on the table. “I'm going to be here for a while.”
The bat chirps, taking the opportunity to climb on Hoseok’s arm, reaching his shoulder. It stands there quietly, peacefully, like a bird on a pirate’s side.
“Hm, okay. You can rest there.” Hoseok giggles and resumes working again.
He’s back into typing a few things, distracting himself with another, all the while with the bat on his shoulder. After a couple hours of working non-stop, Hoseok decides it’s time to stretch his legs, eat something and, of course, pet the bat a little bit.
Hoseok goes to the kitchen craving something sweet. A thin smile appears when he finds a packet of chocolate drops, the idea for cookies popping into his mind at the same time. After checking if he has the ingredients for it, he starts preparing the batter. He knows the recipe by heart, having been taught by Seokjin so many years ago. Actually, he should call him to come over and have cookies with him.
Hoseok finishes scooping the cookies on the baking tray and puts them in the oven to bake. There’s a little bit leftover in the bowl, which he uses a spoon to scrape and lick. Then, the bat screeches again, this time louder — or it is just because it’s right next to his ear.
“What’s up, little mouse?” He asks the bat. It chirps again, using its good wing to point at the spoon, almost all licked off. “What? You want a taste of the batter?”
Hoseok brings the spoon closer to the bat, who licks it like his life depends on it. It’s cute how the animal seems to be having the time of its life while eating a raw batter with barely any chocolate in it — the drops are in the oven, after all. When it finishes, it chirps and rubs its small little body on Hoseok’s head.
“You liked it, huh? You like cookies?” He smiles softly at the bat. “You know what? What if I call you Cookie instead of little mouse? Would you like that?”
The bat keeps rubbing himself on Hoseok’s head, until he offers his hand and the animal quickly makes it a good place to cuddle. For the first time, Hoseok takes a moment to analyze its wing; it’s pitch black, and it feels — and looks — just like velvet. The bat is so small that it fits his hand, and Hoseok finds no problem in scratching its furry head with his thumb, watching as the big, wide eyes become smaller until it’s completely closed.
The bat falls asleep quickly — at least, Hoseok thinks it did, given how even his breathing is and the way it lies perfectly still on his hand. Avoiding any way of waking it up, Hoseok makes his way to the couch, resting in there with the bat on his lap until the oven alarm sets off.
In the end, Cookie eats even more cookies than him.
“I’m telling you, I am not going to the party.”
Seokjin, Namjoon, Taehyung, Jimin, and Yoongi are sitting at the backyard table with Hoseok. They are drinking good beer while Yoongi and Seokjin grill a few thick slices of pork belly and Jimin and Taehyung heat water for the noodles. Hoseok and Namjoon are busy watching the small bat munching around a piece of celery. It has been nipping at it for the last ten minutes, but every time it bites, it makes a weird face and the littlest pinkish tongue Hoseok has ever seen comes out in disgust.
“Cookie, stop eating that if you don’t like it,” Hoseok tells him between snickers. “Grab a carrot instead.”
The bat instantly obeys, leaving the celery aside and going for the french sliced carrot. It seems to like it a lot better.
“Isn’t he the cutest?” Hoseok asks with a huge smile on his face, giving life to his heart-shaped lips.
Namjoon cocks a brow, “You really love this bat, don’t you?” Namjoon teases him, but he’s smiling too. “Have you considered keeping it?”
“Oh, no. I mean, I’d love to. But he’s a wild animal.” The smile on Hoseok’s face falters for a bit. He reaches out to scratch behind Cookie’s ears, who immediately leans against his touch. “I can’t keep him inside when he’s supposed to be outside, flying free.”
Seokjin leans back into his chair, leaving the meat to grill alone now.
“Stop diverting the subject, Hob-ah. Come to the party on Halloween,” he says.
“I won't. Taehyungie is already out to get me and it’s not even Halloween yet.” Hoseok crosses his arms, leaning back on the chair.
“Hey! You are the one bringing strange animals to your house,” Taehyung turns around to fend for himself, a bag of noodles being ripped open in his hands. “If that bat turns into a vampire every night to drink your blood, you’re the only one to blame!”
“I don’t have any bites on me, Taehyungie.” Hoseok rolls his eyes.
“Vampires can drink souls as well. Maybe he’s feeding off of your energy. You look grumpier than ever, anyway,” Jimin teases, mixing the seasoning in the water. “Doesn’t he, Taetae?”
“Stop it, you two,” Namjoon chides, but his tone is rather caring. “You know Hob-ah is every bit as paranoid as he can when it comes to these things. Stop scaring him.”
“I’m not paranoid, I’m just… cautious. You’re alwa—”
Hoseok cuts himself off when the bat chirps a little bit louder, setting flight from the desk to Namjoon’s lap. It looks at him with big, shiny eyes, and it's the cutest thing ever when he rubs his head on Namjoon’s shirt.
“Cookie!” Namjoon chides again, but this time even more softly than before. There’s a smile on his face that just doesn’t seem to falter when the bat is around — just like it happens with Hoseok, to be honest. The little thing has its way of melting anyone’s heart — except, apparently, the devilish maknaes. “You shouldn’t be flying yet, silly. You have to stay still.”
“Is his wing okay?” Hoseok asks, worry tinged in his voice — and in the way he hunches over Namjoon and Cookie, attentive eyes searching for any sign of pain.
“It’s fine. I think it’s getting better if he did it so naturally. But still,” Namjoon talks to the bat again, “you shouldn’t fly yet. Let’s get you all better before you do it, okay?”
“I think he likes you, Namjoonie,” Hoseok says. He hates to admit that he feels slightly jealous.
“Cookie likes me,” Namjoon agrees, “but I think he loves you, Hob-ah. You’re the one taking care of him, aren’t you?”
As if the bat is trying to agree, it jumps again. This time it flies from Namjoon’s hand to Hoseok’s, using its nails to climb along his shirt and rest on Hoseok’s shoulder. Hoseok’s heart melts a little.
“He’ll soon be ready to go back to nature,” Yoongi says from a distance, still grilling the pork belly. “He’s jumping around all night.”
“Do you think he can stay until Halloween, though?” Seokjin turns to face Hoseok and Namjoon, his question not exactly directed towards any of them. “It would be great if he could be at the party.”
“Seokjin-hyung, he’s a bat . An animal . He’s not going to your Halloween party to be used as a circus attraction and— No!” Hoseok turns to Taehyung when he sees him opening his mouth. “He’s not a vampire in disguise. For God’s sake!”
“Someone is getting really attached I'd say,” Yoongi teases, bringing the chopped pork belly to the table, Seokjin on his heels. “Does he eat meat?”
“Of course not, he's a fruit bat—”
Hoseok doesn't finish because, from the moment the plate is set on the table, the tiny animal on his shoulder takes another low flight. The tiny body lands on the table as its long, languid fingers search for the meat, dropping it instantly when it burns its hands.
It squeaks.
“Oh, baby,” Hoseok drawls, a crease taking form between his eyes. “It's too hot for you to eat now.”
“I thought he didn't eat meat,” Jimin teases, using his chopsticks to grab a slice for himself.
“Apparently he does. And I won't be the one to deny him some.”
“Just like you didn’t deny allowing him to sleep on your bed?” Taehyung spills, sticking his tongue out as Hoseok jolts up and hits him in the arm. “Ouch!”
“You weren’t supposed to say that!” Hoseok hisses, eyes darting to Namjoon and Yoongi especially.
“Wait, wait, wait…” Namjoon turns around, a cocked brow trembling in confusion as he asks, “... Are you letting a bat sleep on your bed with you?”
“I mean… He’s just like a dog, isn’t he?” Hoseok shrugs, attempting to look casual. He catches Seokjin huffing at him, diversion printed all over his face. “If people let their dogs on their bed, why can’t I let my bat?”
“Are you comparing a dog, a domestic animal, to a bat, a wild one?” Yoongi’s voice is tinged with exasperation.
“He’s fine and he’s adapted so well! Namjoon said that he loves me.” Hoseok rolls his eyes.
“Because you’re taking care of him, not because he wants to be your pet , Hob-ah!”
“I did ask if Hoseok was going to keep him, though.” Namjoon seems to be thinking out loud. Yoongi shots a glare at him as he clenches his jaw.
“Do you want to be my pet, Cookie?” Hoseok turns to the bat with a pout, who tilts its head slightly and mutters a quizzical chirp.
“Oh, God. You're so whipped. ” Taehyung snickers.
Hoseok picks up the meat dropped on the table, bringing it closer to his mouth and blowing on it. He touches it with the back of his hand to see if the temperature is okay now, placing it back in front of Cookie when he's satisfied.
The bat starts its arduous job of nipping at the meat.
“ Vampire ,” Taehyung murmurs loud enough for everyone to listen. He and Jimin start laughing like the little devils they are.
Hoseok can feel Yoongi foaming across from him — which he doesn’t understand. What’s really the problem with wanting to take care of the bat? He bets his left arm that Yoongi would want the same if he had been the one finding Cookie.
“How is the book going, by the way?” Seokjin tries to deflect the subject.
“It isn't. I'm stuck. I've been stuck for a few days now,” Hoseok sighs. “The deadline is close, the first week of November, and I don't know what to do.”
“Where are you stuck?”
“I had an original plan for the ending but I'm thinking about changing it.” Hoseok talks while chewing. “I'm still not sure. I have to reread the whole thing and see which way speaks to me the most.”
“There's still a bit more than a week till then, I'm sure you'll manage.” Seokjin shares a comforting smile. The others nod in agreement.
They keep talking and eating and drinking and having their hearts melted by Cookie for a long time until they decide to call it a night. Cookie is already on Hoseok's shoulder again when they are saying their goodbyes, all five of them at the door with a very stubborn Hoseok trying to shove a pack of untouched beers into Seokjin’s hands. Jimin has already accepted the leftover pork belly, salivating while planning to eat it as soon as he arrives home with Taehyung, watching the newest episode of their currently favorite show.
“You brought the beer, you take the beer,” Hoseok insists, shoving the pack into his arms again.
Seokjin is red to the tip of his ears. It makes Hoseok wonder if he's angry, shy, or just drunk — probably the latter; Hoseok himself isn't one to judge, as he has not even a tinge of doubt that his whole face must be cosplaying as a tomato.
“I will not be taking the beer back. Keep it, maybe chug one or two down if you can't unstuck on your book.” And shoves the pack of beer back to Hoseok.
“Oh, for fucking crying out loud, I will take the beer,” Yoongi blurts out, grabbing the pack from Hoseok's hands and putting it under his arms. “Now, let's go. Those two are practically eye-fucking each other and I still have a drunk Namjoonie to take home.”
“Okay, then. I guess I'll see you around.” Hoseok waves them goodbye with the bat chirping along.
“I guess I won't see you at our place on the 31st at 8 o'clock, then,” Taehyung says with a pout, sticking out his lower lip to make it as dramatic as possible. Jimin giggles next to him, both of them getting a heavy eye roll from Hoseok.
“You surely won't!”
And he closes the door.
Cookie leaves the next day.
Hoseok made a habit of sleeping with the bat. They already had the same schedule anyway, both being night owls. The bat would be in the bed with Hoseok as soon as he lay down to sleep, sleeping peacefully on the other side of the bed, on a fluffy pillow Hoseok separated only for it. Hoseok thought the snoring sounds the bat made were cute — they weren't heavy, but peaceful; enough for Hoseok to hear, but not too much that he would be bothered with it.
For the past two days, they slept together. It was enough for Hoseok to get used to it, so much so that when he wakes up in the afternoon of the third day and finds the bat sitting near the window, he feels it. He just knows that it's time to set him free again.
“Cookie,” he starts with a sleepy voice, still a bit raspy with drowsiness. “What are you staring at?”
The bat chirps slowly. It sounds sad, not the kind of exciting chirp Hoseok has been hearing.
“Are you ready to go back, little mouse?” he asks, sitting up. “You want to fly now, don't you?”
The bird chirps again, turning around to look at Hoseok. It glides from the windowsill towards Hoseok’s bed, landing and adjusting himself right into Hoseok's lap. As if looking for some affection, it finds its way under Hoseok's hand, tucking its tiny head in there for Hoseok to pet him. Those big, shiny eyes stare at Hoseok expectantly, so he caresses its furry head in the place between the bat’s ears, watching with a sad smile as it purrs and leans into his touch even more.
“Let’s get you ready, baby.” Hoseok sighs, the idea of having to let the bat fly away butchering his heart into tiny little pieces like a grinder.
Hoseok goes to the bathroom first, taking care of business before making his way to the kitchen, the bat already in its rightful place — Hoseok's shoulder. There, he prepares some nicely chopped fruits — a mix of bananas and mangoes. He places them in a bowl, pouring a little bit of honey and granola for him.
For Cookie, Hoseok prepares just the same, but without honey and granola. He arranges the fruits on a plate and places it next to his bowl on the table, along with some water for both of them.
“Eat up so you'll have enough strength to go home, Cookie.” He points to the plate. Cookie shows no hesitation, jumping off of Hoseok's shoulder to feast on his breakfast.
Hoseok watches with a throbbing pain in his heart. He always knew the day would come when he would have to say goodbye to Cookie, but it doesn’t make it any easier. That’s why, when the bat finishes eating, Hoseok presses it against him in a warm hug before taking it outside.
“I’m so glad you healed well, little mouse,” he starts, placing the bat on the fence of his porch. “You’re so strong and brave. I hope you have a safe flight back to your place in the skies.”
The bat chirps. It rubs its head against Hoseok’s hand one last time, and disappears into the night sky.