Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hoseok was crouched down in his garden, his long floppy sunhat protecting him from the setting sun as he picked a perfect strawberry—

“Darling.” Yoongi’s voice, though gentle, still managed to startle Hoseok, dropping the strawberry to the ground, hand over his chest in relief as he giggled, “Yoongi! You can’t scare me like that!” 

Yoongi crouched down next to Hoseok, picking up the strawberry to put in his basket, smiling in guilt, “Sorry, Seok-ah. Didn’t mean to scare you, it’s just me.” 

Hoseok’s brows furrowed, they were eye level now and Hoseok saw all that he needed to in Yoongi’s gaze. He reached up a hand to cup Yoongi’s cheek, a gentle thumb holding him there, “Hyung, what’s wrong?” 

Yoongi exhaled, moving from his crouched position to sit next to Hoseok in the dirt. Handing Hoseok a letter, “Jungkookie got this letter from our PO box in town. It was addressed to me, so he hasn’t read it yet, but…” Yoongi ran a hand over his forehead, “I’ll wait until you read it.” 

Hoseok frowned, unfolding the letter in his hands, cautious, “Ok…” he read, “Dear Min Yoongi, it has been brought to our attention that you have relocated your whereabouts in the last few centuries, fortunately, your relocation has been brought to the attention of the—” Hoseok gasped, snapping up to look back at Yoongi who was looking at him with tired eyes, “how do they know where we are?! I thought the counsel would forget about us after all these years…I thought…” 

“Keep reading, darling.” Yoongi’s voice was gentle, always so, so void of anger or frustration with Hoseok, always so kind, “with raising Jungkook and having him go to school with Jimin and Taehyung in the town, it was only a matter of time before they traced our steps.” Yoongi reached an arm around Hoseok’s waist, bringing him in closer, comforting, “Keep reading, it’s ok.” 

Hoseok hesitated, eyes unsure before returning to the letter, “with your new whereabouts known, the counsel would like to request your attendance in a meeting with the leaders. The topic will be discussed on the night of the 31st when the moon is the highest. You are to bring all of those in your care for routine counsel inspection. Failure to adhere will result in a declaration of treason towards the counsel and will be dealt with accordingly.” 

Hoseok stared at the paper in disbelief, huffed, “still, even now, they refuse to call me a vampire. And insist on inspecting me like I’m—like I’m some kind of animal—”

“We must prepare to move immediately, darling. I…I don’t know how to tell Jungkook. He needs to change schools—” Yoongi started rambling on. 

“What?” Hoseok looked back at Yoongi, “Hyung, what are you talking about?” 

“Darling, I will burn this world to the ground before I allow you to go to that meeting with me. For them to treat you like that. I will not allow it.” Yoongi stated in a stern voice. One that left no room for argument if it was used on anyone else.

But Hoseok was not just anyone else, “Hyung, I think we have to go…” 

“Absolutely not.” Yoongi huffed. 

Hoseok turned to face Yoongi more, “We can’t move. And we can’t change Jungkook’s schools now, he just turned 16 not too long ago.” Hoseok reasoned, “And if we moved then it would only be a matter of time before they found Namjoon and Seokjin and then Jimin and Taehyung would be moving, but let's say we all just moved together, that’s even more suspicious.” 

Yoongi frowned, shaking his head, “I refuse to let them treat you the way that they wish. I refuse Hoseok.” 

Hoseok laid his head on Yoongi’s shoulder, “I know it’s not right, but to be fair, all they did for the ‘inspection’ last time was check my fangs, make some…deprecating comments about my body and tell everyone in the counsel that I wasn’t a true vampire and use me to embarrass you.” 

“It’s too much. I almost murdered everyone there, I was so close to becoming an enemy of the state and I would have done it too if it weren’t for you holding me back. I would have, I still would. He…” Yoongi vowed, anger and frustration seeping into his voice as he couldn’t even finish. 

Hoseok exhaled, “I know.” he let his eyes flutter close, “that’s why we moved, why we were in hiding. But it’s different now, we can’t keep running. Let them say what they want, make an appearance and let them talk. And…he has not been seen for decades. We have to do this. We have to fight for Jungkookie.” 

Yoongi pressed a kiss to the top of Hoseok’s head, “They say I’m the stronger vampire, but I would be nothing, without you, Seok-ah.” 

Hoseok hummed, leaning closer to Yoongi, “Touche, hyung.” 

“We make it quick.” Yoongi finally relented, “In and out. If they must check your fangs, then I'm in the room when they do it. You never leave my side. And we’re out of there as soon as the meeting begins to wrap up.” 

“We’ll have Jungkookie stay with Jin hyung and Joon-ah for the night, just to be safe.” Hoseok reasoned. 

“Eomma! Appa!” Jungkook's voice called from the back door. 

“Speak of the devil.” Yoongi chuckled, waving over to their son, “Over here!” 

Jungkook came jogging over, “Hey! I just finished my math homework and didn’t see you guys, you were both working in the garden?” 

Hoseok smiled, bringing out one of the strawberries when Jungkook sat down next to them, “Yep, your Appa was helping me, try this Jungkookie.” 

“How was your homework? We need to get that math grade up.” Yoongi commented, giving Jungkook a warm yet stern look. 

Jungkook tried the strawberry, humming in delight, “It’s going ok, Jimin said he’ll help me out before the test next week.” 

“Good, one step at a time!” Hoseok encouraged, ruffling Jungkook’s hair lightly and lovingly. 

“That works out then,” Yoongi started, sharing a look with Hoseok before continuing, “tomorrow night we’ll need you to stay with your Jin hyung and Joon hyung.”

“Hm?” Jungkook raised a brow, eating another strawberry from Hoseok’s basket, “Why?” 

“We…” Hoseok started, but trailed off, looking to Yoongi for help. 

And Yoongi, of course, will always step in, “I’m taking your Eomma on a date.” 

“Ooooohhhh, I see.” Jungkook hummed in understanding, “where are you guys going? I don’t remember the last time you two went on a date.” 

“I think it’s a secret.” Hoseok smiled a little, busying himself with the basket. “And your Appa takes me on plenty of dates!” 

“A…secret…?” Jungkook raised a brow, looking between Hoseok and Yoongi, Hoseok moved to get up, “Appa, you can tell me though, can’t you? I won’t tell Eomma!” 

Yoongi moved to follow Hoseok in standing, looking anywhere but Jungkook, “Ah, I’ll tell you after.” 

“But—” now it was Jungkook's turn to jump up, concern weaving through his brows, “we never keep secrets. I know this is a date but…what if something happens? And I don’t know where you are?!” 

“Oh my baby,” Hoseok reached over, pulling Jungkook into a hug and kissing the top of his head. Jungkook was almost taller than Hoseok now, almost, “you worry just like your Appa does, you know that? We’re going to be just fine, your Appa is the strongest vampire in all the lands.” 

Jungkook frowned, “I thought Jin hyung was the strongest? Does he know where you’re going?” 

Yoongi chuckled, “Son, he used to be the strongest, but with the two of you, nothing comes close. I’ve got too much to fight for now.” 

Jungkook wasn’t convinced, but his frown did soften, a slight uptake at the corner, Hoseok ran a hand through his bangs, “We can tell Jin hyung if you’re that worried, but I promise you have nothing to worry about. Eomma and Appa will always come back to you, okay? Now I’m going to go make you some dinner, why don’t you practice some of your new soccer drills you were telling me about earlier today with your Appa?” 

“Ok…” the worry was still there, but the tension in his frame eased. 

“You learned some new drills today?” Yoongi asked, truth be told, Yoongi hated soccer. Sports in general, really. But, it was for Jungkook, so, when the human boys eyes perked up at that, Yoongi smiled, nodding towards the rest of the land that Yoongi had cleared out for them to run around the ball with, “Come on, why don’t you show me how to do these drills with you.” 

__________

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you over there? It’ll take two minutes.” Hoseok pouted as Jungkook swung his backpack over his shoulder. 

The younger man nodded, “Yeah, I’m sure Eomma. Don’t worry, it’s like a ten minute walk to their place. Jimin and Taehyung have walked over here so much that there’s a path in the woods now.” 

Hoseok frowned, crossing his arms, “But what if there are any wolves, or bears out there? What if you get lost? The cell service is not great out here you know—”

“Eomma.” Jungkook chuckled, holding Hoseok by the arms to stop him in his ramblings, “Don’t worry so much, it’s ok. I promise. I just want to get some fresh air, it’s a nice night. Not to mention it’s a full moon so I won’t have any trouble seeing anything. I’ll text you as soon as I get there.” 

“You text me the second you walk through that door, understood?” Hoseok relented.

Jungkook smiled, “Yes! I’ll text you when I get there.” He started walking out the door at that. 

Hoseok stayed there in the frame, watching Jungkook leave, “And text me every few minutes intermittently! Until you get there!” 

Jungkook laughed, waving behind him as he headed in the direction of the other vampire's cottage house. 

“You have his location, you know.” Yoongi chuckled from where he suddenly appeared behind Hoseok, wrapping his arms around Hoseok’s waist and kissing his shoulder. 

Hoseok leaned his head to the side, making more room for Yoongi, “I know, I just…I worry. Especially…I mean, you don’t think they know…” 

“If you’d like for me to be perfectly honest with you, darling,” Yoongi sighed against Hoseok’s skin, “I do think that the counsel has their suspicions, but I don’t think that they know for sure about our son, no.” 

“Ok…” Hoseok whispered, “but you’re the strongest, you could take all of them, which is why they want you there, right? They’re afraid of you, so they would never hurt him, even if they found out, right?” 

“Right. If anyone dares to touch what is mine, I will make it so that no one even dares to wish they knew I existed.” Yoongi vowed, pressing a kiss below Hoseok’s ear. “We could still just have a date, you know. Ignore the letter, let me take care of you…” 

Hoseok shuttered, feeling himself become the mush that he always is when he’s safe in Yoongi’s arms, “I…hyung…you know I want that…don’t tease me…” 

“We could,” Yoongi continued, teasing his fengs against Hoseok's neck, tugging the shoulder of his blouse down. “We could skip all of it.” 

Hoseok smiled, turning in Yoongi’s arms to face him, cupping his cheeks in his hands, “As much as I want that, and believe me, I know that you can tell how much I want that just by the blood running through my veins, but we need to make sure our family is safe. We have to do this. You have to remind them why they can never call upon us again.” 

Yoongi exhaled, leaning his forehead against Hoseok’s own, “Alright, you’re right, as always. I’ll get the rest of the things.” 

Hoseok giggled, following Yoongi back into the house, “Of course I am~” 

It wasn’t long before they were on the road, driving down country roads and foraging their way to make a new path in spots, the road was…not the most ideal take. But it was their best way to ensure they got in and out of this ‘meeting’ quickly. And to get back home to their son the fastest. 

“Darling, why do you keep looking at your phone? Is something wrong?” Yoongi asked mid-drive. 

Hoseok had started biting his nails, closing apps and refreshing again, “It’s just that…I asked Jungkookie to let me know when he got to Jin hyungs, and he texted me, but his location isn’t working.” 

“It’s just not showing up?” Yoongi asked. 

“I…yeah, it says his last location was at the house, and it’s not loading after that. It almost…I mean it almost looks like his dot is with us still.” 

“It’s probably just a glitch, darling. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” Yoongi tried to comfort, reaching a hand over to pull Hoseok’s down from his lips, holding it there. 

“I’m going to call him.” Hoseok decided, pulling up his contacts with his free hand.

Yoongi chuckled, “Love, let him breathe, he’s probably fine. He texted you.” 

“Still. I just have a feeling something's off.” Hoseok reasoned, pulling the phone up to his ear. 

Hoseok and Yoongi’s eyes grew as wide as saucers at the first ring that sounded in the car. 

Jungkook's cell phone was ringing in the car. 

At the second ring Yoongi was stopping the car, bringing his hand to Hoseok’s chest to keep him from moving forward with the sudden impact before the both of them turned in their seats to find—

“Jungkook!” Hoseok all but screeched, finding their son crouched down behind Yoongi’s seat, cell phone in his hands. 

Yoongi turned back around, hands gripping the steering wheel, turning white, “Min Jungkook you have three seconds to explain what the hell you are doing in this car right now!”  

Hoseok was aghast, disbelief in his features.“You told me you were at Jin Hyungs!” 

“I— I can explain!” Jungkook rushed to sit properly in the middle of the backseat. 

“You better have a good reason for being in this car right now or you are going to find yourself in a world of hurt young man!” Yoongi tried not to yell. 

Hoseok rested a hand on Yoongi’s shoulder, but didn’t tear his eyes away from Jungkook, “Kookie, tell us what’s going on.” 

Jungkook wrestled with his hands, “I…look, I’m sorry for lying to you Eomma, and for going against you Appa but I was worried! I didn’t know what was going on, and I know you two were going on a date but it was just so weird that you didn’t tell me anything! Appa you always tell me everything, especially if it’s something you plan for Eomma because you always talk about how I’ll find someone I love as much as you two love each other one day, and this time you don’t say anything? And Eomma, I’m sorry again for lying to you, I don’t want to lie to you. I was just so worried…” Jungkook’s eyes started to water. 

Hoseok shook his head, reaching back behind him to bring Jungkook’s head closer and press a kiss to his temple, “It’s ok Kookie, don’t cry. It’s ok.” 

“I was going to tell you everything, after, Jungkook. We didn’t tell you, and I’m sorry, but you have to trust us.” Yoongi groaned, frustrated as he brought the car back into drive, “Dammit.”

Jungkook looked towards Hoseok at that, it took a lot for Yoongi to curse and get that upset with Jungkook. Hoseok understood without a word being said, he always was able to anticipate Jungkook's needs, “Kookie, we don’t have time to drive back, so you’re…you’re going to have to come with us. But you’re going to be ok, you’ll have Appa and Eomma with you.” 

“He can stay in the car.” Yoongi argued, still frustrated, but his tone magically softened when directed towards Hoseok. 

Hoseok shot a tired glance Yoongi’s way, “No, he can’t. And you know he can’t. We just need to move forward and figure out a plan of action for when we get there.” 

“Get where…?” Jungkook asked, voice small now. 

Hoseok gave Jungkook a small smile, “Nothing to be scared of, not when Eomma and Appa are here, ok? In the vampire world, there are…let’s call them tribes. These are groups of vampires that work and live together, they protect each other, kind of like a small village.” Hoseok explained, “And centuries ago, the vampires realized that if they continued to be segmented like that, small villages here and there that they would not be able to sustain themselves against humans when the divide happened.” 

“Are there still tribes today…? Are we in a tribe?” Jungkook asked. 

Hoseok nodded, “There are still tribes today, and…no, we’re not.” 

“Why? Wouldn’t that make it easier?” 

“Not…in our case. No.” Hoseok continued, “it’s our choice to not affiliate with any other vampires aside from Jin hyung and Joon-ah. What we’re going to tonight, is called the counsel meeting. It’s where all of the leaders from the small tribes get together, and they talk about policies, threats…honestly, it’s just a bunch of big alpha vampires talking and acting like they’re all that.” 

Jungkook smiled a little at that, “So why are we going, then?” 

“Remember when I told you your appa is the strongest vampire?” Hoseok asked, smirking a little. “Well, they need him there. He's not the oldest, but he is strong. They need him there because of how powerful he is. That, and I think they’re a little scared of him.” 

“Woah…” Jungkook exhaled, “I thought you guys were just kidding when you said that…how do they know?” 

“Smell of your blood.” Yoongi answered, voice still stern, “nobody knows why some are stronger than others, age helps, but the other factors are a mystery. I have the most to fight for, that’s what I believe.” Yoongi peered at Jungkook through the review mirror, “And the fact that you are going to be there…is going to be like showing everyone my biggest weaknesses on a silver platter.” 

Jungkook shriveled in his seat, “I’m sorry Appa…I’m sorry, I didn’t know…” 

“Son, we’ll talk about this later. I love you, but I’m so disappointed and upset right now. You have no idea what this world is or could bring.” Yoongi reasoned. “I mean…I’m bringing my human son to the biggest vampire meeting for fucks sake—”

“Language, love.” Hoseok cut him off, “It’s going to be fine.” 

“I want to be a vampire though! You can just turn me, Appa and—” Jungkook tried. 

“For the thousandth time Min Jungkook, absolutely not. No.” Yoongi rubbed at his temple, “this is going to be difficult enough as it is.” 

Jungkook frowned, “Eomma, do you also go to the meeting?” 

Hoseok smiled softly, “No, sweetheart. I…I’m afraid that you and I might get the same treatment here.” 

“What do you mean?” 

Hoseok exhaled, “When your Appa sired me, he was invited to the meeting. At the time, he was an active member of the counsel. He was respected, and…” Yoongi’s hand came back to Hoseok’s own without missing a beat. Even in his own frustration, Yoongi will always be Hoseok’s pillar. Always his comfort. 

Hoseok looked at Yoongi fondly, “and that all changed when he brought me.” 

“Why?” Jungkook prodded. 

“Because I was a human like you, and I was turned into a vampire by your father, he found me on the break of death, and brought me back, but as a vampire like him. That is…heavily frowned upon in the vampire community. Only pureblood vampires are accepted in society. The war with humans centuries ago, it…it was hard on a lot of them.” 

“But that has nothing to do with you, does it? I mean Appa says that when he saw you he knew you were his mate! You always say it was love at first sight, so he had to turn you into a vampire he couldn’t just leave you there!” Jungkook argued. 

Hoosek agreed, “Of course, and that’s why we lived in isolation, from humans and vampires. Of course, until you, our baby.” Hoseok hummed, ruffling Jungkooks’ hair, with his hand, “But these vampires are…they’re mean. Nasty. If I was to guess they’ll smell you as a human, and show their fengs as a threat, but truthfully vampires are quite scared of humans. They won’t have anything to say. Especially with you being younger, they do have some dignity.” 

“What about you? Do they say mean things to you?” Jungkook asked in concern. 

“Don’t worry about anything anyone says, they know who your appa is and so they won’t try anything too ridiculous.” Hoseok reassured. 

Jungkook shook his head, leaning forward more in his seat, “why do you need to go eomma? If this is a meeting for appa, why do you need to go?” 

“It’s not safe to stay behind.” Yoongi answered, “your eomma said they’re creatures with dignity, however they don’t practice that when you don’t follow the rules. These so-called leaders need to see everyone who the stronger vampires hold dear. If your eomma was to not come tonight, they would have found him. Somehow, someway, and attempted to make me pay for not following the rules.” 

Jungkook’s eyes widened in fear at that, Hoseok turned towards Yoongi, “Hyung, please, you’re scaring him.” 

“He’s the one who decided to lie to you and put himself in the car.” Yoongi huffed. 

“I’m sorry…” Jungkook’s shoulder dropped in guilt. 

“Like I said, we’ll talk about it later when I decide how long you’ll be grounded for.” Yoongi shook his head, turning a corner before pulling up to a long curvy driveway. A large mansion slowly coming to view, “The rules for tonight. Jungkook, you are to stay with your Eomma at all times. You are not to say anything to any of the vampires unless your Eomma says you can. You are not to make any eye contact. If for any reason a vampire gets too close to you, you call out for us.” Yoongi’s eyes were militant as he looked at Jungkook through the review mirror, “Do I make myself clear?” 

“Crystal.” Jungkook nodded, serious. 

Yoongi brought the car to a stop in front of the grandiose mansion, “And darling,” His voice softened, looking towards Hoseok, almost pleading, “If they say anything, if they do anything to you…especially—”

“Don’t worry about me, hyung.” Hoseok whispered, giving Yoongi’s hand a gentle squeeze, reassuring, “let’s just get in, and get out. I’ll make us some strawberry cake when we get home as a treat, yeah? What do you think, Kookie?” 

“That would be great, Eomma.” Jungkook smiled. 

“Darling, give this to the traffic coordinator for me.” Yoongi passed some cash to Hoseok, pressing a kiss to his cheek as the younger vampire nodded, hopping out of the car and walking over to the coordinator directing parking behind them. 

Yoongi turned to look at Jungkook then, “Son, I…with you here, things are more complicated. But I have a favor to ask of you, now.” 

“What is it?” Jungkook leaned forward again, hopeful, “I’ll do anything! Whatever I can do to help you and Eomma!” 

Yoongi frowned, “Your Eomma is right, vampires have dignity, but I’m not sure how much when it comes to a human. The fact that you’ll be seen as under my authority should be enough to shield you from harm. However, you need to be careful.” 

“I can handle it. And I can protect Eomma, so you don’t have to worry.” Jungkook reassured, confident. 

Yoongi nodded, “I know you can, son. But…” Yoongi clenched his jaw, “There’s…this…there’s a vampire who might be here. He hasn’t shown himself for decades, he knows he’s a dead man if he crosses my path. If I see him, if he dares to show his face tonight, I will rip out his unbeaten heart if your Eomma is not there to stop me. And I need you to know that if he comes anywhere close to your Eomma, that you are to call for me immediately. There is no if, ands, or buts. You find me, and you take me to that bastard.” 

“W-why?” Jungkook asked, protective, “Did he do something to Eomma…?” 

“A long time ago.” Yoongi checked the mirrors, Hoseok was walking back to the car now, “He hurt him, a long time ago. Covered it up so he wasn’t tried by the vampire counsel. His name is…fucking…Miygu. That…piece of shit…” 

“If you kill him I’ll help you hide the body.” Jungkook reasoned, fully intentional, serious. “We can’t tell Eomma, but we could do it.” 

Yoongi’s frown came up at the corners, “I like how you think, son. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, but your Eomma would know. He always knows these things. Anyway, I told you nothing and you know nothing about this. Got it?” 

Jungkook nodded, “I want to help keep our family safe like you do, Appa.” 

Yoongi smiled, “You already do that, son. Now let’s go, and remember, you’re stronger than you think. Don’t let them get to you, and don’t leave your Eomma’s side.” 

“You can count on me Appa.” Jungkook reassured just as Hoseok knocked on the window before Yoongi opened the door, getting out to greet him. 

“Hyung, you’re not scaring our son, are you?” Hoseok huffed as Yoongi laced their hands together, Jungkook getting out of the car after them. 

Yoongi pressed a kiss to his temple, “of course not. Just debating on how long he’s grounded for.” 

“Hyung.” Hoseok sighed, locking his arm with Jungkooks as they made their way up to the building, turning towards Jungkook then, “Don’t listen to your appa, Kookie, he’s just upset right now. We’ll talk about all this later.” He reassured the human, pulling Jungkook's arm closer to himself, protective, “And don’t make any eye contact with anyone.” 

“Got it.” Jungkook hummed, keeping his eyes lowered and on his parents only. 

When they made it up the steps to the building, an unfamiliar voice spoke, “Well, if it isn’t Min Yoongi.” He greeted. It was a large man, broad shoulders and slicked back hair holding a clipboard in his hands. He seemed to be writing something down, “Didn’t think you’d make it—” He paused, eyes narrowing in on Jungkook, “Is that…a human…?” 

Hoseok was about to answer when Yoongi beat him to it, “Livestock.” Followed by a stifled laugh from Jungkook which earned him a glare from Yoongi, however Yoongi grinned when the tall man in front of them eyes widened, “And yes, I came. The counsel went through all the trouble of finding me anyhow. I had no choice.” 

The man huffed, muttering something that sounded like, ‘you are one sick bastard.’ while writing on his clipboard, “just so you are aware, there are no humans allowed in the meeting—”

“Again, he’s livestock. My livestock. And I understand, they’ve stopped letting my Hoseok into the meetings, so I presumed as much.” Yoongi explained, his voice was different here than it was at home. Stronger, authoritarian…dark. 

The man nodded, writing something down on his clipboard, “Right, and your mutt's name is Hoseok. Alright, you may go in—”

“You—” Yoongi sneered, all to be stopped by Hoseok tugging on his hand harshly, shaking his head in a silent no. 

Yoongi had no choice but to relent, “Come on, let’s go.” He demanded instead, staring daggers into the man's head as he pulled his family aside and walked through the doors. 

Hoseok immediately felt the stares, subtly reminding Jungkook to look down as they made their way into the estate. He tried to ignore their murmurings, the word ‘mutt’ and ‘human’ being tossed around the vampires that filled the halls. 

But Yoongi was steadfast, strong in leading them. And Hoseok would always be grateful to his mate for that. 

“Min Yoongi! Just in time, the meeting is about to begin.” Hoseok’s senses were on edge, but again, he didn’t recognize this vampire. Had they been away that long? 

“Best make this quick. I don’t take kindly to being separated from my fledgling.” Yoongi grumbled, “Who are you?” 

“My apologies, Kim Jun.” The man held out his hand for Yoongi to take, to which Yoongi ignored. “You’re the talk of the counsel, Mr. Min. They say you’re the strongest of our kind. I can smell it.” 

“All that means to everyone in this building is that I am not to be trifled with.” Yoongi glared, “and I’m also not in the business of making pleasantries. Where is the meeting room and where will my fledgling and the human be.” 

Jun nodded, seeming amused, “Of course, I’ll be running the meeting, and I was the one who requested your presence, I think you’ll want to hear what we have to say. Your…fledgling and the…human, will be down the hall in the inspection room. I’ll escort them there myself.” 

“I will be the one escorting them there myself.” Yoongi left no room for arguments, but with the hurried steps of the other vampires filing into what Hoseok would guess was the meeting room, Hoseok gave Yoongi’s hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

“Hey, it’s ok.” He whispered, “we can go ahead, the quicker you go in there and get this meeting over with the quicker we can go home.” 

Kim Jun grinned at that, "precisely, the meeting won’t begin until you’re there. My segment isn’t until the end.” 

Yoongi didn’t say anything to that, but one more reassuring squeeze from Hoseok’s touch and Yoongi was truly powerless against Hoseok’s wishes. “Alright. Okay.” He reached over, pulling Hoseok’s in for a kiss with a gentle hand on his cheek. “You call for me, the second you feel something off, you call for me. Understand?” 

“Nothing will happen, hyung.” Hoseok reassured, leaning into Yoongi’s touch against his check, kissing the inside of his palm, “but I promise, I will. We will.” 

“Good.” Yoongi nodded, so, so reluctantly that Hoseok could almost swear he saw the elder vampire's eyes glisten with something unshed, and unsaid. 

Jungkook didn’t say anything, just nodding when Yoongi looked his way, something unsaid between them when Yoongi nodded as well, before turning back to Jun, “If I find that you’ve touched even a hair on these two I will show everyone in this godforsaken place just how strong I can be. Do I make myself clear?” 

“Crystal.” Jun smirked, something…unsettling. Hoseok couldn’t pinpoint it, the feeling in his gut. Only that he brought Jungkooks arm even closer than before so that the human was pressed up against his side as they followed Jun down the hall, sparing one last glance over his shoulder to Yoongi who stood there, watchful, until they were out of sight. 

Jun led them into a room that was sadly all too familiar to Hoseok, it was a dark, windowless room with a navy blue accent wall. It was also completely empty, void of any furniture or decor. “The vampire performing the inspection will be with you in a moment, stay in here until then.” Jun was quick with his exit, not waiting for a response from the two of them before closing the door behind him. 

Hoseok scanned the room once more after the door closed, Jungkook doing the same before they both exalted, Hoseok releasing Jungkook’s arm. “Looks like we can breathe for a moment, how are you doing Kookie?” 

“This is…way different then what I thought this was going to be.” Jungkook confessed, shoulders relaxing, “I’m…surprised that people are not shunning me more, honestly.” 

Hoseok frowned at that, “you know that you are not livestock to your Appa and I, right? You’re our baby, our whole world, your Appa just said that—”

“Eomma, I know!” Jungkook laughed, cutting him off, “I thought it was hilarious.” 

Hoseok smiled, pulling him in closer and reaching up to kiss the side of Jungkook’s head, “well, good. Everyone probably thinks something similar, that you’re some kind of human prisoner for your Appa or something. You saw how everyone is treating him, he’s powerful in this realm. And the less they know about you, the better.” 

Jungkook nodded, “why are they calling you a mutt?” He was visibly getting more upset as the words left his lips, “They’re saying really nasty things, Eomma. Why do they not like you so much?” 

“Oh Kookie,” Hoseok ran his hand through Jungkook’s hair to comfort him, “they just know too much about my story. Some think that I stole your father from this realm. And of course, my story of how I became a vampire doesn’t help. It’s frowned upon, turning humans. Only pure vampire born children are accepted. They’ve never accepted me.” 

“It’s not ok.” Jungkook argued. 

Hoseok gave the best smile he could muster, a quiet, “I know. I know, Kookie.” 

“I think you and Appa should turn me into a vampire so I can kick their asses.” Jungkook decided then and there, causing Hoseok to audibly gasp. “Min Jungkook! Language!” Causing Jungkook to chuckle. 

Their banter was cut short when the sound of the door opening had Hoseok instinctively reaching out for his son’s arm again, pulling him close and holding him there as protective as he could be. He hoped it was enough. 

But, one look at the face that came through the door, and Hoseok’s unbeating heart dropped through the floor. 

It wouldn’t be enough. 

None of this would be. 

“Hello, Min Hoseok. Long time no see?” 

Miygu.

Hoseok wanted to cry. 

Of course. 

Of course he was here. Of course Miygu would be here to terrorize him. He wouldn’t miss an opportunity, not since they’d been in hiding for so long. 

Hoseok should have been more aware. 

He should have thought about all the possibilities. He should have remembered. 

Oh, but how Yoongi had healed him in all these decades. How Yoongi had taught him not to fear. 

Only for it all to come rushing back in like a broken damn held on by Yoongi’s love for far too long. 

A force that this man, this tall, grey haired, greasy, low toned man, came in with. 

“What are you doing here?! What do you want?!” Hoseok demanded. Feigning some kind of strength to his voice, he had his baby with him. There was no way that he was going to allow the horrors of Miygu to so much as grace his child. “My Yoongi is in the meeting and will be coming back here any second now.” 

“Ah, but I think the meeting just started, no?” Miygu grinned and it made Hoseok’s stomach churn. Jungkook seemed to sense that something was off, holding onto Hoseok tightly. “And I see we have a guest here, this must be the human everyone has been talking about. What did Yoongi say? Livestock?” 

“You don’t touch him, you don’t look at him, you do not even breathe close to him. I will call Yoongi right now! Don’t get any closer!” Hoseok was yelling now, threatening, his fengs coming out and on display fully. 

“Eomma…” Jungkook whispered, barely audible as Hoseok moved so that Jungkook was now behind him instead of beside him. 

Miygu tsked, “That’s cute.” He reached from behind him, opening the door a little more and snapping his finger, signaling for two large vampires to come filtering into the room. “How are you going to get to your knight in shining armor, little mutt, if you can’t even get past us?” 

Tears welled in Hoseok’s eyes, “If you touch this human—”

“Relax.” Miygu groaned, “You always were so insufferable.” He nodded towards the two, behind him, “I have no interest in livestock.” He explained as the two vampires walked over to them, one of them grabbing Hoseok forcefully by the arm, the other yanking Jungkook away from him in one swift motion. “Hey! Let me go!” Jungkook struggled against the vampire who had his hands locked behind his back in a matter of seconds. 

Hoseok's blood was rushing to his ears, his breathing starting to come labored as he watched his son be dragged away from him, the dull pain in his arms where nothing, eyes locked onto his son, “Stop…stop this! Don’t touch him!” Hoseok screamed—

“Shut it!” Miygu was quick to slap a hand over Hoseok’s mouth, holding it there to keep him from screaming any more, flashbacks of something—something so dark flashed across Hoseok’s vision— “If you scream again I’ll cut his damn arms off!” he threatened, staring Hoseok down like a predator, “Trust me, I have no interest in that human. Vampires haven’t needed to feed from humans in centuries, and even so, I have no interest in starting a rift with those creatures. We all remember the horrors of the war.” his grinned, fingers digging into Hoseok’s skin, “Right, pretty? You remember, don’t you? How we met? Wouldn’t want to get tangled up in another mess again. It’s truly been too long.” He threatened again, “If I take my hand off, and you scream, you can kiss that human goodbye.” 

Hoseok couldn’t say anything, a silent, heavy tear rolling down from his eye. Miygu seemed satisfied, taking his hand away before the tear could reach his skin. 

Hoseok stayed silent, stealing a glance towards Jungkook whose expression was a mixture of complete, unadulterated rage and fear. Hoseok gave a slight shake of his head as if to say no, lay low, eomma will handle this. 

“Now, I’m not going to dare touch a human. Not after the war. But you…well, little mutt, you’re not a human anymore, are you?” Miygu’s own fengs now were out and on display, “and I think I was the one assigned to your inspection.” 

“Don’t touch me, Miygu. He’ll know, Yoongi will know and he’ll come find you.” Hoseok threatened. 

“I’d like to see him try.” Miygu huffed. Moving to take a leisurely stroll around Hoseok, circling him like an animal. 

Hoseok met Jungkook’s eyes, something even more fiery alight in them now, Hoseok had never told Jungkook about Miygu. He prayed Yoongi never did either, and that Jungkook would never have to find out. Hoseok silently shook his head again, small, incremental movements but strong enough to get his point across. 

Jungkook needed to stay silent. 

“Well, it seems you’re progressing. Maturing into some kind of mutation still, you’re so weak because of the mutt in you. I can smell it. Disgusting, really. How Yoongi stands it, is a mystery to me.” Miygu commented passively. “If only you’d been born as a vampire, you would have been such a good mate.” 

Hoseok bit his tongue, refusing to give Miygu the satisfaction. “Last time we attended a counsel meeting, I was given use of my limbs and not held against my will.” 

“Ah, well, new management.” Miygu grinned, hand coming to grip Hoseok’s jaw tightly. “Now let's see these pretty little mutt fengs I’ve given you.” 

Hoseok ignored Jungkooks audible gasp as he struggled in Miygu’s grasp, the vampire behind him only holding his arms tighter. If only Hoseok could get the angle right, he could sink his fengs into Miygu’s hand. 

But the older vampire's hold was too tight, his other hand coming up to pull and tug on Hoseok’s sensitive fengs. Hoseok had to bite back a cry, feigning something strong for Jungkook. Something reassuring. 

“Well, your fengs are weak. Min Yoongi has been keeping you tucked away for too long. You are sheltered. But that is no matter. I’ve broken you down to rebuild you before, I can still do it.. I’m the reason you’re even here, pretty. Don’t let Min Yoongi take all the credit for what happened on that day, you know you are mine.” 

“If the counsel knew what you did to me…you would be banished for treason to the treaty. Min Yoongi saved me! Min Yoongi is my sire. And he’s a better man than you could ever be!” Hoseok spat at Miygu, struggling once more against the vampires hold behind him. 

Miygu’s eyes darkened, leaning closer, “what did you just say, little mutt?” 

“I said, Min Yoongi is a better man—”

Hoseok was cut off by a searing, loud, harsh pain searing against his cheek. Miygu’s hand came slapping against his skin with so much force it had Hoseok’s whole body turned with the magnitude of it, his eyes watering immediately, as if stuck in place, as a drop of blood spilled from his lips, dropping to the floor. 

“Eomma!” Jungkook screamed the second Miygu’s hand came in contact with Hoseok’s skin, Jungkook almost overpowering the vampire that was clutching onto him, he was struggling frantically, desperately. 

Miygu’s eyes widened in surprise, and then narrowed, grabbing Hoseok’s chin and forcing him to look at the vampire, “What, did your little human just call you? Eomma—”

The door slammed open, and Hoseok could feel his presence before their eyes could even meet.

Yoongi. 

The vampire's eyes searched the room frantically before landing on Hoseok, their eyes locked, and no words needed to be said. Hoseok would have guessed that it was the smell of Hoseok’s blood that called for Yoongi, but in that moment all that mattered was that he was here—

Yoongi’s eyes turned dark red at the state of Hoseok, eyes flickering to Jungkook also being held hostage by a vampire, and then, to Miygu. 

There was no time to process the attack, just that Yoongi sprang into action, reacting “You fucker!” He sneered moving in one swift motion to catch Miygu by the neck and send him flying against the wall, holding him there. The other vampires feet dangling, hands pulling at Yoongi’s one squeezing his throat, “I’ll kill you.” Yoongi promised, pulling Miygu away from the wall only to slam him against it again, the brick behind them cracking with the force. “I kill you!” He repeated more violently than before. 

“Yoongi…” Hoseok whimpered quietly, the vampire behind him holding him in a headlock now, Hoseok’s hands coming to tug at the man’s arm to release him. Hoseok kept his eyes on Jungkook, watchful of the vampire holding his son. “Yoongi..Jungkook…” Hoseok gasped for breath. 

Yoongi’s eyes flashed to Hoseok, “You two! Release them immediately!” Yoongi ordered, reaching for his collar with his other hand when Miygu took the opportunity to reel his knee into Yoongi’s stomach, causing him to stumble back in a groan. 

But before Miygu could make contact with the fist he had flying in the air Yoongi was faster, Yoongi’s arm coming to uppercut him in the stomach, sending Miygu up and then straight to the ground. Miygu groaned and Yoongi used the opportunity to pull something out of the collar of his shirt—

“They won’t listen to you!” Miygu coughed, rolling to his side, “They work for me—”

“No, they work for me now.” Yoongi stated, looking eyes with Hoseok again and Hoseok’s gaze widened when he saw the pendant. 

Yoongi was…

The two vampires immediately released Hoseok and Jungkook, falling down to their knees in salute to Yoongi. 

“Eomma!” Jungkook rushed to Hoseok who caught him quickly with open arms, “Are you ok?” 

“I’m ok Kookie. I’m ok.” Hoseok soothed, Jungkook was in his teenage years now, and even though he was much bigger then Hoseok now, he still felt so small in Hoseok’s hold. Like he would always be Hoseok’s baby. Kissing Jungkooks head, “You’re ok, we’re going to go home soon.” He reassured, eyes glancing over towards Yoongi again, confused still at the pendant in his hands. 

“Darling, I will explain everything. But for right now, I need you to go to the car. You won’t run into any trouble.” Yoongi soothed, taking another step towards his family, his eyes were still red but they were welling with tears the longer Hoseok and his eyes locked together. 

When you’ve known someone for centuries, sometimes, words don’t need to be said. 

“I can’t leave you…” Hoseok whispered, Yoongi’s hand coming up to hover over his cheek, just barely, the lightest of touches, gracing his blooming red wound there. “Hyung...” 

“I will explain everything.” Was all Yoongi could say, something so small and broken, “I’m sorry…” 

Hoseok reached out to hold Yoongi’s wrist, shaking his head, “we can do this together.” 

Yoongi turned at the sound of Miygu getting up behind them, the vibrant, red bleeding back to life in Yoongi’s eyes as he turned fully to walk back over to Miygu who was struggling. “Jungkook. Take your Eomma and run.” 

Jungkook held onto Hoseok’s hand, but didn’t move, “Appa! Let me stay! Let me fight with you!” He demanded. 

Yoongi shook his head, looking back over his shoulder as Miygu struggled to his feet, “I need you with your Eomma right now.” 

“But—”

“Jungkook.” Yoongi snapped, an order, “Make sure your Eomma gets out of here safe. I need you to help me keep this family safe.” 

Jungkook frowned, and nodded in understanding. He squeezed Hoseok’s hand back, forcefully taking the lead on leading them out of the room. “Kookie, no, I can’t leave—”

“Eomma, I promised Appa.” Jungkook shook his head, pulling Hoseok out of the room.  

Hoseok looked over his shoulder right before the door closed, Yoongi’s fengs elongated, sneering at something Miygu said, before Yoongi was attacking again, and they were out of sight. 

The race to the car was quick, and Hoseok was distinctly aware of how many eyes were on them. It felt like even more than before. It was as if they were parting the sea of vampires, nobody dared to be in their way, conversation quieting in their steps. 

Which was strange. 

There were no mutterings, no gossiping, nothing dismantling like mutt or human being spoken in the distance. 

Once they’d made it back to the car, Hoseok took the liberty of driving, pulling the vehicle right up to the entrance as they waited for Yoongi. 

The two of them were quiet, processing. Hoseok hated that they had brought Jungkook into this, that he had to experience this world. That he had to see what he saw. 

Hoseok took a deep breath, turning in his seat to look back at Jungkook who was feigning something strong, still taking his fathers orders to heart, Hoseok thought. “Are you alright, Kookie?” 

Jungkook snapped his gaze to Hoseok from where he was staring out the window, “I’m fine! I’m ok, that guy just held on pretty tight. But…Eomma…” the strong facade started to fall, “are you ok…? Why did he do that to you…?” 

Hoseok’s heart was breaking at the sight of Jungkook so upset, “Oh honey, it’s…it’s a long story. I’ll tell you, if you want to know, but I’ll be alright. One drink from your Appa and Eomma will be all fixed up. Your Appa is Eommas secret weapon.” 

Jungkook smiled a little at that, but still, his eyes were troubled, “I’m sorry…I’m sorry that I couldn’t do more to keep us safe in there…” 

Hoseok shook his head, leaning so he could cup Jungkook’s cheeks and force him to look at Hoseok, “No. Do not apologize for that, you got us out of there, and you listened to Eomma, you stayed quiet when he was there.” Hoseok reasoned, “You are our one and only baby, I don’t know what we would do if something were to ever happen to you.” 

“But you’re my one and only Eomma!” Jungkooks voice was wavering now, “see? I need to be a vampire so I can protect you like Appa! I can protect all of us!” 

“Oh Kookie,” Hoseok pulled Jungkook in for a hug, holding him there and pressing a kiss to Jungkook’s head, “You don’t need to protect us, or to be a vampire to protect us.” He reassured, and before Jungkook could respond, there was a knock on the side door of the car. 

“Yoongi!” Hoseok unlocked the car door, and the vampire, covered in blood, moved to sit down in the passengers side. 

It was Miygu’s blood, Hoseok could smell it. 

“Appa! Are you ok?” Jungkook jumped to ask. 

Yoongi reached back, holding the back of Jungkooks neck reassuringly, “I’m alright, son. Thank you for getting you and your mother back safe. That was huge.” Before turning towards Hoseok, and again, something unsaid went spoken between them, Yoongi moved his hand to hold Hoseok’s own, pressing a kiss to the top of his knuckles, holding him there.

“I’ll clean the car seat later. Let’s go home.” Yoongi finally said, “I’ll drive.” 

Hoseok shook his head, “No, hyung, I’m already in the driver's seat,I’ll drive, I need the distraction.” 

Yoongi didn’t argue, but he also didn’t take his gaze away from Hoseok the whole entire drive. 

The ride was quiet, and it felt shorter than the way there. The sun peaked through the horizon as they pulled up to their wooden home. 

Yoongi was the first out of the car, moving to the other side to open Jungkook’s car door, and then Hoseok’s, offering a hand to Hoseok. 

Hoseok accepted, allowing his mate to help him out of the vehicle, “Hyung, why don’t you go wash up? I’ll put on some tea.” 

“I would rather you feed from my vein first, darling.” Yoongi’s gaze was troubled, concerned still, “They say I’m strong but one look at…at what he’s done to you and I—”

“I can start the tea,” Jungkook offered, “Appa if you take care of Eomma I’ll get everything set up. Can even start on the Strawberry cake you were talking about, Eomma.” 

Yoongi smiled, ruffling Jungkook’s hair, “Thank you, son. Once I’ve taken care of your Eomma I’ll answer any questions you have, ok?” 

Jungkook nodded as Yoongi laced his fingers with Hoseok’s own, leading them into the house and up the steps to their room. 

It was only until Yoongi had shut the door behind them and locked it, that Hoseok crumbled. 

Fully, and completely, Hoseok’s strong facade fell to the ground and Yoongi was fast with his hold. Allowing Hoseok to cry into his shoulder, allowing the younger vampire's knees to give out with the force of relief that, “It’s ok.” Yoongi soothed, “It’s ok, darling. You’re ok. Jungkook’s ok. We’re all ok.” 

“I was so…scared…” Hoseok shuttered, fingers coming to clutch onto Yoongi’s fabric, “and Jungkook was there…he almost—”

“No.” Yoongi shook his head, leading them to the bed to hold Hoseok tighter, sitting them both down with Hoseok on his lap, “no he didn’t do anything to Jungkook. I wouldn’t have let him touch our son.” Yoongi’s voice was welling with tears, desperation, “I’m so sorry I came so late…I should have known. I should have come sooner. He touched you—he hurt you god I’m so…” Yoongi buried his face in the crook of Hoseok’s neck, crying, “I’m so sorry…” 

“It was nothing compared to—” Hoseok shook his head, but was cut off by Yoongi. 

“Don’t.” Yoongi’s voice waivered, “please, please darling, don’t even mention the atrocity. I can’t take it.” 

“My love.” Hoseok leaned back, tears streaming down his cheeks, “thank you for coming. Thank you for saving us, our baby. For saving me, again.” 

Yoongi closed his eyes, leaning their foreheads together, “Min Hoseok, I will always keep you safe. I can not go on without you. The day you are no longer with me is the day I will pierce a stake through my chest—”

“Yoongi!” Hoseok inhaled sharply. 

“It’s true.” Yoongi pressed a kiss to Hoseok’s forehead, “my strength, my will to continue, all of it, it’s our family. It’s you.” 

Hoseok blinked back tears, sniffling when Yoongi wiped a tear from Hoseok’s cheek, “I was afraid he would try to take you away from me. That he somehow had the power to do so…” 

“Nothing could tear me away from you.” Yoongi countered, leaving no room for argument. 

Hoseok nodded, “Good.” He sniffled, a moment passing, and he continued rambling, processing, “I was so scared that…that he would try to finish what he wanted from before…that he…and in front of our son…” 

“My love.” Yoongi could hardly get the words out on his own, “my love I will always be there. You will never have to worry about such things. You will never have to feel that fear ever again. I swear it.” 

Hoseok nodded, trying for a deep breath, to calm his frantic tears. He frowned, not knowing if he truly wanted the answer, “did you…is he…?” 

Yoongi pulled his collar down to show his neck, “darling, you need not worry about him anymore. That is all I will share, I wish not to trouble you with things like this. Just know that hyung took care of it, hyung took care of everything. Now please, drink.” 

Tears welled in Hoseok’s eyes, Hoseok hated death, he hated the idea of it, hated that a vampire could cause the death of another vampire, or a human would have the power to cause the death of another human. 

But right now, Hoseok didn’t have the time to fight Yoongi on ethics, right now, Hoseok was surprised with how relieved he was. He wasn’t scared of Yoongi or what he had done, just relieved. 

Hoseok leaned forward, pressing his fengs gently against Yoongi’s skin, and drank. 

It didn’t take long for Yoongi to get cleaned up and for the family to migrate to the kitchen where Jungkook had prepared three cups of tea, his with a dash of honey and Hoseok and Yoongi’s with a dash of blood. A dash that Hoseok immediately smelled, eyes widening as he took a seat next to Jungkook at the bar seating, “Kookie! Did you get into the blood bags again?” 

“What?” Jungkook’s eyes widened, taking a sip of his own tea to feign innocence. “Isn’t that how you like your tea?” 

Yoongi moved to stand on the other side of the bar, taking a sip of his own tea, “Son, you know how your Eomma feels about you handling blood.” He took another sip, “But it is good. Good job.” 

“Hyung.” Hoseok sighed, “Don’t encourage him.” 

“I gotta get used to it for when I’m a vampire—” 

“If.” Hoseok corrected, reaching over to kiss the top of Jungkook’s head, “but thank you baby. Do I also smell some cake baking?” 

Jungkook smiled, “Yeah, I followed the recipe we always use and went ahead and started baking the strawberry cake.” 

“Good job, Kookie.” Hoseok praised, taking a sip of his tea. 

Yoongi smiled at the scene before him, before taking a deep breath, he started, “I have…something big to share. It happened at the counsel meeting today.” 

Hoseok had a feeling he knew what Yoongi was going to say, but he needed to hear it from Yoongi himself. 

“What happened, Appa?” Jungkook asked. 

Yoongi stared down at his tea for a moment, before pulling out the same necklace that had the vampires falling to their knees earlier. 

“They elected for me to be vice, to the head of the counsel.” 

Hoseok’s eyes grew wide, hands coming up over his mouth, “vice…” 

“Wait, what does that mean?” Jungkook asked, looking confused, “And you never go to the meetings, right? So how could you be anything there?” 

“Honey, vice means that your father is now the second in charge after the leader. He is second in command with the most amount of power in the vampire realm after the leader. He…I don’t understand.” Hoseok rambled, shaking his head. “Hyung, how…” 

The current leader was an old friend of mine, he personally sent the invite. There was a period of time when we lost contact, he…I wouldn’t venture to say he’s a good vampire. But I would say that he’s smart. A good leader. The war with humans…changed a lot of vampires. And most for the worst. He was elected leader because of his harsh yet distanced stance against humans. It’s why vampires are locked away in their own corners of the world. Why you, Jungkook,have to keep the fact that us and your uncles Jin hyung and Namjoon are all vampires from the rest of the world.” 

Yoongi continued to explain when Jungkook nodded in understanding, “he explained during the meeting how he wants to begin to bridge a gap between vampires and humans. To…maybe not work together, but to at least be at arms length, instead of in hiding. And so he asked if I could step up and be his second in command.” 

“Oh…my god…” Hoseok exhaled. 

Jungkook's eyes grew wide, “So you’re basically the president of vampires?! Is it because Eomma used to be a human?” 

Yoongi nodded, “Yes, because it’s…not hidden that I did what most vampires would call treasonous and turn your Eomma into a vampire. He wants to use that story to his advantage.”

“And you accepted this position without talking to us first because…?” Hoseok raised a brow. 

Yoongi chuckled, reaching over the bar top to hold Hoseok’s hand, “Darling, I would never accept something like this without talking to you first. This would be big, and I did tell the leader that if I were to accept, that it would be under the condition that my family approves.” Yoongi reassured, looking at both of them. “I did, however, negotiate it so that I would be a…quiet second in charge. Our home would stay off the radar, that my human would live life normally with no issues. That my fledgling would be treated with the utmost respect around vampires. And…my last condition regarded…that sick excuse of a vampire.” 

Jungkook inhaled sharply, “Did you kill him, Appa? Are you saying you’re not in trouble for it?!” 

“Jungkook!” Hoseok started, “we do not talk like that!” 

Jungkook’s shoulders fell slightly, almost bashful, “Sorry, Eomma.” But Yoongi’s eyes gave him a very clear, yes. That had Jungkook and him both smiling. Yoongi gave an open ended response,  “Let’s just say that whoever was in that room that touched my family, won’t be any threat to us anymore.” 

Hoseok chose not to respond to that, instead, “How many of these meetings do you need to attend, hyung?” Hoseok asked.

Yoongi shook his head, “None, he promised that we would be as silent as possible. Only if there is another war with the humans, would we be needed.” Yoongi held the necklace between his fingers again, “and this, is only ours, if you choose it, Seok-ah.” Yoongi reassured. “I will return it if you say no. He had given it to me for me to show you and talk with you first. The counsel all voted in my—our favor.” 

“Eomma, I think it’s stupid not to say yes.” Jungkook turned towards Hoseok who was clearly debating. “I mean, Appa negotiated for everything to work out for us!” 

“Yes but…” Hoseok was deep in thought, “It’s a lot to take in. They promise us secrecy, but what happens if another war does break out? What will happen to you, hyung? You’ll be expected to fight…I can’t…” 

Yoongi shook his head, “If that were to happen, there are many more patriotic vampires that would jump at the role of vice. I will relinquish my title. We will hide once more. There is no outcome in any situation where our family is torn apart. I swear it.” 

Hoseok debated a moment more, searching for any kind of uncertainty in Yoongi’s eyes. 

“Say yes, Eomma!” Jungkook encouraged, which made Hoseok giggle then, nodding his head, “Ok, ok yes.” Which earned an audible ‘wohoo’ from Jungkook, making them both light up a little more. 

“Now Jungkook, I want to ask you as well, but I’m going to assume that’s a yes?” Yoongi asked, turning towards his son. 

Jungkook chuckled, “Yeah, Appa, that’s a yes! That’s so cool! And then when I become a vampire, I can be the leader—”

“Oh god—” Hoseok brought his hands up to cover his face, causing Yoongi to reach out, laughing as he held Hoseok’s forearm comfortingly, “Son, you’re going to send your Eomma into cardiac arrest.” 

Jungkook was laughing along with his dad, “Sorry, Eomma.” 

“You two…” Hoseok sighed, rubbing at his temples, “so, hyung, you can tell the leader that we accept. For as long as they keep our location hidden, and keep our son safe, we accept.” 

Yoongi reached across the bar, pressing a kiss to the top of Hoseok’s forehead, “If at any point in this, you change your mind, darling, you just say the word. I’ll make it all disappear." 

Hoseok smiled, grateful, he understood what Yoongi was up against, and why this was a good decision for their family right now, but he was still so grateful for Yoongi, for always giving him a choice. “Ok.” 

“I…have a question…” Jungkook looked down at his cup, tracing the rim, looking back up to Hoseok and Yoongi, “is it ok if I know what happened…? A part of me doesn’t want to know, but another part of me does. But it sounded like there was more to the back story with Mi—”

“Son, we do not speak that name in this house.” Yoongi's voice was strong, in contrast with Hoseok's that followed after, “It’s ok, of course you can know, Kookie. And we can say his name, he’s no longer a threat to us, right?” Hoseok looked back towards Yoongi, as if he still wasn’t sure. 

Yoongi nodded, his voice gentle, yet firm, “Right.” 

Hoseok relaxed a bit, smiling a little, “then we should tell him.” 

“If you wish, darling.” Yoongi whispered. 

Hoseok nodded, giving a reassuring smile before turning back to Jungkook, “Kookie, do you remember the story we would tell you of how I became a vampire?” 

Jungkook nodded, “That Appa found you on the riverbed, and you were barely alive, but he knew that you were his soulmate so he turned you into a vampire to save you, right?” 

“Yes. That’s correct.” Hoseok encouraged, “But it’s not…the full story.” 

Jungkook noticed Yoongi’s knuckles growing white against the counter as Hoseok continued, “the full story was…” Hoseok took a deep breath, “I…when I was a human, I didn’t have much. I was very poor. And being a peasant back in those days, it was not for the faint of heart. It was hard, and harsh and rough, on your body and on your soul. I was…well, I’ll spare you the details of how I paid my way. But one evening after washing up in the river I found this little girl, maybe three or four years old. Her parents were gone, they’d passed due to illness and so she’d been trying to survive by the river.” 

Hoseok’s voice started to waver, Jungkook could tell that Yoongi was angry, containing something like rage but he held out a hand, gentle, atop Hoseok’s own. Jungkook hoped he could be as strong as Yoongi one day, to take care of his family like his Appa did for them. 

Hoseok took a breath to steady his voice before continuing, “so, I took her in. I didn’t have much, but I could at least give her what I had and do what I could for her. And truthfully I…I had lost my parents, who would have been your grandparents, Kookie, before I could even remember. And I wanted to give her what I never had. I wanted to be a mother, a proper, real mother, for her. And it was great at first, we got along, once she knew she was safe, she was happy. She was ok. And I had a friend back then, Sejin, he was always looking out for me. He had a family of his own, so she would always play with his kids, she was happy.” 

“Did…something happen to her…?” Jungkook was almost afraid to ask. 

Hoseok shook his head, smiling, “thankfully, no. Our time together was brief, maybe six months, before it all changed. We were down by the river washing some of the clothes for the week. I had heard rumblings within the town of vampires, that they were attacking people, that we were at war, but we were so far remote, it felt like it was a war happening in a far away land. That we had worse things to worry about in the town than vampires. Until…Miygu.” Hoseok had to stop for a moment, look down at his cup. 

“Darling, you do not need to tell this part.” Yoongi soothed. 

Hoseok shook his head, “No, if anyone should know what happened, it’s our son.” He continued, taking another breath, “Miygu came from the woods, acting like he was lost and in need of assistance, he immediately came to us, asking for directions to the village. Which was strange, it was atop the hill, you could see it from where we were. I immediately knew something was wrong. I told the little girl to go to uncle Sejins, she refused at first, until he…attacked.” 

“What…” Jungkook’s shoulders fell, Yoongi had to look away, irate, “you were attacked by another vampire before Appa turned you…?” 

“It was brutal.” Hoseok looked up, “the little girl ran, screaming vampire attack as soon as he grabbed a hold of me, sinking his teeth into me over, and over, and over again. As if trying to kill me…he didn’t want to feed from me…he just wanted me to bleed out. He just wanted my skin ripped to shreds so that he— and then he—”

“Please.” Yoongi begged, his voice starting to break, the cracks in the stone wall showing through, “he doesn’t need to know all of it.” 

“It’s ok. I’m ok now. You made me ok.” Hoseok reassured, a heavy tear falling from his lashes, he hadn’t realized how heavy this was on him, how it was so nice to just…say it. Now that he’s gone. “He tried to take advantage of me. That part, I will spare you from, but just know that he didn’t get everything he wanted. I had enough strength to grab a rock from the riverbed, and jam it into his face, I think I got his eye, I can’t really remember. But he bit back harder, I did it again, and again, I think three times, before he must have noticed the sounds of the villagers grow closer. A group had started to make their way down to the river to see if the little girl was right about the vampire. And that scared him off.” 

“So he left? And the villagers helped you?” Jungkook asked, tears in his eyes, he understood the rage in his fathers gaze now. 

Hoseok smiled softly, “Kookie, it was different back then. They didn’t know much about vampires. Just that I had…many bite marks on my skin. They didn’t know what to do.” 

“They didn’t— they didn’t know what to do but they—” Yoongi shook his head, unable to stop his voice from cracking. 

Hoseok laid a hand atop Yoongi’s own holding his, “they…it was dusk, so they all had torches, they…well, we were on the side of the river bed, there was a lot of greenery.” 

“They didn’t…” Jungkook started to piece the puzzle together. 

Hoseok nodded, “They threw their torches down, called me a vampire, some threw rocks, others, logs. They wanted me buried in fire and earth. I don’t…I don’t know how I survived it. I…I almost do wonder if Miygu had somehow…if he had started to—”

“There is no possibility of Miygu being your sire, Min Hoseok.” Yoongi argued. “You had not a trace of it in you. Not the faintest trace.” 

“I know I just…it’s a miracle that I was…concious for all of that…” Hoseok shook his head, “But it didn’t last long, Sejin, the friend that I had he had convinced them all to return to the village, he had convinced them that I was dead. That enough was enough.” Hoseok exhaled, “He was such a good friend. I could tell, even he was scared, but when the villagers left he took the bucket I had brought to wash with, and started putting the fires out. I was…there was not much left that I had in me. My body was burned and ruined, my soul crushed, I was…I was dying and Sejin, to his credit, thought I already was. I couldn’t talk, but he kneeled beside me, crying, and told me that he would look after the little girl, and raise her as his own.” Hoseok sniffed, wiping away his tears, “I was so relieved, I thought, I can die now. I know they’ll be fine. I can go.” 

Yoongi turned away from the two of them, wiping away his own tears, “Seok-ah…please…” 

Jungkook was also crying, Hoseok leaned forward, bringing him into a hug, “Oh Kookie, don’t cry.” Hoseok sniffled, “this is where the story gets good.” 

“That’s when I found your Eomma.” Yoongi spoke, he was still turned away, looking up at the ceiling. Jungkook knew his father as a strong man, but oh how he would cry for his family. And whenever Yoongi cried, they all cried. “Found him there on the river like that.” He sniffed, “There was a battle not far from there, something nasty and awful, I…will admit I was never a fan of humans but I also was never so patriotic to the vampires cause that I was ever so moved to fight. So I left the battle, and something was…something pulled me to that river. I can not explain that part.” 

Yoongi looked over towards Hoseok, connecting their hands again, “It was a few hours past midnight, under the full moon, when I saw him there. It was mere moments that I had before I lost him. I knew, as soon as I saw him, I knew. I had never felt that deeply, it was so strong, that I even wondered if I had ever had a heart to begin with. It was so reviving, I was…I am not proud of this, but it is what needed to be done. I couldn’t get your Eomma to consent, but I was losing him…and I just…I had to try…” 

“And it worked.” Hoseok whispered, smiling fondly towards Yoongi, “it worked.” 

“It did.” Yoongi brought Hoseok’s hand up to his lips, “thank god I found you when I did. That I just sired you the moment I saw you. If I had been a moment later…”

“Don’t think like that, hyung. You saved me, and that’s what mattered.” Hoseok reassured, still holding Jungkook close. “And then, we saved you, Kookie.” Pressing a kiss to the top of his head. 

Jungkook held onto Hoseok tighter, “Appa, did you go after Miygu after what he did to Eomma?! Did you go after the town?” 

Yoongi smiled knowingly, “Son, you know your Eomma, do you think he would allow me to go after anyone like that?” He sighed, “But still, I wanted to, of course. But after a few decades, your Eomma rekindled his friendship with Sejin, at a distance, as much as I wanted to destroy the town, he had stood by your Eomma in his final moments as a human, and he gave us updates on the little girl your Eomma saved. She ended up living a long life and having a family of her own.” 

Jungkook frowned, “What about…him…” 

Hoseok and Yoongi shared a look, before Yoongi started, “he…I did try to find him. I tried through the counsel, through my connections, what he did was illegal even with the war raging, it was brutal, and savage.” Yoongi took a deep breath, “when we did see him again, it was at a counsel meeting. He…Miygu had seen Hoseok, and thought that he was his real sire. I was…well, irate would an understatement. I was ready to kill him, I almost ripped his heart out if your Eomma wasn’t there to stop me. I was about to do it, too, but he pulled me back, said we needed to be smart about it.” 

“You were about to kill him in front of the whole counsel, Hyung." Hoseok reasoned, “That would have gotten you tried with murder if not killed. I wanted him gone, but I need you more than I need anything else.” 

“Wait…but why did Miygu think he was the one who turned you into a vampire, Eomma?” Jungkook asked. 

“Because he wanted the control.” Hoseok shook his head, “it was so clear, that I was Yoongi’s. I even smelled like his fledgling. But, he liked to play with his…victums. He brought it up at the counsel meeting, saying that I was a human, turned into a vampire. And that set everyone off, they were disturbed, and disgusted. After the war, tensions were so high, so I was not allowed back into the meetings after that.” 

“That bastard.” Yoongi sneered, “he tried to get the counsel to vote on who should have Hoseok under their care, me, or him.” He shook his head, “I put a stop to it, immediately. But once the counsel found out that Hoseok was turned and not a natural born vampire, they all turned against him. I couldn’t bring Miygu to trial for his sins like we had wanted.” 

“And you…had to see him again…” Jungkook pieced everything together, hugging Hoseok tighter, “I’m sorry…” 

“Kookie, it’s not your fault. There’s nothing you could have done. It’s all in the past now, we didn’t want to tell you the full story because we didn’t want to scare you. But now that he’s no longer…a fear to worry about, we can look forward.” Hoseok soothed. 

Jungkook sniffled, “Appa, thank you for saving Eomma and I, I’ll be as strong as you one day, I promise, I’ll protect all of us.” 

“Oh son…” Yoongi’s shoulders dropped, making his way around the bar table and moving to hold Hoseok and Jungkook in his arms, “you don’t need to think like that. We just want you to be happy.” 

“Yes.” Hoseok agreed, nodding into Jungkook’s hair before leaning back slightly, Yoongi bringing his arm around Hoseok’s waist, keeping him close, “Jungkookie we just want you to be safe, and happy. To get a good education, follow your dreams, and even find your own soulmate one day.” 

Jungkook smiled, “And be a vampire? When we’re ready?” 

“No.” Hoseok shook his head quickly. Yoongi chuckling, “you’re determined like your Eomma, Kook.” He smiled, resting a hand on Jungkook's shoulder, “and I want you to know, son, that you helped a lot back there. I couldn’t have done it without you. You’re stronger than you think.” 

Jungkook nodded, smiling, “Yeah,” He looked down now at the empty cup on the table, then back up at his parents, “So…does this mean I’m not grounded?” 

“Four weeks, no video games.” Yoongi answered, earning a groan from Jungkook just as the oven beeped, signaling the cake was ready. Yoongi made his way over to the oven, taking the cake out. 

“But Appa! You just said I helped out!” He argued. 

Yoongi raised a brow, turning the oven off, “and you also lied to your Eomma. Want to make it longer?” 

“No.” Jungkook sighed, "Honestly, I was expecting worse. Can I at least go see Jimin and Tae still?” 

“No—” Yoongi started, but was cut off by Hoseok, “Of course, Kookie. Take some of the cake over to them.” 

“Yes!” Jungkook jumped up, “Ok, I’m going to head over now then! Love you Eomma, love you Appa!” Jungkook hugged them both, pressing a kiss to their cheeks before running up the stairs, no doubt to pack his bag to go see his friends. 

“You know he’s just going to go play video games at Jin and Joon’s place, right?” Yoongi teased, cutting the cake and putting a large chunk in a to-go container.

Hoseok's smile matched Yoongi’s own as he was already typing away on his phone, “don’t worry, hyung. I’m texting Jin hyung and Joon-ah right now. The three of them will just have to play soccer outside.” 

“Yeah, after Jungkook tells them all about the counsel.” Yoongi continued, his voice amused, and gentle, crossing his arms, smirking as he leaned against the bartop. 

Hoseok’s eyes grew wide, typing faster with his thumbs, “Oh no, you’re right. I need to give them a heads up, I don’t think the boys know about that stuff yet.” 

“It’ll be fine,” Yoongi lowered Hoseok's phone with his hand, bringing their gazes together once more. “More importantly, we’re all safe, we’re all together. I still have you, Seok-ah.” 

“You always will.” Hoseok smiled when Yoongi leaned down to steal a kiss, like a gentle breeze on a hot humid day. Hoseok didn’t realize how much he’d craved Yoongi’s touch since everything started. 

Yoongi read his mind without any words shared, he always did have a way, Hoseok noted, as Yoongi reached over to pick him up, pulling Hoseok up on the counter and fitting between the younger vampire's legs. 

“Ok, I’ll be back in a few—Ah! My eyes!” Jungkook groaned, covering his eyes when he jogged back into the kitchen, picking up the container of cake, and causing Yoongi and Hoseok to both erupt in laughter, “I’m heading out! For real this time! Bye, love you!” 

“Love you!” Yoongi and Hoseok both called after Jungkook who made quick work to run out the door. 

Hoseok giggled, opening his phone and tracking Jungkook, “has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit of a helicopter mom?” Yoongi teased, running his nose against Hoseok’s neck. 

“I am not!” Hoseok responded, playfully offended, “I just want to make sure he gets there safe!” 

“Mhmm.” Yoongi hummed, hands starting to explore the hem of Hoseok’s blouse. “Your cheek is almost healed, darling.” 

“Good.” Hoseok whispered, “I don’t want anyone else's touch to show on me, aside from yours. Only yours.” He sighed when Yoongi’s hand traveled up his blouse, pulling the fabric up, bringing Hoseok closer. “Hyung…” 

“Going to take care of you tonight, darling. Show you just how loved you are, how lucky I am as I worship you. Make you mine over, and over, and over again.” Yoongi whispered like a promise, hot against Hoseok’s ear. 

A ding from Hoseok’s phone, one slight glance down at the screen to see that their son had made it to the other vampire's house, and Hoseok was falling into Yoongi’s arms. 

And Hoseok kissed, and kissed, and kissed his mate. 

Because oh, how lucky he was, to be saved by Min Yoongi.