Let It Burn

8. Til Your Body Burns Up

"Should have seen that one coming."

"Do your powers do things on their own without you telling it to?" Tayeon asked the two of them, leaning back on her hands, and turning to look at them.

Yoongi smiled a little, feeling happy that she was so relaxed with him now. It had taken almost every ounce of his patience to get her to open up to him.

"It does," he said, moving to stand beside the two initiates, one hand resting on the table. "It comes directly from your own instincts though, so although it feels like it's an extra persona, it's actually just an extension of you. You've been letting it out so much in this room, I bet subconsciously you know every inch of it, and you would automatically use that to your advantage if you were threatened. That's how it works with me as well, but I don't have to learn a new room every time I enter a place I'm not familiar with. It's more learning different emotions. I got to know what a normal level of excitement is, for example, or what's a normal level of anger or hatred. If I want to dial it up or down, I can tell how much I can do it without it looking suspicious, and I can tell what level of emotion would make someone act on what they're feeling. But I couldn't tell you how I know that."

Tayeon was nodding, but there was a slight frown on her face, and Yoongi knew there was a loaded question coming.

"Okay," she said slowly. "But like... how much can you actually change what someone's feeling?"

"I don't think there's a limit," Yoongi responded. "I've never tried, never had a reason to."

"So can you make someone love you? Or make someone fall in love with someone else?"

Yoongi and Jimin laughed.

"There it is," said Jimin. "I knew there was a big question coming."

"Well, can you?" Tayeon insisted, smiling a little.

"One hundred percent," said Yoongi. "But I never would. Sometimes it's hard for me to know how much is morally okay to mess around with, but as far as love goes, that's a hard limit."

"I have to agree with you," Tayeon nodded. She met his gaze unflinchingly, and Yoongi wondered what she was thinking. She couldn't possibly be worried he'd do it to her, since he couldn't even tone down her fear when he wanted to. "So," she continued, sitting up straighter. "Change of subject, what are we doing for our final assessment this evening?"

"Oh, so that's what this is about," Yoongi exclaimed. He shook his head at her, giving her a smirk. "I'm not telling you any more than I told the others this morning, which is exactly nothing."

Tayeon and Jimin both pouted at him, causing him to chuckle. He reached over with both hands, and slid his fingers through their matching blonde hair. He hid his smirk as the two of them leaned into his touch almost automatically. They were the cutest things he had ever seen.

"Can't believe this was all just a distraction," he murmured. He met each of their gazes, allowing himself to stare for a few seconds, noticing the hitch in Tayeon's breath as he did so. Then he moved away to the kitchen, picking up the tea towel and beginning to re-dry the plate on the top of the stack, leaving them to stare after him in disbelief.

"Did you just..." Jimin began, but then broke off, thinking better of it. Suddenly, Yoongi felt the water droplets leap off the plate he was drying, and splash him in the face.

"Wow, okay then," he chuckled. "You know I'd be impressed with that if you weren't mocking me."

"Well, I'm done practicing for today then," said Tayeon, leaping off the table, and heading for the door. "Coming, Jiminie?"