It Might Just Come Back To Bite You (BTS Vampire AU)

Hard Times

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He finds Taehyung on a bench beneath a flowering cherry tree, tucked up against Hoseok's side as the empath combs gentle fingers through his hair. There's a fluffy ball of chestnut-brown fur curled up in the fledgling vampire's lap, and Jungkook recognises the mass of fluff as Chim when the tiny pooch's head comes up to track his approach.

The meditation garden is so quiet and peaceful that Jungkook's footsteps on the winding pavestone path sound far too loud and intrusive. He slows his pace a little, trying his best to soften his tread as he crosses the small bridge over the koi pond, wincing when the wooden boards still creak beneath his weight.

Regardless, Taehyung doesn't seem to notice his presence, the vampire's gaze fixed somewhere in the middle-distance as he absently pets Chim's fur.

Jungkook hesitates when he reaches the foot of the bridge, feeling like he's intruding on something private despite Namjoon and Yoongi's earlier encouragement, but that uncertainty dissipates a moment later when he sees Chim's tiny bauble of a tail start to wag happily. At the motion, Hoseok glances up from Taehyung to send Jungkook a welcoming smile, beckoning the youth closer.

"Sweetheart," the empath murmurs, nudging Tae gently. "It's Kookie."

The younger vampire finally stirs at that, shifting in Hoseok's arms and lifting his head from the dancer's chest.

"Kookie?" Taehyung echoes, sitting up from his slumped position and blinking rapidly as his gaze refocuses on his youngest bondmate. His eyes are glossy and red-rimmed, and Tae surreptitiously swipes at them with the sleeve of his jacket, offering Jungkook a strained smile. "Hey. Sorry for bailing on you like that, I kinda just needed a minute to clear my head. But I'm totally fine now, you wanna head upstairs-"

"Tae," Hoseok interrupts softly, arm sliding from around the fledgling so that he can stroke the back of Taehyung's neck. "You're not ready. Don't push yourself, baby."

"It's about to get super crowded up there anyways," Jungkook discloses, moving to perch on the bench beside the trio and smiling as Chim scoots to the edge of Taeyung's lap to nuzzle the back of his hand in greeting. "JinJin-hyung's gonna be here soon with the rest of the guys, and I doubt the Im-pack are gonna sit and wait much longer 'cause they're all itching to see Binnie. Everyone's emotions are gonna be running high, and it'll just be a lot, you know? Kinda needed a little break myself."

Well, that's not entirely true. While having two packs and the coven all there at the same time definitely has the potential to become overwhelming, it isn't really something that'll phase him much. As far as Jungkook's concerned, when it comes to pack-cuddles, the more the merrier; he has absolutely no qualms about being squashed in on all sides by people who care about him and Binnie.

But Tae doesn't need to know that; he just figured the vampire might be more willing to stay here and rest a little while longer if he thought it was for Jungkook's benefit.

And the little white lie seems to work – Tae's expression immediately softens in concern and understanding as he pulls himself away from Hoseok's hold to wrap his arms around Jungkook instead.

"The past couple of hours have been pretty rough, huh?" Tae sympathises, smushing his face against Jungkook's shoulder with a quiet sigh.

"Mm," the youth agrees, closing his eyes as he returns the tight embrace, his residual worry for Taehyung finally abating when all he senses from the vampire along their growing bond is love and warmth.

He feels a gentle touch to his head, and opens his eyes again to see Hoseok standing over him, smiling down at Jungkook with a look of gratitude as he smooths the youth's fringe back from his forehead. The empath leans down to brush a chaste peck against his brow, and Jungkook recognises the silent gesture of thanks for what it is, returning the elder's smile shyly. Hoseok's fingers trail down the side of his face to linger on his cheek for a moment, the dancer regarding him with a tenderness that fills Jungkook's stomach with pleasant warmth. After another beat, Hoseok leans in again to press a chaste kiss to the tip of Jungkook's nose, before pulling away to scoop up Chim from Taehyung's lap, cradling the tiny pooch against his chest and using one fluffy paw to give Jungkook an adorable wave goodbye. Chim immediately swivels his head around to give the elder vampire a very cute frown, but Hoseok just grins and kisses his tiny snout, heading back across the wooden bridge and along the winding pavestone path towards the exit.