Sunshine Someday // A BTS Soulmate AU [UPDATES SLOW]

Eighteen

"I wanna ask you if this is all just in my head..."

Halfway through Taehyung's song, Zanna sucks in a breath, and it feels to all four Soulmates like the first gasp of air after too long underwater. Taehyung stumbles, but he keeps singing. Even as Zanna's side of the Bond opens further and she comes more and more back to herself, even as Yoongi and Jeongguk burst into the room, even as his eyes fill with tears and spill over, he keeps singing. He sings until the song is finished and his throat is raw.

When the song ends, the room is silent for a moment as the four of them reach out to each other through their Bond. Yoongi, Taehyung, and Jeongguk pour their love out, and there's so much of it that Zanna is sure she'll drown.

"Stop," she sobs finally, covering her face with her hands. "Please, it--it's too much!"

"Oh, no," Yoongi gasps, rushing forwards. He takes her in his arms, cradling her head with one hand and pressing her close with the other arm wrapped around her waist.

"Are you really back?" Taehyung breathes. "Are you... you again?" He steps closer, praying he won't scare her into closing off again.

"Please don't--don't come too close," she whimpers, her words muffled by Yoongi's chest. "I don't want to hurt you again. Yoon--please--let me go." She doesn't push him away, though, and he silently refuses to move. They can all feel that she doesn't mean it, that she's healed more than hurt by the tight embrace.

"You don't have to be afraid of hurting us, angel," Yoongi murmurs. "We're tough. We can handle your emotions as much as our own and each other's."

"You don't have to be afraid of anything now," Taehyung confirms. "We'll protect you."

Jeongguk hangs back as Zanna reaches for Taehyung. He knows, deep down, that Zanna asked him to Bond with her, that she wants him as much as she wants Yoongi and Taehyung, but a part of him is terrified that he'll frighten her again if he gets too close. Or, even worse, that she'll reject him for good. He watches Taehyung wrap Yoongi and Zanna in his long arms and takes a step backwards. His heart shatters as he convinces himself that he isn't wanted here.

"Where is--" Zanna looks up, eyes searching. When they land on Jeongguk, her distressed expression relaxes into something soft. Something full of love. "Kookie," she breathes.

For the second time today, Jeongguk finds himself at her side with no idea how he got there. I'm at her beck and call. Wrapped around her little finger. Whipped.

"I don't want to scare you," he whispers as she holds out a hand to him.

"I know who you are, Jeongguk," she says, her voice thick. "You don't scare me."

"What if you forget again?"

"Then you'll remind me." She gives him a watery smile. "I can't tell you I won't... won't lose myself again. I can't promise I'll always see you when I look at you. But if you, all of you, promise--" Zanna falters. How can I possibly ask them to promise me anything? After what I just put them through--

"Hey," Yoongi cups her cheek gently, making her look at him. "Don't do that."

"We can see you getting lost in your head, princess. Even if you don't let us feel it." She glances at Taehyung, then tries to look at something, anything else, too embarrassed to make eye contact.

Fuck it, Jeongguk thinks. Fuck being scared. Fuck worrying about whether or not she wants me. She's my Soulmate and I'm hers.

"Let us in," he says aloud. "Let us see you."