Bound by Blood

Chapter 133- a bump in a road Part 1- flashbacks of the past

YOONGI POV:

I watch from my position curled up on one of the library couches, in that hazy space of hovering between sleep and consciousness- tiredly batting away the creeping vines that tickle my skin, that try to play as they brush across my face or tickle my feet from where they sneak under the blanket, trying to shift away from Joon's playful plants, at Jiminie and (Y/N) who lie splayed across one of the plush rugs, arms propped up on cushions as they pour over a book, in a heated discussion even as their legs remain lazily entangled with each other and (Y/N)'s head lies on his shoulder.

"Just stop!" I huff when the plants try prying away the warm blanket, my huffing voice cutting off the discussion of my two mates who turn with wide eyes and hurt expressions, plants smoothly sliding away and turning still as if they hadn't been bothering me as I tried to nap for over the past hour.

"What did we do?" Jiminie asks slightly affronted at the same time as (Y/N) speaks in a much softer gentler way.

"Are we bothering you?" she asks, head tilted to peer at me in concern.

And Jiminie shoots her an incredulous look because how on earth can they be disturbing me when they're working together in the library- their go to place for shared projects and I'd caught her here just as frequently if not more with Joon- having deep discussions, faces passionate and voices gaining volume, or sometimes curled together with (Y/N) on his lap as they read books; sometimes shared, sometimes immersed in different worlds and connected by physical touch, naturally gravitating close to each other.

And Jiminie's slightly pointed glare has nothing to do with how hastily I sit up, blanket falling away from where I'd tucked it upto my chin as I peer at them, head shaking vehemently.

"It's not you two, the plants just won't let me nap!" I insist, eyebrows rising when Jiminie's face scrunches with slight empathy and (Y/N) just gives a disbelieving laugh.

"The plants don't do that! They're playful sure, but whenever I'm napping, they give small pets, or draw the blankets higher." She says with a wry laugh.

I huff, giving up on the idea of sleep and of convincing her otherwise, but maybe I need to have a word with Joon about his plants- glaring at the innocently and deceptively still plants on the table and shift to sprawl so I'm facing them, head propped up by my hands as I peer at them.

"What are the two of you upto anyways?" I ask, peering curiously at the large old book lying open in front of them, the book they'd been pouring over, engrossed and arguing about something.

(Y/N) gives Jiminie a side glance, speaking before he even gets a chance to, lips quirked up with victory.

"Minnie says that the book catalogues a lot of your families' personal histories and the eras you all found each other in. But I keep telling him it's not the same as hearing it directly from one of you." she says.

"They're records extracted with memory potions; they don't miss out any details!" Jiminie argues.

But her eyes remain on me, thoughtful and contemplative.

"I just feel it doesn't have the emotions associated with meeting each other, with mates finding one another...it most certainly isn't just 'Jimin was adorned in silks and jewels when his four mates entered his life'" she reads out, shooting him an unimpressed look, as if daring him to say she'll be satisfied with the minimum details.

And though that part of Jimin's past is long gone, erased by us it doesn't keep the jolt of anger that seeps through me, that unconsciously transmits through the bond and (Y/N)'s face becomes contrite even as Jiminie wraps a protective hand around her shoulders, drawing her close to him.