When I open my eyes, pain finally fading away to become a distant memory, it's to find Mark asleep by my side, hands holding mine. I look at his face to see him frowning, dried trails of tears under his eyes. I sigh and look around me, wishing my soulmates would still be around.
I couldn't hear them, but the feeling of them touching me, a touch filled with tingles that can only be theirs, that was very real. I know Jungkook used his ability on me too, helped ease my pain. So grateful for whoever allowed them over, allowed them to not keep being so anxious at home without knowing what's happening to me and with no way to contact each other.
Sealing memories away might have to wait for a while again, I think to myself as I slowly raise into a sitting position, freeing one hand from Mark's, letting him keep some contact with me, not wishing to wake him up.
Still, I don't regret it. It might have hurt a lot, but now, that's three memories out of the way. Three memories that can't hurt me anymore. I'll accept that kind of pain any day if it allows me more time with my soulmates. More time and more new memories. Happy ones.
I notice my phone on the bedside table, withing reach with a small message on top. I grab the note, smiling to myself.
Call us as soon as you wake up please
Your grumpy cat
I chuckle, delighted to see that he's accepted the nickname so easily and grab my phone, then pressing on his contact before bringing it to my ear when the ringing starts. It doesn't take long before Yoongi accepts the call, his tired voice sounding like he was sleeping.
"Snowflakes, how are you? You feeling better?" he asks, deep raspy voice that pulls at my heart strings. "A lot better. Did I wake you up? I'm sorry, you all must have been so worried" I say, hear him hum softly, a second voice slowly waking up as I hear my name. "It's fine, I was about to wake up soon anyway. I'm just grateful that we were allowed over to watch over you, even if it didn't last for long" he replies, grumbles a few more things to someone before a few weird noises reach me.
"Hey, Berry" I hear, smile when I recognize Hoseok. "Hey, my sunshine" I whisper, feeling tremendously soothed to hear their voice. "We were very worried about you, how are you?" he asks and I smile, not minding having to repeat the same thing to all of them if I have to. "I feel good, Hobi, I don't hurt anymore". "That's good, very good, I'm glad" he says, relief obvious in his voice.
"Are the others sleeping?" I ask softly, wondering if I could get the chance to speak to them all or if that will have to wait. "They are, it was hard to fall back asleep last night, we were all quite shocked. We couldn't handle sleeping alone so we all separated into a few groups, I stayed with Yoongi so his voice woke me up" he explains.
I can't help feeling a little sad that I can't talk to everyone, but I know they need to sleep too. "I can wake them up if you want to" he offers, probably feeling my side of the bond, even if only a little, but I shake my head.
"No, it's fine, let them sleep. I'll call again later. I guess I should thank everyone who had a part in you all coming for me, your presence really helped me a lot. I should also call Eunwoo and the others, let them know that I can't make it tomorrow, but I don't know if I should tell them the whole situation" I mumble, hating this right now. "There's also the gallery... I should push it back to another date, the artists will be a little disappointed, but I want to be present for the next one, I hope they won't be too mad" I add, my thoughts starting to mix together as I think of what to do next.
"One thing at a time, Snowflakes, start with your friends, they were very excited to have you over so it might be hard to do, but you can all us after so we can try and cheer you up. Keep the other calls for another day, don't do everything all at once" Yoongi says, confirmed by Hoseok's hums. I guess they put the call on speaker.
"Okay, I'll do that... make sure you all eat a filling breakfast, no skipping meals, okay? I'll call in a little while" I say, listen to their content sighs, soft agreements making me smile. "I love you, I'll be sure to get well so I can see you all very soon" I whisper, hear a quiet sniffle before more sounds of agreements reach me. "We love you too, Berry, take care and call us often, we'll be waiting". I hum, not wanting to end the call, but knowing I should so they can rest some more. After one last goodbye, I end the call and set my phone on the bed by my side.
"I'm sorry" I hear a murmur from Mark and turn to see him staring at me, eyes already tearing up. I smile at him and pull him up so I can hug him. "I'm fine, Mark. What happened is good, I have less memories to hurt me now" I say, try to focus on the good even though I know it won't work with him.
"I caused you so much pain" he whispers, arms coming to clutch together at my back, his head resting on my stomach. I bring a hand to his hair and gently play with the soft strands. "I'm fine, Mark, I'm fine. There's no use sticking on the past. All we can do is move forward. We'll be careful next time so the same thing doesn't happen twice, but I know we can do this".
He nods slowly before coming to sit next to me, back against the wall. "I hope Rain's punishment isn't going to be too much... this happened because of me after all" he mumbles and I turn to him in confusion. "Punishment? Why?". "Because he allowed your soulmates here without asking for his permission first. Although Seo-Joon let him be, Rain still didn't follow the procedures, so it can't be avoided" Mark explains sadly.
I jump down the bed and hurry to the door. "What are you doing?!" he exclaims as he runs after me, his hand coming to shut the door before I can walk out. "I can't let him be punished for something he did for me. I'm going to see the boss and ask him to change his mind" I say, trying to force the door open again. He sighs.
"Y/N, it doesn't work like that here, you can't just barge into his office and expect him to be fine with this" Mark tries to reason with me, and although a part of me knows he's right, the other part needs to at least try. "Rain has already done a lot for me in such a short time, I can't let him get hurt because of me" I counter, watch as a knowing light flashes through his eyes.
"Oh... Y/N, my little sister, Rain isn't going to be hurt the way you think..." Mark starts, his lips brought into a thin line. I let my arm fall down my side, a frown taking place on my face. "What do you mean? What's going to happen then? I mean... I saw and experienced that man asking to torture the spy..." I start, watch as Mark hums with understanding.
"Yeah, but that was the spy. Which you unfortunately experienced too. Rain is important here, under his protection. The boss won't hurt him, just going to make him do a list of disgusting chores". I blank. "Disgusting chores?". He looks away from me, suddenly uncomfortable. "You don't need to know that much. Just know that Rain won't be tortured or anything like that".
I sigh in relief and sit down by the door. "The world truly is a messed up place for me to expect someone to get badly hurt first" I whisper. He crouches in front of me and takes my hand in his. "How about we get you something to eat, hm? Then you can make those calls you need to do and rest before we're told what's next in the schedule" he offers and I nod, feeling quite hungry.
"I say that's a good idea" I reply, hear his hum as he helps me back up. "You can take a shower if you want, I'll... we didn't bring you clothes... I'll lend you some of mine. They might appear too big, but they're adjustable so it shouldn't be too bad". I chuckle and nod. "Alright, thank you, big bro". His eyes light up at the nickname and he grins before trotting over to his closet to grab some clothes.
Once everything's ready, clothes and towel, I close the door behind me but don't lock it, just in case. I told him about possible triggers to try and lower the chances of memories, so I know he's going to be careful and on guard, in case anything happens, but I should be fine.
As I get cleaned up, the smell of his products filling my nostrils, a manly smell, I can't help but giggle. The guys would get crazy if they knew I'm going to smell like another man than them for the next days, possibly weeks and months. If I was home, they'd probably throw all of their products my way and ask me to choose one, as long as it's one of their smells before pushing me in the shower.
My heart squeezes at that. I hope it won't take months before I can see them again. I don't think I could handle not touching them, hugging them for that long. A part of me, my heart, longs for the contact while the other, my soul, needs the contact. It's more than just needing it, it's vital for my well being. Our souls are entwined together, dependent on each other. Being so far away, it's like not being able to breathe in fully anymore.
Finally taking the towel to dry myself and then getting dressed, I exit the bathroom to find Mark sitting on the couch reading a book. His eyes raise to me once I close the door behind me and his eyes crease. "You look so small in those clothes" he coos as he puts the book down.
I smile at him and get to the front door to put on my shoes. "Hurry, I'm hungry!". "Yes, yes, I'm coming. Some things never change, huh?".
---
I anxiously await for Eunwoo to answer the call, wondering if he's maybe busy with a customer right now. I sigh when I hear the voicemail and end the call. I decide to try with MJ since he mostly works at home.
It rings a few times before the call gets accepted. "Peach, what can I do for you?!" I hear a jovial voice on the other side and smile. "Hey, MJ, actually... I heard about tomorrow, but I won't be able to come. I tried calling Eunwoo, but he's probably busy. Something happened and I'm not in the village right now, but don't worry, I'm safe! It's to keep me away from the government" I quickly add the end when I hear his loud intake of breath.
"Did something happen, Peach? Keep you away from them? Is that even possible? Won't they come after you?" he says, voice sounding nervous. "Well... they can't find this place, so although it's not really... legal? But they won't be able to find me here". He sighs. "Alright, I'll let the others know. Still, I think it would be great to at least do a group call, they've been very impatient about having you over, they'll be sad to hear you won't be coming".
I look down and bite my bottom lip. "Yeah... I'll explain more in details later when everyone's here, it wasn't exactly... expected. The government thinks I was kidnapped, which is actually true, so for now please act like you don't know anything, I don't want them to get suspicious of you" I mumble, hear his long and dragged exhale. "Peach... are you sure you're safe? Because if you have the lightest doubt that you're in danger, I swear we'll do our best to get you out".
I smile. "I'm sure, MJ. My brother... my twin brother, Mark, he's alive, MJ. He's here". A gasp. "A-are you for real? It's not a lie, it's really him?" he asks, voice both excited and anxious. I hum, happy whenever I mention my brother. "It's really him, MJ, there's no doubt about that".
"Okay... well although I don't understand everything about your circumstances, as long as you're in security, I can live with that. Everyone will be here around six tonight, so you can call around that time, I'll make sure everyone's ready". I nod. "Thank you, MJ, I'll be sure to call then. Sorry again for not being able to make it tomorrow, I would've really enjoyed the surprise". He breathes in and out slowly. "Yeah... I know, Peach. We'll do this another time, it's okay".
We eventually end the call and I lie down on my back on the bed. Mark had some things to do and said he'd be back soon, so here I am waiting for him. I look at the time, surely the others are awake by now...
Deciding this time to call Jungkook, I hear the phone ring a few times before a voice takes over. "Hello?". I smile, he must not have checked the screen before accepting the call. He sounds awake, so at least I didn't wake him up.
"Ah... I thought you'd be more excited than that to get my call... should I call someone else? I bet Taehyung would have a louder reaction" I say to tease him, notice the large gap of silence before he shifts quickly. "Marshmallow?!". I giggle, nodding even though he can't see me. "That's me. How are you, Kookie? I'm sorry about what happened and... thank you for taking care of me".
"I was so worried... Yoongi-hyung and Hobi-hyung told us you'd call later, so we were all waiting... How are you feeling? You don't still hurt, do you?". "I don't, I feel perfectly fine now, don't worry. Did you all eat breakfast?" I ask, wanting to make him relax a little. But when he doesn't answer my question, I frown. "Kookie? Breakfast?".
"Hum... I wasn't really hungry so... I didn't eat". I don't reply right away, taking a moment instead to keep my calm. "Kookie... I'll give you five seconds to reach the kitchen. Starting now. Five. Four". Panic fills his side of the bond. "W-what why?! What happens if I-" "Three" "Oh shit".
The sound of feet hitting the floor reach me and I bite down a giggle.
"Why are you running like you've got a tiger after you?" I hear Jin asks as I whisper a "One", feeling Jungkook on the verge of screaming as he reaches the room the fastest ever done before. "Not now hyung! I'm here, I'm in the kitchen! I did it, right? You won't get mad?" Jungkook asks quickly, nervosity in his voice as he gets his breathing back to normal.
I hum. "I'll think about it. Anyone else who didn't eat this morning?" I then ask, not letting him off the hook just yet. "Huh... Jimin... Namjoon... Yoongi-" he stops talking when I growl. "Yoongi too?! I told him myself-" I stop myself to breathe in and out slowly.
"You don't move an inch, I'll end the call and send a video request with everyone" I groan into the phone, hear his quiet agreement before I press on the red button. That Yoongi... I better see them all ingest something before I break havoc... I send a request to our group chat.
Jungkook is quick to accept again, his face holding so much worry when he sees my angry expression. The others appear one after the other, smiles becoming frowns as they see my not so happy face. When I see Yoongi appear, my frown becomes a scowl and I see him gulp.
"So" I start, watch as they all nervously await my next words, Jungkook biting his lips in guilt. "Someone told me that a few of you have skipped breakfast". Yoongi and Namjoon flinch at the louder word, their own face starting to fill with shame.
"Finally someone on my side! I swear I tried to make everyone eat, Sugar Plum, only Taehyung and Hoseok ate with me this morning" Jin chirps, reassured now that he knows what this call is about.
"Everyone in the kitchen, now" I order, see Jin happily trot over while the others drag their feet, especially those who have yet to eat.
"Can I have a little smile since I ate like you asked?" Taehyung asks, puppy eyes managing to make me clench my teeth. I force a smile down and clear my throat. "Not now, Tae, I'm supposed to be mad". He grins, seemingly satisfied and I bring my attention back to the guilty faces now in the kitchen.
I sigh. "I understand why some of you didn't feel like eating this morning, but please, you need the strength as much as I do and skipping meals is not the way to go at it. I want everyone to eat something, anything, please" I whisper, watch them nod slowly, even the three who have had breakfast.
Bowls of cereals, toasts, glasses of juice and the likes are made, easy meals that will still fill their stomachs. I see Jin smile as he ruffles Jimin's hair, a light pout on his face as he walks by the other man to reach the table.
Everyone soon takes place at their seat and I finally start to relax and smile when I see them taking small bites. Eyes creasing at how cute they act, they themselves start smiling too once they see me through their screen.
"I guess I'll have to video call often from now on to make sure I see everyone eat at every meals" I let out, hear Jimin's honeyed giggle, smooth sounds that brings a small laugh out of everyone around the table.
"Sorry, Bun, it won't happen again" Namjoon sheepishly says, a shy smile on his face as he finishes his second toast. I nod, feeling soothed now that I see empty plates. All except one.
"Yoonie" I say, wait until he looks up from his cereals, see his glassy eyes meet mine, my heart twisting at the sight. "I love you, you know that, right?" I murmur, see him nod, small tears leaving his eyes.
Taehyung and Jungkook latch on his sides, their heads snuggling in his neck as he wipes his face. "I love you too, Snowflake... so much. I miss you already" he murmurs back, voice weak from incoming tears tightening his throat.
I watch as my soulmates' faces fall, sad eyes filled with tears taking over. My own mirroring theirs.
"I know this situation isn't favorable for us... to be away from each other... it's hard" I start, see them all nod, angry pouts taking place. I know the distance is really affecting us all. "We have to be strong, okay? We can call, see each other... for now, that's better than nothing, right? I'll try and see if meetings could be allowed sometimes... as long as we're safe. I'll do everything I can to make that possible, okay? In the meantime, when we can't be together, I need you guys to be safe, don't skip meals, sleep well, take care of each other... you can do that, right?".
They slowly nod, more tears falling down, Jungkook nearly about to sob as he hides his face in Yoongi's neck. "I'll watch over them, Hun" Jin whispers, his voice shaking lightly as he fights the tears, tries to stay strong.
"But then who will watch over you, Jinnie?" I tell him, my own tears falling down my cheeks. Always ready to take care of others, even if that means no one watches over him. His face falls, walls breaking down as he looks away from the screen, hands going to hide his face. "We'll watch over him too, Berry, no one stays alone and behind" Hoseok says, voice soft and confident. I nod, knowing I can count on them all.
"We'll get through this. We have everything we need, our love for each other, our support for each other. This is nothing, nothing if it can allow us to live until we're old and wrinkled" I whisper with a small laugh, see smiles appear on their faces one after the other.
"But never, absolutely never skip a meal, because I will hunt you down, no matter where you are" I add seriously and laughter erupts all around the table.
This will probably be the only chapter for this story for the week. I'm going to focus on my Seokjin x Reader because I'm about to end it soon, I'd very much enjoy having one less book to think about, although I've loved every seconds of writing it. Hope you can all be patient with me, you're all welcome to take a look at my other books in the meantime and I'll be back very soon! Love you all!