The next day was a whirlwind of emotions. Namjoon had headed back to Wolf Woods, shifting into a beautiful silver wolf, nudging me one last time before taking off. Yoongi had gone back t to the Inferno, the pit becoming fiercely alive from the fire had dropped into it. Jungkook returned to Departed Castle, a wry smile on his face as he said his goodbyes.
Taehyung returned to the Vacant River, knowing he had to make amends with the other sirens. He only said he hope they would have gotten over his indiscretion. Winking at me, I knew he would be all right. Jin gave me a last smile before spreading his magnificent wings. He said he had his own issues to take care of and knew it was time to explain his choices, hoping there would be understanding and mercy. Jimin had returned to Fairy Grove, eager to test out his powers, knowing where he was supposed to be.
Wanting to spend more time with Hoseok, I accepted his offer to fly back to the Daybreak Mountains with him. He hadn't said anything about what had happened last night and I was afraid to bring it up, worried that it was nothing more than a heat of the moment kind of thing. Once I was on his broad back, holding on to his neck, Hoseok rose into the sky, his beautiful wings lifting us easily off the ground. Within moments, we were soaring through the sky, the sun sinking slowly behind us, turning the blue sky into shades of red, orange, and yellow so beautiful that it made my breath hitch in my throat.
Within moments, we were landing in the valley of the Daybreak Mountains. There was a cloud of black and red smoke then Hoseok was standing in front of me again, his bright red hair shimmering in the setting sun. His black wings folded backwards, the shimmering edges hanging just barely off the ground. He really was one of the most stunning men I had ever seen in my life. I wanted to ask him about last night, about the kiss we shared, but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't bring it up without the fear of rejection overtaking me. What if it was a mistake? What if he didn't mean it? What if he was just happy because his wing had been repaired and he was going home? I just didn't know and the idea of him not feeling the same about me terrified me more than I wanted to admit.
Hoseok took a step toward me and although I wanted to kiss him again, tell him I had fallen for him, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. He went to speak, but I broke in before he could say anything. "Um... I... I guess I better head home. Thank you so much for accompanying me on this journey. It... it was a lot easier to have you with me."
The small smile that was on Hoseok's lips disappeared and he nodded at me. "Well thank you... thank you for letting me come with you and for convincing the Dark Wizard to help us. Without you, I don't... I don't think I would have ever gotten my wing fixed."
Unable to stop myself, I reached out and gave Hoseok a hug, relishing the feeling of being in his arms one more time. "I'm going... I'm going to miss you Fireball."
Hoseok smiled wryly at me, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm going to miss you too sweetheart."
I kissed his cheek and stepped back, my heart screaming at me to speak. Tell him. Tell him you love him. Tell him you want to stay with him. Tell him you will figure things out. Just say it. I pushed the voice to the back of my mind and went to turn, wanting that one last glimpse of him before I walked away from him, before I broke my own heart because I was too afraid to admit anything to him. Because I was too afraid to ask him about last night, ask him what everything meant.
"Y/N?" I turned back at Hoseok's voice, the hope rising in my heart. "Um... be careful, okay?"
My heart deflated like a bursting balloon. "Oh. Okay. Of course." I turned and began to make my way down the path that led from the Daybreak Mountains. Just before I crossed the border, I could see a crowd off in the distance, heading this direction. From the loud chatter, the swords they were raising in the air, and the torches, I knew instantly where they were headed.
Turning around, I ran back towards Hoseok. When I arrived, he was sitting on a boulder, his head in his hands. He looked up at my approach and my heart broke at the look on his face. His beautiful eyes were teary and his pretty mouth was turned in an unhappy pout. He stood as I came closer and a smile spread across his lips, but it disappeared at the look on my face. "Y/N? Sweetheart? What... what is it? Are you okay?"
I reached out for Hoseok, trying to ignore the tingles that tickled my skin at the feel of his hands. I tugged him towards the entrance to his cave. "Come on Hoseok. The villagers... the villagers are headed this way. You... you need to hide."
Hoseok's mouth dropped open in shock then his eyes narrowed in irritation. "They can't just leave me alone, can they?" Although he tried to cover it, it was obvious underneath the anger that he was hurt. Hurt that the villagers couldn't leave him alone. It was no surprise that when we first met, his first instinct was to attack me, was to turn me into pile of ash. It was no wonder he hated humans.
Pulling on Hoseok's hands, I tried to get him to follow me, but he held his ground. "What are you doing Hoseok? You have to hide. I... I don't want them to hurt you."
Hoseok sighed, his eyes dejected. "What does it matter? All I am is a monster. A monster that everyone wants to destroy." He sat down on the boulder again, his shoulders slumped.
Dropping to my knees, I grabbed Hoseok's hands and brought close to my face, kissing the tips of his fingers. "No Hobi. Not at all. You're definitely not a monster. You saved me so many times when you could have let me die. You are so much more than you think you are."
"Do... do you have feelings for me?" Hoseok's eyes were filled with worry, with hope. "Did... did last night mean anything to you?"
The sadness in Hoseok's eyes tore my heart to pieces. "Oh Hobi. Of course I do." I kissed his fingers again then tugged them closer to my chest. "I... I love you Hobi."
Hoseok leaped to his feet, pulling me into his arms. "You... you were going to leave me. You almost left me." Hoseok leaned back, the tears in his eyes dripping down his cheeks. "I love you sweetheart."
The sound of the villagers broke through the valley and we both turned. "Get away from her monster!" A voice shouted, the sound harsh and angry.
Hoseok released me but then stepped in front of me, his need to protect me overtaking his need for self-preservation. "It's... it's okay sweetheart. I'll protect you."
I clung to Hoseok's hand as the villagers approached. "Step away from the human monster! Let her go!" Recognizing the voice, I peeked around and noticed Kai's older brother, Taemin, standing at the front of the pack of villagers.
Stepping out in front, I clung tightly to Hoseok's hands, placing myself in front of him. "Taemin? It's Y/N. Please. Please don't hurt him. Hoseok... Hoseok is my friend." I pleaded with the man in front of me, hoping he would show compassion to the dragon behind me. "Please Taemin."
Taemin's angry glare faltered and I could sense the hesitation as he took a step towards me. "Y/N? What... what are you doing here? Are you all right? Kai told me about what happened."
The mention of my healing brother brought a smile to my face. "Hoseok helped me save him. He helped me get to the Dark Wizard then helped me get home. Hoseok is not a monster." I tried to reason with the man in front of me. I had always known him to be kind and caring. I didn't want my perceptions of him to be ruined because of a misunderstanding. The idea of that happening hurt me more than I wanted to admit.
Stepping closer to me, Taemin eyed Hoseok who was standing quietly behind me. He studied the dragon and let out what seemed to be a sigh of relief when he realized I wasn't in danger from the dragon behind me.
"Do it Taemin! Take it out now!" Another voice called out and I immediately recognized Clay, one of the boys who used to bully me in school years ago. I was always so much smaller than him and he would take advantage of it. I should have known he was part of this. I should have known the disgusting creep had no manners, had no sense of right from wrong.
Taemin turned, obviously torn between following the crowd and doing what he knew was right. "I... I can't. I can't do it Clay. He's... he's not hurting her."
"It's still a monster." Clay's voice was laced with rage and I could see he was rapidly losing the little bit of common sense he seemed to have. "It doesn't belong in the realms with the rest of us."
"Don't touch him!" My voice was surprisingly loud as it carried across the short distance between us. "I won't let you hurt him!"
Clay snickered at my words and I wanted to punch his stupid face. "Don't get in the way little girl. You already know I have no problems hurting you."
Hoseok wrapped his arms around me from behind and I could feel him heat up, knowing he was on the verge of shifting. A puff of smoke curled in the air around my head before evaporating. It was a clear sign that Hoseok was on the verge of losing his patience, but he was trying to hold back for me, subconsciously knowing that any spur of the moment actions could wind up with both of us hurt, or possibly dead. "Don't touch her!"
"What are you going to do monster? Save her from all of us?" Clay laughed out loud, a menacing smile on his face. A smile I was all too familiar with. One that scared me years ago and still frightened me to this day.
"What... what are you doing Clay? We're only here for the monster. Leave the girl alone." A man that looked to be a few years younger than Clay stepped forward, putting a hand on his arm. "We're not here to hurt her."
Clay shook the man's hand off. "Seriously? If she's dumb enough to protect the monster then it's not her fault if she gets hurt."
Taemin turned, putting his back to Hoseok and me, an ultimate sign of trust to my dragon. "Stop it Clay. You talk about the monster of Daybreak Mountains being dangerous, but you're threatening to hurt an innocent girl. Who really is the monster here?"
Snarling at Taemin, Clay took a step forward, his sword raised toward the other man. "What the hell is wrong with you? You're defending a monster over me?" Clay turned towards the other villagers who seemed hesitant to step forward. "What is wrong with all of you? Take out the monster."
At Hoseok's low growl, Taemin turned towards him. When his attention was on Hoseok, Clay rushed forward, shoving Taemin to the ground. I moved closer to Hoseok, feeling the heat on my back. "Stop Clay! You don't know what you're doing! He's not a monster! You are!"
At my words, Clay rushed forward, his sword drawn, but was jerked backwards by Taemin. Quickly disarming the other man, Taemin turned to the villagers and one of the younger men rushed forward with a rope. Taemin tied Clay's hands and feet, ignoring the angry protests spilling forth from the other man. Leaving him on the ground, Taemin approached Hoseok and me. We were standing there in a state of shock at the event that had just taken place. I was expecting things to go much worse, but Taemin had managed to subdue the other man without hurting anyone in the process.
"Are you alright?" Taemin's question was directed to both Hoseok and myself.
I could feel Hoseok's nod against me. "Thank you for that Taemin."
Taemin blushed then shrugged. "The dragon... Hoseok is it? He seemed like he was protecting you, not hurting you. I didn't want to hurt someone... hurt someone with no reason."
Hoseok released me then stepped to my side, reaching out for my hand. "Thank... thank you for that."
Taemin nodded, gave me a last smile then turned back to the villagers. The high energy that was evident when they had arrived had faded and there seemed to be a general feeling of confusion. Most of them were probably expecting a scary monster trying to attack them, but instead got Hoseok, who was as harmless as a puppy. A puppy that could breathe fire, but a puppy nonetheless.
The villagers headed out of the Daybreak Mountains, dragging Clay who was spouting profanities and threatening to attack them all. "I guess they saw who the real monster was," I said, a teasing tone to my voice as I watched them disappear then turned to Hoseok. My breath caught at the look on his face. "Um... are you... are you okay?"
Hoseok nodded, his eyes soft. "I don't... I don't believe you just did that. You were willing to put your life on the line for me."
I looked down at Hoseok's hand, which was still gripped tightly in mine. "I... I love you Hobi. Of course I would want to protect you."
A gentle hand under my chin lifted my head up. "I love you sweetheart. So much." Hoseok pressed his lips to mine, a sweet soft kiss that had me tingling again.
"Where do we go from here?" My question was worried, not knowing what Hoseok would want, what he would hope to happen with all of this.
Kissing me again, Hoseok gave me a smile then wrapped his arms around me tightly. "All I know is that I want to be with you. We'll figure out the rest as we go along."