Jungkook POV:
"Just something with Y/N but Jin and I are taking care of it. Don't worry about it." Those words rung in my ears the next morning no matter what I did to push them away. It hurt that Hoseok wouldn't tell me what was going on with my human mate, but at the same time, I couldn't blame him. Instead of Y/N showing me that I wasn't worthy of her, I showed her that she wasn't worthy of me. With a sigh of frustration, I dressed in a pair of sweats and a simple black t-shirt, my standard "uniform" for the gym I worked in.
Grabbing my small duffel bag, I set it on the floor by the front door before going to grab a bottle of water and a protein bar, something Y/N had started buying for me when I began the job at the gym. She told me that since I was working out so much, I needed to make sure I was eating. Y/N was sitting at the island in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in front of her and Jin sitting next to her, holding her hand gently. He looked up when I came in and gave me a small smile before turning his attention back to her, but Y/N didn't even acknowledge me. "Hey. Hobi will be here with you during the day. If you need me at all, send me a message and I will come home." Jin showed her his phone before shoving it into the pocket of his scrubs. "It's going to be okay. I promise. I love you." Standing up, Jin kissed her cheek before giving me another small smile.
As he headed towards the door, I stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. "What happened?" I couldn't stop the worry that flowed through me for my mate. I may have been trying to push her away, but it didn't mean I stopped caring about her in the least. I was still so much in love with her, but I knew it was something I had to try and push down.
"Lost a hybrid last night." Jin's voice was tired and I could see he was carrying the weight of Y/N's pain on his shoulders.
My heart broke for my mate and I knew my shock showed in my face. "Is she alright? Do you need me to do anything? Do... do you want me to take the day off and stay with her?" Even if I was trying to push her away, my concern for her overtook everything else.
Jin shook his head. "No. Hobi and I are taking care of her. Don't worry about her."
Jin's words were polite, but it was clear what he was saying – You don't want her so she is no longer your concern. I wanted to shout out that he was wrong, that I wanted her, that I loved her, but I couldn't. I couldn't do it because I knew if I let my guard down at all, it would let her back in and I was terrified to do that. Terrified to have her and lose her. I nodded, my heart hurting at his words and not liking the feeling at all. In fact, I fucking hated it.
Jin hugged me goodbye, giving me a quick kiss and I went back into the kitchen, wanting to check on Y/N, give her the affection I know she would need, but Hoseok was already there with her. He was sitting in the chair next to her, his bushy tail tickling under her chin, making her smile. Seeing the closeness between the two, seeing the way she was so easily able to respond to the fox, I couldn't stop the feelings of envy that hit me, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth, like the dark chocolate Jin liked to eat or the black coffee that Sehun drank. It used to be me that would soothe her when she lost a patient, but Jin made it perfectly clear that it was no longer my responsibility.
"Um... I guess I'm going to head to work." Hoseok looked over at my words and stood, coming over to me. He hugged me quickly and I was surprised but remembered what he said last night about just wanting all of his mates together. That desire of wanting to be together eliminated the need to be polite and hold back. I returned the hug, loving his easy affection, it reminding me of Y/N and how she used to be the same way.
I looked over at Y/N but she said nothing, her eyes staring blankly into her cup. At this point, I don't even know if she heard me and was ignoring me or if she was just so lost in her thoughts, in her grief that she didn't notice me at all. Either way, it fucking hurt and I didn't know how to make it better. I knew I had screwed things up with her and as much as I wanted to run to her, pull her into my arms and tell her how much I loved her, I just said a quiet goodbye to Hoseok and left the apartment.
As I made the quick walk to the gym I worked at, I couldn't get Y/N's expression out of my head. Normally when she had days like this, I was the one that comforted her, the one that cuddled her, loved her and showed her it was all going to be okay. However, I could see that I had been replaced. It hurt to know that Jin hadn't even bothered to wake me up last night and let me know what was going on with our mate, let me know the pain she was going through, but his words from yesterday came hurtling back. Was he right? Could I still really call her my mate anymore? I had done such a great fucking job of pushing her away that I knew the damage to our relationship was done. Pushing open the door to the gym, I pushed my mates from my mind, knowing I needed to focus on the task currently in front of me.
Several hours later, I let myself into the apartment, sweat dripping down my face. It had been a long day and I was more tired than I wanted to admit. Since the regular instructor was out sick unexpectedly, I had led two different kickboxing classes, along with my regular training sessions. The strenuous work had done wonders to take my mind off my issues with my mate, but as soon as I stepped into the apartment, it all came flooding back.
I was surprised to see Y/N standing there, wearing her scrubs and her keys in hand. She looked up in shock at me and I didn't miss the look in her eyes, a combination of hurt and relief. It made my heart flutter to know she had been worried about me, but normally when she would have checked on me after the loss of a patient, my phone stayed silent from her. Not a single call, text, nothing. I had assumed she didn't care, but from the look on her face, I instantly knew that wasn't true. Although she had clearly been worried about me, she gave me the space I had forced on her, leaving me alone.
"Hi Y/N." My voice was soft as though I was speaking to a skittish horse, afraid she would bolt at any second.
Y/N looked surprised at my words and I couldn't blame her, seeing as how I avoided her the last few days. "Um... hi Jungkook. I'm leaving so I'll be out of your way in a second." Her words were quiet and she looked away, refusing to make eye contact with me. A voice from the kitchen called her name and I saw the smile on her face as she turned her head in that direction. "In here Hobi."
Hoseok hurried into the front hall. "You weren't going to leave without a hug, were you?" Hoseok's pretty lips were turned down into a pout and I wanted to coo then kiss my mate, bringing a smile back to his handsome face.
A genuine smile broke out on her face as she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Of course not. After what you did for me today? Absolutely not." Y/N's words were directed at him, but my sensitive ears picked up the conversation. Kissing his cheek, Y/N pulled back then rubbed a hand through his hair, stroking a fuzzy ear. "But I do have to go."
Hoseok nodded, although he pushed his head further into her hand, not wanting to leave her gentle touches. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Y/N nodded then reluctantly pulled herself from his arms. As she made her way towards me, I half expected her to hug me too, but instead she slid past me, making sure to not touch me.
"Um... have a nice night Jungkook." Y/N's words were said softly and in a second, she was gone, leaving me behind staring at the back of the door, feeling hurt and friendzoned, something I absolutely hated. At a cough, I turned to see Hoseok staring at me.
I half expected him to say something about how his day had gone with Y/N, but was a little surprised when he started talking about food instead. I could see right away that he was not going to discuss our mate with me and I was going to be left wondering. How was she today? Did she eat? Did she want to spend the day cuddling and being held just so she knew her mate was all right? Did she worry about me? Did she think about me? Did she miss me at all?
Taehyung POV:
Over the next couple days, I thought about my human mate. I knew whenever she stepped into the sanctuary because the scent of chocolate covered cherries filled the room, covering me in what felt like a hug. However, she never once came to visit me and I knew it was because of the way Jimin treated her. I loved my mate, I really did, but he was very narrow-minded. He wouldn't even think of giving Y/N a chance and it broke my heart into tiny pieces. From the way Jin talked about her, she was absolutely amazing and I don't doubt that we would have been happy with her.
After finding out that Y/N put the request in to move Jimin and me to a room with two beds so we wouldn't get separated, I had hoped he would at least talk to her, but there was no hope for that. Jin, Namjoon, Hoseok, and Jungkook all came to visit us almost daily and I spent a lot of time getting to know them. They told me about their lives, but I noticed how Jin was very vague about his. He would start to tell us something but then would stop and I knew it was because of Y/N being a part of it. I couldn't stop the pang of envy that would course through me whenever I thought about his relationship with Y/N. It was clear they were close and I wished I had been able to have the same thing with her.
Jin, Namjoon, and Hoseok were very careful not to bring her name up and it hurt more than I wanted to admit. She was my mate and I wanted to know more about her, know how she was doing, but they avoided mentioning anything about her, knowing how Jimin would react. As much as I loved Jimin, it still made me so angry that he was willing to reject her without even getting to know her.
My mind kept going back to the day I met her. She was so beautiful and so sweet that I couldn't help but smile at her when she looked at me. Her touch had been so gentle and I wished that I could feel more of it, but as soon as Jimin stepped in, she backed off completely. When the other nurse, Eric, had come in, the disappointment rushed over me at the idea that she would not be the one taking care of me anymore. Jimin had let it slip that she requested a different patient and I wanted to blame him since I knew this was partially his fault. However, it was also my fault, but I didn't want to admit to it. I could have spoken up for her, but Jimin and I had been together so long that I had a sense of loyalty for him that I just wasn't willing to push aside so quickly.
One evening, I had convinced Jimin to go get dinner with Jin, Hoseok, Jungkook, and Namjoon, telling him that he needed to get out, that he needed to visit with our mates outside of the sanctuary. And it was the first time I lied to him. The truth was that I wanted to get to know my human mate. I wanted to have her sit by my bed and hold my hand, tell me about herself while I basked in her sweet scent. I felt a little guilty about doing it behind Jimin's back, but I knew he hated anything to do with our beautiful human mate.
Eric came in the room to change my bandage on my healing wound and check my vitals. "Everything is looking good Mr. Kim. If all goes well, we should be able to release you by next week." Eric finished wrapping the bandage then pulled off his gloves, disposing of them before he turned and gave me a smile. "I'll be back in a little while, but let me know if you need anything."
Before Eric could leave, I stopped him. "Um... can you ask Nurse Y/N to come see me please?"
Eric's eyes narrowed and I wondered how much he knew. He wanted to reject me because it was clear that, just like everyone else here, he adored her and wanted to protect her. Letting out a sigh, Eric nodded. "Yeah I'll send her in." The look on his face was clear: you hurt her and I will take you out, patient or not.
As he left, I ran a hand through my hair, hoping the dark blond strands lay neatly and that I looked okay to see my mate. Time passed by and my heart sank, believing she wanted nothing to do with me, but at the same time, I couldn't blame her.
However, a soft knock came and when I called come in, my beautiful mate stepped into the room, her scent surrounding her like a hug, one that I so desperately wanted. She looked around and I could see her visibly relax when she noticed I was alone. Was she afraid of Jimin? I wanted to ask, but didn't want to step over any boundaries with her.
"You wanted to see me Mr. Kim?" Her voice was sweet and her smile was polite, but my stomach clenched at the way she addressed me so formally. She knew who she was to me and the fact that she called me Mr. Kim hurt more than I would have expected it to.
"Please. Just Tae." I couldn't stop the pleading in my voice but my hopes dropped when she shook her head.
"Thank you Mr. Kim, but I prefer to maintain formalities. Now was there something you needed from me?"
Yes! I wanted to shout. I want to hug you. I want to kiss you. I want to get to know you and for you to let me love you. But I didn't say any of those things. "Um... Eric said I'm going to be released next week." I didn't know what else to say, but I knew I wanted her in here with me, to talk to me.
Y/N gave me a confused look. "I'm not entirely sure. Anything to do with your care will have to be directed to Eric." She put her hand on the doorknob to leave and I panicked, not wanting to see her leave yet.
"Did you know Jungkook is going with us?" I blurted out then wanted to punch myself in the jaw for the look of hurt I put on her face.
"I wondered if he was but didn't know it was for certain." Her eyes were sad and I saw the glimmer of tears in them, tears I knew I had caused, but when she turned her gaze to me, she had a small smile on her face. "If that's what Jungkook wants then... then I'm happy for him. I just want him to be happy even if that happiness is not with me." I could hear the heartbreak in her voice and I hated myself for causing it, but I developed a new respect for her when I realized she really did want him to be happy, even if it wasn't with her.
I went to say something else, but was stopped when the door slammed open and Jimin entered. "What the fuck are you doing in here? You're not in charge of his care so get the hell out!" Jimin's words were shouted in anger and I watched the look of absolute fear cross her face before she hurried out of the room, the tears already spilling down her cheeks.
For the first time since we had been together, I was fuming with anger at Jimin. Before I could say anything, he hurried over to my side, running a hand through my hair.
"Are you okay babe? Did... did she hurt you?" The anger had disappeared from his voice and was replaced with worry.
"Fuck Jimin! I asked her to come in here!" I couldn't stop the words from spilling from my lips. "I wanted to get to know her!"