(TW)
^Jungkook's POV^
I woke with a start when Yoongi climbed on me. "You're having a nightmare?" he asked. I didn't realize that I was panting.
"W-was I?" I asked. I couldn't remember the nightmare. Actually, I didn't even remember dozing off.
"Yeah," he said, in a soft tone.
"Why are you on top of me?" I asked, shifting to a comfortable position on the couch.
"I was trying to wake you up," he replied, getting off me.
"By getting on top of me?" I asked.
"I'm not very good with nightmares," he replied.
"Why did you really come here, Yoongi?" I sighed out.
"I'm hurting," he replied, barely audible. I sat up instantly.
"Are you hurt?" I asked.
"N-no. The bond. We're not supposed to be too far from our mates. The stronger it gets, the less time you spend away from your mates. You need to be in contact with at least one mate if you're poly. It physically hurts when you're not... and it's hurting," he said.
I sighed. "Fine," I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear. "There's not much space on the couch."
"Well, you dozed off before they could show us our living arrangements. We're supposed to share a bed," he said. "If that's okay with you."
"It's fine," I said, getting up. My mind forced me to limp the first few steps out of fear of the pain if I was still injured. I forced myself to walk properly, my mind relaxing when my leg didn't hurt.
I lay in bed, letting Yoongi hug me from behind. His face buried in the back of my neck, his breath hitting my nape. His thumb caressed my stomach through my shirt. "Thank you," he said, his breath sending shivers down my back.
I hummed in response, instantly dozing off.
-Two weeks later-
"I don't want to go!" I said, running my hand through my hair in frustration. It was night time, and Yoongi and I were arguing about going back to the stupid palace. We made sure to keep our voices at level even though every room, except the nursery, was soundproof. "I was fine without you, I don't need you. Just let me be free for God's sake!"
"Nighter, this is not up for discussion. You're coming back with me and that's final," he snapped. Why couldn't they get it? I didn't like them. I didn't want the bond.
"Do you expect me to magically gain feelings for any of you by keeping me confined? That's not how it works. You don't learn to like someone, it just happens," I said, gesticulating out of frustration.
"You are my responsibil-" he started but I cut him off with a glare. I was overwhelmed with emotions, all rooting from the situation my night-time job got me into.
"I can take care of myself just fine. I don't need any of you to treat me like some Damsel in Distress. If you feel like I'm a responsibility, then we definitely should not be in any kind of relationship. I'm not some chore for yo-" he cut me off, his anger getting the best of him.
"ENOUGH!" he yelled. I jumped back in fear and shock. "You're coming home with me."
"And if I don't?" I challenged. "I could injure you and run away. No remorse. There's nothing you could do to keep me with you."
"If you don't..." he trailed off, thinking. "Lana faces the consequences of your actions."
I scoffed. "You may have that mindset to do such things, but the others don't," I snarked. "Don't you dare blackmail me with Lana. Stoop as low as you want, but if you lay a hand on her, I will kill all six of you. Mate or not. Whether they're involved or not."
"You wouldn't. You made a promise," he said, his anger increasing. I knew better than to push, but I was angry as well, and if I had to fight with them every time to get my point across, I would do that.
"I'd break any promise, I've ever made, for her. It's not like I care about any of you to even take the promises seriously," I said. "Seokjin would never let you hurt Lana. The worst you could do is exile her, and that's not going to happen for as long as her mates are the head of your medical team."
"Not if I kill her and pass it off as suicide," he retorted. I pursed my lips at his response. He wouldn't do that, would he? No, he would never go so low. Then again, he was raised with such a mindset. Moreover the bond made you go to extreme lengths to keep your mate close to you. "I still have connections to the South."
"I'm still running away," I snapped. I approached him threateningly, my anger getting the best of me. "I will never accept you as my mates. I will bear with this stupid bond for as long I need to, till I die if I have to, but I will never accept you. I will make your life hell. I will make this bond unbearable for all of you till you reject me."
"Good luck with that. If you want to revert to the way you were when you first came here, go ahead. I'll simply tame you," he said.
"And I'll tell the others if you even try. They'd put an end to it immediately," I retorted. "I hate you."
(TW: DOMESTIC ABUSE)
I knew it hurt. I was glad that it hurt. I saw the pain in his eyes, but he masked it with anger. In a flash, I was pinned to the bed. My hands were roughly pinned above me. Yoongi grabbed my throat, cutting off my airway.
"Behave yourself Nighter," he said, his voice deep and angry. His entire demeanor shifted from 'Yoongi from the North' to 'Yoongi from the South.' I struggled against his grip, my lungs screaming for air. HIs grip on my wrists and my neck tightened as he shifted to rest his knees on top of my thighs. His body weight fell on my knees, effectively pinning me down. My chest ached, tears of pain welled in my eyes, my face probably turning color from lack of oxygen. "We still have three days here, I can tame you in three days. Will you behave yourself?"
I nodded against his chokehold, making him move away from me completely. I rolled off the bed, coughing and gasping for air, my hand massaging my sore neck.
The bedroom door opened and Alex barged in. "Hey Yoongi, I need-" she cut herself off, when she saw the scene. Yoongi sat on the bed with his arms crossed, and I was on the floor, gasping for air. "What happened?"
"I just taught him a lesson," he replied.
"By choking him?!" she exclaimed, crouching down to my level. I sat against the bed, my mind doing its best to process what happened. I pulled my knees to my chest, and buried my head in the gap, trying to block out the memories of my past that would push me over the edge.
"Stay out of it, Alex. He's misbehaving, I had to discipline him," Yoongi replied.
'You misbehaved, face the consequences.' My adoptive mother's words repeated ice and over in my head, loud as ever.
"I'm sorry Nighter," she whispered in my ear. "I can't interfere, that's how we are raised. If he's still in this mindset, and if I interfere, he'll have every right to hurt my family."
I sniffled, raising my head to look at her, and nodded. "It's alright. I wouldn't let you interfere anyways," I replied, my voice barely audible even though I tried to speak at a normal volume.
"Come with me," she said, helping up. "I can at least tend to your wounds."'
"Leave him," Yoongi ordered. She tensed beside me. "What do you want?"
"I was going to ask you to change Royce's diaper, but I'll do it myself," she said. She looked at me, knowing that she had to go before Yoongi got angrier.
"Go," I whispered. "It's okay."
She reluctantly left the room, closing the door.
"Come to bed, Nighter," Yoongi said, after a moment of silence. I rushed to my side of the bed, complying to not anger him further. I lay on the edge of the bed, tensing up when he pulled me towards him. Not feeling safe with my back to him, I turned to face him. He switched off the light before looking at me in the dark. I flinched when he cupped my cheek, he wiped my tears. "You shouldn't have pushed my buttons like that, then this would not have happened."
I knew that it was a classic manipulation tactic used by narcissistic abusers, to make the victim believe that it was their fault. Yet I succumbed to it so easily at that moment. "I-I'm sorry," I croaked out.
He pulled me into a hug. "It's alright. Just don't do it again," he replied, letting me cry into his shoulder.