One week later
As Jae opened her eyes, she saw the dense forest trees rapidly pass by her window. The low hum of the bus the eight of them were on rumbled softly, with occasional rattle it made when the tires would hit something bumpy in the road.
She slowly lifted her head, which had been resting against the glass window. She felt a hand softly caress her head. "We're almost there." Jin's voice said beside her. She couldn't help but glance down at his leg, which had been properly bandaged.
"How many times do I need to tell you not to worry?" he sighed, playfully flicking her forehead. "I can't help it...you would do the same for me." Jae mumbled, rubbing her head. "Of course I would." Jin responded, and placed a soft kiss where he had flicked her.
"It's because I love you soo much." He said, giving her a small smile, and smiling even bigger when he saw Jae blushing. "Y-You can't just be cheesy out of the blue like that..." He started laughing, and she thought maybe being embarrassed is worth it in the end.
She glanced behind her through the crack of the seats. Yoongi and Hobi were both fast asleep, leaning against each other. Yoongi was resting on Hobi's shoulder, and in turn, Hobi's head resting on the top of Yoongi's. She wanted to burst into tears just looking at them.
This was the most at peace she had seen the both of them in a while. Yoongi refused to let Jae out of his sight, since the incident. They were all like that in their own ways, but Yoongi was the one that would be almost frantic if he didn't see her.
Jae remembers spending the night with him alone at the hybrid camp, after they had left the remains of the estate. The others could just tell he needed the alone time with her the most. All he did was cry, say how sorry he was for hurting her, and how he wasn't worthy of being her soulmate, over and over.
She remembered crying right along with him, and holding each other so tightly, they had fallen asleep like that. She knew it would take time for him...well, for all of them, to heal.
Jae didn't want to stay anywhere near her old home, and none of her soulmates had any objections to get as far away from that horrid place as they possibly could. Despite having a sudden and overwhelming inheritance to her name, she decided it would be beneficial to use it to her advantage. A chunk of it went towards helping those hybrids that they had set free. She had promised, after all.
She had a chance to make things right, or at least start making a difference between humans and hybrids. There wasn't much she could do right now. She was stuck with a family name and legacy she didn't want to be associated with.
However, she knew she could use it and try to make a difference. At least, that was the plan. There were many things that needed to be worked out. Once the eight of them got settled, she would start working.
She took a deep breath. "Your neck looks better." She heard Jungkook's voice say. She turned and she was met with his doe eyes almost right in front of her face. He was leaning over the row of seats in front of her. "It would sure look better with my mark on it though."
Her cheeks felt hot and Jin tried to shoo the chuckling bunny away. "Hey, don't crowd her. Personal space, dude." Jin huffed, trying to push Jungkook away, but he would barely budge. "You just want her all to yourself." Jungkook retorted, winking at Jae, making her crack a shy smile.
"Well, you AND Jimin already sat next to her for the first two hours!! That was two hours too many!"
"Speaking of Jimin...how is he?" She asked Jungkook, not seeing him in the row with him. "Ah...Jae...I'm barely hanging on." Jimin's voice said from behind them. She couldn't help but smile as she turned and saw his cute face, acting like he was in serious pain. "My head...ah...I need my soulmate to kiss it better...it's the only cure..."
"Aish, would you quit it? If you feel well enough to joke around, you're fine. Stop trying to take away my time with her." Jin pouted. It was true. As it turned out, Jimin's head injury was, miraculously, a lot less severe than it looked. He needed a few stitches on the side of his head, and it would leave a scar. Other than that, it was like his injury never happened.
She wasn't sure if some higher power had been looking out for her soulmates, but all of them only had minor injuries after the whole ordeal. Even Namjoon. Thinking of him made her heart jolt.
She remembered how devastated he was after Yeona's passing. The mental image of him weeping, and holding Yeona's limp body in his arms would be burned in her head forever. Losing her own mother that same night was hard enough, but for the same thing to happen to him was the final nail in the coffin. He wanted to bury her properly, and after a few days, some of the hybrids had put together a proper burial site for her. There wasn't a dry eye at the service they held.
Jae had done well keeping it together, but she finally had a complete breakdown when she saw Namjoon put an extra flower on top, and had said it was for her own mother. After everyone had left, the two of them had stayed over the hill of dirt with the two flowers on it, talking, and crying, and holding each other close.
It was hard to accept that both of them were gone, in the blink of an eye. Jae had woken up multiple times, thrashing and screaming from her sleep, dreaming she was relieving what they had gone through. She wasn't alone, and she always found a pair, or multiple pairs, of arms around her, giving her any comfort she needed.
"Jae? Hello in there?" She snapped back to reality when she felt pats on her head. "Huh..? Oh...sorry..." She said, softly laughing at their confused faces. She had the sudden urge to check on Namjoon. She stood up from her seat, and started to shimmy past Jin to the aisle. "I'm gonna go to the front real quick. I'll be back.."
She saw Jin nod in understanding, knowing who she was going to see. She felt the others watch her as she walked forward towards the front of the bus. There was a black curtain she pulled to the side, which revealed a small space with a mini bar and some cabinets up top.
It was an extremely tiny area, only enough room for one person to stand there comfortably. She pulled back the other curtain, which revealed Namjoon in the passenger seat, and Tae who was driving. Of course, Namjoon had offered to drive, but after a test run, they all unanimously agreed that was a bad idea after he almost wrecked it as soon as he was behind the wheel.
Namjoon turned his head towards her. "Hey." He said, smiling with his eyes. "Hey..." she said, trying to gauge his mood. "You were sleeping pretty hard back there." Tae chuckled, and she ruffled his hair. "How close are we now..?" She asked him, trying to take a peek at the gps. "Nearly there, about forty minutes? Give or take? But if I go a little faster I can-"
"No no, the last thing we need is to get pulled over." Jae sighed, knowing that none of them, not even she carried a license. It was a grueling process to get one, and unheard of for a hybrid to have one, so there was just no time. She made eye contact with Namjoon, and one look in his eyes and she knew he needed her. "Hey Tae, we're gonna step away for a bit, are you alright up here by yourself?"
"Are you kidding? Of course, this driving thing is easy." He playfully saluted in her direction, and she kissed the top of his head. His tiger ears flattened and she could see his cheeks turning slightly pink and it made her giggle. "Alright then. We'll be back." she said as she intertwined Namjoon's hand with hers.
They pulled back the first curtain and they stayed in the little space in between the front and the back. They both barely fit, but she and Namjoon made it work. It was only privacy they were going to get. He immediately put his arms around her, almost covering her body completely.
He towered over and all she could do was try to hold him the way he wanted. She could feel him shaking, and she tried to soothe him as much as possible, rubbing small circles over his muscular back.
"You can let it out now Joonie...it's okay." She whispered. He started to cry, as quietly as possible. Anything was better than keeping it inside. He was burdened with being the leader, and that meant he had to keep up a front sometimes, for the sake of the others.
They had all constantly checked up on him after everything, after Yeona's funeral, and over and over he said that he was fine. Of course, everyone knew it wasn't true, but they played along anyway.
She was Namjoon's outlet, and she was happy to be. She held him as tightly as she could, letting him know she wasn't going anywhere. "I had a nightmare the other night" he told her, as his voice was scratchy from the tears. She just listened. "I had a nightmare that you...that you died too...that I held your lifeless body in my arms too...I can't...I c-can't lose you too. I almost have...so many times..."
"Sshhh...I'm not going anywhere. You're not going to lose me. Ever." Jae reassured him. She knew he was only crying like this so the others wouldn't hear it. Even with their heightened hearing. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry you have to be the one to deal with me...I'm such a mess...I should be the one comforting you. I feel like such a burden..."
He sniffled into her neck. Jae only shook her head, and kissed his salty, tear soaked cheeks. They had both been through a lot. They all have. It wasn't just limited to one or the other.
"We all have Joonie. You deserve to be comforted too. You're just as important as everyone else." She said firmly, and she held his face in her hands and made it so he was looking directly at him.
"Promise me you won't hold it inside anymore. I don't want you to feel like a burden because of the pain that you feel like you have to hold inside. You are not a burden. To any of us. That couldn't be farther from the truth." She placed a soft kiss on his lips.
"I'm here because of you. You were the one that brought me to all of you...remember?" She was fighting her own tears that were threatening to form in her eyes as she wiped his face. He actually broke into a little smile, "Of course. I could never, ever forget that day." he chuckled, as he placed his hands on top of hers and squeezed gently.
"So...please don't ever think that about yourself. You are my whole world. All seven of you are. Okay?" She smiled big for him, even though she didn't really want to. "I'll do my best...as long as you do the same." He said, pinching one of her cheeks. Of course, he saw right through her.
"Stop being so emotionally intelligent. Owww!" Jae said, trying to move his hand away. He was smiling now, genuinely, and she knew this because his dimple appeared.
"Don't try to hide from me then." He caressed the cheek he just pinched, and he leaned in and kissed it. Their faces were already so close, Jae couldn't help herself and placed another kiss on his lips. He kissed her back, holding her even tighter if that were possible. He felt so warm, and she felt so safe, even in the tiny space they were in. They were each other's safe space.
Jae's heart started to pound rapidly when she felt Namjoon press his body against hers even more, leaning her back against the small bar. One hand slid behind her back around her waist and the other on the back of her neck, pulling her against him for deeper kisses. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, earning a low sigh out of him.
"Joon..." she breathed in between their kisses. As they became more urgent, she knew exactly where this was going. His pine and freshly fallen rain scent filled her nose. "Joon, are you...?" He shook his head. "No...but I just...I need..."
He struggled to find words, but Jae just kissed him fervently in response, knowing that was enough to tell him what she needed to. He needed this. He needed comfort.
His lips traveled to her neck, and it was so hard not to make a sound. His delicate lips hit right where it felt so good, and she bit her lip hard. Her efforts to keep quiet were in vain as a whimper escaped her lips.
"Sshh...we need to be quiet baby..." he whispered against her neck. "This isn't how I wanted our first time to go but...god damn it I need you right now." He rasped. Jae was thankful she had chosen to wear a skirt that day, in case of important and pressing matters such as these. "It's okay Joon...I want you too.." Jae whispered, and she heard a growl in response.
In one swift motion he hiked up her skirt and lifted her on top of the little bar. They were eye level now, and his beautiful brown dragon eyes were piercing into her with lust. She had already become so wet, but the action itself made her drenched.
He had undone his pants in a rush, and she was scared she wouldn't be able to take him. "I don't have time to stretch you out...but you were made for me, right? You can take it." He whispered as moved stray strands of hair from her face. "You trust me right?"
"With my life." Jae said, without hesitation. She realized in that moment in particular, how much she meant that. She felt him easily slide into her, with almost no trouble considering how wet she was and despite the intense stretch she felt.
"Oh fuck.." Namjoon whispered, "You feel so good..." He said, and while he was moving slowly, his thrusts snapped into her hard, and she had to hold on to him with both arms. Of course, he also had a firm grip on her as well. She felt tears form in her eyes, because she was suddenly overcome with emotion.
They had practically been through hell and back. They escaped the most dire situations, and through it all, they were still together. They were finally going to live a life of happiness and freedom together. Not just with Namjoon, but with the other six as well.
What did she ever do to deserve such a heavenly life? And she loved them. She loved them so much that she didn't think it was possible to love one person, let alone seven people this much. And right now, she could feel Namjoon's love with every thrust, every sweet simple nothing's he was whispering in her ears. It was overwhelming.
Namjoon immediately noticed the tears and stopped. "Baby? Jae, what is it? Am I hurting you? Should I stop?" He asked, sounding slightly panicked at her sudden tears. He wiped her face with his thumb. She tried pulling herself together, and he started to withdraw himself but Jae stopped him.
"No no, I'm sorry...it's just..." she sniffed. "I-I love you so much...I don't want anything like this to happen ever again...I just want to give you, all of you, the best life I possibly can...and I've already messed that up..."
"No you haven't. Don't say that." Namjoon shook his head and smiled. "Hey, so what? So what if we've been through hardships? Everyone has those. All of what we went through has led us to here and now. You and me, right here, at this moment. If it's with you, I don't care what I have to go through to be with you. I would go through anything, to be with you forever. I don't even have to ask the other guys if they share my sentiment. I know they do. You're my one and only love. You're my reason to live my life to the fullest. You just existing, being here with me, guarantees I'll have the best life. And I can't wait to start it with you. To do everything with you." He kissed her once more, and it was so delicate that it melted her heart as much as his words did.
"Joonie..." Jae whispered. Their faces were inches apart. They could feel each other's warm breath against their lips, and there was a mutual understanding that they had an unbreakable bond. There was nothing in this messed up universe that could ever keep them apart. They were free.
"Fuck me Joonie. Fuck me like you mean it." she said against his lips, and he pulled her against him and the only thing holding her up was his strong arms, and the wall separating them and the others.
He thrusted up into her and all she could do was hold on to him as he did, doing exactly as she asked without holding anything back. It felt so good and he was reaching so deep inside her it was impossible for her to stay quiet so she pressed her lips against his with urgency, to muffle her sounds.
She felt him twitch inside of her, and he seemed to get even bigger. He must have been close , and she could feel that she was as well, as her walls started to squeeze around him. "I've wanted you like this for so long...you look so beautiful...and you're mine...you're all mine..." he growled into her neck and licked it. She braced herself for the sharp sensation of a bite, but it didn't come.
However, she did. Hard, so much so that she had to blink a few times to ground herself again. Namjoon had as well, and it was starting to drip down on the floor. He was still holding her, and both were still trying to catch their breath.
They both looked down on the floor, and then back at each other. They both giggled, knowing they were obviously making a mess that they would have to clean up. Namjoon eventually let Jae down, or at least attempted to. She almost fell to the floor with how weak her legs were after what Namjoon had done.
She held onto the little bar for support as Namjoon found a bunch of paper towels to clean up their mess. The bus continued to rumble on, and she could feel footsteps from the other side coming towards them. She tried to tidy herself up, and she made sure that her skirt was fixed. There was no escaping the fact that they both smelled like sex, and to a group of hybrids especially, that would be impossible to hide.
"I heard a banging sound back here, is everything-" Jin stopped as soon as he pulled the curtain back. His nose wiggled as he looked back and forth between Namjoon and Jae, who were trying so hard to act casual that they were failing miserably, especially Namjoon who was holding the dirty paper towels behind his back.
The three of them just stared at each other, and Jin continued to walk forward towards where Tae was. "Well, there was definitely some banging going on back here." he muttered to himself. Jae put a hand to her mouth, trying not to laugh at his comment, and Namjoon just rolled his eyes.
After a while, the bus finally came to a stop. Apparently, they had reached their destination. Jae couldn't believe her eyes, as they had kept where they were headed a secret from her. She rubbed them, even pinched herself to convince herself that the sight in front of her was real. They had parked in a parking lot, right next to a white, sandy beach.
"Wow. Look at her face. You were right when you said it would be worth it." she heard Hobi say to someone. Since stopping the bus, they were all staring at her, waiting.
"I...who...how did you..." she stumbled over her words. "Well, are you going to just stare at it from the window or are you gonna go see it for yourself?" Yoongi asked, trying not to smile so big. Without another word, she practically rushed out of the bus, the heat immediately warming her skin.
She heard the soft crashing sound of the waves, something she had only heard before in movies. Her heart pounded with excitement as she went towards the sound, hearing the others following behind her. She kicked off her shoes with ease, and put her feet in the sand for the first time.
It felt grainy and warm, and even though she knew it flew everywhere as she ran across it, she loved the feeling. She couldn't help but giggle as she ran as fast as she could towards the ocean.
She saw the beautiful aquamarine water hit the sandy shore in short waves beating against the land, overlapping against each other, almost fighting to see which one would hit the sand first.
She looked behind her and saw her soulmates making their way to her as well. Yoongi and Namjoon were both smiling fondly from a distance. Jungkook, Tae, and Jin were starting to jog towards her, also barefoot. Jimin and Hobi were still taking off their shoes, saying that the sand was too hot.
She squealed as the water hit her feet, directing her attention back to what was in front of her. The breeze picked up a little, and she closed her eyes as the salty air blew all around her face. She heard seagulls somewhere in the distance. She was startled by a pair of arms lifting her in the air.
It was Jungkook, who had picked her up and was spinning her around, laughing at her surprise scream. Tae and Jin then proceeded to splash the both of them with water, initiating a huge water fight. Jimin and Hobi soon joined in, and Namjoon and Yoongi kept their distance, not wanting to get wet.
They decided to take pictures and videos, capturing the moment from afar at a safe, dry distance. Jungkook had eventually put her down to get revenge on the two that had splashed water on them, and he and Jin got into an intense scuffle that ended with Jungkook practically tackling Jin down in the water, both of them getting soaked.
Jae's sides were about to burst with how much she was laughing. She wiped her eyes, realizing this was the first time she had laughed so much, or even smiled so much, in her entire life. This was nothing short of paradise, and it warmed her heart to see everyone's biggest smiles. Namjoon was right.
While the oldest and youngest were getting playfully scolded, she found herself staring out into the sea, at the part where it turned into a deeper blue. She wondered to herself, with how vast and open the ocean looked, how far it actually stretched. She wanted to find out.
"Was it everything you hoped it would be?" She heard a voice ask next to her. Jimin was there, and she wondered how long he had been there. His hair was slightly wet, thanks to Jungkook, but it was drying fast in the hot sun.
"It's...everything I've ever dreamed of..." She wasn't sure what caused it, but she had a sudden flashback. "I'll take you there someday." Her heart felt like it was going to bust out of her chest as she turned to look at him. He was already starting to smile. He actually kept his promise.
"Jimin...is this where you...did you...plan this?" He rubbed the back of his head looking away, "Well, I mean...I don't want to take ALL the credit but...Tae saw this place on the gps and I recognized it so..." She didn't let him finish as she leaped into his arms and wrapped her own around his neck, giving him a big hug.
"Thank you...Thank you so much..." she said, trying her best not to cry. She heard him chuckle and hug her back. "Anything for you. Always. I told you, I never make promises I can't keep." he muttered in her hair. He did say that. She saw a glance of his bandaged head, and she felt a short twinge of guilt.
He noticed this, and then he put his pinky in between them and cleared his throat. "I promise here and now, to always protect you, serve you, and love you, for the rest of my life." Jae's lips quivered at the sudden declaration, but nonetheless, she didn't hesitate to intertwine their pinky's once more. "I also promise the same." she said through her tears.
He smiled widely after that, and his lips found hers, and it was nothing short of bliss. With the relaxing sound of the waves, and Jimin's soft lips against her own, everything seemed like a dream. A dream she hoped she never woke up from.
Jungkook appeared next to them. "Namjoon said we gotta go back. He wants us to get to the station before dark. We have a few hours left. Ahh...but I wish we could stay here forever," He sighed, looking out at the ocean once more.
"Well, maybe someday, we can come back." Jimin said, as he started to head towards where the others were. Jae saw he was still smiling. Jungkook pulled Jae to him and wrapped his arm around her waist and they both started following Jimin.
Jae looked to the side and giggled to herself at the sand-snowman that Hobi, Namjoon, and Yoongi had made. With seashell buttons and eyes, and random sticks for the arms, it looked really charming. She hoped it would stay there for as long as possible.
As they traversed through the sand, she felt Jungkook's hand snake down to her butt and gave it a little squeeze. She looked at him and saw he had a mischievous look on his face. "So, you had fun with Namjoon earlier, hm?" His smirk was giving her butterflies and, embarrassed, she flushed a deep crimson.
"W-We..We tried to be quiet." she stuttered, and Jungkook only laughed. "You weren't quiet enough for these ears." he smirked, pointing to his bunny ears.
"S-Stop teasing me Jungkook..." she said, gripping his shirt tighter. He laughed and he kissed the side of her head. "Alright...I'll stop. You're just so adorable when you blush, it drives me crazy."
They finally reached the bus where the others were making sure to get rid of as much sand they had collected on their clothes as possible. She looked back at the sea. The waves always kept going, the same as when they arrived. She supposed that was one thing about the sea that she liked. No matter what storms occurred, and how big and scary the waves would get, they always returned to how they were now. Calm, peaceful, unwavering.
"Jae! Are you coming?" She turned and saw her seven soulmates, her whole world, waiting for her. Much like the sea, she knew that her love for them was deep, and forever steadfast. They were all smiling at her, waiting for her. She smiled, and decided to run forward towards her greatest adventure yet. She knew once and for all, she was finally, truly, home.
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Wow....the last chapter of deep down....how are we feeling? Was the ending cheesy enough?? Happy Anniversary to BTS💜I wanted to post today so bad and I'm glad I made it. I'll save all the sappy crap for the epilogue chapter after this, I'll see y'all there.
🥳❤️
Also did y'all survive comeback???? Because I didn't:,) MAKE SURE TO STREAM <3333