Ch.25
Thanks to Namjoon's generosity, Jimin didn't suffer a cruel death. Yoongi didn't follow through with Namjoon's order and Jungkook had to keep an eye on Jimin. Otherwise, Namjoon may be tempted to reverse his order. You would prefer if none of your friends get hurt. Hopefully Namjoon keeps that in mind seeing as you won't always be there to watch them. Jungkook also tends to come and go when he pleases, so you'd like to come back and see Jimin in one piece. You're sure Taehyung will do his best to keep it that way along with Seokjin and Hoseok.
The main reason you can't stay there with them to insure Jimin's safety is because you have a life at the village to maintain. One of those aspects being Florian's girlfriend. Thinking about it still caused flutters to occur in your stomach. Today was the day that you go on a date with Florian! Of course, you mentioned none of this to the guys. You spent all day with them yesterday to make sure they got more than enough of your presence and then you dropped the information that you would be unable to visit them tomorrow. They were sad, but figured it was in order to not make this mother figure of yours worry.
Miss Arla's surprise visits can be terrifying, but you had a feeling she would be leaving you alone for a bit. If she does show up at your house then the most she would do is help you get ready. However, you were able to dress up all on your own. It was almost the afternoon and no sight of Miss Arla. Maybe you were safe for today. So with no other worries and your mind on Florian, you rode Malakai over to the Bauer farm. The smile on your face wouldn't leave and it only got worse when you saw Florian leave his house to rush over to you.
"Hey, there! I'm just about ready! I was going to pick you up but you beat me to it!" Florian stared up at you sweetly. He held onto your hand, rubbing his thumb on the back. He looked so handsome. His pearly white smile was making your heart skip a beat. You badly didn't want him to let go of your hand, but sadly the two of you had to part. Florian needed to go get Blume so the two of you could be on your way. He was ecstatic to start the date and so was his mother who was not so secretly peeking through the window of their house. You just giggled to yourself, content with your life anytime you were with Florian.
"Are you ready to get going?" Florian asked. He finally came by your side on Blume. The tan horse let out a whiny, looking gorgeous as always.
"I'm ready! And Blume looks so cute today." You lifted up your reins.
"Thank you. I brushed her earlier this morning since she's shedding a lot of her old coat and washed her mane." Florian rubbed the side of Blume's neck. "I can always help you out with Malakai's mane like I said. I'm darn good at braiding."
"Oh really?" You watched him lift his chin up in the air. "I might have to take you up on the offer one of these days."
"You won't regret it." Florian assured you, earning plenty of giggles from you. He chuckled himself, the two of you with big smiles on your faces.
"So where are we going?" You questioned. The horses were walking in the same direction, but you had no idea where.
"Just keep following my lead!" Florian winked before cracking the reins. Blume took off running, causing you to gasp. He's got another thing coming if he thinks he'll win this time! Squeezing Malakai's sides with your legs, you cracked his reins.
"Run!" You ordered. Malakai was on it and wasted no time to start running as fast as he could.
The date starting off competitive sounds about right. You may have a soft spot for Florian, but you were going to win no matter what. Blume was a lovely horse, but the last race should have told him how this was going to end. It didn't take long before Malakai was catching up with Blume. Florian put on a shocked expression as if he would have a trick up his sleeve. Whatever last minute boost Blume could do, nothing could top your beautiful stallion. He was powerful with every stride as he went further than the other two. You were in the lead, grinning to yourself until you eventually had to slow down for Florian. It took you a minute to realize you had no idea where you were going. It was embarrassing, but Florian got a good laugh out of it.
It would be a lot easier if Florian told you where he was taking you! He kept his lips sealed though, promising that you would enjoy it more if it was left as a surprise. That was quite the statement to make. However, you went along with it and it was a decent run to the edge of the island. If you were being honest, you've never been here before. Not that that was a surprise. You hardly left your cottage until a few months ago (not that he needed to know where you've been). Malakai started to walk slower as he began stepping on sand. The ground's texture was unfamiliar to him, but he was intrigued. You were in awe as you watched the waves crash onto the sand.
"This is amazing..." You stared at the beautiful bright blue ocean. The sand was a light brown with a mixture of black and white rocks closer to the shore. The sun brightly hung above the island yet there was still a heavy fog at a distance that circled the island. The curse.
"Have you never been here before?" Florian asked as he got off of Blume.
"Never!" You shook your head right away. You felt like you were on a whole different island. This was your first time seeing the ocean despite living on an island. It almost didn't feel real. The cold breeze brushing your face was the only thing telling you it was real. Otherwise, the waves rolling onto the shore felt like a moving painting.
"Are you going to come down or do you need help?" Florian raised a teasing brow at you. The smirk on his face was more attractive than he was aware of. You moved your other leg around to sit side saddle and hold your arms out for him. Florian laughed the second you started batting your eyes at him as if you couldn't possibly do it yourself. Well, he offered.
"I'm waiting." You smiled as he came up to you.
"Alright, I got you." Florian placed his hands on your hips. He lifted you off the saddle as you grabbed his shoulders for support. His shoulders were so broad and you were struggling to ignore how much you enjoyed being pressed up against him. Instead of putting you down on the ground instantly, Florian carried you away from Malakai to spin you around. He laughed at your surprise squeak before he inevitably brought you down and wrapped you tightly in a hug. Again, you hummed at how much you loved the feeling of him.
"What are we going to do here?" You asked, slightly pulling away to look him in the eyes.
"Hmm, come on. I'll show you." Florian pretended to be in thought for a second. He released you from the hug and switched to grabbing your hand. He began pulling you towards the ocean, worrying you just a tad.
You are not a swimmer. Florian didn't need to know about the time a certain creature almost drowned you. He just needed to take your word as fact. To your surprise though, Florian didn't plan on swimming. He shook his head when you made that guess and said the both of you weren't dressed for it. A part of you was disappointed you weren't going to see him shirtless. Bad thoughts, (F/n)! The most the two of you were going to do according to him was take a dip. A dip? You were a bit lost until you watched him take off his shoes and socks. Florian grabbed the bottom of his brown overalls and began rolling them above his knees. He looked at you to go next, flustering you just a tad.
You grabbed the bottom half of your dress to lift it up just to your knees. With just your feet, you removed your black shoes yet you were left with your thigh high socks. That's when Florian asked if he could help to which you nodded a bit too eagerly. Your mouth went dry at the offer and you felt that unfamiliar swirl again at the bottom of your stomach. Carefully, Florian crouched down to help you remove them. Feeling his hands against your skin was causing your body to grow hot. What is wrong with you? Relax! Soon your bare feet were touching the sand for the first time. It was such a strange feeling, but a good one. You wiggled your toes, laughing with Florian as you began to jump around on the sand. This was so fun! Florian watched you with a bright smile as you played with the sand. The foreign feeling was something you could definitely grow accustomed to.
"Alright, well, if we're at the beach then we must get our feet wet." Florian took a few steps towards the water. You stopped burying your feet in the sand to look at him with raised brows. "We'll just stand here and let the waves reach us."
"...okay." You stared back at the water, feeling slightly intimidated. It should be fine. You went over to Florian to grab his hand while your other hand held up your dress.
The first wave that was coming looked pretty big in your eyes. It got bigger as it approached, yet it crashed earlier than you expected. Immediately the threatening wave was small and flattened out as it went up the shore. An involuntary gasp left you when the water reached your feet. It went up to your ankles at most for a few seconds before the ocean began pulling back the water. Florian squeezed your hand by the time you were giggling. What were you so afraid of? Water? Being sheltered growing up is something you're going to try and grow past. You should be brave and explore with Florian. At the very least, not be afraid of a little water.
"Florian, look at me!!" You squealed as you let go of his hand to run to the water. He was shocked to see you step in until a wave was coming your way. That's when you started running the opposite direction in a fit of giggles. Now you were just playing with the waves.
"You're like a kid." Florian softly shook his head at you. The innocent reaction you had for your first time at the beach had him smiling. You were adorable in his eyes. And the date continued like that. Florian running in the water with you, playing with the waves or messing around in the sand. You wanted to make your first day at the beach as memorable as possible. Florian was able to make a life long memory for you as your first date. You really couldn't have asked for anything more.
It was sad when the date was coming to an end. It was bound to, but still. The giggling and endless talking was something you wanted to hold onto. Honestly, you felt like this whole day has been a dream come true. A bit of normalcy in your life was refreshing and all you could ever ask for. So naturally you were feeling a little disappointed as Florian took you home. The horses slowly walked in the direction of your cottage. They went up the path until you could see your cottage up close. That was when Florian got off his horse, ready to walk you the rest of the way to your door. What a gentleman.
The smile on your face was beaming as you got down from Malakai. At least you'll have this sweet moment to finish off the date. Then back to your secretive magical nonsense. You tried not to dwell on that too much or else it would affect your mood. You wanted to be here in the present with Florian and give him your full attention. Taking his arm, you walked all the way to your front door. This time you finally let him get closer to your house. You had to hold in your laughter when you thought about the past. Stopping in front of your door, you faced Florian as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"I guess this is it." You fiddled with your fingers. How do you end a date? Do you just say goodbye? "Or...did you want to come inside?" You had no clue what you were saying. What would you two even do? You swallowed nervously.
"Oh, that's okay! I should let you relax after the long day. Really, it's fine!" Florian assured you, his face pink. The both of you could be so awkward sometimes. "Well...I should get going then, huh?"
"I mean, there's no rush..." You shrugged. Could he tell you didn't want the date to end? But of course, the both of you knew that wasn't possible.
The longer you stared at Florian, the quieter it got. Neither of you said anything to each other as you got comfortable with the silence. Just being in his presence was all you needed. The small smiles on your faces were forming when Florian took a step closer to you. It took you by surprise, causing you to step back only to have your back bump into your front door. You weren't scared, just nervous. Florian could see the soft look you were giving him with your big eyes. Carefully, Florian brought his hand to the side of your face to rub your cheek. He couldn't hear the way he was making your heart pound.
It might as well have exploded when he leaned in closer to close the gap. Florian pressed his lips against yours, shutting his eyes first. You were stunned originally, but quickly closed your eyes to kiss back. Was it obvious that you didn't know what you were doing? You felt like you were trembling, yet Florian's hand on your cheek was comforting. You did your best to follow Florian's lead as you melted further into his touch. His lips were soft and the kiss was delicate. He didn't push further for anything more. He only wanted you to receive his affection and you were more than ready to reciprocate it.
By the time Florian was pulling away, you felt like you were standing on a cloud. Your lips were buzzing as you stared up at him. The smile he gave you made you weak in the knees. It was a miracle you didn't slide down the door at that moment. Florian tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, continuing to make you blush with every little thing he did. The flutters in your chest were so strong with each second he stayed near you. It made you wish he would stay longer, but he had to go home too.
"I'll see you another time," Florian said.
"Yeah..." You nodded like an idiot. Your head was empty because of that kiss. Florian just chuckled and waved to you one last time before heading over to Blume. You stayed by your front door, wanting to watch him until you couldn't see him any longer.
So this is what having a first love is like?
*~*
His last plan didn't work. It backfired on him a lot faster than he thought it would. Turns out Arla was more loyal to you than he thought. Did you have her wrapped around your finger? Whatever it was, it left Elias grumbling to himself. You were still walking around the village completely unbothered. You were living life with a smile despite what occurred that day. It had to be you. There was no chance that the magic came from Verona. It had to be you because who else could it be? You spent so much time alone and keeping to yourself. There were bound to be many secrets you kept hidden. Elias refused to remain oblivious and believe in Verona's idiotic lie. He knew the truth.
He didn't care if he sounded crazy. The fact was you were the one hiding something. The one who will end up hanging in front of the entire village will be you. This wasn't even about you stopping him from talking to Verona. It was about stopping everyone from believing you were a naive and innocent girl. He'll open the eyes of everybody here so that they see you're not a fellow neighbor, but the enemy. Elias wouldn't rest until he had the whole village supporting him. They can't allow a witch to run loose any longer. Arla won't be able to protect you forever. Just maybe, she'll be executed as well for trying to save you. Only time will tell.
Elias was walking over to the bakery for the second time today. He was only going to pass by it and peek through the window. He wanted to see if Verona was hiding there, but no luck so far. Aletta would always glare at him with a scowl. Whatever. She couldn't do anything to him. Only this time as Elias passed by, he noticed it was Agatha who was taking care of the front. She held a sack in her arms, doing her best to walk over to the trash at the side of the bakery. She was tossing so many eggshells away in disgust. She never enjoyed doing work.
"Ugh, you gotta be kidding me." Agatha scrunched her nose up. She instantly dropped the bag, shaking her hand out. She could have sworn she touched something icky. The trash was the least of her concerns right now.
"Not working with a smile?" Elias walked up to her with his hands in his pockets. Right away, Agatha turned to face him in surprise. It didn't take her long to scoff and roll her eyes at him. She continued to shake her hand out as if that would do anything.
"If you're here to try and knock up another girl, you're wasting your time." Agatha sighed.
"As if I'd ever want to touch you," Elias said easily. It got him a strong glare from Agatha, but even then he could see the twinge of hurt in her eyes. She was always easy to read. "What? Sad?"
"No way. You're not even my type." Agatha looked away from him. "What are you doing here in the first place? Verona is avoiding you at all costs, you know."
"I've been realizing that," Elias grumbled. He walked closer to Agatha's side. She was in no rush to get into the bakery to work again and he had nothing better to do. Although Aletta made it perfectly clear that she hated Elias's guts, Agatha still seemed to be on decent terms with him. "She's changed a lot recently."
"You mean she's getting fatter?" Agatha raised a brow.
"That too." Elias nodded before stopping in his tracks to turn and face her. Agatha's shoulders were hanging down as she slowly faced him. She wasn't that enthusiastic to talk to him if all they were going to talk about was Verona. "She's changing and I think it's because of (F/n). They're closer these days."
"(F/n)? Ew, I swear. She's trying too hard to force her way into the friend group and she's ruining everything!" Agatha stomped her foot. She crossed her arms tightly, not caring to lower her volume. She meant what she said full heartedly and it was enough to make Elias smirk. Agatha was always known to get easily jealous. This could work.
"I'm taking you don't like her either." Elias chuckled. His words dusted pink across Agatha's cheeks yet she continued to stick her nose up in the air. Shameless.
"Why would I? She's not even likable." Agatha shrugged. "I think she's trying too hard to fit in. Everyone else is being nice to her, but I'm waiting until they get bored..."
"Does it bother you that she's making friends or that she's getting attention from Florian?" Elias decided to go straight for it.
Their entire friend group knew that Agatha had a long time crush on Florian. More like an obsession. But of course, Florian was too oblivious to notice. He was friendly to everyone and thought nothing of it when Agatha practically threw herself at him. It irritated Elias how dumb Florian could be, yet he wasn't surprised when all that took up Florian's head was animal feces and placenta. Then again, he supposes that's what makes you and Florian perfect for each other. A couple of freaks. Except Agatha didn't think that at all as her face fumed. She hated that it was so clear to Elias.
"Do you think you know me that well?" Agatha sneered.
"I've known you since I could remember." Elias narrowed his eyes on her. Everyone did. They only knew their small village and nothing else. There were five hundred people living on Concordia at most and that excluded all the creatures inhabiting the island. "It is clear as day, Agatha. You're jealous Florian is giving another girl special attention and that girl isn't you. Simple as that."
"And what do you want?" Agatha was close to snapping. "Are you just here to rub it in my face?"
"Not at all." Elias shook his head. He sounded way too calm than he normally did. The smirk on his face was eerie to Agatha, but she continued to listen anyway. "I figured we would be on the same side."
"Of hating (F/n)?" Agatha raised a brow in disinterest.
"More than that. We could work together to take her down." Finally, Elias was saying something that was catching her interest. Agatha was starting to smile back at her old friend. "It's only because of Arla Holm that I need help. She didn't believe me when I said (F/n) used magic against me."
"Of course she didn't. (F/n) is her precious angel." Agatha rolled her eyes before pausing. She had to rewind what Elias said in her mind. Slowly, she furrowed her brows at him. "Did you say magic? She used...?"
"(F/n) is a witch. Believe me." Elias stepped closer to Agatha. Her wide eyes looked into his, overwhelmed by all the information she was receiving. Elias would answer her questions in due time or leave her in the dark. What he just needed from Agatha was for her to comply. "And even if she isn't, it doesn't matter in the long run. As long as we have her hanging on a rope."
*~*
It felt like you were living in a dream even a day later. The smile on your face might as well be permanent. Your mind just kept going back to that magical moment with Florian. Everything made you want to squeal and bury your face. It was so thrilling that you wanted to shout from the rooftops and tell all your friends. Though when you were at the castle, doing so would be a death wish. You couldn't tell all of them about your first kiss with Florian, much less that you had a date. Youngjo was barely tolerating you dating the man to begin with! However, the others were a different crowd.
They would want you to break up with Florian immediately. That just wasn't going to happen so you kept the happy secret to yourself. It was no big deal to you. Seeing the guys made you happy in another way at the end of the day. When you arrived at the castle with a new basket of food, Taehyung was looking it over in awe. It's not like it was anything special in your opinion. All you made was some regular food for them to eat. It had been a while since you cooked for them and you were just in a good mood. What caused the good mood was your business and your business only.
"You didn't have to, (F/n)." Taehyung stared at you with a grateful smile. "You know I learned to cook to make your workload easier."
"I know. I just wanted to make you guys something special is all." You shrugged. Taehyung was always so sweet and even with the way he stared at you. He never let your work for the guys go unnoticed. There was a lot weighing on you and he was more than happy to help you out. Actually, he was willing to help anyone in need of it. "I also wanted to make sure you're not overworking yourself. Making food for the boys isn't easy."
"I mean, you're not wrong about that, but that's exactly why I'm here to help. You have so many responsibilities, (F/n). It's the least I can do," Taehyung said as he began taking food from out of the basket.
"This is one responsibility I quite liked. Cooking helps me clear my mind and relax." You didn't want him thinking you were stressing over all the mouths to feed. These men definitely liked to eat.
"I see...if you ever need to talk then I'm always ready to listen." Taehyung continued to be the sweetest. You've never met anyone with a heart like his. It was times like this when you would want Jungkook to be listening. Just because Taehyung was a creature of darkness, didn't mean he was automatically born evil. He's a pure hearted soul who deserves to be recognized for who he truly is. "...is everything alright, (F/n)?" Taehyung nervously asked. You didn't even realize how much you were staring at the pixie.
There was a lot that you wanted to say to Taehyung. You've grown to care deeply for your friends here at the castle. The relationships you've formed with them were ones you've never expected to have in your life. Almost dying with them or because of them multiple times really does that. It made you want to laugh, but it also would bring a tear to your eyes if you thought about it long enough. You thought you would be lonely until your last breath. Yet here was Taehyung worried about you getting overwhelmed by making lunch.
"I'm feeling great, Taehyung. I'm always happy when I'm at the castle." You reached out for his hands so he would stop fidgeting. He didn't need to feel nervous around you. The pixie's eyes widened slightly, switching between your hands to your eyes. He didn't know what to say as he stammered and you giggled. "I'm so happy you're here. What would we ever do without you?"
"...I-I don't know..." Taehyung felt a lump in his throat forming. He would have never thought he would be considered so important. Feeling the squeeze of your hands was comforting and your kind gaze brought a blush to his face. Taehyung worried for himself as he felt his heart reacting to you in an unfamiliar way.
"You're too cute." You playfully booped his nose. His taller height wouldn't stop him from being adorable. Taehyung stared at you with his puppy like eyes, slowly smiling back at you as he allowed himself to relax and share your joy. "You must be getting hungry by now. Can you set the table for everybody? I'll call everyone to dinner already."
"Alright, you can count on me!" Taehyung assured you with the slight happy flutter of his wings. He was on it the second you asked. He turned to the counter to grab as much as he could and headed straight to the dining room. Time to go get the rest!
They must be all over the castle. Hopefully it won't take forever to gather them. You can't just yell or ring a bell and expect them to actually hear you. The only thing you could do was take the time to search for them. Taehyung needs time to set the table anyway. A walk throughout the castle wasn't the worst thing. You patiently walked up the stairs to head towards the bedrooms first. That'll be the easiest places to find them. And what do you know? The door to Seokjin's room was completely open. Inside was Seokjin holding onto a desk as he practiced raising himself up on his toes. He looked tired, but stubborn as he continued to work on his control.
"Seokjin?" You spoke up, watching him let out a heavy breath. He went down flat on his feet again to look over at you. The merman looked out of breath from doing that. How long has he been at it? "You okay?"
"Never better. I mean, my legs hate me and I feel like I'll fall over any second, but I'm feeling great!" Seokjin threw his arms in the air. His endless positivity made you chuckle.
"Alright, but don't overwork yourself. There's no rush with this. You're already able to walk pretty well on your own these days." You mentioned. It was amazing to see his progress. You felt extremely proud of Seokjin. He worked hard to be able to stand on his own two feet. The pink haired male smiled brightly at you.
"I'm gonna be able to jump soon. I can feel it." Seokjin lowered his voice to a whisper. You weren't sure why it would be a secret, but you nodded anyway. "I'm gonna fly into the air and land back! No falling!!" His volume suddenly went up. Again, you were chuckling at his enthusiasm.
"Well, when you do start practicing jumping make sure that you have someone in the room with you. I don't want you falling onto the ground and struggling to get back up, alright?" You raise a brow at him. Seokjin nodded his head as he walked up to you and opened his arms wide. It took you a second to realize what he wanted. Slowly, you opened your arms up to him and embraced him.
"I'll be careful." Seokjin sighed softly, wrapping his arms tightly around you. It would have been fine if he didn't decide to suddenly crush you in his grip. You stiffened up the moment you felt him squeezing all the air out of you. It got worse when Seokjin started to lean against you for support. Why was he always trying to kill you?
"S-Seokjin!" You gasped, doing your best to hold him up. Only one leg stepped back, but you miraculously held yourself up. Seokjin slowly leaned away from you with a weak smile.
"Heh, sorry. I'm tired from the exercise I was doing..." Seokjin patted your shoulders. He had stopped crushing you in his arms which was a relief. This guy. You shook your head at him, trying to give him your best glare yet you just ended up laughing. There wasn't a bad bone in Seokjin's body. He just wasn't always the brightest and luckily you found humor in that. The merman didn't mind that either. As long as you weren't actually angry at him. Soon Seokjin was mirroring back your big smile.
"Okay, okay, get going. Taehyung is setting up the table and I prepared lunch for everyone," you said as Seokjin's eyes lit up.
"Really!? You're amazing, (F/n)!" Seokjin brought his hands to cup your face. He squished your cheeks in his hands and you assumed his actions were meant to be affectionate. Still, your face heated up from how close his face got to yours. The merman needed to learn about personal space someday. "I'll go as fast as I can!" Seokjin finally let go of you to run out.
"Don't trip!!" You yelled. He was already out of the room, causing you to sigh to yourself. But again, Seokjin made you laugh easily and you were back to giggling to yourself as you walked out of his room.
At least he was growing accustomed to owning legs. Seokjin was determined to get it right and you were proud of his progress. The only other thing that needed work was sometimes his social skills. There were moments when he said or did odd things, but you couldn't blame him. You bet you were similar to a degree and you just couldn't see it. Everyone living in this castle was strange and you were no exception. The good thing about being strange in this castle is that no one ever judged. You fit right in! You were content as you walked by yourself down the hall again. You didn't have to travel far to find a certain elf who was tinkering away in the bathroom.
Hoseok was standing on a stool as he hammered something into the wall. Truthfully, you had no idea what he was doing. That wasn't a surprise. Hoseok didn't even realize you were in the same room as him. He was so absorbed in his work that he probably wouldn't notice you unless you yelled his name loudly or tapped his shoulder a few times. Hoseok could get startled easily so you didn't want to scare him. You settled for knocking on the door frame loudly and clearing your throat as much as you could.
"Hm? Oh! (F/n)!" Hoseok looked over his shoulder. He smiled the second he spotted you. "Did you need something?"
"I made lunch and Taehyung is setting up the table. Just wanted to let you know so you could head down there." You saw his brows raise.
"We get to eat yet another delicious meal by you? I thought it would all be Taehyung from here on out." Hoseok laughed as he got down from his stool. "Thanks for making it. I know you're busy."
"Anything for you guys." You playfully winked. Hoseok pushed the stool closer to the wall with a grin. "What have you been up to?"
"I'm almost done. I'm trying to make a controlled rain shower here in the bathroom. That way you don't have to lug all this water up here and constantly use a tiny little bucket to pour on yourself. This is going to be efficient!" Hoseok excitedly held his arms out to everything he had set up. "I'm telling you, (F/n), this is going to be my best invention. Namjoon is going to be impressed! Everyone is going to love it–maybe Seokjin not so much–either way, I'm proud!"
"If you're proud then that's all that matters. It sounds exciting already." You nodded your head.
Hoseok was shoving everything into the corner, doing his best to make sure he somewhat tidied up in the bathroom. However, shoving everything in a corner wasn't going to make the place look clean and Hoseok realized that when he accidentally stepped on the pump he had made. All of a sudden, water spurted out from the spray at the top and got Hoseok straight in the face. He stiffened up with a sharp gasp while you brought your hands to your mouth. Hoseok stepped off the pump right away as you rushed to grab him. The ground underneath him was wet and you didn't want him to slip. His hair was damp and there were drops of water on his glasses. Hoseok had his face scrunched as you moved him to the side.
"The water is so cold..." Hoseok frowned. He'll plan to create some type of boiler as well. He'll just have to figure out how to keep the heat controlled so no one burns their skin off.
"Oh, Hoseok." You grabbed a dry rag off the counter nearby. You rubbed Hoseok's hair a bit and eventually you dried up his glasses. Hopefully he could see just fine now. The elf blinked at you innocently when you placed it back on him. "You need to be more careful, okay?"
"I thought I was, heh...my bad." Hoseok brought his hands up to his glasses to adjust them. He slowly brought his hands to the points of his ears, gulping when he felt how hot they were. This was embarrassing.
"Don't feel bad about it. Accidents happen." You shrugged, giving him a comforting smile. "Now that it's over with, we can laugh about it." You giggled, slowly getting a laugh out of him. Hoseok was back to smiling at you. He was still a little embarrassed about it and you understood that.
"Don't tell the others." Hoseok raised a nervous brow at you. He couldn't shake it off easily. "I think I've embarrassed myself in front of you too many times."
"Just between us." You held your hand out towards him. Hoseok brought his hands up to shake yours to make sure you wouldn't break the deal. "And there's nothing wrong with that. If I'm being honest, I've acted like a fool in front of Namjoon countless times. It hurts," you whispered before laughing. You couldn't help yourself from finding it funny even though it did make you want to hit your head against a wall sometimes.
"The things we do for Namjoon's approval." Hoseok sighed as he walked out of the bathroom with you.
"I'm also just a mess at times naturally." You had to take some of the blame.
"Yeah, that's most of it for me too," Hoseok quickly admitted. Finally, he was laughing genuinely too. How come the two of you always just end up laughing together? "I'll meet you down there, (F/n). Maybe after this we could play a game that I used to play with the other elves"
"Sounds good." You waved.
You still had a few more to find and who knows if Jungkook was showing up? Maybe Yoongi and Namjoon will be in the same place together. Those two tend to stick by each other's sides. It made you happy Namjoon found at least someone to feel that comfortable with. Hopefully he felt it with the others at the castle as well. You knew Yoongi must be feeling like he was walking on thin ice though he does push it from time to time. Luckily, he hasn't done that in a while, but you never know when it comes to Yoongi. He seemed to fear nothing. That didn't surprise you.
They'll probably be inside Namjoon's bedroom. From what you understand, Yoongi sleeps in his bat form in Namjoon's room. Mainly because he feels like that's the only room in the castle where he can sleep peacefully. Everywhere else has him paranoid that a wild angel will appear to slay him. Not if Namjoon is there to yell at him and potentially turn into a dragon. An angry Namjoon is the last thing anyone needs. As you made your way, you paused to see something bright come down the hall. They were leaving a trail of fairy dust as they flew with all their might. It was none other than Jimin who flew into you without even realizing.
"Woah! What's the rush?" You took a step back to give the fairy some space. Jimin shook his head in order to get himself together. He looked around the hallway before looking up at you with a suspicious looking grin.
"Nothing." Jimin's tone was not convincing.
"Jimin." You crossed your arms.
"What? Why are you assuming I did something wrong?" Jimin frowned as he patted his chest. He was doing his best to be seen as innocent and maybe he was. You raised a brow at him as he sighed. "Yoongi said he would bite me! That's why I was flying like crazy!"
"And why would he say that?" You looked past Jimin to make sure Yoongi wasn't chasing after him. It was possible the vampire was only saying that to freak Jimin out. If he did mean it, you would have to step in if Namjoon hasn't already.
"Because I said he was a kiss up and I'm right!" Jimin huffed. Okay. Your eyes went back to him as you pursed your lips.
"Jimin, don't put your life in danger. You know how Yoongi is. I'll do my best to keep you from getting hurt, but don't be rude." You scolded him as he transformed into his taller height. He shook his legs out and let out a heavy breath.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll try to play it safe. But he totally is." Jimin lowered his voice to you. He even had his hand covering one side of his mouth as he leaned close to you. "Really trying to make sure Namjoon doesn't make the order to kill him. Guess I can't blame him."
"And you should be making sure Namjoon doesn't make the same order against you. You barely got saved last time," You told him. Jimin almost seemed to have forgotten as it dawned on him. It hadn't been that long since everyone at the castle got mad at him for bringing you to the realm of the fae. Honestly, mainly your fault yet Namjoon refused to believe that. He was under the impression that Jimin could be a sly thing. Sort of true, but that had nothing to do with you entering the fae realm. "You should work on making a better impression on Namjoon."
"I'm trying!" Jimin insisted as he slung his arm around your shoulder. "The thing is, I think he sees me as competition. That's why he doesn't like me."
"Competition? For what?" You blinked at him, baffled the more he talked. Jimin was always either two steps behind or two steps ahead. It'd be nice if he could just pick one so you wouldn't feel like you were losing it. But of course, Jimin continued to confuse you with the way his frustrated expression turned into a smug smirk. The sudden change wasn't exactly soothing, but you were waiting to hear him spit it out.
"You don't know?"
"No."
"You really don't know?"
"Jimin!"
"Okay!" Jimin held his hands up. It's not like you would hurt him over something like this. The fairy chuckled lowly before he checked the hall once more. He kept his volume low as he leaned in to whisper near your ear. "I'm certain Namjoon likes you."
"Likes me?" You repeated.
"Yeah, that's why he's so protective over you. You haven't noticed?" Jimin tilted his head. You quietly looked back at him, wondering what exactly you missed. Looking back at your time with Namjoon, there were odd moments yet all of them felt platonic. Namjoon was going through so much. Romance is the last thing on his mind. "Come on, (F/n). You can't be this oblivious. You're just as bad as him!"
"He doesn't see me in that way, Jimin." You shook your head, lightly smacking his shoulder. It wasn't his place to be saying things like that.
"He totally does! I bet Namjoon would say 'fair maiden, thou art hot' if he had the guts!" Jimin stomped his foot. "But you know what? Better for me because I'm shooting my shot with you."
"You're what? Jimin, how come you hardly ever make sense?" You felt hopeless. Jimin just laughed at how clueless you were. It was not cute and you hoped he didn't actually find it funny. This would get on your nerves pretty soon if he didn't start saying things straight to your face. No slang or whatever. Just simple words so you could understand and process.
"What I'm saying is, I bet I can make you fall in love with me and Namjoon better watch out. I'll steal his girl." Jimin snickered. He wasted no time turning back into his small form in that moment. You coughed at the puff of smoke, waving your hands around. You were unable to catch Jimin as he flew away as fast as he could.
"Jimin!!" You shouted after him. He better be going down to the dining room to eat with the others. You swear, he's a little troublemaker that one.
There went Jimin off with his delusions. Should you just tell him you were taken? Tempting although you knew you would be getting scolded by Jungkook and Namjoon. Who would be the harshest about it? You didn't want to find out. Then with Jimin spouting that nonsense about Namjoon liking you romantically...no. You highly doubted that. He probably just thought you were stupid and constantly in need of help. Or he thought you were a determined young woman who was changing his mind about the new world. The second option was the nicest.
Sighing to yourself, you continued on your little journey to get all the guys for dinner. At least there were only a few left. As you went down the hall towards Namjoon's room, you noticed it was a little quiet. Was no one in there? You carefully peeked into Namjoon's room to check if anybody was lingering inside. From the looks of it, it was empty. Namjoon wasn't here nor was Yoongi. The bed was still unmade which made you shake your head. Where did Namjoon go thinking he can just leave it like that? It was tempting to go in there to fix it up, but you weren't his maid and you also didn't know if he liked it in a particular way. You'd really rather not get yelled at by him today.
"Snooping?" Yoongi's voice made you jolt. His hot breath on the back of your neck made the hairs stand up. He chuckled at your startled squeak. It wasn't so entertaining as you gasped at him with your heart racing violently. He didn't make a sound! He seriously came out of nowhere and now you were lightheaded because of him. "Frightened, Dear?"
"When you pop out like that, yes!" You turned around to take a step away from him. Yoongi was too close and he loved making you uncomfortable.
"What do you mean? I was in the mirror." Yoongi pointed it out. However when you looked at the mirror in Namjoon's bedroom, you only saw your own reflection. "Made you look."
"Yoongi!" You whined, but that only made him enjoy this more.
"You're so gullible." Yoongi stepped closer to you. He raised his hand up to grab a strand of your hair, playing with it between his fingers. "Do you not know anything about vampires?"
"I don't know what's real or not. You don't turn into ash in the sun, but you have no reflection. Should I keep garlic in my pocket?" You grabbed his hand, delicately putting it down. His hand was rather large in comparison to yours. It only amused Yoongi further as he stared you down at you with that intense gaze of his.
"Garlic is harmless. Just something humans made up to comfort themselves," Yoongi stated.
"What about a stake to the heart?" You asked.
"Anyone would die from that." Yoongi rolled his eyes. You suppose he was right about that. "Well, besides angels and demons."
"So you don't live forever?" You questioned.
"I'd be incredibly miserable if that were the case." Yoongi sighed. By this point he was just watching you laugh and absentmindedly playing with his hand. You didn't even realize you were playing with his fingers until there was silence between the both of you. When it finally occurred to you, you let go of him right away and coughed. How embarrassing. "You only look more enticing to me when the blood rushes up to your cheeks. Makes me want to take a bite..."
"..." You had no response for that. It was hard to think when Yoongi acted like this. Was he messing around or did he mean it? Again, Yoongi ignored the meaning of personal space as he brought a finger up to your chin. He didn't look at you in amusement this time. There was a different look in his eyes. Hunger. "Yoongi, you can't keep doing this. I'm..."
"You're...?" Yoongi lowered his hand. He stared at you suspiciously since you trailed off. Shoot. You swallowed hard, his eyes now glancing down to your throat. You almost mentioned that you were dating Florian. You caught yourself, but poorly.
"I'm–I'm not taking this anymore!" You put your hands on your hips. Did that look confident to him or did you look silly?
"What? Scared I'll take your first kiss?" Yoongi chuckled as you sighed.
"You're too late. Seokjin did that already," You stated without a care. That was so long ago at this point and he didn't even mean anything by it. It didn't matter to you. Honestly, you didn't really count it. The one you shared with Florian should be it. It was special.
"Seokjin!? But how?" Yoongi straightened up his posture. He scoffed as he stopped teasing you. His smirking and cocky attitude were gone now at the thought of the merman kissing you. His pupils thinned as he turned around with no warning. What? Your heart almost dropped to see him marching away.
"Yoongi, leave him alone! It's okay! He didn't mean it!" You yelled only to hear him growl. "Yoongi, please. Just go eat lunch with everyone!"
"I don't eat human food!" Yoongi huffed.
"Please. Eat something..." Your voice wasn't as loud this time. Just as you were hoping he heard, Yoongi stopped walking. He slowly turned his head to the side to nod silently. Nothing else was said as he took serious strides away from you. At least he didn't look ready to murder someone. How come they're always trying to hurt each other?
Should you make sure he doesn't kill Seokjin? You thought about it for a second. He looked calmer so you hoped you made the right judgment to just find Namjoon to get this over with. Once you get Namjoon, all of you can enjoy lunch peacefully. It'd be nice if he were in his room to make this easier for you. If only you had asked Yoongi where Namjoon was. The black haired vampire was long gone by the time you were looking over your shoulder for help. Looks like you'll keep walking around and just maybe you'll bump into him by chance.
Practically everyone was down stairs for lunch, so you decided that you might as well try with calling out Namjoon's name. He could be on the opposite side of the castle and you wouldn't know. Still, you settled with your simple method. There didn't seem to be any progress until you made it towards the end of the hallway. Finally, you heard Namjoon respond to one of your calls, letting you know he was in the last room. Yes! You hurried towards the last door and pushed it wide open. You'd never been in this room, but you were left in awe right away.
It must have been Namjoon's study. There were tall bookcases that reached the floor all the way around the room and stretched to the ceiling. They covered an entire wall while his large desk sat in the middle of the room. There was a lounging area right in front of his desk, but he chose to stand by the window. He was staring outside when you slowly walked up next to him. You weren't sure what he was looking at until you noticed his eyes were stuck on an old watering pump. It was beyond rusty and you doubted it would bring out any clean water. Maybe that's what was bugging him.
"Lunch is ready. Taehyung has most likely finished setting the table by now," You said.
"Thank you, Miss Caeton. I'll head down there in just a bit." Namjoon sighed. He stood with his arms behind his back and a somber expression. The idea of walking out of the room when he looked like that didn't sit well with you. His frown was sinking lower on his face to your dismay. "You're staring." He pointed out without looking at you. Immediately, it left you flustered despite it being obvious.
"O-Oh, well, I was only–I didn't–I apologize!" You waved your hands around in a panic. Namjoon sighed again before his eyes eventually met yours.
"Odd how a woman who holds her tongue like you is the strongest person I've yet to meet. And I've apparently been alive for a little over two hundred years." Namjoon tapped the bottom of your chin. "Head up, (F/n). I believe breaking a curse requires more confidence."
"Right, yes...I'm working on it." You balled your hands into two fists. Namjoon stared down at you with a raised brow. Was he not convinced? Your lips turned into a small pout as you attempted to puff out your chest.
"Now that's just strange." Namjoon shook his head at you.
"I'm trying!" You stomped your foot. Today started out good but now it might end with you just getting laughed at. You've embarrassed yourself enough. "Come on, lunch is ready and I bet the others are tired of waiting."
"Tired of waiting? Please, it's a must. I'm the head of this household and they shall all starve first before daring to eat before me." Namjoon adjusted his coat, flicking the tail of it behind him. His words were cold and harsh, yet you doubted he was joking about it. You nervously smiled as you followed him out into the hallway.
"Well, let's not think like that." You were doing your best to bring Namjoon into the new world. However, it did get you glared at and that was often. The prince didn't always appreciate your teachings, especially if they involved humbling himself. That ego of his was a real piece of work.
"And why not? Am I wrong?" Namjoon scoffed.
"Yes. O-Only because it's mean!" You weren't doing so great under his glare. And Jimin really thinks he likes you romantically? He must be out of his mind. You're walking on thin ice just like everybody else. The only one who's actually safe is Taehyung.
"Mean? You act as if I am a man of no morals." Namjoon unbuttoned the glove on his left hand.
"Well, you are willing to starve them..." You mumbled. Right away you got another glare. He didn't know how frantic it made you feel. Suddenly thoughts in your mind were scattered when he stared at you coldly. "I'm sorry, but it's true!"
"Remember your place, (F/n). I said you follow my orders and work for me. We are not equals." Namjoon removed his other glove. He still remembers the deal he made with you at the start?
"Gosh, can you just..." How do you not shout at him? Possibly his intimidating aura leaving you near mute. As frustrated as you were, you remained calm. "Joon, please. Let's just have a nice lunch, hm?"
You stopped Namjoon to grab his hand. You placed your other hand on top as you gave him a kind smile. Namjoon didn't expect you to grab his, much less say that to him. He knew he wasn't the kindest yet you continued to smile at him. Namjoon stared at you with slightly knitted brows. When he looked into your warm eyes, he found himself getting flustered. Namjoon glanced down to see your soft hands holding his bare ones. Somehow this felt too intimate for him as he removed his hand from you to tug on the collar of his coat. Now his entire outfit felt too stuffy for him at the moment.
"Yes, yes, I'll behave. Good heavens, why is it so hot in here?" Namjoon huffed. He took off without you, his long strides making you bounce on your toes.
The way Yoongi and Namjoon left was a bit similar. No wonder they got along so well. They were surprisingly close seeing as they haven't known each other for long and considering the way they met. You just shrugged to yourself and made your way down to the dining room. Already, you could hear all their voices. The guys were always loud and rowdy together. You could hear just how impatient they were to eat. A few were already arguing at the table and laughter surrounded them. At least it always ended well. You were about to walk through the archway when a quick flash of light stopped you. Instantly, you blocked your eyes and felt a feather touch your face.
"Oh, my bad." Jungkook grabbed the feather off of you.
"What an entrance..." You blinked your eyes a few times. Thankfully you could still see.
"It's always a good one." Jungkook chuckled but brought his hands to your face to inspect you. All he really saw was you pouting. " I'm sorry but it was an accident! I promise."
"I know." You sighed. He continued to squish your cheeks as if you were a baby. This was not how you wanted to spend your time at the castle.
"At least I came. Seems like something special is going on today." Jungkook gave you a small smile as he shrugged.
"You should really just start living with the boys at the castle. It would make it a lot easier for the rest of us," You suggested as Jungkook hummed in response.
"It would, wouldn't it? But there's a lot you don't know when it comes to being an angel." Jungkook sighed. No one knew anything about angels in general. There have been no sightings until Jungkook or at least that you've known of. They were secretive so it didn't surprise you that Jungkook preferred to keep it that way.
"Lunch is ready, Jungkook. Come join us and no more of this." You plucked his hands off your face. He was getting too comfortable with squishing your cheeks. "I'll have you know that I'm not a child."
"I couldn't help myself. You looked adorable. You always do." Jungkook grinned. He would have ruffled your hair if it weren't for your so-called glare. It would never intimidate anyway. You looked harmless and Jungkook felt tempted to coo at you. But if he did, you would get even more upset with him. "Okay, I'm sorry. Let's enjoy that lunch. Did you make it or the pixie?"
"I made it. And his name is Taehyung." You crossed your arms.
"I know, I had no ill intention with that. Poor phrasing on my part," Jungkook said, but you could never be sure. No matter what, you'll defend Taehyung. You'd like to think Jungkook was coming around to like Taehyung and not seeing him as an enemy. You couldn't say the same for Yoongi though. You'll just have to see how it goes.
You decided to pinch Jungkook's cheeks. It was time he tasted a little bit of his own medicine! Now you were the one giggling while Jungkook's cheeks turned pink. He looked so baffled and embarrassed by your actions. Serves him right! It didn't take long for Jungkook to pull your hands off and try to laugh about the situation. He was surprisingly awkward about it. Jungkook just wanted to head into the dining room already for food. Whatever games you were playing, he wasn't interested. More like he couldn't handle it when he was the one being teased! Jungkook coughed as he looked away from you. The smile on your face was wide as you got ready to join the others until you felt a web touch your skin.
"Oh my–EEUGH!" You jumped into the air, wiping off the web from you. It was a terribly disgusting feeling that had you wiggling your body like a crazy person. Jungkook chuckled at this even though you weren't enjoying a single second of it! "This isn't funny!" You huffed at him. It wouldn't wipe that grin off his face.
"Yes, yes, not funny at all." Jungkook brought his hands up to your shoulders before bringing you into a hug. "Don't worry. The web is off you now. Just don't look to the left on the wall."
"Is there a spider there?" You grabbed onto Jungkook tighter.
"No, but its lunch is." Jungkook shook his head. Lunch? You readjusted your head to view the web despite Jungkook's warning. The web was disgustingly thick. Someone needed to clean this corner! But aside from the disturbing web, you blinked at the stink beetle stuck in the white string. That's when you noticed it trying its best to escape yet it was futile.
"It's still alive." You pointed out. Slowly, you pulled away from Jungkook to stare at the stink beetle closer.
Normally, you weren't a fan of bugs. You preferred to keep them at a distance except this time you couldn't help yourself from feeling bad for the poor guy. Pursing your lips, you took off your shoe and removed the stink beetle by pushing through the web. However, their legs were stuck from the sticky web. You moved away from the web to crouch down and carefully remove the sticky strings off the beetle. You didn't really want to touch it, but you also couldn't leave it like that. The process was slow and Jungkook watched you the entire time before you teleported the free stink beetle outside. A soft sigh left your lips as you stood up and dusted off your hands.
"I thought you hated bugs." Jungkook cocked a brow up at you.
"I do...but I still felt bad. I don't know. I may not like them much, but I don't wish any harm to them. You know?" You said. It left Jungkook quiet for a moment as he took in your words. The empathy you had was beautiful to him. He almost didn't know what to say at first. Jungkook eventually smiled at you.
"I really like that about you. You're more than willing to help even those who you're not fond of." Jungkook was making you sound like a saint. All you did was help a bug in need.
"I couldn't just let him stay there..." You shrugged shyly. The strong gaze from the angel was making your face get flushed.
"It says a lot about you. Would you help out a spider in need?" Jungkook tilted his head, watching you scrunch your face up. You were empathetic, but even you had your limits. Jungkook immediately laughed at your reaction.
"S-Shush! Let's go join the others now!" You didn't want to hear any more from him. Jungkook continued to laugh as you pushed him into the dining room.
"Alright, let's see what you made." Jungkook let you shove him inside without struggling. As soon as he entered, Seokjin and Hoseok waved in excitement. Friendly smiles were given as Jungkook took a seat. Everyone was finally here.