"Just allowing us to be with you is enough. Allowing us to redeem ourselves from the pain that we had caused you is already a blessing in itself, Jasmine."" – Kim Seokjin
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The sun beam heats up your cheeks as you moan in annoyance. You still want to sleep. You still want to adrift on the sea of calmness and peacefulness. You moan again and wriggle. Pushing down the duvet, you roll on your stomach, wiggle a little until you find a more comfortable position. It's a bit cold so your arms instinctively reach out for something warm other than the annoying blanket or the heat of the morning sun.
A deep chuckle hush you down. You crawl to its direction and you wiggle again to settle. Satisfactorily, you hum.
"Baby... shouldn't you wake up already?" You hear the gentle inquiry, but like a passing dream, you only ignore.
"Stop that hyung. Let her sleep." A melodic voice scolds as you adrift again to your pleasant dream.
"Hyung? Hmn. Yes... She is here." You hear the deep honey-laced voice once again. Your eyes flutter and see a blurry angelic face smiling at you.
'Oh. How nice to dream angels.' You think. A small smile creeps on your lips alongside with a quite giggle as you wander back to dreamland. It feels so good with warmth hugging you close, though your feet wiggles in the cold.
Your consciousness resurfaces again as you feel being lifted up. You hum and mumble in gibberish.
"Hush, Babe. Just go back to sleep." Another voice soothes you up and once again you feel the softness of the fluffy clouds embracing you home.
A little later you feel freezing. It's cold. Sleepily, you reach for warmth, but whatever you do, you can't find the same comfort that kept lulling you again and again to dreamland. Distant murmurs finally wake you up. So slowly, you sit up. First, your right eye opens, followed with another. Then you realize that you are in a dark foreign space.
'This is not your room!' That fact makes you nervous.
As you try to think back of last night, you sigh in relief. You recall Jungkook carrying you at the living room. Maybe he had carried you back inside his bedroom and had closed all the curtains to keep you asleep. Gratefully, you caress the softness of the new sheets and lay again.
With closed eyes, you recall your entangled limbs and heated skins. His kisses at first may have been rough, given he was in rut. But what happened next was rather unexpected. He was so careful with you. He was so considerate. His kisses made you giggle. His touches would make you squeal with happiness. After the intense loving, he was then gentle, making sure of your comfort. He had even clothed you with his shirt. It makes you giddy.
Without caring how his huge shirt is drowning you, you stand up and groggily open the door to a very bright living room. You can't help but squint your eyes and rub them to adjust. The mattress is still lying on the floor, but you don't mind it as much as your bemoaning stomach. Following the fragrance of food, you take your step one at a time to a direction with hushed conversations.
"Good morning, Babe." A gentle voice sings.
"Huh?" That's not Jungkook's. You wonder and your eyes widen. Your blurry vision induced with your sleepiness finally clears. There at the dining table are the six of them, smiling at you. They look so at home with how relaxed they are.
"Still sleepy?" Taehyung chuckles.
You hiccupped and immediately turn, planning to hide, but you flinch with the wall of muscle blocking your way.
Gazing up, you look at a pair of kind dragon eyes.
"Good morning, Jasmine." Namjoon greets.
Gasping, you suddenly push him with all your might and run back to where you've been.
"Where's my clothes?" You mutter to yourself as you almost bang your head on the solid wood while cradling your flushed face.
Not a second after, you hear Jungkook worriedly calling you while knocking on the door.
"Nuna...Baby? What's wrong?" The youngest asks.
"My clothes... where is it? Ohhh... I haven't washed my face-." You loudly blab but immediately stop, realizing that they can hear you.
You hear him chuckle. "Come on. We don't care about that."
"B-but I do." You almost scream.
"It doesn't matter... you look cute."
You still your heart as you turn on the lights. So slowly, you turn the knob and slightly open the door. The first thing you see is Jungkook's amused face, then the others, practically craning to see you. "I need my clothes." You whisper.
"Baby... It's no use... You run here with your night clothes with haste. They are wet. They need washing. What you wear right now is more decent, if you ask me." He grins.
"Fuck!" You mutter to yourself as you silently step backwards and sit on his bed.
"Is everything alright?" The concern on Jimin's voice flinches you right up on alert and great worry. "Jasmine? Babe?"
"Jungkook..." You start to whine with great nervousness, not minding the other men by the door. "Why are they all here?"
Jungkook's smile fades a little as he looks at you so intently. He approaches and lovingly brushes your messy hair after he mouths something to whoever at the man or men that you assumed to be piling on the bedroom's entrance.
"Can I remind you what we had agreed in Busan?" He asks gingerly while rubbing his thumb on your wrist.
"That's not fair. You didn't honor it last night when I asked for your address." You remind him how he hanged up on you.
"That's because I didn't want to use my rut for you to come to me." He explains.
"But you still waited at the door." You whisper.
"Because my soul somehow knew that you were coming. The pain was no longer as intense as before." He honestly replies.
"You didn't tell me that." You pout.
"You didn't ask." He grins. "Please, baby. I know you are hungry." His nose crunches as he pleads with you. "Come on."
"I-I should wash first." You say as you quietly stand and walk towards his bathroom, not even waiting for his reply.
While taking a quick shower, you contemplate on telling them what you had been thinking before you came for Jungkook. Things that are somehow awkward to say, but you find so important. Should you tell them? What if they don't like it? What if you don't like their responses? Then you remember how you asked them to be honest... and so, you should too.
Awhile later, you feel so stupid as you stand in front of them with Jungkook's jogging pants and shirt that seems to swallow you whole. You may feel so tiny and uncomfortable, however, they seem to think otherwise. Their endeared smiles and lingering gazes are very telling.
Seemingly understanding your predicament, Jimin hurriedly guides you to a seat. Jin immediately stands to heat your breakfast. What follows is silence. But, unlike the premise of your serious talk in Busan, it's no longer awkward. Perhaps, because a lot of misunderstandings had been cleared out. Though you are still apprehensive, but you can't be starting a new if you won't try to be with them. Definitely, it's with the same reason why they are all here.
While waiting for anyone to start the conversation, your attention wonders to Jungkook's perks on his penthouse and then to the six of them on the dining table. Maybe, because of the smaller dining area, you feel intimately close. You can't keep your gaze away from them for too long. They are just too gorgeous not to notice. They are simply ravishing.
'How are they so cool and handsome this early?' You can't help land your gaze to their bare chests with their unbuttoned shirts... their rolled-up sleeves, popping the muscles on their arms... the flawlessness of their tender collarbones and the moist forming on their necks.
Realizing how you have been casually ogling with them, you blush.
Your skin flushes more with the way their lips curve into amused grins. Their orbs twinkles in delight with your presence. They seem so grateful and in fact elated to see you... or you are just reading too much with how they seem to coo with your every move.
As you clear your throat, a bubble of consciousness seemingly pops in front of them, making them sit upright.
"You're here!" You sound like an excited fan with how you stupidly state the obvious. Before you can retract the sentence, you hear them chuckle. Ultimately, you morph into a ripened tomato. So ripe, you feel like you would pop and rot any minute.
"I hope you don't find us ruining your stay with our golden maknae." Hoseok is the first one to talk with his bright sunny smile.
You shake your head with that. Although, you find all their presence unnerving, but you can't help be grateful as well that you don't have to wait for along time to see all of them again. You know how busy they are. So, it's better like this. As much as you want to deny, somehow, your soul also craves to see them. Besides, prolonging what you want to inquire and to clarify will just make you feel more unsure.
"So..." You breathe a soft sigh while looking at them intently. "Should I remain your Aphrodite?" You pop the question directly.
Silence.
The way their brows knit in confusion unsettles you.
"I-I mean-" You stutter in uneasiness. 'Perhaps I asked the wrong question? But I really want to know.'
"Not..." Taehyung abruptly stands, making you flinch on your seat. His seat almost falls down, tumbling on the tiled floor, if not with Namjoon's quick reflex. You can't help but be concerned with Taehyung's gaze, burning on yours. He looks more afraid rather than angry. "No." He corrects himself after clearing his throat. "Why would you ask that? No."
"Calm down Tae." Hoseok immediately hushes the younger down as he pulls the man back to his seat. His smile doesn't fade, though it's no longer sunny. It's more like a polite and understanding smile.
"I-I mean... If I am no longer working as Aphrodite with you... I should..."
"You should?" Namjoon gently coaxes you to continue.
"I should just leave the penthouse and back to my old apartment. I should find a job." Your voice decreases into a hush mumble with your head down low. They don't seem to like what you are suggesting.
"You don't need to do that. You don't need to work." Jin answers as he busily plates your food in front of you. You can't miss the little shake of his hand as he does so.
"B-but I must."
"Why? We can provide anything you need... anything you want and more." Taehyung says.
"B-but I can't just rely on you. What if you don't want me anymore... What if the time comes when you decide that you don't need me?" You finally have the guts to say what you had been thinking all along as you sit on the couch of the penthouse that they provided for their Aphrodite... for you.
"What are you talking about?" You hear Jungkook's nervous chuckle.
'What am I talking about?' You are confused and conflicted with their reaction as well.
"Babe." Jimin worriedly calls as he reaches for your hand. They feel cold and sweaty. "You are our soulmate... not an Aphrodite."
"I-I know... you told me so." You mumble, feeling so little. "Just what if... After giving birth... You'll get tired of me... What will happen to me?"
You had known many men such as themselves who left their soulmates especially after giving them the child that they wanted. Being soulmates is not a security after all. If it is, divorce shouldn't have been legal. The concept shouldn't have existed in the first place. After giving birth, they might let you go. It would hurt you so much. It would tear you apart, for you had dreamed to be a loving mother to your future children... allowing them to feel the motherly love that you lack. What if they will do the same to you? If you become too dependent, how will you survive then?
"We won't do that to you." Hoseok's hands are warm as he too reaches for your other hand.
'Won't? How sure are you?' You want to ask but you opt not to. They seem so taken aback with what you were saying as the silence prolongs.
"Jasmine..." Yoongi gently calls your attention. Your name on his lips sounds heavenly. You can't stop yourself from lifting your eyes to his understanding pair. "What are you thinking?" He asks.
"I... I just don't know what to do." You honestly say. "I don't know how this works." You admit. "What are you expecting of me?" You really want to clarify what a soulmate entails for them. Is it the same to how you envision it? Loving... pure... unconditional... eternal? They are seven, they would surely have different views.
"Jasmine." Namjoon's voice mellows into a hushed baritone. It is soothing the nerves that are quick to escalate in every second that passes. "What we want from you is not for you to quell our sexual needs. It's not to simply satisfy our soul then discard you after."
You intently listen.
"What we want is to build a great relationship with you as soulmates. Then... if you allow us... be your eternal partners... be your husbands." Yoongi finishes with his hands holding on the simple couple rings hanging on his chain necklace.
"I-I... I don't know." You mutter. Your heart is jumping with glee. 'Be your husbands...' It's so nice to hear those words. That's what you have been dreaming of. All those times when you wished for your soulmate to come. When you didn't witness the other side of what might have been. Yes... You had heard hundreds of vows of love of forever with your previous work, but not all of them were from soulmates... some were pretense or mutual understanding between couples tied for convenience. In fact, few were true, considering how most of your clients were from the high society who mostly consider wealth meter more than the soul meter. However, you chose to not see it for you hoped that if you would be married... it would be with your soulmate.
"We don't expect anything actually." Jungkook says with a sure blazing gaze on yours. The nervousness is no longer on his face.
"It's not for you to give us children. Though it would be great to have them, but heck! I won't care if we won't be blessed with one. As long as we are together as a family." Taehyung says.
"You want me as your family?" You whisper. The words are so foreign. It's only for those fortunate happy people. Family for you are nonexistent. Can you build one with them even without knowing how?
"We are basically one already. Marriage is just a ceremony to tell the entire world what we are ready to commit. With or without it, we are already family." The tenderness of Jimin's melodic voice once again seeps through your brain.
"Marriage?" You can picture that. You are brought into a daze with the thoughts of a simple ceremony... with the seven of them waiting for you at the altar... with them one by one sincerely and whole heartedly reciting their vows in front of - "Isn't it too early for that?" You add before you can dwell much more of that happy imagery.
"Then... we should date." Namjoon says.
Everyone nods with a the brightness of their smiles returning on their pleased lips.
"Let us know each other more." Yoongi gummily smiles.
"As our soulmate, I hope you allow us to provide you with everything-"Hoseok giddily beams.
"But I can't!" Your tongue is quick to deny the latter. "I can't just simply receive without doing anything in return."
"Just allowing us to be with you is enough." Jin gingerly caress your chin to look up to his soft almond eyes. They look teary but still beautiful. You can still peek a bit of guilt for what he had done, but you understand him. "Allowing us to redeem ourselves from the pain that we had caused you is already a blessing in itself, Jasmine." He lovingly adds.
"B-but..." You start to reason.
"Just think that we give you is like an allowance a proper husband should give to his wife." Jungkook giggles.
"If you really want to work. We won't stop you. But it's nicer if you won't. Just be with us, please, babe." Jimin pleas.
"I am not used to that." You honestly respond.
"If you view this as work, then, so be it. Please let us spoil you, darling love." Jin says with a twinkle on his eyes, making you swoon.
The rest hums enthusiastically in agreement.
Your heart swells with the comfort of their answers. Words can't define how thankful you are with them. Thus, you simply nod.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hello!
Are you still following this story? What do you think with this chapter?
I'm sorry if it took me awhile to update. Work has been keeping me up these days. I hope this chapter will somehow light up your day!
Heads up for ultimate fluff balls on the next chapters!
- Gigi