"He's asleep," Jungkook yawns.
The words are the first thing your consciousness registers.
Next is the cream-colored walls, then the warm fire burning scarlet and amber in an iron-grated fireplace. The floor is mellow wood that softens the dark forest green accents enough to melt into the chocolate brown of the furniture.
It's smells like vanilla again, homey and soft and warm.
You peer around at the heavenly room, confused.
Weren't you just at Wooseok's house?
Jungkook is settled into the chocolate leather sofa, one arm behind his head and the other holding your waist, keeping you tucked sweet and safe into his side.
He's in a simple grey T-shirt and sweatpants, and barefoot. He looks so happy and relaxed that it's disconcerting.
When have you seen him like this? With no worries or burdens in sight?
The entire concept is juxtaposed by the presence of his tattoos, curling like vines around his biceps and throat and wrist in familiar patterns that you've come to love. Their beauty is a reminder of how difficult and hard to bear his life is - so how is he so unburdened now?
With a sigh, Jungkook turns his head and lets his lips brush your earlobe. "I have to work tomorrow," he hums, "but I took the morning shift so I can get home before nighttime. We can all eat dinner together."
All?
Is he speaking about his brothers, as well?
Maybe this is the new house is where you all reside, free of any concerns. If so, then you're more than happy to fall into the illusion which you're rapidly realizing is a dream.
Your fuzzy consciousness is just like last time, when you dreamed of the bakery in Jin's pristinely-carpeted mansion.
Before you knew Jungkook could ever sway your heart.
"So, I was thinking," says the subject of your thoughts, "-that maybe we could consider you getting a job soon?"
A job?
You glance around the beautiful room again and marvel at how you can afford it when you don't even have a job.
"Um...sure," you say uncertainly. "A job. Easy peasy."
Jungkook can hear the strange lilt in your voice and straightens to look you in the eye.
His black gaze is gentle and melty, like softening butter in the sun. "I know it'll be hard. And it's not that we need money, but I don't want you to feel trapped here, Y/N. Find something you love to do and do it. I want you to be happy."
"I am happy," you say immediately, but pause at your quick response.
Who was that answering? Dream-you, or the you who understands that this is all a big play in your head?
Are you happy?
Jungkook pulls you with strong arms into his lap, turning you so your legs rest on the couch and you're sideways. He laces two soft kisses across your neck, breathing against you with warm breath.
You let your cheek rest on the top of his head, and inhale.
Earthy and cool and masculine.
He smells like home.
"You can't go out much," says the man holding you with more care than a lion cuddling a lamb. "I don't want you to be cooped up here, though. It doesn't have to be a job. A hobby, or something. Anything. I'm taking earlier shifts so I can be home."
Your heart melts.
Jungkook kisses your neck again, scraping his teeth lightly against your skin. His lip rings are smooth and warm, lips pliable and dragging as they trace up.
"Okay," you whisper, barely able to think. "Maybe I'll take up pottery or something."
He murmurs against you. "Mhm. Pottery. Good." He nips your earlobe gently.
Youre caring less and less that this is all a dream as Jungkook turns you on his lap so you're straddling him, his earth-and-male scent encompassing you as he kisses you in this house made of vanilla and honey and sweet, sweet dreams.
Jungkook's hand has found its home on your thigh, stroking the top of your tattoo.
"Well, Mrs. Jeon," he growls in a sexy rasp, letting his lips catch on yours with every word, "-I think it's about time I get you to bed."
"I think you're r- wait, what?"
Your brain short-circuits.
Did he just say...
"Mrs. Jeon..." you choke. "Did you just say-"
He doesn't hear your intangible whisper. "Come on, princess. I think we have a pit stop to make before bed time, hmm?"
Pit stop?
Jungkook lifts you off of his lap and to your feet, following you off of the couch. His hand folds over yours, fingers intertwining like they'll never let go.
He pulls you through the beautiful house, your feet sliding on the wood floors as you enter a wide, airy hall way with wide windows that you can see the starts through.
"I'm your star, princess," Jungkook teases when you pass. "Don't ever forget it."
You can't respond.
The first doorway is what Jungkook turns into, a dark room with a twinkly star nightlight plugged into the corner.
"Holy crap," you whisper, realizing what this room is when you see the cabinet full of soft colored toys and diapers.
This is a freaking nursery.
Which must mean...
"Look at how beautiful he is," Jungkook mumbles, voice full of awe and love. "We made that, Y/N. Look at his fingers."
Jungkook doesn't have to tell you to look; you can't do anything else but look.
Because in a silvery-blue bassinet in front of you rests the most beautiful baby you've ever seen. He's still young and tiny, but he's got a thick head full of silky black hair, his tiny toes wrapped in an itty-bitty yellow sock.
You stumble closer, letting your hands rest on the edge of his crib.
The baby's tiny chest is moving beneath the blanket, and each inhale is suddenly your entire world. This tiny thing here holds your everything in the palm of his minuscule fist.
This is your son.
A pair of arms wrap lovingly around your waist, and Jungkook rests his head on your shoulder.
"Isn't he incredible?" he asks, and suddenly everything he was saying before makes sense.
You can all eat dinner together - the two of you and your son.
He doesn't want you to feel trapped or cooped up here - because you've just had a baby, and you've been too busy looking after a newborn to work or do much of anything.
Mrs. Jeon.
You look at your left hand and almost pass out at the diamond engagement ring and wedding band paired together on your ring finger.
With a single glance, you confirm that a matching band wraps around Jungkook's finger.
You're married.
Married.
And you have a child.
What the holy heck is going on?
"Hey, little man," Jungkook coos. "Hey, Taehyung."
Tae
Hyung
The name crashes through, steals the breath from your chest and leaves it an empty shell, ready to collapse in on itself.
Surely you named him that for good. Because Taehyung has been and always will be one of Jungkook's best friends. Because he's the favorite, loving uncle of your son.
A waterfall roars through your ears.
"Why...did we name him Taehyung?" you ask woodenly. Your eyes are stuck on the infant, dry as a desert. "Remind me."
Jungkook goes still around you. "You know why. In honor of, you know, Taehyung. Kim Taehyung. Because we...because we lost him."
Because we lost him.
"Where's Jimin?" you mumble.
With a sigh heavier than gravity, Jungkook lets his forehead fall to your shoulder. "I'm not sure, still. I haven't heard from him since he and Yoongi hyung dropped off the map."
"Jin?" you ask, voice trembling with your growing horror. "Namjoon? Hoseok?"
Releasing you, Jungkook steps around to touch your child's palm. His hand wraps around his father's large finger, innocent and sweet in the midst of a conversation that's making tears well in your eyes.
"Jin hyung and Namjoon hyung contact me sometimes," says Jungkook tightly. "After that night when we couldn't save-" He stops talking and swallows hard. "-anyways, we all parted ways, remember? I think Jin hyung is running a restaurant in Seoul somewhere. I'm not sure. Haven't seen him since we moved to Busan. Namjoon hyung moves around a lot. And Hobi hyung's in prison."
"Why?!" you cry.
The aggressiveness of your exclamation startles Jungkook into looking back at you. "He found whoever murdered his parents, but he got caught trying to avenge them. Arrested for attempted murder and assault," a bewildered Jungkook tells you. "Y/N, you know all of this. Why are you asking?"
Because you didn't.
You didn't know that this is your fate after Taehyung was lost forever.
The family broken up, scattered and out of touch. As sweet as your life with Jungkook may be, as beautiful and breathtaking as your child is, you've broken up another family in the process.
And you couldn't save him. No one could save him.
You know everyone who's still alive must be haunted by that every day. You can see proof of it in Jungkook's eyes, in the way he goes stiff and anxious when you talk about it.
Sweet Taehyung.
Even in a dream, you can feel the pain.
"Princess, what's wrong?" Jungkook can sense the shift in your mood. He lets his arms drape around you, pressing you to his chest to quell your emotional outbreak. "It's been years. I know it still hurts, but I thought we got past this?"
Got past Taehyung.
Like he's a memory you're all trying to forget.
No.
Even as you stand there, semi-conscious in your dream state with your husband and child beside you, you chose.
This life isn't the one you're going to have.
Your life is going to be filled with the laughter and warmth of family. Your children are going to have six vicious, dangerous hitmen that they call uncles, and one they call father.
You're going to save Kim Taehyung, or die trying.
You wake up completely coherent and already on the move.
It's still dark outside, the dead of night. You must've been sleeping for a while.
Jungkook rolls out of your lap when you stand up, teetering on the edge of the couch for a moment before falling to the floor.
He grunts when he hits the floor, but you ignore him, stepping over his offended figure and marching toward the nearest man.
"Wake up," you say, shaking Jin without mercy. "Get up, all of you."
As the men slowly come back to life, Jungkook rubs the back of his head and peers up at you.
"What is it?" he groans. "Why'd you push me off the couch?"
"I needed you up," you bark. "Come on."
Even more confused, Jungkook pushes to his feet, Namjoon standing beside him. "Why? What are you doing?"
"No. It's 'what are we doing?'." You stand in the middle of the room and watch your tiny but deadly army rousing from slumber. "And the answer is: work. We've got work to do, so get up."
"Work?" Yoongi grumbles as he rubs his eyes. "What did you have in mind at 4:00 in the morning?"
The oppressive sense of helplessness from before is gone. Right now, you're energized, motivated, and more than ready to get things done. Taehyung needs help, and the seven o you lazing around in Wooseok's living room isn't doing a single beneficial thing.
It's time to freaking get work done.
You give each man a shark's grin, and spread your arms as invitation. "What else could it be, boys? We're going to save Taehyung."
[A/N]
Unedited
HAPPY DOUBLE UPDATE