"This is the worst," I said to him.
Jin spun on his heels to face me—well to look down at me, actually—and glared at me like I personally offended him.
"The others warned me about how hard it is to get you to warm up to dates. C'mon, Y/N. If you keep this up, you're never going to have a boyfriend and you're going to die alone with Kitty and all of her descendants."
Well, shit. That was harsh.
"Wow, okay. That was a little uncalled for."
"Was it, though?"
"I—"
"Don't answer that," Jin cut me off. He waved his hands as if he were trying dismiss whatever thought I had. "If you don't want me to roast you anymore, I suggest you shut up and enjoy the art with me."
"But—but—there isn't really anything to enjoy. It's all just scribbles and paint splatters," I whined.
"You really have no appreciation for art, do you?"
"Uh... What makes you say that?" I quizzed with an innocent, sarcastic smile.
"The fact that you're looking at the greatest piece of artwork, my face, and you haven't shown appreciation for it at least once in your life."
"That isn't true," I argued, wracking my brain for backup evidence.
The only time I could remember actively appreciating Jin's face was when I had first received all seven of my boys in their cardboard box, along with a plastic coating that separated them from me.
"Yeah?" Jin raised an eyebrow, taking a step closer to me.
"Yeah."
"Then prove it to me."
I strained my neck to look up at Jin without backing up. A smile broke out across his lips and eyes as I did so.
"You really are short, aren't you?"
I smirked at him, taking his hand in mine so we could continue walking by the artwork. "Thank you for taking the time to admire the perfect, petite little sculpture that I am."
He squeezed my hand in his. "If we're both pieces of art, then maybe we were crafted for each other."
I laughed, shaking my head. "C'mon, cheese head. Let's finish so we can go get coffee."
♡ ♡ ♡
To say that Taehyung was excited was an understatement.
"Woah!" Taehyung exclaimed, the light from all the different games dancing in his eyes.
Fascinated, Taehyung's gaze traced the entire building, from the prizes to the games to the cluster of people crowding the inside.
He originally wanted to go for a walk, but the more I watched the amazement conquer his features, the more I knew that taking him to an arcade instead was the best idea.
Go Y/N.
We walked further inside the building and stopped again so that he could look around.
"This is so cool!" He shouted with a clap.
A mom holding her kid's hand steered in a direction away from Taehyung. She cast a glare at Taehyung, which I reflected back at her before she scoffed and disappeared into the people.
"What do you want to do first?" I asked him. "Do you want to get food or—Taehyung?"
I spun around, frantically searching for the ex-doll who disappeared from my side. The image of him wandering alone, scared and confused, frightened me. Especially since it wasn't the first time it happened.
"Taehyung! Where are you?"
"Tae!"
"Tae Tae?"
My calling out for him got more and more pointless. I couldn't find him anywhere no matter how quickly I slipped through arcade games and pushed through people.
Until I found him.
Holding a kid's hand.
"Taehyung! What are you doing?" I demanded, speed-walking toward him.
He smiled at me with a wave. "Hey, Y/N. This guy lost his Mommy so I'm helping him find her. Have you seen his Mommy?"
Wait... what?
"I—" No, I haven't.
"Maybe there's somewhere in here we can take him where his mom can look for him," I suggested, surveying the frightened little kid who turned to hug Taehyung's leg.
"There you are!" A feminine voice boomed over the music with relief. "How many times have I told you not to run away from me?"
The tall woman weaved through a few people before reaching out to pick up her son. The little kid held onto Taehyung's leg in protest and began to cry, before realizing his mother was the one trying to take him.
He released Taehyung's leg and wrapped his arms around his mother's neck as soon as he was hoisted up on her hip.
She mouthed a grateful "Thank you" at Taehyung before turning to walk away with her son in her arms, soothing him with gentle and comforting words.
Taehyung's face fell as he watched the kid being carried away.
"Do you think I could have kids one day, Y/N?" He suddenly asked.
The question took me aback, but thinking quickly, I offered him a small smile. "I believe that's your choice. But we don't have to worry about that now. C'mon, what do you want to do?"
His face lifted back up, forgetting the little boy. "Laser tag!"
♡ ♡ ♡
Jimin's idea for a date was the one I was the most nervous for.
How was I supposed to participate with him during karaoke night when I couldn't sing? At all?
"I'm sure you'll be great," Jimin encouraged me. "You already have the voice of an angel."
"Then your perspective of me is about to completely change," I admitted. "Because my singing voice sounds like a goat choking to death."
He wrinkled his nose at my comment. "That's disgusting."
"Exactly... and hey, you're one to talk. You're the one always making gross perverted comments."
"At least they have nothing to do with goats or choking—okay maybe choking but that honestly depends what you're into—"
"Jimin," I stopped him, not wanting to hear the end of that thought. "Shut up."
"Oh, please." He laughed. "I'm just trying to get you to laugh and loosen up. You're way too tense. This is supposed to be fun."
"I've told you, I won't sound very good."
"Then we can sound awful together."
"That's the thing though!" I threw my hands up in the air for emphasis. "You can't sing poorly. It's literally impossible. "
"You flatter me, Y/N, but you're not getting out of this."
"I figured as much."
"You get to pick the song."
"Okay," I agreed. "Let's sing some worship or gospel music to cleanse your filthy mind."
"Hmm... after careful consideration of your request, I'm sorry to inform you that your inquiry has been denied." Jimin shook his head.
"What about one of Taehyung's nursery rhymes?"
"I've got enough headaches from those. We all have," Jimin countered.
I slumped further in the booth, hoping to hide under the table so that I could make a break for it. Jimin's legs weren't as long as Namjoon's, so maybe if I ran for it he wouldn't be able to catch me...
"Looks like we're up," Jimin stood up from his seat, catching my arm before I could sliver away. He pulled me out of the booth with him until we were walking up, side by side.
And then I died. Mentally and emotionally.
However, Jimin's voice saved our performance and I was resurrected. And he agreed that I should never be allowed to sing again after hearing my first note.
♡ ♡ ♡
"So." Hoseok smiled wide, lowering himself to bump his shoulder against mine. "Have you decided?"
After fitting another piece of strawberry into my mouth with my fork, I glanced up from my fruit cup to meet Hoseok's excited eyes. I used my elbows to push myself off of the counter I was leaning against so I could face the others who were slowly funneling into the kitchen.
"I did," I absentmindedly answered, looking back down at my fruit to stab a piece of pineapple with my fork. I put the piece in my mouth and chewed for a moment while they all stared at me.
I swallowed the pineapple. The fruit cup was momentarily forgotten as I set it down on the counter behind me.
They watched my every move.
Hoseok waited beside me with his sunshine-orange hair prominent in my peripheral vision. He held Kitty in his arms while she purred, and I ran a hand through her fur while I observed the others.
Yoongi was slouched over the dining table with a steaming cup of coffee sitting in front of his folded hands. His eyes were tired but malicious while he anticipated my answer. While I watched him, he ruffled his mint hair like a cat scratching an itch behind its ear.
Jungkook sat across from Yoongi, nervously slurping his iced coffee. His dirty-blonde hair was swept over his eyes, which he continuously pushed out of his eyes with his free hand.
Namjoon stood on Taehyung's other side. His grape-hair was a mess of tangles that made him look more like a raisin than a grape, ironically. Some of it was matted to his forehead. It made me wonder if he lost sleep to a nightmare—he'd been having those recently without books to soothe his mind.
I needed to get him some new ones soon.
Taehyung stood silently by the sink, glancing at it every few moments as if he were still afraid of it from when I bathed them in there. Unlike the other dolls, his hair was perfectly brushed and fell in a silky frame around his curious expression.
Jimin paced behind Yoongi. His cotton candy hair stuck straight up because he got ahold of some gel and got a little too curious. I was supposed to help him wash it later, but the more I stared at it the more I wanted to leave it.
And Jin was asleep on the couch, which led me to believe he switched bodies with Yoongi.
All seven of those dorky, human-turned dolls were my boys and I couldn't bear the thought of choosing between them.
I couldn't leave six of them behind by choosing one.
"I've decided that it's a little unfair. I'm the only girl you guys have ever gotten to know well. So, I think that you should get out more and date other people. Experience the real world a little more, y'know?"
The six boys, the awake boys, exchanged a web of glances while they considered the notion.
"But what if we decide we don't like other people? What if we still want to be with you?" Jungkook perked up.
I doubt it. There are far more interesting people in the world than me... one day they'll realize they deserve better.
I smiled at him with the bittersweet thought still clouding my mind. "You won't."