"Demons," Jungkook whispered ominously, his face illuminated by the fluorescent light shed from the computer screen. "I'm telling you guys, it's definitely demons."
"Babe," Meisa gasped, one arm wrapped around his shoulder as she stared at the computer as well. "I think you may be right."
Aera squinted to read the words on the screen better. "How do I know if I'm being possessed by a demon?"
"This is useless," Jimin commented, plopping down on the couch next to Aera. She gulped upon feeling his thigh brush against hers. At the same time, she was glad he had gone back to his usual, not-shell-shocked self. "We may never be able to figure it out."
"If you have a better idea, please, I'm open to suggestions," Jungkook's lips stretched in a wide exaggerated grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Unless it involves you grabbing my computer and slamming it against a wall."
"Jungkook!" Meisa scolded in a hushed voice. "Too soon."
"I have a question. When you turn invisible, can people still hear you? Because I'd give anything not to listen to your desperate attempts at sarcasm now." a low growl reverberated through Jimin's chest and it made Aera shudder.
"Stop this," Namjoon intervened, determined to restore the peace. "Jungkook, don't talk like this to Jimin, he's older than you. Also, I'm fairly sure he could easily smash you against the ground like a fly now." A visible wince passed through his face and his shoulders slightly stiffened.
"Not if he can't see me," Jungkook grinned mischievously and Jimin grunted, slightly jerking forward when Aera quickly placed her hand over his and he glanced over at her, taken aback. The tension was escalating and was affecting everybody. He was already on edge from almost killing a person, she didn't want him getting even more upset.
"Enough," Namjoon commanded, his hand darting at his temples where he rubbed them. "It's already midnight. We're not going to miraculously come up with an explanation now. I suggest that we call it a night and continue this tomorrow."
"That's probably the most reasonable thing we could do right now," Jin added from across the room.
It had been some hours before Aera had come back from going after Taehyung and had discovered that everyone was still in the security room, including Jin. Turned out, Namjoon and the others had filled him in on everything and he had stayed, now involved in this along with them.
Aera had been surprised to find out that Hoseok had mysteriously left shortly after her.
"We still have to find out what Hyukjae and Yoongi are up to," Jungkook mumbled, chewing on the inside of his cheek.
"And if what Aera saw in that mirror was indeed her uncle, we need to know what did he mean by "it wasn't an accident" and "it's always been you", Namjoon sighed.
"There's also what Vera said. About a Red and a Black thread," Jimin added. "And something grim, and something about a barrier."
"I googled this about the threads and nothing came up. Except for a bunch of sites offering custom-made necklaces and anklets." Jungkook groaned, leaning back into his chair.
"Actually this one is similar to what the ghost of Aera's uncle had said. Didn't he say something about a barrier being gone? Vera said the same thing. So all of this must be connected." Meisa pondered.
"Lee Dongho also said "don't trust him"," Jimin frowned slightly. "What would that even mean? Who isn't Aera supposed to trust?"
"Perhaps her brother?" Jungkook supposed.
"Wouldn't this be too obvious?" Jin reflected. "I know Hyukjae is the first person that comes to mind when thinking of someone who wants to harm Aera, but what if he isn't the only one? What if there's someone else we just can't think of right now?"
"Okay, that's enough for one day," Namjoon finally said, causing thankfulness to blossom in Aera's heart. She honestly thought she was going to combust with all of the thoughts and possibilities that came over her. "Tomorrow is the annual charity event organized by the Lee Family Corporations. Hyukjae and Yoongi will both be there, along with their loyal pets, the other security guards. We'll gather together tomorrow morning and come up with a plan about how to find out what they're conspiring about. There'll be lots of liquor and we all know partying is Hyukjae's weakness. He's bound to get sloppy or say something he isn't supposed to when drunk."
"I say we focus on Hyukjae for now, see what we can get out of him once the liquor kicks in. Yoongi is sneaky. He's way too smart to make any mistakes, so as long as he's not around Hyukjae for a while, I think we have a chance to succeed," Jimin said and everyone nodded in strong agreement.
"We need to separate them. If Yoongi is around, he'll be extra vigilant to not let anything slip Hyukjae's mouth. So I say our strategy should be the good old "divide and conquer", Jungkook gave a crooked smile.
"So it's decided," Namjoon clapped his hands. "Let's all meet here tomorrow before the party. In the meantime, Jimin, Aera," he shifted his gaze to the two sitting on the couch. "I need you to get back to the penthouse tomorrow and check really adamantly whether anything is missing. That bizarre 'flameless fire' occurred minutes after Hyukjae left the penthouse. At the time, I thought this could be a coincidence, but now I'm not so sure. He was there on purpose, and the fire may end up having been used as a distraction for him to achieve one of his malicious goals."
Aera and Jimin nodded. After a couple of more minutes of useless brainstorming, everyone agreed with Namjoon it was for the best to call it a night.
Walking back to the elevator, Aera was deep in thought. She recollected how intimidating Jimin had seemed back then when Taehyung was provoking him. The contrast of being kind and caring with her and cold and menacing towards anyone who might want to hurt her had always fascinated her. These day and night transformations his demeanor did in less than a second were captivating her. No matter how unpredictable his temper was, he had always been warm towards her. For her, he was the embodiment of safety and protection and his presence never failed to soothe her.
She wished she could do the same for him.
"Do you want to come over?"
An audible 'huh?' rolled off of Aera's tongue. Her brain froze and her eyes snapped up at Jimin whose jaw was slightly clenched, outlining its sharpness that became even more evident to her now. She gulped.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable by asking this," he spoke quickly once noticing her reaction, but continued gazing relentlessly at her instead of averting his eyes. "I'm not suggesting anything inappropriate. It would be easier for me to execute my duties and keep you safe if I was closer to you. I don't want to leave you alone anymore."
Aera's heart picked up its pace. There it was, that static electricity cracking through the air between them every time they were left alone lately.
"I'd completely understand if you think that this would be going overboard. You can still spend the night at the penthouse, but I'd insist on staying outside by the door so that I could register any existing threats on time," Jimin uttered, sounding so formal and professional all of a sudden.
"I don't want to go back to the penthouse," Aera admitted in a weak voice, her gaze gravitating towards her feet.
"I don't want you to go back there either, not after what there happened today," Jimin's voice softened, his dark hues peering at her from under messy dusty blond bangs. Without a doubt, he had picked up on everything Aera had told him about how scared she was feeling. The thought made her warm up inside, but at the same time it was mildly alarming how well he could read her.
"I'll go whenever you take me." she breathed out. It was meant to be in a joking way, but suddenly her held-in feelings seemed like they were going to burst through her, rendering her speech breathy and cracked.
It didn't go unnoticed by her the way his eyes slightly widened and the sharp inhale he took. In his earthy orbs there was a galaxy that mesmerized her. Instead of saying anything else, he placed a palm on the small of her back, lightly ushering her towards the staff area of the hotel.
In that split second that his fingers brushed against her waist all of the neurons in her brain were electrified. Somehow, Aera found herself struggling to remember what walking in a normal manner even was.
The hotel had provided rooms for all of the security staff, including Jimin. Aera knew he had his own place somewhere, but never went there more than once a month and instead spent the nights at the hotel. Unlike the other guards, he didn't have a specific work schedule, having been assigned to protect her and only her.
"Perhaps I should get back and, um, grab something to sleep in," Aera shrugged after a long pause of silence once they had entered Jimin's place. It was large and neat and truthfully, it didn't seem like he had many belongings. Like all of the other hotel rooms, it was furnished in an extremely lavish and expensive manner, but still, it looked kind of... empty.
"You can have this," he opened a mahogany wardrobe and pulled out a grey oversized T-shirt without much hesitation. Aera took it, her fingers gliding over the soft fabric.
"Thank you," she slightly flushed. "I'll go over there and... change," she mumbled, shuffling towards the bathroom. Jimin simply nodded and started unbuttoning his black coat. Aera had to spin on her heel quite rapidly and not look at him anymore as to not give away how flustered the sight made her.
Jimin's t-shirt stretched all the way to her thighs. She gave up on debating whether she looked decent enough and instead stepped out of the bathroom finally, heart beating fast in her chest.
He was sitting by the window, eyes drifting off somewhere into the dark night sky. Dressed in a loose black t-shirt and grey sweatpants, he looked so different than in his usual professional attire. The handgun and the belt were diligently placed over one of the chairs and Aera determined that to be a reflection of the stern, professional Jimin making way for a softer, more 'normal' side of him she had caught a glimpse of only once or twice.
"Glad to see it fits," he commented, turning around once he had heard her footsteps, his gaze gravitating towards her flushed cheeks and trailing down to her thighs where it lingered a little too long. His Adam's apple moved up and down as he swallowed.
"I think I might keep it," Aera joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. The air hung with an inexplicable tension and she felt as though the world was moving in slow motion as she walked over to him, leaning her back against the wall. There was a quiet stillness in the room as she gazed off into the night but something caught her attention. She averted her gaze and found Jimin staring at her silently.
"Today was a rollercoaster," she said, struggling to sound calm while his enticing ebony hues refused to look away. There they were again, the tiny specks of orange copper than adorned his pitch-black irises that seemed to appear every time Aera gazed at his eyes a little too long.
He groaned softly, casting his gaze over his hands curling and uncurling in his lap. "What am I becoming?" he said so quietly that Aera almost heard him. Her breath stopped in her throat. "I feel this dark power brewing deep inside my chest but I'm not sure what exactly it is. Is it good? Is it bad? I hurt a man today. Am I turning into a monster?" he questioned, sad conflicted eyes flickering at her. At that moment, he seemed more like a boy than like a man.
Aera's heart fell. The slight cracking of his voice grabbed her attention. His eyes glistened with guilt and remorse and it made her stomach twirl. "Jimin, you can never be a monster. Never in a million years would I believe there could be something bad inside of you. Whatever's happening is changing you, but I refuse to think that you're a monster," she cooed. "If you feel like you did today again, think of this, think of what I'm saying to you. You're good. You're not a monster."
"The only thing that's helping me keep it together right now is you. I know I said before that I didn't want to leave you alone anymore. But the truth was, I didn't want to be alone either. I didn't want to be apart from you," he confessed. "Somehow the only thought that's holding me from not falling apart is you. There's this need in my heart, the need to always be around you. It's new, or at least I hadn't noticed it was there all along. I need you, Aera."
"I need you too," she aspirated. It was true, and she finally admitted it to herself. She needed Jimin desperately, she always had. His words, his touch, his body. All those years that had passed with him by her side had left such an impact on her and she had grown so attached to him that she practically didn't know how to breathe without him anymore.
"I feel like my whole existence is somehow linked to yours," he whispered, his voice wavering from the exhilarating tension between them. "Like my only purpose is to be by your side. I've never felt more connected to you than now."
Aera held her breath when he inched closer, removing the distance between their faces. She finally knew, she yearned for him with every fiber of her being. He grabbed her by the waist gently, pulling her towards his chest. With a tender finger he tilted her face so that she would hold his gaze.
"Am I still allowed to touch you?" he purred, stealing the passion from her eyes.
"You're the only one who's allowed," she said in barely more than a whisper. There was something blazing in his darkened hues, illuminated by the dim light of the full moon outside.
Aera let out a little whimper of anticipation once Jimin's grip on her waist tightened. "I'm scared that I might hurt you," he admitted, confirming her suspicions that he was faltering, afraid of his new-found superhuman strength. He let out a shaky breath and his perfectly sculpted chest heaved, robbing her of her breath.
A tingling sensation appeared in the pit of her stomach. "I trust that you won't hurt me. I trust you with everything I've got," she encouraged. Unable to contain herself, her fingers trailed down his chest, feeling every line and crevasse of his outstanding physique.
Jimin gulped loudly, her innocent provocations threatening to push him over the edge of his restraint.
Almost magnetically, his tender and smooth lips found hers, claiming her with every touch of his strong hands against her skin. His very smell was flooding her senses, a blurry haze fogging up her mind. He pulled away for just a split second for his hungry, wanting eyes to gaze into hers. "Aera," he whispered in a husky voice, prolonging her name as if he were savoring it, enjoying the taste it brought to his mouth. Never before in her life had someone pronouncing her name brought her such immense delight.
A wave of pure pleasure washed over her as she felt his hot breath fan against the sensitive skin of her neck, burning as it made contact with the area. His lean body pressed up against hers and her back pushed against the wall as his touch became more urgent now. His warm lips, however, took their time on her neck as they simply grazed the skin, making her wait. He worked his way towards her collarbone where he pressed lingering kisses, causing a shaky breath to leave her mouth.
Instinctively, Aera wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers curled tightly on his soft blond hair where they slightly tugged at. The feelings rocked her head backwards and she arched her back, the rapture engulfing her mind.
The way he abruptly separated her legs with a growl to stand in between them made her tremble. He was being rougher now, with his teeth nipping at her earlobe and Aera found her whole existence begging for his touch. His fingers expertly roamed her body, sliding under the oversized t-shirt where he lightly glided his nails across the skin.
She gasped when his hands ran up to her hips, gripping at them and roughly lifting her whole body up. Inadvertently, she latched her ankles around his waist to keep her balance and a warm feeling started pooling in her stomach once he pressed his crotch against her body. It was mildly alarming how her mind completely disregarded the fact that he had practically slammed another person into a wall right before her eyes.
Somewhere deep inside, Aera was astounded to realize that she loved it, she loved how strong Jimin was and the way he was handling her like a man, holding her in a way she never felt before. She craved him, all of her insides craved him and she longed for his dangerous touch.
It was enthralling the way he was completely capable of breaking all of her bones if only he pushed her a little harder. He was containing himself and she knew it, the slight pain she felt once his fingers reclaimed her waist proved it, but all of this was banished to the far recesses of her mind.
He went from sweet and gentle to firm and rough in the blink of an eye. Finally, he raised his gaze to meet hers and she determined something stirred in him. A hint of his dark side blazed in his orbs, enticing her.
Now it was her turn to collide their lips, pressing herself against his chest. He let out a soft sigh. It was like the world stopped still on its axis when he slid his tongue inside her mouth as she gladly granted him access. Their tongues intertwined in a passionate game for dominance and Aera couldn't suppress the breathy moan that left her mouth.
It was this particular moan that suddenly seemed to cause something to snap inside of him. Still holding her up in the air, he turned around and walked quickly to the bed, throwing her against the mattress and crawling over on top of her. His strong hips straddled her, dominating over her weakling of a body and keeping her right where he wanted her.
By this point, Aera's soul had practically left her body. She felt like a feather in his muscular arms, writhing and squirming uncontrollably as he brought their lips together again. It was thrilling her and scaring her at the same time the way their bodies perfectly fitted against each other.
Simultaneously, she was insecure regardless of the evident passion and fiery desire that poured from every atom of Jimin's body. It had been years since she had been with someone. After Yoongi left her shattered, it had just become so difficult for her to be intimate with another man. She had never felt comfortable enough to let anybody in her space like this. After a while, she simply grew scared to do it and the more time passed, the more it aggravated her reluctance further.
Jimin had been the only one that had been able to invade her fantasies, but she had never acted on them. Heck, she had never even thought they might come true.
That was, until now.
A sharp hiss escaped her mouth as Jimin's hand pulled at her hair a little bit more roughly. He pulled away, an alarmed expression painted over his face. "Did that hurt?"
"It's alright," she assured softly, running a trembling hand through his disheveled locks. "I don't mind it." She liked a little bit of pain. She wanted him, she wanted a taste of the beast within regardless of how much pain it would cause her.
A flash of hesitance flickered in his dark orbs before he withdrew slowly, laying down on the bed next to her.
"I want this," she insisted, confusion seeping at her brain as she finally managed to regain her breath.
"I want it too," he admitted, turning around to peer at her as his fingers traced figures on the inner side of her upper arm. "Believe me, there's nothing I want more. But I don't want it to happen this way, at least not before I've learned how to control this... whatever this thing that's happening to me is. Because trust me, when I start to lose myself in you I won't be able to stop," his voice was thick with hunger and need, close to a growl as his eyes gleamed.
"Jimin," she whispered quietly, her fingertips traveling to his full lips where her thumb slightly brushed at. "I don't care if it isn't gentle. In fact, I want you, the real you. No holding back."
He swallowed heavily. "You're making it really hard for me to contain myself right now," he groaned. The hazy fog in his filled with desire eyes was still very much present, no matter how much he was trying to compose himself.
Aera gave a heavy sigh. Perhaps Jimin had a point and this really wasn't the best time for this to happen, not after everything that had gone down today.
No matter how much they both desired it.
She scooted over closer and he stretched out his arm, making it easier for her to nuzzle her face into his neck. It still sent goosebumps rippling through her, but this time they weren't as intense. His muscles slightly tightened, battling the strong sensations, when his hand gravitated towards her head, gently stroking her hair. Then, it cradled her jaw and oriented her face so that she was looking up at him.
"Hey," he said in a hushed voice, eyebrows dipping slightly when he noticed the anxiousness washing over her face. "Whatever this is, we're going through it together," he gave a warm smile.
Aera nodded. "Together," she repeated in a hoarse voice as Jimin's soothing aura engulfed her.
"Close your eyes," he commanded.
She obliged, her heavy eyelids finally falling over her eyes. She hadn't realized how tired she was.
Jimin's soft lips pressed on her forehead and she hummed in delight. He pulled her closer to himself and she snuggled into his familiar welcoming embrace. Soon enough, she entered into deep slumber with Jimin's arms wrapped around her.
Whatever tomorrow might bring, they would face it.
Together.
author's note:
*screaming intensifies*
how is everybody? are you enjoying the ride?
Because I admit that I'm not okay.
I'm taking my time with the smut this time. But don't you worry, there will be smut and very soon at that. Perhaps in the next chapter, or the chapter after that. idk. guess you guys will have to find out. xx