The four of them were currently hiding as the health clinic had been opened up and doctors and keepers were running about the place.
"How much longer?" Yoongi grew frustrated for what must be the millionth time, but then again he was the one cramped in the corner of the store cupboard that they were all shoved into.
"We have to wait for Doctor Lee's cue" Ailee told him once again, but she remained patient. She couldn't get mad and neither could he, it would give everything away.
"So hold on what's actually going to happen?" Namjoon asked
"Doctor Lee is going to wait until it's clear before he walks Taehyung away from his 'appointment' with him. Taehyung is then going to knock on the door and that's my cue to go with him for our usual meeting" Ailee explained
"Doctor Lee will then come and get you guys and sneak you out whilst all the doctors assess us so nobody will see you" She spoke
"Once we're done, Doctor Lee will walk us both to the doors and we'll meet you guys and boom we're free" She told them
"How are we gonna hide when we get let out?" Hoseok asked
"Oh I forgot that part, Jungkook is waiting in a car for you guys, all you need to do is exit the zoo like you're normal people and he's right outside the entrance" She explained, further surprising them.
"How on earth did you end up meeting Jungkook?" Namjoon asked
"It's a long story but I kind of pressured him into helping me" She shrugged like it was normal. It made them smile, mainly because this plan was coming together, but she had so many qualities of Taehyung that they've missed since he got here.
"Well let's hope this plan works" Yoongi prayed as he was now becoming jumpy with nerves.
"I'm sure it will" Hoseok tried to assure him
"It sounds perfect"
"Wait" Namjoon spoke as he had a sudden thought, catching the attention of them all.
"What about Jin?"
Ailee only then realised she'd completely forgot about him and that he was involved. She was so focused on saving the wolves, she forgot an elf was stuck in all of this too.
"W-we can't leave him" Namjoon spoke
"Namjoon, I'm sorry but we might-"
"Please don't say we might have to. We have to get him out too" Namjoon begged her as she sighed, about to answer, but the knock on the door was her cue and she knew she had to go.
"I'm sorry Namjoon" She told him genuinely
"Stick to the plan for now and we can maybe figure it out" she told him as she slipped out of the door and the plan was now under way.
There was a tense and solemn atmosphere as they grew more and more nervous, waiting for the doctor who they weren't sure if they could trust properly, but Namjoon's mind was now racing on the possibility of getting Jin out.
There was no way they could leave him. No way. He needed Jin more than the other guys thought he did. He kept him calm and always knew what to do when Namjoon didn't. They had to get Jin out.
"What's taking so long?" Yoongi broke the tense silence that could be cut through with a knife.
"They need to make sure the plan is in full process before he can come get us" Hoseok told him
"I just wanna get out of here" Yoongi sighed as he bounced on the balls of his feet. At that moment the door opened and Doctor Lee was stood there.
"Hurry, we don't have long" He told them as they rushed out of the cupboard and they ran down the corridor, Doctor Lee leading along what felt like the forever on going white walls that still gave off horror movie vibes, but that didn't matter. They were getting out of here for real.
They reached the back entrance as Doctor Lee pulled a box out from on top of a cupboard, pulling out a bunch of black hoodies as he threw them at the three wolves.
"Put these on whilst you walk out so you don't get suspected as much" Doctor Lee spoke
"Remember, as soon as you leave you need to go and not turn back because once one keeper figures out you're gone the whole world will be searching for you" Doctor Lee warned them as he took a deep breath, his hand on the door handle as he used his key to unlock the door.
"Thank you so much" Namjoon spoke up
"Not just for this, for helping Taehyung through everything too" He spoke genuinely, the Doctor smiling at him.
"I just want the best for him, any person like me would" He told them, finally opening the door slightly.
"Good luck to you all and I hope you get home"
The door swung open in what felt like slow motion as for the first time in forever, they were set free.
The three glanced at one another before they bolted out, pulling their hoods up as they turned back to thank the doctor, but he'd already closed the door behind them.
For a moment the world stood still as they took everything in around them, the air feeling fresh and the sun blazing down on them freely, no glass surrounding them and people pointing at them.
They were free.
"Let's go" Yoongi spoke eagerly as they began to walk quickly whilst keeping it casual to the exit, keeping their eyes low so nobody would spot the colour, feeling the tension once again building as they took in a deep breath.
They reached the doors and walked out like free men, the breath they were holding being released as they turned to one another with the largest smiles, running and gathering in a group hug whilst dancing around a little.
"I can't believe this has actually happened" Hoseok spoke in disbelief
"We're actually out of that place" Yoongi spoke
Namjoon looked back in but he saw something that wiped the smile right off his face.
The elf enclosure was so close but so far away now.
"Yo!" They heard as they turned around, unable to stop the smile form on their lips by the person they saw.
"You coming or what?" Jungkook called from where he was, stood by his car with the driver door open.
"Sorry" Hoseok apologised as him and Yoongi rushed over.
"Thank you Kook" Yoongi told him, but he was soon reminded that Jungkook didn't remember by the confused look on his face.
"How the fuck have I been roped into this?" He questioned himself as he opened the door for Yoongi and Hoseok to get in, only then noticing the one wolf who had stayed by the entrance, staring inside the zoo.
"Does he want to go back or something?" Jungkook turned to the other two
"He wants to save Jin" Hoseok spoke, but Jungkook gestured for an answer, clearly unknowing to who he was.
"Jin is an elf and he was with us all and he's still stuck in there" Yoongi explained.
Instantly Jungkook thought about it as he rolled his eyes after a few seconds.
"Both of you stay here and don't even set a foot out of this car" Jungkook warned as he slammed the car door, locking it before he ran over to the wolf.
"Who's this elf you wanna bust out?" Jungkook asked rather bluntly, but it surprised Namjoon he was doing this.
"He's called Jin, he's the leader" Namjoon explained as Jungkook sighed, looking around slightly before he muttered a curse word to himself, grabbing a hold of Namjoon's sleeve.
"What are you doing?" Namjoon asked as he realised he was being lead back into the zoo.
"We're getting this elf out" Jungkook spoke
"But this isn't the plan" Namjoon protested, despite his heart saying he wanted him back.
"Wanna save him or not?" Jungkook snapped rather sharply, Namjoon nodding
"Well shut up and let's go" Jungkook pulled his hood up before he and Namjoon walked back into the zoo on a new rescue mission.
~~~
Meanwhile, Taehyung and Ailee sat with all the doctor's assessing them, trying to act as casual as they could, but there was a certain buzz and excitement as they sometimes couldn't help but lightly smirk at one another like excited children on Christmas.
"Will you be okay for the next week without me Tae?" Ailee asked
"What do you mean?" Taehyung pretended to be worried.
"I'm going away for a while and I might not be able to come and see you, will you be okay?" She asked, Taehyung sighing sadly.
"I mean I'll miss you, you are some good company, but I have my friends with me now and I'm much happier" He told her, Ailee smiling as she nodded.
At that moment, the timer went off as the doctor's made their final notes before they began to file out of the room, talking amongst themselves before they headed into a meeting to decide on the next steps for Taehyung.
As soon as the final doctor had left, Taehyung and Ailee squealed before hugging one another tightly, the door opening with a panicked Doctor Lee.
"Let's get you two out of here" He whisper shouted, the both of them switching from excited to scared at lightning speed, sharing a worried but reassuring glance to one another as they held each other's hand and they all began to sprint down the corridor.
Taehyung's heart was beating so loud and fast he couldn't tell if time was moving slow or fast around him, feeling zoned out until he realised he was at the back entrance and the door to a free world was right in front of him.
"Now you two better promise me you'll look after one another okay?" Doctor Lee spoke in a tone of voice that was unusual, his voice cracking at the end as he turned around and they could see he was welling up.
"Have each other's backs and for the love of god stay safe" He told them, pulling Ailee into a tight hug.
"Thank you for helping me with this" she spoke quietly
"I would have never been able to do this without you" She spoke as he pulled away but held onto her shoulders, his hands shaking as a tear fell from his eye.
"You're a good girl Ailee and so so smart" He told her as he opened the door and pushed her out.
"I just want a word with Tae" he told her
"Stay safe" he whispered as he shut the door and turned to Taehyung.
"You've been a good lad to work with Tae" Doctor Lee told him
"I honestly don't think I'd be alive anymore if it wasn't for you" Taehyung told Doctor Lee who smiled at his words, another tear falling from his eye.
"Stay safe because I'm sure Jimin and your mother want you back in one piece" Doctor Lee told him
"My mom doesn't even-"
"I know, but she would be horrified to lose you, I mean remember how she acted at the zoo"
Taehyung's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.
"How did you-"
"Good luck out there and I know I may not be here anymore, but I'll be with you right here" Doctor Lee placed his hand on Taehyung's chest, over his beating heart.
"I'll be cheering you on for your happy ending because you deserve it more than anybody" Doctor Lee pulled Taehyung into a hug who was stiff with confusion but still hugged back.
Suddenly Taehyung felt something. It was like the crashing of a wave had flooded into his mind as a memory came back to him, one that he thought of the other day that forced a gasp out of him.
His eyes widened and his mouth dried up as it hung open, pulling away and staring at his doctor who smiled at him, stroking his face.
"Goodbye Tae"
He opened the door, Taehyung slowly backing out of it as the doctor waved him goodbye before closing the door, the lock being heard.
In some other world Taehyung would have been jumping for joy that he was a free wolf again, no longer restricted behind glass and free to run and most importantly find a way out of this world.
But he was stood frozen to the spot before his hand was grabbed and Ailee began to pull him away, the both of them running out of the zoo. Only his beating heart was heard as everything else seemed slow motion and his whole mind was fixated on the memory and what had just happened and the man who had been caring for him for so long who he had just said goodbye to.
It wasn't until he got out of the zoo entrance and was being dragged away to an unfamiliar car that he turned back, stopping where he was as he stared a head at the zoo, confusing Ailee who stood by his side with a frown, only then noticing the tears.
"Are you okay?" She asked, snapping him out of the memory as he turned to face her.
"Yeah" He answered with a smile, but the tears fell.
"I just need a minute" Taehyung told her with a small sniffle, Ailee instantly assuming he was just overwhelmed with the freedom as she nodded before rushing to the car where they all were waiting for them.
Taehyung looked back at the zoo, a small sniffle escaping as he wiped his tears, smiling brightly.
"Goodbye dad"
~•~•~•~•~
Who was expecting that?
Merry Christmas to you all! Have an amazing time with your family or friends or whoever you're spending it with and I'll see you when I'm done drinking all the festive drinks that make that day truly merry😂