*A/N: A character has a panic attack at the end of this chapter. You know yourself best; if this is a subject you cannot handle, please put your health first and do not read further. Consider this your trigger warning.*
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Taehyung notices Zanna's frown right away.
"Ah, don't worry! You don't have to do anything you don't want to... I guess it's more of an offer than, like, actual news."
Zanna raises an eyebrow slightly.
"I should just tell you, huh?" He laughs softly at himself.
"Please. I don't really like surprises."
"Even good ones?" He frowns.
"Even good ones," she confirms quietly. He can't help but pout.
"Well, that's no fun! Alright, here goes... Since you're homeless, and you haven't got anyone to help you, and you seemed unhappy with the option to go back to a shelter... Joonie-hyung and I talked to our management--and then Jin-hyung got involved, but that's not important--and they finally agreed. Once you're discharged, if you want, you can stay at our rental house until we fly out to the next location!" Taehyung grins at her, eagerly waiting for her reaction.
"...What?" Zanna stares at him, certain she'd heard incorrectly. Did he recognize my name after all? She had watched him carefully when she gave the nurse her full name yesterday, sure that it would be recognized. Taehyung, however, hadn't reacted in any way that indicated he had known it previously. But he is an actor, and it would explain the invitation. "Why?" She asks, wanting confirmation. He frowns.
"That's not exactly the reaction I was expecting," he chuckles awkwardly. "We want to take you in for a few days because... well, Jimin and I feel a bit responsible for you, like I said before, and we want to help in any way we can. And... we have the means to help, you know? It's not like money is tight for us. So we all figure, why not help someone who's ARMY and get to know her a little while we're at it?"
I mean, it's not a great reason. It sounds like something out of fanfic, honestly, but I suppose it's plausible.
"And... BigHit agreed?" She gives him a skeptical look, wanting him to say outright that he knows who she is. Taehyung laughs.
"Believe me, I was surprised, too! But I'm sure you've heard what Jin-hyung is like. If he wants something, he gets it, you know?"
Jin wants me to come? They know. They have to, right?
"Um, I'm sorry if this seems rude, but why would Seokjin-ssi want me to stay with you?"
"We all do, Zanna-yah. Not just Jin-hyung or Jiminie or me. All of us want you to stay with us while we're here because we want to help and get to know an ARMY. Is that okay?"
Zanna nods slowly. "Of course it is... I guess I'm just having trouble understanding why you want me, specifically. Why not any other ARMY?"
"Why not you?" He shoots back with a smirk. "Is there any reason we shouldn't want you?"
Well, if you stopped to think for a moment, you'd realize my presence in your life would be a complete disruption, she thinks.
"What if I'm a sasaeng fan?" She says instead.
"Are you a sasaeng?"
"No, but--"
"If you turn out to be one, we'll have security take you to a shelter, and that will be that. But you're not, so there's nothing to worry about. Right?" He raises an eyebrow expectantly.
"... Right."
"Good! Then you'll come?"
Zanna weighs her options. The SAFE yesterday proved nothing happened to her while she was unconscious. The local homeless shelter is--she tries not to shudder visibly--undesirable. If she goes with Tae, there's a greater chance they'll find out who she is, if they don't already know.
But I'll get to meet the people who kept me sane while I lived in Seoul. That decides it: staying with the Bangtan Boys for a few nights is more than worth the risk of discovery, but she'll have to take some precautions.
"I have one condition," she says hesitantly, making him pause. She takes a deep breath and sends up a silent prayer. "If I stay with you... none of you can ask about my Soulname."
Taehyung laughs lightly, relieved. "Is that all? That's probably a rule they'll put in place for you when our manager has you sign the confidentiality and non-disclosure shit. Don't worry, Zanna-yah. If you can't ask about ours, it's only fair we don't ask about yours... though you do have me curious now."
"If you all promise to leave it alone, I'll come to stay with you," Zanna reiterates. I don't think he knows. All of this is very unusual if he doesn't, but why would he agree so quickly if he knew? Ugh, this back and forth is going to give me whiplash.
He nods. "Alright. I promise, and I'll make sure the guys do, too."
"Okay."
"Okay?" He beams excitedly and, when she nods, pumps a fist in the air. "Sweet!"
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Zanna is discharged two hours later with strict instructions to get lots of rest and eat soft, lightweight foods for a while. Taehyung stays with her at the hospital until her discharge, chatting up a storm about everything and nothing at all. His social-butterfly personality means she doesn't have to do much talking herself, which she's grateful for. She'd known, as an ARMY, that he was sociable and sometimes talkative, but she now fully understands why some call him Kim-geniality (not that she's complaining; getting to listen to Kim Taehyung babble like this is a privilege she isn't about to take for granted).
Thankfully, it seems no other ARMY have gotten wind of Taehyung's hospital visits, so their quick move from the hospital to his manager's car is completely uneventful. Taehyung briefly introduces her to his manager, who hands her a small stack of papers after saying hello.
"Those are the non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, along with rules for your stay with BTS. If it won't make you carsick, you can go ahead and start reading them over," the manager informs her as he puts the car in gear. "Taehyung has already told me about your request regarding your Soulname, so I've added a contract that all eight of you will sign."
Sure enough, at the top, there's a page stating in both Korean and English: "The discussion of Soulmates, Soulnames, and all related information is strictly forbidden unless one of the undersigned offers up this information without prompting or coercion of any kind." And, just as Taehyung had mentioned earlier, a similar statement is made a few pages into the stack.
Truthfully, Zanna is relieved that everyone agreed so quickly. This whole situation already feels enough like something out of a movie; the last thing she wants is for them to find out--since it appears they don't already know--that she is the Soulmate of three of the members of BTS, one of whom happens to be sitting next to her in this car. Considering how famous her Soulmates are, BigHit might very well swear her to secrecy and get some kind of restraining order to make sure she doesn't mess up their careers. Or, they might insist she Soulbond--the mental and emotional connection formed when two Soulmates intentionally touch for the first time--with all three of them as soon as possible so they can have her insured and protected under the International Soulmate Registry. Soulbonding and registry would then lead to the insistence that the four of them marry to avoid further scandal. Which is worse? Forced to never see them again or forced to bond before any of us are ready? Neither is an option she's willing to go through with.
It is, of course, possible that her name simply isn't on Taehyung's wrist or the wrists of her other two Soulmates. Such occurrences are incredibly rare, but not entirely unheard of. Having more than one Soulname is already an extremely rare phenomenon. Having more than two is almost completely impossible--she's never heard of anyone else with three or more. So, Zanna supposes, she's already a rarity. If her name isn't on Taehyung's wrist, even though his name is on hers, she decides she won't be all that surprised. Besides, if the other two names are on Taehyung's wrist, as they most likely are, why would he even want her in the first place? He already has a family with two Soulmates. Someone from outside the group would just complicate things. If he's happy, then I'm happy for him, as any good ARMY should be. Zanna sighs to herself as she turns to the next page of the contracts, resolving again to keep her Soulnames hidden at all costs. No need to mess with a good thing.
It's also completely possible that this name isn't on their wrists, but that her birth name is. Zanna read once that the chosen names of transgender and non-binary people were the ones on the wrists of their Soulmates, rather than their deadnames. My situation is very different, but... Zanna is my name now. Maybe their wrists will say so, too. But if they don't... will they believe that I'm their Soulmate if I don't agree to Soulbonding? She pushes those thoughts away. Having already made up her mind not to reveal her Soulnames, she won't have to worry about whether or not her Soulmates will recognize her as theirs or about Soulbonding. All she has to do is avoid deliberate physical contact with the three of them for the next... what, four days? Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy.
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The car ride is smooth and the contracts are easier to read and understand than one might expect, so by the time they arrive at what is currently the BTS house, Zanna's more than ready to get the paperwork out of the way and meet the boys. Despite her anxieties about meeting her other two Soulmates (even if it turns out they don't know who she is), she can't help but smile to herself. She's about to walk into a house that contains six of the seven members of BTS. The seventh is currently opening the car door for her. Taehyung offers his hand to help her out--the picture of a true gentleman--but she ignores it. Let's avoid bonding as much as possible, okay, Soulmate? He doesn't seem to take it personally, simply beaming at her when he sees her smile.
"Excited, Zanna-yah?" Taehyung teases as he leads her to the door.
Zanna ducks her head shyly. "Yes... and nervous."
"Don't be! They're gonna love you."
She nods and takes a deep breath to calm her nerves as he turns the knob and pushes the door open.
"We're home!" He singsongs, kicking off his shoes on the mat and gesturing vaguely for Zanna to do the same. Before she can, the thundering of six pairs of feet has her flinching backwards into the chest of their manager, who laughs gently and sidesteps as she tries to apologize. He promptly disappears from the front room, just barely managing to escape before the chaos hits.
"Finally!" Jeongguk launches himself at Taehyung, who nearly falls on his ass at Zanna's feet but just barely manages to catch himself with a hand on the wall, letting out an "oof".
"Aishyou'reheavy!" Taehyung complains, dropping Jeongguk unceremoniously onto the floor. Jeongguk pouts up at him and opens his mouth, but Zanna doesn't hear his next words. Jimin bends forward in front of her just enough to be at eye-level, distracting her from the maknaes as he tries to look her in the eyes.
"You must be Zanna! I'm so glad you're okay, Tae and I were worried. You kinda scared us, you know, when you wouldn't wake up." Jimin's tone is genuine, but all the noise makes her hear anger. She ducks her head, chin to chest.
"Is this her? You're Zanna?" Hoseok appears next to Jimin--too close get back too close too close--with his signature bright smile. To Zanna, it looks like a grimace. "I'm Hobi! Nice to meet you!"
She squeezes her eyes shut tightly as he offers a hand for her to shake, and she can't stop the whimper that claws its way out of her throat. The sound makes everyone turn towards her and their noise quiets slightly. Her arms begin to raise protectively in front of her, stopping just below her nose.
"Are you alright?" Jimin asks softly, but she can't breathe, much less give a verbal answer. "You're shivering."
"Aigoo, don't crowd her! Kids, back the hell up!" Seokjin's stern voice makes them give her a bit of space, but it also makes her take another step back.
"Zanna?" Taehyung steps toward her at the same time as Zanna opens her eyes to look for him, and the movement has her stumbling backwards. Her arms cover her head as she collides with the front door and begins to slide down it to the floor, shaking violently as the attack hits hard.
Oh no not this not now too much please stop just stopcan'tbreatheshitshitSHIT--
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*A/N: Hey all, just a reminder that you can also find this story on AO3 under the same username!
Thanks so much for reading! Stay safe out there, lovelies.*