[AN]
HELLO!
I'M BACK!
I'M EXCITED!!!
I hope you guys are excited too to find out what happens next! This chapter essentially starts the next phase of this book and there will be lots of juicy things happening from here on out
Hope you're prepared ;)
And enjoy the chapter!!
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A light breeze ruffled Taehyung's newly dyed blue hair as he climbed smoothly out Jimin's second story window. The said male was dozing peacefully on the bed behind him, light snores falling past his parted lips as he breathed evenly, unaware to the world around him.
Taehyung smiled softly as he slid the window pane closed, watching as Jimin curled tighter around the pillow the younger had replaced himself with. A dull click rang out as the window settled into its frame and Taehyung sucked in a lungful of midnight air, closing his eyes as he released it.
There was an ease to breathing, Taehyung found, when the sun had long since dipped below the horizon and his only audience were the stars in the sky, merely blinking away in their galactic ambience. It was calming.
Simple.
Taehyung wished he could spend forever observing the stars, under the watchful eyes of the moon, with no obligations to return to the day where responsibilities ran rampant and gang members ruled the streets and crazy fathers kidnapped children and-
Taehyung took another breath.
"Not today, Taehyung" The blue haired male muttered to himself as he dropped heavily onto the tree branch below him. "Let's live for a few more minutes in peace."
The tree, a large Oak Taehyung had discovered a week ago, was directly outside Jimin's bedroom window in the Bangtan household, with branches that practically begged the nineteen year old to perch amongst them. And who was he to deny, as he had assuredly taken advantage of their plea.
Taehyung sighed, closing his eyes as he let the breeze brush delicately over his eyelids and took in the serene hoot of a far-off owl, the rustle of leaves, and the slight trickle of a nearby stream.
"Is there a reason you always use the window or do you just have something against doors?"
Taehyung shrieked, nearly falling off the branch he'd nimbly settled on.
Swiveling to the right, heart jackrabbiting in his chest, Taehyung came face to face with none other than Yoongi.
The older male was stretched leisurely on the end of the branch, back braced against the trunk, and legs crossed at the ankles. His white hair was shimmering silver and his dark eyes blazed under the moonlight as he stared back at Taehyung, signature smirk present on his thin lips.
"What the hell!" Taehyung forced out, one hand gripping his chest, heart still hammering.
Yoongi chuckled, his face twisted with a kind of amusement Taehyung was unaccustomed to seeing - it was nice, in a way, seeing the carefree crinkle of Yoongi's eyes, the way his smile, if wide enough, showed the tips of his gums. The blue haired male felt a portion of his surprise dwindling away, his own lips quirking as Yoongi sobered up.
"Sorry kid, I didn't mean to scare you." Yoongi shifted, seeming to sink further into the tree's bark, sighing as he found a more comfortable position. "I figured you could use some company. Wouldn't want to strand a man alone on a tree branch, now would we?"
Taehyung tilted his head to the side, confused. That was more than empty words, wasn't it? There was more Yoongi was trying to say - Taehyung was sure he'd picked up on the tail end of reassurance buried deeply in the cryptic nature of the older man's words.
He raised a brow. "Is that supposed to be a joke?"
Yoongi's gaze turned soft, his shoulders slumping as he rest his head against the tree trunk, eyes falling closed. "No." He said quietly and far too tenderly.
"Though it is ironic."
Taehyung jumped again, nearly pitching to the ground below a second time as he swiveled back towards the window he'd climbed out of.
Hoseok was leaning out of the frame, dawning a simple white tee-shirt and sweats, a far cry from his usual high-quality, chic fashion that Taehyung had grown used to. The man's hair was mussed and one of his cheeks were imprinted with marks from his pillow, but his eyes were bright and wild, glancing over Taehyung mischievously.
Hoseok crawled out the window, moving behind Taehyung to plop himself next to Yoongi as he immediately gathered the elder's feet into his lap and massaged at his ankles.
"How is it ironic?" Taehyung asked breathlessly. He seriously thought he would have a heart attack if one more person came out that window-
"Because look at it this way, Taehyung" Namjoon's voice rang out as he descended onto the branch above the trio, Jin hot on his heels.
Taehyung jumped a third time, as he yelled over Yoongi and Hoseok's amused laughter. "Stop doing that!"
Namjoon continued, nonplussed, as he and Jin shimmied down the trunk and shoved Yoongi over to make room, "You're going out on a limb for us. You're willingly entering another gang just to help us find our missing kid and take down your own father. That's no easy feat."
"The least we can do is be here for you. Support you, give you a place to fall back on, anything really."
This time, Taehyung screamed loudly at the whispered voice right next to him. He bounded away as he felt hair tickling the side of his neck and nearly shoved the new arrival off the branch before he registered the fluffy head of bright orange hair.
The shit-eating grin Jimin wore made Taehyung cross his arms as he pouted sulkily. "I'm putting bells on all of you." He grumbled lowly, glaring at Jimin when the elder laughed joyously. The others joined in easily and Taehyung found himself chuckling along despite the embarrassment creeping up his neck.
"But seriously, Taehyung" Jin said as he recovered first from their fit of laughter. The others were quick to follow suit, looking patiently at their eldest. "It's your last night here with us before you go into Junseo's mafia and we just wanted to make sure you knew we were with you. That even though we've only known each other for a few weeks, we care about you, and well-" Jin trailed off as he glanced at Namjoon, the gesture accompanied by the rustle of leaves above them.
"We'd like to offer you a home here, Taehyung. If you want it, of course" The leader finished, eyes shining with pure sincerity as he reached out to lay a warm palm on Taehyung's shoulder.
"Yep!" Hoseok chirped. "One that's free of bars, locks, and the sorrowing scent of death."
Jimin jerked, shooting a sharp glare to Hoseok before worryingly glancing at Taehyung. The younger male, however, was far too caught up in what Namjoon had just said to notice anything else as he blinked owlishly at the blond. Jimin exhaled, scooting forward to wrap Taehyung up in a hug.
"Y-you're serious?" Taehyung stuttered, not sure if he was hearing correctly. The blue-haired male wasn't sure what to think. Jimin had said he could be free two weeks ago but he was sure when they were done with him they'd simply send him on his way. Taehyung never could have imagined they'd actually want to make him apart of their family.
The thought had his heart soaring.
Because contrary to his initial thoughts, weeks worth of training with Jeongguk and creating a fragile friendship with the elder; eating Jin's home-cooked meals that he'd never had the pleasure of enjoying; going on midnight adventures with Jimin like they used to and rebuilding the trust they'd briefly lost; taking walks with Namjoon and learning about the inner workings of mafias-both his and Junseo's; and hours of playing video games with Hoseok as Yoongi complained about the noise before beating both of them in cold blood had really altered his perception of this rag-tag group of men who he too, had come to care about.
"We like you, kid" Yoongi's voice cut through Taehyung's thoughts, bringing him back to the present where the others were waiting patiently. Yoongi was smiling brightly, gums on full display. "It would be an honor for you to become a part of our family."
Taehyung thought he might cry.
So, with his heart thumping happily in his chest and Jimin's warmth surrounding him on all sides, Taehyung fixed the other five men with the most sincere, open, and trusting expression he could manage.
"I think I'd like that very much" He whispered.
Taehyung beamed as the others cheered.
~・✧・~
They spent the rest of the night outside, laughing, cracking jokes, and telling stories.
At one point, a whole sea of leaves had been dumped on Yoongi's head from above, the white-haired male nearly drowning in the falling foliage, as he looked up into the branches, a wicked glint in his eyes.
"I'm going to kill that wind" He'd muttered darkly, but even Yoongi couldn't resist a chuckle of laughter as Hoseok practically wrapped himself around the tree branch, crying from how hard he'd been laughing.
Taehyung felt warm, impossibly so, and the feeling remained with him even as the last few members trickled back in through the window they'd come from, the first tips of sunrise just beginning to peak over the horizon.
Taehyung stood up when the sky had turned a faint orangish-pink, a smile permanently etched on his face.
'So this must be what it's like' He thought as he walked back towards Jimin's window, seeing the slightly elder once again curled up under his sheets, fast asleep, the ghost of a smile still present on his lips as well.
The blue-haired male sighed, trying to push down the dregs of worry trying to creep into his mind. He was worried about tomorrow, what he should expect, if they'd even succeed. It was nerve-wracking but he hoped it would go well, that things would work out.
Taehyung paused, one hand braced on the window, as he felt a heated stare suddenly latching onto him. He glanced up into the swarm of branches, catching shimmering onyx eyes watching him amongst the leaves.
Jeongguk was perched nimbly three branches up, his posture loose and relaxed, as if he'd been there for a while. But his eyes were alight with mirth, shining down at Taehyung, with a fondness so strong, it stole the breath from Taehyung's lungs as he stare back, captivated.
Jeongguk tipped his head, a leaf fluttering out of his raven hair and towards the ground, before standing up.
Taehyung was suddenly reminded of a cascade of similar leaves falling over Yoongi's head and he smiled playfully up at the mysterious wind.
Jeongguk smiled back, his gaze never once leaving Taehyung's as he climbed halfway through the open window to his right. Before he fully entered back into the house, however, Jeongguk's stare turned soft as his eyes lost a portion of their usual fierceness.
The two shared a moment just looking, silent communication flowing between them before Jeongguk was nodding minutely, his eyes bright with a promise.
A promise that everything would be ok. That Jeongguk would be there for him too.
The ravenette smiled one last time, before he ducked back through the window, with Taehyung left to stare at the place he'd once been.
It was a smile that said,
"Welcome to the family"
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[AN]
Aww that turned out much more fluffy than I had originally intended but it's so cute, JK has finally accepted Tae into their gang and we're seeing a friendship blossom between the two! The next chapter deals with entering Junseo's mafia(finally) and how that all is going to go down, as well as maybe some (hehe) juicy secrets. This chapter was mostly just a fluffy filler and to establish that a considerable amount of time has passed since Tae and JK's first training session! From this point onward, things are going to get spicy so yea, hold onto your hats haha :)
Hehe and sneaky little JK being there the whole time. Baby was just scared to come down and act all soft lmao but he's opening up so that's always good!!! What'd you think of that little bit? I'd love to know in the comments as well as what you thought of the rest of the chapter! :)
I'm so so so so very sorry for the long wait between chapters, everything got turned upside down, my motivation was out the window, and I was scared to be honest. My anxiety started to act up when I thought about writing and I just :( BUT I feel much much much x5 more motivated now and I'm very excited to continue writing this fic(I finally figured out the little grey area in the middle of the fic I've been trying to hash out and that makes me so happy ahh!!!)
I'm seriously just so happy right now cause I got the update out - WOO HOO!!!!
A happy New Year to all of you and I hope this year is far better than the last and that 2021 brings you nothing but happiness, health, and good times. Please remember that you are perfect just the way you are, that you do not need to change for anybody and that you have the power, drive, and strength to push through anything life has/or will throw your way. Everything will be ok. <3
Until the next update!
- Megan<3