By the time you and Namjoon made it to the dorm, you were drenched in sweat.
Well, maybe now I won't have to workout tomorrow since I did double the work today. You thought as you wiped your forehead with the back of your gloved hand.
Namjoon opened the door and stepped inside, you trailing behind him. A blonde head peeked from around the corner before you heard Jimin's voice call "Joonie hyung's home!"
"That little snitch," Namjoon hissed under his breath. Seokjin's voice was loud as he shouted from the kitchen.
"He's here? Just wait until I get my hands on him."
You bent to the side a little from where you stood behind Namjoon just in time to see Seokjin round the corner. If the situation wasn't so dire, you would've swooned at the domestic, boyfriend vibe the man exuded. Despite the freezing temperature outside, Seokjin was wearing a wrinkled, black tank top that exposed his shoulders and collarbone. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his grey sweatpants, drawstrings undone, and he was tapping his bare feet in annoyance, glaring at Namjoon. His lips, that were pulled into a scowl, were colored a dark pink and looked bitten. His hair was messy, as if someone had pulled at it. You quirked an eyebrow in suspicion, but chose not to comment, as he hadn't noticed your presence yet.
"Hyungie-" Namjoon began with a nervous laugh.
"Don't 'hyungie' me, Namjoon," Seokjin interrupted. "You're in a load of trouble."
Namjoon's hands shot out in front of him, waving back and forth. "No wait, it was an accident! I was just trying to clean your room because you've had a stressful week and I accidently hit my head on the shelf, knocking the figurine over!"
Seokjin's stern expression faltered as Namjoon explained, anger thawing at the younger's thoughtfulness. He squared his shoulders back, and raised his chin, trying to hold onto his irritated facade.
"Look, I even brought you a treat as a peace offering."
You stepped out from behind Namjoon to hold up the pastry box. For the first time since he arrived, Seokjin noticed your presence. His lips quirked into a sinful smirk as he walked up to you.
"A sweet treat indeed," he drawled. "Maybe you'd like to join me and Yoongi. I'm sure he'd like a taste as well."
Your mouth fell open, blood rushing to your cheeks at Seokjin's suggestive comment. Not only was he unabashedly flirting with you, but he'd also confirmed your earlier suspicion about his appearance. Namjoon choked on his saliva, coughing loudly behind you. A solid smack resounded around the foyer as you slapped Seokjin's bicep.
"He meant the chocolate cake," you said through gritted teeth, shoving the cardboard box into his chest. Seokjin rubbed his arm, sending you an offended look.
"Not what I would've preferred, but I suppose it's satisfactory," Seokjin stated, taking the cake from you. He looked up at Namjoon, who was pounding his chest, trying to recover from his coughing fit. "You are forgiven."
Seokjin grabbed your hand and pulled you further into the house. "I'm glad you came Y/N, we just ordered take-out!"
Just like that, Seokjin was back to his perky self, whatever being had possessed him a few moments earlier completely gone.
"Oh hello Y/N," a voice rasped from your left. You turned to see Yoongi coming down the stairs, hands combing through his tangled, fair hair. There was a small bruise at the base of his neck, marring his pale skin. You blushed as your imagination ran wild, Seokjin's words from earlier echoing in your mind. You quickly turned away before the rapper caught sight of your face.
Seokjin let go of your hand as you walked into the living room. You were showered with a chorus of greetings from your remaining soulmates who were all lounging on the couches watching a movie. Taehyung and Jimin moved over to offer you a space to sit on the couch, which resulted in Jeongguk being pushed onto the floor.
You cooed under your breath as the youngest pouted, send his boyfriends a betrayed look.
"It's alright bun, I'll just sit on the ground," you consoled, not wanting the boy to feel upset.
Jeongguk immediately jumped up to his feet, pout gone. "No, you should sit on the couch! I'll sit with Hobi hyung." The boy skipped over to the recliner Hoseok was sitting in, happily planting himself in the elder's lap. Hoseok's arms slid around Jeongguk's petite waist, pulling him flush against his chest.
You let out a giggle as you turned to look at the 95's, who had adopted the maknae's pout. "Why are you two pouting now?"
"Bun?" Jimin mumbled under his breath.
"I want a nickname," Taehyung said, indignantly. Jimin tugged on your arm until you sat down, immediately sandwiched by the two boys as they wrapped their arms around you. You risked a glance to the couple on the recliner, only to see Hoseok's amused grin and Jeongguk's triumphant smirk.
You were about to respond when Namjoon interjected. "Let her go before she dies of suffocation you two."
"Joonie hyung!" Jimin called, jumping into the elder's embrace. Namjoon laughed and ruffled Jimin's hair adoringly before leaning to whisper in his ear.
"Don't think I forgot how you ratted me out to Seokjin hyung."
The younger boy flushed a deep red, and mumbled a response. You couldn't hear what he said, as just then, Yoongi and Seokjin walked into the room, arms full of takeout boxes and silverware. They placed the food on the coffee table, and the eight of you sat around it, enjoying each others company as you ate.
Throughout the night, the boys exchanged glances with each other, some nervous, others excited. You noticed the tense air surrounding you all, but chose not to comment, assuming it must have to do with the band.
"Are you nervous for Gaon, Hoseokie?" Seokjin asked when an awkward silence filled the room.
"Just a little," Hoseok admitted, sheepishly. "The babies' comeback it in two days. I hope it all goes well."
Yoongi placed a hand between Hoseok's shoulder blades, soothingly rubbing his back. "You've all worked so hard, I'm sure it'll work out just fine." Hoseok sent the man an appreciative smile as he leaned into the touch.
"I'm worried they've been overworking themselves," Hoseok said, chewing on his lip. "I think they've managed to convince themselves that it would be their fault if I didn't win this award. I told them that's not the case, but they are a stubborn group of boys."
You felt your appetite leave as you listened to Hoseok's concerns. There was so much riding on Hoseok winning this award, and here you were, an imposter. You were the competition, and the boys had no clue.
"They remind me a lot of predebut Bangtan," Namjoon mentioned, although he did look a little proud.
Seokjin nodded in agreement. "Poor Yeonjunie has to look after four demon children," he sighed dramatically. "I wouldn't wish kind of responsibility upon anyone." Seokjin placed the back of his palm against his forehead, and looked up, acting like he was distressed.
Jeongguk scoffed from across the table. "You mean poor Hueningkai and Taehyunie, who have to raise their hyungs, instead of the other way around," he baited Seokjin, who obviously fell for it.
"The disrespect," he gasped. "Do you know how hard I worked to take care of you? I slaved in the kitchen, I drove you to school, I paid for your meals. I cooked and cleaned and this is what I receive in return?"
Yoongi groaned, dropping his head into his hands in exasperation, while Jimin on the other hand giggled, looking forward to the ensuing argument.
You let out a fake smile as you watched the two boys banter, mind still stuck on what Hoseok had said. You contemplated telling them the truth right there, spilling out everything about Lee, the abuse, the blackmail, everything. The guilt weighed on your chest until you felt like you couldn't breathe.
Taehyung, sensing your distress, nudged your side. You looked up to see his concerned gaze, eyes questioning. "Are you alright?"
You nodded, setting the takeout box on the table. "Yeah, I guess I'm just not hungry. I'm gonna use the restroom," you stood up, not letting Taehyung respond. The boys fell silent as they watched you disappear into the hallway, worried and confused.
You rushed into the bathroom, pushing the door shut before resting your forehead against it, taking in gasping breaths. You tried to calm down, convincing yourself there was no reason to get anxious or panic. You felt a few hot tears escape your eyes and run down your cheeks.
Walking over to the sink, you turned on the water and looked at your reflection in the mirror. Your eyes looked haunted and empty, face clearly showing your fatigue. You were tired of the lies and the evasion. You were tired of pretending everything was alright.
Over the course of the past few months, you've learned that there is no reason to fear your soulmates. They were gentle, caring people who protected their loved ones fiercely. They wouldn't be disgusted by you if you told them the truth, about the years of abuse. They would care for you the same way your members did.
With renewed confidence, you splashed your face with cold water, washing away any sign of pain. You wiped your face with a towel and squared your shoulders, ready to tell your soulmates the whole story.
When you walked into the living room, the boys were speaking in hushed tones, their faces grave, indicating the topic was very important. You shifted your weight between both feet, twiddling your fingers, unsure if you should interrupt. The decision was made for you when Hoseok looked up and made eye contact with you.
"Y/N you're back!" he exclaimed, causing six heads to snap up and turn towards you. You suddenly started to feel nervous with the undivided attention being given to you. "Do you feel better?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine..." you said, dismissively. "There's actually something I wanted to tell you..."
"We have something to tell you as well! Or, ask, technically," Jimin replied.
You wanted to ask if you could go first, knowing you'd lose your confidence if interrupted, but Jeongguk had other plans.
"We wanted to ask if you'd be our girlfriend!"
You froze, not even breathing as you processed what he just said. You shook your head, as if dispelling all distracting thoughts. "Wait...what?"
Jeongguk looked at you, a little more hesitant this time. "We wanted to know if you would like to be in a relationship with us," he repeated, a little anxious. He wasn't expecting you to react with anything except enthusiasm.
Seokjin elbowed Jeongguk in his side. "Jeongguk you can't just bombard her like that! You should've asked in a more considerate way!"
In that moment, all thoughts of confession left your mind. Although you had spent so much time with your soulmates, the idea of a relationship never occured to you. You knew the boys referred to each other as their boyfriends, and you'd always assumed that the eight of you would end up together, you were soulmates afterall. Yet, the thought of a formal relationship had never come to mind.
You felt a big smile takeover your face and your stomach fluttered with butterflies. At the sound of your laughter, the boys all stopped scolding Jeongguk, turning to you. You looked at the faces of the seven boys who had single-handedly managed to bring hope back into your life after a never-ending storm of darkness.
"I'd love to be your girlfriend."
There was a pause before the room erupted into cheers and hollers. The boys jumped to their feet in celebration, except for one yelp of pain. Jeongguk rubbed his bicep, staring wide-eyed at Jimin, who glared back.
"I told you I wanted to ask her Kook!" Jimin shouted, voice laced with betrayal.
"And I told you that was unfair because you kissed her first!" Jeongguk shot back.
"But you touched her first, and you got the first nickname!"
"Uh guys?" Yoongi said, trying to stop the youngest from fighting. Five heads turned to look at the blonde, who simply jerked his head towards you. In the midst of the chaos, the boys had failed to notice that Taehyung had separated from their little group, rushing towards you.
You gave Taehyung a big smile and reached your arms out, assuming the dark-haired boy wanted a hug. You let out a surprised shriek when Taehyung wrapped his arms around your waist and picked you up, smashing his lips against yours.
You scrambled to hold onto Taehyung's neck, afraid of falling. Your legs stayed straight as Taehyung held you tightly, bodies pressed together. You could feel the top button of his shirt dig into your chest, above the neckline of your sweater, but you didn't care. All your thoughts were of Taehyung.
As he kissed you, you imagined what he must look like. You imagined his long lashes as they brushed against his defined cheekbones, just as flushed as your own. You imagined the way his mark must tingle along his spine, eager to complete the bond with yours. You imagined the way your faces must be glowing from the light that emanated from your kiss, making him look ethereal.
You didn't notice the blanket of silence that fell over the bantering boys by the couches. All you could hear was the rush of blood in your ears, heart racing as it pounded against your chest. You gasped as you felt teeth sink into your bottom lip, a little too harshly. You pulled away, tongue jutting out to see if Taehyung drew blood.
You felt the ground beneath your feet again as Taehyung set you down, a boxy smile on his face as he laughed. "Sorry, I guess I got a little too excited." He didn't look very sorry.
Applause sounded from behind Taehyung as you both finally took notice of your audience. You felt heat sweep over your neck and ears, embarrassment at an all time max as you buried your head into Taehyung's chest.
You could feel it vibrate as he chuckled deeply, members rushing over to teasingly clap him on the back or ruffle his hair. You felt hands pull you away from Taehyung as the rest of your soulmates smothered you in embraces and pecks to the face.
You looked around at your soulmates, laughter filling the air as they embraced one other. You didn't want to ruin the joyous atmosphere with a depressing story.
Soon. You'd tell them soon.
________________________________________________________________________________
Hello my lovelies!
I'm sorry I'm such a tease! Please don't hate me *hides under the bed*
Things are starting to get tense, hope you all are ready for the angst *wink wink*
I hope you guys liked this chapter!
QOTD: Favorite Run BTS episode?
I have so many that I love, but the one I tend to watch on repeat is ep. 79 and 80 (the one with the cards that they have find all over the mall and the one with the most wins)
It's just so cute to see them try so hard for the prize money. And Jimin is so babie I just can't stop uwu-ing. Of course the ending is also extremely funny. We love a good plot twist LOL
See you all soon!
XOXO