Namjoon stood, gesturing for me to follow him around to the front of the building. I noticed that there were just a few windows- if you could even call them that. It reminded me of my high school. They were high up, nearly at the roof. They were enough for a bit of natural light, but I was certain no one could actually see out of them. The glass looked second-hand and opaque. I nearly bumped into Namjoon, my attention still on the windows. Luckily I noticed just in time to see him hovering a hand over the handle, clearly hesitating.

“Jin,” he spoke suddenly, his voice quiet and low. Suddenly, he whirled around, looking at me with a serious expression. Startled, I stumbled back a step, and he reached out to steady me, his hands holding my arms. “Sorry,” he said with a little laugh, his expression softening slightly, “but I figure I should warn you about a few things.”

I nodded a little, “Alright,” I responded softly. This guy’s expression swings were disorienting, to say the least. His face was so expressive, I doubt Namjoon could hide his feelings even if he wanted to.

He let me go, maintaining eye contact, “Jin is our oldest. He’s usually really kind, but” he looked away then, “he’s fiercely protective of Jungkook, so don’t expect him to treat you particularly well.”

“Great,” I muttered slightly, crossing my arms in front of my chest. “Let me guess, everyone has some stupid reason to hate me already, right?”

When he didn’t smile at my comment, my heart sank. I hadn’t expected to be right. “Not exactly,” he spoke slowly, “Just with what happened to Jimin, and how upset Jungkook gets, it’s not really a recipe for sunshine and rainbows, you know?”

I sighed, “Right,” I conceded, “Well, might as well tell me about the other dudes, then.”

“Next is Yoongi,” Namjoon started, running a hand through his dark hair, “He’s very practical and objective. He’s pretty much in charge of fixing all the crap we break. He won’t hate you, but don’t expect him to like you, either,” he offered that last bit as if it were a silver lining. And I suppose maybe it was. Namjoon paused, clearly thinking, “Hoseok is third, but I hope he lets you call him Hobie. That’s what the rest of us call him, anyway,” he huffed a little, meeting my eyes, a sad little apologetic smile on his face, “Hobi’s still the most cheerful out of all of us. I don’t know how he manages.”

“Well that’s something,” I tried to sound encouraging as I answered him, forcing my own small smile.

Namjoon’s smile softened a little, “Yeah, it is,” he agreed, “Jimin’s capture hit him pretty hard. It hit everyone hard,” he admitted quietly.

I could tell his mind was drifting to dark places as his eyes tore from mine, so I interrupted, taking a tiny step closer, “Who’s next then?”

“Oh,” he snapped out of his little trance, “Technically I’m next, but you’ve met me,” he laughed awkwardly a little, rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly, “I’m the leader of the bunch. I’m the liaison between our little group and the local government.”

“,” I offered meekly, doing my best to keep him engaged in the conversation.

“It’s not so bad,” he shrugged a little, “I’m able to get information about the outside world every once in a while, and that makes it worth some of the less pleasant duties that come along with the title.” He sighed heavily, his breath lingering for a long quiet moment. “Taehyung,” he spoke suddenly, “He’s kinda a strange guy,” Namjoon confessed rather candidly. “He hasn’t spoken a word since Jimin left.”

“Not at all?” I asked suddenly, “Like, he’s taken some vow of silence?”

Namjoon laughed again, and his smile actually reached his eyes this time, “I don’t know, he won’t tell me.” I couldn’t help but smile at his stupid joke. He continued quickly, “You’ll find Taehyung attached to Hobie at the hip whenever possible. I guess he’s scared that Hobie’s next,” Namjoon shrugged a little before shaking his head, “Jimin would be next, but,” he trailed off.

“Tell me about him anyway,” I pressed, unsure if that was a good idea or not. Either way, Namjoon still considered his lost friend part of his little family group here. I figured if I was going to be held hostage with these guys, I should learn everything that I could about them.

Namjoon regarded me in surprise, “Alright,” he spoke hesitantly, “Jimin was the one we all teased,” he began. When my eyebrows raised slightly, he spoke quickly, “In a loving way, of course. Even though Jungkook is younger, everyone treated Jimin like their kid brother.” When I nodded, he continued, satisfied, “He was always so sincere and passionate about everything,” his voice became wistful as he continued to speak. I tried to think of something comforting to say, but I hardly knew Namjoon, and I certainly didn’t know any of the people we were discussing. “Jungkook,” he spoke again, and he grew visibly anxious, “Before,” he paused again, grasping for words, “Before all of this Reclamation stuff happened, he was our Golden Boy. He’s so incredibly talented, a fast learner, and so young. He’s the same age as you, actually,” he shrugged the arm that my file was tucked under. “But now,” he sighed heavily again, “Since he’s been labeled as the genetic successor to the tyrant who did all of this to us, it’s too much for someone so young. Too much for any of us, really.”

I sighed a little, too. “He really is a victim,” I admitted. I had been so intent on labeling my pseudo- as a villain, but in reality, neither of us were consenting parties.

“Yeah,” Namjoon spoke quieter, “His first partner was a really pretty young girl, and I think he really liked her. It wasn’t true love or anything, but he seemed to be actually pretty content with the situation. Then she was taken away, and it started again. He has a lot of anger.”

“Sounds like I’m in for a fun time,” I mumbled, mostly to myself. I ran my fingers through my own long, dark, slightly wavy hair that had grown a bit matted and oily from the long trip. “Well, that’s everyone, right? Let’s get this over with.”

He nodded, “I don’t know how long you’ll stay with us but,” Namjoon sighed a little, “for what it’s worth, at least I’ll have you back when I can.”

“Thanks,” I breathed quietly. I’m not sure why, but it seemed Namjoon had accepted me. For this I was grateful.

Namjoon turned away f