BTS was scrambling. Everyone was already surprised that Jordan was no longer in prison; no one had expected to see her suddenly pop up all over their social media. They had been lazing around their office lobby when TaeHyung came skidding in, grocery bag still in hand. He waved his cellphone at them, gasping for breath.

“Turn on,” He bent over, panting. “Turn on the news.” SeokJin quickly flicked the television in the lobby on to a news channel while Namjoon went to check if TaeHyung was alright. But everyone stopped when they saw Jordan’s face taking up half of the screen. They immediately pooled in front of the screen, attention captured.

She looked good. Her face was blank, a mirror of the face they all had seen when they’d snuck into her trial. But this time, there was a slight glimmer in her eyes, a small sign of life. SeokJin could barely pay attention to what the broadcast was saying, but he caught a few words regarding a gala.

They startled to their feet when the front door to the office opened. Bang SiHyuk, their benefactor, strided in, eyes flicking left and right looking for them. He sighed as he saw them gathered in front of the television.

“You’ve seen the news.” He stated. “You knew her?” He asked, eyes pausing on SeokJin in particular.

“We basically grew up together; our parents were friends.” SeokJin answered softly. “We even dated for a while at the beginning of high school. It was after we broke up and I was together with Joonie that she met everyone else.” Bang SiHyuk put his hands on his hips, glancing up at the ceiling.

“Did you have any other interactions with her? I know that many of you code.” SeokJin glanced at the other members, subtly shaking his head at them. When no one answered, Bang fixed them with a glare. “The more honest you are with me right now, the more I can help Jordan.” SeokJin glanced up at that statement. “Now, it’s best you tell me as much as you can.”

Namjoon looked nervously at SeokJin. The rest of the boys shifted uneasily, glancing towards Bang SiHyuk. SeokJin wasn’t sure if he should say something.

“We helped her.” He glanced up at Jimin’s voice. He sighed. Looks like the secret they’d been holding for all these years was going to come out now.

“You helped her?” Bang SiHyuk ed his suit jacket. TaeHyung and HoSeok shifted over to make space for him on the couch. NamJoon sighed.

“I know the most.” He glanced at Jimin. “I’ll explain.” He settled in, eyes fixed on Bang SiHyuk. “After her parents died, she wanted to pull off one last hack, a kind of tribute to her parents. They were Variant rights activists, so she wanted to expose all of the unethical research that the big three labs were doing.”

“But she couldn’t do that on her own.” Bang SiHyuk interjected. Namjoon nodded.

“Right, so she asked us to join her and we did.” NamJoon glanced over at Jungkook. “Well, a few of us. There are other people in the team, but we don’t know who they are.”

“You don’t know?” Bang SiHyuk raised an eyebrow. NamJoon nodded and elaborated.

“Jordan thought that it would be best for only her to know exactly who was working with her. She was right, in the end. As you know, someone snitched.”

“Is there anyone that you suspect?”

“IU.” SeokJin spat. Bang SiHyuk’s eyebrows flew upwards in surprise.

“Lee JiEun? Over at YG?” SeokJin nodded in response. Bang’s face turned contemplative. “I suppose that makes sense, given her quick and sudden rise to prominence within the company. The timing is right.”

“But why is Jordan there?” TaeHyung asked. “We knew that she was in jail. She told us not to do anything about it, because she was scared that we’d get implicated too.” His voice rose as panic seemed to set in. “But if she’s out of prison, then we should be trying to get her out.” Bang SiHyuk raised a placating hand.

“I’ll take care of Jordan.”

“You’ll-”

“Wait, let me explain.” He eyed the boys. “There is a storm coming, far beyond what a ragtag team of hackers can handle. And that is not an insult to you, it’s the truth.” He sighed. “There is a great deal of political turmoil happening in the world right now and you don’t know how to handle it.”

“So what do you want us to do?” SeokJin asked. “Just sit here?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I want you to do.”

“That’s stupid!” Jimin couldn’t contain himself. “If she’s out there, we could easily find where she’s staying and bring her back home.”

“We could gather an entire team to get her out, even the politics couldn’t stop us. MAMAMOO loves her, BAP has worked with her before, there’s so many people who’d be willing to help us get her out of there-”

Bang SiHyuk held up his hand to stop the noise, “For now. Moving may jeopardize your safety by revealing your connection to her.” He stood again, already striding towards the door. “I’ll contact you if I need anything else.” He paused to look at them. “If something happens, you’ll know what to do.”

Finding a place to go wasn’t difficult. Going farther north meant going back into the clutches of winter, which significantly decreased their options. Jordan wanted to avoid larger commercial hotels: there was a greater chance of being discovered. Most of the smaller family-run bed-and-breakfasts, where Jordan wanted to go, were still closed for the season. But she managed, eventually finding a tiny establishment that was still open right on the coast.

    It was charming, with a light blue stucco exterior emblazoned with the occasional white star. Their website showcased minimalistic rooms with nautical decorations, which Jordan found very soothing. Jordan’s resolve only solidified after reading about the background of the establishment owners. They were refugees from a war-torn country hoping to find a niche in their new home. She booked it for two nights. It was a last-minute reservation, but Jordan wanted to get Chen and herself out of the house as soon as possible.

    After receiving a confirmation email, she immediately dashed around the house to pack, tossing three days’ worth of her and Chen’s warmest clothing and toiletries into a duffel bag. Chen occasionally grabbed things for Jordan, but for the most part, he wisely stayed out of the way while she dashed about, amenably perching himself on their couch.

    Jordan and Chen seemed to speak even fewer words to each other now. While making lunch the day before, Jordan had just begun to form words to call for the eggs when he pressed the carton into her hands. Later, when Chen was snuffling through her clothes upstairs, and she’d started to want their post-lunch cuddle, he’d immediately zipped down the staircase before Jordan had said a word. He didn’t seem to need to listen to her words anymore; it was almost like he had a direct tie to her thoughts and feelings.

    This connection was only emphasized when the minute Jordan finished, Chen immediately rose from his seat to take the duffle bag and bring it to the car in the garage. Jordan smiled in response, quickly running through the kitchen to look for snacks they might need for the lengthy drive. There wasn’t much left, mostly drained from her last full moon trip. They needed a grocery trip. Jordan glanced over to the garage, where she heard Chen close the trunk door. She remembered the morning’s activities.

    A supermarket trip was definitely necessary.

    After driving to the nearest grocery store, Jordan had Chen wait in the car while she dashed in. She grabbed her usual: granola bars, apples, and a few bottles of water. Lastly, she made her way to the feminine hygiene aisle to buy something she didn’t think she would need.

    Reading labels carefully, Jordan perused the rows and rows of condoms, looking for something she thought would bother Chen the least. She still wasn’t super sure how she was going to convince Chen to put what was ultimately a latex sock on his , but she’d cross that bridge when she got there. She didn’t feel like going through that particular type of stress again.

    The drive itself was beautiful. Once they were out of their lively college town, they drove up the coast, witnessing rocky shores and the jade green of newly emerging tree buds. Jordan wished that Chen could drive, if only for a few minutes, so she could admire the vistas that were zipping by. She cracked the windows, allowing in streams of air that still held the bite of winter but cradled the promises of spring.

    As the hours passed, the muted green faded away to be replaced with snow and ice, the vistas’ colors slowly leaching away until the world was a familiar scene of black, grey, and white. The frigid air forced Jordan to close the windows, which she did with a sigh.

    Chen fiddled with the radio dials, picky as ever.

    Jordan remembered the days when TaeHyung and JungKook would fight over the auxiliary cord from the backseat, stealing the cord from each other to plug it into their respective phones. She could see Jin in the driver’s seat, face slowly filling with annoyance. Jordan diffused the situation by pulling the cord away from the bickering duo in the backseat and plugging her own phone in. It was Jin’s glare that shut up any protests.

    Somehow, Jordan never minded Chen switching songs every thirty seconds. It was fascinating, discovering what types of songs that he liked and the patterns behind his choices. Jordan couldn’t really figure it out, she was surprised when he settled down on an opera, somewhere on the obscure waves of the radio. Up until then, Chen had seemed to enjoy R&B music and the occasional pop ballad. He curled up in the passenger’s seat with a small huff, seemingly focused on the soaring high notes and the wavering ululations. Jordan simply leaned her left arm on the window, focusing on driving with her unconventional soundtrack.

    He switched away from it soon enough, moving on to other channels.

    And so their trip continued. After three hours, Jordan’s GPS finally directed them off of the main highway, bringing them closer to the ocean. They navigated their way through the small coastal town, winding their way through small Victorian-style houses and seafood shacks. Chen interestedly opened the window and sniffed the air as they passed by; Jordan felt that he should try all of the foods that the area had to offer. They were on vacation, after all.

    They turned off onto a small road with a sign demarking the White Star Bed-And-Breakfast. Jordan smelled brine in the air as they approached the sea. Within moments, they saw the blue building, a striking scene against the grey green of the skies and the ocean. After pulling into parking lot and shutting off the car, Jordan stepped out and pulled in a lungful of air.

It was clean, the taste of ice lingered briefly on her tongue. She looked up; seagulls called overhead, the black tips of their wings dark dots against the cloudy sky. The sound of the sea was oddly muted, as if someone had placed a muffler on the waves. She turned to look for Chen, who had clambered out of the SUV, chasing the smell of the air.

He stretched, a smile stretching across his face. He seemed at ease, lips outstretched in a smile. Jordan reached for his hand, guiding them towards the bed-and-breakfast entrance. She wanted to check in before exploring.

A plume of heat escaped the building when Jordan opened the door. She smiled at the woman standing behind the counter.

“You must be Jordan Chang.” She asked. Jordan felt some nerves trickle down her spine. Her name was more recognizable now, and she realized now that she had lacked foresight: the gala made her known to all of society. But Mrs. Warsame only gazed at her with a smile, expecting a response. Jordan nodded in response, tugging Chen in after her. “Room for two nights, correct?” Jordan nodded again. “Perfect, I’ve been expecting you. I’ll get you two to your room.”

Jordan caught a glimpse of a small plaque at the front desk.

Founded in 2000 by the Warsame family.

Their host narrated the history of the establishment as they walked through it, passing through a small dining area. On the wall draped a flag: sky blue with a white star emblazoned in the center. It turned out that their host in fact was one half of the founding pair.

“It’s usually quite quiet this season, you understand.” Mrs. Warsame chattered as they approached a stairwell. “Summer is when the tourists come around. Usually only the people who come in the winter are photographers or wildlife observers and things like that.” They climbed up to the second floor, taking a right turn until they got to a white door. “Here’s your room, I got you the room with the best view.” Mrs. Warsame said with a wink. “A nice bay window, queen-sized bed. Breakfast service is from 7 to 9:30 in the dining room downstairs.” She clapped. “That should be all, I’ll leave you two to settle in.” She trailed off with a smile. Jordan thanked her and Chen flashed a smile.

“Do you have any recommendations for food in the area?” Mrs. Warsame paused to think.

“Most of the best seafood places are closed for the season, especially the lobster pounds, unfortunately.” Jordan glanced disappointedly at Chen. She wanted to show him some new things; he’d put up with her cooking for a while now. “Georgie’s down on Main Street has excellent pasta, though. And you’re free to have a meal with my husband and I.” She said with a grin. “You’re the only guests we have at the moment, and we always love showing people our home country’s food.”

“We would love that!” Jordan exclaimed with a smile. It warmed her heart, this couple’s hospitality. She saw Mrs. Warsame eye Chen for a moment, no doubt wondering why at this point in time, he had yet to utter one word. Jordan hesitated, wondering how she should approach this. Mrs. Warsame beat her to the chase.

“Man a few words, is he?” She raised a hand to the side of and whispered. Jordan nodded with a wry smile. Mrs. Warsame bobbed her head in response. “He’ll get along with my husband swimmingly. They can sit together and grunt at each other.” Jordan burst out laughing.

“Sounds good.”

“Well, go ahead and get settled in. If you need anything I’ll be downstairs, just give me a shout.” With that, Mrs. Warsame bustled out of the room and down the stairs. Jordan turned to the window, gazing out at the ocean. Snow still lined the beach, only ending where it kissed the waves. The waves themselves, however, churned slowly. She watched as they slowly approached the shore. No white caps decorated each wave tip, there was no crash as they made a landing on the grey pebbles.

Jordan felt warm arms encircle her waist and leaned back into Chen’s warmth.

Jordan and Chen went back downstairs to the car, grabbing their duffle bag and returning it to the room. Jordan was exhausted from the car ride, opting to take a nap before going anywhere. They were supposed to relax on this trip, after all. Chen joined her on the bed, head pillowed on her stomach and arm wrapped around her hip. Jordan smiled, curling her fingers through his hair before letting sleep wash over her.

    By the time Jordan woke up, it was far too late for any restaurants to be open, so she and Chen just snacked on the food she’d gotten before their car ride. It would have to hold them over until morning. Afterwards, Chen simply tackled her back into the mattress, where she simply curled into his embrace.

What Jordan thought may have been a one-time event happened again. A recently purchased box lay open on the bedside table. Several hours were spent on the mattress, sweaty bodies pressed into the sheets and into each other, fingers scrabbling for purchase against strong shoulders, gasps permeating the air.

    For the first day, She’d managed to entertain Chen by wandering around the town. He grinned at the small trinkets that shone in the shop windows. He pulled Jordan into every chocolate and ice cream shop that they passed by. Jordan marveled at his metabolism after his third cone. She’d sampled so many flavors of fudge and toffee she was ready to vomit. But Chen was relentless, trying every flavor in existence and then pouting at Jordan to swipe the card. She indulged him, but she really didn’t know how he was going to finish everything.

Chen somehow still had room for actual meals in between his sugary exploits, something that astounded Jordan. She settled for buying him multitudes of sandwiches, quiches, wraps, and burritos at the cafes that they passed, hoping that they would be enough to satisfy him. She chuckled at the dumbfounded looks of the employees working as they watched him down item after item, showing no signs of stopping. They were getting business, at the very least. That, and she didn’t mind the dent she was no doubt making in the researcher’s available credit.

By the afternoon, they had toured most of the town. The last place they ended up was the empty dock, all boats brought in for the winter. Jordan had to nearly wrestle Chen to the ground to prevent him from leaping into the water. Jordan didn’t know how to explain to him that people didn’t play in the ocean during the winter. Especially not in gross dock water.

Afterwards, they partook in the pasta restaurant that Mrs. Warsame recommended, which was an enjoyable experience. Jordan was endlessly entertained by the look of surprise on the waiter’s face when she ordered several families’ worth of food for the two of them. He protested, insisting that their portions were large. It took an absurd amount of time convincing him that they would finish it all; the food would not be going to waste. Jordan couldn’t stifle her laughter when the entire restaurant staff came out to see if they really were going to finish everything. She watched the chef lean against the counter, frowning at Chen and their seemingly overabundant food-wasting. The amount of food they ordered couldn’t fit onto one table, so the waiters had dragged over another two. Chen started on a lasagna, digging in with a fork - Jordan rejoiced that he actually remembered. He seemed to enjoy it, smiling after his first bite. He finished it after a few minutes and tugged another dish - spaghetti and meatballs this time - towards him. Jordan watched the the staffs’ jaws sink closer and closer to the floor as Chen cleared plate after plate and kept reached for another.

Jordan herself slurped at her own plate of pasta, enjoying the experience of eating food made by someone else. It made her miss Sylvia’s cooking. She needed to message her the minute they got back.

Jordan wondered if there were any food-eating competitions nearby. Maybe Chen could earn them some cash on this trip, something she could stow away, untracked by the researchers.

Jordan continued pondering the idea as they walked back to their bed-and-breakfast, checking on her phone as they arrived. There was nothing, not during this season, at least.

JiYong paced nervously around their apartment. TOP leaned on the doorframe, equally twitchy and picking at his nails. The rest of the team were sitting on the couches, feet tapping in synchrony.

“When is he getting here?” TaeYang burst out. “I can’t take this anymore. You can’t just send a threatening message disguised as a project update and not say when you’re coming.” JiYong sighed, eyes rolling towards the ceiling.

“The President can do as he likes.” He replied, though internally he was equally skittish. “And he can’t be pleased with us.”

“It was too much to ask for him not to notice, wasn’t it.” TaeYang bemoaned, sliding down in his seat.

The sound of tires outside sent them all upright. The team’s eyes collectively flicked towards their leader, who nervously walked towards the door. The sound of a slamming car door sent them scurrying to line up in front of the door.

“Don’t say anything.” JiYong hissed. “Let me do the talking.”

“Not going to fight you there.” DaeSung muttered to himself. They all flinched when a heavy fist repeatedly knocked against the door. JiYong reached out for the door handle as the rest bent themselves over in a bow.

JiYong closed his eyes and breathed in an unsteady breath, bracing himself. Little good it did; the minute he opened the door he felt himself flying back and onto the floor.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” The President roared. He rushed forwards to clench the collar of JiYong’s shirt in one hand. “Letting the werewolf out like that?”

“He’s safe.” JiYong rasped, face purpling under the pressure of the President’s fist. “He won’t hurt anybody.”

“He’s a monster.” The president spat. “I only agreed to these experiments because the government subsidized it. If it were up to me, all of those ing werewolves and centaurs would be shot on sight.” He shoved JiYong back into the floor. “You shouldn’t have brought Jordan Chang into this.” He was nearly frothing at the mouth in his rage. “You will regret your actions. I will see to it.”

JiYong gasped for air as the President finally let go of his shirt collar. The President fixed the rest of the research team with a glare, noting their trembling bodies. His face seemed to contort with rage before spitting at their feet and storming back out the door.

They dedicated the next morning to being lazy. They wandered up and down the coast by the bed-and-breakfast. Jordan bundled herself up in her thickest coat, scarf, and gloves. Chen breezed by next to her with only a sweater. Eventually, Jordan gave up and took off her gloves, reaching for Chen’s hands instead. His body heat was better than any type of insulation.

If there was something Chen was truly entranced by, it was the winter ocean. He made a beeline towards it every chance he could. Jordan usually managed to entice him with something else, pointing out the coastal birds that poked their beaks through the sand or poking around for shells and small animals.  But after an hour or so, he was particularly stubborn. He marched towards the waters, eyes fixated on the slow-churning waters. His toes dug into the cold pebbles, and he yelped delightedly as the freezing waters teased at his toes.

    Jordan watched with exasperated amusement as he splashed through with all of the exuberation of a puppy. She listened to the ocean breeze and his hollering, tugging her winter coat closer to her.

    “What is he doing?” Mrs. Warsame dashed out from the main cabin. “The idiot, he’s going to catch his death!” She began waddling out to the beach in her slippers, fully intent on forcing Chen to come back out onto the shore, but Jordan gently tugged the old woman back.

    “He’ll be alright.”

    “Nonsense! He’ll get hypothermia within minutes! You get him out of that water immediately! Get him in a jacket and shoes! I’ll get him some warm towels.” The old woman stumped back to the cabin, disappearing with the slamming of a screen door. Jordan sighed in amusement when she heard Mrs. Warsame yelling at her husband for towels.

    “Chen!” She called, ending his few moments of fun. His head whipped towards her, the strands of his hair already stiff with ice. She tipped her head backwards, beckoning him back to her.

    He returned, hands rubbing at the sides of his arms. Jordan’s eyebrows shot up to see the goosebumps raised there.

    “Is this what it takes to make you cold? Diving into a semi-frozen ocean?” She wondered, choking back a laugh. She pulled him into her embrace, desperately trying to rub warmth into his back.

    “Idiot child!” Mrs. Warsame chided upon her return. She tossed a hot towel onto Chen’s head and roughly yanked him away from Jordan. The tiny woman pulled on his shirt until he bent over so her arms could reach his head, and roughly dried his hair, muttering under her breath in her own language. The miniature icicles in Chen’s hair melted in the damp heat, and soon his hair, under Mrs. Warsame’s rough but loving treatment, was dry and pointing in every direction. “Get him into a bath!” The old woman scolded. “You may think he’s strong, but trust me, all men are babies!”

    “Okay, Mrs. Warsame. Get back inside, it’s chilly out here. Thank you for the help!” Jordan smiled at her, and gently guided Chen back to their own cabin.

    Mrs. Warsame scowled good-naturedly at the retreating couple.

    “Cute.” She muttered, as she turned back to her cabin. She reminded herself to invite them for dinner.

    The night Jordan and Chen got back to their house in the city, they were so exhausted that they didn’t bother washing up. Chen, who didn’t seem to need to, simply ripped off his shirt and dove into the covers. Jordan did similarly, slipping off her shoes and socks before burrowing in afterwards, slipping herself into the space that Chen made for her. The driving had tired her out beyond belief, and she fell asleep before many more thoughts could register in her head.

    When the morning came, all seemed peaceful. Birds were singing their melodies in the pale morning sunshine, dew scattered light into a rainbow of particles. Sylvia puttered down her driveway to collect her mail from the previous day, glancing out to her neighbors with a smile before retreating back indoors.

    But the song suddenly cut off, the birds alighting from their perches to flee back into the skies. A roar shook the morning dew from the emerging leaves to disintegrate on the sidewalk.

    Jordan and Chen did not hear any of it. Jordan, lost in blissful dreams of her family and of her friends, didn’t hear reality. Chen, with his ear pressed against Jordan’s heartbeat and his nose buried in the sweetness of her hair, did not stir.

    Neither of them woke until a soldier broke down their bedroom door.

***

As usual, a great big thank you to Shooka24 for beta'ing this chapter! Love you, darling!

Also thank you to: Irnbru121, AhRa92, and baelukai for recommending my story! I really appreciate your support! 

Special shoutouts to: Orenjii_pop17, KayJayxoxox, AinaSu, Readerwriter, mitsurinaxHIKARU, _Neesa_, exokexomkai, Shimmiin, leehyoyou, ejaswal, crazygoing-panda, shinhabin, baekkieqtpie, AhRa92, dreamreality, ramme-exotic, Sharmi99, creepycandy, Menggmongg, Yula18, HeyyGoldfish, Inieee, ponpin, EXO_L12, aozora, love1477, thornyrose_13, lilyexobts, SilverRain, theautumnsky, ultramegachubbycheek, blueblaze, and Xiukitty18! Thank you guys so much for upvoting! 

As usual, please leave comments; I read all of them and they make my day. See you next time!