I always knew that that Taehyung guy was strange. The kid was straight up weird, and not in that endearing I-bite-peoples-shoulders-when-I'm-board weird, though he shows those tendencies to the fans. No, when he wasn't in the public’s view he was I'm-going-to-eat-this-bug-without-anyone-daring-me-to weird.

At first, I thought he was just hanging out with Hoseok and Jungkook to much. I mean, Hoseok would break out into any girl group dances at random with no shame. And Jungkook-that kid eats paper. But as I got to know more about my group member through the years, I came to the conclusion that Taehyung was the triangle in our group of oddballs.

Once I saw him squeeze the peel of an orange straight into his eyeball, and act like nothing happened. I'm starting to think that all those claims were right, he is an alien.

The thing that really got me contemplating his biology was when I caught him drinking out of the toilet bowl. I proclaimed him a total freak then.

At the time I was just finished my vocals for our new song and Jin, being the first one to finish, had crashed out on the companies lounge. I decided that instead of cramming myself onto the small chesterfield, the 10-minute walk to my warm bed was more inviting. The others were waiting around in the studio for their turn and Taehyung, being the last scheduled to recorded, decided to get sleep in the dorm while everyone was out before he would have to suffer through an insomniac night with his turn. The apartment would be blissfully quiet.

I found him bent over the toilet bowl. At first, I rushed to his side, thinking that he was sick. But when his head emerged, his bangs drenched and mouth stretched into that rectangle smile of his, I knew that there was no stomach content in the bowl.

“Oh, you’re back!” Taehyung rasps, eyes a thin line because of his smile, and then does the unthinkable- turns backs to the toilet and stick his head in again.

My brain fritz and pops, I gap at him while I try to come to terms with what I just witness. It takes a stalled moment but, I grab the back of his hair and pull him out. “What. The. .” I don’t even have the energy to yell; after four long hours of recording, the sleep-deprived headache I have prevents me from ranting to my fullest extent.

“What?” He asks, pout evident and eyes shining in a begging way.

“Why the hell are you drinking from the toilet?”

“Because the water’s blue.” He chirps, and as he says this, I noticed that his teeth have been died temporarily the same colour as a robin's egg.  I rub at my eyes with my free hand.

“Why didn’t you just grab a bottle of Gatorade from the fridge. I’m sure we have blue in there.”

He looks at me like I’m the one that needs to be checked into an asylum. “Because it’s not water.” He tries to go bend down again, but I pull him up to his feet before he could even come close to lapping at the water once more.

“Oh no, you don’t.” I drag him to the sink, holding his hair in a firm grip as he squirms to try to get away.  I run the tap and put the plug in to gather the water.

Once the water was a decent level, I dunked his head in, leaving him submerged for a couple of seconds and then pulling him up again. As he spluttered and tries to get his barring, I grab a shampoo bottle and squeeze  more than a healthy amount into my palm. I scrub at his hair, and then once rinsed by another dunk, start on soaping up his face. Finally, I attack him with his toothbrush, my arm around his head like I was giving him a noogie. All the while, I muttered incoherent scolding’s to him. The whole thing scares him enough for him to promise not to do it again.

I let him off, in the end, softly drying his hair as we sit on his bed.

I never let my eyes drift off of him for too long after that incident. The more I observed, the more I noticed the little quirks as well. Like how he would worship anyone that would give him food but would viscously swipe at anyone that came close to his plate. Sure that was a bit normal, I mean, if you caught Jin in a bad mood he would do it too. But with Taehyung, he would get defensive if someone was going to throw chicken bones out. Yeah, he eats bones, on them for hours after a meal like they were lollipops.

He loves to just plop down on people laps and take naps, and again, not so unusual in Bangtan, we all do it, especially the ever sleepy Yoongi. But we just lie our heads on each other’s laps. Taehyung though, he lies his whole torso on your body, stretching or curling up his body to inconvenience you and refusing to get up, which most of the time makes him end up on the floor from a particularly hard push.  

Every time there is a full moon he gets excited and praises it like it is a god. Heaven forbid we are outside on one of these nights because he will always yell compliments at it like it is a person or scream at it like it was a celebrity. It doesn’t help that Hobi encourages it by joining in. Two lunatics just screaming upwards? I join Yoongi and Namjoon on the other side of the streets.

That’s not all the screaming he does, though. Every time he sees a cat. Every. Single. Time. He will cuss it out. Using the most brutal words unimaginable that would make King Sejong be disgraced.

After two months of this investigation, I decided I had enough. I was going to confront Taehyung on his strange habits and hopefully rehabilitate him into somewhat of a normal human.

It is just past ten when I walk into Taehyung and Hoseok's room. His roommate was out in the living room playing X-box while he waited for his turn in the shower. I thought this was the perfect time to talk to Taehyung, that is until I walked through the door.

Taehyung is clad in only boxers; a very normal scene when going to someone's room unexpectedly. What wasn't normal was having your leg behind your head while you at your inner thigh. It deterred me for a second, then I just put it on the long list of things that were unordinary.

"Hey," I say walking towards him. "Get your head out of your crotch," I cuff  him. "I want to talk to you."

Though Taehyung looks betrayed at the smack he just received he pats the spot on the bed beside him.

"What's up?" He asks.

I sit down with a sigh, one leg hanging off the bed. "That's what I wanted to ask you."

"What do you mean?"

"Screaming at the moon and cats. The toilet incident. Whatever you were doing before I came in." I elaborate.

"Oh, you noticed that?" He mumbles head tilting to his lap.

"Of course, I noticed that! Who wouldn't!"

"The other hyung's haven't. Neither has Jungkook."

"They weren't the ones to catch you ripping up Jin's teddy bear with your teeth. So Spill, Why do you act so strangely?"

"I never thought I would have to tell anyone." He inhales greatly like he is about to reveal the secrets of the universe.  "I'm a werewolf."

I blink, thinking for a millisecond of everything I have witnessed, all the information I gathered before I confronted him.

"Seems legit." I drawl. Taehyung has a coughing fit then, seeming to choke on air.

"You believe me?"

"Yes."

"And you're not scared?" he inquires in disbelief.

"Of you?" I can't help but laugh, "No way. You once cried when Jungkook stepped on a ladybug."

"Lillian was my friend! I was going to help her get her brick back from a grasshopper." Taehyung objects, like that reason alone defeated the purpose of it being a bug.

There's a pause, obviously a moment of silence for a lost comrade.

"So you won't tell the others?" Taehyung asks.

"Of course not."

After our little talk, Taehyung starts to follow me around like the little  that pup he is. At first, it's not that bad really; just volunteering to go to the convenience store with me to get ice cream and stuff like that. But one time he tries to follow me into the bathroom.

 That is where I put my foot down.

I push his forehead so that he falls on his , his back hitting the wall. His eyes get big and watery like I have just betrayed him. I scoff and slam the door. I just want to poop in peace.

A week after, we were sitting in the hallway waiting to record a variety program while the others are getting their makeup done. I am playing on my phone when I hear a deep growl. I glance up, wondering what could make Taehyung act like this.

Rounding the corner and heading in our direction are the ladies of AOA, dressed head to toe in black, and accessorised with pointed-ear headbands and clip-on tails for their"Like a Cat" stage.

I see from the corner of my eye Taehyung start to move his shoulders, stalking the girls. I grab the back of his shirt collar as he is about to pounce and sit him back down. I awkwardly laugh and give my charming smile as the last few members pass, tipping my head in greeting. Once the last girl is out of sight I turn on Taehyung.

"What were you thinking?"I ask as I punch his shoulder. "Those are girls, not cats."

"I know. I'm sorry." Taehyung dejectedly closes his eyes. "I just can't help it; it's instinct."

"Seriously, you would have been in trouble if I wasn't here." I sigh. "How did you survive without me?"

"That's it!" Taehyung brightens up, a true one- eighty from a moment ago. His epiphany startles me.

"What-what's it?" I look down to where he grabbed my hands, watching as he sways them a bit.

"Well, I am part wolf. Maybe I just need to become domestic, get some training so I don't-in your terms- 'get out of hand'."

"And where are you going to get someone to sigh up for that?" my brows crease.

"I was hoping you would do it."

"What?" Taehyung shuffles closer, excitement in his eyes.

"Jimin, become my caretaker."

I shake my water bottle, displease with its emptiness. It has been three hours of recording the traffic safety song and the childish melody of it is so annoying, it was making my headache. I sigh, throwing the bottle from the couch to the garbage can across the room. It misses, rolling a ruler's length away. There is a sudden flash of black and I don't realise that it is Taehyung until he is sitting by my feet, the water bottle I had just thrown clutched in his teeth.

"Really?" I question, looking down on him. He physically flattens. I take the bottle away from him and inspect it.

"Well, at least you picked up litter. I guess." I reach down to rub at his fluffy hair. "Good boy." the words feel awkward but Taehyung's eyes brighten up at them. If he had his tail out, he would be wagging it. I feel lighter; like maybe I could get used to all of Taehyung's weirdness.

I come out of my bedroom after I hear a loud bang. I wander into the living room only to be bombarded with a screaming Taehyung and a raging Yoongi chasing after. Taehyung, ducks behind me, hoping for refuge. I confusingly look at him as he clutches the back of my plaid shirt. I turn to Yoongi stomping towards us and notice the white chunks decorating his face and the dark splotches on his black sweater.

"Woah. What happen to you?" I question.

"That little ," he points over my shoulder to the accused. "put a firecracker in an apple."

I try to stifle my laughter only to snort.

"It's not funny. Now move so I can pumble him." Yoongi stepped forward.

"Woah." I put my hands out, halting him. "Hold on. Did anything besides your ego get bruised?"

"Well, no."

"Then it was just a harmless prank. I'm pretty sure that Tae is sorry." I look back for confirmation, whether it was the truth or not. Taehyung nods his head like a bobble toy.

"It was supposed to hit Hoseok. I'm so sorry." Taehyung pleads. Yoongi huffs out his anger.

"Fine." he relents and heads towards his bedroom. "But you are doing my laundry for a month!." he calls back.

Once we hear the door close Tae breathes in relief. "Thank you Jiminnie!" he wraps his arms around my waist. "You saved me." I roll my eyes.

"You really are a little ." he shows me his box smile. "You know this isn't over, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," I grab the back of his head and guide him to the edge of the room, so close that his nose was touching the wall. "Stay," I command.

"Oh, come on!" he complains.

"No, You wanted to be trained. So put your hands up and stay there until I tell you to,"Taehyung relents with a mumble, lifting his hands into the air. I smile at his cooperation and stroll into the kitchen.

I put water into a pot to boil. As I wait I quickly clean up the chunks of apples smeared on the cabinets. I take my time to make instant Ramen then plop in front of the television to enjoy my makeshift meal. I don't pay Taehyung any mind while eating. When I get back from putting my dishes away I can hear soft whining from Taehyung.

I walk over to him and peek at his face. He unsurely looks at me as a whimper leaves his mouth. I lift my hand up in the form of a finger gun.

"Bang." Taehyung hesitates, but when he sees my smirk he topples to the ground, pretending he was shot.

I laugh. "Now that that is over," I toss a game controller to him. "let's play."

It's not the sparks of light that hit the walls that wakes me. Nor the clap of thunder shortly after. It's the dip of the bed, the warmth of the presence of a new body, that makes me open my eyes. Taehyung is next to me, clutching a teddy and knawing at his bottom lip.

"Afraid of storms?" I ask groggily. He gives me a single nod. "Come here." I pull him closer, draping the sheets over his shoulder.

"You know it's okay to be afraid of things," I say tiredly. "It's our mind protecting us from bad things we previously experienced."

I open my eyes just as a lightning bolt crashes down. It illuminates Taehyung's face for a split second, but in that moment I saw something extraordinary. His chestnut hair was spread across my pillow in a halo, his lips parted in a silent gasp, and his eyes-they were wide in curiosity, worriness, and wonder all at the same time, the flash of light reflecting in them making all of it stronger.

It sparked something in me that I could not pin down to name.

Taehyung whimpers as the thunder rolls and hides his face in my chest. I his soft strands of hair as I whisper reassurances. When he calms a bit I continue my speech.
 
"You know, I'm afraid of mascots," Taehyung sniffles and gives me a strange look. " I know it's foolish but it came from a bad experience when I was little. My mother brought me to a mall to meet Pororo. I lost her in the crowd. I was in front of the line and I swear that stupid penguin charged at me to pick me up. Ever since I can't trust mascots." I fake a shiver and he chuckles a little. The air somehow lightens at his amusement to my fear.

"How about this? I'll send any mascots running for the hills if I can run to you anytime it storms?"

"Sounds like a deal."

"Hey, Tae!" I call as I charge into his room without knocking. Did you take my shirt a-" I stop short when I see a dog frozen on Taehyung's bed.

"T-Tae." the dog moves, lifting itself up a bit, legs antsy, before plopping down, tail wagging in excitement.

"Oh my God! You actually- I didn't really think- but here you are," I hiccuped. I bend down to catch my breath. Taehyung gives an unappreciated growl.  

"So I guess you haven't been out much in this state," I speculate once I sober up. I pick up a discarded tennis ball from the corner of the room. I show it to him, shaking it a bit as I continue. "How about we go to the park?"

Taehyung perks up at the offer. He jumps off the and strides to the door.

The closest park is about a ten-minute walk from the dorm. It's actually quite surprising how many people overlook the fact that there is a wolf walking among them when it keeps pace with a human.

As soon as Taehyung sees the gates to the park he bolts inside, exhausting all that built up energy by taking laps around the perimeter. He is on his fifth circle when I reach the middle of the park.

I call for him, and he bounds up to me, all jumpy and ready for the game.

I whip my arm back and then lurch forward when I release the ball. Having previously been in little league, it goes a fair distance. Taehyung chases after it, but as he comes back, he doesn't slow down. I go after him, not even coming to the realization that I was trying to rip rubber from the jaws of  an extremely dangerous animal. It is only when I tackle him to the ground that the thought hits me. I huff once I'm back to my feet, ready to throw again.

This routine goes on for a while, and honestly, it was the best time I have had in a while.

Once my arm starts to ache, I flop down on the ground, grass tickling my neck with my movement as I push Taehyung away from me. I take a breather while Taehyung bites random fallen leaves and moves dirt around with his snout. I watch as lightly tinted grey clouds float past us, looking for anything that could remotely be seen as something physical.

Taehyung trots over to me and puts his fat noggin on my stomach, snuffling in satisfaction. My hand naturally attach itself to his fur, his black head and slowly making my way to the brown hair of his tummy.

"My mother used to do this with us when we were kids." I let out for no particular reason. "She would look up at the stars with my sister while I watched them from the swing set. I really miss that; miss them." I trail off as I think about the past.

"You must really miss your family. Wolfs are social creatures by nature. This must be devastating for you to be so far from your pack." I lift my head to get a validation from Taehyung. His eyes are large and lost. He twists from my clutches only to bite my hand gently. "You're right; enough of this depressing talk. Let's go home."

We get two blocks away from the park's gate when my phone dings with a message. I stop walking to reach into my pocket. I scan the text then mull it over.

"Hey Tae, Kim Yulhee asked me to go out. You think if I play my cards right I could see her apartment?" My eyes drift from the screen to the wolf who starts to huff and do a little dance.

"What's wrong with you? You gotta or something?" it's then that I feel the warmth of my jeans sticking to my skin. "What the-" Taehyung had peed on my leg. My leg. not the fire hydrant that was three meters away. Not the tree that was just at the corner. No. My leg. And the little was sprinting down the street and into an alley.

"You mouldy ham sandwich!  You better sleep with one eye open or you will find your tail caught in a vending machine!"

When I get home I angerly stomp to the washroom to disinfect my drenched shin. I have to clear soap scum from my leg five times before I feel remotely back to fresh. Once I get into a clean pair of sweats, I log onto Naver.

Since Taehyung was too agile to catch up to in his wolf form and I had no way to actually confront him until he turns back into a human, I decide that I would just search why he would piss on me.

The results came up with simple solutions. The first suggestion: excitement, usually in puppies. Taehyung was far from a puppy but even so, nothing at the time of the crime would have set him off into excitement. Second: submissiveness, usually abuse cases. Human Taehyung never showed the typical signs of an abuse victim. No jumping at loud noises; always looks people in the eye. I cross that off the suspect list. As I read the last fact on the page a light bulb clicks on in my brain.

How could I have been so stupid to not see the signs?

Taehyung stumbles in at around 8 o'clock the next morning. I am nursing my second cup of coffee of the day and half-heartedly watching Jungkook play Mortal Kombat. We both look up when he enters. Jungkook blinks at him before going back to his game while I get up to trail behind Taehyung down the hall.

"Where did you get the clothes?" is my first question. He definitely didn't bring anything to wear when we were out last night.

"A clothes line," he replies, trying to escape me by worming into his room. I block his way by putting my arm against the trim of the door.

"You know, I researched yesterday why a dog might have confused my leg for a fire hydrant," I say nonchalantly while pretending to scrutinise the chipped paint.

"I'm a wolf." he retorts.

"Same diff." I wave him off. "The site said that canines might do it to claim a person." I see him tense from the corner of my eye. "Might there be another reason as to why you chose me to be your caretaker?" I turn to him then, my index finger to my lip.

"W-what do you mean. You figured out my secret."

"Actually, you told me. It easily could have been any other hyung, but you told me."

"Fine." Taehyung sighed. "I thought if you were around me more you would start liking me the way I like you but that obviously didn't happen because you are going out with Yulhee." He crosses his arms in a huff.

"But I don't know Yulhee, I know you. Why would I go out with someone I don't even know." I chuckle, sliding closer to him.

It takes a while for my words to sink in. When It does, Taehyung's astonished eyes shift to mine. "You-you mean you want to-?"

My nod cuts him off. He ecstatically wraps his lanky arms around my abdomen and leans in, his lips puckered. The palm of my hand making contact with his forehead halts him from making contact.

"Woah, not before you brush your teeth. I don't know what you might have been chewing on last night."

Taehyung burst into a gut busting laugh.

I am bombarded by a lump of wild orange hair as soon as I step through the door. It wiggles itself under my chin as two gangly arms squeeze my diaphragm.

"Breathe." I barely choke out, all the air has left my lungs. Tae loosens the pressure but slides his palms to rest on my hips.

"But I miss you." he wines, looking down at me with big, glossy eyes. He has been giving me the puppy dog eyes ever since we got closer.

"I saw you four hours ago." I remind him, squirming from his hold and heading to the kitchen so I could put away the groceries that I bought on the way home. Everyone had different schedules today, we were spread across different stations to hit multiple variety shows at different times. I assume that Taehyung's recording was short.

"When did you get back?" I ask as I start to organise. Taehyung shifts around the bags for anything special that I brought home but doesn't bother to help out.

"An hour ago." He hums before giving up on his search. I hear him gasps before he turns around and lifts himself onto the counter. "You would have been so proud of me!"

"And why is that?" I query as I slide to the cabinets to start putting away the dry goods.

"An intruder was coming to the door. He would have broken in if it wasn't for my barking that scared him off." His smile grows in wider, feeling accomplished.

"An intruder?" I sarcastically gasp.

"Yep!"

"Are you sure it wasn't-" I cut myself off to dig in the bag that I was working on. "A person handing out flyers?" I pull out the piece of paper with an advertisement for a small business on it.

Taehyung's jaw drops truly flabbergasted.