for your references, here's what the pack's cabin + bedrooms look like hehe

(also the clinic in this fic is just like the one from teen wolf sry for the bad picture but just imagine dark & shady)

Oh and I realized there might be some confusion with the background on the wolves for this fic but no worries i'll be clearing them in this chapter! enjoy :-)

"So how do you want your hair, spiked, bangs or shaved?"

Taehyung blinked at the fashion magazine that had been flipped open in his hands, to a page titled 'Best Styles this Spring!' where a dozen pictures of males stared back at him. Lips pulled into an unconscious pout, he skimmed through the contents with furrowed brows, before looking up to meet the eyes gazing at him in the mirror by the sink of the bathroom.

"See anything you like?" Jungkook spoke from behind him, fingers coming to brush through the damp, freshly washed locks of Taehyung's hair, that now smelled subtly of his goat milk shampoo.

The brunette was up earlier than usual that morning — earlier than everyone in the pack in fact — a great feat that surprised him when he first opened his eyes to faint sunlight and an empty kitchen. It was probably due to the arm cramp he suddenly had from sleeping in a really bad position for too long, and on a mattress that was barely half as comfortable as his bed, but when he rose a little over half past seven to find Taehyung already up and sitting on the couch waiting for him, he knew it'd been worth it.

Because Taehyung didn't try to make a run for it. He'd stayed.

/

"Good morning," said Jungkook, when he sat up from the mattress.

"...Good morning," Taehyung greeted back, the deep baritone of his voice raspy and soft to his ears.

"How'd you sleep? I know the couch pretty much , but there's no guest room and the hyungs haven't really prepared another bed—"

"It's fine." Taehyung paused then, to nibble at his bottom lip. "I haven't... slept on something this... soft in a while."

Jungkook blinked. "Did you not have a bed or something, where you live?"

It took Taehyung a while to reply, but when he did, the answer that came was beyond anything Jungkook had expected.

/

Following the events of the previous night, the omega had practically become a shadow of Jungkook, trailing behind him everywhere he went with those curious dark orbs of his. Jungkook didn't mind though; it was a constant reminder of how Taehyung for some reason (and miraculously) trusted him, which made things so much easier when he'd decided to offer the boy a toothbrush, some clothes, and a nice, hot shower. Taehyung complied without hesitation, barely even flinching at the beta's touch when he helped to scrub the stubborn patches of dried mud and blood off his skin, and rinse off the leaves stuck in the tangled mess of his hair.

A very dry, and annoying tangled mess of hair, which was what ultimately led to the situation they were currently in — Taehyung sitting in front of the bathroom mirror on a stool, clad in grey sweatpants and a t-shirt way too big for his emaciated figure (stolen from Namjoon), and Jungkook waiting behind him holding a pair of barber scissors.

"Aren't there like, shops that give haircuts?" Taehyung finally replied to Jungkook's prior words, speech much more confident and fluent compared to the first conversation they'd had.

"Well, yeah, but they don't open until eleven," Jungkook said, then pursed his lips in thought as he contemplated the various styles that would fit him. "Besides, why go to a shop when you have skills like mine?"

"You have haircutting skills?"

The brunette barely bothered hiding the chuckle that escaped him. Gosh, it was cute, the way Taehyung pieced his words together.

"Well, I've got better skills than most. The salons in this town anyway, they can never get any of my haircuts right."

Taehyung tilted his head questioningly. "Your hair looks fine now though."

"That's because I cut it myself," Jungkook smirked proudly, and proceeded to run his hands through the other's onyx-colored strands once more. "I think you'll look good with bangs. You okay with that?"

"Sure," said Taehyung, focus no longer on the reflections on the mirror, but on the clothes section of the magazine.

"Alrighty, here we go~!"

The next half hour or so were mostly a mix of light chatters, snipping of scissors and lots of 'keep still's and 'don't move your head's as Jungkook worked his self-proclaimed expertise through Taehyung's long locks, fingers splaying all over the black strands and eyes hard with concentration. They bickered every now and then though, as Jungkook tried his best not to accidentally swipe a cut at Taehyung's ears or forehead from the latter's hasty attempts of looking down to sneak a peak at the damn magazine he suddenly found so interesting, something which amused the latter quite a bit. It was a short while later when Jungkook's movements ceased at last, and with marvelling eyes, he took a step back to admire the result of his handiwork in the mirror.

Wow, he wasn't kidding when he said he was good. And Taehyung looks freaking amazing in bangs (a/n: basically i need u era tae).

With the shoulder-length waves gone, snipped to now rest just above his ears and fringe falling slightly below his brows, Jungkook could finally see Taehyung's face in its full glory — with single-lidded, crescent shaped eyes, a low rounded-tip nose, full bow-shaped lips and the longest eyelashes he's ever seen, he realized this boy was actually sort of beautiful, in a way that was soft and innocent.

All he needed was to put on some weight.

"So what do you think? I'm good, aren't I?" Jungkook spoke with a satisfied grin, as he dusted off the last bit of chopped hair from Taehyung's shoulders. "Actually, don't answer that. I know I'm good."

"Well, I can sure see better now," said the omega, turning his head from one side to the other for a better view of his new hairstyle on the mirror.

"I'll pretend you said 'thanks kook, you rock'."

Crescents lifted to blink at Jungkook. "Why would I say you're a rock?"

Good lord, this boy's damn adorable, mused the brunette, grinning even wider now.

"Nevermind."

As Jungkook proceeded to return the scissors back into the cabinet, he paused upon noticing something from the corner of his eye, and took a second glance at the item that suddenly caught his attention — his mint flavored lip balm. With another thoughtful purse of his lips, he pondered for a moment, before picking it up and called for the omega.

"Hey Taehyung, come here for a moment."

The said male was beside him in no time, and took notice of the small, round tube in his hands.

"What's that?"

"It's called lip balm," explained Jungkook as he unscrewed the cap, and twisted at the inner layer until a glossy stick popped out. "If you use it often, it'll make your lips really healthy and nice. Here, try it."

Handing it to Taehyung, he waited for the boy to use it, but he only blinked at it blankly.

"What do I do with this?"

"You've never used lip balm before?"

"I... don't think so."

"Nevermind, I'll do it for you. Come."

And as if Jungkook's body had a mind of its own, he took the tube back in his hand, inched forward till the tips of his toes were touching Taehyung's, and proceeded to dab the balm onto the other's lips, eyes fixated on them the whole time.

"There, done," Jungkook said, as he dabbed over the last bit of Taehyung's cupid's bow. Reaching out a finger to the corner of Taehyung's mouth, he wiped off the smear that had been out of place, and capped the lid back on.

Taehyung's tongue came to swipe over his lips then. "Mmm, it tastes... cold."

"Yeah, that's how mint sort of tastes. Nice right? You can have it, by the way. I can always get another one."

"Really?"

Jungkook nodded with a hum, and kept it back in the cabinet. "Of course. You can use it whenever, just remember it's right here."

"Okay," Taehyung said, and at that moment he smiled, a wide, teeth-baring, boxy smile. The first smile Jungkook had seen on him so far.

Adorable.

"I'm gonna go get a broom to clear up the mess before the hyungs wake up," Jungkook announced, after taking a glance around the bathroom and realized that the trimmed bits of hair still remained on the ground.

"You can stay here or watch some TV outside while I clean, I won't take that long so—"

The beta froze in his steps then, only halfway out the door when found the figure slumped against the wall across him, and met the pair of eyes that were staring back at him filled with shock.

Hoseok didn't know how long he gaped at the boy peeking at him from over Jungkook's shoulder, his jaw hanging open so wide it literally hit the ground, before he finally spoke.

"Jeon Jungkook, outside, right now."

~

Clearly Jungkook hadn't been fully prepared for the part about his pack members finding Taehyung in their living room — or their bathroom, for Hoseok's case. And he certainly hadn't expected that explaning things would be so hard. So when all five of them finally settled down on the couch, eyes wide and ogling at the boy who was huddled by Jungkook's side where they sat, he panicked.

"So let me get this straight," Yoongi spoke at last, fingers coming up to rub circles against his temple as he stared at the younger. "You're telling me this kid had a nightmare, you woke him out of it, then you told him you were leaving, you left the door open... and he followed you? Just like that?"

Yup, it definitely sounded alot better in my head, Jungkook mused, and cursed at himself for not planning his words earlier.

Seokjin had been next to recover from his shock, and huffed. "Seriously, leaving a door open, that was all it took? Did you get mind controlling powers or something, maknae?"

Jimin turned to blink at him then. "Is that even possible, hyung?"

"He's kidding, Jimin," Hoseok said, facepalming himself.

Things went back to silence from there, and more staring, as the pack found themselves at a loss on what to say, clearly still trying to process the sight before them.

Well, Jungkook couldn't really blame them. After all, they did go to bed with the image of the boy — Taehyung — still cooped up in their basement, scared, refusing, untrusting and showing no signs of ever coming out of that state... and now here that same boy was, sitting on their couch, clothed, showered, with a freaking haircut, and clinging to Jungkook like a newborn calf.

Anyone probably would've freaked out.

"Look I know it sounds crazy," Jungkook sighed, trying again. "But I swear, that's what happened. I mean I didn't expect him to actually follow me out, but for some reason he did. I don't know why. Then the rest... just happened like that."

Namjoon shifted in his seat then, finally gathering himself enough to speak. "Well, it is crazy. But it shouldn't matter, because you managed to get his trust, and he... can talk. So that's good. I guess we can find out what happened to him now."

His gaze drifted to the omega then, and Jungkook felt Taehyung tense beside him. His hand automatically came to squeeze the other's shoulder