It's always nice to see familiar faces - Kyle Walker

 

          Hoseok opened his eyes, his slumber disturbed by the sound of incessant tapping and scratching at the back door. He threw back the blankets and stumbled over to his window, rubbing his eyes. He couldn't see anyone there... "Wait?" he rubbed his eyes again, "Is that a person?"

     "Holy hecking hell," Beomgyu screamed out from his cabin door, horrified.

     Hoseok flung open his window, "Beomgyu?"

     "Oh hell no-" Beomgyu used his door like a fan, trying to stop the fog from seeping into his cabin.

     "What is going on?"

     Beomgyu slammed his door and grabbed his phone, ringing Hoseok. 

     "What is going on?" Hoseok repeated as he brought his phone to his ear.

     "I have seen pics of Noni and the... thing... knocking on your door be looking hella close," Beomgyu peered out the window.

     "Noni?"

     "I don't think she's here to bake cookies," Beomgyu backed away and pulled the curtains shut.

     "Did you say Noni?" Hoseok switched ears, grabbing his jacket from the closet, "Are you sure?"

     "I can't be sure, it's dark man," Beomgyu grumbled, "But, it's definitely dead, old, and a woman."

     "No ing way Joy did this-"

     "What?"

     "What if this was Joy's big ' you' to us?"

     "Do you want me to... kill her?"

     "No, no, I'll take care of it."

     Hoseok headed straight to Namjoon's bedroom, shaking him to awaken him.

     Namjoon was groggy, he reached over to click on his bedside lamp, "Hoseok?"

     "We have a big one right now," Hoseok stressed.

     "Huh?"

     "Noni... at the door... Joy's revenge-"

     "Noni?"

 

     Namjoon went straight to his office and flicked on the light, popping up the security monitors as Hoseok joined him.

     "Where?"

     "Back door."

     Namjoon leaned in to view the feed for the back door cam, only to find a peculiar misty fog enveloping the area and nothing more.

     "Is this a joke?"

     "Why the hell would I joke about that?" Hoseok complained, "Beomgyu saw her too."

     "You must have been dreaming?"

     Beomgyu walked into the room, "Not dreaming unless he's bringing me into his weird ism, and I'm not about that."

     "Did you see where she went?" Hoseok asked.

     Beomgyu shook his head, "I went to find my shoes and this," he held up a baseball bat, "and then she was gone."

     "We should alert everyone, do a full property search-"

     "How far could an elderly zombie get?"

    "Mind your tongue, that old lady was like a mother to us all," Namjoon scolded.

     "Well, that's not your Noni," Beomgyu slung the bat over his shoulder, executioner style, "Y'all need to remember that."

     "Still, I can't imagine putting her down will go well," Hoseok had fond memories of her, even though he did not know her well, everyone else in the pack, however, loved her beyond measure.

     Namjoon's phone rang and he answered, "Seokjin-"

     "Are you with Hoseok?"

     "Yeah-"

     "Put me on speaker."

     "Okay," Namjoon did as he was told and set the phone on his desk, hitting speaker, "Go ahead."

     "I got up to pee after I heard Beomgyu outside, cursing... and saw something weird from Kookie's window, so I went out to investigate," Seokjin hesitated, sure they had to all be awake for the same reason, "Umm... N-noni is locked inside Jungkook's bathroom right now."

     "Is she... uh... feral?" Hoseok asked.

     "Yeah, I'd say so. Do you want me to take care of this before anyone else sees her?"

     "No, I'll be right down, sit tight," Namjoon ended the call and turned to Hoseok, "."

     "Why didn't you just have him take care of it?"

     "She deserves better than this," Namjoon sat on the edge of his desk, wearing a heavy heart.

     "You aren't thinking of keeping her around until the spell wears off, are you?" Hoseok practically gasped.

     "I thought if Joy died, her resurrects die too?" Beomgyu looked to them both, confused.

     "Depends on the spell she uses to bring them back," Hoseok didn't take his eyes off his leader, "Namjoon?"

     "I think bludgeoning her to death is cruel-"

     "and keeping her alive to wither away, isn't?"

     "She's not in any pain, she could go in peace after a few weeks-"

     "Can you guys pause the debate so I can go make some popcorn?" Beomgyu was weirdly invested in their discussion, but they both did not hear him.

     "For what purpose?" Hoseok stared on wide-eyed, wondering what the hell was going through Namjoon's mind.

 

     The banging could be heard from the gardens, Noni thunking against the door of Jungkook's bathroom sounded much like a tornado was passing through. Jungkook backed away, turning to Seokjin... the pounding was grating on him, the thought that Noni was behind that door, but not really Noni... was impacting his mood.

     "I need to get out of here."

     "Yeah... go," Seokjin watched as the younger left the cabin, practically mowing down Namjoon as he and Hoseok walked in.

     "You're one hundred percent sure it's Noni?" Namjoon rotated his arm, rubbing the spot where Jungkook had bumped him.

     "Yeah, I got up close and personal when she lunged at me."

     "Hoseok and I are at odds on what to do with her-"

     "What do you mean?" Seokjin looked at them both, "We take her somewhere that's not inside the bathroom and-"

     "Bash in her brains?" Namjoon questioned, "You really think you could do that?"

     "Seeing as I don't want to be eaten, yeah."

     "Thank you!" Hoseok was glad that Seokjin agreed.

      "What if we just keep her somewhere until the spell wears off and she goes peacefully-"

     "Well for one, that sounds terrible on the hygiene scale."

     "Namjoon thinks putting her down is barbaric."

     "Well it is, but she won't know the difference," Seokjin pointed out.

     "Resurrects do have a limited range of cognitive awareness."

     "Limited, she doesn't think of you as Namjoon, she thinks of you as dinner," Hoseok protested.

     "What if I can prove that wrong?"

     "Namjoon, I respect you, you know that... but what is the purpose?"

     "What's with the creepy fog?" Beomgyu's voice could be heard in the distance.

     "Well, I think for one that Taehyung would relish the opportunity to say his goodbyes and to thank her for what she did."

     "He can do that by going to her gravestone, not by keeping her in a cage-" Hoseok argued.

     "Is this normal?" Beomgyu yelled out to no one.

     "and seeing her in that state might further his woe," Seokjin added, "I already know Jungkook is not okay with this-"

     "I don't want to see her bludgeoned to death," Jungkook spoke up from the doorway and they all turned to look at him, "If you think she could go peacefully, then..."

     "And why does it cling to everything?" Beomgyu's voice boomed from somewhere in the gardens.

      "I can't be the only one who thinks this is a horrible idea?" Hoseok whined.

     "Not the only one," Seokjin turned to Namjoon, "Where the hell are we going to put her?" 

     "Yeah, let's just tie her up in the garden shed, charge admission like some repulsive sideshow."

     "Hoseok, that isn't helping," Namjoon could understand his worries, he wasn't keen on the whole idea either.

     "What about the bunker?" Jungkook suggested.

     "Wait, I think it's receding," Beomgyu announced, "It's less foggy now."

      "To be fair it's not serving any other purpose," Hoseok frowned, rolling his eyes, "Should I ready a tranquilizer dart?"

     "Would you?" Namjoon patted his shoulder.

      "This is the last thing we need right now," Hoseok mumbled on the way out.

     Seokjin walked over to Jungkook, "are you sure you're okay with this?"

     "No, but the alternative is worse," Jungkook hugged Seokjin, closing his eyes. There was no way he could live with himself if Noni was just taken out back and done away with.

 

     It took no less than two hours to tranquilize her and guide her into the bunker, where they were able to shut her off in one of the rooms. Once she woke up, she could not escape and eat anyone, at least that was the plan. Just after breakfast, Jimin and Taehyung were informed about the situation, and while neither of them were happy, both agreed that killing her again was too much.

     Hoseok pushed away his plate of unfinished eggs, sitting back to cross his arms, "This is a prime reason that we are all going to hell-"

     "It doesn't exist," Jimin reminded and Hoseok just glared at him.

     "You're really okay with someone wacking her?" Jungkook asked.

     "There are cleaner ways to dispose of her-"

     "Dispose?" Jungkook was appalled, "Hoseok, what the ? That is Noni-"

     "That isn't Noni, that is a corpse who craves human flesh," Hoseok reminded, "Who wouldn't think twice about gobbling you alive-"

     "and what if she proves you wrong?"

     "Besides the hundreds of reasons this is unhealthy, it's just immoral," Hoseok was adamant, "But what do I know?"

     "It that this is even a predicament," Namjoon sighed, grabbing his plate and taking it to the sink, "I don't disagree with you, but my heart leans differently."

     "I have a spectrometer to tweak," Hoseok stood and threw down his napkin, "I want nothing to do with this."

     Namjoon gave a nod and watched as the perturbed witch headed off down the hall.

     They all sat in quiet reflection for a good five minutes.

     "Did you get in touch with Jisung?" Jungkook broke the silence, wanting to think of something more positive for a bit.

     "I put the word out, if he accepts the request, we should hear within a few hours."

     "He would be a welcome addition to our cause," Jimin thought aloud.

     "I can't be so sure he would join our alliance, demogoblins are usually free spirits."

     "I am sure he would gain from not being an omega at this point in time, "Jimin figured, "It wouldn't hurt to ask."

     "I'll have my sales pitch on standby," Namjoon kidded, taking a pronounced sigh, "I have some calls to make."

     They all watched as he left the room.

     "I want to go down and see her," Taehyung expressed to Jimin.

     "Are you sure?"

     "No," Taehyung stood, an apparent unease settled into his face, "but I have to."

     "Maybe you should let this whole idea stew a little more before-"

     "No, if I don't do it now, I might never."

     Jimin nodded, standing, "I'll go with you, you shouldn't be alone down there-"

     "I'm glad you volunteered, I didn't want to ask," Taehyung tried to force a smile, taking in some air to try to calm his nerves.

     "Be prepared, she's chained to the heater-"

     "What?" Taehyung gasped, "Chained?"

     "Yeah, we couldn't have her wandering the room," Seokjin explained, "She's feral."

     "Great," Taehyung gulped, his airway suddenly felt restricted.

     

     Taehyung walked from the room as Jimin exchanged glances with Seokjin and Jungkook.

    "Good luck," Seokjin wished as Jimin gave a nod and shuffled after.

 

     Taehyung stepped off the elevator, greeted with the sounds of grunts and bangs coming from down the hall. The guttural retching that aded the small dwelling was heart-wrenching. He had to cover his ears for a minute, leaning against the wall to gather his wits.

     "Tae, let's just come back?"

      "Jimin, this is because of me-"

     "What are you talking about?"

     "She's this way because of me-"

     "No, she's this way because of Joy," Jimin grabbed Taehyung by the shoulders, squeezing gently, "Joy did this-"

    "I killed her," Taehyung broke free, pushing Jimin away, "She is dead because I'm alive-"

     "Tae, don't do that to yourself," Jimin stood in front of him, "She chose to save your life, she wouldn't have had to if I didn't-"

     Jimin took a deep breath, backing up.

     "...If I didn't let you die in the first place."

     "Why would Joy do this?"

     "Because she was a sadistic witch, she knew how this would affect all of us," Jimin expressed, "The only consolation is she didn't live long enough to see the harm her evil plan accomplished."

     The grunts and bangs stopped and they both looked towards the room she was housed in. A strong sniffing could be heard and they exchanged glances.

     "What is she doing?" Taehyung wondered.

     "I don't kn-"

    "Tae....hy...ung..." a raspy voice gurgled out, time stopped for what seemed like an eternity.

     Taehyung went pale in an instant, goose bumps formed over every inch of his skin.

     "Non-Noni?"

     The chains clinked as if being wrenched from the wall.

     "Tae... hyung," She repeated.

     Taehyung headed straight for the room, stopping in the doorway, adjusting his eyes to the site before him. She sniffed the air, turning around to face him. He inhaled, choking.

     "Noni," he whispered as Jimin appeared behind him.

    "Oh god," Jimin wasn't prepared, she looked the same as when they buried her, albeit a bit more roughened up and dirty.

     A calmness washed over her, like a sudden awareness of familiarity triggered a memory.

     "Noni, it's me," Taehyung backed up as she stepped a few inches closer, exposing her whitened irises to the light.

     "Tae...hyung," her voice was rough, "My sweet... boy."

      Taehyung clutched his stomach, feeling like he could expel the contents.

     Jimin dialed Hoseok who answered within two rings, "Hobi-"

     "Yeah?"

    "Noni is speaking to us-"

     "What?" Hoseok was sure he hallucinated.

    Jimin hit speaker and held the phone up.

     "I have miss...ed you," Noni gurgled.

     Taehyung fainted and Jimin dropped the phone, catching his brother before his head hit the floor.

     "Jimin?" Hoseok's voice called out, "What is happening?"

    "Taehyung," Jimin slapped his brother's face several times, "Hobi, I need your help-"

  

       Hoseok was in the bunker no less than a minute later, popping a smelling salt under Taehyung's nose to awaken him. He jolted up, nearly falling off the couch they set him on.   

     "I just had a nightmare-"

     "Tae...hyung," Noni's voice rang from the other room.

     Taehyung jerked his body around to face the door, "That was real?"

     "How is she speaking?" Jimin turned to Hoseok as the surprised witch stared at the opening in utter disbelief.

     "I don't... I don't understand," Hoseok sat on the couch pushing Taehyung's feet aside, feeling dizzy himself.

    "This isn't normal?"

     "Not in the least," Hoseok contemplated, a myriad of emotions crowding his thoughts, "It's like a mix of resurrection and reanimation-"

    "So this is an anomaly?" Taehyung assumed.

     "This isn't even within the realm of plausibility," Hoseok stood, pacing, "This is like Yoosun rewriting the law of magic magnitude."

     "Taehyung... come to me..."

     "Nope, I can't do this," Taehyung stood and made a beeline for the elevator, not waiting for the doors to fully open before cramming himself inside and spamming the topside button.

     Jimin turned back to Hoseok, "What the is going on?"

    Hoseok gathered his confidence and marched over to the room, peering inside, "Noni-"

    Noni's demeanor shifted immediately and she lunged towards him, being held back by the chains holding her, the raucous growls returning. Jimin pulled him from the doorway and they both leaned against the wall, hands to chest.

     "It's Taehyung, his presence must calm her?" Jimin figured aloud.

     Hoseok stared at the ceiling through furrowed brows, "or she senses her essence inside him."

     "I think we should update Namjoon," Jimin insisted, more so because he had the urge to flee as Taehyung had.

     "Yeah... Yeah," Hoseok glanced toward the door, "And maybe a talk with Brahms and Abram too."

     

     Jungkook watched as Bam relieved himself on the brush at the far end of the property, his mind more so on what Taehyung had told him about Noni than the urinating animal.

     "They've been on a conference call for over an hour now," Seokjin stared at his watch, "I wonder if they've come up with answers yet."

    "If anyone knows anything it will be Abram," Jungkook insisted, "Or Brahms. Either way, this is nuts."

    "Yeah, nuts isn't the word, more like insane, improbable," Seokjin thought for a moment, "unhinged."

     "Imagine how Tae must feel," Jungkook whistled to Bam and the giddy canine bounced over to them.

     "I imagine he must be placid by now, Hoseok gave him a valium."

      Jungkook plopped down on the grass, giggling when Bam snuggled up to him, placing his cumbersome body over Jungkook's lap.

     "Certified lap dog," Seokjin smiled, settling into the spot next to them.

     "Hey-" Beomgyu yelled out from the gate, waving.

     "Hey yourself," Seokjin crisscrossed his legs, leaning in to give Bam some pets.

     "Jisung is coming for dinner."

     "For dinner?" Jungkook repeated.

      "Yup," Beomgyu stopped in front of them, "Namjoon told me to tell you, your presence is requested in two hours, casual attire-"

     "Namjoon is off the call with Abram?"

     "Yeah, Brahms is coming later to study her."

     "Brahms, our lifesaver," Jungkook quipped.

     "Also on the agenda, Sunghoon has some news he plans to share at the meeting after dinner-"

     "There is a meeting too?"

     "Yeah, they're expanding the dining room with magic to accommodate everyone," Beomgyu glared toward the house with wild eyes, "I was definitely born the wrong species."

     "Never a dull moment," Seokjin threw on his sunglasses, "Guess I should go shower."

 

     The dining room was decked out in celestial decor, for no other reason than Namjoon wanted it so. He had hired a catering company to serve food and drinks, reasoning that it would alleviate some concerns. He didn't know how the night would go, so focusing on their guests was his goal. Sunoo and Sunghoon would arrive with several of their entourage after the dinner with Jisung, as to not overwhelm him.

     Jisung promptly rang the bell at 6:15 and was welcomed inside by Jungkook moments later. The younger showed him to the dining room where Namjoon was waiting. 

     "Thank you for coming," Namjoon shook his hand and Jisung looked up at the twinkling night sky that filled the dining room.

     "Nice place."

 

     Ten minutes later, Seokjin slipped into his seat next to Jungkook, who had just delivered the message from Jisung's brother to him.

     "Thank you," Jisung nodded to Jungkook who gave a nod back, "I guess it would be fair to warn you that Joy's plan included raising someone very dear to you-"

     "We already know," Namjoon glanced at Hoseok, "Said visitor showed up this morning."

     "I'm sorry for my part in that, I really had no choice."

     "Joy's death has freed a lot of troubled souls, the world will be a better place without her."

     "I will not argue that," Jisung took a sip of his wine, "The world is rather questionable at the moment."

     "And that is the second reason I asked you to come today," Namjoon propositioned, "We wanted to offer you an alliance-"

     "I had a feeling," Jisung popped a shrimp into his mouth, sitting back, "Being an omega right now is dangerous."

     "You and your family will have protection, a place to stay if you ever need it." 

     "It's just the three of us left, they don't leave the den anymore, too old."

     "Are they demogoblins too?"

     "My grandmother is a goblin, grandfather is a demon, they raised me," Jisung took a swig of his drink the moment the caterer refilled it, "me and my brother."

     "We can find them a safe space if you want," Namjoon had already perused his file, he knew all about Jisung's past, at least the parts that were documented.

     "Why are you being so nice?" Jisung leaned up, setting his glass down, "No one is this nice without wanting something."

     "Other than knowing where Joy stashed Abara, we don't require anything," Namjoon assured, "We just want to make sure everyone is given a fair chance against the likes of Cato and Akiyama."

     "Fair enough," Jisung was still skeptical, but people only had good things to say about Namjoon and his pack, so he was inclined to trust him.

     "You'll, of course, be put to work to earn your keep."

     "I do have skills that are useful."

     "I am aware." 

     "Well you passed the food test," Jisung grabbed another shrimp and stuffed his mouth, resembling a hamster with his round puffy cheeks full of food, "I think we can work something out."

     "Food is all it takes?" Seokjin questioned.

      "More so because I owe you for helping my brother and to make up for my part in Joy's scheme-"

     "I think we all would have done the same in your position," Namjoon took a sip of his wine, "But the past stays in the past."

     

     Hoseok and Jimin showed the curious demogoblin around, getting to know each other and showcasing some of the finer details of life within the pack. They settled in the lab a few hours later, where they somehow got into a discussion about celestial magic.

     "I dated a witch who could harness the cosmos, she was notorious for using meteors to snuff out her enemies," Jisung crossed his arms, "Celestial magic is scary."

     "What?" Jimin was sure he heard wrong, "Meteors?"

     "Wait, does this have to do with the legend of the starkeepers?"

     "Starkeepers?" Jimin asked.

     "Beings that are believed to originate from alternate planets and star systems, settling here for the sole purpose of helping mankind," Hoseok recited as if he had memorized a pamphlet summarizing life as a starkeeper.

     "Why on earth would anyone want to come here on purpose?"

    "Their kind shields the planet from intrusive objects like gigantic planet-killing meteors and war-happy aliens whose goal is to turn us into pod people."

     "That's not real-"

     "Her name is Synn, and boy did she," Jisung glanced up at the ceiling.

     "Sinned?"

     "She's half wolf, half human," Jisung continued.

     Hoseok turned to Jimin, "No, not a werewolf-"

     "I didn't say anything?"

     "Quite the expert at finding dastardly people and calling them out on their bull," Jisung smirked, "It just so happened at one time, I may or may not have been on her radar and narrowly escaped an impact crater."

     "So what you're saying is.. don't with Synn."

     "Yup, in a nutshell."

     "Synn retired to an island and now teaches magic," Hoseok recalled.

     "Never break the heart of someone who can wield meteors," Jisung offered some sage advice.

     "That must make you at least a hundred years old," Hoseok calculated in his head.

     "I've been around long enough to watch most of my kind either be slaughtered or turn to the dark side and perish," Jisung leaned against the counter, a hint of anger flushed his cheeks.

     "A lawful demogoblin was thought to be rare," Hoseok commented, "As with most things, people would rather destroy what they don't understand than learn about what lies underneath."

     "I do what I need to, to survive, side jobs have kept me alive thus far."

     "I haven't always been a pillar of good deeds myself," Hoseok grinned, "Namjoon has given me a way where I can use my talents for good. I think he can do the same for you."

     Jisung thought on that for a good thirty seconds before sighing. "Abara is in a state of suspension, she didn't do the spell herself. I don't know who she used, but if you can find that person or an exceptional counterist, then you should be able to free him."

     "At the compound?"

     "In Grendel's old chamber, but with him free to roam, you might have issue with getting to him," Jisung fretted, "That is IF he didn't kill Abara off after Joy died."

     "Well the latter is doable, we can just call on Yuta to make a visit," Jimin figured, "Tae said he's been dabbling in alternate magics lately."

     "Speaking of interesting vampires, how is Yoongi doing?"

     "He's recovering," Hoseok informed, "He's set to return in another week or so."

     "I can imagine being exsanguinated isn't pleasant," Jisung grimaced.

     "No, and whatever virus those ghouls carry is off-the-charts insane." 

     "Joy could control them to an extent, she said they were hard to manage," Jisung informed, "Some of them have a mind of their own and it made them dangerous."

     "OSO has decided to go in with their recovery unit and search for survivors and eradicate the ghoulish threat," Hoseok recalled what Namjoon had told him earlier, "I'd say they have their work cut out for them."

     OSO is the Occult Species Organization, a huge governmental society with many different departments within; CROSS and MAANTIS were two sub-divisions that they had already had dealings with. OSO didn't usually get involved with other dimension's affairs, but Hoseok had a sinking suspicion since Abara was abducted, that they were making more exceptions than normal.

 

     OCTOBER 4

 

     Taehyung had worked up some courage to head back to visit Noni. No one else could seem to get close to her and time was ticking down, he needed to tell her some things before she was gone again. Today, Jungkook was his emotional support, even though Seokjin protested; he didn't think it was a good idea for the younger to subject himself to the torment of seeing Noni in such a state, but as Tae put it, "better this way than as a brain-eating zombie."

     Jungkook joined Taehyung at the door to her room, doing his best to block out the sounds of moans and choking. Not that they continued for long, for moments later the familiar sniffing noise filled the air, followed by the raspy-

     "Taehy... ung."

     "I'm here," Taehyung stepped into the room, stopping short when he noticed that she had slightly decomposed since two days ago.

     "Jesus," Jungkook gasped, clearing his throat.

     "Taehy...ung," She pulled at the chains, "I need the... key."

     "So I'm not just hearing this in my head, right?" Taehyung asked Jungkook, "From the guilt?"

     "No, I hear her too."

     "The chains... are hindering... me."

     "I can't remove the chains Noni, I can't just let you eat people."

     "I have things to do... dinner to prepare, I am sure you all must be famished, I've been away... so long."

     Oh . Jungkook's heartstrings were being pulled at... more like violently jerked.

     "Do you remember what happened to you?"

     "Of course I do dear, we brought you back from death. Hoseok wasn't strong enough on his own, so I lent a hand."

     "Do you recall anything after?"

     "I woke up in the strangest place, it was dark and then I saw two strange faces."

     "Joy," Taehyung turned to Jungkook, whispering, "She doesn't know she's dead."

     "Oh this is cruel," Jungkook grumbled.

      "Noni, I would be honored to have you cook us dinner, but I think you should know something-"

     "I think you should rest," Hoseok called out behind them, and they turned to acknowledge him, "We will bring you dinner for a change."

     "That is too kind of you," Noni scratched her head, taking with it a piece of skin that fell to the floor with a plop, "Hoseok is it?"

     Hoseok nodded, "Yes."

     "I think you might be right, I am feeling a tad peckish lately-"

     Jungkook had to leave the room, unable to stomach the thoughts of Noni turning into skeletal remains before their eyes.

     "We'll bring you dinner soon, rest up."

     Noni limped over to the bed and sat, lying back. Hoseok tapped Taehyung's arm, seconds later the two of them left and Hoseok closed the door behind them.

     "What is going on? Why is she only calm when I'm in there and why does she not know she is dead?" Taehyung grilled, feeling sick to his stomach.

     "I think she senses her essence inside of you, somehow it's making her aware, which I think is because Joy used a new sort of spell on her-"

     "What spell?" Jungkook chimed in.

     "Reanimated resurrection," Hoseok had a conversation with Abram about it, but seeing as this whole thing gutted him, Hoseok didn't want to bombard him with too many questions, "I've been trying to pick Brahms's mind about it since he came to study her, but he had to attend a writer's conference and won't be able to get back to me until tomorrow."

     "She's deteriorating by the day," Taehyung feared there might be body parts lying on the floor by tomorrow, "This is horrifying, she deserves better than this."

     "Well I hate to say I told you so, but," Hoseok stopped himself, no sense in pointing out the obvious, "I suggest you say your goodbyes and we take care of this before it gets worse."

     "I agree, I can't watch her fall apart," Jungkook begged, "I prefer to remember her how she was in life, not in this gruesome... second life."

     "You don't have to convince me," Taehyung shook his head, "We should talk to Namjoon."

     

      Namjoon had a guest, Jisung was seated at his desk, the two of them engrossed in a nice conversation about the healing powers of cosmic magic and how it might help Noni. Hoseok and Taehyung ambled in, standing behind Jisung's chair.

     "So I take it you know Noni's condition?" Hoseok started.

     "Yes, I saw her this morning."

     "So then you know that time is of the essence-"

     "No sense in beating around the bush, I think you need to put her out of her misery now," Taehyung didn't think etiquette was necessary at this particular moment.

     "There are rituals that can be done, I talked to Nee'eskah's daughter less than an hour ago-"

     "What does Seraphine have to do with anything?"

     "She is adept in cosmical magic-"

     "You're going to try to bring her back?" Taehyung was shocked, "Isn't that against some divine moral code?"

     "I need the approval from two gods, I already have Dagma's approval and she thinks I can get Vitirus on board."

     "The goddess of life?" Taehyung suspired.

     "Yes, she's Jisung's mother," Namjoon stood, walking over to them.

     "Your mother is the goddess of life?" Hoseok's mouth dropped open.

     "By birth only," Jisung stood, "I was raised by my grandparents."

     "Your brother too?"

     "No, different baby mama," Jisung smirked, "my father was a bit of a wild card, and by that I mean he went out for milk and still hasn't returned."

     Taehyung stifled a giggle, but it came out as a choking sound.

     "Why would they care enough to allow this?"

     "No harm no foul, Noni was a good soul and Dagma has a soft spot for me-"

     "Yeah we know-"

     "My mum feels a lot of guilt," Jisung slipped on his jacket.

     "A god feeling guilt? That's a new one," Hoseok was amused, turning to eye Jimin as he walked in to join them.

     "It's kind of a contradiction to give someone life and then not care enough about them to make sure they live," Jisung figured, "She wants to make up for it."

     "You ever thought about getting into thievery?" Hoseok half-joked.

     "My goblin side has always gotten me in trouble, but damn if the demon in me didn't also raise hell too many times for me to count."

     "Yeah, we might become best friends," Hoseok smirked and then stopped when Jimin gave him the side eye.

     "She will be here at the top of the hour," Namjoon commented, checking his watch.

 

     Jungkook was pacing the floor of the lab, checking the clock every 20 seconds, only stopping for an instant to watch Beomgyu give the hamster a treat.

     "She's late."

     "Chill," Seokjin stopped him, giving him a kiss, "The floor needs a break."

     Jungkook sighed, "My nerves can't handle this."

     "I hope they plan to bring her back as she was and not as what she is now," Beomgyu closed the lid to the cage.

     "I can't imagine anyone would want her revived to her current state," Jungkook stopped to turn to the door as it opened and Hoseok and Jimin came in, followed by Namjoon and Taehyung, and a tall caramel-skinned woman who had the most brilliant green eyes Jungkook had ever spied... the familiar green eyes of one of the people he had taken home from the bar... one of the ones he had, *cough* slept with.

     "Oh, no ing way-"

     "Jungkook?!" Her face lit up, "Fancy seeing you here."

     Seokjin glared at him, "You know each other."

     "You could say that," Seraphine smiled, walking over to give him a hug, "How have you been?"

     Jungkook tensed up, everyone in the room was staring at him, "Uh, f-fine... great, you?"

     "You never called me," Seraphine frowned, "I thought we had an amaz-"

      "So... you can bring Noni back?" Jungkook hushed that up so quickly, that everyone had already figured out how they knew each other.

     "Awkward," Beomgyu muttered, amused.

      Seraphine was flustered, she had no clue why he would behave this way, "Oh, yeah," She turned to Hoseok, shaking off the oddness, "How long has she been back?"

     "We can go down now and see her," Hoseok ushered her into the storage room and Jimin and Taehyung followed.

     Namjoon turned to Seokjin and Jungkook, "Do you two need a moment?"

     Beomgyu's facial expression became that of scandalous jubilation.

     "Nope, I'm good," Seokjin shook his head, not even bothering to look at Jungkook as he made a beeline for the storage room.

     "I'm gonna sit this one out," Jungkook sunk onto the stool, watching as Namjoon turned and joined the rest of them.

     "Dude," Beomgyu started.

     "Don't even say it," Jungkook was about to adopt a permanent 'oh ' face.

     "You are the literal definition of around and find out."

     "What the hell is she doing here? Of all the people in the world-"

     "So you uh... did the deed with her?"

     "Yeah," Jungkook was horrified.

     "I mean, she's fine, I don't blame you," Beomgyu tittered, "but your one-night stand in the same house as your ex-husband slash current lover is..."

     "Seokjin said he didn't care about what I did when we weren't together-"

     "Dude, there ain't no way he is going to be cool with this."

     Hoseok came back into the room, hands on his hips, in shock, "I don't even know what to say to you?" 

     "Shouldn't you be down there?"

     "I'm waiting for the elevator to come back up," Hoseok was thisclose to giving Jungkook a piece of his mind, "What the hell do you mean you slept with Nee'eskah's daughter?"

     Jungkook grimaced, "I didn't ing know."

     "That girl is like my sister," Hoseok's face turned to horror, "You defiled my sister-"

      "Oh my god, Hobi, what the ?" Jungkook shook his head, "That girl came on to me... by the way."

     "For serious, I hope she doesn't think you're still single," Beomgyu raised a good point, 'cause the girl was very open about exposing her business.

     "The reality bus is going to crash real hard," Jungkook groaned, "She knows my ex is named-"

 

     "Seokjin? Seokjin Kim?" Seraphine asked, shocked.

     "Yeah?"

     "Jungkook's ex?"

     "Jungkook's current," Seokjin was not comfortable with having this conversation, relieved to make it off the vessel as soon as the door dinged opened.

     Namjoon understood the vibe, he turned to Seraphine, "She is in this first room," he gestured towards the door and Seraphine nodded as they both walked over, followed by Taehyung.

     "Your presence calms her?"

     "Yeah, she's the reason I'm not dead."

     "Quite the unique set of circumstances," Seraphine opened the door as she and Taehyung headed inside.

     "Noni?" Taehyung called out.

     "Taehyung," Noni rolled over and Taehyung and Namjoon both gasped. The was a gaping hole where her nose used to be, "I'm feeling a bit under the weather."

     Taehyung swallowed the wad of spit sitting in his throat, glancing at Namjoon, about to lose it, "I b-brought someone by to help with that."

     "Hello Noni, I'm Seraphine," she stepped closer, "Taehyung has told me so much about you."

    "I do hope someone has offered you some tea? I'm afraid I am just too tired to make it myself."

     "Ah yes, of course, your boys are very cordial," Seraphine smiled, "You have raised them well."

     Seraphine gave a nod to Namjoon and turned to Taehyung, "I believe I can help her."

     "We will return soon Noni, we have some things to do and then we'll all be sitting down to a lovely feast," Namjoon spoke softly.

 

     Seraphine set her grimoire down on the counter in the lab, turning to Hoseok, "I'll send a list of herbs and tomes I'll need," She turned to Namjoon, "I will need Dagma's blessing," She then turned to Taehyung, "And a dab of your blood, since her essence is inside of you."

     "I'm a zombie, that won't make her sick?"

     "No, it's the essence that is the important part, it will be extracted during the ritual," She pulled out her phone, "There is a blue moon on the 13th-"

     "Jimin's birthday," Taehyung grinned at his brother.

     "The ritual will be done then."

     "There is no way her body will last that long in her current state," Hoseok protested.

     "You are correct, that is why we're going to put her into stasis."

     "Magical stasis?" Namjoon asked.

     "Yes, it's a quick ritual," she turned to Seokjin, "I am told that you absorb magic?"

     Seokjin nodded. Jungkook focused on the elder, hoping to the gods that this wasn't a setback in their relationship, he'd had enough of those to last fifty lifetimes.

     "I will need you to siphon from a colleague," Seraphine took a deep breath, "I am afraid she isn't strong enough to do the stasis herself."

     Seokjin could feel the younger's eyes on him, but he didn't look over... he couldn't right this moment, "Okay."

     "Once the stasis spell is complete, no one may enter the room until the day of the ritual or it will negate the magic and she will begin to decompose again."

     "Not a problem," Namjoon assured, "I'll make sure no one enters the bunker."

     "We can do it first thing in the morning," Seraphine suggested, "If that works for everyone?"

     "Perfect," Namjoon approved.

     "A question about those herbs you'll need?" Hoseok asked.

     "Walk me to my car," Seraphine linked arms with Hoseok and the two of them left the room.

     Jimin followed after.

     "Where did Beomgyu go?" Namjoon asked.

     "He went to visit Yoongi," Jungkook glanced at Seokjin again and then back to Namjoon, who took that as a hint to leave the room.

     "I have to visit the god realm, let Dagma know the plans, and I have a conference call with Sunghoon in a bit, so if you'll excuse me."

     Seokjin watched Namjoon as he turned to the door and headed out, shutting it behind him.

     "Do you want to talk about it?"

     "Nope." Seokjin still didn't look at the younger.

     "I didn't know I'd ever see her again-"

     "This sounds like talking about it," Seokjin leaned against the lab table, facing away from Jungkook.

     "Seokjin."

     "This is too weird for me to deal with right now."

     "Do you hate me?"

     "What?" Seokjin turned to him, "No, of course not... it's just... weird."

     "How do you think I feel?"

     "I have questions, but I don't want to know."

     "It was one time, at her place, I didn't call her the next day-"

     "Yeah... I'm gonna go for a jog," Seokjin was not ready for the confession, "I'll be back later."

     and with that Seokjin was off.

     "Welp, that went well."

 

      Jungkook didn't see Seokjin again until five minutes to midnight and that was only because he passed by the cabin on his way to the estate, back from his run.. which Jungkook was sure was more a visit to his beach spot for a thinking session.

      Seokjin grabbed a water from the fridge, down half the bottle as Taehyung stopped mid-putting his dish in the dishwasher to glare at him.

     "Everything okay?"

     "Golden," Seokjin down the rest of the water, "Perfect."

     "I imagine the scene in the lab today wasn't ideal."

     "I knew he slept with some people, but it was okay when I didn't have to actually meet them."

     "So you're bothered?"

     "I shouldn't be-"

     "I mean, why wouldn't you be, technically the two of you were still in love at that point."

     "Not helping," Seokjin grabbed the bottle of vodka and slit the paper with his fingernail, uncapping it, "I just want to forget today happened."

     "You're going to have to deal with it at some point, probably best not to let it fester."

     "I have no right to be upset, I mean yeah he was still bonded to me, but we were apart," Seokjin took a long swig, "I feel bad I made him accept my friendship with Yoongi if this is how it felt to see us together."

     "Mmm, perspective does a lot to open one's eyes," Taehyung grimaced, "It's hard, I know."

     "I'm sorry, it couldn't have been easy for you either."

     Taehyung shrugged, closing the dishwasher, "As far as I'm concerned, you helped me dodge a bullet."

     There was a moment of silence as Seokjin downed a quarter of the bottle and set it down on the counter, wincing from the taste.

     "I mean she's pretty, you don't think he still could-"

     "Not even a little," Jungkook spoke up from the back door.

     Taehyung gave Seokjin a shoulder pat and then headed out of the room.

     "You are and will always be the only person I love and desire."

     "I'm sorry, I don't like having these thoughts in my head."

     "Me, ever since Yoonjin happened."

     "From the bottom of my heart, I am sorry," Seokjin deplored, "More than you will ever know."

     "Hey, I have the forever memory of you kicking Yoongi's permanently implanted into my brain, so it's fine now."

     Seokjin huffed, "For sure."

     Jungkook moved closer, "Do you want to come back to my cabin and cuddle?"

     "I want to take a shower before I even think about sleeping," Seokjin felt that was the best way to say no without saying no.

     "Fair enough," Jungkook pulled him into a hug, "I love you."

     Seokjin tensed up, why are you acting like this, hug him back, "I love you too." he wrapped his arms around the younger.

     "I'll be up for a bit, come find me when you're done with your shower," Jungkook pulled back, giving him a peck.

     "Sure," Seokjin planned to crash when he was done, but he didn't want Jungkook to think he was mad, he wasn't... 

 

     Seokjin emerged from his bathroom, drying his hair. He threw the towel onto his bed moments later, plopping down on the corner. This was a one-night stand, he had to endure months of torture over Yoongi. Snap out of it, Seokjin. You've never been jealous, so why are you now? "Good question."

     He laid back to stare at the ceiling, as soon as Seraphine is done, she will be out of your lives forever and he has absolutely no feelings for her, so don't be a selfish prick and it up. You're better than this. "Am I?"

     "Are you what?"

     Seokjin sat up, "Am I dumb? Absolutely."

     "Sometimes," Jungkook smirked, he wasn't going to lie, "Maybe more so... questionable."

     "You knew I wasn't coming back down, didn't you?"

     Jungkook joined him on the bed, "Had a feeling."

     "Seokjin Kim, Jungkook's ex?" Seraphine's voice sounded in his brain.

     "So you talked about me?"

     "With every single person I picked up," Jungkook grinned, "I think I picked certain people because I knew they wouldn't get anything from me, other than an ear."

     "So what was different about her?"

     "A lonely vulnerability."

     "And the other one?"

     "Honestly he just gave me a , I technically didn't sleep with him, but..."

     "But?"

      "But the same, there was this loneliness I sensed, like they just wanted to connect with someone for a night."

     "So no stalker tendencies?" Seokjin joked.

     "I honestly had no clue what her name was, I didn't care," Jungkook realized that was probably very ty behavior on his part, "I left after she fell asleep."

     "I'm sure if she had seen how you sleep, she'd have kicked you out."

     Jungkook smiled, "All jokes aside, I meant it when I said no one can hold a candle to you."

     "No, because the wax is hot and I would break their arm."

     "Seokjin, if you don't stop with these stupid jokes, I'm-"

    Seokjin cupped his face and kissed him, "Yes?"

    "I forget," Jungkook pulled him in for