Morning found her curled into him like a child and him curved around her like a shell.

He woke first, blinking awake slowly and stretching his muscles until his brain finally registered the sight of her slumbering face and he remembered everything that had happened the previous day. Sighing, he pulled the blanket higher over her body and stared at her with a little smile.

She had changed him; that was an undeniable fact. Somehow, some way, she had burrowed into his heart and made herself at home, bringing happiness back into his life. She was a balm on his memories, and he thought that maybe, maybe, he’d be okay again one day. With her help, maybe he could come to terms with his past and look to a brighter future. As long as she was willing, he would keep her.

He didn’t know how much time passed, but eventually she moved, unfurling her body and yawning awake.

“Morning,” he said huskily, his voice scratchy with sleep.

She smiled at him and blushed. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

He smirked. “Better than ever, thanks to you.”

She squeaked and dove under the covers, making him laugh. He yanked the blanket off and slid down the mattress so that they were eye level.

“Hey,” he whispered. “What were you thinking when you ran into the fight last night? You coulda gotten hurt.”

She sobered up and looked him in the eyes. “I wasn’t really thinking, I guess. I just wanted to stop you.”

He lifted a hand and gently her cheek, sweeping strands of hair out of her face. She shivered. “I coulda hurt you.”

She shook her head. “No. You wouldn’t.”

“I didn’t want you to see me like that.” He closed his eyes and swallowed. “I didn’t want you to see me fight, see me lose control. Jesus, can’t even ing control myself.”

She grabbed his hand and smoothed it out, studying it intensely. “I admit that I—was scared, at first. Seeing you like that…it was scary.”

He tried to pull his hand away but she tightened her hold on it.

“It was scary but then I remembered that night when you saved me. It wasn’t as bad, but I had to stop you then too. And then…I realized something.” Her gaze sought his again. “I realized that you are a protector. You fight to protect, always, not for fun. Whether it’s for me or for your friends—you protect us.” She lifted his hand and smiled. “These hands are for protecting.”

He snorted but couldn’t deny the pleasure he found in her words. “What protector. I was just bullyin’ those guys. They couldn’t even put up a fight anymore but I…” He trailed off.

“So sometimes you go a little overboard,” she conceded. “But I’m sure that can be fixed. You’ll have to work at it, of course…are you going to leave BTS?” she asked suddenly.

He was taken aback by her question, but realized it was warranted. He had changed too much in the many months that he’d known her to just go back to his old gangster ways. But at the same time—could he just abandon his brothers?

“I…” He hesitated. “I don’t know. I don’t—I don’t know.”

She watched his emotions and thoughts flicker across his face. She wanted him to leave; she assumed he understood that. But she also knew that he didn’t want to leave the others like Hoseok and Taehyung had.

“Jungkook is still there,” he thought aloud. “I dunno why, but he is. I’m thinkin’ maybe he’s tryna change us from the inside but he can’t do that alone.” He searched her eyes. “I can’t let him do that alone.”

She nodded slowly. “Yes…I guess you’re right. I—I would really like to be friends with the boys you met before you became a gang.”

He grinned then, a full-blown, unadulterated, blissfully happy grin. “Yeah. I want you to meet them too.”

He gripped both her hands and pulled her in close, tucking her head under his chin and closing his eyes as he relaxed back into the bed. This—he wanted this, wanted her, for as long as she would let him.

“Noona, Hyung, I’m comin’ in, so make sure nothing’s hangin’ out!”

“Maknae, I will kill you—!”

A/N: WE MADE IT.

This is the end, y'all. Sorry it turned out shorter than I wanted, but this is how I wanted to leave it. There's obviously some loose ends that I plan to tie up in later stories starring the other BTS members. Stay subscribed to this story if you wanna know when the next one's being written!

This was a ride and I'm thankful to everyone who stayed with me to the end. It took me a while but it's finally done! My longest fanfic! I love you all! <3

As this was a very character-driven story, I tried to keep my characters realistic and relatable, though I think that kinda got away from me near the end. I''m not 100% satisfied (of course not) but I'm ready to put this story away and move on now. Thanks for all your love and support! See you in the next story!

If you have any, ANY, questions, comment or concerns at all, don't hesitate to mesage me! I'm friendly! :D

skyblaze208, OUT!

© Copyright 2015 by skyblaze208