XX

I WAS LYING. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO ANTICIPATE IN THIS CHAPTER.

AND ALSO, I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. IT’S MESSY. IT’S ALL OVER THE PLACE AND I’M NOT ENTIRELY PLEASED.

ANOTHER NOTE, I DON'T HAVE INTERNET CONNECTION FOR NEARLY TWO MONTHS. I'M SO SORRY.

“Where do you want to go next?” Hoseok asks softly, allowing himself to look at the younger boy walking beside him.

It has been weeks since the last time they did this. And that last time didn’t end well. It was the same night when Taehyung discovered his true identity, and apparently not in a good way. The sight of his true form had scared the wits out of the boy and he could still remember clearly the horror that etched on Taehyung’s face that night. The images of how the boy had flinched away from him when he took a step forward, how he looks at him in the eyes with so much questions and horror as if everything was surreal, and the pregnant silence, thick and heavy that hung over them. He can’t help but wonder if Taehyung is still terrified of him. Because he was to be asked, the memory still sends a pang of sadness in his chest, admit it or not.

He couldn’t blame Taehyung for that, though. But he’s blaming himself for hiding the truth. He should’ve listened to his half-vampire friend when he’d told him to just say everything; that Taehyung will understand, that the boy wouldn’t think of him of some freak or psycho if he just explains it just right. Because obviously, in this world, it’s not normal; his kinds are not common. It’s not every day you would see someone transforming into a werewolf in front of your eyes, fighting another wolf and howling in the middle of the night. It’s not a human standard, and so he understood it.

That night at the party was his chance to fix everything, clear all misunderstanding and explain what was happening. It was his chance, a chance that will result good if he just used it right. And he did—it did.

That night, he wanted to avoid the younger boy, just like what he’s been doing. He had been successful at it for the past weeks, so he thinks another one night wouldn’t hurt. Because whether he denied it a hundred times over to himself, the mere idea of confrontation with Taehyung had him scared less inside. He already lose a friend, he doesn’t want to feel the growing distance of separation all over again if the confrontation didn’t end well. And to save himself from it, all he has to do was turn around and walk away from the boy. But of course, that’s not what happened; because no, it’s not that easy. It always, always hurts him physically when he tries to ignore and fight the boy’s scent. It drives him crazy. And it hurts him emotionally seeing Taehyung in the corner of the room, hiding in the darkness, lost in his own thoughts, and not talking to anyone like he’s expected him to be, like he’s supposed to be—

—and ending with him cracking his own resolve.

Another minute later of watching the boy from the distance, he found himself standing in front of Taehyung, holding the boy’s wrist and dragging him out of the room. There was no resistance even though he feels God knows how many times Taehyung tripped over his own feet. There was no protest, not even a single word. He’s so thankful for that he didn’t even notice how he released a breath of relief at the realization.

When they reached the sidewalk, finally away from the loud music and prying eyes of everyone in the party, he finally turned to face the younger. The sight almost made his heart stutter in his chest, holding his breath as he observed the boy in front of him. It’s not what he’s expected to see. He’s expecting something along the same image of fright and horror from the younger… but it’s not. Instead, the boy was looking at him with wide, careful eyes, moist corners shining from the moonlit. Taehyung was looking at him in the way like he could not believe what he’s seeing—that Hoseok was finally standing in front of him, again, for real.

“Maybe we can get early dinner? Those zombies drained me,” the younger boy says with an adorable pout, squishing the strawberry pillow (Hoseok had won in the arcade) against his chest.

“Let’s do that.”

And then again, he’s staring at the boy beside him, signature megawatt boxy smile on display. Hoseok can’t help it, not when Taehyung himself is rivaling the glow of rays of the setting sun that’s currently painting the sky with orange, yellow and purple behind the horizon, carefully outlining the younger’s face, accentuating his tall nose, shadow framing the cheekbone and sharp jaw and creating something like halo around his hair.

He felt his heartbeat raced twice the normal; his heartbeat’s racing in that special pace when Taehyung is around from the very first time he laid his eyes on the boy, as his breath skid to a stop.

Beautiful.

2AM and Jimin’s sure everyone’s already dead to the world, except for him.

After the delicious but confusing dinner with the Min family that had Jimin’s head swirling with questions and sliding on the tip of his tongue, Yoongi quickly dragged him in the room, except, it’s not his room but the older boy’s. Yoongi’s room in their mansion-like house is almost alike of the room he has in the unit he’s sharing with Hoseok; dark duvet and curtains. The walls are painted in plain grayish color with thick black stripes painted on the bottom, soft gray couch and black wooden bedside table.

To say that Jimin’s confused of what he was doing there is an understatement. He tried to ask Yoongi why he’s there instead of inside the guestroom but the older remained silent, staring at a distance with a frown settled on his lips. When the silence had stretched far too long for his comfort, he tried to rebel and sneak out of the room when he thinks the older boy’s really lost in his own thoughts, but one call of his name has him sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands clasped atop his thighs. And when Yoongi told him to sleep and that they’ll talk tomorrow, Jimin didn’t even try to fight the fingers that curled around his wrist, pulling him on the bed and under the covers.

And four hours later, here he is, still wide awake with Yoongi sleeping soundly beside him just like everyone else. Even if he tries to sneak out now, the arm that’s wrapped around his middle’s preventing him from doing so. And when he tries, the loop just keeps on pulling him closer and closer against the sturdy chest, locking him in place until he has left with no choice other than make himself comfortable in his position and tucked his own body against the other’s.

Honestly speaking, Yoongi feels so, so comfortable around him. The arm that was around his torso, the chest whe