We had to run 2.5 miles during camp today so im literally dead. Anyways, Update! 

XXXV: Taehyung

Next morning, I carry my temporarily disabled soulmate into the kitchen, while everyone is in the middle of breakfast. Jin, still feeling betrayed over the use of his bed, pointedly gave us no bacon on our plates as a sign of passive aggressive revenge. Not that Jungkook could eat it, anyway. He couldn't consume any food for 24 hours, as his body still needed to process all the toxins that would fully turn him into a vampire. Food would only hinder the delicate system.

But that didn't stop him from being glued to me, hanging onto my neck like a baby koala. During the night, the soulmate bond had somehow gotten even stronger, resulting in Jungkook not wanting to be separated from me for a moment. It would be a lie if I said that I didn't like it.

All of the vampires at the table look at us with bleary eyes, and I can see that none of them had gotten a good night's sleep. I wonder why?

"And I thought I went hard," Yoongi grumbles as he spears a piece of egg on his fork. "I could literally hear Jungkook screaming from halfway across the castle. We really need soundproof walls." Jungkook goes bright red, and hides his face in my shirt. I found it adorable.

"For once, I agree," Baekhyun says, putting down his glass with a sigh and rubbing his eyes. "How does this castle have five crystal chandeliers but no soundproof walls? Remind me to get some next time I go shopping on Amazon."

"You can't buy walls on Amazon, Baekhyun..."

"Shut up, mochi! Amazon has everything! You just haven't searched hard enough."

"... Even so, they wouldn't come all the way here to deliver it."

Baekhyun huffs. "Now that's just bad customer service. If Amazon hasn't figured out how to travel between dimensions, who will?"

Everyone at the table turns to stare at him. Hoseok not-so-subtly turns to whisper into Yoongi's ear, "How long do you think Jimin and Baekhyun have until they kill each other?"

"Three days until full-out war," Yoongi says seriously. "Baekhyun will attack first, but Jimin will win, because he's my soulmate. He'll finally be able to use the swag I taught him to good use."

Jimin smiles smugly across the table at Baekhyun, while the latter just grumbles and cuts his bacon.

"Anyway, we're all really glad that you're well again, Jungkook," Jin says, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. "And I'm willing to overlook the fact that you two totally ruined my bed if you promise never to scare me like that again."

"I'm sorry," Jungkook murmurs, "I'll try not to."

"You won't," I correct, "Because next time there's a war, you're staying right here. I'm not risking your life like that ever again. Never. I'll stay behind if I have to as well."

"And you're a vampire now too!" Jimin squeals. "Have you tasted your first cup of blood? You should. It's amazing."

"Actually, he hasn't." I say. "But he should. Now seems like as good a time as any."

Jungkook tugs on my shirt. "Tae, I'm not sure if I want to―"

"You'll be fine, baby," I kiss him on the head. "Jin! Can you get Jungkook some blood? The one with less iron than usual."

Jungkook gulps as the cup full of blood is placed in front of him. I can see that his body wants it, but the part of his mind that's still human resists against the need. I put a hand on his shoulders, guiding him forwards. He eyes the glass warily.

"I'm guessing I don't want to know where that blood came from."

"It's antelope blood. Great for first time digestion." I don't see anything wrong with what I said, but Jungkook turns slightly more green. He gingerly takes the blood glass in his hands, and I don't miss how they tremble.

"You can do it," I urge, as Jungkook tentatively holds the glass up to his mouth. He closes his eyes as he sips at the blood, but they widen in surprise once he swallows.

"It's good!" He announces, looking down at the red liquid with new admiration. "I can't believe I never tried this before."

"Don't drink too much," I warn. "This is your first time, and you'll easily get tired after it."

As if on cue, Jungkook staggers, and I catch him before he can fall. His red eyes flash as the blood courses through his body, and he puts a hand to his head to steady himself. I frown as a tired groan leaves his lips. 

"You'll have to lie down," I say, picking Jungkook up. "Your body needs rest."

"I've spent the last 3 days in bed," Jungkook whines, trying to wiggle out of my grip. To no avail. I carry him up the stairs to his bedroom, depositing him on the sheets and pulling the covers to his chin.

"Your body is still weak from the poison, kookie. You need to rest it as often as you can. And that means sleeping." I ignore his protesting murmurs and slide the blanket over him, making sure that they would keep him warm. But when I get up to leave, Jungkook holds onto my hand, refusing to let go.

"Stay?" His eyes are hopeful as they look at me. I wanted so badly to be with Jungkook the whole day, but sadly, I had work to do. With the war having just ended, there was even more to do than usual.

"I can't," I say, and immediately, Jungkook's face falls. "But, I'll come straight to you once my work is over. I promise. In the meantime, sleep," I caress his forehead, and he leans into the touch, a content sigh coming from his mouth.

"Work... with the door?" He asks, and I shake my head. "I've had enough of traveling between dimensions. No, just paperwork."

He nods. "Good." His eyes start to close, so I keep stroking his hair until he's sleeping peacefully on the bed, and the hand holding mine loosens. Slowly, gently, I ease my hand out of his grip and head to the door, pausing just once to look back at his sleeping form. His face is barely peeking out from underneath the white sheets, and he looks so serene that I want to abandon work and curl up next to him. Work, Taehyung, work. Shaking my head, I exit the room, trying hard to push Jungkook out of my mind so that I could at least be productive for a few hours. Needless to say, I failed miserably. 

☆☆☆

Trade deals, border skirmishes, proposed alliances. Everything is here in the papers neatly stacked on my desk. With a sigh, I sit down in my chair and take out the first of the papers, eyes glancing over the deal that the Half Moon clan was proposing. I discard it in disgust. The Half Moon clan was notorious for its illegal slave market where captured humans were bought and sold. I didn't have any patience to deal with those types of vampires. I had also never liked the king of the Half Moon, anyway.

When I'm halfway through the papers, I hear a sound of soft footsteps approaching the door. I keep on reading, thinking that it was a servant coming to deliver more papers. When the footsteps stop at the door, I motion to a black box on my desk. "You can put it there. Thank you."

"TaeTae?" A small voice comes from the doorway, and I look up from the papers. Jungkook stands there, rubbing his eyes and hair in an adorable bedhead. A blanket trails behind him, half of it bunched up in his small hand. I hold my hands out and he comes over, though a little cautious in an unfamiliar room. Immediately, his honey-like scent envelops me, and I breathe it in, loving how calm it makes me feel.

I gather him up in my arms, smoothing out his messy hair while he climbs onto my lap.

"Why are you out of bed, my love?" I ask, watching him snuggle on my lap and lean his head against my shoulder.

"The bed was cold," He murmurs. "Your chest is much warmer." I coo at how he folds his legs to his chest, and I take the blanket from him, draping it over his small figure. "Then sleep. Don't worry. I won't let you fall off." He nods and closes his eyes, using my chest as a pillow. But after a moment he opens them.

"Tae?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you love me?" The question is so surprising that I can't help but burst into laughter. Jungkook hits my chest, cheeks red. "Yah! Don't laugh. It's a serious question."

"Of course I do," I say, hugging him tight and putting my chin atop his head. "Why wouldn't I? You're beautiful, ethereal, perfect―"

"Even after―after last night?" He asks, fiddling with the edge of his blanket. "I know I wasn't that good, but―"

"Oh Kookie, no," I tilt his chin upwards, so he's looking at me straight in the face. "Don't ever think like that. You're not just some sex toy that I'll use and then discard later. Besides, you were perfect. Absolutely perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything more."

"Really?" He smiles his cute, shy smile that makes me melt. "Of course. You mean everything to me. I wouldn't lie to you."

I bring his lips into a kiss just as the door thuds open.

"Taehyung, we have some weaponry for you―oh," Jimin comes in, his eyes immediately going to our lips. A large sheathed scim is in his left hand, and he fiddles with it, cheeks turning flushed.

"Is this a bad time? Should I come back later, or―"

"No," I say, giving Jungkook's cheek a quick kiss before looking up. "Better to get it done now." I nod at the package. "What type of scim is that?"

"It's a gift from Xian, apparently," Jimin unties the rope at the hilt. "I still haven't opened it yet. I thought you would like to see it first."

He unwraps the scim in his hand, revealing an intricately carved blade made of wicked looking silver steel. Jungkook's body stiffens, and he edges closer to me while I take in the blade's carvings. It is a beautiful blade, no doubt, and looks sharp enough to cut through five bodies at once. A present fit for a Mask.

"Nice steelwork," I admit, "Simicum steel?"

"Probably," Jimin agrees, turning the blade over in his hands. "I've never seen such fine designs on a blade before. Wicked sharp, too. The guy who delivered it almost cut himself even with the packaging still on."

If Xian had sent this, I knew it wasn't just purely out of good will. He wanted me to be impressed with Shadow Valley's skill at weapon making, perhaps even a bit afraid. I hide a smile. Xian still had a lot to learn if he thought that a blade, no matter how sharp, could scare me. But he had succeeded in making me impressed.

I hold out my hands. "May I?" Jimin hands the blade to me, and I take it, careful to hold it at a distance from Jungkook so he wouldn't get accidentally hurt. His eyes are wide as I take the blade in my hands, and he almost slides off my lap in an attempt to get away from it. I look down at him, confused, but he only shakes his head and motions me to continue.

I test the blade on my finger, and immediately a teardrop of blood falls to the ground. "Sharp," I murmur, putting my finger to my mouth to stop the blood.

"Thank you Jimin. Ask Hoseok to thank Xian for his generous... gift." Jimin bows, sending Jungkook a quick wink before exiting the room. He doesn't return it, his gaze glued to the scim in horrid fascination.

"Why are you so afraid of the blade Kookie?" I ask, putting the scim down and rocking him back and forth on my lap. He remains silent for a moment, before opening his mouth.

"I don't like it," he whispers, shaking his head. "It looks too much like the one Lucius used to battle with you."

My mouth forms into a silent o as I glance at the blade on the table. Once Jungkook said it, I could see the similarities in the hilt and the blade itself. Not to mention that both were made of the same shiny silver metal.

"Those blades won't hurt you ever again," I say. "Or me, for the matter. I'll make sure of it." Jungkook seems to relax a little in my embrace, but he still keeps his distance from the blade, not even daring to look at it.

But what he said had gotten me thinking.

My mask had been forged deep underground along with hundreds of others to arm the new generation of Masks. No one knew exactly how they were made; it was one of the most closely guarded secrets in the vampire world. Even though I took it off every chance I got, its glossy surface was embedded in my memory.

If my thought was correct, that too had been made of the same wicked silver steel. 

weird place to end it, but yeah

Aaahh... the calm before the storm...