┈━ ◇ ━┈

"Sure, give me a second, please," Namjoon said, turning around to glance at Seokjin who was still sitting on the bed.

"Seokjin-ah, go ahead and eat up, I will be back later." he then threw him a small smile, not sure if Jin reciprocated it or not, and exited the room.

Closing the door behind them, they started walking towards the living room.

Jungkook and Jin must be in their rooms and the others too would be in their own rooms, so they could just talk in the living room.

"Do you want to take a stroll outside?"

But, Namjoon suggested to go for a walk. Taehyung thought that it would be okay to take a light breather if they were gonna talk about the serious stuff anyways, so he said yes.

"Sure,"

The forest was calm. The occasional noises of animals either nearby or far away, birds chirping now and then was all which kept the forest alive and buzzing. The wind was especially cold that day, wondering why it was like that, they chose a small animal trail to walk on.

The flowers were on their best blooming time, swaying with the wind as they passed by the bushes and small plants.

"So, what is it?" Namjoon asked first, sensing that this really was something serious after all.

"I do not know where to start,"

Walking side by side, Namjoon glanced at the side of his face, wondering who or what made Taehyung think too much like that.

"You know, I will never judge you, right?" Namjoon smiled, although Taehyung wasn't looking at him.

"Right," he sighed, continuing, "I... we read that book this morning,"

"The one you brought from the mansion?"

"Yes," he nodded, and Namjoon nodded along with him.

"It says," after a brief pause, Taehyung continued, "I can become a human again,"

"What?!" Namjoon stopped in his tracks, shocked to the core.

"Sounds absurd, but is the... existence of vampires not absurd enough already? It can be possible that-" Taehyung also stopped to turn and face him.

"But, Taehyung, what if something is wrong with that book? No, even if it is true, what if something goes wrong?" he was clearly worried for him. And why wouldn't he be?

"Hyung, that is what I am here to ask you, I am conflicted... really conflicted right now."

The lake was in their view, still as calm as ever but the state of both of their mind was anything but calm. From outside, it just looked like they were having a casual chat, but only they knew just how serious this was!

"Okay, firstly, what do you think about this? Are you sure it is true?" Namjoon asked.

"Since that lady, who claimed to be my mother, gave the hint, something inside me knew that she was saying the truth. But, there is still a part of me that is... I do not know this feeling very well and it is so uncomfortable, hyung, what do I do?" Taehyung started walking again, followed by Namjoon.

The trees and small plants had now started to look like they were finally growing flower buds. Winter was about to arrive. Their hair swooned with the cold wind, in sinc with their breaths.

"Taehyung, are you... scared?" Namjoon took his chance to ask it, although Taehyung had always respected him as an elder but he still didn't want to piss him off ever. He had known and seen how nasty his anger was.

"Scared?" his face was almost amused, but he managed to hide it quickly.

"Becoming a human would eventually mean that you will have to leave this place. I know, since you love him a lot, if you stay as you are, it will definitely not end well. So with that option out of the way, you really have no choice and your heart knows that, Taehyung."

It was going to sting. But Namjoon had no intentions of sugarcoating his words. It was no use.

Taehyung couldn't help but agree. He sighed, looking ahead towards the lake, his feet naturally taking him there.

"This place has given you plenty of love too and it continues to do so, but once you're not a vampire, it is normal that you would assume the love you have been receiving from nature would disappear. It is like you are losing a part of yourself and that is what scares you." Namjoon finished, waiting for him to speak something as he searched his face for any reaction.

Taehyung was somehow stunned at how much he could resonate with what Namjoon said. Because, as long as he could remember, he had never had to be scared of anything, but right now, he had time to process his emotions and this new one wasn't sitting right with what he was used to.

These trees, the leaves, they rustle when he passed by, the flowers leave their comfortable position on the branch and fall off, just so they could decorate the path he walked on. The rain drops bent their path just so his hair didn't get wet. The animals looked at him with respect, although they couldn't express it, he always knew. The lake water trembled with small ripples whenever he visited the place.

How could he just move on? This was his home.

"But hyung, the love I have been receiving, do I even deserve it?" his voice was cold. His eyes were still, just like the lake water right now.

Namjoon didn't know what to say either. He was taken aback by his sudden question. Had Taehyung always been thinking about these kind of things? Was he insecure too? Someone like him? Namjoon wondered.

"I want to give it, hyung..." Taehyung's eyes that twinkled like little sparkles, looking into the water, dazed, "have I not already received more than I deserve? I want to give the love back. To someone who needs it. I want to love him, hyung. Without any restrictions."

His words felt like a dazed and crazed delirium, a daydream he had been living in for years. Namjoon finally understood him. His words were clear, sharp even. No one could stop him now.

For all those years, Taehyung didn't realise how much he needed someone to love him either, but Namjoon knew it, and now, he was sure of what Taehyung wanted too. He was ready to support his brother no matter what the future had in stock.

"Well, I do understand you, Taehyung. All I can say is, this is not about, whether you deserve this or that. If the mother nature herself nurtures you and adores you, it must have a meaning behind it, right? You don't have to feel bad about it- leaving everything behind -if your heart is with you, go for it." his lips tugged up in a warm smile which was enough to warm up the whooshing wafts of cold wind, his cheeks flushing up to reveal a small dimple.

Taehyung only looked back at him, giving back a smile of his own. He knew it, talking to Namjoon was the best option.

"Thank you, hyung," he muttered under his breath.

▹◃┄▸◂┄▹◃┄▸◂┄▹◃┄▸◂┄▹◃

"Jin hyung~" Jungkook knocked on the door.

"Come on in," a reply came from inside in a loud voice.

Jungkook entered the room, looking around.

"You're alone?" he absent-mindedly asked.

"Of course...?" the tone of his voice was screaming, 'duh!'.

"Uh, I thought Tae's hyung might be here..." he glanced at Jin as he sensed his glare and quickly corrected his sentence, "since he's taking care of you and all, you know?"

"He's not my baby sitter who has to be here all the time," Jin rolled his eyes as he saw Jungkook sit down on the bed.

Jungkook just chuckled in response before Jin asked him, "so, why are you here?"

Jin knew that Jungkook wasn't there just for a small chat.

"Um, so you know we found that book, right? And apparently, we read it this morning and it says..." Jungkook looked at him, checking up on his curious expressions.

"Says...?"

"That Taehyung can become a human,"

"WHAT?"

"I mean, I'm not really sure, it was honestly so confusing and hard to understand," Jungkook shrugged.

"Huh? Doesn't that just mean you're dumb?" he said, nonchalantly.

"Hyung?" Jungkook whined.

"Oh, sorry, continue,"

"Yeah, so he went to have a talk with Kim Namjoon, he hasn't come back yet so-"

"So, you got worried, is that it?" Jin completed his sentence, teasing him.

"Why- why would I be?" a chuckling scoff escaped his mouth as he continued, "I am not his baby sitter either."

"Oh, right! It must be the other way around," Jin was now shamelessly laughing.

"Hyung!! Can we be serious please?" he was almost stuttering with his words.

"You're just trying to change the subject, but nevermind. So, is he really going to be a human?" Jin asked, more on a serious note.

"Um, I don't know." his eyes were down, hands fiddling with the bed covers.

"So you don't know..." he hummed, nodding his head and thinking over it for a moment.

"I mean, I want him to stay with me but, if he stays as it is, we won't end on a happy note and as much as I don't want it, I also don't want him to give away everything just because of me. What if he regrets it later on?" Jungkook said, a hint of worry in his voice.

"I got it," Jin nodded again, "I think, your concerns are valid, but don't you think you're coming to a conclusion so soon? How do you know that he would regret it, and that he is actually losing something by becoming a human? Isn't he getting you in return? Looking like that, it actually neutralizes the situation. He has to lose something in order to gain something. That's how life works, Jungkook-ah!"

His words sure hit the nail on Jungkook's head. It made him wonder what Taehyung felt about this situation.

Well, he'd just have to wait for him to return.

"Alright, I think we'll just have to think about it together." he finally smiled.

"See? It wasn't so hard!" Jin chuckled.

"Okay, enough about me. How have you been, hyung? Is being a vampire tough?" he asked, adjusting himself on the bed to hear more about Jin's experience.

"I wouldn't say it's easy, but I was lucky enough to have been taken care of by Kim Namjoon so, it's been bearable. I'm adapting just fine." he smiled, eyes sparkling at the mention of a certain vampire.

"Oh? I see!" Jungkook had a teasing smile on his lips as well, and Jin caught on it but made no comment. Jungkook would just tease him more and more if he stretched the topic long.

"Then, you can move back to Seoul, right?" that was the question Jungkook had been dreading to ask. He didn't want to know the answer, only for it to be disappointing.

"Well, good news, Namjoon said something about me being a... I don't remember the word, what was it? Half breed? No, no. Something like that... yeah, so I can probably increase my sunlight resistance gradually and will probably be just fine if I live with you guys. Since I'm still grossed out at the mention of human blood and never tried it to begin with, I should be fine." he said everything he knew and Jungkook had a hard time focusing on his words.

Why was he such a fast speaker? Was he rapping or something?

"Oh, thank god!! I was so worried that we'll have to be apart," Jungkook said with a sigh of relief.

"But, the procedure to get where I am right now... wasn't really easy, you know?"

"What? Did they made you drink your own blood till it was all drained out of your body or something?" Jungkook laughed, making a joke based on what he'd previously watched in some vampire documentary.

But Jin was completely silent. Wait what? Jungkook stopped at once, eyes going wide at the realisation.

"Don't tell me-"

"Of course not, you, silly punk!" now it was Jin's time to laugh.

"Damn! You haven't stopped joking, hyung?" Jungkook's heart would have almost dropped if Jin hadn't said anything.

"What do you mean? Obviously! How can I stop it? I have some new jokes, you wanna hear some?" Jin was still laughing.

"Uh, please, spare me. This is already enough jokes for today." he stood up, ready to leave.

"Where are you going?!" Jin asked.

"To find him," Jungkook gave him a subtle smile as he approached the door.

"Oh, what a lover boy!" he scoffed playfully as Jungkook left.

■□■□

Not Jin and Namjoon being their parents and giving out life advices. 👀

I know... I know... I'm taking quite a while updating now a days but.. it can't be helped. Just bear with me for a few more chapters. It's nearing the end anyways.
Vote and comment please! It might as well motivate me to update faster. <3 pretty please? 🥹🎀