A pair of muddy green eyes haunt my slumber. The cruel nature of his voice echoes through my mind. The roughness of his shouting triggered my heart to skip beats. The desperation to escape, the tightness of my throat, and the sharp pain lancing through my body, all of these feelings rush back to me in the blackness of my dreams.

With a sharp inhale, my eyes snap open and my body jerks awake.

I stare at the pitch-black shadows of my bedroom, wide-eyed. It takes a few moments before my mind slowly returns to its normal state and I am able to remind myself that Sam isn't there. I grip my blankets tightly as if to remind myself that I'm not inside that terrible, metal cage. To remind me that I escaped and shouldn't dwell on those memories anymore.

I'm on the floor of my bedroom, safely tucked away in my apartment.

Yet this doesn't stop me from thinking about it.

Ever since I laid down, the terrifying thought of Sam somehow breaking out of police custody and coming after us is keeping me from sleeping peacefully. The image of him wandering down my street in the dead of night and peering into my bedroom window is too unsettling. I can't think about anything else.

I twist in my bundle of blankets and adjust my pillow. The hardness of the floor isn't so bad with the memory foam mattress I used back in the dorms. Not only that, I wasn't about to sleep in my bed when the boys deserved it more than I did.

I offered to sleep on my couch, but Jimin was adamant about keeping everybody together. He first suggested we all sleep in the living room together but I wanted them to sleep in a proper bed. Thus I was convinced to sleep near them as the three boys slept on my bed, all cuddled in each other's arms.

I suppress another rise of jealousy and remind myself firmly not to come between their relationship with each other. I have no right to intrude on that. Jimin is their brother first and foremost and I respect that. It doesn't help me feel any less lonely but that's a sacrifice I am willing to make for him.

I am not trying to be needy or clingy. I just miss his company. It feels different with Taehyung and Jungkook around. It's not a bad thing, of course, it's just... different.

I shake my head and remind myself that there are more important things for me to worry about. These three men are part of my life as "adoptees" whether Jimin thinks it's official or not. They are my responsibility. I am in charge of feeding them, making sure they have everything they need, and other things.

The world still treats hybrids differently than humans because most hybrids are born in a lab. Real hybrids aren't able to care for themselves on their own for a long period of time. They also usually require strong bonds with their caretakers to feel safe and protected. Though these boys were once human, they skipped out on an entire part of their lives and will have some difficulty rejoining society on their own.

It's my job to help them reach that point.

This all requires money I don't have, and money I won't have in the future. I know I told Taehyung about the extra funds coming but I have no idea when that will come. I have no idea how much either and if that amount triples or remains the same now that I have two more people in my house.

Not only that, I can't earn money from my job as I am being forced to take leave for medical reasons.

My head aches sharply as more worries rush into my mind. I groan quietly and gently rub the side of my head. Why does life have to be so complicated? Am I just overthinking things or not thinking things through enough?

I close my eyes again. I force my body to remain perfectly still, hoping I can fall back asleep. After what felt like forever, my eyes opened again to find the room still pitch black.

Jungkook's snoring has increased in volume over time. His soft breaths have turned into deep snoring that breaks the silence of the bedroom. Occasionally, I hear a soft moan of complaint and a shifting of blankets.

Jimin mumbles loudly, "Tae, your leg... you're hurting my waist..."

My eyes widen a fraction and I slowly sit up from the ground. I lift my head to peek at the bed. In the light shadow of the nightlight in the hallway, I catch a glimpse of Taehyung's leg trying to wrap around who I think is Jimin who ended up stuck in the middle. Jungkook continues to snore and remains still as a stone on his side of the bed.

Jimin huffs quietly and twists over a few times. Taehyung doesn't give up and wraps his leg around Jimin again, pulling him closer.

"Stop moving..." Taehyung's voice is even deeper when he is half-awake. "You're moving too much... just go back to sleep..."

Jimin sighs in annoyance and starts to get up. He pushes his arms underneath him and ends up on all fours. He crawls out of the covers and travels to the end of the bed. His head is hanging low with exhaustion, his blond hair is stark in the dark. I watch as his tail flicks the air behind him in annoyance. He mutters something along the lines of "it's hot" and "water" when he reaches the end of the bed.

He lifts his head from its low position and suddenly, we make eye contact.

"You're awake?" he questions with a note of confusion.

"Yeah, but I can't say the same for you."

Jimin snickers and shakes his head slowly at me. He continues, "The bed is too hot."

Delirious with exhaustion, I flash him a sideways grin. "You guys are too hot for it."

Jimin laughs again and sits back on his bent knees. "You're hotter than the three of us, that's why you got kicked out of your bed." He's probably just as sleep-deprived as I am.

I roll my eyes and realize this is a weird conversation. "Alas," is all I can come up with as an answer.

Jimin sighs quietly and glances back at the two boys. "I think tonight is one of those nights."

"What do you mean?"

He looks back at me with a false innocence glistening in his eyes. "When we all get a little too lonely. When we... want to cuddle more than usual."

I raise an eyebrow at him, unconvinced. "Oh? Isn't that everybody, though?"

Jimin scoffs quietly, still half asleep. He rubs his eyes tiredly and shakes his head no again. "It's different for hybrids. It's more intense. You must have heard of it."

"Sorry but no."

Jimin shrugs, "It isn't as bad for us. We aren't true hybrids. But sometimes... sometimes it can be difficult to control."

"I think we all get a bit lonely," I answer evasively. "But you have them to stop that, or at least, make it easier, right?"

Jimin looks back at the boys longingly. "Of course we have each other. But at some point, those urges fade away over time. We get greedy and want more than what we have." He turns towards me again with sleepy eyes. "We want something new... to try something new... it gets boring after a few years."

"I might understand that, though I don't have many friends to get bored of. None of them are close enough for that."

"I'm not really talking about friends, Eden."

I cast him a suspicious look, "Then who are you talking about?"

Jimin is quiet for a beat. Then he rubs his eyes again and complains about being exhausted, finally switching the subject. "I think I'm rambling... I'm not making sense, am I?"

I smile apologetically, "Yeah... not really. You should sleep. Maybe switch sides?"

"Can I sleep with you?" he asks hopefully.

I draw back and start playing with the edges of my blankets. "With me? But the floor isn't all that comfortable... I know you don't like the couch but maybe—"

"I don't want anybody to be separated," he argues firmly. He yawns quietly, pressing his hand against my mouth, "I... I need us to be together. At least for now. Besides, being on the floor helps me watch the door."

"Watch the...? Chim, you don't need to watch the door," I watch him sympathetically. "We're... we're safe here. All the doors are locked, we checked them together."

Jimin shifts uncomfortably in his spot. "But you know it doesn't stop that feeling," he replies evenly.

I sigh and drop my head in defeat. "I know. But we can't give in to those fears either."

"It's only the first night," he comments. "I heard they are the worst. I guess that's why I don't like the idea of people sleeping in different rooms. Even so, it's hot on the bed so... better if I come down with you. It must be lonely down there... and cold."

"I mean... I'm not opposed to it," I admit, remembering our first night here. "Alright then. You can sleep beside me."

Jimin manages an excited smile, despite his sleepiness, and carefully stands from the bed. He wanders over to me and kneels down beside me. I open up my blankets and allow him to come into my cocoon.

His body is shockingly warm, almost as if he were running a fever, and I immediately feel bad for the other boys who are probably just as hot. Maybe if Jimin is down here, the others can cool off better.

Jimin lays down facing me and carefully adjusts the blankets over top of him, mindful not to steal too much. His head finds the second pillow and he nuzzles against it. His eyelids are already drooping as he finds a way to get comfortable.

There is still room for Jesus, but he would be a little squished between us.

The softness of his skin reminds me of mochi, round and gently shaped. His nose is straight and almost flat, only coming a little farther from his face. His lips are lush as ever and settle into an ever-present pout. Girls inject their lips with dreams of achieving what he was born with. His eyebrows are small in shape and only darken at their base.

He's so handsome... and cute at the same time.

His eyelids flutter and finally open to meet my gaze in the soft darkness.

"Are you going to sleep?" he asks, his voice scratchy.

I shrug in a small motion and adjust my head to be on the center of my pillow. "I am trying to."

"What's on your mind?"

I end up staring at his lips again, both memorized by their shape and avoiding his eyes. "I think I'm getting a reality check. Lately, nothing outside of what we were dealing with felt real. We had other problems to deal with, bigger issues than what I am used to handling. It's all coming back to me but slowly. I'm trying to adjust but it just isn't working."

"I think you need to find a balance," he suggests sincerely. "Life can often be overwhelming but I think everything will be okay again once you find a way to balance it."

"My entire life feels like some kind of balancing act... with my parents, with school, everything. It stresses me out but there's nothing I can do to change those things. I want to blame my parents for what they did but it won't help my mental state to hold a grudge. With school, I just need to pray I find something stable for the future. And with friends... maybe I've idealized friendship because it was always out of my reach. I romanticized it because I never had it when I was younger."

Jimin listens to me explain this with his full, undivided attention. I explained a brief history of my parents and what happened during my first year of college. I tell him about Alice and my detached feeling to the people around me out of fear, and my hypocritical feeling of feeling alone afterward.

I find it easier to talk to him about these things in the dark. It's easier to explain with my eyes closed yet know he is listening to every word.

When I finish explaining, I add, "I don't expect you to have any answers for me. I'm not telling you this for your sympathy or anything like that. I know you have enough problems to deal with and I'm not trying to burden you. I just... I just needed to talk it out. Thank you for listening to me, Jimin."

"No problem, I'm always here to listen," he reassures me. "And your problems aren't burdening me. I want to help you, and that's why I asked about it."

"You know, I am always here to listen to you as well. Don't be afraid to tell me if something is on your mind or bothering you. I'm here to help you as well."

"Thank you, but right now, I think my mind has already settled down." Jimin offers me a gentle smile and moves a lock of my hair from my face. "Before, I had a lot of regrets. I regretted putting you in danger, I regretted having to leave you before, I regretted being taken away from the others... But then Yoongi said something in the car as we were driving to save you and Hoseok.

"He said I shouldn't blame myself for the things that happened, things that were out of my control. And he was right. I kept blaming myself for things that were out of my control and drove myself crazy over it. I realized that I shouldn't do that, and instead focus on the things I can control like my own actions and what I say. It wasn't my fault that I was taken away from the others. What mattered at that moment was how I was going to return to them and save them from that place."

"And when you were taken... I still think it was my fault, even so, I fought with everything I could to get you back. What mattered was that I acted on my wish to save you and the others, not the events that led up to it. I wanted to make things right, and I didn't let that opportunity slip away."

"Wow..." I trail off in mild surprise. "That's some good advice, I didn't realize he was so wise."

Jimin smiles at the thought, "He acts all tough, but I think he's a softie on the inside."

"Agreed."

Jimin rubs his eyes and yawns quietly. He sighs and sinks lower into the bundle of blankets. He blinks sleepily at me, "I think I'm in a better place now. It's not perfect, but I'm working on it."

"You are doing an amazing job. I'll cheer for you, I'll help you in any way I can just say the word."

Jimin smiles gratefully and lightly ruffles my short hair. "Thank you, Eden. Let's sleep, tomorrow is going to be a wild day."

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a feeling. A good one." He opened up his arm and gestured for me to move closer to him. "I think this is the start of something good, don't you?"

I want to wholeheartedly say yes and agree that tomorrow will be an amazing day. But the fear of disaster still remains active in my mind. I admire his positive outlook and his optimism; I want to see the world that way too.

I want to find the balance between my feelings so I can finally be free from dark thoughts.

If it's possible for Jimin, maybe it's possible for me to grow as well.

I'll keep working hard to change and move on from this point. After all, the first night is always the most difficult. When the sun rises in the morning, it will be a new day and we can all start over. Life will go on for all of us, and I will begin to move with it instead of reminiscing in the dark warehouse or in the lonely corridors of my house.

And that's why I am able to return his smile and say, "Yeah. Me too." And I roll over and press myself against him. Jimin wraps his arms around me, his hands resting on my stomach, and his head nestled beside mine.

I close my eyes and feel myself begin to drift off to sleep in the safety of his arms. His legs pull up beneath me to cradle my body against his in a crescent shape. His soft breathing lulls me to sleep, and finally, my thoughts melt away.

A/N: I feel like these scenes are important in order to help the characters actually develop and have a real relationship with each other. I don't like forced love and though I'm no perfect writer, I always try to give my characters special moments to bond with each other. I finally sat down and wrote out the rest of this story's plot so I have a solid plan in place! I hope you guys are enjoying this and trust me, there will be more exciting parts later but for now, enjoy these soft moments~ Be gentle with yourselves and have a lovely day/night!! <3