Peaking beyond the golden frame of the large painting hiding Jimin and Jungkook from view, Jimin saw Kim Seokjin enter before he physically felt him. The air in the warehouse became colder as he passed through it, Jimin's breath a light fog against his lips. The vampire prince regarded the space with a contrasting warmth in his eyes and a sad smile on his lips.

Jimin swore he smelled something sweet: if Yoongi was cigars, Seokjin was all roses. The laughing friend from dinner was gone, replaced by a burdened prince whose dark eyes lingered where Jimin and Jungkook hid on the second floor. He gave them a nod, tilting his head as if to tell them to stay there, before reaching for the warehouse door to open it.

Jimin's heart hammered. His neck burned where Yoongi had nearly drunk him dry all those months ago as he listened to each slow, echoing footstep the older took while walking inside. Jimin was shocked to find blood on his fingers as he touched the spot, remembering suddenly that Jungkook had just fed from him too. He was glad for the extremely subtle buzz the venom gave, attempting to call his system.

It hadn't been hard to fall back into a friendly routine with Yoongi after the incident - not really. Ignoring the whole thing was what made it easy enough to pretend nothing changed between Yoongi and Jimin in the first place. They'd party, they'd bicker, Yoongi would say something about someone Jimin was dancing with or Jimin would poke a joke about Yoongi's lazy habits, and they'd moved on. Maybe they both knew that if they talked about it, really talked about what had happened, the aftermath would become inevitable. This aftermath, would be.

As the air turned from a light floral scent to a smoky one, every muscle in Jimin's body involuntarily started to lock. He could feel sweat forming on the back of his neck, his body screaming to run, and his skin burned like it was branded by Yoongi's fangs. Jimin reached for Jungkook, holding onto him as panic started to settle into his chest. He tried to focus on the boy in front of him, on the familiar tattoos inked into his skin, the cinnamon scent of his cologne, or the comforting gleam always present in his eyes. He wasn't alone, Jimin reminded himself. He wasn't alone in the hallway, waiting for Yoongi to attack. He hadn't been alone for months.

"Jimin." Jungkook's soft voice broke through the nausea, pulling Jimin out of his thoughts. Jungkook's hand went to Jimin's hip, lovingly cupping it. His fingers were so gentle, thumb brushing up and down slowly. Jimin almost laughed at how normal it felt, like they were getting ready to head to bed or play video games together.

"Fuck. Fuck." Jimin said as Min Yoongi stopped in the center of the warehouse floor. Moonlight bled through a high window in a single beam, illuminating him like an actor hitting his mark on stage. He was so pale, his dark curls a storm against his cold face. Jimin's hand went for Jungkook's wrist, his grip tight around it. He thought he was ready to see Yoongi like this again, but he was wrong.

Jungkook tilted Jimin's chin up to focus on him instead and Jimin flushed. Slowly, Jimin brought up his hand and wiped some stray blood from Jungkook's lips. He stared at it in wonder, shocked that he'd let Jungkook feed off him not once, but twice, and even more surprised that he'd let Jungkook do it again. Jungkook looked stronger with his eyes glowing gold. Jimin could see it in his muscles, in the way he carried his weight, but there was something more to it than that. Jimin smiled, causing Jungkook to blink in confusion. He supposed the difference now was trust.

"Seokjin better have a good fucking reason for bringing him here." Jungkook said, drawing his fingers down Jimin's arm. His body was tense like he was preparing for a fight, anger dancing in those golden eyes causing Jimin to blush. For the first time, Jungkook truly looked like the supernatural being he now was. There was a sort of detached rage in the air surrounding him, his movements inhumanely still. He held onto Jimin like he'd burn the world down before he'd let anything happen to him. Jimin echoed the sentiment with a weak grin. He might be human, but he worried for Jungkook nonetheless. He always would.

Min Yoongi's hands clasped behind his back as he tilted his head at Seokjin. His eyes, now back to their normal brown color, scanned the art in the room like he was simply visiting a museum. There was a strangeness to him, the comfort of an old friend replaced by an innate wrongness. Like someone had torn the moon from the sky and lowered it down to earth.

"Jin, what is this place?" Namjoon said as he walked inside, taking in the mass of paintings. His eyes lit up in a way Jimin almost envied: a man reading a letter he knew was addressed to him by the handwriting alone.

"It was meant to be a surprise." Jin said with a soft smile, kissing Namjoon on the cheek. "If there's anything salvageable after tonight, I'd love to give you a proper tour."

Taehyung walked forward from the corner of the warehouse he was waiting in. He was sweaty, his dark bangs sticking to his forehead and his usually perfectly pressed shirt was unbuttoned at the top, wrinkling with every startled movement as he tore his way to Yoongi, stepping in between the rest of the vampires and the prince. If Yoongi was the moon, Taehyung looked like a burning star to match.

"Taehyung." Namjoon said calmly, his voice laced with almost a father's worry. He took a step forward and Seokjin immediately shifted with. "Be careful, Yoongi's a loose cannon right now."

Jungkook tightened his grip around Jimin's shoulders.

Finally, Hoseok walked in with the door closing shut behind him and Jungkook felt Jimin tense against his chest. Hoseok darted his gaze between Seokjin, Namjoon, and Yoongi with Taehyung a buffer before him. The dancer sighed, strategically stopping diagonally from Namjoon to corner Yoongi if needed.

"We need to talk." Hoseok said. Yoongi's gaze flickered between the opposite coven and the vampire within his own, his jaw locking. Taehyung tensed, taking a rather useless defensive stance in front of Yoongi who's muscles didn't so much as twitch. "Let us help you figure this out."

"Brother." Jin said, a true pity carved into his eternally beautiful face. "I can't fathom the pain you must be in and I would never wish your fate on anyone, but we have to break the feeder bond you have with Jimin. Tonight. This is clearly dangerous if something as small as talking about Jimin moving on is enough to make it act out. One prince to another, you know the safety of everyone comes first. Breaking it here is better than having to call all of us in. The other princes won't be as forgiving if your go off the rails and they'll want to deal with Jimin too. Turn him or kill him for knowing about us."

"So, what? You kill him?" Taehyung said, his voice exasperated.

"The reaction will at least be contained." Seokjin said gently to Taehyung, his gaze softening as he looked at the younge vampire.

"You're choosing between lives!" Taehyung sobbed. "How am I the only one freaking out over this?"

"Love, it's okay." Yoongi said, causing Taehyung to shudder. There was such warmth in his voice, enough that it caused Jimin to flicker with hope. It was so - human. "Seokjin's right. I can't control when the bond strains anymore. If I were to hurt you, hurt Jimin or Hoseok, I don't know if I could live with myself after. The guilt would consume me."

"So we kill you?" Taehyung whirled, nearly laughing at how ridiculous it sounded. Taehyung didn't move, staying between his coven's prince and the prince of his heart. There was conflict furrowing his brows and desperation causing his eyes to water.

"It'll never stop." Seokjin explained gently, grief etched into his words. He swallowed, looking back at his own feeder with such profound love on his face that Jimin felt a tear pool down his own cheek. It was so raw, in a way the world seemed to forget such affection could exist. The way mountains loved the sky, carved by the land itself to forever reach it. Like Namjoon was the breath Seokjin's lungs forgot they could inhale. Jimin looked at Jungkook then, seeing a sky of his own. "I don't know what relationship Yoongi has with Jimin, even if there's nothing between the two of them, even if there hasn't been for years, a feeder bond doesn't die so easily."

"What should I do?" Yoongi asked, his expression carved into a plea. Jimin swallowed, realizing Yoongi was shaking. It was the first time he'd ever seen his friend look so afraid. His eyes flickered between their regular color and the blood red. Seokjin nodded at Yoongi in a sort of shared camaraderie, the way only two beings who've known each other for lifetimes could.

Taehyung gaped at Seokjin like he was a stranger and not the vampire who raised him.

"Yoongi." Hoseok said. "It's safest to snap the bond here, while we have everyone gathered and you're away from Seoul. I - I honestly think this is the best way. We'll have a real chance to keep you away from Jimin and Taehyung until your humanity comes back. We just have to wait for the reaction to blow over. It's going to be fine." Hoseok finished, his smile much more hopeful than his voice.

"It's possible." Namjoon said, putting a hand on Hoseok's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze, recognizing the fear running down Hoseok's spine at the thought of losing either of his friends. "Best case scenario you're stuck with a broken heart and starve yourself to death."

"Wow. Practically offering him a Grammy." Taehyung scoffed.

"Worst case is he kills everyone in this room." Namjoon added.

"Do you hear yourself right now?" Taehyung yelled, looking around the room in shock. "Listen to all of you, choosing who lives and who dies? Jimin's the one who agreed to be a feeder, why should Yoongi pay the price? Why should either of them?"

"It was me." Yoongi said, shaking. "Jimin didn't want to be a feeder."

"What?" Taehyung said, turning to face the vampire prince.

"Taehyung, I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do. When you've been alive as long as I have, you hold on too tightly to things that are better left alone."

"Then it's agreed. We break the bond." Hoseok said, standing up. "Seokjin's right, it's going to happen one way or the other, but maybe the group of us can stop you from doing something you regret and you have people here who might be able to pull that humanity back out of you before it's too late."

"That's not a question." Taehyung said, facing Yoongi. "We'll save Jimin too. No one dies tonight."

Jimin watched as Seokjin took Namjoon's hand in his own and squeezed it. Yoongi nodded after a moment, taking Taehyung's chin and placed a kiss on his lips. It was a grief filled one with an apology etched between it. When Yoongi pulled away, Jimin saw the color again flicker in Yoongi's eyes. He felt the bond in him tug, the tangible pull between them tensing.

Seokjin straightened his spine, stepping in front of Namjoon who was now eyeing the room to find where Jungkook and Jimin were hiding so he could best position himself. Taehyung pulled away from the kiss, shaking his head with a sob as he walked over to Hoseok who squeezed his forearm. He nudged Taehyung to stand on the opposite side of the room so that vampires were spread out.

"This makes us monsters." Taehyung sobbed. "It's not fair."

"We were always monsters, love." Yoongi said with a sad smile on his lips before he looked out to the second floor balcony of the warehouse, eyeing the painting Jimin and Jungkook were hiding behind.

"Jimin." Yoongi called out, the sound echoing across the concrete walls. "Chim, I know you're in here. While I still have my humanity, I want to say I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for getting us into this mess. I don't know what will happen next, but I want you to know that I - I'm terrified not to be in control of myself. If something unforgivable happens, I give permission for Seokjin to kill me in order to stop it. But I'll try and fight it, Jimin. You deserve happiness in your life despite the stupid mistake we both made."

Jimin shook in Jungkook's arms, staring up at Jungkook's beautiful face in response. He wished he had more time with Jungkook. He'd taken things so slow once they started actually dating, wanting to do it all right. He wanted to learn him slowly, to know him the same way someone learns a second language, diligently studying until the words came as natural as breath. Jungkook was meant to be his second language and now Jimin wasn't sure when he'd get the chance to make sure Jungkook knew that.

He wanted to laugh, wondering what Jungkook must think of him. The first time they met, Jimin told him his name wasn't important. The second, he'd told Jungkook to get on his knees. Even the third time wasn't much better. But Jimin simply never felt hurried with Jungkook before. Whenever they were together, things just felt - calm. Right. He never felt panicked or worried about some timer ticking away on their ever-evolving relationship. He just wished Jungkook could know how much Jimin appreciated him in his life. How much he couldn't imagine one without him in it.

Because Jimin really was grateful. October had shaken him. Getting attacked by a vampire and meeting Jungkook at the same time changed everything in Jimin's life, causing his world to flood with chaos. Jungkook was a bright light, a rope for Jimin to hang onto. Meeting him, teasing him, looking forward to him, gave Jimin the push he needed to fight for himself. Fight to take agency in his life and chase someone new. Trust someone new.

Maybe that was enough. Maybe that's all the two of them were ever meant to be for each other. A reminder that Jimin could still love and feel love. That he had worth something besides being a blood bag. Maybe that was the final gift for him to learn. It really had been worth it, Jimin thought, every single second he spent with Jungkook this past half year. Eternity could have been wonderful if it was to be spent with him.

Jungkook's expression broke. His hand went to hold Jimin's cheek and Jimin leaned into it, kissing Jungkook's palm. For once in his life, Jimin thoughts were clear on his face. Jungkook was shaking his head, eyes begging, but Jimin only smiled and rolled up on his toes, connecting his lips with Jungkook's before settling back down. The kiss was soaked in a goodbye Jungkook wasn't ready to grant.

"Sex then video games?" Jimin joked, his voice light and the teasing smile he'd used back in their Music Theory Discussion sections danced on his lips. Jungkook scoffed.

Then, with an audible snap and an incredibly powerful tearing of energy, like a tidal wave pulled apart by shear will, Jimin grabbed a hold on the physical tie bonding him and Yoongi together and snapped it.

***

Min Yoongi felt the feeder bond snap in him less violently than he had expected. The tether that dangled between him and Jimin for years, always a subtle presence in the back of his mind, was ripping apart like a ribbon thread by thread. While instantaneous in reality, the actual process of it felt like a second stretched out into a millennium.

Yoongi looked over to Kim Taehyung and there was no expression that could properly share the grief he felt staring at the man he'd come to admire as his humanity started to tear inside of him. Losing his humanity was much more ruthless than the loss of the bond itself. It felt impossibly cold, like his body was made of ice and born from snow. Taehyung's gaze remained hopeful and Yoongi wondered how the young vampire could stand so close to him without any fear.

Yoongi had lived for a very long time. The princes kept the order of the supernatural because they themselves were the very origin of it. He'd known many people and lost an equal amount more, causing his humanity to already be a strained concept. Hoseok had taught him to care about life again and Jimin reminded him that people were worth the effort of friendship but Taehyung's lesson was the cruelest. Despite the many lifetimes Yoongi had lived, maybe he was only ever meant to make it to the one Taehyung was a part in.

His humanity felt like a root in his chest, tearing through his rib cage as the bond was breaking between his feeder, his friend, and himself. Yoongi kept his eyes on Taehyung's as he fell to his knee, straining from the pain of it all. He clung to his humanity like his nails had claws that could dig into it, but it was no use. From the way Hoseok grabbed Taehyung, pushing him behind him, Yoongi knew that his eyes had bled over into that vampiric crimson color he'd tried so uselessly to control these past months.

Yoongi shot his head up towards the second floor. Suddenly, clearer than any sound, he listened to Jimin's labored breathing from the balcony where Jungkook was hiding him from Yoongi's sight. Energy rippled through the room as Jimin finished snapping the bond. 

Yoongi let out a scream as that bond fully ripped apart and his emotions tore away with it, replacing only with a primal, overwhelming, rage. It was an anger so powerful, so forceful, that some paintings on the walls of the warehouse nearly fell from their hinges. It was an intense thing, for a prince to part from a feeder early, having lost so much and lived for so long.

Yoongi dropped his head, curling into himself as he let out another cry. His final thought before everything that made him human left was a genuine relief that the other vampires could kill him before he hurt any of them. He'd lived a long life, maybe not always a good one, but he was happy. If he woke up with his humanity suddenly back but his friends all dead around him, it wouldn't be a life worth keeping.

"Yoongi-" Kim Taehyung's low voice yelled out, attempting to shrug off Hoseok's hold on him but the older man didn't let him get very far. "Let me go to him!!" Taehyung cried out, "Hoseok, Please. He's clearly in pain!!"

Yoongi felt a cold like no other seeped through his veins. There was a lethal grace to his lack of movement, like he was made from the stone of the earth itself, and Yoongi's vision drenched the room in a blood-red hue. Sound sharpened in his ears and his eyes shifted from Taehyung's cry to the brush of Namjoon's foot against the ground then up the warehouse where a traitorous heartbeat hammered. So loud, he thought.

How he hated the sound of it. That heartbeat. It was painful, almost, the sincere hatred that pounded in his head at the idea that there was a blood source, his blood source, hiding from him. Afraid of him. How dare it? How dare it run? Hide? How dare it leave?

His head immediately snapped up at the sound of a low voice, so unlike his feeder's, speaking words that meant nothing to the vampire prince. He looked up, staring at a tan face he barely recognized and saw nothing but a threat between him and the feeder who'd discarded him. Abandoned him. Who had taken something so precious and destroyed it.

Yoongi snickered at the strangers circling him. Their pathetic wide eyes and defensive stances.

His body craved that blood. His feeder's blood. Like it was a canyon that hadn't seen water in centuries. Every muscle in his body burned with the need to feed, to drink that blood again. To take every last drop of blood left in his feeder's veins until there was nothing for anyone else to ever taste again.

He'd kill them all to get to it.

_________
A/N:
Uhhhhh drama who?

Funny story, I wrote this to Taylor Swift's 1989. How you get the girl was definitely repeated a lot. Don't know what that says about me, but hey "remind me how it used to be. Pictures in frames, kisses on cheeks. Say you want me" and "I would wait forever and ever" were surprising fitting. I mean, I meannn. Mommy Taylor knew what's up is what I'm saying 😏😏

Question: Mono or Indigo?

^also decided to keep the OG cover!! Thanks everyone for your input!!

- Violette