-Alyssa <3 Basically, K-Pop and K-Drama Trash. Also, Bellarke, Bughead, NickBrina, Reylo, Adrinette/LadyNoir and the rest of the armada of ships I will go down with. MasterList
Trying this again because I don’t think the other post took. At least, I can’t see it. Here is the updated version of my Masterlist. All the links should now be working following my URL change and the latest chapter of A New Livelihood has been added.
A New Livelihood (Werewolf! Jimin x Werewolf! Reader) Chapter 6
Note: Hey everyone! I know it has been a minute. I am so sorry about that. I hope this chapter is worth the wait and that everyone enjoys it. If you do like it, please leave me some love in my inbox. It really does motivate me to keep going.
Pairing: Reader x Jimin
Genre: Fluff, Maybe a smidge of angst
Rating: PG - PG13 (for this chapter)
Characters: Aera (Reader), BTS, and Jung (Reader’s brother)
Word Count: 4.16k
Summary: Aera (or really Y/N) belongs to a pack of more traditional werewolf values led by her brother, Jung (or really Y/B/N). The very brother that murdered their parents in cold blood solely for the purpose of ascending to the position of Alpha. With her tyrant brother in control, Aera (or Y/N) is forced into a mating ritual with a rival pack in order to cement their alliance with her own pack. Things take a turn for confusing when this forced ceremony turns out to be far from forced. Aera (Y/N) must learn to adapt to an entirely different lifestyle, one that stands in drastic contrast from her own, while simultaneously navigating the confusing and passionate nature that is the mating bond.
*Events in this chapter take place about two weeks following chapter 5*
It had been two weeks since I had come clean to the whole pack about the unspeakable horrors I had committed. Too afraid to say the words from my own mouth to anyone but Jimin, I had broadcasted it through the shared mind network of the pack. Their response, as soon as I had worked up the courage to head downstairs to hear it (with the help of Jimin of course), had been absent of judgment. Sure, they acknowledged that what I had done was bad, but they had also acknowledged my reasons for it. I was a tool, used by someone evil they had said. I was no more guilty than a wrench or a rake, as I had absolutely no choice in the matter. I had argued that I could have just let my brother kill me and died a pure person, but they did not fault me for having the desire to live. They had understood, beyond my comprehension, the evils of the supernatural world and the reasons for my actions. They asked only that I try to do better and leave it all in the past. I would do my very best to be the person that I wanted to be all those years that I had been trapped in that darkness. There were no more excuses for not rising out of my metaphorical ashes.
My rebirth could not seem to have come soon enough before I began to get nauseous at smells that previously didn’t bother me. Morning sickness quickly followed with a miserable intensity. I had heard, from female elders of my old pack that this was consistent with conception of a child. That it was a sign of pregnancy. Generally, in sort of an uncomfortable fashion, the males were able to sense the pheromones of a pregnant female before she herself knew. I had yet to hear anything from any of the guys. Though, I supposed it would have been uncharacteristically rude for anyone but Jimin or Namjoon to acknowledge it. Thus, I remained relatively uncertain. My exposure to the pheromones of pregnant females in my old pack had been brief, as they were usually sequestered from the rest of the pack after it was discovered that they were pregnant. There were unfamiliar smells in the house where Bangtan resided, but new smells came and went all the time. Far be it from me, to know if any of the smells were indicative of my being pregnant. I had also noted that none of the guys appeared to have ever been around a newly pregnant female wolf, with Jimin being the first to acquire his mate. Maybe, they had no idea what the smell of pregnancy was, even if it had been driving them absolutely crazy this whole time. It would be rude to ask me if that was coming from me, right?
Part of me was human and part was wolf. By that logic, I should be able to go into town and buy a pregnancy test to clear it all up, right? But what if I didn’t like what the test had to say? What if I wasn’t ready to be a parent? I was still sorting through my demons and finding out who I was in my new life. That would surely be a confusing environment to bring a baby up in. Plus, Jimin and I were still technically young. Was he even ready for a baby? Did he want one? What would it mean for his career that he had worked so hard to achieve? I surely couldn’t ask him to give that up for me, no matter how much he claimed that he liked me.
I had decided that, to distract myself form the myriad of questions that racked my brain, I would head into town to pick up a pregnancy test. Maybe it would end my suffering by telling me I wasn’t pregnant and had nothing to worry about. Maybe I was just sick.
I would first have to clear my expedition with Namjoon though. Things had been relatively quiet and I had healed up just fine, so I was pretty sure he would let me go with little resistance. I ventured to the living room where he was sitting with Yoongi and Jin watching some TV, in one of their rare moments of relaxation. “Namjoon-nim would it be okay if I went into town today to do a little shopping?” I asked leaving out just what I was shopping for.
“Aera, please, we’ve been over this. You can call me by -ssi or even -a. You’re family now. You sure you don’t want to wait for Jimin to get back with Taehyung and Jungkook?” Namjoon questioned. “I mean, I know he’s been stuck up your ass for the past two weeks and I’m sure you’re glad that he went off with Taehyung, Hoseok, and Jungkook for a run to give you a little alone time, but still wouldn’t you feel safer with him, especially with the baby and all?” Namjoon continued not skipping a beat. I was shocked into utter silence. How had he known? How long had he known? The shock must have registered on my face and Namjoon let out a light chuckle, accompanied by a small smile from Yoongi and a wide smile from Jin.
“Surely, you don’t think I didn’t know. I picked up on it about a week ago. Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook still appear to have no idea for what it is worth. Did you know?” Namjoon asked while I struggled to keep my mouth closed rather than agape. “No, that was why I was headed out actually. To get a test to be sure. I’m not very familiar with what it smells like as most females were hidden away from the rest of my old pack following a discovery of pregnancy” I disclosed.
“Oh, well yeah. It was pretty unfamiliar at first, but I eventually placed it. I was wondering if you were ever going to come clean about it. Jimin has noticed you putting out some pheromones indicating sickness but little else. He’s been worried that he can’t seem to do anything about it. Hence, the need to go out for a run this morning. Do you plan to tell him?” Namjoon asked.
I froze for a second considering whether or not I wanted to show my vulnerability. Did I extend my neck out and chance that it get bitten? Namjoon was very unlike my old alpha, maybe some vulnerability would do me some good. “I worry about how he’s going to react” I admitted nervously rubbing my right arm with my left hand.
“I assure you that it is unlikely that he will react poorly. Jimin has always seemed quite fond of kids. Maybe closer to their level than a parent should be behavior-wise, but still absolutely enamored with them. He cares for you too, so I don’t predict he’ll have much of a problem” Jin reassured me. “I think he’ll be super excited about it” Yoongi added. Their reassurances relieved the dull ache of dread that had begun to sound in my heart. I decided that I would tell Jimin when the right opportunity presented itself. He had a right to know.
“If you want to tell him on your own terms, we had better conclude this conversation. He is within hearing range now and closing in fast. His heartbeat sounds normal so I don’t think he heard anything” Namjoon suggested.
I ran quickly to a window overlooking the backyard of the house the Bangtan pack resided in. I watched as Jimin transformed back into his human form. Bones that had previously cracked and twisted, now cracking again and melding into a new form. To many, this process would be regarded as gross or nausea-inducing. Sure, it was not the most aesthetically pleasing sight, but Jimin honestly made it look like an art form. His was a beautiful art centered around the expression of the body. As I saw him begin to glance toward the window, I ducked down quickly out of sight not wanting to be accused of trying to peep on a now human and completely naked Jimin. Really, his complete and utter nudity had just been a bonus to watching his transformation in action.
I bolted into the center of the kitchen trying to feign my search for something to eat. Moments later, after ample time to get dressed, Jimin bounded into the kitchen with Hoseok, Taehyung, and Jungkook not far behind. As he entered through the threshold of the door, the fluorescent lighting of the kitchen shone on his forehead and his exposed arms and chest (his tank top left little to the imagination). I felt myself swoon a little. Though I had been blessed to see this sight many a time, I was still not used to it. He was truly a work of art and it made me weak in the knees every time.
“Feeling any better?” he questioned, his focus almost entirely on me after sending a nod Namjoon’s way. He walked up to me and wrapped me into a hug from behind. I suppressed a gasp at the instant comfort of his touch as the hard lines of his body met the softer lines of my own. Tone was certainly an understatement.
“Yes. I just got kind of hungry, so I came downstairs to get something to eat” I answered him focusing most of my energy on keeping a blush from dusting my cheeks. “I brought you back some of those macaroons you like so much” he said handing me a black box with a window and a cute pink bow wrapped around the center. It was from a sweet shop on the other side of town that I had visited as many times as I could in the week that I had been recovered enough to go on runs. Jimin made it a point, during every run he and I went on (which was most) to stop off by the shop and get me some. Today, I hadn’t been feeling well enough to accompany him, so he’d gone with a few of the guys.
A wide grin crossed my face as I turned around into the warm embrace of his arms and gave him a tight hug. He was far too good to me. “Thank you!” I exclaimed raising up on my tippy-toes to place a kiss on his cheek bone. “I will get you whatever you want, whenever you want it, baby girl. All you have to do is ask” he replied sweetly placing a kiss of his own on my forehead. I broke the hug with him as I became more conscious of the others in the room.
“She should probably eat some real food before she eats those. She hasn’t been up long and I haven’t seen her eat anything all day” Jin suggested rising from where he was sitting on the couch. “Why don’t you two catch up upstairs and I’ll make her something to eat with some leftover deer meat we had from the last hunt. Sound good?” Jin directed at me. I nodded. It sounded delicious! Jin’s cooking was the absolute best.
“Don’t have to tell me twice” Jimin remarked as he quickly pulled me into him. He hooked one leg under my legs and placed the other at my back before lifting me effortlessly off of the kitchen floor. I squealed in surprise and he looked down at me with a mischievous smile on his face. He quickly headed for the stairs and reached the top of them in no time. Once we were at the threshold of our bedroom door, he playfully launched me from the door to the bed on the other side of the room, a testament to his sheer physical strength. He quickly followed me to the bed and had my head laying on top of his chest in a matter of moments.
I cuddled into his chest feeling safer than I probably ever had in the entirety of my life. It was this comforting notion of safety that brought the words to my lips. “Jimin, I have something to tell you” I led. He made a low “hmm” sound acknowledging that he had heard me. “It is pretty big news. Promise me that if you want to react negatively, you’ll suppress it until I’m out of earshot?” I propositioned in a moment of self-doubt. The ghosts of the past may have been suppressed but they were not entirely forgotten. Doubt had a bad habit of springing up on me when I needed it least.
“If the news is from your lips, how could it ever be bad? Everything you say is practically dripping with honey” Jimin responded. “Stop joking around and being so cringey” I said with a small laugh as I lightly pushed his chest. The truth was, cringey was my favorite setting of his. It was always nice to hear him confirm that we were in the same place emotionally out loud. It reaffirmed his feelings for me because of its sheer sincerity. It was nice not having to guess all the time.
The room fell silent for a moment while I worked up the courage to tell Jimin about the surprise inside of me. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. On the contrary, it was probably one of the most comfortable I had ever been in. As I listened to the sound of his breathing, a calm washed over me. I would just tell him. Everything would be okay.
“Jimin, I’m pregnant” I blurted out as fast as I could, afraid I’d chicken out if I took it slow. The shock registered on his face for just a second before he rose from the bed at lightning speed. The brightest smile flashed on his face. “You’re serious? You aren’t joking? Are you sure?” he shot out a lightning round of questions. “Yes. No. And Yes”, I responded trying my hardest to keep up as a smile of my own began to creep on my face. “Oh my god. I’m going to be a dad!” he said as he lifted me up from the bed and held me up in the air with his arms. “I love you” he added with such sincerity and feeling that my heart swelled and tears began to form in my eyes.
He brought me into his chest and I wrapped my legs as tight as I could around his torso, locking my arms around his neck. “I love you too” I whispered softly into his ear as I began to quietly sob. No one had ever looked at me like that. No one had ever told me they loved me like that. No one had ever treated me as softly as Jimin. I knew in this instant that I had fallen for him so completely that there would never be any going back.
I continued to cling to him as the tears continued to fall. I had never cried because of happiness before and the feeling was strange but freeing at the same time. “It’s mine, right?” Jimin asked chuckling a little afterward indicating that he was joking. Not totally trusting my voice, I nodded into the crook of his neck. “Good, I didn’t want to have to kill anyone today” he said attempting to bring the mood back to a sort of normal. Emotions had been running at a happy high for some time, but they mostly inhibited the ability to have a conversation on the matter. It was time to talk about it in detail.
Jimin set me down gently on the bed so I was sitting facing him. “How long now have you known?” he asked. “You’re going to laugh” I said averting my eyes. “I promise I won’t” he reassured me. “Like maybe an hour ago. Namjoon told me” I responded unable to contain my own laughter as a few laughs audibly emerged despite my trying to suppress them. “How did he know?” Jimin asked, clearly a little less informed than Namjoon. This was fairly predictable as Namjoon was the resident Einstein.
“He said that he picked up on the smell floating around the house” I answered. “THAT’S WHAT THAT WAS?!” Jimin yelled in excited disbelief. Pressing my finger gently to my ear to stop the ringing his yell had started, I nodded lightly. “I knew I smelt something new and slightly off in the apartment. Also explains why it was so intoxicating” he said with an obnoxious raise of his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes in response.
“Boy or girl?” Jimin asked. “I’m sure it is far too early to tell. Though, Namjoon would probably be able to tell you more than I would” I said with a slight shrug of my shoulders. “Funny how he knows all of that stuff, huh?” Jimin remarked. “I mean, wouldn’t we all be totally lost without it?” I added. Namjoon was an amazing alpha and he did not often get the depth of recognition that he deserved. “Yeah, he’s pretty great” Jimin said with a smile as he joined me sitting on the bed.
It was time to talk about the slightly harder stuff. I wanted to know what this meant for his career. He had so much that he stood to lose. “So, what are you going to do?” I asked him. “About what? Namjoon?” he asked confused as if any further thought on the matter had yet to cross his mind. “What are you doing about the baby? I mean, you’ve got an amazing career and future laid out before you. Couldn’t this baby potentially hold you back?” I asked feeling the familiar monster of doubt prod me in the side.
“I swear, you come up with the funniest things when you get in that head of yours. I love what I do. That’s incredibly true. But I love you so much more than all the fame and money and what not. Will I miss the fans? Absolutely! The true fans won’t hate me for putting my family first and my happiness first. I think there is some really old cliché that goes: Those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. Besides, being a werewolf in the media industry has an expiration date. No matter how careful we are” Jimin reassured me. “And please. Holding me back? You have brought me up so many levels” he added quickly.
“So, you’ll stick by me then?” I asked giving him just one more chance to back out before I hitched myself to him for the rest of my life. “It would be my absolute honor. Don’t get it twisted, I’m the on tying you down” Jimin said bringing his face closer to mine. He swept my hair to my right shoulder and scooted back on the bed a little. It took me a second to realize what he was doing as he placed a kiss to the back of the base of my neck, where his mark was. I smiled as my heart swelled again for the billionth time that day.
No one had ever treated me that tender. His tenderness was something that I had not only come to crave, but was sure that I now needed to function. He was so soft with me despite the anger and ferocity I had seen him capable of unleashing. A textbook depiction of the duality of man (or wolf).
And then I felt the words bubbling at my lips. Unfamiliar words to me, but still quite powerful in their force. They pushed forcefully against my lips until I had to bite my bottom lip to suppress them. Jimin must have noticed my struggle as he raised an eyebrow at me. “Everything okay?” he asked, concern creeping into his voice. His concern broke the dam of my lips.
“I love you so much,” though he may have uttered these same words countless times to me, this was one of the few times in which I had given him these words first. Every ounce of me meant them. My soul was bared to him in those five words. I was wholly vulnerable, in a way that I never much cared to be in the past. With Jimin though, I just didn’t care anymore. He could do whatever he wanted with me heart, body, and soul. It was impossible for me to live without him, so even if he misused me (though I was sure he could not), it would still be better than living a life not by his side.
Jimin looked taken aback by the sheer emotion and honesty in my words. It was not long before his usual beautiful smile graced his face. “I love you too baby girl,” he said pulling me in for a tight hug. My eyes stung with happy tears. I was in love with this wonderful individual. I was creating a family with this man that I loved. My life was filled in way that it never had been.
“So, do you want a boy or girl?” he whispered lightly into my ear bringing back an earlier, happier part of the conversation. His whisper tickled the hairs of my neck and ear. “Honestly?” I asked pulling out of the hug a bit to look him in his eyes. He gave me a small nod in response. “I don’t know that I want it to be a boy. The men in my family haven’t exactly been the greatest of individuals. Both my brother and dad were always cold and distant. My brother turned into a psychotic murdered who took pleasure in using me as a pawn. So, I’m scared that if it’s a boy, it’ll be like my brother” I admitted averting my eyes from Jimin’s, still pretty ashamed of my lineage.
I felt a pressure under my chin as Jimin used his index finger to again raise my eye-level to his. “Fuck everyone from your past. You’re its mother. It will be loved and taken care of. I refuse to believe that your nature is inherently evil. So, in the nature vs nurture argument, our child is hampered in neither. I will be here very step of the way. You are not alone at all,” he said placing a light kiss of my forehead. I closed my eyes and let myself sink into it for a second.
Sure, my family was evil, but Jimin was pure goodness. His light would overpower any darkness that my genes might be bringing to the table. “I wouldn’t mind having a boy if he could grow up as kind and handsome as his father,” I said slightly blushing myself as Jimin’s face dusted its own shade of pink. “A boy would be great. I could show him all the ropes to hunting, courting, and just life in general. I think a girl would also be pretty great, but I have two conditions,” he said with a slight smile.
“What might those be?” I asked, curious as to what his apprehensions might be. “Well, she absolutely has to be as gorgeous as you. As smart and resilient as you too,” Jimin started, causing me to blush and avoid his intense eye contact. “She’s also not allowed to date ever. I would definitely not be able to handle that. Too protective over the women in my life,” Jimin added with a slight chuckle.
“I appreciate the sentiment. I’m sure she does too. She will always know that she has someone there for her. But, I definitely think that she should make that decision for herself. If you’d let your son date, you’ve gotta let your daughter date too. I’ve always hated that double standard in pack life,” I replied in a moment of boldness
“You are so incredible,” Jimin said bringing his face closer to mine. Our eyes locked and a heat grew between us. “I have got to kiss you,” Jimin said bringing his lips to mine. I was transported, as always, to a literal heaven on Earth when his lips meant mine. They were so soft, so deft, so experienced. I was about to let myself become completely consumed by there wonderland when I heard Jin calling from downstairs.
“Food is ready. Get your cute, pregnant ass down here,” I heard him say and I smiled into the kiss Jimin and I were sharing. I broke away a few seconds after. “You heard the man. Get your cute little ass moving,” Jimin said as I began to rise from the bed. He gave my ass a nice slap, a promise of the things that could come later. We both hurried downstairs to eat. He for himself and mine for two.
A New Livelihood (Werewolf! Jimin x Werewolf! Reader) Chapter 5
Note: Hello everyone! I am back after, well, a pretty long time. A lot of things have happened, I’ve lost people, I’ve been navigating college, and I’ve just been trying to bring it all together. In honor of the new year, a new chapter! Here’s to hoping that 2019 treats us all very well and I can keep some consistent updates going for this story, Firewall Down, and maybe even get out some other stories that I’ve thought up. Please enjoy!
Pairing: Jimin x Reader
Genre: Some Fluff, a lot of Angst
Rating: This one is pretty PG, maybe PG-13
Warnings: None
Characters: Aera (Reader), BTS, and Jung (Reader’s brother; only mentioned here), and Castor (read to find out)
Word Count: 3,837 words
Summary: Aera (or really Y/N) belongs to a pack of more traditional werewolf values led by her brother, Jung (or really Y/B/N). The very brother that murdered their parents in cold blood solely for the purpose of ascending to the position of Alpha. With her tyrant brother in control, Aera (or Y/N) is forced into a mating ritual with a rival pack in order to cement their alliance with her own pack. Things take a turn for confusing when this forced ceremony turns out to be far from forced. Aera (Y/N) must learn to adapt to an entirely different lifestyle, one that stands in drastic contrast from her own, while simultaneously navigating the confusing and passionate nature that is the mating bond.
Regret didn't even begin to describe what I was feeling. I had distanced myself and made myself vulnerable all because of my own vanity. I hadn't known they'd be prowling these woods. If I had been paying more attention like I should have, I would have noticed the shifting scents carried by the wind. The ominous and unwelcoming auras exuded by each of them. Rogues, but I had noticed them too late.
A wolf crashed into me from my right side, pinning me to the ground. It took me by great surprise. I struggled against its grip as its scent consumed the air around me. Not just any old rogue, a rogue from a pack rival to my old one.
"Hey there pretty lady," his voice rang in my head rather than aloud, the only way werewolves could communicate outside of howls when in their wolf forms. I realized very quickly that I had run into just a little bit more than your average bad luck. I was completely drained of energy. I had no energy to shift into my wolf form to protect myself from this rogue and it would be impossible to adequately protect myself in my human form.
"Scared little one? Do you remember me?" the wolf projected into my head. Shit, I was projecting pheromones. If he could smell them, then surely the pack would be here soon? Even so, the fact that I was projecting fear pheromones gave away at least a little of my vulnerability. Then, a second wave of fear hit me as I finally placed the voice.
"Castor?!" I exclaimed aloud. The wolf snarled. "The one and only," rang in my head. As if the situation wasn't already bad enough, this complicated matters further. I had had a hand in killing every single one of Castor's family members at the orders of my brother. Hell, I'd been forced to lead the charge. Even though I was consistently about self-preservation, I could not blame this man for taking my life even if he drug it out. I'd tortured his family before I'd killed them for the sake of appearing fierce and strong in front of a pack that constantly questioned if I was strong enough to walk among them.
"You aren't fighting back. You had way more spunk than this when you killed my family," he projected bending his wolven face down to my very human one. He sniffed the air around me and his eyes temporarily flashed blue. "I see. You've gone and gotten claimed. This scent that's all over you is different from your original pack though. Did your brother finally write you off for the shrimp that you are?" he joked amusedly. I was scared. I was angry. But, I probably deserved this and more. My heinous acts had come back to haunt me. If I were him, I would have already killed me. I was grateful that at the very least Bangtan couldn't hear Castor's projections. It was a closed conversation between he and I taking place, for the most part, within my conscious.
I knew I shouldn't cave to my anger, but I was fairly certain that this was actually the end. It was fitting. Castor would rip my head off before Bangtan even got here. It's not like he lacked justification. If I was to die this way, I was going to speak my mind before my head was ripped off.
"Shrimp? I remember being strong enough to kill your entire family without breaking a sweat. Right after they told me everything that I needed to know. As I recall, I played a part in leaving your pack in ruins," I goaded him within my conscious. If he was going to kill me, I wanted him to hurry up with it. I could not fight back and I was tired of being at his mercy. "You bitch," he seemed to try to growl out before opening his mouth and chomping down on my right shoulder. I screamed out in pain just as my new pack arrived all in wolf form.
I could recognize only Namjoon and Jimin. Namjoon because his eyes glowed red even in wolf form. Jimin because he lunged at the wolf on top of me before Namjoon could give any orders. I lay there bleeding, every bone in my body screaming that I needed to get up and help Jimin. I would never forgive myself if he died protecting me from my own sins. Castor did not fight cleanly and Jimin would certainly have to fight dirty to win.
I could not lift myself even an inch from the ground and tears fell from my eyes in my immense frustration. A wolf stood over me again. The eyes of this one appeared far kinder. "It's going to be okay. We've got you," Jin's voice projected into the consciousness of the entire pack, but specifically directed at me. I was lifted from the ground as another of the pack members worked their muzzle in between me and the ground and carefully lifted me onto Jin's back. I cried out in pain again. "No! I can't leave Jimin," I cried out into the woods unable to project anymore. "Don't worry. Taehyung and Jungkook flew into the fight. That wolf doesn't have much longer. Let Jin, J-Hope, and myself take you back to the house while Namjoon and the others wrap up here," Yoongi commanded eliciting the authority of the Beta. I had no choice but to accept his command as I slowly lost consciousness from the gaping wound of my shoulder.
I woke to immense pain. I was lying in Jimin's bed. I tried turning my head only to find that it shot pain down into my shoulder. With the limited range of rotation of my neck, I looked around the room to see if Jimin was anywhere in sight. I couldn't tell so opted to sniff out the room to see if I could detect his scent. I turned up short save for some traces indicating he'd been in the room maybe about an hour ago. I was alone in the room. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.
Another sniff of the air indicated that all seven of the boys must have been somewhere downstairs. The smells were faint but seemed to congregate there. I felt the need to check on them because my mistake had caused all this. Although, I remained conflicted on the prospect of going down to see all of them. If any of them were hurt, I knew I would blame myself for being negligent. I didn't deserve them coming to my aid like that. They were more than I deserved. Maybe, all this time, my brother had been right about who I was. Useless scum that only brought despair. Did I have the capacity to be good? To do good? How could I when I had been the reason my own mother died?
I sat up in the bed, despite the pain that wracked through me. I turned my head quickly, ripping the bandaid off as they say, to look at the shoulder that Castor had mercilessly bitten into. The straps of the tank top and sports bra I had been wearing were torn away for access to the shoulder, like someone had been drastically, frantically trying to get there. I felt naked in some way as it hung limply under my arm. The shoulder was heavily bandaged with the bandages looking as if they hadn't been replaced all that long ago. Not a spot of blood visible among the white. Had it been Jimin?
"I thought I smelt some stress hormones. Feeling better?" I heard Namjoon speak from the threshold of the door. My eyes shot up to meet his as I quickly covered myself with the sheets I had been laying under. I heard Namjoon chuckle a little to himself, but other than that, he didn't seem to react at all. I took in the sight before me only for it to become quickly apparent that Namjoon didn't have a scratch on him. I let out a small sigh. 1 out of 4 was okay. Maybe I wouldn't have to live with knowing that I had hurt people that had accepted me when I had nothing.
"How is Jimin? Taehyung? Jungkook?" I asked my voice just barely above a whisper. Namjoon heard me, undoubtedly as being a werewolf tended to mean that you heard everything. He remained silent for a few moments before speaking. "They're fine. Jimin got the worst of it and that was just a couple cuts and bruises. The man really just can't control his anger. We always joke that he's the scariest when angry because he's usually pretty soft in how he treats others. I can't say the same for your attack-happy friend. He's dead and got to see the worst sides of Jimin," Namjoon answered as he continued to casually lean on the door frame.
I let out a loud sign of relief. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath. "Where is he?" I asked worried he might be angry at me and not want to see me. I wanted to apologize to him for being so careless, for getting him hurt.
"He was with you almost the entire time you were unconscious. For 24 hours, he wouldn't leave your side. He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't drink, he wouldn't sleep. He just worried, and worried, and worried. He wouldn't let anyone else in here. Wouldn't let anyone else change your bandages after Jin got done working his magic on your shoulder. Paced back and forth until I thought he was going to wear a hole into the floor. So, I ordered him to come downstairs and stay there until I told him he could come back up. It's one of the only times he's ever tried to disobey a direct order," Namjoon answered.
My heart broke for Jimin. I had been out 24 hours?! How could I let myself put him through that? "Listen, I can hear what you're thinking. No matter how you roll the dice, this isn't your fault. Jungkook told me you could block mind reading and control projecting, but, thankfully for me, you seem too shocked to be doing that right now," he spoke into the silence.
What bothered me about that bit of information wasn't that Namjoon had been reading my mind. I was troubled that he'd been honest about it, forthcoming with the details. "I'll go down and tell him you're awake and that he can come back up," he said as he fixed himself upright where he'd been leaning on the doorframe. As he turned to go, he spoke again, "I'm really glad you're okay and all. Don't ever scare us like that again. That's an order," he said with his back to me as he walked away from the room and downstairs. The pull of the alpha wasn't there, but somehow that made it only that much more impossible for me not to follow it. The authority of that command was from somewhere beyond an alpha. It came from something different, something foreign to me. Something I couldn't quite place.
I heard heavy footsteps as someone quickly bounded up the stairs. Jimin came rushing into the room, stopping abruptly at the door frame, where Namjoon had been just seconds earlier. He paused taking in my frame. Tears began to form in his eyes. "You're okay," he breathed out in relief as he finally crossed the rest of the distance between us. He took me into his arms not all that gently. I mean, he tried, but his eagerness won out. I tried to fight a yelp of pain, but it erupted from me despite my efforts. He threw his body from me in an instant, very clearly not in favor of hurting me in the slightest.
"I'm so sorry," he apologized looking like a kicked puppy. "I was just so glad to see your beautiful eyes again. The guys say I'm dramatic for this, but I really thought I wouldn't ever see them again. You lost so much blood. Jin had to work on that shoulder with all manner of instruments for a long time. He kept talking about a lot of muscle and tissue damage and I--" he rambled on in his excitement before I cut him off by calling his name very loudly.
"Jimin! I'm okay. Just a little banged up," I assured him. He closed his mouth and nodded approaching me on the bed again. He bent down to me and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes and let myself take in the incredibly comforting nature of this action. As much as I wanted to stay like this until the literal end of time, I needed to check up on him. It took all of my will to shift in a way that wouldn't cause me too much pain, but would also relay to him that, as much as I hadn't wanted it to, the moment had passed.
"Jimin, are you okay?" I asked him as he rose to his full height. "Yeah. I'm okay. Werewolf healing and all," he said with a smile. Even so, I looked him over to find that he, indeed, had not a single mark left on him from his encounter with Castor. For the second time since being awake, I let out a breath that I hadn’t known I’d been holding in.
“I can’t say the same for your friend though. No amount of healing is going to save the shreds I left his corpse in,” Jimin remarked through gritted teeth, his eyes temporarily flashing blue. Such a feral color that blue. For just a second, I saw the less kinder side of Jimin. The anger, the hate. It was enough to make me shiver despite the wave of pain it sent through my injured body.
“So, what’s with the slower healing? It still feels like there is a gaping hole in my shoulder,” I asked Jimin, who had just been pulled from his feral stare at the sound of my voice. “That puzzled Jin for a little. Namjoon was the one that finally figured it out. You know how even among werewolves, there are those of us that have special abilities? Like you’re able to block mind reading and control projection,” Jimin answered.
I went rigid for a second at his outright acknowledgement of my abilities. “Namjoon told everyone. He even mentioned that he was pretty sure you have a few other abilities you haven’t mentioned to us just yet either. Something about ‘adversity bringing certain characteristics out of people and you having encountered a lot of it’. Don’t worry though. You’ll have time to tell us at your own pace. Just like you’ll have time to tell us why that guy was trying to kill you,” Jimin said leaning himself up against the same doorway Namjoon had just been propped up against not long ago. I suppressed a giggle. They truly were a pack, not just in name.
“Anyway, apparently Jin found some sort of weird venom in the guy’s saliva that reduces our healing rate pretty significantly. He was able to get a lot of it out of your shoulder, but admitted that he wasn’t able to totally get it all out. He guesses it’ll be about a week before you’re good to go, back to your usual self. About two times what it would usually take for this kind of injury,” Jimin continued, finally answering my original question.
“Just my luck, huh?” I started. Jimin nodded in response. He very clearly wasn’t happy with this new situation I had found myself in, but who would be? Especially when he knew nothing about why it had happened. Most of me felt that he had every reason to know about Castor and the horrible things that I had done. Still, a little, selfish part of me never wanted to Jimin to hear about any of the pain that I had inflicted on others. He accepted me so openly now, why give him a reason to reject me? If this pack threw me out on my ass, and they very well could as mating played a lesser role to the safety of the whole pack, I would have nowhere to go. Castor was only one of many and my old pack was not exactly fond of me either. I would be an Omega. A lone wolf without a place to call home. I had heard a very famous saying from a popular TV show in recent years: “The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives”. A very solid truth in its own right, even if it was of human media.
Still, the “angel” on my shoulder continued to nag. I could have no internal peace if I didn’t say something. Only internal guilt. I had been through a lot in my life. Relative isolation had been most of my life after my mother had passed, would it really be all that different being truly physically, mentally, and emotionally alone? Hiding the truth was already making me feel mentally and emotionally isolated as it were.
“Jimin,” I spoke out into the silence which the room had fallen into. “Hmm?” he answered with a low groan of his throat. “That wolf, I-I…..I killed his family on the orders of my brother,” I said as my head sunk into my hands. I could not believe that I had felt compelled to tell the truth. What had come over me?! Never had I admitted out loud the horrors that I felt guiltiest for. Yet, the thought of Jimin being in the dark about it bothered me more than the admission of my guilt.
Jimin remained poised despite the shocking confession. The only indication I had that he had heard me was the slight nod of his head. “I figured as much. He was quite angry and mentioned something about you taking everything from him. May I ask why?” Jimin questioned. “My brother saw Castor’s pack as a big threat. He’s pretty into power plays. It was such a power play to him to do every unimaginable thing to Castor’s family all while Castor had to watch helplessly. The entire while, I suggested that we just kill Castor. He was the threat. Why involve anyone else? My brother insisted that I was only to remain a strong member within the pack if I could prove my allegiance by “handling such a matter”. He told me what pain to inflict and how far to take it and I had to listen. I had to listen or lose my place in literally the only family that I had ever known, no matter how fucked up it was,” I answered Jimin somewhat longwindedly.
Torturing Castor’s family had not been of my own creation. The creative ways in which I was made to cause them pain were not of my creation, but I was the ugly vehicle by which they were administered. Just that was enough to write me off forever as a moral-lacking, sociopathic, cold-blooded killer, completely unworthy of redemption.
“We all do unspeakable things to preserve ourselves. The supernatural world is a pretty cruel one, no matter how much human movies and television like to think it dark and sexy. There is one quote that I am rather fond of when I think about some of the bad that I have had to commit: ‘Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things’. Did you want to do what you did?” Jimin asked earnestly. “No,” I answered honestly. “Then, you were being the you that you needed to be to survive. I don’t think that’s the real you and I’m not going to judge you for it. We all have a past that we wanna slay. I like to think I’m more forward-looking,” Jimin finished with a smile.
A smile crossed my face as a warmth seemed to take over me. He accepted me, with all of my demons. He accepted me with all of my heavy baggage. He accepted the darkest parts of me. I felt so indebted to him, but I was sure that if I said anything along those lines, he would say that he was only doing his duty as my mate. Not true. He could abandon me, leave me and my horrible past to fend for ourselves. There was a procedure for breaking the bond, painful to only the one that did not desire it broken. Yet, I could confidently say that the thought had not once crossed his mind. I knew Jimin would not tell the others and I did not want to have to explain it a second time, so I had broadcasted all of my end of the conversation to the others via the mind connection of the pack. Now, they all knew. Would it change my relationships with the rest of the pack? Especially given that they had not been made privy to Jimin’s response? What would Namjoon say? Would he let me stay? What would happen to the progress I had made in my growing friendship with Jungkook and Taehyung? The only way that I could figure out the answer to all these questions would be to take my injured frame downstairs to meet with the rest of my pack. After all, I could only call them my pack if they knew that I was ready and willing to be one-hundred percent honest with them and let them in.
“Jimin?” I spoke, again breaking the silence of the room. “Could you help me downstairs?” I asked him, my voice full of a certain resolve. “Sure, but only if you give me a kiss first,” he said with a flirtatious smirk. A small giggle emerged from my throat before I could suppress it. I nodded and he walked over to me where I still lay in the bed. He walked to my bed and placed his toned arms on either side of my head. His muscles tensed as he leaned down, allowing his lips to meet mine. Gently, he kissed me, probably afraid that if he was too rough, I would break. In this moment, I had no fear, only certainty of that which I had to do. Jimin pulled away and smiled down at me, something very alluring held just behind his eyes. He quickly, but gently, scooped me up bridal-style from where I lay and started walking toward the door. A past me would have stopped him at the threshold, but a new-found courage kept me silent as we cleared the threshold of the doorway and headed for the stairs. After all, how could I bound into a beautiful future with Jimin if I was too busy staring into my past?
I felt that with my return to Tumblr and my return to K-Pop fanfiction writing also needed a blog name change. Thank you all for the love and support and I look forward to publishing more. The next chapter of A New Livelihood is in the works. I can’t promise a publication date. I can only promise that I will try my very best.
Note: Hello everyone! I am back after a fairly inexcusable amount of time. The college adjustment was a hard one. I lost some family, struggled with my perception of myself, and tried to learn this thing called adulting. I hope you all can forgive my very long absence. To those still out there that will read this, thank you. I hope the next chapter will be longer as I finally start to get back into this again. Please, enjoy the second chapter.
Pairing: Jungkook x Reader
Genre: Fluff, Angst
Warnings: None
Word Count: 3,894
Summary: (Y/N) lives in a world consumed by hate, famine, and fear. A nuclear stricken world characterizes the loss of all chances of hope, love, and trust. Living in a world so far from the world that we know today, (Y/N) and her dad try to prolong their own survival, nevermind their existence in a group. (Y/N)’s intention to secure only her own survival in a world so hell-bent to erase it is slowly altered by a most unusual source. Though AIs were created with solely the intent of destruction and control, (Y/N) finds herself taking a deadly interest into an AI by the name of Jungkook assigned to her survival group. His continual expresssion of his lack of emotion only encourages (Y/N) to find out more about him. And suddenly, the unfeeling Jungkook is made to feel things he never considered and unintentionally change the course of (Y/N)’s life for forever.
You arrived at the live site fully suited up. Radiation coursed all around you and you were hyper aware that the only thing separating you from a painful death was the thin layer of fabric of the suit. Jungkook was suited in a similar fashion. He may have possessed the conscious of an AI, but his body was still human. Granted, a human body with elevated physical prowess. You wondered why exactly you were out here risking your life yet again, but then you remembered that your life was you risking it all, always. Your dad never took a breath to enjoy the scenery and he wouldn't exactly let you smell the roses either. He wanted you tougher than anyone else, which meant very little in the way of actual affection, more like a commanding officer.
"So, why exactly are we doing reconnaissance in a confirmed dead zone? And when I say confirmed, I mean like five times over confirmed. You seem to think there's magically going to be something here on the sixth try," you grumbled in all manner of discomfort. Just because you did this virtually every day of your life didn't mean you were exactly comfortable with it. You were human and did actually fear death like the vast majority did. "I'm not exactly getting any vital readings," Jungkook added to your point. "See dad? Even your precious AI thinks that this was a decision made in terrible judgement on your part,"you directed at your father with a smile full of sass.
"Could you shut up for maybe five seconds and not question my authority for once?", your dad grumbled in response. "I'm just saying. You seem to think these AIs are smarter than us and Jungkook basically just called your plan a dumbass plan," you added with a shrug of your shoulders.
"I don't remember those words leaving my mouth at all. I simply commented on the vital readings that would indicate human presence if there was any," Jungkook responded. I elbowed him in the stomach sharply. Something I came to instantly regret as it felt like my elbow shattered against his firm core. His human body was certainly tone. "Owww," you whisper yelled directing a glare at him. "I'm not the one that told you to elbow me," Jungkook shrugged, all business as usual. "You know, I really despise you sometimes. Even though we just met. You are actually the sassiest AI I have ever met. Why can't you be more like the AIs my dad activated?", you grumbled at him. "I adapt to the personality that most fits with my activator. Congratulations on meeting your match," he said with a smile. A smile which looked entirely fake. "Did your code tell you that that smile was a good idea? It doesn't mean anything if there isn't any feeling behind it," you jested playfully. "What do you know about coding honestly?," Jungkook replied back monotonously. "I actually hate this. You shouldn't be allowed to give comebacks without any feeling. It just defeats the entire purpose of this form of playful banter," you let out with a small laugh. Jungkook only walked alongside you in silence, his code apparently indicating it best not to reply.
A guttural scream rang out and you immediately went into your fighting stance and raised your pistol in the direction of the scream. "Dad?," you called out in warning. "I heard it. Get ready. Watch your suit. If it gets damaged, that's the end of you," your dad responded briefly before turning back in the direction of the scream.
Jungkook appeared to tense beside you, reading your elevated sense of discomfort and heightened alertness. A rustling sounded behind you. Before you had time to react you felt an object slice through the fabric of your suit and across the flesh of your upper arm. You let out a sharp grunt of pain, suppressing your scream. You looked on the floor in front of you to find a knife lying there coated in your blood. Whoever threw it possessed inhumanly precision.
The burning started as the surrounding radiation began to draw into your suit. The suppressed scream finally escaped you. "(Y/N)!," Jungkook cried out rushing to your side. You detected a hint of something in his voice that made you smile despite the intense pain you were in. It was emotion. Worry.
"Don't look now, but I'm pretty sure there was some feeling in that," you jested as he reached you. "Humans really don't have good reaction time," Jungkook commented without any feeling, his coding once again appearing to take over. Another scream escaped your lips and you no longer felt the energy to send a sharp comment his way. You felt your hold on your consciousness slipping and with it, your fear increasing.
Even if you didn't die, you were sure that arm would never be the same. Jungkook placed his hand firmly over the opening, applying intense pressure but essentially creating a seal that kept the radiation and surrounding air from entering the suit. Your oxygen level began to return to a level where you weren't struggling so hard to stay conscious. The pain in your arm remained and you felt yourself continuing to slowly fade. "Hang in there (Y/N)," Jungkook sounded like he pleaded. You looked to his face to find genuine concern plastered there. His humanity was breaking through his coding again. You sent him a smile. "Everything is going to be okay," you assured yourself more so than him as a tear rolled down your cheek.
The pain was unlike anything and the pressure Jungkook was applying only made it feel worse. That extra pain was all that was keeping you alive right now though.
"Please don't pass out here. You'll be a pain in the ass to defend and keep alive right here," Jungkook appeared to both plead and attempt to joke. Here you were, on the brink of literally almost dying, and all you could think about was the fact that Jungkook had just honestly cracked a joke and was showing you genuine concern. You had no idea why it mattered so fucking much that it was the last thing you intended to think about. It just was. For some reason, you'd been drawn to Jungkook. Sure, his brain was an AI at this juncture, but a part of him had to have a trace of the person he used to be. Before the AI implant had "saved the corpse" as your dad's friends had put it. He was an AI, but you knew, you just knew there were traces of the original Jungkook there attempting to break through the coding of the implant they'd inserted. You knew it. Having proof of it through any form of emotion filled you with an inexplicable level of relief and maybe even happiness.
"Are you trying to call me fat?," you joked weakly trying to stay awake. "I certainly know those words didn't leave my mouth. I might not be the most socially knowledgeable, but I do know that calling a woman fat equates to pain or swift death," Jungkook responded with a smile. The furthest breaking of the code so far. Pure, unadulterated emotion. Not to mention the blinding, extremely handsome nature of the smile. You were fairly certain you could die happy now. But, actually, not really. You were scared of dying. You knew you had to get up. You knew you had to find the strength. Jungkook was stronger than a human because of his implant but he couldn't hold you, patch up your suit, and defend against any attackers or protect his own suit from damage all at once. He still had human skin, so the radiation would have a negative effect on him as well.
Motivated by the immediate harm that your condition would cause Jungkook, you attempted to rise to your feet. Your body felt indescribably tired and all you wanted to do was sleep. You knew if you slept here, you'd literally be taking your final "dirt nap". That wasn't something you wanted. You refused to die here and die like this. Your father's idiocy would not be the end of you. His endless quest for glory and pushing the limit would not claim you.
Using your desire to totally give your father hell about this, you pushed through the fatigue and the intense pain. A growl escaped your lips as pain coursed through you and Jungkook braced you. You chambered your gun, searching your surroundings for your assailant. This did more harm than good as your vision swam. Physically, you were not in a good place right now and it was severely hampering your mental faculties. "You don't look so good... I think that I need to get you out of here," Jungkook attempted to reason with you.
"No joke I don't look good. My arm was just exposed to some pretty concentrated radiation. I'm surprised I can stand, even more so that I have the use of that arm. There's no way we can safely get out of here. Plus, I can't just leave my dad," you responded through the pounding in your head. "He's got two other AIs with him. He'll be fine. My only concern right now is getting you to safety and taking a look at that arm," Jungkook responded looking at you a second longer than was probably considered appropriate. Something had changed, as a programmer of the past might have said, his code was corrupted. He was doing things that his programming would never had indicated or even have fathomed.
Though you were in indescribable amounts of pain and already felt yourself starting to blackout, you managed a weak reply. "I don't think there is any way that you and I can get out of here safely. Look, usually I'm all for my own self-preservation and all, but, do me a favor and don't worry about me, get my idiot father out of here safe. Our people need him for direction. His life is worth a lot more than mine," you finished deciding that those were the last words you would be able to muster the strength to speak. Your mouth felt dry and your jaw heavy. It was unpleasant to even attempt to open your mouth. "Look, for some reason, I just can't find that statement the case," he replied averting your gaze. A smile crossed your features before you felt yourself fall and you lost complete consciousness, your world turning black.
The light was so bright, so white, so comforting. The complete opposite of the horror, hunger, and desolation you'd seen your whole life. You felt at peace, something that had been alien to you for so many years now. You knew you had to be dead. No place on Earth existed like this anymore. "What a way to go out," you chuckled to yourself. Your only hope was that your dad would learn at least a little more caution from your death.
"Y/N?" a voice called your name. It was a familiar voice. One that had only been around a short while, but knew a disproportionate amount of things about you. It was Jungkook's voice laced very discernibly with concern. Did AIs go to heaven too? Was this what heaven was like? So white, so pure, so comforting.
"You made it to heaven too? Guess there's a little less to it than I thought," you quipped. "Would you just open your eyes?" the voice sounded annoyed. Something that, had you been more aware of what was going on, you would have certainly noted as impossible.
Your eyelids felt heavy as you fought to open them. Once they were finally open enough for you to take in your surroundings, your eyes fell on Jungkook. "Not dead, huh? Well, this is embarrassing," you joked. The pain finally hit you and you winced.
"For you? Maybe. I would suggest you just be glad that you're alive. You were not particularly fun to carry from the live site under attack like that," Jungkook responded, ever the tactician. His words startled you into realization. "My dad?!" you panicked. "He's totally fine. Hauled ass out of there with me and the other AIs as I was getting you to safety," Jungkook reassured you.
You exhaled sharply, releasing a breath you hadn't known you'd been holding in. It proved a bad idea as you winced again at the pain that wracked your diaphragm. "So, what happened?" you asked, remembering little after you crumpled to the ground.
"I got you out of there. I did my job. That's it," Jungkook responded almost as if he was hiding something, which was a crazy prospect. "Right. Aye, aye sir. I meant, who attacked us and such?" you responded with a shake of your head attempting to ignore how weird Jungkook was being, even for an AI.
"Well, based on what I conclude before you went and decided to be what I believe your people call a "nuisance", I noticed that there were no life readings. Nothing that would suggest that we were attacked by people. If it was people, they were wearing some kind of advanced cloaking technology. The only way they would have that, period, is if they had an AI to guide them on how to jog our systems. What this means is that your dad was likely double crossed by the very person that sent us AIs here or that the tech has fallen into the wrong hands. Both are what I assume you would consider "scary" prospects," Jungkook finished with air quotes.
Sometimes, he could really come off as a pompous ass, but you supposed that that was because computers weren't exactly created to be nice or sensitive in the slightest. "Translated into more pessimistic terms, we're fucked right?" you continued. "Well, it doesn't look good if that's what you're asking. The AIs at the live site were specifically not targeted. They took out the other two humans that were with us with two very precise kill shots. Which means, they were especially avoiding damaging us and solely there to kill all of you," Jungkook responded.
Tears began to fill your eyes. You had selected those two to go with you. It was your fault they were dead. You couldn't protect them because you were too busy dying. This only made it clearer to you that, despite how qualified your dad thought you were, you weren't ready to be a leader.
"Look, I imagine you may be feeling some sort of guilt. Don't. You could never have guessed that that was going to happen," Jungkook reassured you as he placed his hand on top of yours and gave it a light squeeze. Your eyes went wide. Jungkook was detecting your emotions. Okay, you could excuse that. Some programmer probably thought that it was important that he be able to read emotions to better handle a situation. What had your head spinning was the empathy and the concern packed in his voice and the physical contact that he had initiated. That was most certainly not programmed in their coding. Something was amiss here. Something was wrong, but then, why did it feel right?
Your dad never picked a good moment to storm in, but this was a particularly bad one. Your dad burst into the room looking all business. Then again, when didn't he? The guy honestly probably had forgotten how to smile over the years. Jungkook yanked his hand away from yours so fast and turned away from you, noticeably exuding some guilt.
Before your dad could see what was going on within the tent, Jungkook had already settled into his usual blank expression. Only you had seen what had happened and you had some real questions the next time you and Jungkook were alone.
"This is all his fault!" your dad pointed angrily at Jungkook. "I am pulling the plug. He has been compromised!" your dad added storming towards Jungkook. Yes, you were in pain. Yes, this seemed absurd and out of some weird story. But, you had never moved so fast to stand between your dad and something else. "What are you talking about?!" you raised your voice to get your dad's attention. "How is any of this the robot's fault?" you asked. Jungkook cleared his throat before muttering under his breath, "AI. I am more classy and advanced than any robot. It's insulting really". Yes, something was most certainly wrong here. Jungkook had been sassier than the other AIs even after first being activated, but this was a whole different level of sass. You were glad that only you heard it as your dad hearing it was likely to only add fuel to the fire.
"He's been different from the others since he got here! Hell, he even came with a note saying that there were some unresolved errors in his coding. I chose to ignore it because I really wanted to resource, but he just cost us two of our people!" your dad partially answered trying to get around you to Jungkook. This was a really weird situation and your head was still a little groggy and your body still in a little bit of pain, especially your right arm. You were protecting a robot from your father. How did this make any sense?
"Dad! Explain! You're just rambling like an idiot," you raised your voice again to get him to stop his attempts at Jungkook. Jungkook only stood still behind you, making no attempt to move, standing there like a completely unbothered statue. "Jungkook! Will you please move further away? You're only making this harder on me," you directed behind you. "I can't do anything until you give me an order. I was waiting on you," he answered just a little to sassy for your liking. Honestly, you loved a good sass match but it was already weird the level of sass he was exuding, not to mention the fact that you were presently involved in a squabble with your dad over him. He was being a childish AI, which was absolutely the most ridiculous situation you'd been in in awhile.
"The pad that keeps track of all of them just gave me a red alert that read: "Compromised - Terminate". If we went into that with him compromised, it only stands to reason he gave our position away to the other AIs that mine reported," your dad finished sinking all of his weight into one hip like, again with this, a sassy high school girl. What the fuck was going on here? But, Jungkook was compromised? Interesting...
"Look, dad, he got me out of there. He did his job. He was surveilling the entire time we were there with me right beside him. I never once saw him make a move to give away our location or send off a signal. He didn't do it. He's functional. He wouldn't even move without my command just a second ago to avoid this rage that you've worked yourself into. Open your eyes and realize, your tablet has it wrong," you answered your father.
"May I suggest questioning the people that gave us to you rather than Ms. (Y/L/N). I happen to think that they know more about this than they let on. Only a little deductive reasoning brings me to the possibility that you could have been double crossed or you're being used in some way," Jungkook spoke up without so much as a nod from you. Your father's eyes widened in shock. "Well, I never," your dad muttered like an offended rich woman. "Alright, alright dad. Can we not do this now? Seriously. I've been standing for less than thirty minutes and I really just need some time to process everything that just fucking happen," you spoke up trying to break the mounting tension of the room. You proceeded to shoo your dad out, to which he begrudgingly complied, noticing the apparent amount of pain you experienced in your shooing efforts. Better to let it alone for the time being.
After your dad had cleared the room and you were sure he wasn't going to make any surprise entrances, you turned on Jungkook. "Give me the skinny. How bad is my arm?" you asked looking at your wrapped upper arm. "I didn't have to amputate it or anything, but there was some pretty advanced muscle and tissue damage due to the radiation exposure. You've still got your arm, but my guess is that it will be awhile before you can use it like you did before the incident. I'm not a doctor, but the medicinal archive suggests some degree of physical therapy," Jungkook answered. You were, of course, relieved to hear that your arm was still entirely just that. No amputations and no prosthetics. What was a little frightening was the notion that your ability to defend yourself and function was likely to be entirely compromised. You led groups of militants. Groups of people that respected strength. They preyed on weakness and this would surely be one that was hard to hide.
Jungkook must have noticed your troubled look. "I can help with the therapy and it's my job to keep you safe, so, you don't have to worry about that," he tried to reassure you. Empathy. "It's not that I'm worried about. To be truthful, it's looking weak to people that expect me to be strong," you responded in a semi-rare moment of vulnerability. You weren't quite sure why you found yourself opening up to him as you'd always been taught never to let anyone in. It was just something as easy as breathing.
"I can help there too. If anyone questions you, I'll just use force to make them fear you," he again tried to reassure you. You chuckled at how nonchalantly the words flowed from his lips. "Then, would you be any better than my father?" you let the sentence hang in the silence between the two of you.
After several beats of silence, you decided you would ask the question that had been burning in the back of your mind. "Do you feel different?" you asked meeting his gaze. He immediately averted his eyes. His open demeanor disappeared as his body constricted. It was quite evident that the question made him uncomfortable. Shame. Embarrassment. He remained silent.
"Jungkook, answer me," you pressed. The silence lasted just a little while longer as Jungkook pondered how to get his thoughts together, his programming having no right answer to such a question. "I do feel different but I can't explain it. It's almost as if my programming took a back seat to something more powerful. The more powerful entity doesn't seem to always pick the right course of action either. I feel glitchy," he answered. Suddenly, finally, you put two and two together.
"I think you just answered your own question, Jungkook. You're feeling. It's not just 0s and 1s or whatever anymore. You're experiencing emotion," you explained quickly realizing that you had said it both way more excited than you intended to and way more excited than conventionally acceptable. You weren't the only one shocked by the news though as Jungkook's eyes went wide.
Hey Alyssa! It's been a long time since I came to your blog. How are things going? All good? Hope life's treating you well. Sending love your way❤❤
Things are going well. As it is painfully apparent, I am on hiatus from writing as adjusting to college has been difficult for me. I promise to write as soon as it is healthy for me to do so and I have time in my schedule. Thank you very much for checking in! To all of you still out there, I love you all and thank you for your continued support in this currently difficult period of my life.
I swear Byun Baekhyun will not let me live. Whoever created this video just entirely blessed me. Thank you for reminding me (even though I didn’t really need a reminder) of why Baekhyun is my Exo bias. Oh Sehun and Park Chanyeol have had me swerving lately.
I am!! An update is in progress currently and will be my next posted update. I cannot give you an exact date as of yet for the posting of the update, but I will try to have it to all of you as quickly as possible.
I'm relatively new to the community and must admit my lack of knowledge on how to make one. I have seen more established pages use these. As such, I do see myself changing my page, revamping it, and adding a master list when life allows me the time to just sit and chill again.
Heyyy just wanted to say that I missed you and your writting!!!!!! This is one of the best werewolves fics Ive read!!!! Also, I love Jk's fic! Lots of loveeee
Awww! You're so sweet! I gotta say that I missed this loving and supportive community on here as well. I'm glad you like my fics. Thank you for being a great source of motivation to continue. As always, thank you for your patience and support :)
Hey, I saw this post on twitter in which an interviewer asked BTS who had the sharpest tongue and everybody said it was Suga. Then Jimin said, "You can dispease / mess with anyone but Suga Hyung, he will make you docile and obedient." I was wondering whether you could write a YoonMin smut about this :) You can be as creative as you want with the plot and everything. Thanks in advance x
That sounds like a fantastic idea for a scenario. I'm a huge fan of YoonMin, but I'm a little scared that I'm lacking in the skill to write an adequate and pleasing scenario involving both of them (as one is a bias and the other wrecks the bias I might get totally distracted). However, I will try my hand at it. I will just need to work it in between the updates I have planned for my other fics. Thank you for your ask!
Not exactly a request or a question but I have to say that I'm absolutely intrigued and immersed in your fic "a new livelihood". I love it!! Fighting!! ❤️❤️
Thank you!!! I love love love when you all give me feedback on my work. Thank you for letting me know you're enjoying the story. I was worried about all the time that this chapter took and that it's quality wouldn't measure up to length of time my awesome readers waited for. So, again, thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it ❤❤
A New Livelihood (Werewolf! Jimin x Werewolf! Reader) Chapter 4
Note: Hello everyone! Surprise! I’m back after what honestly feels like forever. I do not deserve readers as good as all of you. You are so very patient and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. As usual, no editing was done, so please don't hate me for any errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, or the awful thing known as autocorrect. I hope you enjoy the long awaited Chapter 4!
Pairing: Reader x Jimin
Genre: Fluff, Angst
Rating: PG - PG13 (for this chapter)
Characters: Aera (Reader), BTS, and Jung (Reader’s brother)
Word Count: 5,177
Summary: Aera (or really Y/N) belongs to a pack of more traditional werewolf values led by her brother, Jung (or really Y/B/N). The very brother that murdered their parents in cold blood solely for the purpose of ascending to the position of Alpha. With her tyrant brother in control, Aera (or Y/N) is forced into a mating ritual with a rival pack in order to cement their alliance with her own pack. Things take a turn for confusing when this forced ceremony turns out to be far from forced. Aera (Y/N) must learn to adapt to an entirely different lifestyle, one that stands in drastic contrast from her own, while simultaneously navigating the confusing and passionate nature that is the mating bond.
I woke up beside Jimin the next morning, sore but content. I was in an oversized shirt that I was sure must have belonged to him. He'd probably covered me up in it sometime last night, not wanting anyone else to glimpse my body in a state that he desired only he see.
I looked beside me to find him sleeping soundly, a smile spread wide across his face. I smiled to myself before boldly pressing a gentle kiss to the side of his face and carefully wriggling my way out of his grasp.
I pulled my hair off of the back of my neck to examine the mark that had seared its way into my skin the night before. Now far less painful, I could take in all of its beautiful uniqueness. I'd never seen a mark like it in all my life. It looked like it belonged on my skin, like it had been a mark always intended to be there. Another smile crossed my face. This life may have been completely and utterly new yesterday, but I was beginning to see the way my piece clicked into Bangtan'd puzzle. That put me at ease.
"Like what you see, kitten? I certainly do," Jimin said walking up behind me and embracing me from behind. "It's just interesting how it looks like it was always meant to go there," I answered without processing the words I was allowing to leak from my mouth.
Realizing my slip, I bit down on my lip and averted my eyes from the gaze we were sharing in the mirror. He grabbed ahold of my shoulders and turned me to face him. "Why did you get all shy? It was cute. Namjoon's always told us that it should feel with certainty that we've been intended for each other even though just meeting," Jimin said reassuringly pulling me into his chest and placing a kiss on my forehead.
After holding me in silence for a few moments, Jimin spoke. "Breakfast? Jin makes some mean pancakes," Jimin stated excitedly. I nodded my head and he grabbed me by the hand, leading me quickly, though carefully, down the stairs. I was continually surprised with how tough yet gentle he could be. How dominate yet soft he was by nature.
"There are the lovebirds. Honestly, could you two have been any louder last night? Jungkook came into my room complaining about how he couldn't sleep for all the noise," Taehyung joked. A blush dusted my cheeks. I hadn't realized we'd been that loud.
"So then I made my point? She's mine," Jimin responded becoming protective, jealous, and possessive for just a moment before reverting back to his softer side, a smile taking his face. My face dusted even redder. Sure, I hadn't know, but Jimin had done it entirely on purpose. On some small level, I felt just a tad used. I wished he'd have told me that was his intent. Sure, I had been shy around the boys throughout my short acquaintance with them, but I wanted to please Jimin. Something primal in me desired that. If he'd told me he was putting on a show for his roommates, I really would have upped the theatrics. Not that I would have been faking anything because I'd honestly been suppressing a large deal of the noises I had wanted to make last night.
"We get it. We get it. Hey Aera! Sit down with Kookie and I and eat some of Jin's pancakes. Jimin can be a bit overbearing I know. I exist in the form of a fun break," Taehyung said with a boxy smile. Sure, maybe I hadn't gotten off on the best footing with the youngest members of the pack and maybe that made me slightly fearful of them, but something about Taehyung's smile temporarily washed my fears enough that I sat beside him without much hesitation. Jimin stood where I had left him a bit speechless.
"Looks like she's already developing that independent nature. She'll do well here," Yoongi spoke up entering the room. "Yoongi-hyung slept like a rock through everything last night. He's like the king of sleeping", Jungkook observed.
"You honestly should have seen the purity of Jungkook that was tainted last night. He looked honestly terrified by all the noise," Yoongi countered Jungkook's jest. "That's surprising. He looks like sex on legs," I spoke up before I could catch myself. My slip of the tongue betrayed my processing of the pack members. Everyone was shocked into silence at my breaking of my own silence in such a fashion.
The silence was broken by a loud chorus of laughs. The loudest of which came from Taehyung. "She's got spunk. I like her. Watch yourself Jimin. She gets any more comfortable and there's no way you're submitting her at all," Taehyung said giving me a pat on the back. "Sex on legs, huh?," Jimin, the only one not laughing, directed at me shooting me a glare. "Relax hyung, she only meant that I don't look innocent at all. Right, Aera?," Jungkook defended me. I nodded my head.
"You certainly are a noisy bunch," Namjoon said joining the fray. "I trust everything went well. Aera, lets see that mark," Namjoon directed. I nodded my head and picked my hair up off of the back on my neck. "Oh, its beautiful. Who would have thought that beast Jimin would be capable of something like that," J-Hope spoke up from beside Taehyung.
"We are very happy to officially have you as a member of our pack. If you have trouble with any of these difficult children, please don't hesitate to come to myself, Jin, or Yoongi. They listen to me as the leader, heed Jin's advice as the eldest, and completely fear Yoongi because he's a total savage. It'll be my pleasure to look out for you," Namjoon said lightly squeezing my shoulder.
I was touched, but entirely uncertain of what his words meant. He'd look out for me? I'd never had anyone do that for me. I'd been on my own since a relatively young age. My mom died protecting a younger and stupider me and my dad had never been one for comfort. My brother blamed me for my mom's death so he would sooner abandon me than anything else. I had been largely alone for most of my childhood, with my dad only around to shield me from the savagery of my brother. I was not his favorite child. My brother had been. My father had never particularly wanted a girl and after the loss of my mother, I had been looked upon as little more than a burden. Sure, my father and my brother had never gotten along very well, but at least my brother got some kind of attention from my father. That was of course until my brother had killed my father in cold blood.
My family dynamic had been so screwed up. All I'd ever known was isolation, violence, self-preservation, manipulation, and bloodshed. I did not have a positive outlook on life as the negative was so ingrained in my being. I was a female werewolf. The lowest of the low in my original pack. From birth, I was to be condemned to abuse, loneliness, and subjugation. So, to have someone say they'd looks out for me was truly an abnormality. An object that made little sense and that I had even less faith in.
"Earth to Aera, come in Aera," Taehyung joked from beside me. "We lost you their for a second. How's the climate on Planet Aera?," J-Hope joked. A fake smile spread across my lips as the memory of my past had not quite faded. The room was jovial, I was not. The room was rejoicing in the prospect of new things to come, I remained shackled and bogged down by the brand of my past. On every face in the room there was a smiling face. Mine held one with no genuineness. The only one that noticed the change in my disposition? That was Jimin.
The room subsided into quiet as everyone devoured Jin's pancakes. I picked at mine a little to give the impression of consumption on my part. I had not noticed Jimin's careful eyes taking in my attempted fake or the lack of smile on my face. I had been careful not to emit pheromones portraying my sadness, but I hadn't noticed Jimin carefully in tune to my nature. He knew what I was feeling, no matter how I tried to fake it. I wasn't confronted with the knowledge he'd collected until he and I headed back upstairs so that I could put on some of my own clothing. At least, that's how J-Hope had jokingly put it, stating I should stop stealing Jimin's clothing to wear around the house. I couldn't help myself. It smelt so much of Jimin.
"What's wrong?", Jimin asked without hesitation when we were out of view and the range of the human form of the pack's hearing. If they transformed, they could hear every syllable of our conversation without difficultly. "Nothing. What gave you the impression that anything was wrong?", I lied still trying to flush myself of my bad flashbacks of the past. "You really shouldn't lie to me. It's entirely obvious every time you do," Jimin responded narrowing his eyes a bit in mounting frustration.
"Look. It's not important. I just need to grow up," I replied still attempting to push the subject to the side. "Do you think the guys would want to do anything today? I know we aren't super aquainted with each other yet, but I really hate being couped up," I added attempting to divert the conversation. "I'll humor you by answering that they probably want to go practice at the studio today. You're welcome to come, if you can learn to tell the truth," Jimin answered returning full circle to the problem creating a palpable tension in the room.
"I told you it's nothing important. I didn't lie. I just didn't reveal all the details. It's really nothing to worry yourself over. It's in the past," I replied hoping that the little information I'd given on the subject would be enough to sate his curiosity. "It's important if it's altered your mood in such a fashion. You're forgetting that I still want to learn everything about you. It's not like it's a burden. I want to. I promise you I'm not letting you leave this room until you tell me everything that has got you in such a down mood," Jimin pressed further, refusing to let the subject lie.
"I don't want to talk about it Jimin!," I snapped as my voice rose a few octaves. "You honestly think that you lashing out at me is going to scare me away? Well, it's not. The guys do far worse and I'm pretty much the king of comfort around here. Seriously, if you want it to go away, you're going to tell me," Jimin replied raising his voice to meet the volume of my own. He crossed his arms and his body language expressed anything but flexibility. In the face of his immovable disposition, my resolve shattered and my shoulders slumped.
"You really want to know, huh?," I started averting his gaze. He made no answer indicating that I should continue. "When Namjoon said that he'd look out for me, I just realized that I've never had something like that in my life. I'm not even sure that I understand the meaning of that phrase. I've pretty much been left to my own devices for most of my childhood. I'm not sure how the close knit pack thing works. This entire thing is alien to me! I don't understand everyone hanging out together and laughing and having a good time. I only understand the pack constantly being in a power struggle with friends and families at each other's throats trying to climb even the slightest bit higher up the hierarchy. I don't get the concept of friends or family as being a positive. I've never been valued. I don't understand anything that your pack is built off of. None of it! Sure, it seems what my idealized pack would consist of, but that doesn't mean I know how to operate in it. I feel awful because I'm so quiet when your pack gathers, even if I have started to talk a little more. I have no idea what to say, where I fit, if I'm still supposed to be trash or not. I don't know who is my friend and who is my foe. I feel like I've been completely thrown into the fire and expected to hold my own, granted this in a kinder fire than the one I left. The whole reason I had to leave the original fire I was in was because my brother only viewed me as a pawn," I exploded all at once. I finished breathing heavily trying to catch my breath. I'd just unloaded nearly everything and I was sure it was a lot to process. I averted my eyes from his and bowed my head in shame at my weakness.
"I know that I haven't exactly addressed it because I've been so happy to have you here, but I know you need time to adjust. I know this all seems foreign and scary. You really are in a better place than the one you left though. Here, you have value. Here, you are part of a family. A family I hope you come to know the meaning of in a short time. You have people to lean on here. You aren't alone or constantly in danger or whatever it is you're fearing from your past. No one here is your foe. We all want to see you fit in here well and prosper. Sure, this was intended for the formation of an alliance with your old pack, but this was also intended to contribute to the happiness of my pack. Trust that you are not here as your brother's pawn, but a treasure of happiness. As cheesy as it sounds, none of us have known you very long, but we've already grown pretty fond of you. Myself especially. What I feel for you is growing rapidly. Scary rapidly. Please don't question the pack's intentions for your being here. Namjoon as well as every other member have been straightforward. Maybe Tae and Kookie said something the first night that you were here that made you think they hate you. They don't. I assure you they just wanted to give you the impression that they were tough. They aren't. Just yell at them slightly louder than one would talk and they'll cower in apology. That is if you're a member of the pack. Our pack protects its own. Just please know that you are safe here. I wouldn't let anything happen to you and if anything happens to me, the guys wouldn't let anything happen to you," Jimin finished addressing all the issues I'd mentioned.
Even though I was freaking out internally, Jimin's words put me at ease. I couldn't explain the calming affect his words had on me with all the adjectives that existed in the English language. He had a hold on me. A hold I'd be scared for any one else in this world other than Jimin to possess.
"Please take my words to heart," Jimin said pulling me into his chest and placing a kiss upon my forehead. I nodded as a tear rolled down my cheek. I wasn't sure whether the tear had sprung from residual sadness or if it had been pulled out of me at Jimin's sweet words full of compassion. I didn't have time to dig into the deepest parts of me to find out as Jimin began to talk again.
"Now, why don't you get dressed enough to leave the house? You can come to the studio with us and try to keep up with our dance moves," Jimin teased winking and proceeding to roll his body a few times. I smiled and pushed on his shoulder lightly. Something about him just made me more comfortable with little effort.
I walked over to my suitcase and pulled out a loose fitting pair of black track shorts and a pink sports tank top. I grabbed my favorite sports bra, a comfortable pair of underwear, and my black tennis shoes that had a pink stripe running along the sides. I gestured for Jimin to close the door as I shed his shirt and my underwear. I stood before him completely naked for the third time in our acquaintance. It was different from the other two occurrences by my comfort level which was exponentially soaring with every hour I spent with Jimin.
"Really?! I was all focused to go and practice and now I have other, more entertaining things in mind," Jimin said approaching my naked frame. "No! You promised I'd get to go with you to the studio," I said holding out a hand to stop him, I'd been secretly excited to get out of the house and do something active and fun. This wolf had been caged up in this house for too long. I had energy I needed to run off or dance off or something. My excess energy was creating an uncomfortable, fidgeting anxiety within me that I was sure was adding to my fear of this new life. It needed to dissipate or disappear entirely or something. The only way to do that was to engage in some kind of physical activity.
"Yes, and I had one in mind," Jimin spoke up, sending me a wink. "Quit reading my thoughts! That's not fair! I need personal space too," I pouted. He held both of his hands up in surrender. "Fine. Just get dressed. The longer you stand there naked like that, the more I'm losing every shred of my resolve," Jimin said turning away from me.
I nodded and pulled on my underwear before sliding my sports bra over my arms. I couldn't get the clasp on the back of the sports bra. In frustration and a little bit of a desire to tease, I called out to Jimin. "Hey, could you help me with this?," I directed towards him. He turned to face me again. "Jesus Christ, Aera! First, you tell me I have to resist the urge to have sex with you. Now, you tell me I have to put your clothes on you rather than take them off you. You are asking me to go against every grain of my nature," Jimin huffed as he clasped the bra in one swift motion.
"Was it honestly really that hard? It took you like three seconds," I complained back. "Hey! No sass! It's too early for that. You have to stay submissive for at least a little longer before you become a pain in the neck," Jimin joked. "You freaking wish. I just told you that's all I've ever known and I'm so ready to get out from under it," I replied possessing a comfortability and confidence that I hadn't possessed in a long time. It felt nice. If Jimin had already changed me in this fashion, I was eager to see how much more he'd change me for the better in the future.
"Just hurry up and finish getting ready," Jimin said still turned away from me. Even though I couldn't see his face, I could hear the smile he held in his voice. I quickly pulled my track shorts on. Splashed on a fair deal of the special deodorant made for werewolves. It was very faintly scented like flowers, but also held up to a lot of perspiration. More than the average human. I pulled my tank top over my head, pulled socks on my feet, and tied my shoes.
Looking in the mirror, I decided to tie my hair up. This left my mark on full display. This had been my intention. I was symbolically ready to commit all of me to this pack, to Jimin. I was going to try not to be scared anymore and officially embrace the person I felt that I truly was within the freedom of this pack.
"Alright. All done," I directed toward Jimin and he turned around. "Okay, good. They're all probably downstairs waiting on us by--," he stopped taking in my appearance. "You are just honestly so breathtaking whenever I look at you. I love that you're displaying my tattoo. Keep it up and I may have to leave a few more marks," Jimin said with a wink. "You know that hickeys don't really last more than one night with werewolves right? That whole healing thing kinda takes care to that. The only thing that stays constant is the mating mark. Even like straight up biting my flesh would heal before morning," I replied gesturing to my neck. Though it had been marked up the night before, it was now clean and unmarked.
"Way to be a total buzz-kill. Come on. They're downstairs," he said grabbing me by the hand and leading me downstairs. I followed without complaint. Just as Jimin had guessed, they all sat gathered downstairs in various forms of comfortable clothing containing Puma logos here and there. "Took you long enough. Honestly, I would have never believed the stereotype that it takes girls forever to get ready unless I'd just witnessed it myself," Taehyung joked draping an arm around my shoulder. "You look totally prepared to watch our awesome dance skills though," he added with a smile.
"You mean Hobi, Jimin, and me right? I swear the rest of you can't dance to save your lives," Jungkook joked. "Totally not true. Yoongi and myself can dance fairly average," Taehying replied mocking hurt. I suppressed a laugh. "What's so funny?," Taehyung asked sending me a confused look. "Well, if you have to describe your dancing as fairly average then it's not exactly awesome or above average," I replied comfortably with a smile.
"I swear I love her," Jimin said before he busted out laughing and swept me off my feet spinning me around. He had the single cutest laugh in the universe. Taehyung mocked hurt as Namjoon called everyone's attention to him.
"Everyone ready for a run?", he questioned. I felt naive for what I was about to ask, but the braver side of me opted to ask anyway. "But it's the middle of the day? I can guarantee people are going to notice a pack of wolves just frolicking through the woods," I spoke up. Namjoon smiled and chuckled. A blush dusted my cheeks as I was consumed by embarrassment.
"Okay, so first of all, we don't frolic. Secondly, you're absolutely right about people being suspicious of that. That's why we run in our human forms, granted much faster than any human would ever be possible of. People tend not to take a second look at other people. So we kind of have the freedom then to run however fast we want. We still stick to more wooded areas though. Just to prevent an overly observant eye from noticing too much, Namjoon answered as if it was the most logical thing in the entire universe. The way he spoke sometimes, he could make anything sound like the most basic of logic.
"Last one there is a rotten egg!," Jungkook teased childishly as he shot out of the door. This triggered a primal drive within me to just take off and run. I guess one could easily consider me quite competitive and hell if I was going to beat by a younger wolf. I sprung from Jimin's arms and took after Jungkook as fast as I could.
After tearing through the doors of the house, I felt free at getting to run outside. I was alone for only a few seconds when Jimin caught up. "You aren't going to catch him. Not only is he absolutely perfect at everything he tries, he's also the fastest runner our pack has. I'm the next fastest and I struggle to even touch him sometimes. Tae and J-Hope are fairly even in terms of speed and generally run somewhere behind me. Then there's Namjoon, then Jin, and finally, Yoongi who honestly cant be bothered with such a childish thing as running. His words," Jimin finished giving me a breakdown of the pack's loose running formation. Every pack had at least five running patterns that dealt with almost any occurrence that could befall a pack. Some had more than five, but the five most basic pattern types were defensive, offensive, scattered, clustered, and free. I was assuming we were in a free running pattern right now as this current formation likely wouldn't aid us if any form of a complicated situation arose.
"I can hear your thoughts. I'm sure we all can right now. You know the pack connects on a different level when it runs together. This is our free form. The only form not really altered by your arrival. The rest of the patterns will change as Namjoon sees fit," Jimin answered my thoughts. I nodded in response. His statement that no one could catch Jungkook had been eating at me though. He was completely underestimating me. I'd slowed my speed considerably after I'd cleared the doors of the Bangtan residence. I was the fastest runner in my old pack, among other positions I was not too eager to divulge to my new pack. I'd done unmentionable things. Things that I felt would break the faith I'd established with the members of this pack already.
I knew more than I let on. Sure, I didn't know all the intricate items of mating rituals or things like that. I was well versed in survival though. How to hunt, running formations, interrogation, torture, creating fear, blocking mind reading, severing pack bonds. They were all ingrained in my being. Blocking thoughts had become so necessary to survival in my old pack that it was matter of the flip of a switch in my brain now. I was the best hunter my old pack had. I had to be if I actually wanted to eat. I was the best runner my old pack had. I had to be if I wanted to survive their attacks.
"How are you doing that? It took years for Namjoon to even begin to teach us how to do it," Jimin questioned noticing I'd blocked my stream of consciousness. "Lucky break," I lied with a shrug of my shoulders. I could mask pheromones in a superior way as well. Even so, I had already realized Jimin was able to pick up on them better than anyone I'd ever known. I'd work on masking for most of my life and yet, he could still read them with what seemed like little effort. I had to attribute it to the mating bond. There was nothing else that it could have been.
"Catch me if you can," I teased as I released the hold I'd been putting on my desire to run. I felt my eyes flash blue as I took off at lightning speed. I heard Jimin shout a string of protests behind me as he underwent the same release. Despite the equal release process, I outpaced him easily, running by myself for a few moments before catching up to Jungkook. He looked entirely startled to see me run up beside him.
"Well, this is interesting," he commented as I ran beside him. He was incredibly fast. I wasn't holding back at all and his speed was giving mine a run for the money. Sure, I wasn't pushing it, but the kid was impressive for someone who hadn't really grown up in the same environment I had.
"How'd you get so fast?," I asked making conversation. "I just am?," he asked looking kind of confused but also looking like he had something to hide. That was strange and raised a little red flag in my understanding of Jungkook. "I heard you're their lead runner. How does one become such?," I continued with a bit of playful banter. "I have this feeling that you already know," he responded with a chuckle.
"Oh yeah! That's right! I do. Where are we going again?," I asked trying to pry the question I wanted the answer to out of his mind. I wasn't sure if he felt me fishing as I was trying to do it delicately. The only reason I'd been running beside him this long was so that I knew in what the hell direction I was supposed to outpace him. Even if I made it to my destination before him, it wouldn't matter if it wasn't the correct one.
A visual image along with a map of landmarks successfully came to me in my fishing attempt. Leave it to a lead runner to know all the important destination information. The other pack members always just followed the scent of the lead runner if they got lost. "Well, it's been really nice talking to you, but I have somewhere I need to be," I said with a smile as I kicked my speed into its fastest gear. I easily outpaced Jungkook; several complaints springing forth from his lips.
The only catch with the current speed I was running at was that I couldn't run at it for forever. This speed was almost equivalent to a cheetahs stamina. I could maintain my top speed for only a specific amount of terrain, a specific amount of time. After that, I would slow considerably running likely within the Taehyung and J-Hope bracket that Jimin had described.
Having earned a lot of practice with such a concept as a lead runner, I knew for exactly how long I could last and what my energy cost would be. I had a little over the time I needed to get there, but my energy cost would be considerable. Normally, to maintain the ability I possessed, I fed on game via hunting. Game generally possessed a lot more protein than pancakes or what my brother used to call the "regular food of the masses". It fueled my running style and, without it at play, I'd be spent. Yet, the primal and stupid side of me, the same side that had got my mother killed, decided that beating Jungkook was worth more than the large amount of energy reserve I'd lose. I justified it through the thought that my reserve had been building exponentially cooped up in that house. I was safe. I wouldn't need it to protect myself. My reserves built incredibly fast too. I was sure I'd have plenty of time for them to build back up as I stayed locked up in that house for the next few days after our return from dance practice. If only I had known how wrong I was going to be...
Heyyy good luck for your final exams and don't worry, take your time writing a new livelihood, it's an amazing fic and I'm sure it'll be worth the wait. Love you awesome author! And I was also wondering what I should call you? Lol what's your (not necessarily real) name? 😁😁😙
You are so sweet anon! We are on the home stretch for exams now. Two left. I certainly hope everyone thinks it's worth the wait. I definitely feel bad for making everyone wait this long. Thank you for your support and reading my work. You can call me Alyssa if you like. I don't really go by nicknames, so that's my real name :). I can certainly understand why people would want too though.
Hello! I just wanna say that I really like A New Livelihood and I'm looking forward to the next part!! I'm also wanting to ask whether you know when you'll update A New Livelihood? It's fine if you don't, I'm just really excited 😊 😘
Hello anon! Unfortunately, I have had to temporarily put Livelihood on hault because of my final exams. I have not had sufficient time to devote to the story as I would like. I really wish I could just get part 4 up already, but life just gets fast sometimes. I would expect an update before the end of this month, but I cannot promise when due to my exams. I feel really badly about this and wish I could bust stories out like everyone on here deserves for all their support, but I unfortunately cannot. I thank you very much for your inquiry. I love knowing that people are still interested despite all the time that has passed. Again, thank you as always lovely anons, for motivating me to persevere and making me feel like my writing actually has value. I write this with great love and hope to do an update as soon as I can.
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