stay. [bts/taekook vampire fanfic]

ii.chapter

Five young-looking men are sitting on a meadow. The forest which surrounds them seems restless, as if aware of the predators that decided to feed off its inhabitants. Dead bodies of various animals which lived only a few minutes ago are now laying all around them. Some — rabbits, foxes, one small lynx — were easy to hunt. Deer were more difficult to take down — they managed to catch three, and they had to wrestle all of them. The rush of adrenaline is still pumping through their veins; during those moments, everything human about them disappears and the only thing that matters is to kill the prey. They become perfectly synchronised team, each one of them dependant on the other.

Kim Namjoon is watching them from afar, and he can't help but be swept by an enormous wave of fondness. First, there are the maknaes; Taehyung is sitting back against a trunk of an old tree, with a rabbit in one hand. The corners of his mouth are filthy from blood of the animal. His other arm is wrapped around Jimin, who is seated between Tae's legs and is leaning onto his torso. The blond boy is drinking from the lynx, ignoring everything around him and concentrating solemnly on the liquid running down his throat. 

Min Yoongi is already fed; the body of a deer he shared with Hoseok is only a meter away from him. Jung Hoseok, however, is far from finished. His hands are covered in blood; they effortlessly pierced the skin of the animal and dived into the meat. Namjoon's stomach twists at the sight of it. It's moments like this when he fully realises how far has the man moved on from what he had been before. It's almost hard to believe, because when they are in Seoul, Hoseok is the sweetest being out there. But when they hunt, he is the most sanguinary one.

And then there is Seokjin. He is sitting with hands behind his back. His face is illuminated by the moon. Its light brings out all the good features of the eldest. There is a soft smile playing on his lips while looking nowhere in particular. Despite hating everything about hunting, Namjoon knows that he enjoys the moments that come afterwards. Moments filled with strange satisfaction, because of which he used to be so ashamed. He still is sometimes. 

Jin can feel the man's glare. He looks his way and the smile on his face widens. Few years ago, Namjoon would immediately look away. He would act unbothered, like he wasn't looking at all. Now, he knows Seokjin is well-aware of the glances. It's somehow part of his abilities: some of them have better smell, some of them have better hearing and Jin can sense things like this. The eldest stands up and heads his way. "Why wouldn't you sit beside us?" he asks as he approaches him. 

"Someone has to watch over you, right?" Namjoon says.

Jin sits down in front of him and rips out a little grass from the ground. "How considerate of you." Namjoon smirks, and the older one reaches out his arm and pokes his cheek. The action surprises Namjoon, but he doesn't dart away: in the end, Seokjin tends to do things like this on a daily basis. They still catch him off guard, though. "I haven't seen your dimples in a while," Jin comments, his face turning serious. "But then again, I haven't seen you much in the last weeks overall."

Namjoon knows Seokjin doesn't mean to nag: despite that, regret takes over him. It's true he has spent most of the time outside of their apartment in the last couple of days. Although he had his reasons for it. He didn't want to tell anyone until he would be sure. "I'm sorry." This is the only thing he manages to say.

"Don't apologise. I just hope you know you can talk to me if anything is bothering you."

Namjoon bites down his bottom lip. The evening breeze caresses his cheeks, sending shivers down his spine. He knows that if he says it out loud, it will immediately fill in the others with curiosity: they are both within Taehyung's and Yoongi's earshot. He also knows that if he is, after all, wrong, the curiosity will be replaced by disappointment.