Got my claws in you

Chapter 24- boiling points and the end of tethers

JIMIN POV:

My lips twitch as (Y/N) laments wistfully about the cute dungarees she'd unwillingly parted from, having turned to me with the saddest, widest doe-eyes that had tugged at my heartstrings, had me almost crumbling, resolve vanishing and slipping away. It had been so hard to shake my head and steer her away towards the tills, it felt like I was the bad guy for making her pout so dejectedly as she sighed, ears drooping as she walked forwards to pay for the armful of clothes she'd already gathered for Min-Jun.

And though the gesture had been so slight, so subtle that anyone would've missed it out, I hadn't failed to notice the way that she'd paid for quite a large chunk of the clothes with her personal card. It seemed that clothes came under the expenses the centre provided for but understandably with a set limit.

But it was clear that a limit wasn't going to be put on (Y/N)'s infectious enthusiasm in pampering the young bear cub, no limiting how active she'd been as she'd rushed around scooping up clothes in his size and having me hold them up in front of me so she could run careful, critical eyes on them.

It had left me filled with warmth seeing how her nurturing instincts were spilling out unrestrained, a smile on my face as I saw how she was buzzing with energy, so different to the endearing, sweet soft image of her sleepily padding around the kitchen this morning at breakfast. It had been such a domestic, soft sight to walk in onto, to see the way her ears had perked up, stiff and to attention at the sound of my footsteps and the flick of her tail as her instincts registered a predator close before she relaxed, less than a single instance it had been of becoming alert, and turned to smile at me, to push the larger, more heavily filled plate in front of me.

And when she'd had called me out on it, on trying to feed her more, I couldn't help being both amused and touched that she'd noticed, that she'd picked up on the behaviour.

And yet I shouldn't have been surprised, not when those large doe-eyes seemed to be all seeing, seemed to be far more observant than she let on, penetrative and powerful eyes was what she had.

And now. Walking beside her on the street, seeing the way the bags swing happily from her hand and the way she was pretending to be affronted at my lack of support had my fangs poking against my bottom lip as I smile, amusement and satisfaction bubbling up at the way her lips stretch out into a smile.

I hadn't seen such a carefree smile on her face since I'd met her. Because a case had brought us into each other's paths, because since then it had seemed like she'd only suffered and endured. It had seemed like since then I had seen several sides of her, but sides of her struggle, stages where that strong, fierce courage and independence had slowly started crumbling, cracks in the glass until it had all come tumbling down, until I'd seen that broken vulnerability that night at the station. Had seen the way she'd tried to put those shards of glass together, had tried to keep herself pieced together and had tried to adjust and cope to the change of living somewhere new. But despite being put together, the cracks didn't vanish- those moments of fragility and hurt still flickered through.

But today. Today those cracks seemed to melt away, faded from sight. Today she had been relaxed, had been content and all sleepy in the morning and buzzing with energy and enthusiasm later. It made me feel bad, made me wonder whether trying to keep her safe by keeping her inside was making her feel suffocated, was making her feel stifled and closed off from the world. Maybe that was why she had been so eager, so excited for this small outing.

And as we walked towards Jin hyung and Jungkookie's bakery, I resolved to take her out more, to give her these small joys, to do things to keep her smiling and content. She deserved that. She deserved so much more.