stay. [bts/taekook vampire fanfic]

viii.chapter

On the second day, hunger creeps into Jungkook's stomach and rummages through his insides, plaguy settling in. It sets off ghosts which had been hiding until now, patiently waiting for the moment when they could strike again. They insinuate themselves inside of his head and remind him of the ambrosial feeling when fresh blood flew down his throat, the joy it brought him.

Majority of his life, he felt weak. Like an apparatus which existed only for other people to use him, to take what they wanted and never give anything in return. But when he looked into the eyes of people who had hurt him and drank the liquid which kept their hearts beating? He never felt stronger. Those moments filled him with power, the fear radiating from the other's eyes loading him with vehemence. He was eager and avid for more each time he left the venues where he had left the bodies, awaiting the next time when he would need to feed himself again.

He doesn't say anything, though. In fact, he dreads telling the others: he has never been good in voicing his needs, and so he figures staying quiet is the best thing he can do. Perhaps it will help if he doesn't get blood in his system for few more days. A kind of fasting could help, right? It could make him immune towards the terrible need bubbling inside of him. That's at least what they used to tell him back in... that place. Sometimes, he would get a portion of a meal once in three days, because they didn't want to waste the food on him. They also promised it would make his mind stronger.

So he could give it a try, keep his mouth shut and hope the feeling will reduce itself sooner or later.

Both Hoseok and Yoongi have to leave that day for work, and the only one who stays with him is Namjoon. At first, they sit in the living room on the opposite sides of a sofa, Namjoon reading a book and Jungkook acting like he is watching the TV. In reality he just fiddles with his fingers and bites down on his bottom lip, lost in his thoughts.

Namjoon finishes the book by the noon and leaves the living room, only to come back minutes later with two cups: one of mint tea, one of coffee. He quietly hands Jungkook the tea, and the boy takes it with flushed cheeks. That's one thing he doesn't like, and still can't control: every time they do something nice, he blushes. And every time they tell him something nice, he blushes. And every time they smile at him, he blushes.

It's frustrating.

As they sip on their beverages, Namjoon starts talking about when they got the apartment (when Jimin and Taehyung joined their way, because the last one was not suitable for six people), about the time they went away on a holiday by the sea and how he took part in this course that was apparently about how to treat bonsais right. The last part strikes an interest in Jungkook, only because he has never heard there would be such a thing. Because... can't you just look all the things up on the internet?

It ends up with Namjoon showing off six bonsais he has in possession — one for each member. He comments that he should get another one, since Jungkook came. Of course, this only resolves in Jungkook's cheeks crimsoning. It gets worse when Namjoon shoves him a smile with absolutely adorable dimples.

"There's no need..." he says quietly.

Namjoon's smile just widens. "I know that, but I want to."

Shit, Jungkook thinks to himself and lowers his eyes, because he feels too shy to look into the older's ones.

Namjoon can probably tell, thus he places the plants on their regular spots (all over the apartment) and talks about quite random things. Jungkook is glad for that and lets himself relax a bit to the sound of the older's voice. He is still not able to shake off the cautiousness, though.

On the third day, he comes out of his room sooner than he had the previous mornings. He sits on his spot next to Hoseok. The room is filled with chatter and giggle. Smell of food triggers his stomach, which silently growls, and his throat is left dry. He gladly accepts the cup of tea and unobtrusively slides closer to Hoseok. There is this thing which he realised the first day he was here... and that is, Hoseok smells nice. Not that the rest would smell bad, but he smells... different. And in this situation, his smell and the tea make him feel more grounded somehow, less disrupted by the hunger.